2021, Ten Years Later

"Kouta, it's time to get going! Where are you?"

A scene of a dimly lit home once bright and cheerful, now looked duller than ever. The old fireplace looked more worn-out than ever, and the PlayStation 3 was nowhere in sight. The voice of Kouta's mother echoed throughout the house, calling for him.

"Oh, yes mom I'm coming!"

A scene of a twenty-one-year-old Kouta neatening his tie in front of the bathroom mirror. He had a forlorn expression, one stung with unbearable pain. He stifled his tears welling up in his eyes and looked at himself.

The next scene displayed the funeral of Naoki Nakashima, passed away at twenty-nine years old. It had seemed his illness had reached a chronic level over the past couple of years, and his life eventually gave in.

"At least you no longer have to endure anymore suffering, brother."

Kouta thought to himself, wishing to stay positive. Inevitably, nothing could suffice for the loss of an older brother. Kouta was devastated.

A twenty-one-year-old Charlotte and Kai accompanied Kouta at Naoki's funeral, dressed mostly in black. Many tears were shed, and 'goodbyes' were said. Relatives and those who were closest to Naoki shared their condolences at the Nakashima residence, paying their respects and mourning their loss together. Kouta however, was hit the hardest. It felt like his entire world was split in two.

"If there is anything I can do for you, please call me. I'm always here for you."

"Yeah, so am I! The three of us may be university students now, but Charlotte and I are always just a call away!"

His two closest friends attempted to console him, but to no avail. Instead, Kouta hugged the two of them, and he couldn't hold back his tears. He was unable to speak, so his body did for him. Charlotte and Kai understood, and the three hugged for as long as Kouta needed.

Later that evening, after everyone left their home, Kouta was about to walk up to his room, but not before passing Naoki's on the way. He just wouldn't budge, not at the thought of his brother gone. He entered his room and turned on the lights. Many cutouts of stars and globes hung from the ceiling, shining amongst a dark, navy blue wallpaper portraying space. Kouta slowly shuffled along and laid on his bed, noticing the cardboard cutout of a Pod he and his brother worked on for almost a week, carefully piecing it together so that a PlayStation 3 controller could fit smack in the middle. His arm covered his eyes and sobbed.

"I miss you, brother."

His tired eyes gave in, and he cried himself to sleep. His parents walked towards the entrance, noticing their son's suffering; their equally torn emotions couldn't bear it either. They turned off the lights and let their son rest, praying he would find peace once more.

Screen fades to black.

A Week Later

"I can't believe the semester break flew by that fast! Guess it's back to assignments upon assignments, huh Kouta?"

"Oh, uh yeah. I can't believe it's already over."

A scene of Kai and Kouta walking to their first lectures together back at the university they both attend, along with Charlotte. Kai was studying environmental development, while Kouta was studying graphic design. Charlotte was studying to become a teacher.

"I guess we'll only be seeing Charlotte at the end of the week, seeing she's always swamped with important assignments. What are you gonna do once the day's over, Kouta?"

"Dude, our big break just ended, are you planning on going out late again?"

"Aw come on, it's time we wind up a little! It's been a while since we did something nice together!"

Kai was right. Ever since they began campus life at university, their studies took priority. With the weight of the passing of Naoki, they've barely made any time to hangout.

"We could always play some Li…"

"Come on Kouta. We're adults now. I know I joked about it being a baby game in the past, but we're not twelve anymore…

…Don't you think it's time we left that in the past?"

Kouta couldn't believe what he was hearing. One of his best friends, who spent hours upon hours of playing his favourite game alongside him, now believing himself to be too mature for the reason they've grown closer in the first place.

"Kai… I thought you said you were always just a call away. What happened to 'always being there for you', huh?" Kouta couldn't contain his frustration anymore. Kai realised what he just said, and instantly regretted it.

"Kouta, I…"

"I'm going home after class."

Having no interest in stoking unnecessary conflict, Kouta walked away from Kai, bottling his anger and managed to calm down before reaching his first lecture. He just wanted to be done with the day and head back home as soon as possible. Kai frowned, feeling sorry for him as he became smaller with the distance growing between them.