REEbok123: I'm being cruel to you guys at this point lol

argenteusvipera: I honestly feel bad at this point for having the fight right at the "Oh. Oh." moment, but I'm also loving being a supervillain at this point, ngl. Lol thanks for the review!

Wishfulhamadryad: Lol I'm loving the frustration in the reviews. Thanks! Sorry it's frustrating but there will be relief soon!

Kosuke doesn't know what she did to deserve her "sugar to ash" curse, nor does she know where it begins or ends. She can make bread and pasta, so there must be some cosmic limit, a precise number of grains that can be in the bowl before it all decays, a blurred line between sweet and not that will decide if she creates a dish or a tragedy.

What she does know is that she can still make pancakes. Yay!

"That is one blueberry pancake for the little princess." Kosuke slides it onto a plate and then to Minami, who picks up the syrup bottle to pour bite-by-bite, as she always does (she hates nothing more than soggy pancakes). She and Hitsuji sit on the upholstered chairs very much out-of-place in the kitchen, but how else are they to eat and watch the magic happen? "And the chocolate-chip pancake for the prince is almost ready!"

"Wait, wait…" Haruhi grips the pan's handle with both hands, jaw clenched, a fire building from within. "I think I can do this."

"Alright, Haruhi, we believe in you." Hitsuji claps, Minami whoops, and Kosuke bounces in place. Maybe this time…! "Down and up, you've got this!"

Haruhi does just that. The pan dips down, then lifts, and the pancake goes airborne. For an instant everyone is still, waiting with stilled breath as the pancake flips in midair, hitting the apex of its ascent and then falling, falling, falling…half-in the pan, half-out. Most importantly: not on the floor!

The three siblings burst into applause, and Haruhi sighs with relief. Hitsuji claps with hands sticky with syrup and butter. "Haruhi, I'm so proud of you!"

"Thanks, Hitsuji!"

"Can I have it now?"

"Oh, right. Here you go, buddy."

Kosuke is smiling as she ladles more blueberry batter into the pan. Ever since her first Pancake Saturday with the Nakahara siblings, Haruhi had been trying and failing to land a flip. They landed on the floor, on the counter, on top of the fridge…One went up and didn't come back down, and to this day they have not found it. History has been made this morning, and Kosuke takes it as a sign of a good Saturday.

She goes to lift the pan, only for Haruhi to rush over, barking, "Hey, hey, hey! That's it, strike three! Go sit down."

"But—"

"No buts. Sit down."

The grandmother becomes the grandmother-ed, Kosuke thinks sullenly to herself as she joins the children at the counter, but she'd do just the same if it were Haruhi. Maybe more. Kosuke can cook on autopilot, a skill that often comes in handy—for example, she can run through what'll be on an upcoming exam in her head while she's breaking eggs. She just shouldn't use that skill when her dominant arm is out of commission.

A week later, it already feels better, but not perfect. It no longer throbs even if she's lying still. She intended to follow the doctor's orders, but it's easier said than done. She can hardly wash her hair, let alone cook. Chef Matsuhisa has partnered her with Yoshiko for the time being, and Yoshiko is great, she really is, but having to watch someone else knead dough and chop onions and fold cream while she stands to the side is a torture she wouldn't wish on her worst enemy.

One day Amaya is waiting outside the classroom door to check in on Kosuke, see how she's doing, she heard what happened, how awful, she's never been injured so badly, not even when she worked her hardest, such as that time that a foreign diplomat came with their entire family to the Domen residence, all thirty siblings and cousins and children, and just insisted that Amaya cook for them all, not even then, Kosuke really ought to be more careful, Amaya can show her techniques for how to be easier on her limbs, Kosuke must have missed out on these things since she was self-taught, and so on.

On second thought, maybe there are worse tortures than watching other people cook.

Everyone else has been great, too, even if Kosuke still thinks they're hovering too much. The Zukas took the children to the park one day. Reiko gave her a gemstone necklace that she promised would ease the pain. Tamaki, of course, stops by daily. Haruhi has been the most level-headed about the whole thing, but she'd made it very clear that she was disappointed in Kosuke for doing this to herself.

That is, Haruhi thought that too.

The best thing about Haruhi being over for Pancake Saturday is that she knows that on a beautiful, sunny morning, like this, Kosuke doesn't want to talk about that.

The kitchen door opens, and Miyuri pokes her head in with a curled lip. She's never liked it when Kosuke cooks, or cleans, or does anything to serve herself. "Miss Amida, Miss Renge Houshakuji is at the gate. Would you like to invite her in?"

She and Haruhi share a surprised look. Renge had never dropped by unannounced. Come to think of it, Kosuke can't remember the last time she dropped by period. She won't turn her away, though, and not just because it's Shigeo's command. He's not in the mansion at the moment, but the last time…someone had come to see her while she was sick, he'd amended his rule disallowing her from inviting guests without his permission. It still stood, but if someone visited without her invitation—well, it would be rather rude, but it would be ruder for her to turn them away.

"Yes, please."

It's not only Renge who comes in, but also Mori and Hikaru, even more surprising. Renge is lugging in a massive pink giftbag with sparkly paper. Minami gasps and clamors out of her chair, sloshing orange juice in her cup, so that she can bow. "Sensei!"

"You don't have to call me 'sensei' outside of the dojo, Minami," Mori says, not unkindly. He picks her up and puts her back in her seat, as easily as he would a sheet of paper.

"Hey!" Hikaru puts his hands on his hips and scowls at them all. "How come Haruhi gets invited for pancakes, but not the rest of us?"

"Because I don't have enough ingredients in this kitchen to feed bottomless pits."

"I don't finish my plate, you're angry. I eat too much, you're angry. What do you want from me?!"

"I want you to take a seat and quiet down. I'll make you some pancakes, just—"

"Nuh-uh." Kosuke doesn't make it three inches up before Haruhi pushes her back down by the (uninjured) shoulder. "No, you will not. You're going to sit there and eat breakfast."

Kosuke surrenders—not without a pout—and picks up the syrup. Both for her own pancakes and to stop Hitsuji from drowning his. "So what brings you guys here?"

Renge looks hungry, and not for breakfast. She holds up the giant pink giftbag. "I've brought something for you! Grab onto your seat before you fall out of it!"

She pulls something out of the bag and thrusts it so deep into Kosuke's face that she almost swallows it. It's a disc case with a cover of a lovely young woman, split right down the middle. Her left side is in a sweater and jeans, while her right is in a floor-length evening gown. Standing behind her, two to each side, are handsome young men—two in casual clothes, the others in three-piece suits. Even the title is divided, one half bubbly and pink and the other sharp and silver: When Did I Become Cinderella?! The Houshakuji Games logo is stamped in the corner.

"First-ever official copy!" Renge squeals. "Since you were such a big inspiration, I thought it only fair that it goes to you!"

"Ohhhhh, Renge…!" Kosuke blinks at it a few million times, surprised but…not surprised. "It's amazing! Oh, but I don't have this console. I won't be able to play it!" Even if I wanted to.

Renge pulls the console out of the bag.

"Yay…!"

"You can let me know what you think once you finish. But you have to romance all four of the boys first! And the bonus fifth boy, once you romance the four main boys and get the good endings, bad endings, and true endings for each one. Plus the secret ending, after you get the good ending, the bad ending, and the true ending for the bonus boy. And all the trophies."

Kosuke's first question of many is what the difference is between a "good ending" and a "true ending," but Hikaru interrupts with a very pointed, "Anyway. How's the arm been treating you?"

"A-okay. It's more awkward than anything, really." Kosuke's posture and frown sink. "And I really want to make pancakes."

Haruhi slides another onto her plate. "Hush."

"That doesn't sound too bad," Renge hums. She and Hikaru exchange a look. "So…Everything is okay?"

"Sure. I'm sure I'll heal up in no time."

"Right, right. But, uh…Have you…Talked to Kyoya, lately?"

Kosuke takes a drink of orange juice.

And slams the glass back down.

"Nope."

Mori is the only one who doesn't shiver in the blizzard. He only says, as he helps Minami cut her pancake into triangles, "I told you not to mention it."

Yeah. That thing that Haruhi knew not to talk about on Pancake Saturday.

Does Kosuke want to be mad at Kyoya? No.

Is she? Yes.

No.

It's complicated.

In just the last week, she has forgiven Kyoya a thousand times. And took it back a thousand times. She keeps coming up with new or old reasons to keep being mad at him. Mainly the hypocrisy. Put more effort into taking care of yourself than convincing people that you are, says the man who literally went into an ambulance for doing just that. As though the sight of Kosuke sitting on an exam table was even remotely the same as the sight of him on a gurney!

Which—Okay, Kyoya isn't not right. Wednesday, she thought it was just a regular sore muscle. Thursday, same thing. Friday, she was concerned, especially when the ache turned to jolts. She'd told herself she would go to the doctor after the movie with Minami, but then Minami wanted a late lunch, and to swing by this store, and the whole day went by, and then by Sunday the pain had only tripled but Hitsuji was sick and there's nothing that a sick Hitsuji hates more than being alone, so what other choice did she have?

Drop a bowl in the middle of class and get carried straight to the infirmary, apparently. Yes, Kosuke made a mistake—one that could have cost her a lot more than pancakes. And yes, if it were one of her friends, she'd be incredibly upset with them for not taking care of themselves.

But Kyoya doesn't get to be upset with her. Kyoya with his fainting during the fireworks show and insisting he's fine and lying pale under the fluorescent lights and beneath the blankets of his bed and touching her the way he had and showing up in her dreams even still—

It's fine. It's whatever. Today's Pancake Saturday and she's going to enjoy it.

"The game isn't the only reason we're here, though."

Hikaru pulls a folded-up square from his pocket and holds it out for her to take. Haruhi leans over her shoulder to look. It's a sales ad like the ones Kosuke often found in the mailbox at Karuizawa, a little flimsy booklet. This one is especially packed. It's for one of the biggest malls in the city. Kosuke is familiar—the kids love it for the rides, the toy store, and the food court. Kosuke loves it for the giant kitchen goods store, which is having a beautiful number of sales today.

Haruhi takes the booklet and flips through the pages. "You want to go to the mall?"

"Us? No," Hikaru scoffs. Beside him, Renge drowns her pancakes in syrup, much to Hitsuji's outrage. "But we know that you two love sales on things that already cost less than pocket change, so we thought, you know."

Translation: We thought it might cheer you up.

It had been an uneventful week—no events to appear at. She's only been to three different places. School, where she talks to her friends but also has to ignore how they and every single person in the halls watches her and whispers behind their hands. A café with Fuyumi, who had tried and failed to be discreet in asking about…the fight with Kyoya, and who had walked away disappointed.

And here, where once the children are out of sight, she's left alone with her thoughts, all of which are bursting from her cranium.

"You know what? That sounds like a great idea."

The mall is completely packed. The sales are blood in the water. In some parts, it's a challenge to walk five steps without brushing someone, so the children are strictly ordered to hold hands with an adult at all times. Minami and Hitsuji take turns on who gets to ride on Mori's shoulders.

Kosuke won't pretend not to notice that this is a bit of a hodge-podge kind of group. It's certainly the first time this combination—Mori without Hani, Hikaru without Kaoru—have hung out, but it isn't bad by any means. They go into a video game store so Renge can show them her the entire section of Houshakuji Games, and is definitely, absolutely, one-hundred-percent not angry that they walk out with a Karate Knights game rather than I'll Come to You on a Comet. Hikaru tries to get a plushie from a claw machine game just because of how ugly it is, and has to be dragged away after Attempt #28.

They stop at a cheap jewelry stand so Minami can buy Mori a mood ring, and for just a second, his stony face cracks. Haruhi buys a casual dress on clearance, explaining that most of the dresses she has now were gifted by her father—i.e., frilly, sparkly, and pink. They give Kosuke twenty minutes in the kitchen store, lest she stay there forever. She doesn't even make it a tenth of the way through. She spends all her time testing the grips on the frying pans.

Everyone checks in on her in ways that are subtle and not. Mori demands to carry all her bags. Hani slips and makes an innocent offhand remark, "Something-something one time I was with Kyoya and…" so Renge asks Minami to tell her about the Karate Knights, totally innocent and not even with the slightest bit of poison, nope. Hikaru notices how she tugs at her sweater collar—she has to choose between hiding the brace under something she melts in, or having it out for everyone to stare at. He pops into one of the more expensive stores to get her another that, though mass-produced (he scoffs), is much more breathable.

Sometimes Hitsuji takes someone's hand without thinking about it, but then he'll look back at her and go to take hers instead. He hasn't a clue of what's going on. All he knows is that Kosuke has been noticeably down these last few days, and all the other adults know it. Minami is a bit more aware. She's already noticed how Kosuke avoids all talk of Kyoya and stiffens at any mention of him. She has yet to ask after it, but she keeps an eye on her big sister.

"Hey." Haruhi nudges Kosuke's brace-free arm. She'd grabbed some chocolate candies from a vending machine, and pours a handful into Kosuke's palm. "Are you okay?"

"Yep. I just realized how big of a bind I'm in, though. I'm going to have to drag Minami away from the console for the rest of eternity, and I only have one arm to do it."

Haruhi laughs but doesn't mean it. They'd already talked about the fight over the phone. Sort of.

She was already filled in with the details the others could provide. Maybe she'd talked to Kyoya already, too. She'd rang to have Kosuke's own words on it, basically throwing her arms open and saying, Vent to me! Get it all out! But it was much harder to coax Kosuke into speaking over the phone than in person, and Kosuke had succeeded in dodging every question.

Kosuke had also done something very sneaky: she'd used the conversation to tell Haruhi about her grandparents. An expert distraction. So of course, they talked about how nice her grandparents were (truth), the tense situation around her mother (truth), and why she had kept them a secret for a year (lie: Kosuke said there were already so many scandals around her and Kyoya, she didn't want to throw her grandparents into the mix, too, and she's so sorry she didn't even tell Haruhi but she wanted to be extra sure).

Haruhi was nothing but sympathetic, but Kosuke could tell she didn't appreciate the diversion. It was the highest, thickest brick wall of I don't want to talk about it Kosuke could have made. Now Haruhi waits like—like some kind of emotional support monster, waiting for Kosuke to open up so she can pounce and comfort her. Damn her. Kosuke loves her, but damn her.

"We're not even halfway done?" Hikaru's groan turns into a yawn as Renge jabs him in the side. "Not a problem! I'm loving it here!"

"Where do you guys want to go next?" asks Haruhi.

"Where else is there to go? Can't say I'm familiar."

"Oh, oh!" Renge does a little tip-tap. "Do they have stores that sell props? Wigs? Costume pieces?"

"Here, look." Kosuke points ahead to the tall board towering over the masses. "Let's go check the almanac. Hitsuji, find the 'you are here' star!"

He bashes his hand against it when he does. Figuring out a plan is made difficult by Haruhi having to translate each and every store name on the list. No, Salty Sugar is a clothing store, not a bakery, and Silk and Satin is a bakery, not a clothing store. Yes, she's sure. Yes, that doesn't make sense, she agrees.

While Kosuke tries to figure out when they will have to make the required-by-law stop at the rides, she tries to tune out the sounds of the crowd around them, all the conversations melting together.

Until she hears a voice that's very familiar. No, several.

"What kind of name is Silk and Satin for a bakery?"

"It's not like I named it, Boss! Don't ask me!"

"It is a bakery! The last time we were here, I went there and got muffins and eclairs and cream puffs...It was so good!"

"Raven Feathers sounds very worthwhile."

Worst of all: "It's not as though we came here with a destination in mind anyway. Why don't we just keep walking?"

While the others keep trying to decipher ("No, Ocean Breeze is the nursery store, Baby's Breath is the fragrance store."), Kosuke leans around the almanac with a heavy dread that's proven true.

"Kyoya's right!" Tamaki waves off Kaoru, who isn't done fighting. Hani awaits impatiently to keep moving. Someone raises a brow at Reiko's ruffled-collar shirt, and she raises a brow right back at them. "We wouldn't want to miss anything! Let's keep going and—Kosuke?!"

Record scratch. Everyone looks around the almanac at one another. Twin sees twin, cousin sees cousin, and fiancé sees fiancée.

It's not fair, it's not, that after everything, the first thought Kosuke has when she sees Kyoya is still that he looks good…kind of. He looks healthy, and also as sour as a lemon. This definitely wasn't his idea.

When their eyes meet, they both go still, waiting for the other to make the first move. Kyoya doesn't look unhappy, nor happy, to see her. Kosuke is probably mirroring him. After a week of avoiding each other at all costs, how does she react?

After a long stretch of staring, Kaoru grabs onto the edge of the almanac and hisses, "What the heck, Hikaru?!"

"What do you mean, 'what the heck'?! What the heck to you!" Hikaru spits right back at his brother. "You brought Kyoya here?!"

"I told you I was going to!"

"I thought you were being sarcastic! Why would Kyoya want to go to a place like this?"

"To get him out of the house! Why'd you bring Kosuke?"

"Because I thought she would actually like it!"

"Guys!" The twins shut up at Haruhi's bark. She squeezes the hand of Hitsuji, who is squirming in discomfort. "Both of you, calm down! It's not that big of a deal."

"E-Exactly!" Tamaki does his signature point-up-in-the-air, everything-is-great gesture, but it's shaky. "In fact, this is a great surprise! Hey, you two. How have you been?"

He grins down at the children, who are looking between all the adults that are supposed to be friends. Minami whispers to him, "I don't think we're supposed to be here."

"Nonsense! There's room enough in this mall for all of us!"

"Better yet…" Renge waltzes forward, arms folded behind her back, with a confidence that makes Kosuke uneasy. "Why don't we all join together?"

Her look to Kosuke and Kyoya and Kosuke again is clear as day. Tamaki's lips round into an O.

"Good idea, Renge! How about it, everyone? Kyoya? Kosuke?…Haruhi? Mori?"

Kosuke and Kyoya lock eyes again, and beneath the walls that have shot up around her, Kosuke can still feel that odd little twinge when they do. She'd noticed it some time ago, but now it feels wrong. Inappropriate, considering the fight. And the dreams. And what she'd almost done on the beach.

Kosuke turns back to the almanac. The butterflies in her stomach are just going to have to deal. She's not done being mad. "Sure."

A moment later, from the other side: "Fine."

"Wonderful!" Tamaki cheers with extra jubilee to mask how everyone cringes. He waves them all on. "Let's keep going, then! So much to see, so little time!"

When they all cluster together, Kosuke puts as many people between her and Kyoya as possible. She doesn't want to ruin the mood for everyone else, and this is how she's going to prevent that. She can be civil. She's an adult. An adult that doesn't need to be scolded like a child. And hypocritically scolded, at that.

For the most part, it's easy to pretend that Kyoya isn't there. Everyone else falls into their usual rhythm. The group disperses and comes together at random, mostly because Tamaki wants to visit every single store just for the novelty of it, and they aren't all interested in scented candles, least of all the children.

There are a few times where it's very hard to pretend that Kyoya isn't there, however.

They walk into a shoe store. A pair of lacy black heels catches Reiko's eye, but the twins refuse to let her buy them unless they meet their strict standards. Kosuke is pulling a box of light-up sneakers out for Hitsuji—he's hitting another growth spurt, and his whole wardrobe is suffering for it—when Haruhi says, "Oh, hey, look. These are yours."

Haruhi points to the box of white sneakers, the exact match for those on Kosuke's feet. She hadn't thought anything of it when she slid them on that morning, but now she remembers that these are the very same sneakers that she'd bought on her first date with Kyoya, after her heels broke.

She physically feels eyes on her, but when she looks back to Kyoya, he's just glowering down at all the cheap flip-flops and BOGO packs of socks.

Later, they go into a pet store, because obviously they must. The chirps and barks and meows aren't exactly music, but it's a nice break from the bustle outside.

Hani is staring at a rabbit in a cage as though they have been brought together by fate. Kosuke thinks, Aw, Hani would love to have a pet rabbit. Then Mori leans down and reminds Mitsukuni that he already has a half-dozen at home. "So?" is the response.

The children are stuck at the cats and dogs, of course, and bemoan the glass that keeps them from petting their furry little ears. But Hitsuji perks up at one cage, and says, "Kosuke, look, look! This one looks like Tako!"

It does. Different pattern, but same colors. The cat that Kyoya had gotten Kosuke for her birthday, because she'd mentioned once that she'd always wanted a cat and he had remembered that, filed that away, just for the opportunity to make her happy.

She feels eyes on her again, but Kyoya just watches a snake winding through its enclosure.

Then they finally make it to Silk and Satin, the bakery ("I told you!" "Oh, hush!") and they all sit down with their pastries. Hitsuji gets a trio of mini cupcakes and wants to give one to Haruhi, but can't decide if she should have the one with the red icing, the blue, or the yellow. Tamaki makes them all pose five times for a group photo that he sends to each and every one of them, their phones pinging one-by-one.

Kosuke buys some chocolate-dripped strawberries, the worst thing she could buy, because they remind her of Valentine's Day. Not just because it makes the chocolate taste stale (so. much. chocolate…) but because she remembers her gift to Kyoya and their conversation by the water fountain. Everything she'd said. Everything she wishes she had said. When I talk to you, it's comfortable, she'd told him, but what she'd meant was, You make me feel safe.

Eyes. She looks up. Kyoya stares into his tea.

With each passing second, the fun of it all becomes more and more of an effort. It's no one's fault but her own. The others are still trying to keep the mood up, like pointing her to the recipe-book section of the bookstore, or saying no, no, keep going when she stops rambling about the process of making soy sauce. It's just that there are really too many people here, and it's too loud, and Kyoya, and how she's still mad at him but doesn't want to be but she is and ugh now she just wants to go home…

The closest they come to interacting is when they enter yet another clothing store, and this time Haruhi tells the twins before they go in that she doesn't want to hear a single complaint out of them. Renge finds a section of cosplay-worthy pieces, and the children split off with the others. Minami has taken a liking to Reiko's style, so Reiko leads her to the racks of pitch-black clothes.

While Kosuke is flipping through coats, an employee with a smile too sunny to look at pops up and says, "Hi there! Is there anything I can help you with today?"

Kosuke responds very politely, "No, thank you!"

"Are you looking for anything in particular? Dresses? Coats?"

"No, just looking around."

"Or perhaps you're looking for cosmetics?"

Kosuke tries not to purse her lips too hard. She's worked in retail before, kind of. Even if she hadn't, she is always very polite to employees of all businesses. She understands that this one is just doing her job, just being friendly, but Kosuke doesn't know how more she can hint that she would like to be left alone.

"No, I'm just looking for clothes. Thank you, though."

"You know…" The attendant steps closer, squinting at Kosuke's face. "We just received a new line of Ethereal products, and I think the Raspberry Kiss eyeshadow would be a great look on you!"

"Oh, I'm not much of an eyeshadow person—"

"Here, let me show you!"

Then she takes Kosuke's arm, which—what?! Kosuke is too shocked to voice a protest, and worse, she's grabbed her braced arm, and she doesn't want to pull back too hard for fear of injuring herself even more.

The cosmetics station isn't far away, and the attendant releases her when they come to the leather chair in front of the bar. Kosuke is gaping at her, but the stranger doesn't once apologize. "You just take a seat and let me show you!"

"No, really, I'm good, thank you."

"Raspberry Kiss not your color?" The attendant asks, but she's already dabbing a brush in it. "What about Blueberry Blush? Strawberry Sparkle?"

"I'm really just not interested in buying make-up today, thank you." Kosuke puts a bite on the last word. A final warning.

"Oh, but this isn't just any make-up! Here, see?" Then she grabs Kosuke's arm again, and before Kosuke can stop her, she brushes Raspberry Kiss on the back of her hand. "Just your color!"

Kosuke tears her arm back, and she doesn't want to make a scene, but she's not taking no for an answer and she grabbed her arm twice—

A hand comes on Kosuke's non-braced shoulder.

"She's told you several times that she isn't interested in any of your products, and it is highly unprofessional to touch a customer the way you have. I understand you're just trying to make a sale, but you need to move on to someone else before you get reported to your supervisor."

The employee's sunny smile clouds over. But she relents. The palette snaps shut. "I see. Ooh, but are you looking for fragrances? We're carrying the Forest Mist fragrance from Borealis. Here, let me give you a sample…"

This time, when the employee bends under the counter, Kyoya leads Kosuke away, back into the coats. He drops his hand from her shoulder once they make it, but not even a 75% sale can keep Kosuke's interest anymore. She just wants to go home, away from all of this.

And from Kyoya, who is still standing there, not saying a word. Kosuke isn't looking at him, eyes on the coat ends dusting the floor. The Raspberry Kiss is still smeared on her hand. She tries to wipe it off.

"Thank you," she says, because he deserves it.

"If someone ever grabs you like that, you don't owe them politeness. Don't say no, thank you, tell them to—" Kyoya stops himself. "Her behavior was unacceptable."

Kosuke readjusts her headband and starts to step away, unsure of what else there is to say. She only makes it a few feet when she hears an unmistakable sigh, and turns right back around.

"What?"

"I didn't say anything."

This freaking guy.

Kosuke bites on the inside of her cheek. She tastes copper.

"Kyoya. Not now."

He says nothing, and she can't decipher his silence. She doesn't bother trying to; she just keeps going, walking past the jeans and the cardigans, as though her bedroom is just around the corner, waiting for her to hide within.

Tamaki towers over everything in the store, so she makes his way to him and Haruhi, and in doing so catches them mid-conversation.

"He kept insisting that he wasn't that upset about it, but you can tell he was."

"Do you think he's upset about it, or just being asked? I mean, you didn't push him, did you?"

"No! I asked if he wanted to talk about it, and he said—Kosuke! Hi!"

Kosuke doesn't bother pretending she didn't overhear them, but she tries not to be so annoyed. They're her and Kyoya's friends; it makes total sense for them to, well, try to make sense of what's going on. They just want to help, but Kosuke just wants to crawl into a void and pretend nothing else exists for a while.

"Hey," she says, "I was thinking of taking the kids to the rides."

"I'll go with you," says Haruhi at once. "I'm done here, anyway."

"Hitsuji!" Tamaki trills. "Do you want to go…to…?"

He turns left and right, but Hitsuji is nowhere to be found. Tamaki's face goes white. His breath picks up.

"He was…He was right here!" He cranes his neck, looking over the entire store, as if he's going to see Hitsuji's little head in the sea of clothes. "I just saw him! Where did he go?!"

Haruhi looks at Kosuke warily, as though Kosuke is about to start hyperventilating and shaking and fainting, which isn't an unfair assumption.

However, this is a clothing store, and she knows what that means. Kosuke goes to the circular rack of dresses near them, spreads some skirts apart, and sees Hitsuji crouching inside.

"You found me!"

"I did! But remember what we said about playing Hide-and-Seek?"

"Only at home," Hitsuji grumbles.

"Right. Now come on. Let's go to the rides."

That perks him right up. Kosuke, Haruhi, and the children leave, with plans of meeting up at the rides once everyone is done. The crowd is finally starting to thin out some, but not nearly enough. Someone brushes against Kosuke, and between them and the attendant, Kosuke is just done with being touched today.

"Hey." Haruhi turns to her. "How's it going back in the US?"

Haruhi blinks, but shrugs. "Fine, I guess."

"You guess?"

"I mean, the studies themselves are going fine. It's a lot of work now that I'm finishing up, but nothing I can't handle. It's just the…'US' part that's starting to get to me."

"Aww. You miss us!"

Haruhi gives her arm a flick. "Yeah, yeah. I meant the other stuff."

"Are you getting enough sleep? Are you eating well? Haruhi, listen, I know it's super tempting to just start shoveling junk food because it's easy and fast and cheap, but don't do it. You need to—"

"Keep up a healthy diet that includes fruit, vegetables, and protein, and not just starch and starch and even more starch. Yes, Kosuke, you tell me every time I bring it up."

"Good. So, what then?"

"Everything is just so loud over there, I don't know how to put it. I still have trouble navigating. I've gotten lost like a dozen times. Sometimes I want to call you or Tamaki or Dad but then I remember you guys are probably asleep, so I don't. I've met a ton of nice people, but they're not really my friends, you know?"

"I'm sorry."

"No, it's fine. I'll just be happy when I can come back over here for good." Haruhi tilts her head at her. "Why do you ask?"

"Just…I don't know. It feels like we're always talking about me."

"Well, no offense, but your life is a lot more dramatic than mine."

"None taken; I'm aware. But if you want to talk to me about something, don't stop yourself just because I have my own stuff going on. You can call me when I'm asleep."

Hm. She sounds like Kyoya.

"Okay," says Haruhi. It hurts how she sounds a little relieved. Kosuke really hopes she hasn't missed out on anything in her life because she was too wrapped up in her own. "That goes both ways, though."

The "Kiddie Land" area of the mall is mostly a wide-open playground with foam structures. To one end, there are rides shaped in a lion, a taxi, an airplane, and a swan, but that's breadcrumbs to the carousel on the other end. Minami and Hitsuji hop on their horses, and once they're buckled to them, Kosuke steps off and lets them be whisked away. She doesn't think the music and spinning will do her any favors right now. Especially when they remind her of the amusement park Fuyumi had taken them all to for Kyoya's birthday.

With each turn that goes by, the children wave. Haruhi and Kosuke wave back.

"At least I get to come back soon," Haruhi says, but it's not optimistic. "Then I get to do two more years at Ouran, then three more years at law school. And my wedding in the middle of all of that."

Kosuke laughs at her droll voice. "You say it like that, but I'm jealous."

"Of what? My jetlag?"

"How you have everything planned out."

"What do you mean?"

"It just seems like you never have to worry about what's in the future, you know? You know where you're going to be a year from now and two years from now and three."

"You're flattering me too much. I haven't even decided what I'm eating for dinner tonight."

Kosuke chuckles. "I miss you."

"I miss you, too."

"I should also say thank you."

"For what?"

"Being my friend."

"Hey—"

"No, really. I think…I think everything got a little easier when you came to the restaurant for lunch. You've done so much for me since we met—I make you worry all the time and you still stick around. And I don't say thank you enough."

"Don't give yourself so much credit. You can try and you'll never give me half the number of migraines I had when I was in the Host Club." Haruhi bumps her with her side. "Thank you, too."

She doesn't say we can talk about you now aloud, but Kosuke hears it. She just doesn't answer it. They can just talk about Haruhi, for once.

Kosuke has tried to imagine her future, but it's always just a magic-eye poster. She catches hints of things, but nothing more. She's always so busy trying to stop the chaos from overcoming her senses; it's hard to stay in the present sometimes. She wishes that every moment could just be like this. Her and her best friend watching her siblings laugh on a carousel.

If Kosuke wants to ask anything, it's what Haruhi and Tamaki do when they fight. If ever. Is there a difference between forgiving someone and not wanting to be angry with them anymore? How long is taking some time to cool down, and how long is actively avoiding confrontation? She'd never had to deal with something like this with Kohta, because she'd treated their relationship like a joke. What she has with Kyoya, it isn't a joke, but she doesn't know what it is.

Kosuke breathes deep and rattling. She hadn't noticed her lungs squeezing before, but she can feel it now. A weight on her chest, like being underwater. Too much, all at once. Always too much. Everyone she loves, everything that haunts her mind, they're all the same. She can't support Haruhi without cursing herself for not doing enough. She can't fret about losing Kyoya without wondering if he's hers to lose. Maybe this is her punishment for all the people she'd never tried hard enough to keep.

Beneath the tinkling music, Kosuke thinks she hears her name, so quiet she can't put a voice to it. She turns, but finds no one.

"What is it?" Haruhi asks, looking around with her.

"Thought I heard someone. Did you?"

"Nope."

Kosuke shrugs. "Oh well."

Someone definitely calls her name.

She and Haruhi turn in circles.

"I heard that," says Haruhi.

Another call, and while Kosuke spins in frustrated circles, she thinks that she doesn't recognize that voice.

After a minute of nothing, she gives up. Maybe there's someone else in here named Kosuke, she tells herself, or maybe a name that sounds similar.

She has this thought approximately three seconds before she's slammed into the ground.

Haruhi yelps, but it's nothing to the sound Kosuke makes as she hits the tiles and slides. Somehow her skull isn't caved in the process, but if that didn't kill her, then being yanked right back up and lifted into the air might.

"Kosuke!" The person keeps shouting, over and over, so utterly joyous. As the world blurs around her, Kosuke makes out a blur of purple and black, but she doesn't know that blur, and she doesn't know this voice. "It's you, it's you, it's you!"

Kosuke tries to sound stern, but her lungs are being crushed and her spine snapped in half, so it comes out as a dreadful wheeze. "Who are you?!"

"What? Don't tell me you can't tell!"

She isn't released, but she's let back, and Kosuke doesn't care how kind that big smile is, she doesn't recognize it! Is she really getting manhandled and body-slammed by two strangers on the same day?!

The woman is probably around her age, with dark purple hair curled around her shoulders and big emerald eyes smudged in the same black as her lipstick. All the black on her could give Reiko's wardrobe a run for its money, but it's all spikes and leather, not lace and silk. Even her combat boots are spiked! She has a black nose piercing and her earrings are two silver daggers swinging on chains.

Not a face I would forget, Kosuke thinks, but the woman is still smiling, and maybe she's seen that smile before, and…

And…

"Okina?!"

"Hiya!" Okina laughs, loud and open, earning her stares from the people passing by. "Took you long enough!"

It's Okina.

This is Okina.

Kosuke…didn't recognize her. Because, yeah.

But—it's Okina! Okina!

"H-Hey!" Kosuke blurts out, earning her another laugh, but she surprised herself with just talking. She's being flooded with memories, walks through the forest and fingernail-painting and ballet performances, sneaking pastries from the kitchen, giggling at the cute boys in class, Okina helping her up when she falls off her bicycle or trips over a root on the forest trail or doesn't want to leave bed because her parents won't be downstairs ever again, Okina the little girl she'd met on the field trip and Okina the young woman who promised she'd stay in touch. A million years, a million years ago. "Oh my god, it is you!"

"It is! It's been forever! I can't believe—Oh!"

Kosuke is dropped to the floor. Okina rubs her side in pain, while Minami glares daggers up at her, hands still poised to strike.

"Run, Kosuke!" Minami shouts at her. She positions herself for a karate duel to the death. "I'll protect you! My hands are like vipers!"

"Minami! Oh my GOSH, look at you! You've grown up so much!"

Minami does the exact same thing Kosuke did. Her face twists together, then drops in shock. Her vipers drop. "Okina?"

"Yes, it's me! Remember me?" Okina holds her arms a little open, just enough to go unnoticed when Minami only nods instead of diving in for a hug. "Look at the two of you! You look so different!"

Kosuke looks at her from her purple hair to her combat boots. "Right back at you…"

"Oh! Right." Okina wiggles her fingerless gloves at her. "I forgot, I was still a little ballerina last time we saw each other. Well, I guess that was just a phase. Or maybe this is a phase? Who knows! This is how I am right now."

Kosuke tries to do something, but she just keeps blinking and stuttering. She has double-vision. There's the Okina in her ballet leotard, huddled with Kosuke in a blanket fort as they watch some corny romance movie, passing popcorn between them, pausing when Emiko pokes her head in and reminds them that it's lights out in thirty minutes, as she always does on their sleepovers, thousands of thousands of times, and in the morning the same Okina wakes up and takes an hour in the bathroom to do her hair and makeup and Emiko and Marti will put on smiles and promise that it's fine as they slide her slices of toast and bacon, a sequence Kosuke remembers like a movie she's seen a hundred times.

And then there's this Okina, who is apparently the same person.

This time, Okina snorts. "Yoohoo? Anyone home?"

"Sorry, sorry, I'm just…Wow."

"I almost didn't recognize you either. You look great, though! I love your hair."

"Thank you. Yours…is purple!"

"And this one shot up like a weed!" Okina gestures all over Minami. "How've you been, kiddo?"

Minami shrugs. "I've been okay."

Okina is still smiling, but perhaps a bit confused. Minami can only be going through what Kosuke is going through, though. Uncomprehending and…

Aaaaand crap.

This isn't supposed to be the first time Kosuke has seen Okina since she left. Minami and Hitsuji and Ranka and Haruhi and Tamaki and who knows who else "knows" that Kosuke met up with Okina and her "other friends" in Tokyo…what, two years ago? Except, no, not only did Kosuke lie about that, and not only did Kosuke lie about that to go on a compensated group date with a man who'd grabbed her when she tried to leave, Kosuke had also promised Minami that she would deliver her letter that had begged Okina to talk to Kosuke because she was lonely.

Crap! Crap, crap!

Why didn't they just stay and eat pancakes?!

"Listen, listen!" Okina squeezes Kosuke's shoulders. "We have got to catch up! I want to know everything that's happened! What are you doing so far from home?"

Kosuke opens her mouth before she really knows what she's going to say, but then a little voice calls, "There she is!"

Hitsuji points damnation at Okina. Never has a six-year-old look so righteous. Behind him, Haruhi skids to a stop, gasping for breath. "Hitsuji, please, stop!"

Behind her—oh, geez—all of their friends are running to catch up, and worst of all, Mori and Hani are in the lead with danger in their eyes, and now Kosuke is realizing that while she was being whirled around, Hitsuji ran for reinforcements.

Thankfully, Minami throws her hands up and shouts, "No, no! She isn't a bad guy!"

Mori and Hani halt themselves as quickly as a pause button. The others catch up, some more out of breath than the rest. The lot of them are getting stares and whispers from the crowd, and more than one warning look from the security guards.

"Kosuke," gasps Tamaki, "Hitsuji told us you'd been attacked by a strange lady with purple hair!"

Okina shrugs. "I've been called worse."

"I'm fine! Please, just calm down. Everyone, this is Okina. She…" Is my former best friend? Old friend? What sounds better? "…grew up with me in Karuizawa!"

"I didn't mean to cause alarm," Okina chuckles. "I was just so excited to see you, I didn't think about how weird I was being!"

"So…" The twins look between Kosuke and Okina. "Wait, you guys are old friends?"

"Best of friends!" Okina throws an arm around Kosuke's shoulder and tugs her close. "People used to think we were sisters, if you can believe it!"

"We can't."

Kosuke glowers at them to watch it.

"Hey, little man!" Okina bends down to Hitsuji now, hands behind her back, daggers dangling. "Remember me?"

Hitsuji takes a step closer to Haruhi.

"No? That's okay! I don't remember any of these people, either! This your new group, Kosuke?" Okina laughs, throws an arm around her again, and mutters into her ear, "Did you meet them all at a fashion show? Why are they all supermodels?"

"Yes, these are my friends. Oh, let me introduce you to everyone. This is…"

"Oh, wait, wait!" Okina runs off, calling over her shoulder, "I'll be right back!"

As soon as she's out of earshot, Reiko hums, "I like her style."

"Okina…" Tamaki tests the name on his tongue. "Okina…Have you mentioned her before? It sounds familiar."

"They met up in Tokyo that one time, remember? When Hitsuji and Minami stayed with us?" Tamaki nods, looking…oddly unsatisfied, but Haruhi doesn't notice, putting on a smile. "What are the odds that you guys would run into each other here, huh?"

Hikaru raises a hand. "Has she always looked like that?"

Kaoru raises a hand. "Did you ever look like that?"

Together: "And do you have photos?"

"Hey!" Kosuke snaps a finger at them, and they shrink down, abashed. "Don't be mean! She can dress however she wants."

"I like it," says Renge. "I wonder where she got her accessories from. Do you think she'd tell me if I asked?"

"Well, I'm happy we got to meet her!" Hani exclaims. "I don't think we've ever met any of your friends from Karuizawa."

It's a completely innocent statement, and Hani would never say anything even remotely mean-spirited, but uh…Yeah. Ouch. No friends to meet.

"I think you guys will like her! She's really nice. I mean, she was when I last saw her. She definitely is…different."

Outside and inside. And Kosuke is, too, she supposes. When she comes back, what does Kosuke tell her first?

She looks to Kyoya, really without thinking about it, really, and finds him pensive. Had she ever told him about Okina? Oh, right, when she almost spewed Candy Juice everywhere. At the yacht, when he ran his fingertips down her spine and set her nerves on fire—

Oh, look, there's Okina!

Okina returns with a man and a woman in tow, also around Kosuke's age. Okina's new friends? Kosuke doesn't recognize them. The man is tall. Like, averagely tall, not Tamaki-or-Mori tall. His hair is mussed and there's a slight stubble on his cheeks, but he wears it well. He's very well-dressed for just the mall, like at any moment he's going to need to throw on a tie and run off to a meeting. The woman has dark hair pulled up into a messy bun and is drowning in a sweatshirt. There's a bookbag stuffed to burst bouncing on her hip.

Kosuke has to admit, she'd been expecting them to look more like Okina, but that's presumptuous of her. For all she knows, they could be high school friends. Maybe she's even seen them in—

"Oh my—" Kosuke's tongue flaps uselessly. "You—Tomoko? Jet?!"

"Been a while since someone's called me that!" Jet—the Jet who would climb anything above ground level like a spider monkey, the Jet that has broken three different windows in three different homes from trying to play baseball (indoors), the Jet who once jumped out of a three-story window onto a tree to get out of cleaning the classroom—shakes her hand, very diplomatic. "I go by Toshi now. It's good to see you."

"You look great," says Tomoko. "I love what you've done with your hair—Oh, wait, what happened to your arm?"

Okina looks and gasps. "Oh my gosh, I didn't even notice it! I'm so sorry! Did I hurt you?"

"No, no, not at all!"

"Here, I have just the thing for you." Tomoko pulls a small jar out of her bookbag, filled with a grayish, speckled substance, like vanilla bean ice cream. "This balm is completely homemade. I've found that applying it to injuries helps to relieve the pain, but if you dab a touch on your upper lip, it'll also help with falling asleep! Everything in it came straight from my garden."

"That is so…cool!" Tomoko has a garden now. The same Tomoko who had never once finished a book, who had walked into oncoming traffic more than once because she was staring at her phone, who was once caught hiding in the bathrooms during an exam so she could complete a final boss in a video game.

"We had a guy on a marketing team with something like that not long ago," says J—Toshi. Who is now familiar with 'a marketing team.' "It healed quickly, so I wouldn't worry a bit!"

Behind her, though he tries to whisper, Kosuke can hear Hitsuji ask, "Who're they? Are they going to jump on her, too?"

"No, we used to hang out in Karuizawa, too. Don't remember?" Hitsuji shakes his head. "That's okay. It's been a while."

More than that, Kosuke might be able to count on her fingertips all the times Hitsuji saw these two. She and Tomoko and Toshi had never been friends the way she was with Okina. They were friends of a friend. They never hung out if Okina or Kohta weren't there, too. How strange, that Kosuke can vividly remember the black outfits they'd worn to her parents' funeral, but she can't remember a single time they so much as walked together.

"What a group we've got here, huh?" says Okina. "Kosuke, why don't you introduce us all?"

"Oh, of course. Guys." Kosuke turns to the 'Ouran group' first. "These are my old friends from Karuizawa. You've met Okina; this is Tomoko and J—Toshi. We all went to school together." She turns to the 'Karuizawa group.' "And these are friends that I've met since…Well. New friends! Except these two, of course." Kosuke ruffles the children's hair, and the others chuckle. "This is Tamaki, Haruhi, Hikaru, Kaoru, Renge, Hani, Reiko, Mori and—Kyoya."

She doesn't think her voice catches too badly on the last name.

Tomoko sees the rings on Tamaki and Haruhi's fingers and oohs. "Are you two married!"

"Engaged," Haruhi corrects kindly. "Just another year to go."

Tomoko and Toshi give their congratulations, and Kosuke knows something is very wrong, because Tamaki does not swell with pride. He accepts with a polite nod, and that's it. Haruhi and Kyoya are giving him the same look Kosuke is.

"Reiko and I are together, too!" Hani holds up their hands together. "Two years away!"

"We were always bound to be together," says Reiko. "Our souls and lives have always been intertwined, like threads in a floss."

Tomoko and Toshi give some hesitant congrats, while Okina gives an enthusiastic, "Awesome!"

Then everyone waits for a moment, waiting for Kosuke to introduce her fiancé, but for some reason she just doesn't. It's not spite, it's not anything. She's still reeling. It's incomprehensible, that she spent years and years with these people, but now they're strangers, and now she's more or less replaced these strangers with more strangers, and she's engaged to one of these strangers, and some of these strangers think there was a time when she hang out with these other strangers and she didn't, and whydidn'ttheyjusteatpancakes.

The twins wince audibly. "Ice cold."

Kyoya must give them the look.

Kosuke tries to move on regardless of the mush between her ears. "Wow, this is a—lot. I can't believe we all ran into each other! What did you say you were here for, again?"

"Oh, just a little get-together," says Okina. "It's been really hard just finding the time, especially with Toshi having meetings every single day."

Kosuke's head tilts, questioning. Toshi explains, "I'm a web developer now. I tend to hop all over the country nowadays. One side to the next…There's an imported goods store opening here in the city and they asked me to create their website for them!"

"And Tomoko isn't exactly making it easy to get contact. She's off the grid and she's an entrepreneur."

"I am not 'off the grid,' I'm just trying to live a life that isn't controlled by technology. A landline is not that hard to use! Plus, if we manage to get the location, supply and demand is just going to triple!" Tomoko pulls out another jar, this one filled with a pale purple fluid. "Organic blackberry facial masks aren't going to make themselves!"

Okina rolls her eyes good-naturedly. "I'm the only one who has a remotely flexible schedule now. But hey, what about you? What have you been up to since I saw you last?"

There's a tch. From…Tamaki? No way, he's incapable of making that sound.

Kosuke is incapable of making any herself right now. Her circumstances are a little bit more complicated and massive than websites and blackberry masks. She just doesn't know where to begin…

Haruhi sees her struggling and steps in. "If you guys aren't busy, we could grab dinner together. That would give you guys time to catch up."

"Oh, that would be great!" Okina bounces. She still does that, at least. "What about it, guys?"

Kosuke looks at the others to confirm. Hani, Renge, and Haruhi are the only ones still smiling, the twins looking at least interested, Reiko and Mori indifferent (as always). The children seem okay with it. Minami is patiently awaiting their next move, while Hitsuji squeezes the little snake toy Haruhi had gotten him from a dispenser. Tamaki looks displeased, and that's just not right. He should be Tamaki, he should be bouncing off the walls and asking the others for every little detail about their lives in Karuizawa and friendship with Kosuke, but he's just standing there with his arms crossed.

Like magnets, her eyes are drawn to Kyoya again, but he's indecipherable. He could be wary or fascinated, and Kosuke wouldn't be able to tell. Kosuke could just ask him, if it weren't for everything.

And that is. just. really not great. Kosuke doesn't think she was this upset when it their fight was happening. She could tell him about how bizarre this is, and what happened with Okina, and how she's now wondering if she ever really knew Tomoko or Toshi to begin with or if they were just friends of a friend with whom she has never once had a deeper conversation but both of whom had come to her parents' funeral.

She could tell him all of this, and he would understand, and it would make her feel better, but Kosuke can't, because of this big, stupid, ugly fight they're having because of Kyoya's patronizing and hypocrisy. She also can't because she doesn't think confiding in Kyoya is going to be the same anymore, and that even if they weren't having this big, ugly fight that nothing would still be the same, as though any other moment with him is just going to pull her deeper into whatever this is.

Kosuke would like nothing more than to curl up and go to sleep right on the floor, she's so exhausted. But not only would that bring those dreams (arms wrapped around her from behind, breath against her cheek, fingers through her hair), she has this to deal with. She can't just throw a peace sign over her shoulder and walk off.

"Where should we go eat?" asks Haruhi. "There are a few fast-food places here."

"I don't find fast-food to be very appetizing," says Reiko.

"Fast food is stuff like fries and burgers, right?" Minami asks. Mori nods, and she wrinkles her nose. "I don't want that, either."

"You didn't get those earrings here, did you?" Renge asks Okina. "Could you show me?"

While the others discuss their options, and try to remember if the restaurant on the second floor was Moroccan or Korean, Kosuke sees how the other others—the Karuizawa group—are looking between one another. Uncertain. Anxious?

"If you're pressed for time, it's no problem," Kosuke tells them. She doesn't even know if she's disappointed. "It really is nice to see you all again, but please, don't feel like you have to stop what you're doing to hang out with us."

"No, it's not that," says Toshi.

"It's…" Tomoko shuffles. "Um…"

Okina rubs at the back of her neck. "So…Okay, it's not that this would be a problem—not trying to insinuate—I know it's been, like, years now, but…You should know that…"

Okina trails off as she looks past Kosuke. Lips pursed in a wince, she points, and Kosuke turns. One more person is approaching them now, hand raised to wave to Okina, but then freezing still at the sight of Kosuke.

Oh, no.

Everyone goes quiet. Their voices die. They see how Kosuke has locked eyes with this fourth stranger, and they know, right away, that this is a different reunion. There's a weight to it. There's more.

This time, Kosuke doesn't have to dig through her memories to find where she's seen this face before. There is no shock to overcome, or melancholy. Just a rotting sense of shame.

Still. She gives him a smile. "Hi, Kohta."

(She hears Renge click her pen.)

Chapter Summary:

A week after the fight, Kosuke and Kyoya are still avoiding one another, and the whole friend group is tense because of it. Renge, Mori, and Hikaru invite Kosuke and Haruhi out to shop at a mall, only to run into Kyoya and the others there as well. The two try to carry on like normal, but it's easier said than done. Kosuke is conflicted between being angry with Kyoya and wanting to move on so they can be close again. She also still hasn't completely processed how she feels about him, which really isn't helping matters. Her downward spiral screeches to a stop at the arrival of a familiar face: Okina, who is at the mall with Tomoko and Jet, old friends from Karuizawa. Kosuke is overwhelmed at seeing her old best friend again, and even moreso when yet another person joins them: Kohta.