Prologue: 01 Train

The sound of the train's engines vibrates in the air. The few passengers within the train were silent,due to the fact that it's midnight around 3 in the morning,I find myself the only one awoken from the sleep. It's still a long journey ahead.

As I watched the dark scenery beyond the window,I was reminded of my old past,the memories of once experiencing this back in my childhood.

...

"Why are you leaving?!" an image of a little girl resurfaces in my mind,her eyes are full of tears.

"I don't have a choice...I'm sorry" My voices stutters in response,I was also holding back my own tears. I find myself staring downward,looking at the old pavement.

I can't see her face like this,but I can feel her sobbing. I find the courage to speak up my heart's wish.

"But I will not forget you,never!" as I said that,I felt stupid but nevertheless,my hands find its way onto her shoulder.

"Because...I think I love you..really." I did it,I finally confessed to my childhood's friend.

She looks shocked for a while,then she wiped the tears off of her face. A smile formed in her face,then she says "un,I'll miss you too,Hyoto san" the girls said,I'm not sure if she really heard what I said properly,but I'd like to think that she actually did.

"I'll do my best out there,study,get a job and then return here to find you once again" I stated.

I can feel my cheeks flushed,maybe it's too much for me to handle to say all this things,I'm not an extrovert after all.

"un! then I'll wait for you here!" yumi chan responded.

...

Tick...tick...tick....

Droplets of water began to hit the train's window,shortly after transforming from a drizzle to a storm.

"Yumiko..." involuntarily,I spoke of her name.

Yumiko..

The name of my childhood friend,or rather,someone that I had a crush on.

I left for school in my early age along with my parents who got their workplace shifted.

Since then,years had passed by,I haven't contacted her since due to my old phone's SIM card being broken,living overseas,I never had the chance to see her personally.

I wonder,would she still remember me? Heck,I'd doubt she'd still be single after all these years unlike me. She's a massive cutie after all.

Thinking about all this,my heart aches,oh the nostalgia.

The world suddenly felt suffocating.

. . .

"Hyoto san,I'm really sorry to hear that,It must've been hard for you" My junior consoles me,she had been very supportive of me since my first time enrollment in a university partly due to her role being a class monitor.

Hearing her words,I didn't say anything,I fell into despair when learning about my parents being hospitalized after an accident.

It won't be for long however,since that very night was the night I last heard my parents words.

That day,I was officially an orphan,with the inheritance in my hand,I couldn't afford to return back to homeland since I would then not be able to afford living in the campus. Students loans are only enough to cover the lessons fees,then again,being a foreign students makes it hard enough.

. . .

"Yumiko..I'm going home now,father,mother I'll finally be able to return to our old home"

I whispered silently.

Currently,the train is headed back to my hometown in Osaka,it was still a long way and it'd take a while before finally reaching its station.

With nothing else,I closed my eyelids,hoping to catch a short nap before my arrival.

. . .

Few moments later,I finally step foot on my homeland for the first time.

"Oh the memory" I muttered,the air felt so familiar around here.

A lot had changed since then,I was surprised at how modern this place looked like compared to my memories all those years ago.

"Yumiko.." The name rang in my head once again.

Feeling rejuvenated,I make my way out from the station,I took a taxi and booked a cab before proceeding the ride back to my old town, it was an isolated place,I wondered if everything had changed at all.

Soon I arrived at yumiko's parents house first. I thought I might as well visits this place before getting back to my parent's house down the road.

I gave the door a knock.

At first,it was truly silent,I'm afraid the might've moved away.

Suddenly,the door opened. There,I noticed an old man with wrinkles ok his face. I faintly remember this face curvature,then I called out to the name.

"Iori?" Ah,there we go again,I frequently forgot to address seems like the cool western greetings are getting over me.

The old man looks confused for a bit,he squinted his eyes at me then after a while,his face expresses that of a shock and surprise.

"Oh! You are Sagiri's child! Hyoto Sagiri isn't it?" he asked.

I was a little bit perplexed at his memories. Then,I quickly gathers myself and formed a smile.

"Yes,it's me,it's been 15 years since then" I told him.

"Come on in,don't stand out there too long,it's been raining all day" Uncle Iori then led me inside.

The two of us walks in,I took off my shoes and stepped in. The house is silent and dark,yet it is clean and arranged.

"So,how's everything been going for you?" I asked him,attempting to start a conversation.

He then gestures for me to take a seat to which I did and he sat across the table.

He was silent for awhile,then he spoke "It has been a while since I last had someone to spoke to" Then he continues, "A lot has happened around here" Iori stated,his vague statements left me confused.

Then,as he spoke he took out a picture from under the table.

"This is..." I stared at the black and white picture of Iori and his wife. I can vaguely guess what happened.

"3 years after Hyoto's departure,Mitsuri was diagnosed with terminal cancer to which she succumbed to it after a 5 years..." Iori stopped mid sentences.

I inched myself close to him and patted his back. My heart grew heavy,how long has he been living like this?

"It's okay,I'm used to this" Iori stopped me and he stood up from his seat.

He beckoned me to follow him.

"There's something i need to tell you,Hyoto"

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