New Beginnings

“Miss Nami, what are you doing here? You were supposed to be resting!”

“Oh, calm down, Nobuo, it’s fine! I am not doing any heavy work; I just wanted to check if any of you need anything!”

Four years had passed since Nami’s trip to Iceland. Suffice it to say, a lot had changed in her life. First of all, she was now in charge of Chopin Hall.

The brunette wished she had gotten the position under different circumstances, but Mr. Nakatani always said that he would stop working only when he died, and unfortunately, that had already happened a year ago. Everyone working in Chopin Hall mourned him; no one really wanted to replace the man who had been so full of passion and energy. That was until a few months ago when all members agreed that no one fit the position better than Nami.

To see so many people entrusting her with Wataru Nakatani’s task filled her with pride. She was glad they saw her as someone responsible, someone who could step into his shoes. It was not an easy task. Especially now.

The woman caressed her stomach. The bump was barely visible but already growing, and yet her friends and family already treated her as if she might break while taking a simple step.

“Miss Nami, you need to trust us more!” Nobuo argued. The man had surely grown more stubborn since being promoted to the management position, now in charge of organizing all kinds of concerts and events for their musicians. “We will be fine, and you should, for now, focus on your new symphony—and for that, you can work at home where you don’t have to walk around as much!”

“But exercising is important!”

“No buts! Now, shoo shoo! We will be fine, and if any kind of incident happens, I promise I’ll call you right away!”

“...Fine. You’d better keep your promises, Nobuo!” she finally relented, agreeing to his demands.

Although she was the one in charge of the whole hall now, it was Nobuo, once a simple receptionist, who was becoming more like Mr. Nakatani day by day.

Forced to retreat from her job, Nami checked her phone to look at the time. She planned to meet Aya at one of her favorite cafés. She still had some time, so instead of driving as she had originally planned, she decided to walk to her destination.

The city itself hadn’t changed much. Other than a few small technological developments like self-cleaning tables for restaurants or the upgrade of smartphone synchronization with the environment, the rest stayed the same.

Now, standing in the middle of the town square, she looked at the huge billboard displaying the recent news.

That’s right, she had completely forgotten about it.

After a few years of developing a new plan for changing the Soullet system, it was finally the day of the announcement of a brand-new era of matchmaking devices. Now, in front of her on the huge screen was Ide Atsushi, full of energy, explaining how much the changes would lessen the stress unnecessarily caused by the whole procedure.

Nami was proud of him for going so far with his project and happy that she had been the one to motivate him to do it. Now, Soullets weren’t given to just anyone. Only after a proper evaluation were the devices handed to someone, and that was only if it was decided that it was necessary for them.

The algorithm itself was updated on a daily basis. Instead of giving users a choice of only one match, it connected them with anyone who shared enough similarities or interests to make the meeting less awkward.

It was still far from perfect, but just like Atsushi said on the big screen to everyone listening: “These are just the beginnings of the change! Thank you for putting your trust in our technology!”

Nami smiled fondly at his words, only to look away, remembering she had a friendly date with her friend. She didn’t want to make Aya wait just because she got lost in her thoughts.

Thankfully, spotting her red-haired friend was never a hard task. Her wild, thick hair could be seen from a mile away, in this case, even through the café’s window. Walking into the place, the pianist immediately started taking off her coat as she approached the table occupied by her friend.

“Hope I didn’t make you wait too long,” she apologized while hanging her outer clothes on the nearby hanger.

“Nah, I’ve been here for just two or four minutes. I already ordered something for you though!” Aya waved her hand dismissively. “How are ya feeling? All good?”

“Yup! Perfectly fine,” Nami took a seat across from her friend. “All of you should calm down a little bit. It’s not like I’m dying!” the brunette chuckled. “I’m more interested in how you’re doing recently. Found anyone new?”

“Eh, yes and no.”

“Did you ever… get over Erika?”

Just like they had promised each other around two years ago, Erika’s Soullet had finally started to glow pink, so she went to meet her soulmate. It was the most stressful time of Aya’s life, and unfortunately, after a few months, her girlfriend decided to go with her designated partner instead of the redhead.

Nami had never seen her best friend so emotionless. She was doing much better now, but it was clear that being by herself hadn’t done her well.

“I did, I really did, trust me. It’s just… the fear of being abandoned again is still there, so, eh… it’s not so easy.”

“Take your time. Wounds will heal.”

“I guess you’d know best, huh?” Aya teased.

“What do you mean? My love life was never a mess!” The pianist feigned obviousness.

“Actually, next week I am going on a date. Funnily enough, my Soullet mate said I’d probably get along well with his sister, so fingers crossed she’ll be a cooler version of him!”

The rest of their talk was spent on random topics, from new music albums to their parents and future plans. Nami was glad that no matter how many things had changed in her life, Aya remained in it, always supportive and ready to listen to any of her troubles. Finishing their cups of warm beverages and pastries, both went their own way back to their homes.

Home.

That’s what Nami could finally call the place she lived in now. Her personal space, shared with the love of her life—the one she had chosen after carefully considering all her feelings. It hadn’t been an easy choice. At first, she kept doubting whether she’d made the right call. But after those four years, it was impossible to think she’d made a mistake. Nothing could ever be perfect, but what she had now was the closest thing to perfection.

Opening the door to her home, she called out, “I’m back!”

And in response, she heard the male voice of her true soulmate saying:

“Welcome home.”