Connection

This message is brought to you by Jin Iwazaki's pal. He's too embarrassed to reach out himself, so I did it for him. Can't believe my buddy is childhood friends with Miyuki Haruno!

Miyuki's eyes darted back and forth, rereading the message and studying the picture on repeat. “It's… him. It's really him…” Her screen became blurry through the tears that welled up in her eyes and streamed down her cheeks. “I can't believe it…”

In the quiet morning, the only sound that resonated within the walls of her apartment was her own sobbing. Several minutes passed before the tears slowed.

Returning to her own messages, she sent a simple text to her manager, asking him to send her personal phone number to Jin's friend.

Miyuki wiped the remaining tears away from her tired eyes and walked to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for herself. While she grabbed a carton of eggs from her fridge, she used her free hand to dial Nanami's number. After putting her phone on speaker and resting it on the counter, she opened the carton to inspect the eggs.

There were only four eggs remaining, and one of them had a large crack on the top. “Three eggs? I'll have to buy some more later today…”

“Already? How many eggs do you eat?” Nanami's voice sounded from the phone sitting on the counter.

“Eep!” Miyuki jumped. Before responding, she had to take a moment to breathe and calm her pounding heart. “Nanami, you scared me!”

“You're the one who called me,” she retorted. “So? What did you call me at seven in the morning on my only day to sleep in for?”

“S-sorry if I woke you up… But you'll never believe what happened this morning!”

“You sound excited. That can only mean… Jin reached out to you?”

“Yes! Well, his friend did. He was too embarrassed to do it himself. But all these years of searching for him has finally paid off!” Miyuki grinned as she cracked the remaining unbroken eggs into a pan.

“That is exciting! Congrats, Miyuki! I'm happy your dreams are coming true.”

“Thank you! I can't believe he actually responded. It almost feels too good to be true.” Miyuki bounced around the kitchen, unable to restrain her energy. “I asked Hiroshi to reply. Hopefully he gets to it soon.”

The sweet yet savory scent of omelet filled the kitchen like a smokescreen. Once it was ready, she swept it out of the pan and onto a small plate for her to carry to her small dining table.

Before she started eating, Miyuki leaped back to the kitchen to snatch her phone. “When do you think Hiroshi will see my text? Should I give him a call instead?”

“He could still be asleep,” Nanami said. “Its still pretty early. Give him some time, Jin's not going anywhere.”

“You're right, I should wait,” Miyuki sighed. “But I've waited years for those moment, I don't want to sit around and wait for my manager to respond.”

“Then why don't you just message them yourself?”

“Because—“ She paused for a moment. “Actually, you’re right. There’s no reason I can’t.” Only a few seconds later, she had a text typed out and ready to send. But as her finger hovered the button, she hesitated. “Nanami, could I confirm this text with you?”

”Um, alright. Read it to me,” came Nanami’s confused voice.

”It says ‘Hey, this is Miyuki! I’m so happy you reached out! I would really love to meet with Jin in person. Could I get his phone number, please?’”

”Seems a little robotic,” Nanami critiqued. “But it’s not bad.”

”How should I word it, then?”

”Miyuki, it’s just a text. It doesn’t have to be perfect.”

”But—“

”If it really means that much to you, just imagine how you’d say it if you were talking to this guy in person.”

Miyuki closed her eyes and imagined how that event would play out. “Ah, I got it!” She took a bite of her omelet while she rewrote her text. “And sent! Thanks, Nanami. I knew I could rely on you.”

A sigh came from the other side of the line. “I take it that’s my cue to go back to sleep?”

”Yes, sorry. I was so excited I forgot you were probably sleeping.”

”Good morning and goodnight,” Nanami responded before ending the call.

“Goodnight, Nanami.” She put her phone down on the table and continued eating her omelet. “Mmm!” The flavor of the eggs mixed perfectly with the onions and ham, and the cheese wrapped the gift of flavors in a delicious bow.

A ding from her phone pulled her attention away from the last few bites of her breakfast, and her arm shot out to snatch the device immediately.

I’m glad I could help one of my favorite idols out! Here’s his information…

Miyuki’s eyes widened when Jin’s friend sent Jin’s address in addition to his phone number. Holding her phone to her chest, she whispered a quiet thank you to whatever being was listening.

Without wasting a second, she dialed Jin’s phone number. Her heart pounded in her chest like a drum as the phone rang.

“Hello?” A more mature version of a voice she used to frequently hear answered.

Hearing his voice caught her words in her throat. Tears flowed from the chalices of her eyes.

“Hello?” Jin repeated. “Is anybody there?”

”Jin…” She managed to breathe out. A moment of silence followed as she took a deep breath. “I-it’s Miyuki.”

“M-Miyuki? How’d you get my number?”

”Your friend gave it to me. S-sorry, he didn’t give me his name.” Miyuki’s heart bled all sorts of emotions—relief, anxiety, love, sadness, excitement.

“It must’ve been Yuu… He’s the one that showed me your recent performance.”

“It’s been six years, Jin… How cruel fate was to make you disappear from my life... How have you been?” Her breath was shaky, but she did her best to pull herself together and sound strong.

“Well, I’m captain of the soccer team here, so I think everything is going well,” he replied. “Are you still in Akita?”

“Yeah… Hey, Jin, do you have a girlfriend?” She held her breath, a fear she had never thought about before filling her mind.

A dreadful quiet preceded his answer. “Is that really a question an idol should be asking?”

“Singing is only my career,” she said. “It’s not my whole life.”

“…No, I don’t have one.”

The anxiety she had been struggling with during the call vanished with his words. “Jin, could I come visit you today? I think it’d be better to connect in person.”

“T-Today? You wouldn’t get here before eight if you left right now!”

“Good idea. I’ll start getting ready to go. I’ll see you tonight!” Miyuki hung up and ran to her bedroom to prepare herself for the day’s journey. Her eyes sparkled with a joy that was reflected by her humming. Her six year long search had finally come to a happy end.