Reunion

“Welcome home,” Nao answered. “You have a guest, Jin.”

“I do?” The door closed, and Jin stepped around the corner. “Who would—“ He stopped dead in his tracks as his eyes laid on Miyuki.

She stared at him, the sight taking away her words. She had seen a picture of him before but seeing him in person was a sight for sore eyes. Not only did it bring back all the memories she shared with him when they were younger, but he had grown into a charming young man. He had a lean build, and his dark wavy hair demanded admiration. It was a surprise that he’d never had a girlfriend with his looks.

“Miyuki? What are you doing here?” He returned her stare, only his was one of shock.

The question broke her from his spell. She realized she hadn’t taken her hat off and quickly removed it. “I told you I’d come see you.”

“So, you did leave last night…” He took a deep breath and stepped further into the room. “I hope Nao has been a good host?”

“Yes, she has. She told me a little bit about your life here,” Miyuki said, her cheeks glowing with the soft pink hue of blush. “I-I was hoping we could… you know… catch up a little?” She fidgeted with her hands and her eyes darted around the room to avoid eye contact. For some reason, the more she was in Jin’s presence, the more nervous she became.

“You came all this way,” he replied. “It’d be rude to turn you away.” His expression softened to a genuine smile. “It’s good to see you again, Miyuki.”

Her mouth opened in a large grin. “It’s good to see you, too! I’ve been looking forward to this day ever since you moved.”

“After a while, I didn’t think I would ever see you again.” Jin stepped closer and sat down on the edge of the couch.

Nao’s gaze darted between her brother and his childhood friend. “I’ll leave you two be,” she said before disappearing down the hall.

Miyuki watched her go, unsure whether to be happy or nervous to be left alone with Jin. Her confidence followed Nao out of the room. “S-so, Nao’s told me a bit, but… what’s changed since you left?”

“The biggest thing would be soccer. I’m sure she already told you, but I’m on the soccer team for the school with the best soccer program.”

“She said you’re the star player, is that true?” Miyuki asked.

Jin nodded. “Yuu’s just as good as I am, though, so there’s nothing to brag about.”

Miyuki’s blush deepened. ‘He’s still humble…’ Feeling the heavy blush on her face, she spun around in a flash so Jin wouldn’t see.

“Is something wrong?”

“N-not at all. You’ve always been good at soccer, so it doesn’t surprise me that you’ve had success with it,” Miyuki said.

“Thanks… I never expected you to become an idol, though. I think I’ve only heard you sing once when we were younger, and you certainly weren’t the type to be the center of attention. What got you down that path?”

“Um, well actually…” She could feel the heat rising to her cheeks as they turned strawberry red. “I-it was to find you…”

He blinked. “You started singing to find me?”

Miyuki dipped her head in response and shrunk before Jin’s gaze. “I thought if I could become famous, we’d be able to reunite.” As if a light switch was flipped in her brain, she sat forward with a large smile. “It appears I was right! I can’t believe it actually worked!”

“All thanks to Yuu,” Jin said. “I’ll have to thank him later. Sorry if it sounded like I didn’t want to see you when you called me. I was trying to focus on preparing for the soccer game yesterday. Life has been different without you.”

“I’m sorry if I distracted you!” Miyuki clapped her hands together in apology. “Did you win?”

“Yes,” he replied. “But it was rough. I scored the winning point with less than a minute left.”

“Good job! I bet your team is grateful to have you,” she said.

“I’m grateful to have them. It’s good to have a team that works together. On a different note, were you okay after I left? You didn’t really have many friends.”

Miyuki pouted. “That’s not a very nice thing to say.” Her expression then softened. “Remember Nanami?”

“Nanami?” Jin glanced at the ceiling, racking his brain for any memories of a Nanami. “Oh, the girl all the boys were afraid of?”

“Yeah, that’s her! We became pretty good friends after you left. She noticed how lonely I was and started spending time with me. Before I knew it, we were inseparable,” Miyuki beamed. “She’s appointed herself to be my bodyguard. Most of the unwanted attention disperses when she’s around.”

“That’s good. I assume being an idol would make going to school difficult without someone to keep everyone away,” Jin said.

“It was pretty bad when my popularity spiked,” she admitted. “But by now everyone’s too afraid to approach me.”

“Sounds like you found yourself a good friend,” Jin said, grateful Miyuki wasn’t alone.

Miyuki jumped off the couch. “Are you free on Saturday?”

“Huh?” Jin raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, I am. Why?”

“How about the Saturday after that?”

“I think so…”

“And the Saturday after that?” She continued.

“I should be, but that can easily change. Why are you asking?”

A smile crossed Miyuki’s lips. “Then let’s hang out every Saturday!”

“Every Saturday?” Jin rose to his feet. “That’s a little much, wouldn’t you say?”

“I haven’t seen or heard from you in six years,” Miyuki reminded him. “Catching up on missed time once a week is not too much.”

“I meant logistically,” he said. “That’s sixteen hours of travel every Saturday. I don’t want you to put yourself through that every week.”

“I’ll be fine,” Miyuki replied. “I’ll stay in Tokyo overnight, so it won’t be the whole trip in one day.”

Jin shook his head. “That’s still too much of a burden.”

“Nothing’s a burden when it means spending time with you again.”

He paused for a moment. “...You’re not going to back down, are you?”

“Even if you win this argument, I’m still coming.”

A sigh escaped him. “Fine, you win. I’ll make sure I’m available.”

Miyuki’s mouth gaped with joy, and tears began to escape her eyes. She threw her arms around a shocked Jin with the force of a bear. “I’m so happy I found you!”

“Please let go…” He groaned, crushed beneath Miyuki's arms.

“While I’m here…” She released him from her grip and took a step back, her eyes gleaming. “Where should we go for our date?”