New Year Same Me, Pt. 3

Finally, the weekend has come.

Those sacred, fleeting days when I get to pretend life doesn't exist were always something I looked forward to. No responsibilities, no homework, and no social obligations. Just pure, uninterrupted peace... Except for the fact that I started the day pretty much the same as last week.

Woke up in the morning, noticed that it was twenty minutes into class, then went back to sleep. Didn't even bother going in at all.

Now, it was a little past two in the afternoon. I sat up on my bed and just sat there, staring at nothing.

At least today, I'm somewhat justified.

With a deep breath, I pushed myself out of bed and opened my bedroom door to an empty apartment. Calm, peaceful, but ultimately quiet.

On a normal day, Megumi would already be awake, doing whatever. Lying on the couch, eating whatever she cooked up, or watching videos on the TV. Then, she would turn to look at me with a warm smile.

"Ah! Hey, Shohei. Good morning. Sleep well? Probably not since you were too busy thinking about me all night, hmm?"

"...Hah. Yeah. That sounds like something she'd say."

And so, I walked past the point where she would've already stopped me and went about my morning routine. After placing a teabag in a cup of hot water, I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth. Once I was done, I snatched the cup off the counter and sat down on the couch.

"What should I do today? There's nothing to watch on television. Should I go out instead? No. I don't think I'll last five minutes in the sun before I melt. Maybe I'll go take some pictures on the balcony."

After taking a sip, I set the cup on the coffee table.

"No. Not that either. Professor Kaede is way too strict. If she ends up asking me what compelled me to take a specific photo, it's not gonna slide if I say that I took it at random. Then what else is there?"

I let out a long, tired sigh.

This is hard. Megumi was usually the spontaneous idea expert, and I would just tag along — mostly because she forced me to. It went on for so long that I'd completely forgotten what my life was like before I met her.

Whenever I didn't know what to do, she'd choose for me.

"Just like... how I chose for her."

Left with no other option, I defaulted back to what is possibly the most unhealthy thing a person can do: doom scroll through social media and rot.

At first, it was the usual. My feed is generally filled with photography tip videos or amazing photos that I could never take, no matter how hard I tried.

There were a couple of skits involving animals that tried to be too funny. Seemed like my algorithm didn't recover after Megumi laid her hands on my phone. She'd often forget to charge her phone at night, so it'd run out of battery whenever we went out. Then she'd steal my phone to satiate her daily dose of internet.

Just when I was about to put my phone down, I stopped on one particular post — and of course, it was about Megumi no Hana.

Posted five hours ago, it said that Megumi no Hana is set to hold a PR event as part of her commemoration for a successful first episode of the new hit drama starring her.

"That must be the one that Koga and Yue were watching the other night."

And that PR event is set to be held at three in the afternoon today, which is... in about ten minutes.

I sat there for a while, contemplating. I shouldn't watch. I already decided to move on. Nothing good will come out of my seeing her again, even if it's on television.

And yet... I found myself already picking up the remote.

"Just for a bit."

After combing through a few channels, I finally found the right one. It was a studio filled to the brim with not only fans, but also people from every corner of the media circuit. Reports, journalists, analysts, and cameras. A lot of cameras.

On the stage was the host, giving a warm welcome to everyone in the audience. Then, from backstage, two very well-dressed people walked out to a round of applause.

The first is a man in a suit. He's the male lead in that drama posted behind the stage. And the other... is Megumi no Hana.

Her hair — still black — seems to have grown a bit, enough to tie up into a small ponytail. She's wearing a lavish dress that I'd only ever see whenever Yue puts on an award show of some kind. I suppose for this occasion, it's appropriate.

The pair sat down on two sofas next to each other, opposite the host. They exchanged greetings, shook hands, and bowed before the host lifted her mic.

"First off, I'd like for us to once again give a warm welcome to Megumi no Hana and Hayashi Renji, the stars of the drama that everyone has been talking about!"

Another round of applause, then Megumi raised her mic.

"Thank you, everyone," she said with a small bow, before pulling out a set of cards. "Sorry, I... It's been a while since I've been in front of a crowd like this, so please don't mind the cards. Anyway, I'm glad that all of you were able to make it today, and it's even more of an honor for me to be here. Thank you, and thank you again for your continued support."

This time, the man named Hayashi spoke.

"I share the same sentiment as Megumi. This drama marks my first time being in the male lead role, so it really means a lot to attend today's event. Thank you."

"And thank you to the two of you for being here," the host said. "Now, let's get started, shall we?"

For a while, they spoke about many things, focusing on their time during filming and what went on behind the scenes.

"Hayashi," said the host. "You mentioned that this was your first time in the male lead role. Was it nerve-wracking?"

"Ah, yes. Yes, it was. Thankfully, the director guided me along the way, instilling valuable knowledge in me that I otherwise would've overlooked. But I would be remiss if I wasn't also grateful to Megumi, who was very kind to me, and sort of..."—he let out a nervous chuckle—"I guess... something like holding my hand along the way?"

"Haha~! There is no need to be embarrassed, Hayashi. Anyone in that position is bound to mess up once or twice. Indeed, Megumi is very kind to have been so understanding."

"I wholeheartedly agree."

Amid yet another round of applause, Hayashi leaned in and whispered something to Megumi, making her giggle.

It was just a small act, probably a random comment or something... but it made my chest tighten.

"Am I seriously getting jealous right now? Hah... I knew watching this was gonna be a mistake."

As they wrapped up the event, the host announced that the stars of the drama would be taking questions from the audience. That alone was enough to set the crowd ablaze.

The first few questions were simple — things that any normal fan would ask. Things like what was the biggest challenge of playing their characters, favorite lines, and plans for the future now that filming is done. Someone was even bold enough to ask if Megumi and Hayashi would consider dating.

"Ah... I don't think so," Megumi said awkwardly. "It was very fun filming with Hayashi on the set. He knew how to make everyone laugh. But as of right now, I'd rather pour all of my effort into my career."

"A very reasonable answer," the host said. "Now, since we're running out of time, we'll take one more question."

Once again, everyone began shouting over one another.

"Miss Megumi! If you would!"

"I have a question, Miss Megumi!"

"Over here! Over here!"

But me... I've heard enough.

She's doing just fine without me, just like I knew she would. The times we shared were nothing more than a chapter in our lives, short and sweet. Now that I've seen her, I think it's time to turn the page. Permanently.

As I reached for the remote, Megumi's voice stopped me.

"You. Go ahead."

From the crowd stood a lady in a professional outfit. Just one look, and anyone could tell she was some kind of news reporter.

"Thank you, Miss Megumi," she said with a bow. "As you might already know, there have been rumors circulating for the past few months about your possible lover after a photo surfaced online. That photo depicted you holding hands with an unidentified young man. Can you shed some light on this matter? Is that young man truly your lover?"