Midst of Summer: Reunion

She tilted her head towards the direction of my voice.

"..."

She was just as beautiful as that day. 

A day that I will never forget. 

A story that concluded without a fairy tale ending. 

A reunion at the strangest of places. 

God really seems to have a habit of being playful with this life of mine. 

But I do ponder if she still remembers a single fragment of me. 

It has been many years, I am sure the memories of then have faded by now. 

Scientists believe these memories never fade away, rather they are stored in your subtle mind, the unconscious mind. And they are hard to recall due to many factors unless there is a trigger. These triggers could be as simple as seeing something or hearing something, and then the next minute you know the nectar of those memories starts to flow through you. Like remembering that one song you used to play every day or remembering a place where you had sweet childhood memories. 

The possibilities of what our subtle mind can offer continue to remain a mystery beyond the comprehension of the physical realm.

I wonder if my voice could serve as a trigger. 

Maybe even just the face!

Or maybe not. 

I haven't shaved for a while, this makes me look like I have aged another 20 years. When I do shave, I look like a teenager during adolescence. 

Que sera, sera.

"..."

She fixed her gaze towards my face. Her eyes squinted trying to identify the person standing before her. 

A person she had met before. 

A person who left her heartbroken. 

A person she was bound to naturally forget. 

But the million-dollar question was...

Can she remember that person?

 "..."

Her jaws fell, and those petite hands covered her mouth, dropping everything she had carried.

THUD.

Her facial expression conveyed a mixture of different feelings, but overall, it seemed a positive one.

"Kkkkk-Kobayashi-kun!"

Sato-san fumbled with her sentence in surprise. 

Everyone in the surrounding workspaces raised their ears and tilted their heads towards us. It seems even after all those years, she still remembered me. 

Was this a good thing?

Even after what had happened then?

I felt a huge relief in my fragile heart. I always wondered if we were to meet again, how would I reciprocate? 

Would it be like a generic K-Drama scene? 

Or that one scene from that movie 50mm per second near the crossing? 

And the reality was, it started off in the most awkward way possible at the office. It had also attracted the heads of almost everyone in the office. 

This meant.

My next word...

Would prove crucial!

"..."

"Yo! Long time no see."

Ah.

I messed up.

That was such an edgy line! 

Sato-san certainly must have found that very corny. 

I just want to smash my head right now. There was no recovery from this. The cool line I had envisioned, inspired by anime, did not go as planned in reality. Those two in the back are 100% going to mock me if they heard this. 

"Yyy-yes, it really has been a long time."

Sato-san replied stuttering, she certainly did not expect that from me. 

There was a sense of thorny atmosphere between the two of us, unsure of what to say next. 

"Sato-kun! You dropped your belongings."

The head manager interrupted, but in reality, it was a get-out-of-jail-free card.

Thank you old man, sometimes you really can be useful.

Sato-san had not realised she had dropped her belongings. 

I mean who wouldn't be shocked?

To meet someone from many years ago that failed to accept her feelings.

"Oh, I-I'm very sorry Sir, I'll quickly pick it up!"

"Let me help you with that."

I quickly went down to the floor and grabbed all her belongings. 

I saw a glimpse of her notes. 

She had written a lot in such a short time while retaining such elegant handwriting. Almost like it was written on a computer. But that damn old man sadly gave her only useless information, it is a shame those notes will all go to waste.

"Here. Nice handwriting you have."

Again. 

I said it out loud without thinking.

"Ehehe. Really? Thank you. And thank you for your help."

The response was better than I thought.

"You guys seem awfully familiar with each other, you know each other?"

The head manager grew curious after a series of interactions between the two of us. Not even I could have imagined it to be this way. But every good thing gives birth to something troubling. 

Now how do I answer the head manager's questions? 

It would be very strange to tell him that I know Sato-san because of a confession. 

Yeah, I think I am going to stay very far from that option. 

The only option left here would be to say that we were once schoolmates. That certainly would make it easy for both of us.

"Uhh...We were schoolmates, big boss!"

"..."

"Yeah... Just..."

"Just..."

"Schoolmates."

Sato-san's response sounded very rough, almost like she was angry. 

Did I hit a nerve by bringing up the word 'school'? 

I understand our last meeting didn't end very well but what else could I have said without bringing up the past too much? 

I was afraid to look at her face. 

I could already feel daggers from her eyes piercing through me. 

Big boss. 

Old man. 

Save me!

"Oh is that so? Then you will have no problem getting along."

"Then Kobayashi-kun, show Sato-kun the basics today, just how to use the main screen of the systems for now. Eventually, involve her in your project."

The head manager gave us a set of instructions, which marked the start of my first day as a senpai to a new colleague. And it happens to be Sato-san of all people. 

I hope we can set aside the past and work together.

"Roger that big boss."

"Sato-kun, if you could please follow Kobayashi-kun, he will show you the ropes. If you have any problems let me know, alright?."

"Thank you Sir, will do."

"Uhm... Sa...Sato-san, shall we get going...?"

I turned around and asked Sato-san hesitatingly, hoping her anger had subsided.

"Sure... Let's go."

"Kobayashi..."

"Kun."

Seems not. 

She definitely is still mad at me.

"..."

Sato-san successfully acquired the buff 'Transfer Student'.

~~~

Transfer Student

Gain instant affection from the surrounding.

NOTE: May contain a mysterious past that the user does not wish to share. 

AVOID enquiring about the user's past at all costs!

~~~

As we headed towards our workspace, the whispers around the office grew like wildfire. Colleagues both male and female were amazed by her beauty, but little did they know I was confessed by this beauty. 

Not that anyone would have believed me either way. 

And it is only a matter of time before colleagues came to surround our workspace like hyenas questioning every single thing about her.