(#1) First Connection

Yamada awakes to the buzzing of his phone. The LINE notification "Likewise. I'll see you tomorrow" making his face flush red as he dug his face into his pillow. 

As Yamada walked into the classroom, despite her sitting three seats down his gaze was inevitably drawn towards Reimi. The way she carried herself, her radiant smile, and the sparkle in her eyes—all of it fascinated him. But the memory of her life style haunted him a bit. "How does someone take care of themselves so well while simultaneously having the same habits as a total shut in..?" Yamada thinks.

However, he quickly realized that he had been staring for a bit too long when his phone buzzed with a notification.

Curious, he unlocked his phone to find a message from Reimi on LINE. It read, "Yamada-kun, try not to stare too much."

Yamada's cheeks turned red as he read her message. He quickly replied, “I didn’t mean it, sorry.”

Reimi, with a mischievous grin on her face, blushed deeper. She thought to herself, "Good thing he was really paying attention to me... I wasn’t sure if he was really looking my way." She was secretly delighted that Yamada had been looking at her.

Shortly after, Saitome Takehiko and Miyako Akane joined Yamada for lunch.

"So, Yamada, you moved into your own apartment?" Akane says

"Yeah, man, that's a big step. Must be exciting to have your own place." Takehiko says

"Thanks. It's been a bit of an adjustment but I wanted some time to take a breather. Alone. Things got a little heated with my parents."

"Oh, I see... Sorry to hear that. But hey, maybe it's not too late to make things right with them."

"Sigh, I don't know, Akane. It's a complicated situation. We've been at odds for a while now, and I'm not sure if we can make amends right now."

"But sometimes, it's worth trying to mend those relationships. Family is important, you know?"

"Akane's right, Yamada. We all have our differences with our families, but deep down, they still care about us."

"I'll think about it. Thanks for caring, Akane."

"Of course, Yamada. I just want to see you happy. If there's anything I can do to help, let me know."

"And no thanks to me?"

"Yeah, yeah thanks Takehiko."

Interrupting the group, Reimi hovers over the table.

"Mind if I join?"

"Of course, Kugimura-san. Sit down." Akane gestures to a chair nearby.

"Oh? Yamada, is this your girlfriend?" (Takehiko)

"Don't make stupid jokes Takehiko, seriously." Yamada smacks him on the head.

Akane notices that Reimi doesn't have a lunchbox on her "Did you forget your lunch, Kugimura-san?"

"Oh, no. I finished eating with some people in class 2-A. Just wanted to chat with Yamada-kun."

"Is that so?" (Akane)

"So, what were you guys talking about before I interrupted?" 

"We were just discussing Yamada's recent move into his own apartment. He's quite the independent guy now." (Takehiko)

"Hmm?" Reimi looks more interested "Also drop the formalities and just call me Reimi." 

"Yeah, Reimi sounds great to me. It's nice to have that level of familiarity." (Akane)

"So, Reimi, why exactly are you attending Asahi High?" (Takehiko)

"Oh, um, it's not really a grand reason or anything,"

"I just thought it would be nice to attend a regular high school and make some fun memories before diving fully into the acting business. You know, experience things like a normal student does. And, well, I still take on small acting gigs on weekends to... um... stay somewhat relevant. It's a bit difficult to juggle work and school so I'm glad my agency is supporting me."

"Wow.. You're amazing, Reimi. Balancing school and acting must be tough." (Akane)

As the school bell rang, signaling the end of the day, Yamada, Reimi, Akane, and Takehiko gathered their belongings and left. 

"Well, it was a great lunch. Thanks for joining us, Reimi." (Akane)

"Yeah, it was a lot of fun. Thanks for making me feel welcome." (Reimi)

"Take care, guys. See you tomorrow!" (Takehiko)

"Goodbye, everyone. Have a great evening!" (Akane)

Reimi and Yamada walked side by side.

"It's just us now, huh?" (Reimi)

The silence is unbroken and both of them can't think of a conversation worth discussing.

"Reimi, see you tomorrow." Yamada waves as the two separate paths.

 "Yeah, take care, Yamada-kun. See you tomorrow."

Yamada pays the apartments rent out of his own pocket so he works part time. The landlord was a eccentric loud old lady who goes on extravagant overseas trips constantly.

She was quite strange but he was grateful that she let him rent out a room. It was difficult to find a landlord who wouldn't question his age.

Yamada stepped out of the bustling city streets and into a quiet convenience store. He spotted a sandwich on special sale and decided it would make a simple and satisfying dinner. With the neatly packaged sandwich in hand, he made his way back to his apartment.

The warm water cascaded over Yamada's tired body as he stood in the shower. The solitude of the moment allowed his mind to wander, and thoughts of his decision to distance himself from his parents surfaced. Was he satisfied living like this? Yamada wasn't sure.

Dressed in pajamas, Yamada settled down at the small dining table in his apartment. He unwrapped the sandwich and finished it quickly. Eating alone, he couldn't shake this sort of sad feeling.

Yamada found himself lying in bed, the glow of his phone illuminating his face. His fingers gravitated toward Reimi's direct messages, scrolling through their previous conversations.

"Would you like to hangout in Shibuya on Saturday?" he sends.

A few minutes passed, and finally, a notification appeared on his screen. Reimi's reply read, "Sure!"