Have we met before?

Following a brief shower and quick make-up, she disconnected her laptop and placed it inside her backpack before exiting the room. Iris was eating a pancake while watching Dawn move quickly in the panic about getting late for work.

"I'm leaving now, Iris!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Wait up, Dawn!" she said as she approached the woman to adjust the collar of her white shirt. "How should you respond when your name is called?" Iris asked.

"Just don't freak out," Dawn responded.

"And what if that person approaches you and mentions the name of someone you know?"

"Don't believe that person unless they offer their hand," Dawn said after a little pause.

"How?"

Dawn replied, "Left hand forward, palm down. Right hand under, supporting the wrist." Hearing that made Iris smile widely as she gave a thumbs up.

This gesture alerts Dawn to the fact that the person is someone she knows. If they are unfamiliar with this technique, it simply indicates that they are strangers and should not be entirely trusted.

Dawn had already been duped and mistreated at school back then when she couldn't recognize people. Some high school students pretended to be Iris in order to take her money or food. Iris felt really bad for Dawn. It was very easy to pretend to be her and fool her sister because there were mornings when they didn't see each other before school. That just means Dawn won't be able to recall her face for the rest of the day.

She was the one who urged Dawn to discover new techniques for recognizing people.

Dawn learned that she could get to know people through touch at that point. Dawn has relied solely on their voice, hairstyle, body type, and other physical characteristics until then.

Dawn put her phone in the back pocket of her black trousers and both hands in the front pocket. She didn't bother hurrying any longer because she was already late, and her employer, Zera, was her friend, who didn't really mind even if she arrived late.

"Dawn!" a woman holding a tote bag on her shoulder and a paper bag in her arm exclaimed. "How do I-" She was having trouble extending her hand properly.

Dawn took it without hesitation, "Oh, Lizzie, it's you!" she giggled. There are occasions when she can instantly recognize someone with a single touch. Occasionally, however, she needs to go through all three ways to reassure herself that she was right.

Lizzie smiled warmly at her, "Are you going to work?" she inquired.

"Yes, I'm a little late, but I texted Zera to inform her," Dawn said. "Are you on your way home?" she asked.

"Mhmm, I just got a few things, we're running low on some," Lizzie chuckled.

Dawn inquired, just about to grab the bag, "Do you need help getting on the bus?" she offered, but Lizzie shook her head.

"No, it's fine, go to work now."

"Alright then," Dawn pouted, "take care, Lizzie."

"Come by the shop when you're finished, you can help me then," Lizzie said, touching Dawn on the shoulder.

"If Iris doesn't have an appointment today, ask her to assist you while I'm away," Dawn said. "If she tells you she's lazy, hit her in the head. I'm sure she's just lying down somewhere at home," she even joked around.

"Alright, I'm going to do just that. I'll drag her along with me," Lizzie laughed.

Dawn and Iris have been living with Lizzie for over five years. They've been best friends for about twelve years, and despite the fact that Lizzie is much older than them, they get along wonderfully.

The two women said goodbye and parted ways after that brief encounter. Dawn put her hands in her pockets before starting to think about the story she was now writing. She's been distracted these days because she's been having the same nightmares for the past week.

"Will I be able to complete it on time?" Dawn pondered.

A woman, on the other hand, is walking with her eyes tightly shut, muttering, "I'm so nervous," as she exhaled. Her Music School's inaugural opening is today, and she is nervous about her speech. She's done a lot of public speaking in the past, but this time is different since she can't make any mistakes.

"I need a confidence boost, like a hug or something," she whispered.

Right then, she ran into someone and dropped her lyrics book, which included a copy of her speech. "I'm sorry," both said.

They took a few seconds to decide who would pick it up, and it's surprising that they both bent down to do it at the same time, causing their heads to bump. "Ouch," she said, biting her lip and rubbing her forehead.

"Oh, sorry," Dawn replied awkwardly before grabbing for the book, still at the same moment the other woman tried to grab it.

It was a mistake.

Their hands are both on top of the book, which they pulled away in a hurry.

However, that touch...

"I'm so sorry," the woman said before snatching out the book from Dawn's hold and standing up straight.

Dawn did the same, staring at the woman for a while, making the latter feel embarrassed eventually.

"Thank you, I'm going now," the woman muttered as she cleared her throat and looked away.

She hadn't even taken a step when she felt a light grip on her wrist, prompting her to turn and ask, "Why—"

Things swiftly escalated, and the next thing she knew, the woman's arms were wrapped around her shoulders. "W-what are you doing—" she whispered.

"You are that woman," Dawn said quietly.

And she had no idea why her hands instinctively moved to touch Dawn's waist, gradually encircling it within her arms.

"It's you," Dawn said quietly again.

That's when she realized they'd been doing this for a considerable length of time. The woman then cleared her throat and asked, "I'm sorry, but who are you?"

Dawn broke away from the hug to look at the woman's face. She wondered whether she was mistaken.

"Have we met before?" asked the woman again, but there was no response. Instead, Dawn took her hand once more, thinking she couldn't be wrong.

"Miss?"

Dawn hesitated as she noticed the woman staring at her in wonder and asking, for the umpteenth time, "Do we know each other?"

"N-no, no. I was mistaken," Dawn said quietly before letting go of the other woman's hand. "I'm deeply sorry," she said.

"Is that so?" muttered the woman, puzzled.

Dawn hurriedly turned away, not even looking back, or saying goodbye.

"What's wrong with her?" the woman could only ask in hushed tones.

"Is it because I asked for a hug? Ah! The heavens must be keeping an eye on me," she laughed, still staring at Dawn's back as the woman walked away hurriedly.