Reunions Everywhere

The next morning, as Haruto prepared for work, a notification buzzed on his phone. He picked it up and saw it was a message from Baku which said "What? Are you serious? Why? Look, if you're having financial trouble, I can cover it. It's no problem."

Haruto's expression hardened with anger upon reading the message.

Haruto quickly typed a response, "No, I don't have any financial problems! I'm just busy this Saturday because I'm finally meeting my family after seven long months." He sent the message, then swiftly came back from Baku's inbox entering the Reunion group chat and left it. Angrily, he shoved his phone into his pocket and stormed out of his apartment…

Haruto arrived at his workplace, quickly donning his apron and radiating a silent, simmering anger.

Makoto approached him with enthusiasm, "Wow, you really made it on time, that's brilliant!"

Haruto ignored his presence and walked past him, heading out of the staff room. Makoto watched him leave with a hint of confusion in his eyes.

Haruto began his shift in silence, focused on his tasks, seemed distracted all the time, as if preoccupied with something else.

Later that night, Haruto and Makoto stood before their boss, who sat at his desk, intently examining a document.

"What is this?" Haruto's boss erupted, his frustration evident. "Why can't I find the account of this money?"

"What's the problem, boss? What happened?" Makoto asked, eager to understand.

"Be quiet, you fool," the boss retorted angrily. "You two can't even sort this out. Why am I paying you both if you're this useless?" Makoto smiled calmly, observing his boss.

Haruto took a deep breath, then stepped forward and stood directly in front of him. Both the boss and Haruto locked eyes.

Haruto then took the document from the boss and began to examine it closely. After a moment, he asked for a pen, which the boss handed to him with a hint of curiosity.

After a few moments of careful examination and note-taking, Haruto extends the document back to the boss "Here you go." he said, adding "Everything is sorted now. This list shows the exact amount you need to collect and the total amount you've invested. I've also detailed when, where, and how much was invested. It's all outlined here."

The boss quickly snatched the papers and began observing them closely. Meanwhile Makoto's confused gaze remained fixed on Haruto…

Later, as Makoto and Haruto were at their lockers preparing to leave, Makoto asked, "How did you manage to figure that out so quickly?"

"It wasn't that complicated," Haruto replied with a hint of disinterest. "Just basic math." Haruto finished getting ready, and began to walk away.

Makoto watched Haruto leaving, "Hey!" he suddenly called out, prompting Haruto to stopped in his track,

"I know you didn't even attend high school, but you seem surprisingly educated and skilled. What's your story?" Makoto asked, seeming curious.

Haruto standing still turns his head back watching over his shoulder, "I learned all this from gaming," with that he exited the staff room. Leaving Makoto looking puzzled…

Haruto was walking towards his house. "This Saturday I'm going to meet my family," he thought to himself. "I don't even know how they will react. I really failed to complete their dreams. Such a failure I am."

As he walked, his phone buzzed with a notification. Momentarily distracting him from his thoughts. Haruto pulled out his phone and saw it was a message from Kanna.

He froze in his tracks, seemed stunned, his heart racing, he stared at the message in utter disbelief.

Haruto opened the message that says, "Aren't you coming to the reunion?" He stared at the screen with wide eyes, his expression frozen in stunned silence.

"What?" Haruto wondered, his mind racing. "The final list of participants must have been released by now. Did she check the list? and couldn't find my name? Did she even look for it?" Stunned, he tried to grapple with a swirl of confusion.

He quickly typed a response, "No." and sent it, his shock evident as he stared at his inbox, anxiously awaiting her reply. The message was seen immediately, and she started to type a response.

Haruto stared at the screen with growing curiosity. Then he received her reply which said "Oh, okay. I asked because at first your name was on the list, but it was missing in the final list. I thought it might be a mistake, so I just wanted to confirm by myself."

Haruto typed out, "Yeah, at first I wanted to attend, but then I changed my mind. I'm sorry." He sent the message and watched as she quickly read it and began typing a response.

Moments later, her reply appeared, "Oh, it's alright. No problem." Haruto continued to stare at the screen, thinking about what to say, when suddenly she went offline.

A hint of sadness crossed Haruto's face as he slipped his phone back into his pocket. With a heavy sigh, he continued walking, his steps now slower…

In a beautiful park, Fifteen-year-old Kanna sat beside the adult Haruto, both were sitting on a bench, the same park where their relationship had ended years ago.

Kanna smiled warmly and turned her eyes on Haruto, who appeared slightly drowsy. With a soft chuckle, she asked, "Are you feeling sleepy?"

Haruto turned to her, offering a gentle smile. "Maybe yeah." he whispered.

Kanna's eyes softened with affection as she replied, "You've done so much for me. Thank you."

Haruto's smile broadened. "I haven't done anything special," he replied.

Kanna's smile deepened, her gratitude shining through.

Haruto's eyes began to close, falling asleep. Kanna's smile grew tender as she gently placed her hand on his face, guiding his head to rest on her shoulder. Kanna rested her head gently atop of his, her smile radiating affection. "I will always love you," she whispered softly. As she closed her eyes, the world around them faded into darkness, enveloping them in a serene stillness.

Suddenly, adult Haruto jolted awake, sitting upright in his bed, breathing heavily. As he looked around, He realized he was in his room, with sunlight streaming through the window.

He placed his hand on his forehead and murmured, "This keeps happening. Why does she keep appearing in my dreams?"

He then picked up his phone and saw a message from Rensuke, "Don't forget, today is Saturday. Mom and Dad are waiting for you."

Haruto sighed deeply and set his phone back on the bed. With a lack of enthusiasm, he glanced at the calendar and saw today was Saturday, marking the passing of a week. He let out another sigh and headed toward the bathroom.

Later, Haruto emerged from his apartment, locked the door behind, and began walking towards the nearest public transport.

Haruto stood at the bus stop, scrolling through his phone. He opened his school's social media page, where former classmates were posting about the reunion preparations. Haruto glanced through the posts with a visible lack of interest, his expression serious.

The public bus pulled up, and passengers began boarding and finding their seats…..

Haruto now stood outside of his childhood home, his eyes misted with nostalgia as he was having flashbacks of his childhood. A gentle smile touched his lips. He took a deep breath, approached the gate, and knocked on the door.

After a few moments of waiting, the door creaked open, revealing his mother who's eyes widened in shock as she took in the sight of her son.

Haruto smiled warmly as he looked at her, waving gently. "Hey, Mom," he said softly.

Tears welled up in his mother's eyes as she swiftly pulled Haruto in a tight embrace. Haruto, smiling warmly, returned the hug. His mother cried softly, her emotions clear in her gentle sobs.

Then his father appeared at the gate. Upon seeing Haruto, he was momentarily stunned before stepping forward and enveloping both Haruto and his mother in a heartfelt embrace. The family reunited in a deeply touching moment. While Haruto was beaming with joy, his mother wept softly, and his father fought to hold back his tears.

From a distance, Rensuke watched the emotional reunion with a tender smile and tears glistening in his eyes.