He feels a gentle tapping on his head. He assumes its nothing. The tapping increases. It's like a woodpecker on a hollow tree trunk. Kichiro looks up with tired eyes.

A schoolgirl similar to his age, with deep brown eyes stands before him. The hood of her black jacket covers her hair. Her cheeks are red, soft and smooth. She is clutching onto her bag straps. She has a small smile.

Kichiro’s heart stops.

“Wait. No, hang on”, he thinks, confused. His eyes dart between this girl in the black and the girl who was with Yuichi.

This is the girl.

The girl with Yuichi isn't the girl from the beginning. It was all starting to add up.

 The original girl had a black jacket, not a blue jacket.

The original girl didn't have ginger hair, she never showed her hair because she had her hood up.

The original girl didn't point her feet inwards, she stood with more confidence and conviction

This is the original girl,1000%.

A wave of excitement mixed with confusion comes over Kichiro. He is stunned.

“Excuse me...”, the girl tries to get his attention.

Kichiro, still in a daze from realising that there were two girls, awkwardly stares at the girl.

He interrupts suddenly. “Your...name. What is it?”, he asks.

The girl, confused and now uncomfortable, takes a small step back.

“Err... its Misha. She replies nervously. “I was just gonna ask you to close the windo-”

Kichiro, half-asleep, cuts her off mid-sentence without hesitation. It felt like a divine entity had taken over his body. He had to say what he felt like he needed to say, even though it didn't exactly make too much sense.

“I know this is weird... but i think i somehow... err... I love you... maybe?”

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 2

Misha

Misha, now even more confused and uncomfortable takes two big steps back. The train has stopped now, leaving Misha’s escape route from this awkward encounter wide open. She darts out into the busy station.

Misha checks her phone whilst running. 8.30AM. She’s gonna be late for school. She weaves through each and every person she sees, dodging street magazine sellers and wandering drunks from the night before. Her first day opening ceremony starts at 8.35AM and it takes 10 minutes from where she is now. Clocks ticking. She curses how she stayed up late playing Xbox, leading to her sleep past her planned 7:45AM train, then sets off at full speed as the pathway clears.

Misha and her mother live in the outskirts of Tokyo, in a small, rundown apartment. Her father passed away when she was young, so she never met him. They live a humble life, with her mother working at a local supermarket earning close to minimum wage. Misha herself works on weekends at an ice cream parlour in Shibuya to help get by. Misha is the ray of hope for her mother, after she got accepted into University – the first in her family’s history to go to University.

Misha turns the corner towards her new beginning at University, which she is 20 minutes late for. What a nightmare start. She takes a deep breath... and walks in.

…..................................................................................................................................................

Kichiro, puffing like an obese, 73 year old, donut eating, chain-smoking bloke who’d just ran a marathon, tiredly slams his books on his desk. He gives a nod of greeting to his close friends from High School, Yukio and Tora, and prepares his brain for a painful first day of introduction and orientation. Kichiro missed the whole opening ceremony for the first-year university students due to the morning's drama, which left him confused and dazed for his whole journey from the train station. Was that confrontation with the girl part of his dream? Must’ve been. Something like that would never happen to Kichiro… right?

He couldn’t let it dwell on his mind during his first day at Uni. Luckily, Kichiro’s friends were taking the same course as him, so they messaged him what lecture room he was in. Kichiro found a taxi from the station, helping him get to class just in the nick of time. It seemed like Lady Luck was in a good mood today. 

The chatter of the classroom quietens as the professor enters.

…..................................................................................................................................................

Misha, after apologizing greatly to the Professor for bursting in 5 minutes after the morning bell rang, scans the room for a seat. Unfortunately for Misha, she knew no one at the school, so she had the awkward task of having to make new friends. Her eyes go from seat to seat, looking for the nicest person to sit next to. Her eyes suddenly stop when she sees someone. She goes beet red.

Kichiro stares at Misha with a dead face.

They are both frozen.

“Are you okay?”, questions the confused Professor, leading to small mutters amongst the classroom.

“Take the seat next to Kichiro at the back there and make it quick.”

Misha shuffles towards the seat.

Kichiro’s stare is now fixed straight at the front of the room. He feels the beads of sweat on his forehead and on his chest. He ask’s himself why this had to happen.

The professor starts the lecture. 

No words between the pair are exchanged as they open up their laptops.

It’s so, so awkward.