Track 20. ひさしぶりのI Miss You

(T.N.: Hisashiburi no I Miss You — “It’s been a while since I missed you”)

At school, Adonis had called Miyu over to make a proposal. But what did he want that couldn’t wait until recess?

“A proposal? What?” Miyu asked.

“That’s right! Whoever gets the higher grade on the next test wins,” Adonis said.

Miyu got irritated. Adonis had that kind of power over her. She stared at the redhead, even more annoyed.

“Adonis! What is your problem? Is everything a competition?”

“Aha! Scared, huh! I knew it!”

“WHAT!? NO! I wouldn’t get a lower grade than you. I’m not scared of that.”

“Deal! Whoever loses buys ice cream!”

After sealing the agreement, Adonis turned around and went back to class, waving at her as he walked away. Miyu watched him leave and reached out a hand.

“But… I didn’t agree.”

The first-year class saw the scene and let out a collective “HUUUUUUMMMMM.”

Oh no… everyone’s looking at me… Miyu thought, embarrassed.

Classes went on normally. A few students made comments about the two of them, but nothing too much. Near noon, the bell rang and everyone was dismissed. The girls could finally head home.

Sayuri’s house — noon

It was lunchtime. Akiko, Miyu, and Naoko were arriving home to eat, rest, and handle their afternoon routines. The three of them headed to the dining room, following the irresistible smell of food.

“Sayuuu! We’re back and we’re dying of hu—” Akiko started, but something made her stop.

In the dining room was Sayuri, wearing a warm, cheerful smile. Sitting at the table was a boy who looked about fifteen years old—around 1.70m tall, brown hair with a fringe parted down the middle, and blue eyes. Leaning against the wall was another boy—tall, around 1.78m, looking about seventeen, with light brown hair and the same blue eyes.

The boy at the table heard the movement and looked toward the doorway—where Akiko stood.

“Hikaru!” she said, stunned, her eyes already filling with tears.

He stood up and she ran to him. They hugged tightly—both clearly happy to see each other.

“I missed you so much,” Akiko said, crying.

“I really wanted to see you too!”

Akiko looked straight into Hikaru’s blue eyes and fired off questions:

“Where were you? How did you get here? How are you?”

“So… me and Seki landed on the other side of the world, and we had to figure things out to get here,” Hikaru said.

“We ended up seeing information about Sayuri, because she was composing for a film, and we started moving. She’s famous over there! We got temporary jobs, got organized, and we managed to come here!” Seki explained.

“I’m so glad you’re okay! Are you going to study with us?” Miyu asked, smiling.

“Oh, yeah! Sayuri’s already helping sort it out! I think tomorrow we’ll be there already!” Hikaru explained, still holding Akiko.

“You two aren’t going to let go!?” Miyu asked, annoyed by the mushy couple.

For a moment, Akiko pulled back slightly from her boyfriend and looked him in the eyes. You could see a hint of hope in her when she spoke:

“But if you were far away and fine… maybe Mom and Dad, and other people from Utopia, are out there somewhere!”

“We didn’t see anyone else! But it’s not impossible!” Hikaru said, smiling, trying to comfort her.

The boys’ arrival renewed everyone’s hopes. They felt it might be possible to find other people from Utopia—maybe scattered across the globe.

While Hikaru enjoyed the moment with his girlfriend still in his arms, Seki kept this curious look, watching Naoko from a short distance. She noticed he was staring and asked:

“What is it, Seki? Lose something?”

“What!? No… it’s just… I missed it…” Seki replied, caught off guard.

“Alright… welcome, Seki!” Naoko greeted him with a small smile.

“Ah, thanks, Naoko!” Seki said, lifting an arm to his hair, the beads on his bracelet swaying. Shy, he looked at her with his face lightly flushed.

That day felt different from the others. Now they had people to share experiences, worries, and impressions about the planet. Everyone handled their own tasks and the house stayed busier, more stirred up.

At night, Guang got home and Sayuri gave him the news:

“Oh! Love! The boys from Utopia came! I set up their room in your office!”

“You did what? Who?”

The couple would have more responsibilities now that the two had arrived. And the changes began with Guang losing his work space. But his wife looked so happy that he felt he should understand the situation and keep his comments to himself.

April 6 — school, recess

The next day, Hikaru and Seki were already enrolled and participating in school life.

Recess came, and no student had any doubts: Hikaru and Akiko stayed close—hugging—clearly boyfriend and girlfriend.

“They don’t let go…” Yukino muttered softly, putting a hand on her head and frowning, uncomfortable with the display of affection.

“I’m shocked,” Aino said, hands on her hips, watching the couple.

“Who would’ve thought Akiko would get a boyfriend so soon?” Minami asked, surprised—the friend who seemed the most childish now in a relationship.

“You moved up to second year, right? You’re in Adonis’s class?” Miyu asked, sitting on the little stage in the courtyard.

“Ohhh, the redheaded guy—handsome—popular—and sits in the back?” Hikaru replied, oddly specific.

“‘Handsome’?” Miyu scoffed.

“Yeah, I’m in his class. But I haven’t talked to him yet. There are a lot of people to meet.”

Hikaru seemed to be fitting in well, understanding how the school worked. Minami stepped closer to him, a little shy, and asked:

“Hikaru, I heard people saying you have a brother. Is that true?”

“Oh, yeah—Seki! He’s right over there,” he pointed toward the cafeteria. “Surrounded by girls!”

Ahead, in the direction he pointed, there was a cluster of girls around the new student. They were talking to him, excited, wanting to know more about his tastes and his life.

Seki looked shy, but not uncomfortable. He seemed to like meeting and talking with classmates.

Minami watched the scene, then fixed her gaze on the boy. Wow! He’s cute! And he’s already popular, she thought. Her cheeks began to warm—her first impression had left her flustered.

Still there in the courtyard, a second-year classmate approached Hikaru to talk:

“Hey, Hikaru! We heard your birthday’s around now! You gonna throw a party? Let’s invite people.”

Hikaru, standing with Akiko, turned and recognized the classmate. In the background, Aino and Minami watched the scene. First day and they’re already setting up a party… Hikaru’s popular too, they ended up sharing the same thought.

“Well, I’d have to…” Hikaru started to answer, but he couldn’t finish.

“Tomorrow! At my house! I’ll send the address! Just tell me how many are coming, I’ll warn Sayuri,” Akiko cut in.

Hikaru thought quickly—it would be rude to un-invite people after Akiko had just invited them to a party out loud. Wanting to minimize possible problems, he asked the classmate:

“It’d be good to bring food and drinks, since it’s so little time to organize!”

“Dude, we’ll bring stuff, yeah!” the classmate replied, giving a thumbs-up, clearly happy with the plan.

The end-of-recess bell rang and everyone returned to class. The last two periods flew by, and soon the dismissal bell sounded. As always, students had their backpacks ready ahead of time, to leave quickly the moment they were released.

While waiting for Akiko, Hikaru—leaning on the ramp railing—saw Adonis pass by and decided to call him:

“Hey, Adonis!”

Adonis, who was about to start running, stopped and turned his face toward the call.

“I’m throwing a party tomorrow. You want to come over to my place?” Hikaru invited.

“Dude, I met you today…” Adonis refused.

Adonis walked back, turned the corner, and continued on his way, but Hikaru provoked him:

“Miyu’s going to be there.”

Adonis was surprised by that. He shot a quick look at the new student, who had a friendly, slightly ironic smile. After that brief exchange, Adonis continued on his way—but now he felt awkward.

April 8 — Sayuri’s house, 6 p.m.

The next day, Sayuri and Guang’s place was more lively than ever. Almost everyone from Hikaru’s class was there—around twenty students between fifteen and sixteen years old, plus the residents, who were already many.

The house was big, and everyone decided to stay in the main living room, where there were sofas and a television. They put on pop and rock music, conversation flowed, several groups talking at once, and the environment was noisy.

“So many people…” Sayuri and Guang said at the same time.

When they finally had a second to stop and really see what was happening, they were a little startled. Even though they often had visitors, they had never had so many teenagers together in the same place.

That day, they realized they would probably go through that more times. The couple decided to let the teenagers feel more at ease and focus on food—keeping an eye out in case anyone needed help.

While everyone laughed and had fun, Naoko quickly stepped into the room and pulled Seki aside to talk:

“Didn’t you guys arrive yesterday? And you’re already packing Sayu’s house?”

“Ahh… yeah, well… you know Hikaru makes friends fast…”

Naoko’s eyes showed anger—responsible as always, and knowing how hard Sayuri and Guang worked to take care of everyone. She wanted, more than anything, to avoid trouble for the homeowners. To her, it was too much, and it didn’t need to be explained further to Seki.

Back in the living room, the boys were whispering with the birthday boy. They held back small laughs, like they were plotting something.

Hikaru stepped away from the group, putting a finger to his lips as if asking for secrecy, and with his other hand, he gave a thumbs-up. One of the classmates answered with another thumbs-up and a smile, as if they’d made a deal.

Near the living room was the kitchen—where Hikaru headed. The room was empty. He moved quietly to the refrigerator and opened it.

There was his target: a cold, sealed bottle of beer.

His hand stretched discreetly toward the object of desire.