### **REUNION
– SAKURA'S WORDS**
I stood there, watching Chisato and Hananoi-senpai. She seemed overjoyed to see him again—I guess that's the person my respected senpai admires. *So it's true… where one story ends, another begins.*
*"Hananoi, how come you're here?"* she asked.
*"Got moved back to Japan for some reason,"* I replied.
*"It's been years! Your face changed a bit—more handsome now. I almost didn't recognize you."*
*"Stop the flattery,"* I said.
*"I've thought about you sometimes… wondered what you were up to."*
*"I'm just fine,"* I muttered.
*"Sakura!!! This is the guy I always told you about—my precious master, the one who led me into music!"*
*"Oy! Don't let her get the wrong idea,"* I shot back.
*"I can see it in him,"* Sakura answered.
*"You've improved a lot, Chi."*
*"What do you expect? It's been years."*
*"What about you? Do you still play?"* she pressed.
*"No. Not at all. It's been years since I last touched a violin."*
*"Oh… I thought you'd still be soloing by now. Sorry for bringing it up."* Her expression dimmed.
Then—
*"Hananoi-senpai! Chisato-senpai! Can I see both of you perform?!"* she begged, eyes sparkling.
*"No. I've got no time. Nice meeting you again, Chisato."* I turned to leave.
*"Wait! Just today—*please!*"* She grabbed my hand, pleading cutely.
*What's wrong with them?* I should've refused… (*No… let's give in for now.*)
*"Fine. One performance. I'll play violin. Chisato, you take the piano."*
*"Roger!!!"*
A few minutes later, the piece ended.
*"Seriously, you sure it's been years? You aced it!"*
*"Hananoi-senpai, please accept me as thy student!"* Sakura declared.
*"Come on, stop this. I've got somewhere to be."*
*"Hananoi-senpai… I heard you haven't joined a club."*
*"No. Who told you that?"*
*"I was around during your conversation with the student council."*
*"Ahhh… So what about it?"*
*"If you're free, join the music club! With your skill level, it'd be—"*
*"No. I can't allow that."* Chisato's voice cut in.
Her expression darkened, prompting Sakura's confusion.
*"But he's a good guy—skilled, nice—"*
*"You don't know his real personality."*
Sakura turned to me. *"Hananoi-senpai, would you like to join? I don't really care about people's behavior."*
*"No. It's better if you don't know me beyond this."*
*"It was nice meeting you again, Chisato. Bye for now."*
I left for the rooftop.
---
### **Chisato's Flashback**
Back in the practice room, Sakura still couldn't grasp the kind of person he was.
It all began back at Royal Academy during elementary school. As a Japanese student struggling with English, I was bullied relentlessly—until the day Hananoi found me crying at the end of a hallway.
*"Why are you crying?"* My tears stopped when I heard Japanese.
He helped me endlessly—joined the music club, taught me communication, even music itself. For a boy our age, he was *too* perfect. Eventually, I confessed to him.
*"He was ten and Eight for me"*
Our childhood bond shattered when I learned his *real* reason for joining the club.
Before a competition, he overheard someone boast, *"I'm going to ace this."*
I'll never forget his interview:
*"Reporter: How does it feel to be a prodigy?"*
*"I'm nothing special,"* he replied.
But when asked why he played, his answer froze the room:
*"I love crushing people's dreams and ambitions."*
*"Someone said they'd win the competition? I just prove them wrong."*
The reporter was speechless. So was I.
I broke up with him that day.
To him, everything was a game. Not to me.
And now, years later, his eyes are just as cold.
*I never thought I'd see him again.*
*…I hope he's changed, I really wish