"Hayasaka…"
Takamine softly said her name.
It was indeed Hayasaka Ai—the girl he once confessed to, and who rejected him.
He thought he'd be affected seeing her again after four years, but now that the moment came, he felt… nothing much.
The years he spent in the Middle East battlefield had done wonders—at least to his mental endurance.
Still, it was best they didn't meet again. One year of peaceful school life would be ideal.
"Sorry, Ishigami. You go ahead. I'll catch up later."
"Oh, okay."
Though puzzled by Takamine's shifting expressions, Ishigami guessed it had something to do with that blonde second-year girl.
He didn't pry—just nodded and walked back to class.
Meanwhile, not far away, Hayasaka Ai had also noticed Takamine. Her gaze locked onto the last person she expected to see.
"…"
"What's wrong, Hayasaka?" her two friends asked with concern.
They noticed something odd flash across her expression.
"Ah, sorry~"
Hayasaka smiled, hands pressed together, tongue out playfully.
"I just remembered I left something on the field. You two go on ahead—I'll be right there~"
"Huh?"
"Geez, Hayasaka, you're so forgetful."
"Ehehe~"
"We're heading back then. Class is about to start."
"Okay, okay."
After waving them off with a smile, her cheerful face dropped into a blank expression.
She turned to look in the direction Takamine had just left.
"You're back, huh… Rinji."
Takamine stood at the same spot he smoked earlier, sighing softly.
"It's still a bit awkward… but I've definitely gotten over that heartbreak. Congrats to me."
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
Now he understood why his dad threw him into a war zone after the breakup.
It wasn't to test his life-or-death survival—Takamine's too tough to die easily.
His dad wanted him to watch as his cheerful comrades were gunned down one by one.
From disbelief to rage, and finally to numb acceptance, his mental resilience was forged in blood.
After four harsh years, he learned to take trivial matters lightly—and realized how foolish his old heartbreak really was.
Out with the old, in with the new. Especially when the old was never his to begin with.
"No wonder Dad did it. The man's been through it all. Looks like I've finally let that one go."
He took out his phone to check the time—only a little over two minutes left until class started.
"Yeah, she should've left by now."
"Nope."
"...!?"
Takamine Rinji suddenly turned his head and saw Hayasaka Ai's familiar face right behind him.
"...You're still as stealthy as ever, Hayasaka," Takamine said with a helpless smile. "But you've changed a lot over these years."
"And you think you haven't?"
Hayasaka Ai stepped toward Takamine slowly, her faint smile still lingering, until only a fist's distance separated the two.
"Where did you go during those missing four years?"
"Traveling."
"You went to war, didn't you?"
"You found out?"
"A bit of digging through the Shinomiya family's channels was enough. Four years ago, you joined IW and were assigned as a sniper in their Middle Eastern operations branch. Before returning to Japan, you were leading anti-terror operations in Afghanistan as a squad commander. Rank: Second Lieutenant."
"...You really went all in with the background check."
"Of course I did. Ever since you left, I've been keeping tabs on you."
"Should I feel honored?"
"I hope you do."
Hayasaka hesitated for a moment, then asked,
"Do you hate me?"
"What kind of question is that? I never even considered it."
Takamine lowered his head, his expression shadowed.
"Though... I did feel a bit lost."
"Because of me... you went and did such dangerous things..."
"No, no, I need to correct that. What I did wasn't actually dangerous. It's hard to explain, but I was quite safe those four years."
"You really have changed. Four years ago, you never knew how to comfort anyone."
"And you've changed too. You used to be a crybaby."
"Can you not bring that up?" Hayasaka puffed up her cheeks.
"Alright, alright. I won't."
Takamine laughed.
Just as Hayasaka said, four years ago he truly didn't know how to comfort people. There was a time when she had sneaked out and got caught by her Shinomiya family tutor, who scolded her harshly and struck her hand with a rod. Takamine wanted to comfort her but couldn't find the right words.
Feeling frustrated at his lack of vocabulary, he grew angry at himself.
So instead of talking, he found out where that tutor lived... and dragged the guy out for a beating.
Honestly, back then Takamine was just like any other clumsy twelve-year-old—if he couldn't use words, he used his fists.
Hayasaka smiled gently, rose up on tiptoes, and reached out to hold Takamine's cheek in her hand.
"Huh?"
"Strange. I clearly remember your eyes used to be red. Why are they black now?"
"Genetic condition. It's been cured."
"I see."
As the school bell rang, Hayasaka let go of his hand.
"You're staying in Japan now, right?"
"I won't be leaving for now—except for part-time jobs during holidays."
"Okay. But if those 'part-time jobs' take you to dangerous places again, I'll never forgive you."
"Got it, got it."
"Oh, by the way..."
Hayasaka suddenly pulled out a pack of cigarettes.
Takamine was startled and immediately checked his pockets—his own pack of cigarettes was missing.
"Stop smoking this stuff. It's bad for your health and against school rules."
"..."
"I still have lots I want to ask you, but class is starting. I'll come find you when I get the chance."
With that, she turned and walked slowly toward the school building.
Takamine watched her back and chuckled as he followed.
There wasn't really any progress between them. He was still in a state of heartbreak.