It's almost summer and the Sun's already burning your skin. Today's club practice was independent, the coach was in a meeting with another school about an inter-school track club competition. Which was one of the reasons why you were here, torturing herself to keep running under the heat of this open school field to relentlessly train herself for the upcoming race.

The sound of approaching footsteps echoed and from the corner of her eye she could see the all too familiar honey-blonde curls still bouncing from her movements. Her awareness came just as her shrill voice appeared, splitting the lonely field this afternoon with ease.

“Heya, how’s my favorite track star doing today?” was never not jovial, that Marino Sanada, your close friend since the first moment of the school's introduction ceremony two years ago.

Her smile widened, displaying those neat teeth, as she saw you walk over, now both leaning on opposite sides of the wooden fence dividing the field and the pathway.

“Got you something.” a bottle of ice-cold Pocari was in her grasp that she immediately passed to you. “One Pocari Sweat for Princess!” she joked.

Her flip phone was jittering in the skirt pocket of her school uniform and in a second her mischievous eyes lit up, like she was drunk in love. Because Marino was indeed lovesick, with her new boyfriend of just two months. It's not like you knew his name or what he looked like, but Marino insisted on introducing her directly to him. And that was today's plan.

“Oh my gosh!! He’s almost here—just got off at the station and is on his way!” Marino screamed in glee, practically jumping up and down on the spot. It took a full minute for her excitement to end, typing quickly on the Motorola's buttons before snapping it shut.

“hurry up and change! My boyfriend’s about to get here, and I am *not* introducing you to him while you’re literally drenched in sweat.” said Marino with a pointing finger at you, her eyes narrowed in her typical childlike warning. “I'll meet you at the school gate then!”

Just like that, Marino was already running away from the school grounds, each hurried step bringing her one step closer to her boyfriend. Akemi.

Akemi strolled casually, slinging his schoolbag over his shoulder as he glanced around—still couldn't believe he had never once stepped foot in this neighborhood. Like, this was only about 20 minutes away from his own school and it was adjacent to a shopping center that was forever bustling with people.

Regardless, he glanced at his nokia’s screen, receiving a message from Marino. His girlfriend's had been texting him about the directions to the All-Girls High School she attended.

`Just wait for me in front of the school gate! My friend will catch up later, she's just finishing up with her track club.`

Track club, huh?

Marino always talked about this one friend like no one else. About how well she did in her track club, how she was their school's top track athlete. Akemi tapped the phone against his chin, thinking.

Sounds like— Akemi shook his head. No, it doesn't. A week ago he'd promised himself to completely forget what was in his past, you and everything they'd shared together. They would never see each other again and, as you had said herself in the letter, they were better off never being together again if that was what it took for that incident and everything that trailed behind it not to happen again.

He had Marino now and Akemi thought that was enough. Well, he sure hoped she was enough.

What he had in mind appeared and Marino was already waiting for him at the school gate, waving her hand and flashing that big toothy smile.

“Yo,” he greeted. “Been waiting here long?” Judging from the girl's rushed breathing and the sheer layer of sweat dotting her face, it seemed not. It was more like she had run here as fast as she could to meet him.

“No, no. ‘Course not.” was her immediate response. The girl pressed her body closer and slid her arms around Akemi's waist, from his vantage point he could clearly see the top of her head and the bases of her distinctly, actual dark-rooted hair.

“Let’s hit up that shopping street after this, babe! I saw this white ruffle skirt yesterday, and it would *totally* go with that babydoll top you got me. Summer’s coming, so I’m definitely saving it for a beach day.”oh a date, another date. Not like Akemi minded, not at all. It's just that wasn't today the day Marino wanted to introduce him her pride and joy?

“My friend’s coming too,” she added, as if sensing the uncertainty rippling through her boyfriend's head. “ won’t mind tagging along.”

Wait, ?

Before Akemi could register what exactly he had just heard, determine if he had heard it wrong or not at all, Marino's hug around his waist loosened as the girl turned around to wave at the new person.

Not entirely new.

You. It's you. What the hell is this? Some kind of humorless trick of fate?

That moment felt like thousands of seconds passed, like time stopped and he was out of breath. Akemi thought he had to be dreaming since there was no way this coincidence could have happened this easily. you, his first love, his love, his ex who ended things between them so messily and left Akemi to pick up the pieces three years ago.

You.

“So, this is my boyfriend. Meet, Akemi-” there was a pause in Marino's words, stopping as she could see the two people, who she thought were completely strangers to each other, frozen in place like they had just seen a ghost pass by.

“Uh... guys? Do you two know each other?”

Marino's voice snapped him out of his trance, but he never stopped staring at you, not even at Marino who seemed to be trying to connect the dots here with her confusion and obliviousness. Because Akemi was afraid, what if you would disappear again like before? Leaving him behind with just a piece of paper that wasn't even given to him in person? As if she's just a fleeting ghost on a gloomy night.

“No.. no, no.” denied Akemi too quickly, on his stunned face he eventually feigned a smile that shouldn't have been that awkward. Whatever, it was all he could manage right now.

Akemi held out his hand, it hung between the two of them, trembling in anticipation of what you would do. What he would do three years ago just to touch her again, he practically had to stop himself from lunging forward and hugging you so tightly he might take her home.

“I'm Akemi Kubo, nice to meet you.” alien, it felt out of place on his tongue, he made the two of them sound like they had never even shared a first kiss with each other.

“And you?”

But I know all about you, even down to the tiniest thing. I still remember everything even after all these years.