Reminiscence

The campus café was bathed in soft, warm yellow light. The rich aroma of coffee beans mingled with the scent of pastries. Kazama In and Ichinose Honami took seats in a corner by the window and each ordered a drink: black coffee for Kazama In and hot cocoa for Ichinose.

After a brief silence, the conversation naturally turned to the distant past. Ichinose Honami cradled her warm mug in both hands, the rising steam blurring her features into something soft and tender. Her gaze drifted into memory, and her voice carried a distant warmth.

"In... do you remember the first time we met?" She tilted her head slightly toward Kazama In, a nostalgic smile playing on her lips. "At the park on that sunny afternoon..."

A ripple seemed to stir in the depths of Kazama In's dark eyes as he listened. He gently stirred his coffee and nodded. "Yeah. You and your mother."

"That's right." Ichinose's smile deepened, tinged with girlish playfulness. "When Mom saw you huddled in the corner, all filthy, but with these incredibly bright eyes, like... like a wary little wolf cub, she said, 'That child must be starving.' Then she dragged you home without taking no for an answer." She imitated her mother's voice, her gaze warm. "You ate an entire pot of Mom's curry rice, then lowered your head and shyly said, 'Thank you for the meal.' You were so different back then."

The corner of Kazama In's mouth lifted almost imperceptibly. The faint curve was real, softening his hard features. "Yeah. That was a warm meal." During his life as a wanderer—one he'd chosen for himself, taking on the occasional assignment—it was one of the very few times he'd experienced pure kindness with no strings attached.

The conversation gradually grew more personal. A faint shadow clouded Ichinose's eyes, and her voice lowered. "Later... when our family was going through its hardest time, Dad got sick and lost his job, and Mom worked several jobs by herself. My little sister and I often didn't even have enough to eat... It felt like the whole world had gone gray. And that was when..." She looked up, gazing deeply into Kazama In's eyes, her blue irises filled with gratitude and something more complicated. "Just like before, you were always 'happening' to be nearby. Sometimes it was a discount coupon you'd 'found' for a bakery. Sometimes it was 'extra' groceries from a supermarket sale... And once, when my sister had a fever and we couldn't even scrape together enough money for medicine, the next morning there was a box of the right medicine and a small bag of fruit at our door..."

Kazama In listened quietly. He neither confirmed nor denied it, merely lifting his coffee for a sip. Back then, his identity was too sensitive for him to give them money directly, so he'd protected this mother and her two daughters, who had once shown him kindness, in discreet and roundabout ways. The Ichinose family had never pressed him about where the quiet boy had come from, treating him instead as a mysterious but dependable friend.

"What I'll never forget..." Ichinose's voice trembled slightly as her fingers unconsciously traced the side of her cup. "That time... when I almost... almost did something wrong." Her cheeks flushed with shame, and her voice grew quieter. "My little sister had her eye on an expensive hair clip. I... I wanted so badly to make her happy... I spent ages lingering outside that accessories shop, and... and I started thinking things I shouldn't have..." She couldn't continue. Even now, the thought of stealing filled her with a suffocating shame.

"I remember." Kazama In's steady voice broke through her embarrassment. He set down his coffee and looked at her calmly, as if he could see across time to the girl who had struggled in front of that display window. "You just stood there, looking at the hair clip. There was longing in your eyes, and guilt, and frustration... but more than anything, you looked torn and miserable."

Ichinose looked up in surprise. She hadn't expected him to remember even that so clearly.

"Yeah. Then you stopped me."

"You pulled me aside and scolded me sternly: 'Honami, can you really get what you want by doing something like that?'" Ichinose couldn't help laughing, though her eyes were damp. "The way you looked... You were practically a poor little waif yourself, but you were so serious when you lectured me."

A faint smile crossed Kazama In's eyes. "I just thought you shouldn't dirty your hands and heart over a hair clip. You deserved something better, and you deserved to get it the right way."

"And then..." Ichinose's voice turned impossibly soft. "You took me into the shop and went straight to the counter. You pointed at the hair clip and bought it with the only money you had on you." She still remembered the shop assistant's startled expression and Kazama In's quiet, resolute composure. "You pressed it into my hand and said, 'It's for your sister. Don't let her down.'" She drew a deep breath, her voice catching. "In... do you know? At that moment, I felt like... you'd pulled me back from the edge of a cliff. You made me realize that no matter how hard things got, there were lines I must never cross. And that I had to... value myself."

Her words were sincere and full of emotion. Kazama In watched her slightly reddened eyes and stayed silent for a moment before quietly saying, "Yeah. You did well."

Ichinose blinked hard, forcing back her tears, then let a radiant smile return to her face. She looked at Kazama In with a teasing glint. "But my sister only wore that hair clip for a few days before putting it away. She said it was too precious and that she had to keep it safe. She still treasures it!"

The memories they shared made the atmosphere between them especially warm and close. As if recalling something, Kazama In asked, "Later... did you get the things I had my butler give you?"

Ichinose Honami's eyes lit up like stars. She immediately set down her cup and carefully took a tiny velvet pouch from an inner pocket of her uniform. Gently opening it, she tipped its contents into her palm.

It was a silver bracelet, both elegant and finely crafted, with an antique design. Rather than being smooth, its surface was made up of countless interwoven vines. Between them, a strange, unfamiliar pattern could just be seen, resembling both thorns and wings. It gleamed with a restrained, mysterious luster beneath the lights, clearly a rare treasure.

"Of course I got it!" Ichinose's voice was full of affection as she gently traced the bracelet's pattern with her finger. "This is the one. It's so pretty... and so unusual. The butler told me it was..." She paused, her voice dropping. "A token of the Kazama Family. If I wear it, people in certain places won't cause me trouble, and if I'm in a difficult situation, someone will be willing to help." She raised her eyes, full of gratitude and an emotion she couldn't quite name. "I know it's valuable... so I've kept it safe all this time and only wear it for really important occasions. It's a shame I can't wear jewelry like this at school, or else..." She smiled ruefully, then carefully tucked the bracelet back into its velvet pouch and put it away close to her body.

Kazama In watched her movements, his gaze lingering for a moment on the velvet pouch. Something seemed to settle in the depths of his dark eyes. He didn't say much, only nodding. "Yeah. Just keep it safe."

Time passed quietly amid warm memories and easy conversation. Their drinks had long since been finished. Outside the window, night had fallen, and the campus streetlights had come on one by one.

"Ah, it's gotten so late." Ichinose glanced at the time, looking surprised and reluctant to leave.

"Yeah." Kazama In stood too.

They walked out of the café side by side. The cool night air brushed their faces but couldn't dispel the warmth that lingered from their conversation. In unspoken agreement, they headed toward the dormitory, their pace unhurried.

They soon reached the elevators in the dorm lobby. The hall was quiet at this hour, and they were alone.

"Well... Kazama-kun, thank you so much for tonight." Ichinose Honami turned to face Kazama In. The light lent her cheeks a gentle pink, and her blue eyes looked like a sea full of starlight. There was a hint of bashfulness in them, along with a bright, happy smile. "I had such a good time talking with you... It felt like being a kid again."

Kazama In stood in front of her, half a head taller. He lowered his gaze to her, and his dark eyes, usually so cool and distant, seemed much softer beneath the lights. He nodded, his voice a little lower than usual. "Me too, Honami."

Hearing him call her by that familiar nickname again made Ichinose's heart skip a beat. Her cheeks reddened further. She looked away in a fluster, then couldn't help sneaking a quick glance back at him, her fingers unconsciously twirling a lock of hair.

"Um... good night, Kazama-kun," she said softly, her voice sweet.

"Good night," Kazama In replied, his tone gentle.

The elevator doors opened with a chime. Ichinose seemed as if she wanted to say something else, but in the end, she only gave him a dazzling, sweet smile and waved enthusiastically. "See you tomorrow!" Then she stepped into the elevator with a light, birdlike gait.

Kazama In stayed where he was, watching her. Only when the elevator doors slowly closed, shutting away her bright smile and star-filled blue eyes, did the floor numbers begin to climb.

He stood there for a few more seconds before turning toward another elevator. The lights stretched his tall figure into a long shadow. On his usually stern face, the faintest trace of a softness seemed to linger at the corners of his mouth. The café's warmth and the bonds of the past seemed to flow silently through the air.