"So much has happened over the years."
Stepping out of the dim theater auditorium and onto the sunlit street, Kenji Hagiwara sighed dazedly.
"I always knew there was something fishy about the two of you disappearing without a word right after graduation, but to have caused such a huge stir... that's really something."
The smile in his eyes remained as gentle as ever when he spoke, but Matsuda Jinpei accurately caught the trace of disappointment in his voice.
He had died too early in the past. When he woke up again, he had not only missed out on the career he should have built, but also the stirring endings of his like-minded friends.
His death had felt so light, never bringing him much fear himself. Yet it had become a nightmare that had haunted his friends and family for seven years—so long that the pain had faded, so long that Matsuda Jinpei, the one who remembered his death most vividly, had also died while seeking justice for him...
The disappointment was not overwhelming, not enough to make his heart ache unbearably. But when he put himself in everyone's shoes over the past years, he still found it hard to let go.
Like an old scar that had healed but left lingering aftereffects, this was definitely not the impression Kenji Hagiwara had ever wanted to leave behind.
After thinking for a moment, Matsuda Jinpei raised his hand and gave his shoulder a hard knock, forcibly interrupting his low mood. "You should say that sort of world-weary sentiment to the man himself."
Kenji Hagiwara paused, then followed the direction of Matsuda Jinpei's finger and saw Tooru Amuro standing behind the counter at Polo Cafe, busy taking customers' orders.
The cafe was at its noon rush. Tangze had gone upstairs to eat with