It had been several days since Mikomi was discharged from the hospital. He was kept overnight on Wednesday for observation and sent home Thursday afternoon. He stayed home from school for the remainder of the week and confined himself to his bed. Despite regaining his memories, he was still physically drained from the experience and decided to take this time to rest.

By the time Saturday morning came, he had spent a lot of time going over his missing memories. He got out of bed and made his way to the kitchen to fix himself some breakfast. His mother was already at the kitchen table but his father wasn’t anywhere to be seen. Mikomi assumed he went back to work to continue developing the A.I. now that he had the solution to his problem. Mikomi opened up the cupboard and reached for a box of cereal. His mother struck up a conversation while he poured himself a bowl.

“Feeling any better?”

Mikomi only replied with a quick ‘Mmm’ as he was still a bit on the groggy side. He grabbed a banana off the counter and began to slice it into his cereal. It was one of his favorite combinations and his typical go-to breakfast. After getting everything together, he made his way to the table where he began to scarf it down as if it were his first meal in months. Bed rest and hospital food are two things that would make anyone savor and appreciate even the most basic of meals.

“You know that food isn't going anywhere, right? You could slow down a bit, otherwise, you might choke and end up back in the hospital.”

Mikomi swallowed hard and slowed his pace down but by the time he did, there were only one or two bites left. Mikomi shrugged and powered through the last bites in his bowl as his mother let out a sigh.

“You know, that girl Serah stopped by a couple of times but since you were sleeping, I sent her away. She seemed really concerned about you so don’t be surprised if she tries her luck again today.”

Mikomi blushed a little but hearing her name made him recall all of his memories from the original timeline. Mikomi gritted his teeth behind closed lips. From the outside, Mikomi’s face looked a bit contorted as if he had just bitten into something sour. His mother could only chuckle at the sight of it.

“Did I pluck another nerve? I’m sorry, but I just think you two would make a cute couple, that’s all!”

“MOM!”

Mikomi turned beet red. He quickly picked up his bowl and walked it over to the sink where he properly washed it. After putting it into the rack to dry, he cleared his throat.

“I’m going to go get some fresh air.”

Mikomi excused himself from the table and grabbed his jacket before heading out the front door. As soon as he stepped outside, Mikomi let out a huge sigh before sticking his hands in his pockets. He walked down to the sidewalk and turned in the direction of Serah’s house. He halted in his tracks for a moment but then his eyes narrowed as he internally groaned.

“Oh no…”

“MIIIIIIIKOOOOOMIIIIIII!!!!!”

Ryan ran at Mikomi at full speed and lunged at him, giving him a great, big, friendly hug! Mikomi couldn’t be any more uncomfortable by this and applied a bit of pressure as a way of silently telling Ryan to get off of him. He took the hint and backed off but he looked genuinely excited to see Mikomi.

“Mikomi! I heard what happened and I got really worried! I came to see you in the hospital but you were still asleep.”

“So even Ryan…”

“Thanks for worrying about me, Ryan.”

“This was an awkward conversation. I hadn’t thought about asking Serah out at this point in this timeline so Ryan hadn’t threatened our friendship yet. Still, when I look at him, I can’t help but think of the way he acted when he discovered I liked Serah. I have to control my emotions and just endure this for now.”

“It’s rare to see you outside on a weekend. Usually, you’re holed up in your house. What brings you into the world of the living?”

“After what happened to me, I just thought I could use a little fresh air, that’s all. I was out for three days and I was bedridden for another two. Let’s just say I got tired of lying around.”

“So.. want to go for a walk, then? Get some exercise while you’re at it?”

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“I guess…”

Ryan led the way and it just so happened to be in the direction back towards his house which was also on the way to Serah’s. As the two of them walked down the sidewalk, Mikomi couldn’t help but wonder if she was home and if she wouldn’t mind if he stopped by. Ryan was talking to Mikomi the entire time but his words were completely muffled as he was lost in his thoughts. It wasn’t until Ryan posed a question to Mikomi that he realized he was talking to a proverbial wall. Ryan only knew of one way to get Mikomi’s attention.

“OW!” exclaimed Mikomi. “Why do you constantly elbow me in the ribs!? Don’t you understand I’m still recovering!?”

“I’ll answer that question with a question of my own. Why do you constantly space out whenever I talk to you?”

“Sorry, I was just lost in thought. What were you talking about?”

“I was telling you how I beat VX Command this morning and I was asking you to see if you wanted to borrow it?”

“I had played that game a dozen times and while it wasn’t the best game, it wasn’t that bad either but the replayability was rather low. Somehow, I enjoyed that game because it had a certain charm to it but I’m not in any mood to play it again.”

“Ah… thanks but I think I’ll pass. I’m not in the mood to play games at the moment.”

Ryan’s face was one of shock. He couldn’t believe those words had just come out of Mikomi’s mouth. As his brain struggled to process just what Mikomi had said, a sly look came over his face and he took a stab in the dark.

“So… who’s the girl?”

Mikomi’s jaw fell open with shock. He couldn’t believe that Ryan had figured it out so quickly. He began to wonder if the time had come for him to try and talk to him about Serah. Maybe he could change Ryan’s thinking and perception of her. He let out a heavy sigh and stuck his hands back into the pockets of his jacket. He began to walk away and Ryan followed him when he realized that was being left behind.

Mikomi continued down the sidewalk until he got to Serah’s street. While keeping his head straight, he glanced to his right with his eyes and looked down her street. Perhaps it was out of hope so that he could catch a glimpse of her, or maybe it was to summon up the courage to talk about her with Ryan. Whatever Mikomi’s reasoning was, he didn’t look down the street for long. He closed his eyes and refocused them on the path ahead of him.

“Say, Ryan. What if it was a girl?”

Ryan’s footsteps quickened as he darted past Mikomi. He turned to face him and began to walk backward with an excited look on his face.

“I KNEW IT! Who is she? Is she pretty? Does she go to our school? What’s she look like? Where does she live? Details, man! Spill them all!”

Mikomi hesitated for a moment. His lip quivered a bit because all he could remember was Ryan’s reaction from the original timeline. He knew that there was a very high chance that his friendship with him could end right here and now. If it did, then while the timing and location were different, the circumstances would be the same. In the end, it would just be another piece of the puzzle falling into place in this timeline but since the situation is a bit different, Mikomi held onto the slim hope that things could change for the better.

“You already know her. She’s the girl who sits alone every single day reading the same book. The girl that people talk about behind her back for no good reason.”

Ryan’s face changed from one of excitement to one of disappointment. They stopped walking and stood there on the sidewalk in awkward silence. Mikomi looked at Ryan waiting for the eventual reaction that he knew was coming.

“You’re talking abou-”

“Yes... I’m talking about Serah” said MIkomi, cutting Ryan off.

“But, she’s an outca-”

“Yes… she is an outcast that nobody wants to deal with but it’s those who shun her who made her that way. If anyone took just five minutes to talk to her and got to know the real her, I’m sure their opinions would change. I took that chance and I got to know Serah for who she truly is… I got to understand her pain and her hardships and I will tell you this, Ryan; Serah is anything but an outcast. She is one of the kindest and most beautiful girls in the world and it’s a damn shame nobody can see that.

Mikomi lowered his tone as he continued to think about her. The more he thought about her, the more his agitation faded away. He also thought that maybe if he lowered his tone, it would show Ryan just how serious he was about it, and, in turn, maybe it would help sway Ryan’s thoughts.

“Serah’s childhood wasn’t glamorous. Her parents are constantly away on business; she had nobody to talk to. The few times she did make friends, they abandoned her through no fault of her own. It drove her to silence. It caused her to believe that she was incapable of making any new friends so she stopped trying. Because of the uncaring heart of a few people, she has become what she is and the people who talk about her behind her back and consider her an outcast only make it worse.”

Mikomi placed his hand on Ryan’s shoulder.

“You’re my best friend, Ryan. Please don’t tell me you’re one of them, too.”

Ryan gritted his teeth as he knew that he was, indeed, one of those people. Maybe he had felt remorse for the things he had said in the past about Serah or maybe it was because his best friend was finally opening his eyes. Either way, Ryan was fighting through his emotions to try and understand which one was right but before Ryan could reply, Mikomi shot him a smile and asked him a question.

“Would you like to meet her for yourself?”

Ryan looked up at Mikomi. It was as if fear had filled his face.