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“We’re switching back to face-to-face classes, and you’re all required to be here for the reading of honors this Friday!”

The announcement didn’t surprise me; we’d all known the day would come when we’d finally see each other in person again.

Still, I felt a mix of excitement and nerves. How had everyone changed over those three years? How had I changed? The thought lingered as the news sank in.

The night before the reading of honors, my mom called out, “What are you planning to wear to school?”

“I’m not sure yet. I’ll figure something out,” I replied, not thinking too much about it.

Later that night, I stood in front of my closet, pulling out every piece of clothing I owned. I tried on one outfit after another, but each time I faced the mirror, something felt off.

“Nothing fits me anymore... Well, I guess it has been three years,” I muttered, feeling a bit defeated.

I rummaged through my closet, digging into every corner, but found nothing that would work. As a last resort, I opened my brother’s old closet and, to my relief, found something that barely fit. It wasn’t perfect, but it would do. At least I wouldn’t have to show up in my pajamas. With a deep sigh, I finally let myself rest, glad that I’d managed to figure it out.

* Ring Ring *

Morning came, and I turned off my alarm, groggily brushed my teeth, showered, got dressed, and scarfed down some breakfast. But just as I was about to head out the door, it hit me. Three years had passed, and yet nothing felt different. The same routine I had followed every day in elementary school seemed to have carried over, just as familiar as ever.

When I arrived at school, I made my way straight to my usual group of friends. We slipped right back into our rhythm, cracking jokes, and making each other laugh. But then, I turned and noticed the girls in our class, laughing and talking together. One of them caught my eye, and for a moment, I couldn’t look away.

“Bro, is that her, wow she’s still beautiful”

“Go up and talk to her brooo”

“As ifff! HAHAHAHAHAHA”  I laughed nervously, trying to ignore the sudden spike of unease in my chest.

The day went on, with everyone feeling the familiar anxiety about grades and wondering if their names would be called. One by one, the teacher read aloud each name, each student waiting for their turn, their breath held in suspense.

“Ryumma Kura, Chihiro Shin, Denma Kaori…”

But there was one name I was waiting to hear.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Kureha Rei.”

As she stepped to the front of the classroom to receive her award, I couldn’t help but be captivated, completely in awe of her beauty.

Slowly, each of us received our awards. I smiled for the camera as we gathered at the front for a class picture.

“Everybody come to the front, we’ll be taking a class picture and bring your awards with you as well” Our teacher said aloud

As we all gathered at the front, grinning from ear to ear, our teacher called over a student from the other section to take our photo.

“Everyone say cheeese!”

“CHEEESE!” we all shouted in unison, voices echoing through the classroom.

The rest of the day went by in a blur. We packed up, ready to go home. I wanted to talk to her. I wanted to reconnect, but something held me back. A familiar hesitation gnawed at me, and memories from elementary school flooded back, I knew we were young and it probably didn’t mean as much as it did for me but... Back then, we had talked every day—shared laughs, late-night talks after school—but one day, without any warning, she stopped talking to me. No explanation. No closure. 

A week later, she blocked me. Confused, hurt, and wondering what I had done wrong, I asked a mutual friend to find out why. The next day, I got my answer.

“She said she was watching a drama, and her hand slipped while she was on her phone and accidentally blocked you,” Kotomi explained.

Acting unaffected, I simply thanked Kotomi for the information and went on with my day. But deep down, I knew it hadn’t been an accident. I guess she just didn’t want to talk anymore.

So, I let her go, and from that point, we drifted apart.

Just as I was about to leave the classroom, I stole a quick glance in her direction. To my surprise, I caught her looking at me, just for a second. It wasn’t much, but that brief moment made my whole week.

The next few weeks passed smoothly. School felt fun again—laughing with friends, enjoying those small moments of familiarity. Surprisingly, our whole class seemed more connected than we ever had been in elementary school. There was a new energy, a new vibe that felt different from before.

Then that day finally came…

Our teacher grouped us for a project. As I scanned the list, searching for my name, my heart skipped a beat when I saw hers right below mine. Rei and I were groupmates. 

Back then, it wasn’t common to create group chats for projects. We only spoke at school, relying on quick direct messages for updates.

To make things even more interesting, my best friend, Ryumma Kura, was not only my groupmate but also a childhood and family friend of hers.

“Hey, Kura, help me out here. Be a bro,” I said, half-joking.

“Sure, brooo,” Kura grinned, playing along. “I got you.”

Kura then became my self-appointed wingman, nudging me with advice. Though my I admired her, I had no intentions of a romantic relationship, I simply wanted to be friends with her again.

“You’re groupmates, right? Just talk to her. You know, casually, like friends,” Kura suggested.

“I was planning to,” I said with a smug look, as if I had it all under control.

“Hi Rei, any updates on the poem?”

“Helloo, I’m not done yet but I’ll send it later”

“Okayy, thankss”

……

The conversation shifted naturally from there, moving from schoolwork to casual topics like plants and hobbies. It felt… easy. Comfortable. It was just a normal conversation, but there was something about it that felt different this time. Something about it felt… right. 

The next three days went by quickly, with our conversations becoming more frequent. Little by little, I began to feel that spark of reconnection.

Something we had lost years ago was slowly starting to come back.