Lost & Found (Ukai x OC)

-4-

"Emi?!"

"Wha-...Shorty?!"

"Ha-...Hayashi?!", Shimada gasped completely confounded as his eyes landed on the woman his girlfriend had so desperately wanted to introduce them to.

Much to nobody's surprise, the blonde lacked the empathy to correctly read the situation. Although it's debatable if the woman blatantly decided to neglect the three obviously thunderstruck faces in front of her or if she truly was that oblivious.

However, she didn't want to miss the opportunity to chime in, causing her to join the three of them with an excited squeal, "Nanami!"

In the background, the two other members of the Neighbourhood Association were still sitting at the table, now equipped with a new bottle of beer thanks to Koemi, while they curiously followed the shit show that seemed to unfold with wide eyes.

None of them had an idea of what was going on, but as they exchanged a confused glance, both silently agreed that there was an almost tangible tension building up, the Bermuda triangle forming between Hayashi, Ukai, and Shimada. The only one that didn't seem to realise that was the hyperactive blonde.

"What the hell is going on, man."

"I have absolutely no idea. But it looks like drama."

"I'm all in for drama."

That's when their eyes landed on their close friend, who seemed to be paralysed in a state of shock on his spot, his mouth repeatedly opening and closing as he found himself at a loss of words after he'd managed to press out the name of the woman he apparently already knew.

Well, to be fair, there were certain things Ukai had expected to happen today and certain things he'd never ever even considered to happen. Not today. Not tomorrow. Never.

Randomly joining his friends on their night out and getting introduced to the new neighbour of Shimada's annoying girlfriend who turned out to be the last person he'd ever expected to see again in his life was definitely one of the latter.

The woman, whose smile had fallen from her face the second her eyes recognised him, who was standing there within reach right in front of him was no stranger. She'd been his best friend for almost a decade after their fateful encounter on the playground back then...which had already been 21 years ago.

What was she doing here? Why on earth was Koemi Hayashi standing here in front of him? What the hell had happened? Was it a glitch in the matrix? Was he already drunk and hallucinating?

No...it had to be her. She'd called him that stupid nickname he'd begged her to abandon from the day she'd decided that it was funny to call him that– mainly because it had annoyed the shit out of him.

What were the odds? What were the goddamn odds?

She'd changed. Obviously. It had been ten years since she'd left the town. She'd been a girl back then. A girl that had grown into a woman by now.

Yet, there was no doubt that it was her.

Her features had matured, naturally. But even though her curly raven mane was shorter than the last time he'd seen her and her honey-coloured eyes seemed to have lost that playful sparkle that had always been there, it hadn't taken him more than a second to recognise her.

There he was, rendered speechless as he was staring at a ghost from his past, unable to formulate a straight sentence or produce out a sound. He simply continued to stand there, rooted to his spot, staring at her with widened eyes while he was drowning in a storm of uncontrolled emotions that was relentlessly sweeping across him.