The Winners Take It All | Chishiya

Project: 'We are the team of tomorrow'

The silence in the room said so much.

We were all confused - and it wasn't just because the young lecturer was suddenly doing strange dances of joy.

"A study..." the other young man next to 'Chishiya' spoke up. Like us, he seemed to be hanging between the lines. Tomoki-san nodded and finally stopped pacing between the chairs like a little child. Instead, he had now sat down at the table with us and, surprisingly, seemed completely serious again.

"Exactly. The aim is to research whether work is made easier if you always work with the same people. Studies have already been carried out that deal with the topic, but they are now outdated... and that's where you all step in," he leaned forward a little, "Well, you'll soon have your semester break, if you remember. Unfortunately, you'll probably have to sacrifice it now..."

Right, I completely forgot about that. We also had a vacation in less than three weeks. More specifically, they started when I was planning to leave my former home permanently.

I really forgot... Not good at all, that made the situation a little more complicated!

"Don't make faces like that, the time will still be worth it for you," Tomoki gave us each a few pieces of paper. It was...

... a guide?!

Out of the corner of my eye I saw 'Chishiya' suppressing a grin. He seemed very amused by the lecturer, which I honestly didn't blame him for.

"We will discuss more details in the next few days. After all, you are all still studying, working in the hospital may still be new for some of you," he suddenly looked at me, "Hayashi-san, you switched to medical psychology recently. If things are moving too quickly for you, please get in touch, I'm available at any time." I nodded and turned my gaze back to the information brochure.

Would I still be able to get through this "book" today?

"Then we've sorted everything out for now," Tomoki stood up from his chair, "We'll meet here again tomorrow. If you have any questions, feel free to bring them with you and we'll look into them in more detail."

And so it happened that I stood in front of the university building completely dumbfounded and had to first digest everything I had just learned.

A person tapped me on the shoulder, and I noticeably flinched. It was Daiki-san, the other female in my group.

"Oh no! I didn't want to scare you!" she bowed apologetically, "Actually, I wanted to introduce myself in person! I'm Daiki Hinata!" I smiled at her.

"I'm Hayashi Ayuna", I answered, and she also smiled now, "Oh yes, Daiki-san! If you don't mind, I prefer my first name." She scratched the back of her neck.

"No problem, Ayuna-chan. If that's the case, you're welcome to call me by my first name too," she grinned sheepishly, "I already know what your major is, so... I'm in the field of physical therapy, just for your information." We started walking together for a bit.

I felt comfortable around her and didn't feel like she was trying to take advantage of me like I knew others did.

So, we fell into an interesting conversation. She told me how she experienced the meteorite impact.

"I was found in the rubble at Shibuya Crossing," she said. I looked at her.

"Funny, me too!" I replied and we laughed briefly. It's strange that I could talk about it openly. Others would have had trauma, but me? No, somehow, I felt a kind of gratitude and pride, but I didn't know exactly where these feelings came from.

"Oh dear! It's already so late! I must make sure I get home! One of my roommates is moving out today, and I promised I'd help her!" she said suddenly, "It was nice to get to know you!"

"Likewise! Come home safely and see you tomorrow!" I called after her and she waved briefly before I hurried off in another direction.

Kuina was waiting for me too!

-----------------------------------

"Well? Did they finally let you go?" Kuina asked as I slumped down at the table. Damn, the chairs in this cafe were always so comfortable!

"Yes and no, I have to go back tomorrow," I replied tiredly and ordered a small coffee. I needed caffeine to function. Kuina grinned at me.

"You're practically death on the slippers! How long has it been since you slept properly, girl?" she wanted to know, and I gasped.

"I don't know, but my life isn't giving me peace at the moment anyway," I said to her as I let my head fall on the tabletop.

She sighed. "Stress with your parents?" she asked, and I nodded. Then I told her about my threat and how it was crumbling right before my very eyes. She patted me reassuringly on the shoulder.

"Don't worry, something will definitely happen! Miracles always happen when you don't expect them," she agreed. Then she tried to change the subject to help me relax a bit.

I was happy about that.

At some point we talked about my grade replacement, and I remembered what I wanted to tell her.

"There's a young man in my group who looks very familiar to me, but I can't quite place where I know him from..." I said and she started to grin.

"Oh, am I sensing some new drama?" she asked with glittering eyes, and I just shook my head in defeat. She giggled before her face turned serious.

"So, you have that feeling too?" she suddenly wanted to know, and I looked at her confused.

Did we just mean the same thing?

"You see a person, hear a certain name or a certain voice and think that you know that person, right? But when you try to remember them, you fail miserably," she voiced what I have been experiencing for the past few days again and again. I looked at her with wide eyes, which seemed to be a resounding "yes" for her. Relieved, she took a sip of her drink.

"It's just like you said," I confirmed again when I finally found my voice. We looked at each other.

"I'm glad," we murmured at the same time, looking at each other perplexed before bursting into laughter.

I was so glad I met Kuina.

She may not have known it, but her words could heal wounds and make the world a little brighter.

If something happened to her, I wouldn't know how I could cope...