Sincerely, Me [Kindaichi Yuutarou] | ✔

Soar

The sizzle of meat snapped Kindaichi back to attention, and he straightened, the chopsticks between his hand twitching.

The buzz of chatter whirled around him as friends and family and friends conversed, catching up on lost time.

"Hey, everyone!" Everyone lifted their heads as another man joined them, a broad grin on his face. "Sorry I'm late, I got held up at work. Kindaichi, hey!"

Kindaichi returned the smile, lifting a bottle of sake in greeting. "We haven't met up since college graduation, Ishida."

"C'mon, don't be like that!" Ishida plopped down on the spare mat next to Kindaichi. "We went drinking together last month."

"I meant with all our friends from class," Kindaichi shot back, sliding him an bottle of alcohol.

Ishida took a look around, and Kindaichi followed his gaze. There were about ten of them there, and they all knew each other one way or another. For Kindaichi, most of them were simply mutual friends. There were only a few that he was truly friendly with.

"Dude!" someone called Ishida over. "It's been so long! How are you, man?"

Ishida engaged in a conversation about starting from the bottom at his workplace, leaving Kindaichi to turn the slices of meat on the grill in front of him.

"You okay?"

Kindaichi looked up and turned his head to see Kunimi, who was sitting next to him, his hair as impeccable as always. They'd both grown, of course, but they looked almost exactly the same as their fifteen-year-old selves, simply taller and broader.

And, well, more well-groomed.

Kindaichi offered him a smile. "I'm fine. Seriously. Just... work, you know?"

"Uh huh." He didn't seem convinced, but let it go. "Hey, pass the beef tongue."

"Kindaichiiii-kun!" There was a long whine and Kindaichi yelped as Kurokawa Najimi draped herself over his shoulders, laughing. "You arrived not long before Ishida-kun! Do you not want to see us?"

"Gah! Kurokawa, you're not drunk again, are you?!"

"Trust me, it's more like a natural high," Kunimi snorted as he dug into his beef tongue.

"Whaat?" Najimi scoffed, standing up and folding her arms. "I'm not drunk, you idiot." She tapped the badge pinned on her shirt. "What, are you blind?"

"Ohh." It clicked almost instantly, and a more genuine smile appeared on Kindaichi's face. "How far along are you?"

Najimi sobered, and gently patted her still-flat stomach. "Three months, now...!" Now that Kindaichi really took a good look at her, he could see how much she had changed from their days in college and high school. Her dark, brown hair now fell down her back in slight waves, and she had a side-swept fringe. And she was practically glowing. "Ryuu and I can't wait~! We've been discussing baby names, but we're stumped, hehe..."

She looks so happy. Kindaichi's hand tightened around the sake bottle. "Kurokawa. I'm happy for you."

"Hee! Thanks, Kindaichi-kun." Najimi beamed at him, then offered the same smile to Kunimi. "You know, I'm glad we kissed and made up in the past, because it'd be hella awkward to do it now."

Kunimi nodded. "Emphasis on hella. I'm glad you're happy... Najimi."

Her smile grew a little more somber. "Thanks... I'm glad you and Arisu-chan are happy, too."

"Well, then!" Najimi clapped her hands together and wriggled between her two friends. "How's adult life been treating you?"

"Ughhh," Kunimi groaned and slumped onto the table, burying his face in the sleeves of his sweater. "It's such a drag. But a necessary one. I want to go back to high school. It was so much easier back then."