ℝ𝕒𝕚𝕟 𝔻𝕣𝕠𝕡𝕤 𝕆𝕗 𝕃𝕠𝕧𝕖

Memory lane

Kondou couldn't believe his eyes, Tachibana was sitting right there looking up at him. Her eyes were locked onto his, her stare was so intense. He felt stupidly intimidated by her presence and gaze especially after what he was thinking about in the office moments ago, would he even find the courage to ask such questions after all this time?

"T-Tenchou... Its so good to see you again." Tachibana gave him a timid sweet smile. Kondou didn't know how to respond other than giving her a pleasant smile, he quickly rememberd he was still on shift and had to keep things professional. "Tenchou? is it ok if we catch up?" Tachibana asked in a hushed tone, hoping that he would be ok speaking to her again.

Kondou felt his heart beat quicker than usual as he gazed at Tachibana's eyes, completely ignoring what she had just asked. He felt a horrible awkward feeling loom upon his shoulders after seeing her in person again. He took in how radiant and happy she looked and how her hair draped over her shoulders framing her face like a perfect portrait, the complete opposite to how Kondou felt towards himself. She was perfect in every shape and form whereas Kondou felt like a useless excuse of a manager and a human being.

He finally played back Tachibana's words in his head and decided to sit down in the booth with her. "Sorry, Its been pretty busy here today, I'm having problems with taking in information." Kondou admitted defeat, his walls crumbling down making it easier for Tachibana to get into his mind. "I feel like I could collapse any moment if I'm quite honest but I always have time for you Tachibana-san." Kondou felt happy saying her name aloud, It made it feel even more believable that she was there in front of him.

"You haven't changed one bit Tenchou." Tachibana tried to choose her words carefully, she didn't want to offend him but also wanted to make him feel more at ease with her being there. "I didn't have anything to do today and wanted to come by and see you. I've finished High school a few weeks ago and now I'm just waiting for my university placement papers to go through." Tachibana fiddled with her perfectly placed bangs. She still felt nervous about telling him all this, did she even have any right to just invite herself back into his life? 

Kondou's heart felt like it shot up through his throat when he heard her say University. She must of carried on with her running career he thought to himself, finally getting some closure to his endless thoughts on her life. "University...Good job Tachibana-san! I imagine it's for track and field?" Kondou pondered.

"You're right Tenchou, I decided to carry on running and I'm so glad I got back into the sport, It just makes me feel alive and free." Tachibana explained with a sweet little smile, She felt glad he was still somewhat interested in her life after all this time. "I came here today to actually show you this..." Tachibana clasped her graduation scroll tightly, She was worried over his reaction but knew this was the right thing to do.

Kondou saw the scroll and felt conflicted between happiness and loneliness. He could tell she was happy and where she needed to be in her life. He unravelled the scroll and it showed that Tachibana was one of the top students within her school for track and field, with this proof she could amount to great things in life unlike the worthless person Kondou felt like. He wanted to go far in life, write great stories like his friend Chihiro, have a lovely relationship with a woman but sadly life had other plans for Kondou. He looked at Tachibana's name on the scroll, He felt so proud for her, a proud feeling he did have for himself but lost somewhere along the way.  Kondou glanced back up at Tachibana. "You finally achieved your promise then? I'm so proud of you Tachibana-san." Kondou smiled with a slight blush. He was reminded of the last day he saw her, when they parted ways, they both promised to make new promises to each other when they had achieved the last promise. Kondou watched Tachibana's expression turn from a worried look to a realisation gaze. 

"Thank you, Tenchou." Tachibana was happy to know he had not forgot that moment. "I think it's time for me to start thinking of a new promise to make..." Tachibana looked outside the window, it was getting late and the sun had now set. "I've been thinking, about all of our time together..."  Tachibana paused and made eye contact with Kondou. "I was wondering if you..." She paused, leant across the table and blushed. "Could we go on a 2nd date?"