Everyone rembered Rinji.
Normally, twenty years was enough to make people forget. Who would still rember a transfer student who had only studied with them for a month in junior high?
But Rinji's striking features, coupled with that ti when Class 3-3 was shrouded in a death curse, made him unforgettable. He had suddenly appeared, protected them, and then disappeared.
At reunions, they sotis spoke of him, that classmate who had left without a word.
Rinji had left a deep impression on all of them.
"Takamine…?"
They all looked at him—the boy unchanged from mory.
Twenty years had passed, yet no trace of ti touched him. It was as if ti itself had stopped for him.
They couldn't be sure. Was he really the Rinji they once studied with? If not, the resemblance was uncanny. But if yes, how could he look the sa after two decades?
Rinji himself was also wondering how to explain.
If he said he was the son of the Rinji they rembered, it would feel awkward. But to say he was the very sa person from twenty years ago—it sounded absurd.
"You're Rinji Takamine, aren't you?"
A voice broke the silence.
Rinji looked up.
The man's hair was still brown and scruffy, though his face bore stubble and the polish of adulthood.
Teshigawara Naoya, once the class clown, was now a steady middle-aged man.
"Yeah… it's ."
Knowing there was no point in hiding, Rinji smiled openly and admitted it.
"It really is you!?"
At first everyone was surprised.
But their shock quickly turned into excitent.
"Long ti no see."
"Where have you been these twenty years?"
"You suddenly show up today—did you know about our reunion?"
"You should've told us sooner."
Rinji: "…"
He had thought they would doubt his claim, but it seed they didn't question it at all.
"Since you're here, have a seat. Mr. Chibiki, please join us too."
"Alright."
Chibiki smiled and sat at the round table.
After a mont's hesitation, Rinji also sat down.
Beside him was a woman with chestnut hair.
Back then, he hadn't known who she was. But now he recognized her.
"It's been a while, Sugiura."
"It's not just a while—it's twenty years," the woman smiled.
Sugiura Takako, one of their classmates. Rinji had once saved her from a falling ceiling fan.
"We actually t yesterday morning, didn't we? Didn't you recognize then?"
"Well…"
"After all, twenty years have passed," Naoya said with a laugh. Then he suddenly asked, "By the way, Rinji, your appearance… it hasn't changed at all from back then."
"Uh…"
That was exactly the problem Rinji couldn't explain.
But Naoya quickly added, "You specialists who deal with the supernatural always have this issue, don't you?"
"Ah? Oh… yeah, that's it."
Seeing Naoya give him an excuse, Rinji nodded at once.
"I knew it."
Naoya laughed.
"You too, and Misaki as well. Looks like everyone who handles the supernatural ends up like this."
"i?"
Rinji froze.
He hadn't noticed before, but not many classmates had co to this reunion.
Which was normal—rarely did every classmate show up. Usually, only those who had been close ca, while others were kept away by work or life.
This ti, fewer than ten had co.
Among those he knew, Koichi wasn't there, Akazawa wasn't there, and i wasn't there either.
"Did… sothing happen to i?"
"Not really. Just like the rest of Class 3-3, she's busy with her own life," Naoya explained. "The last ti I saw her was four years ago."
"Oh?"
"That was the only ti she ever attended a class reunion. When I saw her then, I was shocked."
Saying this, Naoya rested his chin on his hand, slipping into mory.
"She was already over thirty, yet she still looked like she wasn't even twenty. Honestly, I never imagined Misaki would turn out to be so beautiful after graduating middle school. Back then…"
"Hey, hey, hey." Sugiura teased from the side. "If Izumi hears you talking like that, you're done for."
"Ah, sorry, sorry."
Naoya quickly admitted defeat.
"Forget what I just said."
Rinji: "Hm? You married Akazawa?"
"Yeah, she took my last na."
At the ntion of Akazawa, Naoya's face lit with pride.
"I chased her from high school all the way through college before she finally agreed to marry ."
"Ohh."
"Ahem."
Clearing his throat, Naoya tried to change the subject.
"Back to Misaki—when we t her then, we asked how she'd been. She still went to Yomiyama for high school, then got into Tokyo University of the Arts for college. After graduation, it seems she joined so mysterious organization."
"A mysterious organization?"
"I don't know the details. When I asked, she just said it was an organization that dealt with supernatural events," Naoya said. "Oh right, she always carried a doll with her."
"That's not strange."
Rinji chuckled.
"Her mother's a dollmaker, isn't she? Of course she'd make one for her."
"Well… that doll was sothing else. Because it looked exactly like you, Rinji."
"Huh?"
"It was about thirty centiters tall, crafted with incredible detail. The face was the spitting image of yours, and the hair looked unbelievably real."
"…"
Rinji imdiately knew where the hair that had been cut off back then had ended up—used by i.
"She carried it to school even in high school, and later kept it in her bag for work. At the reunion, she even took it out to show us."
Naoya suddenly rembered and laughed.
"She even said, 'My sister and I both work by Rinji's side.' Thinking back, I guess the 'Rinji' she ant was that doll. Looks like she's always rembered you."
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