Chapter Text
As her 36th birthday drew close, Megumi found herself thinking back to her youth more and more. How many years has it been since then? Maybe it was due to the overwhelming amount of stress lately, or maybe she just missed her friends dearly. Nonetheless, one thing was clear. Megumi needed to take a break and see them again.
The sky outside was coloured crayon blue, a bright shade that only came with the hot summer season. On this perfect day though, Megumi was stuck inside her office, scanning through document after document. There just seemed to be no end! Everytime she thought she was done, more would arrive, like a never ending flow of conveyor belt sushi! Except eating sushi is enjoyable. This on the other hand, was torture.
Megumi sighed and leaned back on her chair. I’ll just catch a snooze. But instead, her eyes lingered to a photo frame on her work desk. The picture inside was yellowing, but other than that, it was in tip top condition. It was a group picture of six friends standing next to a school entrance sign reading: “Kengamine High School”. Behind them, a banner hangs above the gates: “Graduation”.
At first glance, one might not think of them as the usual “friend group”. After all, aside from the two girls, the rest seem to have a rather strange dynamic. A delinquent clings to one of the girls, bawling his eyes out while two other dudes struggle to pull him away. One has a camera falling out of his pocket and the other’s just… there. On their left, a handsome guy, but his eccentric choice of pose downplays his coolness.
Then there’s the aforementioned girls. A smiling, black haired girl sticks close to the centrepiece of the picture: Megumi. Her lips are upturned into a forced smile, an attempt at ignoring the overgrown pest on her arm.
Miki, Genzo, Yasuda, Fujiki, Kobayashi… Are you guys doing okay? Her mind wandered back to the day the Megu-dan officially disbanded. “Don’t worry, we’ll still meet up after this. This isn’t the end of the world.” Megumi had said.
Unfortunately, her word hadn’t been kept. Not once have they met up since that day. Well, it’s not like they didn’t want to. They sincerely did try, but to have six people’s hectic schedules line up was no easy feat. Time passed in a blink of an eye and attempts dwindled over the years. If Megumi remembered correctly, the last time they tried was… 13 years ago? She furrowed her brows. Has it really been that long? Gosh, they were growing way too fast. It certainly didn’t feel so long. But this fact made Megumi ever more certain that the Megu-dan should come back together just for one more time.
With new found energy, Megumi parted the stacks of documents on the table and pulled out her laptop. They just had to meet! And this time, no excuses! But just as Megumi’s fingers hovered above the keyboard, ready to type, a ghastly bombshell dropped on her. She… didn’t know how to contact them!
Back then, they exchanged landline numbers, but fat chance those numbers were still in service after 18 years, especially since the switch to mobile and smartphones in the late 2000s.
Grumbling, Megumi shut the laptop. Thinking about it, 13 years of zero contact, the rest might not bother anymore. Heck, there was even the possibility that they might have completely forgotten about her! That would be awkward, now wouldn’t it? Here Megu was, missing her friends, while they were out in the world doing amazing things, with their high school memories slipping. Friends… was she still allowed to refer to them as such?
Megumi had friends after high school. She made some in university, some during her trips overseas, and some through work. But none of them came close to the deep relationship she shared with the Megu-dan. It could be the reason why she felt something missing in her heart all these years.
Enough wallowing and overthinking. Megumi slapped her cheeks and bolted from her chair. If she wanted something to happen, she needed to initiate it herself. Can’t just sit around on her ass all day wishing. Plus, the worst they can say is no, right? A bead of sweat rolled down her face.
“Maybe Miki might know what to do…” Megumi mumbled to herself. Since the girls were closest, they might be the only two who actually kept in constant contact. Though, it was still true that it had been a long while since they last met. Miki being the sole heir of Hanakain made her a busy woman. When they talked over the phone, Miki would sometimes joke that if Megumi didn’t interfere with her marriage into the Gakusan family, they could meet up a lot more. But they both really knew Miki rather the life she had right now.
After snapping out of her thoughts, Megumi quickly dialled Miki’s number and as it rang, she prayed for an answer.
A beep. “Megu!”
“Miki! Oh I’m super glad you picked up.”
“Your timing’s great! I just got out of a meeting discussing new possible ventures for some of my companies. Anyways, it’s been a while, hasn’t it?” Upon hearing Miki’s voice, a smile tugged on Megumi’s lips.
“It has… I want to chat about so many things but there’s something I’ve been meaning to do first.” Megumi could sense the curiosity twinkling from the other end of the phone. Typical Miki. “I’m planning for all six of us to meet up soon.” Even without saying who the “six” was, Miki immediately knew. There was a clap, then a giggle.
“That would be fantastic!”
“Thing is… I don’t know how to contact them…”
Miki went silent for a while, then said: “Couldn’t you ask Yoriko or Rusaka? They’re good at such things, aren’t they? And I’m sure they’ll be glad to do it for you.”
“Well… I don’t really want to disturb them since they’ve already retired. And I’ve asked my mom not to assign me anymore maids or bodyguards. Because you know, I wanted to be independent and all.” As Megumi described the problem, she could somehow feel Miki nodding along.
“I see, then I’ll just ask Sakatsuki-san to do it, if you don’t mind. Though he might not be too familiar with these types of things, I’m sure he’ll put in his best effort.”
“You’re a lifesaver Miki!” Megumi exclaimed. She was so lucky to have such a great friend! And so the sheer joy made her a little teary eyed.
“Oh! I have to leave! I’m so sorry we couldn’t talk more. But I’ll call you once Sakatsuki-san has the information, alright?”
“Yeah no problem, thanks again. And send my regards to the man of rock for me!”
“Fufu, will do!”
Beep beep beep. Megumi put down her phone and wiped her eyes. Ugh, if she couldn’t control her emotions, how could she face the rest? It would be embarrassing to meet them with a face full of tears. Even worse if they all grew up and matured while she didn’t. Especially that weirdo brat Genzo… would he even be Genzo anymore if he wasn’t an emotional baby?
Megumi smiled at the memories and buried her head in her hands. God, thinking about him made her heart ache a little. Megumi wouldn’t admit it out loud, but deep down she longed for his lighthearted presence. Something about him just made her feel so at ease. No… the entire Megu-dan made her feel that way too, they brought out a different her. Without them, Megumi wouldn’t be where she is today. Who knows, maybe she might even still be under that devil’s spell.
Megumi picked up the photo frame, flipped it over and removed the backing board. There was a folded piece of paper that was much more well preserved. As gently as she could, Megumi picked it up and opened it. Another picture. All six of them stood side by side, grinning widely together. Under every face was their name signed by the person themselves. Ichiro, Tasuke, Genzo, Megumi, Miki, Hitomonji. And there were faded words on the back as well. Megumi smoothed out the picture, feeling each and every crease beneath her fingertips as a passing year.
“No one can ever replace you, Megumi, because you’re perfect in every way. Please never forget that, okay?”
“Spending my high school days with a goddess is a dream come true. Stay beautiful always!”
“Once you’re old enough, will you marry me? I’ll be waiting! Then we’ll always be together! I love you, Megu!”
“Thank you Megu, I’ll forever be grateful for what you have done for me, truly. High school might be over but our friendship will never end!”
“I’ll always hold you close to my heart, no matter how far away you are. That’s my promise to you as a samurai, and as a friend.”
Megumi’s vision blurred once more, and before she knew it, warm tears dripped onto the picture. The more she wiped them away, the more they fell. I miss you guys… Please come together just once more… Please…
And so, her wish shot up to the heavens above, where resting souls laid in eternal peace. It flew past the clouds, past the moon, past the sun and the stars beyond, waiting for an answer…
Then it danced around a wisp, whispering the trembling words of Megumi’s heart. And when it flittered into dust, the wisp broke into a silvery smile.
