The day began with a letter.
Not an email. Not a text. An actual, physical, hand-written envelope.
Leo found it tucked into his locker, wedged between his books and a packet of instant noodles Kai had jokingly donated the day before.
The envelope was light pink, the handwriting delicate but neat.
"To Leo Shen. If you haven't forgotten me yet, meet me behind the old art building after school. —A friend from forever ago."
He stared at it.
He read it again.
Then again.
And then, before Kai could sneak up and peek over his shoulder like he usually did, Leo slipped the letter into his pocket and closed his locker.
---
Classes dragged on.
Even Creative Writing, which usually gave him peace, felt like noise.
His mind kept circling the same thought:
Who?
His childhood had been quiet, nomadic. His family moved often, especially before his mother passed. He rarely kept friends for long.
But there was one.
---
When the final bell rang, Leo didn't go to the dorm.
He didn't tell Kai.
Didn't text Rin.
Didn't reply to Yuki's usual post-class meme.
Instead, he walked slowly toward the old art building—the one on the far side of campus, barely used now, its courtyard half overgrown with ivy.
And there she was.
Leaning against the brick wall, arms folded, looking up at the setting sun like she had every right to belong to it.
Her hair was a chestnut brown, cut in a short bob that curled at the ends. She wore a plain white hoodie over her uniform, sleeves pushed up to the elbows, revealing a beaded bracelet Leo hadn't seen in nearly a decade.
She turned.
And smiled.
"Hey, Slowpoke."
Leo's heart stuttered.
"...Sora?"
She grinned wider. "Took you long enough."
---
Ten Years Ago.
He'd scraped his knee. The summer sun was high. The playground was too quiet.
Then a girl with two messy pigtails had offered him a bandaid with sparkly stars.
"I'm Sora," she'd said. "Now we're friends."
They'd played every day until Leo's family moved again.
He never said goodbye.
He always regretted it.
---
Back in the present, Leo blinked hard.
"You—what—how?"
"I transferred in last week," Sora said casually. "Was supposed to start next term, but I got bored. Then I saw your name on the student list."
She raised her brows. "So I tracked you down. You're welcome."
Leo just stared.
"You really haven't changed," she said, stepping closer. "Still get that lost-lamb face when someone surprises you."
He laughed. Just a little. "And you still talk like you own the world."
"I'm working on it."
She tilted her head. "You gonna stand there all weird, or are you gonna hug your childhood bestie who literally crossed three cities and a mountain to find you?"
Leo blinked.
Then, without thinking, he stepped forward and pulled her into a hug.
It wasn't dramatic.
It wasn't romantic.
It was home.
---
They sat on the cracked bench behind the art wing for over an hour.
Sora talked.
About her new school life. Her grandma's spicy hotpot. Her growing collection of enamel pins. Her dislike of math, which hadn't changed.
Leo listened. Then spoke.
About transferring. Rin. Yuki. Hana. Kai. His writing. His confusion.
Sora listened better than anyone.
"Sounds messy," she said.
"It is."
She leaned back. "You need someone who remembers you before the mess. That's me."
Leo gave her a look. "You're just here to keep teasing me, aren't you?"
Sora grinned. "Also true."
She paused.
Then added softly, "But... I'm here for real, Leo. Not just today."
Leo looked at her.
And smiled.