(N.T.: It's been some time I miss you)
At school, Adonis had called Miyu's attention to make her a proposal. But what did he want that couldn't wait until the break?
"Wait, a proposal?" Miyu asked.
"That's right! Whoever gets the higher grade on the next test wins." Adonis proposed.
Miyu got irritated, Adonis had that power over her! She stared at the boy, even more annoyed.
"Adonis! What's your problem? Does everything have to be a competition?"
"Aha! You're scared! I knew it!" he teased.
"WHAT!? NO! I'd never get a lower grade than you. I'm not afraid of that!" Miyu complained, raising her voice. She was even more agitated now.
"Deal! Loser buys ice cream!" Adonis declared, sealing the deal.
Adonis turned around, heading back to his class and waving at her. Miyu watched him leave and reached out her hand.
"But… I didn't agree to this."
The first-year students who had witnessed the scene let out a collective "HUUUUMMMMMMMM." The scene hadn't gone unnoticed by anyone.
Oh no… everyone's looking at me… Miyu thought, nervous and embarrassed by the situation.
Classes went on as usual. Some students made comments about the two, but nothing too exaggerated. Around noon, the bell rang, and everyone was dismissed. The girls could now go home.
Sayuri's House – Noon
It was lunchtime. Akiko, Miyu, and Naoko arrived home to eat, rest, and take care of their afternoon activities. They headed to the dining room, from where the irresistible smell of food came.
"Sayuuu! We're home and starving…" Akiko began to speak, but something made her stop mid-sentence.
In the dining room sat Sayuri, with a warm and cheerful smile. Sitting at the table was a boy who looked around fifteen, about 1.70m tall, with brown hair parted in the middle and blue eyes. Leaning against the wall was another boy, taller, about 1.78m, who looked around seventeen, with light brown hair and the same blue eyes.
The boy sitting down heard the noise and looked toward the door, where Akiko stood.
"Hikaru!" she exclaimed, surprised, her eyes filling with tears.
The boy stood up, and she ran to him. They hugged tightly, visibly happy to see each other again.
"I missed you so much." Akiko said tearfully.
"I wanted to see you too!" he replied with a bright smile.
Akiko looked deep into Hikaru's blue eyes and bombarded him with questions.
"Where were you? How did you get here? Are you okay?"
"Well, Seki and I ended up on the other side of the world and had to find our way back here." he explained.
"We found out about Sayuri because she was composing for a movie, and we started moving. She's famous over there! We got some temporary jobs, got organized, and managed to make it here!" explained Seki, who was still leaning against the wall.
"I'm so glad you're both okay! Will you study with us?" Miyu asked, smiling.
"Oh yeah! Sayuri's already helping us sort that out. I think we'll start tomorrow!" Hikaru explained, still hugging Akiko.
"Aren't you two going to let go of each other?" Miyu asked, clearly annoyed by the overly affectionate couple.
For a moment, Akiko gently pulled away from her boyfriend and looked him in the eyes. There was a glimmer of hope in her gaze as she spoke.
"But if you were far away and doing well, maybe Mom, Dad, and the others from Utopia are out there too!"
"We haven't seen anyone else… but it's not impossible!" Hikaru reassured her with a smile.
The arrival of the two rekindled everyone's hopes. They felt it might really be possible to find other inhabitants of Utopia. Maybe they were scattered across the Earth.
While Hikaru enjoyed the moment in his girlfriend's arms, Seki watched Naoko from a short distance with a curious look. She soon noticed his gaze fixed on her and asked:
"What is it, Seki? Lose something?"
"What!? No… I just missed you…" Seki replied, feeling caught off guard by her and a little embarrassed, even intimidated.
"Alright then… Welcome, Seki!" Naoko greeted him with a gentle smile.
"Ah, thank you, Naoko!" Seki said, running his hand through his hair as the beads on his bracelet jingled. Shy, he looked at her, his face slightly blushing.
That day was different from all the others. Now they had more people to share experiences, hopes, and impressions of the planet. Everyone did their chores, and the house became livelier.
At night, Guang came home and received the news from Sayuri.
"Ah! Honey! The boys from Utopia came! I set up their room in your office!"
"You what? Who?" Guang exclaimed, confused.
The couple would now have more responsibilities with the arrival of the two, and it already showed, with Guang losing his workspace. But his wife was so happy that he felt he should understand the situation and hold back any complaints.
April 6 – School, Break Time
The next day, Hikaru and Seki were already enrolled and participating in school activities.
When break time came, there was no doubt left among the students, Hikaru and Akiko stayed close together, hugging tightly. They were clearly a couple.
"They never let go of each other…" Yukino muttered, placing her hand on her forehead and frowning in mild discomfort at the sight of their affection.
"I'm shocked!" Aino commented, hands on her hips, watching them.
"Who would've thought Akiko would be the first to get a boyfriend?" Minami asked, surprised. Her friend, who seemed the most childish, was already in a relationship.
"You're in the second year now, right? Are you in Adonis's class?" Miyu asked, sitting on the stage by the courtyard.
"Ahhh, the red-haired guy, handsome, popular, who sits in the back?" Hikaru replied, being oddly specific.
"'Handsome'?" Miyu mocked.
"Yeah, I'm in his class! But we haven't talked yet. There are lots of people to meet." he said with a smile.
It seemed Hikaru was already fitting in well and understanding how the school worked. Minami approached him a little shyly and asked:
"Hikaru, I heard people saying you have a brother. Is that true?"
"Oh, yeah! Seki! He's right over there!" he pointed near the cafeteria. "surrounded by girls!"
A bit further ahead, in the direction he pointed, was a group of girls surrounding the new student. They chatted cheerfully, eager to know more about his tastes and his life.
Seki was shy, but not uncomfortable. He seemed to enjoy meeting and talking with his new classmates.
Minami looked at the scene and then fixed her gaze on the boy. Wow… he's handsome! And already so popular! she thought. Her cheeks began to blush, her first impression of him had left her flustered.
Still in the courtyard, a second-year student approached Hikaru to talk.
"Hey, Hikaru! We heard your birthday's coming up! Gonna celebrate? Let's invite the class!" he suggested.
Hikaru, who was with Akiko, turned toward the boy and quickly recognized him. In the background, Aino and Minami watched the scene. First day and he's already planning a party… Hikaru's really popular too, they both thought at the same time.
"Well, I'd have to…" Hikaru began to reply, but couldn't finish his sentence.
"Tomorrow! At our house! I'll give you the address! Just tell us how many people are coming, I'll let Sayuri know." Akiko said, interrupting him.
Hikaru thought fast. It would be too rude to uninvite them now that Akiko had already invited everyone. To minimize potential problems, he told the classmate:
"It'd be great if you guys could bring some food and drinks since there's not much time to organize!"
"Sure thing! We'll bring stuff!" the boy replied with a thumbs-up, clearly pleased.
The bell rang, marking the end of recess, and everyone returned to their classrooms. The last two periods of the day flew by, and soon the dismissal bell rang. As usual, the students already had their backpacks ready, eager to leave as soon as they were allowed.
While waiting for Akiko, Hikaru leaned on the ramp's railing and saw Adonis passing by. He decided to call out to him.
"Hey, Adonis!"
Adonis was about to run off, but stopped and turned his head toward the boy.
"I'm having a party tomorrow. Wanna come over?" Hikaru invited.
"Dude, I just met you today…" Adonis declined bluntly.
He turned back to leave, but Hikaru called out again.
"Miyu will be there."
Adonis froze at the statement. He turned back briefly to glance at the new student, who was smiling politely, with just a hint of irony. After that brief exchange, Adonis turned back toward the street, but this time, with a faint blush on his face.
April 8 – Sayuri's House, 6 PM
The next day, Sayuri and Guang's home was livelier than ever. Almost all of Hikaru's classmates were there, about twenty students between fifteen and sixteen years old, plus the residents, who were already quite a few.
The place was spacious, and everyone decided to stay in the main living room, where there were couches and a TV. Pop and rock music played in the background, conversations overlapped, and laughter filled the air.
"So many people…" Sayuri and Guang said at the same time.
When they finally took a moment to take it all in, they were both a little stunned. Although they were used to having visitors, they had never hosted so many teenagers at once. That day, they realized this might become a regular occurrence.
The couple decided to let the teens have their fun while they handled the food and kept an eye out in case anyone needed help.
While everyone laughed and had fun, Naoko entered the room and quickly pulled Seki aside to talk.
"You guys just got here yesterday, and you're already filling Sayu's house?"
"Ahhh, yeah, well… you know Hikaru makes friends fast…" Seki said, trying to defend himself.
Naoko's eyes showed her fury. Responsible as always, and knowing the effort Sayuri and Guang put into caring for everyone, she wanted to avoid any trouble for the homeowners. To her, this was clearly too much, and didn't even need explaining.
Back in the living room, a few boys were whispering to the birthday boy. They snickered quietly, as if plotting something.
Hikaru stepped away from the group, placing a finger in front of his lips as if asking for silence, and gave a thumbs-up with the other hand. One of the boys responded with another thumbs-up and a grin, as if they'd just made a deal.
Near the living room was the kitchen, that's where Hikaru headed. The room was empty, and he quietly walked to the fridge and opened it.
There it was: his target, a cold, unopened bottle of beer. His hand slowly reached toward the object of his desire.