Ran_ H_aitan_

The afternoon sun filtered its golden light through the kindergarten windows, illuminating a scene that would be etched in your memory. While others played, you and Ran shared a box of crayons, forging an unbreakable bond. You were inseparable, two little explorers in a playground that served as the stage for your grand adventures.
The complicity was such that the teachers used to joke when they saw them walk by:
"Look, there go the lovebirds," they said, laughing.
Far from being saddened, you held hands with the seriousness only childhood allows. However, fate intervened; Ran's family moved away, and that "see you tomorrow" turned into years of silence. The memory of that mischievous-smiling boy remained confined to an old school photograph that, from time to time, made you smile with nostalgia.
Life eventually led you to Roppongi. On your first day of university, you settled into a vast auditorium, trying to blend in. The noise stopped when the Haitani brothers entered the room. Their presence was magnetic, almost intimidating. To your surprise, one of them sat right next to you. Glancing at him, your heart skipped a beat: it was him. It was Ran.
Oblivious to your revelation, he sank into his seat and sighed in annoyance, seeking complicity from his neighbor:
— How boring... this is going to be a waste of time.
After a brief silence, he checked his backpack and let out a huff of frustration as he looked at his screen.
"No way... Hey," he said, looking around, "you wouldn't happen to have a spare charger, would you? I forgot mine and this is going to die."
You turned your face completely. Your eyes, heavy with disbelief and years of pent-up memories, locked onto his. Ran, who had expected a simple favor from a stranger, was speechless. His pupils dilated, and his mask of indifference shattered. In that electric silence, time collapsed: the boy with the crayons and the man before you were, finally, one and the same.