✯Different Skies✯

Kazama - A New Country, A New Routine

The city outside his window never slept. Neon lights blinked through the glass as Kazama sat at his study desk, open laptop glowing, untouched coffee cooling beside it.America was everything he'd imagined - fast, loud, full of opportunity - and nothing like home.

He followed his schedule precisely: morning jog, lectures, assignments, part-time work at the library. From the outside, it looked perfect.Inside, it was hollow.

He caught himself looking at the time difference on his phone, wondering what hour it was back in Japan. Sometimes, when exhaustion blurred the line between dreams and memory, he thought he heard Shinchan's voice - that teasing tone, that laugh - and he'd smile before remembering he was alone.

He had new classmates, people who admired his focus. They talked about stocks and internships. He listened, but his heart wasn't there. Every evening, when the sun set over the unfamiliar skyline, he'd open his phone, scroll to the contact labeled "Shinchan 🌙", stare for a few seconds, then close it again.

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Shinchan - Days Without Him

Back home, Shinchan's room felt too quiet. His mother's calls to get up for breakfast went unanswered for three days straight after Kazama left.Misae worried, Himawari peeked into his room clutching her doll, and even Hiroshi came home early one night, sitting by Shinchan's bed until he finally whispered,"I'm fine, Dad... just tired."

But everyone knew he wasn't fine.

By the time school reopened, Shinchan tried to act normal. He cracked jokes again, forced laughter, played with Bo and Masao like before. Yet every time someone mentioned Kazama - his perfect grades, his foreign university, the way he'd surely make a name for himself - Shinchan's chest tightened.

At dinner, Misae would sigh dreamily, "That Kazama boy... so responsible. He'll go far."Shinchan just pushed rice around his plate, pretending not to hear.

Sometimes, late at night, he'd take out his phone and press Call on Kazama's number. Each time, the robotic voice said the same thing:"The number you are trying to reach is not reachable."

He'd lie there afterward, phone on his chest, staring at the ceiling, whispering,"Guess you're too busy again, huh?"

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Reunion with the Old Gang

A few months later, Bo, Nene, Masao, and Shinchan met up at their favorite ramen place.They laughed about old memories, swapped stories from college, and for a little while, Shinchan felt like the past hadn't gone anywhere.

Then Masao, without thinking, said softly, "Kazama would've loved this place."The table fell silent.

Nene added, "He always knew what everyone should order."Bo chuckled quietly, "And paid for everyone too."

Shinchan forced a smile, but it didn't reach his eyes."Yeah," he murmured, "that's just like him."

Later, walking home alone, the laughter from earlier echoed in his ears until it felt like static. He reached the riverside, the same spot where he'd once shouted his heart into the wind, and sat down.

The river reflected the city lights.He closed his eyes."Are you happy there, Kazama?" he whispered.

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Kazama - Under Another Sky

Thousands of miles away, Kazama stood by his dorm window, watching snow fall for the first time in months. He didn't know why, but he suddenly felt the urge to check the time in Japan. It was evening there.He smiled faintly and murmured,"I hope you're okay, Shinchan."

Neither of them knew they were both looking at the same moon, whispering each other's names into different skies.

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End of Chapter 12

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