The train hissed as it slowed into Suginami Station, and Haru felt something twist in his stomach a mix of nerves, nostalgia, and the ghost of fireworks that hadn't gone off yet.
Five months in Shibuya.
Five months of running.
Five months of changing from the inside out.
And now… he was back.
"Im back baby" haru said to himself
The doors opened.
His mom stepped off first, pulling her suitcase behind her. She looked more relaxed than she'd been in months, her shoulders no longer straining under the weight of fear.
"Haru, come on," she called warmly.
Haru followed, his now-longer legs easily keeping pace.
It still felt strange the extra height, the lighter body, the steady rhythm of his breathing that didn't sound like a dying engine anymore.
He inhaled Suginami air.
It smelled like home.
And nerves.
Lots of nerves.
The apartment door opened with a familiar creak.
Everything was the same the worn rug, the slightly crooked shoe rack, the family photos of him and his mother he only partly remembered.
But he wasn't the same.
As Haru stepped inside, his mom turned toward him.
"You should message Chiyuri and Takumu," she said softly. "They've been waiting for you."
Haru blinked.
"Already?"
"They asked me your return date every week," Saya said with a smirk. "They're probably counting down the seconds
He swallowed.
Right.
Chiyuri and Takumu.
He hadn't seen them in five months.
They'd just known he was gone for recovery.
Not how much he'd changed, just video calls from time to time.
He took a breath and pulled out his Neuro-Linker.
The moment he turned it on
PING.
A gentle wave of AR menus and system data flowed across his vision like warm light.
Home.
But then
Another ping.
Softer.
Familiar.
[Location Reconnected: Suginami District]
[Social Link Beacon Detected: Chiyuri Kurashima (Close Friend)]
[Social Link Beacon Detected: Takumu Mayuzumi (Close Friend)]
Haru's heart squeezed.
They were close.
Very close.
Haru barely had time to breathe before he heard rapid footsteps in the hallway.
Then
BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG!
"HARUUUUU! OPEN THE DOOR THIS EXACT SECOND OR I'LL BREAK IT!"
His mom nearly dropped her cup.
Haru froze.
"Oh god"
The door slammed open faster than physics should've allowed.
"HARU!"
And then a blur of brown hair and pure chaos tackled him like a guided missile.
"YOU YOU YOU LEFT FOR FIVE MONTHS YOU BARELY SENT PICTURES YOUR MOM SAID YOU GREW AND AND WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR FACE??"
"It's the same face you looked at when we video called!" Haru wheezed.
"NO IT ISN'T! YOU HAVE A JAWLINE NOW! YOU ABSOLUTE BETRAYER!"
"Hhow is that a betrayal?!"
Chiyuri held him by the cheeks, squashing them like mochi.
"You got taller! And thinner! And hotter! And did you forget we are supposed to grow up UGLY together?!"
"That was never an agreement!"
She didn't hear him.
She was too busy circling him like a suspicious squirrel.
"You're taller than me now. I hate this. I hate this so much. Do you live on stilts? Are you eating tree fertilizer? ANSWER ME, HARU!"
"I just drank water!"
"LIES!"
Haru laughed, an embarrassed, flustered, warm laugh that he hadn't made in months.
Chiyuri puffed her cheeks.
"You think you can leave for five months and come back looking like a shojo manga protagonist? I had a plan. A good plan. I was supposed to blossom first!"
"You what?!"
"NOW I'M THE SHORT ONE!"
"It's not a competition!"
"YES IT IS!"
She punched his shoulder lightly, then sniffed.
"…Jerk."
Her voice trembled.
Haru softened.
"…I missed you too, Chiyu."
She froze.
Then hugged him again, real, sincere, trembling with relief.
"Good," she whispered. "Or else I'd actually cry."
He patted her head gently.
It felt like something warm had been sealed back into his life.
A deeper voice spoke from the doorway.
"You two are loud enough to trigger earthquake sensors."
Haru looked up.
Takumu stood there taller than before, now 175 cm, calm, glasses a little fogged from jogging over.
"Taku…" Haru breathed.
"Welcome back," Takumu said with a small, genuine smile.
Haru stepped forward.
They didn't tackle each other.
They didn't shout.
Takumu simply placed a hand on Haru's shoulder.
"…You look healthier," he said softly. "Really healthier. I'm glad. Truly."
Haru felt his chest warm.
Takumu had always been like this quiet support, steady presence, the friend who could say a lot with very few words.
(A/N; Takumu (AKA Haru's Calm Support NPC)
Chiyuri wiped her eyes aggressively.
"Okay, okay group hug…..RIGHT NOW"
"What? No!" Haru started.
But she already shoved both boys together.
It was awkward.
Taku's glasses almost stabbed someone.
But it felt right.
The trio was back.
The moment the three of them were physically close
PING.
[Trio Link Restored: Chiyuri + Takumu + Haru]
[Bond Stability: 94%]
[Emotional Note: "This is the correct configuration."]
Haru blinked and rubbed his eyes.
The system was… unusually poetic today.
Chiyuri squinted.
"Don't you dare zone out right now. We're interrogating you."
"Interr… WHAT?!"
"You heard me," she said, arms crossed. "Five months.
Where did you go jogging?
Why did your legs get so long?
Did you eat vegetables willingly?
Who brainwashed you?
Tell me EVERYTHING."
Haru panicked.
He could explain running.
He could explain training.
He could explain system quests.
But
Fuuko.
No way he was explaining her.
That was private.
He swallowed.
"U-uh… I just… worked really hard. I wanted to be better."
"Oh great," Chiyuri groaned dramatically. "He's humble now. That's the FINAL EVOLUTION."
Takumu chuckled under his breath.
As they continued talking, something shifted in Haru's HUD.
A soft pulse.
Like a gentle heartbeat echoing across his vision.
PING.
A signal.
A familiar one.
It flickered faintly, like a little blue spark.
[Distant Link Detected]
[Calm Emotional Signature]
[Kurasaki Fuuko; Status Updated]
Haru's breath caught.
The system… was picking her up?
All the way from Shibuya?
Impossible.
Unless
His pulse quickened.
Another ping:
[Vital Status Change: Mobility Level Drastically Increased]
[Emotional Surge Detected: Joy / Shock / Hope]
Haru's hand trembled.
She…
She must have opened the gift.
And taken the pill.
And…
His chest tightened with something warm and sharp.
Kurasaki san can now walk.
Kurasaki san can now run.
He swallowed hard and let out a slow breath.
Takumu noticed his expression shift slightly.
"Haru? Are you okay?"
"I..yeah. Just… tired."
Takumu nodded, accepting the answer.
Chiyuri didn't buy it.
But she let it go.
For now.
The three of them left the apartment for a walk down the familiar streets.
Everything felt nostalgic to him the vending machines, the neighborhood stray cat, the bakery that always smelled like heaven.
This was things that he passed by when he ran the first week he got the system and forgot about his memories.
Chiyuri chatted nonstop.
Takumu added calm commentary.
Haru listened, heart full, body light, steps steady.
But every few minutes…
Another faint ping.
A pulse of faint pink.
A reminder that somewhere in Shibuya, a girl with silver legs now had real ones.
And she was probably crying.
And he was sorry he wasnt able to look at her new legs
That evening, after his friends finally went home (Chiyuri by force, Takumu with apologies), Haru collapsed on his bed.
He stared at the ceiling.
He was back like arnorld swarzenegger from the terminator.
he wasn't the same boy who left.
He touched his Neuro-Linker.
A final message glowed.
[Bond Change Registered]
[Kurasaki Fuuko → Emotional Distance: Far]
[But Connection: Strong]
He closed his eyes.
"Kurasaki san…
As he thought, not of longing, not of love, but of hope, Wondering what will it bring her.
"Someday… let's run together."
The room felt quiet and full.
A new chapter of his life was beginning.