Gambler of Feelings

Epilogue

Sumire had a strange dream. It was rare for her to reminisce about Konoha and the time she spent with everyone. She was now attending university in Suna as the acting major. The only one who she regularly saw nowadays was Shikadai. Hard not to see him when they were roommates. At first, it was terrifying moving to an unfamiliar place. She found comfort in not being alone in her struggles.

"...a drag. Wake up!"

Spending so much time with Shikadai wired her brain to hear his voice, even if he wasn't there at all. Frankly, it was annoying. Especially when she wanted to sleep in. "Five more minutes," she mumbled, while hugging her fluffy pink pillow.

"This woman... Wake up! We'll be late for the train." Shikadai huffed in mild annoyance. Living with him taught Sumire how to read his vocal cues when he spoke, even if she had no desire to do so.

His words were like a bucket of cold water splashed on her face. She sat down in a hurry with blurry eyes. "What time is it?!"

"Six thirty am. You only have thirty minutes to get ready before we need to go." With her vision getting adjusted to the light, Shikadai's silhouette was more visible. He sported a scowl and had his arms tightly crossed. Right. She overslept. No wonder he wasn't happy waking her up.

Some things never change, even if they both changed a lot as people. After Shikadai transferred to a different high school and moved out to live with his uncle, they video-called him into the club at least once a month. Chō-Chō initially bawled for hours during his departure, but time eventually solved it. Soon, everyone got used to Shikadai not being physically present in the clubroom.

"Why didn't you wake me up sooner?" Sumire pointlessly complained, knowing well she'd just annoy him further.

After graduating from high school and getting into Suna University, Sumire found out Shikadai planned to move out of his uncle's place and live in the dorms provided by the university and needed a roommate. Knowing that Sumire planned to study abroad in Suna, he suggested she could live with him, since it was better than rooming with a complete stranger.

It was weird at first to live and study in Suna, but Sumire adapted pretty soon to attending her acting classes and having Shikadai as her roommate. Her and Shikadai's schedules didn't match, since he was a psychology major, so their main interactions were in the morning such as this one, or when their free time was aligned with one another.

Sumire contributed the initial weirdness of moving to Suna with the way she and Shikadai changed as a people. His circle of friends differed from her own and it was very awkward to get used to the new habits each of them developed during the last year of high school, away from each other.

He sighed. "I tried to."

This awkwardness was replaced now by a frustrating familiarity. Sumire picked one of her nicest dresses and went into the bathroom in a rush.

They couldn't miss this train. After all, it wouldn't be great to miss out on their club reunion in Konoha.

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・

This afternoon, Mitsuki was patiently waiting with Chō-Chõ at the Moonlight Sun in Konoha for others to arrive. Moonlight Sun was a new restaurant in town and quickly gained popularity with Konoha's university students, since it was situated just across the street from their campus.

It was Chō-Chō who picked this spot as a suitable place for their club reunion. She also tossed her legs under the table, likely being impatient. "I understand why Shikadai and Sumire might be late, but Boruto and Sarada don't have an excuse!"