word count: 2009 words
***timeskip to 5 years later***
a lot has changed in 5 years. you already graduated from college in america and you were looking for a job. you hoped that you would get one that was close to your family in singapore and thankfully you got a job offer in your old hometown, tokyo. currently you were in narita airport on a saturday afternoon after you landed from a safe flight from san francisco.
better tell nobara i'm here...
nobara had continued her studies in tokyo too and she called you a month ago that she was currently working in tokyo. you took out your phone and opened your chat with nobara. after texting her a quick follow up message, you placed your phone back into your pocket and headed out to get a taxi towards your new home.
***mini timeskip***
you opened the door to your apartment room. you decided to rent an apartment since you would be living alone and it suited your taste. it had a minimalist style with a light brown shade covering the walls. it had a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and a dining room. the living room was merged into the dining room with a small sofa sitting next to the dining table and a led tv stood in front of it. it was perfect.
it sure feels nice to be back...
you took your luggage to your bedroom and began sorting things out. your phone ringed at that moment and you saw an incoming call from nobara. you picked it up as you placed the last one of your clothes into the closet.
"y/n? are you really in tokyo??"
"yes! i'm lucky enough to get a job here!"
"that's great!! i can't wait to meet up with you!"
"let's meet up somewhere, then! any suggestions?"
"hm, where do you live?"
"near ginza."
"oh i know a nice cafe nearby! wanna head there?"
"sure! let's meet up at..."
you checked your watch which was on your left hand and saw it was currently around 3PM.
"4.30? since i think i gotta tidy up this place first for a bit."
"no prob, i'll send you the address then. see ya!"
then nobara hung up and you placed your phone on your bed. you turned back to your luggage and began taking out your other necessities.
***mini timeskip***
you had decided to wear something with a chill vibe for your little outing with nobara. it's been years since you met her in person and the last time was when she went to america for vacation 2 years ago. once you got dressed, you admired your outfit on the bathroom mirror and took your coat before heading out. it was spring in japan so the temperature was still quite chilly.
your outfit:
your coat:
once you locked your apartment door, you took the lift to the ground floor and went out of the building to the busy streets of tokyo. as you began walking, you plucked your earphones in and pressed play on your spotify playlist. you placed your phone back into your purse and looked around at the city you once lived in. you couldn't help but smile as you thought about how many memories you've made years ago in this beautiful city. you looked up and saw the sky starting to turn crimson, a sign that the sun was setting. it was a beautiful sight that you couldn't help but take your phone out and snap a picture of it.
it's been a long time since i was here...
you put your phone back and inserted your hands into the pockets of your coat. you breathed in the air that had a scent of familiar foods that you used to love. you looked to your left and saw a series of food stalls, seeling delicious street food such as takoyaki, yakitori, okonomiyaki, and many more. it smelled so good but you reminded yourself you were going to have tea time in the cafe so you resisted and continued walking to your destination.
***mini timeskip***
you arrived at the cafe she told you about and opened the door. you spotted nobara sitting on a table and waved at her. she noticed you and stood up to greet you. the both of you then shared a hug.
"y/n!! it's been 2 years since we last met, right?"
"yes! you know, you look very mature now compared to how you were when you visited me 2 years ago."
the both of you laughed and sat down across from each other.
nobara's outfit:
a waitress soon got to the table and handed you a menu. nobara had already order hers while waiting for you, after all. you read the menu for a while and decided to order a cup of latte and a slice of red velvet cake. once the waitress got your order, she left and you turned to nobara.
"so how's your job?"
"great! it's not too far from my home and i get to work in the same place as my boyfriend!"
you giggled.
"can't believe you managed to stay sane after all these years with him! is he still the same idiot as ever?"
"duh! he gets on my nerve sometimes but that's fine, i'm growing up."
nobara winked and you shook your head.
"you really matured, huh."
"what about you, y/n? when's your new job starting?"
"next week. i decided to come a week earlier to get settled."
"that's nice. do you think this place has changed in 5 years?"
"hmm, not really. it's as busy as always."
"mhm, it does make a struggle to get on a train back home from work, honestly. by the way, did you really break up with that kamo guy?"
"oh yeah. he's a nice guy but i find him way too old-fashioned."
"you've been with him for like... 6 months?"
"8 months. i'd say it was a good experience for me."
nobara hummed in response and soon the waitress came to bring the drinks. nobara's drink was a cup of espresso and she took a sip. you looked at the latte in front of you and admired it's latte art. deciding to take a picture, you took your phone out and snapped a pic.
"still the instagram girl, huh?"
you smiled.
"i just love to take photos."
"i saw your instagram page is growing fast, isn't it? i mean, 70k?? that's so cool!"
"thanks. i guess my frequent updates isn't in vain."
"but it does make me jealous seeing all those beautiful photos you took in america."
you laughed.
"i'm a bit jealous too seeing you eating yakitori. i do miss japanese foods. they are sold in america but the vibe and taste is just somewhat different."
"i see what you mean. ramen broth in japan is always the best, right?"
"yep! seems like i gotta eat a warm bowl of ramen after this, then!"
"i'll join you! a bowl of ramen never goes wrong!"
soon your red velvet cake and nobara's opera cake came. it looked so pretty that you had to take a pic of it too. you took a bite and nodded your head after tasting how good it was.
"mhm, it's great! thanks for telling me about this place, nobara."
"sure! i came here twice before with itadori and i thought you'd love it too."
you listened to her as you took another bite of your cake. nobara seemed to want to ask something but she hesitated.
"ask away, nobara."
"umm... have you ever contacted inumaki-senpai in these past 5 years?"
you placed your fork down and sat back on your chair.
"yea, last time i contacted him was a year ago when i said i've moved on so he doesn't need to keep waiting for me. he didn't actually answer my message but he did read it. also, he probably knows i dated kamo from my instagram. i'm not sure if he found a girl for himself but i hope he did."
nobara placed her cup back onto the table after a sip.
"who knows, he might still be waiting for you. i've been in contact with maki-senpai for a while now and she said she doesn't think inumaki-senpai got a girlfriend yet."
you sighed.
"well, that's his problem. i told him before i left that i'll most likely move on."
"but if the both of you are single now, why not get back together?"
you rested your chin on your hand on top of the table.
"it's not that easy as that, you know. feelings change, after all."
"just give it a try, y/n. you never know..."
you sighed and placed your hands down on top of the other.
"i haven't even met him for 5 years. he definitely changed a lot and i don't want to disappoint myself. but if we do meet again, i'd say fate brought us back."
nobara let out a sigh.
"alright then, if that's what you want. now drink up, your coffee's gonna get cold."
***timeskip to a month later***
your life has been going quite smoothly in the one month you've been here. your workspace is great, you felt safe in your place, and you felt happy with your current life. however, you knew you needed to find a special someone to make it more complete.
these thoughts filled your head as you walked down the streets on a hot sunday morning, looking for something interesting to do or to eat.
it's hot... i should probably get some shaved ice or something...
you then stopped in your tracks as you scanned your surroundings. feeling familiar with it, you knew you weren't far away from the usual ice cream place you used to go to all those years ago with inumaki. you forgot the exact directions to the shop, though, so you opened your phone and searched for it on google maps. thankfully, it said the shop was still open and you began walking.
***mini timeskip***
"welcome!"
you opened the door to your favorite ice cream shop and saw that it's design had been renovated over the years but the logo remained the same cute fox you always knew.
"what would you like to order?"
"i'd like to have a scoop of chocolate on cone, please. oh and with rainbow sprinkles."
"sure, wait a minute, please."
the clerk went to scoop your ice cream and soon returned with the ice cream cone you ordered. you smiled as he handed it to you.
"that would be 800 yen."
you handed the clerk the money and he gave you your change.
"thank you for coming!"
you nodded and was about to leave when you saw there was an empty table. you never actually ate inside the shop since usually you ate your ice cream on the way back home. you decided to reminisce all the memories you made in this shop and sat down. you snapped a quick pic of the ice cream and looked around at how much the shop has changed in 5 years as you licked your chocolate ice cream.
i miss those days... those days when you didn't have to stress about life so much...
you sighed as you took another lick of your ice cream. as you looked around, you noticed a quote written with pink neon lights on the wall of the shop and decided to take a picture. 'life is like ice cream, enjoy it before it melts' it said. as you opened your camera app, you heard an all too familiar voice behind you, speaking at the counter.
"a cone of vanilla ice cream, please."
a/n: AAHHHH INUMAKI IS BACKKKKK ヽ(>∀<☆)ノ and i chose kamo for the reader's ex since idk he's kinda hot (?) xD but ofc, no 1 is still def our beloved onigiri boy (*¯︶¯*)also, i'm sorry if my depiction of japan's streets are kinda off since i have never been there (〒_〒) i'm aiming to go there next year, though!! o(*°▽°*)o if you've been to japan before, what's your number 1 place to go recommendation? ヽ(o^ ^o)ﾉ
p.s. all credits for the outfit pics goes to pinterest~ (^０^)