"Order anything, my treat," he smiled.

Dinala niya ako sa isa sa mga pinaka mahal na restaurant dito sa Sapporo. As I was observing the resto, the interior is more of a contemporary design. The ambiance of the place was also amazing. Kanina pagpasok ko rito, alam ko agad na mahal ang lugar.

The restaurant almost didn't have any noise. Tahimik ang mga tao rito, kaya ang tanging naririnig lang namin ay ang peaceful music na pinapatugtog.

"Basahi to sushi o onegai dekimasu ka," I said. Tumango naman 'yong kumukuha ng order namin. Sinabi rin naman ni Kazuko 'yong order niya.

"Dorinku ya dezāto ni ikagadesu ka?" Lumingon naman ako kay Kazuko para siya ang pumili ng drinks at dessert namin.

"Bottle of wine, and two slices of diamond fruit cake." Nanlaki naman mata ko sa sinabi niya. Ang mahal masyado no'ng diamond fruit cake!

"That's too expensive, Kazuko."

He chuckled softly, "It's fine. 370k won't hurt," he winked. Inirapan ko naman siya. Hindi porket mayaman siya ay gagastos na siya nang gano'n kamahal para lang ilibre ako!

"You must be really wealthy now, hmm?" Tinaasan ko siya ng kilay. Umiling naman siya habang nakangiti bago uminom ng tubig galing sa baso na hawak niya. "What's your occupation?"

"Is that even important? I assure you, you're wealthier than me." Natawa naman ako sa sinabi niya. "Actually, I am one of the co-founders of Yashi Corp."

"Really?!" I exclaimed. Is this even a coincidence? Na nagkita kami sa may kalsada? Baka naman pinlano niya ito? Okay lang naman. At least alam ko na mapagkakatiwalaan ko talaga ang kumpanyang makikipag-collaborate sa amin.

"Mhm. I actually have been eyeing you for a few months now. I was just waiting for the right timing to give your brand a proposal about this."

"What do you mean eyeing me?"

"Ever since I haven't seen you in the apartment we both lived in... I followed you on Instagram. But it looks like you didn't follow me back because you thought that I was just another one of Fleurienne's fans," he laughed.

I took out my phone before looking for his account para ma-follow back ko na siya. "Thanks," sambit niya sa akin. "I'm proud of you, Rienne. Who would've thought you can become successful in a span of a few months?"

"I couldn't have done that without the help of my friends. They promoted Blossom Apparel, and because of that BA quickly became known."

"They must really love, and support you, huh?" Napangiti naman ako noon. Gosh, I miss all of my friends! Come on, ayain na nila ako bukas na agad! Kahit saang sulok ng mundo, pupuntahan ko agad para lang makasama sila.

"Definitely," I nodded.

"You know, you're really fun to be with. I just wished that we had the chance to do so back then..." I said with a frown. Tumawa lang naman siya sa sinabi ko.

"It's fine. At least we're together right now, hmm? I knew before that Kaito had a crush on you and he wouldn't let you come near me because he was jealous. He was probably threatened by me," pagyayabang niya. Inirapan ko lang siya para hindi kami mapunta sa Kaito topic.

Kung ano ano pa ang pinagusapan namin, kaya hindi ko namalayan ang oras. Hindi naman siguro magaalala si Claire dahil nagpaalam naman ako sa kaniya.

As I sat across from Kazuko, a warm feeling of happiness spread through my body. I have to admit, I missed him. Kahit kaunti lang ang pagsasama namin noon, I am happy that we were finally able to catch up after a year. I couldn't help but think about how much I regret not getting to know him better back then.

As we talked and laughed, I realized that Kazuko was someone I could truly be myself around. Maliban kasi kay Claire, sa mga kaibigan ko, si Kaito lang ang nakita ang totoong ako. Pero mukhang madadagdagan na ang mga taong makikita ang buong pagkatao ko.

He had a way of making me feel comfortable and accepted, and I couldn't help but admire his kindness and sincerity. It was clear that he had a heart of gold based on his stories. I felt lucky being in front of him right now, talking about each other.

Kung hindi lang siguro humarang si Kaito sa amin noon, siya ang crush ko at baka kami pa ngayon.

"Do you know the reason why Kaito hated your guts so much?"

Sumandal naman siya sa kaniyang upuan bago lagukin ang wine na nasa baso niya. "You're going to hate me when I tell you the story."

I chuckled, "Then I'll hate you both after." Ngumuso naman siya sa akin at natawa ako lalo. "I'm kidding! I don't care about your history with Kaito."

"Well... It was all the way back highschool. We used to be best friends... But then he decided to get a girlfriend. We didn't have any time to hang out anymore so I seduced his girl, but then after that we found out that the girl was using Kaito to get to me."

I was speechless with what he said. "Are you gay, Kazuko? It seems like you were jealous," I teased him.

"What the fuck?" He said, clearly annoyed. Tinawanan ko naman ang hitsura niya. Pinakuha na niya 'yong bill, and I placed my credit card at the bill holder.

"Hey. I told you, my treat." Binalik niya sa akin 'yong card ko pero pilit ko iyon binigay sa kaniya.

"At least let me pay half. Or give them a tip using my card," I insisted. Bumuntong hininga siya bago tanggapin ito.

We waited for a while at noong binalik na ang mga card namin ay lumabas na kami ng restaurant. We decided to walk for a while para magpababa ng kinain. Nabusog ako roon ah!

As the night wore on, I found myself feeling grateful for the time we were spending together. He made me feel that Japan didn't have any bad memories. I promise myself that I won't take our friendship for granted again, and that I will make an effort to keep in touch with Kazuko more often.

"How long are you planning to stay here?" He asked, at nagkibit balikat ako.

"I didn't book a roundtrip flight. I'll decide whether I want to leave Japan or not. I want to explore the country more since I didn't have enough time to do so back then."

Tinanguan naman niya ako. "Then let me be your tour guide for the rest of your trip here if that's okay with you?"

I smiled before agreeing to what he said, "Sure! I would be happy if you're going to accompany me."

He offered to take me home at noong nandoon na kami sa tapat ng kuwarto ay ngumiti siya sa akin bago halikan ang aking kamay.

"Good night, gorgeous. See you tomorrow," he winked.

I felt a sense of contentment when I closed the door. I was grateful for the opportunity to reconnect with Kazuko, and I knew that our friendship would only grow stronger from there.

Huminga ako nang malalim. Bukas groundbreaking na noong ipapatayong food park.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow!