Nanami stared at the textbooks sprawled open on the kitchen table. She had been up all night, and now all the words looked the same, not making any sense anymore.

Nobu yawned, coming out of his bedroom and heading to the sink for some water. He initially didn't notice the ball of blankets sitting at the table.

"Morning, Nobu," she greeted him, her voice laced with nerves.

"Morning, Nanami!?" Nobu jumped, finally seeing her. She looked like a small troll, struggling to stay awake with bags under her eyes.

"I can't see anything anymore..." she muttered.

"Shin!!" Nobu called out.

The two of them dragged her to her bed, where she promptly fell asleep.

"Was she up all night?? Is the exam that important?" Shin asked, confused.

"I do not miss this part of high school. It's probably worse in university," Nobu said with a sigh.

Shin walked up to her room, looking at the table full of books and papers, her pink pencil case left open. He picked up a book and tried to read it, but he couldn't understand anything.

"What is she studying again? I thought she went to work in the morning. Don't tell me this entire time she was in school?" Nobu muttered.

"Yeah, she has to go every day. She has a lot of lectures," Shin said as he began to put her books away like he was used to it. "If she passes this exam, she can relax for the rest of the semester, so she's been studying hard."

"Maybe she needs a break. She should come to band practice with us," Nobu suggested.

"Yeah, I'll ask her when she wakes up," Shin agreed, closing the last book and tidying up the table.

.

Hours later, Nanami woke up feeling slightly more rested but still groggy. She wandered out into the kitchen  where Nobu and Shin were playing card games.

"Hey, you're awake!" Nobu said, pausing the game.

"How are you feeling?" Shin asked, looking up from his deck of cards. 

"A little better, thanks," Nanami said, rubbing her eyes. "Sorry for the table; I left it a mess."

"It's fine. We were just worried about you," Nobu replied. "You need to take care of yourself too, you know."

"Yeah, maybe you should come to band practice with us tonight. It could be a good break," Shin suggested.

She looked at them, almost tearing up. Were they worried for her?

"Alright."

.

"Why are you stressed about what to wear? Everyone is dressed normal," Shin said with his arms crossed. They were running late because she was stressing about her outfit. He stood in front of her door, waiting for her to emerge.

"This is my first time seeing Yasu since the performance. He needs to see me and go 'WOW,'" she explained.

"I thought you got over him?"

"Well yes, that doesn't mean I don't want him to feel intense regrets when he sees how hot I am. How do I look?" She finally stepped out of her room, and Shin's eyes widened.

Nanami stepped out of her room, finally ready. She wore a cropped white sweater with long sleeves, tied delicately at the front to reveal just a hint of her midriff. The sweater's texture was soft and cosy, complementing her overall look.

She paired it with a high-waisted, metallic blue pleated skirt that shimmered slightly as she moved. To complete the look, she wore a white, furry hat. 

"Are those... fur boots?" Shin asked, surprised.

"Yeah and!? Is it bad? I got them newly..." She was anxious—too anxious.

"They're fine; let's go."

"No, Shin, if they're not good, I need to change it, just one second—"

"No, Nanami, you look beautiful," he said in reassurance. "Come on, if we don't leave now, there'll be no one there by the time we arrive."

"Fine, fine, let me call the taxi."

.

Hachi was the first to get to practice; she had talked to Junko earlier that day and was deep in thought, so she didn't notice Yasu come in.

"Nana, you're here already?"

"Yes," she responded, looking up at Yasu.

"What about the others?"

"They're on their way," she said, managing a small smile.

Yasu nodded, lighting a cigarette. "And we're alone. Here, Nana left again to buy cigarettes."

Hachi sighed, taking a seat. "Has Nana or Ren told you?"

"About what?" Yasu asked, his curiosity piqued.

"They're back together," Hachi said, watching Yasu's reaction.

"That's good," Yasu replied, his voice steady.

Hachi looked down, fiddling with the edge of her sleeve. "Yasu... do you have a girlfriend?"

Yasu looked at her, slightly surprised. "I don't really have success with girls, you know."

"Yasu, do you mind me asking... why didn't you chase after Nanami?" Hachi finally asked, her voice hesitant but direct.

Yasu took a long drag from his cigarette, exhaling slowly. "Nanami... she deserves someone better than me. I didn't want to hurt her more than I already have."

"But Yasu, shouldn't you at least try to win her back?" Hachi pressed gently.

Yasu looked away, the weight of his thoughts evident. "I don't think the me right now deserves her Hachi."

Hachi sighed, understanding but saddened. "I just hope you both find happiness, Yasu. You both deserve it."

.

As they rode to the practice space, Nanami fidgeted with her phone, checking her reflection in the screen. Shin noticed and rolled his eyes slightly but said nothing. To him Yasu wasn't worth the fuss especially after what he did. 

By the time they arrived and got to the studio they were shocked to see Nanami considering she had never come to practice. 

"Nami-chan!" Nobu called out. "Glad you could make it!"

Yasu looked up from his drums, his glasses blocking his reaction from Nanami. 

"Nanamiiiii!" Hachi ran up to her hugging her tightly. "Where are you from? You look great! Were you with Akira-san?"

"Yeah, I was just with him."

Why did she lie? Was it embarrassing for anyone to know she was still felt salty towards Yasu? 

Shin climbed the stage, taking up his bass guitar, adult relationship issues were hard to wrap his head around so he didn't bother. 

Hachi stuck with Nanami. She noticed Yasu was quiet, she thought of the conversation she had with him earlier that evening. 

"Alright! Let's practice!"

There was gonna be a Mah jong tournament on the 7th of June. Well, Nanami didn't care about it since she was more worried about passing.

.

With trembling hands, she opened the email and let out a joyous scream. She had passed!

Without hesitation, she dialed her parents' number. Her mother answered on the second ring.

"Nanami? Is everything alright?" her mother asked, concern in her voice.

"Mom, I passed my first year exams!" Nanami exclaimed, unable to contain her excitement.

"Oh, sweetheart, that's wonderful news! We're so proud of you!" her mother replied, her voice filled with pride and joy.

Her father's voice came through the speaker next. "Congratulations, Nanami! We knew you could do it. You've been working so hard."

"Thanks, Dad. It means a lot to hear you say that," Nanami said, her eyes welling up with happy tears.

"Remember to celebrate your achievements, Nanami. You've earned it, check your bank account" her mother added.

"I will, Mom. Thank you both for always supporting me," Nanami said, her heart full.

As she hung up the phone, she decided to go shopping, and who else would go with her if not for her boyfriend, Akira.

They met at a high-end shopping district, the streets lined with designer stores. Nanami's eyes sparkled as they walked past the glittering shop windows, and Akira couldn't help but smile at her excitement.

As they stepped into the first store, Nanami started picking out clothes, shoes, and accessories. Akira watched her in slight discomfort. He wasn't as wealthy as Nanami, and it showed in his more modest selection of items.

"Should I get this?" She asked all excited.

"Yeah.."

"Or this!?" She pulled out a set of rather expensive pearl earrings.

"That's a lot.."

"My parents were really happy this time haha! What about this.."

Akira sighed, putting a smile on his face.

"They'd look really pretty on you."

So what if her parents were rich? He'd already promised him that one day he'd be able to provide her with all the pretty things she wants.

.

After a few hours of shopping, Nanami returned home with bags full of new clothes. She couldn't wait to show them to Shin.

"Shin! Come here, I got you something!" she called out as she entered the apartment.

Shin appeared, curious and slightly confused. "What is it, Nanami?"

Nanami held up a bag from Vivienne Westwood, her eyes gleaming. "I got you some new clothes! Try them on!"

Shin's eyes widened in surprise. "You didn't have to do that."

"I wanted to. Come on, let's see how you look!" she urged him.

Shin tried on the clothes, and Nanami clapped her hands in delight. "You look amazing, Shin! Vivienne Westwood suits you."

Blushing slightly, Shin smiled. "Thanks, Nanami."

"Let's celebrate," Nanami said, grabbing a bottle from the kitchen.

"Nanami, you don't drink alcohol," Shin reminded her, concerned.

"Don't worry about it, Shin. I just want to celebrate tonight," she said, waving off his concern.

They poured themselves drinks, and Nanami raised her glass. "To surviving and looking fabulous!"

Shin clinked his glass with hers, a hesitant smile on his face. "To surviving!"

.

Shoji looked at the bar screen. The TV blared with a sports channel, but his mind was miles away. He stared at it absentmindedly, a pint of beer in his hand which he hadn't touched.

"What's on your mind?" Kyosuke, who was sitting next to him, asked. He took a sip of his own drink, his eyes studying Shoji.

Shoji sighed, his eyes still on the TV. "Kyosuke, do you ever regret getting with Junko?"

Kyosuke raised an eyebrow, surprised by the question. "No, not at all. Junko and I... we understand each other. We're good together. Why do you ask?"

Shoji took a deep breath, finally lifting his beer to take a sip. "I've been thinking... about what could have been."

Kyosuke frowned, shaking his head. "Shoji, you can't be serious. Are you saying you regret being with Sachiko?"

"It's not that simple," Shoji muttered, running a hand through his hair. "I love Sachiko, but sometimes I wonder..."

Kyosuke set his drink down, looking Shoji squarely in the eye. "You can't live your life with one foot in the past, Shoji. What you had with Nana is over. You made a choice to be with Sachiko. If you keep looking back, you'll never move forward. And worse, you're being unfair to Sachiko. She deserves someone who's all in, not someone who's half here and half somewhere else."

Shoji flinched at the harshness of Kyosuke's words, but then he paused. "Wait, I'm not talking about Nana."

"Then who are you talking about??"

The TV screen flickered, and it seemed like the channel had been changed. Music filled the room, and they both looked up.

There was a girl on the TV, performing with an energy that captivated the audience .Kyosuke took another drink, hoping to get back to the conversation, but Shoji's eyes were glued to the TV.

The girl’s performance was electric, her voice powerful and mesmerizing.

The it hit kyosuke who Shoji was going on about. "Hold up, don't tell me..."