Flashback

Not long after I left Hanako and first came to Okinawa, I was pretty lonely. Sure, I still had Mio with me, but when you suddenly have to leave a friend, it's always painful. It had already been a full week, and I still can't get over our partings.

"Yuuji Nii-sama~~~"

Mio, who was around 10 years old at the time, called out to me.

"What is it, Mio?", I asked.

"Cheer up, Nii-sama!"

"Huh?"

I looked at myself at a nearby mirror on the wall. Unconsciously, my facial expression doesn't look too good. I have bags under my eyes like a panda, my hair is dishevelled, and it seems that I've unconsciously made a depressed face.

"A-Ah... Thank you, Mio. Don't worry. It was nothing."

Even though we both know that I have something on my mind, I pretended that I am fine.

"Nii-sama... Is it about Hanako Onee-chan again?"

"..."

Bullseye. I possibly can't let Mio know that, though.

"O-Of course not! Hahaha..."

Since it probably seems like I won't be saying anything anymore, Mio played along with me and acted with me as usual.

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That night, I couldn't sleep at all. It's not a big surprise, though. I also couldn't sleep for the last few nights. It just felt as if something was missing from me. Something important yet ephemeral. Despite not knowing what that something is, I kept staring at the ceiling, then after a while, I looked out of the window to see the stars in the night sky. Tonight's sky is clearer than usual. I could see the Cassiopeia clearly in the sky, and not very far away from it lies the Polaris. Then, a thought suddenly dawned on me.

"Sigh... The distance between Hanako and I is so close yet so far apart. We're in the same country, yet why can't I see her..."

'Wait...If I can't see Hanako anymore, why don't I go find her myself.'

That, of course, means running away from home. Since I don't have as much courage as Mio, I couldn't get myself to run away from home. Thus, I decided on another alternative:

'If I couldn't run away from home and I can't stand the pain of knowing that we're so close yet so far apart, why don't I... run away from this country.'

Thus, the very next morning, I asked my parents if I could go study abroad for a while. Since our family is quite well off and I've always liked to study in the first place, my parents readily agreed.

Thus, I was headed to England, where I'll meet with someone who will also make a lasting impression on me...

************