Promise

Late. Again.

Taking the bus can be of great help but only if you take it on time. No matter how early I sleep or ehm try to, god forbid I'll catch the right bus. Thus here I am, running my lungs out to catch the 9am class on my first day in XXX University in Shinjuku, Lucky me, huh?

"Isami!" I heard someone shout my name from behind. Someone? Huh don't pretend to yourself, Baka! I can recognise who it is even if I don't see his face, or from a mile away. It's you after all..

"Haruto, you idiot! How come you're late? Weren't you gonna be here before me? " I shouted back. In response, the cheeky brat grinned and slapped a hand on my shoulder hard enough to make me lose my balance.

" Oh shut it, Mi. I got a bit delayed on the road, with my popularity, you know how hard it is to get on my way without getting proposals left-right and center, hehe " said Haruto feigning tiredness while slinging his bag on his back.

" Hah, how tragic. So, did you just get proposals or actually accepted one for once?" I said, looking forward - not willing to make eye contact.

" Not yet, it's our first day at university! I'm freaking excited! There'll be time for chicks later on. And guess what? I already signed up for the Soccer club on orientation day, sucks that you didn't make it." Said Haruto fumbling with his phone. I could see he was texting someone, my curiosity was killing me but nope - I'm not gonna be the cat.

"Yesterday was the anniversary remember? Anyway we're here, seems the teach is running late! " I said settling in the first seat I saw available, Haruto took the seat behind me, looking a bit guilty he said -

" Ugh, shit sorry." He went silent for a while it felt like he wanted to say something but the teacher came in.

"Hello everyone, I'm Saito Tanaba. Just call me Sir or Saito. You guys will have Business management classes with me. Let's get some introductions going ---

" Yawwnnn " I heard a loud yawn coming from Haruto. "What, bored already?" Haruto wrapped his hand around my collar and replied, "Hungry already "

"Alright, big guy let's get to the cafeteria, the others are there already" Saying that we started walking towards the Uni's cafe, it was half indoors, half outdoors. Seeing it a bit windy outside, I turned my feet towards the interior but suddenly got swerved the opposite way by my idiot of a friend.

"Chilly!" I said and Haruto laughed wrapping his arms around me dragging me towards the far side table where I finally saw our friends waving their arms at us. I struggled a bit more, not so much for my unwillingness to go outside but because of Haruto's tightening arms as a result. I felt my face getting warm, good thing his arms were mostly hiding it.

"Took you long enough! What, were you flirting with the girls, Haruto ya play boy? " said Kai Tachibana wiggling his eyebrows. "Or was it the statistics teach? Miss Misaki is kinda hot" said Ryouta ruffling his green hair.

"Really, green? How many times is it that you changed your hair color?" I said taking a seat beside Kai and Ryouta stuck his tongue out at me. Haruto sat beside me, and said -

" Oi you freak! Miss Misaki is a bit old for us don't you think? There are other prettier girls around. So hey, new face - glad you joined our crazy circle, what's your name buddy?" The last bit was directed to the new addition to our circle, the glasses wearing meek kid. Though my mind was mostly stuck on " other prettier girls" part. Hmph!

"Um, I'm Yu-Yuki Sugawara. Nice to meet you all. " Ryouta laughed and slung his arm over Yuki's shoulder, to which he squeaked with his ear red, and said - "He's the one I was talking about, my neighbour for last 3 years! Told ya he's shy "

I glanced at Yuki, well more like his reaction to Ryouta and smiled. Get on my boat would you?

" Yuki- kun, Isami here. Don't worry all these guys maybe hyenas but I'm a good one. Welcome to our group." I said giving a wide grin and Yuki smiled back.

The others went along with introductions and soon moved over to hang-out plans. We're not even done with classes yet!

Me and Haruto has been friends over a decade, living in the same neighbourhood. The others - Kai, Ryouta and also Sasaki - were all additions in middle school and we've all been friends ever since. Sasaki moved away to kansai in High school but fortunately, we all got into the same University. We all originally lived in Kanazawa. Kanazawa and Shinjuku are really different. Where in our hometown, it was snowing all year long, the

"little Kyoto" of japan. In Shinjuku, it rains all the time, the weather is humid and in even the dry season it rains. But we all wanted to step away from our borders and applied for an university in here and this is us now.

We all had a strong friendship, a group of five friends throughout our days we caused mischief together, created amazing memories . But among those are the precious ones of Him and I.

My parents were both in civil services, my father a doctor, my mother a nurse. I was their only child. Oh how I loved them..and they loved me. They were hardly home but I was still happy when they were, my grandma took care of me when I returned from school and it was all good. In the eve of my 4th birthday though it all changed. My parents had to rush to the hospital in a snow storm. Fate designed it like this I guess, they had an accident and I lost them. I hated it, hated how they left me. And for the first time, I hated their jobs, their lifestyles and chose never to pursue their path. And here I am as a business major.

My grandma, took me under her care, living in the other side of kanazawa, I started again. I loved her and she gave me the love of both parents. But then..

"Grandma! I'm back! I made a friend! I'm sorry I didn't ask you but they are outside! will you meet them? " like any other 6 year old I was too excited to notice the quite, that something's wrong. "Grandma?" I walked around not finding her, went to the open glass door leading to the back garden. Suddenly I saw her, laying there..simply like She's fallen asleep, simply like... "Grandma!!!"

6 years old me, I held the urn that held my grandma, my last family member. And cried my heart out. I cried for my family and for myself, I cried cause I was scared. And then..

"Don't cry! I'll always be with you! I promise I won't leave you, I'm all you need ok?! So don't be sad, I'm here Isami " saying those words he held me and I didn't feel lonely anymore.

Haruto promised.