"And within just a few days, you all will be graduating!" our teacher announced to their students.

It's been a handful of years since Amiya and I broke up. To this day, I still think about whether I made the right choice or not. Did I rush things? Could we have fixed our relationship?

But the more I thought about it, I realized that I wouldn't have been happy even if we did talk it through. Maybe I could have handled the break-up better but the past is in the past.

I haven't seen Amiya much these last few years. We would sometimes pass by each other in the hallways but that was it. We didn't talk, we didn't text, we never interacted ever again.  In the first month of our break-up, I would see her crying to her group of friends about something.

Never knew what it was about but it wasn't any of my business anyway. And now, I'm going to be graduating.

As I'm waiting for the formalities to finish, I find myself thinking back on the day of my breakup. Years ago.

=-=-=-=-=

"What?! You broke up with Amiya?" my mom asked over the phone. She sounded so surprised, no surprise there. She's seen me be together with her since we were kids.

"Yeah..."

"Well? Are you okay?"

"Mhm. I'm just wondering if I can go there on the weekend."

I felt a bit ashamed about this. Sounds like a little kid running back to his mommy after being hit. But I didn't really have any friends. Amiya's been the only person I've focused on building a relationship with, everybody else I kept at arm's length.

"Awww, sweetie... Of course you can..."

And after that, the two of us just chatted about mundane things like how I was doing in school, how my finances were, and if I was feeling fine. The usual doting mother stuff.

After our conversation was over, I check on mu messages expecting something but nope, nothing. I was half-expecting to see a message from Amiya.

Maybe an apology? Then again, from what she said back there, I doubt she actually...

Huh? Weird... I'm crying...

As the tears continued to flow down my face, I lie down in bed, awaiting for tomorrow to arrive.

=-=-=-=-=

Arriving at the doorstep of my childhood home, I couldn't help but be consumed in a wave of nostalgia.

Call me homesick, but damn, I missed this house. It wasn't anything special, just an old and traditional wooden home, just like everything else in the village, but this place had always given me comfort.

Knocking on the door, I can hear a few footsteps before it opens up. On the other side were the smiling faces of my dad and mom.

"Heya there, kiddo."

"Welcome back, sweetie!"

They say as they both embrace me into a hug.

"Come on, you two! It's only been a few months!" I yell out.

"Well ya know what they say, a bird's gonna fall down sometime when flyin'."

Literally nobody has ever said, Dad.

"Oh, ignore your father. Come in, come in!" she insisted as she dragged me inside.

It's so weird. I used to live here, seen this house from top to bottom, but after being away from it for so long, I'm starting to see some newfound appreciation for it.

Like how the floorboards don't creak so loudly when walking. How easy it is to go through rooms with only sliding screen doors. It's details like these that I never realized before leaving.

After slipping off my shoes, mom and dad decided to go outside. Probably bragging to their friends right now that their "sweet little boy" as they called me, is coming back home go visit from college.

It's quite draining how doting they are sometimes but it's got its upsides, I think as I open the door to our backyard.

There, I see a girl with long brown hair styled into two braids.

"Kazuya, is that you...?" she asks as she locks eyes with me.

She had brown eyes, a chubby figure, and a sizeable bosom. She knows me but...who is she?

"I'm sorry, you know me?" I ask as I point to myself.

She pouted at the question. She scowled at me as she put her arms to her hips and leaned over, like how a mom looks when she scolds her child.

"You forgot our promise?"

Promise?

"I'm sorry, I don't re— Minami?!"

"Mhm, Kazuya!" she says as she strikes a pose. One where she put a sideways peace sign on her eye.

This girl, she never changes... Well, excluding her body anyway.

My face visibly redens at the thought of her body. She had some fat on her but it was in all the right places.

"How was Taenlia, Minami?"

"It was fun! I have so many stories to tell you!"

My first friend, Minami...