Akihiko boarded a monorail at Iwatodai Station. Looking around at all the other passengers, he caught sight of Junpei and Koromaru nearby, sitting down on one of the seats. He went over to join them.

"Hey, Akihiko-san!" Junpei greeted, seeing Akihiko approach them. "I haven't seen you around much. How're you doing?"

"Fine," he replied. "Looks like you haven't changed a bit," he observed, looking at Junpei. He had grown slightly taller, but his trusty baseball cap and goatee were just the same.

Junpei shrugged. "It's still the same old me. You've been working out, Akihiko-senpai. Now you're even more ripped than you were before. I thought you'd have gotten out of the habit of intensive training by now."

"Training's just what I do," Akihiko said. "By the way, what have you been doing? Did you actually get accepted into a college?"

Junpei grinned guiltily. "Actually, no. My grades were way below average standard, and anyway, I've gotten tired of studying, I felt like stopping. So I've just been doing odd jobs. It's not much, but it's enough for me to make a living."

*********

"Woah…so this is Mitsuru-senpai's home," Junpei said in awe.

They had met up with Yukari, Fuuka, Ken and Aigis at the front gate of the Kirijo estate. The mansion beyond the tall, spiked gates was huge, surrounded by a large area of land. A driveway of gravel led from the gates to the front steps. A few expensive-looking cars were parked in front of the house, and the gardens were filled with colourful flowers and plants that looked very well taken care of.

"Um…should we ring the doorbell?" Yukari suggested.

Akihiko found the doorbell button and pushed it. A moment later, the intercom below the button crackled and buzzed and a male voice spoke.

"Who is it?"

"I'm Akihiko Sanada, and I'm with Fuuka Yamagishi, Yukari Takeba, Ken Amada, Junpei Iori, Koromaru and Aigis. We're Mitsuru Kirijo's old dorm-mates from Gekkoukan High. Mitsuru invited us over to her house for a reunion."

"Ah, it's you kids. Well, come on in. Ms Kirijo is waiting for you at the lounge. Just turn left from the main hallway."

The gates swung open. A little apprehensively, the group made their way up the driveway towards the huge mansion. The front doors swung open and a maid ushered them inside quickly. She led them along the large, marble corridor, which was lined with paintings and ornaments. Then she stopped at a door on the left wall, just opposite the grand, marble staircase.

"Ms Kirijo is inside," she said, indicating the door. Akihiko went over to the door and opened it.

The lounge was a large, high-ceilinged room, with cosy, expensive-looking leather armchairs and sofa dotting the place. A few bookshelves filled with thick, heavy volumes lined the walls. Mitsuru was seated on one of the sofas, her dark red hair long and loose down her back, and she had on a white blouse and black trousers, looking more like the younger Mitsuru.

"I'm glad you all came," she greeted them. "Please, come in and sit down."

She waited for everyone to settle themselves on the various chairs and sofas.

"It's good to see you all again. I haven't seen you guys for such a long time." She looked around at all the faces of her old Dorm-mates, observing the changes. Fuuka had grown slightly taller, and her hair was longer now. But her sweet and shy demeanour hadn't changed at all. Mitsuru's eyes left Fuuka and turned to Ken. He was much taller, and wasn't as thin as he used to be the last time she saw him. She looked at Yukari, whose height hadn't changed, but she had put on a bit more weight. Her friendly, spirited nature was still the same.

"We've missed you too, Senpai," Yukari grinned.

"Yes, I agree," Fuuka said, her familiar shy smile on her face. "I've been studying IT and technology at Tatsumi University, and I haven't had much time to visit anyone, except for Yukari-chan since she's studying there too."

"It's good that you've decided to pursue a career," Mitsuru remarked. She turned to speak to Junpei. "Iori? Did you actually manage to get accepted into a college?"

"No one expected slacker Junpei to get accepted into any institute of higher education, huh?" Junpei snorted. "But that's my tragic life. Of course I didn't get accepted. All I've been doing is going around the city looking for odd jobs. I don't make much, but hey, at least it's enough for me to make a living."

"As long as you don't have to work much, you're happy, Junpei," Akihiko said, giving Junpei a light punch on the shoulder.

"H-hey! That hurt ya know," Junpei frowned, rubbing his shoulder.

"What about you, Aigis?" asked Mitsuru. "You've been staying with Yukari, correct?"

"I have been living at her house and helping her mother with housework," Aigis explained. "Now that she has gone to University, I decided to follow her and work as a cleaner there."

"My mom was almost in tears when you decided on that, Aigis," Yukari chuckled. "She says you've been doing a great job with the housework. She really enjoyed not having to clean the house for once."

"Can I ask something?" said Ken, raising his hand. "Who's been taking care of Koro-chan?"

"Koromaru's been living with me," Junpei replied, affectionately scratching the big Alpha dog behind the ears, "and stealing my Takoyaki."

"I bet you leave your food lying around, that's why he eats it," Yukari snorted. "What have you been feeding him, anyway? He's getting really old for a dog, you know. He needs good food to keep him healthy. Not to mention regular vet visits for check ups…"

"I just give him regular dog food," Junpei shrugged. "I don't know how to make that special dog food you and Shinji used to make. I haven't been taking him to the vet though, I don't have much money for that."

Yukari sighed. "I'm glad you've been feeding him proper dog food, but you should give him his special dinner once in a while and take him to see the vet. Here, I'll write down what you need. If you want, I can take Koro-chan to the vet for you, once a month."

"Oh, thanks, Yuka-tan," Junpei said gratefully.

"Have you been doing well at Gekkoukan High, Amada?" Mitsuru enquired, looking at Ken.

"I'm doing alright, I guess," Ken said uncertainly. "I've made some friends, and I joined the school junior Track Team. My exam grades are okay, too."

"Good," Mitsuru nodded with approval. "I'm glad you've settled in well at high school."

They spent the next hour catching up and talking about everything that had happened to them after three years. It felt just like back at the Dorm, when everyone would sit at the Lounge doing their own work while talking to each other.

Mitsuru tried to catch Akihiko's eye, but he always averted his gaze. She had asked him questions and tried to make conversation, but he only replied with short, curt answers and never wanted to continue talking. She stopped trying after a while and joined in the others' conversation, but now she felt that she had to talk to him or there wouldn't be another suitable opportunity.

"Akihiko," she said suddenly, "will you please accompany me to the garden?"

*********

There was silence between the two friends as they walked side by side in the garden. The air was filled with the sweet scent of the beautiful flowers, a gentle wind blew, blowing back the green grass, and the night sky was clear and cloudless, revealing the small number of twinkling stars that were visible in the city sky. Yet, somehow, the silence felt perfectly natural, not awkward. Neither one was talking, but they were simply enjoying each other's presence.

"Akihiko," said Mitsuru, sounding a bit tentative, which was very unusual for her. "Is there something that you'd like to tell me?"

Akihiko remained silent, looking around at the grass, the flowers, the plants, the stars – anywhere but at the young woman walking alongside him.

"Akihiko, answer me," she said, sounding more like her usual self.

The young man stopped in his tracks and stared at Mitsuru for a long moment before saying, "My words can't influence your decision, so what's the point? If you want to marry someone that you don't even know, then so be it. I'm in no position to stop you."

To his surprise, Mitsuru took hold of his hands in both of hers. She looked him straight in the eyes as she spoke to him.

"Akihiko, I trust your judgment completely. I've known you since middle school, and you're one of my oldest friends. We know each other inside and out, we know each other's past, and the both of us have been through so much together." Her grip on his hands tightened, and her voice sounded as though she was choking back tears when she spoke again. "But after what you said to me at the Café that evening, I reconsidered my decision, and I told the Kirijo Group that the man I marry will be someone of my choosing, and no one else's. If I am to be someone's wife, I want to choose who my husband will be. Even if I have to wait years for the right person to come, I will not accept someone that I do not have feelings for. My father always told me to make my own decisions, and though he advised me to decide on what will benefit the Group, he also warned me not to defy my heart and deny its desires too much."

"Do you have someone in mind?" Akihiko asked. He felt somewhat surprised but glad that he had been able to change Mitsuru's mind about accepting the proposal. In the back of his mind he heard Ronan's voice saying "Akihiko Sanada, you have the love bug." And he knew that Ronan was right.

"My heart kept telling me this, but I couldn't see the message clearly until today," she whispered, moving closer. "The person that I thought I would have to wait for…was right in front of me all this time."

As though he had been waiting for her to speak those words, he pulled her close and leaned down to kiss her soft lips.

*********

"Has anyone seen Akihiko-senpai and Mitsuru-senpai?" Junpei said suddenly, looking around the lounge. "They've been out on that walk for some time now."

"Leave them alone, Stupei," said Yukari, somewhat in exasperation. "They're old friends."

Suddenly, Junpei got up from his position on the sofa next to Yukari and quietly sneaked over to one of the tall windows in the lounge that looked out to the gardens outside. The curtains were drawn closed over the window. Junpei parted the curtains just a crack and peeked out to look at the gardens. He saw something that he had half-expected to happened, but it was still came as a surprise to see Mitsuru and Akihiko in the garden, standing close together, kissing.

"Junpei, don't spy on them," Yukari snapped. "You're so immature."

"Yuka-tan you're not gonna believe this," Junpei said excitedly, leaving the window. "Akihiko-senpai and Mitsuru-senpai are kissing in the garden!"

"W-what?" Yukari said, startled. "Are you sure? You're not making this up, are you?"

"Go and see for yourself, I bet they're still at it," Junpei grinned, pointing at the window.

Yukari couldn't resist going over to the window and taking a peek herself. Her eyes widened when she saw that Junpei was right.

"I didn't really think it could happen," Yukari said, going back to the sofa. "All these years, nothing's changed between the two of them."

"Yeah," Junpei nodded. "To think they were like best friends since middle school and they only just realized it today after three years apart." He shook his head. "Some people are so strange."

"It's a lot more complicated for them," Yukari reasoned. "And both of them are really stubborn and independent, so I guess they both needed time to think everything out and admit their feelings."

"Hey, I think I hear them coming back," Junpei said, hearing footsteps approaching the lounge.

"Don't say anything about what you saw," Yukari said sharply. But of course, Junpei never listened to Yukari anyway.

Sure enough, Mitsuru and Akihiko entered the lounge. Yukari noticed that they were still holding hands, and their cheeks were flushed. She wondered if they were aware of it.

"Looks like you two are an item now, eh?" Junpei grinned. "So it's finally happened."

"Junpei!" Yukari said angrily. She turned to look at Mitsuru and Akihiko. "I'm happy for you guys. But…I thought Mitsuru-senpai had to marry some other CEO's son."

"I declined the proposal," Mitsuru explained, and she felt Akihiko squeeze her hand.

"That's good," Yukari smiled at her. "I wouldn't have liked seeing you with someone that you don't even love."

"Does this mean that you are going to marry Akihiko-senpai?" said Aigis suddenly.

The other SEES members looked at their Senpai, wondering what Mitsuru was going to answer.

Mitsuru's cheeks became redder. She gave a small smile as she said, "We'll just have to wait and see. These things do take time to decide…"

Junpei snorted. "The two of you had years to think about this. I know I would've made a decision by now."

Now it was Yukari's turn to snort. "I don't think you'll be making that kind of decision anytime soon, Stupei. So far, Chidori was the only one you've ever attracted."

"Hey, you gotta admit, that's an achievement on my part," Junpei defended. "Especially since Chidori was a tough nut to crack."

Yukari sighed. "That was an achievement, but Chidori was unique, and different." She turned back to Mitsuru and Akihiko. "Anyway, let us know if you're having a wedding, okay?" she gave a giggle and winked at them.

*********

"Thanks for coming over, everyone," Mitsuru called out, as she watched her old dorm-mates walk down the driveway towards the gates. She couldn't help feeling sad that the reunion was over. It had felt nice to see all her old friends again. She felt someone squeeze her shoulder, turned around and saw that it was Akihiko, smiling at her.

"You're not going back yet?" she asked, surprised, as he held her in his arms.

"I can stay a while longer and spend time with you," he said, and kissed her forehead. "So, what're your plans, Mitsuru?"

"I have to go on a business trip next week," she said gently, reaching out a hand to run her finger through his platinum hair. Akihiko's smile slipped a notch, and Mitsuru went on, "but you're going to accompany me. Your summer break will be here next week, will it not?"

Akihiko leaned down and kissed her again. "Of course I'll come with you, Mitsuru."