"Good morning!" greeted the blonde girl with bright blue eyes, flashing a friendly smile.
"Sorry to bother you so early, but we're your new neighbors from next door."
Makoto blinked several times, still half-awake. The girl in front of him looked incredibly neat and beautiful in her Koufuku High School uniform, worn to perfection.
Behind her stood another girl with long black hair tied back neatly, wearing a formal black suit that made her look like a professional secretary or bodyguard. What stood out most about this secretary-like girl were her glowing red eyes that stared at Makoto with a flat expression.
"Uh... good morning to you too," Makoto replied while trying to fix his messy hair.
"New neighbors?"
"Yes! We just moved in yesterday," the blonde girl nodded enthusiastically.
"The landlord mentioned there was another Koufuku High student living here, so he suggested we introduce ourselves. What a coincidence, right?"
The black-haired girl behind her simply nodded once, maintaining her serious expression.
"Oh, I see..." Makoto scratched his head.
"Uh, let me introduce myself. I'm Makoto Aizawa, a second-year student at Koufuku High."
"Akari Minase, also second-year!" the blonde girl introduced herself cheerfully.
"And this is Reina Tachibana. She's in the same class as us too."
Makoto nodded politely. "Nice to meet you both, Minase-san, Tachibana-san."
Akari and Reina exchanged a brief glance. There was something strange about the way Makoto introduced himself—too formal, too... distant.
"Aizawa-kun," Akari said softly, with slight hesitation.
"You... really don't recognize us?"
"Recognize?" Makoto furrowed his brow. "What do you mean? Have we met before at school?"
Reina, who had been silent until now, finally spoke in a cold voice, "Not at school. But before... in Kyoto."
"Kyoto?" Makoto looked confused. "You're from Kyoto too? What a coincidence—I just moved from there three days ago."
Akari stared at Makoto with disbelief. "Makoto-kun... you really don't remember? The three of us always played together when we were little."
"You were the one who always led our adventures in the park near our house. Reina-chan always followed us everywhere with that same serious expression she has now."
"And you," she added with a slightly hurt tone, "who always said you'd protect us both."
Makoto fell silent, trying to remember. The faces of the two girls in front of him did seem familiar, but...
"I'm sorry," he finally said while bowing.
"I really don't remember. Maybe because it was so long ago?"
Akari laughed softly, though it sounded slightly disappointed. "It's been eight years since your family moved away from Kyoto. It's understandable that you'd forget."
Reina gently patted Akari's shoulder, reminding her not to force Makoto to remember something that might burden him.
Akari immediately shook her head, "Sorry, Aizawa-kun. I shouldn't have said such strange things. Maybe I mistook you for someone else."
The atmosphere became somewhat awkward. Makoto felt guilty for not remembering his past with two girls who apparently meant so much to him before.
"It's okay."
"Well, it is quite surprising though..."
"Hey, would you like to come in for a bit?" Makoto offered, stepping back. "My apartment is kind of messy, but..."
Akari and Reina peered into the apartment and saw conditions that indeed looked like a disaster zone—there were detergent stains on the floor, a strange smell in the air, and piles of colorful clothes in the corner of the room.
"It seems you're having trouble living alone," Reina commented in a flat tone.
Makoto laughed awkwardly. "Haha, yeah... turns out independent living isn't as easy as I imagined."
"Not everything goes as smoothly as in the anime I always watch."
"Oops, I shouldn't have mentioned that. Sorry, sorry."
Akari giggled, "We like anime too, you know. No need to hide your hobbies like that."
"How about we help?" Akari suddenly suggested.
"I mean, we're neighbors now. And... maybe this is a good way to get to know you again, Aizawa-kun."
"Eh? But I can't trouble you like that, especially since you just arrived at your apartment..."
"It's fine!" Akari had already stepped inside enthusiastically.
"Besides, Reina-chan is really good at housework. She's like a perfect housewife even though she's still in high school."
"She can do everything!"
Reina sighed. "Akari-sama always exaggerates."
"Akari-sama?" Makoto raised an eyebrow at how Reina addressed her friend.
"Ah, that's..." Akari looked slightly nervous.
"Reina-chan is... rather formal. She's always called me that since we were little."
Reina simply nodded briefly, offering no additional explanation.
After the three of them entered the apartment, Reina surveyed the room with sharp, analytical eyes. Her glowing red eyes traced every corner—from the pile of dirty dishes in the mini kitchen sink, the spilled detergent on the bathroom floor with an excessive amount of foam, to the clothes scattered everywhere.
"Aizawa-kun," Reina said in a flat but firm tone, "when was the last time you did laundry?"
Makoto scratched the back of his head nervously. "Uh... yesterday? Or the day before yesterday? I kind of forgot..."
Akari, standing in the middle of the room, laughed softly while shaking her head. "Aizawa-kun, you really are..."
"Alright," Reina sighed deeply while rolling up her sleeves.
"Akari-sama, it seems we need to perform a serious intervention here."
"Eh? You don't need to go to all this trouble..." Makoto protested while trying to block Reina, who was already moving toward the pile of dirty clothes.
But Reina had already started picking up several pieces of clothing, sorting them by color and fabric type with highly trained movements.
Akari eagerly joined in to help, as if this were a fun adventure.
"Wow, Reina-chan really is like a professional housewife!" Akari praised while watching Reina work.
"This isn't difficult, Akari-sama," Reina replied while continuing to sort clothes. "It just requires system and discipline."
As Reina lifted a fairly large pile of clothes, several pieces of Makoto's colorful underwear got mixed in and fell to the floor right in front of all three of them.
"Waahhh!" Makoto immediately ran over and grabbed his underwear while his face turned bright red. "S-sorry! I'll... I'll wash these myself!"
Akari burst into laughter seeing Makoto's panicked reaction. "Aizawa-kun, why are you so embarrassed? From now on we're close neighbors—we should be open with each other!"
"N-no way!" Makoto mumbled while clutching his underwear tightly. "There are things that must remain private!"
"Hehhhhh~" Akari teased with a mischievous grin. "Don't tell me some of them have anime characters on them?"
"THERE AREN'T ANY!" Makoto shouted reflexively, which only made Akari laugh even harder.
Reina observed their interaction with an unreadable expression, though the corner of her mouth lifted slightly—almost like a faint smile.
"Akari-sama, don't tease Aizawa-kun too much," Reina scolded while continuing her work.
"Eh, but it's funny!" Akari was still laughing. "His reaction is exactly like when we got caught playing in the river by his parents!"
Makoto paused for a moment hearing Akari's comment. There was a brief flash in his mind—children playing in water, sounds of laughter, and the fear of being caught...
"Ah!" Makoto suddenly stood up.
"I'll step out for a bit! Going to buy some snacks for you two. Consider it a thank you for helping."
"Eh? But—" Akari couldn't finish her sentence because Makoto had already hurried out, still carrying his underwear.
The sound of the apartment door closing left Akari and Reina alone in the messy room.
A moment of silence enveloped them before Akari let out a long sigh.
"He really hasn't changed at all, has he," Akari murmured while sitting on the small sofa.
"Still easily panicked, still easily embarrassed, and still..."
"Still always running away when situations become awkward," Reina continued while neatly folding clothes.
"Just like when he used to be asked about his feelings for Akari-sama."
Akari smiled gently, but there was a hint of sadness in her eyes. "Do you remember how he always said he'd protect us?"
"But when that incident happened... I really..."
"Enough, Akari-sama. Don't think about it again."
"We should focus on becoming part of Aizawa-kun's new life. Everything will be fine."
"Yes, I know. We owe him so much."
"Maybe it was too painful for him then," Reina paused her activity for a moment.
"Aizawa-kun was always like that—choosing to avoid rather than face something difficult."
"And now he doesn't even remember us at all..." Akari lowered her head.
Reina walked over to Akari and sat beside her. "Akari-sama, maybe this is our chance to start over. Without the burden of the past."
"But I want him to remember, Reina-chan," Akari whispered. "I want him to remember all his promises, all our adventures, all..."
"All the feelings you once shared?" Reina asked gently.
Akari nodded slowly. "I've thought about it for years, Reina-chan. And after finally meeting him again here, he's like a complete stranger."
Reina reached out and gently patted Akari's shoulder. "Memories can disappear, Akari-sama. But feelings... genuine feelings usually remain somewhere in the heart."
"We just need to help him find his way back."
Akari lifted her head and looked at Reina. "You're right. Besides, even when he doesn't remember who we are, he still invited us in, still worried about troubling us."
"His heart is still as kind as before," Reina agreed. "And his reaction earlier... very similar to the old Aizawa-kun."
They both fell silent for a moment, each lost in their memories of a boy who had once been the center of their small world.
"Reina-chan," Akari said while standing and rolling up her sleeves.
"Let's make this apartment perfectly clean. If Makoto-kun wants to start a new life, at least his environment should be supportive."
Reina smiled faintly—an expression rarely seen on her face. "Very well, Akari-sama. Let's show him that some things never change."
"Including us always being there for him," Akari added with renewed spirit.
And with strong determination, the two old friends began transforming Makoto's chaotic apartment into a livable space, hoping that in the process, they could also help Makoto rediscover the part of himself that was lost.