It had been a long time since he saw Yuna. So long ago, in fact, that he didn't even remember the exact date that they last spoke.
He didn't even know when or why she left. He didn't get a letter or anything. One second she was there, and the next, she was gone.
Sure, both of them had become busy these last few months. He had to establish the Reborn company in Metropolis and in New Sparta, which took up every single second of his time. Meanwhile, she had to keep up with the business of Montgomery as Arbiters.
But he would have thought that she would give him a notice at the very least. That's what friends do, he thought.
I guess that's just it. She's the Yuna Kim. and I'm just… just….
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"YUNA! YUNA! WHERE ARE YOU YUNA?!!"
"KYAAAA! I WANT TO SEE HER IN REAL LIFE!"
"I CAN'T WAIT! IN A FEW HOURS, SHE'S GOING TO BE RIGHT HERE!"
Michael ignored all of the screaming and cheering from all around him. He slammed his ears with his palms, but try as he might, he couldn't help but let his thoughts wander and get distracted.
"Urgh!" he shouted, disgruntled by all the noise.
There seemed to be a rabid fever infecting everyone in its wake, making them mindless shrieking zombies. And the worst part was that they were doing this all voluntarily. He would never understand everyone's obsession with this new idol.
He didn't know her nor would he want to. All he wanted to do now was to focus on his studies and finally get to the university that he'd been dreaming about all of his life.
After living in squalor, dressing in rags, and having nothing but a bleak and dreary future ahead of him, Michael was dead set on changing everything in his life. He didn't want to struggle for food every single day anymore. He wanted to be affluent and rich, so much so that he wouldn't even care about spending millions of dollars for something completely mundane. And this entrance test was going to be the only thing that stood in his way. It was the only obstacle to swimming in literal piles of gold. That image would have certainly entertained his father.
As long as he got over that hurdle and passed the test, he'd be able to get a job in four years time. A real job, one that paid real dollars, not some cheap change that those stringy bosses used to give him.
He'd studied real hard, spending all of his time in the public library, reading and memorizing every kind of book he could get his hands on.
He was so dedicated, in fact, that just hours from the test itself, he was still holed up in his corner of the library, cramming as much knowledge into his brain as possible.
This would give him the advantage over everyone who chose to relax, he thought. But who would have expected this little maneuver of his to backfire.
Instead of recovering his strength and sleeping before the test, he was getting bombarded with incessant screaming and shouting about an idol who didn't seem to want to appear at all!
It was not only stressing him out, but also blurring all the information in his brain.
It felt like the formulas and equations that he had written on the blackboard in his mind were suddenly getting erased by an ear-aching nail streaking across the board!
"Focus!" he reminded himself.
And in an attempt to retain all of the memory in his mind, he read through all the books he'd read before, as fast as he could.
Fortunately, it worked. He still memorized everything he needed to memorize.
Unfortunately, he lost track of time.
The loud, overbearing gong coming from outside the library immediately reminded him of the current time.
"WHAT?! IT'S 6 o'clock already?!"
His test was at 6:30. And the commute to the school lasted 30 minutes exactly. And with the way the tests were arduously constructed, with each problem needing a considerable time to calculate, losing even a minute of time could cause a person to lose a ton of points, thereby failing the exam.
"Damn it!" he cursed. He didn't want to blame those avid fans, but he was definitely late because of them.
He wouldn't have had to do extra studying if they weren't so noisy.
But it didn't matter. He could still make it as long as he rushed out of the library and got on the next bus leading to the school.
With literally no time to waste, he took his bag and ran out of the library, with his footsteps echoing through the hallways like an angry mob.
He zigzagged his way through the crowd of slow-walkers, flashing them a sorry look before running forwards in a rush.
Eventually, he caught sight of the bus stop.
And thankfully, the bus was still loading the commuters inside. But he didn't heave a sigh of relief yet. If he missed this bus, he would have to wait another thirty minutes before the next one came. And he didn't have the money for a private taxi.
If he was late to the exam by thirty minutes, he would have to kiss his engineering future goodbye.
So, he quickly picked up his pace and ran towards the bus as if his life was on the line. It was!
But in his haste, he wasn't able to see where he was headed. Or who he would run into.
He tripped on someone's leg and ran face first into the ground.
"Ow!" he groaned, wiping the blood away from his nose.
Indignant, Michael glared at the person who tripped him.
But when he saw who it was, his anger subsided.
"Oh, sorry young man. I didn't see you there."
It was an old man, wearing raggedy clothes full of grime and dirt. Around him were thousands of steaming peanuts scattered all around the floor, having been toppled down by his crash with a hasteful and inconsiderate student.
Michael felt an ache in his heart as he saw this. His mind flashed with memories of his late father.
Then, he looked back at the bus, now just about ready to close its doors.
And without a second thought, Michael turned back to the old man. "Sorry. It was my fault. Let me help you up."