Ken followed Ai's figure out of the house, passing by Naomi who sent him a wink from behind the counter. Her expression was one filled with expectation, at least from his perspective.
It was only now that he remembered both Naomi and his mother had been conspiring to get him and Ai together since the beginning.
However, he couldn't be bothered to think about this right now. He continued out the door and onto the street, eventually following beside Ai along the road.
The two walked in silence for a while with only the call of the cicada's chirping in their ears and their footfalls hitting the pavement.
Despite Ai not talking, Ken felt no anxiety in that moment. In fact, he didn't feel like he had to fill the silence with chatter, he merely walked beside the woman he'd chased for so long in his previous life.
No, that was wrong. Ai was no longer the same person that he thought he knew back then.
