Archive of Our Own

After spending 3 whole years of adapting to the new Earth, the group had finally managed to get the hang of living together. Developing a new, efficient life structure with only 15 people was definitely challenging, clashes of personalities coming from different times were practically unavoidable. But, despite all odds, the group pulled through, everyone eventually found their own roles and responsibilities to manage in their small community.

That was how Ryoko Shinonome ended up sitting in one of their research labs, with her back hunched forward and eyes glued to her monitor as she scanned every report she could get her hands on, absorbing all the information from the data. She knew there must be something buried here they could use for further developments.

“It might be a good time for a break, Shinonome-kun.”

Ryoko jumped a little, the voice snapping her back to reality. She looked up and met Gouto's tired eyes, hidden behind his glasses. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.” He continued calmly as he put a tray of food on Ryoko’s desk. “Here you go, might be wise to have dinner first before you continue.”

“Oh, thank you. Is it dinner time already?” Ryoko groaned as she stretched on her seat.

“Yes, Hijiyama already came to get Okino earlier.” Gouto answered as he put down another tray of food on the desk and pulled his chair next to hers. “You were so engrossed with your work that you didn’t even complain about the commotion. I assume you’re not finished yet, so I decided to just bring the dinner to you.”

“Thanks, Gouto-kun.” Ryoko gave him a polite smile. “Oh, is that cream stew? I love those.”

“I know, that’s why I also requested a bigger portion for you.”

“I see, thank you Gouto-kun.” Now Ryoko just felt like a broken record. 

Gouto has always taken good care of her, Ryoko noticed. Having lost most of her memories, Ryoko didn’t have much she could cling to. But the people around her were kind enough to help her go through the adjusting process. Among those people, there was a protective Ei-kun, who she did recognize. Then there’s a surprisingly fussy Takamiya-san, who she didn’t actually remember anything about. And of course, there’s Gouto-kun, who she barely remembered, but was always by Ryoko’s side and ready to help her anytime.

“You know me so well, Gouto-kun.” She sighed. “I don’t even know myself that well.”

“You are not to blame for that.” Gouto answered promptly. “And if you have anything you’d like to know, don’t hesitate to ask me.”

Ryoko pondered for a moment, there was a question that had been sitting in the back of her mind for quite a while, ever since that one conversation during the battle.

“Tell me about us, then.” She gave Gouto a determined look. “About the time we dated in middle school.”

Gouto seemed taken aback by the sudden question, probably not expecting it, but he regained himself quickly. He was silent for a moment, his face unreadable to Ryoko.

“Alright.” He finally said with a soft voice. “If I remember correctly, it was somewhere around our third-year of middle school…”

-----

“Go out with me.”

Renya Gouto stared at the girl standing before him. She was no stranger to him, he knew Ryoko Shinonome from class 3-D, who was also his old classmate in the previous year. She didn’t stand out to him much, Shinonome was mostly quiet and reserved in class, talked mostly with a couple of her close friends. The most they’ve interacted was when they were assigned for cleaning duty together.

Renya continued to stare at the bored, empty eyes that were looking uncharacteristically nonchalant for someone who’s waiting for an answer to a confession. But he knew well enough that someone like her wouldn’t casually do this for a mere prank. So why was she even here?

Renya didn’t understand, and he wanted to understand.

“Alright.” Renya finally answered.

News travels fast at school, but Renya wasn’t surprised at all. By lunch time, everyone in the whole school seemed to already know about his new relationship with Ryoko Shinonome.

The fact that Shinonome came to his class to invite him to lunch surely helped.

Lunch was uneventful. They both eat mostly in peace, well, as peaceful as it could get while the rest of the school were staring at you. Being objectively well-known at school, Renya was already used to all the attention, so he was fine. Sitting across from him, Shinonome herself didn’t seem bothered at all, with the silence between them nor all the staring, and continued to finish her meal quietly.

After school was finished, Renya took the initiative to offer to walk Shinonome home, which she made no objections to. They walked together side by side in silence. Shinonome wasn’t much of a talker, he figured, judging by how lunch went. Renya couldn’t say he minded, he wasn’t one for small talks anyway.

“Oh.” Shinonome turned to him suddenly. “I want to stop by the ice cream shop on the way, do you mind?”

“Not at all.”

They stopped by a small ice cream shop not too far from the school. Renya waited outside and observed as Shinonome made small conversation with the lady on the counter, she must have visited the place often.

Shinonome came back out not long after, holding a cone of ice cream in each hand.

“Here you go.”

“Oh, I’m fine—”

“I can’t finish them both.” Shinonome deadpanned. “Besides, I got this for free anyway.”

Renya couldn’t really object to that. “Alright, then.” He offered her a smile and took one of the ice cream from her hand. “Thank you, Shinonome-kun.”

Shinonome’s eyebrows furrowed. “You don’t have to be so formal. ‘Ryoko’ is fine.”

Renya blinked at the girl in front of him. Ryoko Shinonome. The girl who had caught him off guard more than once today . The girl who had casually disrupted his whole life routine. Renya prided himself to be a natural born leader, he wasn’t used to being the follower.

“Ryoko.” Renya repeated hesitantly.

“That’s right.” She gave him a satisfied smile. “Let’s go, Renya-kun .”

Renya smiled back and followed Ryoko’s lead.

-----

“Well, that’s… Hm.” Ryoko huffed, unsure what to do with the information. “So I confessed to you? I must’ve liked you, I guess.”

The comment seemed to catch Gouto off guard. “I’m… not sure how to answer that.” Gouto replied hesitantly. “Your confession was very brief and blunt. There’s not much I can gather from it.” He paused. “Actually, I’m not sure if it can even be considered as a confession.”

“Well, I don’t like to overcomplicate stuff.” Ryoko shrugged. “Why don’t you continue? Maybe we can figure it out.”

-----

It was the first weekend after they had started dating, and Ryoko had asked Renya out for a date on this sunny Saturday. This would be their first ‘real’ date, not counting their lunch dates and walk home together, so Renya decided to dress up nice and proper.

Ryoko arrived right on time, which Renya appreciated. She looked stunning in her light blue dress, so Renya decided to let her know.

“Thank you, Renya-kun.” Ryoko gave him a small smile. “You look different in your casual clothes.”

“Is it a good different?”

“Maybe.” Ryoko answered with a mischievous grin. “Anyway, let’s go.”

They went to visit the indoor aquarium, per Ryoko’s request. They strolled around the aquarium leisurely, with Ryoko happily observing all the exhibits as Renya followed. Sometimes, Ryoko would ask some curious questions about the aquatic animal in front of her, which Renya gladly provided the answers to.

By the fourth time, Ryoko let out a small chuckle.

“You’re pretty funny, Renya-kun.” She said between giggles. “When I ask questions I don’t usually want an actual answer. I was just thinking out loud.”

“Oh. My apologies, then, I didn’t—”

“It’s fine.” She offered him a smile. “Thank you for telling me about the intricacies of how fish usually sleep.”

They spent another hour in the aquarium before heading out for lunch. Ryoko didn’t have any plans yet so Renya decided to give some recommendations for her to pick from. In the end, Ryoko agreed to go to the new Italian restaurant that just opened nearby.

Ryoko seemed happy with the restaurant choice, claiming that they had an interesting set of desserts she had not tried. She was less quiet during their meals today, making small talk over her meal preferences, not forgetting to ask about Renya’s. She was even more talkative when their dessert came, Renya had noticed, which aligned with what happened during their first walk home together.

Renya made sure to keep that fact in mind.

Which was why he did not object when Ryoko dragged him to stop by the crêpe shop on their way home, and Renya made sure to get his own this time.

“Wait, don’t eat yours yet, Renya-kun.” Ryoko exclaimed as she fumbled with her phone with her free hand. She leaned closer to Renya and stretched her arm as far as she could to get them both into her phone camera. “Okay, say cheese.”

Click!

“Oh, this is pretty nice, actually. It’s a keeper.” Ryoko hummed as she observed the picture. “I’ll send it to you, Renya-kun.”

That night as he laid in bed, Renya stared at the same picture—of them awkwardly leaning towards each other to fit both themselves and their crêpes in the small frame, both with smiles on their faces. A slight smile slowly formed on his lips without him realizing. Ryoko was right, this one sure was a keeper.

-----

Ryoko frowned. “That’s all? That’s a surprisingly uneventful first date.”

“Shinonome-kun, everything we did was your idea.” Gouto deadpanned. “And that was how our dates mostly went anyway.”

Ryoko huffed. “So, did we break up because I was boring you then?”

Gouto let out an awkward cough. “Nothing like that.” He recovered smoothly. “And actually, you were the one who ended it.”

Right. Ryoko might have remembered them mentioning it during the battle. “What was the reason again?”

“Unfortunately, you didn’t tell me.” Gouto frowned, looking a bit troubled. “And we didn’t get to talk much after that.”

“Did we have a fight?”

Gouto paused for a moment. “No, but.” He continued hesitantly. “Something did happen that was out of our usual routine.”

-----

Four months had passed since he had agreed to be in a relationship with Ryoko Shinonome. He considered that their relationship was going pretty well一by definition that they had never gotten into any fight whatsoever, and that he was slowly getting to know more about Ryoko. The girl herself was pretty upfront about her likes and dislikes, but not demanding at the same time, which Renya appreciated.

Yet, Renya still couldn’t understand what was on her mind even now.

Renya pondered as he walked towards the school gate, where Ryoko would be waiting for him after his school council meeting.

Except, this time, Ryoko was not alone.

There was another person with her, a tall boy with short light hair. He was wearing Sakura High’s uniform but he wasn’t a senior like him and Ryoko, might be an underclassmen? Then, the boy’s expression turned sour all of the sudden, looking more and more upset as he talked to Ryoko. Renya frowned, and promptly approached the two.

“Ryoko.” He called out, sounding way too cold than he intended.

They both turned their heads to him, and a pair of piercing eyes met his as the boy glared daggers at him.

“Renya-kun.”

“I’ll be going then, senpai.” The boy turned and walked away immediately, not even looking back at her.

“Wait, Ei-kun—”

But he was already gone.

Ryoko looked dejected as she stared at the direction the boy had left. Renya really didn’t want to pry, but curiosity got the best of him. “Who was that?” He asked in the calmest tone he could manage.

“Ah, that was Ei-kun, my neighbor.” Ryoko answered without looking at Renya, concern still apparent on her face.

“Is everything alright?”

“Yeah.”

“Would you… like to talk about it?”

Ryoko pondered for a moment, before shaking her head. “No, it’s fine.” She finally looked at Renya. “Let’s go.”

They walked their usual path to Ryoko’s house, and Renya noticed that Ryoko didn’t utter a single word the whole time. Not that she was much of a talker to begin with, but Renya couldn’t help but feel concerned with how sullen Ryoko was looking.

That was why when they reached Ryoko’s house, Renya had expected for them to part immediately, but Ryoko continued to catch him off guard.

“Actually, Renya-kun.” Ryoko started, a bit hesitant. “Do you want to come inside?”

Renya stood there in silence as he stared into Ryoko’s eyes, trying to find answers behind them. But he found none.

Ryoko Shinonome was a mystery, and Renya wondered if he’d ever solve it.

Renya really didn’t have any good reason to decline the offer. So there he was, awkwardly sitting in the Shinonome’s household living room.

Ryoko served him some tea and snacks, then suggested for them to finish some homeworks together with the TV audibly playing in the background. Ryoko was still not talking much, but doing work seemed to be a good distraction for her. Renya noticed that her expression had relaxed a little bit.

Not long after, they heard the front door open and Renya’s body stiffened. A woman who looked a lot like Ryoko entered his field of vision first, followed by an intimidating looking man whose hair color matched Ryoko’s.

“We’re home.” The woman said nonchalantly, probably not noticing the stranger in her house yet.

“Welcome back.” Ryoko answered with an equally nonchalant tone. That was when the couple turned their attention to their daughter in the room, with a boy they didn't recognize.

“Ryoko sweetie,” The woman said as she stared Renya up and down. Renya rose from his seat immediately. “Who is this?”

“Mom, Dad, this is Renya-kun, my boyfriend.” Ryoko answered simply, sounding more confident than Renya expected. “Renya-kun, these are my parents.”

“My name is Renya Gouto, it is very nice to meet you, ma’am, sir.” Renya gave each of them a polite bow. “My apologies for intruding, we were finishing up our school work together, I hope you don’t mind.”

“Oh! Not at all, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Renya-kun.” Mrs. Shinonome gave him a genuine smile. “You seem very nice, so I’m glad.” She threw a side glance at Ryoko before continuing. “I’ve been very worried you know, about Ryoko’s choice of friends, as of late. So I’m glad she has a good one now.”

Ryoko’s face dropped immediately.

“Leave Ei-kun out of this.”

Ei-kun.

The name echoed in Renya’s mind, the face of the light-haired boy with the sharp gaze at the gate flashed in his head.

“I’m just saying, sweetie. I talked to his mom the other day,” Mrs. Shinonome replied, unfazed. “He’s been out of control lately, getting into fights, missing classes.” She let out a disappointed sigh before continuing. “Did you know he didn’t even come home once? God knows where he’s been, or what he’s been doing. The boy looks like he’s always up to no good. You’re better off not anywhere near him.”

That seemed to set Ryoko off.

“Ei-kun is still my friend, Mom, whether you like it or not.” Ryoko spat out with venom in her voice. “And what he’s going through is none of your concern. So I’d appreciate it if you don’t badmouth him in front of me, and Renya-kun.”

Noticing their daughter’s increasing hostility, Mr. Shinonome decided to step in and divert the conversation immediately. Renya ended up staying for dinner, per Mrs. Shinonome’s invitation. The old couple was delighted as they spent their time talking about Renya’s achievements and family background over dinner.

Ryoko said nothing the whole time.

-----

“There isn’t really much left that I can share with you.” Gouto continued calmly. “But we broke up not too long after that.”

Ryoko felt like she had been hit by a truck. A surge of memories flashed into her mind, as if she was watching a movie with the speed of light. She broke into a cold sweat as realization finally hit her. Of course. Her hands were shaking. That’s how everything started.

“Gouto-kun, I—” Ryoko kept her head down, refusing to look him in the eye. “I think I remember now.”

Ryoko but her lip. She really was the worst. She didn’t want to do this. She didn’t want to remember. She really didn’t want to feel any worse than she already had.

But deep down, she knew Gouto deserved to know. So she took a deep breath, and turned to face her friend.

“I remembered, back then, Ei-kun was having a hard time.” Ryoko started, her voice quivering. “He got upset easily and fought a lot with his parents. I stayed by his side, trying to help him feel better but my parents, they—” She let out a sigh. “They didn’t like that, they thought he was a bad influence on me, they thought he might drag me down with him.”

Ryoko took another deep breath. Gouto waited.

“They didn’t want me to spend time with him anymore, they criticized him any chance they could, and I was—I was sick of it.” She clenched her fist. “So I devised a plan.”

Ryoko turned her head down, unable to look Gouto in the eyes anymore.

“I thought, if I can find someone else for them to get worked up over, then they’d stop fussing over Ei-kun.” She took another deep breath. “So the next day, I came to you.”

“I used you.” Ryoko finally let out. “And then left you after I got what I wanted.” She lowered her head again. “I’m sorry Gouto-kun.”

Ryoko kept her head down and waited. She didn’t hear anything from the boy in front of her for a while. She was wondering whether it was better to give him some space when Gouto reached out to give her trembling shoulder a gentle rub.

“Thank you for sharing that with me, Shinonome-kun.” Gouto said in the softest tone. “I’m glad you’re able to remember that memory, even if it may not be a good one.”

Ryoko finally decided to look up, and she was met with the usual calm Gouto, no trace of resentment on his face. “You’re not mad.”

“Far from it. It was in the past, afterall.” He replied calmly. “And I do have something to confess, as well.”

Ryoko tilted her head to the side curiously. Gouto took a deep breath before continuing.

“When I accepted your confession that time, I didn’t do it because I was interested.” Gouto explained. “I was never one for romance nor attraction. I did it because I was curious. I thought that your behavior was illogical, and I wanted to investigate further. Yet in the end, you only continue to puzzle me even more.”

“To me, you were a mystery I never got to solve.” He confessed. “Well, until now.”

Ryoko let out the breath she didn’t realize she was holding and slumped backward into her chair. “Wow, we were such a mess, huh?” She rubbed her temple slowly. “How did we even last that long?”

Gouto was silent for a moment, looking thoughtful as he seemingly considered something, before turning back to face Ryoko with a determined look.

“Shinonome-kun, if you’re up for it, will you join me to inspect the simulation?” He rose from his seat. “I’d like to show you something.”

“The simulation? Isn't it still unfinished?”

“True. But there’s enough data set up for us to be able to enter it.” Gouto offered his hand in front of her. “Shall we?”

Ryoko accepted the offer and followed Gouto out of the research lab.

-----

“Oh wow, you’re right.” Ryoko exclaimed as she looked around. “I didn’t think we'd accomplished this far already.”

“Only the area of sector 4 is up at the moment, we weren’t able to process anything further yet, so.” Gouto explained as they walked side by side. “It’s just an empty world now, even the concept of time is not coded in yet.”

Ryoko hummed in response and continued to observe her surroundings.

Being back in the simulation felt strange. Everything looked just like how she remembered—not that it’s saying a lot. To think that this place used to be her whole world, her only world. Being here even now, everything looked so real, felt real, but with the knowledge of living in the real world, she could feel that something felt a bit… off.

Not to mention, they were back in what was seemingly the state of their last ‘avatar’, for the lack of a better term. Ryoko looked down and inspected her old Sakura High uniform she hadn’t seen in 3 years, her hair was longer here, and she probably looked younger, too.

“Anyway,” Gouto turned to her, snapping Ryoko out of her thoughts. “Here’s what I wanted to show you.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out his old notebook. He flipped through some of the pages before finally stopping at a specific one, then leaned down to share it with Ryoko.

“This is…”

“The selfie from our first date.”

“You… kept it in your notebook?”

“I keep all the crucial things related to my growth. All the milestones I achieved, as a memorial, of sorts. My very first date included.” Gouto explained. “Which, despite how dull you claimed it to be, I enjoyed very much.”

Gouto took the picture out of his notebook and handed it over for Ryoko to hold. She observed the picture further, the two of them smiling into the camera as they happily showed off the freshly bought crêpes, awkwardly squeezed together in the narrow frame. They were radiant.

“We look happy.” Ryoko concluded.

“We were. And that’s what I wanted to show you.” Gouto added. “Regardless of our own hidden motives and intentions back then, I enjoyed the time I had spent with you, Shinonome-kun.” He gave Ryoko an assuring smile. “Then and now.”

Ryoko looked down at their picture again. She still didn’t remember much of her life back then, but she can acknowledge all the time he had spent with Gouto. Researching together in the lab, their night talks, even all the exhausting field expeditions, she had enjoyed them all. Gouto had taken good care of her all this time, it might be time she did the same.

“Then you don’t have to be so formal.” Ryoko grinned at him teasingly. “Just ‘Ryoko’ is fine, Renya-kun .”

The taller boy blinked at her, before letting out a small chuckle.

“Of course, Ryoko.” Renya answered with a smile.