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The reality of college didn't hit Shino until she was standing in the middle of a crowded campus plaza, surrounded by thousands of people, and felt completely, utterly invisible.131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY7fLdonGCr
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At Sakuragi High, she was "Shino, the girl who always has a book." Here, she was just Student #41092.131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVWR0Ks9zNf
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Her dorm room was cramped and smelled faintly of floor wax and her roommate’s citrus perfume. But the worst part was the silence. For eighteen years, the background noise of her life had been the sound of a baseball hitting a glove in the yard next door. Now, there was only the hum of a communal refrigerator.131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCKPoE95hoc
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Across the city, Kevin’s "Freshman Shock" was much louder.131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc0MPnIFGGo
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"Again! From the stretch! If you can't hit the corner, you’re on the bench!"131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXLB53xSJkw
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The shout of the head coach echoed across the university diamond. Kevin’s arm felt like it was made of lead. He had arrived thinking he was a star; he quickly learned he was just another freshman with a decent fastball and a lot to learn.131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIFGRaWc26l
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In the locker room afterward, he collapsed onto a wooden bench. His phone buzzed in his bag.131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNIJznBiTqP
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Shino [6:14 PM]: Found the library. It has six floors. I think I’m intimidated by a building.131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡchziFiyikn
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Kevin smiled, his thumb hovering over the screen. His teammates were shouting, snapping towels, and planning to hit a local bar.131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxGpN9ajWfP
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Kevin [6:16 PM]: Show that building who’s boss, Shin-chan. I just got yelled at for forty minutes because my slider didn't slide. My arm feels like a noodle. A non-delicious, non-ramen noodle.131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTaCWmCUHOk
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As the weeks passed, the "Freshman Shock" turned into a grueling routine.131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpLwS1I77q1
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Shino’s professors expected her to read three novels a week. She spent her nights under a dim desk lamp, her eyes aching behind her glasses. She’d look at her phone, hoping for a call, only to see a text from Kevin: Extra practice tonight. Coach is riding us hard. Call you tomorrow?131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4zCGIlG8cX
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The first "Sunday Halfway Meet" at Omiya Station was their breaking point.131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwh2FSp1Ymb
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Shino stood by the ticket gates, her heart racing as she scanned the crowd. When she saw him, she almost didn't recognize him. He looked thinner, his skin tanned several shades darker from the sun, and there were dark circles under his eyes.131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnzhImFjvfG
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"Kevin!"131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCgyq7dZ4AK
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He saw her and his whole face transformed. He didn't care about the crowded station; he pulled her into a hug that smelled like the outdoors and exhaustion.131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ8g0WhS1q3
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"You're here," he breathed into her hair. "I thought I wasn't going to make the 5:15 train."131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Z4UjVZwNb
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They found the ramen shop he had promised. It was a tiny, standing-room-only stall—not like the cozy booths back home. They stood shoulder-to-shoulder, slurping their noodles in a rush because they only had forty minutes before the return trains departed.131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkPeTEihwro
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"How is it?" Shino asked, trying to sound cheerful.131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡThtVJznpGJ
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Kevin looked at his bowl, then at her. "The broth is too salty. The noodles are overcooked. And I have to leave in twenty minutes."131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhRVnWFs3Iu
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The honesty hit Shino like a physical blow. The fantasy of "perfect college love" was crumbling under the weight of real-life logistics.131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTb1cOv42Ma
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"I missed a lecture yesterday because I was waiting for your call," Shino admitted, her voice trembling. "I’m falling behind, Kevin. I spend all day thinking about when we can talk instead of focusing on my classes."131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGLUzsGwTpq
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Kevin put his chopsticks down. "I almost walked off the field today because I just wanted to get on the train and come find you. This is harder than I thought it would be."131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5do0XcxJzG
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They stood there in the middle of a bustling train station, two teenagers realizing that love wasn't just a feeling—it was a resource that was being drained by the distance.131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqw38jd0KSp
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"We have to be stronger than the shock," Kevin said, grabbing her hand under the counter. "The first month is the hardest. Everyone says so. We just... we have to find a new rhythm."131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDSB0Fe3rgq
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As the overhead speakers announced the departure for the northbound line, Kevin gave her a quick, desperate kiss. "Go. You’ll miss your train."131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoAIpVqz0wd
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Shino watched him disappear into the crowd toward the southbound platform. She didn't feel like a character in a romance novel anymore. She felt like a soldier in a long-distance war.131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3aHpOy4SPh
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She walked onto her train, opened her heavy Literature textbook, and started to read. She had to grow up. They both did. Because if they didn't, the distance would eat them alive.131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqjIrMHY0V3
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