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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.135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvH2eepu1E0
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At Sakuragi High, she was "Shino, the girl who always has a book." Here, she was just Student #41092.135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTCgJqnVQv6
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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.135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPaTwQkoW61
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Across the city, Kevin’s "Freshman Shock" was much louder.135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1awP4liVAw
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"Again! From the stretch! If you can't hit the corner, you’re on the bench!"135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuG2gk8Gcrb
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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.135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvO0K802XSo
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In the locker room afterward, he collapsed onto a wooden bench. His phone buzzed in his bag.135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4h0OAab0fI
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Shino [6:14 PM]: Found the library. It has six floors. I think I’m intimidated by a building.135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQw7cx5LiDA
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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.135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcLpxD12090
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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.135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMXceSwPb22
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As the weeks passed, the "Freshman Shock" turned into a grueling routine.135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcY8RbtChKj
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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?135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDgfy6ynGyU
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The first "Sunday Halfway Meet" at Omiya Station was their breaking point.135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJgaqjnXPf8
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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.135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGx8uSIU68L
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"Kevin!"135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXw2eC8uEkO
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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.135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVneqGi70yr
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"You're here," he breathed into her hair. "I thought I wasn't going to make the 5:15 train."135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJpwx6XSkYq
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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.135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj0XftILjeP
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"How is it?" Shino asked, trying to sound cheerful.135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKvDreiEuqP
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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."135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNQW9Yi0CXM
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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.135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqO3QmILu31
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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."135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxcmHPiyduz
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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."135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZKkhNjfIVr
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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.135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW8zV8rdO7g
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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."135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡInWrfs11kN
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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."135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBS755KndzP
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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.135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqhCcjOLhBE
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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.135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxNP6s8rpoO
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