rld. The streets of Kyoto bustled in that uniquely quiet Japanese way people moving quickly but politely, voices low, bikes weaving through narrow la

milk boba, one earbud dangling from his hoodie and his hair shoved under

who forgot what trash t

hrift store's matrix," Noelle

we commit tru

's legs carried her toward Gion, her senses already attuned to the comforting smell of soy glaze, fried batter, and incense f

re," she said as they passed a r

pioca pearl into his mouth. "Ju

ned. "Ev

rom Hana you skipped t

" she c

etting

pro

m n

nto him lightly. "You don

nated dumb friend, I need you to succeed just

," she

apron who always recognized Noelle by sight. His smile was warm and deep-

again?" he ask

with a soft smile, h

aper and handed them over. "You

hock. "Is it

en they did the same thing." He w

e and whispered,

s ei

deeply proble

ley and a shrine wall. Gabe sprawled out, and Noelle perched

ng thing?" Gabe asked after a whil

everyone obsessed with

A looks like a d

him yet. Some guy whose mom runs a tea house and probably p

He sound

y. I'm

eryone who's good at school is soulless. Maybe he's just one of those

oddly sp

ject

igures standing apart under a string of festival lanterns. She didn't know why she was d

e said after a while. "I just

yours. The classes, the chaos, the screw-ups own

idn't

hem. Somewhere, a wind c