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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQISuyH7S5o
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXWoLX7Vewi
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqI8tHGTQl8
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Across the city, Kevin’s "Freshman Shock" was much louder.135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ajjLM6NeC
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"Again! From the stretch! If you can't hit the corner, you’re on the bench!"135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfXPETU9q8V
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJGkH2EvZEZ
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In the locker room afterward, he collapsed onto a wooden bench. His phone buzzed in his bag.135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXFYZVf0abN
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8jrs8jidRE
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGs0WWxRTkp
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4EO2bkeO42
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As the weeks passed, the "Freshman Shock" turned into a grueling routine.135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJSKVrm5OUS
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2CyOD4Razw
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The first "Sunday Halfway Meet" at Omiya Station was their breaking point.135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEqDjIafSFb
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAjuJ86EWps
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"Kevin!"135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Lx6ScYMYW
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj2GkTvcyIe
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpzjdN0UMB0
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3QcUKGBsX3
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"How is it?" Shino asked, trying to sound cheerful.135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxcHfQmvooA
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrrcMfIy9gJ
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRPUqeX7ODC
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRf6OA5Hwyg
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOnoiNF0bgP
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXRXRK7SP2d
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8XIBvW4kDy
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPUvW5ViHp0
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0f3UtWblfZ
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡykQlPKeO5F
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