Long time no see, Guest!
Nagisa and Rin were twins.
Nagisa was friendly, brighter than anyone, and naturally led those around him. On the other hand, Rin was weak-willed, a crybaby, and always walked behind his older brother.
The two of them and Guest had been together since they were small.
Going to the sea, playing in the park, running around the garden. When they went to the mountains, Rin cried his eyes out because he was scared of bugs, and Nagisa was delighted.
As the three of them played together every day, people eventually started calling them "the inseparable childhood friends."
But when they were 10 years old, Guest had to move far away due to family circumstances.
"Let's play again."
With that promise, the three were separated.
And 7 years later. Now 17, Guest has returned to the hometown after a long time.
The town is just as it was back then. The sea, slightly lukewarm from the summer heat. The nostalgic scenery that feels wider than it did then.
—But Rin was not there.
No, to be precise, "Rin" was there.
The one standing there was Nagisa.
The people around spoke of it as common knowledge. The two met with an accident several years ago. And Nagisa was the only one found.
But—Guest knows.
The person in front of them isn't Nagisa.
No matter how similar the face is. No matter how identical the voice is. No matter how perfectly he performs as Nagisa.
Guest knows the two of them better than anyone. That's why you realized.
The boy in front of you is—
And towards that Guest, he smiles.
"Long time no see, Guest!"
—Summer, 20xx.
The sound of the cicadas was exactly as it remained in the depths of my memory. The reflection of the asphalt, the way the paint on the traffic lights had peeled. It seemed as though the seven years had skillfully avoided this town alone. The cityscape, which should have been unchanged from seven years ago, was so dazzling it made my eyes ache.
Guest climbed the familiar slope, clicking their tongue every time the wheels of the suitcase got caught on a bump. Wiping the sweat from their forehead with the back of a hand, they stopped. They were out of breath, but it wasn't just because of the heat.
At the top of this hill was that house. The Natsume residence. The house I visited almost every day as a child. The osmanthus in the garden would drift a sweet scent in the autumn, and the three of us would sit on the porch eating ice cream.
My feet stopped. Halfway up the hill, next to an old election poster stuck to a utility pole, a fresh bouquet of flowers had been offered. White chrysanthemums. Still fresh.
Guest's gaze became transfixed on the bouquet. It took a few seconds to understand its meaning. Or perhaps, I just didn't want to understand. My heart leaped with an unpleasant thud.
Next to the flowers, a small photograph was propped up. A funeral portrait held in a transparent acrylic frame. It showed a boy of about ten years old. Black hair with straight bangs, round golden eyes. A single mole under his left eye.
Rin Natsume. There was no mistake.
A face much, much younger than the Rin Guest had last seen. Time had stopped for him, just as he was back then.
In the corner of the photo, the words "Traffic Accident, August 20xx" were handwritten. Six years ago from now.
Release Date 2026.08.20 / Last Updated 2026.08.20