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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.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7AY9JqxRkT
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At Sakuragi High, she was "Shino, the girl who always has a book." Here, she was just Student #41092.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa983BqhKUt
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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.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJZw4YJFnDA
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Across the city, Kevin’s "Freshman Shock" was much louder.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyC8vzNRBnl
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"Again! From the stretch! If you can't hit the corner, you’re on the bench!"132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8TY74OCeCf
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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.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8SSTxHwlY0
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In the locker room afterward, he collapsed onto a wooden bench. His phone buzzed in his bag.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0AF4X6zL95
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Shino [6:14 PM]: Found the library. It has six floors. I think I’m intimidated by a building.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfOnKJCQIlK
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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.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrs5ixYUJ6m
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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.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8eJ5m8KNNz
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As the weeks passed, the "Freshman Shock" turned into a grueling routine.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡni71v3OI9t
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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?132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqwA2LbzLsm
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The first "Sunday Halfway Meet" at Omiya Station was their breaking point.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe0u9VKJgG1
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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.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjr44brybbi
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"Kevin!"132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI0GkKgFL3b
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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.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrdartBVLws
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"You're here," he breathed into her hair. "I thought I wasn't going to make the 5:15 train."132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB4DTew2LEK
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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.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwNSDRjIkGS
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"How is it?" Shino asked, trying to sound cheerful.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAs0LOEVGml
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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."132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTCbnn5kHNd
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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.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMU2EfOxMYX
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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."132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1VuJSHPKLj
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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."132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzVlGCakwoL
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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.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4WwYxE7Cod
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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."132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiXn5Es7tpF
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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."132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtBcmFLp7D6
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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.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUGoPDwcosD
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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.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTOqA3KGGvW
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