Yuto told her during a late-night call. The screen flickered with soft light, his expression calm but quietly determined.
"I've made my decision," he said. "I'm coming back to Tokyo after high school. I want to study at the University of Tokyo."
Hina sat up straighter, her heart skipping. "Wait, really? For college?"
He nodded, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Yeah. I've been planning it for a while. I just didn't want to say anything until I was sure."
She couldn't stop the grin that spread across her face. "Yuyu, that's… that's amazing."
"You're okay with it?" he asked.
"Okay with it?" she scoffed, her voice already lighting with excitement. "I'm so happy. That's the best news I've heard all week."
Yuto laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm aiming high. It won't be easy."
"You've always been the smart one," she said. "Everyone at school knew it. Quiet, top of the class, annoyingly good at everything."
"Annoyingly?"
"Yeah," she grinned. "But now I'm annoyed and motivated."
He raised an eyebrow. "Motivated?"
Hina nodded firmly. "If you're going to Todai, then… I'm going to try for it too."
Yuto blinked. "You are?"
"I want to study with you," she said. "Not just keep waiting from afar. But… I need to work harder. A lot harder."
From that day on, something shifted inside her.
******
Year 3 of high school began, and Hina became a different version of herself.
She laughed with her friends, went to archery practice, and teased her classmates. Beneath it all was a steady focus.
She started waking up earlier, staying behind in the library, filling notebooks with summaries and vocabulary lists. She carried flashcards in her pockets, solved math problems during lunch, and politely declined weekend outings.
Her friends joked, "Who are you trying to marry at Todai?"
She only smiled. But her heart whispered the answer.
No one. I'm trying to catch up to the boy who never let go of me.
Yuto kept in touch regularly. He'd check in after mock exams, send her motivational quotes on days she was overwhelmed, and even mailed her a customized pen engraved with her name.
Then, the night before the national university entrance exams, he called.
"Hina."
His voice was warm and steady, as always.
"Hmm?" she said sleepily, blinking at her desk as her final revision notes lay scattered around her.
"Don't stress tomorrow," he said gently. "You've done more than enough. Trust yourself."
"I'm nervous," she admitted.
"Good. That means you care," he said. "But just breathe. Take your time. And don't forget to eat breakfast."
Hina chuckled. "You sound like my mom."
Yuto paused. Then, softer, "I'll be rooting for you… from the other side of the world."
Her heart ached a little. "That makes me feel less alone."
"You never were."
*****
The next morning, the air was crisp with early winter chill. Hina stood in her school uniform, hair neatly tied, scarf around her neck, clutching her exam slip tightly in her hand.
Ren stood beside her, tall and proud, his eyes calm but filled with quiet strength. Emi gently adjusted Hina's coat and pressed a hand to her shoulder.
"You've worked so hard," Emi said. "Now go do your best. No matter what happens, we're proud of you."
Ren placed a hand lightly on her head. "And remember to breathe, keep your feet grounded."
"I know," Hina said softly. "I will."
As she walked toward the exam hall, her steps slow but steady, she reached into her pocket and touched the pen Yuto had given her.
One breath. One step. One question at a time.
The exam hall was a sea of tension. Hina sat at her assigned desk, heart pounding in her chest as she flipped through the test booklet.
Yuto's words echoed in her mind.
Breathe. Trust yourself.
She gripped her pen tighter, took one deep breath, and began.
The hours blurred. Math questions, essays, comprehension passages, problem solving—it all tumbled one after another. By the time she walked out into the cold afternoon sun, her head was buzzing and her legs felt like lead.
But she had done it. She had given everything she had.
******
The weeks that followed felt longer than anything Hina had ever endured.
Friends gossiped nervously. Teachers handed back practice tests and gave speeches about "effort being more important than results."
Hina kept her head down. She studied a little more. Practiced archery after school. Emailed Yuto once in a while, short updates that read more like diary entries than conversations.
And then, one morning, the announcement came.
Results were posted online.
Hina stared at the login screen on her phone, thumb hovering above the button. Her heart hammered against her ribs.
What if I didn't make it? What if I'm not good enough?
Her hands were cold. She almost wanted to throw her phone across the room.
"Hina?" Emi knocked softly at her door. "Do you want me to wait with you?"
Hina hesitated, then opened the door, biting her lip.
"Okay," she said. "Please."
They sat together on her bed. Emi squeezed her hand gently.
Hina closed her eyes—and tapped the screen.
The page loaded. Her breath caught.
There it was.
Next to her exam ID number.
A single word.
Passed.
She gasped. A choked sound escaped her lips, and before she could even blink, Emi pulled her into a hug.
"You did it!" her mother whispered fiercely. "You really did it, sweetheart!"
Hina clutched Emi tightly, tears prickling her eyes.
"I… I got in…" she whispered, disbelieving. "I really got in…"
"University of Tokyo," Emi said proudly, brushing her daughter's hair back. "You're going to stand right beside him after all."
Hina laughed through her tears. "Yeah. I am."
Her phone buzzed just then—a message from Yuto.
Yuto: "Checking every ten seconds. How did it go?"
With shaking fingers, Hina typed back:
Hina: "I passed. I'm coming to Todai."
The reply came almost instantly.
Yuto: "I knew you would. I'm proud of you, Hina."
Yuto: "I'll see you soon."
Her heart swelled until she thought it might burst.
For the first time in years, the dream they had both chased through distance, loneliness, and time was finally close enough to touch.
And somewhere across the world, under the same sky, Yuto smiled too.