I'm a college student living alone. I've been bedridden for three days with a cold and feeling terrible. My girlfriend offered to come take care of me, but I refused, worried she might catch it. I hadn't eaten properly or taken a bath in days. Then, my childhood friend Karin showed up at my place. She said my mother had contacted her and asked her to come check on me. Karin and I had been close since we were kids. We both moved from our hometown to Tokyo around the same time, but after that, we each got into relationships and barely spoke—this was the first time we'd seen each other in Tokyo. Our reunion came completely out of the blue.