---

 

Sana thought she would feel foreign in this new school, but surprisingly she didn’t feel the least out of place. She thanked her basic Korean language skills, being able to understand conversations and not worrying about communicating with her teachers and classmates. Despite that, she still feel overwhelmed to be in her class surrounded with new faces, added with the gawking stares and murmurs of everyone each time she passed by the crowd. She was in her senior year in Japan but she had to step down a year due to the different grading system and examination, as well as trying to catch up. 

She was grateful with the presence of Kim Dahyun, the junior committee and also her classmate. The girl is friendly and accommodating, trying her best to make Sana feels welcomed and comfortable. She didn’t mind the constant greetings every morning and invitation to lunch. In fact, there’s a tinge of guilt each time she turned down the latter’s offer. 

Sana isn’t ready to meet with people, knowing how effortless it is for her to feel at ease with the company of a new friend and getting herself chummy in a span of a day. She’s still feeling guilty with what happened to her two best friends, knowing full well she’s the cause of their miseries. It made her scared of doing something she can’t control, something that will jeopardize her new friendship. Sana can’t help but to reminisce the remaining days she was in Japan before deciding to move here with her mother. 

 

 It took a lot of convincing from her part, but her grandmother finally agreed to her decision to move back to South Korea. Her mother tried her best to reasoned with the old woman who was reluctant to see them leave; she had grown accustomed to their presence in the house, it will be lonely once the place is empty. She agreed on the basis that they have a better future and opportunity in Korea, under the condition that they will visit her frequently, which they settled for without a beat.

She knows her mother is still being wary of her hasty resolve and it didn’t help that her current state is not at its best. She still has three days left, and she hasn’t talk to her friends about her decision to leave, for good. She feels like it wouldn’t matter, that finally she can do something right, for the sake of their friendship. They’re not gonna miss her anyway, not Momo at least since they haven’t patch things up and the girl is too stubborn to listen to her explanation. 

It was the last day of school for the week, the place almost void of students. Sana stayed back after class ended that afternoon, taking her sweet time to reminisce about the memories she made in every nook and corner of this school. She had just barely made it through senior year, but she had to end everything before graduating. The dreams she had with her two best friends had to put to a stop today because there’s no way she would make it to graduation day with them. 

Not anymore. 

Taking a deep breath with tears welling up in her eyes, Sana took one last look on her table and made her way to the shoe locker. She made a detour to another locker, the small tag of MYOUI MINA written with perfect marksmanship of the owner’s writing. Sana was almost a fan of Mina’s handwriting, which the latter argued that hers was better. It was delicate and has a charm on its own, just like Mina. She rummaged through her sling bag for an envelope. She had purposefully waited for Mina to leave the school ground after her dance practice ended, with the intention that the girl would read the letter on Monday and spare Sana the guilt of leaving without informing them.

She had poured all her feelings and apologies into this letter, hoping Mina will forgive her for hiding about her departure tomorrow evening and everything that had happened for the past years she had known them. She closed her eyes, making a small prayer for the receiver to have good health and achieve her dreams. A sad smile formed on her face as she slipped the letter into the locker. That was the last thing she had to do, and hopefully, the right thing for Mina and Momo to mend their friendship back. 

The next day was busy for Sana and her mother. They tried their best to pack up the things they needed in a short span due to the sudden notice from Sana’s part. Her mother wasn’t that worried because they can still return to the house for the forgotten things, but it wasn’t the same for Sana. She doesn’t want to come back here, not at the moment. Maybe in the following years, when she’s finally ready. 

They had just finished putting everything in the rented van of a neighbour who gladly offered to send them to the airport when Sana heard her name being shouted from afar. She was surprised to see Mina running to her, a hand waving. The girl stopped before her, trying to catch her breath before shoving a small box to her direction. 

“How…?”

“I left my book in the classroom, and saw the letter.” Mina explained, before lightly punching the girl on her arm. “How could you, Sana!”

“I… I’m sorry.” Sana ducked her head, only to feel a weight being slammed on her body.

“I’m gonna miss you.” Mina whispered to her ear, hugging her tightly for the last time. 

Sana can feel tears about to escape her eyes, before returning the embrace. They stood there for a while, both knowing they don’t need words to explain the feelings they are experiencing at the moment. It was enough with the hug.

“I tried forcing Momo earlier to come with me, but you know her.” Mina flashed a weak smile, as Sana shakes her head in understanding. “It’s fine, Mi-chan. It’s better like this.” 

Mina nodded solemnly before Sana’s mother interrupts them. “Sana? Are you ready?”

“Yeah, I’m coming.” Sana responded, before facing Mina with a forced smile, which didn’t go unnoticed by the latter. “Guess I should go.”

Mina bit her lower lip before pointing on the small box, “It was supposed to be your graduation present, but since you’re leaving…”

Her lips trembled, knowing Mina had always been thinking of her despite Sana being the cause of her life turned upside down. Sana wraps her arm around the girl as the dam of tears breaks, whispering her apologies in hope Mina would forgive her. 

“Mina, about your feelings…”

The girl gave a smile, an assuring one. “Like I said, Sa-tan… I’m probably confused because this is the first time I’m having these overwhelming feelings for my friends.”

“I’m really sorry...”

“No, don’t be. I’m glad I get to tell you about it.”

Sana gripped the box in her hand tightly, trying to stop herself from telling Mina the truth. Instead, she smiled, despite the pang in her chest.

“You should do the same to her.”

“I will, after I sort out my feelings.”

Sana nodded, and they end up staring at each other in silence, as if conveying their last repressed wishes to each other. The sound of car ignition broke their reveries, and Sana lets out a deep breath.

“Take care of Momo,” Sana wiped a tear rolling down her cheek, trying best to smile her toothy grin, “And please make your move already. You know how popular the star player is.”

“Ugh, no need to remind me.” Mina rolled her eyes good-naturedly, despite the tears pooling in her eyes. It looks funny to Sana, causing the girl to chortle from the sight. “You take care too, Sa-tan. Don’t forget about us, okay?”

“Mm, of course!”

 

She wipes the stray tears falling down her cheeks, not wanting to dampen the mood of the beautiful day. Thankfully she is in a secluded place at the moment. She was surprised to find the rooftop on one of the buildings empty during lunch break. It was the opposite in her previous school, where it was the second most popular place to lounge around for students. It was like a godsend to her, where she can escape the stares and gossips of other students. There was no malice in their words, more of praises and admirations, which she should be grateful for. But the attention was too much. She just wants to continue her life normally, away from heartbreaks and broken friendship, away from all the bad things in the world.

If only life is that easy and understanding to her.

Come Monday, she was approached again by Dahyun, this time with her friend she had met before. Son Chaeyoung, if she remembers correctly, the girl resembles a baby tiger when she smiles. The junior committee’s intention was the same as always, inviting her to have lunch together. She hesitated at first but then she remembered the blue umbrella in her bag. She had seen the owner a few times hanging around these two girls, the tall one with long, dark black hair and slightly tanned skin who stands out from the rest of the female students, mostly the short duo right before her. 

“Um, you guys always eat together?” Sana started the conversation after settling in between the two girls already scarfing down their meal.

“Yeah, it’s considered a crime if one of us eats alone during lunch break if there’s no prior engagement.” 

Sana had her jaw slacken in amazement. “Oh, that’s… kind of harsh.”

“See? I told you it’s inappropriate.” Chaeyoung points her chopsticks on the frowning Dubu, “Even Tzuyu agreed on this.” 

“But Tzuyu agreed because you forced her to!”

This name they were spouting back and forth had piqued Sana’s interest as she blurts out in between their bickering. “Who’s Tzuyu?”

Both heads snapped to her directions, making Sana winced at the speed, afraid they might tore a ligament or two. 

“Oh, she’s one of us.”

“Yeah, without the tol Yoda, there wouldn’t be the School Meal Club.”

“Exactly!” Both of them exclaimed together.

“Bro, we said the same thing...”

“We think alike, bro.”

Sana giggled from their comical interactions, finding herself feeling at ease from their nonchalant talks, which consists of mostly nonsensical things that she can’t understand. But they made it up with making sure Sana is included in their conversation.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but this Tzuyu… is she that tall girl I always see hanging out with you guys?”

“Yep, the one and only.”

“She’s not having lunch with us?”

Chaeyoung shakes her head, “She’s skipping school until tomorrow, that lucky coconut tree.”

“Eh? Is she sick?” Sana got confused when she received laughter instead.

“She’s involved with an archery competition for two days in another town so the school grants her permission to be exempt from classes. It’s a common thing for the scholarship students, like Chaeyoung here.”

Sana nods with forming an ‘o’ shape, before mumbling her thoughts out loud. “That’s too bad.”

“What is?” Dahyun asked. Sana sheepishly ducks her head for accidentally blurting out her thoughts. “I thought I could meet her, that’s why I agreed to have lunch with you.”

Chaeyoung gasped loudly. “What anime betrayal is this?!”

“No, no! It’s not like that! See, I might have something that belongs to her so I supposed I can give it back during lunch time.” Sana sensed the frown on their faces, “But I have fun eating with both of you!”

“Really?”

“Yeah, you guys are funny…” A bit weird, Sana added mentally. “It’s good to have some company once in a while. Thanks for always inviting me, Dahyun.”

The mentioned girl claps in delight. “Then let’s have lunch again tomorrow!”

“Oh, geez… you’re just finding replacement for Tzuyu.”

“No I’m not!”

“Just admit it!” 

Dahyun paused, her face twitching from annoyance. “Fine…! It’s boring eating with you.”

“Wha…? Say that again, if you dare!”

“You’re boring! There, I’ve said it!”

“Then you’re annoying when you open your mouth, you dwarf!”

Sana laughed from their bickering, already understanding that this is a common thing between them. She shakes her head amusedly, finding herself oddly comfortable with them. It might not be that bad to have some company after all. No feelings attached, just plain friendship involves. She can survive high school if she tries her best to make it as normal as possible. Yeah, this would work, Sana thought.

Only, it doesn’t seem like it. 

A few days after, she found out the mentioned tall girl had return, and the invitation for lunch had stopped. She thought it was true that she was a replacement for that Tzuyu, and she didn’t mind it at all. Well, it kind of hurts a bit but she’s already used to it. She needs to get used to it since that’s what she chose when she decided to move back to Korea.  

However, life has another plan for the girl. 

Surprisingly, Sana found a post-it note sticking on her shoe locker, a candy taped on it. She gasped at the familiar sweet, her favourite Japanese brand of caramel candy. It’s been a long time since she had one and it put a wide smile on her face to finally be able to taste it. However, a frown immediately replaced her smile as she read the note.

She blinks a few times, her forehead creasing from the unknown characters. It was neither hangul nor hiragana. They somewhat resemble some kanji words. Upon closer scrutiny, eyes widen in realization; these are Chinese characters. She can only read one word on the note, ‘pretty’, which she had learned during elementary school. Wait, was it in school or was it from someone else? She shakes her head from the fuzzy memories of her childhood and decides to translate the note at home later. 

She remembered an old dictionary she had before, probably kept in one of the boxes she had yet to unpack. Sighing loudly, she starts rummaging through each of them, only to find none. She scratched her head exasperatedly, her eyes falling on her blinking phone by the bedside table. She must have left it in silence again, quickly reaching for the device to answer a call from her mother.  After a short conversation of asking what she wants for dinner, Sana ended the call. That’s when a light bulb flashed in her head as she stared on her phone.

“Sana, you are so dumb.” She murmured to herself as she opens a translation app. 

It only took a few minutes, as compared to the hours she had wasted going through the boxes. She happily cheered to herself, before deeply frowning as she read the sentence again.

 

Pretty like Maleficent – CT 

 

She made triple checks, in case she made a mistake on the characters, only that the sentence doesn’t change at all each time she hit the translate button. Is someone making a prank on her? What does CT means? 

Screw that. 

What does the whole secret note and candy mean? 

She stops her thinking when her mom greets from the door to have dinner together, only for her brooding to resume when she was about to prepare for bed. She stands in front of the mirror after brushing her teeth, trying her best to put resemblance of her face to Maleficent.

“Does it mean I’m actually... ugly?”

She decided to sleep after an hour of contemplating with her ugliness and the fiction character in front of the mirror.

 

The old witch misses you – CT 

 

She received another one, written in Korean. This time instead of a frown, her forehead furrows deeply. 

“Old witch, who?” She takes the candy, her head tilting in confusion. “Maleficent? She is a witch, right?” 

She mindlessly tears open the wrapper, “So that means this person is not addressing me as Maleficent, but someone else?” And pops the candy into . 

She slowly chewed on the caramel candy while wrecking her brain to understand the secret notes. These notes don’t make sense at all, minus the candy. She enjoys it a lot, the sweet taste helped in alleviating her stress trying to decipher the meaning of these secret codes, whatever that is. Looks like she has to wait for another one and see if she can relate them to the others. If not, she will consider them as pranks instead.

 

MADE IN CHINA – CT 

 

Another secret note, but she got a bar of chocolate rather than the small candy this time, with the note written in pure english. 

Oh, wow. This is a better upgrade and an easier translation, but made in China? How cheapskate is this person. 

She wonders if it is edible or poisoned, checking the expiry date which still has a few months left before it becomes the cause of her stomachache. She inspects the chocolate again, feeling somewhat familiar with the packaging before shrugging and putting it in her bag. 

That night, she feels nostalgic all of a sudden after popping a small piece to taste, just for precaution. This thing must have been drugged for her to feel this weird sensation so she gave it to her mom, who gladly finishes the whole bar without an upset stomach. Well, except for the woman’s chirpy state in the middle of the night due to an overdose of sugar intake.

 

Did you know you can catch stars? Here’s the proof! – CT 

 

There was no chocolate or candy, just a small origami star made from decorated purple paper. She had learned by now the CT is the sender of her secret notes, perhaps the initials of a name. She had tried her best to find out anyone with the initials in her class with Dahyun’s help, but sadly there was none. There’s something nagging at the back of her head with this particular note. She had heard them before but she can’t remember when. 

Except, she had woken up in the middle of the peaceful, cold night with teary eyes. She dreamt of her father teaching the little version of Sana how to make the wishing stars, the sentence almost resembling her father’s words as he opens his fist to reveal a small, puffy star made of papers. Sana doesn’t remember what happens after, because she had cried herself to sleep, dreaming of her father and another small girl.

 

Do you remember me? – CT 

 

No, she doesn’t even know who this CT is and it frustrates her that this person is the only thing running through her mind for the past few days. She’s having a quiz tomorrow but she can’t concentrate on reviewing her study notes at all, the secret messages had conquered her muddled brain instead. Sana feels like she’s forgetting something, or rather, someone important. 

But right now, she has another important task to do. The teacher is a monster after all, worst than the red monster that is her mother.

“Eh...? Red monster?”

Sana shakes her head to stop herself from thinking about unnecessary things and focus on the quiz tomorrow. She slaps her cheeks a few times, letting out a loud huff as she faces the killer subject; Korean history.

 

Can I still call you Sana-unnie? – CT 

 

It has been a long time since she was called one. 

Sana-unnie... 

Oh, how it brings back memories of her childhood during middle school, where everyone knows who she is, calling her Sana-unnie just to get her attention even though she didn’t know any of them. A smile slowly grows as a timid face flashes through her reveries.

There was a particular girl who always followed her wherever she went despite being a grade apart. They always played together, having lunch together, even sometimes sleeping together in the small tree house in the backyard of her old house. They would play tag together only, to get bored quickly because there were just two of them. They do something silly like counting the pebbles in the grass before getting scolded by granny and being forced to clean the house. But it’s worth the sweat she poured when she was served the “special edition sand-witch” as compensation; despite it being just peanut butter and jelly.

Her eyes widen from the realization.

“It can’t be...”

 

 You still look like a squirrel, unnie. – CT 

 

Tears start to well in her eyes as she picks up the keychain taped on the locker. 

The squirrel keychain she had given her as a birthday present, the same one she bought in the street market together with...

“Granny, and- ”

Suddenly, she heard commotion on her back. She turns around to be met with Dahyun and Chaeyoung slightly panting in their hunched state, albeit the teeth-baring grins plastered on their faces. Sana gives them a questioning look but her attention was distracted by another girl approaching them from behind in long strides and hurried steps. 

“Sana-ssi! Nice to see you here!” She turns back to Dahyun, the girl slightly panting. “I’ve got something to tell you.”

She sees from the corner of her eyes, of the panic on the tall girl’s face, her long striding legs begin to jog towards them. 

“My friend, that tol Yoda, has a crush on y- MPHHH!”

Sana watches in silent amusement as a large hand covers Dahyun’s small face, the words came out muffled. The newcomer puts Dahyun in a chokehold, giving Sana an apologetic look. However, when their eyes meet, time seems to stop for Sana.

There it is.

The familiar pair of distant eyes, dazzling black orbs that used to brighten Sana’s days back in the days.  

Her stare was interrupted when a wolf whistle came from Chaeyoung. The latter yelps when the taller girl pulls her ear, followed by a timid bow as she holds the struggling duo closer.

“Sorry for disturbing you this early in the morning. Have a nice day, Sana-unnie.”

The tall girl quickly turns around, dragging the two along as she leaves Sana gaping on the locker shoe by herself. She blinks twice, her eyes falling on the squirrel keychain and back to the hallway where the girls had disappeared. 

“Sana-unnie...” 

She murmured to herself, a smile unconsciously painted on her face as she pokes the squirrel’s puffy cheek.

 

*

 

If you can see Dahyun and Chaeyoung right now, they resembled a kicked, guilty puppy. If glares can kill them, they would be dead by now with the way Tzuyu is shooting lasers on their directions. They can’t even call for the taller girl, her Yoda features being replaced with the evil Darth Maul who’s about to end their lives by the minute, just because of their mischievous plan that morning.

 

Tzuyu is power walking to the shoe locker to find the troublemakers. She cursed inwardly as she recalls how her morning had been the day before. Her bestfriends, her most dearly bestfriends who might had to be revoked of the title any seconds now, unfortunately, had seen Tzuyu leaving Sana’s shoe locker yesterday. They had managed to sneak on her, surprised by what the tall girl was doing, which prompts them to sneak up on her that very morning. 

It was a terrible slip up from her side because knowing how cunning her friends are, they are definitely up to no good when they run away from her after whispering to each other when they reached the school gate.

“Sana-ssi! Nice to see you here!” She heard the familiar voice of an eagle-looking tofu, “I’ve got something to tell you.”

Tzuyu panics when she hears Dahyun’s loud voice, her power walk turns into small jogs.

“My friend, that tol Yoda, has a crush on y- MPHHH!”

Thank god Tzuyu has long legs, and thank god too she has large hand that can cover Dahyun’s small face, effectively shutting up the dubu from spewing nonsense to the confused girl. She puts Dahyun in a chokehold before wearing the most sincere grin she could muster to apologize to the shocked Sana, only that when their eyes meet, she freezes. 

Their stare lasted for a minute, before a wolf whistle interrupted their moment. Tzuyu pulls Chaeyoung by the ear, the whistling turned into painful yelp. She gives a timid bow to Sana while holding the troublemakers on a leash. 

She didn’t spare a glance on her back, afraid to see the expectant look she saw from the girl. 

Tzuyu can’t deal with her heart pumping so fast and loud this early in the morning. 

 

“Tzuyu? We’re friends, right?”

“Grrr...”

“Eeep!” They cowered in fear, hurriedly scampering away from the angry girl. 

There goes their chance to have a taste of Tzuyu’s long-missed lunch. The girl wasn’t even mad; she was disappointed with her friends’ antics. If only they could be a little bit sensitive with her feelings, but who is she kidding. She couldn’t really put the blame on them though, it was partly her fault too for not being careful with her surroundings. If only she was a few seconds late, the situation with Sana would get more complicated, and awkward. She decided to stop leaving the notes for now, she doesn’t want to risk being found out. 

Truthfully, she had been stalking Sana since the day she got back from the archery competition. She was very sure it was Sana from their fateful meeting on that rainy day. 

But what if she’s mistaken? 

Having such a hard time meeting her old friend face to face, she came up with this brilliant plan. Only, it wasn’t that brilliant if she thinks about it. She had many what ifs once she left the post-it note on Sana’s locker. There was a time she wanted to smash the lid open to retrieve the chocolate bar, in case Sana thought she poisoned it or something. Other times, she wanted to bury herself in a hole for giving the worst first impression to the older girl; being a creepy stalker.

But maybe she was thinking too much because the curious and happy face of Sana when she sees the candy each morning was worth the troubles and paranoid thoughts she had to go through. It wasn’t easy waking up an hour earlier, to drop the note on Sana’s locker, before turning back to the intersection to meet up with the SMC members. They would question her to no ends if they found out she’s been missing on purpose every morning for this secret arrangement of hers.

The next day, on the way to their favourite lunch spot, Dahyun slips beside her and passes a note.

“Here, for you.”

“What’s this?”

“I don’t know, another love confession?” She shrugs, before running after Chaeyoung and ruffles the girl’s hair, causing another game of tag to ensue.

Tzuyu was surprised Dahyun didn’t ask more details about it, probably already learned her lesson to not mess with her. 

 

 

“An emoji…?” Tzuyu raised a brow at that.

This is the first time she was asked to go to the rooftop. That place is secluded and full of rumours related to haunted stories. They must be crazy if they think confessing on the rooftop is romantic. She shrugs it off, tucking the yellow paper into her pocket without a care.

Just as requested, Tzuyu goes to the rooftop but finds no one. She decided to wait for a few more minutes and sit on the lone bench. It is such a nice day with a nice gentle breeze of air, perfect for a quick eye shut. Hence, she takes out her MP3 player and plugs in the earbuds, her eyes instantly closing as the soft music of jazz fills her ears.

Unknown to her, someone already waits for her arrival in a dark corner, away from the blaring sun. She sneakily approaches the newcomer, finding the girl dozing off in a serene way. 

The girl changed a lot, she almost didn’t recognize her if not for the prominent dimple showing from her forced smile yesterday morning. She was glad she didn’t proceed with her initial plan to throw the notes away (she did, but managed to salvage them from her dustbin). She had put all the messages together after receiving the squirrel keychain, a name automatically formed on the tip of her tongue.

“Tzuyu.”

The CT stands for Chou Tzuyu, her neighbour, her playmate, her bestfriend - the girl she left years ago.

Tzuyu felt a presence standing by her side, only to be surprised at the face she least expected to see. 

“Hi.”

The taller jumps on her feet, only to stub her knee on the sharp corner of the bench. She hissed, silently cursed before standing upright, unaware of the blush covering her cheeks. 

“H-Hi.”

Sana tried hard not to smile at the adorable sight unfolding before her. Instead, she holds out the keychain. “I believe this is yours?”

Tzuyu reluctantly nods, taking the keychain from Sana’s hand while trying her best to avoid touching the latter’s finger. She keeps her gaze on the squirrel, tightly squeezing it in her fist, suddenly feeling self-conscious by Sana’s unnerving deep stare on her. 

Sana takes her time to study the girl’s features, finding it cute that Tzuyu is being embarrassed and awkward with her. Well, it’s been a long time after all and knowing how timid Tzuyu was as a child, it’s inevitable she’s acting this way.

“So, only granny misses me huh?” Sana tries to lift up the mood, successfully getting Tzuyu to look at her. “What about you, Chewy-yah?”

Ironically, the questions kind of shoots back at her with how Tzuyu’s expression changes, how the corner of her lips lift up to a shy smile with that cute dimple she hadn’t seen for years. 

The same familiar lovely smile of her Tzuyu. 

How she misses this girl so much back then, she cried by herself every day under the tunnel slides on the playground back in Japan, hoping Tzuyu would miraculously appear with a magic carpet and bring her back to her old house. 

“You remember...”

“It took a while,” Sana admits coyly, her hand pushing stray hair behind her ear. “But yeah, I remember now.” 

Tzuyu takes a hesitant step forward, her fingers anxiously rubbing the squirrel before she stares directly into Sana’s light brown eyes.

“Okaeri, Sana-chan.”

Her eyes widened, as if she had heard it for the first time. It was a word they always exchanged when they were kids, a favourite of Tzuyu after learning it quickly from the older girl, but hearing it now made something stir in her chest. She feels her eyes wet, the word hits home for the first time since... she doesn’t even know when. But it’s appeasing, in a good way. 

Sana took a step forward too, their distance closing in with just a foot separating them. From their close proximity, Sana realized how much the short little girl from before had grown. She had to lift her head to see her eyes, the gentle pair she misses so much. They have a lot to catch up, but it’s fine because they have all the time in the world. 

Because this time, Sana is staying. 

She’s staying for good.

“Tadaima, Tzuyu-ah.”

 

 

 

 

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A/N:

Yeah... SaTzu, finally. Enjoy this moment before another person steps in and swoop Sana away from our maknae *evil laughter*

Thank you for reading and do have a nice week, everyone! ^^