SHINBASHI - I

“The 17th…”, Sakura murmured as she stared at the small calendar hanging on her wall, it will be Friday.

With all her heart, she wishes—“Please… Please, no overtime.”

There is nothing more soul-crushing than a last-minute overtime notice.

And if it has to be on a Friday—on this Friday—it would feel like the universe itself is mocking her.

“Just thinking about it makes my head explode…” she sighed, giving her cheeks a gentle slap, trying to calm herself down.

Her thoughts began to spiral:

What should I wear? Where should we eat? How should I do my hair?

She opened LINE and messaged Heri,

“Heri-san, is there anything you can’t eat?”

His reply came not long after,

“I don’t drink alcohol or sake, and I don’t eat pork.”

Sakura looked at the message, tilting her head.

“Huh? That’s kind of unique…” she thought.

But in truth, that made choosing a restaurant even easier.

Since Heri would only be available around 8 p.m., she started looking for restaurants that stayed open late. She found one near Shinbashi Station—not far from Heri’s hotel in Shiodome.

She circled the 17th on her calendar.

But quietly, she reminded herself, “Don’t expect too much. We’re from different countries, different cultures, different ways of life… But this friday—just this friday—I want to enjoy the moment.”

The days creep forward.

The 15th.

The 16th.

And finally…

The 17th. A cold morning. The sun peeked through the Tokyo skyline.

Sakura opened her phone—an I*******m Story notification from Heri.

She opened it in a heartbeat.

A photo of a plane's fuselage, the SkyTeam logo gleaming near the front. Beneath it, ground staff loaded luggage into the aircraft's belly.

“Merak 006 service to Tokyo Narita. Boeing 777-300ER PK-MRI SkyTeam livery.

See you in few hours, Tokyo Tower and Mt Fuji!”

Sakura drew in a breath, a smile curling across her face.

“He’s really coming…”

That day, she wear one of her best outfits,

a soft pale blue blouse that brightened her skin, a flowing white skirt, and a light brown coat that was warm yet elegant.

With a rare burst of energy, Sakura stepped into the cold air and headed to the station, riding the train to work.

Winter in Tokyo was settling in—fallen dry leaves along the roadside, gusts of wind sharp and bracing.

Today’s going to be a beautiful day…

***

“Sakuraaa-chaan~”

Her desk mate leaned over with a teasing voice.

“What?” Sakura replied casually.

“You're going to ask where are we eating for lunch right? Well... I don’t want anything too heavy.”

“That’s not what I meant!” her friend giggled.

“You look super cute today! So pretty! Going on a date or what?”

Another coworker chimed in.

“Ooh, she’s definitely meeting someone. Is it a new guy? Please tell me it’s not another jerk!”

“Ugh, no! Am I not allowed to dress nicely once in a while?” Sakura replied, feigning annoyance.

Luckily, their manager walked by at just the right time to rescue her.

“Come on, maybe Sakura just wants a change of pace today. Don’t tease her too much. Now, let’s go find lunch!”

They all went out together to eat nearby.

As the afternoon wore on, Sakura’s heartbeat began to quicken.

It is now near 4 p.m.

One more hour… just one more hour!

She will be free. She will leave the office. She will sit in a café and wait for Heri.

But the universe had other plans...

The door burst open with a loud thud. A middle-aged man barged in—no greetings, no explanation—his arms stacked with paperwork.

“Sorry, urgent. These documents need to be finalized tonight!”

Without looking at anyone, he dumped the stack on Sakura’s team’s desk and left.

Bang! Overtime!

At this time? Seriously?

Only 20 minutes left until 5 p.m.

Twenty minutes!

Sakura gritted her teeth and tried to calm her pulse.

“It can’t be helped. I’ll finish what I can while waiting for Heri…”

Her manager arrived, clearly frustrated.

“That guy’s unbelievable. But I heard it’s a genuinely urgent… Looks like we’ll all be staying late.”

The team let out a collective groan.

Sakura began working furiously. Her eyes sometimes darted to the clock.

At 6:00 p.m, her LINE buzzed.

“Just landed in Tokyo. Heading to the hotel now.”,

A message from Heri.

Sakura quickly replied,

“Sorry! I might be a little late, still finishing some documents!”

Heri responded almost immediately,

“No worries. Don’t rush. You got this!”

Just that one message—Don’t rush. You got this. It lit something inside her.

“I have to finish this! I have to go!”

But as the minutes passed, and the stack of documents refused to shrink, reality sank its teeth in.

7:30 p.m. Her hands begins to tremble.

Then—her manager’s voice.

“Sakura…”

Sakura turned, her eyes wide.

“You can go. We’ll handle the rest.”

Sakura blinked, stunned. Another teammate gently patted her shoulder,

“Go. You’ve got something important tonight, right?”

With teary eyes, she stand and bow deeply,

“Thank you… I’ll make it up to you all.”

She hastily packed her things, grabbed her coat, and rushed out the building.

“Must be a guy~” someone called out as the door closed behind her.

She hurried toward Higashi-Ikebukuro Station, her heart pounding. Only then did she realize—she never told Heri the meeting spot!

With shaking fingers, she texted:

“I’m done! Let’s meet at Shinbashi Station, okay?”

As soon as she sent the message, she saw the pedestrian light stayed red.

“Why is it taking so long?!”

She glanced at the time—panic rising.

“Taxi? Or train? No, the train should be faster. Taxi might get stuck!”

She jumped on the train.

Inside the train, her chest tightened. Her thoughts raced.

She wanted to cry.

To scream.

To somehow wanted to miraculously arrrived at the meeting spot.

8:00 p.m.

Then 8:15.

Then 8:20…

“I’m so late…”

At last on 8:30, she reached Shinbashi Station, 30 minutes late from the time they supposed to meet.

She sprints toward the gates...

BEEP.

Her PASMO card had insufficient balance!

“NOOO!!!”

She panicked, her eyes scanned for a fare adjustment machine, trying to locate it.

There it is, but… a line forming up

Tears welled in her eyes.

"Why is everything going wrong?"

Finally tapping out, she open her LINE.

“I’m at Shinbashi station! Where are you?”

No reply.

She called.

No answer.

The world fell silent.

Sakura stood still, her eyes searching every corner of the station. Her vision blurred. Her heart was in pieces.

“Heri-san… where are you…”

The world felt cruel and mocking her.

Then—a gentle voice beside her.

“Sakura-san… right?”

The accent was a bit stiff.

Sakura turned swiftly.

There he is.

Standing quietly, smiling. Neatly styled hair, a simple black jacket.

Heri.

He is right there beside her.

Sakura covered her mouth with both hands. Her eyes widened. Her cheeks flushed. Tears nearly spilled—not from sadness, but from a flood of relief, panic, and quiet hope that hadn’t betrayed her after all.

She nodded, holding back the storm inside.

“Are you okay?” Heri asked, nervous, “You… look like you’re about to cry…”

He fumbled through his shoulder bag, pulling out tissues.

“Please… don’t cry.”

Sakura couldn’t answer yet. She just looked at him. Grateful. In disbelief. And perhaps… feeling a hint of longing she hadn’t noticed until now.

Heri spoke again, in broken Japanese,

“Sakura-san… I’m here. It’s okay now. Otsukaresamadeshita (thank you for your hard work). You must be so tired, huh? It’s okay—it’s work after all. Take a breath… slowly. I’m not going anywhere.”

His words felt like a warm blanket on a bitter winter night.

Sakura finally lowered her hands. She let out a small laugh, wiping the corners of her eyes.

“Heri-san… I’m so sorry!”

Heri chuckled, light and genuine.

“No, it’s okay. Really.”

As the tension melted. He smiled and let out words, “So… where to tonight? Honestly, I rarely hang out around here—even though the crew hotel’s just nearby.”

Now calm again, Sakura grinned brightly.

“Tonight, just leave everything to me!”

“Alright! Tour leader Sakura, let’s go!”

They both laughed.

Heri reached inside his coat and pulled out a small paper bag.

“Oh—and I brought a little something. Some snacks from Indonesia. I hope you like them.”

Sakura’s eyes lit up as she accepted it.

“You didn’t have to… but thank you so much. I’m really happy.”

“Shall we?” he said cheerfully.

And with that, they began walking side by side, through Tokyo’s bright, bustling streets. Around them, people moved quickly, caught in their own little worlds. But in the middle of that crowd, two people walked slowly—as if, for a while, the world belonged only to them.

Two souls from two different worlds, divided by distance and culture—finally meet again.