The Morning Came Slowly, With Soft Light Filtering Through The Curtains Of Ren's Room. He Had Been Awake For A While, Lying Still, Eyes Fixed On The Ceiling As Thoughts Tumbled Quietly Through His Mind.
It Wasn't Nerves Exactly — More Like A Restless Calm. The Kind That Comes Before Something You Know Will Matter.
He Finally Sat Up, Rubbing The Sleep From His Eyes. The Room Felt Different Somehow — Familiar Yet Quietly Expectant.
Riko's Voice Broke The Stillness, Calling From The Doorway. "You're Up Early For Once. Something Big Today?"
Ren Looked Over, Trying To Act Normal. "Not Really. Just… Going Out."
She Grinned Instantly. "Going Out? With Who?"
Ren Stared At Her Flatly. "A Friend."
Riko Raised An Eyebrow, Pretending To Think. "Miyu?"
Ren Froze Midway Through Folding His Jacket. "...Maybe."
Riko's Grin Widened. "Ohhh, I See. That Kind Of 'Going Out.'"
He Sighed, Pulling His Jacket On. "It's Not A Date."
She Leaned Against The Doorframe, Laughing. "Right, Right. And I Totally Believe You."
During Breakfast, Her Teasing Didn't Stop — From How Long He Took To Choose His Clothes, To How He Checked His Phone Every Few Minutes.
"You're Acting Like You're Meeting The President," She Said, Snickering.
Ren Looked At His Plate Quietly. "I Just Don't Want To Be Late."
Riko Rested Her Chin On Her Hand, Watching Him. "You Know, It's Okay To Call It A Date, You Know."
Ren Met Her Eyes For A Second, Then Looked Away, Hiding A Tiny Smile. "Maybe Next Time."
When He Left The House, The Cool Air Hit His Face, Calming Him A Little. As He Walked, He Thought Quietly — Maybe This Time, I'll Actually Say It.
—
On The Other Side Of Town, Miyu Was Standing In Front Of Her Mirror, Adjusting The Collar Of Her Light Sweater For The Third Time.
Her Heart Was Beating Faster Than Usual, Though She Kept Telling Herself It Was Nothing.
Yui Watched Her From The Bed, Barely Containing Her Laughter. "You're So Obvious, You Know."
"I'm Not," Miyu Replied Softly, Fixing Her Hair Again.
Yui Grinned. "You've Changed Outfits Twice Already."
Her Older Brother Entered Casually, Holding A Mug Of Coffee. "What's All The Fuss About?"
Before Miyu Could Respond, Yui Said Sweetly, "She's Going Out With Someone."
He Raised An Eyebrow. "Oh? With Who?"
"Just A Friend," Miyu Said Quickly.
Her Brother Smirked. "A Friend Who Happens To Be A Boy?"
"Can You Both Just Stop?" She Muttered, Picking Up Her Bag.
He Took A Sip Of His Coffee, Clearly Amused. "Just Don't Keep Him Waiting, Alright? Boys Lose Confidence Easily."
Yui Laughed As Miyu Turned Red. "You Two Are Impossible."
When She Left, Her Brother Called Out From Behind, "If He's The One You Keep Texting At Night, Tell Him I Said Hi!"
Miyu Didn't Answer. She Just Closed The Door, Her Ears Burning.
Her Phone Buzzed. A Message From Ren:
I'll Be There In Ten.
She Smiled Lightly Before Typing Back:
Okay. Me Too.
—
They Met Near The Station — A Place They'd Crossed Countless Times Before, But Somehow It Felt Different Today.
Ren Was Already There, Standing With His Hands In His Pockets, Looking Like He'd Been Overthinking For A While.
Miyu Walked Up, The Faintest Smile On Her Face. "You're Early."
He Looked At Her, A Little Caught Off Guard. "You're… On Time."
She Tilted Her Head. "That Sounds Like A Compliment."
Ren Shrugged, Trying To Hide His Smile. "Maybe It Is."
For A Moment, Neither Said Anything. The Air Between Them Was Comfortable, Yet Heavy With Quiet Excitement.
"Shall We Go?" She Asked Finally.
"Yeah."
And Just Like That, They Started Walking Side By Side, Matching Each Other's Pace Without Trying.
—
Their First Stop Was A Small Café Near The Park — A Place Chika Had Once Mentioned In Passing.
Inside, It Was Cozy. Soft Music, Warm Light, The Scent Of Coffee Lingering In The Air.
Ren Glanced At The Menu Like He Hadn't Seen One Before.
Miyu Watched Him, Hiding Her Smile. "You Always Take So Long To Decide."
"I Just Don't Want To Order Something Weird."
She Leaned Slightly Closer. "You Could Just Get What You Always Do."
He Looked Up. "And What's That?"
"Black Coffee, No Sugar."
Ren Raised An Eyebrow. "You Remember That?"
Miyu Looked Away, Smiling Lightly. "Maybe."
When Their Drinks Arrived, She Tried Something New — A Vanilla Latte With Cinnamon — And Without Thinking, Pushed It Toward Him. "Try It."
He Looked At The Cup. "Why?"
"Because You Always Stick To The Same Thing."
He Took A Sip Hesitantly. "...It's Sweet."
"Too Sweet?"
He Shook His Head. "Not Really. Just… Different."
Miyu Smiled. "Then Maybe You Should Try 'Different' More Often."
Ren Looked At Her For A Moment, The Meaning Lingering In Her Words Longer Than The Taste Of The Coffee.
—
After The Café, They Walked Along The Street — Past Shops, Old Bookstores, And Vendors Calling Out.
Miyu Stopped By A Small Store Window Displaying Keychains. She Picked One Up — A Tiny Cat Holding A Book.
"This Looks Like You," She Said, Smiling.
Ren Glanced At It. "Because Of The Book?"
"Because Of The Cat," She Replied. "Always Calm, Pretending Not To Care, But Actually Paying Attention To Everything."
Ren Looked At Her, Slightly Amused. "And What About You?"
She Picked Another Keychain — A Small Bird Sitting On A Branch. "Maybe This."
He Tilted His Head. "Why?"
"Because I Think I'm Still Learning To Fly."
Ren Didn't Say Anything For A Moment. He Just Looked At Her With That Quiet Understanding That Didn't Need Words.
"Then I'll Buy Them," He Said Finally.
"Both?"
"Yeah. They Look Better Together Anyway."
—
They Walked To The Nearby Park Next — The One They'd Spent So Much Time At During The Project.
It Looked Different Now, Bathed In Late Afternoon Light.
They Sat On The Same Bench As Before, Watching A Group Of Kids Chase Each Other Across The Grass.
"It's Strange," Miyu Said Softly. "Feels Like Time Moved Too Fast."
Ren Nodded. "It Did."
"But Somehow… I Don't Regret Anything."
He Turned To Her Slowly. "Neither Do I."
For A While, They Just Sat There, Talking About Random Things — Music, Teachers, The Future.
At One Point, A Bird Landed Near Ren's Shoe, And Miyu Couldn't Help Laughing At The Way He Froze.
"I'm Not Afraid Of Birds," He Said Flatly.
"You Just Jumped."
"It Was Sudden."
She Laughed Again, And The Sound Felt Like Something Ren Wanted To Hear More Often.
—
By The Time Evening Came, The Sky Had Turned A Deep Shade Of Gold.
They Walked Toward The Bridge — Their Steps Slower, Like Neither Wanted The Day To End.
The River Reflected The Lights Of The City, Flickering Softly.
Miyu Leaned Against The Railing, Her Hair Moving With The Wind. "It's Beautiful."
Ren Nodded Quietly. "Yeah."
But He Wasn't Looking At The View.
He Looked At Her — The Way The Light Touched Her Face, The Calm In Her Eyes.
He Took A Breath. "Miyu, There's Something I—"
She Turned Quickly, Cutting Him Off. "Wait. Let Me Say It First."
Her Voice Was Soft, But Her Hands Trembled Slightly.
"I… I Think I've Liked You For A While Now," She Said, Her Words Shaky But Honest. "I Didn't Know How To Say It… But I Wanted You To Know."
Ren Stood There, Silent For A Moment, Not Out Of Shock But Out Of Something Deeper.
Then A Small Smile Formed On His Face. "You Don't Have To Say It Perfectly."
She Looked Up, Eyes Wide.
"Because I Feel The Same," He Continued Quietly. "I Love You Too, Miyu. And If You're Okay With Someone Like Me… Then I'd Like Us To Be Together."
For A Second, The World Fell Completely Still.
Miyu's Heart Leapt — Too Fast, Too Warm — And Before Her Mind Could Catch Up, She Moved Closer.
Their Lips Met — Soft, Unplanned, And Real.
Ren's Eyes Went Wide, Then Closed As He Returned The Kiss, Gentle And Certain.
When They Pulled Away, Neither Knew What To Say.
Miyu Looked Down, Face Red. "I Was Supposed To Wait."
Ren Smiled Lightly. "I'm Glad You Didn't."
She Laughed Quietly, Hiding Her Face In Her Hands.
They Stayed There, Side By Side, Watching The Lights Ripple Across The Water.
And For The First Time, The Quiet Between Them Wasn't Empty. It Was Full — Of Everything They Never Said, And Everything They Finally Could.
—
The Night Had Settled Quietly.
The World Outside Their Windows Was Calm — Just The Soft Hum Of The City And The Faint Rhythm Of Passing Cars.
Miyu Sat On Her Bed, Still In The Clothes She Wore Earlier. Her Hair Was Slightly Messy, Her Cheeks Warm Even Now.
She Had Told Herself She'd Only Think About It For A Minute Before Sleeping — But Every Time She Closed Her Eyes, That Moment Replayed Again And Again.
The Way Ren Looked At Her.
The Quiet Between Them.
And The Part Where She—
Her Face Turned Red As She Buried It Into Her Pillow, Muffling A Sound Halfway Between A Laugh And A Groan.
She Didn't Even Know What Came Over Her. It Wasn't Something She Planned. It Just… Happened.
Her Body Had Moved On Its Own — As If Her Heart Had Taken Over Before Her Mind Could Think.
"Why Did I Do That…" She Whispered Under Her Breath, Half-Embarrassed, Half-Smiling.
But Even As She Said It, A Small Warmth Bloomed In Her Chest. A Quiet, Glowing Feeling That Wouldn't Go Away.
He Had Smiled At Her — Really Smiled — And That Image Stayed With Her More Than Anything Else.
Miyu Turned To Look Out The Window, The Night Sky Calm And Distant.
Somewhere Out There, He Must Be Awake Too, Thinking The Same Thing.
—
Across Town, Ren Sat At His Desk, The Room Lit Only By The Soft Light Of His Phone Screen.
He Had Tried To Read, Tried To Distract Himself — But His Thoughts Kept Returning To The Same Moment.
That Final One.
The Feel Of Her Hand.
The Surprise Of Her Lips Against His.
And The Strange Realization That For The First Time In A Long While, His Heart Didn't Feel Heavy.
He Let Out A Small Laugh, Covering His Face With His Hand.
He Had Promised Himself He Would Confess First. Yet Somehow, She Beat Him To It — And Still, It Felt Perfect.
Every Word She Said, Every Bit Of Hesitation In Her Voice — It Made Everything Real.
He Looked Toward The Ceiling, Letting Out A Quiet Breath.
"I Really… Love Her."
The Words Sounded Strange In His Voice, But They Made Him Smile.
—
Both Of Them Lay Awake Longer Than They Should Have,
Thinking Of Each Other, Thinking Of That Moment.
Not Out Of Confusion — But Because It Was Too Precious To Let Go Of So Soon.
And Somewhere In The Quiet Of The Night,
They Both Knew —
Nothing Would Ever Feel The Same Again.
— × —
To Be Continued....