Ren stopped showing up where Hina might be. He didn't delete her number or unfollow her socials — he just… went quiet. He buried his emotions deep, hiding them behind soft smiles and short nods. The only person who saw through the mask was Daiki, who stayed by his side like a silent guard dog.
<<<[Note: Not meant in a literal or disrespectful sense — a "guard dog" here symbolizes loyalty and silent protection. Daiki wasn't being used; he chose to stand by Ren, watching over him without asking for anything in return.]>>>
Every day felt a little heavier for Ren. But instead of drowning, he slowly started breathing again.
Meanwhile, Hina's life wasn't the fairy tale she imagined. Reiji, once charming and thoughtful, had turned cold. He was distant, uninterested, brushing her off with excuses and half-hearted replies. The texts that once kept her up at night now came once a day — if that.
Hina kept telling herself: It's just a phase. He's busy. He still cares… right?
But doubt started creeping in.
One weekend, Hina asked Reiji if they could go shopping — like they used to. She was hoping for some warmth, some sign that their relationship still had life.
He shrugged. "Can't. Got plans."
That was all he said. No explanation. No apology.
A pit formed in her stomach. Something wasn't right.
She followed him — she didn't want to, but her heart needed the truth. And there it was: Reiji, laughing with another girl, walking beside her like he'd never belonged to someone else. Holding hands. Smiling.
Hina froze. The world blurred. Her chest tightened, and her legs felt too heavy to move.
She didn't confront him.
She didn't cry out.
She just stood in the shadows — broken.
Her phone trembled in her hand. But instead of calling him, instead of texting her best friend… she thought of Ren.
If only I could go back. If only I hadn't let him go.
She walked away quietly and later confided in one of her close friends, breaking down in their arms. But the next day at school, she pretended everything was fine.Like she hadn't just watched her heart get trampled.
Hina couldn't ignore it anymore.
That image of Reiji—holding hands with another girl, laughing like nothing else in the world mattered—had been etched into her mind since the weekend. She needed answers. She needed to know the truth. So she confronted him.
"Who is she, Reiji?" Hina asked, her voice firm yet trembling. "That girl you were with. Laughing… clinging to her like she meant something to you. You told me she was just a friend. Then why hold her hand like you're dating?"
Reiji's expression twisted into one of slight annoyance. He gave a half-hearted sigh, brushing her off like it was a tired question he had no energy to entertain. "She is just a friend," he muttered.
"Just a friend?" Hina snapped back. "Then is it normal to hold hands with your friends? To laugh like you're in love with them? That makes no sense, Reiji."
Reiji rubbed his temples, clearly done with the argument. And then—just like that—he cracked.
"Fine. You want the truth?" he said sharply. "Yeah, I'm seeing her. And you know what? I've lost interest in you."
The words hit Hina like a slap to the face.
Reiji continued, carelessly cruel. "At first, sure, I was kinda into you. I asked you out, and you said yes so fast, I thought—'Wow. Hit the jackpot.' But now? I'm just... over it. I was gonna tell you later, but hey—things change. Don't be selfish, Hina. People change with time. They grow out of things. Just let it go. That's life."
Those words. Exactly those words.
The same ones Hina had once told Ren.
Back when she pushed him away without a proper explanation. When she thought she had it all figured out with Reiji. Those same words... now thrown back at her by someone who never truly cared.
Every phrase that fell from Reiji's lips pierced her like arrows—sharp, cold, and unforgiving. And suddenly, the reality of her actions came crashing down on her. Ren...
The regret flooded in, fierce and unrelenting.
She had become the person she once hated being. Manipulated. Changed by someone toxic. And in doing so, she had hurt the one person who genuinely cared—Ren.
She wanted to turn back time. She wanted to run back to him. But after everything she had said—after how she pushed him away—how could she?
Still, she knew she couldn't stay like this. So with all the courage she had left, she ended things with Reiji.
"It's over," she whispered. "I'm done."
And as she walked away, her mind screamed with one desperate thought: If only things could go back to how they were.
But another voice echoed inside her — I don't deserve to go back. Not after what I did to Ren.
The guilt crushed her, but the need to make things right kept her moving. She didn't know if Ren would even listen to her. She didn't know if he would forgive her. But she knew one thing for sure:
She had to try.
Whether he accepted her apology or not… she was ready to face whatever came next.
Because even if she'd made a mistake, Hina was still the kind of girl who wanted to fix things. And that counted for something.
Far away from her world of regret, Ren had found an unexpected calm in Akari Minazuki.
Akari wasn't loud or dramatic. She was soft, intentional. She noticed things others didn't — like how Ren tapped his fingers when he was anxious, or how he stared at the sky when he was lost in thought.
They started walking home together. Sharing playlists. Talking about things they couldn't say to anyone else.
They weren't together — not yet. But Ren smiled more around her. Laughed more. Hurt a little less.
And for the first time in a long while… he didn't feel alone.
But Hina? She was starting to.
IF ONLY REN KNEW HOW FAR "JUST FRIENDS" WOULD STRETCH THEM APART.~