Two years had passed since the quiet memorial for Ezra and Kei.
The coastal town was the same—salt air, churning waves, and that ancient scent of lilacs blooming somewhere hidden. But the high school felt different to Haru, a boy with unruly black hair and glasses too big for his face. He was starting his second year, a little lost in a crowd that already seemed too sure of themselves.
He noticed Ren the moment they sat next to each other in English class. Ren was everything Haru was not—confident, loud, with a crooked grin and a sketchbook always under his arm.
One afternoon, while waiting for Ms. Nakamura's class to start, Ren pulled out a worn copy of the school's poetry anthology.
"Ever read this?" Ren asked, flipping to a certain page marked by a pressed lilac flower.
Haru shook his head.
Ren's eyes flicked up. "That poem? It's about two boys who disappeared years ago. Everyone still talks about them sometimes. Ezra and Kei."
Haru leaned closer. "They really…?"
Ren nodded. "Walked into the sea, some say. Because of everything. The hate, the silence."
Haru swallowed.
"It's a sad story," Ren said quietly. "But also kind of beautiful. Like, they loved each other when no one else would let them."
Haru's heart felt heavier than the humid classroom air.