Early in the morning, Arashi woke up to the sound of his phone ringing. The number was unknown. He mumbled to himself, "Who could be calling this early?"
He answered the call, and a familiar voice came through.
"Hello," said Ren.
Arashi, still half-asleep, replied, "Yeah… hello?"
Ren chuckled. "Guess who this is."
Arashi immediately recognized the voice. "Ah… Ren! So… what's up? How come you're awake so early?"
"I didn't sleep at all," Ren replied casually. "Just about to take a nap now."
Arashi yawned. "Alright… fair enough. I'm still sleeping too."
Ren quickly interrupted, "Hey, listen. Where are you headed?"
Arashi sat up slightly, rubbing his eyes. "Yeah… tell me."
"I heard Ayane is staying with you," Ren said carefully.
Arashi blinked, a bit surprised. "Yeah… she is. Why do you ask?"
Ren took a deep breath. "I… I have something to ask you."
Arashi tilted his head. "Go ahead. What is it?"
Ren's voice softened. "Man… I really miss Ayane a lot. I was thinking… before the summer break ends, maybe I could come over to your place for a couple of days."
Arashi's expression relaxed into a small smile. "Yeah… why not? Come over."
Ren chuckled. "Alright, open the door for me."
Arashi raised an eyebrow. "Hold on. Are you already outside?"
"Yes, I'm already here. Open the door. It's really hot out here," Ren said.
Arashi groaned, but smiled. "Alright… I'm coming. Give me a second."
A few moments later, Arashi reached the door and opened it. "Okay… you're here."
Ren stood outside, grinning. "Of course. Even if you had said no, I would've still come."
Arashi shook his head, amused. "You're impossible."
And with that, the day began with Ren arriving unexpectedly, the summer heat pressing down outside, and Arashi realizing that this morning was already going to be anything but ordinary.
Arashi opened the door, and the moment Ren stepped inside, the two of them hugged tightly.
"Come in," Arashi said, patting Ren's back. "Honestly… I wish you'd missed me even once in your life. But no—you never do."
Ren rolled his eyes. "Alright, alright, stop the drama. Go make me breakfast. And where's Ayane?"
Arashi sighed. "I'll make breakfast. And Ayane… she's probably still asleep. "Then something hit him. "Oh right—come with me to the kitchen. I need to talk to you. It's important."
Ren raised an eyebrow. "Important? About what?"
"Just come," Arashi said, already walking toward the kitchen. "I'll tell you there."
Ren followed him, the two stepping into the quiet kitchen as the morning sunlight spilled through the window. Arashi closed the door behind them, his expression shifting from casual to serious.
Arashi took a quiet breath before finally speaking.
"Ren… remember that dream girl I told you about?"
Ren nodded instantly. "Yeah, of course. Why? What happened? Did she dump you already?"
Arashi glared at him. "No, idiot. Nothing like that. I actually met her in real life."
Ren's eyes widened. "Wait—seriously?"
"Yeah," Arashi said. "Her name is Mizuki. And yesterday… we even watched the fireworks together."
Ren let out a dramatic whistle. "Wow, man. Good for you! Now do something for me too. Get me into a relationship with Ayane."
Arashi sighed deeply. "I'll help you… but there's a problem."
Ren tilted his head. "What problem?"
Arashi hesitated for a moment, then said, "Your suspicion was right. Ayane… likes me."
Ren blinked twice. "Oh. So that's what it is."
Arashi nodded slowly. "Yeah. And today… I was planning to tell her clearly that I don't like her that way. But the thing is… I'm scared. What if she doesn't forgive me? What if she cries? I don't want to hurt her."
Ren finally understood the weight behind Arashi's words. "So that's the situation…"
Arashi looked down at the counter, fingers tapping nervously. "I'll try my best to make her understand she'll be happier with you. But for that… you have to make me a promise."
Ren straightened up. "Alright. What promise?"
Arashi looked him in the eyes — serious, steady, and determined.
Arashi took a deep breath and finally said what he needed to.
"Look… liking someone is a good thing. Love happens. That's normal. But you need to understand one thing. "He looked Ren straight in the eyes.
"I don't believe in those boyfriend–girlfriend type relationships. You already know that. You two can talk normally — no problem. You can tease each other — no problem. But you never cross boundaries. Not until you're married. Okay? You know what I'm trying to say."
He continued calmly, "People have made this whole 'BF–GF' thing dirty. But if you keep the right boundaries, then it's fine. That's all I wanted to say."
Ren gave a slow smirk. "Guess what?"
Arashi raised an eyebrow. "What?"
Ren tapped his chest proudly. "I think the exact same way, man. Seriously. Bro, our minds match so much."
Arashi sighed and swatted his shoulder lightly. "Stop acting like that. But good. I'm glad you understand. Anyway, come on — let's start making breakfast."
Ren nodded. "Yeah, let's go."
And with that, the two of them finally turned toward the stove, beginning to make breakfast together as the early morning settled into a calm, warm silence.
Ayane woke up earlier than usual that morning.
She didn't know what time it was — her eyes were still half-closed, her hair messy from sleep.
"Park… with Arashi…" she whispered, her cheeks warming instantly.
She sat up, hugging her pillow tightly for a moment, the same way she had done last night. Her heartbeat sped up again, just like yesterday.
She checked the time. Still early — earlier than she normally woke up.
"Aaah… I'm getting ready so soon…" she groaned, embarrassed at herself. But she couldn't help it. Today felt special.
She stood up, fixing her hair a little, smoothing her clothes, just enough so she wouldn't look like she just woke up if Arashi happened to see her. She didn't want to look desperate — but also… she didn't want to look like a mess.
Her stomach fluttered nervously.
"Calm down… calm down…" she whispered to herself.
Then she heard voices coming from the kitchen — two male voices, talking casually.
Arashi's voice…And another voice.
Ayane paused, confused. "Who…?"
She walked down the stairs slowly, still sleepy, still nervous — and stopped when she reached the kitchen doorway.
Ren was sitting at the counter, eating bread Arashi had handed him. Arashi was standing near the stove, frying eggs.
Ren looked up first.
"Oh! Ayane!" he said with a cheerful grin. "Good morning!"
Ayane froze.
"R–Ren…?"She blinked hard, still trying to process his sudden appearance. "You… here?"
Arashi turned around casually. "Oh, you're awake. Morning."
Ayane rubbed her eyes again, as if she was dreaming." Wait… what's going on? Ren… when did you get here?"
Ren proudly raised his hand. "Five minutes ago."
Arashi corrected him without looking up. "He was outside the door for thirty minutes."
Ren glared. "Shut up. I was early because I… uh… missed you guys."
Ayane's cheeks turned a very light shade of pink. "Oh…"
She glanced at Arashi quickly — instinctively worried. But Arashi was just flipping the eggs, completely unfazed.
Ayane tugged at her sleeve nervously. "U-um… Ren, you didn't tell me you were coming."
Ren smirked. "Surprise visit. I'm staying here for two days."
Ayane nearly choked on her own breath. "T-two days!?"
Ren nodded confidently. "Yup."
Her stomach flipped again — but this time not out of excitement… more like panic.
Ayane swallowed. This was too much for her morning brain.
She sat down quietly at the table. Arashi placed a plate in front of her — two eggs, toast, and a glass of juice.
"Eat," he said.
Ayane nodded silently. "Thank you…"
Ren smirked. "Ayane, your hair is so messy."
Her eyes widened, and she quickly grabbed her hair in panic. "W-what!? I didn't even fix—"
Arashi glanced at her once.
"You look fine," he said simply.
Ayane froze. Her face turned pink instantly.
Ren clicked his tongue. "Ohhh? Someone is getting compliments."
Arashi glared at him. "Shut up and eat."
Ren laughed and bit into his toast.
Ayane smiled a little — a tiny, shy smile — and quietly started eating.
But inside her chest… A storm of emotions was spinning wildly.
"Ren is here. Arashi invited her to the park. She might be alone with him later. Ren being here might change the plan. What does Arashi think? Does Arashi even remember he invited her?"
She held her fork tightly, thinking:
"Should I ask him? No… what if I sound desperate? What if he was just being nice yesterday? What if he changed his mind because Ren is here? No, no, no—calm down."
She lifted her eyes for a moment. Arashi was focused on cooking more food. Ren was humming happily, kicking his legs.
Ayane exhaled softly.
"This day… is not going how I imagined."
But even then — a part of her heart felt warm.
Because Arashi was here. Ren was here. Everyone was together.
And she knew…
Somehow, this day was going to become even more complicated.
After finishing up in the kitchen, Arashi finally sat down at the table to eat. Ren immediately dragged himself and sat right beside Arashi.
Ren nudged him with his elbow. "Alright, Arashi. Whatever you guy want to do, do it now. Because I'm planning to sleep through the whole day. I'll only wake up tomorrow morning."
Arashi stared at him. "How much are you planning to sleep? You came here to spend time with us, not to hibernate."
Ren raised one finger like a professor giving a lecture. "Sleep is very important for the human body. And in my personal opinion…"He paused dramatically. "People who sleep a lot have stronger brains. For example—me. I'm the smartest one here."
Arashi didn't even look up from his plate. "Yeah yeah, you're smart. Keep it. I don't want to be 'smart' like you. I'm perfectly fine being normal."
He took a bite and added, "And remember a few days ago when I stayed at your place? You used to sleep the same amount as me. What happened suddenly?"
Ren leaned back with a proud smirk. "Character development. You won't understand."
Arashi rolled his eyes so hard it looked painful. "Idiot."
Ren grinned even wider.
Ayane watched them from her seat — quietly eating, amused, and also a little confused at how quickly these two could go from serious to stupid.
The morning felt warm, chaotic, and strangely lively — exactly what happens whenever Ren shows up.
As she quietly ate her breakfast, she thought to herself:
"This is perfect… If Ren sleeps the whole day, then it'll be just me and Arashi at the park. That means our plan is still safe. This is actually the best possible thing that could happen."
She hid her smile behind her juice glass.
"Ren is right… sleep really is important. He should definitely rest."
Her cheeks warmed.
Ren noticed her peaceful, satisfied expression and grinned."See? Only smart people understand me. Thank you, Ayane."
Ayane just nodded politely, trying not to look too obvious about her happiness.
After everyone finished eating, Arashi stood up and began washing the dishes at the sink.
Ren stretched his arms high above his head."Alright, I'm going to sleep. Best of luck."
Arashi didn't even look at him."Go. And don't snore."
Ren laughed. "No promises," he said before walking off toward the guest room.
The house grew quieter the moment he disappeared upstairs.
Arashi finished washing the dishes, wiped his hands on a towel, and walked to the living room. He sat down on the couch with a relaxed sigh.
Ayane followed him a few seconds later, unable to hide the little spark of excitement dancing inside her.
Today…Today was the day she had been waiting for.
A park trip with Arashi.Just the two of them.
Her heart thumped softly, warm and hopeful, as she sat nearby — trying her best to act normal, even though inside she could barely sit still.
After a quiet moment, Ayane slowly walked toward Arashi. She hesitated, her fingers nervously touching each other, and softly said:
"A… Arashi?"
Arashi looked up from the couch, his voice calm. "Hmm? Yeah? What is it?"
Ayane's heartbeat jumped. Her face instantly warmed, and she could feel the blush spreading across her cheeks.
"W-well… I… I wanted to ask… wh-when are w-we… g-going to the p-park?"The words tumbled out of her mouth in a broken, stuttering mess, and by the time she finished, her face was completely red.
Arashi stared at her, a little confused but amused. "We'll go in the evening," he replied simply. Then he tilted his head. "But why are you so red? Is something wrong? Are you feeling all right?"
Ayane panicked for a second, waving her hands lightly. "R-red? Oh—no, no! It's just… the heat! Yes, the heat! I'm totally fine."
She wasn't fine. Her heart was beating too fast.
"Anyway," she said quickly, lowering her head so he wouldn't see the blush deepening, "till then… I'm going to my room."
Before Arashi could ask anything else, she turned around and rushed toward her room, her steps quick and flustered. The moment she shut the door behind her, she pressed her hands to her burning cheeks.
She took a long breath, sat on her bed, and quietly whispered to herself that she would make a plan. A plan to confess her feelings.
And so she did.
Time passed, the day slowly shifting into evening. Ayane got ready carefully, checking her reflection more than usual. Her hands trembled slightly, but her eyes carried a quiet determination.
When she finally stepped out of her room, Arashi was waiting.
They walked out of the house together, side by side, heading toward the park as the evening breeze brushed softly against them.