That evening, the scene shifts to Ren's home.
The living room is filled with soft laughter as his little brother, Riku, runs around holding Ren's old sketchbook.
"Nee-chan! You used to draw stick figures with triangle heads!"
Riku laughs, showing the page to their parents.
Ren blushes slightly and grabs the book back.
"Give it back, Riku! You're not supposed to see that."
"Why? You used to draw for Aiyumi too, right?"
The room goes silent for a moment.
Ren looks at the sketchbook — old doodles of him and Aiyumi smiling under the rain, inside the same umbrella.
He softly smiles, then says:
"That was… a long time ago."
Riku tilts his head curiously.
"But you still draw her, nii-chan."
"No, I don't," Ren says quickly, turning away.
Their mom chuckles.
"You've grown up, Ren. But your face tells everything."
Ren just gives a small smile and changes the topic, helping Riku with his homework.
But later that night, when everyone is asleep, he opens that old sketchbook again — the rain scene, the laughter, the warmth — everything returns for a second.
And deep inside, he whispers to himself:
"Aiyumi… you're still here."
Riku sits beside Ren on the sofa, still holding that sketchbook. Their mom walks in with a cup of tea, smiling mischievously.
> "Riku," she says, "did your brother ever tell you what he did when he was in 5th grade?"
Ren immediately looks up, alarmed.
> "Mom! No—don't!"
Riku's eyes light up.
> "What? What did he do, Mom? Tell me! Tell me!"
She laughs.
> "He once tried to impress Aiyumi by climbing our backyard tree to get her a flower. But the branch broke—"
Riku bursts out laughing already.
"—and he fell into the muddy pond behind the house!"
Ren groans, covering his face.
"It wasn't that bad!"
"Oh yes, it was!" his mom continues between giggles. "He came home drenched, holding a half-broken flower, saying 'Aiyumi will still like it, right?'"
Riku is rolling on the floor laughing.
"Nii-chan! You're sooo romantic!"
Ren blushes hard.
"It was childhood! Don't twist it!"
Their mom teases,
"Maybe that's why Aiyumi used to bring you extra chocolates, hmm?"
Riku grins widely.
"So you had a best friend and a mud bath together! That's cute!"
Ren can't help but smile a little, shaking his head.
"You're impossible, both of you."
But deep inside, a soft memory flickers — that innocent moment, Aiyumi's laughter when she saw him muddy, and how she said, "You're so stupid, Ren… but thank you."
That memory still makes his heart ache — and smile — all at once.