Kamakura — a quiet coastal city south of Tokyo, where summer breezes mixed with the distant sound of waves — and the first bell of Kamakura Minami High School.Ren Takahashi, 17 , lived here all his life. Calm, observant, and often lost in thought, Ren had a habit of bottling up everything he felt. He wasn't one to speak unless it mattered. A second-year student at Kamakura Minami highschool.Walking beside him was his best friend since childhood — Daiki Shiranui, also 17. Loud, quick to joke, always restless. If Ren was the tide, Daiki was the wave crashing against it. The two were like "one body two souls",tease eachother,make funny jokes. Their bond is unbreakable."Dude, I swear the basketball hoop moved. Otherwise, I would've nailed that shot."Ren raised an eyebrow. "Moved? The hoop?" ,"It had to. There's no way I missed."Ren just smirked, saying nothing.They walked through the school gates side by side.
Ren Takahashi had always believed that timing was everything.
A quiet, thoughtful high schooler with eyes that held stories he never dared to speak, Ren had fallen for Hina Fujimoto the very first moment he saw her. But she wasn't just his friend. She was the friend. The kind who felt like home — familiar, warm, untouchable.
Their bond had grown over the years, steady and unshakable like ivy climbing an old stone wall. And yet, Ren never once confessed. He told himself: "Not yet. If I say it now… I might lose her forever."
Hina, meanwhile, carried her own little secret — a crush on another boy from school: Reiji Kanzaki.
Confident, charismatic, with a mysterious edge that made heads turn, Reiji wasn't someone you'd just forget. Hina found herself drawn to him almost instantly. But she never brought it up with Ren. Maybe she didn't want to hurt him… or maybe she just didn't know how.
Then one day, fate stepped in.
A random street corner. A simple bump. An unexpected "Oh, sorry." That's all it took. That tiny spark turned into daily chats. Texts stretching late into the night. Secret smiles during class. Before long, Reiji confessed. And Hina — heart already leaning his way — said yes.
When she introduced him to Ren, her voice was casual. "This is Reiji — my boyfriend."
Ren's smile didn't falter. Not even for a second.
"Congrats," he said.
But inside, something cracked.
He wanted to scream. He wanted to ask, "Why not me?" But instead, he swallowed it. Every word. Every emotion. Because her happiness mattered more.
Luckily, Ren wasn't alone.
Daiki Shiranui, his ride-or-die, had known for ages. Loyal and grounded, Daiki had always seen right through him. Ren didn't have to say much — he just… knew.
But as weeks passed, something started shifting.
Reiji didn't like how close Hina was to Ren. And instead of confronting it with maturity, he made her choose.
"You need to stop talking to him."
And Hina… obeyed.
At first, the changes were small. A missed text. A quick excuse.
"I'm busy today."
"Sorry, I have to get home."
"Let's talk later, okay?"
Later turned into never.
Ren noticed.
He wasn't stupid. He saw her slipping away, message by message, glance by glance. But he didn't chase her. He simply let go — with that same quiet dignity he always had.
"She has a boyfriend," he told himself. "Things change."
But deep down?
He was breaking.
And one day, it all became too much.
After school, he asked her to meet — just the two of them. No crowds. No interruptions. Just them.
Ren said softly,
"Hey, Hina… how have you been? It feels like it's been ages since we talked or spent time together. I know things change — that's just life. But there's something that keeps buzzing in my head. Like... what did I do wrong? What really happened between us? I just don't understand what made you start avoiding me so suddenly. Why didn't I notice it sooner? And if things are going to stay like this… what happens next?"
Hina looked away for a moment, then replied,
"Don't be selfish, Ren. Like you said, things do change as time passes. People change. No one stays the same forever. You just have to learn to adjust… and let go — as if those things were just a part of who you used to be."
She didn't give a clear reason for avoiding him.
But in her mind, she wondered: "Is it okay… to end things like this?"
Back then, she was already wrapped in the arms of someone else.
And without another word, she turned and walked away.
AND YET, EVEN IN SILENCE, SOMETHING HAD ALREADY BEGUN TO CHANGE.~