The golden hour of autumn had begun to bleed into the streets, casting long, amber shadows that stretched across the pavement.
A crisp breeze carried the faint, metallic scent of cooling asphalt and the distant aroma of neighborhood dinner preparations. It had been days since the tension within their group had begun to thaw, replaced by a warmth that felt as steady as the humming vending machine they now stood around.
Ren pressed a button, the heavy thud-clunk of a canned coffee echoing in the quiet afternoon. Beside him, Daiki was a whirlwind of kinetic energy, his chest puffed out as he re-enacted a play from his basketball match.
"And then—bam!—I crossed him over so hard he's probably still looking for his ankles," Daiki boasted, his loud laugh cutting through the quiet air.
Akari and Hina walked on either side, their footsteps rhythmic and light.
Ren, however, felt his mind drifting. He watched the way the sunlight caught the stray hairs of his friends' heads, turning them into halos of light. I want this, he thought, a sudden, tight ache of protectiveness blooming in his chest. I want the four of us to stay exactly like this forever. His gaze shifted to Daiki's boisterous profile. How did I even end up stuck with this idiot?
A heavy palm suddenly slammed into Ren's shoulder blade, jolting him forward.
"Dumbass! Stop daydreaming," Daiki barked, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Don't space out while we're crossing the road, or you'll end up as a hood ornament."
Ren rubbed his shoulder, a small frown tugging at his lips. "You didn't have to hit me to wake me up, you gorilla."
Akari leaned in, her eyes searching Ren's face with a sudden, sharp intensity. "Ren-san, what were you thinking about? You looked... far away."
"Well… it's nothing," Ren said, offering a casual shrug, though his pulse quickened slightly under her scrutiny.
Akari's pace slowed, her brows knitting together. A tiny flash of something—jealousy, perhaps, or just the fear of being left out—flickered in her dark eyes. "Hey, don't hide it. Tell me."
"Yeah, spill," Hina added, her voice soft but curious.
Ren shook his head, a faint, nostalgic smile playing on his lips. "Really, it's nothing deep. I was just wondering how Daiki and I actually became friends back when we were kids."
"Then tell me the story!" Akari insisted, her voice rising half an octave.
"It's a long one, Akari-chan. If I start now, we'll be standing on this corner until sunset," Ren teased.
Hina smiled knowingly, her expression tinged with a quiet reserve. "I already know the story, so I won't press him."
Akari turned to her, her lower lip pouting out just a fraction. "Hina, aren't you curious at all? That's not fair... I'm the only one who's in the dark here."
"Akari-chan... please don't be like that," Ren said, his voice dropping to a gentle, soothing register. He hated seeing that look on her face. "I promise I'll tell you someday. It's just... it's not a 'walking home' kind of story."
Akari huffed, her cheeks puffing out like a disgruntled squirrel. She crossed her arms, looking away.
Ren sighed, a helpless but fond sound. "Okay, okay. How about this? Pick a time when you're free. We'll go to a café or a park—somewhere quiet—and I'll tell you everything. From the very beginning."
The pout vanished instantly. Akari's eyes brightened, a soft pink hue creeping up her neck. "Then... how about this weekend?"
"Yeah, that works for me."
"Okay," Akari whispered, her voice suddenly shy. "Deal."
Watching them, Daiki felt a slow smirk spread across his face. She doesn't care about the story, he realized, watching the way Akari sneakily glanced at Ren's hands. She just wants to see what he looked like before he grew into this dense statue. He let out a sudden, sharp bark of laughter.
Ren jumped. "Why are you laughing, you weirdo?"
"Nothing, nothing," Daiki waved a hand dismissively, though his eyes danced. "Just thinking about how intensely interested Akari is in our 'childhood.' It's written all over her face." He burst into a fresh fit of giggles.
Akari's face went from pink to a deep, shimmering crimson. "Why are you laughing? Do you not want Ren to tell me?"
Daiki immediately dove behind Ren, using his taller friend as a human shield. "Sorry, my lord! Please forgive my rudeness!"
The tension snapped into a chorus of laughter, the sound ringing out against the brick walls of the suburban street.
"Hina, do you want to come along this weekend?" Ren asked, turning back.
Hina shook her head, her smile polite but distant. "No, I've got plans already. You guys go ahead."
Ren turned to Daiki, but before he could even open his mouth, Daiki held his hands up in a 'stop' gesture. "Don't even think about dragging me into your little history lesson. I lived it once; I'm not doing it again."
This brat, Daiki thought, looking at Ren's confused expression. He finally gets a chance to spend a whole day with the girl who's clearly crazy about him, and he tries to invite the whole neighborhood? Is he playing hard to get or is he actually brain-dead?
Daiki's smirk turned wicked. "Then it's settled. Ren and Akari are going out on a date."
The world seemed to stop. The wind died down, and the only sound was the distant hum of a car engine.
Akari's face turned a shade of red that looked physically painful. Ren felt a heat wave rush from his chest to his ears. His stomach did a slow, heavy roll—half-terror, half-excitement. He forced his expression to stay neutral, but his grip on his coffee can was so tight the aluminum groaned.
Hina turned her gaze to the ground. A sharp, icy sting of jealousy pierced her chest. I want to be there too, a voice whispered in her head. But she silenced it. No. I can't ruin this. After everything I put him through, he still smiles at me. I don't deserve to get in their way.
As the group split off, a heavy, charged silence settled between Ren and Akari as he walked her home. Every time their shoulders brushed, a spark of static electricity seemed to jump between them.
When they reached the Minazuki residence, a window slid open above them. Akari's mother, Aiko, leaned out, her hair tied back and a cleaning rag in hand.
"Ren-chan! Wait right there! Don't you dare leave!" she called out, her voice bright and commanding.
Both teens froze. A moment later, the front door swung open, and Aiko stood there, radiating motherly mischief.
"Take Ren-chan up to your room," Aiko said, her eyes twinkling. "I'll bring up some snacks in a bit."
"M-Mom! No!" Akari's voice cracked. "My room is a mess! It's fine down here in the living room!" She looked at Ren, her eyes pleading for him to say something.
Ren, feeling like he had walked into a minefield, stammered, "Uh... yeah, here is fine, Aiko-san."
Aiko just waved them off. "Nonsense. I just finished cleaning it. Go on, go on."
Akari felt her knees go weak. My room? With a guy? With REN? It was the first time a boy had ever crossed the threshold of her sanctuary. It wasn't that she didn't want him there—it was that the intimacy of it felt like it might make her heart explode.
Ren followed her up the stairs, his heart drumming a frantic rhythm against his ribs. He sat down at the low wooden table in the center of the room, his eyes darting around at the soft colors and the faint scent of vanilla and peach that clung to the air.
Aiko returned minutes later with a tray of cookies and chilled juice. "Thank you so much, Aiko-san," Ren said, bowing his head politely.
Akari blinked, her jealousy flaring up in a pout. "Since when did you two get so close? You're using her first name now?"
Aiko smirked, leaning against the doorframe. "Don't worry, sweetie. I won't steal your boyfriend from you."
"We're not like that!" they shouted in perfect, panicked unison.
"Oh? Such a shame. You're so in sync. Maybe I will take him for myself then," Aiko teased.
"What? No! He's my friend! I'm not giving him to you!" Akari's voice was high and frantic.
Ren couldn't help it. A small, genuine laugh bubbled up in his throat. Seeing Akari so flustered and protective was... dangerously cute.
Akari caught his smile and glared, her eyes watering slightly from the sheer embarrassment. "Hey, Ren, you really—" She cut herself off, turning her back to him and huddling into a ball. "Fine. I'm not talking to you."
"Akari-chan, please... I'm sorry," Ren said, his voice softening as he reached out, then hesitated.
Aiko chuckled and slipped out, closing the door with a soft click that felt incredibly final.
Ren leaned forward. "I was just kidding. I'm not into older women, I swear. Trust me."
Akari glanced over her shoulder, her eyes searching his. "You're not lying?"
"Of course not. If I were, I would have said something the first time I met her," Ren said, trying to lighten the mood. "Even if she does look young enough to be your sister."
Akari swung around and delivered a light, playful punch to his chest. "Shut up!"
Ren laughed softly, the sound low and warm in the small room.
Suddenly, the playfulness vanished. Akari leaned forward, her momentum carrying her until her forehead rested against his chest. Before Ren could process the movement, her arms wrapped around his waist, pulling him into a tight, desperate hug.
Ren's breath hitched. He sat frozen, his arms hovering in the air. He could feel the heat radiating off her, the way her small frame trembled slightly against his. After a heartbeat of hesitation, he let out a slow breath and gently rested a hand on her hair, stroking it softly.
If only time could stop like this, Akari thought, squeezing her eyes shut. The scent of Ren—detergent and something uniquely him—overwhelmed her senses.
"It's okay, Akari-chan," Ren whispered, his voice vibrating through her. "No one's going to take me away from you."
The words left his mouth before he could filter them. His brain screamed, What did you just say?!
Akari's heart did a violent somersault. The world narrowed down to the warmth of his chest. She tightened her grip until her knuckles turned white, and in a voice so faint it was almost a thought, she whispered, "I like you."
Ren blinked. "Did you say something?"
"No!" she blurted out, burying her face deeper into his shirt.
Ren, ever the dense one, assumed she was still just reeling from her mother's teasing. "Akari-chan... you're holding on really tight. I can't really... breathe?"
She loosened her grip by a fraction of an inch, but she didn't let go. Ren didn't push her away. I'll just stay like this until she feels better, he told himself, though his own heart was hammering a rhythm he couldn't explain.
A sharp knock at the door broke the spell.
Aiko poked her head in to collect the tray.
The two scrambled apart, Ren standing up so fast his chair nearly tipped. "I—I should get going. It's getting late. Thanks for the snacks, Aiko-san."
"Anytime, Ren-chan. Don't be a stranger," Aiko said with a knowing wink.
Ren offered a quick, flustered smile. "See you later, Akari-chan."
Once the front door clicked shut, Aiko turned to her daughter, who was currently trying to melt into the floorboards. "So... did anything naughty happen?"
"Mom! Stop! Nothing happened!" Akari cried, her face buried in a pillow.
But as she lay in bed that night, the moon casting pale silver light across her room, she couldn't stop replaying the feeling of his hand on her hair. The way he smelled. The way he felt. She squeezed her eyes shut, realizing with a terrifying finality that she wasn't just "interested." She was completely, utterly in love with him.
The next day, Ren recounted the events to Daiki over the phone.
There was a long, painful silence on the other end of the line. Then, a heavy groan.
"Ren," Daiki said, his voice flat. "You are, without a doubt, the single biggest dumbass in the history of the universe. No girl hugs a guy like that unless she likes him. She probably confessed and you just let it fly over your head like a brick. Go ask her about it tomorrow, you idiot."
Ren's brow furrowed. "You think... she said something?"
Daiki sighed, the sound of a man who had lost all hope. "Like hell I'd know for sure, but I have a pretty good guess. Just talk to her, Ren. Before you lose your last two brain cells."
Daiki hung up, leaving Ren staring at his phone in the dark. A strange, fluttering sensation started in his stomach. He decided then—he would ask her.
The most intense night of their lives had passed, but for Akari, the fire was only just beginning to burn.