Ren stared at his phone for almost ten minutes before doing anything.
Her name sat at the top of their chat, untouched since yesterday.
The last message still burned in his memory.
I could never.
He exhaled slowly and pressed call.
It rang once.
Twice.
Three times.
His heart pounded harder with each second.
Then—
"Ren?"
Her voice.
Soft. Slightly tired. A little distant because of the connection, but still hers.
He didn't realize how tightly he'd been holding his breath until it escaped him all at once. "Yeah. It's me."
"Of course it's you," she said, and he could hear the faint smile.
There was background noise on her side—cars, wind, maybe unfamiliar voices. It hit him then. She wasn't in their town anymore. She was somewhere else. Somewhere new.
"How is it?" he asked.
There was a pause.
"It's… bigger," she said carefully. "Louder. Everything feels fast."
"You hate fast."
"I know."
He leaned back against his bedroom wall and slid down until he was sitting on the floor. The cool surface grounded him. "Did you unpack?"
"Half," she admitted. "I stopped. It started feeling too real."
That made his chest tighten.
Outside his window, the summer air shimmered. Kids were already laughing down the street. Life was moving forward without asking for permission.
"I almost didn't call," he said quietly.
"Why?"
"Because I didn't know what I'd say."
Another pause.
"You don't have to say anything," Yuna replied softly. "Just… don't disappear."
He closed his eyes.
"I won't."
On the other side of town, Aio flopped onto Ren's bed without knocking, Mio close behind him. They both froze when they saw Ren holding the phone.
Aio raised an eyebrow. Finally, he mouthed dramatically.
Ren ignored him.
"Did you eat?" he asked her.
"You sound like my mom."
"Answer the question."
She laughed—small, but real.
"Yeah. I did."
That laugh did something to him. It made the distance feel thinner. Not gone. Just… manageable.
"I walked by the beach earlier," she added. "It's not like ours."
Ours.
The word echoed.
"Don't replace it," he said before he could stop himself.
"I won't," she answered immediately.
Silence settled between them, but it wasn't heavy this time. It felt shared.
"Ren?"
"Yeah?"
"Promise me something."
He swallowed. "What?"
"Even if summer changes things… don't let it change us."
He opened his eyes slowly.
"I won't," he said again—firmer this time.
Across the room, Mio watched him carefully. Aio leaned back, arms crossed, thoughtful instead of teasing for once.
After they hung up, Ren stared at his phone.
She was far.
The miles were real.
The summer was long.
But for the first time since 5:42 a.m., the weight in his chest felt lighter.
Aio broke the silence. "So?"
Ren stood, slipping his phone into his pocket.
"So," he said quietly, "we're not done."
Outside, the sun climbed higher.
And somewhere, in a different city under the same sky, Yuna looked up at that same light.
Summertimes were coming.
And none of them were ready.