Haruto took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. After a moment, he opened the diary again and continued reading. The entries went on for a few more pages, ending roughly three months later.
---
16 July, Year XXXX
Daddy suddenly disappeared the next day. When I asked Mommy, she glared at me and said,
"Your father is dead."
I was shocked and started crying. I called her a liar.
She slapped my cheek, destroyed my room, burned everything Daddy gave me, and locked me inside for days.
But I wasn't lonely.
He stayed with me. He promised he would take me far away from here one day.
Haruto, I love you so much.
---
Haruto stared at the page, unmoving. Slowly, he closed the diary and placed it back on the desk.
So the boy in Ayaka's story was not Ren.
It had been him.
His chest felt tight as pieces fell into place, only to open new questions. If that was the case, then why had she told a different fairy tail to him when they were in the library that day.
