"Well... I got bored." Ren leaned back in his chair with a yawn, arms stretching high into the air as if he owned the sky.
His voice echoed carelessly through the near-empty classroom.
"Ren... What kind of an animal are you?" Ashiwkun's voice cracked like thunder through the silence. His eyes blazed, clenched fists trembling.
Ren smirked lazily.
"Dude, chill... All I gotta do is break up with her."
The atmosphere froze.
Ashiwkun slammed his hand onto the desk, eyes bloodshot.
"IS THIS A JOKE TO YOU?! How many times, how many days, how many sacrifices has she made for you?! Hundreds! And it's all just a damn joke to you?!"
Ren rolled his eyes, tilting his chair back until it balanced dangerously. He turned his back towards Ashiwkun with a low hum. "Then why don't you tell her yourself, son of a—"
"No… I get it now." The voice didn't belong to either of them.
Hayane stood in the doorway.
Tears streamed down her cheeks, eyes shattered like stained glass under pressure.
"Sometimes... people won't understand the love we give.
Even if we pour our soul into it.
But I'm glad I loved him,"
her voice wavered.
"I loved him perfectly. As perfectly as a human heart could. And it's all my fault... I went against everything just to love him."
Her legs trembled.
She turned and ran.
A small envelope slipped from her hand, fluttering to the floor like the last petal of a cherry blossom in winter.
Ashiwkun picked it up, walked past Ren with ice in his veins. "Here. You deserve this. She made it last night. She didn't sleep. You deserve to feel this pain. This guilt." He shoved the letter into Ren's chest and stormed out.
The classroom, once filled with laughter and chatter, was now a tomb.
For the first time in his life, Ren—class clown, Mr. Popular, the 'harmless' playboy—was truly alone.
He slapped his face. Once. Twice. Thrice.
Each hit echoed in the silence, but no pain could outmatch the scream in his mind:
"FEEL IT. AGAIN. AND AGAIN. THIS IS WHO YOU ARE."
His hands trembled. His lips quivered. The same lips that once whispered sweet nothings now whispered guilt.
"What have I done...?"
He sank into his chair, clutching the letter.
His fingers hesitated to open it—as if afraid it would shatter whatever soul he had left.
A thin veil of sunlight filtered through the long, glass-panel windows, casting streaks of orange across the abandoned corridor. The shadows of falling sakura petals from a nearby courtyard flickered gently on the walls — soft, trembling like paper lanterns in the wind.
His pulse — once slow — now echoed in his ears like a war drum.Thump.Thump.Thump.
His fingers unfolded the paper like it was a relic.
A final message from a version of her he couldn't face.
And then... he read.
"Hey... it's 2 a.m.I don't know why I'm writing this, or if I should.
But I love you.
And I don't know how else to say it. I'm falling... and falling fast. It's the first time in my life I've felt like this. I've fought everyone—my family, my doubts—just for a chance to love you. And I still would.
I don't want gifts or promises. I just wish... I just wish we could sit together, hand in hand, under the cherry blossoms in spring.
At our school.
Our place.
Just smiling, knowing we made it.
I see you in everything.
My mirror.
My bed.
My food.
Even my dreams.
That's what loving you feels like.
Even if I lose everything... I'm still glad I loved you."_
Ren couldn't breathe.
His lungs refused to function.
His heart screamed louder than his mind.
Tears welled up—not out of guilt, but from something deeper.
"What kind of animal... am I?" He wept.
For the first time in school.
For the first time in his life.
He gripped his head.
"Why did I do this to her? Hayane... she was perfect just as she was."
His thoughts spiraled. "Ashiwkun... my brother... I disappointed even him."
"I've been playing with hearts my whole life. So this... this is what it feels like to be the one who gets played? It's... it's worse. It's unbearable."
He shook violently, his body screaming from the inside out.
The classroom door creaked. Ashiwkun stood there, eyes cold.
"Not so fast." He grabbed Ren's collar and slammed him back into the chair.
"You stay here. You feel it. Every ounce of pain you gave to others. You deserve this." Ashiwkun left.
From the cracked door, Ren watched Hayane's silhouette—a blur of sobs and sadness. Ashiwkun held her gently.
Ren lowered his gaze.
Shame dripped from him like ink on soaked paper.
"From that day, I swore to myself... If I ever date someone again, I'll date her till death. As loyal as a man can be."
Serin read the text, stunned.
Her screen reflected in wide eyes.
"Ooh... I get it. Your past. But I believe in second chances. I'm not judging you."
A bitmoji winked with a soft smile.
Ren exhaled—a breath he didn't realize he was holding.
"I'm happy someone still stands with me."
"Well, what can I say? I'm a damn good girl."
They both laughed behind their glowing screens.
"So… no girls in the last two years?"
"I swear. Not even a single unnecessary conversation. I kept my head down. I was scared to hurt anyone again. I just… lived silently."
"Fascinating. That's impressive."
"What can I say? I'm a damn good boy."
Laughter lit their hearts once again.
"It's getting late. Wanna keep texting or sleep?"
"I'm okay with anything. Your call."
"Cool. Let's text till sleep hits."
And they did. They talked about food. Movies. Songs. Memes. Life.
Laughter turned into connection.
Time slipped through their fingers.
It was 4 a.m. before they noticed.
The world slept.
But not them.
Their bond tightened like red string of fate pulled gently through the stars.
"Damn… we just met yesterday and already feel this close?!"
"I KNOW, RIGHT?! It's crazy."
Serin blushed softly in the glow of her phone.
"Do you have a past…?" Ren Asked Out of Curiosity
Silence.
Her eyes widened.
Pain returned.
"Hey?"
"Are you okay?"
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you! I swear I won't ask again! I'm so sorry!"
Sweat ran down Ren's neck.
His thumbs trembled.
"Dude. Chill. I'm okay. It's just a connection issue."
She lied.
Ren sighed.
But guilt pressed into his chest.
"I'll text you later. I feel tired."
She logged off.
Ren stared at the empty screen.
Closed his phone.
Fell into bed.
The ceiling stared back.
Outside the window, a gentle breeze swept through the silent town.
The moonlight kissed the rooftops.
Sakura petals swirled in ghostly spirals under the silver glow.
A melancholy lullaby carried by the wind.
Ren whispered.
"...I wish I could spend more time with her."