After that betrayal, something inside Aiyumi changed quietly.
She didn't cry in front of anyone.
She didn't scream or break down.
She just… stopped believing.
The girl she trusted like family – the only "friend" she thought would stand by her – treated her like she was replaceable.
That hurt more than heartbreak. Because heartbreak comes from love,
but betrayal comes from trust.
For the first time, Aiyumi understood what loneliness actually feels like—
Not "being alone",
but "having no one safe."
She started pulling herself inward. Walls slowly rose around her heart. Smiles became rarer. Conversations became shorter.
And even though Ren didn't know the full story,
he felt the difference.
He noticed how she stopped sitting close when she talked.
How her eyes stopped glowing when she spoke about people.
How she now said "it's fine" even when it wasn't.
One day as they walked, he asked casually,
"Why are you not talking like before?"
"People talk only until they get what they want," she said softly.
Ren didn't reply, but something in his chest tightened.
He didn't know who hurt her, but a silent promise formed inside him —
"I will not become another person who leaves her."
He didn't say it out loud. He never said sentimental things.
But his presence…
it stayed.
Even when everything else was fading.