[Ren]
I Sometimes Feel Like I Hate Mornings — Not Because I Have To Wake Up, But Because A New Day Means New Struggles. It's Exhausting. Everyone Says A New Day Is A Fresh Start, But For Me, It Just Feels Like The Same Thing Over And Over Again.
I Was Already Awake When My Alarm Buzzed At Exactly 6:30 A.M. I Always Wake Up A Few Minutes Earlier, Lying Still In Bed, Staring At The Ceiling. I Don't Know Why, But There's A Certain Comfort In Those Few Minutes — No Voices, No Expectations. Just Solitude.
My Room Was Small, Quiet, And Clean — A Reflection Of My Habits. The Study Table Sat Beneath The Window, With Stacks Of Books Arranged Neatly On Top. Not All Of Them Were Textbooks; Some Were Novels. I Like Reading — It's Become Something Of A Quiet Hobby. My Phone Rested On The Bed Beside My Pillow, A Pair Of Coiled Earphones Lying Next To It. Everything Had Its Place — Even Me. Yet Somehow, I Still Felt Uneasy, Like I Didn't Quite Belong In Any Of It.
I Got Dressed Slowly And Silently. The Uniform Was The Same As Always — Neat And Plain. I Didn't Rush; There Was No Reason To. I Put It On With Little To No Thought, Like Always. Shirt, Pants, Tie, Shoes — All Part Of The Routine. I Felt Like A Machine, Just Following The Same Order Every Day.
As I Stepped Out Of My Room And Headed Downstairs, The Hallway Was Dim, Lit Only By The Soft Glow Of The Morning Sun Filtering Through The Window.
From The Kitchen, I Heard Faint Footsteps Padding Across The Floor. She Was Awake — She Always Was.
Riko — My Younger Sister — Stood By The Kitchen Counter, Holding A Steaming Cup Of Tea In Her Hand. She Stared At Me As I Entered The Hall, Her Expression Calm And Somewhat Unreadable, As If She Were Lost In Thought.
"Morning," She Said, Not Turning Her Head Fully — Just Enough.
"Morning," I Replied Softly, My Voice Still Rough From Sleep.
She Slid A Steaming Cup Of Tea Across The Table Toward Me.
" I Made Your Tea. Just Pretend, Like Always, That You Don't Like It. "
I Sat Down In The Chair Across From Her.
" Thanks. "
She Leaned Against The Counter, Watching Me Like She Was Trying To Read My Expression.
" You Look Like Your Soul Forgot To Wake Up. "
I Looked Into The Tea ; The Steam Curled Upward Like It Was Trying To Escape The Cup. Taking A Sip, I Replied,
"It Did. Let Me Know If You See It Wandering Around."
She Giggled Softly.
She Opened Her Mouth, As If About To Say Something, But Closed It Almost Instantly — Choosing Not To Speak Or Ask.
We Sat Like That For A While — Quiet, But Not Distant. Her Presence Filled The Silence Without The Need For Conversation. That's How Mornings Are Between Us.
No Noise. No Demands. Just A Quiet Understanding.
Our Parents Are Already Gone. They Always Seem Too Busy With Work — Or Whatever It Is They Do. That's Why The House Feels Empty And Quiet Without Them. The Only Sound Is The Clinking Of Dishes As Riko Washes Them In The Kitchen.
I Don't Mind The Silence. I've Gotten Used To It By Now.
Riko Usually Keeps Herself Busy With Schoolwork. In Her Free Time, She Watches TV Or Scrolls Through Her Phone.
After Finishing The Dishes, She Looked At Me And Said, "Don't Forget Your Lunch This Time."
I Gave Her A Nod. She Always Says That—Like She's Trying To Care Without Making A Big Deal Out Of It.
That's Just How She Is.
She Grabbed Her Bag From The Chair And Put On Her Shoes Without Saying Another Word. The Front Door Opened, Letting The Morning Breeze In.
"I'm Going Ahead," She Said, Not Looking Back.
She Always Leaves First—like She Needs A Few Extra Steps Between Herself, Me, And The Rest Of The World. I Don't Blame Her.
I Waited A Few Minutes Before Following, Just Like I Always Do.
I Took My Bag And Slung It Over One Shoulder, Letting It Hang Loosely. I Stepped Out Into The Quiet Morning And Began Walking Toward School, Blending Into The Background.
"Ren."
I Heard A Familiar Voice Calling Me From Behind. It Was Vicky — One Of My Few Friends. He'd Been With Me Since Elementary School, So In A Way, We Were Childhood Friends.
"Morning. Half-alive As Ever, Huh?" He Said With A Weird Smile, Falling Into Step Right Beside Me.
I Let Out A Short Sigh, Too Tired To Even Argue. He Laughed, Like He Always Did—Loud Enough For Both Of Us.
That's Who He Was—Always Joking, Just To Keep Things From Getting Too Quiet.
We Walked To School Together, Making Small Talk Here And There So Things Didn't Get Too Quiet. Sometimes, Vicky Would Tell Me About His Day, Or We'd Talk About Something Related To Class.
Before We Knew It, We Had Already Reached Our Classroom. Vicky Was In The Same Class As Me, But Our Seats Weren't Close. That's Why We Could Only Talk During Lunch Breaks.
After Entering The Classroom, I Headed Toward My Assigned Seat—The One In The Last Corner By The Window. I Sat Down, Rested My Chin On My Hand, And Let My Eyes Wander Outside. The World Looked Quieter Through The Glass—The Kind Of Quiet I Liked.
Students Kept Coming In, And The Classroom Slowly Began To Fill. The Chatter Grew Louder, But I Wasn't Really Listening. My Mind Had Already Started To Drift, and i was lost in my Thoughts.
And Then, Like Every Morning, The Sound Of The Classroom Suddenly Shifted Slightly—Just Enough For Me To Notice.
That's When She Walked In.
Miyu.
Top Of The Class. The Kind Of Person You'd Easily Call A Perfect Student. She Carried That Image Like It Was A Part Of Her Very Soul.
Several Classmates Started Gathering Around Her—Laughing, Asking Questions, Some Just Looking For A Reason To Talk.
She Smiled The Way She Always Did—Calm And Polite. Not Too Warm, Not Too Cold. Just Enough To Keep Everyone Within Their Boundaries.
Then She Began Walking Toward Her Assigned Seat, A Warm Smile Still On Her Face.
I Don't Know Why, But I Wondered If She Ever Felt The Same Way I Did—Like She Didn't Quite Belong To The Version Of Herself Everyone Expected Her To Be.
But I Couldn't Say Anything. It Was Never My Place To.
And Then, For A Split Second, Our Eyes Met.
It Wasn't Dramatic. She Didn't Flinch Or Look Surprised. Just A Quiet Glance.
She Took Her Seat, And I Turned Back To The Window, Pretending Like Nothing Had Happened.
[Miyu]
As I Stepped Into The Classroom—Just Like Every Other Morning—The Noise Inside Suddenly Shifted. It Was Only For A Brief Second, Like The Room Needed A Moment To Adjust.
Some Of My Classmates Started Gathering Around Me—Greeting Me, Asking Questions About The Homework, And Making Small Talks.
I Responded To All Of Them With The Same Calm, Neutral Smile. Just Enough To Be Polite, So No One Got The Wrong Idea.
As I Started Walking Toward My Assigned Seat, My Eyes—Out Of Habit—began Scanning The Room.
While They Wandered Across The Classroom, I Met His Gaze For A Split Second.
Ren.
He's A Quiet Person. He Doesn't Talk To Many People Other Than His Close Friends, And I've Never Seen Him Start A Conversation With Anyone. His Academic Scores Are Good, But I've Always Wondered Why He Shows No Interest In Anything.
He Was Sitting In His Usual Spot Near The Window, Staring Outside Like He Was Somewhere Else Entirely. Sometimes, I Envy How Carefree He Looks—Like Nothing Weighs On Him. He Has No Interest In Anything, And No One Expects Anything From Him.
For A Second, When Our Eyes Met, His Gaze Was Sharp—Like He Was Looking At Me, But Not Exactly Me. More Like He Was Looking Inside Me, Understanding Things I Wasn't Saying Out Loud.
This Feeling Struck Me, And I Don't Know Why.
Then He Looked Away, Returning His Gaze To The Window—like He Always Does.
I Sat Down In My Seat As Well, Pretending Like Nothing Had Happened.
But For Some Reason, That Uneasy Feeling Stayed With Me For The Rest Of The Day At School.
After The Last Bell Rang, I Started Packing My Things. Some Of My Classmates Were Greeting Me As They Left, Tossing Casual Goodbyes And Waving.
I Smiled Back Casually, Like I Always Do—just Enough To Be Polite, Without Giving Anyone The Wrong Idea.
As The Classroom Emptied, I Made My Way To The School's Main Gate, Where My Older Brother Was Waiting For Me.
He Tossed Me A Smile As He Waved.
"How Was Your Day?" He Asked As I Sat In The Passenger Seat.
"Not Bad, I Guess," I Replied, My Eyes Drifting To The Window.
The Drive Home Was A Quiet One. The Only Sounds Were The Hum Of The Engine And A Song Playing Softly—The One My Brother Likes A Little Too Much. He Listens To It Every Single Day.
He Didn't Talk Much, And I Was Fine With That. For The Entire Ride, I Stared Out The Window, Watching The City Pass By.
After A Short Drive, We Reached Home.
"I'm Home," I Said As I Took Off My Shoes At The Entrance.
No One Answered—More Like No One Was Home To Answer.
My Little Sister Was Out, Probably Shopping, And Mom And Dad Wouldn't Be Back Until Late. I Stepped Inside.
Home Was The Same As Always—Neat, Somewhat Quiet, And Predictable. I Stepped Into My Room, Changed Out Of My Uniform, And Dropped My Bag On The Chair.
After Some Rest, I Sat At My Study Table And Started Working On The Homework Given At School. Time Passed Quickly As I Moved From Subject To Subject.
Before I Knew It, It Was Dinner Time.
Mom And Dad Were Back From Work. As We All Sat Around The Table Eating Dinner, Their Conversation Filled The Room—Mostly About Work, Schedules, And The Usual Reminders.
I Nodded Where I Needed To, Answered When Asked, But My Thoughts Kept Drifting—To That Moment When My Eyes Met Ren's.
That Feeling… I Don't Know How To Describe It. It Wasn't Dramatic Or Obvious, But Something About It Kept Me Hooked.
Like A Thread I Couldn't Let Go Of.
As My Thoughts Wandered From One Thing To Another, I Heard A Voice Calling Me.
"Are You Okay, Sis?"
It Was My Little Sister. I Must've Been Spacing Out, Because Now All Of My Family Members Were Looking At Me.
"Yeah, I'm Okay. Just Tired," I Replied With A Soft Smile. I Lowered My Eyes To My Plate And Began Eating The Rest Of My Dinner.
After Dinner, I Usually Study For About An Hour Or Two To Review The Next Day's Topics. But Tonight, I Was Feeling Too Tired For Anything, So I Went Straight To Bed. As I Lay There, Trying To Fall Asleep, My Thoughts Drifted Once Again To Ren—and That Sharp Gaze Of His.
Lying In The Dark, Staring At The Ceiling, I Found Myself Questioning What I Was Truly Feeling.
I Don't Know When, But At Some Point, My Mind Grew Heavy, And Before I Knew It, I Had Slipped Into A Deep Sleep.
-----------------------
It Began With A Glance—Quiet, Ordinary, Easily Forgotten By The World, But Not By Them.
Ren, Lost In Silence. Miyu, Trapped In Expectation. Neither Knew What That Moment Would Become.
But Some Stories Don't Start With Fireworks. They Begin In The Quiet, With Something Small That Refuses To Let Go.
This Is The Start Of That Something.
And It Won't Stay Quiet For Long.
To Be Continued...