My first year at Sakuramine High School began without much fanfare. My name is Ren, and I tend to keep to myself. Quiet by nature, I don't seek attention. Days pass, faces blur together, but few ever stop. I don't really have friends, and that's never bothered me... until I noticed her.
Her name is Aoi.
From the very first days, she intrigued me. Polite, always surrounded, and unusually kind. Everyone she meets receives a smile, a gentle word, a moment of care. But behind that light, I sensed a shadow. Something about her felt off—like a silence too perfectly controlled. And then, she was absent. Often. Without explanation. No one seemed to know why. She didn't strike me as the type to skip class. That's when I started wondering.
One day, as the bell rang, I pulled out my notebook without much conviction. I didn't plan to write. Despite my lack of focus, I manage. I'm not the best, but I get by. Instead, I took a blank sheet and started drawing. That day, it was a tree, heavy with fruit. An image that came without reason, as it often does.
Aoi was there that day. I didn't approach her, but I felt her quiet, almost shy glances fall on me more than once. She's rather small, with long, straight hair that falls over her shoulders. She's slender, almost fragile, but her presence is strong. She listens to everyone with genuine attention. Many admire her kindness. Some take advantage of it—I can see that clearly.
After school, I walked home. My house isn't far from the school, in a quiet neighborhood surrounded by homes and apartment buildings a few kilometers away. When I entered, my mother greeted me as always. My father works nights. He hadn't come home yet.
Weeks passed. One morning during gym class, I noticed Aoi wasn't participating. She sat on the bench, hands resting on her knees, gaze lost. I approached, hesitant.
— Are you okay? I asked.
She answered in a soft, almost whispered voice:
— Yes, I'm fine... and you?
I nodded. I didn't dare ask more. But she broke the silence:
— You're quiet around the class. You know, they're kind.
Her words surprised me. She had noticed my isolation. And she didn't say it with judgment—just with disarming sincerity. We talked through the whole hour. Nothing deep, but it was simple, real. We cleaned up the gym together, and the conversation didn't stop. That's when I understood: Aoi always thinks of others before herself. She's one of those rare people who give without expecting anything in return.
That moment stayed with me. Someone had spoken to me—and I had answered.
One Saturday, it was pouring rain. I had taken shelter under a canopy in the park near my house. The sound of the rain calmed me. And then, I saw her. Aoi. She was there too, sitting under the same shelter, bundled in thick layers of clothing, but she still looked cold.
— Hi... Ren, right? she said, looking at me.
— Yeah, that's me, I replied.
She smiled softly, her eyes fixed on the rain.
— The rain is beautiful, don't you think? It calms me. It helps me feel better.
I said nothing. Just nodded. She was right. There was something peaceful, something true, in that rain.
Then she turned to me, more serious.
— Ren... I need to tell you a secret. A secret I've never told anyone.
My heart tightened. Why me? Why now? She barely knew me. And yet, in her eyes, there was a trust I had never seen before.