Day 86.
It started the moment I woke up.
There was a message on my phone.
"I'll wait for you at the usual place. – Ren"
I stared at the name.
Ren.
Something about it felt… off.
Who?
I scrolled up the chat.There were dozens of messages.Photos. Jokes.A picture of a music box.A blurry selfie of a boy with tired eyes.
But I couldn't remember taking any of them.
I stood in front of the mirror.Looked at myself.
I knew my name.I knew the date.
But the ache in my chest…
It told me something was missing.Someone.
After school, I followed the message anyway.To the rooftop.
The wind was cold.The sky was pale.And he was there—waiting, as promised.
He turned when he saw me.Smile soft.Hopeful.
But it faded when I didn't smile back.
"…Aoi?"
I nodded, politely.
"Hi," I said. "Um… do I know you?"
Silence.
His eyes didn't break.Not right away.
But his hands did—clenching at his sides, holding in something sharp.
He stepped closer, slowly.
"I'm… Ren," he said.
I nodded again, unsure.The name still didn't light anything in my mind.
"I'm sorry," I whispered."I think… I forgot something important."
He looked at me like he was shattering inside.
But then,he smiled.Small. Real. Brave.
"It's okay," he said gently. "Let's meet again."
He offered his hand.
I took it.
"Hi, I'm Tachibana Ren."
"Nice to meet you," I said. "I'm Sakuragi Aoi."
That night, I opened my notebook.
The words on the page meant nothing.
But someone had drawn a heart beside a name.Ren.
I traced it with my finger.Felt something sting behind my eyes.
"Who are you?" I whispered to no one.
Far away,Ren sat alone on the rooftop.
In his own notebook, he wrote:
"Day 86.She forgot me."
"So I'll make her fall in love with me all over again."