The school gates were bathed in the heavy, syrupy glow of the late afternoon. The sky was a canvas of bruised purples and burning oranges, and the air had begun to take on the crisp, sharp edge of the approaching evening.
"Minazuki-san! Over here," Ren called out. He offered a small, tentative wave as Akari approached, his heart giving a dull thud against his ribs at the sight of her.
She met his gaze, a soft, effortless smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "Hey."
Ren shifted his weight, his palms suddenly feeling damp. He reached up to rub the back of his neck—a nervous habit he couldn't seem to shake whenever she stood this close.
"Minazuki-san," he started, his voice a fraction lower. "I was thinking… would it be okay if I invited Daiki to join us for ramen?"
He saw her blink, and panic flared in his chest. Is this too much? Did I just ruin the mood? "If you don't mind," he added, the words tumbling out in a rush. "I mean… is that okay with you?"
Akari nodded, her expression unreadable but kind. "Yeah, it's okay."
Relief washed over Ren like a cool breeze. He turned toward Daiki, who had been lingering a few paces back. "Is it okay for you, Daiki?"
Daiki looked up, appearing genuinely lost.
"What? Ramen? When?"
"Sunday evening. Around 6 p.m."
Daiki didn't even hesitate; he shook his head with a firm, practiced dismissiveness. "Nah, I've got plans. I can't make it."
Before Ren could protest, Daiki leaned in. Ren could smell the faint, lingering scent of soda on his friend's breath as Daiki whispered harshly into his ear, "Idiot, why are you dragging me along? You two should go and enjoy the ramen yourselves."
Ren felt the heat rise to his ears, but he stubbornly ignored the logic in Daiki's voice.
He turned back to Akari, his face a mask of feigned ignorance. "Minazuki-san, he says he'll come."
Daiki's jaw dropped. He stared at Ren with a look of pure, unadulterated betrayal. You traitor, his eyes screamed, but Ren simply looked away.
Daiki wasn't one to suffer in silence, however. A slow, predatory grin spread across his face. He turned his attention toward Akari, his voice dripping with mock innocence.
"Minazuki-san, by the way… Ren told me earlier he really wanted your phone number."
The world seemed to stop. Ren's face went from pale to a violent shade of crimson in a split second. He felt as if the pavement might swallow him whole. That bastard, he thought, his muscles locking up in sheer embarrassment.
Daiki's smirk deepened. That's payback, kid. Don't you ever dare mess with me.
To Ren's utter shock, Akari didn't flinch. She didn't look away or laugh nervously. Instead, she reached into her bag with a calm grace, pulling out her phone. "Okay, that's fine. Here."
Ren felt like he was moving through a dream. He took her phone, his fingers brushing against hers for a fleeting, electric second as they exchanged numbers. A genuine, lopsided smile broke through his embarrassment. Akari looked down at her screen, her eyes bright; she was clearly pleased, though she kept her voice steady.
Then, she glanced at Daiki. "It'd be weird if I only took Ren-san's number… so, can I have yours too?"
Daiki's smugness evaporated instantly. He blinked, caught off guard by her directness, but he complied, handing over his device.
Watching them, Ren saw his opening for a counter-strike. He leaned in with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "You know, Minazuki-san…"
"Hm? What's that?" Akari asked.
"Daiki didn't have a single girl's number throughout all of middle school... and high school, too."
"Shut up, idiot!" Daiki snapped, his voice cracking slightly. "How do you even know that?!"
"C'mon, don't act like it's not true," Ren laughed, feeling the tension break. "I'm your childhood friend—I know your entire history."
The sound of Akari's giggling filled the air—a light, melodic sound that made Ren's chest tighten in a completely different way. She looked between them, clearly entertained by the brotherly bickering.
Feeling the sudden, heavy weight of being the third wheel, Daiki took a calculated step back. "Ren, I've got some errands to run. You two go ahead."
Ren watched him retreat, muttering under his breath, "That bastard ran away." He turned back to Akari, the silence between them suddenly feeling much more intimate. "Shall I walk you home?"
"If you don't mind," she replied, her voice dropping to a shy whisper.
They began to walk. The neighborhood was quiet, save for the distant hum of a passing car and the rhythmic clack-clack of their shoes on the asphalt. The golden hue of the setting sun stretched their shadows out long and thin before them.
"You two are really funny," Akari said, breaking the silence with a soft laugh. "So close… fighting like kids over silly things."
Ren chuckled, looking at his feet. "He's been like that since childhood. Never changed."
The conversation flowed easier after that.
They spoke of the mundane things—the looming pressure of upcoming tests and the excitement for Sunday's ramen. But beneath the words, Akari's mind was racing.
It feels unfair to keep calling him "Ren-san" when he already told me to use his first name, she thought, her pulse thrumming in her fingertips. But I want him to call me by my first name, too…
She was so lost in the internal debate that she didn't realize she was drifting toward the edge of the sidewalk.
"Minazuki-san," Ren said, waving a hand gently in front of her field of vision. "You alright? You're zoning out. You might bump into something if you keep walking like that."
Akari snapped back to reality, her heart hammering against her ribs. "Ah… sorry," she murmured. She swallowed hard, gathered her courage, and looked up at him. "Um… Ren-san, can I ask you something?"
He tilted his head, his expression softening. "Sure. What's up?"
"You can call me by my first name… if you want to," she said, her voice barely audible over the evening breeze. She forced herself to keep looking at him, even as her face began to heat up. "I… I'd like that."
Ren stopped in his tracks. "Wait, really? I thought it'd be rude unless I had your permission."
"Well… I'm giving it to you now," she replied, her gaze finally dropping to her shoes.
Ren rubbed the back of his neck, a bashful smile playing on his lips. "Alright then... Akari-chan."
The sound of her name in his voice was like a physical shock. Bad idea. Bad idea. Bad idea. Akari's heart did a violent somersault. It wasn't just the name; it was the way he said it—soft, familiar, and weighted with something she couldn't quite name.
She froze. Her breath hitched in her throat, and she instinctively bowed her head, her silver hair falling forward like a curtain to shield her face.
"Oi… Akari-chan?" Ren asked, pausing a few feet ahead. "Why'd you stop there? Come on, it'll be late if we don't keep moving."
Akari couldn't look at him. She turned her head away, her entire face glowing a deep, vivid crimson that stretched down to the collar of her uniform. She gave a small, jerky nod and forced her legs to move again, her smile hidden behind her hair, her heart refusing to slow down.
Eventually, the familiar gates of her house came into view. A sudden wave of nervousness hit her. If we go all the way to the door, Mom will definitely see us… she'll invite him in, and I can't handle that right now. Not with my heart acting like this.
She stopped at the corner. "It's okay from here. You'll be late getting home if you come all the way."
Ren nodded understandingly. "Alright. It's no big deal."
"Thank you, Ren-san," she said, offering a small, formal bow before turning away.
They parted, but as they walked in opposite directions, both found themselves casting one last glance over their shoulders—two silhouettes under the rising moon, both wondering if the other could hear the roar of their heartbeat.
Later that night, the only light in Akari's room came from the soft glow of her phone. She sat cross-legged on her bed, typing and deleting the same sentence over and over: Did you make it home safe?
Miles away, Ren stared at his own screen, his thumb hovering over the keypad. Finally, he exhaled and sent a single word:
"Hey…"
Akari's phone buzzed against her palm. Her breath caught. It was him.
She typed back instantly: "Did you make it back safe?"
Ren: "Yeah, just arrived."
Akari: "Okay."
She bit her lip, staring at the screen, her mind a swirl of things she wanted to say but didn't know how to phrase.
Ren messaged again: "Okay then, bye. See you again on Sunday evening."
Akari: "Yeah. See you again."
She set the phone down and collapsed backward into her pillows, letting out a long, shaky sigh that she'd been holding in for hours. "Haahh… I'm saved for tonight."
She stared up at her ceiling, the echo of his voice calling her "Akari-chan" still vibrating in the quiet of the room.
HER NAME IN HIS VOICE
AKARI WALKED AWAY THAT NIGHT WITH HER HEART RACING — AND HIS VOICE ECHOING IN HER HEAD.