Two weeks had already passed since the last time Ren saw Soldi's group.
At that meeting, he had accepted being Miya's friend, that very striking girl. However, when he returned home and was finally able to rest, he realized his mistake. He avoided thinking about what had happened that day, even when his mother asked how it had gone.
The way he did it was simple: ignore everything related to them.
But that wouldn't work.
"How did she get my number…?" Ren wondered, unsettled, when one day he received a call from Miya.
"Hello, is this you, Ren?"
Nervous, he immediately hung up the call. He began pacing around his room, trying to find a logical reason for how Miya had gotten his number. After thinking too much, he reached a conclusion.
His mother.
That idea was what finally upset him. What was the point of having someone you trusted if they wouldn't let you stay calm in your own comfort zone? Thinking that, he turned off his phone and set it aside. Then he tried to focus on his studies, without imagining that something completely unexpected was about to happen.
At seven in the evening, on a Saturday that was supposed to be a day of rest for Ren after so many days of studying, he was interrupted by his mother, who asked him to leave his room to have dinner with her.
Tired, Ren agreed. He left his room and walked down the hallway toward the dining room. That was when he saw her.
Sitting at the table, next to his mother, was Miya. She had the same smile from that time when she asked him to be her friend.
Ren tried to step back, but it was already too late. Miya had noticed his presence.
"Good evening, Ren," Miya said.
Hearing her voice, he froze. His mother, who seconds earlier had been looking at Miya, turned her gaze back to him.
"Son, you're here! Come, sit here next to me. Today our new neighbor came to visit us."
'New neighbor…' Ren thought.
He moved carefully toward the table and, once seated, forced a smile that failed to hide his confusion.
"Son, her name is Yuna. She's the same age as you and bought the house next door," his mother said naturally.
To Ren, none of that made sense. What did she mean she was his new neighbor? And why was she in his house? And how had she bought the house right next to his?
"I didn't know Mrs. Mayners' house was for sale," Ren asked, staring fixedly at Miya.
Miya responded with a restrained laugh, but it was his mother who spoke first.
"Mrs. Mayners' house has been for sale for months, son. You wouldn't have noticed because you're always locked up in your room."
This time, Miya couldn't hold back and laughed openly.
For some reason, Ren's mother looked at that gesture with approval.
For Ren, on the other hand, it wasn't funny at all.
Were they making fun of him?
"And what brings you to my house, Miss Miya?" Ren asked carefully.
The laughter that had adorned Miya's face disappeared. Her expression turned serious. Carefully, she adjusted the hair that had become messy and replied:
"Come on, Ren… don't talk to me as if you didn't know me."
Ren, a little nervous, thought that Miya might have forgotten everything from that time.
Being full of alcohol didn't leave someone one hundred percent conscious, right?
With a brief, awkward laugh, Ren said:
"Yes… sorry."
His mother, who at that very moment had set her spoon down on the table upon hearing Miya, frowned slightly.
"Son, did you already know Miss Miya?"
"Mmm…"
Ren didn't respond immediately. The silence stretched for a few seconds.
Miya, with an amused grin, intervened:
"Tell her, Ren. Tell her what we are too."
That completely unsettled him. Ren lifted his gaze to his mother and found a completely surprised expression.
"Ren… what are you to the young lady?" his mother asked, confused.
"N-no, Mom, don't think strange things," Ren replied immediately.
"Just tell me, son, what are you two?"
Ren averted his gaze toward Miya, who was now calm, watching him in silence. After a brief moment, he spoke:
"She is my female friend."
Chapter 5: My Worst Error