Ren skipped school the next day.
Not out of rebellion—out of panic.
He stood on the platform at the train station, watching destinations flicker across the board like alternate lives. Every place felt like an escape if it meant not August 28.
He pulled out his phone.
Ren: Where are you?
Yuna replied almost instantly.
Yuna: Home. Why?
Ren: Come out. Please.
They met at the old bus stop near the abandoned park.
Yuna looked tired. Like she hadn't slept. Like she already had one foot somewhere else.
Ren didn't waste time.
"Run away with me."
She blinked. "Ren…"
"I'm serious," he said, words tumbling over each other. "We can go anywhere. I'll get a job. We'll figure it out. People do this all the time."
Yuna's chest tightened.
"You're scared," she said softly.
"Yes," he snapped. Then quieter, "Because I don't want this to end."
She stepped closer. "Running won't stop it."
"It could delay it."
"And then what?" she asked. "We'd just hurt more later."
Ren looked away.
"You're asking me to choose," she continued. "Between my family and you."
Silence.
"I would never do that to you," she said gently. "Even if it breaks me."
His shoulders sagged.
"I hate how reasonable you are," he muttered.
She smiled sadly. "You love it."
That evening, Mio showed up unannounced at Ren's door.
"You skipped school," she said. "Thought I'd check if you'd lost your mind."
"Still here," he replied. "Barely."
They sat on his bedroom floor, backs against the bed.
"She's leaving," Mio said. Not a question.
"Yeah."
Mio stared at the wall. "I thought if I waited long enough, the pain would get tired of me."
Ren snorted. "Doesn't work like that."
"No," she agreed. "It comes back sneakier."
A pause.
"Do you love her?" Mio asked.
Ren didn't answer right away.
"Yes," he said finally. "In a quiet way. In a way that feels like holding something fragile."
Mio nodded. Tears slipped down her cheeks, but she didn't wipe them away.
"Then don't waste the time you have," she whispered. "Even if it hurts me."
Ren looked at her. Really looked.
"You're stronger than you think," he said.
She smiled through the tears. "I'm just tired of pretending I'm not hurting."
That night, Yuna packed one box.
Just one.
She labeled it: Things I Can't Leave Behind.
Ren lay awake, staring at the ceiling.
Mio cried herself to sleep, then woke up angry at herself for crying.
And the days kept moving.
Unapologetically.