Year: 2017 – Late Spring
Ren Akihara (Age 11) – 6th Grade
Haruto Akihara (Age 12) – 1st Year Junior High
Ren had always been quiet. But lately, even the silence around him felt heavier.
It wasn't because of a fight. There was no dramatic argument. No harsh words.
But Haruto had stopped laughing when Ren spoke.
Stopped asking for help with homework.
Stopped waiting for him after school.
The change had come like a tide—slow, subtle, inevitable.
One afternoon, Ren passed by Haruto's school during his walk home. From across the road, he saw Haruto chatting with his new friends. They looked older, louder. One of them pushed Haruto playfully, and he grinned back.
Ren didn't call out.
He simply watched.
Measured every expression.
Noted every gesture.
Then he turned and walked home, alone.
That night, Ren sat by the window of his room, scribbling something in his small notebook.
He didn't write about feelings.
He wrote what people do when they feel something.
> "Laughter doesn't always mean joy.
Silence doesn't always mean peace.
Distance can be a choice, or a defense."
He stopped.
Closed the notebook.
And smiled — just a little.