The evening air outside the club was cool.

The city lights blinked like stars as Aki and Yuki stood outside the small music club, their teacher beside them.

“Are you ready?” she asked, smiling.

Aki looked nervous.

“I… I’ve never done this before.”

Yuki placed a hand on his shoulder.

“I’m here. Let’s just enjoy it.”

The manager came out, a cheerful older man with a goatee.

“You two are the teacher’s students, right? Alright, let’s hear what you got.”

Inside, Yuki took the mic.

He started singing—soft, beautiful, emotional.

Aki, sitting beside him on the stool, closed his eyes and began strumming his guitar.

The notes floated around the room like magic.

People clapped.

A few stood up and cheered.

At the back of the room—hidden in the corner—Ren was there.

He had come with his friends to hang out, but when he saw Aki on stage, his heart skipped a beat.

> “He’s… playing? With that guy? Why didn’t he tell me...?”

He watched silently.

Even smiled at how good they were.

But inside... he felt something strange.

---

🌤️ Next Day – Classroom

The school morning started normally.

Ren walked into class and sat beside Aki as usual.

“Morning,” Aki said, smiling softly.

“Morning,” Ren replied, quietly.

They didn’t talk much after that.

But just then, Ren’s group of friends came rushing in.

“Yo, Ren!”

“Bro! Did you see that performance at the music club last night?”

“That guy Yuki has an angel voice!”

“And the one on the guitar? He was awesome! Didn’t know our class had talent like that!”

Ren froze.

He turned his head slowly... and stared at Aki.

“You… were at the club?”

Aki looked down. “Yeah.”

“You played? You didn’t even tell me?”

Aki opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Ren’s face tightened.

“Why didn’t you tell me, Aki?” he asked, voice low.

Aki hesitated, then said softly,

“I didn’t think… we were that close to share personal things like that.”

That sentence hit Ren like a slap.

He stood up suddenly, the chair behind him screeching loudly.

“Alright,” he snapped. “If that’s what you think, then fine!”

Everyone turned to look.

“From now on, I won’t interfere in your life anymore.”

His voice was sharp. Hurt.

Without waiting, Ren stormed out of the classroom.

---

⚽ Ground – After School

Ren was on the football field with his friends.

But something was off.

He wasn’t smiling. He wasn’t joking.

He played roughly—too rough.

He kicked the ball harder than usual.

Shoved players by accident.

Wasn’t passing the ball at all.

“Dude!” one of his friends shouted. “What’s up with you?”

Another came over.

“Ren, are you okay? You’re being weird.”

Ren threw the ball hard to the side and shouted,

“Just leave me alone!”

His friends looked shocked.

The third boy walked slowly to him and said softly,

“Did something happen with Aki?”

Ren didn’t answer.

He just sat down on the grass, breathing heavily.

> “Why did he say that? We’re not close? After all this time… after everything?”

His chest ached.

He didn’t know why it hurt so much.

He looked up at the sky, trying to stop the burning in his eyes.

---

Meanwhile… Aki sat quietly by the window in the classroom, staring outside.

He held his pencil but wasn’t writing anything.

> “Why did I say that? I didn’t mean it like that…”

He thought of Ren’s face.

His voice.

The way he shouted.

His heart ached too.

But neither of them knew...

what the other was really feeling.

---

To be continued...

💭 One sentence can change everything. And one broken moment can uncover how deep a connection really goes…