2 Days before the incident..
Fuyumi is walking with her friends going to a nearby convenience store in lunch time.
The convenience store was a 10-minute walk.
While talking with her friends about a new novel Akita uploaded, suddenly, so suddenly, one of her friends, the short friend, asks a question totally different from the topic.
"Hey Chiaki, do you have someone you like? Not as a friend, but a love interest."
As her friend asks this specific question, she has a flashback of her meeting with Ren at the morning assembly.
As Chiaki was struggling to respond, she concludes this as her answer.
"Hmm.. I don't, yet."
"Yeah, I expected. A perfect girl like you having a love interest on a man? Pfft, if ever, that man's luck is so good he could win a lottery."
Chiaki ignores the rumbling of her friend, and focuses on her thoughts.
Love interest? I've never thought of that, and just focused on my studies.
I don't know why, but I found Ren cute when he was shy.
I'll just get some lunch, the convenience store is near, I'll get onigiri for today.
I wonder if I do fall for someone soon.
Present moment - 6:00am
Ren wakes up, sweating and hyperventilating, as he accidentally succeeding in lucid dreaming of his novel.
"I remember everything! Clear and vivid as well!"
Ren smells a beautiful aroma of garlic.
"Ren, it's time for breakfast."
Ren then snaps out of it and focuses on preparing his stuff and packing his bags for school.
"Alright, mom!"
While eating fried rice for breakfast, he grabs his journal and writing while eating is breakfast.
"Hey, Ren, why are you writing while eating? The food is going to get cold if you continue writing."
"Ah, alright mom. I'll finish this, I promise it's going to be quick."
Is Ren finally growing up? I'm proud of my son.
"Do you have someone you like, Ren?"
This catches Ren off guard.
"What? Like..? I don't have anyone, mom."
"Hmm? Your face tells me otherwise. Tell me more about that person."
"Stop it mom, it's not funny!"
Our Ren did grow up. How cute.
Ren takes a bath, and while brushing his teeth, looking at the mirror, he thinks,
Do I really like Chiaki? Why did I think of her when my mom asked me who I liked? I thought I saw her as a friend.
Morning Assembly - 7:00am
"Hey, Hasegawa-kun!"
Chiaki? Why's she talking to me in front of all these people?
Isn't she ashamed by the amount of eyes looking towards us?
"Hi.. How are you doing, Chiaki-san?"
Ren whispers to Fuyumi,
"Hey, there's so many people looking at us. I don't like much attention."
"Come on! Just ignore those gazes! They're probably jealous!"
Fuyumi holds Ren's hand, and runs to their line.
"Hey, wait! I'm going to bump on something!"
They barely reached their line on time, and they were sweating profusely.
While the morning assembly was ongoing, the school singing the national anthem of Japan,
out of nowhere, Fuyumi asks Ren a question.
"Do you think that the morning assembly is boring?"
Too close..! She's too close!
Why's she asking this question now out of all times..!
"Yeah, I think it is boring. Now please move a little bit farther, you're too close."
But, Chiaki smells like citrus. A faint smell of citrus.
Ren smells like lemons.
"The teacher is looking at us, Chiaki-san, please shush for a bit."
After Ren says this, it took a moment for Fuyumi to realize, but after a few seconds, she realized it, and becomes embarrassed.
The teacher's attention diverted to another student talking.
"Phew, the teacher stopped looking at us. That was close. What are you gonna do if a perfect girl like you gets in trouble?"
Fuyumi wasn't listening at all, and her mind was only thinking of one thing, about how vulgar she looked like when she got close to Ren.
Lunch Time
It was a fairly normal lunch time for me. All alone.
But for some reason, Fuyumi started avoiding me, I don't know why.
Why's she avoiding me? I'm sure I did nothing wrong.
But, I feel lonely without her.
Let's stop thinking about it and write the draft of the chapter...
Dismissal Time - 4:00pm
Alright, I've finished the draft of new chapter of [ Naomi-san won't leave me alone ].
I had very little time of trying to finish the draft at school hours because of the teacher catching me writing.
Well, I managed to finish it, that's all it matters.
I'll walk home for today.
As Ren was walking, he spots Fuyumi, sitting at a bench.
Why do we keep running into each other? She hasn't noticed me yet..
My instincts are trying to tell me to run away because I'm scared of women.
But she looks so lonely. I can't leave her alone.
"Hey, Chiaki-san.."
"Hasegawa-kun?"
"Why were you trying to avoid me? Tell me. What did I do wrong?"
"Nothing.. It's just because I think you thought of me as a vulgar woman after what happened at the morning assembly."
What? It was because of that?
"It was just because of that? That's nothing."
"Well, if you really feel like apologizing, I'll forgive you."
Ren says it with a forgiving smile on his face, their bond has become even deeper.
After walking, Ren reaches his home.
"I'm home mom."
"Welcome home, honey!"
My mom's name is Yuuri Hasegawa. She's a very kind and hard-working woman, and I look up to her. She was the one made me write for 8 years. Without her support, I wouldn't have made it this far as a writer.
"I'll borrow the laptop for a bit."
2 Hours later.
Alright, I've finish uploading the new chapter for my novel.
"Haah.. I'm tired."
"I'll just sleep for a bit."
Ren leaps on his bed, tired, he closes his eyes slowly but surely, until he finally slept.
He dreamt about something again.
Something.. Zombie apocalypse..
What? Zombie apocalypse?
Ren also dreams about a novel, but this time, it's different.
What? Another dream? But this time.. It's not my novel.
What?
Who's novel is this?