Renji put on his shirt with slow movements. The pain in his shoulder still persisted, but it had lost some of its intensity. Perhaps it was the effect of the massage... or the unresolved conversation that was still echoing in his mind.
He sighed, adjusting the collar of his T-shirt. The tension remained in his shoulders, but now it was emotional.
Leaving his room, he crossed the silent corridor of the inn to Yui's door. He stopped in front of it. The number carved into the wood seemed more imposing than any monster he had faced so far.
He knocked once, twice, three times.
No answer.
He put his ear to it. On the other side, she heard the rustle of blankets and a faint muffled murmur. She was awake. Just... turning her back on him.
Renji leaned against the door and slid down to sit on the cold stone floor. He closed his eyes for a moment and spoke in a low voice, filled with genuine regret.
"I'm sorry about that..." He mumbled. "I was an idiot. I spoke without thinking. I forgot that... you still feel all that."
On the other side of the door, the silence remained absolute. But in the rogue's mind, memories began to surface. As vivid as the wounds he carried.
○
8 years ago...
It was a muggy afternoon, and Renji, still a little boy, was walking through the shelves of the school library. He was looking for another fantasy book - one with warriors, dragons, maybe something with elves. His slow steps echoed across the old carpet, his eyes attentive to the titles on the worn spines.
That's when he saw her.
Between two bookshelves, a shrunken girl was crying softly. She was sitting on the floor, her hands hiding her face. There was something about the way she trembled, the way she tried to silence her sobs, that immediately made him stop.
Renji approached, a little hesitantly.
"Hey... what's up?"
The girl didn't answer.
He tilted his head and noticed what was causing the silent crying: a piece of gum stuck in her hair.
Without saying another word, he knelt down and began to pull it out carefully. The gum was hard, stuck to several strands. He tried not to hurt it, using his fingers gently.
"Stay still, okay? I'll get it off."
She didn't resist. She just cried less every minute.
When it was over, there were only small traces that would come off with a shower.
"There. That's better."
The girl looked at him with red, shy eyes. She was still sniffling, but no longer crying.
"...Yui."
"Hm?"
"My name. It's Yui. Thank you... for helping me."
"No problem. I'm Renji."
From that day on, they met often. In the library, in the courtyard, even in the canteen.
Renji discovered that Yui was new to the city, coming from the countryside. She had a heavy accent, words that sounded different. That's why she was constantly targeted by older girls. She had no friends, she couldn't get along. She was alone.
Renji understood this better than anyone. He was lonely too. He preferred role-playing books, adventures in fictional worlds, to dealing with the superficiality of his classmates.
But now, he had someone to share his stories with. And that was enough.
○
5 years later...
Their friendship grew over time. They were inseparable. They ate together, did schoolwork in pairs, and spent whole afternoons in the library, each with a book in their hands - although they spent more time talking than reading.
But their arrival at high school changed everything.
Yui began to lose her accent, like shedding an old skin. At first, Renji thought it was normal. The new environment, the friendships... everything had an influence.
But little by little, other things began to change.
His clothes. The way he walked. The way he spoke.
And then came the incident.
It was late afternoon when Renji was waiting for her in the library, as they always did. But Yui didn't show up.
Meanwhile, in another corner of the school...
"Fix that weird girl's hair!"
An older girl pushed Yui against the wall.
"This is my area of the school, understand? You're not allowed to walk around here!"
Yui sat down, her glasses slipping down her nose. She was trembling, but couldn't react.
Then a hand grabbed her arm, stopping her attack.
"Don't touch my girls." The voice was firm, cold. The voice was firm, cold. "Understood?"
It was Kami.
The other girl recoiled immediately, as if she had touched an electric fence.
"Kami! I'm sorry! I swear it won't happen again!"
And she ran off.
Kami held out her hand to Yui, who hesitated but accepted it.
"Are you all right?"
"Yes... I think so." she replied, fixing her glasses with trembling fingers.
Kami looked her up and down.
"Meet me on the terrace after class. You need to learn how to behave in this school." After that day, everything changed.
After that day, everything changed.
Yui began to walk more upright. He used words he didn't know before. Her uniforms were tighter and she smiled less.
Renji noticed everything, but didn't know what to do.
Kami had become a mentor to Yui. She taught her about the school's hierarchy: Arisa, the president of the council, was at the top. Below her were the sector leaders, who controlled specific areas of the school. Kami was one of them. But she wanted more.
She had plans.
"Are you still seeing that boy? What was it again... Kenji?" she had asked.
"Renji."
"Yeah. Stay away from him."
"Why?"
"He's not handsome. He's not rich. And even less popular. He'll slow you down."
"But he's my friend..."
Kami smiled, almost motherly.
"You can make new friends. People like him... they're like beggars in front of a restaurant, they contaminate the place, and drive other people away. And you, Yui... are that restaurant."
○
Yui asked for a break, saying she could change Renji too. Kami accepted the proposal, but deep down he already knew that the girl would fail to convince him.
"Renji, why do you always hide on the terrace?"
The boy in school uniform was sitting against the guardrail. His tired face and half-closed eyes were turned towards an RPG book, which rested in his hands.
"Because it's too noisy down there..." he replied, without raising his eyes.
Yui sat down next to him, a carton of juice in her hands.
"You should try talking to people more."
"You should try talking to them less," he retorted with a crooked smile.
Yui snorted, crossing his arms. "You're annoying."
"So are you."
They looked at each other.
And they laughed.
At that moment, even if neither of them said it out loud, something invisible and precious was born there.
At least that's what Renji thought. Yui had already made up his mind.
From then on, the encounters diminished. She appeared less and less. Until... she stopped showing up altogether.
○
Renji sank into solitude. He took refuge in books and games. He avoided the main corridors. He became invisible again.
Meanwhile, Yui flourished. She became a cheerleader. She earned the respect of the other girls. She became... unreachable.
One day, he heard her laughing with a group of girls. They made fun of him.
His name used as a joke.
And then came the rumors.
"Have you seen? Yui's going out with a veteran of the soccer team!"
And then tragedy struck.
Intimate photos. Scattered around the corridors. Stuck to lockers.
The school turned its back on her.
Except for Arisa.
The same girl Yui had learned to hate... was the one who offered her solace.
But the most shocking thing came later.
Renji, crossing the gym, saw Kami arguing with Toru.
"Are you really doing this for revenge, Kami?!"
"Don't lecture me. You've known who I am for a long time."
"That's too far."
"You never cared before."
Renji stopped. The truth was weighing on him.
Yui had been used. Kami had only lifted her up and then brought her down. Out of envy. For pleasure.
And Renji... wasn't there.
○
Back in the present, he got up from the floor, wiping his pants.
"I just wanted to say I'm sorry," he said, his back to the door. "You can keep the book. You don't have to give it back."
He turned around, ready to leave.
But then there was the sound of the latch turning.
The door opened and Yui emerged. Her eyes were red, her cheeks damp.
Without saying a word, she embraced him.
He hesitated for a second... and then reciprocated, wrapping his arms around her.
"I wasn't there when you needed me most..." he whispered. "But I promise it will be different."
She looked him in the eye, her voice trembling.
"And I... I promise I'll never leave you behind again."