[Year: 2014 | Location: Shizuoka, Japan | Ren: 7 y/o (Grade 2) | Haruto: 8 y/o (Grade 3)]
There were things that Ren Akihara never forgot.
The number of steps from his classroom to the water fountain: 23.
The sound of Hinata Sakamoto's footsteps: lighter on the left, slightly uneven.
The exact time Haruto would glance at the clock during math: 9:43 AM.
These were things no one paid attention to.
But Ren did.
Always.
"Ren-kun," Hinata called out as she trotted up to him after school. "Wait up!"
Ren turned, blinking once. "What is it?"
"I saw you staring at the roof during class again," she said with a teasing grin. "What's up there? UFOs?"
"No," Ren replied flatly. "Just clouds."
Hinata giggled. "You're weird."
Ren didn't respond. He simply looked at her.
She was loud, cheerful, and a bit too curious. But she was one of the few who spoke to him consistently. So he let her follow.
That day, the two walked home together for the first time. Hinata chattered endlessly about her dog, her favorite anime, and how she wished she could fly.
Ren listened. Silently. Memorizing every word.
When he arrived home, Haruto was already there, trying to fix the TV antenna with their dad. Ren watched them from the hallway, unnoticed.
Ayaka called from the kitchen, "Ren, welcome home!"
"…I'm home," he said, almost like a reflex.
Later that night, while everyone else slept, Ren sat by the window with his notebook open.
He had drawn maps. Of the house. The school. The neighborhood.
Lines, distances, positions of people. Behaviors. Emotions. Lies.
Patterns.
He traced one with his pencil, slowly.
A pattern of smiles.
A pattern of when Haruto got praised.
A pattern of what triggered laughter in the classroom.
Ren Akihara didn't try to belong.
He tried to understand.
And in that pursuit, he was already far beyond what any child should know.