Yume's Room — Mitsui Mansion (Fifth Night of Ren's Absence)
The moonlight slipped through her silk curtains again, brushing silver across her duvet.
Yume sat curled at the foot of her bed, the velvet journal open beside her, pen resting limp between her fingers. Her eyes were glassy, unfocused, lingering on the last line she'd written but not really seeing it.
> It's been five days.
> Five days, and I've tried to tell myself it's nothing.
> That I'm just used to seeing him… that he's just another colleague.
But her chest tightened again.
Today at the office, she kept glancing at the doorway to the Marketing Department without realizing it. Every footstep in the hallway made her turn her head, half-expecting him to walk past.
And in the cafeteria—where she'd always felt his presence even without words—his absence felt like a weight dragging down every chair and shadow. Minako and Leo were joking about some magazine column deadline, Ayaka was being sarcastic as usual, and Kai looked like he hadn't slept—but Yume's world felt muted. As if the colors had dulled.
> Why does five days feel like forever?
> Why do I miss him so sharply?
She turned her face into her pillow. Her voice came in a quiet whisper to the silence of the room.
"…Ren."
That name had never left her lips before. She always called him Fushiguro-kun aloud, but in her mind… lately, it had softened.
> Fushiguro feels like a wall.
> Ren feels like a door I want to knock on.
---
🌓 Scene: Ren's Room — Fujiwara Mansion
The lamp by his desk flickered slightly as Ren leaned forward, flipping through his marketing notes. He had half a class assignment to finish, but the words blurred together. Outside the window, city lights blinked faintly like distant fireflies.
He closed his eyes for a second.
> Shirayume...
No. Not her again.
But she came anyway—in his memory, in the corners of his dreams, in the trace of a smile that belonged to someone he saw in real life.
> Yume.
Every time her name echoed in his thoughts, a warmth spread through his chest—then confusion. Then silence.
Since that night, when he saw her standing beside that man… something inside him cracked. And he didn't know why.
> Why did I follow her? Why did it hurt?
> Who is she, really?
Ren turned in his chair and looked at his reflection in the dark window.
His golden eyes stared back.
> Why do I feel like I've seen her before—long before Fujiwara Multimedia?
He exhaled sharply and shut his notebook.
He had told his mother he needed space, that he would attend some classes again at Tenshin University. Kiyo hadn't asked many questions, though he could feel her watching him with quiet concern.
---
🕊️ Scene: Yume's Room — Midnight Decision
Yume sat upright again, the journal pushed aside.
She reached for her phone and hesitated for a long moment before finally calling Mr. Jin.
Her voice was soft, polite—but tired.
> "Mr. Jin… may I request a few days of personal leave? I'm… not feeling well. No, no need to send anything home. Just a break. Thank you."
She ended the call and placed the phone slowly down.
Outside her window, the moon had drifted past the high eaves of the mansion.
> I can't stay in this rhythm right now… I need to breathe.
And then another thought:
> It's been weeks since I saw Aika. She doesn't even know about my internship.
A quiet smile tugged at her lips as the memory of Aika's dramatic voice popped into her mind.
> "If you disappear without telling me one more time, I'll haunt you in your sleep, Yume!"
A soft laugh escaped her—her first in days.
She stood, moving to her wardrobe. Tomorrow, she'd dress differently. Not as Yume, the intern. But as Yumeha Mitsui, a student of Tenshin University.
A girl with questions in her heart… and someone to find.
💭 Tenshin University — Midday, the Literature Department Courtyard
The sun filtered through the gingko trees, casting golden leaves like drifting memories across the stone path that wound through the courtyard of Tenshin University.
Yumeha stepped onto the familiar grounds dressed in a soft ivory blouse, her long hair tied loosely with a ribbon—simple, elegant, and unmistakably different from her office attire. She clutched a leather-bound notebook to her chest, her eyes scanning the horizon with something between hope and hesitation.
> It feels like a dream being back here.
The laughter of students, the smell of old books from the open windows of the Literature wing, the ivy climbing the outer walls… It was like stepping into a memory that hadn't aged. Yet Yume herself had changed—there was a stillness in her now, a weight she didn't know she carried until she set foot here again.
Then—
"YUME!!!"
A familiar voice cut through the breeze like a firecracker.
Before she could react, Aika came sprinting from across the courtyard, skirt fluttering and phone forgotten in her hand.
"You ghost! You vanished! You switched timelines or got abducted by aliens—AND YOU DIDN'T TEXT ME?!"
Yume blinked, then burst into soft, heartfelt laughter. Aika wrapped her arms around her with dramatic force, squeezing her like a sister reunited after war.
> "I missed you," Yume whispered, voice barely above the wind.
Aika leaned back, eyebrows raised. "No kidding, Sherlock. I nearly held a memorial for you at the café."
They both laughed again, and this time, Yume felt some of that tension inside her unwind.
---
☕ Scene: Campus Café — 1:10 PM
Seated across from each other in their favorite booth, Aika stirred her iced matcha while watching Yume with a knowing look.
"So… you're glowing. But also not. Like, you look like you're in love and in crisis at the same time."
Yume looked down, tracing the rim of her cup. "I… don't know. It's confusing. I've been interning at Fujiwara Multimedia."
Aika's eyes went wide. "What?! That's amazing!"
"It is. But…" Her voice softened. "There's someone. A colleague. We don't even talk that much, but…"
"But?"
> "But his eyes make me feel like I'm remembering something I never lived."
Aika blinked, taken aback by the poetic sincerity.
"You've always been weirdly poetic when you're hiding something, Yumeha Mitsui."
Yume smiled faintly. "I just… miss him."
Aika tilted her head. "Then go talk to him. Unless he's secretly married to a dragon or something."
Yume's smile faltered, just for a second. That strange name again.
> Arashi... Shirayume…
Before she could respond, her phone buzzed. A reminder about her next elective class.
"Come with me to the lecture building?" she asked.
Aika grinned. "Only if you buy me coffee after."
---
🌫️ Scene Shift: Elsewhere on Campus — Marketing Department Hallway
At that exact moment, in the opposite building, Ren walked out of a guest lecture, his bag slung carelessly over his shoulder. He looked visibly tired, his normally sharp golden eyes dulled with the kind of weariness that doesn't come from a lack of sleep—but from a heart that has been spinning in too many directions.
> She wasn't at the office. Five days… and now six.
He let out a breath and descended the stairs slowly, distracted. Just outside the building's archway, his phone vibrated. He picked it up—his mother checking on him again.
---
💫 Moment Between Worlds
As Ren turned the corner on the old garden path, Yume and Aika emerged from the stone walkway that met the central fountain, only a few meters away.
A sharp breeze picked up—fluttering Yume's ribbon loose from her hair and making Ren pause in mid-step.
> He looked up.
For a second, it was as if his eyes scanned through time and space, searching.
Yume, on the other side, clutched her ribbon against the wind, suddenly overwhelmed by a strange sense of almost—as if someone had just called her name silently.
She turned her head.
But the crowd of students between them had already shifted. Ren was gone around the corner. And Yume was left with that haunting ache in her chest.
🌿 Scene: Tenshin University — Garden Path Near the Director's Building
It was late afternoon. The sun was beginning to dip, casting gold along the edge of the university's modern glass buildings and ivy-covered archways. Students filtered in and out of lecture halls, laughter mingling with birdsong.
Ren leaned against a low marble wall near the garden, dressed in a soft beige university hoodie, looking anything but like the intern from Fujiwara Multimedia. His head tilted slightly back, golden eyes narrowed at the sky as if searching for clarity in the clouds.
Beside him, Yan, ever talkative, was recounting an incident from their morning lecture.
> "I swear, that professor needs to retire. He literally confused 'growth hacking' with 'growth hormone,' and nobody knew whether to take notes or call an ambulance."
Ren chuckled under his breath, still distant.
"You're not even listening," Yan nudged him.
"I am," Ren murmured. Then sighed. "Just… distracted."
Yan raised an eyebrow. "This about that girl again?"
Ren looked away. "No."
Yan laughed. "Liar."
---
🎐 Across the Courtyard…
Yumeha and Aika exited the Literature wing, talking softly. Yumeha had changed into a light mocha sweater and jeans, looking every bit the elite student of Tenshin University. Her hair was tied low, her lips stained a soft pink from the hibiscus tea Aika insisted she drink.
"Isn't that your friend Yan?" Aika asked, pointing ahead.
Yumeha followed her finger. Her eyes froze. Ren was standing there, arms folded, backlit by the sun.
Something clenched tightly in her chest.
Aika grinned. "Let's go say hi."
"No—" Yumeha grabbed her wrist. "Wait—"
But Aika was already calling out.
> "Yumeha! Come on! Don't be awkward—"
Ren's eyes snapped toward them. Aika's words echoed louder than they should've.
Yan blinked. "Wait, what did she just call her?"
Ren's heart thudded.
> Yumeha…? Not Yume?
Yumeha took a hesitant step forward, her face pale. Her lips parted, trying to explain, to undo what couldn't be undone.
Yan frowned. "Wait, is she… that Mitsui?"
Before Ren could speak, a sharp voice called out from the garden speakers:
> "Mr. Fujiwara, please come to the Director's Office. Mr. Ren Fujiwara to the Director's Office."
Dead silence.
Aika gasped, covering her mouth. "Ren Fujiwara?"
Yumeha looked at Ren, eyes wide. He was staring at her—utterly still. Shock and recognition washed over them like a wave.
> Yumeha Mitsui.
> Ren Fujiwara.
For a moment, it was like time suspended. Neither spoke. Only their eyes locked—full of confusion, betrayal, and something softer… fear?
Then Ren blinked once, face hardening like a wall. He gave a polite, almost mechanical nod and turned silently toward the director's hall.
Yumeha stepped back, gripping the strap of her bag tightly, her lips trembling.
He didn't say anything.
Neither did she.
They passed each other like ghosts brushing shoulders in the dark.
Director's Office, Tenshin University
Characters: Ren Fujiwara, Mr. Kenzou Fujiwara (his father), Director Shoji Ishida
Time: Late Afternoon
The office was warm with the late sunlight pooling across the dark wood desk. Files were stacked neatly beside a steaming pot of tea. Behind the wide desk, Director Ishida looked up from a university progress report just as Ren entered.
Director Ishida (welcoming):
"Ah, Ren-kun. Right on time."
Ren offered a small nod. He wasn't expecting anyone else, but his eyes narrowed slightly when he saw his father seated beside the director, casually sipping tea.
Ren (neutral):
"…Director. Father."
Mr. Fujiwara (calmly, not looking up):
"Don't worry. This isn't a trap."
Director Ishida (smiling):
"We're just reviewing some updates on the Tenshin Global Initiative. Sit down, join us."
Ren sat. The air felt oddly heavier with both men present—one of status, the other of blood. There was an expectation hanging in the silence.
Mr. Fujiwara:
"We've been pushing for international exchange with Stanford. If things go as planned, you might be one of the first to benefit."
Ren (quietly):
"Let's see how things play out."
The topic drifted toward marketing trends and enrollment growth. Ishida briefed Ren on student performance, administrative reforms, and a new AI-integrated academic tool.
Then, casually—too casually—Ren asked,
Ren (glancing toward Ishida):
"By the way… how is Literature department doing?"
Director Ishida (tilting his head):
"Quite well. Why do you ask?"
Ren kept his voice light, but his eyes sharpened.
Ren:
"I heard someone mention a promising student. Mitsui Yumeha. Just curious."
A beat of silence.
Mr. Fujiwara (flatly, but controlled):
"Mitsui, is it?"
Director Ishida (thoughtfully):
"Mitsui Yumeha… yes, she's on our internal merit list. Quiet, diligent. Not one for attention. But impressive in her writing. Why?"
Ren (nonchalantly):
"No reason. The name just… came up."
His father met his gaze now—steady, unreadable.
Mr. Fujiwara:
"Names come up for all kinds of reasons. Some are best left alone."
Ren (calmly):
"I only asked, didn't investigate."
Director Ishida (intervening lightly):
"Well, rest assured, she's in good standing. Top of her department, I believe. That's all I can say, of course."
Ren gave a polite nod but inside, he felt something stir—a name that wouldn't let go. Mitsui Yumeha. There was something about how both men responded—measured, controlled—that only fed his suspicion.
Mr. Fujiwara (coolly):
"Don't let curiosity distract you from your own path, Ren."
Ren (with a faint smile):
"Curiosity is part of my path, isn't it?"
Director Ishida chuckled softly to defuse the weight in the room.
Director Ishida:
"Well, with that spirit, you'll go far."
Ren stood, giving a short, respectful bow.
Ren:
"Thank you, Director. Father."
As he left the office, both older men watched him go. Ishida looked mildly amused. Fujiwara's gaze remained distant—calculating.
Mr. Fujiwara (under his breath):
"…That boy sees too much."