The warm sunlight streamed through the open windows of their shared apartment. Aoi sat at the kitchen table, flipping through a wedding magazine she'd borrowed from a coworker. Ren was seated across from her, laptop open but eyes drifting toward the page she was pointing at.
"Look at this one! Outdoor ceremony, lakeside, with fairy lights at sunset…" she murmured, dreamy-eyed.
Ren leaned closer, peering at the photograph. "That looks... expensive."
Aoi smiled, nudging his knee under the table. "Don't worry. We're not planning a royal wedding. But it's nice to imagine, right?"
He chuckled, brushing a lock of her hair behind her ear. "As long as it's with you, even a small countryside shrine would feel like a palace."
Aoi froze for a second. "…Shrine?"
Ren blinked. "I mean… in general. You know. Traditional Japanese ceremony kind of vibe."
Aoi squinted at him. "Suspicious…"
He quickly returned to his laptop. "Anyway—!"
Calling the Families
Later that afternoon, they both sat on the sofa, their phones ready. A joint family vacation had already been suggested, but this time the call had a more serious purpose.
Aoi called her mother first. Ren called his parents right after.
"—Marriage?! You're serious?" came Aoi's mom's excited voice.
"We were planning to talk when you come to Tokyo. We're not rushing anything!" Aoi added, face flushed.
Ren's father, usually composed, took a deep breath over the line. "So you really intend to marry her… Not just a university romance?"
"Yes, I do. I want to build a life with her," Ren answered steadily.
"Well…" his mother finally responded. "Then we'll be there. It's time we talked about your future—seriously."
Aoi beamed at Ren once they hung up.
"They're all coming next weekend."
"Mine too."
They looked at each other, hearts pounding.
It's real now.
Preparing for the Visit
Ren and Aoi spent the next few days preparing a schedule. While their parents would stay in a nearby hotel, the couple planned every detail: restaurant reservations, a quiet visit to a shrine, and — perhaps most nerve-wracking — the sit-down conversation where they would reveal their vision of the future.
Ren's dreams of a small countryside life. Aoi's desire to support him and perhaps even run something of her own nearby. Their current jobs were amazing, but they both knew they wouldn't stay in the city forever.
"We should prepare a presentation," Aoi joked, scribbling on a notebook. "Slides, budget, a blueprint of our future house—wait…"
She turned to him.
"Ren… do you already have something like that?"
Ren froze. "…Maybe."
Aoi narrowed her eyes. "You are so suspicious lately."
He laughed nervously and changed the topic with a quick kiss on her cheek.
The Talk About Rings
As they sat watching TV that night, Aoi suddenly whispered, "We should start thinking about rings."
Ren blinked. "We already have couple rings."
"But those are pre-dating rings. Cute, casual ones. I'm talking about the ring. Engagement. Wedding."
He looked down at her, then nodded.
"I already have a design in mind."
Aoi turned fully toward him. "Wait, what? Since when?"
He smiled. "Since the night under the bridge. I never forgot what you said…"
"Next time… when you buy me a ring, make sure it's for the left hand, okay?"
Aoi's heart thudded.
"Ren…"
He gently held her left hand in both of his.
"We'll get there soon. Together."
Meanwhile… Saki Abroad
Far away, in a tall glass building in Singapore, Saki sat by her window, overlooking the skyline.
Her tablet still had a wallpaper of Ren, taken candidly during a class trip.
"I said I'd be back…"
Her expression darkened just slightly before she smiled and shut the tablet off.
"Let's see how happy you are when I return."