The Truth

When the kiss ended, they looked at each other, both feeling embarrassed and not knowing what to say.

With every passing moment, they felt more uncomfortable. Despite this, Ren was ecstatic inside. It was like living the best dream of his life.

"We should go back... Erika might be worried," Aria said, looking at the ground.

Ren feared she might have regretted the kiss and wanted to return, but courageously, the girl took his hand, and the two of them walked back to their friends, side by side.

"Too bad we didn't find the cat," Aria said, just to avoid the silence.

"Well, I enjoyed it anyway," Ren replied, melting with affection.

As they walked slowly, they both gazed at the ground. Anyone observing them from the outside would see the redness in their faces, but despite feeling tense, they both were enjoying the moment.

"You know, I was a little sad when you didn't recognize me," Aria said, confusing Ren.

"What are you talking about?" the boy asked, remembering the day they met in the classroom. Since then, he had always known who she was.

"It's okay, it's been a long time, no need to worry. I just hoped you'd remember, but you continue to be the amazing person you were back then."

The confusion grew, and the last thing Ren wanted was to make her uncomfortable.

"Aria, I'm sorry, but I don't understand."

"We studied together when we were about five years old. I came from the same town as you, and when I found out we would be in the same class years later, I was so happy. But you didn't seem to remember me. And now it's confirmed. I had hoped to see you again before you moved... But really, it's okay, we were very young."

Ren tried hard to remember. It had been a long time since he moved, due to his parents' divorce. He had memories from that time, but they were all somewhat hazy, and he certainly didn't remember studying with her. No memory of the girl.

No memory except in his dreams. He dreamt about her since childhood, maybe since he moved. That could be the explanation.

"I didn't say anything because I didn't want to make you uncomfortable," Aria continued. "But I think after... what just happened, I should tell you."

He stopped walking and turned to her with wide eyes.

"Hey, this is going to sound strange, but I don't think I forgot about you!"

Now it was Aria's turn to be confused.

"How do you think that?"

He let go of her hand to take his cellphone. Ren didn't know what he was about to do, but he felt it was the perfect time to explain everything.

"I really don't remember us studying together, but I remember you! I dream about you constantly! I know it's strange, but this happened long before you moved here!"

The girl found it strange, but Ren showed her pictures of his drawings, including several old ones with a female protagonist who always resembled Aria.

"I dreamt about you! Some part of me must remember, and you've always inspired me to draw."

Only after speaking did he realize the declaration his words carried, and it was her turn to feel awkward.

"Is that why you don't let me see your drawings?" she asked, feeling completely embarrassed, which made Ren feel the same. Every time one of them showed affection to the other, it escalated into both not knowing how to handle those feelings.

"Ah, yes, I got embarrassed... It's really weird, isn't it? I'm very weird! I'm sorry."

Aria, also nervous but trying to resolve the situation, took Ren's hand again.

"I actually found it very cute..."

And so they continued, hand in hand and with silly smiles on their faces, until they reached their group again. The sun had already set, and most of the young people had already left, but they could see Leo and Erika in the distance.

Before joining them, however, Ren stopped his companion.

"Maybe we should just go home without talking to them."

"Don't you want to say goodbye to Erika and Leo?"

Ren didn't want to reveal the whole plan of his friends; he'd feel too exposed. Especially since he wouldn't stop hearing from them that they were responsible for the kiss.

"They can't control themselves; it's better if we tell them in a more controlled environment. I don't want them to ruin our first date," Ren replied, confidently referring to it as their first date. The future seemed very hopeful to him.

"If that's what you think... then, are we done here?" Aria asked.

Aria seemed sad at this prospect, making Ren think that she genuinely liked him.

Unfortunately, it was indeed getting late, and there wasn't much left to do at the park.

"I guess so... but we can start planning the next one. If you want a next one," Ren risked.

"I'd love to!" she replied, radiant.

Not knowing how to say goodbye, they simply hugged each other and went their separate ways. This time, Ren was happier than ever. Of course, he would have liked to give her a goodbye kiss, but the events had already been wonderful.

Once again, he bought a cookie and hopped his way home.

Things couldn't get any better. The girl of his dreams not only existed but also liked him. He had never been so happy with his personal life or with a manga he was drawing. Magic truly existed.

But then he had a sinister thought. If he had known her before and the girl of his dreams hadn't materialized in the real world, maybe there was no actual magic. It could all just be a coincidence, and all the signs he attributed to magic were just an incorrect interpretation of things around him.

He wondered if perhaps magic didn't exist, and he was once again deceiving himself.