Ren's Home

Everyone was in the kitchen, and Maya was serving a piece of cake to each of them.

"This is just great, he decides to show up right on my day off..." Maya complained.

"Mom, are you..."

"I'm fine, honey, I'm fine. Just tired. And I told you to stay at school, and here you are, not only disobeying me but also bringing three more curious people, right? "

"Sorry, Mrs. Maya, we just couldn't let Ren come alone" Leo said with his mouth full of cake.

Maya approached and lovingly wiped his mouth, like a mother taking care of everyone.

"You did great, Leo. You too, Erika. Thank you for coming with my son. Now he's in trouble."

Ren didn't mind the threats; he was happy that at least everything had calmed down.

"And who's this beautiful young lady? I've never seen her before" Maya said, approaching Aria, making both her and Ren embarrassed.

"My name is Aria. I moved here recently, and..."

"Aria!" the mother exclaimed, having an epiphany" of course, yes, I've seen you before! I thought your black hair looked familiar. It's great to see you again! "

Ren stared at his mother incredulously.

"You remember her? "

"Of course! You two used to be inseparable. Do you still play the piano? When did you move here?"

"Mom! You're making Aria uncomfortable" Ren said, but he was the one feeling uneasy.

"It's okay, Ren. Nice to see you again, Maya. Yes, I still play piano."

What bothered Ren the most was how easily she remembered Aria, while he himself wasn't sure if the few memories they had were true.

"And this cake is delicious, my congratulations, Maya" said Erika, finishing her plate.

"Oh, I'm glad you liked it, but Ren is the one who actually made it for me. Thank him for the cake."

The three friends turned surprised looks at Ren.

"You made this delicious cake?" Leo asked.

Aria took another bite, savoring the surprise taste Ren had created.

"It's nothing special, just a cake. Can we change the subject?" Ren replied, feeling embarrassed to be the center of attention.

"No, we can't! Let's talk about your cake until you agree to make one for us every day" Erika insisted.

"But that's impossible!" Ren exclaimed, generating laughter from the others.

The group talked, laughed, and got to know each other better, with Maya sharing childhood stories of Ren with the others, once again embarrassing him.

While Leo, Erika, and Maya chatted about something, Aria approached Ren, a little shy.

"Since we're here... could I see your drawings? After all, I'm here to help you with the contest too."

Now that Aria knew about his dreams, there was no reason to hide them anymore. Even though he had shown her some pictures, he hadn't revealed the whole work.

"Sure! I'd love that" Ren replied, excited that someone wanted to read his work.

Without explaining anything, Ren went upstairs, followed by Aria, until they reached his room. He quickly grabbed his pages; not all of them were finished, and some things were out of order, but he was pleased with the result so far.

She took the pages and devoured the reading, her intensity rivaled that of Leo when reading Ren's work. She didn't even seem to mind the similarity between herself and the protagonist of the story, she was so enchanted by the story, and Ren was enchanted by her, becoming increasingly certain that he loved her.

"There are still some things to change, and I know it's not great" Ren said, preemptively apologizing for opinions he wasn't sure she would have.

"What are you talking about? This is wonderful. How do all these things come out of your head?" Aria asked.

"Oh, it's just normal, I guess. Anyone can imagine these things" Ren replied, happy with her comments.

"Not true, I can't draw these things anyway, but I can't imagine anything."

"What are you talking about? You may not be able to draw, but imagining is something anyone can do. "

"No, Ren, I have aphantasia. My brain can't create mental images."

Ren had never heard of such a thing and found it strange. He was always imagining things, and the fact that some people couldn't do that surprised him.

"I can't imagine myself not being able to... imagine" Ren said, only realizing the oddity of his statement at the end, and they both laughed.

"Yeah, that's why I can't draw. Well, there are many people with aphantasia who draw, but I think it takes a lot of practice and references. Anyway, the piano is easier for me."

While she complained about having aphantasia, she seemed at peace with it and continued inspecting the pages with her eyes shining.

"Well, I think you should let me listen to you play the piano now that you've seen my drawings. But not at your competition; you said you prefer playing just for fun, right? "

"Let's do it!" Aria replied excitedly, holding his hand, and then it dawned on him.

The two were alone in Ren's room, and tension started to rise. Once again, Ren remembered they hadn't kissed again, and he thought this might be a good moment for it.

"We should go back" Aria said, to Ren's disappointment "your mom might think less of me for this. "

Defeated, Ren agreed, and the pair went downstairs, still holding hands, and every time that happened, Ren felt at peace.

"But we can spend time together after school tomorrow. There's a piano in the music room that no one will use tomorrow if you really want to hear me play. And if you don't have anything better to do "

Ren found Aria's shyness adorable, especially because he also got shy with these things and felt they were on the same wavelength. Besides, it finally seemed like their second date was taking shape.

"I'd love to spend time with you after school, Aria" he said, reassuring her and excited for the next day."