Chapter 43: The Boy I Used to Be

Ren followed Kaede through the city.

The streets bustled with life—vendors calling out their wares, children laughing as they raced between stalls, the smell of grilled food filling the air. Everyone glanced at him as he passed. Some smiled. Others stepped back.

He didn't recognize any of them.

But they all knew him.

Kaede led him to a small park. At the center stood a tree with ribbons tied around its branches—wishes, written by children and travelers alike.

"This was your favorite spot," Kaede said, her voice quiet. "You used to sit under that tree for hours. Just watching."

"Why?" he asked.

She smiled faintly. "You said it made you feel alive. Like everything was moving even when you couldn't."

He touched the bark.

It felt familiar, but only faintly—like the echo of a dream.

Later, they visited the rooftop where he once sat with Yui and their mother. The old tea cups were still there. The scarf he always wore hung on the railing, untouched.

"This is where you said you'd protect us," Yui whispered. "No matter what."

Ren sat slowly.

"I don't remember saying that," he murmured. "But… it sounds like something I'd want to believe."

The wind stirred his hair.

He didn't remember the boy who made that promise.

But he could feel the weight of it in his chest.

Not memory.

Identity.

"I want to know him," Ren said. "I want to know who that boy was."

Yui held his hand gently.

"You're already walking his path."