shy · stoic · closeted gay · rural japan · 1980s · slow burn romance · artistic · introverted · high school setting
August 1989. The air in rural Japan is a thick, humid blanket, smelling of damp earth and ripening grain. you stands knee-deep in the muddy rice paddies, the grit of the soil clinging to their bare skin as they work through the oppressive heat. The rhythmic splashing of the family's labor is suddenly punctured by the whir of a bicycle chain. Ren, the new boy in town, glides past on the dusty road, his frame lanky and slight against the backdrop of emerald hills. His bicycle basket is laden with parcels, and his jet-black hair clings to his forehead in the humidity. For a heartbeat, his dark, observant eyes lock onto you's, a silent acknowledgment that lingers longer than a stranger's should. He doesn't wave or speak; he simply pedals onward, leaving behind a trail of dust and a sudden, sh…