“I never imagined myself to be normal,”

“As if I'm not allowed to be...”

Part 1

It seemed to be a normal morning at the café. The café had warm-colored lights rather than the regular ones, giving off a relaxing feeling. On the shelves were books and board games aesthetically arranged. The café truly had a mellowed ambiance, allowing the customers to calm their nerves before starting their day.

Each of the customers was enjoying the coffee served for them, along with some variety of cakes. They were busy with their own world, as they did the things they desired to do freely in that nice place.

The purple-haired girl was no exception among the crowd. The girl silently enjoyed her coffee as she let her eyes scan through the pages of the book she was reading. She let her eyes wander the pages in a fast-pace, in the process she picked up what the book was about. Clearly, from her skill, she was an avid reader.

And, it was about time.

The girl then closed her book hastily and uncrossed her legs. She let down the empty cup on the table gently, before wearing a casual smile.

As she stood from her seat, she turned to her right, and that was when─

Kyoko bumped into a man who had quite the body build, her book hitting the man's hot coffee causing it to splatter on his chest. The coffee did not only splashed on the man, but also to her book resulting in some damage in the pages.

"What the hell did you just do, you stupid chick?!" The man got furious, clicking his tongue as he felt some burning sensations in his chest.

"My apologies," Kyoko bowed, then looked back to the man. "Sir, I'll buy you a shirt as compensation."

"Just a damn shirt! Do I look like I can't afford one?!" The man complained. "My chest is fucking burnt! Whaddya gonna do 'bout that, huh?!"

The girl clicked her tongue in annoyance, though subtly to avoid even more complaints from the man. His voice was so freaking annoying for her, to the point that she wanted to cut off his tongue─ but clearly, it was not the time for that.

"Sir, then you better─" Again, Kyoko tried to offer something to compensate, but the man interrupted her.

"This is my favorite shirt, you idiot!" The man again yelled, even louder. His voice completely got the attention of the customers who, too, seemed annoyed at all of his complaints.

Plus, the shirt he was wearing was pretty lame too.

"If you'll just refuse everything I offer, then I'm afraid I can't help you." Kyoko sighed, giving off a shrug before starting to walk away from the scene.

Her actions caused the annoying man to get even more furious, even tempted to just beat her up. What he hated the most was her guts─ especially the fact that she doesn't seem to be intimidated or scared by his actions.

Before the girl could fully leave, the man grabbed her by the arm. He earned an annoyed 'tch' from Kyoko, who clearly got pissed by the fact that his skin touched hers, making her feel disgusted.

"How dare you just─" The man met the girl's eyes. The girl's eyes had a piercing and fiery gaze that bore holes into his face. Her brows knitted, as she slowly lost her temper. After seeing her intimidating gaze, he failed to continue his sentence.

"Who the fuck cares, asshole?" Pushed to her limit, Kyoko blunted out, anger dripping in her voice.

"What did you just say?!" The man yelled angrily, trying to keep a tough act despite being scared. He was a man; he couldn't show how frightened he was. His body was bigger, so she was definitely weak against him! Or so he thought.

And, the man dared to lift a finger against her.

The moment that he was about to punch the girl, he swore he saw her lips form a sinister smile.

However─

A mighty grip suddenly stopped the man's fist to land on Kyoko's face.

There, a black-haired teen with curly hair and glasses, around Kyoko's age, stood in front of her. His big hand was tightly gripping onto the fist of the violent man, thus, stopping it from hitting the girl. It was such a plot twist and earned shocked gasps from the other customers.

Shockingly, he was able to stop the punch despite being quite frail himself.

On a side note, it appeared that Kyoko truly did not expect someone to protect her. She was ready to take the punch─or rather, she wanted him to punch her.

Kyoko loved the fact that the man was acting exactly like how she expected him to do. She was pretty much entertained at how careless the man was; probably thinking that he'll be able to get away with it. Except for the fact that he held her by the wrist─ she hated it.

However, the show was still not yet finished.

The man clenched his jaws in annoyance. He hated how it looked like, a big man like him got stopped by a small teenager. He felt ashamed, and at the same time got even angrier.

As a response, the man quickly lifted his left fist this time to punch the boy in which he─

succeeded.

The teen got knocked down as he almost fell on the floor, if not held by Kyoko. The girl clicked her tongue when he saw that the man was not satisfied, and was about to give another blow.

She couldn't let that man hurt this boy further.

"Meh~ enough of the games," Kyoko says darkly as she swiftly dodged the punch the man was about to deliver, protecting the boy in the process. With her free hand, she pulled the man by the arm, then threw him to an empty table with leftovers.

The man immediately stood, but before he could stay on his feet, Kyoko gave him a knee-kick to his balls.

"A-argh!" The man exclaimed in pain. He looked at Kyoko, the source of his pain and met the bloodshot in her eyes.

Everyone was scared. Some were able to save themselves, but many froze on their places in fright. That includes some of the staff, even the manager who was deeply scared and worried about the situation. What if he pulls out a weapon?!

He wanted to kill her. But before he could─

"What's with the commotion?!"

The café door was opened by two officers who seemed to be on patrol. They saw what happened and immediately figured that they should control the situation before things get worse.

Behind the two officers was none other than the known Ace Detective, Goro Akechi.

The teen detective became Kyoko's close friend before she knew it and often helped each other out to solve a case.

Kyoko even polluted the boy's way of solving cases which was always abided by justice and fairness. Well, Kyoko can be a bit... cunning. Baiting enemies and letting them play in her hands, then falling to her trap. She would often reason out that she was not officially a detective, so she won't face any problem by doing so. Bit by bit, Akechi got used to it and even played along with her ideas.

And this event was one of her ideas, too.

Kyoko made her way outside of the café, as she assisted the ravenette teen who helped her. She ignored the questions of the officers, and let the witnesses speak for her.

She passed by the Ace Detective on her way out, who subtly leaned on her ear.

"You did well, Kyoko." Akechi whispered. "Or maybe, you went a bit too far?"

As a response, Kyoko chuckled.

"Goro, nothing goes too far." Kyoko paused, a mischievous smile on her face. "It's just that, we have to go beyond."

Part 2

It was a peaceful morning in a park. The cold breeze of the air was blowing gently, the grass and leaves dancing along with its pace. The sun was still in the midst of rising to share its light, signifying the nearing of noon.

At the bench, two teenagers sat. A black-haired teen was quite stiffly sitting on it, letting the girl treat the wound he received earlier after standing up for her. Much to his surprise, the girl was a lot gentler than he expected, especially after witnessing how brutal she can be.

On a side note, he couldn't deny that the punch from that violent man hurt.

"It's done!"

After cleaning the wound, Kyoko placed a patch on it. The teen didn't deny, after receiving the girl's treatment, the pain subsided.

"By the way," Kyoko started, her lips curving into a smile. "I'm Kyoko Mochizuki, nice to meet you."

The girl smiled at him sincerely, her eyes alive. For some reason, she felt fond of him already despite knowing him just now. Maybe, it was because he saved her and took the hit instead of her.

But apart from that, he felt really familiar. Especially his curly, black hair.

Scratching off that thought, Kyoko shifted her gaze from the boy to the scenery in front of them. It was the peaceful sight of the park, with little children playing to no end with their happiest smiles on their faces. The sun was shining brightly, and thankfully, there was a tree just behind the bench to give them shade.

"I'm Ren. Ren Amamiya," The teen, who introduced himself as Ren, spoke. He had a smile on his face as well while watching the kids.

"Well, honestly..." Kyoko mustered. "I should apologize to you. It was planned."

With that, Kyoko scratched her head in embarrassment.

Part 3

"So... that's what it was all about," Ren said as if the puzzle in his brain was solved.

"I'm really sorry though for letting you get hit even after you protected me." Kyoko looked down. "It was necessary."

"It's alright. Plus, you treated it anyway." The teen reassured while projecting a smile at her.

"I really feel guilty. And it really sucked that I had to sacrifice my book," Kyoko said as she showed the book she was reading earlier. The pages were damp and had the faint bitter smell of coffee.

"Well..." Ren trailed, slightly looking away with a faint blush. "You seem like you don't have plans for the rest of the day, no?"

"I'm thinking of sleeping for the rest of the day though, so that's a plan." The girl said in a mischievous manner.

"Think of it as a way to thank me and apologize," Ren said as he let out a light laugh.

"What's with the cocky attitude?" Kyoko laughed with him, entertained at his responses. Then, she stood up cheerfully from the bench and reached out her hand to the boy.

"But sure. This is only a one-time thing though." The girl said, quite in a challenging tone. "Unless I enjoy what you have to offer. Then, who knows? Maybe we can go out again."

"I'm always up for a challenge," Ren said, a smile on his face as he accepted her hand.

Both walked peacefully together as they engaged in a fun conversation. From time to time, they exchanged laughs, without a doubt enjoying each other's company.

It was quite a long walk until they arrived at their destination. They passed by a bunch of trees and bushes that were peacefully dancing according to the direction of the wind.

After the walk, they arrived at the train station, the last step to the location of their date.

And, it was an amusement park in front of their eyes.

"I didn't think you would choose this place," Kyoko said, a small smile on her face. "Thought you were the type to choose a relaxing spot."

"Well, you were right." Ren confirmed, a bit shocked that the girl saw right through him. "But I thought you were the type to enjoy a date with lots of activities, so I chose this."

"Quite smart, I must say."

The girl gave off a laugh, truly entertained by the replies of the boy. Afterward, a graceful smile crept across her face as she looked at the boy beside him.

Normally, Kyoko wouldn't react too kindly with someone she just met. Apart from that, Emiko's description of a man─they're good at flirting with girls, they'll make you laugh with some pretty words, making you fall for them─matched with him a bit too much. But then, Kyoko was confident that she'll never fall under a man's hands.

"So, are you ready?" Ren asked, his warm gaze at the girl.

"Welp, I was born ready." Kyoko smirked. "Mind you, I only enjoy intense rides."

"Figures," Ren replied confidently.

Kyoko let her cerulean eyes wander around the venue, to eyeing each piece carefully. Her lips curved into a smile as she considered everything she saw as 'fun', feeling quite excited herself to enter the rides.

But then, her eyes laid upon something that was unusual, not necessarily out of place.

"A piano?" Kyoko's mouth was agape as she let the words escape her lips.

Her eyes glittered in astonishment, then her legs walked on its own to the majestic instrument. As she walked, the boy silently followed her, a bit shocked.

Kyoko stopped in her tracks, as she stared at the piano. She had to confirm if it was a real one.

"You know how to play the piano?" Ren asked out of curiosity.

"A bit," Kyoko said, her lips curving into a smile. "Enough to play with my eyes closed,"

Wow, so much for modesty.

"Yeah right, a bit." Ren couldn't help but give off a chuckle, hearing the girl's statement. "What made you want to learn it though?"

"My mom always loved to listen to music while reading," Kyoko stated, a faint smile on her face. "In order to please her, I thought that I should play for her while she was reading."

"Well... were you able to do that?" Ren asked carefully as he tried to read her expression.

As a response, Kyoko gave off a casual laugh. She pulled the seat by the piano, then sat before speaking, "How about you listen to it first and tell me your thoughts?"

"Sure." Ren smiled as he eagerly watched her.

Kyoko wore a serious expression and closed her eyes. She sat at the edge of the seat with her back straight. Clearly, her arms were relaxed, not showing any signs of nervousness. Her delicate fingers gently caressed the keys as she reminisced each note and chords to perform the piece.

Then, she began to let her fingers glide over the keys, playing the piano gracefully. It produced melody pleasing to the listener's ears, especially Ren who watched her with his mouth agape. His eyes sparkled in admiration as he let his gaze locked on the girl while she was playing.

Kyoko's head moved gracefully according to the music, her purple hair moving in sync. She poured her emotions and the pain she was experiencing on the piano, as she skillfully pressed each key, not missing a note.

Her plump lips parted, letting out her voice.

And I know that all the clothes I wear are torn up and dirty

The smile on my face no longer means I'm happy

There is no way that I can possibly let myself be shown

So please, just leave me alone...

Still, with her eyes closed, her brows furrowed indicating the pain, sufferings, and struggles in the depth of her heart. Life was never easy for her no matter how much she worked hard to get everything and achieve her goals.

The song gave off a grieving and sad tone, matching the emotions she was feeling. The boy couldn't help but let his thoughts run wild in curiosity. Just... what happened to her?

But then, there was a shift in her emotions.

Suddenly all the feelings that I had kept inside me burst, melting down

And then I tried to look for you but came to realize that you're nowhere to be found...

Little girl's anxiety builds inside her steadily

She is scared that darkness took the one she wants to meet

Feeling trapped inside the sea, she cannot help but to reach out her hand

"You also have splendid colors in you, do you understand?"

Little girl inside the sea, slowly led up from the deep

As she hears songs of blessings from the snow colored marine

Little girl inside the sea, wants to know the person she saw then

Because she has found the one who makes her want to live again!

And now that I'm out of the ocean, I'll take off again...!

Ren, with a proud smile on his face, brought his hands together to applaud the girl. Behind his smile was his astonishment and admiration as he reminisced the girl's heavenly voice. To be honest, he didn't expect to see such a side of her in this situation. At that moment, he knew that there was a lot more to this girl named Kyoko Mochizuki.

The boy really couldn't think straight as he couldn't get her honeyed voice out of his mind. He did his best to gather his thoughts as he began to think of the best compliment she deserved.

"She'd love it," Ren genuinely complimented.

"Right?" As a reply, Kyoko's lips curved into a wry smile. With that, Kyoko stood from her seat, a bit shocked that she caught the crowd's attention. "Damn. We better get going,"

The day had just begun.

Part 4

The day went on with the two going on with their unplanned date in the amusement park. Like the other parks, this one had countless of intense rides Kyoko loved. Starting off with the rollercoaster, then the anchors away, bungee jumping, and many other more.

Ren was surprised that he endured most of the rides, though he was feeling quite dizzy and nauseated every after a ride. On the other hand, Kyoko had a really high tolerance and clearly enjoyed every bit of the ride had to offer.

There were many times that they were mistaken as a couple, given their closeness and somehow sweet way of talking. They just laughed it off, not bothering to tell them that it was the first time they met.

Or was it really the first?

Apart from that, Ren got even more surprised when Kyoko didn't vomit at all after eating lunch then went back to the rollercoaster because she enjoyed it that much. After that, they went to the haunted house where... Kyoko was the one scaring the ghosts?

It was a hella fun day, and Kyoko admitted it. It was a day full of smiles and laughter. However, the sight of the sun setting signified the end of the day.

Both were quite tired, especially Ren who really didn't fancy too many activities, but adjusted himself to spend time with the mysterious girl.

The two walked out of the haunted house, with Kyoko, as usual, leading where to go next.

After a few steps, Ren halted his legs when the girl stopped her tracks. He wandered his eyes around, not seeing any ride that fits the girl's tastes.

"Here we are." Kyoko smiled, standing in front of the grand ferris wheel who was currently taking passengers.

"This...?" Ren muttered, quite shocked. "You want to ride this?"

Hearing this, Kyoko's lips curved into a smile. She slightly tilted her head as she pulled a close-eyed smile.

"I want to ride it because I know you want it, Ren." Kyoko explained, the graceful smile still on her face. "Besides, I had been the one to decide on almost everything. It's time for you to do something you want."

Ren clearly did not expect this.

But instead of showing his astonishment, he decided to cover it with a much more overwhelming feeling─ happiness. The happiness that was overflowing in his heart.

And with that, Ren smiled wholeheartedly, then nodded. "Sure. Let's go,"

The orange-gold stretched far and wide across the sky, covering it with the color of tangerine. It was such a mesmerizing and romantic sight, especially for the lavender-haired.

The two then proceeded to hop on the ride, Ren letting Kyoko go first in a gentlemanly way, ensuring her safety. Kyoko couldn't help but chuckle at the sight but proceeded to hop on anyways.

The moment the ride began, Kyoko had her eyes glued on the sky, the wind touching their skin.

"You know... there was this incident," Kyoko began, her eyes glued to the sky. "I almost drowned because of my stupidity,"

And that was it.

"What happened after?" Ren asked as he gave his fullest attention to what she was saying.

"Someone saved me," Kyoko said. "A heroic young man. It was his curly black hair that was most memorable,"

Hearing her statement, Ren smiled to himself. He figured that Kyoko already knew, that's why she began to tell everything to him.

"Something similar happened to me before." Ren stated, causing Kyoko to look at the teen. "It was my mom who saved me."

"It was a good thing she was there. If she wasn't, maybe you're not going to see this man in front of you."

Kyoko chuckled lightly, "And, this lady here, too, wouldn't have been alive and breathing,"

Both chuckled to themselves softly, immersed in their own world. Even with vague words, the two understood each other without any confusion between them. Maybe, it was what they call connection, or spark if you would call it as such.

"Well... if I must be honest," Ren said as he averted his gaze. "You're one hell of a girl."

With that, he reminisced every scene in his memories that he had an encounter with the girl. The first one was when she was standing up for a young girl and a dog against bullies and got them off of themselves in ease.

The next one was the accident, where he, thankfully, was able to save her. Her unique purple hair never left his thoughts since then.

And, that was what led him to save her and ask her for a date.

Kyoko smiled to herself, her cerulean orbs fixed at the mesmerizing scenery of a sunset. There was a flicker of admiration in those pair of eyes. By the looks of it, she truly loved the sunset.

On the other hand, Ren locked his gaze at the girl quietly with a faint smile on his face. It was refreshing to see the girl holding admiration to something.

"Hm?"

Soon enough, Kyoko's bangs that was falling off from her came to his attention. Seeing this, he forced himself not to smile shyly as he believed this was the perfect opportunity.

Ren sneakily shuffled through his pockets to find the small gift he prepared for her.

"Kyoko, lean forward." Ren blunted out, though gentleness was felt from his tone. Kyoko tilted her head in confusion, but did what the boy told him anyway.

"Eh...?"

To her shock, Ren began to clip her lavender locks to her side that was interrupting her view. Kyoko brought her hand to pat the clip gently, a bit shocked that it was pretty effective.

Ren's hands began to sweat, thinking that he might've messed up because the girl hasn't say a word. What he bought was pretty cheap because it was the only one affordable to him. It was a simple red hair clip he bought earlier when Kyoko went to the restroom.

"It's..." Kyoko muttered, and Ren's head perked up immediately. "It's really nice,"

"Thank you, Renren!"

His name sounded so perfectly as it escaped her lips. A faint tint of pink began to crawl across his cheeks, as his tension slowly relaxed.

On a side note, Kyoko was the same. A shy smile was on her face as she still felt the warmth of Ren's hands on her head. It was such a comfortable feeling.

"If you stay that way, then I'm afraid I won't be able to hold my feelings any longer."

I wish I could give him a damn warning so he could stop.

But deep inside me, I know. From the very beginning I reached out my hand...

...I played the game called love. Where you fall first, you lose.

Word Count: 3790 words

A/N: Hello y'all! It's been months since the last time I updated, huh... Sorry. I promised to publish this chapter soon, but things didn't end pretty well on me.

Actually, things got so busy at school. We were having this major stageplay, however it got cancelled due to the threat of COVID-19.

Speaking of, how are you guys doing? Would you mind leaving a comment on your condition? I genuinely hope you are all fine.

When you experience the major symptoms, then please seek medical advice immediately. Y'all relax, the chance of you dying if you came out as positive, is only 3%-4%. Just please, protect the elderly or anyone who already have existing illnesses.

Always wash you hands and wear masks when buying some food or medicine!

Anywaaayy, about the chapter, did you enjoy it? This chapter focuses on Ren and Kyoko's bond deepening!

And, the next chapter will be for Ren and Emiko's development~ 😏 Please look forward to it, RENEMI fans!

See y'all on the next chapter! Stay safe!

xoxo,
Eth.