The following day, Rendo decided that he would not send the first message again. Besides, he figured he might not be able to say anything worth her while. However, as his school day was completed, he cannot resist to do it. Therefore, that night, he sent a message, again through SNS. If you are only reading this now, SNS is an abbreviation for Social Networking Service.

Rendo typed, "Good evening. How are you? Have you seen the gift?"

As he expected, no reply came within the following minutes. These minutes built up to become hours. He played games in his phone while waiting. Time does fly when you play because it was already past ten in the evening when he finished the game. Really, he completed the story of the entire game within a couple of hours. Besides, it was just the beginning of the school year (August). There is not much school work to be done during the first day. After playing through that night, he was told by his parents to go to sleep. However, he is unable to do so. He kept thinking of Eliza.

"But why... I've never been up so late thinking of a girl... besides Alisse, anyway..."

He murmured to himself. It comes to a point that he is debating with himself again. Nevertheless, his waiting and sleeplessness was in vain. She did not respond that day.

Another school day has passed. As he went home, he checked his phone, only to find it receiving network messages. Nothing more. He figured he should sleep early that day, especially because he did not sleep much yesterday. However, as he was about to sleep, he took a chance by checking one last time for the day. To his surprise, there is a message for him!

She replied, "Hi there. Yes, I saw it. What about?"

The late night conversation is on.

Rendo: So... what do you think?

Eliza: It's... It's supposed to be what now?

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Rendo: What? It's a tiny circular mirror, a necklace to fit the mirror in the end, and a small sword.

Eliza: I saw. But, what about it?

Rendo: You don't like them? It's a small scale representation of the sanshu no jingi. The mirror represents knowledge. The jewel represents wealth. The sword represents strength.

Eliza: I know. But why'd you give them to me?

Rendo: So... you really didn't like them...

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

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Eliza: Don't change the topic. I'm asking you why you gave these gifts. It's not everyday that a man gives gifts to a woman, and not all men even give anything. What does these jingi represent for you?

Rendo: Easy, lady. I told you, it's a remembrance gift. So that when you go abroad, you may have a chance to look at them and remember me.

Eliza: Look, I'm not here for the drama. We can always talk like this even if I go to Japan. Besides, I'm not too much into sentimental things. In the end, they're just... things. No useful value.

Rendo: I... see...

Eliza: I want gifts that I can use in life. Like, a new phone, or maybe a computer. Something like that.

Rendo: Sorry. I just wasted your time. By the way, have you read the letter with it?

Eliza: Letter?

Rendo: Yeah. Written on the paper that covered the sword like a sheath.

Eliza: I threw it away. I think it's unimportant.

Rendo: What?! Okay... Just, well, take care... See you in two years, I guess.

Send complementary emoji. At this moment, Rendo's ego has reached a critical low point.

Eliza: Wait! That's it? Surely you won't go all the trouble gathering gifts for me and then give up just because I don't like them!

Rendo: What's the point? You know well that I'm a poor man. I run to school everyday. I can only give as much as 20 pesos as an offering in church. If I'm blessed enough, I can give 50, but that's it. To think it's already 2020! But you, giving as little as 2,000 pesos to the church is no issue. It's like a child's allowance for you. For me, 2,000 pesos is enough for two school weeks! I'm sorry if I can't afford "useful" gifts. Sorry if I'm nowhere near your level. When I'm with you, I always feel like a foreigner with nothing to show for it! I just want to be friends, because I only have few. That's why I gave them to you. Those jingi are important to me. They're close to my heart. But since you're going abroad, and God knows when we'll meet again, I want to take the chance to give you something to remember. Come to think of it, almost all of my friends are abroad already. You're gonna be next! Woe to me, I cannot even afford a passport.

Eliza: What's with that litany? You're the one who hurt me in the first place!

Rendo: Hurt you? How?

Eliza: I know it all! You're just acting nice so you can date me and then have access to our family wealth! You even went far by deceiving my sister that I'm not your type, but I can see it in you. You even let me sleep on your shoulder once. Now, you tell me.

Rendo: Date you? Of course not. Yes, you slept on my shoulder that time, but that's out of the question! You're not the first one to do so anyway, and you're the one who was sleeping. What should I do? Leave you in an uncomfortable position? Come on. Where do you even get those ideas? I'm not interested in your money! For me, God will provide.

Eliza: There you go again! Stop hurting my feelings.

Rendo: What?! You're the one who hurt my feelings by accusing me a lot of things. Is that how you treat a friend? Is it not written, a friend loves at all times?

He quoted Proverbs 17:17.

Eliza: You said it yourself! You love me, don't you? Admit it!

Rendo: Nani?! Anata ga suki janai!

(What?! I don't like you!)

Eliza: Urusai!

(Shut up!)

Rendo: ...

Eliza: I managed to find the letter from the pile, and I read it. It's in Japanese. Don't you think I can understand it?

What is written in the letter? Why can they just agree on something already? How long will this flashback be? When will we ever see some action from this stereotype of a love story? I don't care who you are, where you're from, what you did, as long as you read this. Mata ne! (See you!)