Chapter 11: The Unseen Descent

The next day, Ren didn’t show up to school.

Aoi didn’t think much of it at first—he had seemed distant the last time she’d seen him, but maybe he was just taking a day off. It was understandable, after everything that had happened. She tried to convince herself it was nothing to worry about, that he just needed some space. But even as she thought this, a seed of doubt planted itself in her mind. The image of Ren, staring blankly at the walls of his room, was hard to shake.

The day dragged on, and each time she glanced at his empty desk, that knot of worry grew tighter. She found herself absentmindedly staring at the place where he usually sat, the silence where he used to be feeling more and more oppressive.

It was only one day, though. He’d be back.

By the second day, the worry started to deepen into anxiety. Ren still hadn’t shown up, and no one seemed to have heard from him. Aoi found herself growing increasingly restless, her thoughts always circling back to the notebook she had read—the darkness in his words, the loneliness that seemed to consume him. She tried texting him, but each message went unanswered, the little "read" notification never appearing.

By lunchtime, the absence felt louder. The whispers in the hallway had already started, students noticing that Ren’s seat had been empty for two days in a row. People talked, as they always did, but it was different this time—there was an air of mystery, of unease. Aoi heard snippets of conversation, bits of gossip about where he might be. Some speculated that he was sick, but others weren’t so kind.

“Maybe he finally dropped out,” one student said, laughing as they walked by Aoi’s table. “Wouldn’t be surprising.”

Aoi clenched her fists under the table, her stomach twisting at the callousness in their voices. She wanted to shout at them, to tell them they didn’t know anything about Ren, but the words stuck in her throat. After all, what could she say? She was just as in the dark as they were.

By the third day, panic had started to set in. Ren’s absence wasn’t just a coincidence anymore. The last time she saw him, he had been so distant, so lost in his own world. The more she thought about it, the more it terrified her. His notebook had been filled with such hopelessness, and now he was… gone.

Aoi’s worry turned into a gnawing sense of dread. She tried to distract herself with schoolwork, tried to tell herself that maybe he just needed a break. But the more she thought about it, the less she believed it.

Her thoughts were a whirlwind of confusion. Should she go back to his house? Would he even want to see her again after what she had done—after she had read his most private thoughts without his permission? Aoi felt a pang of guilt twist inside her. She hadn’t intended to pry into his life, but now that she had, she couldn’t ignore what she had seen. The pain, the loneliness, the growing sense of despair that had filled every page of that notebook. And now that she had seen it, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she had failed him.

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On the fourth day, the rumors had fully taken root.

In the hallways, people spoke in hushed tones about Ren’s disappearance. Some said he was just avoiding school, others speculated about something worse. Aoi could hardly focus on anything else. She barely heard the teacher during class, her mind constantly replaying the last few days over and over again, trying to make sense of it all.

And then, in the afternoon, she overheard a conversation that made her heart stop.

Two girls were chatting near the lockers, their voices low but clear enough for Aoi to catch every word.

“I heard his mom’s looking for him,” one girl whispered. “They’re saying he might’ve run away.”

Aoi’s blood ran cold. Run away?

“Yeah,” the other girl added. “I heard they’ve been trying to find him for days now.”

Aoi’s heart pounded in her chest, a surge of fear gripping her. She rushed over to the girls, her voice shaky. “What did you just say?” she demanded, her hands trembling as she tried to keep her voice steady.

The girls looked startled by her sudden outburst. “We don’t know for sure,” one of them said quickly. “It’s just what we heard.”

Aoi didn’t wait to hear the rest. Her mind raced, fear clawing at her chest. She couldn’t believe it—Ren would never just run away, would he? No, there had to be some kind of mistake. But the panic had already taken root. Without thinking, she grabbed her bag and ran out of the building, her footsteps echoing down the empty halls.

The walk to Ren’s house felt like it took hours. Her mind was racing with every possible scenario, every fear she hadn’t wanted to face over the past few days. The dread she had been pushing aside was now impossible to ignore.

When she reached Ren’s house, she stood outside for a moment, gathering her courage. She could barely breathe, her chest tight with worry. What if the rumors were true? What if Ren was gone, and she had done nothing to stop it?

She knocked on the door, her heart pounding in her ears. She waited, holding her breath, but there was no answer. The house felt eerily quiet, its windows dark and empty. Aoi knocked again, harder this time, her pulse racing.

After what felt like an eternity, the door finally opened, revealing Ren’s mother. She looked exhausted, her eyes puffy and red, as if she hadn’t slept in days. Aoi could see the worry etched into her face, the same fear that had been gnawing at her for days.

“Aoi,” Ren’s mother said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. “You’re here.”

Aoi nodded, her throat dry. “Is… is Ren home?” she asked, her voice trembling.

Ren’s mother sighed, her shoulders slumping in defeat. “No… he hasn’t been home for days,” she admitted, her voice breaking slightly. “I don’t know where he is.”

Aoi felt the ground drop out from under her. “He’s… missing?” she whispered, her heart pounding in her chest.

Ren’s mother nodded, tears welling up in her eyes. “We’ve been looking for him,” she said, her voice cracking. “But… we haven’t found him yet.”

Aoi’s mind raced, her heart pounding in her ears. The fear that had been gnawing at her for days now felt like a crushing weight. She had been too late. Ren was gone, and she hadn’t been able to do anything to stop it.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she turned away from Ren’s mother, her chest tight with guilt and fear.