This story takes place after the manga. It includes an OC, and the events that take place are not canon. I do not own anything in my fanfiction except my OC. I plan on pairing this fanfiction with another one, centered on Shoko and Shoya.

Author's Note 4/20/20: I have been receiving a lot of requests to make Ren appear in Days and Years, which I couldn't agree more on. In order to do this, I am retconning a few things. I will try to change the story as little as possible. Feel free to reread for context! Thank you for all of the support, everyone :)


As a child, Yuzuru had been the stronger sibling. Yuzuru would always fight to protect her sister from bullies, even though Shoko was older. Yuzuru would throw rocks at the bullies and scare them away, even if they tried to hurt her instead. So when Yuzuru met, face to face, the single worst bully that Shoko had ever had to protect herself from, she threw her shield up and kept it up.

For a long time, Yuzuru despised Shoya Ishida. To her, Shoya just seemed like he wanted to serve himself and rid himself of guilt, like this was his only goal in getting to know Shoko. After a while of chasing Shoya away, getting him into trouble, or flat out attacking him, Yuzuru could see that he had no ulterior motives.

She began to have less of a need to protect Shoko, as Shoya seemed more than willing to do so. So instead, Yuzuru blossomed out. Yuzuru became close friends with Shoya, as well as his friend group. Although she may still be scary, she really brought her shield down.

So when she got home after studying with Ren for a while, she reflected on this. "When did I get so damn soft?" she thought, scolding herself. She hated that she let someone so new to her get so close to her. She pouted for a little while, but she got over it pretty soon. She spent a little while watching videos on the internet before falling asleep.


The next day, Yuzuru went about her routine normally, yet something felt off the whole day. As if out of nowhere, Yuzuru felt more talkative and less defensive. She didn't feel as strong of an urge to punch the people in her school that she found annoying. This was unknowingly caused by becoming so close to Ren.

Although Yuzuru herself was not aware of this, she had let her guard down when it comes to Shoko being bullied by other people, and raised it when it comes to Ren being a threat to himself. She no longer necessarily had to worry about other people, so she became much more friendly to them. She did, however, feel the need to worry about Ren, whose only real threat seemed to be his own stubbornness.

The only thing that Yuzuru was aware of was her transition into becoming soft. "I'll show the world that I'm still tough as nails…" she thought as she placed her books in her backpack and prepared for a study session.


After school, she headed to the Ishida residence, where Ren was sweeping while getting to know Shoya's sister, her husband, and her daughter. "Oh, hey, Yuzuru!" Ren said as he finished cleaning the hair up and set the broom down. "What's up with you?" he said, concerned about the look on her face.

"I… don't know what you're talking about." Yuzuru said with an artificial coldness as she walked up the stairs to go into Shoya's room. "Was it something I said?…" Ren thought as he dumped the hair into the trash can and asked for permission to go upstairs.

"Go on up, but I'd tread carefully if I were you!" Ms. Ishida warned, able to tell that Yuzuru was guarded right now.


Ren went upstairs to see why Yuzuru was inexplicably angry, as well as help her study. "Are you okay?" he asked, and Yuzuru nodded. "Oh, well you don't seem like you're okay." Ren said blatantly. "You know, you can tell me what's wrong, right?"

"Nothing is wrong!" Yuzuru said sharply, making Ren jump in surprise. Truthfully, there was nothing wrong; Yuzuru just wanted to appear more tough. She was poor at concealing it, though, because she started laughing at his worried expression. "Damn it, I was trying to look serious!" she said, both happy and frustrated. She spent a few minutes explaining her situation- how she wants to be tough like she used to, how she's gone soft, etc…


Ren stuck his tongue out. "Hypocrite!" and they both stood up aggressively, fire in their eyes.

"What do you mean, hypocrite?! You wanna fight or something?" Yuzuru said, as if ready to brawl.

"You've spent the past week scolding me when I tried to act tough and independent, but now you're doing the same thing! And I'd be more than glad to!" he said, just as ready to brawl.

They both got in each other's faces. Despite having a fierce look in his eyes, Ren averted eye contact with Yuzuru, and his flame died down. "What's wrong, you lost your fighting spirit or somethin'?" Yuzuru asked.

To Yuzuru's surprise, he nodded. "You're, like, really scary, you know?" he said, looking away. Yuzuru had a blank, astonished expression. "So I've still got it!" she thought ecstatically. "But more than that, you're cool. You're like a wolf, scary but awesome at the same time! ...What's with that goofy look?" he asked, pointing at her face.

Yuzuru had a very shaky, forced frown on her face. She obviously was trying to hide a smile. "N-nothing!" she said, and when Ren called her out for lying, she threatened to fight him again, but her frown broke into a smile, and she was forced to turn her head away. "You say really weird stuff, man." she said while trying to stop herself from laughing. Yuzuru was not used to compliments, even if they are strange compliments like the one Ren gave her. On top of this, she was glad that somebody still thought of her as "scary."

After straightening her face up, she looked back at Ren. "Well, it looks like you already can tell that I'm a badass, so I don't have to put on a mask to convince you."

"You aren't trying to convince me, you're trying to convince yourself!" Ren said accusingly. Yuzuru froze. She kept getting surprised by this small, timid boy. Time and again, he would deliver a blow that she could neither parry nor block, so she would just deliver a blow back. This time, he hit hard, as she didn't even realize that this was the case until he said it. "What the… Damnit! He's right, he never needed convincing! I've been doing this for myself…"


"You shouldn't have to remind yourself that you're badass, it's not like you ever won't be." Ren said, breaking the silence. "You know, I look up to you a lot, both physically and not" he said, referring to the fact that he was a little shorter than her and laughing. "I want to be tough like you, smart like you, kind like you, and be able to make friends like you. You don't have to fake any of that, cause I already know that you're super."

There was that word again. On top of all those other kind things that he said, Ren chose to use that word. "Super…" Yuzuru thought as she felt her face warm up. "Ahh, damn, damn! You're confusing me!" Yuzuru said as she smacked her head with her hand. She did not necessarily mean that his words were confusing. Instead, she was confusing herself with her reactions to his words.

"S-sorry…" Ren said nervously. He was scared that he had crossed a line or made things awkward. "Should we just start with studying now?" he offered, trying to diffuse the tension. She calmed down, sat down, and pulled out the textbook. They studied the material for a little while. In the duration of it, they exchanged glances, or more, Yuzuru kept looking at Ren, who would then look back. Yuzuru would then look away as if nothing had happened.


After they both got a better understanding of the homework, Yuzuru spoke up. "Ren." she said, popping any sort of thought bubble that Ren may have had. "Why are you so nice?"

Ren scratched his head. "Well, Yuzuru, I feel like I owe you a lot. Remember all those nice things I called you? Well, it's because I feel like you've helped me in all of those aspects… I feel tougher, smarter, and kinder cause of you, and I've made friends cause of you. You, Shoko, and Shoya are all my heroes! Though, I think you're definitely my favorite hero!"

Yuzuru had a flashback to a time when her grandmother complimented her. She expressed her gratefulness for "having such wonderful granddaughters." Yuzuru, for a long time, felt unworthy to be called "wonderful." She was harsh and vulgar; she spent her time taking photos of corpses, and she even took one of her grandmother moments after she passed. She failed to stop Shoko from attempting suicide. But right now, in front of her was the boy who she tried to intimidate but received heartfelt compliments from nonetheless, in the room of the person whom she tried to hate but became close friends with, she felt worthy of the praise her grandmother gave to her all that time ago. The memories and emotions came to her all too quickly, and for the first time in a long while, Yuzuru burst into tears in front of somebody else. "Ahhh, what?! What?! Yuzuru! Yuzuru!" Ren called out to her as he jumped up to see what was wrong.


After a few minutes of convincing him that she was indeed okay (which she actually believed to be true now), Ren stopped arguing when Yuzuru said that she should be heading home. "Hey, don't worry about it. Really, it was something completely unrelated!" she said to quell his last bit of worry. "Hey, I won't be able to come over tomorrow by the way." she said, changing the subject.

Ren broke into a sweat, worried about whether he had done something wrong. "I-is this unrelated too?" he asked nervously.

Yuzuru nodded. "I'm going to be going to laser tag!" she exclaimed.

Ren tilted his head a little. "What is that?"


It hadn't occurred to Yuzuru that there was anyone on the continent who didn't know what "laser tag" was, just until then. She just laughed at first, thinking he was joking, but she soon realized he wasn't. "O-oh, you're being for real?" she asked, feeling a little bad. "Well, it's like tag, but you use weapon-shaped flashlights. These lights are super thin, so you have to be precise in your shooting!"

Ren had a goofy, awed look on his face. "That sounds like a lot of fun! Once I turn fifteen and get a real job, please let me take you to laser tag!" he said, not realizing what that sounded like.

Yuzuru blushed, but she tried to hide it since he wouldn't even be aware of why she was blushing. "Yeah, that sounds like a plan! Speaking of which, when do you turn fifteen anyways?"

Ren thought hard. "Umm… I don't know." he said plainly. "I haven't ever had any sort of birthday celebration, so I guess I've been assuming I'm at least one year older each New Year." he laughed at how it sounded. "Well, I'd have to be at least one year older, unless I just age slowly."

Yuzuru laughed. "Well, then you'll get a double-celebration on New Year's Day! And as a birthday present, I'll take you to laser tag!" she said kindly. Ren frowned and stuck his tongue out, not eager about the idea of letting someone pay so much on him for anything. Yuzuru just laughed about it.


Eventually, they made it back to the apartments, and Ren prepared to say goodbye. Yuzuru interrupted him, though. "Come here!" she said. She wanted to take a photo to remember today, since Yuzuru felt like she had made some sort of internal breakthrough. She wrapped one arm around him, pulling him in closely and taking her camera off of her shoulder. She snapped a photo of the both of them. She had recently asked people to take photos of her, but perhaps the first "selfie" she had ever taken herself. Ren blushed, and Yuzuru beamed a smile at him. "Hey, thank you for today, Ren. I know I was acting weird, but everything is all good now!"

Ren stared blankly for a moment. "No, thank you. And besides, it was fun, even if you were being weird! You're keeping me on my toes, I can never predict what you're gonna do next!"

Yuzuru had an idea. "Hmmm… you're right. I bet you weren't expecting this!" she exclaimed as she pulled out a marker and swiftly, deftly drew cat whiskers on one side of his face before he had time to react. "Haha! I'll see you the day after tomorrow, shorty!"

Ren stared at her as she walked back into the apartment complex. Before she walked back inside the door, he called out, saying, "I-I'm not short! Shorty!" Yuzuru turned around and laughed at him a little bit before shutting the door behind her.


As Ren walked back, he was sure to kick any rock he saw on the sidewalk. "Jeez... the nerve of that girl..." he thought as he rubbed his cheek, which had been marked with whiskers. He laughed about it and looked up at the street lights as he passed them by. "But maybe I'll miss her tomorrow, a little..." He shook his head, dismissing the thought.

When he made it back to the Ishida residence, he was greeted by laughter from Maria, Shoya's niece. "Kitty!" she said, pointing at Ren's face.

Ms. Ishida was sitting down, reading an article online. "Oh, hi Ren! Nice tattoo!" she teased. "Oh, I got your money for today sitting on the counter!"

"Actually, about that…" Ren began to explain his new working situation. During the day, before work, he had actually made arrangements to work at a local grocery store, where he would tell anyone that he was fifteen. As a result, he would still work for Ms. Ishida during late hours, but early in the morning, he would work a real job. He wanted to work for free for Ms. Ishida, so he may be able to pay her back for everything she's given him. If anything, he would be paying her for always making him food, and Shoya, for always letting him sleep in his way, he wouldn't have to worry about Yuzuru, Shoko, and Shoya buying him an expensive sleeping bag. He would make around 14,000¥ every week, and he would split it up between Ms. Ishida, Shoya, and himself. Ms. Ishida would get 3,500¥, Shoya would get 3,500¥, leaving around 7,000¥ for Ren to spend.


After he went through this lengthy explanation, he bowed in gratitude. "Thank you so much for everything, I hope that you will continue to let me stay!"

"H-hey, Ren, are you sure?" she asked, not so sure. "Almost 4,000¥ every week is a lot! I understand you want to pay me back, but…" she broke off.

"P-please don't worry, ma'am! It's my way to thank you for your generosity! I vowed to pay you back as soon as you accepted me into your home!" he said, again overdoing it with formality. Ms. Ishida, although hesitant, was very willing to accept the money, as Ren had been either an extra mouth to feed or an employee to pay for the past week or so.


Ren walked upstairs after eating and thanking her again for her generosity. He sighed and laid down on his cot. "The Ishidas are more of a family than I've ever had before, I hope I can call Ms. Ishida 'mom,' one day, and maybe Shoya 'big bro'..." he glanced over at Shoya, who was sleeping. "Shoko seems like a big sister, or something, I guess..." he thought as he stared at the dark ceiling. "But where would that leave Yuzuru?"

Blushing, he shook his head and tried to go to sleep. "I think I know exactly where that leaves Yuzuru…" he thought, embarrassed. He thought of Yuzuru as a really good friend, but what if one day they were more? He turned over and buried his face into his pillow. After convincing himself that there was nothing to worry about, he shut his eyes.


When he woke up the next morning, it was time to get up and get ready for work; real work. He changed his clothes, brushed his teeth, and got himself ready for the long day ahead, all while carefully maneuvering around the room so that he didn't wake up the resting Shoya.

He walked down to the market, where one of the ladies he had talked to before about work brought him a uniform and instructed him on what to do and where to go. As Ren was stocking the shelves, he felt content. He was doing real work to pay back the people who had given him everything.

After working for around four hours, he clocked out and headed to the Ishida residence, where he spent the next three hours helping Ms. Ishida with sweeping. After taking a break to eat something, as he scarcely even had a breakfast, Ms. Ishida asked "Hey, Ren, could you run this bag over to the Nishimiyas?" she asked, holding a bag of groceries. Ren knew where the apartment complex was, so he would easily be able to find the apartment, especially since it had a name plate next to the door.


He spent twelve minutes walking over to the apartment complex and another ten searching for the actual apartment. At last, he found it. He knocked on the door, and a very serious, cold, scary, and somehow beautiful looking woman answered the door. "Yes? Can I help you?" she asked quickly, as if Ren were wasting her time.

"Th-this is from Ms. Ishida!" Ren said as he held the bag out and gave a bow at the same time.

Ms. Nishimiya stared at Ren. "You work for Ms. Ishida? So you must be the boy who was over here a week ago." she said, in a tone that was hard for Ren to read her emotions from. It was neither caring nor uncaring.

"Y-yes, ma'am! Thank you very much for allowing me to stay, you saved my life!" he said, bowing again. "What is it with these kids and bowing…" Ms. Nishimiya thought, recalling back to a recent encounter she had with Shoya, as she took the bag from Ren.

"There is no need for such formality." she said. "Ren… thank you for hanging out with Yuzuru. She's talked more at the dinner table than she has in months. Mostly, she talks about you." she said, staring him in the eyes. "So keep doing what you're doing." she said, and she thought to herself, "I'm glad that there are boys who exist who can make my daughters happy."

Ren blushed and bowed again, out of habit. "Y-yes, ma'am! Thank you for raising her to be such a brave and kind person, she is my hero!" he said confidently.

Ms. Nishimiya raised an eyebrow. "If you say so. I'll be sure to tell her that when she gets back from laser tag."


Ren said a polite goodbye and ran back to the Ishida residence, where he quickly splashed his face with cold water. "Such a terrifying mother of a terrifying daughter…" he thought as he caught his breath.

By the time that Yuzuru and Shoko had returned from laser tag, their mother was asleep, but she left a sticky-note on the fridge.

Ren stopped by today, so I was able to meet him for the first time. I must say that I approve of him. He says that you're his hero, Yuzuru.

Yuzuru blushed and took it off of the fridge, hiding it behind her back. But it was too late. "Aww, Yuju! Sho cute!" Shoko said with a knowing smile on her face.