Celestial Echoes~

Ren’s POV:

I sat at the table, casually munching on my breakfast while skimming through my notes. I had an extra class to attend and wanted to leave early to prepare. Suddenly, Era’s phone began ringing from across the room, buzzing loudly on the table. Seeing it was an unknown number, I figured it might be one of her classmates. Without thinking much of it, I answered.

"Hello, who’s this?" I asked, my tone neutral.

"Is this Era?" a male voice responded, catching me off guard. I frowned slightly at the unfamiliar voice.

"Uh, no, this is Ren, her friend. She’s kind of busy right now. Can I ask who’s calling?" I said, curiosity creeping into my tone.

"Oh! Hi, Ren. How are you? I’m Joshua," the voice replied. The name sounded vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t place it. I was sure Era didn’t have a male friend named Joshua, or at least not one I knew of.

"Um, sorry, I didn’t catch that—Joshua, you said?" I started to ask again, but just then, Era entered the room, her hair still damp from the shower. She gave me a puzzled look as I handed her the phone.

"Hello, Era speaking. Who is this?" she asked, her voice laced with confusion. I could only hear fragments of the conversation, but I noticed the sudden shift in her expression—it was as if she’d just seen a ghost. She froze in place, clutching the phone tightly. I raised an eyebrow, continuing to eat as Era stood motionless, her eyes wide in disbelief.

Era’s POV:

Fresh out of the shower, I walked into the dining room to find Ren talking to someone on my phone. Weird. I didn’t remember giving anyone my number recently, so I took the phone from her, curious.

"Hello, Era speaking. Who is this?" I asked, my mind running through possibilities.

"Hi, pretty Carat. I hope you remember me," came the unmistakably familiar voice, and I felt my heart nearly stop in my chest. It can’t be...

"Wait… don’t tell me..." I stammered, trying to make sense of what I was hearing.

"Yep, it’s me—Joshua. How are you?" he said, his voice warm and casual, but it felt like my world had just flipped upside down. Joshua? The Joshua? I blinked a few times, my mind scrambling to make sense of this surreal situation.

"What? How did you get my number?" I asked, my voice shaky with disbelief.

Joshua chuckled softly. "Is it that hard to get your number?" he teased, his tone playful.

"Huh?!" I exclaimed, completely lost.

"Oh, come on. Remember when you and Hoshi exchanged numbers? I got it from him," he explained smoothly, as if this was the most normal thing in the world.

I felt a wave of embarrassment wash over me. Of course, Hoshi! How could I have forgotten that? "Oh, right. Sorry, I totally forgot about that," I mumbled, trying to recover from my shock. "So... how are you?" I asked awkwardly, unsure of how to navigate this conversation. My hands felt clammy, and I prayed Ren wouldn’t notice how flustered I was.

"I’m doing pretty well after talking to my pretty Carat," he said with a hint of flirtation in his voice. Did he just…? I thought, my face growing warmer by the second. My pulse quickened, and I could feel my smile growing despite my best efforts to hide it.

"I’m good too," I responded, my voice barely above a whisper as I nervously bit my lip, trying to keep my excitement under control. This felt too good to be true.

"It sounds like you’re busy," Joshua noted after a pause.

"Oh, no! I’m not busy," I quickly replied, not wanting him to think I was brushing him off. "You can tell me what’s up. By the way... why did you call me?" I asked, curiosity mixing with the butterflies in my stomach.

Joshua’s POV:

I knew calling Era out of the blue might seem strange—especially since we had only just met—but something about her lingered in my mind ever since that day. She had been so nervous yet genuine, and when she shyly confessed that I was her bias, it stirred something in me. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but it felt different. So, I’d asked Hoshi for her number, using the excuse that we needed someone familiar with the local area during our stay. Everyone bought it, and now here I was, trying to sound casual while my heart raced.

I sighed inwardly, wondering if this was the right move. When Ren had answered the phone earlier, I nearly panicked, but I managed to shake off my nerves. Now, with Era on the other end, it felt both easier and harder to talk.

"Actually, we need a favor, and I think you wouldn’t refuse us," I began, trying to keep my voice steady.

"A favor?" she repeated, sounding intrigued.

"Yeah, we’d love it if you could travel with us and show us around a bit. You know, be our local guide for a week or so," I said, hoping I wasn’t asking too much.

"What? Seriously? You want me to guide you?" Era practically squealed in disbelief, and I had to pull the phone away from my ear for a second to avoid going deaf.

"Yeah, why not?" I said with a chuckle. "You and Ren have been here for a few months, right? You probably know the area well enough to help us out."

"Well, kind of... but not that well," she hesitated, and I could sense the doubt creeping into her voice.

"That’s fine. It doesn’t have to be perfect. We just thought it’d be nice to have someone show us the spots that aren’t in the usual tourist guides," I explained, trying to make it sound less like a job and more like a fun opportunity.

Era fell silent for a moment before responding, "I’d love to help, but… Ren. I’m not sure she’d agree to something like this."

Ah, Ren. I understood her concern. Ren had that no-nonsense attitude, and from what I’d seen of her, she wasn’t the type to jump at something like this. "Hmm, I see. Well, what if… you didn’t tell her it was a guide thing?" I suggested carefully. "Just bring her along to the address I’ll send, and let it be a surprise."

Era hesitated for a second before bursting into a fit of giggles. "That might actually work. I’ll do it. Got it," she said, excitement clear in her voice.

"Great! I’ll send you the details soon," I said, feeling a sense of satisfaction. This was turning out better than expected. "Bye for now. See you soon."

"Bye," she replied softly, her voice lingering in a way that made me smile before hanging up. There was something warm and genuine in her tone—something I found myself replaying in my head.

Era’s POV:

As soon as I hung up, I let out a long breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding. My heart was racing, and my thoughts were a jumble. Did that just happen? I glanced over at Ren, who was still eating her breakfast, seemingly oblivious to the chaos in my mind. Joshua had just called me—Joshua—and now I was supposed to take them around for a week?

A wave of giddiness washed over me, but it was quickly followed by nervousness. How was I going to convince Ren to come without spilling the truth?

I smiled to myself, already forming a plan in my head. It was going to be tricky, but I’d figure it out. After all, this was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up—no matter how awkward it might get.

The tale whispers on~~!