Bits of Love, Lines of Code
Chapter 24 - 21: In the Fields of Tomorrow

Chapter 24 - 21: In the Fields of Tomorrow

The train rumbled softly beneath them as Tokyo slowly faded into green.

Outside the wide windows, skyscrapers gave way to hills, neon turned into nature, and the blur of city life slowed into peaceful scenery. Ren and Aoi sat side-by-side, backpacks in their laps and hands interlocked, as they ventured deeper into the heart of rural Japan — this time, not for a trip, but for their dream.

Welcome to Harutaka Village

Their destination: Harutaka Village, nestled between forested hills and endless rice fields. It wasn't famous. It wasn't connected to any major city. But it had high-speed internet, a growing young population supported by government grants, and something else...

Peace.

The moment they stepped off the train and were greeted by an old man waving from a truck, Aoi whispered, "This place... it feels like a storybook."

Ren smiled. "A story we're going to write."

The two were shown around by a local couple in their early thirties who had moved from Osaka. They saw handmade homes, a community-run tech workshop, solar panels on every roof, and even a field where kids and drones played side-by-side.

"This could be our start," Aoi whispered, gazing at the sunset.

The Countryside Date

Their lodging was a cozy wooden inn with creaking floors and a shared onsen bath. After a simple dinner of rice, fish, and miso soup, they went for a walk beneath the starlit sky.

No streetlights. No cars. Only fireflies, the sound of frogs, and the soft gravel crunch beneath their feet.

Ren glanced at her. "Aoi... you okay? You've been quiet."

She turned and wrapped her arms around his waist. "I'm just really happy. I've never felt so full... like my heart's overflowing."

Ren leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Then let's build this life together. Slow. Steady. But real."

They sat by the riverbank under a wooden bridge. Aoi leaned her head on his shoulder.

"I want this," she murmured. "I want you, and the morning light, and a garden, and maybe... one day, a small crying baby that looks like you."

Ren turned red. "I—!"

She giggled. "Just kidding. ...Sort of."

Meanwhile, in Tokyo — Saki's Breaking Point

Back at campus, Saki stared at her phone. No message from Ren.

She opened her project folder, closed it, opened it again. Her chest ached with something she didn't want to name — jealousy, loneliness, longing.

She remembered the way he smiled at her once. The way he explained things with so much patience. The kindness he showed, even when he didn't need to.

And now he was out there. With her.

Saki clenched the pencil in her hand until it snapped.

"I knew it," she whispered. "I knew I didn't stand a chance... but I still—"

She stood up, the classroom empty around her. Her hands trembled.

"I wanted to believe that maybe, if I tried hard enough, if I stayed close enough... I could be someone he'd look at like that."

She wiped her eyes. "But I'm not her."

Her phone buzzed. A message from the team chat. Ren had sent a photo of Aoi laughing beside a tractor, wind in her hair.

Saki stared at it, then closed the app.

And slowly, she began to accept the truth — not all love stories are meant to be yours. But some heartbreaks are the beginning of new strength.

A Future Glimpse

On their last day in Harutaka Village, Ren and Aoi stood in front of a small vacant plot near a quiet road. The couple from Osaka explained it was for sale — and the village offered startup subsidies for young couples interested in settling there.

Ren looked at Aoi.

"What if we bought it?" he said quietly. "Not now. Not yet. But one day?"

Aoi looked up at him, her eyes glossy with emotion.

"Promise me... we'll come back. We'll build our life here."

"I promise."

They didn't need a contract. That moment, sealed with a kiss under the countryside sky, was their vow.