Suzume Kagawa slowly pushed herself up from her bed, her movements heavy and unsteady. Almost without thinking, she reached for her phone again, her eyes locking onto the message as if seeing it a second time might somehow change it. It didn't.
A hollow numbness settled in her chest, tangled with a flicker of anger she couldn't quite suppress. "Europe…? Just like that?" she muttered, her voice low and disbelieving.
Her thumb hovered over the screen. Part of her wanted to erase everything, every trace of Hoshi Itoh, to make the silence feel less suffocating. But she couldn't bring herself to block her. Not yet.
Instead, after a long pause, she forced herself to do something that felt just as heavy, she deleted Hoshi's contact, watching the name disappear as if it might take the pain with it… even though she knew it wouldn't.
Suzume was still crying, her breath uneven as she stared at her phone, now empty of the contact she couldn't bring herself to forget. Even after deleting it, the feelings remained, stubborn and unrelenting. She wiped at her eyes, forcing herself to steady her breathing. Somehow, she had to pull herself together.
Reaching for her school bag, her movements slowed when something caught her attention. The matching couple's wristband still rested around her wrist, leftover from the festival preparations the day before. She had forgotten to take it off. Her fingers brushed over it gently, and her chest tightened all over again. The small, simple band felt heavier than anything else she carried.
For a moment, it looked like she might break again. But instead, she swallowed it down. With one last shaky breath, Suzume adjusted her grip on her bag and continued getting ready. No matter how much it hurt, she would go to school… and pretend, just for a little while, that everything was normal.
She then stepped outside into the crisp October air, the chill brushing against her skin. In the distance, the faint rhythm of festival drums from Ishino High echoed through the morning, a reminder that the world was moving on as if nothing had changed.
She paused at the door, locking it behind her. Her fingers lingered on the handle for a second longer than necessary before she quietly whispered, "Just… get through today."
Then she turned and began walking. The path to the school gates felt longer than usual. Each step was slow, hesitant, like her body was unsure if it could carry the weight of the day ahead. The closer she got, the heavier it felt, her pace dragging as doubt settled in. She didn't know if she could manage today. But she kept walking anyway.
Suzume tried to slip through the school gates unnoticed, keeping her head low and her steps quiet. She had hoped, almost desperately, that no one she knew would be around to see her like this. But luck wasn't on her side.
"Hey, Suzume!" The voice came before she could even react. Atsuko Sawada had already spotted her and was jogging over, her ponytail bouncing with every step.
Atsuko was impossible to miss, loud, full of energy, and completely unfiltered. The kind of person who noticed everything and never hesitated to say exactly what was on her mind. Exactly the kind of person Suzume wasn't ready to face. Atsuko rushed up and stopped right in front of her, only to freeze for a split second when she saw Suzume properly.
"Suzume… you look like you got hit by a truck," she blurted, her voice sharp with concern. Then her expression shifted, eyes narrowing slightly. "Wait, did something happen with Hoshi Itoh? You're seriously scaring me."
Suzume looked away almost immediately. "I'm fine… just tired," she muttered, but the words barely left her lips before her voice wavered. Her eyes stung, and despite her effort to hold it back, tears began to well up again.
Atsuko didn't hesitate. She grabbed Suzume and pulled her into a tight, almost crushing hug, guiding her out of sight behind the shoe lockers. "Hey, hey… I've got you," she murmured, her tone softening, though her grip stayed firm, protective.
After a moment, Atsuko pulled back just enough to look at her, determination replacing the worry in her eyes as she slipped into full cheer-up mode. "Alright, listen," she said, clapping her hands lightly as if resetting the mood. "The Cultural Festival officially starts tomorrow, but we've got setup duty today. Our class is running a fortune-telling café, maid outfits, the whole deal."
She pointed at Suzume like there was no room for argument. "You're on shift with me. No excuses." She quickly grabbed a folded festival pamphlet and pressed it into Suzume hands.
"Here, so you don't forget anything," she said, her tone still firm but lighter now, like she was trying to pull Suzume back into the rhythm of normal school life.
Then, mid-sentence, Atsuko's attention shifted. Her eyes flicked past Suzume's shoulder toward the courtyard, curiosity sparking instantly. "Oh, wait. There's a new transfer student getting announced in homeroom today," she added, leaning slightly to get a better look. "Came all the way from Tokyo, apparently really pretty."
Before Suzume could respond, Atsuko grabbed her wrist and started pulling her along. "Come on, we're gonna be late."
As Suzume and Atsuko stepped into their third-year Class 3 classroom, the atmosphere felt completely different from a normal school day. Desks had been pushed aside, leaving open space filled with boxes of decorations and supplies for the upcoming festival.
Morning light streamed through the windows at an angle, illuminating drifting dust in the air and the soft hues of autumn leaves swaying outside. The room buzzed with energy, students talking over one another, excitement barely contained.
As the teacher began roll call, the chatter didn't fully settle. Conversations continued in hushed but eager tones, most of them centred around the Couple Numbers Game that was set to be announced later in the week. Then, suddenly, the intercom crackled to life, cutting through the noise.
"Please welcome our new transfer student, Yuki Miyashita, from Tokyo. She'll be joining Class 3 starting today." The room quieted almost instantly, curiosity rippling through the class as all eyes shifted toward the door.
The door slides open.
Suzume is half-listening, still replaying Hoshi's text in her head, until the moment Yuki steps in. When she saw Yuki her breathe catches.
Suzume's breath caught in her throat the moment Yuki Miyashita stepped into the classroom, framed by the golden slant of autumn sunlight pouring through the tall windows. She was petite, almost doll-like, with skin so pale and flawless it looked like the finest porcelain under the warm light. Her straight blonde hair fell in a silky curtain to the middle of her back, held in place by a single delicate silver pin shaped like a tiny star that caught every stray beam and sparkled like a secret. Her smile was soft, impossibly gentle, the kind that felt hand-crafted just for Suzume, warm, knowing, and quietly devastating.
Yuki bowed with perfect, old-fashioned politeness, her voice floating through the room like a breeze through autumn leaves. "I'm Yuki Miyashita," she said, the words carrying a shy, melodic lilt. "I hope we can all get along… especially during the festival preparations." There was something almost fragile in the way she spoke, yet underneath it hummed a quiet confidence that made the entire class lean forward just a little.
Their eyes met across the rows of desks, and Suzume felt her heart slam against her ribs so hard it stole the air from her lungs. For the first time since the devastating text that morning, the one that had shattered her world into sharp, colourless pieces, she felt something real, something alive. The pain that had been coiled tight in her chest all day loosened its grip, just enough for warmth to creep in.
Yuki's gaze lingered half a second longer than it should have, those dark eyes sparkling with an unreadable depth. Then her smile widened, slow and intimate, as if she already knew every hidden corner of Suzume's heart, every secret she hadn't dared whisper to anyone. It wasn't just friendly; it was personal, almost possessive, like a silent promise whispered across the room.
When the teacher pointed out Yuki's assigned seat, conveniently, almost suspiciously, two rows directly behind Suzume, the new girl glided past Suzume's desk with graceful, unhurried steps. As she did, she leaned in ever so slightly, her breath brushing Suzume's ear like the softest secret. "I like your ribbon colour, Kagawa-San," she murmured, so quietly only Suzume could hear. "It matches the festival lanterns perfectly. The deep crimson really suits you."
Suzume froze, a cold shiver racing up her spine even as heat flooded her cheeks. She had never told Yuki her last name. She had never mentioned her ribbon preference to anyone, not even Atsuko. The coincidence felt too precise, too deliberate, like threads of fate being tugged by invisible hands. Yuki simply continued to her seat as if nothing had happened, leaving behind only the faint, sweet scent of something floral and mysterious.
Later, if anyone asked, Yuki would brush it off with a light laugh and a vague "I must have heard it somewhere," but right now, in this moment, the tiny shiver Suzume felt twisted into something else, something that fluttered wildly in her stomach, something she desperately wanted to mistake for harmless butterflies.
Atsuko, ever the observant best friend, elbowed Suzume sharply in the side and leaned in close, her whisper laced with teasing concern. "Told you she was pretty. You okay? You're completely zoning out over there, like you've seen a ghost or a goddess or both."
Suzume blinked, forcing her gaze downward to the couple-matching wristband still fastened around her wrist, the one she hadn't found the strength to remove all day. The woven threads, once a symbol of something bright and hopeful, now felt heavier, but for the first time since that morning's heartbreak, a different feeling bloomed beneath the ache: curiosity, warmth, maybe even the tiniest spark of excitement. The pain didn't vanish, but it no longer felt like the only thing inside her chest.
Just then, the bell rang out crisp and clear, echoing through the sunlit classroom like a starting gun. Chairs scraped back, voices rose in excited chatter, and the festival setup officially began, paper lanterns, colourful banners, and the promise of something new hanging thick in the autumn air. Suzume stole one last glance over her shoulder. Yuki was already watching her, that soft, secret smile still in place, as if the two of them had already begun a story no one else could see.