"These picture books... they really are lovely."
Chiose had bought herself a stack of light novels.
She wasn't sure whether she actually wanted to read them. She just wanted to buy them.
The last time she had read light novels was in elementary school. Back then, her mother used to buy her all kinds of books outside the curriculum — but after her parents passed, she had never picked one up again.
Now that she had a little money to spare, she found herself craving books.
But when she went to the bookstore and searched online, she discovered that every series she had once loved had already concluded. Time really does fly — she was a high schooler now, wasn't she.
Yoshiiro Chiose closed her book and stepped off the train.
Today was April sixth. The new school term had begun.
April. Mmm — April is a lie.
The spring term had arrived, and the weather was perfect. Some benevolent deity must have been smiling down on them, because the first day of school was sunnier and more brilliant than any day that had come before.
The eternal, unwavering sunlight painted a pale-gold carpet across the gates of Hane-oka Girls' School.
Girls drifted through in twos and threes, and none of them knew which among them would still be reaching for each other's hands in the dead of night.
Small feet wrapped in dark-green mid-calf socks stepped through the school gate, and Yoshiiro Chiose had, at long last, returned to her beloved Hane-oka.
There was no way she had been here before — and yet there was no way she had not.
Hane-oka updated its uniform every year, and the upper-year uniforms were always a little more attractive than the lower-year ones. At least, that was what Chiose thought.
"The skirts are so short — I bet it was that student council president with ulterior motives who pushed the proposal through, just to make things easier for herself."
Shhhh —
A gentle breeze swept through, setting the girls' skirts swaying and carrying the petals from the cherry blossom trees along with it.
A few petals scattered on the wind, drifting and hovering in the air before they began to fall — like the lives of certain people.
One such petal came to rest right on top of Yoshiiro Chiose's head.
"Hmm——"
Yoshiiro Chiose closed her eyes. A rare flicker of unease crossed her delicate, faintly flushed face.
[Little Tomori — will she be at Hane-oka too? She will, right? If I'm remembering correctly.]
And Taki, too.
Taki had been at Hane-oka for middle school — but where had she gone for high school? Hmm... wasn't it Hane-oka as well? She thought so. She couldn't quite remember.
Chiose gave a small nod. Her red-gold irises swept across everything nearby.
She didn't spot the little penguin picking up rocks, and she didn't see the easy-to-bully little guppy Taki either.
Those two were the first people she'd thought of! And here she was wearing the full standard Hane-oka summer uniform — she really wanted someone to come look at her!
The uniform sat on Chiose as though it had been made for her. If Shiina Taki caught a glimpse of her in it, that girl would absolutely get a nosebleed.
Pfft.
"Little Chiose?"
A voice came from behind her. Yoshiiro Chiose didn't turn around, but she recognised immediately who it was.
"Sakiko."
Togawa Sakiko had mentioned she'd be coming to Hane-oka too. Chiose had expected their reunion to take a little longer than this.
She turned her head at a leisurely pace and smiled at Sakiko — who was one size larger than the Sakiko in the Simulation.
"Long time no see, Sakiko."
Truly — a very, very, very long time.
"Hm? Didn't we just go job-hunting together a few days ago?"
Togawa Sakiko would never know how many lifetimes the person standing before her had lived through in the span of just a few days.
Well — she would experience it for herself someday.
"Come on, let's go check which class we're in. The bulletin board is right over there."
...
Class 1-A.
It was the first day of the new term, but Takamatsu Tomori was in no mood to celebrate.
She sat slumped at her desk, chin resting in her hand, utterly listless.
The weather outside was beautiful and her new classmates were friendly enough, but Tomori simply could not bring herself to feel happy.
She was kicking herself for not calling out to Yoshiiro Chiose that day.
Mmm... that silhouette, that back — it was definitely Little Chiose. There was no mistaking it.
But why hadn't she called out? Why had she let her slip away again?
Well... maybe it was for the best. Maybe it was for the best.
While Takamatsu Tomori kept trying to console herself, her enthusiastic new classmates would pass by every so often and say hello.
The girls at Hane-oka were warm to an almost absurd degree — friendly and kind, like something out of a fairy tale.
Just like Little Chiose had been... friendly and kind.
"Takamatsu-san, are you all right?"
A dark-green-haired girl named Eri walked over, having noticed the new student's troubled expression.
"I'm... fine, I'm sorry! Am I bothering you? I'll move to a different seat right—"
"What? No, not at all! It's the first day of school — cheer up a little, Takamatsu-san!"
"I'll try... I'll try..."
Facing such a well-meaning classmate, Takamatsu Tomori managed a thin smile.
It was the kind of smile that barely reached the corners of her lips before it vanished again.
A spring breeze drifted through the window, carrying a cherry blossom petal onto Tomori's desk.
Tomori picked it up between her fingers.
She thought of the days in the dream when she and Yoshiiro Chiose had gone to see the cherry blossoms together... whether in the first dream or the second — ah, no. In the second dream, Chiose had died too early. The cherry blossoms hadn't even bloomed yet by then.
"Ahh..."
How could Chiose just be gone like that.
She had been right there...
"So, Takamatsu-san, how was your winter break? Did you go travelling anywhere?"
Eri really was a kind person — she was still doing her absolute best to cheer up the gloomy girl in front of her.
"Travelling? Oh, right... I went to the harbour... the harbour... ahh."
The harbour — the place where she and Chiose had drunk together in the dream, and also the place where Chiose had been cut down by a random killer.
Chiose... Takamatsu Tomori thought of Chiose again, and her spirits sank a little further.
"Ah? Ahem, ahem."
Eri coughed with a touch of awkwardness. She was starting to realise she kept stepping on landmines.
Every time they managed to exchange a few words, Takamatsu Tomori would somehow end up worse off than before.
How was that even possible?!
Eri turned her head to look out the window, and suddenly caught sight of something.
"Tomori! Look over there!"
"Hm? What is it... over there?"
Eri pointed toward something just outside the window. The downcast Takamatsu Tomori's eyes flickered with puzzlement.
She got up and walked with Eri to the window, following the direction of Eri's pointing finger and looking out...
Her pomegranate-red pupils contracted involuntarily — and then her eyes flew wide open.
What filled her vision was a flash of silver-white, purer than the whitest cherry blossom, and a blazing, golden-flecked crimson.
"Little— Chiose! It's Little Chiose! Little Chiose really is — really is at Hane-oka too!"
Thank goodness! This was practically the grace of God... Yoshiiro Chiose, Yoshiiro Chiose.
God had actually... actually given them the chance to meet again, one more time!
"Huh? I was going to say the cherry blossom petals falling look just like rain — do you know that girl, Takamatsu-san?"
"Ah! Of course I... don't know her."
The moment the words "don't know her" left her lips, the smile on Tomori's face disappeared again.
"Huh?! Don't be upset!"
Eri realised she had stepped on another landmine. How did this keep happening?! Was Takamatsu-san some kind of walking minefield?!
____
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