It was just another mundane day—whether I was at school or at home, everything and
everyone seemed dreary, trapped in an unchanging routine. Every morning I would wake up,
trudge off to school, return home to tackle my homework, and then the cycle would repeat itself
without mercy.
My name is Sakura Chiba, a student at Nadu High School. Renowned as the top private
high school in Japan, Nadu held an esteemed position among educational institutions, and its
students were expected to uphold that reputation at all times—a fact I had conveniently ignored
for most of my academic career.
Tomorrow was my birthday, and I was about to turn eighteen. Yet, like every year before it,
I fully anticipated that this birthday would be a mirror image of those that had come and gone.
Aunt Yui faithfully prepared a bowl of her delectable ramen for me every birthday
morning—an act that always brought a small, warm glimmer of happiness to my heart. It was
reassuring to know that at least someone in my life remembered my special day.
My father was a business tycoon, perpetually engulfed in meetings, conferences, and
back-to-back business trips. He rarely set foot inside our home, his absence an all-too-familiar
presence in my life—if one could call an absence a presence at all.
Meanwhile, my mother kept herself busy exploring new destinations and engaging with
unfamiliar faces, her adventurous spirit fuelling a constant wanderlust that had little room for
birthday celebrations.
As for my little brother—though he was not so little anymore—he was three years younger
than me and utterly engrossed in the world of video games. I harboured no high expectations of
him when it came to anything that did not involve a controller in his hands.
But this time, I had made up my mind. I was determined to celebrate my birthday, even if I
had to do it entirely on my own.
[At School]
The muffled chatter of students filled the air as I approached my classroom. The moment I
stepped through the door, a sudden silence fell upon the room—the kind that made you feel as
though you had walked in on a secret. "It's Sakura, you dumbo!" exclaimed Yua Kobayashi, her
voice breaking through the quietude with characteristic bluntness.
I made my way toward the back of the room and sank into my seat in the very last row. At
Nadu High School, students were assigned seats based on their academic performance.
Regrettably, I had ranked last in the previous set of mid-term examinations, which meant my
designated territory was the back corner—close to the window, far from the teacher's expectant
gaze. A silver lining, in my opinion.
Observing the scene around me, I noticed a group of boys engaged in an animated game of
Rock-Paper-Scissors, while another cluster fervently debated the merits of the latest anime
series. A few girls were immersed in a lively conversation about makeup trends. Ordinary,
predictable, safe.
Indifferent to the surrounding conversations, all I truly yearned for was a moment of
tranquillity—an escape into the peaceful realm of a midday nap. However, fate apparently had
other plans in store for me that afternoon.
"Did you know there's an ancient tree, more than three hundred years old, hidden behind the
school in the mountains?" whispered one girl to another, just loud enough for me to overhear.
"Legend has it that any wish made before that tree comes true."
Something shifted inside me. It was a small thing—barely a flicker—but it was enough.
Intrigued by the rumour, I made up my mind to visit the tree after school. Before leaving
campus, I stopped by a nearby bakery and picked up a small cake, determined to mark my
birthday with at least a touch of sweetness, even if I was spending it alone on a mountainside.
Summoning every ounce of resolve I possessed, I set off on the arduous journey up the
mountain path behind the school.
An hour had passed since I began my ascent. As I gazed upward, the stars had already
begun to twinkle mischievously in the darkening sky. The weather had taken a sudden and
dramatic turn for the worse—thunder rumbled ominously in the distance, and bolts of lightning
split the darkness like cracks in a mirror. Yet, undeterred by the gathering tempest, I persisted in
my quest.
Finally, deep within the trees, I spotted it: a majestic, ancient tree with delicate bells
hanging from its gnarled branches, each one swaying in the wind and producing a haunting,melodic chime. "This must be the fabled wishing tree the girls spoke of," I whispered to myself.
As I neared the tree, a cacophony of animal sounds startled me from the underbrush,
sending a tremor of genuine fear down my spine. I set the cake down at the base of the trunk. The storm was building overhead, and
somewhere below, the town was preparing to sleep. I placed my hand against the bark, closed
my eyes, and thought of everything I was tired of — the silence at dinner, the empty hallways of
home, the slow erosion of wanting things.
"I want a life that actually means something," I said aloud. "Something real. Something that
matters. An adventure — a real one."
The brass bells began to ring. There was no logical explanation. The bells rang in perfect, cascading
sequence, and the light in the bark brightened until it was all I could see, and then the world
beneath my feet was simply gone.
The darkness arrived before I could draw my next breath.
Overwhelmed by something I could not name, I succumbed to unconsciousness