The air was thick with the scent of cherry blossoms, white and pink petals swirling in the breeze like nature's own confetti. It was the peak of spring, the kind of day where everything feels like a high-budget shōjo anime. And on this perfect day, a girl was finally going to say the words she'd been practicing for months.
Under the sprawling branches of a sakura tree by the main building, the atmosphere was electric. Everything was perfectly in place.
The girl took a shaky breath, her heart hammering against her ribs. "Senpai... I... I..." she stuttered, balling her hands into fists to keep them from trembling. She forced herself to look up, meeting those familiar, sharp brown eyes. "I like you, Nishinoya-senpai!" she shouted, her face erupting in a chaotic blush.
As if on cue, a cinematic gust of wind swept through, carrying a flurry of petals around them. It couldn't have been more romantic.
The boy looked stunned, his breath hitching. "I... actually..."
"Yanase... I actually—"
"YANA-CHAN!!"
Yana bolted upright with a yelp, nearly falling out of her seat. The dream shattered instantly, replaced by the mundane lighting of the classroom and the smug face of her best friend. Yana sent a lethal glare toward the girl disturbing her peace.
"Chiho! Seriously?! Why would you do that?" she whined, pouting hard.
"What? Did I interrupt a high-quality romantic daydream?" Chiho smirked, leaning against the desk.
Yana's face stayed red, but for a different reason now. It was just getting to the good part, she lamented internally. Nishinoya was literally seconds away from confessing!
"I definitely did," Chiho teased, catching the goofy smile that Yana couldn't quite hide. "You're giggling to yourself again. Seek help. A therapist, maybe."
Yana just huffed and turned away, her head already drifting back into the clouds. She was a hardcore otaku, and if reality wouldn't give her a Guardian Deity, her imagination certainly would.
The rest of the day blurred past in a cycle of lectures and lunch breaks. By the time the final bell rang, the sky was painted in streaks of violet and gold, the colors shimmering off the surface of the nearby river.
True to form, Yana walked home with her eyes glued to her phone, her thumb scrolling through Haikyu!! clips. She navigated the neighborhood on autopilot, waving back to the shopkeepers and the kids playing at the park, muscle memory guiding her through the streets she'd known since childhood.
"I'm home!" she called out as she stepped through the door.
Almost instantly, a loud thud echoed from upstairs, followed by the chaotic thunder of footsteps.
"Onee-chan!"
Two small blurs of energy slammed into her waist. Haru and Hina, her identical twin siblings, looked up at her with matching auburn hair and wide, sparkling eyes.
"Were you guys good today?" Yana asked, her voice softening as she patted their heads.
"Yes!!" they chirped in unison.
The stress of the school day and the lingering disappointment of her interrupted dream melted away. Their innocent chatter about drawings and playground drama was the perfect reset button. She smiled, genuinely happy to be back in her own little sanctuary.
After a long, steaming bath that left the bathroom smelling like soap and comfort, Yana changed into her favorite oversized pajamas.
"Time for the main event," she muttered, flopping onto her bed.
She flipped open her laptop, the glow of the screen illuminating her face in the dark room. She was currently re-watching Season 1—specifically Episode 18. She skipped straight to the moment: Nishinoya's unbelievable foot receive.
It was the exact moment her "fangirl era" had begun. The sheer coolness of it made her heart race every single time. She hit the rewind button, watching the save over and over again, completely losing track of the clock.
The "one more episode" lie was in full effect, and midnight was fast approaching, despite the early class waiting for her in the morning. For an otaku like Yana, sleep was a secondary priority to the Guardian Deity.
~The Next Morning~
The sun was blindingly bright, and the birds were out doing their full morning symphony—but inside the Hikarari household, the vibes were pure chaos.
"I'M LATE! I'M SO LATE!"
A massive bang echoed from the upstairs bedroom, followed by the frantic thud-thud-thud of Yana scrambling to find her life. It was nearly 8:30—the literal second the first-period bell was set to ring. Yana became a blur of motion, grabbing her bag, pressing a chaotic goodbye kiss onto the twins' foreheads, and shouting a farewell to her mom before tearing out the front door.
Her lungs were burning by the time she reached the school gates. Just as the first notes of the Westminster chimes began to echo through the air, she hit the pavement at a full sprint.
Please, please, please, she prayed internally, her heart hammering against her ribs. Let me get there before Sensei.
She executed a high-speed maneuver at her locker, swapping her outdoor shoes for her uwabaki in record time, and sprinted up the stairs. She reached her classroom and slid the door open with a sharp clack.
Relief washed over her. The room was noisy with chatter—Sensei hadn't arrived yet. She dove into her seat just as the teacher stepped through the door. She let out a long, shaky sigh, leaning her head against the cool desk. Safe.
The day dragged on in its usual rhythm until the sun began to dip, painting the sky in deep violets and bruised oranges. The crickets started their evening chorus, marking the end of another school day.
"It'll be fine, Chiho! It's basically dark, so the streets are empty," Yana said with a carefree wave as they stood by the main gate. "See you tomorrow!"
Chiho watched her friend wander off, eyes—as usual—glued to her phone screen. A heavy sigh escaped her. "That girl is seriously going to get in trouble one day," she muttered. She turned to walk the opposite way, but a strange, cold weight settled in her chest. "Why do I feel so... weird?"
As Chiho walked, the feeling didn't fade; it intensified. Her chest felt tight, a sharp, stinging throb pulsing behind her ribs. "Maybe I'm just drained from finals," she whispered to herself, trying to shake it off.
She reached into her bag for her keys but felt a gap where her notebook should be. "Oh, crap. I forgot Yana still has my notebook. My entire homework assignment is in there."
She groaned, pivoting on her heel to head toward Yana's house.
The silence of the evening was suddenly shattered. The distant, high-pitched wail of a siren tore through the air, getting louder and more frantic by the second. An ambulance roared past Chiho, its red lights strobing against the darkening trees.
Her heart skipped a beat. The "heavy" feeling in her chest suddenly felt like lead.
Just then, her phone began to vibrate in her pocket. She pulled it out, her blood turning to ice when she saw the caller ID: Yana's Mom.
"Hello, Auntie?" Chiho answered, her voice trembling.
["Chiho-chan..."] The voice on the other end was fractured, thick with a terror that Chiho had never heard before. ["I'm so sorry to call you this late, but... it's Yana."]
"It's no problem, Auntie! I'm actually on my way to your place right now. Did she forget something?" Chiho asked, her breath coming in short, sharp hitches as she picked up her pace.
There was a heavy, suffocating silence on the other end of the line. When Yanase's mom finally spoke, her voice was barely a whisper.
["Is... is Yana with you? At your house?"]
Chiho stopped dead in her tracks. The air felt like it had been sucked out of her lungs. "Eh? No, we parted ways at the gate like usual. Why?"
["It's just... she still isn't home, Chiho. It's almost dinner time. She never stays out this late without calling."]
A cold shiver raced down Chiho's spine. "Auntie, don't worry. I'll go look for her. I'll call you the second I find her, okay?" she declared, trying to sound braver than she felt.
["Thank you, Chiho... please."]
Chiho shoved her phone into her bag and sprinted. She raced down the familiar route Yana always took, checking the playground where they used to spend their afternoons. She searched every corner, checked behind every bench, but there was no sign of her friend.
She turned toward the street leading to Yana's house, her heart hammering a frantic rhythm against her ribs. As she rounded the corner, she saw them, the strobing red and blue lights reflecting off the pavement. A crowd had formed, a sea of hushed voices and concerned faces blocking the road.
"Excuse me! Please, let me through!" Chiho gasped, pushing past shoulders and elbows. Her mind was a whirlwind of denial. It's just a fender bender. Someone's car broke down or a cat got runover. Anything else. Anything but her.
She finally broke through to the front of the crowd, and the world went silent.
In the middle of the asphalt, bathed in the harsh, flickering light of the sirens, lay a girl. She wore the same uniform Chiho had seen all day. She was surrounded by a dark, blooming pool that stained the road. Her eyes—those bright, energetic eyes—were wide open, staring at nothing, stripped of the spark that made her Yana.
Chiho's legs gave out. She didn't just sit; she collapsed, her knees hitting the hard ground with a dull thud. The strength drained out of her as if a plug had been pulled. The air was thick and heavy, making it impossible to breathe.
"Yana...chan..."
Her voice was a broken fragment, barely a sound. She panted heavily, her lungs burning, but no matter how much she gasped, she couldn't get enough oxygen. Her gaze was locked onto her best friend's lifeless face, a scream trapped somewhere deep in her throat, unable to break past the crushing weight of the truth.