Chapter 1 : The Smile Beneath the Fading Light
My name is Usawa Makito, and I used to think ordinary days would
last forever. The sound of the morning train, the school bell ringing at the
same time every day, even the warm sunlight cutting across the classroom
windows—it all felt like a story that would never end.
And then there was Akiyama Reina.
She wasn't extraordinary in the way novels usually describe heroines.
Her ribbon was always a little crooked, her steps slower than others, and
her pale face often betrayed the exhaustion she tried so hard to hide.
But her smile—her smile was brighter than the whole spring sky.
That morning, she walked beside me as we headed to school,
humming a tune I didn't recognize. "Makito-kun, you look serious again,"
she said, tilting her head. "And you look pale again," I answered without
thinking.
She puffed her cheeks like a child. "Cruel. At least pretend I'm
flawless." I couldn't help but laugh. "Flawless people don't nearly trip
over every pebble on the road." "Then maybe I'm charmingly flawed,"
she said, flashing me that stubborn smile of hers.
In class she sat by the window, in the classic spot where the sunlight
always seemed to find her. I often caught myself staring, half expecting
her to vanish with the light. When I asked if she was okay, she only shrugged it off with the same playful tone. "Makito-kun, do you believe in
secrets?" she asked during break. "Depends," I said. She leaned closer,
her eyes glimmering. "Good. Then don't ask me too many questions."I thought she was teasing me. I didn't realize then that her words were
the walls she had built around herself.
After school, we walked home together like usual. Reina hummed
again, though her voice faltered with every few notes. Halfway across the
bridge she stopped, pressing a hand to her chest. "Reina?" Her lips lost their color, but she forced a smile. "I'm fine. Don't worry."
I wanted to believe her. Maybe I needed to.
That evening, I found her on the rooftop, sitting against the railing
with her gaze fixed on the stars. "Makito-kun," she whispered when she noticed me, "don't you think starlight looks… like it's struggling to
breathe?" I frowned. "That's a strange way to put it." She giggled softly,
but her eyes looked distant. "Maybe I just see the world differently."
It felt like she wanted to say something more, but instead she only leaned her head back and smiled at the sky, as though memorizing every constellation before it slipped away.
The next day, everything broke.
We were in the classroom, cleaning up after lessons. She was erasing the blackboard when her hand trembled, the eraser slipping from her
fingers and scattering white dust across the floor. Before I could call out,
her legs gave way.
"Reina!" I rushed to her side, catching her before she hit the ground.
She felt light—too light—like I was holding nothing but the shadow of who she was.
Her lips moved weakly. "Makito-kun… I didn't want anyone to
know. I wanted to be normal, just for a little while." Her breath hitched,
and for the first time, I saw fear hidden behind her smile."I have… Luna Veil Syndrome. It makes the body fade. Slowly…
until there's nothing left." Her voice was fading, trembling like fragile
glass about to shatter.
"No," I whispered desperately, gripping her hand as tightly as I could.
"You'll be fine. We'll find a way—you can't just—"
But her eyes fluttered shut, and her hand slipped from mine.
In that moment, the warmth disappeared.
Her smile—the one that hadcarried me through each ordinary day—vanished forever.
That was the day Akiyama Reina left this world. And my ordinary
days ended with her.
Credits
Written with heart by Author: Rohaan Ali
Editor: Subhan Zahir English
Corrector: Wang Ming
"Even if starlight forgets to breathe, her smile will never
leave these pages."