A warm summer breeze carried the fallen cherry blossom petals along the street, sometimes swirling them into the windows. Yet Akari's two dark, thin braids hung still. Today, all across Yokohama, children's voices rang out—full of joy and curiosity. And yet, this year again, Akari walked alone.
She had no friends. Well, not exactly—she did have friends: her thoughts, which never left her side. All sorts of thoughts, always accompanying her, sometimes even in her dreams.
You might think I'm describing a gray little mouse. Well, I can't say Akari was a bright, radiant personality, but I also doubt she could ever blend into a crowd. Her wide-open eyes—eyes that wanted to see everything, yet looked into nothing—already declared to the world: things are not so simple.
Her school uniform was different from that of the other students as well: a slightly shortened top paired with an unusually long skirt—her style for several years now. People often said Akari was "not of this world," and so no one was eager to talk to her.
Akari walked slowly, as always, along the street above the sea, whose murmur served as a perfect backdrop for her next round of reflections. This time, she pondered about meaning… about the meaning of… well, she didn't really know what. She was so used to always thinking about something that it wasn't the first time her mind had wandered into nothing.
As she walked, she suddenly heard something besides children's voices and the sea's murmur—scrambling in the tree. And then, right in front of her, a girl fell from a tree.
All of Akari's thoughts scattered at once.
When the girl stood up, Akari was able to take in her appearance. The one who had fallen did not look healthy—small, thin, with dark circles under her eyes and pale skin. Her uniform was clearly not her size. Judging by it, the clothes probably belonged to someone from the high school division, though they didn't look particularly worn.
Having studied the girl's appearance, Akari lifted her eyes and met the stranger's gaze. A light shiver ran down Akari's spine.
The girl's eyes were empty, unfriendly, and arresting—in the sense that you were almost afraid to look away. Something like that was not typical of twelve- or thirteen-year-old girls. Not at all.
"Whatcha staring at, huh?" the girl asked.
"It's only logical to be surprised when a person falls out of a tree," Akari replied in her usual tone. "Hmm, as I see we're wearing the same uniform. Do you go to the same school as I do?"
"Logical. Don't you want to introduce yourself?"
"Akari. Akari Yureigawa."
"Yureigawa… Akari… Nice to meet you, Akari." The stranger extended her hand. "Tsukumi Kuronoe." The girl smirked—almost baring her teeth in a grin.
Without hesitation, Akari reached out and shook her hand.