After the long day, Akihiro Tsukihara and Ayame Shirakami returned to the quiet comfort of their aunt's house. The moment they stepped inside, the warm scent of simmering stew and freshly cooked rice filled the air. Their aunt, a gentle woman with kind eyes and a voice that always carried warmth, was already bustling around the kitchen.
"You're both just in time," she said, smiling as she set bowls on the table. "Sit down, the food's ready."
They gathered around the table, the simple act of sharing dinner a routine that always brought a fragile sense of peace. Ayame chatted lightly with their aunt, keeping the mood bright, while Akihiro T ate quietly, listening more than speaking. At home, he wasn't completely silent—he answered when spoken to—but his words were short, careful, as though he didn't want to disturb the fragile calm that existed here.
Partway through the meal, their aunt paused. She looked at Akihiro , her expression soft but carrying a strange weight.
"Akihiro ," she said, her tone quieter than before. "When your eighteenth birthday comes, there are things I need to tell you. About your family… and about the mirror."
The spoon in Akihiro 's hand froze halfway to his mouth. He glanced at her, confused, but before he could ask, she continued.
"It's not just a story," she added, her voice almost a whisper. "The mirror is a gateway… but the time hasn't come yet. You'll understand when you're ready."
Ayame 's eyes flickered at the words, sharp and knowing, but she said nothing. The moment stretched in silence before their aunt smiled again, as though she hadn't spoken at all, and returned to lighter conversation.
Akihiro lowered his gaze, pushing food around in his bowl. He didn't press for answers, but the words clung to his mind like shadows. A mirror… a gateway? For the first time in years, something other than silence stirred in him—curiosity, faint but undeniable.
After dinner, Akihiro went to his room. He sat quietly, aunt Yueqin's words echoing in his head:
"On your eighteenth birthday… I'll tell you the truth about the mirror."
His eyes drifted to the glass across the room. For just a second, it looked as though the surface rippled, like disturbed water. He blinked, and it was gone. Only his tired reflection stared back at him.
The next morning, at college, students crowded around the noticeboard. Excitement filled the halls — the Annual Sports Meet had been announced.
Akihiro barely looked at it. His thoughts lingered on the strange ripple in the mirror. He didn't know why, but something about Yueqin's words — and that brief flicker in the glass — made him feel the world around him was beginning to change.