October 13, 1988, Southampton, England.
I will never forget this day.
This is the day I faced "Death".
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It was exactly seven in the morning. Haru opened the window of their rented room to let in the warm sunlight. At the same time, the cool breeze touched his skin as the wind gently ruffled his dark browm hair coming in from the window.
"Yufa!" Haru called the attention of his younger sister Yufa, who was busy tidying up their bed. The girl was four years younger than he was. She had wavy, chocolate-colored hair that matched her round, green eyes. Her body was average for her age, but she was often mistaken for a child because of her height.
"I'll order you to Lumier again. You'll be nice to him, okay?" Haru instructed her sister, Yufa.
"Brother..." There was a tone of protest in the young girl's answer, "I'm not young anymore to be scolded, right? Lumier?"
With them in that room was what the siblings considered their closest friend, Lumier. The girl lived in the house next door to where the sisters were renting. In other words, Lumier was the landlady of the small apartment where Haru and Yufa were currently living.
"Of course. Just tell me if you need anything. I'm just in the house next door. You can come to me anytime."
Ten years had passed since the sisters Haru and Yufa Farell first came into Yufa's life. She was only nine years old when the sisters decided to live in their apartment. She met the then nine-year-old Haru with her younger sister, who was only five years old. And since the siblings no longer have parents or relatives, Haru has a problem with who to entrust to look after Yufa while she is looking for a living outside. Fortunately, young Lumier is kind and volunteers to act as "big sister" to young Haru's youngest sibling. Since then, Yufa has grown up under Lumier's care. And to this day, Haru still entrusts her with the care and watch over her younger sister, who is now a teenager.
"Thank you very much, Lumier," Haru said to the young woman with a sweet smile curving on his lips. "I don't know how to thank you enough. Don't worry, I'll make it up to you someday."
"Don't mind it much, Haru, that's okay. I considered you and your sister a part of my family, so don't be embarrassed, okay?"
Lumier said those words while her cheeks were slightly pink. Back then, she had treated the two of them like family. Her treatment of them had never changed, especially the young man Haru, whom she considered special in her life.
Lumier's attention was floating in the clouds, so she didn't notice her friend Haru approaching. She was surprised when the young man suddenly grabbed both of her hands. She blushed heavily, but she didn't let the young man know it.
"Thank you so much, Lumier! I don't know what I would do without you. You are truly my best friend!"
Best friend?
The blush on the young woman Lumier's face quickly disappeared when her best friend Haru said those words to her.
Best friend.
Lumier immediately frowned and couldn't stop herself from being rude to the young man.
"Okay, just--Go away!" Lumier pushed Haru out the door.
"W—wait a minute!" the young man said as the young woman pushed him away. "Why are you sending me away so quickly? Are you mad at me again? Did I say something wrong?"
"No. You didn't say anything wrong!" The irritation was obvious in Lumier's rising voice as he continued to push Haru out the door. "You're going to be late for work. You'll be even busier today because of the fireworks display that will be held at the dock tonight. So go ahead, get out!"
Eh?
Haru suddenly fell silent at Lumier's reminder to him.
"Today's...that day."
But the fireworks display wasn't the reason why the young man suddenly stopped.
Today was...
Haru turned his gaze to the calendar, where the date was circled.
October thirteenth.
Lumier was surprised by the strange reaction of his childhood friend Haru as he stared at the circled date on the calendar. He could see a sadness in the young man's face that even he couldn't explain.
"Is there a problem? Haru?"
Haru immediately came to his senses and quickly answered the girl's question.
"A—ah! Nothing! Nothing at all..."
Haru grabbed his bag and headed out the door. The moment he stepped outside, his chest heaved with a sharp, anxious breath, worry flickering across his face.