It's still early in the morning yet Ao Academy in Tokyo was already packed with punctual students, each walking at a slow pace as they enjoy the cold breeze. Everyone appears to possess calm hearts except for one student which was Mizuki. Hers seems to be in the midst of a foreign land with running horses in chaos, a victim of a stampede, continually being stepped on without halt. The amassed little drops of nervousness she has gradually turned into a dam with an overwhelming current that she could not prevent from leaking. Mizuki in a neat ponytail went inside a building to find her classroom. She's already been late for a week making her feel unease. She walked past different classrooms until she reached the second floor. Looking around the building, her head would occasionally turn from left to right and vice versa. Finally, she saw a card on the top of a door, its one side horizontally glued on the wall, that says '3-A'. The door is still closed yet she feels nervous. Through the visible glass on the center of the door, she can see what's happening inside. There is still no instructor so the students were laughing freely. She can see her cousin, Angel, standing proud with a smirk on her face, her arms crossed in front of her underdeveloped chest. Angel is actually subpar with Mizuki's beauty. But Angel's face screams fierceness and toughness. Her nicely shaped nose and dark-colored eyes are intimidating even as a child. It's not that Angel looks devious but Mizuki's face looks angelic and kind.
"Why are you still standing outside? Come, come."
Mizuki was baffled by the sudden question by a sudden person who suddenly appeared beside her. It was an instructress who looked like in her 30s wearing a pencil skirt and three-fourth long sleeves. She looked nice yet strict. The instructress opened the door and walked straight to the podium in front of the blackboard. The students went to their designated seats in panic, still standing, waiting for their class representative's signal.
"Greet!" Shouted Angel. She was undoubtedly the class representative of the class.
"Good morning Miss!" The class said in chorus.
"Hmm, good morning too. Sit now, yes, sit."
When the class settled down and took their seats, the door which was still open grabbed their attention. The instructress followed their line of sight and looked strangely at Mizuki.
"Miss, you're a student here, aren't you? Come inside."
The instructress smiled. Mizuki with her heart beating hard stepped inside and closed the door.
"You are new here, aren't you dear? I've heard of you from the faculty. Please, now, introduce yourself," says the instructress kindly. Mizuki smiled a little.
"Hi, I'm Yamaguchi Mizuki."
Everyone waited for what she's going to say after but there's none. She simply stated her name and that's it. The instructress clapped her hands and spoke.
"Oh, thank you, Mizuki. I'm your homeroom teacher, Miss Momo. Hm, and everyone, she is a transferred student from Midori Academy in Hokkaido. Go sit there dear. That's your place now," Miss Momo said promptly.
Mizuki bowed with a smile before walking slowly to her place. She feels nervous. Everyone's gaze was directed to her like an object being auctioned. Her seat was just before Angel. The latter neither greeted nor looked at her. They were complete strangers to each other. Be it in their house or in here. The bad blood only flows through Angel's veins and multiplies each day. She's aware that she's the only one who feels hatred to the other and she hated it more. She hated that Mizuki couldn't reciprocate the hatred she's been harboring ever since. She hated that Mizuki was so nice she can't fault her. And it's more of the reason why her parents, Sydny and Mark, love both of them equally. She was the daughter, the real daughter, and the product of their own flesh and blood. But how could they love both of them equally? She should receive more affection and attention. But why was it equal? Why can't she have more? Mizuki did not notice the difference in Angel's eyes. She sat silently.
"Mizuki."
A cute voice called out to her. Mizuki glanced to her side and discovered a hand being stretched out for a handshake. She looked up to see the owner of the hand, revealing a cute girl with her hair tied into two buns on the top of her head.
"I'm Shiela."
"Hi, I'm Mizuki," replied Mizuki dumbly as she reached for the hand.
"I know," Shiela giggled making Mizuki blush for embarrassment.
"Wanna grab lunch with me later?"
"Yes, sure, thank you!" Mizuki bowed as thanks. They smiled at each other before turning their heads in front to listen to Miss Momo.
Mizuki's morning was somehow fun and interesting. They did and performed some class activities. Though she'll occasionally feel sad and thought of her parents when there's nothing to do in a certain period of time. Doing nothing makes her mind wander actively and reminisce all the good times she had with her parents but she could not do anything about it. Thinking about the dead will not bring them back. Their souls would not stay on earth and wander endlessly. They're dead. And so they are gone. Forever.
"You're daydreaming again."
Mizuki was pulled out from her thoughts when Shiela called her. The bell just rang-- an indicator for lunchtime. And today, on Mizuki's first day as a 3rd-grade student, she'll spend her lunch with Shiela.
"I'm sorry. I'll just get my lunch box and purse----- where are my lunch box and purse?"
Mizuki got up from her seat and searched for it in her bag but found nothing.
"It's gone? Maybe you forgot to pack your lunch and take your purse?"
Shiela looked inside Mizuki's bag. When she only discovered several pencils and notebooks, she stood straight and supported her chin with her thumb finger, her index finger in her cheek.
"No, I've put it in my bag, I'm sure," Mizuki shook her head and knitted her brows.
"It's okay, we can share my lunch. Half for you, half for me!"
"Thank you, Shiela. But I'll just look for it. I don't want to trouble you. Maybe I left it in the laboratory?"
"Oh, yes, yes. Let's go. I'll come with you."
"Why, you're so kind. Thank you."
Shiela brought her lunch box and walked even faster than Mizuki. Mizuki, on the other hand, walked leisurely, wondering how losing her things gone unnoticed. When they were just few steps away from the closed door of the laboratory, they heard laughs inside. Shiela and Mizuki peeked through the visible glass. There was Angel with two other girls. She recognized them as Alexa and Daniela; both were her classmates, close friends of Angel and always by Angel's side the whole morning. Giggling, mocking, and scrutinizing other people.
"Our class rep," says Shiela.
"Hm, my cousin."
"Who? Where?" Shiela roamed her eyes and even turned her head behind.
"There, our class rep. Let's go inside?"
Mizuki slid the door open. Angel and her friends hastily stopped whatever they were doing.
"Mizuki. Are you looking for this?"
The first to initiate the conversation this time was Angel, holding a lavender-colored lunch box on her right hand and a purse in her left, obviously belongings of Mizuki.
"Yes. Can I have them now?" Mizuki walked towards Angel.
"Sure. Ow."
The whole room entered a silent state when something hard fell on the floor. But the reverse of what they were expecting, the lunch box was completely fine. It is still tightly closed with the rice grains, fresh broccoli, and fried omelet still in its place.
"It slipped off my hand," says Angel nonchalantly with a straight face. Though deep inside, all of them were bewildered. Although their heights were still small, a falling lunch box is ought to shatter on the floor tiles. But it did not happen. It just lies on the floor as if it was intentionally put there peacefully.
Mizuki did not answer her and just picked up her lunch box.
"How--?" Alexa didn't know what to say next. Her sing-song voice echoed through the silent laboratory. She glanced sideways to Daniela to see her reaction. Daniela was also flustered.
"Thank you for finding my lunch box and purse, we'll go ahead," Mizuki did not await further questions and hurriedly grabbed Shiela's arms to leave.
"Why did you thank them? It's obvious they intended to harm you?" Probe Shiela.
"Reciprocating their hatred won't bring me any good."
"You think like an adult."
"Hm."
"But what happened to your lunch box earlier was weird. Where did you buy that? I should ask Mom, it has high durability."
Mizuki walked slower and think of Shiela's question. She then remembered the man in one of her dreams who amazingly fixed her dancing figurine. She wasn't sure if it was real but she noticed a green smoke at the bottom of her lunch box when it fell.
"I need to go to the comfort room," says Mizuki suddenly.
"I'll go to the cafeteria to reserve a table. Just look for me."
"Hm."
Mizuki and Shiela parted ways. When she entered the comfort room, it was empty. She rested her lunch box on the sink and put her purse in her pocket before entering a cubicle. Seconds later, the moderate temperature gradually turned colder. She finished her business and got out while rubbing her palms. She froze when she bumped into a familiar tall green figure.
"How are you, little one?"