Dawn breaks with a great crescendo of light, swaths of orange and yellow burning away the night sky. A single magpie projects its voice through the silent morning before flying away, determined to make another announcement before the day begins. Mizuhashi Fuyuki sits in a corner of her room, relishing this simple tranquility as if it were a delicacy. In a couple more precious minutes, she would have to give up this valued peace and trudge along with life, unchanging and tedious as it was.
The alarm clock rang hollowly. Mizuhashi Fuyuki listened to the noise, not making the effort to silence it. She would wait for her cue, like a puppet, for the show to begin.
"Ah-- Break is already over," A shrill voice sounded down the hall. "Are you awake, Fuyuki?"
"I'm awake! Good morning, Mom--!" She responded in a bright, cheery tone, heavily contrasting her apathetic facial expression.
"Great, then let's start the school year well! Don't be late on your first day, okay?"
"You expect so little of me~ I won't be late!"
Fuyuki stood up from her beloved corner, sparing it one last glance, before crossing her room, putting on her uniform, and heading downstairs.
Her mother was waiting with a blue schoolbag in one hand and an onigiri in the other, smiling gently at her daughter.
"Remember, your grades really matter this year, so try your best, okay?" A loose strand of black hair was tucked behind Fuyuki's ear with motherly expertise.
"Of course-" With motherly aggressivity, the onigiri was shoved into Fuyuki's mouth.
"Healthy eating promotes your brain strength!"
"--Right. Thank you, Mom! I'll see you after school!"
"Bye, be safe!"
As the door closed behind her, Mizuhashi Fuyuki cast off her previous demeanor, regaining her usual cold expression. The wind set cherry blossoms afloat on its current, soft petals flying around her figure until one found its way into her thin ponytail.
"If only..." She murmured to herself.
If only... if only what? If only school wouldn't resume? If only her mother would listen? No, it wasn't that simple. It was something deeper, something she could not put into words.
She crossed over a bridge, pausing in the middle as something caught her eye. It was in the river, what was it? Ah, just her reflection. Yet, why did it look so unfamiliar? It was almost as if she had seen a stranger instead of herself.
If only...
If only...she knew why she lived.