"Higher, big brother, higher!" chanted Mika, tugging at Yoichi's ear.
"Ouch! Mika! If you pull too hard, I'll lose my ears," Yoichi replied, keeping his tone calm despite the pain.
"Please? Just a little higher, big brother!" Mika pleaded, her eyes wide and hopeful.
Yoichi sighed but lifted her above his head. "Wee!" Mika squealed, spreading her arms and legs like she was flying. Yoichi chuckled at her excitement, feeling a bit of her joy lighten his mood as he carried her forward.
After dropping Mika off at her school, Yoichi hurried to the subway station, got his ticket, and boarded the train. His high school was close to the station, so taking the subway was the fastest way to get there. As he stepped onto the train, he spotted a few classmates at the back, whispering and casting sideways glances his way. He hesitated, then took a step toward them, hoping for a friendly hello, but stopped short when he noticed their wary looks. Choosing to avoid trouble, he turned and walked to a different section of the car.
*"Did I do something wrong?"* he wondered, feeling a slight pang of confusion. His classmates had always treated him kindly enough. Sure, he wasn't the most popular, but people had never seemed afraid of him. *"What's going on?"*
As the subway sped along, he clutched the support rail tightly. The train car was mostly empty, except for the scattered "Fire Extinguisher" and "Trash Can" signs along the walls. With every turn, shadows flickered under the dim lights, stretching over the dull interior, giving the place a slightly eerie feel. Yoichi shivered and glanced out the window, finding only darkness on the other side.
When the train finally arrived at his stop, Yoichi stepped off and walked down the nearly deserted street toward his school. He'd only gone a few paces when he stumbled over something. He caught himself just before hitting the ground and turned around, surprised to see a brand-new umbrella on the ground—the exact same design as the one he'd given to the girl in the alley two days ago. Puzzled, he looked up, only to see more identical umbrellas, perfectly lined up along the street like some kind of strange pathway.
*"Is this some kind of prank?"* he thought, half-expecting someone to jump out and laugh. Deciding to avoid the path of umbrellas, he moved to the open road and continued toward school. Strangely, the road was completely empty. Not a single car passed him, and he couldn't shake the odd feeling that something unusual was happening.
When he finally reached the school gate, he froze, taken aback by the sight that awaited him: all the students were holding identical umbrellas and had formed two lines, creating a pathway leading straight to the entrance. Yoichi glanced around, wondering if someone important was expected, but there was no one else. His classmates from earlier were nowhere in sight.
With a sigh, he lowered his gaze and walked along the path the others had created. The only sounds were his footsteps and the murmurs around him. Suddenly, he heard someone call his name from the crowd on his right. The voice was instantly familiar, filling him with a sense of dread.
"Hey! Yoichi!" called Ichiro, one of the bullies who usually went out of his way to bother him. "Whatever stunt you pulled to get this prize, a celebration, and a hot beauty, don't forget us, alright?"
Feeling his cheeks flush with embarrassment, Yoichi kept his head down and hurried past. When he reached the front of the school, he looked up and saw three figures standing at the top of the stairs. He blinked, trying to make out who they were, and felt his heart skip a beat. On the left stood his school's principal, and on the right was Norio Hajime, the director of Yamabuki Elite High School, the top school in the city. But the person in the middle stunned him the most. Her blue eyes, the same ones he'd seen in the alley, stared down at him with an unreadable expression.
Akane Takahashi, one of the star students of Yamabuki Elite High School, looked down at him from the stairs. Yoichi's heart raced as she began descending toward him, her gaze never leaving his. He couldn't believe that this composed, poised girl was the same person he'd seen two nights ago, curled up in the rain, hidden among garbage bags.
Akane stopped just inches away, and Yoichi's throat went dry. He wanted to say something, to ask if she was the girl from that night, but the words wouldn't come. His mouth went dry as she raised her hand, her fingers brushing against his tie before she pulled him closer, her face only inches from his.
"If you want your jacket back," she whispered, her voice cool and confident, "you'll have to graduate from Yamabuki Elite High School."
Yoichi's eyes widened as her words sank in, and he stood there, speechless, feeling like his world had just been turned upside down.