It was everywhere—television, radio, the internet, and even whispered among close friends and family. Hasegawa, still an elementary school boy whose days were filled with the excitement of learning something new at school and playing games with his friends, couldn't escape it. In class, at home, the same news echoed relentlessly—the tragic death of a rising young idol named Horie Mio.

He wasn't a fan of hers, but even Hasegawa couldn't deny knowing her face and voice. They were inescapable, plastered across every screen, filling every conversation. Even in death, she lingered—people couldn't stop talking about her.

Hasegawa, with his curious mind, quietly collected bits and pieces of the story, the whispers surrounding her death. They said Mio had taken her own life, leaping from her school's rooftop in the dark of night. Her lifeless body was discovered the next morning, sending shockwaves through everyone. She was only fourteen—so young, so full of promise—and now, people were desperate to understand why she made such a fatal choice.

That's how one name surfaced again and again, unfamiliar to most but somehow tied to a famous celebrity Hasegawa's mother had admired for years. The rumours swirled—this celebrity had a son, someone Mio had often mentioned in interviews as her closest friend. People began to talk. They said he was the reason behind her decision, her heart broken after his rejection.

For Hasegawa, still just a child, it was a fleeting story—something he absorbed briefly before moving on to the next distraction. And over time, the buzz around Horie Mio faded, like a song played too often. People grew tired of a story with no real conclusion, and soon, her name slipped away, as if she were nothing more than a forgotten chapter in the lives of those who once adored her.