Capítulo 1
Chapter 1.
He had been observing that hair for several minutes, causing the owner to turn and look at him with a frown.
—What are you looking at?
—...
Ryouhei tried his best to tear his gaze away from that dark hair that stuck out in every direction. For starters, this wasn’t the first time he’d seen it. Nevertheless, the urge to laugh remained the same.
— Pff .
—Ah, you laughed! You said you wouldn’t do it anymore!
“I’m sorry, it’s just that it has a curious shape,” he apologized. “Didn’t you say you were going to get your hair cut before the rainy season?”
“My father was very busy with his work the previous weeks, so he didn’t have time to take me. He still doesn’t...” she complained, in a bad mood.
His friend, who was walking beside him, couldn’t help but flash a radiant smile and give him an ironic look.
Because of the rainy season, Sakuya’s hair would end up spiky and messy, as if she were touching something static-filled. That’s why she always cut it without fail: to avoid looking ridiculous.
Unfortunately, this time she couldn’t do it, ending up going to school with that hairstyle she hated so much.
—By the way, Sakuya, how about we go to the park this afternoon? I heard they sell really good ice cream there.
—Ice cream? Seriously?
The bad mood seemed to lessen considerably, to the blond man’s delight.
—Yes. The other children keep talking about them.
—What are we waiting for? Let’s go now!
—Are you forgetting that we have to go to school?
—I wouldn’t mind being absent...
—Your father would certainly care.
Sakuya’s father worked tirelessly to provide for his son. As far as he knew, his mother had abandoned him when he was just a few months old.
Until now, he had no memory of her. Sakuya hadn’t seen her even once either.
In the middle of their conversation, they arrived at the school.
(...)
—Hahahaha ! Your hair... your hair... pffff ! You look like a porcupine , Aoshima !
—...
—Hey, stop making fun of Aoshima -kun! It’s not... it’s not... funny ... it’s not.
—Say it when you can control your laughter, Shiro-chan.
—...
Sakuya’s mouth was pressed tightly together, his hands resting on his desk. Around him, his friends milled about, some laughing loudly, others stifled. It made no difference to him: they were mocking him and his hair.
The most boisterous was Hiro, a boy who was good at sports. The brown-haired girl was named Yashiro, whom everyone affectionately called “Shiro-chan.” Next was Haru, a boy with thick glasses who only thought about studying.
Of course, his best friend, Ryouhei, was also there, watching everything with an irritating smile.
—Oh, leave me alone! I’ll cut it off soon anyway!
—Oh? Why? It looks hilarious!
—Shut your mouth! That’s why I didn’t want to come like this!
Even the rest of her classmates glanced at her hair, trying to hide a smile.
The door opened.
—Okay, okay, guys, leave Aoshima -kun alone. That’s not nice.
—Keigo- sensei !
A man in his mid-twenties entered the room carrying a folder. His sharp, somewhat frightening eyes didn’t match his role as an elementary school teacher. Upon seeing him, Aoshima sighed with relief.
—It’s not good to make fun of others... Ridiculous or not, Aoshima -kun is still Aoshima -kun.
The hopes I had placed in him died, along with my patience.
—Sensei!
-Ha ha ha.
I hated them all!
(...)
—Well, now that everyone has calmed down (mainly Aoshima -kun), I have some very important news.
With all the children in their seats, Keigo began the class.
Sakuya still looked miserable, resting her cheek on her hand. Ryouhei patted her back in comfort.
—Today we will be joined by a new colleague, who comes from very far away.
—Huh?
—A new one?
Sakuya, along with Ryouhei, immediately took an interest, abandoning her unfriendly facade. Would someone new join them? At this point?
—I hope you’ll be kind to her. She just moved in. Can I trust you?
-Yeah!
—Anyone is welcome here!
“I’m glad to hear that. Then...” She turned her gaze to the door. “Kanaria, please come in.”
-... Yeah.
Entering silently, a girl with long black hair appeared before everyone’s eyes. Her somber eyes were hidden from the light by bangs that didn’t seem to bother her.
Her voice was sweet, and strangely dark. Ryouhei couldn’t quite explain it. He stepped forward with a timid air.
—Come on, introduce yourself. Nobody bites here.
Kanaria nodded, her expression unchanged. Perhaps she was just too shy around strangers? Clasping her hands together, she tilted her head slightly.
—My name is Ashiro Kanaria, I’m 10 years old. I’m from Tokyo... A... pleasure.
A normal presentation... except for its lack of emotion in every word.
—Very well, what a sweet presentation. You can take a seat, Kanaria-chan. The desk you see over there is free.
-Yeah.
The day began with a new classmate named Kanaria. Everyone accepted her without any problems, and Ryouhei didn’t give it much thought either...
Without knowing that she would be the one to mark the beginning of horrible events surrounding Aoshima Sakuya.
(...)
Class ended, making way for recess. Since it was wet outside, they weren’t allowed to go out to the playground.
—Hey, this sucks. I would have liked to go outside and play ball...
“With all this humidity? We’d just get dirty,” Haru said, without looking up from her book.
—What does a little mud matter? Playing ball is always fun!
“Maybe for you, but my mom works really hard doing my laundry. I won’t give her extra work.”
—But that’s...! Agh !
There was no point in debating with the king of logic. Hiro always had a lot of trouble trying to convince him.
“It’s not that staying here is bad. I brought a deck of Uno cards, don’t you want to play a little?” Yashiro suggested, excitedly touching a pocket in her backpack.
—I doubt playing Uno is a good idea. Have you forgotten what happened the last time we played it?
—¡...!
Sakuya, who was biting into her sandwich, jumped noticeably. Her face turned various shades of red.
What Ryouhei was referring to was that fateful time they played. Aoshima lost pathetically, causing tears to well up in his blue eyes and sowing panic among the others.
“Ah,” Shiro-chan glanced at him sideways. “Right. Sorry, Aoshima -kun. Don’t worry, we won’t play Uno.”
—Stop looking at me like that! I already told you to forget about it!
“Don’t get like that. We all cry a little sometimes,” Hiro said.
“It’s a natural reaction to defeat and frustration,” Haru added.
—I don’t want to hear that from you!
Would they ever forget it? Even his father, who arrived at the school at an inconvenient time, had been seriously worried about him! It was so embarrassing.
—Anyway, does anyone want to talk to the new girl?
“Huh? Are you talking about Kanaria-chan?” Shiro-chan asked, turning towards the black-haired girl’s desk.
Several girls were talking to her at that moment. The new girl only offered slight nods; even so, they seemed to like her. She didn’t need to talk much to seem cool to them.
Aoshima leaned forward, trying to get a better look at him.
—I don’t know, she seems busy.
—We can go after it’s free —Yashiro suggested.
Why should we wait? Let’s go right now!
—Hey , wait, idiot!
Haru hit Hiro on the back of the head with a book. The boy, despite being the biggest, whimpered in pain. For his size, he was quite sensitive to blows.
—W-Why did you do that, Haru!?
Haru frowned .
“You’re an idiot. Didn’t you see she’s shy? She’ll feel self-conscious if we all go together. It would be best if one or two of us went.”
-But...
—We can meet her later. She’s our colleague now.
—That’s right, we don’t need to rush. We need to make a good impression.
With Haru and Yashiro pressuring him, Hiro had no choice but to give in.
—Okay... So, who’s going?
Haru turned towards Ryouhei .
-I?
—You’re the smartest and calmest of us. You’re also charismatic. You’re the perfect choice to introduce us.
—You think too highly of me.
“Who else is going?” Hiro asked, looking at the brown-haired girl. “Shiro-chan?”
“Um, I’d prefer someone else to go,” she replied, self-consciously. Another one who was shy when it came to speaking.
—In that case... Let’s go, Sakuya.
-Hey?
Pulling by his arm, Ryouhei dragged the dark-haired man out of his seat. His confused expression was comical.
—W-Why me? I’m not as good at talking as you.
—But you’re nice. I’m sure she likes you.
-Even so...
—Come on, it’s not like it bites or anything.
Sakuya complained silently. Why was he so insistent on bringing him? He could have invited Haru or Hiro! The rest of the children agreed with the blond boy.
At first, Sakuya didn’t interact with anyone. He didn’t talk to or try to socialize with any other children. He wasn’t particularly unfriendly, just closed off from the world in general.
It was Ryouhei who gradually opened him up. Sharing a desk with him, he slowly tried to start a conversation. When he finally got him talking, he encouraged him to have lunch together. Once that was done, he invited him to play a game.
This process took a few weeks that then turned into months. Ryouhei was always looking for something to do with him, bringing interesting books, writings, or toys to share.
Thanks to his persistence, Sakuya gained confidence and began to express himself more freely. Then the others joined in, having witnessed the blond boy’s efforts throughout. Time allowed them to bond, and now they were good friends.
Even now, Ryouhei sought to help Sakuya come out of her shell.
—Come on, we could even make her our friend...
—B-But I just said that... Huh?
With a lively back-and-forth, neither of them noticed the girl who silently approached them.
Only at the very end, when she was standing next to Aoshima , did everyone notice her thick black hair and almond-shaped eyes. There was Kanaria, looking directly at Sakuya.
“K-Kanaria-chan?” Yashiro said, amazed at how easily she had approached without making a sound.
Kanaria didn’t even glance at him; she was completely focused on Aoshima . Her eyes silently pierced him, making the boy nervous.
—H-Eh, h-hello, Kanaria-chan...
Sakuya scratched the back of his neck, feeling uneasy. Had he heard them before?
“We were just about to come see you, Kanaria-chan,” Ryouhei interjected . “Sakuya wanted to ask if you’d be willing to be our friend...”
—Huh!?
Pushed to the front, it was Aoshima who received his friend’s white lie with utter confusion. “Ryouhei, you bastard!”
—A-Ah... Ha, ha... W-Well...
Sakuya looked down, his face red with embarrassment. He’d punch that idiot later. Why did he always put him in these situations? He needed to say something, fast.
—W-Well, I thought you looked... really nice and all... L-Like a clown!
There was a collective silence.
God, kill me. Couldn’t he have a break? I wanted the earth to swallow him up.
-You...
—E-Eh!?
The girl opened her mouth. Her expression remained impassive, to the point that Sakuya wondered if she was holding back her anger or if she simply didn’t care about what she had just said.
-Hey?
A pale finger pointed at him. Kanaria, pointing straight ahead, declared coldly:
—At some point in your childhood, adolescence, or adulthood, you will die.
—...
—...
Huh?
Sakuya looked into her eyes, wondering why she would say something like that. He turned pale. Within her pupils, he saw traces of a profound darkness; a mass of cold disconnection from reality. And, above all, a complete conviction in her words.
He didn’t have the strength to argue with her. Fear froze him.
But someone else spoke up instead.
“Hey... What do you mean by that?” Ryouhei stepped forward in an instant, placing him behind him. He looked seriously at Kanaria, a stark contrast to his earlier friendly demeanor. “If it’s a joke, it’s not funny.”
—Y-Yes, it’s not funny —Yashiro agreed, coming out of her stupor.
“Is this what they call dark humor? I don’t find it particularly funny,” Haru remarked.
“What are you talking about now, Haru?” Hiro muttered.
—Nothing an uneducated person like you would understand...
“So?” Pressing once more, Ryouhei confronted the girl with long black hair. His eyes left no room for vague answers.
The girl lowered her finger, sighing slowly.
—Those who are meant to die will die. Use this time to make good memories with him.
—What...? Hey !
—Alright! Recess is over! Kids, put away your lunchboxes and sit down. I have a lot of homework to give you...
The teacher arrived at the worst possible moment, sending everyone back to their seats.
That brief moment of distraction was enough for Kanaria to leave right under his nose, not caring about the gloomy look the blond man was giving her on the back.
“Tch. What did he mean by that? Was it a threat? Was he trying to intimidate Sakuya?” Ryouhei thought tensely.
— Hey , Ryouhei.
—...?
Feeling a tug on his sleeve, he turned around and saw Sakuya behind him.
—Perhaps... perhaps I made her angry?
After a threat like that, he was asking her something like that? Ryouhei turned his face away, holding back a laugh of pure disbelief.
—Hey ! Why are you laughing ?!
—Nothing, I just thought you were an idiot.
—Idiot? Isn’t it normal to think I did something wrong? Maybe she got upset because I was staring at her too much?
“People don’t tell you that you’re going to die just from that,” the blond man thought to himself.
—Well, let’s take a seat before we attract the teacher’s attention.
— Ugh , whatever...
Ryouhei knew he couldn’t be stern with his friend. He had to pretend everything was normal... even though inside he desperately wanted to grab that girl by the shoulders and demand answers.
