Chapter 1
Subtitle: A crowded train, a secret book, and a moment that changed everything.
Holding my paperback open with a single hand, my fingers loop securely through the overhead strap. The train rolls along its tracks, click-clack, sway, click-clack. Standing tall, balancing with the rhythm of the rails, I turn the page. Only moments ago, I plucked this little volume from a bookshop near the station and stepped straight into this carriage. The seats inside are tightly packed; it will take several stations before an empty spot opens up. But I cannot bring myself to wait until then. For you see, the urge to read has completely captured my heart. Cloaking the paperback is a book cover adorned with a nostalgic, Showa-era pattern of blooming roses.
(The End)
[Author's Note]
In Japan, bookstores often wrap your purchased books in a paper cover (called "book cover"). It’s a quiet, lovely custom to keep what you're reading private, or simply to make the book look beautiful. I wanted to capture that secret, cosy feeling in this story.
