Under The Shadow of Fate

Mura sat alone on a stone bench in the corner of the quiet schoolyard. The afternoon was warm, the sun shining gently, and the laughter of the other children filled the schoolyard like a lively symphony. They ran around, played tag, threw balls, and laughed until they could hardly breathe. Meanwhile, Mura sat still, his hands clutching his knees, shoulders slightly hunched, his gaze empty, fixed on the grass swaying in the breeze.

His body was small, his black hair messy and falling over part of his face. His uniform was neat, but a small tear on the sleeve—a leftover from the taunts and shoves he had endured a few days earlier—betrayed a different story. The other kids sometimes called him strange names—“weak,” “the quiet one,” or worse, “the voiceless ghost.”

Mura took a slow breath, lifting his eyes to the wide, blue sky. In his mind, the world seemed to move outside of him. They all had friends, laughter, games, and stories to share. While he… was just a tiny, barely noticeable dot.

In his heart, he whispered, “Friends... what are friends? They look so happy when they laugh together. I wonder how that feels.” His fingers gripped his uniform pants tightly, as if holding onto something unspoken.

The distant laughter grew louder. A ball was thrown, and someone shouted a friend’s name. Mura only lowered his head, his thoughts spinning in the quiet loneliness he had never shared with anyone.

The wind blew softly across his face, carrying the faint scent of earth and flowers. Mura closed his eyes, listening to the approaching footsteps—but he didn’t turn. “It’s probably just someone passing by… not for me.”

Yet, the steps stopped. They stood still. For a moment, only the sound of the wind remained. Mura slowly opened his eyes, and something inside him—tiny, fragile—wondered, “Could it be…?”

But he didn’t dare hope. No one had ever stopped for him. No one had ever cared.

Or… could this time be different?

------

From a distance, two pairs of eyes observed Mura as he sat silently on the stone bench. Amid the bustling laughter and games of the other children, his presence was almost swallowed up—like a black stain on a canvas full of color.

Yuki narrowed her eyes, watching Mura with an impassive expression. Her long black hair fluttered in the breeze, smooth and orderly like strands of silk.

"That boy… he's so quiet, isn't he?" she murmured softly, her voice flat and detached—an observation, not a judgment.

Beside her, Nagisa tilted her head. Her short, orange-tinged hair swayed gently, and a faint smile graced her lips.

"That's normal," she replied casually. Her eyes watched Mura with curiosity, not scorn. There was something in her gaze, as if she saw more than just a silent boy—something deeper, something wounded.

Yuki shrugged but continued to watch.

Nagisa bit her lower lip briefly, then spoke with quiet determination.

"I'm going to try talking to him."

Yuki frowned.

"Why bother? He doesn't seem like the type to… well, talk easily."

Nagisa turned to Yuki, her smile widening.

"It's not about whether it's easy or not. Sometimes... some people just need someone to reach out first."

Yuki fell silent, her lips pressed tightly together. Her eyes remained fixed on Mura, but she said nothing more.

Nagisa took the first step, her foot pressing onto the path leading to the stone bench. Yuki let out a short sigh and followed, quietly supportive despite her silence.

Their footsteps grew closer, the sound of their shoes crunching on the small gravel.

Mura didn’t lift his head, didn’t even glance up. Yet something in the air felt different—his breath quickened, and his heart pounded a little harder.

"For me…? No way," he thought in the quiet of his mind.

But the footsteps stopped. Right in front of him. The silhouettes of two girls framed the soft glow of the afternoon sun, partially blocking the light.

"...Hi."

The voice was gentle, warm—like a beam of light breaking through the darkness of a long-closed room.

------

Mura slowly lifted his head, his breath catching in his throat. Standing before him were two girls. One had short, orange-tinged hair and wore a wide smile—like a little sun shining in the middle of a cloudy sky. The other, with long, neatly kept black hair, simply stared without much expression, but didn’t look away either.

“Hi, what are you doing here?” asked the girl with the orange hair—Nagisa. Her tone was light, as if she were asking the most ordinary question in the world.

Mura was silent for a moment, his eyes widening in disbelief, as if unsure whether the question was really meant for him. His lips moved slowly, stiffly, like they weren’t used to speaking. Finally, his voice came out—soft, barely a whisper, as if afraid it might break.

“Nothing… just sitting.”

“Oh.” Nagisa nodded a few times, then—without hesitation—sat down next to Mura on the stone bench. “Well then, is it okay if we sit here too?”

Mura fell silent again. Usually, people never asked—they didn’t even care. He looked down once more, slightly awkward, and gave a small nod without saying a word.

Nagisa’s smile grew even wider, and she said, “My name’s Nagisa! And this is my friend, Yuki.”

Yuki glanced over briefly and gave a small nod. “Hi,” she greeted simply.

Mura stared at them, confused. A small voice inside his head screamed, “Why? Why would they talk to me? Aren’t I…?”

Mura opened his mouth, hesitant, and finally said quietly, “I’m... Murayama. You can call me Mura.”

Nagisa let out a small giggle. “Mura, huh? Nice to meet you!”

Mura continued to look at them, bewildered. Slowly, the question slipped out, hesitant, almost whispered. “Why... do you want to talk to me?”

Nagisa paused for a moment, her eyes softening slightly, then she laughed softly. “My mom says I should make lots of friends. She says that’s what makes the world a better place.”

Yuki added flatly, without much expression, “Besides, you’re just sitting here. No harm in that, right?”

Mura nodded slowly, though his eyes still held a trace of doubt. There was something stirring inside his chest—something warm, unfamiliar, and a little scary at the same time.

Nagisa stood up, gazing at the sky that was beginning to turn orange, then looked back at Mura. “So, from now on, we’re friends, okay?”

Yuki remained silent, but there was the slightest, almost imperceptible nod.

Mura opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but no words came out. Only a faint, stiff smile appeared on his face—like someone learning how to smile for the first time.

And that was the beginning of the fate that would bind them.