Volume 1 – Chapter 2: What Now?

[April 17 – 8:12 AM]

The world kept turning. People had to wake up and go on with their lives as usual.

But today, everything felt... stuck.

I sat by the window and

looked around. It used to be so different. Cars honked, neighbors went to work, children dragged their feet to school. Now most people don't care about any of that. Delivery trucks stopping just long enough to drop off packages no one thought twice about.

But today?

Silence.

The road was nearly empty, the few people outside moving hesitantly, like they were waiting for something to happen. Or maybe dreading what they already knew was coming.

I leaned my forehead against the cold glass and thought.

Everyone will die unless a solution is found.

We can't expect people to behave differently.

Maybe for people to hold on just a little longer. To pretend everything was fine. To force normalcy, even if it was a lie.

But reality caught up faster than that.

The schools sent out an announcement—indefinite

closure. Then the colleges. Businesses. Even government offices.

One by one, everything shut down.

Because really, what was the point?

Why prepare for a future that wouldn’t exist?

---

[April 17 – 10:30 AM]

Mom tried to keep up the routine—scrambled eggs, toast, miso soup—but no one was hungry.

Aiko never touched her food. She acted as if I was going to die in an instant. And she wasn't wrong.

My father sat quietly, sipping his favorite drink, coffee.

They were presenting the news on the TV behind us. Compared to what we used to do, we were already looking at the news. There was no point anymore. More updates. More uncertainty. More reminders that time was slipping through our fingers.

"The government has begun evacuations for high-risk areas, but experts caution that there is no true safe zone. Scientists continue searching for answers—"

Mom took the remote and turned off the TV. The silence was broken when my mother spoke. “...Maybe we should go,” she said, her voice a little louder than a

whisper but easily heard.

Dad set his mug down. "Leave and go where?"

"I don’t know." She exhaled slowly. "Somewhere quieter. Somewhere safer."

"There is no ‘safer’ anymore."

Aiko flinched.

I looked at my mother, who wanted to say something but didn't seem to have the strength to do so anymore.

Dad rubbed his temples. We had very little time left.

---

[April 17 – 3:45 PM]

I needed air.

Walking through town felt like stepping into a different world. Stores were closed, windows boarded up. Some had scrawled signs taped to the doors:

"CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE"

"NO STOCK LEFT"

"DON’T ASK WHEN WE’LL REOPEN"

But the people?

They were the worst part.

They moved like shadows—silent, distant, eyes downcast. No one lingered. Conversations were short, voices hushed. Everyone carried the same unspoken question:

"What can we do? There is no solution."

"Some kids passed by on their bikes, laughing. For a short time it felt like the times before the announcement,

but people lived with the knowledge that nothing would ever be the same again."

I thought, “What if we survive?” I had dreams I hadn't realized yet. I

always left planning for the future until later.

I learned the hard way that this was a mistake. I know now that life is too short.

They weren’t going to school.

They were painting over it.

Rewriting the rules.

I turned a corner and

nearly walked into someone.

"Whoa, sorry—"

It was Rika.

The girl no longer wore a uniform, and instead of the neat ponytail this time, she fix it loosely, and some of the hair framed her eyes. She was dressed warmly in a hoodie that covered her large hands with the small

sleeves.

She looked up at me, her eyes holding a quiet exhaustion. After a brief pause, she managed a small, weary smile, as if trying to hold onto a sense of normalcy. "Yo."

I hesitated. "Yo."

A pause.

Normally, we never struggled to talk. We sat next to each other in class. Shared snacks. Joked around.

But now?

What do you even say when the world is falling apart?

"You okay?" I finally asked.

She let out a short laugh. "That’s a stupid question."

My, the back of my neck, feels scratchy. "Yeah. Sorry."

Moving in a sighing way, she kept on moving her body back and forth from one foot to the other, falling on air, and looking like a feather in the wind. "I just... Needed to breathe. Feels like everything’s closing in."

"Yeah. Same."

Silence.

We couldn't think of a single solution. So thinking about solutions was a waste of time. Instead, we should have lived the present moment more beautifully.

Rika looked at me with a curious expression, “What

are you going to do now?” Rika threw me a look that betrayed no emotion, yet had me puzzled with it.

The question was different than I expected.

“I have no plans,” I admitted.

She was silent for some time. Just stared past me, at the empty streets, at the sky

that looked so damn normal despite everything.

"...I think I want to make this year count."

I felt something strange about the way he said it.

He took a step back before I could ask him what he meant. "See you around, okay?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

And then she was gone.

---

[April 18 – 7:20 PM]

A fight broke out down the street.

It started with yelling—two men arguing over something.

Then came the shoving. A punch. A woman shouted for help.

Right after the policemen got to the place, some of the people wanted to look for this particular person.

Mom locked the doors that night.

Late at night, Dad was absorbed in the radio.

Aiko leaned to the center of her daddy and mummified toy, letting it be her shield from the outside world.

As for me, I was motionless in bed and had my eyes set on the ceiling.

One year.

That’s all we had.

And every second, it was slipping away.