Chapter 1-"Arrival"

The plane descended slowly, the low hum of the engines vibrating beneath Akito’s feet. He stared out the window, watching as the island began to take shape beneath him. The pale blue ocean met the distant shores, and patches of green dotted the land—reminders of the familiar sights he hadn't seen in years.

As the plane made its final approach, something caught his eye from below. There, near the edge of the runway, by the airport fence, stood a girl.
She wasn’t doing much—just standing there, gripping the metal bars with both hands. Her eyes were fixed on the sky, unblinking, as if she was waiting for something to fall from it.
Her long red hair fluttered lightly in the wind, and the cane she carried rested against the fence next to her. There was something odd about her—something that tugged at Akito’s chest. She looked so small, so alone, but at the same time, as if she was holding onto something only she could understand.
As the plane finally touched the ground, Akito’s attention was drawn back to the present. The familiar jolts of landing pulled him back into his seat, and the girl’s silhouette disappeared from view.

The taxi ride to his grandfather’s house was uneventful. The streets were much the same as they always had been—quiet, with only a few cars passing by. Akito barely noticed the scenery, his mind still wrapped around the girl he had seen at the airport. He tried to shake the image from his mind, but it lingered.
After checking into the old house his grandfather had left him, he unpacked his things slowly, placing his camera by the window. The house felt empty, like it always did when he came back—an old, quiet place that was slowly losing its warmth.
Once he finished, he decided to take a walk. There wasn’t much else to do.
The streets of Akaruijima hadn’t changed much—still dotted with small shops, the occasional local, and the smell of saltwater in the air. He walked past the coastline, his footsteps soft against the gravel paths. It was peaceful here—almost too peaceful, like the island itself had frozen in time.

But as he turned a corner and approached the edge of the town, he found himself thinking about that girl again.
The way she clung to the fence. The way she looked at the sky.
He wasn’t sure why he cared, but something about her made the island feel a little less empty.