Fragment 1. Where It Begins

"Haru, you possess an immense power. But that power will attract people with bad intentions."

"Bad people? What would bad people want from me?"

"They want what you carry within yourself. That’s why you must hide your power, no matter what happens."

"But, Grandpa, I don’t like it. Every time they come out, they just hurt everyone."

"They’re just throwing tantrums. Just like you when Grandpa doesn’t buy you ice cream."

"That’s—!"

"Ha ha ha! I know. But in the future, you’ll have to get along with your sisters, because you…."

Before I could hear Grandpa’s explanation, everything turned white.

“Nggh~”

Waking up in bed, I looked around. A neat yet simple bedroom entered my view.

“A dream?... Eh?!”

Without realizing it, tears had already wet my cheeks. As I wiped them away, I realized I had been crying in my sleep.

“Oh right, Grandpa’s already….”

While reminiscing about my late grandfather, I heard a woman’s voice calling my name.

"Haruno! Hurry up or you’ll be late on your first day of school!"

Rubbing my eyes roughly, I shouted, “Coming!”

Throwing off the blanket, I opened the door and went downstairs.

“Morning.”

“Finish your breakfast quickly or you’ll be late.”

“I know, geez!”

With a piece of toast in my mouth, I looked around.

“Where’s Dad?”

“He already left.”

“At this hour?”

“You have no idea how terrible rush hour is in the big city.”

Mom’s exaggerating, I thought. There were still more than two hours before the school bell rang. But little did I know—I would regret that later.

Starting today, I would be attending school in the "big city". Before this, I lived in the countryside and had only moved here a few days ago.

Yes, I, not we. When I was six, my father was transferred to Tokyo. I was supposed to move with my parents, but Grandpa wouldn’t let me go. There was quite an argument back then since I was still a kid, but in the end, Dad gave in. So, for the past ten years, I had lived and been raised by Grandpa.

I should’ve continued school in my hometown, but Grandpa passed away last summer. With no one left to take care of me, I had no choice but to move to Tokyo and live with my parents.

“Did you forget anything? Do you need me to take you there?”

“Don’t worry, Mom. I’m seventeen this year. I’m not a kid anymore.”

“That’s… true, I guess.”

Mom wore a conflicted expression. Maybe to her—who only saw me during school holidays—I was still a child. Before she realize it, I had grown up.

To ease her worries, I gave her my biggest smile.

“Well then, I’m off!”

“Ah—”

Without stopping my steps, I glanced back. From the corner of my eye, I saw Mom standing frozen with her mouth slightly open.

Maybe she wanted to say something. Or maybe she just wanted to be with me a little longer. It might sound cruel, but I thought it was better for me to disappear from her sight quickly. Otherwise, it would only make it harder for her to let me go.

Maybe I'll act spoiled with her after school.

On the way, I reviewed the route to school in my head.

“First, Odakyu, then Chūo, and finally Marunouchi.”

Since I was little, Grandpa had taught me to rely on my memory rather than write things down. Well, I still took notes in class, but for things like directions or practical routines, he would only tell me once and make me try it myself.

He said it wasn’t just to train my memory, but also to improve my ability to analyze situations when faced with unfamiliar circumstances.

People say mistakes are the best teachers. At first, I thought that was Grandpa’s intention. But he never even let me make any mistakes. Grandpa was a gentle man, but when it came to training me, he could be extremely strict. I don't even know what he's training me for.

“What a station~”

Right now, I was at the second station on my way to school. The distance between home and my new school was quite far, and I had to transfer trains twice across three different stations.

The first station wasn’t much different from the one in my hometown, so I felt pretty normal. But when I got off to transfer, the station that greeted me was so grand—it was as if it declared, "Welcome to the big city"

“Wait, this isn’t the time to be amazed. Next, I think I should go here.”

I hurried toward the train that was already waiting. The doors closed right after I stepped in. Letting out a breath, I felt relieved because I’d be at school soon.

Rush hour, huh? The train’s practically empty. I knew it Mom was only exaggerating.

I sat down and waited for the announcer to call my stop. But after nearly an hour, my destination still hadn’t come up.

Wait, shouldn’t I already be close?

I transferred at Shinjuku, and it shouldn’t take more than thirty minutes to reach my school. The train had been running normally, which only made things more suspicious.

Sensing something was off, I got off at the next station. The announcer said “Hachiōji,” but I had no idea where that was.

Completely clueless, I approached a man in uniform—probably a station staff.

“Ano... Excuse me, which train goes to Ochanomizu?”

“Ochanomizu? Ochanomizu, Tokyo? You can take the train from platform number 2. The previous one just left, but the next should arrive in about five minutes.”

“Thank you very much.”

I bowed politely and was about to head to the mentioned platform—until something struck me.

“Sorry to bother you again, but what time is it now?”

“It’s 7:50.”

“And how long does it take to get to Tokyo—or Ochanomizu?”

“It should take around fifty minutes.”

“Ouch.”

Seeing that I seemed to be in trouble, that uncle asked me, “Miss, are you perhaps lost?”

“Well, actually….”

I explained that I came from Machida and was heading to Ochanomizu, but since I was new to Tokyo, I must have boarded the wrong train and ended up far away.

“Tokyo’s rail system can be confusing and it happens all the time. Don’t worry, Miss, just tell your teacher the truth. I’m sure they’ll understand.”

“I hope so,” I said with a wry smile.

“Ah! Here comes the train. You’d better hurry.”

“Right! Thank you so much, sir!”

“Don’t get on the wrong train again!” he shouted as I ran toward my ride.

Once inside, I slumped into an empty seat and exhaled.

“Sigh... The day hasn’t even started and I’m already exhausted.”

After that, the train took me straight to my intended station. From there, I still had to take one more train. This time, I made absolutely sure I was on the right platform.

The whole way, I couldn’t stop fidgeting. I couldn’t even bring myself to sit down—I stood near the exit doors the entire ride.

When the doors finally opened at my stop, I dashed out of the train and the station. The distance from the station to school should’ve taken fifteen minutes on foot, but I covered it in less than five by running.

“Excuse me! Let me in, please!”

I shouted at the closed school gate. The campus was eerily quiet, almost like it was closed. Then, a security guard approached me.

“You! What are you doing here? That uniform—you're not one of our students, are you?”

“I just transferred here today, and my uniform isn’t ready yet!”

“Late on your first day, huh? You’ve got guts.”

“I took the wrong train halfway through! Please, let me in!”

“Sorry, kid, rules are rules. Anyone who arrives after the gate closes isn’t allowed in.”

“Something like that....”

“What’s all this commotion?”

While I was arguing with the grumpy guard, a woman approached us.

“Vice Principal! It’s nothing serious. This girl’s just late but insisting on entering.”

The woman examined me closely. The Vice Principal was tall and slender, with a neat appearance and perfect posture. Though she wasn’t young anymore, she still looked elegant, radiating an air of confidence.

She looked like someone who valued rules above all else. Seeing that, I felt my hope vanish. Maybe I should just go home, apologize to Mom for disappointing her, and try again tomorrow.

Just as those gloomy thoughts clouded my mind, the Vice Principal said something unexpected.

“Let her in.”

“Wha— Wait a moment, if I do that—”

“I’ll take responsibility. Now open the gate and let the girl in.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Though reluctant, the guard obeyed. Awkwardly, I passed through the gate and thanked him for opening it. In response, he just snorted without saying a word. Well, I couldn’t blame him.

When I looked toward the Vice Principal, she was ready to leave, yet her head was still stayed on me. Realizing that she was waiting, I hurried after her. Without saying a word, she walked ahead, and I followed behind.