Prologue

We find ourselves in the beautiful city of Tokyo—more precisely, in the western district of Midoridai. It’s a peaceful corner of the city, known for its small parks, a large central one—the Kagehama Park—, and the Yumenari River that flows through the district. Quiet side roads and the calm atmosphere make it feel more like a small town than a part of a big city, like Tokyo.
Midoridai isn’t big, it has only one shopping street and one school for each education level. Still, people say the district offers both excellent education and plenty of things to do. That, however, doesn’t matter much to seventeen-year-old Ren Sato.
Ren attends Midoridai High, a well-renowned school throughout Tokyo. Normally, only local students can enroll there—outsiders are accepted only when there’s space left. Ren is a good student, though he doesn't really like his school life. He keeps mostly to himself, except for his best friend, Haruto Kanda, with whom he talks the most. Every morning, they meet on their way to school, and so it happens on this particular day too. The first day of the second trimester in his high-school life.