I thought I had seen the butterfly
Dance above the field
I thought I had glanced the tortoiseshell
Biting at its heels
I heard the eagle give its call
The butterfly no more
I thought I saw a butterfly
That caught me unaware
-Frederica Bernkastel
The snow outside reflected sunlight into the classroom. I yawned. Winter had come to Hinamizawa, and when the first flakes had fallen, Rika had unexpectedly started to cry. She wouldn't tell anyone why she was shedding tears, but I could see that behind the sadness was genuine happiness.
That was two weeks ago. Now, I was sitting around with nothing to do. It was a slow, sleepy day like usual. The door slid open. Rena and Mion, who had better views of the door, looked over and gasped. I couldn't see what was so startling; it was just Shion. The twin had been gone a lot lately. Not even Mion knew where she had disappeared to so often.
"Come on," coaxed Shion.
She stepped into class, dragging a blond boy behind her. Silence quickly fell upon us. The boy looked around, puzzled.
My breath caught in my throat when he turned and I got a good look at him. His gaze was startled but fell softly over the room; he locked eyes with me before looking over everyone else. Who is this slender blond who has such soft features and emaciated wrists?
"Nii-nii…" Satoko whispered. She got up, hanging back tentatively. A mix of joy and pain on her face, she rushed forward to embrace him.
Nii-nii? Then, this boy… is Houjou Satoshi…?