CHAPTER 1
The previous winter had been quite an anomaly for Japan. As fast as it came in the previous year, the weather patterns took an ominous turn and a new front pushed the cold climate out to the ocean and rejuvenating warmth followed with it. As if the climate shift wasn't telling enough, the first nice day of the year just so happened to fall on the first day of spring. A Monday. A school day for the youth of Japan. The forecasters were calling for clear blue skies all day with no clouds and a warm sun to complement the celestial canvas. Even before the day started, the mood across Japan, more specifically the city of Saitama, was a feeling of freshness. The feeling one gets after stepping out of a hot relaxing shower squeaky clean. A feeling of new strength to usher in the warm seasons, almost like the feeling one gets at a New Year's celebration.
At the residence of two twin high school girls, New Year's celebrations were textbook routines every year so they knew the feelings that came with them. The oldest twin of Kagami Hiiragi was woken by her alarm clock and she stirred. She turned it off and stretched while yawning. Already, she could feel the welcoming embrace of the new season and she started off her spring with a smile. She shuffled past her sister's bedroom en route to the bathroom, where she heard Tsukasa's alarm clock beeping as well.
Kagami made a little wager with herself as she began to shower. She bet that by the time she had completed her hygiene routine that her sister would only then just be getting out of bed. Her process took roughly half an hour as she knew her mother was making her signature pancakes and didn't want to miss out. When Kagami's hair was dried and secured in their trademark pigtails and she donned her summer uniform for the first time of the year, she exited the bathroom and headed for the stairs, once again passing her sister's bedroom. Kagami was a little disappointed and slightly angry when she heard her sister's alarm clock was still beeping. One of these days, she was going to pry that damn snooze button off. She was sick of her sister's tales of a mysterious entity wafting into her room as she slumbered in a daunting and vindictive motivation to turn her alarm clock off in a petty yet conspiring spite. All Kagami did was sigh to herself as she entered her sister's room to take matters into her own hands.
For one esoteric girl with long blue hair, the feelings weren't mutual. After a long night of gaming after her teacher departed for the night, the only thing on her mind was more sleep and the buzzing of her incessant alarm clock only begged the day to hurry to the night once again. Konata Izumi groggily stretched her hand towards the clock on her nightstand opposite her bed and slapped around until her hand found purchase and stopped the beeping. Groaning with every crack in her body, she slowly sat up and briefly contemplated faking sick, but knew Miss Kuroi was already on to her for a similar stint last week. She shuffled downstairs, where she found her youthful cousin and father already eating breakfast.
Yutaka Kobayakawa greeted Konata with her usual cheery demeanor, though Konata's strength could only validate another groan, making the salmon-haired girl giggle again. The three ate their breakfast together and Yutaka wanted to wait for Konata, but was told to head out ahead of her as she didn't want to make her little cousin wait. When Yutaka left, the first thing she did was appreciate the surprisingly warm weather for such an early month. It felt more like the first day of summer as she neared the train station, where she would later meet Minami Iwasaki.
Across Saitama in a more upscale neighborhood, a pink-haired scholar with medical ambitions in her grit sat at her lavishing dining room table finishing her breakfast. Her mother sat with her and she worried about her daughter. Miyuki Takara wore a rather somber expression this morning despite the collective mood motivated by the weather. An anniversary that she wasn't too fond of was on this day. An anniversary that led to a divorce declaration and ensuing custody and prenuptial discourses between her mother and father.
"You okay, honey?" Yukari Takara asked, equally somber.
Miyuki sighed. "Yes, mother, it's just…that day."
Yukari nodded slowly. "I know this isn't your favorite day, honey. It brings back a lot of bad memories for me as well."
"I know, mother, and please don't misunderstand me. I'm not mad anymore. I was a child back then so I didn't understand what was happening. Now that I'm practically an adult, I understand why you did what you did. Father…he wasn't loyal to you as he vowed to you." Miyuki recollected.
The daughter could still see the trace amounts of hurt in her mother's eyes. The pain of infidelity was one that would never truly pack its bags and depart as easily as Miyuki's father did when he decided to have an affair with a close friend of Yukari Takara. The two women still felt their own subtle rage, but were still classy enough in themselves and mannerisms to act as the dignified ladies that they truly were.
"It still hurts, sure, but having you around makes it all better, honey." Yukari said with a smile.
Miyuki smiled. "Thanks mother. I believe I should be going now or I'll be late."
As she stood from her chair, a thought occurred to Yukari. "Oh, before you go, I have something for you."
Miyuki tilted her head. "Something for me?"
Yukari also stood from her chair and hurried into the hallway closet. When she returned, she held a brand new book in her hand. It was a hardcover book and rather thick and Miyuki's eyes lit up when she saw it.
"Is…is that…?"
"Yes. It's that book on medical theories you've had your eye on for some time." Yukari replied with a giggle.
Miyuki took the book and hugged her mother. "Thank you so much, mother. But why? It's not Christmas or my birthday."
Yukari shrugged. "Oh, no reason. A mother doesn't need a reason to give her daughter a gift. Only that she loves her."
Miyuki smiled at the book, knowing the truth. Yukari knew how Miyuki had been feeling about her father in recent days, especially with her high school graduation only a few months away. Hideki Takara had made it clear that he wasn't going to be there to see his only child graduate high school, as he had been absent from several of her previous birthdays and other events. This small token was just another reminder by her mother that no matter what, she would always be there for her daughter. It made Miyuki smile and kiss her mother.
She packed the book in her schoolbag and planned to baptize it into her mental library on the way to school, as well as over lunch. As she walked through her neighborhood, the gloomy mood she was compelled by earlier abruptly lifted when she heard the songbirds singing their hearts out as a concerto for the beautiful day. Everything was bright and alive today and even Miyuki, on the anniversary of her parents' divorce, couldn't help but hum cheerfully along with the birds as she walked to the train station.
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"Look, it's Kona-chan! Hey, Kona-chan!" Tsukasa playfully beamed when she saw her blue-haired friend upon her arrival at the train station with her sister.
The blue-haired girl looked up, bags under her eyes hanging so low, she was practically dragging them on the ground. She gave a weak smile and waved.
"Oh for crying out loud, look at you." Kagami snapped and palmed her hips. "Up all night gaming again?"
"You know it, Kagamin. Live fast with no regrets. That's how I live my life." Konata weakly replied, making Tsukasa giggle.
Kagami rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Look, we graduate in only a few short months so you better get your act together before then."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever. You're like rerun episodes of anime." Konata yawned.
Kagami's eyes twitched but she was able to ignore the comment as their train approached. The three girls stepped in and no sooner did Konata sit, her head fell back and she started snoring. A small canal of drool rolled down her cheek and Kagami felt a capillary twitch in her head while Tsukasa could only giggle again. The season may have been new, but old habits from the short otaku definitely weren't.
As the train left the station, it carried with it exactly seventy-two students that attended Ryoo High School, their grades ranging from first years to third years. However, it should've left the station with seventy-three. A first year student and a class president no less. The student was also quite a scholar and good student herself, though still no Miyuki Takara. At the beginning of the year, this student was well-known for her luxurious upbringing, similar to Miyuki's as well. A student who had one weakness that was also her secret passion. A passion that she couldn't let anyone know about. However, as cruel and sadistic as fate was at times, the stars aligned perfectly in this regard for her when that passion was discovered by the wrong people. Ever since that fateful day, it had become her own undoing.
Izumi Wakase arrived at the train station fifteen minutes after her ride left, a large black duffle bag in tow. Her shoes touched the ground, but she could neither feel nor hear the steps. She stopped feeling anything a long time ago. Her glassy eyes stared forward, but she saw nothing. Nothing, except a light that only she could see. A light at the end of a long and dismal tube of infinite blackness that destroyed her world. The supplies she had in her bag would only accelerate her arrival to that light that filled her with such delight, though not a delight as defined by mainstream psychology. A delight created by the knowledge that a long and arduous chore was soon about to conclude and that, at the end of said chore, Izumi Wakase would finally have fulfillment and finally be able to take a load off her battered soul.
She stood in her school uniform clutching the bag at the edge of the platform and waited for the next train to come. Her destination was still the same, though her time of arrival would be behind…just as she had planned. Weeks of planning, to be precise. Weeks of thinking, weeks of purchasing, weeks of practice, and finally, weeks of abuse. However, the past few weeks of abuse didn't even register anymore. It stopped registering months ago, but the laughs and the humiliations still lingered and echoed.
A small reservoir of tears rose in her left eye until enough filled and a single drop fell to the cement. She batted the rest away with a few blinks and smiled devilishly as the next train approached the station. Izumi Wakase held her hard smile, thinking she finally knew who she was and why she was put on this Earth. It was just a shame that it took the asunder of her whole world and the destruction of her innocence to tell her that.
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It was no secret that the general consensus of the Saitama population was that this day was perfect. However, if they were asked by pollsters if the picturesque and tranquil setting of Ryoo High School as students flocked to it was responsible, they would once again say yes. Any student could say what they wanted about school, but they all had to agree that today's spring day around the school complemented by its well sculpted landscaping deserved to be frozen in a postcard to sell at a kiosk. It was a scene of youth and of life; practically untainted by the darkness of the real world that lingered and waited for the graduating students like sharks in the waters.
Konata, Kagami, and Tsukasa arrived at the school ten minutes before the eight o'clock bell. The three friends split up when their respectful corridors arrived. Konata and Tsukasa walked to their classroom while Kagami navigated her way to Sakarabi's homeroom, not looking forward to her teacher's attitude that always came with a Monday morning regardless of the weather.
Kagami slid her classroom door open and saw her classmates conversing before the day would begin and she walked to her seat neighboring Misao Kusakabe's and not too far from Ayano Minegishi's chair.
The twin-tailed girl rolled her eyes when she saw Misao already asleep at her desk while Ayano was breaking school rules and playing with her cell phone, once again reminding Kagami of her own phenomena of attracting similar types of friends. She looked to her left and saw a boy that had caught her attention ever since the school year began.
Ever since the class trip to Kyoto and that chance encounter that Kagami thought she was about to experience her first love, the subject continued to pay her routine visits every time she saw this boy. She was still not like her twin sister, who believed in love at first sight, but still found him fascinating. Satoshi Kaneda just seemed to be his own person and that's what fascinated Kagami about him. Though he dressed in the same uniform as the rest of the boys, he always seemed to give off a sense of a higher class of student. He always made straight A's, his family was well-known in the community as his family had a long history with Ryoo High School.
Kagami even vaguely remembered a history project the class did about their roots in Saitama. Hers of course was regarding the family shrine and the Hiiragi's own contributions to Saitama within the spiritual realms. She remembered his was about his grandfather. His grandfather was actually one of the founders of Ryoo High School, but of course back then it was known as "Ryoo Institute of Academia," or simply RIA. It was a private school back in the day, only accepting the smartest students from the wealthier families, usually public dignitaries who scorned any culture that didn't have anything to do with the pursuit of knowledge. However, as time went on and societies evolved, the school eventually became mainstreamed and adopted its current title as a public but still upstanding education facility.
Satoshi seemed distracted today. He always had a bit of a snobbish attitude, but today it seemed like something was legitimately bothering him. He stared into space with a fallow expression, though it had hints of dread and possible fear about it. He tapped his fingers nervously and Kagami couldn't help but take notice of a gold ring on his right ring finger, though failed to notice the distinguishing symbol with the kanji abbreviating letters that, if translated to English, would read "HC." Kagami leaned over and asked him what was bothering him.
As Kagami conversed, Hiyori Tamura was having worries of her own as the final minutes ticked away to the start of the school day. She stared at her cell phone and reread the text message on her screen for the twenty-something time since she received it last night. It was from Izumi Wakase.
you were a friend to me when everyone was against me. You became one of my best friends and I thank you for that. Please don't come to school tomorrow.
Every attempt Hiyori made to reach Izumi was met with failure since she received it before she went to bed last night. All her texts were ignored and all her calls went to voicemail. Hiyori found it unusual and a little troubling. The text sent her mind back in time almost a year ago, to when she first really met Izumi Wakase in a rather unusual district. She never expected to have a chance encounter with her class president at Otome Road, much less be met with tears and a plea of silence that followed.
"How's it going, Hiyorin?" Patricia Martin's high-pitched voice asked as she leaned against her phone.
Hiyori closed her phone and pocketed it in her skirt. "Meh, same old same old. Got a strange text last night and I've been trying to figure it out. It's probably nothing. Hey, I gotta use the bathroom so if I'm not back in time, just tell the teacher where I'm at, would you?"
"You got it."
Hiyori stood and left the room, not noticing either Yutaka conversing with Minami in a rather cute and sketch-worthy way, nor the two other snobbish boys in her class also talking and were both very nervous. They also donned the same gold rings on their hands. One said to the other that they do have a reason to be concerned and that maybe they should pull back on someone. The other boy scorned his friend for "disloyalty" and "cowardice" for not "enforcing the integrity that RIA deserves."
Hiyori Tamura turned into the girl's lavatory and it wasn't a moment too soon. A small figure rounded the corner and missed her entering the bathroom. The figure was dressed in a black ensemble that included black combat boots, black cargo pants, a black wife beater, a tactical vest, and a bandana with "rise" written on it in kanji. Izumi Wakase felt neither shame nor fear as she walked towards her homeroom class, a pistol nestled in a holster on her hip and a loaded military style rifle in her arms, her finger snaking towards the trigger.
She turned and stepped into her classroom and no one noticed her. Minami Iwasaki would be the first one to see her, but she sounded no scream or warning of any kind. Instead, she reached across the desk and grabbed Yutaka and threw the frail girl and herself to the floor as Izumi Wakase took one step closer to her light as she raised the rifle.
The automatic pops of gunfire blended with blood-curling screams soon echoed all across Ryoo High School.