Suddenly, light. By force of habit, Tsubaki pillowed her face. A few moments later, she took a peek at her room. The sun was shining outside, brightening her bedroom. No clouds in sight... Dammit.

But more importantly, it was morning?

...It was a dream, then. She tried not to be disappointed.

12:00, her digital clock blinked at her. She glared at it. What, now are you going to tell me the power went out, too? I hate resetting this thing...

She searched her tangled sheets for the television remote. Click, buzz.

She squinted at the screen in attempt to read the small writing in the corner. Maybe I really do need glasses, everything looks sort of off today...

9:53 AM, January 1st, 2004

"Wha...?" She rubbed her eyes.

9:54 AM, January 1st, 2004

"...'t the hell? That can't be right."

Tsubaki exited the mess that was probably a bed before she touched it and went to the living room, where her cellphone sat on the end table, charging.

9:54 AM, January 1st, 2004

She almost threw the thing back onto the table. "I know that isn't the date!" There was almost panic in her voice; what was she getting so worked up about? It was obviously 2012, someone had just-

It was at that moment, Tsubaki became aware that even the numbers on her calender were for 2004.

"Ah!" No matter how long she stared at it, it still read 2004. Why it freaked her out so badly? That was the exact calender she had for 2012, yet it didn't even seem to be tampered with, despite those not being printed at that time. Was this really some elaborate prank...? But, why?

She switched on her laptop, further annoyed when she noticed it also was set to that date. Her email account had a new message, some kind of announcement, it seemed...

To-Oh University Entrance Exams? To-Oh... To-Oh... That name... Like the university Light went to in Death Note?

ANOTHER PRANK? Gah. She shut the laptop and set it down before she could smash it.

Tsubaki held her head. Just what was going on here? All these weird things going on... Maybe she needed some fresh air? Get out of the house for a while, see if it wasn't just her sleepy brain imagining things. This was strange enough to be some sort of dream, right? Yeah, she'd wake up soon.

And so, she prepared herself to face the world. Her teeth were brushed, face washed, and her long dark hair had been combed free of tangles. Her pink polka dot night gown and bunny slippers were traded for a white swing dress, tights, and red wedges. She took a good look at herself in the mirror, then decided to add a red clip to her hair for decoration.

The first thought that entered her mind as she walked outside?

HOLY CRAP, IT'S FREEZING OUT HERE.

RETREAT!

That is why, Tsubaki Nagamori only spent a few seconds wearing the outfit she'd worked so hard on in public. That is also why Tsubaki Nagamori is now curled up in her favorite blanket eating hot soup, wondering what happened to her beloved rainy month and muttering things about nature being a moody bitch.