Chapter 6: Wilted Too Soon


Our lives are stories that are constantly being written, so virtually no one can guess how- or when- theirs will end.

Mio was no exception. She'd given some thought to preparing for college and had a few career choices written down, but never imagined that she would not live long enough to go to college, much less start a career. Even in the final year, month, week, day and hour of her life, Mio never imagined that her life was almost over.

Even apart from not foreseeing her own death, Mio's mind was mostly on the present. While high school students had to think about their futures, they also had many things to worry about, but also enjoy, in the present. This was especially true for the student council, which had to plan for the school festival, and later, the school trip, not anticipating that a much more sudden and tragic development would occur long before either.


After summer vacation ended, Mio returned to school, and her preparations for the school festival continued. Getting a school full of hundreds of students ready for an event that involved the participation of every class and student club was not something that could be done overnight, but a project that the student council and other clubs worked on day in, day out. The student council's own contribution, the school play, was no exception, and the class continued to practice every time they met.

On a Saturday afternoon, after school, Mio held another student council meeting to discuss and rehearse for the upcoming play. The class had already memorized their lines, although a few of the cast members were having trouble with their delivery.

"That's all for today," Mio said. "I think everyone's doing well so far, and we should be ready in time for the play. Next week, we'll be moving on to dress rehearsals, so please be ready for that, and make sure you know all your lines."

Everyone then got up to leave and go home, and Mio walked home with Ichigaya one last time.

"So you really think we can do this, Mio?" Ichigaya said, hoping for her honest opinion, rather than merely a platitude meant to improve morale.

"Absolutely, Yuki-kun," Mio said. "I think everyone's really done well so far, and you've got the makings of a good actor."

"If you say so," Ichigaya said modestly.

"I mean it," Mio said. "It might seem like I'm pushing a lot onto you guys, and that's probably true, but I really think you're a reliable bunch. I'm being completely honest with you all it when I say that I couldn't have gotten by without you."

Ichigaya smiled. Sometimes, his friends outside the student council said they were jealous of him for getting to serve alongside Mio every day, even if he protested that he and Mio were merely friends and colleagues, not anything more than that. There were times when he wondered if they'd still admire and crush on Mio as much as they did if they truly knew her, but he had to admit that he was lucky. To Ichigaya, Mio wasn't a school idol, but a trusted friend and colleague, so he enjoyed his time with her and appreciated every moment of it... even if he didn't know it was about to come to an end.


The next day, Mio woke up in the morning, not knowing it would be her last day alive.

Knowing it was a Sunday, Mio took full advantage of the freedom she'd been given, since she didn't have to attend school. She woke up late enough that she'd never be able to make it to school on time. She put on a plaid button-down shirt and a pair of jeans; while some students could get away with taking liberties with the dress code, showing up like this would have gotten her sent home immediately. She spent most of the morning lazing around, mentally noting when each of her classes would have begun or ended if she were in school.

Touko had the same idea as Mio, since she wore a white turtleneck and a skirtall, and judging from how quickly she'd gotten herself ready, hadn't woken up more than 15 minutes before Mio had. She seemed more relaxed than she did around strangers, and a part of Mio hoped that one day, Touko could show that side of her to all her friends.

In the afternoon, the two sisters sat at the couch, watching a TV program that neither of them found especially interesting, but was a good way to kill time. Touko, who'd started reading while on the couch, would later be unable to recall what she and her sister had been watching even though every other detail of that afternoon would be burned into her memory. Eventually, Touko, feeling tired, lay her head in her sister's lap.

Mio smiled warmly. It was a fairly boring afternoon, but it was also a highly relaxing one. Right now, no one expected Mio to live up to her reputation, and no one judged Touko for falling short of what Mio had accomplished when she was Touko's age. For a few more hours, until their day off ended and a new school day began, the two sisters could be themselves, and they cherished moments like this.

Of course, the two sisters weren't completely free, as they were still expected to help out around the house. Their mother, who was working in the kitchen, about to start on dinner, turned to them with a task that required their attention.

"Girls, I need someone to take someone to take out the trash before dinner," their mother said.

Touko sat up after hearing her mother, then the two sisters turned to each other. The Nanami family didn't have a "chore wheel," but it was more or less expected that each member of the family earn their keep somehow. Touko had lower expectations than Mio did, but still had to pitch in from time to time, and would do so more often once she got older. This time, however, her mother didn't care which of the sisters helped out.

"How about we do rock-paper-scissors, Touko?" Mio said. "The loser has to take the trash out."

Touko nodded. The sisters often used rock-paper-scissors as a relatively fair and impartial way to settle disputes like this.

"Rock, paper, scissors... shoot!" the sisters said in unison

In theory, the result should have been purely up to luck, since neither sister knew what the other would choose until after both had made their choice. But while Touko knew the rules of the game, she hadn't mastered the subtler arts involved in tripping up her opponent, and as such, was somewhat predictable. That predictability gave Mio a small but crucial edge, and helped her guess what Touko would pick.

The match only lasted a few seconds, but whether because she knew her sister too well, or because of chance, Mio made a small decision that was perhaps the most important of her life.

Mio threw paper and Touko threw scissors.

"Haha, looks like I lost," Mio said. "I'll take the trash out now, Mom."

"Be back soon, sis!" Touko said cheerfully, waving.

Mio left with a smile. She didn't want to foist the responsibility on her younger sister, but she knew that Touko would feel indebted to her if Mio volunteered for the job. She couldn't let Touko win every time, lest Touko suspect something, but letting her win now and again could help give Touko a break from chores and let her feel like she'd earned it.

Of course, it wasn't as though taking the garbage out was an arduous task, since the entire process only took a few minutes... or at least it should have. After exiting the family home, Mio crossed the street, then threw the trash bag into the dumpster. Her task complete, Mio walked back to her house, preoccupied with thoughts about what her family would have for dinner that night.

On the way back, Mio stood at the crosswalk, saw the "Walk" sign light up and began to cross, unaware of the car approaching from her right, going far above the local speed limit. Since the sun had only just started to set, the driver should have been able to see her.

Mio noticed the sound of the car's tires screeching too late- too late for her to avoid it or for the driver to brake. All she could do was turn to the right, see the car speeding toward her, and wonder, "Why isn't it stopping?" For the briefest of moments, she stood there, frozen in shock and almost unimaginable terror... and then that moment passed.

The car then slammed into Mio, killing her almost instantly.


Author's Notes

The story doesn't disclose many details about the cause of Mio's death, apart from the fact that it was a traffic accident- an appropriately sudden and traumatic cause of death. There isn't an official date of her death, either, apart from that it was apparently between when the school year started and when the play would have been held.

Even though Mio is now dead, there will be two more chapters- one for the aftermath of Mio's death and an epilogue focusing on Touko.