Red Ribbon 🎀

Akiyama Mizuki often saw the sky.

The school's rooftop had been their safe haven for as long as they could remember, and more often than not, they would watch the slow transition of colours as time would tick by. The same, dull sight that they soon grew tired of, yet still sought comfort from it as it had become their companion in solitude.

In their days of solitude spent on the rooftop, they would think of many things. Depending on the day, their thoughts would vary from the silliest of things, to ideas and concepts that can only be kept behind the closed walls of Mizuki’s mind. Musings that should never be heard by others, and only uttered out into the empty atmosphere.

They would wonder if, by any chance, the sky would weep for them on their eventual, inevitable disappearance. If they were to fade from existence one day, no matter how abrupt, would the vast heavens cry at the loss? Would the skies above even care if they vanished?

Akiyama Mizuki thought about death a lot, as they have come to realize.

Their mind would dance around the many reasons that the cruel gods above have given them to even consider such a concept being applied to their own self. Considering the thought had started in their middle school days, Mizuki knew that the torment and feeling of being ostracized only hurt them beyond capacity. Their experiences forced them into a cocoon that they couldn’t crack themself out of, giving them more of a reason to add death as an option in order to run away from their problems.

As they moved on to high school, however, they found that seeking acceptance for who they truly are became far more painful than any demeaning laughter directed towards them.

But not just anyone’s acceptance.

Mizuki thought about the faces of the three people they have come to hold dear over the years, who gave them a sense of belonging in a music circle riddled with problems. Thinking about those three gave their heart an ache that they could not wish away, causing them to spiral into the concept of death once again.

Everything always pointed to the option.

Perhaps, because of this, they’ve even grown fond of the idea of death.

After all, they could only see it for themself once.

“Mizuki? You’re still here?”

Upon hearing the sweet, airy tone call their name out, Mizuki’s attention cut off from the sky and towards the door. Under the orange hues of the approaching dusk that lit the lonely rooftop had been one of their circle members, standing by the door with a look of concern on her face.

Shinonome Ena.

A headstrong girl, thought Mizuki, who would definitely question them as to why they were on the rooftop by their lonesome.

They only gave a small laugh to dismiss the girl’s small worry. “Ah, well, ya know~” They loosely replied, shrugging. “But what about you? Why are you here early? Your classes don’t start for another hour, right?”

With a frown, Ena approached Mizuki, taking a seat next to the pink-haired individual against the fence. “Got up too early. Couldn’t really focus on drawing, you know the gist of things,” Ena replied, garnering another chuckle from the younger one.

But her expression shifted. Ena’s frown became one that showed uneasiness towards the face that Mizuki wore. “But what about you? Shouldn’t you already be home by now?”

Ena studied Mizuki’s face as she questioned them with worry, eyes only fixated on studying any form of weariness on the younger teen’s face.

They had forgotten. Ena was a rather sharp individual despite her seemingly unending temper, and Mizuki feared that the girl may be able to peer deep into their mind and be able to tell just what they were thinking at that very moment. Mizuki became scared of Ena being able to read what they were hiding.