Kazutora's life has been a tumultuous journey, marked by a troubled childhood, a fateful encounter, and a series of decisions that would forever alter the course of her life.
Growing up in a dysfunctional household, Kazutora sought solace in an unli...
Kazutora, with her short black hair styled in a practical bob cut, stared listlessly at the simple breakfast her mother had prepared - a slice of toast and a glass of water. Just like every other morning in their small, unforgiving apartment.
She glanced at the calendar on the wall, her 10th birthday staring back at her. Another year older, but the loneliness only seemed to deepen.
Though she had "friends" now - a group of three boys led by the charismatic Junpeke, with his short blonde hair parted down the middle - She couldn't shake the nagging feeling that their bond was not as genuine as she hoped. They were always borrowing money from her, despite her inward protests. But the fear of being alone again was too much to bear.
She sighed, thinking back to the previous year. On her 9th birthday, she had wished and wished for the day to last forever, if only to avoid the aching solitude that always crept back in. At least with her "friends" around, she could momentarily forget the cold, atmosphere at home.
She hadn't seen her arrogant father, since his mother divorced him the year before. When she just couldn't take the domestic abuse anymore. Afterwards, she lived with her mother.
Her mother, with her short black hair in a ponytail , seemed perpetually distracted, buried in the endless work that kept their meager household running. Even on her special day, there were no birthday celebrations, no signs of affection.
Just the muted hum of her mother's computer in the background, and the cold dead silence.
Kazutora pushed away her uneaten breakfast, steeling herself for another day of maintaining the fragile facade of her friendships. If only she could find someone who wouldn't betray her, who would truly see her for who she was...
With a heavy sigh, she turned and left the apartment, for another day at school, a small part of her dared to hope that this year might be different. Perhaps, on the eve of her 11th birthday, something - or someone - could change the cold, lonely trajectory of her life.
Little did she know, that chance encounter was just around the corner, waiting to alter the course of her future in ways she could never have imagined.
And somewhere, back in the past, a young Kazutora could be seen playing a video game, her mother asking if she was on her side or choosing the other. These words had cut deep, reminding her that she could never truly be on her mother's side - that she had to choose, to pick a side. Those words still haunted her to this day, a constant reminder of the disconnect between her and her family.
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