Youthful Days (Book 1)

1. New Girl

Hanamachi Ayuna woke up with a start.

She had a nightmare—one that seemed to be recurring recently. In her dream, she was shot from the back. The bullet penetrated her lower back and hit her spine with a sickening crunch, enveloping her in an incredible burn. As she plunged forward into the darkness, three voices shrieked her name simultaneously: two were female and one was male.

It was astonishing for her to pinpoint these details while everything else remained murky. All she saw was an endless stretch of black, with no context or indications of why the attack happened.

She did know, however, that she was dead.

Her mother, Umeko, had once said that it was a bad omen to dream about death, especially if the person dying was oneself. She was a believer in all sorts of Japanese superstitions and spiritual practices. While Ayuna enjoyed a story or two, she also found these ideas baseless and never saw them as more than old wives' tales. To keep Umeko from fretting over it for months, she decided to keep the eerie dream to herself.

As she was thinking this, Umeko burst into the room. "Oh good, you are up!"

Her smile was bright as the day as she swept open the curtains to reveal the cloudless sky. Beams of sunlight fell through and drenched the room in gold. Outside, cherry blossom trees were in full bloom, filling the streets with a curtain of delicate pink.

"Ah, what a perfect spring day for you to start high school," Umeko sighed blissfully, cranking open the windows and taking a deep inhale of the morning air. "Are you excited?"

"As excited as can be," answered Ayuna cheerfully.

Without further delay, she climbed out of bed and started to make her bed. To her surprise, Umeko nudged her aside and started smoothing the bedspread. "I'll take care of everything today since it's your big day. Go get dressed so you won't miss the early train!"

Nodding meekly, Ayuna picked up the school uniform she'd diligently set out the night before and headed for the bathroom.

As an adopted child, she was grateful to have two parents who treated her like a jewel. Ever since finding out they intended to enroll her in a private high school, Ayuna had sought ways to reduce expenses for her single-income family. Her diligence was rewarded when she was admitted to the esteemed Seishun Academy (Seigaku*) with a full scholarship for her first year. Everything, it seemed, panned out in her favor.

Yet on this morning to a new start, Ayuna felt a distinct unease. When she studied her reflection in the mirror, something seemed off. Not only did she feel that a crucial part of her was amiss, but there was also an attenuated fear. For what, she didn't know.

Or maybe, Ayuna shook her head dismissively, she was just thinking nonsense because of that bad dream.

***

Hanamachi Hideki saw Ayuna off at the train station before taking the Yamanote line to work. He knew he was overly protective of her daughter, but Hideki believed his concerns weren't unfounded. Ayuna was a special girl, not simply because every child was special to their parents, but because she was gifted.

Since Ayuna was a child, he noticed that she had an uncanny ability to learn. She was a keen observer and effortlessly acquired skills from others. This allowed her to become the top-ranking student in her school and excel in sports. Besides these academic achievements, she also had impeccable mannerisms and charm that naturally engaged others.

In recent years, the most worrisome aspect became her striking appearance. From a young age, Ayuna had always drawn the attention of boys and evoked jealousy from other girls. As she grew older, her budding prettiness evolved into a beauty that was too conspicuous to ignore. Not only did she captivate her male peers, but she was also beginning to turn the heads of grown men.