Then, Sunday morning arrived. The weather was nice, with a pleasant temperature and a clear sky dotted with fluffy white clouds. Although a gloomy or rainy day would have been more fitting for a funeral, even on such a sunny day, the sadness of the occasion couldn't be concealed.
At 7:30 in the morning, Ziongzong, Yui, and Yuki, all dressed in their school uniforms, arrived at Mizuo's house to pick her up. "Good morning, Mizuo." When they pressed the doorbell and identified themselves over the intercom, Mizuo quickly came and opened the door, which was not how she usually behaved. She had already changed into her school uniform and didn't look as desolate as before, although the sadness still lingered on her face. "Um, good morning, everyone," Mizuo replied, lacking any enthusiasm in her voice, which instantly affected the mood of those around her.
In the silence that followed, Yui stepped forward and gently touched Mizuo's head, showing concern. "Have you had breakfast?" It wasn't a difficult question, but Mizuo seemed to have forgotten the concept of eating breakfast in the morning. "I haven't had breakfast," Mizuo replied with a hint of disappointment, not because she hadn't eaten but because it reminded her of the memories of having breakfast with her mother, bringing back a wave of sadness.
"Since you haven't eaten, come and have breakfast with us! We haven't eaten either!" Yui said, not giving Mizuo a chance to be sad. She rubbed Mizuo's head a little harder and pulled her out of the house, wrapping her arm around her shoulder. "Let's go, let's go! Lock the door and have breakfast!"
Under the energetic call from Yui, Ziongzong and Yuki also took hold of Mizuo and left the gloomy house. Although the three of them had actually already eaten breakfast at Yui's house, Mizuo grabbed Ziongzong's arm and slowed him down slightly on the way to breakfast. Then, she whispered next to him, "Speaking of breakfast, Ziongzong, do you remember our first breakfast together?" Ziongzong was momentarily stunned, but then the memory of that morning, which had been so painful for him, came flooding back. "Of course, I remember," he replied.
And I won't let the same pain happen to you again, Mizuo. The second half of the sentence remained in Ziongzong's heart, unable to be spoken. He felt that actions to fulfill his intentions were more important than words. This brief and rapid conversation reignited the somewhat awkward relationship between the two, bringing back a sense of camaraderie from their past.
Thirty minutes later, the four of them finished breakfast amidst laughter and chatter. Although Mizuo still didn't say much and didn't have a smile on her face, she was in a much better state than before - not as gloomy. Then, at the agreed-upon time, Yui's phone rang. It was Uesugi Tano calling. He had rented an 8-seater van for everyone's convenience in attending the funeral. After confirming their location over the phone, Uesugi Tano and Yukino arrived in the car to pick up the four young people.
Uesugi Tano and Yukino were both dressed in black formal wear, following the funeral etiquette. The presence of their black van shattered the relaxed atmosphere the four had managed to create so easily.
And these are also inevitable and must be endured.
"The journey takes about half an hour. You can take a nap for a while so that you won't fall asleep at the funeral later, otherwise you may never wake up~"
Although Uesugi Tano tried hard to liven up the atmosphere, he really didn't have the ability to tell jokes, and his timing was also bad. After he finished speaking, the audience had no reaction, so he could only drive in silence, feeling awkward. Unable to bear the awkwardness, he turned on the car radio.
The journey began while the singer Adam Levine sang "Lost Stars".
