Fire...!

Flames blaze fiercely before my eyes, as if they want to devour everything in front of me in one breath.

Within the dense fire shadows, the figure of a woman breaks into my line of sight!

Her elusive silhouette prevents me from recognizing her, but I am eager to know the truth.

"Mom—!"

As I recklessly rush into the fire.

A pair of large hands embrace me from behind, their smell tainted with paint, but still very nostalgic.

"Don't go, your mom... she's no longer here!"

"No, she can't be... Mom...!"

I don't believe it, that my mother would leave me like this.

The woman who was once the best to me in the world, who always helped me in crucial moments, has left like this...

"Are you okay, Juxi! Call an ambulance..."

In front of me, it is all pitch black, only the sharp cries of Yukari echo.

Snow is still falling, but there is no sound.

Only the ear-piercing roar of the ambulance, and someone's anxious waiting.

"Juxi... Juxi..."

Are they calling me?

A faint and distant voice calls for me, though it sounds familiar, I know it's not my mom's voice.

However, when I lift my head to look at her, a surprising scene unfolds before me...

It's not anyone in front of me, not even someone to be considered a person!

Her massive body is twice as tall as me, two golden eyes staring at me without blinking, her tentacles waving silently!

"Have we met somewhere before?"

"..."

She doesn't answer, just stares at me from a distance, then waves her tentacles constantly towards my chest.

Restlessly, as if trying to tell me to pay attention to that area.

When I lower my head for a moment, I almost drop my jaw in surprise!

"My body is gone, huh, what is this...?"

"Umm! Umm!"

The giant monster hums lightly, reminding me that there is something there.

A small copper pocket watch floats where my body used to be, right at the important spot where my heart is!

"Restraint... restraint...!"

"Restraint?"

"No, no... I can't leave that forest, the cold forest!"

Her words are muffled, and I can't make out everything she's saying, but I understood one word — cold forest.

At that moment, the voice of the black monster enters my mind, and the world covered in snow unfolds in all directions.

The past then plays in loop like a slideshow!

...

These lines are so familiar, isn't this the self-composed and self-sung song that Yukari sang during the Campus Flower selection — "Lonely Planet"?

"Hello, everyone, I am Tsubaki Kyuukatsu Yukari from Class 2-3..."

Back then, Yukari was humble and disciplined, without any airs of being the student council president.

Wearing a swan-like dress, she was like an angel, and in the end, she chose to stay in the mortal realm.

With a gentle flick of her pinky finger, she picked up the microphone and began to sing.

Lightly, I walk away... Who is lost in this season...

Singing with great effort, it was only to blame oneself!

Who can fill my loneliness?

...

Stay here, on this lonely planet... Believe in us, love can always bring miracles!

Yukari's every song can freeze the air, making the crowd around disappear without a trace, making me truly feel the loneliness!

...

The heartache, yet the gods are powerless!

I long for that cold memory and the eternal forest.

Nothing can stop me from returning there, nothing!

Oh, cold forest, please listen to my prayer...

May you find everything lost in this world!

That song, the one deeply imprinted in my heart - the cold forest!

These scenes are depicted one by one, and I slowly wake up from my disappointment, then my lips mutter softly.

"What is Yukari pursuing... What is she pursuing?"

Floating above the pitch-black sky, I aimlessly wander, allowing myself to traverse this space filled with countless floating screens.

Each screen has a different image, but they all have one thing in common...

The main character in each image is Yukari!

"Damn it, who are you?!"

Those words thunder in my ears, piercing through the defense line in my heart.

Crackle...crash!!!

Numerous jarring noises surround me, and my head throbs, feeling a bit nauseous.

Only that dark monster, she has already appeared in front of me, gently stroking my hair and staring into my eyes.

"It's over, Xi! I'm really lonely alone. Will you come and keep me company?"

"Wake up, Juxi! Wake up!"

The voice suddenly stops abruptly, even that last warmth that belonged to me has been abandoned.

We have all been abandoned by society, then dragged out and sentenced to death countless times by the world.

Darkness envelops me, and only a small spot of light remains high above, but I can't reach it because it's too high!

In the abyss of darkness, I can only choose to forget the pitch-black surroundings and gradually blend in with them!

"My heart, it turns out...it has already been locked with a shackle?"

After struggling hard, the shackles remains unyielding, trapping me and making it impossible for me to free myself!

I finally give up struggling, prepared to sleep forever...

"No, absolutely not, I won't allow you to leave like this!"

Who is shouting for me?

The darkness is suddenly overwhelmed by a wave of light, even when I close my eyes I can still feel it, a faint light enveloping my pupils.

Dim light shines into the room, bringing some life into the room filled with the smell of medicine.

When I woke up from the bed, I realized that it was already morning.

"Oh dear, what on earth...ugh!"

My head hurts a little, even my arms feel a bit weak when I try to support my body.

"Mm, so heavy...!"

It feels like a heavy object weighing down my arm, no wonder I couldn't lift it.

So Yukari has been pressing down on my arm? Really, she's causing unnecessary trouble.

But, thinking about it, has she been waiting for me all this time?

I wanted to wake her up, but I hesitated to speak.

Looking at her sleeping profile, a slight smile couldn't help but appear at the corner of my mouth. Upon closer inspection, the unreachable Yukari is no different from an ordinary person.

"Whether excellent or aloof...!"

Because I know, Yukari is just like that.

Always looking at others from their perspective, caring for others, that's why she is loved and respected by her classmates.

And then, there's me... just a selfish person in the end.

Time gradually passed, and the sun completely rose into the sky.

Sunlight shone through the window onto her cheeks, creating a faint blush, awakening her...

"Juxi, are you finally awake? You scared me!"

As soon as she saw me wake up, she immediately jumped onto me, hugging my neck, looking both relieved and alarmed.

At that moment, the female doctor who was treating me came over and praised Yukari.

"What a good sister you are, she stayed with you all night after bringing you here. No matter how much I tried to persuade her, she insisted on waiting for her brother to wake up."

"All night?!"

I almost dropped my jaw. Yukari, who stayed up all night without sleeping at all, actually had heavy dark circles.

She indeed looked like she had only slept for a short while.

"Yes, Tsubaki Juxi... right?"

The doctor suddenly walked over to me and called Yukari anxiously.

I don't know what they talked about, but I could tell from Yukari's helpless expression through the glass that they were discussing something I shouldn't have heard.

The doctor shook her head and put her hands in her pocket before turning away.

Yukari, who was left behind, looked somewhat helpless, struggling on her own.

The doctor came in alone, smiling in a calm tone.

"It's nothing serious, just a mental illness. Remember to come to the hospital for check-ups regularly!"

"Are you saying I can be discharged?"

"Yes, congratulations! You can be discharged now. Your body is very healthy!"

After saying that, the doctor smiled kindly and handed me the results of the medical examination.

Although I was happy to have recovered, the slightly melancholic Yukari, who had just entered the room, made it hard for me to smile.

Her crystal-clear blue eyes instantly turned gray, and it hurt my heart.

"Hey? Mr. Tsubaki Juxi, are you listening?"

"Huh... Ah, yes, I'm listening!"

My perspective was once again pulled back to the medical report by the doctor, including some discharge procedures, and as for the hospital expenses, my father who was abroad had already taken care of it.

"Then please sign here."

"Okay."

Finally, if I go to school now, I can still make it on time for class, but what about Yukari?

Looking at Yukari, who was also rushing with me, she is the student council president. It's unlikely that she arrived so late...

Unpleasant images filled my mind.

"Oh! Our president can be late too, how ironic, right?"

"Yeah, exactly. There's a saying: acquaintance doesn't reveal someone's true nature!"

If something like that really happened, I...!

I lowered my head in embarrassment, trying to avoid the gaze of others.

In fact, many people don't know that we are siblings. Although Yukari sister doesn't care, I hate being looked down upon by them!

"Good morning, president!"

"Morning!"

"Good morning, president!"

"Yeah, you too!"

Today, Yukari sister is still full of energy, and the students haven't mentioned anything about playing with her, which surprises me. But she looks at me proudly and comforts me, saying:

"You see, outsiders won't dismiss a person's value just because of some small mistakes. I don't have as intimidating power as you think."

When I heard her words, all the longing that had been buried deep in my heart for years suddenly emerged! Although I didn't show it on the surface, my heart felt warm.

Yukari sister took my hand and walked together under the watchful eyes of everyone, coming to the school.

"Eh, who is that person next to the president?" (Male)

"What... How dare they hold hands with the president! I've never held hands with her in my life!" (Another male)

Not only the boys, but even the girls were discussing us on both sides.

"Hey, look... The president actually has a boyfriend?"

"What... No way, the only one who can be with the president is me!"

"Annihilation..."