I open my eyes, and I find the infinite darkness surrounding me. Even as time passes, not a single thing has changed; my body floats around endlessly in the darkness without any end in sight. I take a short breath and then exhale, closing my eyes once again and letting my consciousness fade away as I let the darkness claim my body once more. 

"No, stop..."

"Ghh..." 

"Ahh!!!"

I jerked awake as my nightmare reached it's peak. The sheets of the bed are strewn, and the smell of sweat wafts inside the room, indicating that I've been tossing and turning in my sleep again. As I was lost in thoughts, I noticed that I'm hyperventilating, and I'm starting to feel light-headed because of it. I force myself to calm down, and I try to consciously regulate my breathing by taking long and deep breaths. After a few minutes, my heartbeat and breathing finally go back to normal, and I exhale a short breath of relief.

As I sit in the silence of the dark bedroom, my vision suddenly starts to blur before I feel something wet streaking my cheeks. I wipe my cheek with my finger, only to find the tears starting to flow even more. Feeling defeated, I put down my hands and let the tears flow freely, dropping to the bed and wetting the sheets and pillow. I curl up and put my head on my knees, crying silently as to not disturb the others who are still asleep. 

I stayed in that position even after the sun had risen and my tears were no longer flowing. The rays of light enter my room through the gaps in the curtain, telling me that it will be another sunny day today. Slapping my cheeks together, I force myself to calm the feelings and emotions running amok inside my head, and wear the smile I always do.

"Right, have to prepare for school today... as per usual, then," I mumble to myself as I take my towel and toothbrush before heading towards the shower. I turn the handle and water starts to flow freely from the showerhead, basking my body in warm water. Yet, all I feel inside is the cold dwelling deep within.

My thoughts eluded me once I went outside the shower. When I came to, I was walking mindlessly along the road like I'd done hundreds or even thousands of times before. The cold air bites into me, as the falling snow and the gray skies are blocking the sun, keeping the temperature low enough for me to shiver even when I'm wearing a coat on top of my winter uniform.

Feeling quite miserable, I pull on my coat, trying to envelop my body tighter with it and preserving any heat I have left from escaping. I continue on walking this way, and not long after I begin to see other people wearing the same uniform as I do; every single one of them walking towards the same direction. 

In the end, our destination reveals itself: a western style building, standing on top of the hill where the road I have been walking on ends. Surrounding the main building is a tall wall, giving the school complex a sense of security seeing it from the outside in. Aside from the main building and the walls, there are also some sports field, as well as small building  for various activities. This school complex is the one I call my school, Morizaka Academy. It is said that the main building was made out of an old western style mansion before the various additions, but I don't really care much about it enough to dive in deeper.

Desperate to find refuge from the cold, I quickly enter the complex through the wide-open gates and head towards the main building. The cold air abruptly ceases to exist as I enter through the doors, and warm air starts to envelop me in exchange. I stand still under the heaters in front of the door, basking in the warmth that it is giving out. After a few seconds, I head towards my shoe locker, exchanging my outdoor shoes for my indoor shoes as usual. 

Heading towards my class, I climb the stairs, much like I do everyday. The sound of other students chattering could be heard from the hallways and the classes. Once I reach the third floor, I take a step away from the stairs and enter the hallway, which is filled with students which makes this floor their homeroom classroom. Upbeat conversations fill the air, as well as the occasional laughter and shrieks. I stand there silently, taking in the atmosphere as I try to fill my head with happy thoughts and force myself to make a natural smile. 

As soon as my lips managed to form a smile, I feel a hand patting me from the back.

"Good morning, Kusakabe. Feeling alright today, I believe?" A girl's voice said gently.

I turned around to see the source of the voice. There, a girl is standing, her face brightened by the rays of sunlight flowing in through the window. Her long, black hair flows freely to her hips, and her lips form what is only a slight smile, yet the feeling of sincerity can be clearly felt. Her eyes show bright signs of life, as is the usual for her. This girl is Maeda Reiko, one of the flowers of the school. She is kind to everyone, even to students who in other situations will end up being ostracized. Yet, because of her existence, it feels like everyone is able to get along without any problems whatsoever. Seeing her disposition, as bright as usual, I can't help but feel slightly lifted as well.

"Good morning, Maeda. Yeah, I'd say I'm doing alright. How about you?"

"Glad to hear that. As you can see, I'm doing quite well as well." As Maeda finished her reply, the school bell rang, signifying it was time for everyone to take their seats.

"Well, we should hurry to our seats. I will be talking to you again later, Kusakabe. Have a nice day," she said before walking faster and entering a classroom. I follow suit, and when I enter the class everyone is already seated, although everyone is still talking, mostly with other students who are sitting next to them. Maeda is among them, with her sitting in her seat but still talking with the other girls whose seats surround hers. I hastily take my seat, and just as I finish setting up my table, the homeroom teacher enters the room and promptly stands at the front of the blackboard.

"All right everyone, settle down," The homeroom teacher, Mister Sasaki, says as he starts to count the students present. After that, he makes a few announcements, although I don't really pay any attention, and instead I let my mind wander around as I blankly gaze at the gray skies outside through the window. 

"Lastly, the weather forecast says that it's likely going to rain, so remember to bring an umbrella for a few days going forward. That is all," Mister Sasaki says as he tidies up his belongings and walks out of the classroom. As soon as the door closes behind him, the students once again break into a chatter, albeit in a more hushed tone. Different from before, however, Maeda is completely focused on preparing for the next lessons. Just like usual, Maeda's focus is incredible once it's time for studying, as she seemingly shows no interest whatsoever to the conversations around her, as she spends her time ensuring the contents of her pencils as well as her pens. After her check is finished, she leans back and waits silently for the next class to begin.

Not long after, the sound of a door opening can be heard, and the entire class falls into silence. However, contrary to expectations, it is instead a male student that walks in, eliciting a feeling of disappointment from everyone present. 

The male student himself simply ignores everyone's gaze and walks briskly yet steadily towards his seat. His brown skin glistens as he does so, and the sunlight reflects and illuminates the beads of sweat that hang around his short, black hair. The steady rhythm of his footsteps accompanies him, creating a feeling of someone important having just walked into the room, and such is the way one can know when Ryuunosuke Oomori has joined them. However, the other students, seeing that the one who walked in wasn't a teacher, simply return to their own conversations. He, on the other hand, walks directly towards me.

"Yo, mornin' Yuu. Did I miss anything important in the morning announcements?"

"Yo, morning Ryuu. I wasn't paying attention unfortunately, so can't help you there. The only announcement I heard is to prepare an umbrella since the forecast says it will rain for a few days," I reply, trying to sound cheerful.

"Argh, seriously? That's a pain." 

"Are you still working on that construction site?" 

 

"Yes, that's why I said that it's a pain. As if everything's not heavy already, now I have to contend with slippery floor and whatnot."

As Ryuu tries to continue the conversation, the teacher for the next class walks in, silencing the rest of the class.

"I'll talk to you again later," Ryuu said as he heads towards his seat. Nodding quickly, I turn my attention to the teacher who is now standing behind the podium in front of the blackboard.

"Good morning, everyone. Let's resume from where we left off last time," The teacher said as he starts to write on the blackboard. Accordingly, I open my notebook as I prepare to try to pay attention to today's classes, as another long day has started.