Everyone went home that night.No one said much. No one could.
The snow fell softly, covering the empty streets, covering the things no one wanted to remember.
Each of them carried their own thoughts.
Akira walked home with his hands shoved deep in his pockets, his breath sharp in the air."She was beautiful," he thought."My first love. The one I would've given up everything for. The one who was mine... or I wanted her to be. How could she? Why would she?"The words burned his throat, but there was no one to answer.
Chinatsu sat in her room, hugging her pillow, her phone still in her hand, the group chat open but unread."She was my only real friend. The only one I could talk to without pretending," she thought."She listened to me when no one else did. What do I do now?"She buried her face in her arms, her shoulders shaking quietly.
Hikari stared out her window, her reflection faint in the glass."The thing that happened... it doesn't feel right," she whispered."The girl who used to make everyone laugh, now just... gone?"She hugged herself tightly. The silence in her room felt wrong.
Taro sat at his desk, eyes open, staring at the same spot on the wall."Why would she do it?" he whispered."She wasn't that type. She had plans. Dreams. She wanted to live."He pressed his hands to his head."Did someone force her? Was she scared? What the hell happened?"
His eyes burned, but no tears came. Just that dull pressure behind his eyes that hurt worse than crying.
The moon sank behind the clouds, and a new day began.
The date flashed in his mind: December 23, 2029.Morning light spilled weakly through his curtains.
"Taro?" his mother called from outside the door."Be ready for the funeral. We have to leave early and help with the arrangements."
She opened the door slowly — and froze.
Taro was already dressed in a black suit. His tie was crooked. His eyes were red, heavy, surrounded by dark spots.It looked like he hadn't slept all night.
He stood up, his voice dull."Let's go."
He walked past her without looking up.
Downstairs, his father sat by the heater, coat folded neatly beside him.Neither parent said much — just watched him.
As Taro slipped on his shoes, his mother said softly,"Don't go alone, okay?"
He didn't answer."I'm going," he said, and walked out into the cold.
His parents exchanged a look.His father sighed. "He's hurting."His mother nodded. "He loved her… but what can we even do now?"
Taro didn't walk toward Chiyo's house.His feet took him to Bontan Park.
The snow was falling harder, sky completely gray.As he crossed the bridge near his street, he stopped.
The water beneath it — the river that never froze — was solid ice.Completely frozen.
He crouched down and touched it.It burned cold.
"This isn't normal," he whispered.
Back home, his parents had the TV on.Two headlines ran one after another.
"This winter is expected to be the harshest in years due to the La Niña effect. Heavy snowfall may cause extreme conditions across Japan."
Then another:
"Breaking news: blood found near Bontan Park. Three high school girls missing. Police investigating possible foul play."
His mother covered her mouth. "Bontan Park…?"His father turned down the volume, eyes tense."This country's changing," he muttered. "This town isn't normal anymore."
Taro reached the park just before 7:25 a.m.Snow covered everything in white. The swings moved slightly with the wind.
He stood there quietly, watching the empty park — until footsteps crunched behind him.
Akira arrived first, then Chinatsu and Hikari.All dressed in black. All silent.
Chinatsu spoke first. "Did you guys see the news?"
They shook their heads.Taro asked, "What happened?"
Chinatsu hesitated. Her voice came out small."They found blood near the forest by this park. And three girls... are missing."
The wind stopped for a moment.
Taro looked at Akira.Akira looked at Taro.Neither said a word.But both knew exactly what the other was thinking.
The scream.The sound of chopping wood.The shadow.
It wasn't their imagination.
Their stomachs turned cold.
Chinatsu frowned. "What's wrong?"Taro shook his head. "Nothing. Let's just go."
They began walking toward the main road.Snowflakes fell heavier now, almost sideways in the wind.
As they crossed the frozen bridge, Hikari rubbed her arms. "It's colder than yesterday."Taro checked his phone. "Minus two degrees."She blinked. "That's... weird. It's never this cold here."
No one replied. The only sound was their boots crunching the snow.
When they reached Chiyo's neighborhood, the air was filled with sirens again.Police cars. Ambulances. Reporters.Blue lights flashing over the snow like silent lightning.
The crowd was smaller, but quieter.The silence felt heavier than the noise ever could.
Chinatsu whispered, "They're here for carrying the body"Akira said nothing. His jaw was tight.
Taro's eyes drifted to Chiyo's house —the same window she used to wave from after school.
Now it was dark, covered by frost.
He whispered, mostly to himself,"I still can't believe this."
And no one answered.