Chapter no 1
Aiko sat quietly on her tatami mat, pencil
trembling in her small hand.
Her math notebook lay open, but the numbers swam on the page.
Emiko's (mom) voice floated from the kitchen:
"Aiko, is your homework done?"
Aiko whispered, "Almost…"
Emiko (grandma)stepped in, brows furrowed.
"Why is it so slow? You always overthink everything!"
For other children, a small scolding would pass quickly.
For Aiko… it felt like her heart had been ripped in two.
She clutched her notebook. Tears welled up, but she did not cry.
If she did, Emiko would be angrier.
If she did not… the pain stayed.
Sliding doors creaked. Grandmother Sachiko entered, glancing at Aiko.
"Always so dramatic… Why can't you be like the others?"
Riku laughed from across the room, holding up one of her sketches.
"Look at this! You draw too much!"
Hana giggled behind him.
"You cry over everything, Aiko."
For the world, these were small words.
For Aiko, they were sharp, invisible blades.
She quietly walked to her room, sliding the door closed.
Curling up on her futon, she hugged her knees.
The shadows of the evening stretched long across the floor.
Her thoughts whispered, soft but cruel:
"Am I… too much? Am I… wrong?"
And in that quiet Japanese-style room, with paper lanterns glowing faintly,
Aiko's first cracks in her heart began to form.