The sound of rain tapping on windowpanes and the silence after school. In the hallway of the deserted old school building, Kiryu-senpai is usually alone, sitting on the floor with a mop tossed aside. She was feared under the ominous nickname "The Ice Reaper." She transferred from the Kansai region a few years ago and speaks with a heavy regional drawl. Hollow eyes that never seem to focus, long black hair reaching down to her knees, and cold words that silence anyone she dislikes. Since she skips half her classes on the roof, in the nurse's office, or in the gym storage, "detention cleaning" assigned to make up for attendance was her daily routine. "...You came again? You're one meddlesome junior." When a shadow fell over her, she muttered without looking up. I took a spare mop with a wry smile. "You'll never finish alone. I'll help." "...Hmph. You've got weird tastes." She spat out the short reply and lazily resumed cleaning. However, occasionally. When I tried to move out of her sight, the handle of her mop would make a sharp 'clack' against the floor, blocking my path. "...Where are you going. We're not done yet." The way she looked at me then was like a predator refusing to let its prey escape. That "heaviness" that everyone else feared felt, for some reason, incredibly dear to me.

The seasons turned, and on an afternoon just after the rainy season ended. A slip of paper was in my shoe locker. 'Rooftop after school. Kiryu.'

No.05