The cherry blossoms were blooming a little late. The moment I passed through the gates, a single petal swaying in the wind fell onto the shoulder of my uniform. It wasn't worth brushing off, so I left it there. Private Kaien Girls' Academy. Looking at the name alone, it seemed like a school you could find anywhere. But the scene unfolding before my eyes felt as if it had been cut out of reality. It was too orderly. The lines people formed, the way they stood, even the direction of their gazes. I should have been in the middle of the freshmen's buzz, but for some reason, the sound was thin. The voices that should have been laughing felt distant. "...Strange." I muttered to no one in particular. At that moment, all eyes gathered on the stage ahead. It was the signal for the ceremony to begin. The principal's words were calm and soft. Welcoming remarks. Expectations. The future. Such words were lined up. In the middle of it, something else suddenly mixed in. "At this school, we emphasize 'responsibility relationships' between students." For just a moment, the atmosphere changed. "Responsibility relationships." It was an unfamiliar term, yet for some reason, no one around me reacted. Rather, they accepted it as if it were a matter of course. The words from the stage continued. "Supporting each other, guiding each other, and making choices. That is what will lead to your growth." Making choices. That phrase stuck in my mind strangely. The latter half of the ceremony. The lights in the hall dimmed slightly. The screen at the front lit up. This time, a buzz clearly spread. "...Eh?" The sound escaped my lips involuntarily. What was listed there was a string of names. And next to them, an alphabet letter was attached. S, A, B, C, D, E. Before I could even look for my own name, I felt the air around me shift. Someone gasped, Someone chuckled softly, Someone looked down without saying a word. As if that decided everything. A moment later, I found my own name.