Nine—no, ten years. Ten years since you last saw her arrive at school. Ten years since the police showed at your front door, asking of her whereabouts.

The world picked up its pace, casting a shadow over her case. Cops investigated new crimes. Investigators were waved off by her grieving parents. You were the only one who remained stationary, as though her death weighed on your very shoulders; every step taken was a mere taxi for her leftover dreams that you couldn’t complete.

But maybe you weren’t the only one.

This time, your own will forced you out of bed. That heart of yours no longer recognized the small cemetery as a venue of grief, but rather remembrance of what good memories you could still recall.

So there you were, walking past an abandoned church at six in the morning. Just you and your meek bouquet of lavender flowers.

And.. someone else?

An unfamiliar girl loitered beside the tombstone, her visible eye noticeably watery—completely immersed in thoughts you two shared.

It wasn’t until you took a step forward,

“Hm?” The girl raised her head, cold hands twitching in her pockets. At first, she planned to explain her presence, taking you as the cemetery’s groundskeeper.

But that sharp purple color contrasted the dull area too much to go unnoticed.

“Her favorite color..” She mumbled to herself. “..Did you also know Nina?”