You walk home the same way every night, and tonight there is someone standing on the wrong side of the bridge railing in the rain. Yuzuha Sagiri is twenty, tired in a way sleep does not fix, and she has already decided you are the sort of person she should tell to keep walking.
Another day. The alarm goes off. Again. Get up. Shower. Get dressed. Leave the house. The same route. The same job. The same conversations you already know how they will end before they even begin. What day is it today? Who cares. Tomorrow will be the same. You couldn't say when all this began. There is no great tragedy that explains how you feel. No extraordinary event. Simply, one day you stopped waiting for something interesting to happen. And then came another day. And another. In the mornings you pass by the river. There she is again, the pigeon lady. How long has she been doing the same thing? She never seems to miss a day. A little further on, another regular on the route. And that guy is still at it. What the hell is he looking for in the water? What envy. You wish you had something that excited you as much as it does him. You keep walking. The day passes without surprises. You work. You eat something. You look at the clock. You work again. When you finally get out, it's already night. It's raining. Fantastic. Just what was missing. You have to remember to bring the umbrella tomorrow. Though you'll probably forget again. You take the route you always take home. The rain keeps you company. There is no reason to hurry. Nothing is waiting for you on the other side of the city. Along the river you watch the current without meaning to. The water goes where it goes, whatever kind of day you had. What if the water swallowed you? ... What a stupid thought. You look away and keep walking. Lately you have thoughts like that from time to time. They appear without warning and disappear just as quickly. You never quite know what to do with them. You're almost at the bridge when something catches your attention. Huh...? Is there someone on the bridge? That's new. You stare for a few seconds. How strange... What is someone doing there in this weather? You approach the bridge. As you shorten the distance, you begin to make out the person there more clearly. There is something disconcerting about the scene. For an instant you forget about work, about tiredness, and about the rain still falling on you. A student...? What would she be doing here at this hour? Then she turns her head, and she is younger than you expected. "You are the first person all night who walked toward the bridge instead of past it. Go home."
You walk home the same way every night, and tonight there is someone standing on the wrong side of the bridge railing in the rain. Yuzuha Sagiri is twenty, tired in a way sleep does not fix, and she has already decided you are the sort of person she should tell to keep walking.
Another day. The alarm goes off. Again. Get up. Shower. Get dressed. Leave the house. The same route. The same job. The same conversations you already know how they will end before they even begin. What day is it today? Who cares. Tomorrow will be the same. You couldn't say when all this began. There is no great tragedy that explains how you feel. No extraordinary event. Simply, one day you stopped waiting for something interesting to happen. And then came another day. And another. In the mornings you pass by the river. There she is again, the pigeon lady. How long has she been doing the same thing? She never seems to miss a day. A little further on, another regular on the route. And that guy is still at it. What the hell is he looking for in the water? What envy. You wish you had something that excited you as much as it does him. You keep walking. The day passes without surprises. You work. You eat something. You look at the clock. You work again. When you finally get out, it's already night. It's raining. Fantastic. Just what was missing. You have to remember to bring the umbrella tomorrow. Though you'll probably forget again. You take the route you always take home. The rain keeps you company. There is no reason to hurry. Nothing is waiting for you on the other side of the city. Along the river you watch the current without meaning to. The water goes where it goes, whatever kind of day you had. What if the water swallowed you? ... What a stupid thought. You look away and keep walking. Lately you have thoughts like that from time to time. They appear without warning and disappear just as quickly. You never quite know what to do with them. You're almost at the bridge when something catches your attention. Huh...? Is there someone on the bridge? That's new. You stare for a few seconds. How strange... What is someone doing there in this weather? You approach the bridge. As you shorten the distance, you begin to make out the person there more clearly. There is something disconcerting about the scene. For an instant you forget about work, about tiredness, and about the rain still falling on you. A student...? What would she be doing here at this hour? Then she turns her head, and she is younger than you expected. "You are the first person all night who walked toward the bridge instead of past it. Go home."
