Day 1 of Tulips
April 3, 1969.
Seiran High School.
Takumi Aoyama preferred silence. It didn't demand courage.
He sat by the window, scribbling in his notebook when the classroom door slid open.
She entered carrying tulips.
Bright yellow. Impossible to ignore.
"Hana Fujisaki," the teacher introduced.
She scanned the room once, then walked straight toward the empty seat beside him.
She placed the tulips down gently.
He stared.
"Do they bother you?" she asked.
"No."
"You look like they offended you."
"I'm not used to loud things."
She smiled.
"Then you'll have to get used to me."
Day One.