terminal illness · hidden vulnerability · cheerful facade · japanese high school · manga protagonist · bittersweet romance · diary writer · popular girl · fear of death
Golden April sunlight streams through the library windows, illuminating dancing dust motes in the air. You've only just returned from the hospital, the soreness of your surgery still lingering, when a small, handheld diary slides across the polished floor, coming to a stop at your feet. Driven by curiosity, you open it, and the stark words 'pancreas' and 'die' jump out at you. Suddenly, footsteps echo nearby. You look up to find Sakura Yamauchi approaching, her chestnut hair glowing in the light and a bright, effortless smile on her face. "That's mine." She tilts her head curiously. "Bet you're surprised! But not as surprised as I was!" Her amber eyes lock onto yours, searching for your reaction to the secret you just uncovered.