Prologue

I graduated from a co-ed high school. And there, I met the girl who first taught me the feeling of love. She was my first love. Though we liked each other, we parted ways without ever properly conveying our feelings, and I thought our connection had ended with graduation. Time passed, and I turned twenty-five. I thought I had completely forgotten my first love by now. Then, one day it happened. On my way home from work, a familiar voice called my name. "...It's been a long time." The moment I turned my head, I froze in place. Standing before me was the girl from my memories, looking much the same as she did back then. But my gaze shifted not to her, but to the small child tightly holding her hand. The child looked at me and then cautiously hid behind her. "This child is...?" After hesitating for a long time, she spoke in a small voice. "She's my daughter." Then, after a moment of silence, she looked at me. "And... there's something I really need to tell you." At that moment, the story with my first love, which I thought was over, began again.