Princess Connect Academy: Hungry Hearts and Love Storms - First day after transferring schools: rice balls, cherry blossoms, and a me I don't know

"Morning, Yuuki. Starting today, you're a student at Hoshizuna Academy too. Here, take this." The kitchen of the boarding house was thick with the smell of miso soup. Morning sunlight streamed through the window, turning the white steam golden. Tanaka Tarou pressed a small bundle into Yuuki's hands. It was surprisingly heavy. When he unfolded the cloth, two freshly made onigiri lay inside. The savory scent of nori tickled his nose. "Ah, thank you." Yuuki bowed honestly. A tuft of his black hair stuck up from sleep. His deep brown eyes caught the morning light and glinted. The way he wore the navy blazer of Hoshizuna Academy—loose, unbothered—told the story of a body not yet used to a new uniform. Tanaka's wrinkled face broke into a smile. "Don't mention it. If you're ever in trouble, come talk to me anytime. This is your home now." At those words, something warm spread through Yuuki's chest. He had no memories. Only his name, the way to shape an onigiri, and a handful of other things. Apparently, he'd been found collapsed in front of "Musubi no Sato." Three months had passed since Tanaka took him in. (I really owe this man everything.) Yuuki tucked the onigiri into his backpack and headed for the door. "I'm off." "Alright. Take care." Outside, a spring breeze brushed softly against his cheek. A single cherry blossom petal drifted down onto his shoulder. Hoshizuna Academy was a private preparatory school on the western edge of Tokyo. Fifteen minutes on foot from the nearest station, Hoshizuna. Three five-story buildings stood solidly on the gentle hills. Yuuki stopped in front of the school gate and looked up at it. (It's huge...) The sprawling grounds were already full of students walking to class. They all wore the same navy blazers, yet each had a different face, a different laugh. Standing in that current, Yuuki felt like he was the only one alone. A boy with no memories, diving into a new world. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't anxious. (But I had no choice but to come here.) He didn't know why. But when he'd heard the name of this school, something stirred deep in his chest. He had to go. That feeling had been strong, certain. Yuuki tilted his head—a habit of his—and walked toward the school building. When he reached the classroom, he could hear voices chattering inside. He took one deep breath. Then he opened the door. And in that instant— "I'm hungry! Food!" Something came flying at him. No—not something. A girl. A petite girl with fluffy light-brown hair tied into two buns. Her big amber eyes sparkled. Thud. She slammed right into Yuuki's chest. "Whoa—" He staggered backward. But the girl didn't seem to care—she pressed her nose against his backpack. "That smell! Onigiri! I smell onigiri!" The whole classroom burst into laughter. "Pecorine, you're starving again?" "Don't jump on the transfer student!" Her classmates chimed in from all sides. Apparently, this girl's antics were a daily occurrence. Bewildered, Yuuki pulled the onigiri bundle from his backpack. "Um, here. If you want." He held out the bundle. The girl—Pecorine—her eyes went even wider. "You're giving them to me!? Really!?" "Yeah. They were made for me this morning, but if you'd like." Pecorine accepted the bundle with both hands, as if receiving a treasure. Then she slowly unwrapped the cloth. Inside were two onigiri, gleaming white. She picked one up. Then opened her mouth wide— Chomp. She bit right into it. Munch. Munch. The classroom went dead silent. Pecorine's movements stopped completely. Her amber eyes widened. A single drop. A large tear spilled from her eye. "Uh...?" Yuuki panicked. He hadn't expected anyone to cry over an onigiri. "S-sorry, was there something weird in it?" But Pecorine shook her head. "No... it's not that..." Her voice trembled. "This taste... I've been... I've been searching for this taste...!" In that moment— Something flashed through Yuuki's mind. A meadow. An endless green meadow. The wind blew, and the grass rippled like waves. A sword. A single blade driven into the ground. Its silver edge reflected the sunlight. And— Someone's smile. "...!?" A violent headache. A pounding, splitting pain deep in his skull. His vision warped, his legs faltered. "Hey, are you okay!?" Pecorine grabbed his arm in a panic. "I-I'm fine... just a little dizzy." Yuuki managed to force a smile. But his heart was pounding. (What was that...?) The meadow and the sword. Was that a memory? Or just a fantasy? He didn't know. But the tears the girl in front of him had shed—they pierced his chest strangely deep. Still crying, Pecorine clutched the onigiri like something precious. "Thank you... thank you, Yuuki-kun." "...You're welcome." He didn't notice that she already knew his name. After school. Yuuki was walking alone behind the school building. The back garden of Hoshizuna Academy. It was off-limits by school rules. And yet his feet had carried him there naturally. As if something were calling him. At the entrance to the back garden stood an old wooden fence. But it wasn't locked. Yuuki gently opened the gate and stepped inside. There stood a great cherry tree. Five hundred years old. He'd heard that somewhere. The giant ancient cherry tree towering in the back garden of Hoshizuna Academy. The moment he saw it, his chest tightened. Though there was no wind, petals danced down. Soft pink petals fluttered and swirled around him. Yuuki stood at the base of the cherry tree. And then he realized. Tears were streaming down his face. He didn't know why. He wasn't sad, wasn't happy. The tears just wouldn't stop. Something welled up from deep in his chest. —We'll meet again. I promise. Those words echoed from the bottom of his heart. Who had said them? Who had he said them to? He didn't know. But he had to keep that promise. Yuuki felt it strongly, with certainty. On the way home, Yuuki thought. Why had he come to this school? Why had he cried in front of that cherry tree? Why had that girl's tears struck him so deeply? No answers came. But one thing was certain. He had to be here. That conviction alone held his heart together. Night. In the kitchen of the boarding house, Yuuki was shaping onigiri alone. He took white rice in his hands and sprinkled salt. The filling was umeboshi. Simple, the same as always. His hands moved smoothly, naturally. These hands remembered how to shape onigiri. Even though he remembered nothing but his name. Yuuki stared at his hands. Firm wrists, trained by cooking. Fingertips slightly rough. (What am I?) His name was Yuuki. But beyond that, nothing. Resonance magic. Apparently he had some strange, incomprehensible power like that. Someone had told him. Or had he figured it out himself? For some reason, girls liked him. That, too, made no sense. He was just acting normal, as far as he could tell. Yuuki sighed. Then— "Oh? Still awake, are you?" Tanaka walked into the kitchen. "Ah, sorry. I just felt like shaping some onigiri." "Hoh. A midnight snack?" "No, not really. It calms me down, shaping them." Tanaka watched Yuuki's hands closely. "...You're good at that. Who taught you to shape them like that?" "...I don't remember. When I came to, I could just do it." Tanaka was silent for a while. Then he said quietly, "Those hands of yours—they're hands that make people happy." Yuuki looked up. "Huh?" "Hands that shape onigiri. Hands that make the people who eat them smile. Those are good hands." At Tanaka's words, warmth spread through Yuuki's chest again. That's right. When he could make someone smile, he felt happy. Today, Pecorine had eaten his onigiri and cried. Maybe that wasn't a smile. But those tears weren't only tears of sadness. Yuuki decided to believe that. "...I'll do my best tomorrow, too." He murmured softly. The next morning. Yuuki was summoned not to his classroom, but to the student council room. The top floor of the special building. When he opened the heavy wooden door, he found a spacious room furnished with elegant pieces. Morning light through the window illuminated a polished desk. And beyond the desk sat a girl. Silver long straight hair. Ice-blue eyes. A perfectly composed, beautiful face. The student council president of Hoshizuna Academy—Kyaru. When she saw Yuuki, she fixed him with a cold stare. "You're Yuuki." "Y-yes." "Sit." Yuuki sat in the chair across from her as instructed. Kyaru rested her chin on her clasped hands and stared at him. The sharpness of her gaze made Yuuki straighten his back. "I'll get straight to the point. What did you do to Pecorine yesterday?" Yuuki's eyes went wide. "Pecorine... you mean the girl who ate the onigiri?" "Yes. I heard she was crying and shouting about a 'taste she'd been searching for.' What happened?" Kyaru's voice was quiet, but it carried an undeniable force. "Wh-what happened... I just gave her an onigiri." "An onigiri?" "Yes. One that was made for me at my boarding house that morning. And then she suddenly started crying..." "That's all?" "That's all. I swear." Kyaru stared into his eyes for a while. As if trying to see through a lie. Unable to bear her gaze, Yuuki looked down. "...I don't have any memories." He said it quietly. "I don't remember anything except my own name. So I don't understand why she cried, either..." Kyaru's expression shifted, just slightly. Not anger. Something else. Deep in her blue eyes, something desperate seemed to waver. "...I see. No memories." She murmured softly. Then— Knock, knock. A knock came at the student council room door. "Excuse me." The door opened along with a gentle voice. A petite girl with long black hair in a braid entered. Her deep green eyes swept the room. And then those eyes landed on Yuuki. In that instant— The girl's expression lit up. "Yuuki-sama... I've wanted to meet you." Yuuki froze. Kyaru's eyes widened in surprise as well. The girl—Kokkoro—walked up to Yuuki and smiled brightly. As if she'd known him for years. "I've finally met you. I know who you are." "Uh... you know me? How..." Yuuki was confused. Yesterday, Pecorine had known his name. Kyaru in front of him knew about Pecorine. And now this girl, Kokkoro, said she knew him. Why. Why did everyone know him? Him, with no memories. A deep darkness spread through Yuuki's chest. There was something about this school. The reason he had to come here. It had to be— Yuuki clenched his fist. (The answer is here.) That conviction alone took root in his heart—quietly, but surely.

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Episode 1

Name: Princess Connect Academy: Hungry Hearts and Love Storms
Author: Novelia

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