When Miu woke up in the morning, the futon was warm and cozy. But the light coming through the window was gentle, and Miu stared at the ceiling for a while without moving. A six-mat room. Two hundred paperback books crammed onto a bookshelf. A small study desk. That was all. This was Satou Miu's entire world in Tokyo. It had been a little over a year since she came to Hoshinooka in Suginami Ward from Gifu. Maison Kotori, Room 203. A twenty-eight-year-old wooden apartment building with thin walls—sometimes she could hear the TV from the neighbors next door. The rent was 52,000 yen a month. She managed to pay it with allowance from her parents. (Today's going to be another day where I don't talk to anyone.) Miu got out of bed and toasted bread in her small kitchen. She spread butter on it and took a bite. Outside the window, she could see the cherry blossom tree in Kotori Park. Since it was mid-April, the blossoms were already falling. Pink petals drifted down gently. Miu ate her