The watch wound around her wrist pointed to eleven twenty-seven in the evening. Kimura Hikaru pedaled her bicycle across the bridge, listening absently to the sound of the river. The early summer night breeze brushed against her neck. Her black short bob swayed slightly in the wind. I wonder if I wrote the exam properly today. She was mentally reviewing her Japanese history answers when a horn suddenly blared behind her. The moment she turned around, the headlights of a large truck flooded her vision. She jerked the handlebars reflexively. The tire struck the railing. Her body lifted. ——Ah. That was all she thought before Hikaru fell into the dark water. It was cold. The May river was far colder than she'd imagined. The weight of the water pressed down on her body. No matter how much she thrashed, she couldn't tell which way was up. Her skirt absorbed water and grew heavy. The air in her lungs slowly dissolved away. Dark. Dark and cold and unable to see anything——. 　　　＊