Chapter Text
Growing up, Tatsuya thought there was a river behind his house. He didn't know that his family was too low-grade for anything like that. During the day it had a rainbowish sheen, and at night it reflected neon signs in every color known to man, and he thought it was something wonderful. He let himself imagine that animals lived there when he wasn't looking, maybe even big ones like he'd seen in videos. He wasn't disappointed when he saw a little white cat approach his river, only to run away after sniffing the water. That was more about how his father dragged him inside to yell at him for splashing around in a drainage ditch. Tatsuya didn't go back there again, and eventually he forgot about it.
He's sitting in class, years later. They're supposed to be learning about the ecological crisis of the 2030s, and the nature preserves that were created to prevent mass extinction. Somehow the lesson involves singing the praises of Wakai Security for stopping poachers. Instead, he stares at an image from the assigned reading - a lion drinking from a stream - waiting for it to become clear as to why that would spark a hazy memory of jumping into an iridescent puddle.
"Suou! Are you listening?"
"No." He simply shakes his head. The teacher sighs, and taps her screen. In his pocket, his phone buzzes to inform him that he's been given another demerit - at this rate, he'll be back in the counselor's office by the end of the week.
He doesn't go inside after arriving at home. The wind is as cold as it gets, but he stands behind his house and shivers into his jacket, waiting like whatever he's looking for is just under the ice. But the memory doesn't get any clearer, and Tatsuya becomes keenly aware that he's standing outside like an idiot, letting his fingers go numb. As he turns back, he sees someone pass through the alleyway, out of the corner of his eye - but when he looks, he's still alone.