Yuki stared at the ceiling, listening to the buzz of her alarm for the fifth time in a row. She lay there for a moment, eyes half-shut, then sat up.
Her uniform was by her desk, it was navy blue, with white stripes along the sleeves. She then quickly got dressed, smoothing out every wrinkle with her hands.
Every morning she would check herself in the mirror, and use her hands to fix whatever looked off. But that day, a few strands of hair were already out of place.
"Perfect girls don't blink too long in the mirror, they get ready on time to get to school."
That's what she told herself every morning.
She then left her room and walked down the hallway. The house smelled like lavender. Her mother always insisted on spraying lavender around the house.
But today, it smelled a little… sweeter. Almost like something was covering up rot or decay.
However, she ignored it.
Yuki then stepped into the kitchen, greeting her parents.
"Morning Papa," Yuki said.
At the kitchen table, her father sat while reading his newspaper. He had short grey hair and glasses, which made him look older than his actual age.
"Yuki, anything unique today?" Her father said.
Yuki glanced toward the sink and smiled at her mom, who was washing the dishes.
"Morning, Mom."
"Good morning, dear," her mother said.
She then opened the fridge and stared blankly for a moment. The cold air brushed against her face.
"My math assignment is due today, however, i did finish it. I really do hope i get a good score."
Her parents spoke in unison, their voices harmonizing.
"You'll do great. After all, you are our perfect girl."
Yuki let out a short breath of a laugh, her fingers brushing her cheek as her eyes dropped for a moment. She ended up closing the fridge without getting anything from it.
"Ah... you guys always say that, I'm gonna go fix up my hair now," she said.
In the bathroom, Yuki combed her blonde hair carefully into a high ponytail. Smiling with delight, she examined her reflection from all angles.
"Perfection!" she said.
Before heading out, Yuki grabbed the lavender spray and gave each room a light mist.
She then looked at the clock in the living room. It was 7:50 a.m.The second hand hovered in place, twitching slightly, like it was trying to move but couldn't.
"Oh, my god! I'm gonna be late," she said.
Yuki quickly grabbed her backpack and slid into her shoes by the front entrance.
Her parents stood at the front window of the living room, waving at nobody. Their grins were static. This behavior was not something out of the ordinary. Her parents did this every single day like clockwork.
Yuki opened the door and waved back at them.
"See you later," she said, out of habit.
Yuki then walked straight to school while her ponytail swung back and forth.
Once in school, she ran in the hallway. There were students rushing past her with their papers in hand.
Amidst the chaos, Yuki did her best, as she navigated among them.
However, a loud moan caught her attention, followed by dragging footsteps.
It was Riko Fuyumi, her best friend.
She wore a black dress that hung loose on her. Her black hair was a mess. She also had dark circles under her eyes.
Yuki glanced at her wrist. She always wore the same bracelet—the one with the tiny skull.
"Ugh... I'm so done... I think I slept for, like... twenty minutes. Did you even glance at yesterday's math assignment?" Riko mumbled, her voice scratchy.
"Was it that difficult?" Yuki chuckled.
Riko dramatically fell against her locker.
"It was impossible! You are not the least bit concerned."
Looking at her notes, Yuki smiled.
"I believe I got it correct, but who knows."
Shaking her head, Riko moaned.
"It's not fair how simple everything is for you."
Yuki had shrugged off the comment and maintained her courteous grin.
If only Riko knew, she thought, clutching her books more tightly.