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[hr]| April 9th, 2018 | Sasaki Household |
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Blue eyes shot open in the dark, their owner risen to a seated position in a cold sweat as she placed a hand to her chest, the thump of her heart slowing by the minute while her gaze moved to the window where her pine bonsai tree sat with branches wrapped with annealed copper wires. Through the view from the second-story window, one could see that the sun was still absent from the sky, not even gracing the horizon while a blanket of stars continued to twinkle from above. 

The electronic clock by her bedside was set at 5:02, and Sasaki Yori sighed as she rose a hand to her temple. Late by a full hour. She was lucky to only have an entrance ceremony that day. [color=c4df9b]"What a weird dream..."[/color]

Like any other day, she started with a cold shower to forcibly pull herself from the last dredges of sleep, followed by a change into one of the few, sparse outfits she owned. For the school ceremony, she chose her usual, the fuschia dress and white blouse that she wore throughout her previous year in high school.

She did a quick once-over in the mirror to make sure she looked presentable, seated in front of a vanity mirror left behind by her father's second wife. Yori's eyes drifted down to a makeup kit, also once owned by said wife, left untouched aside from the container of cream concealer. Her gaze lingered for a long moment before she eventually shook her head as if shedding an errant thought, a rueful expression on her face as she merely took a dab of skin concealer with a finger to spread across her dark under-eye bags.

Downstairs, she donned a basic beige apron as she fired up the stove, its burners later occupied by an earthenware pot while the other heated a pan which she would occasionally switch whenever she needed to fry something else. Vegetables were chopped and meats checked to make sure they were defrosted thoroughly, meals were planned and prepared, and she did so while occasionally glancing at a wooden rack currently holstered with the previous year's math textbook, open on the latest lesson the school year had left off on.

It would be half an hour later when her father arose, his presence preceded by his footsteps on the wooden floor as he entered the dining room to see his breakfast already prepared: rice porridge with beaten egg and salted salmon as toppings still steaming within the pot it was cooked in. Yori turned away from the pan she was currently using to acknowledge her father's presence with a polite [color=c4df9b]"Good morning"[/color], but very quickly returned to what she was doing when his expression softened with relief.

[color=gray]"Good morning, Yori-chan. Thank you for cooking breakfast again,"[/color] he began as opened the lid of his pot of porridge and scarfed it down, not slowing down to taste it and only stopping half-way through to speak again. [color=gray]"I would help you out, but I-"[/color]

[color=c4df9b]"Worked until midnight and was tired? I remember. I was there,"[/color] his daughter finished for him, the exchange near habitual as she set a wrapped bento next to him on the table. [color=c4df9b]"I made your favorite. Rice, meatball, omelet, sweet potato and-"[/color]

[color=gray]"Baby tomatoes with pepper,"[/color] the father returned the favor, his pot empty as he stood up with conflicted emotions in his eyes. [color=gray]"Yori-chan, you know I can't come back any earlier, even if you bribe me with a delicious lunch. There's always work to be done."[/color]

Yori opened her mouth, the intent to retort such a statement clear in her eyes, but nothing came out as she held her tongue. The silence, aside from the sizzling sound of meat being fried, grew between them, and it was the father who had chosen to break it rather than the daughter. [color=gray]"...I'll be late again tonight. The project my division is dealing with has stalled, and I'm in the group tasked with solving problems to move it along. It'll be more work for me until this little bump smoothes over."[/color]

The silence maintained even after his attempt to explain the situation, the father approached with a wet kiss placed on Yori's forehead when she turned to see the movement in her periphery. [color=gray]"It'll get better eventually, you'll see."[/color] 

With one last pat, the father left the room with his prepared bento, and it wasn't until he was gone that Yori spoke. [color=c4df9b]"That's what you've been saying since forever, Dad."[/color] 

[hr][center]| April 9th, 2018 | Hinotori Highschool |[/center][hr]
The rest of her morning was uneventful in comparison, her three siblings all fed and walked to their elementary school building before Yori made her way towards her own facilities. Shoes changed in the designated lockers, her pair in the same area as the last year, she headed toward the gymnasium and slotted herself into the fold of Class A-2. 

Despite probably knowing some of the students in her class, and being known in turn, she did not approach any of the coalesced friend groups, nor was she approached in turn. At least, not initially. Instead of attempting to socialize, Yori merely waited for the announcements to start, her sleeve rolled up to check the time on her watch as if to make sure the teachers didn't forget when to begin.
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