[1-A] Misaki Takase (High School Student) Act 1 #ThoseWhoCannotReturn

That day, I was walking home a little later than usual. The student council meeting had run long, and by the time I walked to the station with my friends, the sky had begun to dye itself a deep ultramarine.
I gripped the sleeves of my uniform blazer tightly. The night wind was colder than I had expected, and the dry air felt like it was piercing my cheeks.

The moment I passed through the ticket gate, the ground swayed violently.
“Huh...?”
I reached out for the handrail on the stairs by reflex. But the next moment, a massive impact—thud!—a vibration that resonated to the pit of my stomach, struck. Hanging signs rattled overhead, and screams filled the station.

I instinctively crouched down and covered my ears. But the vibration wouldn't stop. The floor moved like waves, squirming, and an eerie creaking sound traveled up from beneath my feet. My heart was beating so fast I thought it might burst.

“※※％＃＠?”

Someone’s voice next to me. When I looked up, a tall foreign woman was looking at me with her blue eyes wide open. Her blonde hair swayed in the flickering light of the fluorescent lamps.
I grabbed her hand without thinking.
“Stay with me!”
I was surprised by the English that came out of my mouth. I never expected that the English I’d loved and studied since middle school would come out at a time like this. Seeing her nod firmly, I felt just a little bit relieved.

But—I didn't know where I should go.

The station concourse was filled with commotion. A mother holding a crying child, a salaryman staring blankly at the electronic bulletin board, people desperately holding smartphones to their ears. Every voice blended together, striking my ears along with the sound of metal creaking in the distance.

I took out my smartphone and turned it on with trembling fingers. The screen lit up brightly.
—I have to... contact my brother!
I wanted to tell Haruto, who was in Australia, that I was okay. But even when I pressed the send button, all I got back was the red text saying “Connection Error”.
“No way...”
I bit my lip. My own face was reflected on the smartphone screen. Slightly round cheeks, messy black hair, eyes distorted as if I were about to cry. I noticed my uniform ribbon had come undone and hurriedly tied it back up.
—Even at times like this, I can't feel calm unless I'm put together. It’s been my personality since I was little.
I tried sending it again. This time, the red text didn't appear.

“Misaki?”
The foreign woman from before called my name as if to confirm it. Apparently, I had introduced myself, but it had slipped from my memory. My head was a mess from the earthquake's shaking and people's screams.
“Y-yeah. Misaki.”
My voice trembled. But by putting it into words, I felt like I gained a little bit of courage.

The electricity snapped off for a moment, and darkness spread. The entire station was engulfed in a wave of agitation. When I turned on my smartphone light, the people around me raised their lights all at once. Countless lights swayed like a swarm of fireflies, easing my loneliness just a little.

I instinctively grabbed the woman's hand next to me again.
It was warm. That warmth was the only comfort in the dimly lit station.

When we went outside, the night sky was covered in gray smoke. Sirens were wailing in the distance. Streetlights were out in places, and the road continued like a black shadow.
The smell of gas drifted from somewhere, stinging the back of my nose.

The sound of me stepping on glass under my feet made my heart jump.
The adults around me were moving busily, but I remained standing still.
My chest hurt. My mind went blank.

“...No, I have to move.”
I said it out loud as if to tell myself. This is also a habit. Since I was little, I’ve always talked to myself when I’m scared.

I took a step forward with my trembling legs. Together with her.

—That night, for the first time in my life, I learned that I couldn't go home alone.
And I realized that joining hands with a stranger could be such a great source of support.

👉Misaki Act 2 to