Just 200 meters from the school gate, I find myself standing still, sighing as I gaze up at the sky.

Beyond lies the school gate, and I can't help but wonder who in their right mind would choose to place it in such a location. The slope in front of it stretches out like an unending ordeal.

Another sigh, quieter and shorter than mine, pulls me from my thoughts. I glance over and see a girl standing just as motionless. She's in her third year too, but I don't recognize her. Her short hair catches the breeze, fluttering just above her shoulders.

"Do you like this school?" she suddenly asks, not really to me, more like to herself.
"I really, really like it. But nothing can stay the same forever. Everything has to change," she murmurs, her voice trailing off. "Can you still like this place, even then?"

"You just need to find what you love about it, right?" I chime in, catching her off guard. "You haven't really thought about what makes you happy here, have you?"

Back when we were younger, everything seemed simpler—everyone felt that way at some point.

"Come on, let's go," I say.

And together, we begin to climb the long, winding slope.

[Based on the official site]