"Raana, can I come in?"
"..."
Standing at the door of her granddaughter's room, Tsuzuki Shifune hesitated, glancing at the slightly ajar door. She raised her hand to knock but slowly lowered it again.
From where she stood, she could see the girl sitting on the floor, cradling an old guitar in her arms.
But she wasn't playing—just holding it.
Even that was enough to make Shifune's heart ache. She knew all too well how much her granddaughter loved playing the guitar. But Raana was the type to keep her thoughts locked away, never one to voice what weighed on her mind.
Maybe… she should approach this differently?
"Raana, let's go visit Chihiro's family's grave."
Of course, that so-called "family grave" only referred to Chihiro's parents' resting place. Chihiro's remains were never found, and so, her tombstone was never placed. The family had never fully accepted reality, convincing themselves that Chihiro simply hadn't returned for some unknown reason.
But deep down, they all knew—
A child like her, unable to care for herself… even if she was still alive, she wouldn't be living well.
Shifune wasn't bringing this up just for the sake of a memorial visit. She wanted Raana to face what she'd been avoiding.
And maybe, through comforting and encouraging her, Raana could come to understand—
She needed to carry on, living in her sister's place.
But after Shifune said this, silence followed.
Just as she was about to let it go, Raana suddenly set down the guitar. Though her mood was still visibly heavy, Shifune understood—
Raana had agreed.
The cemetery they were visiting today was Tama Cemetery, the largest public cemetery in Tokyo.
These days, fewer and fewer people chose public cemeteries for burials. Land was scarce, and the government discouraged it. On top of that, cemetery plots were expensive, with some even requiring a lottery system.
Of course, for the Tsuzuki family, money wasn't an issue. But even with wealth, securing a large, ideal plot wasn't easy.
In the end, they settled on a compromise: a shared grave with a tree burial.
Sometimes, Shifune lamented how even in death, finding a resting place was difficult. She was traditional at heart and couldn't accept sea burials or virtual memorial services.
Using an app to remotely "visit" a grave? That idea honestly unsettled her.
Tama Cemetery was located in Fuchū, Tokyo, so they first had to take the subway.
With Raana properly dressed and her mood somewhat composed, Shifune led her out the door and toward the nearest station.
It wasn't a particularly crowded time of day, and the streets were sparsely populated. But Shifune's attention remained on her granddaughter. Since Raana stayed silent, she didn't speak either.
The fact that she had managed to get Raana to come out was already a victory.
Had this been a year ago, things would've been much worse. At least now, Raana was attending school, interacting with peers—so she likely wouldn't develop any severe psychological issues.
"Raana? Ah, Gra—"
A voice called out Raana's name.
Shifune turned toward it, but the moment she laid eyes on the speaker, an intense, uncontrollable emotion surged within her.
She quickly composed herself, her expression returning to normal. Then, with curiosity, she asked,
"And you are…?"
"Ah, hello, Grandma. I'm Nagasaki Soyo."
The girl emerging from the subway station—Tsuzuki Chihiro—felt like her heart was about to leap out of her chest.
She hadn't expected to run into her grandmother again so soon.
Then again, Tokyo wasn't that big. Given how much her daily routes overlapped with Raana's, it wasn't impossible for a chance encounter to happen.
But the problem was…
The words she had instinctively started to say—Grandma—
And the polite honorific she had quickly corrected herself with—
They carried vastly different emotions.
"Nagasaki Soyo… Ah, so you're Raana's friend?"
The more Shifune looked at the girl, the more she found her strikingly familiar.
Not just because she was beautiful—
But because, in so many ways, she reminded Shifune of her own granddaughter.
Yet, if asked to pinpoint exactly how they were similar, all she could offer were vague, unconvincing observations.
And then, sensing Raana's startled gaze and the way she suddenly gripped her arm, Shifune started to understand.
Could this girl be the one Raana had mentioned before—
The one she said reminded her of Chihiro?
Now that she thought about it…
Raana's perception wasn't that different from her own.
If Raana thought this girl resembled Chihiro, then Shifune, upon seeing her, would likely feel the same.
But at the same time, if she calmed down and examined the details… she would have to shake her head and deny it.
"Raana, why haven't you come to RiNG?"
"..."
"Raana, your sister is talking to you. Don't be rude."
Shifune gave Raana's head a light pat, sighing.
But before she could figure out how to clear up this small misunderstanding between kids—
Her usually reserved granddaughter suddenly spoke up.
"I'll come tomorrow, Soyo-nee."
"???"
Who was this embarrassingly eager Raana?!
Just a few days ago, she'd been sulking like a grumpy kitten. And now, suddenly faced with the real person she had been using as a stand-in for her sister—she turned into a little tagalong?!
This was not what Shifune wanted to see.
Because she knew…
Raana was only treating Nagasaki Soyo as a substitute for Chihiro.
And that was unfair to Soyo.
Unknowingly, the girl had been burdened with a role she never asked for.
She likely assumed Raana's fondness was pure, thinking their shared interest in music was the only reason they had formed a band together.
But that kind of relationship—
It was too fragile.
Too dangerous.
Shifune watched as Soyo gently asked Raana a few more questions, and Raana responded obediently.
A growing sense of urgency gripped her.
Soyo needed to know the truth.
Not in a way that was too direct—
Not in a way that would alert Raana—
But enough for Soyo to sense that something was off.
With that decision made, Shifune looked at the girl—so eerily similar to her late granddaughter—and said,
"Raana really likes you, doesn't she? It's rare for her to act this way toward someone."
"Ah… really?" Chihiro—no, Soyo—laughed, but it was an awkward laugh.
"Actually, I was just about to take Raana to visit a grave. It's getting late, Raana—don't cling to people too much. Soyo-chan probably has other things to do."
"... Come with us."
"Eh?"
Chihiro—no, Soyo—blinked.
Just now, she had been wondering what this "grave visit" was about.
But she hadn't expected Raana to invite her.
The problem was…
Given her current identity—
Would that even be appropriate?