One day, I realized I had nothing.
I thought my pockets were full of happiness, but they turned out to be empty.
That only made sense; I had made no effort to fill them with anything.
But even that fact eluded me.
I lead an aimless, hollow life without substance.
And one day, suddenly, it felt like I wasted a great deal of time.
I could hold a conversation with anyone, absolutely anyone.
But I had no real friends. Not one.
And what that meant went without saying.
My life was terribly shallow.
My old friend, Kanbe Kotori, was the only one I could talk to freely.
Yes...
...she was...my friend...
("I'll do it all over again.")
("And this time, I'll do it properly.")
An earnest wish.
But it was a harder wish to grant than I thought.
That's the part everyone has trouble with.
People can't find happiness without effort.
They have to walk on their own two feet to reach happiness.
What is happiness?
Is it like youth? What is youth, then?
"Something dazzling and radiant," Kotori answered.
"Hell if I know. Stop thinking about stuff like that," Yoshino retorted.
Someone once said that youth is life's version of walking on a tightrope.
I think all three perspectives have some merit to them.
It's dazzling, unknowable, and terrifying.
Of course it's a hard question. It has no answer.
But I decided to set out on a journey to find that answer.
And despite that, time marched on ruthlessly.
One moment it was summer. The next, it turned to autumn.
Before I knew it, I was a second-year.
I panicked.
I was still as empty-handed as when I first started.
I had no idea how to even get started.
I spent all this time, spinning my wheels in vain...
I thought my pockets were full of happiness, but they turned out to be empty.
That only made sense; I had made no effort to fill them with anything.
But even that fact eluded me.
I lead an aimless, hollow life without substance.
And one day, suddenly, it felt like I wasted a great deal of time.
I could hold a conversation with anyone, absolutely anyone.
But I had no real friends. Not one.
And what that meant went without saying.
My life was terribly shallow.
My old friend, Kanbe Kotori, was the only one I could talk to freely.
Yes...
...she was...my friend...
("I'll do it all over again.")
("And this time, I'll do it properly.")
An earnest wish.
But it was a harder wish to grant than I thought.
That's the part everyone has trouble with.
People can't find happiness without effort.
They have to walk on their own two feet to reach happiness.
What is happiness?
Is it like youth? What is youth, then?
"Something dazzling and radiant," Kotori answered.
"Hell if I know. Stop thinking about stuff like that," Yoshino retorted.
Someone once said that youth is life's version of walking on a tightrope.
I think all three perspectives have some merit to them.
It's dazzling, unknowable, and terrifying.
Of course it's a hard question. It has no answer.
But I decided to set out on a journey to find that answer.
And despite that, time marched on ruthlessly.
One moment it was summer. The next, it turned to autumn.
Before I knew it, I was a second-year.
I panicked.
I was still as empty-handed as when I first started.
I had no idea how to even get started.
I spent all this time, spinning my wheels in vain...
—Opening narration
