hey guys 1st official white and black illustration is here go to this link to see
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-Va4WQfwfnMrgtuQ5xuAse5AM68Xd1dB/view?usp=drivesdk
Ahh… I'm nervous.
This is our first anniversary.
You'd think I'd be used to things going wrong by now. But no—this kind of nervous is different. This is the butterflies in your chest, what-if-she-says-no, what-if-I-screw-up-again kind of nervous.
My name is Soda Akito. I'm a second-year high school student. I live alone. I've been living alone for a long time.
My family?
They stopped being family a long time ago.
I still remember the day it all started to fall apart.
I was five years old.
I came home from school clutching my grade report—my very first time ranking first in class. I had studied so hard for it. My mom had helped me every night, even when she was tired.
She never yelled. She never gave up on me.That day, I wanted to make her smile.
But the house was… empty.
No smell of her cooking. No radio playing in the kitchen. No shoes at the door.
Just silence.
I waited.
The driver left. I sat at the door, swinging my legs, holding the paper to my chest.
I waited longer.
No one came.
Eventually, I fell asleep on the living room floor.
When I opened my eyes again, it was dark outside. The lights in the hallway were dim.
And my father—who rarely came home before midnight—was sitting on the couch.
He was crying.
It was the only time I'd ever seen him look… human.
"Dad?"
He didn't look at me.
"Where's Mom? I want to show her my grade—I got first place! Look!"
No answer.
"Dad…?"
SLAP.
His hand struck my face so hard I fell back, my paper crumpling beneath me.
"Don't speak."
That's all he said.
I remember the sting.
But I don't remember crying.
My mind… went blank.
And then, she walked in.
She was a woman I had seen a few times before—my dad's manager.
She knelt down beside me and placed her hand on my head like she had the right to.
"Akito… I'm so sorry. Your mother… passed away this morning."
I stared at her.
I didn't understand.
I didn't believe it.
Passed away?
No explanation. No goodbye. Just—gone?
I looked at her. Then at my father. And then…
I smiled.
It wasn't because I was happy.
I wasn't.
I didn't even feel alive.
I smiled because my mind didn't know what else to do.
Even at my mother's funeral, I kept smiling.
And because of that… everyone thought I was a freak.
A week later, my father married that same woman.
She had finalized her divorce just days before my mother's death.
She moved in and took over everything—my mother's closet, her side of the bed, her perfume. Her daughter moved in too.
Her name was Miyo Tamara, but after the wedding, she took my father's name.
Now… she was Miyo Soda.
My stepsister.
I barely spoke a word to her in those early days.
She watched me from a distance. Sometimes she said weird things—quietly, like whispers meant only for herself.
"You don't remember anything… do you?"
"I wonder if you ever will…"
I didn't know what she meant.
But there was something strange about the way she looked at me.
Something like guilt.
Something like longing.
I didn't understand.
Everyone at school mocked me for the way I smiled when I cried.
Even Miyo joined in—whether she meant to or not.
And then…
One day, she told my father I had "harassed" her.
She didn't look me in the eyes when she said it.
I couldn't understand why.
My father didn't ask me anything.
He just looked at me and said:
"You're not living here anymore."
He arranged for me to stay in a small apartment. Paid the rent and school fees. A servant came with me—only until I turned 15.
"After that," he said, "you're on your own."
I didn't fight back.
I didn't scream.
I just smiled.
At thirteen years old, I lived alone.
No family.
No love.
No future.
Only one person visited me—Yui Omari, my childhood friend.
She treated me like I still mattered. Like I wasn't broken.
She brought me food. Studied with me. Played games with me like old times.
Her mother sometimes came too—they were both kind.
They saved me.
At fifteen, my father's financial support ended. The servant left.
Yui suggested I get a part-time job. She even helped me find one.
I started working—cleaning in the back of a bakery, then serving ramen at a small local diner. That's where I met Yuta, who became my closest male friend. My only friend.
Time passed.
Yui stayed by my side through everything.
Eventually… I fell in love with her.
When I finally confessed, she said:
"Took you long enough, dummy."
We've been together for a year now.
Which brings us to today—our first anniversary.
I cooked dinner. Bought her a necklace. Cleaned the apartment so much I nearly passed out.
But before she came over, I wanted to stop by her house.
There was something I needed to ask her—about us. About… forever.
I walked to her place.
The front door was slightly open.
"Yui?"
No response.
Then I heard it.
"Please… stop…"
My heart stopped.
I rushed in—and froze.
On the bed—
Yui.
Yuta.
Both naked.
Twisted together.
I stared.
Time collapsed.
My breath caught in my throat.
"Soda?! What are you doing here?!"
"Bro, wait, I can explain—"
Explain?
What was there to explain?
They looked at me like I was the one who betrayed them.
My hands trembled.
In my pocket… the necklace box.
Still unopened.
Still hopeful.
I turned around.
Walked away.
Didn't cry.
Didn't scream.
I just… smiled.
And behind it all… the shadows moved.
Unseen.
Unheard.
But watching.
And somewhere in the dark corners of my fractured memory…
A voice whispered.
"Do you really think your mother's death was an accident?"
Chapter 1 — End
Thank you for reading.
This is my debut light novel project.
Please stay with me as the truth begins to unfold…
— Banri Tada
Chapter 2 releases June 29, 2025.
Don't miss it.