[High above the quiet world, a lone bird flew through the open sky.
Its wings moved steadily through the wind, gliding across the endless blue. Other birds soared higher and higher, chasing the distant heights of the sky as if they believed they could one day reach its limits.
But this bird did not follow them.
It flew calmly, neither rushing upward nor competing with the others. It was not because it lacked the desire to reach the highest point. The thought had crossed its mind many times.
Yet deep within, it understood something the others did not.
The sky had no end.
No matter how high one flew, its limits could never truly be reached. The horizon would always remain distant, always beyond grasp.
So instead of chasing a height that could never be touched, the bird simply flew within its own path—quietly, freely.
Below, the other birds often looked at it with confusion. Some thought it lacked ambition. Others believed it was too weak to rise as high as they did.
They never understood.
They never cared to look closer.
Because if they had, they might have seen something different.
A quiet grace in the way it moved through the air.
A beauty in the calm rhythm of its wings.
A freedom that did not rely on reaching the highest sky.
But the others never saw it.
They were too busy chasing a horizon that would always remain out of reach.
And in the end, the bird realized something simple.
Perhaps they were the foolish ones.
For while they searched endlessly for the sky's limit, they never once stopped to see the beauty that had always existed within their own flight.]
— The Present—
The city lights stretched across the evening streets as a black car moved quietly through the traffic. Inside, Minato Itsuki, the CEO of a successful software company, sat in the back seat, his gaze drifting outside the window.
The day had been long—meetings, decisions, responsibilities that came with leading a company. Yet for a moment, none of that seemed to matter.
As the car slowed at a red light, Minato's eyes caught sight of someone walking along the sidewalk.
Just an ordinary person.
A high school student in uniform, his bag slung over one shoulder as he walked alone beneath the fading light of the evening sky.
For a brief second, Minato's eyes lingered.
And suddenly, a memory surfaced.
High school corridors filled with voices… the quiet rustle of the schoolyard trees… the beginning of another ordinary day.
Among those memories, one figure always stood out.
A boy who had been his best friend.
The person he had admired the most… and perhaps the one he had envied the most as well.
Someone who never seemed to chase anything in the world, yet somehow stood above it all with quiet calm.
Minato slowly leaned back against his seat as the car began to move again.
A faint smile appeared on his face, mixed with something deeper—nostalgia, maybe even regret.
Out of all the people he had met in his life… all the partners, employees, and rivals…
There was still only one person he truly wished to see again.
"15 years ago"
The morning sun shone brightly over the school gates as students gathered in the courtyard. Laughter filled the air as friends reunited after the break, excitedly talking about the new school year.
The place was full of energy.
Groups of students stood together, sharing stories, greeting one another, and walking through the gate with excitement for the days ahead.
Yet among the lively crowd, one person stood apart from everyone else.
A boy stood a short distance away from the school gate, completely still while students passed by him.
Shin Hitori,
His dark hair moved slightly in the gentle morning breeze as he slowly lifted his gaze toward the sky.
Above the school building, soft clouds drifted quietly across the pale blue.
For a few seconds, he simply watched them.
His expression remained calm and unreadable, as if the peaceful sky held more meaning to him than the busy world below.
Shin was strikingly handsome in a quiet, effortless way. His sharp features and composed posture gave him a presence that people might notice without fully understanding why.
After a moment, his eyes lowered from the sky.
Students walked past him in groups, laughing loudly and calling out to friends they had not seen in weeks. Their voices were full of excitement and expectations for the new year.
Shin simply observed them.
His deep black eyes moved calmly across the crowd. There was no envy in them, no curiosity—only a quiet stillness.
Yet within those calm eyes was something deeper.
A look that felt as though he had already accepted everything the world could take from him.
Eyes that seemed to carry nothing to lose.
To everyone else, the morning was filled with possibilities.
But for Shin Hitori, it was simply another day.
After standing there for a few moments longer, he quietly stepped forward and walked toward the school gate.
And so, silently and without anyone noticing, the second year of his high school life began