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Chapter One: When the Wave Called Me
The sky was gray, stretching endlessly like a page with no end.
Saiti felt the sand against her palms—cold and slightly wet, as if the sea had embraced it only moments ago. She didn't know where she was, or why she lay on the shore. All she could hear was the sound of the waves, rising and falling with a rhythm like the breathing of someone asleep.
She slowly opened her eyes and saw the sea before her—calm, unusually so.
Small waves crept forward shyly, touching the tips of her fingers before retreating into a deep, bottomless blue.
She stood up slowly, checking her damp white dress, and stared into the distant horizon.
There—where the sea met the sky—a girl was walking.
Her short dark-brown hair framed her face in carefully arranged strands, and her light violet eyes shimmered beneath the pale sunlight, reflecting both calmness and hidden confidence. She wore an elegant sailor-style school uniform: a short-sleeved white blouse, a large striped tie in dark navy and light blue, and a pleated dark navy skirt. A light green bracelet gleamed on her right wrist, and she lightly held the edge of her skirt with her left hand. Her gentle smile and direct gaze gave her presence both warmth and mystery.
From afar, everything seemed normal… until she turned around.
The moment their eyes met, Saiti felt time freeze.
The girl's gaze was strangely familiar—a mix of farewell and apology, of something lost that had returned for just a moment. She stepped closer, parted her lips, and spoke in a voice like a wave whispering to the shore:
> "Forgive me…"
The word echoed in the air, as if it were not a human voice, but something internal.
Then the wave came suddenly—stronger this time—rising and crashing toward her until it completely swallowed her.
She felt no fear.
Only a heaviness in her chest, as if she were drowning in a memory that wasn't hers.
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The teacher's voice shattered the silence.
> "Saiti! Are you thinking about sleeping during class again?!"
Saiti gasped as she opened her eyes. Bright white light from the window struck her face, and the sounds of pens and whispers pulled her back to reality.
For a moment, she noticed herself—
Her long, wavy hair fell softly over her shoulders and back, its colors blending pale lavender, silver, and faint purple streaks that shimmered in the light. Her wide violet eyes scanned the room with depth, and the thin glasses on her face added a touch of intelligence and mystery. A dangling earring shaped like a violet flower swayed from her ear, and a purple ribbon wrapped around her neck, enhancing her enigmatic charm.
She looked around, confused, then toward the board filled with equations.
> "If you're truly awake, answer the third question."
The classroom fell silent.
Saiti stared at the board for only ten seconds before speaking in a calm, confident tone:
> "The square root of a negative value—because the previous result contradicts the original sign."
The teacher paused for a moment, then nodded slightly in approval.
One of the students whispered:
> "As always… the sleeping genius."
Saiti didn't respond. She placed her pen back down and rested her cheek against her hand, staring out the window.
Outside, the weather was unusually bright.
The schoolyard was flooded with sunlight, students scattered in small groups.
And there—by the lone cherry blossom tree in the courtyard—she saw her.
Emma.
Her short dark-brown hair danced with the breeze, her steps steady against the ground. Her soft, confident smile and violet eyes carried a special warmth. Her elegant school uniform gave her a striking presence, along with the light green bracelet on her wrist and the subtle motion of her hand holding her skirt.
Saiti froze.
Something inside her chest cracked—as if she had seen someone she had known long ago, then deliberately forgotten.
A strange tightness filled her throat, an unfamiliar ache she couldn't name.
She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to push the feeling away—but the sound of the waves returned to her mind.
A faint whisper… the same word from the dream:
> "Forgive me…"
Her eyes snapped open as she searched for the girl—but she had already disappeared into the crowd, leaving only emptiness behind and a feeling Saiti couldn't understand.
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The bell rang, and the classroom burst into motion.
Saiti quietly gathered her books, but her mind remained on that gray shore, where the wave had called her by a name she had yet to hear.
Somewhere in the corner of her memory, a strange feeling began to grow—
as if this meeting wasn't a beginning,
but a continuation of something that had started long ago.
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