"Ah… So bright… Morning has come already…?"

Ayumi Shinozaki has just woken up. Someone has pulled up the window curtain, and the sunlight came in, forced her eyes to open.

She had stayed up real late last night to finish her Chemistry homework, and after completing it, instead of going to bed, she'd even watch her favorite show on TV. And even worse, it was only 5:00. She sighed, and yawned, wondering if she should go back to sleep or come to school early. And she took the second option.

Ayumi sleepily walked down the stairs, almost stripped and fell. She then opened a fresh box of cereal and grabbed a cup of milk, and began eating while watching TV. "What a lame way to start a fresh week" She thought while having a look at her cats. It seemed like they were all sleeping peacefully. She grabbed her bag and left…

When she arrived at Kirasagi Academy, it was only 6:45 am. Definitely too soon. Her classroom was totally empty. "Seems like I'm the first one at school today!" She thought. "Maybe it's time to check out some desk drawers!" She happily ran through every single drawer in the classroom. She knew that as a class rep, she shouldn't do such childish things. But what else could she do to entertain in an empty school, early in the morning?

Ayumi suddenly stopped. Naomi's table. She could sense something pretty bad. Carefully, she hesitantly put one of her hand in the drawer, and pulled out…a picture….

…with Seiko happily hugging Naomi, and their smiles are as bright as the sun. However, Seiko's face was replaced by a pitch black spot….

Ayumi stunned. The picture fell to the ground from her hands. The painful memories from Heavenly Host Elementary school returned. Sprawled corpses lying around, messages that could never be sent, the deadly victim's memoirs, the red dress that dyed with innocent people's blood of Sachiko, the death of her idol Naho,….

"Seiko and Suzumoto-san…Even Morishige..! They all died! BECAUSE OF YOUR STUPID CHARM!"

And worst of all, her friends' death. A splattered Mayu, an insane Morishige, and a lifeless corpse of Seiko. And it was her fault. No matter how hard she tried to forget, seeing this picture just made her effort became nothing. All meaningless deaths… If she could just be there a bit sooner, if she'd told him the truth, if she could save Suzumoto, then Morishige wouldn't have died like that. If she didn't tell them to try the charm…

Hot tears streamed down her cheeks. Her lips trembling with pain. I'm the one who should've died… It should be me instead… Her whole body shivered. "It was supposed to be m-"

"Shinozaki!" She felt someone's hand on her shoulder and turned back.