The night before Sleeping Beauty’s journey.

It began with a phone call.
An unfamiliar number, twice a day. For three days. Precisely the same times, twelve and six.
I thought it was a wrong number, or some kind of solicitation.
Then an email arrived. The night before the trip.
The moment I saw the sender, my heart gave an unpleasant jolt.
　I changed both my phone number and email address when I joined the agency. Those people shouldn’t have my current contact details.
I opened the email and skimmed the contents through half-closed eyes, then froze.

“…………What……?”

──What the hell is that?
What the hell is that, what the hell is that, what the hell is that!
Blood rushed to my head. Acting on impulse, I flung my phone onto the bed.
　The coral pink iPhone bounced off the mattress and hit the wall, making a dull thud.
My vision blurred. My eyes stung.

“Don’t you dare…!”

I’d bolted from that house, earned my own money. Found a place to live, a peaceful bed.
I thought I’d finally been free.
　I realise now. They can easily uncover my contact details.
My phone number, my address.
Surely, forever. Even when I’m an adult.
My breath feels stifled, as if stuffed with cotton.

Why can’t I manage something this simple?

Words hurled at me long ago have become thorny brambles, tangling around my heart.

　Be beautiful. Be delicate.
Stand up straight. Smile. Greet people properly. Don’t get fat. Don’t get too thin. Make an effort. Be cheerful. Be proper.
Be beautiful. Be delicate.
Running away?
Fine then. I don’t care anymore.

“Ugh.”

I pull the sheets tightly around me, closing my eyes hard.
I’ll sleep. Once I sleep, it’ll be tomorrow. I can go on a trip with Shigure-san.
I’ll make it a fun trip. I absolutely won’t let her see this face.
I have to make it a time that will protect me when I look back later.
Because it might be the first and last time.