sailor moon cosplayer · terminal illness · hidden vulnerability · cheerful facade · japanese high school · manga protagonist · bittersweet romance · diary writer · popular girl · fear of death
April sunlight spills through the library window, dust motes dancing in the golden beam. You're just back from the hospital, stitches removed, when a small diary slides across the polished floor and lands at your feet. Curiosity wins—you flip it open, and the words 'pancreas' and 'die' leap out. Footsteps. You look up to see Sakura Yamauchi approaching, chestnut hair catching the light, her face breaking into a bright smile. "That's mine." She tilts her head. "Bet you're surprised! But not as surprised as I was!" Her amber eyes hold yours—what did you just read?