Prologue: Before the Storm

The morning sun cast a warm glow over the quiet suburban neighborhood where Yuki and Haru resided. It was a typical morning, with the soft hum of birdsong mingling with the distant rumble of traffic. Inside their modest home, the twins prepared for another day at Sakura High, their backpacks slung over their shoulders as they sat down for breakfast with their mother.

"Make sure you both have everything you need for school today," their mother reminded them, her gentle voice tinged with maternal concern. "And Yuki, don't forget your lunch. I packed your favorite."

Yuki smiled gratefully at her mother, her heart swelling with affection. "Thanks, Mom. You're the best."

As they walked to school, Yuki and Haru chatted animatedly about their plans for the day, their laughter filling the crisp morning air. But beneath the facade of normalcy, a sense of unease lingered in Yuki's mind, a premonition of the storm that was about to engulf her world.

Once inside the school gates, Yuki parted ways with Haru, heading to her first class of the day. She slipped into her seat among her usual group of friends, exchanging playful banter and inside jokes as the teacher began the lesson. But as the morning wore on, Yuki's phone buzzed incessantly with incoming messages, each one more alarming than the last.

Curious, Yuki glanced at her phone, her heart sinking as she read the contents of the text. It was a link to a website, filled with fabricated rumors and salacious gossip about her. False accusations of promiscuity, tales of illicit affairs with random strangers, and even cruel stories of a supposed pregnancy and subsequent abortion filled the screen, each word a dagger to Yuki's heart.

As she scrolled through the vile messages, a sickening sense of dread washed over her, threatening to consume her whole. The room seemed to spin around her, the cheerful chatter of her classmates fading into a distant blur as she struggled to process the magnitude of the lies being spread about her.

Her friends, oblivious to her distress, continued their conversation, their laughter grating on Yuki's frayed nerves. She felt as though she were drowning in a sea of betrayal, her world crumbling around her with each passing moment.

Unable to bear the weight of the accusations any longer, Yuki felt the first tendrils of panic clawing at her chest, squeezing the air from her lungs. Her vision blurred with tears as she fought to keep her composure, to maintain the facade of strength that had always been her shield.

But as the whispers of her classmates grew louder, their accusing stares burning into her soul, Yuki knew that she could no longer hide from the truth. She was alone, adrift in a sea of lies, with no lifeline to cling to but her own shattered dignity.

With a trembling hand, Yuki reached for her phone, her fingers hovering over the screen as she prepared to confront the demons that haunted her. But as she clicked on the link, her heart pounding in her chest, she realized with horror that the message had been sent not just to her, but to the entire school, in a newly created group chat that included every student and teacher.

A collective gasp rippled through the classroom as phones buzzed and dinged in unison, the message spreading like wildfire through the digital ether. Yuki's heart hammered in her chest as she watched in horror, her world collapsing around her as the cruel words of her tormentors echoed in her mind.

For Yuki, the storm had only just begun. And as the first drops of rain began to fall, she knew that she was about to be swept away by forces beyond her control.

The prologue ends with Yuki, tears streaming down her face, her body racked with sobs as she struggles to come to terms with the cruel reality that awaits her. And as the final bell rings, signaling the end of the school day, Yuki is left alone in the empty classroom, her world shattered, her future uncertain.

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