First Snow

Chapter 1: The Leaden Window, The Polite Rejections

In November, the window of the train bound for late-autumn Otaru was faintly clouded with white mist. Swaying slightly on the rumbling seat, twenty-two-year-old Ao Hasegawa stared at the "rejection email" on his phone, holding his head in his hands.

According to the news, the 2026 job market was an overwhelming "seller's market"— But that was only a story for a select handful of elites. "I'm not the kind of highly talented engineer everyone's looking for, nor am I good at English discussions. I'm just a mediocre science student." His grades at Hokkaido University of Science in Teine were average. For him, job hunting in this November had hit a complete dead end.

On his way back from a two-hour escape at a movie theater near Sapporo Station, he had boarded a down-train bound for Otaru. As the train passed Teine Station, which he usually commuted through, and crossed Zenibako, the gloomy, lead-colored Ishikari Bay began to unfold outside the window. Staring at the cold sea whipped by violent waves, he felt his burning head, hot with job-hunting anxiety, quietly cool down.

The rejection notification on his smartphone screen glowed coldly, showing absolutely no sign of "praying for his future success" as the formulaic emails claimed. This was the result of tapping the search bar endlessly, seeking a "spoiler for life" beyond the screen. Where could he go to avoid failure? He no longer knew anything.

Before he knew it, he was tracing the memories of his childhood. A younger version of himself, crying loudly after a bad fall that scraped his knees. Back then, Grandma didn't say cliché words like "You'll be fine." Instead, she simply stood by him, silently supporting his back with her warm hand. Now, unable to get back up after hitting an invisible wall called job hunting, he desperately needed that quiet warmth.

He didn't want to dump his worries on her in earnest. He just wanted to find the strength to look forward again. Until he entered university, whenever something happened, he would always go to Grandma to complain. Grandma didn't try to lecture him; she just smiled happily and let his grumbles flow past, accepting his presence just as he was. For him, that alone was more than enough. In times like these, he always made a point to visit her.

When he stepped off the train at the terminal, Otaru Station, the air that brushed his cheeks was unmistakably colder than in Sapporo. Leaving the station plaza, he walked up the familiar steep hill, step by step. Watching his footing to make sure the soles of his recruitment shoes didn't slip on the freezing asphalt, he headed for Grandma's house. Reaching the top of the hill, he stood before the weathered front door. Even though they were close, he paused to take a breath and rang the doorbell with his characteristic politeness.

📖 Next Chapter:https://note.com/ttukumoo/n/n6f16040e2953
🌐OriginalJapanesehere:https://note.com/juicy_laelia8513/n/n0ff10b076294

"Thank you so much for reading to the very end!"💗