From a distance, the two girls could have been sisters. As they walked across the still-wet rooftop of the school that cold afternoon they held hands and smiled. The puddles stained their white loafers a light shade of grey like ash on fresh snow. Upon a closer inspection, the girls look very little alike. The taller, Mitsuko, wears her hair parted in the middle and her longer, dour face gives her a look of permanent disapproval. Yuko, the younger, has an upturned nose, an impish grin and her hair is swept off to the left. While the two girls look very similar from a distance in appearance and countenance, they are very different when viewed from up close.
As they walk they talk of the things high school girls are expected to: boys, classes, their upcoming entrance exams for their respective colleges. Yuko wishes to attend a respected fashion school while Mitsuko longs for the world of political science. The two girls, with so little in common, do not share any common dreams. Their only connection is dance. They met as 1st year students in the Dance Circle at their high school. Despite being so different, their strides are the same. They walk with the poise and grace of a dancer. On the balls of their feet, they glide across the rooftop with their shoulders back and their heads erect. The mere act of turning the head is calculated and delicately executed to be a movement of grace and elegance.
When the girls reach the stairwell, Yuko bids Mitsuko farewell. Yuko tells her that she wants to stay on the roof a while longer. Mitsuko, accustomed to her eccentricities, smiles and waves good bye for the night. Yuko waits for Mitsuko to begin her descent down the stairs of their three story school building. When she is certain that Mitsuko is at the 3rd floor landing she walks to the front ledge of the building. Certainly, Mitsuko is now at the 2nd floor landing. Yuko removes her shoes and takes out a pink envelope, placing it gently on the shoes. 1st floor, Mitsuko is now at her locker, getting her street shoes. Yuko climbs the fence that keeps her trapped on the rooftop. When she reaches the top, she sees Mitsuko walking out of the front door. For a moment, Yuko is weightless, before gravity takes over and does its assigned duty.
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