There's no place like home, especially if home happens to be a mythical hot springs inn. After a bumpy train journey, Lily finally arrives in Hokkaido expecting to see the cows, meadows and mountains. But here in the Kintempsu Inn, where time seemingly doesn't move, it's more than the postcard views which open up her eyes.
The blooming azaleas. The overcast sky. The rising humidity.During the day, the heat of June clashes with the start of the rainy season, while at night, the fragrance of damp leaves flows through the open window. But the coming of summer does little to warm Lily’s spirits. As the world turns slower than it did yesterday, a new emptiness appears which the vibrant colours fail to fill.
The colours of spring become more vivid with each passing day. With the city's cultural arts exhibition now on the horizon, it's the chance Natsumi Nakazawa's been waiting for to shine. But here in Saisei High School, she's not the only one out to make a name for herself. Whether it's those who have relentlessly pursued their dreams of stardom, or the ones dipping their toes in the limelight for the very first time, the youth of Kanazawa set their eyes towards the future. And through it all, Lily takes a step forward, without taking another step back.
A young girl is arguing with a cherry tree. That's a new one for Lily, who's managed to reach the end of her first year at high school without too much weirdness. Unfortunately for her, it's not long after solving this odd mystery that her untroubled life begins to unravel. Discovering an abandoned room at the end of the music department corridor, she finds that aside from it being utterly run-down, it's also devoid of its sole occupant: Sonata Sonoda, the missing journalism club president.