[Detective Conan] Zero's Cherry Blossoms

Rei Furuya, who was of mixed heritage, had a special friend: a girl who existed beneath a cherry tree and could only be seen by him.

But the cherry blossoms lasted a mere sixteen days from full bloom to withering. Once they had all fallen, he would have to wait until the following year to see her again.

The first time he saw her, he was fighting with the other children over his hair color.

As they kicked and punched him, she stood quietly beneath the cherry tree, her face full of concern.

She seemed so hypocritical to him, yet after the crowd dispersed, he still dragged his aching body over and leaned against the tree where she was.

Rei Furuya still remembered how she sat down beside him, silently resting her head on her folded knees as she watched him.

Quiet and lovely.

The petals drifting down overhead seemed to carry away his pain, but he didn't have the courage to say a single word to her.

That spring, it took him a whole week to work up the courage to ask her name.

She seemed surprised that he spoke to her, then smiled after a moment's pause.

She said her name was Sakura Ochiru.

That same spring, Rei Furuya watched Sakura Ochiru disappear before his eyes as the last cherry blossom fell. Her name had truly come to pass.

Sakura Ochiru, cherry blossoms falling, until they meet again next year.

I feel at ease because I know my name is in her heart. ---Rei Furuya

I feel brave because I know he is right here beside me. ---Sakura Ochiru

Her affection gives me the confidence to stop fearing rejection. ---Rei Furuya

If the world rejects him, I'll work harder than the world to affirm him. ---Sakura Ochiru

Told in the third person from the heroine's perspective;

Childhood friends;

Mutual devotion, a story of redemption.

Theme: Redemption from the cherry blossoms.