Declining Sun

The lights fade and the sky turns a deep navy. The old streetscape seems to pause, enveloped in silence.

Kanade locks the entrance door, passes through the family altar room, and returns to the living room. The TV, left on, is showing a news program.

This area, once a bustling tourist destination, is now home to a few hot spring inns that barely manage to keep their business going. A large commercial complex was built in front of the station two years ago, but it seems to serve only as a casual stroll path for families with children on weekends.

Kanade picks up an old photo frame. It's a picture from her childhood. It used to be a family tradition to visit a photo studio at the start of each new year. Both her father and mother are smiling naturally in the photo.