Mizuha/Plot

Introducing Mizuha
Five hundred years after Fushi began spreading his roots throughout the entire world, Mizuha overlooks a city from a field on her way to school. Yuki Aoki, Mizuha's junior, calls her name repeatedly, and when she turns around, he presents her favorite hair-tie that she'd left behind.

The next day, Hanna encounters a cheerful Yuki, and inquires as to his good mood. Yuki gushes over Mizuha's hand touching his when he handed her the hair-tie. Hanna explains she had made that hair-tie for Mizuha, who insisted for it because it was her birthday at the time. Yuki asks Hanna when Mizuha's birthday is, when Mizuha unexpectedly appears from behind him. She reveals her birthday is on April 6.

Yuki, Kazumu, Suzuhiko, all members of the Handicrafts Club, are in their club room, energetically musing about a "peaceful world", while Hanna, president of the club, sits a ways behind them, knitting. Mizuha enters the club room and joins the discussion on world peace. Hanna notes Mizuha has been coming to the club room often, wondering if anything happened to Mizuha's obligations with the naginata club. Mizuha explains that, as with many activities in the past, she left the Naginata club, becoming bored after winning competitions. Mizuha departs as suddenly as she entered, passing a pair of awed male students viewing school trophies on display that Mizuha had won. Nagisa, Funa, Saki, and Kasabe abruptly end their gossip when Mizuha walks by.

After she arrives home, Mizuha has only a short moment to relax before her mother, Izumi, greets her and tells about a neighbor who has entered into an distinguished ballet tournament. Izumi offers Mizuha to try ballet as well, oblivious to the fact that her daughter had already won a tournament when she was ten. After Mizuha tells her about this, Izumi proudly snaps a picture with her, praising her family while doing so. When Mizuha mentions that she wants to take a break from extracurriculars, Izumi quickly loses her excitement and becomes quiet. At her mother's shocked and insisting expression, Mizuha backtracks almost instantly and adds that her break would be only for a day. Izumi agrees, but adds that Mizuha should consider her next extracurricular soon. Izumi leaves to resume her writing, and Mizuha steps out onto her apartment balcony. Gazing over the city, Mizuha gives a dejected sigh before offhandedly stating she wants to die. She then scratches at her left elbow.

A few days later, Yuki notices that the roots covering an old building on the school grounds has stopped growing all of a sudden. He tries to set up a meetup for Handicrafts Club the next Saturday and asks Hanna to invite Mizuha, but she refuses, stating that Mizuha's mother is very strict and wouldn't let her go. Mizuha overhears this conversation and promptly invites herself.

On Saturday morning, Mizuha says goodbye to her parents and is about to exit the apartment, but Izumi tries to stop her, reminding her that she would have lessons that day. Mizuha says that she has already told her teachers that she'd take the day off and quickly leaves. At the roadside, she meets her grandfather, who offers to give her a lift to wherever she wants to go. However, before Mizuha can get into the car, Izumi interjects, demanding that Mizuha should be doing personal studies instead. Mizuha refuses at first, saying that she was allowed a day off, but her mother angrily grabs her wrist and pulls her back. Mizuha complies with Izumi, and returns inside, where she sits idly at her piano until nightfall.

Fushi's Return
Supposedly after the weekend, Mizuha decides to join the Occult Club. Aoki promptly invites her to come over to his house to meet Fushi, but this time Mizuha refuses because of her lessons. After hearing Fushi's name, she grips her left arm and gets lost in thought for a moment. Soon after that, the school bell rings and a boy appears to tell Mizuha that a third-year wants to talk to her. Before she leaves, she tells Aoki that his family sounds really nice.

After she leaves, Hanna reveals a bit about Mizuha's middle school time: She used to be very lonely and was probably poorly treated by her classmates and teachers because she had to carry a tower of books all by herself. Mizuha and Hanna become friends.

The next time Mizuha appears is during a field day practice session. A girl intentionally steps on her foot, causing Mizuha to fall and hurt her ankle. A group of girls tries to help her afterward, but instead, a boy approaches and lifts Mizuha up to carry her in his arms. This upsets the girls and they start crying. After Mizuha arrives in the nurse's office, Hanna excuses herself to check on her. She says that she wants to help Mizuha and that she sees her as her friend. Mizuha gets up and asks her if she would cry if she dies. Hanna is a bit overwhelmed and doesn't answer immediately, which makes Mizuha pull back and excuse herself. She leaves the school and meets Fushi on her way home.