Early in the morning, Ito, in her school uniform and with her hair braided, stepped out onto the outer corridor of her apartment building and called out as she left: "I'm off." Her mom peeked out past the threshold into the corridor and said anxiously: "Ito..." Her carelessly tousled, medium-length strands created the effect of an intentionally messy style. Her shoulder-length hair looked as if it had just been lightly ruffled with fingers. Ito turned around and said to her worried mom: "Mom, you worry too much every day... I'm not a first-grader anymore..." "But..." "The commute isn't exactly short, sure...