I stand in line. There are quite a few people ahead of me. Something is happening at the front—loud screams echoes through the air. Just ahead, two guys are whispering to each other.
"I can't wait to get there… to her…"
"Yeah… she's such a cutie, can you see her from here?"
I look up. Instead of the familiar blue sky, I see dark crimson clouds crackling with lightning, a raging storm tearing through the heavens.
What is happening? Where am I?
Before I can finish my thoughts, a calm yet commanding female voice cuts through the noise.
"Isao. Come here."
A girl stands before me, dressed in a flowing white dress, her long, blindingly white hair cascading down her back. I immediately recall the whispers from those two guys in line—about how beautiful she is. And they were right. This petite girl was undeniably gifted with striking and enchanting features.
But I barely have time to take in her beauty before my eyes drift downward…
Corpses. Piles of them at her feet.
And in her hands—a bloodstained katana, its tip aimed directly at me.
It seems these poor souls, like me, had no idea why they were standing in this line…
"Tell me, Isao, do you love me?"
"I've never seen you before… and judging by the bodies beneath you, it looks like you killed them all…"
"Wrong answer. Goodbye."
She shifts her katana slightly to the side, and a shiver runs down my spine.
"Hey, wait! Let's talk abo—"
I bolt upright in bed, gasping for air.
It was a dream.
Cold sweat clings to my skin, and my heart pounds like crazy.
What the hell was that nightmare? Getting cut down by some tiny girl with a katana…But… she really was gorgeous…
Remembering her face, I feel an unexpected flicker of warmth deep inside me—just for a split second.
The clock reads 3 AM. I still have a few hours before my first day at a new school.
I hope I didn't wake Aunt Tomo…
The way to school isn't short. My aunt lives on the outskirts, near a coastal town in the northern part of the Japanese islands. To be honest, it feels strange being in such a quiet and deserted atmosphere after the chaos of the big city—long lines, constant rush, and the restless crowd.
But catching a break here, now? Yeah, that's not really happening. I have a couple of ideas why...
First of all, I broke up with the love of my life, my little angel, Lia. My heart sped up the moment I thought of her. Well, "I broke up" isn't exactly true. She was the one who left me. She swore she loved me, said she'd never leave, but in the end, she couldn't handle the pressure from her father. Speaking of him… That lunatic completely lost it when he found out Lia was dating an ordinary guy—me. Maybe he thinks no one should date while still in school, or maybe he sees me as a loser. Or perhaps it's just because my family isn't rich." It doesn't really matter now. He sent his dogs to wait for me outside my house, tried to scare me off, then pressured his daughter. I don't know what exactly he told her, but she got rid of me that same night. And it's not like his thugs twisted her arm while talking to her like they did to me.
Thinking about all this made me want to punch something. Hard. But instead, my new school stood before me.I expected a small-town school in the middle of nowhere to be, well, small. But damn, this place looks almost as big as my school in Tokyo. Maybe even bigger. It looks elite—huge, well-kept. More like a private estate than a school.
As I walked through the hallway to my assigned class, I caught plenty of unfriendly stares.Some students pointed, laughed.Maybe it was because my uniform was a different color. Surely because of that.
I entered the classroom, the teacher briefly introduced me, and I took one of the few empty seats in the front row.The lesson began.
My mind drifted to Lia's father's words.
"You little bastard, I don't give a damn that you're a student. You messed with the wrong man.Touching my daughter—are you out of your damn mind, you stupid animal?"
"You won't live."His voice was eerily calm.
That very evening, the windows in my house were shattered.They threatened my father at work.At school, seniors started jumping me…
And he wasn't lying. Life really did get a hell of a lot harder after our last conversation. So much harder that my father sent me here, to god knows where,nearly the northernmost edge of Japan, if the map was right.
All day, during every class, I kept feeling those curious, not-so-friendly stares.At least no one tried to beat me up… yet.
Time to go home.It gets dark early around here. I need to make it back before nightfall so I don't get lost on this forest trail.
I had barely walked away from the school building when a loud, aggressive voice rang out behind me.
"Hey, stop right there. I said STOP."
Guess someone here liked me even less than the others.
"What, you think you can ignore me, rich boy?"
Rich? What makes him think I'm rich? Would a rich guy really choose to move to this godforsaken place? It's probably because of my uniform… That damn uniform.
"Relax, man. I'm just heading home from school. I don't want any trouble."I didn't even bother turning around.
BAM-BAM, BAM.
The punches didn't stop for a solid minute.I kept my arms up, shielding my face, trying not to black out.
Once they got bored of using me as a punching bag, I heard a familiar phrase.
"You won't live here, newbie."
Somehow, I managed to get up, dust myself off, and head home before the sun disappeared beyond the horizon.
Aunt Tomo met me at the doorstep. Her expression didn't change when she saw me bruised and covered in dirt.
"Get changed and wash up. Leave your dirty clothes to me. Then come see me—I have something to tell you."
I did exactly as she said.
"Issao, I'm not young anymore… and my health isn't great. Now you've shown up here. I don't mind taking in a distant relative for a while, don't get me wrong. But I don't have enough money to support you. I'll tell you straight—you'll need to find a job if you don't want to starve."
Great. As if this day couldn't get any worse. Now, on top of everything, I—a high schooler—have to get a job. Fantastic...
"There's a man in town, old Koju. Yeah, that's right, Uncle Koju. He runs some sort of sports business—maybe he trains boys in basketball, I don't really remember. Go see him and tell him Tomo from the village is asking if he can take you in for work. I think he'll help you out. For today, just rest. Tomorrow after school, go find him. I'll wash and sew your clothes, don't worry."
Old Koju. She could've at least told me where to find him... But if he runs a sports club, maybe I should check it out. Not like there's much else to do in this dead-end place anyway.
I'm dreaming.
A strangely familiar, blood-red sky unfolds across the horizon.
I see her. A girl in a dress with long, snow-white hair. But this time, there's no one else here, and I don't see a katana in her hand.
"Isao. Come to me."
"Who are you?"
"Do you love me, Isao?"
Last time she said that, she cut me down with her katana. Does it even matter what I say? Should I run?
I glance around... This place is bizarre. It feels like I'm in the middle of an ocean, yet no—I'm standing on the ocean. Only, it's definitely not filled with water.
No matter which way I look, I see nothing but this "ocean."
The girl is approaching fast.
"Issao. Answer me. Do you love me?"
From her hand, the same katana as before slowly begins to grow, as if sprouting from her flesh.
In an instant, the sky erupts with storm clouds, flashing with violent lightning, followed by deafening thunder.
I turn and run. Anywhere. I don't want to die... not again...
I jolt awake.
"A dream. Same dream again..."