Chapter 1: It looks like a very lovely little bird fell down
“I’m saying I messed up.”
“I said it’s fine.”
On the way to the university the next day, I met Riku who apologized immediately.
Since an evening had passed, my irritation had subsided already. Of course, being tricked into going out was an unpleasant feeling, but Riku wasn’t a bad guy at heart. It wasn’t difficult to imagine that, in his own way, he was trying to get his friend who was regularly drowning in work to take a breather. The way he went about it was bad, though.
“Just tell me the next time.”
“If I tell you, you’ll refuse. Right?”
“I’m telling you I won’t refuse… only if it’s every once in a while.”
Riku stared at Yuuri in amazement. It was rare of him to be so positive. The night before, after talking with Aika, Yuuri got to thinking. He probably won’t be able to find something he enjoys right away. However, if he keeps trying to experience things he’d avoided up to now, he might find something
among them. He didn’t want to admit it, but he had a little bit of a sister complex. ‘Because my sister told me to’. A pathetic reason like that, there was no way he’d tell Riku.
“Ooh. In that case, with all my mi……huh?”
“What is it?”
The light was turning green. Riku, who had been strutting around triumphantly, suddenly noticed something and called out. Yuuri naturally followed his line of sight. There, from the other side of the intersection where it should be red, he saw a truck barrelling towards them at full force.
T/N: Truck-san finally makes an appearance.
The moment he realized, there was nowhere to escape to. And in the blink of a moment, the massive vehicle flashed before him.
Its chrome bumper, reflecting the sun, turned everything white.
It was an impact, unlike anything he’d felt before. And with that, Yuuri’s consciousness was snuffed out.
Everything was spinning.
Although his eyes were closed, he was dizzy and there was a strange throbbing sensation in his head. Acid welled up from the pit of his stomach. The feeling was awful, like a horrible bout of motion sickness.
That terrible feeling conquered him, his thoughts were muddled. However, he gradually regained consciousness and his mind became clear.
That’s right. I…
I was in the middle of going to school with Riku. I wonder what happened to Riku and that truck. What happened to me?
He could hear the sound of trees rustling in the wind and birds tweeting around him. He could have sworn the area he was in was a place in a town full of commercial buildings. Strangely, the scent that came to him now was of fresh green grass.
Where am I..?
When he opened his eyes, his vision was blurry. Out of the darkness, patches of bright light pierced through, the brilliance of which disoriented him. He turned his body to avoid the intense light and heard a disturbing sound. Creak creak. The next moment, he fell.
“..Aaah!”
Thud.
Landing right on his face, his nose took a major blow.
“Ow…what the heck.”
Just one bad thing after another. No way, I didn’t end up flying into some garden when I got hit by that truck, right? That’d be stupid.
However, besides feeling terrible, he couldn’t sense any kind of serious injury despite receiving such a huge impact. It was a miracle.
Still confused, he lightly shook his head. Covering his face reflexively, he let out a curse. Suddenly, he heard a light chuckle nearby.
“Are you alright?”
“Ha, huh? …Aah, well, probably.”
To be honest, I don’t know if I’m alright.
It was a smooth and soft voice unlike any he’d heard until now. Raising his face towards the person it belonged to, he became stiff.
Before him stood a startlingly beautiful man with golden hair.
Pale skin that was almost translucent resembled the moon. Gem-like irises inlaid with iridescent emerald shards. His gallant features were distinct, looking as if they’d been carved out of marble. He had an air of perfection that made him seem hard to approach.
However, his lilting smile that was bewitchingly sweet, kind eyes which curved slightly downward, and elegantly thin lips lent a familiarity to that perfection.
His hair, one side tucked behind the ear, cascaded into his pretty eyes ever so slightly. It was oddly sexy.
The man Yuuri saw now was filled with an otherworldly beauty. Despite being the same sex, there was a mysterious vibe that made him feel he could fall in love at first sight.
But, he felt like recognized him. As he was inadvertently staring at him, the man narrowed his green eyes further.
“It looks like an adorable little bird has fallen down. Were you taking a nap?” “Little bird…”
The man softly extended a finger covered in a white glove and wiped away the dirt on Yuuri’s face. It was at that moment Yuuri realized he had fallen on top of him. He leaped off in a panic.
“Ack! …I’m sorry!”
Looking around anew, he saw large trees towering behind the man. Completely different from what he was familiar with, the area around him was located upon a small hill. Not far away, there stood a great and magnificent western-style castle.