"I've had it. This is the final straw..." Thus spoke Yoshino Haruna, the only delinquent in our class. "Tennouji, you must duel me!"
"Sorry, Yoshino," I apologize, scratching the back of my head with a nervous smile. "I have no idea how to play card games..."
"I meant a fistfight! Like men!" Her eyes are serious.
"But we're girls..."
She's a lone lioness, as one might expect; she's occasionally violent, but more often than not cool and collected. So, there are surprisingly few people who know that she talks like a cheesy anime or manga character. She sees me as a rival for some reason.
I've managed to avoid any conflict so far, but now that's all about to change. I greet her sociably during every break period. I always complimented her on her underwear whenever we changed clothes for PE. I laugh out loud at every single cheesy line she says to show how well we get along. I never stop displaying our friendship through slapping her on the back so hard it makes my hand red and such. Honestly, I can't even imagine why Yoshino's acting so gloomy.
"This is so sad, Shino-chan," I moan. "Friends as close as us should never fight."
"You were never my friend!" She points her finger at me with an unladylike yell. "And stop calling me Shino! I'll beat your bones into dust today!"
"You sound serious..." I love Yoshino when she's all serious like this. If I were a guy, I might get all fired up and ask her out or something. "All right, I accept."
A satisfied smile crawls up her face." Today, after classes. Behind the school. I will be there for your blood. Huhuhuhu..."
"Okay~" I also return her sweet smile. And yet, Yoshino's seething rage makes me feel nihilistic. "One thing, though."
"What?" Her eyes look at me with some interest.
"I won't go down that easily," I reply as I crack my knuckles. Have I been infected by her boyish personality already?
"Perfect," her smile returns. "I look forward to seeing you cry like the little girl you are..."
Her smile fades, and her voice grows sharp and serious. "After school. Don't forget."
"Yeah, I know," I respond firmly. This was a passionate promise between women, with "Savage Lioness" Yoshino. I wasn't soon to forget such a promise.
I completely forgot that promise and went straight home after school. I'm not a very respectable person.
"Uhahahaha," I thoroughly enjoyed some late-night television like some media junkie, never once remembering our promise.
"Wahahahaha," I had fun downtown on Saturday, never once remembering our promise.
I didn't realize I'd broken our promise until later that night. It was far too late to regret it. I told myself I'd apologize to Shino-chan the next chance I got, then went to sleep. Maybe the fact that I treat people lightly is what makes Yoshino dislike me so much.
...As punishment for that half-hearted lifestyle, a certain someone summoned me on Sunday night.
"Yatori hasn't come home yet," Madam Rikako asks me. "So...can you bring him back please?"
Those two lines don't connect at all. But...
"Y-yes, Ma'am," I nod, daring not to disobey her.
Madam Rikako is the mother of Kanbe Yatori, my childhood friend. We've been neighbors for a long time, and both of my parents get along with her, so to me, she has more authority than most relatives. Actually, this isn't the first time she's asked me to find her lost son, that weird moron. I know where to look for him. I gather up my equipment and set off immediately.
"Okay..." Taking a breather, I fiddle with my antique cell phone and start up an application.
This application is called Mappie. It's kinda like the consumer version of a satnav. It came bundled with the phone. It records all the terrain I walk through, counts the number of steps I've taken and can give me simple directions. I assume it's designed for people who like to take walks. It's fun to wander around buildings it has no data for, and watch it automatically draw a map. Plus, I can always find my way out of the forest with this thing. It's pretty good.
I'm still close to town, so I can't see many animals or insects. They're probably hiding farther in, away from humans. The forest here is a good place for kids to play. Come to think of it...when I was little, I tried to look for butterflies here, but never found a single one. I later saw them in textbooks, but I'll never know the true form of a butterfly.
I think I remember playing around here a lot when I was a kid. At some point, however, I stopped coming here at all. Why? Because one thing became apparent to me. There are no animals, nor insects in this forest. It feels like an empty world, and I find that rather boring.
But Yatori-kun still comes here a lot for some reason. No one goes with him. He's always alone. He never hangs out downtown. He never stays up late partying. He spends all his free time in the forest...it feels just a little too lonely.
I think I've been walking for about thirty minutes. After coming this far, there's no longer any sign of the town. This forest is dark even during daytime. I feel uneasy, like I'm in a deep sea. I've been here a lot, but it still unnerves me. Even when I was little, I never went this far in. I check Mappie. It's still charting my progress, so there's no need to worry about getting lost. I pull out my flashlight and point it ahead of me.
Thankfully, the Moon is bright tonight. It's not that hard to walk around here, and it's very quiet. The humidity makes this place feel like a tropical forest. Yet I can't hear a single insect. It's so unnatural, it makes me wonder if some supernatural creatures are hiding here. I have a wooden shinai, helmet and an extra-padded coat, just in case, but I still don't feel safe. Something about this beautiful forest feels wrong. I want to go home.
...But I need to complete my objective first. Yatori-kun needs me.
"...Heeey," I call out to the darkness. "Heeey, Yatoriii."
No answer. Maybe he's farther in. He's living a dangerous life.
"...Heeey, are you here?" My voice wavers as it raises. "Yatori-kuuun. Ouwa!?"
I jump at the sight of some frightening shadow. I ready my old shinai when...
"Meow~" A faint mew answers my frantic attempt to defend myself.
"Oh, it's just a cat..." I exhale in relief. I can't see what color it is, but I hope it's not black. Don't scare me like that.
"I hope I didn't hurt you, little kitty~"
"Hissss!" It tries to intimidate me before running off. That was definitely someone's pet.
"Geez...That cat could have been less fussy..." I continue walking as my heart pounds. Shortly after, I hear an even louder rustle in the bushes.
"Gya?!"
"Bufu!" A low grunt answers my frightened shriek.
"Oh, it's just an even-toed ungulate..." In layman's terms, it was a boar. For some reason, my embarrassment made me talk like an academic instead. Don't scare me like that.
"Go home now," I urge the boar to leave. "The rest of the zodiac's waiting for you."
"Bu! Bu! Bu!" The boar snorts before leaving.
"...Man, how often do you see boars around here?" Now I feel like an idiot for saying there were no animals here. The thought only makes me more worried for Yatori, and I continue my search.
"Heeey, Yatoriii, time to go home!" I call out louder. "Yatori-kuuun? Can you hear meee?"
Going even farther in might be a bit tough. Someone might end up looking for me if I end up getting lost he-
"Hiii!?" Something's there! It's huge!
"Mosu." A strange, gruff breath comes out of some strange creature lurking in the shadows.
"Oh, it's just a...just a..." The more I try to think about it, the dryer the pool of ideas in my head gets. "What is this thing?
It's neither a cat nor a boar. It's neither a dog nor a fox. I don't think I've ever seen it before...but it feels familiar. "Have we...met somewhere?"
"Mosu! Mosu!" The animal jumps about enthusiastically. Upon closer inspection, it looks the size of a large dog, round and poofy, with a powerful body. Hm...It's got long hair and a long trunk...those tusks look pretty cute, though...I know, this is a...
"That's right...it's just a mammoth..." I saw it in a social studies textbook once. Apparently people used to hunt these things.
"Mo!" The mammoth seems pretty happy that I recognized it for what it is. I admit, I'm pretty surprised to see one here, seeing as they should be pretty much extinct right now. As I stare at it for a while, it stares back at me, then eventually loses interest and looks away.
"Mosu." It walks away calmly. Judging by its size, it's probably just a baby. When it grows up, it won't be so cute-looking anymore. I should be careful.
"I'd better hurry..." I start walking faster, aware of how much time I've spent here.
...A handful of meters further into the forest, I stand still.
"...That moron." He was here...I knew it. "You're sleeping? Geez..."
He lies there against a tree, so defenseless and meek, his sturdy prescription glasses lying crooked across his eyes. I suddenly feel tired, perhaps a little peeved. All that worrying was for nothing. Yatori's been playing out here since he was a little kid. He showed no interest in the stuff normal guys did, and chose instead to spend all his time in the forest. I wonder what's so fun about it that makes him want to come back.
To be honest, him playing in the forest at night worries me. But Yatori knows this part of the forest better than anyone, and it's my job to look after him. Now, let's bring him home. I poke his shoulder.
"Hey, wake up," I disturb him with a forceful moan. "You won't be able to sleep tonight if you sleep now."
"...zzz." He's sound asleep.
"Come on!" My shaking gets faster and harder.
"...guu," he moans. He's sleeping awfully heavy.
"Ugh...hey," I enter Onee-chan Mode. "Yatori, wake up already! Your mother's waiting for you!"
I shake him so hard that the tree he's sleeping under rattles with him. And yet he doesn't stir once. No good.
"...Oh well." For the time being, I give up.
I just now notice how cold it is, even with the padded coat. Yatori-kun's body feels cold, too. I can't imagine how long he's been sleeping. I have to get him out of here before we both freeze to death, but...how?
Wait...that's it. "Yatori-kun, I know you love this."
I took my wallet with me, just in case I was found dead in the forest and the police needed to know who I was. I take some pocket change from it, and drop it piece by piece into his palm.
Chink chink~
"Kuhuu..." Yatori's brow furrows, a reflexive smile creeping up his sleepy face.
"How's that?" I slide a few more coins into his palm.
Chink chink~
"Uunnnn..." With a groan, he stands up, slouching over at the shoulders.
"Okay, follow me, follow me." I shake the rest of the coins like a hypnotist's pendulum and walk back the way I came. Yatori staggers behind me.
"Good, good, keep it up," I encourage the sleeping corpse of my childhood friend.
"...uuu, uuu." He's still half asleep, moaning like a zombie. "Uuu..."
Chink chink~
"Uuu~"
Chink chink~
"Uuuuu~"
It's cute, but also a little scary. Thankfully, soon enough, we get back to the Kanbe residence in one piece.
"Wake up already, you lazy moron." I gently thump his back.
"...uha! ...mmm..." His eyes slowly open, and after a few slow blinks, he looks around. Then his eyes slide lazily over to me. They seem to shine like rough diamonds in the pale moonlight. It's captivating.
"Ah...Koko...ro?" A light surprise masks his earlier drowsiness.
"Morning, Yatori-kun," I exhale a satisfied, pleasant reply.
"...Morning." Meekly, he returns the greeting, adjusting his glasses. Then his brain registers the surrounding darkness. "Ummm..."
He looks around again, and his eyes widen.
"Wa!" He seems even more surprised that he's standing here. "It's night! It's dark!"
"You were sleeping in the forest," I explain to him, my tone a little grumpy. "You would have frozen to death if I hadn't got you out."
"Ah...that's right. I see, I see." Blood rushes to his face, warming his cheeks with embarrassment. Seeing him with that goofy smile makes my heart skip a beat. "Did you carry me all the way here?"
"Um...kinda," I respond indirectly, looking away from his face.
"I see...sorry for making you do that." Now there's a genuine smile. Geez, how does he not have women surrounding him at school? I'd confess to him all over again if I were another woman.
"I-it's fine," I humbly respond. "You were sleeping really well, though. It was hard to wake you up..."
"Oh, man," he exclaims. "I wish you could have seen my dream."
"Dream?" I ask. "What was it about?"
"I bought some juice at a vending machine," he recounts, oddly happy. " But when it gave me change, the coins never stopped pouring out. It was amazing!"
"I guess," I respond, pretending to care about it.
"I kept putting them into my savings box forever and ever and ever..." Don't go back into the dream, I just woke you up. "In fact, recently I bought a savings box that can hold ten million yen."
"...You what?"
"It's as big as an oil drum," he answers enthusiastically, showing me the size with his arms. It seems to me more as if he's hugging the air passionately, though. "Aaah, such luxury~"
"So it can hold 500 coins?"
"...What?" He's hanging midair, hugging his air money drum like he found a girlfriend to nuzzle. I probably shouldn't think like that, though. Kinda makes me want him to nuzzle me.
"I mean...20,000 bills?" Can he actually save like that? Even if he put in one a day...
"I'll be set for life, heheh." His smile gets kinda scary with that. I can't imagine the kind of strange, perhaps lascivious things he plans to do with that money.
Well, as long as he's happy, I guess it doesn't matter. "Anyway, your mom was worried," I inform him. "You'd better go talk to her."
"Uuoo! You're right!" His expression snaps into a look of realization.
"She'll probably be mad, but you can handle it," I assure him, brushing my long hair back with my hand. "If you need to run away, you can stay at my place. We've got a spare room."
I toss a sly wink in his direction. That response came out kinda seductive, but strangely he doesn't freak out. Instead he answers, with that stupid grin of his, "It's fine, my parents are very hands-off."
"You sure?" I ask, surprised. "I think even they'd be mad about you staying out this late."
I mean, he's come home after sunset before, but this is a record for him.
"Kokoro, that's because..."
"Yatori-san, is that you?" Madam materializes without warning, as Yatori tries explaining himself. Naturally, I freak out.
"Owa!"
"Ah, yeah," Yatori responds affirmatively, ignoring my high-pitched screech. "We're back."
Madam gives her son a single cold glance, then closes her eyes and sighs. "I'm glad he wasn't hurt."
"Of course not, Mom," Yatori assures his mother. "That forest is like my backyard. If it didn't feel so homely, I might not have went to sleep by mistake."
"...If you say so," she responds.
Eh? That's it? He gets acquitted that easily? Madam Rikako looks really harsh, but is she that lenient on her own son?
Her eyes fall on me next, a tiny smile accompanying it. "Good work."
In response, I curtsy like a maid. I half-expect that to get Yatori's attention, but the guy just stands there, his eyes in a different direction. How annoying.
"Sorry...it took a bit longer than expected," I apologize to Madam.
"No, you did well," she responds, a sharpness to her words. "A girl as obedient and courteous as you should be proud of herself for bringing back my son."
"Um...thank you,"I respond, surprised by the compliment. What would my life be like if I was a Kanbe and not a Tennouji? Would I be anything like the woman I am now? I imagine acting like Yatori for a moment, and I shudder.
"Mom, Mom," Yatori-kun begs like a dog looking to play with his owner. "Kokoro did well. Thank her for it. Give her something good."
Madam closes her eyes, contemplating this. "...All right. Kokoro-san, I will reward you for this in the near future."
"Um...thanks, I suppose?" I'm honestly confused by the events unfolding, but I guess it wouldn't hurt to have the gratitude of Madam Rikako on my side.
"Good," she responds, turning towards the Kanbe residence. "Come inside, Yatori-san."
She gives off an air of aristocracy as she gracefully walks inside. Yatori stares at me. I can't imagine where he might be staring, but it'd better not be my chest or I'll put this shinai to good use.
"So..."Suddenly there's an awkward silence. I know what I want to ask him,but I'm afraid of what he'll answer. "A-are you coming to school...tomorrow?"
"Yeah, I think I will," he nonchalantly replies. "I mean, I can't skip every day. Besides, I think it would do me some good to hang around someone like you, so 'obedient and courteous'".
"Hey!" Those last three words sounded like teasing to me. Time for my playful comeback! "I'll have you know I'm actually a rough-and-tough chick! I won't go easy on you~!"
"Okay, okay," Yatori chuckles off that playful statement of mine. "Good night, Kokoro~"
"See you tomorrow~" I wave back to him and watch him pace quietly towards his mother.
"...Okay, that's dealt with," I breathe a happy sigh of relief. "Time to go...hm?"
I suddenly get the feeling someone is watching me from behind. I figure it's another cute cat or wild dog or something. I try shrugging it off, but the moment I start walking, something pushes forward from behind, engulfing my back. Something small and soft, like a silken bow.
"...Eh?" I turn around.
...Nothing's there.
...No one's there.
...There is only the forest. But I can still feel that strange sensation wrapped around my neck. It's smooth and seductive...but disturbing. A deep forest...
A few seconds later, I get goosebumps. I hurry home, almost running. Yatori said the forest was like his backyard, but I couldn't agree with him on that. There's something in there that no one knows like the back of their hand. It's like a scene from a horror movie. I'd sooner leave Kazamatsuri than get spooked by some unknown creature.
Late at night...I was starting to fall asleep, when...
"...Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!" I felt someone grab my wrist, its hand cold as ice. "Wh-who's there? Who are you?!"
I roll out of bed and turn on the lights. No one's there...am I hallucinating?
It can't be a dream...I know someone tried to pull me by the arm. Its grip was strong enough to make me instantly wake up, as if pulling my arm out of its socket. I couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman's strength, which made me even more nervous.
"...The heck just happened?" I look at my wrist under the light. I can see a clear, hand-shaped mark where I was grabbed.
I immediately faint. This is a dream...right...?
Ugh... XP
Hello, everyone. EisenKoubu here. This is the beginning of one of my most ambitious writing projects (although these days, almost every project I do is ambitious), and so far it's a journey fraught with problems. You see, I originally published this chapter on WattPad along with an altered Prologue, but stories can't be seen on WattPad without an account, and it has other issues that create problems for me as a simple fanfic writer. For that reason, I jumped back to the safe route of posting the story here, sans the Prologue since it's a little too similar to the original's prologue.
So what prompted me to start this project? Well, it all began with a single picture that was posted on Twitter. I'd post the link here, but this site hates hyperlinking stuff. You can probably find it if you scroll down ShiraneHito's Twitter page for a while.
My friends at Kazamatsuri were pretty impressed by the quality of the art, as was I. Then I thought, "What if Rewrite was an Otome game?" The people on the chat exploded with ideas (some of them kinda raunchy) but it was enough material for a thread to start up, and I rallied people up to help bring this project to life. What you see here is only the beginning. While the first day is fairly similar to the first day of Rewrite, I promise you that this won't be just Rewrite with genderbent characters. There is a reason for this branch existing, or else Moon Kagari wouldn't consider it. We have to figure out what that reason is.
So, I hope you enjoyed this first chapter. It's a safe start, yes, but it'll get quite a bit more interesting in future chapters. Please look forward to October 4th! :)