Prologue
Seems like I don't understand the concept of 'Chapters' here. Is one chapter a 'volume' or a major part only, in the posting mechanism of syosetsu.com?
The wind kept howling like a demon.
Even the walls of the relatively solid house I was currently living in were experiencing tremors.
That said, it was just an ordinary, concrete house.
Yes, ordinary.
Sorry that I broke your imagery.
By the way, my name is Aidan.
Aidan Alastair.
And, tomorrow was going to be my first day at the university.
Hello, Japanese and Japanese-speaking folks.
Well, I want to try my luck here, for those who know a little English.
I want to transit into Japanese eventually, but right now I'm nineteen, and I've been dreaming of becoming an author since fifteen.
I hope that my books help people and I hope that I have enough sustenance in the future to immediately help even an abandoned pup without it disappearing on me.
This book is a little serious, please bear with me.
"You are a dangerous existence. I’ve miscalculated... You’ve been spared, but, since this is the case, my eternal blessings have already been removed from you."
***
The wind kept howling like a demon.
Even the walls of the relatively solid house I was currently living in were experiencing tremors.
That said, it was just an ordinary, concrete house.
Yes, ordinary.
Sorry that I broke your imagery.
By the way, my name is Aidan.
Aidan Alastair.
And, tomorrow was going to be my first day at the university.
…Well, currently, I was lazing about in my lonesome room, staring at a monotone screen.
Not that it was all that monotonous inside my head.
There was a certain dragon, a certain sculptor, and, a rubber person having a ridiculous showdown with a silver-haired samurai, who sat on top of a titan of the dragon slayer type – it was a rather intense battle.
Okay, maybe not.
Coming back on topic, it seems that my body has finally burned of gas.
“Alright, time to hit the sack,” said one of the typical lazy bums of the 21st century, Aidan Alastair.
“But, just a bit more…”
[Aidan Alastair yawned sleepily as he dragged his lethargy-infected eyes up and down the dim-lit monitor. Seriously, that’s not a healthy way of going about your hobby. Well, as I – no – as Aidan Shittard read through the latest downloaded novel available in pdf format, he once again stretched out his chest to flush his frustration by… yawning even more magnificently.]
Lately, I had been seeing more and more novels belonging to the category of being mundane, and, outright stupid.
“It’s true… How the hell do these novels end up getting published? Man, not that it matters to me. Is robotics a form of engineering too? I would like to live as an employee of the Appleplex Company, or keep sliding down the Silicon Valley for a few years. Heard that there was quite a bunch of smart-asses there.”
It’s not like I’m not diligent… Despite my current appearance.
“Lame!”
Hey there! Who was the motherfudger who said that!
“Motherfudger… Pff~!”
Alright! Let’s just conclude that I’ve been hearing imaginary things.
I heard nothing!
Nothing.
…
So there you have it. I’m a pretty cool guy… not.
I’m rather lame at the core. Does that repulse you? You don’t want to touch my saber? Does my presence prevent you from thinking of a certain handsome face? Seriously, I also want to know what it’s like to have a girlfriend…
Well, it’s not like I’m feeling sorry about that, but, anyway, sorry bro! Either you are gay, or, I’m confronting a female entity –wait! Where’s the magical hole which allows me to hide every time I’m in class-VI danger?
Huh… The triple-forked tycoon has just passed overhead.
“This monologue is getting annoying, just so you know...!”
Should I care? But…
I’m afraid for my future. There’s no way I can try to ask a girl out unless I work myself dead for ten years!
Studying! Working! Social-working! Studying! Fooling around… Working! Studying! Studying! Studying! Working… \(*.*) //
Also, I’m perfectly straight. I fear the day when I will get my first rejection. I might die without getting to father even a single child.
Thus is my personal situation, so let’s restart from a while back!
“Hey, you got way too frantic…” ×2
***
And, currently, I was lazing about in my room.
…Nothing to say here.
It was five o’clock in the morning – I had pulled a second all-nighter in a row.
My desk was lit from the fading glow of the monitor as I removed my woolen bonnet from my head with care.
Instantly, my ears felt numb from the temperature difference, and, rant, rant…
By God, was it cold!
The outside was a white world – it was snowing, and, the wind just couldn’t seem to calm down.
“Bark! Bark!”
Oh, and someone forgot to feed his dog once again. Fortunately, my beloved female dog was peacefully sleeping in the living room.
“Uah! How desperate can this moron get?!”
“Creepy!” said another unknown voice.
Creepy! – That’s what this she-ghost said.
Creepy! Creep! Cree! Cre…
Well, it’s not like I can hear voices. I’m a responsible pet owner.
And, I’m still a virgin…
By the way, I certainly don’t use my imagination to entertain myself.
“…Somehow, the pressure just doesn’t let go. How can I remain this laid-back?” I whispered.
I had already caught myself dozing twice in a row, and, habit told me that it was about time for the glorious – no – gloomy sun to rise into the even gloomier sky.
Feeling no resistance, I cracked my neck to the sides twice.
I was almost worried that it would end up making my neck thick, but, because of no other result than a harder to strangle attractive neck forming in the past years, I had decided to crack my entire body whenever I felt like it.
The subtle veins in my neck peeking out enticingly, my collarbone whenever I wear loose t-shirts, and, the way I find myself wondering if I had inherited natural muscle genes from my father’s father, or, another ancestor… I must be a complete narcissist! Sadly.
Also, messing with my body by cracking it in all kinds of weird ways had become an incurable habit for me.
It’s fun after all.
…Okay, I feel weird for saying that it’s fun, but, I can’t lie.
I placed my right elbow on the outer side of my left knee, and, pressed against the latter to stretch towards the left, until my hips no longer made any cracking sound, and vice-versa for the other direction.
Maybe that’s the reason why I am always slim despite wasting my time being a sloth.
“Huh…” I breathed.
My body felt like it had regained its resilience, and, I yawned while spreading my arms out to the extremes, and, leaning backwards so much, that I heard the satisfying sound of cracks in the middle of my ribs.
Just like a bow breaking apart.
Ah… The feeling of ache after doing some good warming up!
Not that I ever did exercise nowadays.
…
Hah…
Well, the weather is still bitching around too much though…
Why is it so frigging cold!
“Because you yourself are also bitching around.”
[Shut up! – or so, says Aidan Alastair.]
Makes me want to remain indoors for the rest of my life.
No, that’s way too serious a statement.
Now, here are the facts:
Of course, I never fractured, or, broke my bones by myself. My mother would scream at me each time I passed along a door, and, in my sheer clumsiness, I would completely snap off the head of many keys.
Apparently, it’s really inconvenient for certain parents that their son’s rib bones, and, physical specs are much higher than average despite being a shut-in, and, never doing any type of sports activity.
Shouldn’t they be happy…?!
Okay, they have stopped hitting me early on because of my body.
So, they must be a little unhappy. It was the law of the strongest at home after all.
Father blew a fuse.
I repeat, father blew a fuse.
So, here I am…
Taking a healthy loan after working for one year, I’ve met the requisites for starting my university period. After that, five years’ worth of reimbursement, at most.
Wonder why the other kids give up on going to university so early on?
“Ah…”
The computer already turned off, I plodded into the welcoming warmth of my bed.
These days, it is the only warmth that… I’ll shut up.
A vehicle’s headlights flashed by my window, and, my eyes wandered.
People had started going to work.
Good luck… dear fellows!
“Don’t lump us together with a good-for-nothing like you!”
Again a retort…
Why do I get such special treatment from everyone?!
In contrast to the senescent streets seen through a gap between the window curtains, my room was submerged in total darkness; shapes of a few portraits hanging on the wall could be seen, and, there was another such portrait behind me, occupying the entire length of the wall.
Like all the other portraits, it was made of thick cloth resembling fur, and, this one represented a pair of white tigers who watched upon me as I slept. I never felt safer than when I was in my own bedroom.
And.
After a long time, I started dreaming.
***
There stood a certain woman with white hairs hued with the lightest shades of pink.
And, surprisingly, she seemed to be more youthful than one would ever believe a white-haired person to be. I was never sure about age, so, I hardly bothered guessing about it.
At the very least, she had to be in her early twenties – despite having white hairs.
And, her beauty was bewitching to the extent of even banishing any thought of taking a breath.
Her skin was so white that it seemed as if she never went out.
This dream…
Within the folds of her clothing was a thin body which was perfectly in harmony with her angular face, alongside the modest abundance at her chest; her hands and feet seemed like they would break with just a little force, but, seemed strangely resilient, and, strong at the same time.
The white skin allowed a few rosy blushes to dye the inner side of her palm, and, the hardly noticeable gentle shades of blue and green blooming randomly along the soft treading of her inward wrist veins conveyed an unaccountable aesthetism, which only served to accentuate the redness radiating subtly beneath her skin.
This person…
The mystery of her lilac skin perfectly embodied the beauty of a flower, gorgeously highlighted by deep colors and ravishing hues – a balance which certainly was the epitome of womanly beauty.
It was as if her presence itself were an illusion; her face had a refreshing elegance, twinkling resplendently without ever dulling for a single instant, just like a star seen from far away, and, her fragile beauty nestled harmoniously within the maturity of her countenance, as if one would expect a child to appear mischievously right beside her any moment.
And…
I would like to be the one responsible for bestowing such a child to her.
Standing to her side as the father of the child, and, as her husband forever.
…
…Such a thought…
As I watched, kids materialized from everywhere to crowd towards her, each with a different colored flower, and, it warmed my heart to see the kids smiling.
It seemed so peaceful…
And, my body kept drifting away from her – almost naturally so.
At first, there was only me, these people, her, and, a completely white space, but, soon, a marble-like pathway erupted under my feet. And, the woman – no – girl looked in my direction expectantly.
I hesitated; it was the first time that I was having such a vivid dream.
It was scary...
I looked around every single corner of the landscape, worried that a ghost might just suddenly pop up from somewhere.
As far as I know, I’ve only ever had three types of dreams – adventure, wet dream, and, nightmare.
And, well, my nightmares had long since stopped featuring the traditional ghosts, but, I found people with questions of their own more scary in my dreams.
...The girl had whitish hairs. Even her clothes were vastly different from that which I was used to seeing. I hadn’t watched any fantasy series lately; I didn’t see any reason for having this kind of dream.
This dream… feels weird.
I did not know about what felt out of place, but, the scenery, seemed too real to be a dream.
The warm breeze caressing my face; the shy whispers hiding in the charm of the wind; the grasses alive with erratic movements; the feeling of being examined...
And, the beautiful girl who had started smiling at me while I remained frozen on spot.
The kids disappeared as she glided leisurely along the marbled pathway – the pathway which directly led to me.
I couldn’t move my body backwards. It was as if I were held forward by something – such a weird way of phrasing it, but, when, I tried to take a step forward, my foot moved without the slightest resistance. The scenery was disappearing as quickly as it had come, and, even the pathway started dissolving.
What’s happening?
If this turned out to be a nightmare, then, I feared that I would develop some kind of phobia at the end of it. The girl was approaching slowly, and, yet, she was much closer than I thought with each step.
This is bad! I don’t want to ascend to paradise so quickly!
In a panic, I raced forward in order to get behind her, and, run away, but, I was rooted in place the very instant I started diverting from her profile; she was only a few meters away from me, as I moved my eyes frantically to look at any angle which did not involve seeing her.
And, I couldn’t speak.
She looked too beautiful, and, the details were too numerous.
[Just like an angel.]
I didn’t want to die just yet.
If I were to die, then, it would only be by my own will – in a natural end.
Less than three meters before she reaches me. Seen from afar, her luxurious hairs seemed to be only white.
However…
No matter how high my imagination, I did not think myself capable of such unreasonable perfection. Just the sight of her delicate neck was enough to make me become breathless.
Because of the limit of my visualization – her hairs were a complex mixture of pale blonde and lavender, which seemed almost sandy-pink, while her face was unbelievably snow-like, with acutely flawless blushes closely concentrated around each of her eyes, and, a pair of rosy, glossy lips which threatened to overwhelm my consciousness.
That’s right. Most probably, this is not a dream.
A small, pretty nose trailing down as a delicate bridge, till one sees her mouth pouting as her pale, golden-hued irises of emerald looked straight at me.
Such a combination of features was not something which a human would have.
And, her current manner of looking at me was also strange.
“I like flowers,” she said softly.
That voice… is soothing…
Do I look like an idiot?
Flowers started blooming all around us in their full glory, much more colorful than I could ever remember them to be.
Not a dream…
“I want to place a flower on my head. It’s… a little embarrassing to do it on my own,” she continued, while blushing like a shy maiden in love.
“…”
This is not a dream.
I finally got back my voice.
“…”
“I can’t do that,” I replied bluntly.
Her pinkish-white dress looked way too expensive.
Also, I did not know this person.
Either way, this is not a dream.
“U-Um… Why?”
“The flower is a plant,” I said dumbly.
Her expression remained awe-inspiring even as she panicked. Though, I just felt that she might be acting.
There are a lot of other homes, and, people’s dreams to visit, not only mine.
I didn’t have time to waste on being possessed, or, not having a proper sleep simply because of this woman.
“…”
The opponent is a phantasmal creature.
I don’t know about what will happen if I don’t play by her rules.
But.
I couldn’t resist the fatalistic streak in my character.
At best, I would wake up from a good fright. At worst… I honestly did not know.
“Even if this is an illusion, I don’t see any sense entertaining someone else’s materialism. Are you a narcissist?”
That should make things clear for her.
Now then, is it the devil, or, the angel?
“Don’t be harsh! I’m not being a narcissist!” she exclaimed tearfully.
I could not reach a conclusion.
The flowers looked back at me as I gazed at them. Well, not literally, I mean.
“Uh… Why did you intrude–?”
“Well, it’s fine that my head remains unadorned.”
I’ve been ignored – ignored even in my dream.
Not that it’s a dream though.
And she continued:
“Sir, why do you like flowers?”
“Why would I like flowers?!” I retorted.
“Aidan, you like flowers, don’t you?”
“Like I said, why would I like flowers?”
As I pretended to be fuming my head, she bent down, and, plucked a flower, before offering it to me.
Honestly, I won’t get cursed if I take this flower now, will I? She even knew my name...
Wait!
“How do you know my name?”
“Is it no good to know your name?” she asked with the typical puppy face.
I felt obligated to face the other way, and, tried to hold back my annoyance.
Even my sleep has been intruded.
And, I don’t frequently have dreams.
No dreams, no ambitions, no social life, no more family for a long time.
This is my chosen path.
“You… why are you here?”
“...”
“I don’t know you. What is your name?”
“…Please answer my question.”
I sighed as I looked at her – an evanescent existence.
Not that it would do any harm to answer her question:
“That’s right. I like flowers. Beautiful flowers.”
She looked at me, perplexed, before blurting out:
“Why?”
“I am not a flower. That’s why, I cherish flowers.”
The dispersed petals floating along the wind.
She disappeared.
"You are a dangerous existence. I’ve miscalculated... You’ve been spared, but, since this is the case, my eternal blessings have already been removed from you."
