Chapter Text
“Huh? What’s going on?” The question came out confusedly from the young black-haired man’s mouth.
“Where am I?” He tried to make sense of his surroundings in that moment of disorientation.
“I’m cold.” He could feel quite cold, as if the heat inside him were slowly seeping away at a steady pace.
“Why?” He tried to make sense of the cold he felt until he sensed a sharp twinge on one side of his abdomen as he struggled to understand what was happening.
“What the hell is going on?” He clutched his side, feeling a viscous liquid.
He looked down to see why he was cold and saw that the liquid was a crimson red, realizing it was blood.
“Please… I don’t want to die, please…” Tears began to roll down his cheeks as he clutched his abdomen even tighter and crouched down.
“Why? Why? I just want to go back, please.”
The tears began to fall faster and faster; he crouched down completely, resting his forehead on the ground while kneeling.
He began to vomit as he clutched the bleeding area even tighter, trying to ignore the intense pain there just to keep his intestines in place.
He couldn’t see or make out anything; everything was already too blurry and black for him to understand anything in front of him. He couldn’t hear anything either, except for a continuous beeping sound.
“It hurts… it hurts so much… please…” He kept pressing down as he felt his consciousness slowly fading away.
“I… I don’t w… want to d… die…” Little by little, the beeping faded away as everything turned a deep, pitch black.
Natsuki Subaru had died
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He managed to open his eyes just as the sunlight dazzled him, forcing him to close one eye and hold his hand up in front of the sun to block out all that light.
“Huh? What just happened?” He looked around to see where he was and could see all kinds of people—humans, demi-humans, and others—as well as noticing that everyone was dressed in kimonos or traditional Japanese clothing.
“Wasn’t I just here a little while ago?” He kept looking around, trying to recognize the surroundings since he’d been there not long ago.
“But I was in… wait, I was dying.” He looked down at his body, seeing that the bag of food he’d bought at the convenience store was still there in his hand and his tracksuit was intact.
He ran his hand over where the cut had been and lifted his tracksuit to see if there was a scar or anything, only to find it intact.
“That’s weird, I could’ve sworn I was dying.” He pulled his tracksuit back down, smoothed it out a bit, and started walking.
“Hmm… maybe it was a hallucination… Or maybe a premonition! That would make sense,” he nodded as he kept walking.
“Well, that means I don’t have to go the way I went before. I don’t want to get stabbed again,” he stopped for a moment in the middle of the street and turned around so he wouldn’t go the way he had gone the last time.
As he walked, he took in his surroundings and the scenery, noticing that all the houses were in the style of feudal Japan, and the people were dressed that way, too.
He walked past a takoyaki stand—or at least that’s what it looked like stopped, and turned toward it. He tried to read one of the signs there but didn’t understand a single word of what it said.
“What’s up, kid? Want some?” the clerk asked him while he was making a few more.
“Well, I’d like some, but I’m broke. I don’t have a single usable coin.”
The clerk looked up and gave him a serious, cold stare. “Then what are you looking at?”
“Oh, uh, nothing. Sorry for the trouble,” he said, bowing slightly before walking away, glancing back occasionally, thinking the clerk had been a bit rude.
“Ugh, if that’s true, my money won’t do me any good here, so I’d better just forget about them, even though I really should find a way to learn to read.”
He kept walking through the streets of this feudal Japan until, a few meters away, he saw an elderly man carrying several boxes, some of which were falling apart; it looked like he’d dropped his wallet or rather, his pouch of coins.
The black-haired man quickly spotted him, ran over, grabbed the pouch, and hurried back to the old man.
“Excuse me, you dropped your bag of coins!” He ran toward him just as the man seemed to stop and turn his head in his direction. The man had short white hair, a stubble beard, and a thick mustache, along with dull amber-colored eyes.
“Oh… wow, you’re right,” he said, setting the boxes down on the ground for a moment and checking himself to see that the bag was missing.
The dark-haired young man handed me the bag of coins, and the man took it, thanking him.
“Thank you, young man,” he said, giving a slight bow to show his gratitude, then picked up the boxes again and continued on his way.
“Wait a moment!” I ran a short distance after him until he stopped. “Let me help you with that, please.”
“It’s not necessary, but thank you very much, I can manage on my own.”
“I won’t insist, but let me help you.”
“Hmm… all right, but be careful, they’re pretty heavy.”
“Don’t worry, sir,” the young black-haired man flexed his biceps and placed a hand on his shoulder with a smile. “I’m pretty strong, even if I don’t look it.”
“Hahaha, we’ll see about that.” He set down a few boxes and handed them to the black-haired young man.
The black-haired young man grabbed the boxes and began walking alongside the man.
“By the way, may I ask your name? My name is Natsuki Subaru.” He freed one hand and pointed to himself with his thumb while smiling.
“Pleased to meet you, Subaru-dono. My name is Kagutsuchi Satoshi.”
“Nice to meet you, Satoshi-san.”
The two continued walking together toward Satoshi’s house. Along the way, Subaru learned that Satoshi was a blacksmith who forged a little bit of everything, but that his specialty was swords.
“Thank you for your help, Subaru-dono,” he said, bowing slightly to thank him after finishing of placing the boxes.
“It’s nothing, it was a piece of cake,” Subaru chuckled a little as he spoke with Satoshi.
“Haha, I’m glad to hear it.”
“Well, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to head back now,” he began walking toward the exit until Satoshi stopped him.
“Wait a moment, Subaru-dono. Please accept these coins,” he said, pulling a few coins from the bag he’d nearly lost a few hours ago and holding them out to Subaru.
“What? Eh, no, that’s really not necessary. Please keep them.”
“No, no, I insist.”
“No, no, no, I insist too. Please keep them.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely sure, Satoshi-san.”
“Well, all right.” He put the coins away with a hint of resentment.
“Well, I’m going to be on my way now. Take care, Satoshi-san.” He bowed before turning around and walking away.
“Same to you, Subaru-dono.” Mirroring Subaru’s gesture, he bowed to bid Subaru farewell as he left.
Several hours had already passed since Subaru’s last interaction; it was already dark, and the only light illuminating his path was the moonlight and the faint glow of a few torches.
Eventually, he found himself leaning, half-reclining, against the stone wall beneath a bridge on the riverbank.
“Aaffhh,” he sighed before speaking. “I should have accepted the money Satoshi-san offered me, so I wouldn’t be like this now—I’d have something to eat.” He rubbed his arms a little to warm himself against the biting cold wind.
“Tomorrow I should find a way to get some money.” Suddenly, the black-haired man’s stomach growled. “Damn, I’m so hungry,” he said, curling up, pulling his knees to his chest, and resting his face on them.
He looked at the plastic bag beside him, opened it, and grabbed the bag of potato chips he’d bought. He was about to open it when he started wondering if he should save them for later, just in case.
A short time later, the young dark-haired man heard the sound of geta sandals clacking against the ground; he stretched and turned to catch a glimpse of the upper part of the river channel and the street running alongside it.
Suddenly, the clacking of the sandals stopped. “Well, well, so the young man who insisted on carrying my boxes without offering even a single coin on my behalf is a homeless person without a penny to his name.”
“Oh, Satoshi-san! This… This is just me training to get stronger! That’s what it is!”
“Hahaha, it seems you’re not very good at lying, Subaru-dono,” the old man laughed quite a bit at this before quickly changing his expression. “Let’s make a deal, Subaru-dono, since I see you don’t have anything, but you seem very interesting. I’ll take you in and care for you like a grandson. In exchange, you’ll help me in the forge. Besides, I’d like an heir, and I’ve always wanted a grandson,” he said, studying his appearance and personality, though he said the latter more like a whisper.
“What? Huh?” He reacted, quite confused by what had just happened in such a short time.
“Come on, don’t keep me waiting, I don’t have all day,” he turned around and started walking back the way he came.
“Ah, uh, okay!” He quickly got up, grabbing his bag as he climbed the stairs to get out onto the street and follow Satoshi.
As he walked through the dark streets, lit only by the flames of torches and lanterns, the only sounds were the clatter of Satoshi’s sandals and Subaru’s sneakers striking the dirt of the paths.
Subaru looked up at the sky for a moment, catching sight of a starry sky, and stood there mesmerized for a moment before snapping out of it and continuing to walk behind Satoshi.
Shortly after continuing on and turning a few corners, they arrived at a house where several smells hit him rather strongly, a mix of ash, a burnt odor, and a metallic scent that assaulted his senses aggressively, a smell he’d already noticed a couple of hours earlier but which was still pungent.
Satoshi opened one of the gates in the wall surrounding the property which included the house and the workshop, and entered, heading toward the house.
“Come on in and close the gate behind you,” he said, stopping in front of the house’s sliding door and turning to look at Subaru as he spoke, then turning back to open the door and go inside.
Subaru stood there for a moment, gazing at the exterior of the house, until he passed through the gates of the compound and closed the doors behind him; then he made his way toward the house’s entrance.
Upon entering, he closed the door behind him and took off his shoes, leaving them next to Satoshi’s sandals.
“It’s not like the house is huge, but there are a few spare rooms for you,” he remarked as he walked down the long hallway and opened one of the sliding doors, revealing a kitchen.
“Th—Thank you, Satoshi-san,” he said, starting to walk behind Satoshi as he entered the kitchen behind him.
“It’s nothing. You must be hungry, right? Come on, sit down,” he said, pointing to a chair, then turning to grab a bowl, lift the lid off a pot, and start serving rice.
Subaru sat where he was told and set his bag on the table next to him so that Satoshi could then serve him a bowl of fish and rice.
“Here, here, eat up. Tomorrow I’ll show you how the forge works.”
“Ah! Thank you!” He clasped his hands together and then began to eat.
A few minutes later, Subaru had already finished both servings. “Thanks for the meal it was all really good.”
“I’m glad you liked it.” He raised a cup of tea to his lips, taking a sip while looking at Subaru.
Subaru stared thoughtfully at the plates for a moment until he looked up at Satoshi.
“Hey, Satoshi-san, I appreciate all this, but… why are you helping someone like me? I literally have nowhere to call home. Also, why do you keep calling me ‘-dono’? We don’t even know each other—I just helped you carry some boxes this morning and that’s about it.”
Satoshi slowly set his teacup down on the table, laughed a little loudly, and then began to speak, crossing his arms.
“Sometimes an old man begins to see people’s true worth. Some people figure it out sooner, of course, but it’s clear that you have great value. You’re strange in many ways your gaze, your aura, your clothes, your hair, but if you look deeper, you’ll see someone who’s faced death, someone who’s weary, someone who feels inferior. You’re a person of great value, Subaru-dono, which is why I speak to you that way and, well… I also need helping hands and an heir at this forge.”
Subaru fell silent and reflected for a moment on Satoshi’s words; the premonition he’d had hours ago came to mind, along with how he felt inferior to his father and many other things.
“Well, Subaru-dono, I think it’s time for you to rest. I’ll take you to what will be your room.”
Satoshi stood up, the chair’s legs clattering against the wooden floor. He left the teacup, still half-full, on the table as he headed toward the sliding door.
Subaru got up and started following him; they began walking down the long hallway once the door closed behind him.
They kept walking until they stopped in front of a door. Satoshi opened it, revealing a room large enough to fit several people. It was furnished with a closet and a few dressers, and on the other side were more sliding doors that seemed to lead to a garden.
“This will be your room,” Satoshi said as he entered the room, followed by Subaru. “There’s a futon in that closet, and if you go all the way down the hallway, turn right, then left, there’s a bathroom,” he said, pointing to the closet and then to the hallway they had come from.
“Mmph, okay, thanks, Satoshi-san.”
“Hahaha, no problem. Take it easy and get some rest. Good night.” He left the room, closing the door behind him and leaving Subaru standing in the middle of the room, looking around.
He walked over to the closet Satoshi had pointed out and opened it, finding the futon Satoshi had told him he’d find there.
He grabbed it and spread it out on the tatami mat. Once he was ready for bed, he walked over to the sliding door leading to the garden, opened it, and gazed out at the garden while looking up at the starry sky.
“I don’t recognize these constellations or these stars,” he whispered as he looked at them. “Well, this really is another world.” He sat down in the doorway, gazing at the sky.
Shortly afterward, his tranquility was interrupted by a knock on the door.
“Come in.” Once Subaru answered, the door opened to reveal Satoshi carrying some clothes.
“I hope this fits you,” Subaru took it and saw that it was a navy blue yukata along with a black obi.
“Wow, thanks,” Subaru said gratefully as he folded it back up.
“You’re welcome. Well, get some rest,” Satoshi left the room again, closing the door behind him.
Once Subaru was alone in the room again, he unfolded the yukata and easily slipped it on, leaving his tracksuit folded to one side of the futon.
Once dressed, he turned toward the door leading to the garden and gazed a little longer at the starry sky until he closed the door and lay down on the futon to get some sleep until the next morning.