The next morning, on the very same branch of the tree where Haruki had slept that night, stood a strange creature resembling a rabbit in form, but with wings.
The creature let out odd sounds, yet they weren't unpleasant-almost as if it were greeting the morning with its own songs.
Sunlight slipped through the holes in the tree, brushing its warm glow against the sleeping face. Haruki's drowsy eyelids parted, revealing his brown eyes.
He groaned in pain from having slept sitting up all night. Looking around in confusion, it took him a few moments to realize he wasn't in the comfort of his grandmother's home, but in that foul-smelling hollow. In his frustration, he ran both hands through his hair, making the mess even worse.
"I'm going crazy… Where am I?!"
His voice rose, carrying impatience and the helplessness seeping through his whole being. But the growl of his stomach cut him off, declaring his hunger.
Haruki pouted, wrapping his arms around his belly. He was on the verge of breaking down in tears as he muttered in a longing tone.
"I miss Grandma's breakfast…"
Haruki drew a breath into his lungs and slowly crawled forward to peek his head out of the crater's opening.
He first looked to his right, then to his left, but saw and heard nothing that hinted danger was anywhere near. With cautious steps, he emerged from the tree.
He tilted his hand over his forehead to block the sunlight and said to himself.
"I need to find something to eat…"
Stretching his body with a yawn, he loosened his back and raised a hand to his hair, scratching it absentmindedly.
He then began walking slowly, pursing his lips to blow out soundless air, attempting to learn how to whistle on his way to find food.
The sound of running water caught his ear, pulling him toward it with curiosity.
He pushed aside some branches, revealing a massive waterfall that ended in a nearly circular pool, adorned with flowers fallen from the trees surrounding the lake.
The pond was filled with oddly shaped fish, yet they were by no means ugly.
They darted through the water with graceful movements, and the scene brought a moment of comfort to Haruki's chest-in a world where all he had known since his fall was fear.
At last, he found a sliver of peace.
He approached the lake and knelt down, watching his reflection in the water.
His state was pitiful: dirt smeared across his cheeks, sweat dripping from his forehead, and his hair standing on end as though he had been struck by electricity.
He was tempted, haunted by the thought. He began trying to piece things together to find a reason for being there.
"Could it be that I've been transported into that shoujo manga I spent Friday night reading? Am I supposed to meet the cold Duke of the North now? And then he falls in love…"
He paused for a moment, turning the idea over in his head again and again, before realizing what he was actually thinking.
Then he shouted, shattering the silence.
"Stop thinking about that cheap kind of story! And I am not gay!"
Haruki's ears picked up the sound of a strange movement behind him, sending a shiver of terror down his spine.
His imagination began painting the worst shapes of creatures that could appear before him.
Every part of him trembled in that moment as he turned his head ever so slowly, afraid of what he might see.
But still, he glanced back over his shoulder, and luckily, he found nothing.
He let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding, his lips curling into a relieved smile, and he whispered quietly to himself.
"I got scared for nothing… This world might give me a heart attack."
"Hello, Haru…"
A gentle feminine voice came from directly behind his back.
The boy's face turned pale the instant he heard it, ruining the fleeting sense of comfort he had tried to convince himself of.
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Thank you for reading! If this moment touched you even a little , please consider adding it to your library.💐