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DioCarmine
Moon
- Joined
- Jul 21, 2025
Today was the final day of classes before summer break. It was a sweltering Friday afternoon in Japan and most students were either looking at the clear skies through the classroom windows, or they had their eyes locked on the clock, eagerly watching as the hand moved tick after tick. Haru was an 18(?) year old young adult, just as excited as his peers were for the holiday to start. He planned on going out with friends, checking out the summer festivals and just having as much fun as he could. Haru was rather out-going, making him at least somewhat popular, but he also had other hobbies he looked forward to...mainly sitting back at home and watching some Anime, or putting on a Vtuber stream while he had dinner. He was a big fan afterall.
Finally, the final bell rang. Students erupted out of their seats as the homeroom teacher wished all of them a pleasant summer break. When Haru stood up, he was approached by some friends right away. "Yo, Haru! Let's hit up the Karaoke Bar!" The red-headed young man cast a smile towards his friends and shook his head. "I've got to head to my part-time job. It's my last shift before the holidays...Maybe we can meet up tomorrow." he suggested an alternative, although at the time he did not expect that he would never be able to fulfill that promise.
After some casual chatting that lasted a few minutes, Haru left the school building. The sound of student chatter and cicadas surrounded him, so to drown out the noise, he plugged in his headphones to listen to some music. He was in the mood for some J-Pop, so he put on Hochimachi Suisei's Album and just calmly enjoyed his stroll to the train station. Today was a day just like any other. He got on the train and rode it Shinjuku, where he was currently working part time at a family restaurant, learning how to cook.
On his way there, something would happen however. When he stopped at a pedestrian crossing, the noise around him was canceled out by the music playing in his ears. He saw the light turn green and stepped onto the road. In the corner of his eye, he saw the giant 3D billboard currently featuring Nekomata Okayu, bringing a gentle smile to his face...and distracting him. A truck driver hadn't been paying attention to the road, failing to see the red light and noticing the young man way too late. The music blocked out the sound of screeching tires, so by the time Haru noticed the truck, the vehicule was already far too close. Suddenly, the world went black. He could no longer see anything...no longer hear anything...no longer feel anything.
It was as though he was simply floating in a dark void. Was this...Death? Was this how his story ended? He wasn't breathing. His heart wasn't beating. How long did he spend in this darkness? The concept of time escaped him, not even any dreams, nothing.
Eventually, a light appeared in the darkness, growing brighter and larger until it completely enveloped him. He felt a thud in his chest...then another. His heart began to beat again and his lungs began to ache...Right, he wasn't breathing! Haru suddenly sat up, gripping at the shirt at his chest and gasping for air, letting the air finally fill his lungs again. He was...alive! The bright late was gone and his vision gradually returned to him while he caught his breath.
"What the..." he mumbled when he found himself sitting on a patch of grass. When he looked around, the busy streets and tall buildings of Shinjuku were all but gone. Instead, he was surrounded by blooming flowers and tall trees. "How did I get here?.." He carefully pushed himself up on his feet, almost stumbling over, but managing to catch his balance just in time. He could hear the birds chirping...and suddenly he realized that the music he was listening to was gone. He felt at his pockets, no phone, no wallet, nothing. Had he been robbed? He'd been stranded in the middle of a forest with nothing but the set of clothes he was wearing, which was a simple japanese summer uniform.
His eyes darted to the side when he heard some leaves rustling. Was it a wild animal? Was it just the wind? Or maybe another person? "Hello?..." he called out, his voice a bit cautious, since he didn't know what he would do if he encountered a wild boar. There shouldn't be any dangerous wildlife around Shinjuku though, so maybe it was safe. "Is anyone there? Hello?"