Vol 1 Chapter 1 (1/2)
VOLUME 1
Episode 1, Part 1
Episode 1: Rosalie Appears
She appeared from within a television.
It was small, a mere 25 inches.
And yet, from within she appeared.
That television sitting innocently in Kanda Shun’s room was now a portal.
Proof? She practically stepped out of the game screen and into reality.
“…”
Silence prevailed.
Sitting cross-legged on the carpet, Shun stared, stunned.
The television screen, bright with pixelated movements just seconds ago, had now turned into a pool of silvery white.
Slowly, gradually, her head, her neck, then her shoulders started to appear, causing the white surface to ripple gently around her.
“…”
Reacting unconsciously, Shun shuffled backwards in panic, his feet colliding with a package on the floor.
Falling forward, the t.i.tle read “Dragon Bless III, An Eternal Princess Heroine”
–
Dragon Bless III was the newest, hottest RPG game in j.a.pan. Distributions started just slightly over a month ago.
The ill.u.s.tration on the cover depicted a female avatar. Often described as pure and elegant, the princess c.u.m heroine of the game, Rosalie, knew no better joy than to extend a helping hand to the weak, and the innocent, the lost, and those in need.
With her cloud of golden hair, traveler’s mantle draped upon delicate shoulders, and the Lia Fail stone of destiny s.h.i.+ning with a fiery intensity in the hollow of her slender throat, Rosalie was the very picture of beauty.
And well, when the splitting image of that appeared from the milky depths of the television, it was no wonder Shun was stunned.
As the faux Rosalie was projected from the television, she floated above Shun, her hair and mantle waving about gently.
A stray thought crossed Shun’s mind. This must be a dream.
Her eyes were shut, hinting at the deep pools of blue residing within, her angelic features were a childlike innocence.
She was, for lack of a better word, exquisite.
And now, that exquisite arrangement of features was floating mere inches above his head, casting a slight shadow upon his upturned face. Their faces were close. So close, in fact, that their breaths were released in mingling puffs of air. If Shun were to just stretch upwards by a little bit, a very little bit, he’d be close enough to kiss her.
Oh my G.o.d.
Shun’s heart was near bursting. Just a millisecond more and…
His brain was totally blanking out. He had no idea what was going on. Why the h.e.l.l was all this even happening anyways?
Why him?
Just then, he remembered something.
A few minutes ago…
While bas.h.i.+ng his controller, a thought crossed Shun’s mind: Oh man, I really wish Rosalie were real!
Yeah right, as if such things could ever happen.
But then again, it seems to be happening right now…
Just as the gears in Shun’s brain were starting to whirl out of control, the girl’s tiny little toes were projected out off, and finally left, the television screen.
And, as it often happens when gravity decides to a.s.sert itself, she fell down.
Hard.
“Ah?!”
–
It was a full frontal body attack, from midair! Unable to withstand the force of the fall, Shun tumbled backwards.
“Thunk!”
Shun’s head collided with the side of the bed. He fell, sprawling on the carpet.
Languis.h.i.+ng in his pain, Shun’s nose had picked up the telltale scent of iron from blood, and there was that warm, soft weight on his chest, pressing against him just so…
Wait… What?!
Her sloping shoulders, the sway of her back down to her hips, delicate though they may be, were strong and resolute, her flowing golden hair smelled of wildflowers, and further down, Shun’s legs were entangled with the material of her mantle.
It was impossible. And yet, she felt so real.
Shun’s head threatened to burst. What in the world was happening?
And then, the world halted on her axis.
She was kissing him.
–
That’s right. She was kissing him.
Her soft, pink lips were pressed against his cheek, mere inches away from his mouth. That rosebud mouth of hers felt moist, her breathe warm and sweet. It was heaven on earth.
To any other man but Shun, that was.
To Shun, this was an attack. A horrible, cruel attack of the highest order.
Through the entirety of his sixteen years of life, the total acc.u.mulation of Shun’s dating experience had been zero.
And suddenly, this happened.
Stunned, Shun’s right hand twitched and knocked against the television controller, causing the television screen to blank out.
The tensed silence that followed was so thick, it could be cut with a knife. This agonizing period seemed to stretch on further and further, as the silence filled all corners of the room.
“……”
An eternity could have pa.s.sed, and Shun wouldn’t have noticed. And for the first time since the beginning of this fiasco, a pa.s.sing notion hatched in his brain – This could possibly, just possibly, not be a dream.
He had to get out of this situation, fast.