Chapter 1 (1/2)

Chapter 1: Prologue

A cold winter night.

I, Kanzaki Misuzu, was in high spirits.

I had just met with a friend I hadn’t seen a while to go to an anime song karaoke. We spent a long time chatting about a game we’re both addicted to, and I even received a present. The bar they recommended, a small hidden-away pub, was super good.

[Guu—, so cold!]

Walking out of the station, I glanced at my smartphone and saw that it was already nearly midnight.

We had talked for a really long time. I hadn’t planned to stay out so late, but I can just rest tomorrow.

As I walked, thinking about the game that we had talked about, the ground suddenly started rumbling and shaking.

The waves rippled through my body with great force.

“Earthquake?”, I thought, as I fell into a shadow.

Not just a shadow, total darkness.

There was no light, so it wasn’t a shadow, but rather some kind of complete darkness coming from a black fog.

I felt nauseous as staggered around heavy-headed, looking at my surroundings.

The darkness was deep, and I couldn’t tell if the place I was caught in was s.p.a.cious or narrow, outside or indoors.

[What is this. What?]

Did I get super drunk? Or was there an earthquake?

No, that’s not it. What is this? Where is this?

In this crazy, dangerous situation my head started spinning and spinning, and I felt that I was about to snap, ready to scream.

Suddenly, an arm stretched out from the heart of the darkness and gripped my left arm.

[Gyaaaaaaa!!!!!!]

The arm pulled hard, as if it were saying “Come here.”

No no no no no let go!

The arm stretched out from the darkness, and I couldn’t see anything else.