Chapter 1
第一章
[CHAPTER 1]
Three months ago, Hozumi woke up in a strange world. It wasn't her world.
She's sixteen and lives in a village called Kawa no Mura, which means "River Village." It looks like something out of an old Japanese history book, with houses made of wood, thatched roofs, and rice paper doors. But weird things happen here. A week ago, she saw a fox with six legs run into the forest. She heard a low, musical sound that definitely wasn't a bird. This place feels like ancient Japan, but it's not. It's a whole new world.
She learned the village customs, how to act polite, and how to tie her kimono's complicated knots. She's lucky, her family in this world is kind. They think her quietness and confusion are because of a "fever" she supposedly had.
But lately, something's been bothering her. It's the men in the village.
The blacksmith's son, a usually happy guy got into a bloody fight with another boy. The village women whispered it was over a girl they both wanted to walk home from the well.
Then there was the old fisherman. His wife said she was visiting her sister in the next town for a week. He smiled, but his hands gripped his fishing net so tight his knuckles turned white. "Of course, my dear." he said softly. "But you'll write to me every day, right? So I know you're safe. I'd be lost without you." His wife only nodded.
Hozumi thought maybe she was overthinking it. Maybe this was just how people acted here.
But she changed her mind when her brother starts acting like that too.
Kenta's nineteen, strong, and usually quiet and serious. He's been patient with Hozumi, teaching her everything.
A few weeks ago, a new family moved into a cottage down the road. They had a daughter named Shiori, a shy girl with big eyes and dark hair. Kenta met her when he helped carry a heavy chest into their house.
At dinner one night, he wouldn't stop talking about Shiori. "Did you see how she poured the tea? Her hands are so small."
Hozumi's mom smiled. "She sounds like a nice girl."
A few days later, Hozumi saw Kenta standing by the fence, staring at Shiori's house. He just stood there for a long time. When she called his name, he turned slowly. His face was blank for a second before his usual smile came back.
"Just checking the fence." he said, but his eyes drifted back to Shiori's house.
Yesterday, things got worse. Hozumi was in the garden when she saw Shiori walking back from the river with a laundry basket. Kenta came out of the shed and started walking beside her. Hozumi stopped weeding to watch.
Kenta was too close to Shiori, leaning down toward her. He's talking to her and invading her personal space at the same time. Shiori's shoulders were hunched, and her answers to him were short and quiet. She stepped to the side to get some space, but Kenta moved closer again.
Then he reached out and picked a leaf from her hair. It seemed like a nice gesture, but his fingers stayed too long, tucking her hair behind her ear in a way that felt wrong. Shiori flinched.
"You're so delicate, Shiori." Kenta said, his voice low but loud enough for Hozumi to hear. "The world's rough. Good thing I'm here to take care of you."
That night, she heard her father's whispers.
Hozumi was heading to the kitchen for water when she passed her parents' room. The door was slightly open. Her dad, Isao, was kneeling, his back to the door. Her mom, Aiko, was sitting in front of him, brushing her long hair.
"You looked tired today, my love." her dad said.
"It was just a long day, Isao." her mom answered softly.
"When you're tired, I feel tired." he said. He took the brush from her hand, his fingers holding hers tightly. "When you're sad, I feel like I'm falling apart. You're my sun, Aiko. If you ever left me..."
Hozumi felt the air get heavy. Her mom's shoulders tensed for a second before she relaxed.
"Don't be silly Isao." her mom said, her voice gentle. "Where would I go? This is my home. You're my home."
Her dad leaned forward, pressing his forehead against her mom's back. His arms wrapped around her waist, holding her tightly like he was afraid she'd disappear. "Yes." he whispered. "You are."
Hozumi backed away quietly and went to her room.
Something is wrong with this world. The men didn't just love the women, they obsessed over them. They acted like the women were things to own, to protect until it felt like control.
A few days later, Hozumi sat at the low wooden table. Her mom moved around the cooking fire to prepare dinner.
Isao was helping her, chopping scallions carefully. But his eyes kept watching his wife's every move. When she reached for a bowl of water, he handed it to her before she even asked.
She looked at her brother, Kenta. He was supposed to be teaching her history from a scroll covered in characters. But Kenta wasn't looking at the scroll. He was staring at the wall with a small smile on his face. Hozumi knew who he was thinking about.
His smile got a little bigger and she's starting to get annoyed.
She grabbed her spare chopsticks and tapped them on his knuckles, enough to snap him out of it.
"Ow!" he yelped, shaking his hand and glaring at her. "What was that for?"
"You're zoning out." she said. "You're a bad teacher."
Kenta looked annoyed. He flicked her forehead with his finger.
"Hey!" Hozumi snapped, her annoyance turning to anger. She lunged forward, grabbing a handful of his hair.
"Ow! Let go, you little—" Kenta grumbled, trying to pull her hand away.
After hearing his kids, Isao was at the table in two steps. He grabbed Hozumi's wrist, not hard, but firm enough to stop her. He pulled her hand off Kenta's hair.
"Enough." He didn't look at Hozumi, instead, his eyes were on Kenta. "Kenta, why did you hit your sister?"
Kenta rubbed his head. "I didn't hit her! She smacked my hand with her chopsticks! I just flicked her."
Hozumi shrugged, pulling her wrist free. She stared at the table and pretended to study the wood. She wasn't really hurt or mad anymore since it was just a dumb sibling fight.
Isao kept staring at Kenta. "A man doesn't touch a woman in anger. Ever. It shows weakness. You protect her, not hurt her."
Kenta's face turned red. "I was protecting myself! She pulled my hair!"
Their mom laughed from the cooking fire. She brought a big bowl of steaming rice to the table and set it down.
"Alright, you two wild foxes, that's enough." Aiko said, smiling. She put a hand on Isao's arm. "They're just kids playing, Isao. No one's hurt." She looked at Kenta and Hozumi. "No more fighting at the table. It'll ruin dinner. Now, help me bring the rest of the food."
Isao's shoulders relaxed a bit at his wife's touch. He gave Kenta one last long look before going back to the kitchen.
Her mom's laugh had smoothed things over, like always.
