Chapter 1
The biggest mystery in my life... Is how I met Hotaru, the best thing that ever appeared in my life of eternity...
It was the 2nd day of summer, wondering around the forest which I grew up in, which saved this poor little soul of mine and made me immortal... Well, in a way... I'm a 18 years old boy, how long have I been 18? You wouldn't want to know that...
I don't know how many times have I wondered around this forest, being warned by my guardians that some humans are lurking around the forest, be careful not to touch them, they say... I wonder what it feels like to touch another being that is just like me...
While I was toying around with the broken branches, trying to make a tiny house out of sticks, I agree that it's very childish, but living an eternity is pretty boring sometimes... I heard a voice, someone is crying, I look around and found a little girl crying. Is she lost? I ask myself. I tried to get as close as possible without her noticing, I hid behind a big tree and wondered, what is a child doing here? Is it a Yokai? I tried to get closer to her and noticed that she's human! "What is a human child doing here?!" I whispered, "I must not get any closer to her!" Though, I've never met a human before, I was told that humans are selfish, pathetic, short life and especially dangerous. But I'm special.
Slowly, I walk further and further away from her, then I stop to wonder, how are human dangerous? That human child seems to be harmless... I took a glance at her, and still saw her crying, she not only seem harmless, but yet also pitiful... I couldn't leave her there alone, I sighed and called out to her,
"Hey, kid."
The child look up and noticed me,
"W-why are you crying?" I continue
The child stood up and took a good look at me, she must've thought that I'm one of her kinds, she had a very bright smile on her face, she jumps and ran towards me,
"Waah! A person! I'm saved!" She shouted
I was surprised and dodged her. Of course she fell and look disappointed.
"S-sorry..." I said quietly. I was trembling, I couldn't stop myself from shaking...
"Y-you're human right?" I continue, the child look confused as I continue, "if a human touches me, I'll disappear..."
"Disappear? What does it mean to disappear?" She asked, out of curiosity, she tried to touch me, I step back, further and further away from her. Finally when I was also caught, I grabbed a huge stick and hit her head with it.
"Ugh.. Ow..." She held her head tightly, "i-it's true..." She said, "Onii-chan is not human... No ordinary human would hit a child that hard..."
I sighed, "to disappear means to go away and never come back, no matter how much you wish for it... It's a cursed Yamagami-sama placed on me in exchange to let me live forever..." I explained.
The child looked sad, "I'm sorry." She apologized.
I point the stick a her, "here." I said, "you're lost right? I'll help you get out from the forest."
She again jump up and ran towards me, "thank you!" She shouted with joy
"Woah!"
*bang!*
"Ooow..."
"You never learn, now do you...?"
"Hehe... I'm sorry..."
I did as I said, I helped her out of the forest. We were walking down the stairs, I took a glance at her and turn back.
"It's like a date~" she said.
"If so, then it's a very boring date.."
When we reached the bottom, I gave her directions back to the village. She smiled and thank me. As she ran, she stopped and turned around, " can I come again tomorrow?" She asked.
"If anyone steps into Yamagami forest, they'll be lost and may never find their way home ever again.. Was what the villagers said right?" I replied.
"My name is Takegawa Hotaru. What's yours?"
I didn't reply. The child looked sad, she turn around and ran while shouting, "I'll come again tomorrow with a thank you gift!"
"It's Gin." I said.
Tomorrow came so quickly, for some reason, I seem to be very eager to meet the human child... Knowing the consequences, I still wanted to meet her.
I waited at the stairs for hours, but she never came...
"Maybe she's not coming?" I said, I let out a sigh and continue "I knew it... I shouldn't have got my hopes so high up..."
Just when I was about to lose hope,
"Gin!" She called out, "sorry... I'm late..."
She was sweaty and tired, I felt bad for doubting her but yet I wondered, she kept her promise... Even though I tried to threaten her, she still came... Why?
Hotaru held the plastic up, "here." She said, "like I promise, I got you a thank up you gift."
"Oh, thanks... You didn't have to though..." I said quietly.
Hotaru smiled and gave me one of the ice cream, "This is a ice cream." She said
"I-I know that.. Thanks."
"Can you eat it, Onii-chan?"
"Yeah. Just because I'm not allowed to touch a human doesn't mean that I can't eat their food." I said, I took the ice cream, raised up my mask until my nose and bite it.
"Brr... It's cold..."
"Haha, yeah, it's suppose to be~"
The took another bite, and point the stick at her again, "shall we go?"
"Okay."
"La la la la la~"
"What are you doing?"
"It's call singing."
"Is that so..."
Just being with her, I learn a lot of new things. Things like new words, new foods, new stuff and so on and so fort... But the best thing I learn was new feelings...
As we're walking deeper in the forest, one of my guardians tried to scare Hotaru... It was a fox Yokai.
"A human..." It said, "Gin, can I eat it?"
Hotaru got scared and hid behind my back, I shook my head, "sorry, but she's with me."
The fox Yokai tried to threaten Hotaru, "human... If you touch Gin... I'll definitely eat you..." It said
"ACHOO!" I sneezed...
*sniff* "sorry..." I look around and couldn't find the fox Yokai... I wonder where did he go...
When I turned to Hotaru, she was shaking. I thought that she was crying, so I freaked out, "o-oi, don't cry! It's just a fox Yokai, it's gone now, so you don't have to be afraid anymore... So stop crying... Okay?"
"Ahahahaha...hahahaha! This is hilarious!" Hotaru laughed
"Huh?" W-wasn't she crying earlier? Wait wa?
"Hahahaha! You sneezed so loud! Hahahaha!"
Oh... So it was about my- what!
"Stop laughing! It's not funny!"
"Ahahaha!"
As I watch Hotaru laugh, I saw something bright around her... She's...she's shining... I wondered how are humans a threat when they can laugh this beautiful... When they can shine this bright... I don't get it at all...
