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Etc. Romance - Chapter 2

Published at 25th of January 2016 12:56:26 PM


Chapter 2

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1st arc
The second moon in a floating world (part 2)

The weather is cloudy as if it could rain at any moment. Aoi stared blankly at a familiar landscape in front of her eyes. She stands while looking at the distance as she didn’t bring her umbrella. In front of her, the paved road is a one straight line where the left and right scenery gives a contrasting views.
On her west, the building is made from reinforced concrete. On the east only flat ground without any building can be seen. When she look further, there is the water reservoir for the school building where the shade behind it is dull and already wet because of rain. Once again Aoi looked up to the school building and as far as her eyes can see, there is nobody.

It was a regular afternoon as the homeroom finished at three o’clock. Aoi left the classroom as usual. Aoi didn’t participated in any extracurricular activities so she headed home directly. Just after she is out of school and arrived at the main gate where she currently standing, she noticed that she left something behind before heading to the station.

[Well…] – Aoi

she left her umbrella in the class so she decided to walk back. Just when she seen the scene right now, her views darken.

“…What is that?”

Aoi said it as she woke up from her dreams. The familiar scene is gone in an instant. What laid in front of her is an unfamiliar ceiling. She looked around to see if it was her room but there is not a single similarity.

[I wonder… where am I?] – Aoi

Her head feels heavy as she just wake up so she tilting her heads only. Somewhere, a blue light illuminated the room and lands on the marble floor. Aoi become worrisome and tried to search for the source of the lights that is coming from behind her. There, she saw a cylindrical window at the back of the bed where she laid on. It let the blue moonlight to come trough and since the window itself is cylinder in shape, the shadow it projected was unique.

[beautiful…] – Aoi

Aoi just wake up from her sleep but wondering which one is the real dream. With a little bit dizzy feelings, she moved down from the bed towards the window. In the outside, red colored light carpet is spread in the garden. In that garden, the flowers that is dyed with a thin blue moonlight is in full bloom red colored and caused Aoi to be uncomfortable.

[is it spring already? Or is it winter?] – Aoi
such a question crosses her head. She also didn’t know why she thinks of that after she saw the garden. Was it because the flower was from unfamiliar types so she couldn’t tell what is the season for it to bloom. Aoi returned to the bed and her heart remains confused. She also trying to recall her memory with her eyes closed.

Yesterday, she is walking with her friend, Wataru and remembered what he said.
“Just like hydrangea, you are also beautiful.”
as they looked at the blue and purple colored hydrangea. It was the day when she is speaking fondly to Wataru and promised to see the hydrangea and Kamakura again with him as her boyfriend. It was clearly damp yesterday as it is signaling the start of rainy season.

[That’s right, it was early June and it has been raining since the beginning of the month] – Aoi

she was also waiting for summer to come after the rain. However it was only until yesterday. Earlier this day she found herself awake in a field of snow. Aoi know clearly what is causing her heart to feel unrest. She opened her eyes again and looked at the windowsill again. The garden that is full of red blooming flowers dyed blue from the moonlight didn’t show any sign of snow or winter. Aoi is more and more confused, trying to find out the truth.

[in the first place, where am I?] – Aoi

From the garden, Aoi gaze is directed to the room that she was in. The room sized is around ten tatami mats. The floor is made from marble, a bed big enough for one is placed along with table and shelves that is easy to rearranged around. She feels somewhat empty inside. Everyday Aoi life has been revolving around her six tatami mats room that is full of books and clothes that didn’t give any free space to sit. Right now, Aoi don’t know what she has to do and at a loss.

The blue light that shined the room couldn’t be used to tell whether it was a night or day. She tried to look on her wrist but the usual watch that she always wear is not there. There is also no clock visible in the dimly lit room.

Because there’s no point in staying, Aoi decided to come out using the luxurious door. The two side door was oepened and she took a glance outside. In the hallway, it was divided into left and right but what she could see in both direction is only a long corridor.

There is no sign of anyone else in the building as it is completely quiet.

[Now, which way to go?] – Aoi

The red light coming from outside giving off the midnight ambience. It wasn’t strange even if Aoi goes to sleep again but right now she wanted to meet with someone impatiently. She closed the door carefully to make no sound and began to walk down the hallway.

The left corridor leads to the courtyard while the right hand is a long corridor with door lined up neatly at certain interval. She hesitated for a while before deciding to walk down the room corridor. While she proceed further, she noticed that the end of it has a loose curve however the garden that she saw from the room is still visible. The corridor have a possibility to be connected in a circular shape. If she continue to walk blindly, it was possible to arrive at her starting spot. So Aoi concluded that there should be another path or maybe one of the door leads to somewhere else.

Still, there are too many doors and all of them are neatly lined up. It wasn’t possible for her to check it out one by one. Just to end her curiosity, she decided to try and open one of the door.

“Excuse me… ”

After saying that Aoi opened a door carefully. How stunned she is to saw that the room is exactly the same as the one where she slept before. She opened another room in the left just in case, and the next door tio. However, all of the room she opened is exactly similar.

[what is this?] – Aoi

Aoi feel ominous as she opened door after door. Aoi is running in the marble corridor barefooted and after finally she completed a round trip, there is only one door left unopened. All of the room so far looked the same. It was like a loop maze and there is no doorway or stairs that lead somewhere else in the building. More importantly, there is no one there except her.

[how is this possible?] – Aoi

If there is no path leading to this place, no doorway, how can she be here? After that question fulfilled her mind, a voice come and embraced her body.

“You have wake up? ”
Aoi is surprised because of that sudden voice which come from her back. It even cause her body to trembling excessively. As she turned her body in panic, the figure reflected on Aoi’s eyes is a blonde woman with frameless glasses. In the tranquil hallway where no one can be seen except her, she emerged from thin air.

[where did she come from?] – Aoi

As Aoi looked at her, she feel embarrassed at how panic she was. So Aoi shifted her gaze and landed on the thick book under the woman’s arm. She tried hard to remember her name.

“umm.. Rei-san was it?”
As her memory recalled the name and say it loud with confidence the woman confirmed with a nods.

“Sorry for the late introduction. My name is Rachel Arrowsmith. You can call me Rei. ”

” Oh, my name is Aoi Miyajima. ”
After she said her name, Aoi noticed that the atmosphere in the hallway changes. Rachel also seemed muttered something that can be heard by Aoi in the silent corridor.
” Miyajima.. Aoi..”
Rachel that had been speaking fluently up to this point seemed to have difficulty saying her name. As if Aoi name is a new word she pick up as Rachel repeated it several time. That might be the case since her blue pupil and blonde hair isn’t a Japanese trait. But right now rather than thinking of her origin, it is better to find out about her situation.

“Pardon me but I have a lot of things to ask. ”

” I know. Don’t worry, let’s talk. ”

Although Rachel didn’t call her name and seemed to have trouble saying it, she replied with a serious and calm tone. Since she leads Aoi to a room, she followed obediently.

Rachel let her in first before closing the door and signalling Aoi to sit on the bed. Although Aoi is sitting on tye bed that is soft and can be considered a high quality bed, Rachel remains standing.

“Aren’t you going to sit Rei-san? ”
” Ah, if you want to call me, no need honorifics. ”
” So what should I call you? ”
” Rei is fine. ”
” Alright then. ”
After giving her consent, Rachel speaks to eliminates the quiet room.





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