lyco

【 DARKNESS 】   

When I opened my eyes, I was surrounded by darkness.

(Uhh…?)

My heart gave a sickeningly loud thud as I sat upright. 

【 ROOM 】   

What I’d taken for pitch darkness was actually a modestly sized room filled with unfamiliar objects. 

Mai: Where am I—? 

Yoshiteru: …

Mai: Wah!? 

I turned my head to look around the room, and was immediately met with a beautiful face right in front of me — way too close for comfort. 

I nearly jumped out of my skin. Staring at me, looking rather curious, Yoshiteru tilted his head. 

Yoshiteru: You’ve only just woken up. How are you this loud already?

Mai: I-I’m not usually like this. It’s just… Yoshiteru-sama, you’re being too close…

(... Huh?)

(Why is he here…? Why is Yoshiteru in the same space as me?) 

I knew who he was.

He was the exact person who’d ordered me to come to Kyōto, and by some strange twist of fate we’d crossed pathed a couple times before. 

But we were never close enough to spend time alone in a room together, and certainly not close enough for me to fall asleep there. 

Mai: Umm, why am I here? My memory’s a little foggy…

Yoshiteru: … 

Mai: Uhhh… can you hear me…? 

Yoshiteru averted his gaze, as though to say he didn't see the need to answer my question. 

(He’s right here, and yet it’s like he doesn't acknowledge that I exist in the same space.) 

(But rather than it being that he's ignoring me…)

(It’s more like Yoshiteru himself is shut away inside an invisible cage.) 

Mai: … H-Huh? 

A sudden jolt of pain shot through my leg from my ankle. 

The feeling gradually brought back my memories of recent events. 

(Right. We were attacked by bandits on our way to procure fabric.)  

(They shoved me inside a dark palanquin, and I heard screams coming from outside…)

(... What happened after that?) 

Mai: Yoshiteru-sama. 

Yoshiteru: …? 

When I called out to him once more, he finally turned to face me.

(I knew he wasn't ignoring me.) 

I told him what I could recall, and at last, he parted his lips to speak. 

Yoshiteru: Mm. I saw you about to be kidnapped. 

Yoshiteru: I took them all down. 

(That means those screams were the bandits’, and we were rescued by Yoshiteru and his men.) 

Mai: So the others are safe, right? Thank goodness… 

Mai: Um, where are they? In another room, perhaps? 

Yoshiteru: “The others”?

Mai: Y-Yes… my companions. 

Mai: I woke up here, which means you took all of us in, right? 

Yoshiteru: I don't know about anyone else but you. 

Yoshiteru: In the first place, I already wanted you. The situation was convenient, so I rescued and brought you back with me.

Mai: T-That means…

(He just left everyone else there? … Pretended not to see them?)

Mai: I’m leaving. Please tell me where the attack took place— ouch… it hurts! 

I tried forcing myself onto my feet, but this time the pain in my ankle was too severe.

I lost my balance and fell back down onto the floor. 

Yoshiteru: Stay still. You’re not stable. 

Yoshiteru: I won't stop you if you want to crawl around the palace, but… 

Yoshiteru: Hisahide would probably lecture you about bad manners or something. 

Yoshiteru simply stared down at me, not even offering a hand. 

Mai: I can’t just stay here. I need to make sure my companions are safe.

Yoshiteru: Why? 

Mai: That’s obvious. It’s because I’m worried about them.

Yoshiteru: Worried… 

Tilting his head, Yoshiteru leaned closer, peering into my face as I remained on the floor. 

Yoshiteru: Why?

Mai: “Why”...?

(Is there a specific answer he’s trying to get out of me? Of course I’m worried about them.) 

(This man can hold surface-level conversations, but anything beyond that doesn't seem possible.) 

His face, completely devoid of any emotion, made it feel like I was talking to a doll. 

Yoshiteru reached out his hand to touch my cheek, and slowly slid his fingers down it. 

Yoshiteru: … Your eyes and mouth are both so talkative. 

Mai: W-What are you doing? 

Yoshiteru: Now they look different again.

Yoshiteru: … The bandits are dead. You can go see it for yourself if you want, but you’re coming back to this palace. 

Mai: Ah… 

Before I could pull away, his fingers left my cheek, slipping down and intertwining with mine. 

His grip wasn't painful, but it was firm and unmistakably a way of restraining me. 

Yoshiteru: Welcome. — To utopia. 

Yoshiteru declared in such a detached tone that made it sound as though it meant nothing to him at all.