#yuta has panic attacks in the heian era too

[gelatosushix]

Chapter 2 of Under the Blossom Snow is out!

A sudden rustle and a figure emerges from the base of the tree, startling Yuta, who instinctively reaches for the katana he left behind. His eyes focus on the shadowed, looming figure, leaving him dazed—the form, a man or perhaps a boy given the slender stature and lithe build, takes a defensive step backwards, clutching a flute in hand. Yuta’s gaze flits uncertainly across the boy—peculiar, unsettling, captivating in all the unexpected and perplexing ways.

His silver hair cascades past his brows, softly illuminated by the moonlight, resembling pearls plucked from the deepest ocean and adorned by the wealthiest courtesans. The boy’s attire, simple and practical—a jinbei tunic and loose grey trousers—holds little significance, but what strikes Yuta most is the large cotton blanket draped over his shoulders. As the figure notices Yuta, he pulls the blanket over his nose and lips, obscuring his face, before Yuta even has the chance to take a glance. The boy is shrouded by the scent of lilies and mint leaves, akin to a remedy for sore throats and winter chills—the same lilies that lingered on Yuta’s sheets, the same lilies that evoke memories of her.