zucchiimi

[zucchiimi]

Hey hey! Another chapter and this time it's the last chapter that I made earlier, so now you'll be able to slightly influence the story! And also, I'll be titling some chapters, as a way of marking important points in the story. Alright, that all from me. Enjoy!

Chapter 3

A few hours later, me and Kohaku were getting ready to sleep. We both got onto the bed, leaving a small, but significant, distance between us. It felt calming in a way, but also rather awkward.

I really wanted to get closer to her, not in a literal sense though. She was an interesting person after all. But it also could be because I may have developed a crush on her...

Eh, the male psyche... There isn't much I can do about that. Because of the things she has done, I can't even figure out what I want right now.

But now that I think about it... Why is she so nice and calm around me? Should she be worried or something? After all, I literally appeared in her backyard...

What if she's just trying to let my guard down, so she could do something afterwards?

- Ikkun... - I heard a soft voice.

I shifted my head towards the direction it came from and saw Kohaku was laying down close to me.

- Yes? - I asked, looking into her eyes.

She didn't respond though. Only thing I heard was her breathing. It was deep and calm, but because she was close to me, I could also feel her breathing. It was hot.

- You're all worked up aren't you? - I asked again, not breaking eye contact.

In response I got a nod with a "mhm" sound. I sighed, not knowing what I should do next.

- I also don't know what I should do... - I heard her say, still in this soft and quiet voice.

- Do you really want this? - I questioned. - I mean we barely met...

- Someone once told me that if a handsome black haired boy ends up in my backyard... I should take care of him, because he'll take care of me... - she recalled.

- Who told you that...? - I asked.

- Old friend of mine... She was like a family member to me... - she mumbled.

- I see...

- Ikkun... - she whispered, getting a little bit closer to me.

Why does she need to be so irresistible... With each passing second I started contemplating if I should do something... I wasn't ready to do anything though. I turned my head toward the ceiling, avoiding her gaze. Cowardly move, I know. I only heard a soft "hmph" in response, and I'm fully aware why.

Silence had fallen between us. I tilted my head towards Kohaku, and saw she had her arms crossed. She still remained close to me. I could feel a wave of awkwardness hitting me.

- Ugh why is this so awkward... - I sighed quietly.

- I don't know... - she responded.

- Why did you even kiss me...? - I asked, not really expecting an answer.

- To prove I'm not a coward... - she said quietly

Kohaku also said something else, but because she said it very quietly, I couldn't hear it...

Going against my curiosity, I decided not to question what she said. Instead, I finally turned my head towards her. I looked her deep into her eyes, as if I was trying to read something from them.

- G-Goodnight... - she mumbled, closing her eyes.

Seconds later I felt my eyelids getting heavier. This day tried me out significantly. I slowly started closing my eyes, and after holding them shut, I managed to go to sleep.

- Where am I? - I questioned, looking around.

It wasn't hard to realize this was a dream. Standing on a beach was a huge giveaway that I was in one. But... Realizing a dream is a dream is not always guaranteed... And somehow I realized that it's a dream instantly...

Taking a closer look around I could see... The stack in the distance. This is odd. I don't think a whole beach would be overlooked here... Wait what am I thinking? It's just a dream. This is not real.

With this thought in mind I started wandering around this place, trying to get my mind a break from Kohaku, my situation and life. The way waves hit the coast and the breeze made me calmer.

I sat down on the somehow hot sand and I started staring off to the bright orange void in front of me.

- It's a nice place, huh? - I heard a familiar voice behind me.

Turning around I saw myself. Probably my subconscious mind or something...

- Yeah... - I responded.

- Are you happy, now? - my subconscious self asked me.

- Is that even a question?

- No, I'm serious. Are you even happy now? - it asked.

- I mean... You're talking about the Kohaku thing or the whole Pocket Dimensions thing?

- Both, but let's focus on Kohaku for now - it responded.

- It's a weird situation... She's so... Different... There's something that is just naturally attractive about her... And also she's cute and all... - I responded, grabbing a bit of sand and throwing it towards the water.

- Yeah... And what about the Pocket Dimensions? - it asked.

- It's... Also a weird situation... It's like I know this place but at the same time I don't... Everything seems so new yet so familiar... I don't really know... - I responded.

- That's probably because we are connected to it in some way... - it said. - You'll wake up soon.

- Wait connected...? How am I—

I didn't get to finish this sentence. My mind returned my consciousness back to the real world. Soft rays of sunlight hit my eyes after I opened my eyes.

I tried standing up but I felt something on me. It was Kohaku. During her sleep she must've moved her head on my chest. This idiot looked so peaceful sleeping on me, that I didn't really want to disturb her.

But something must've been done. And so with that I gently pushed her off me, and finally stood up. I heard a soft grumble, probably because of dissatisfaction of getting pushed off me.

- Why did you push me offfff - she whined in a sleepy voice. - I was getting comfortableeeee

- Quit your complaining... - I responded, not realizing this could've been cold.

- Hey that wasn't nice... - she whined again.

- Sorry... - I sighed, while getting up.

I started stretching a bit, just to wake myself up even more, but before I could finish this morning routine, I heard Kohaku's sleepy voice mumbling something. I froze for a while, trying to understand what she said. The only thing I could hear was "me".

- What?

- What? - she said, acting dumb.

It took me a couple more minutes, filled with silence and dumbfounded looking at each other to finally realize it. She said "Kiss me...".

- You're still not awake, are you? - I asked, turning to face her once again.

- I'm... Serious... - she mumbled, getting a bit red.

- Don't tell me you actually like me... - I sighed.

- You're just a good kisser okay...? It feels good to kiss you... - she responded in a soft voice.

In this moment I started wondering if I should take this as a dream come true or a punishment. I mean yeah, I have a girl who is head over heels over me, but at the same time she could be just acting like that. Why would she do that? I don't know, to tease me I suppose? To just make fun of me? Possibilities are endless.

- Give me one good reason why I should... - I sighed.

- Nevermind... - she mumbled.

She looked disappointed. Should have I kissed her? Yes. Would I actually kiss her? Absolutely. But the problem is that I lack two important things. Confidence to actually make a move, and mental preparation for this.

Mind you, this is my first time having a situation like this... So I decided to not do anything...

I quickly left the room, closing the door behind me and leaving Kohaku alone. That is the first time my actual defense mechanism kicked in. Running away.

I didn't intend on leaving Kohaku though. I just wanted some time to think. And with that though in mind I left the house as fast as I could. I started wandering, alone, and as my first destination, I took the path that I didn't explore with Kohaku and it was the way that Aiko girl came from, although I didn't expect to find much.

Through my short walk there nothing happened, and after arriving at the end of the road, as expected I found nothing interesting.

Well, except one thing. A hill with a bench.

And guess who was sitting on that bench. Aiko.

She was practically laying down on that bench, and I understand why. No one besides her was there. Now that I think of it, how many people live here? But what bothered me more is why Aiko was laying down on that bench.

Yes, she could've been just resting, but I just got curious. I started walking in the direction on the hill.

- Hi Izumi - she said unexpectedly.

- Hi Aiko

- What brings you here? Running away from your problems? - she asked, while sitting up and turning her head towards me.

- Yeah...

- C'mon sit down - she said, as I finally got up the hill.

I sat next to her only saying "thanks".

- So what is that problem you're running away from? - she asked.

I stayed quiet, wondering if I should even tell her about the things between me and Kohaku.

- Don't worry, I'll keep my mouth shut - she added, winking at me.

- If you say so...

- So? I'm listening - I heard her say, with impatience in her voice.

- It's just that... Me and Kohaku... She's doing everything too quickly... - I said.

- What do you mean too quickly? - she questioned.

- She's acting like we're already together... - I mumbled.

In response I heard Aiko's laugh.

- What's so funny huh?!

- You're complaining for nothing - she laughed. - You literally scored yourself a great girl and you're complaining!

- You are right...

- And also, just so you know, if she is acting like this, that means she trusts you - she added, this time in a more serious tone.

- Noted... - I responded. - Also what happened to your "shyness" from yesterday?

- I sometimes act like that around her - she shrugged.

- That's all? - I questioned.

- That's all - she repeated.

- Hey also I have a question. Are there any beaches here? - I asked.

- Not to my knowledge - she responded after a while of thinking.

- Okay thanks - I said.

- No problem

Silence between us had fallen. Both of us didn't know what to say. I turned my head towards the core. The purple fog still being there.

- What's up with that fog by the way? - I asked.

- You mean purple zone? I don't know what Kohaku told you but it's a hostile place. You know, monsters and stuff. Also this place is filled with something that causes you to get poisoned by breathing there normally. People mostly use gas masks, but masks with filters are also fine. Or anything that won't make you breathe in too much of that stuff... - she explained.

- Thanks for the information - I said while getting up. - I'll be going back now. It was nice talking with you.

- See ya soon Izumi! Don't get yourself killed! - she said, while I was walking back home.

[zucchiimi]

Hey again! Here's the second chapter! As a little spoiler, a lot will happen! Enjoy!

Chapter 2

Kohaku, with a smile on her face, dragged me through an empty street that looked like it was taken out of an American show. I hadn't realized until now but I felt a weird almost unnoticeable scent, although describing it would be too hard.

We headed towards... Something. I wasn't sure where she was taking me, but I wasn't really worried. We walked past a few houses that stood on our right and this massive long wall on our left. After a few minutes of walking I saw a big rectangular building.

- Okay Ikkun - she said, suddenly stopping and letting go of my hand. - You see that building right?

- Yeah

- This building has everything you'll need. Jobs, shops and few other things - she stated. - Also you can choose one thing right now. You can either live with me or live alone.

This made me think for a second. I knew that living alone should be the only correct choice, but something about living with Kohaku... With her I felt like a normal human being and not just some background character.

She was making me weak and vulnerable, sure, but also safe. She was giving me something I haven't experienced for a long while now...

- So Ikkun, what's your decision? - she asked, smirking. - Looking at you, you probably chose living—

- I'll live with you - I said, cutting her off mid-sentence.

Hearing that Kohaku's face heated up. She was red now. Probably because she didn't expect my answer.

- F-Fine by me... - she stuttered looking away.

She grabbed my hand again, tighter this time. As if she didn't want to lose it. We started walking towards that big building and through the rest of the walk, Kohaku didn't even look at me. "So she can get flustered, huh...?" I thought to myself.

- Kohaku! - someone called.

We both turned around and saw a girl approaching us, rather fast. From far away you could see her long silver hair. Few moments later she caught up to us.

She looked a bit exhausted, but now that she was closer I could see that her eyes were multicolored. One was purple and the other one was green. She was wearing a black leather jacket and a pair of blue jeans.

- Kohaku who's that...? - I asked.

That girl, hearing my voice, jumped and hid behind Kohaku.

- Who is he...? - she stuttered a bit.

- That... That's... - Kohaku mumbled, trying to make a coherent sentence.

- I'm Izumi Fukuzawa - I replied.

- I'm... Aiko... Aiko Kawakami - she stuttered.

This interaction felt forced. As every interaction, just like every other interaction like that. I always felt awkward meeting new people through other people.

Few moments later Kohaku snapped out of her flustered state.

- Akio... Could you give me and Izumi some time? - she asked. - I'm showing him around right now. I'll let you know when we could hang out okay?

She looked hesitant for a second but shortly after she stopped hiding behind Kohaku.

- Sure... See you later Kohaku - she responded.

Aiko turned around and went the way she came here. She didn't seem sad or disappointed from my point of view, but I could feel that little annoyance.

Seconds later Kohaku turned her head towards me. She still had a blush on her face.

- Still flustered? - I asked.

- S-Shut up... - she scoffed, lightly punching my arm.

I didn't realize it until now, but Kohaku let go of my hand. I only realized it when she again grabbed it and held it even tighter than previously.

We again started walking towards that big building. Walking in silence with her, while holding hands felt nice... As if we were together or something. Few minutes later we were almost at our destination.

The best way to describe this building would be a small mall. From both outside and inside it looked like some kind of mall. Smaller shops or offices were located inside of it.

- This is the Everything Centre! - she said. - Here you can buy food, goods and services. You can apply for a job here that doesn't require you to go to the core, or purple zone, as it's known unofficially.

- This is impressive - I said.

- Yeah I know! Do you want to explore this place or do you want to go to the next place?

- We can go to the next place. We'll be back here sooner or later eventually - I replied.

Kohaku just nodded and we started walking towards some kind of security checkpoint, located not so far away from the Everything Centre. This was a quick 3 minute walk.

- This is one of two borders - she explained, standing before another concrete wall with a box sticking out of it.

Kohaku walked up to the window and started talking with the person behind it. Shortly after, a gate opened. Kohaku quickly took my hand and we walked through it.

Behind this gate an open field stood. In the middle stood a big building, somehow not visible from the other side. It looked like a hotel of some kind, but it wasn't so polished. It's like it was always expanding. Far behind it I could also see a small house with a big antenna on top of it.

- Here's the stack. It's mainly a residential area. And behind it the radio man works and lives. Pretty neat, right? - she explained.

- Yeah... What about the co—

- Don't even think about it - she cut me off.

She looked a bit pissed. Was it because I wanted to see the core? Or was it because something else?

- Is that all there is? - I asked, after finally escaping my spiral of questions.

- I think so... - she answered, turning her head towards the stack. - There's no need to go to the stack, and we can't enter the radio shack...

We stood there for a while. Wind started blowing slightly and the sun started setting slowly. It was late autumn after all.

Kohaku turned her head towards me again. She looked like she had something on her mind. For a while I felt like... Felt like my hopeless romance fantasies actually came true.

- Do you want to head back h... Home...? - Kohaku stuttered, having a slight blush on her face.

"This girl still is a mystery" I thought. She was both teasing and easily flustered. She reminded me of that one vampire girl from a comic I read once.

- Sure - I responded, looking into her red eyes.

I not only felt safe around her, but I felt normal. I finally felt like I could lead a normal life, unlike my bland, empty life in the "normal world".

We both turned around and started walking towards Kohaku's home.

On the way home, the sky had an orangish hue. Sun started to hide behind the horizon of... Nothing? I hadn't realized it until now, but this whole place was just floating in a now orangish void.

This only cemented the fact that I'm not where I used to be, as if I just realized the fact that I'm stuck here. That wasn't the case though, but it still felt like it.

This place also felt a bit odd... But that was probably because I was in an unfamiliar place. I also could sense some nostalgia towards it, probably because of the legend and my grandma.

That didn't matter right now though. What did matter is that while I was thinking, we arrived at her house. Well, our house now.

We got inside and as we did, Kohaku decided to make us something to eat. In the meantime I took a quick look around it.

This house was... Weird, like everything here. It seemed smaller on the inside. This house had a small bathroom, a living room, a kitchen that wasn't so big and stairs leading up, which would've taken you to the bedrooms. One belonged to Kohaku and the other one was left for me. Or well that's what I thought.

- That second bedroom? - she repeated my question. - It's locked. I don't have the key.

Kohaku was in the kitchen, making some food. She was wearing an apron.

- Isn't this your house? - I questioned standing in the doorway to the kitchen.

- Yes, but that isn't my real house, obviously - she said, with a hint of irony in her voice.

- Fair, but still shouldn't you have some kind of key to it? - I asked.

- This house was gifted to me by someone... - she sighed.

- They couldn't bother to give you the key? - I questioned. - If you don't have it just say

- I'm for real... - she sighed again.

- Alright... - I said. - Also how long have you been he—

Before I could finish this question, I received a slap.

- Never ask anyone how long they've been stuck here, idiot - she scoffed. - Listen I like you but this is such an impolite question. I can't believe you're actually this dumb.

- Sorry... - this was the only word I muttered.

I'm not good at apologizing. I'm so bad in fact that I always just end up saying sorry. It's a bad trait to have...

- Apologies accepted.

I didn't expect these words. Well looking at how Kohaku was up until now, that was to be expected. Still this made me smile a bit.

- Still there is a problem. Beanbags won't cut it really - she said.

- Don't worry I'm fine with sleepin—

- You're sleeping with me whether you like it or not - she interrupted me.

Knowing that I have not much to say I accepted my "defeat" and nodded.

Kohaku didn't blush this time. As if she knew that I don't have much of a choice. She gave me a smirk and walked up towards me.

- Be aware though. I bite~ - she teased.

- You wouldn't actually do something like this would you? - I said, mocking her in a way.

- Do you actually want to find out? - she asked, with a more serious tone.

She got up close to me. About a few centimeters were between us. Looking at her up close made me realize that she had a slight blush. She wasn't the only one with a blush though.

My heart started pounding in my chest. I could hear that her breaths were shallow, and quick, but so was mine.

She got a little bit closer. Still maintaining this tension between us. She looked like she was contemplating her decisions. I sighed and close my eyes. For a second I calmed down a bit. I figured that maybe she won't actually do anything, although I felt a little bit annoyed.

Well she quickly pulled me away from this thought. I felt something on my lips. When I opened the I saw that Kohaku actually closed this small gap between us.

I'd be lying if I said this didn't affect me at all. This was a small kiss, but it meant so much more. I got to experience two things. How it's like to get kissed and Kohaku’s lips.

She pulled away fairly quickly. Her face was pure red. I took that as a confirmation, that this affected her too.

- Just don't get any ideas… - she muttered. - It's not that I like you or anything… I just wanted to prove you wrong…

- Understood- I responded.

After this we stood there for a moment. A long, silent, confusing and awkward moment. To break this awkward moment, Kohaku turned around and returned to making us some food, meanwhile I stood in place, looking at her, wondering what is exactly going on in her mind. “Tsundere” was the only word, with which I could describe her in that moment.

[zucchiimi]

So, I'm back with another chapter and a little Izumi art at the end I did few days ago. Anyways enjoy!

Chapter 1

And that's how I met Kohaku. She was an interesting person to say the least.

- So, Izumi-kun, where are you from? - she asked rather cheerfully, still holding my hand after I stood up.

- That's not important... Where am I? - I asked.

I finally got to see the backyard as a whole. It was a small space, fenced off from other houses. There was nothing notable though. Behind Kohaku stood a small house painted gray. It had an angled dark gray roof. Compared to houses in my town, it had a very different style.

Before I finished inspecting everything Kohaku started giggling while smirking. That caught me a bit off guard. This giggle seemed so genuine. It's like she didn't fake it.

- You're in my backyard silly! - she exclaimed happily.

- Yeah I figured - I responded, making a forced laugh. - But where am I exactly...?

- Oh boy... - she sighed. - Have you heard about "Pocket Dimensions"?

- Yeah my grandma used to tell me about them... She called them "Starry Lands", because she believed that they're located inside of stars... - I said, with my voice shaking a bit.

Then I noticed her expression changing from mischievous to a softer one.

- Izumi-kun... Don't bring up those memories if they're painful for you... - she said as her grip on my hand tightened.

This felt weird, but in a good way. It was the first time I experienced warmth from another person ever since my grandma's passing. I usually don't act like this when I bring up my grandma... And this felt like Kohaku, even though she didn't know me, cared about me.

- Don't worry... It's not that big of a deal, really... - I stuttered.

Then she did something unexpected. Without hesitations, she just hugged me.

- Don't say anything else okay? C'mon I'll show you around - she whispered.

I was left speechless. I'm not sure what happened after that though. My memory is fuzzy. The only thing I could remember is that she brought me inside.

What's going on with me? Up until this point didn't act like this. Why was Kohaku making me so... Vulnerable...? This is just not right...

- Izuuuumiiii~ - Kohaku purred.

- H-Huh? What? - I stuttered, finally leaving this blurry state.

- Finally you're not a mindless sack of meat! - she exclaimed. - I was getting worried I broke you. Anyway, how do you like it here so far?

I don't know how much time passed until now. Now we were in a small white room. It was fully furnished. In the corner stood a big bed, and next to us there was a desk and a big window looking outside, which was dark now. Kohaku turned on some cozy yellow string lights that hung above our heads.

We were laying on beanbags. Well Kohaku was laying on one looking at me while I was just sitting on the other one. Every slight movement we made resulted in a quiet and calming ruffle.

I noticed that Kohaku's outfit changed. Now she was wearing a white oversized shirt and thigh high socks.

- So I'm stuck here now, huh? - I questioned, not expecting an answer.

- Yeah. You're lucky that you ended up here. - she shrugged.

- Why? - I asked.

- You know, this place is split in two parts, outskirts and core. Four of you count the outer and inner core. Right now we're on the outskirts. - she explained. - Think of it as... Stages of a game. The more you progress the better the rewards but more difficult enemies. Inner core is a death wish though.

- I see... - I sighed.

- Just please don't go there, okay? - she pleaded.

- Yeah, I'm not keen on dying this young - I responded.

- Oh also can I call you Ikkun? - she asked.

I nodded as an answer.

- Alrighty Ikkun! I'll give you a little choice! You can sleep with me on this cozy bed back there~! - she teased. - or sleep on those beanbags that aren't so cozy - she added trying to push me towards choosing the bed.

- I'll take the beanbags - I answered bluntly.

- Pff, you're no fun - she sighed.

After that she gave me a pillow and a blanket that she took out of the drawer underneath her bed. I quickly set up my sleeping spot.

- Hey Ikkun... - Kohaku whisper softly. - Goodnight...

- Goodnight...

Then she walked up to her bed and laid on it

- Hey Kohaku...

I said before realizing she's already asleep. She must've been very sleepy, good for her, because I couldn't sleep. Only thing that I was able to do is wonder why she's so nice to me.

People usually don't do that for no reason. It's always that they want something from you. But on the other hand Kohaku didn't seem like this kind of person. Maybe she's just nice to me because I ended up here? Or maybe she's just a nice person.

This thought process had gone on for another hour, after which I was actually able to get some sleep.

When I woke up it was already bright outside. I've noticed that Kohaku is still asleep, so I decided to wait for her to wake up. Luckily she woke up just a few minutes later.

- Mmmmorinng... - she mumbled half asleep.

- Good morning - I replied.

- Why are you up so early...? - She yawned, while stretching.

- My internal clock decided to wake me up - I replied.

- Do you want to listen to some radio...? - she asked, with a more lively voice this time.

- Radio? Can't you just put something on from your phone? - I questioned.

- Not really. Phones don't really work here. - she answered. - Although if you give your phone to a guy who operated the radio, he might be able to salvage some music. And he pays really good - she added quickly.

- I might consider it then - I responded.

- But do you want to listen to the radio or something? - she asked again standing up.

- If you want to listen to something then sure - I said.

Hearing that she just shrugged and took out a radio. It was just a black rectangle, with an antenna and a handle. She turned it on and some popular music from a few years started playing.

- Yeah you won't find anything new and popular here, but hey at least you have some music! - she said.

After saying that, she walked up to her closet. She opened it and started taking off her shirt.

- Hey! Give a girl some privacy! - she exclaimed teasingly.

And so I did. I turned my head to the window, and waited until she was done changing.

- Hey it's for ya~! - she said, tossing a white shirt on my head.

- Is that the shirt you were wearing yesterday...? - I asked while taking it off my head.

- Yup. And now it's on your head~ - she teased.

I froze for a second. My face heated up a bit and I started wondering if she even had something on right now.

- Tell me you're not standing there with nothing on you... - I sighed.

- You can find out~ - she answered teasingly.

I slowly turned my head towards her. Luckily, she was wearing the same outfit as yesterday. This was a relief.

- Oh what did you expect, my little perv~? - she asked.

- Knock it off Kohaku... - I scoffed.

- Someone's upset~? - she asked.

- No, it's just that you're toying with me too much... - I sighed. - Do you do this to every guy who you meet?

- Nope - she said, giving me a wink.

- You're so weird... - I said accidentally.

- What's wrong with that? - she questioned me.

In that moment I realized all of her playfulness was gone. The room was filled with annoyance. I felt Kohaku's annoyed gaze on me.

- Sorry... You're just hard to understand... - I explained myself.

- This better be the last time you say something like this - she sighed.

This weird atmosphere slowly started to vanish. Kohaku left the room for a few minutes. I was left alone in her room with her shirt and no clue what just happened.

After a few seconds I finally got hit with a wave of awkwardness. I felt my face heat up. Desperately, trying to hide my face, I hid it in the shirt that Kohaku tossed me.

This situation got even more awkward after Kohaku returned to the room, but instead of hearing her playful teasing I didn't hear anything for a while.

I pulled my face away from that shirt and looked at her. She was just staring at me, while her face was bright red. She was holding two glasses of water.

- Kohaku, this is not what it looks like... - I stuttered.

- I don't know if I should call you a perv or be jealous of that shirt... - she said, still staring at me.

- I'm not going to comment on what you just said... - I said.

An hour later Kohaku decided to show me around. She took my hand and ran to the front door. She opened it and soft rays of sunlight hit our faces.

- C'mon we gotta go! - she said happily.

Seconds later, after my sight adjusted to the light, I saw a big concrete wall spreading as far as I could see. Behind it I could see glimpses of tall city buildings, covered in a purplish fog. Seeing this, I felt a wave of dread. This must be the core part Kohaku was talking about.

- Hm? Surprised by the core? - she asked.

- Yeah... I didn't realize that this would be so massive... - I said, still staring at the wall and the core.

- It's only impressive the first time you see it though. After a while you'll just... Get used to seeing this - she stated.

Before I could realize she took my hand and started dragging me somewhere. Time for an adventure I guess…

And here's that Izumi art I did! I'm really proud of that one.

[zucchiimi]

[zucchiimi]

Heya! So, I'm presenting the prologue of a novel I'm writing, called This Universe of Yours. I'm open to criticizm or any form of feedback! Anyways enjoy!

Prologue

You know, sometimes you just can't see everything. You can just pass by a building not realizing that people living inside have their own lives. Some of them might just be like you. Now imagine that these buildings are not visible. How would you feel knowing that you might've walked past one?

My grandma used to tell me about this legend about "Pocket Dimensions", which are places not located on our Earth. My grandma said that there were many ideas on where they are located, but she believed in one. She believed that those places were located in stars, that's why she called them "Starry lands".

She told me that you could slip though reality and end up in one with no means of escaping. Of course as a kid it scared me, but she assured me that it's very hard to even end up there. It made me less scared, but I still feared slipping into one. This fear didn't last long though. My grandma died a few weeks after telling me about this legend. After that I blocked it out of my mind.

But whether it was because of fear, or because of grief isn't important. What is important is the fact that they actually exist. I remember this day vividly. It was just a normal afternoon and the sun wasn't so high up. Looking out of the classroom window I could see a few buildings and a forest a bit farther away.

After the bell rang, the teacher dismissed us and I started walking straight to the school exit. Hallways were full of students in a hurry or just a big group of people blocking most of the hallway. Getting through the hallway was a big task, because it's hard to dodge every student on the way to the exit. But as always, things can never go as planned.

- Fukuzawa-kun! Wait a moment! - someone called.

I turned around and saw a guy with messy blond hair. He was of course wearing our school uniform.

- Izumi you can't just barge out of the classroom and not wait for me! - he said somewhat annoyed.

- Chill out. I just wanted to go home... - I responded waiting for him to get to me

- You still could've waited for me - he said after finally catching up to me while giving me a light punch to the arm. - We're going the same way so why not go together?

This student's name was Kenta and he was the only person who treated me somewhat normally. People gave him weird looks for that though. Kenta isn't someone I'd call my friend but at the same time he isn't someone I'd call a stranger either. We hung out sometimes and maintained a friendly relationship, but we're not friends. Or that's how I see this.

After this friendly encounter we walked out of the school, finally breathing in some fresh air. Kenta started talking about the homework teachers gave us and the upcoming exams. I wasn't really focused on his annoyed rant though. The scenery that I've seen every time I was walking home was just too nice.

The sun was about to set, but because it wasn't so dark, none of the light posts were lit up. The atmosphere was just nice, romantic even. It's nice to walk home with this atmosphere. No traffic or people, just a somewhat quiet walk through this little town with a beautiful sky above the head.

- Hey are you even listening? - Kenta asked.

- Hm...? Yeah yeah... - I responded without much thought, still gazing at the sky.

- Dude I know you, you were thinking about the scenery weren't you? - he questioned.

- Yeah, you're right - I replied.

- I know I am, because it always happens - he said somewhat mockingly. - Well, you're on your own now, Izumi.

Before I realized, we were standing right in front of his house. It wasn't anything special. Just a typical family house painted white.

- See ya tomorrow! - he said happily.

- Yeah see you tomorrow

And so he waved goodbye and got inside of his house. And this was the last time I saw him.

After a short while I continued this slow return to my house. By now the sun has set. The only light sources were the lamp posts that were previously off. I was walking past grocery stores, houses and some other buildings. Streets started to get more crowded. People were returning home from work so it was rather logical.

Few minutes passed and I finally got home. Same thing with Kenta's house. It wasn't anything special. Just a simple white house. Most of the houses here looked similar, identical even.

I went up to the door and opened it. No one was home as usual. My mother was probably still at work and my father was on a business trip, so he wouldn't return soon.

Without anything stopping me, I quickly got to my room and changed into more comfortable clothes and I went to the kitchen to prepare some food. I'm not a good cook, so I decided that eating cup ramen would be the best decision.

Nothing much happened after that. After I ate my dinner, I went back to my room and laid down on my bed, waiting for something to happen. This didn't last long though. For some reason I just stood up, took my hoodie and left the house.

I again started wandering through the somewhat crowded streets, passing even more stores, houses and other buildings. After a few minutes of aimless wandering I finally got to that one end of the road that led to nowhere. It was meant to be finished, but the work on it mysteriously stopped. And now what was left of them was a big and empty field.

For some reason, something brought me here. I decided to go into this field. When I finally stepped into the grass, I realized how soft it was. I started walking through this grassy field until I tripped. I was anticipating falling onto some soft grass. This didn't happen though.

I landed on some nicely trimmed grass.

This felt off. I was just on a field covered in long grass. I tried standing up and when I raised my head I saw a white wooden fence. I was in someone's backyard.

- Hey, are you alright? - a feminine voice asked.

You know, I wish that I ended up because my grandma wanted me to see this place. I wish that's the case but I know it's just a pure coincidence. Although it's still a nice though to have...

- Hey!

- Oh! Sorry. I'm alright - I responded.

- Who are you? I haven't seen you around.

I finally turned my head to the person who was talking to me. It was a girl. She had dark blue hair, probably dyed, she had two pigtails on each side of her head. Her skin was somewhat pale and her eyes had this vibrant red color. This girl looked a bit shorter than me, but I couldn't really tell, because I was kneeling down on grass, while she was standing up. She was wearing a black oversized hoodie, that was so big in fact that I couldn't see her pants. I think she was wearing shorts though.

- My name is Izumi Fukuzawa - I replied.

This girl walked up to me looking surprised but also worried. After getting close enough, she extended her hand to me, so it would be easier for me to stand up. I noticed that she was wearing fishnet gloves. Interesting choice of clothing I must say.

I took her hand and fully stood up. I was right, she was a bit shorter than me.

- Nice to meet you Izumi-kun. I'm Kohaku Yoshioka

[zucchiimi]

Hi. How are y'all?

I hope you're doing good. If you found this somehow, then once again hi. I'm Zucchi. Or Zucchii. Or Zucchiimi.

I like to draw, write, play video games and of course, watch anime, as any looser would lol. Sometimes I also take photos of sunsets and sunrises.

My art skills are mediocre at best, same thing with my writing skills, but either way I still like to do both of those, so if you're interested let me know if I should post something.

Either way, I'm bored and I want to talk to somebody. You can ask me anything.

Aaaaaand that about it. I have nothing more to say. So y'know, I'd be glad if someone interacts with this post. Well see ya soon hopefully.