Meanwhile, Kagetsu got lost in his thoughts. A few stray tears slid down his cheeks as he kept rereading the chapters of the novel.
'This guy... the girl has it tough. It's like she was forced into being transgender by some weird magic.' Rubbing his eyes, he closed the book, scanning its cover.
The leader of Beast-Men, Zirrek, stood there, proud jackalope of dark blue and green fur, with Niseko, the transgender protagonist, sitting below him. Forest and a city laid under the cliff, and a small storm cloud hovered above the upper corner. A tiny hint of a storm coming into their peaceful life.
'Niseko has to hide her love for Zirrek because of her body. So she does her best to help the beast kin by taking care of the clan's kids. It's funny how their mythology works, having only one life-time partner, and they may never meet them.'
He sighed. 'Somehow, I understand this girl that turned into a boy. I wonder if somebody could love me despite knowing I'm kinda freakish. Not a boy. Neither a girl. Both and none.'
Scratching in his hair, he shook his head. 'This is getting so complicated.'
The wind blew, bringing him the smell of the water. Goosebumps jumped across his whole body. All thoughts of the book turned to dust as shiver overtook his body. A hand pushed against his back, drowning him despite he was on dry ground.
A few voices reached him, carried by the wind. An angry tone ripped his ears as if the owner was stabbed. A faint splash followed with a cry.
Below the clouds, an underwater drama began.
\\_(''>_<'')_//
Rigaku reached for a plastic cup when the tea spilled over his fingers.
"What!" He yanked his hand away, and the crumbled cup had fallen on the ground, followed by a stream of the green river.
Pulling his handkerchief, he sucked the liquid. Aiyoku sacrificed the entire pack of paper tissues before the stain was gone.
"Are you okay? Ri? You seem strange."
"Which way?"
The oldest Kamini didn't need an answer, as heavy feeling settled in his stomach since his youngest sibling left them.
"I dunno, but like your mind is elsewhere."
His dark eyes trailed toward Freya, who nodded as she noticed his behavior.
"I guess I'm a bit tired." He played it safe. 'I shouldn't make them worried. Guess my lunch didn't agree with me.'
Returning to their work, they jumped off their seats as Kosuke, a member of the drama club, barged into their club.
"What's wrong?" Aiyoku shouted as his heart finished somersault, and Kosuke spat two ragged breaths.
"Ka—" He wheezed.
Ice spread across Rigaku's back, and he begged his brain not to finish that syllable with "getsu".
Their senpai took a deep breath. "—getsu fell into the pool!"
Despite Rigaku lacked an athletic figure, his body leaped across the room, ramming the wall outside with his whole frame. Too high on adrenaline, he brushed off the pain.
The voice of his other sibling had drowned in pulsating blood. Dashing down the hall, his steps directed him toward an open window. Smudged figures stood around it, and Rigaku, ignoring his own safety, leaped through it.
Time stopped as he floated with mathematics symbols floating around him in an endless stream. Knowing nothing about stunts, his mind played dozens of action sequences he saw as a small kid. Curling his body, he slammed into the ground, clenching his teeth.
A crack in his shoulder sent scorching pain into every single cell of his body. The world turned upside down as his body rolled across the grass. Uncurling and jumping to his feet, his left arm dangled after him.
Foam escaped from his throat, and his lungs refused to work as his heart demanded oxygen. Pushing aside smudges of all shapes, he slammed his body against the wire fence around the pool area.
"Ka!" he bellowed, stealing the attention of gathered people for himself. Short on breath, he unglued himself from the fence to collapse on the ground.
The adrenaline burned in his system, leaving him with nothing but agony. He squirmed, clenching his left shoulder. People gathered around him, showering him with words he didn't care about.
"Ka! Where's my brother?" He wheezed between pants, fighting back the coughing fit.
"The boy from the pool is on the way to a hospital," the policewoman said and helped him to sit up.
"Where?"
"I don't have this information, but you need a doctor too." She nodded at her partner, who took out his mobile phone.
"Whatever! Ka is—" He coughed, his body curling with the ache that ate his entire frame.
Regardless of his stubbornness, the blackness enveloped his brilliant mind.
\\_(''>_<'')_//
"Taiga!" Ueno exclaimed as she saw the mom-cat licking her damp fur upon entering the hut. "Where have you been? You look like you got watered."
The cat gave her an annoyed look before she resumed her grooming. The girl snickered.
"But, she sure is late." She looked around, but her first genuine friend didn't arrive yet despite promising to come once her club activity had finished.
Ueno texted her, and the answer came in a matter of minutes.
"What?" She couldn't believe what she saw.
"Ka in hospital. Almost drown. Ri in school nurse. Hurt shoulder. I'm there. Sorry. F"
'So those sirens I heard were from ambulance?' Cold fingers hugged her curling frame. 'That's why there was so much commotion!'