Tale of the Moon Waiting for the Night - Chapter 0

Where… am I?

Yohana Sakaki looked around, stunned.

The scenery around her was strikingly unfamiliar—so strange she wondered if she was dreaming.

At her feet stretched an endless, still water surface.

When she looked up, the sky was dark, dyed in deep indigo.

No, she couldn’t be sure it was the sky.

There was no moon, no sun, no stars, no clouds. Yet it was faintly lit, and that indigo reflected off the water, making it appear as though sky and water were merged into one continuous field of deep blue.

Yohana appeared to be standing on a small island floating within this vast stretch of water.

The soles of her sneakers felt something solid beneath her. It was firm, but the surface was somewhat soft—like a patch of earth covered in grass or moss.

(Where is this? And why am I here?)

Her clothes were her school uniform. She was dressed in a familiar black sailor suit, and nothing seemed out of place.

She traced back her last memories. —That’s right; Yohana had fallen into a pond.

During a school field trip, Yohana and her fellow second-year students visited a certain lake. It was a small lake surrounded by trees, with a walking path around it for them to explore during their free time.

The accident happened then.

While walking on the path, chatting with friends, Yohana accidentally bumped into another classmate as they passed by. Unluckily, she lost her balance, and both she and the classmate she collided with fell into the lake.

She distinctly remembered the loud splash in her ears and the shock of hitting the water’s surface. There was no doubt that she had fallen into the lake.

So then, where in the world was this place?

(Kosumi isn’t… here. So this must be a dream?)

She glanced around, searching for her classmate who’d fallen in with her, confirming they weren’t there. For that matter, there were no other signs of life besides herself.

This must be a dream brought on by the shock of falling into the lake.

Still, it was an odd dream. She could even feel the ground beneath her feet so vividly.

Suddenly, she looked back over her shoulder.

Some distance away stood a towering tree, faintly glowing with a purple light. A glowing tree… the strange nature of dreams allowed for such unusual plants.

Drawn to it, Yohana moved closer.

(It’s big.)

The tree was indeed a massive, genuine tree. Even if Yohana stretched out her arms, its trunk was far too thick to wrap around. In fact, it might take ten people holding hands to encircle it.

Upon closer inspection, the thick trunk was actually formed by several large trunks intertwined, creating an even thicker single trunk.

The faint light seeped from the gaps between those intertwined trunks. There were many gaps, and each emitted a soft purple glow, giving the entire trunk a dim, purple radiance.

The upper branches twisted, bearing dark blue leaves and here and there what looked like black flowers.

“—Choose.”

A suddenly flat voice reached her.

Startled, she turned toward the source and saw a young man standing near the base of the tree, slightly ahead of her.

(I thought no one was here…)

Yohana caught her breath.

Even now, he seemed to have no real presence. He appeared almost without substance, like a fleeting vision, an illusion.

The young man wore a pure white, long-sleeved robe resembling a kimono, looking much like a god from mythology. His straight hair was also white, and his skin was pale. His features were eerily perfect, yet there was a lifeless quality, like a doll.

He felt more like an object than a person, more of an “it” than a “he.”

Slowly, he approached Yohana, his clothes rustling softly. In his hand, he held a golden chalice.

“Choose. To drink or not to drink.”

The young man extended the chalice to Yohana and asked.

The chalice brimmed with clear water. Though it had no color or scent, it somehow looked enticing.

Yohana stared at the water in the chalice, then looked at the young man.

“What will happen if I drink?”

At her question, he blinked as if mildly surprised. But only for a moment; he soon returned to his doll-like expression and answered.

“You will become a marebito.”

“Marebito?”

“As a result, something may happen, or perhaps nothing will. The rest depends entirely on you. However—”

—You surely will not remain as you are.

For a moment, Yohana hesitated.

To not remain as she was meant that something in her life would change. She didn’t know if that change would be for better or worse.

(But, if something really could change…)

She didn’t mind that. She was tired of remaining as she was.

If possible.

She wanted to change the days spent being ridiculed as a failure, lamenting her nature and lack of strength.

She wanted the strength to fill this emptiness in her heart and walk forward on her own.

Then, she might find a place where she truly belonged.

“All right. Then—”

When she looked back into the young man’s eyes, her decision was already made.