This was not like the usual night.

Kuro sensed that right away.

The further away he was getting from the inn, the less noise he could hear.

In the beginning, it was very quiet.

The sort of quiet that one could only find in the nature where they tried to escape the bustle of the big cities and their busy schedule.

But then...

It started changing.

---

Behind him the paths were lit only by the moon.

Silvery light was filtering through the trees, making everything look bright and pale.

The air was cool.

The smell of pine was floating along with the mountain breeze.

Above, under the moon, Mount Fuji was standing as silent and ancient as always.

Watching.

---

There was no particular destination for Kuro.

His hands were inside his pockets.

His footsteps were echoing softly off the dirt path.

Crunch.

Crunch.

Crunch.

---

The path was slightly going up.

The fog was lazily moving between the trees.

But there was not enough of it to prevent him from seeing everything clearly.

To create an illusion of the distant and dreamy landscape.

---

Kuro was looking at the sky.

Stars were twinkling brightly here.

No city lights could distract their beauty and make it look less stunning.

For a moment...

He was just standing here.

Looking.

Listening.

Breathing.

---

University.

This word still sounded strange to him.

Not so long ago he did not know which direction his life would be going.

But now he had been accepted there.

Finally, he was going to get a future.

---

But somehow...

This future sounded not quite definite.

But not scary.

Just unknown.

---

He could remember the words of Minami.

"You don’t need all the answers right now."

---

Kuro smiled slightly.

She was right.

For the first time in his life...

Not knowing anything did not scare him.

---

It was too quiet here.

---

Eventually, Kuro noticed something unusual.

The wind was absolutely gone.

---

The leaves were not rustling anymore.

The branches were not creaking anymore.

Even the sounds of insects were missing.

---

He slowed his pace.

Some sort of awareness started to grow inside him.

Not the fear.

Just the awareness.

---

Now this mountain was breathing differently.

---

Kuro looked at his phone.

It was 11:58 PM.

---

"...Seriously?"

He sighed.

Akari would never let him hear the end of this.

---

Two minutes till midnight.

Exact time from the legend.

---

It was making him laugh.

A simple coincidence.

---

The fog was growing thicker.

Moonlight was shining brightly upon the path in front of him.

Creating long shadows between the trees.

---

11:59 PM.

---

Kuro was walking on.

The rocky path was becoming narrower as he was climbing higher.

A wooden fence appeared on his left.

Further down...

The slope was descending to somewhere.

---

He stopped for a moment.

The view was beautiful.

The moonlight was illuminating the whole mountain below him.

Clouds were slowly passing through distant valleys.

All this landscape looked as unreal as if it was taken from some painting.

---

Then...

A sound.

---

Kuro froze.

---

Footsteps.

--- 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Soft.

Light.

Not his own.

---

He frowned.

There was somebody here.

---

The footsteps kept going.

Slow.

Careful.

Coming from the depths of the fog.

---

For several seconds...

Neither of them moved.

---

Then the moonlight shifted.

And somebody appeared there.

---

A girl.

---

Several meters away from him.

Half-hidden by the fog.

---

Her dark hair was gently moving in the night breeze.

The moonlight was reflecting upon her white coat.

Her face was calm.

But there was something urgent about her eyes.

Like she was looking for something.

Or somebody.

---

Kuro blinked.

For a moment...

Neither of them said anything.

---

A soft ringing sound was filling the silence.

---

Chime.

---

Soft.

Gentle.

---

His gaze fell down slightly.

There was a little bracelet with silver bells around her wrist.

---

It was familiar to him.

---

The bell.

---

The same sound he had heard before.

---

The girl was looking at him as if she was surprised to see him here.

But suddenly...

Her face was changing.

---

Her eyes widened.

---

"Wait—"

---

It was happening too fast.

---

One step backwards.

---

The ground under her feet shifted.

---

The edge of the path collapsed.

---

The girl was losing her balance.

---

"Kya—!"

---

She was falling off towards the rocky slope beyond the fence.

---

Everything was happening so quickly.

---

Kuro was moving as quick as lightning.

---

Without thinking.

Without reasoning.

Without hesitation.

---

Instinctively his body moved.

---

He was reaching out to her hand.

---

The girl was looking at him with widened eyes.

---

Their fingers touched.

---

For a moment...

It seemed to him that he had caught her.

---

But then—

The ground under them collapsed.

---

The rocky edge collapsed.

---

And both of them were falling down the slope.

The world spun.

Sky.

Stone.

Moonlight.

Darkness.

Everything blurred together.

---

In the moment the earth started falling out from under their feet, Kuro realized there was nothing they could do to stop it.

The edge of the stone ledge fell apart entirely.

Small rocks cascaded down the hill.

The girl gasped in surprise.

And gravity dragged both of them to the ground.

---

Kuro gripped her wrist harder.

Instinct.

Absolutely nothing else.

---

The mountain side sped by in a blur.

Broken branches snapped.

Dust swirled around them.

Sharp rocks scraped his skin.

Pain ripped through his body.

---

But he didn’t loosen his grip.

---

Then he ran into a tree root.

Kuro rammed it with his shoulder.

The impact made him feel like his lungs were getting crushed.

---

The girl’s momentum tried pulling him off balance.

In one horrifying moment, he feared losing his grip on her.

---

"No!"

---

He held her with his free arm.

Pulled her closer.

Did his best to shield her.

---

More impact.

More rolling.

More pain.

---

Then—

It stopped.

---

Silence.

---

For a few moments, neither of them moved.

---

Kuro lay sprawled on his back on broken branches and loose soil.

His breathing was shallow.

The night sky spun above him.

---

"...Ow."

---

It was the only thing he could think clearly enough to say.

---

Carefully, he turned his head.

The girl was nearby.

Just a few feet away.

---

She had landed against a patch of grass and bushes lower down the hillside.

She was shaken.

Gasping.

But she was alive.

---

It relieved him.

Good.

That was good.

---

The girl slowly pushed herself upright.

Her long hair fell over her face.

For a moment, she just looked at him.

As though she couldn’t believe what had happened.

---

"K-Kimi..."

---

Her voice trembled slightly.

---

"Are you alright?"

---

Kuro wanted to answer.

He truly did.

---

However, his body had different ideas.

---

Everything hurt.

---

His shoulder.

His arms.

His back.

Maybe somewhere else too.

---

"I’ve been better."

---

The girl chuckled softly against her will.

Very small sound.

Hardly audible.

---

Then her face shifted.

---

Fear.

---

"Kami-sama..."

---

Her eyes widened.

---

There was blood.

---

Kuro touched the side of his head.

His hand was coated in red.

---

"...Ah."

---

That explained the dizziness.

---

The girl came closer.

Her expression full of concern.

---

"You bumped your head."

---

"Yeah."

---

"We should get some help."

---

"Probably."

---

It felt very detached.

Like he was hearing it from a distance.

---

The mist swirled around them.

The moonlight shone between the leaves.

The whole mountain seemed surreal.

---

Kuro blinked.

---

The world blurred for an instant.

---

Then it blurred again.

---

Not good.

---

The girl noticed immediately.

---

"Stay awake."

---

Her voice had urgency to it now.

---

"Can you stand?"

---

Kuro tried.

---

Failed.

---

Everything started spinning.

---

"...Maybe another time."

---

The girl looked truly worried now.

---

The small bell bracelet on her wrist rang gently as her hands shook.

---

Chime.

---

It echoed around them in the silent forest.

---

Somehow...

Kuro found it soothing.

---

The same bell.

---

The bell he had heard before.

---

The bell from the legend.

---

A ridiculously pointless thought crossed his mind.

---

Akari would never forgive him for this.

---

Even in the middle of everything, that was his first thought.

---

Weak chuckle escaped him.

---

The girl stared at him.

---

"...Why are you laughing?"

---

"No particular reason."

---

His voice was getting weaker now.

---

Everything felt heavy.

---

The cold mountain air.

The darkness.

The exhaustion.

---

The girl’s face became blurry.

---

He couldn’t concentrate on it anymore.

---

All he could see was...

---

Long hair.

---

Worried eyes.

---

The sweet ringing of silver bells.

---

Moonlight.

---

Fog.

---

For an instant...

They locked eyes.

---

The girl’s expression showed she wanted to say something.

Something important.

---

Instead...

She looked down.

---

And smiled.

A small smile.

Sweet.

Grateful.

---

"Thank you."

---

The words were barely louder than a whisper.

---

Chime.

---

The bell rang again.

---

Soft.

Sweet.

Distant.

---

Darkness started creeping around the edges of his vision.

---

Kuro tried to stay awake.

---

To keep holding on to the moment.

---

But it slipped away.

---

The moonlight disappeared.

The forest vanished.

The sound of the mountain faded away.

---

The last thing Kuro heard...

Was the ringing of the bell.

---

Then—

Everything went black.

---

Kuro lost consciousness.

Complete and total darkness.

But, Kuro feels as if he’s in a field covered in white mist.

Nothing is clear.

He cannot see.

He cannot move.

And he can’t really tell if this is a dream or not.

Then he hears a distant bell chime...

Chime.

The sound reverberates through the emptiness.

Then he hears footsteps.

Light footsteps.

Soft footsteps.

They are getting closer.

He can hear a familiar voice, too.

But he cannot tell what the voice is saying.

Far away.

Out of reach.

Kuro tries to focus.

He tries to see the person standing beyond the fog.

For one brief moment, it seems like the long hair of the person is blowing in the wind.

But then, the vision fades from Kuro’s view.

The voice disappears.

And the bell rings one last time.

Almost as if to say, "This is not the end of our relationship."

But only the beginning.

And then that is gone, too.