Chapter 1: Previous Life

                                    

                                          
Amakawa Haruto, a college student living in Tokyo.

                          
Summer.
                          
He was walking below the clear blue sky as the sun shone brightly above.
With the sun shining down combined with the asphalt on the ground, the area was filled with hot air rising causing a heat haze.
In such hostile environment, Haruto still had a cool expression on his face as he continued walking towards the University campus.
Along the way, Haruto discovered a group of female college students walking nearby secretly raising small shrill voices.
                          
Haruto had this hard to approach atmosphere, tall along with a handsome face.
Also as a practitioner of ancient martial arts, he was able to train his body resulting in an excellent physique.
Therefore Haruto walking to University was seen as some sort of celebrity by the opposite sex.
Despite that, no rumors could be found about Haruto being interested in any girls.
It did not mean that he was into men.
Just that in the 20 or so years he had been alive, Haruto never found himself a girlfriend.
                          
The reason was that there was only one person in his heart.
That person was Haruto's childhood friend.
Unfortunately, his crush never bore fruit.
Yearning for her, Haruto was almost able reached her but she suddenly vanished.
Five years passed since Haruto's childhood friend's disappearance.
The last time he talked to her was 13 years ago.
                          
Ever since the time he first encountered her, it took no time for Haruto to fall for her.
Playing with her everyday, it was difficult for him not to notice his attraction towards her.
But Haruto's parents divorced when he was still young and he was taken by his father to live in his father's home town in the countryside.
                          
At that time, the two childhood friends made a certain promise.
Someday, when they were reunited, they would get married.
There was no binding force to that promise, only a fleeting transient promise in their childhood.
                          
But Haruto was determined to make that dream a reality and poured all his strength towards that promise.
To achieve their dream, he built his foundation towards manhood through the pursuit of knowledge, agriculture, housework, and martial arts.
                          
He wanted to meet.
He could not stand not being able to meet her.
He did everything with great effort and impatiently waited until the day he reached adulthood for their reunion. Haruto blindly believed in the promise.
Haruto, who dedicated great effort into all his endeavors, was recognised by his father.
Owing to that, his father allowed Haruto to enroll in a famous high school near the area his childhood friend resided.
                          
It was where a shocking reunion was about to happen.
Coincidentally, his childhood friend also enrolled in the same high school.
Dokun, Haruto could feel his heart race.
There was no mistake, it was her.
Even if her appearance had changed over the years, he would make such a mistake.
She was still in the distance but he knew because she was his beloved.
                          
He was fascinated, looking at her back, covered by glossy black hair.
Her small, beautiful face.
Her skin, white as snow.
Her short stature, but possessing finely balanced features.
Her appearance, neat and tidy, giving her the most graceful atmosphere.
She was like a girl straight out of a painting.
                          
Haruto felt grateful to the fate that reunited them.
But he simultaneously cursed that same fate.
Next to her was an unknown guy.
                          
Haruto became scared.
Was it possible that the two were dating?
When he thought this, he became unable to call out to her.
And then just like that, while he was agonizing over what he should do, Haruto's childhood friend vanished.
                          
Ever since then, Haruto continued to live in regret.
By the time he realised that she had vanished, Haruto finally noticed the great mistake he had committed.
His spirit almost broke.
He could not even let out a sound of his heartbreaking cry, only letting it resound in his body.
                          
But, he did not give up.
There was no way that he would give up.
He would not be so easily discouraged with just this.
Because he did not get to confess his feelings yet.
                          
He embraced the faint feeling that he would someday, somehow meet her as long as he was in Tokyo.
After graduating from high school, Haruto enrolled in a University in Tokyo.
But even to this day, he was not able to get his hands on a single piece of information about her.
                          
Eventually, three years rolled by.
There was not a single day where he forgot about his beloved childhood friend.
He even sought the police's help to investigate his childhood friend's disappearance but the truth remained wrapped in a mystery.
                          
After lectures ended, Haruto headed back home by bus.
The time was just before evening so there were only a handful of passengers riding the bus. Currently, there were only three passengers including Haruto.
The inside of the bus was wrapped in silence.
Staring out the window, Haruto watched the flowery scenery pass by.
                          
Suddenly, the bus started violently shaking.
Before he noticed, the bus was suspended in mid-air causing a floating feeling, followed by a sudden impact to his whole body. In an instant, Haruto's consciousness faded to black.
                          
"...te..."
                          
The moment before all became darkness, a beautiful voice in an unknown language resounded in his mind.
                          
"...to the next news. This afternoon at 3:15 in the Tokyo ○○ prefecture, a bus, and medium sized truck collided. Three bus passengers were pronounced dead on scene. Despite suffering serious injuries, the two drivers survived the accident."