Volume 1 - Prologue

Rows upon rows of sakura cherry trees were in full blossom. However, the way in which they bloomed was a little excessive. As a result, each flower would continue to release its blossoms one by one. Tender white blooms danced in the breeze, transforming the area into a sea of cherry petals.

A heavy wind blew.

Air rushed past him, as though pressing into his eardrums and reverberating in his stomach.

Saku Fujisaki’s vision was dyed in complete white.

Countless petals danced in the air. Some would get ruthlessly slammed onto the ground, while others would lightly flutter down until they reached the water surface. They’d be hurled into the air again the following moment and continue to float indefinitely.

As he gazed at the beauty in front of him, Saku felt as if he couldn’t take another breath.

It was all because the flower petals took up nearly the entire room.

It seemed as if there was not even a space for a single person to stand.

One point, however, inside that space.

There was one thing that looked clearly different.

Black.

A girl in black.

That girl was standing in the midst of the cherry blossom storm.

The way she was standing seemed to contrast with the space, which was filled with solely white petals.

The girl was dressed entirely in black to an obstinate extent. Her classic black one-piece outfit gave her the appearance of a stately woman. Her silk stockings and gloves were as dark as the night itself.

Finally, her face was as gorgeous as the cherry blossoms in bloom. Her beauty and the way she stood made her look rather inhuman. If one would ask what she is if she wasn’t human, they will get back one and only one answer. 

A young maiden.

She was the personification of what a young maiden could be.

A girl in black, gorgeous but sweet, that emanates a vivid impression— the incarnation of the notion of a young maiden.

That is what makes her herself— different from an ordinary person.

A powerful burst of wind blew, once more.

The young lady tucked her black hair behind her ear.

Despite the blooms blowing in her direction, she had no sign of white on her clothes. For some reason, not even a single blossom clung to her body. It felt like magic and a miracle, all at the same time.

She shouldn’t be touched.

She should never be touched.

It sounded almost as if the blossoms were whispering as they continued to avoid the girl. 

Saku’s reaction was rather neutral to this strange phenomenon.

The girl suddenly smiled.

She smiled, it seemed.

Her crimson-red lips did indeed curve with the elegance of a woman.

That’s what Saku had thought.

Everything surrounding him was as mystical and ambiguous as it could get.

The sense of reality abandoned this place a long time ago.

Inside this unrealistic view, the girl whispered with a voice that could reach even the ears of someone on top of a mountain, “Well then, shall we talk?”

“Talk about what, exactly?” What is there to talk about? asked Saku.

He wasn’t able to express his question as clearly as he had hoped.

But even when he couldn’t completely state his intention, the girl, nevertheless, nodded as if she already knew what was on his mind. And surprisingly, Saku felt empathy from that small gesture. Perhaps his feelings were simply the result of his inability to comprehend the existence of the girl.

The girl spoke again, “Nothing too difficult.”

Once again, the wind blew.

The girl closed her eyes, looking annoyed.

She continued while standing inside the sakura blossoms’ boisterous dance.

Her clear and frigid voice cut through the wall of white and a whisper made it to Saku’s ears.

“— Let’s say, about life and death.”