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Seventeen-year-old Hikaru Aizawa felt like someone was following him as he walked home from school. While walking, he noticed a girl standing on top of a building. She had long black hair, red eyes, and wore a school uniform. She was just staring at him.
When Hikaru arrived home, that same girl was standing in front of his door. She knocked. When Hikaru opened it, she had her head bowed and spoke only a few words:
"I'm sorry. Please forgive what I’m about to do."
Before Hikaru could even understand what she meant, the girl suddenly raised her hand and sliced off his head. Then, she vanished into thin air.
When Hikaru opened his eyes again, he found himself in the middle of a vast forest. Enormous trees, pitch-black clouds, and strange sounds surrounded him. It terrified him. He stood up and started walking around. He had no idea where to go, but staying in one place felt more dangerous.
"Where am I? What should I do? Is this a dream?" These questions circled in his mind.
After walking a bit, he came across a river. He approached and drank from it—but when he looked at his reflection, he was shocked. He was in a child's body. Although he was disappointed, he thought, "At least it’s better than having my head chopped off." Remembering that moment filled him with fear again, and he wondered who that girl really was—but of course, he had no answers.
As he wandered through the forest, he started getting hungry. But he didn’t know what to eat, fearing the fruits might be poisonous. Eventually, he couldn't take it anymore and climbed a tall tree. There, he found a fruit that resembled an apple. Though hesitant at first, his growling stomach pushed him to close his eyes and take a bite. Surprisingly, it tasted much better than he expected. He picked a few more and climbed down.
He began tasting different fruits he found in the forest. Amazingly, none of them poisoned him. He continued walking, but once again, he began to feel that strange sensation—like someone, or something, was watching him. Just like in his world. But he had no idea who or where they were.
When night came, Hikaru cleared a spot beneath a tree. He placed a few broken branches he'd gathered earlier in front of him. That way, if someone approached, they would step on the branches, make a noise, and wake him up. He knew it was a primitive method—but it was all he had.
He briefly wondered why there were no wild animals in the forest, but eventually, exhaustion overtook him—and he drifted off to sleep
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