Tale of a Princess.

“Welcome in the literature club room, now!” Takurō bowed to ask the little group that was trailing behind him inside.

Akimi was there with both her parents and Takurō’s mom and Rakuko slowly walked through the door. Iyogi was just about to wait in front of the room, when Takurō urged him to enter.

Only Ririi and Asahiro were not with them. When talking about the matter a few days prior Ririi seemed to have gotten aware that the matters that were about to be discussed would be very personal ones. Because she was not part of the closest circle, she suggested to stay with her clubmates for the time.

In a discrete attempt to vanish, she had also pulled Asahiro to the side to introduce him to a few girls who “would be thrilled”, getting to know him.

“Oh, pretty dark in here, yeah.” Akimi’s dad said, as he and his wife stepped into the room.

“You should be acquainted with that, Masaru-san.” Reina giggled mischievously, following them.

“I should?”

“Oh, is that a screen, yah?” Aya turned around to Takurō.

“You’ve made a movie, yah?” Akimi stopped in the entrance.

“Hell, yes he did, f’sure!” Rakuko jumped happily and gave her friend a thumbs up.

“You knew about this, Raku-chan?”

She nodded. “It was supposed to be a surprise for you, y’know.”

“Takkun!” Akimi’s eye became big as saucers, as her cheeks flushed looking at him. “You finally, actually, really made a movie, f’sure? How were you even able to hide something exciting as that from me all the time, yah?” Her excited demeanor looked even cuter with the idol dress she was still wearing for their classes’ karaoke contest.

He chuckled coyly. “It wasn’t easy, I can tell you that much, yeah.”

She took his hand and pulled him into the room like she couldn’t wait for it. All walls and the windows were darkened with thick, black curtains. A big screen was positioned at the end of the room, two rows of chairs in front of it.

Toyoshima had helped them setting up the beamer and sound system to provide for the best movie experience possible. He sat behind the laptop to administer the technical matters of the playback.

“Ready for the great show?” he called towards Takurō and gave him a wink.

“Toyoshima-san!” Akimi’s dad turned around at him. “You here? I didn’t get the chance to thank you for letting Akimi exhibit in your cinema, yeah!”

He waved it off. “Ah! I haven’t had as many guests visiting just for the gallery in mon—”

“You should really get a seat now!” Takurō jumped between them and pointed Akimi’s dad towards the chairs. “Right there in the front, yah!”

He nodded at Toyoshima. “We’ll talk later, f’sure.”

Takurō’s other clubmates were also there. Nagashiki closed the door behind everyone and pulled the rest of the black curtain shut, while Ikaritake handed out tiny popcorn bags. When everyone was inside the room, they walked to their respective positions.

Takurō and Akimi took the place in the first row, her parents sitting beside them. Before sitting, he turned around to the audience. Several pairs of eyes looked at him.

“I … don’t want to keep you in suspense for long. Yeah … I’ve made a movie and it’s my very first one. But I had help from several people … on my own, this short movie would not have been possible, f’sure.”

“You already training your speech for the academia awards, yah?” Akimi edged in with a cheeky grin. A slight laugh went through the room.

“Uh … yeah, sorry … Let’s just … roll the movie!” He quickly sat down next to Akimi and only then noticed how nervous he was. This would be not just the first real time someone saw his movie … it could also be a turning point for his and Akimi’s future. His hands were shaking.

He turned around to Reina, who was sitting behind him. She noticed the look and winked at her son. A small hand got placed on his thigh. Akimi smiled at him and offered him her popcorn bag. They shared it.

“A long time ago, in a land not far away, people had forgotten about magic.” Hakoda’s gentle voice came through the speakers. “The kingdom was reigned by a just king who happened to have a beautiful daughter.”

The illustration of a young woman flashed to the screen. Her hair was tied into a neatly braided hairdo. She wore a jūnihitoe, a kimono-like robe consisting of countless different layers. A photograph of Ōsaka Castle could be seen in the background. She turned around to face the viewer.

Akimi’s fingers tightened around Takurō’s. “That’s … my art style,” she whispered. Her parents seemed to notice it as well. Aya turned around to Takurō and gave him a smirk. He replied to them with a nod.

“Her father’s kingdom reached from the warm south, all the way to the icy north. Their realm was rich, and nobody had to go hungry.” Images of restaurants in Ōsaka appeared. “There was only one thing keeping their kingdom from happiness: The princess was cursed.”

Her eye showed countless rainbow colors, spiraling around her iris. “One of her eyes was possessed by a demon and it made her see things that weren’t there.”

In a dark alleyway at night, she hid behind a corner. Twisted shadows danced on the walls, as she held her mouth in fear. “Countless doctors looked at her, in an attempt to treat her condition, but of no avail. The demon hid as soon as anybody looked at them.”

A doctor inspected her eyes, now they showed only their regular color. “Their situation was complicated, as every interaction with the demon pulled her further away from reality. A future queen had to decide on matters of the world and could not get lost in a fantasy. There was no space for an imaginary world.”

The moon reflected in the river. “A blindfold was supposed to hide the demon’s illusions and keep them from misleading the princess. She would never see a ray of daylight, and everything in her chest clenched terribly at the thought.”

A tear ran down her cheek, as the princess’s eyes got covered. “She tried to comply with her parent’s orders, but with her world tinted in darkness, her heart grew heavier with every day.” A black screen. “Oh, what would I give to see the beauty of the world again, she said every night, as she sat by the window.”

Only white lines of the princess were drawn on black ground. “But then, one day, her call was answered: The beautiful whistle of a bird in the distance sounded like a reply. It sung a beautiful song, a tune she had never heard before. And so, she listened to its call and followed it across the streets and outside of the city gates.”

Takurō got more and more nervous. He looked at Akimi. Her eyes were glued to the screen. Did she already understand the implications? Did she understand what he wanted to tell her? He took a few popcorns from their bag.

The princess carefully stepped through darkness, but the sound seemed to guide her. “Led by the beautiful sound, she made her way through the forest and arrived at a hut, when the whistle stopped. Who could be there, singing this beautiful song? she asked. But it was no bird that replied to the blind princess.”

The sketched outlines of a young man appeared in front of her. He looked like a craftsman, a carpenter, maybe. “This is the song of a bird forgotten a hundred years ago, said the young whistle maker.” He stood up and used the whistle another time. The bird-like singing resounded again.

“How do you know what it sounded like if it was forgotten so long ago? the princess asked.” The whistle maker made a step towards her.

He carefully pulled up her blindfold and the area around them turned into a photograph again. It showed a city park in Ōsaka, the colors shining brightly like straight from a fairytale. Around them were different painted fantasy creatures.

A golden deer, beaming white kitsune, hundreds of tiny forest spirits and a colorful bird sitting on the stone right next to the whistle maker. “With my left ear, I can still hear the creatures the world has long forgotten, princess.”

The princess’ eyes grew wide, as tears rolled down her eyes. “A demon possessed your ear?”

“Not a demon, but a kind spirit. The young whistle maker said. The princess lifted her gaze at him and saw a golden antler growing from out his head.”

Her eyes shot wide open, and Akimi’s hand clasped into Takurō’s as well. He did not dare to look at her right now. The princess fell back and covered her eyes. He however, remained calm. “You’re meant to see the world. Even the birds told me about your mourning. You can’t cut off what is a vital part of your soul.”

She lowered her head. Inside a puddle on the ground, a golden antler grew from her head as well. “But how was the princess supposed to reign over a kingdom, if her sight was distorted … if she drifted into the world of fantasy with every passing day?”

The young whistle maker sat down in front of her and took her hands down. “Show the world how you see it, or you will go mad, he said with a bitter smile. Even if you need time for yourself … even if nobody hears your call.”

She looked up at him. “You did.”

This was the moment; a sudden sobbing came from Akimi’s direction. She pulled back her hand from his and Takurō’s look instantly shot up at her. Tears were welling up in her eyes. Her nose was running, and her hand clasped around her mouth. She tried wiping them away. A wave seemed to push its way up her abdomen and she had real troubles, suppressing it.

Akimi looked around and noticed that all the others were looking at her. A second passed, before … she jumped up to run towards the exit. Takurō’s hand grasped for hers and this time he reached out for it, holding her back at her wrist.