1 -1- Nanaya

I had a dream.

I dreamt of a chilly winter night.

I dreamt of a pure round moon.

I dreamt of pitch-black deep mountains.

I dreamt of a feast of fresh blood.

A young man stood there.

The cold wind of the winter night stung his skin.

The darkness from the deep mountains took away his vision.

The gentle light from the round moon was obscured by trees.

The scent of blood penetrated his nostrils.

Yet, for the young man, all of this was just part of his daily training.

The young man could only survey his surroundings.

There, a wolf pack that attacked him minutes ago now lay as lifeless bodies in a pool of blood.

Upon closer inspection, the young man tightly held a small knife in his hand.

Fresh blood slowly dripped from the blade of the knife.

Perhaps, no one would believe the scene unfolding here.

Because, it looked as if the young man unilaterally ravaged the beasts that considered him food.

For the young man, however, this was ordinary.

Even if he couldn't do these things initially, years of rigorous training made it routine.

Facing such a young man, adults praised him.

"You are the most perfect creation in our clan's history."

Facing such a young man, children feared him.

"Why can you do these things?"

And these praises and fears accompanied the young man's growth, always surrounding him.

Then, one day, the leader of the clan said to the young man,

"From today, you are my son."

In other words, the young man would become the next leader of the clan.

The leader—Nanaya Kiri—affirmed the young man's identity.

"You will be the only one in this generation to carry the name 'Nanaya.'"

—'Nanaya.'

That was the name of the clan, and the surname bestowed upon the leader for generations.

"Your name will be Nanaya Hori."

Thus, the young man—Nanaya Hori—was born.

...

"Swoosh!"

This is the sound of the bus door opening.

Listening to this sound, Hori slowly opened his eyes and woke up from the dream.

Rubbing his forehead, Hori recalled the dream he just had.

"What a nostalgic dream..."

In Hori's murmuring, a group of passengers started entering the bus outside.

Hori sat in a seat towards the back.

Among the passengers on the bus, some were dressed in work uniforms, some in suits, and others in casual clothes.

In the midst of it all, the most conspicuous were several high school students wearing school uniforms.

These uniforms consisted of a white shirt, a blue tie, and a red jacket.

The distinguishing factor was that boys wore green trousers, while girls wore pleated skirts with a black-and-white pattern, emphasizing the gender difference.

Hori was also dressed in this uniform.

As passengers boarded, they noticed several high school students, including Hori, wearing this distinctive uniform, prompting expressions of surprise.

"Isn't that the uniform of that Advanced Nurturing High School?"

"So, are these people first-year students preparing to enroll?"

"Well, this is..."

Passengers began to discuss among themselves.

It's evident that the school associated with this uniform is a place that generates such discussions.

Faced with this commentary, the students on the bus reacted differently – some proudly, some indifferent.

For instance, a blond youth sat arrogantly in a priority seat, crossing his arms, legs kicked up, seemingly oblivious to the discussions, humming a tune with closed eyes.

Or a girl with a cascade of silky black hair sitting near Hori, appearing serene, engrossed in a book, seemingly impervious to the ongoing discussions.

Then there was a girl with shoulder-length hair and a cute appearance, holding a book bag, standing nearby. She seemed genuinely happy about the comments and responded with a friendly smile.

Sitting next to Hori was another person.

"It seems our school is receiving quite favorable attention."

Uttering these words was the unremarkable-looking youth beside Hori, who leaned more towards handsome but lacked any noticeable presence. 

His tone was flat, lacking modulation, and his gaze was calm, without any ripples. He seemed like someone who could easily go unnoticed in a crowd, a high schooler seeking friendship yet awkward in social interactions, garnering a bit of sympathy.

Hori turned his gaze and looked at this person.

"Uh..."

The person paused for a moment and then made a statement.

"I'm Ayanokouji Kiyotaka."

Apparently, he felt the need to introduce himself first, giving his name. Unfortunately, his tone remained flat and powerless, creating an impression that he might find it challenging to make friends in a high school class.

Hori internally gave this person such an evaluation and nodded.

"Just call me Nanaya."

After all, they weren't on familiar terms enough to address each other by their names.

However, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka seemed satisfied with this and fell silent.

Hori didn't intentionally engage in conversation but instead directed his gaze in a particular direction.

"Excuse me, please make way. Thank you..."

Outside the bus door, an elderly woman, seemingly on the verge of stumbling, requested space from the surrounding passengers and slowly made her way onto the bus.

People observed this scene but only glanced briefly, choosing not to pay further attention.

This included Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.

Only the girl with shoulder-length hair, radiating cuteness, stepped forward a bit.

"Grandma, let me help you."

With a sweet voice and a lovely smile, the girl made this proposal to the elderly woman.

"Thank you, thank you."

The elderly woman expressed continuous gratitude.

The girl assisted the elderly woman onto the bus.

Normally, someone would offer their seat at this point.

However, everyone pretended not to see this scene, pushing societal indifference to its limit.

Especially the arrogant youth sitting in the priority seat, who didn't even bother opening his eyes, continuing to hum his song.

The girl with long straight hair, immersed in her book, also didn't lift her head, completely ignoring the situation.

Seeing this, Hori subtly furrowed his brows.

Shortly after, Hori sighed silently, stood up from his seat, and quietly moved to the side.

This action drew the attention of many in the bus towards Hori.

For example, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.

For example, the beautiful girl engrossed in her book.

Even the cute girl helping the elderly woman, who was initially slightly surprised, then seemed to understand something and flashed a smile towards Hori.

"Thank you!"

It was a genuinely kind and cheerful smile.

At least, several high school students on the bus looked over, their faces reddening as they gazed at the lovely girl.

Hori didn't say anything; he just nodded. After giving up his seat to the elderly woman, he stood to the side, gazing at the scenery outside the window.

The bus continued its journey forward.

Eventually, it stopped in front of a school.