Tahro Akagi shouldn't live in two worlds at once.
Yet, forced to spend his days studying by a no-nonsense mother, he longs for adventure. In a moment of desperation, Tahro's soul splits in two. While one of his selves remains in Japan, the other fi...
A/N: Hello! I'm glad you decided to read my story! Just a caveat, because I got a few comments on this, I will be using single quotation marks like commonly used in British English (I plan to publish in the UK), as I'm from a commonwealth country and that's also the format we use here. Welp, hope you enjoy this chapter ^^!
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Dear Youka,
What's most annoying about having two bodies and living in separate worlds is that almost no one will believe you. So keep this memoir a secret or people will think I'm delusional.
Tahro Akagi.
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July 22. Nine going on ten years old. Japan.
The book had glistening eyes.
The irises of the characters on the manga's cover shone with an uncanny realness, like they were ever so slightly moving. Maybe it was a trick of the light, but I doubted it. The eyes had been the same back at the shop, where the midday sun had shone through the windows, like they were now in my room, with the tube light bringing everything into harsh clarity.
I couldn't stop staring. The air around me became lighter, more windy in a way. A shiver went up my back.
The book was white with red borders and had a large number one on its spine. Blade Fables, the title said in an ornate font. There were four kids; two of them holding strange swords; one reading a book much too big for his slight frame; and a tall boy with a cat-like creature perching on his shoulder.
Their eyes.
'Tahro! It's time to study,' my mum called out from the hall.
Already?
'Okay.' I sighed, prying my reluctant fingers off the still unbroken plastic wrap around the manga.
Studying should be a child's priority, my mother liked to say. She'd had to claw her way up to get a well-paying job, with American parents, blonde hair and blue eyes that made her stick out like a sore thumb in Japan. Often, she used to lecture me that I'd have to do the same, seeing as I'd favoured her features over my father's. Honestly, I'd rather I didn't have any responsibilities yet, but I had to do what I'd been told.
