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...
Yuuhei had been my best friend since first grade, and sometimes Mum would let me take a day off from studying and hang out with him. She often did it after big fights with Dad, when she'd stay overtime at work and he'd visit his side of the family. Today was no different.
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January 16. Ten years old. Japan.
My arm was held hostage by Yuuhei, who towed it and sprinted into his mansion of a home. My shoulders popped in protest, and I stumbled behind him.
'Yuuhei, Yuuhei! Slow down,' I screamed.
'Aw, wait till we go to my room.'
I sighed and shook my head. I'd need a new arm with this boy as my friend. While his antics made me grin, something else did too.
Today was Wednesday.
And not just any Wednesday. Today there'd be a new story arc. I hoped something exciting happened.
We rushed through the wide hallways and skidded to a halt before his room. A thick spicy smell wafted from the kitchen. My stomach growled. I wondered what Yuuhei's mum had cooked. He let my poor hand go and stared at the ceiling, eyes moist.
'Oh, my room. I am back. Did you miss me?'
I laughed and swatted his arm. 'So dramatic.'
He shoved my hand, a toothy grin decorating his face. 'It's time to read,' he rolled onto his gigantic bed and circled his arms under his head. Despite the size, it was a wonder he had any space to do that. Dirty clothes from who knows when, pencils and papers of a budding artist and bags of chips he'd finished days ago took up most of it. A room twice as big as mine and this is what he did with it.
Kicking away an odd pair of socks on the way to his laptop, I let loose a huge smile. The balls of my feet danced to an imaginary chorus, and exhilaration perfumed the air. Finally! I'd been waiting all week.
'I've always wondered how cool it'd be if all these manga were real,' said Yuuhei.
My eyes shifted to him. He broke contact with them and glazed over the hoards of books on his shelves and floor. 'You know, I read an article once. It was about some people thinking they could go to other dimensions, and how they had superpowers and stuff. Dunno if it's true, but wouldn't it be so cool if that happened to us?'
Time froze. My heart beat like it was trying to break my ribs, and my palms prickled with sweat. Was that what I was feeling all this while? Am I really... Should I tell him I might be...?
'Yup, it'd be really cool.'
The loading finished, and a screen of bright Pocky Stickmon struck my vision. I opened the browser with shivering fingers and typed in the manga site. Was Blade Fables real? Could it be real? It took me a few minutes to realize Blade Fables was under Newest Releases.
