Chapter 28: from the ground up
....
"... Huh?" The girl blinked, her eyes wide with confusion and quiet surprise.
Hajime’s gaze drifted toward the futon where the girl lay. The scent of roses and chrysanthemums wafted into his nose. But didn’t last long, because it was disturbed by the metallic sting of blood still clinging to his clothes.
’What is this place?’
. He thought, his eyes narrowing slightly, slowly raising a hand and covering his nose. The girl kept staring at him, her face twisted in surprise. It was as if her mind had been playing games with her, and from the looks of things, she started to think it was all a waking dream too realistic to be fake.
She shifted a step back, not out of fear, but disbelief. Hajime turned toward her, his eyes meeting hers, puzzled by a strange look on her face.
"... You don’t remember?" She asked softly, her fingers moving up to just rest below her chin.
" Huh?" Hajime blinked, confused. Then suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his head like a bolt of lightning. His breath hitched, and a burst of white seared across his vision.
....
Then, he froze.
’I was running... From the village,’ he recalled, ’Then something struck me from behind, hard.’ Releasing his hand from his nose, his gaze fell on the wooden floor beneath him.
’And then... There was that man. He who was beating me up for no reason... But... How did I end up here after that?’ He remained silent.