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Hayami felt a cooling breeze kiss her skin as she slowly opened her eyes. Blinking several times at her surroundings, the sun itself hasn't fully risen as dawn filled the skies. The specks of ash had stuck onto her skin and bits of cinders were sprinkled all over her yukata ━ Hayami felt itchy and uncomfortable but she couldn't be bothered with a small discomfort she felt.
"So I'm alive?" She muttered under her breath, somehow wishing she had lost her life instead.
As she stood up, brushing away the access cinders from her palms ━ reality finally struck her. There it was, the place she once called home right in front of her two eyes, burned down. What was left of the wooden floors, pillars and walls were barely recognizable.
Her mouth fell agape in realization, "I couldn't find father" she thought to herself. Tears formed in the corner of her eyes just before her painful cries were released. Hayami had never felt more alone, more empty, more disappointed in herself. Recalling the last words her father said to her just a few hours ago:
"I can take care of myself, you demon-like brat!"
Maybe she really was the problem, she could've done better as a daughter ━ she could've gotten home faster if she didn't take her sweet time at the stalls. She could've saved her father. Even though the euphoric memories with him were the bare minimum, he was still her father, and up till now ━ the last person she ever loved.
"Where do I go now?" She muttered under her breath as she walked through the rubbles and ash-covered remains of her home, her arms wrapped around herself as a way to warm up since her haori was long gone. The last piece of memory she had of her mother was gone, and so was her father. Never did the young girl ever feel so alone, even despite the harsh tones her father used to speak to her, she still had someone in her life. But as of right now, Nakamura Hayami is all on her own.
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Spacing out into reality, Hayami didn't notice a large frame behind her. "Excuse me?" A voice spoke, judging by the low tone ━ it was a male. Hayami turned her head behind her, only to face the torso of a giant. He was at least 2 meters in height as his extremely muscular figure towered over her own, and he had a strange-looking uniform on with an olive green happi draped over his shoulders. The collared frame of the happi contained multiple kanji's from top to bottom. Around his neck was a large beaded necklace, and in his free hand, he held prayer beads.
As she lifted her head up to face the male, Hayami's eyes widened with fear. He had spiky black hair and a prominent scar running horizontally across his forehead.
However in the point of view of the unnamed giant, the girl had no fear of his large figure ━ even if she did, she was terribly excellent at hiding the fact that she had any as her breaths were steady and calm.
