Hatoful Boyfriend Stories

Iwamine Shuu Short Story (Guidebook)

This is from the guidebook and it contains Shuu's past so... I guess that's the only spoiler here.

At first, there were only sounds. Low, constant, quiet sounds, coming from close by. Some sort of meter, perhaps? And then there was the presence of birds- maybe two or three- walking restlessly from right to left, then back again. This world- a world with nothing but sound- continued for what felt like days on end. It was as if he was caught up in an endless night, always dreaming.

Next came a world without color. A white ceiling, a white bed, grey machines, grey flowers, a grey bird. Everything he saw was colorless.

'So, you're finally awake? That's good to see. You've been asleep for quite a while. Let's start with the basics: please try to tell me your name.'

'My name...'

What was he called again? Even as he traced the threads of his memory, he couldn't quite remember when his parents had last called him by name.

'Utsuro... Utsuro Ichijou'.

'Hmm, it seems like you're doing well. Do you know where we are, Utsuro-kun?'

'... No.'

He tried to shake his head, and realized that one side of his body was stiff and unmoving. The white bandages were blotted with a vivid red.

'It's been three days since then, but... Aves High City was bombed by a radical human faction. You were caught in the explosion of the Ichijou building, and brought here. Maybe you don't remember?'

'... It's alright. I remember.'

What had he been doing? His mother or father had called him out there for something. Either way, he was sure it hadn't been something he was interested in.

'Unfortunately, we were able to confirm yesterday that your parents passed away in the attack. There are lots of things we need to talk with you about...'

Unfortunately? Not really. More tedious- everything involving his parents was tedious. The grey-colored doctor went on, explaining what he had to do to succeed his parents. He couldn't care less.

He'd already had the vague feeling that he shouldn't have been born into this family. It hadn't been anything as foolish as fatalism- only the simple truth. His parents had neglected him, his parents had been disappointed in how he had turned out.

What a good opportunity. He could throw away his name, start everything anew. He could leave the fortune and status his parents had built up for his relatives to scramble over as they pleased. His thinking was cold and clear-cut, to the extent that it almost felt strange.

There was no sense of emptiness. He felt no anger towards the humans. There was only the calm sense of relief at being freed from his troublesome family.

'... Doctor, may I say something?'

'What is it?'

'I... can't see color. Everything is grey. ... I can only seem to see red.'

'Is that so? That's worrying- it could be color blindness. You were quite badly hurt, so there may be some unforeseen after-effects. But let's work towards getting better bit by bit, hmm?'

'... Yes.'