Kibutsuji Mudzan

Night is the only time when there is no sun. The damned, burning Sun. When you have to wander the world and sit in the shade for days, while, damn it, the Sun gives everyone its warmth, you will definitely go berserk. And if all this was also fueled by the fear and hatred of huge crowds of people... the night remained beautiful, no matter how many nights Mudzan lived, although it would be more accurate to say "survived" here. But today there was clearly an exception. Walking along the sandy coast of the sea, he had never met a person or even a house.

A truly wonderful place...

Small specks of sand jump into the shoes and get stuck between the foot and the dzori. In the end, the young man decides to take them off altogether and go barefoot. The sea gently licks the feet until they sink a little and get stuck in the wet sand. There's not a soul around. Only the sound of the sea and the songs of cicadas. Dark curly strands wobble in time with the steps and hang over the eyes. They had already become confused, although their owner was honestly trying to make them look more decent. But the comb tore the hair more, causing discomfort, rather than detangling them.

Everything has an end. Mudzan always knew this, although he often tried to refute this theory. That's how the Tottori dunes ended. A magical place where an elderly couple pointed out, for which they survived. As it turned out, it was not in vain. The end of the desert turned out to be the Kyubukuro river with a town. Faint, sparse lights could already be seen from here.

Even the nights remained mercilessly hot. Sometimes it was possible to control body temperature, but so far it has only worked by accident. Cool water now seemed to be the highest bliss. The crystal liquid flows through the fingers, falls into the water with a soft sound and merges with it. Sea water does not quench thirst, but it can temporarily eliminate the sultry heat. Wet hands drench my face. Exhale of pleasure escapes from my mouth. In my pockets, I heard the clink of coins left over from the previous city. You could stay in a room somewhere, if you had the money. I didn't even want to touch people here, or at least I needed to find out about lilia first.

The city was asleep. It was not a big Tokyo, where nightlife could compete with life in the daylight. Frustration soaked Kibutsuji more and more with every step, slowly turning into anger. He walked through the empty streets, looking indifferently and with some resentment at the houses. And only the dead silence remained a companion. This building was bigger than the others. And strangely enough, there was a light on in it. The sign above the door read: "Hospital".

Well, they have to know about rare plants. Maybe this time the search will turn out to be a success.

The knocking on wood was not as quiet as it was supposed to be. This made Mudzan shudder. Sometimes you get used to harsh sounds if you don't hear them for a while. Your hands are clutching the sleeves of a dark kimono, "borrowed" from some Japanese man, now clearly not alive. Someone's footsteps were approaching the door...

The door opened, and a short female silhouette appeared on the threshold. Because of the light in the room, it was impossible to see her face. But it was clear from her voice that she didn't hold a grudge against the newcomer..

– Good night. I travel the world in search of a flower that can heal me," the voice tried to make it more or less pleasant. After a month on the road, it's unusual to speak almost without saying a word.

Now the light falls on the young lady. "Quite a pretty face," a thought arises in the Mudzan's head. You can't help but like those eyes. She looks tired, you can tell by the look in her eyes.

Small raindrops fell from the sky. But he did not even notice how the clouds slowly obscured the sky. It was unpleasant to feel the water seeping into his collar and through his clothes. Realizing that your hair is going to get wet and even more tangled is three times unpleasant. But for some reason, there was a feeling that it was necessary to be patient now, to be good for a while. And it will come in handy in the future.

.The rain quickly turned into a downpour. The sound of falling raindrops drowned out everything. The earth will definitely resemble mush in the morning. Although she still looked like her in some places , the young man tilts his head back and lets her wet her face. Thin trickles run down her cheeks, to her chin, along her neck, and under her clothes. Kibutsuji flinches from the unpleasant, tickling sensations.

– Do you have a place to spend the night? Smiling politely, he waits patiently for an answer. Without looking away or blinking, he looks straight into the girl's eyes. .