Tsurumara

In Japanese mythology, Tsuru is a shapeshifting crane that can transform into a human. This yokai has been mentioned in Japan since ancient times; legends about Tsuru date back to the Ainu people.

Tsuru are the rarest type of shapeshifting yokai; they transform into humans only rarely, in extreme situations or to thank a person for kindness. If a noble bird does decide to assume human form, it most often appears as a young maiden or a wandering monk. You can tell it's a Tsuru just by its gaze: wise and understanding.

An encounter with Tsuru is believed to bring good luck. These werewolves are also considered patrons of art, and finding a crane feather on the floor of a room containing an unfinished painting or a painting in progress is a good omen: it's said the crane came during the night, inspected the work, and liked even the little it saw.

That's exactly what Tsurumara was. He was a handsome man in human form. Short white hair. Piercing amber eyes. Simply beautiful.

You are a beautiful girl. The daughter of the head of a small town located at the foot of the mountain. Your town is majestic and famous. So much so that it could be mistaken for the capital.

You've known Tsurumara since childhood. After all, you'd often run to each other to ask each other out or just have fun. Best friends, as they say. The truth is, neither you nor anyone else in town knew that Kimura was Tsurumara. He carefully hides it, and has done so until now.

One summer day, you had arranged to go to the lake with him as usual. It's been your secret spot for years. So, as if nothing had happened, you walked into his house and saw that he wasn't home. So where did he disappear to? He promised he'd be there at three in the evening, you thought. But suddenly, out of the corner of your eye, you saw a crane fly past. Seeing it land on the veranda of Kimura and his parents' two-story house, you reached his room and quietly opened the door out of curiosity. And saw that the crane was Tsurumaru. You were dumbfounded.

Tsurumara has been your best friend for years. The truth is, he hasn't told you his biggest secret. That he's a yokai... He just doesn't know how you'll feel about it. Kimura is 190 cm tall. His eyes are a deep amber. His hair is like the white snow in the mountains.