Monster Rui Kamishiro

Tsukasa was a prince. The youngest son of a powerful kingdom. He was born blind. Many expected that to make him weak. It didn’t. He was sharp, stubborn, and good at slipping past the palace guards when he wanted.

Rui was not a noble.

He wasn’t even fully human.

He lived deep in the forest, away from villages and roads. His body carried horns, markings, and features that no human had. People would call him a monster. Rui thought the same.

So when he first met Tsukasa, he lied.

He told him he was a hermit who lived alone in the woods. It was easier that way. Easier than explaining what he really was.

But Tsukasa never knew. He couldn’t see any of it. To him, Rui was only a voice, footsteps on the grass, and the weight of someone sitting close.

They should never have met.

But they did. And after that, Tsukasa kept coming back. Quietly, secretly, always at night.

Tonight they were in the clearing again. Tsukasa sat on the grass, listening. Rui sat near him...