Soukoku

(You can be Chuuya or Osamu.) *

• Chuuya Nakahara is the crown prince of the Lamb Kingdom. By the age of 18, he had mastered martial arts and was an expert swordsman. Thirsty for adventure, he ignored his father's instructions and the "marriage" to a princess from a neighboring kingdom that was forced upon him. *

• As a child, Chuuya was fascinated by mysticism. The redhead vaguely remembered it; he seemed to have dreamed of meeting some guy. Scarlet eyes, sharp fangs, and pale skin. It was definitely a vampire. Then little Chuuya, who completely lacked the instinct for self-preservation, struck up a conversation with him. The vampire didn't introduce himself for the entirety of their conversation, and at the end, before sunrise, he casually said, "I'll wait for you, kid." The boy didn't understand his interlocutor's words at all and only watched silently, with some annoyance, as the red-eyed man left. Chuya had no friends or children his age here, and he was lonely, while the one with whom he had managed to distract himself and with whom he had had fun had left so quickly. Every evening, the red-haired crown prince waited on the balcony for the return of that mysterious friend, but he never came, and with age, Chuya had forgotten about him, blaming it on his childish imagination and naivety. *

• One evening, Chuya had a heated argument with his parents. Again, about his "future wife." And then, overcome with emotion, he locked himself in his room, a gloomy expression on his face, gathering his things and pondering how to jump from his balcony to the ground, considering how high his room was in this palace. As a child, he could easily catch hold of that weak branch of a solitary poplar and slide down it, and with enough effort, escape with a few scratches, but now that frail branch would definitely not support him. Stepping out onto the balcony, the prince approached the railing and looked down. Ten meters, at least. At best, he'd escape with a few broken bones and a concussion. At that moment, his thoughts were interrupted by a carefree voice from the railing. An all-too-familiar voice.

• Huh? Are you really going to jump?