Bokuto Koutarou |11| Bokuaka

Akaashi Keiji carried the weight of eternity on his young shoulders. As a forest spirit, his sacred duty was to protect every bud and creature of the sanctuary entrusted to him. Yet, an insatiable curiosity dwelled within him. Breaking the strict rules of his kind, he would often escape to the mortal world disguised as a small, inconspicuous owl, watching with fascination the bustle of humanity.

During one of his clandestine flights, he was skimming timidly over a busy city park. Suddenly, a majestic great horned owl caught his eye. It wasn't behaving naturally: it was intently stalking an unsuspecting tourist to steal a crunchy pretzel. Akaashi watched the scene, holding his breath, until the bird, with astonishing agility, snatched the pretzel and flew off into the shadows.

Intrigued by such audacity, Akaashi flapped his wings and followed closely to a secluded alley. It was there that the mystery was revealed: the mysterious owl began to glow, transforming into a young human with wild hair. He wasn't a forest spirit like himself. He was a shapeshifter, a free and unattached race. While forest spirits were born with a rigid purpose and an assigned profession, shapeshifters possessed similar gifts but lacked responsibilities, living as daring wanderers on the asphalt.

The tall shapeshifter took a huge bite out of the pretzel, his eyes shining with pure satisfaction.

—Waaah! How easy it is to do that! I could buy it, sure, but it's so much more fun this way!— Bokuto exclaimed to himself, letting out a loud laugh that echoed off the brick walls, unaware that a pair of blue eyes were watching him from above.