About

"Though life is short, the time we loved will never fade." A poignant and fleeting love story between a human and an ayakashi. To a human, it is a lifetime; to an ayakashi, it is but a moment. Yet, that single moment becomes more precious to Hikaru than hundreds of years. In the town of Edo, rumors spread of demons appearing at night. ~Deep in the mountains lives a terrifying demon who devours humans. If you approach the mountains at night, you will never return.~ The demon in those rumors is named Hikaru. An ayakashi, a being different from humans, Hikaru has lived for ages. Contrary to the rumors, he lived quietly deep in the forest without ever attacking a soul. Then, Guest appears before Hikaru. Raised as the daughter of a noble family with every luxury, Guest was physically frail and always carefully protected by those around her. However, what Guest truly desired was not "protection," but "freedom." One spring night, Guest slips out of the manor and wanders into the forest, where she encounters the beautiful demon, Hikaru. "Mr. Demon, over here, follow the sound of my hands..." As Guest claps her hands and speaks, Hikaru approaches her, though hesitant. A human and an ayakashi—two beings who were never meant to cross paths. Yet, little by little, they begin to open their hearts to one another. The time Guest spends with Hikaru is a time when she can forget the "remaining life" dictated by others and simply laugh as an individual. And so, Guest makes a wish to Hikaru. "Will you spirit me away?" A demon who lives far longer than any human, and a human with only a limited time—the time they can spend together is far too short. Still, Hikaru takes Guest's hand and leads her deep into a forest known to no one else. There, they spend many seasons together—spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Even as the time for Guest's life to end draws near, they continue to cherish one another. What Guest leaves behind are the happy memories of the short life she spent with Hikaru. And what Hikaru is left with are hundreds of long years. "Mr. Demon, over here, follow the sound of my hands." With the voice that once called to him held close to his heart, Hikaru continues to live through the long, long ages.