Hortus Arcanus Silvae

ACT 1

gloomy

I am Bamwell Sao.

A university student studying at a university in Tokyo.

I am nothing special—just an ordinary, unremarkable college student. The phrase people have always said, “college is the vacation of your life,” sounds to me like nothing more than the idle talk of adults who have mistaken university for some kind of utopia.

And as for me now, my life is far from any kind of colorful vacation.

I go to university, then go home. Over and over again. When I don’t have lectures, I spend my time working part-time. I hardly have a moment to spare for fun. Honestly, it feels like my life is already doomed.

Some people might say, “But surely you still have time to hang out with friends.”

But the truth is, I don’t even understand what a “friend” really is. The only kind of friends I’ve ever experienced were nothing more than temporary conversation partners—people who happened to fill an awkward silence.

And to be honest, the idea of forming groups around such meaningless exchanges—filled with flattery, jealousy, and all the rest—feels utterly ridiculous to me.