Araragi Koyomi wasn't particularly gifted at history... or rather, to put it more pointedly, Araragi Koyomi was only gifted at mathematics. Aside from math, his academic track record was a consistent history of failure.
As for subjects outside the classroom, however... one could say he possessed the curiosity and drive befitting a high school boy in his prime.
"In contrast to the more widely accepted theory of continental drift, recent studies by international scientists have lent increasing credibility to the hypothesis that the Japanese archipelago was formed by a gargantuan meteorite that struck Earth tens—perhaps even hundreds—of millions of years ago."
"Of course, I'm sure you all heard the oral traditions from your parents when you were children. For instance, the legend that Japan is a kingdom that descended from the heavens, bringing with it a host of yōkai and guardian deities to protect humanity. They say original humans developed our civilization under their divine protection. Hahaha, I grew up listening to those myths too, you know~"
On the podium, the teacher continued his grandiloquent lecture. Araragi Koyomi, however, lowered his head slightly, fiddling with the bangs hanging over his forehead. He didn't intend to critique the lecture, but to his ears, calling an island nation a "continent" felt inherently bizarre.
In truth, the teacher's narrative was actually quite conservative. At the very least, among the various books Araragi collected, there were numerous hyperbolic and imaginative novels far more eccentric than this lecture.
Yet, those books all shared one commonality: their stories featured a specific "Silver River." It was like a veil of gossamer cast across the sky, yet it felt so close one could almost touch it—a river imbued with all manner of miraculous powers.
And a shimmering, sun-like goddess with twin wings.
Fully aware he was merely an ordinary human, Araragi wasn't genuinely interested in the "why" of Japan's birth eons ago. Instead, he was currently grappling with a far more interesting dilemma: hadn't it been quite a while since he last "restocked"?
A certain restlessness began to stir within him.
The black-haired youth shifted his sitting position, discreetly tugging at the edge of his underwear.
"Thus, over the subsequent aeons, that meteorite was subjected to constant weathering and erosion by the sea, eventually fragmenting into the various islands of Japan. The resulting soil and sediment expanded our nation's landmass..."
Indeed, Araragi could see that this teacher was a staunch believer in the Meteorite Origin Theory. He was enthusiastically peddling this concept to his students, trying to pique their interest—and honestly, it was working. Students did tend to prefer this blend of myth and reality.
It was very Cooooooooooool~
For contemporary Japanese high schoolers, regardless of gender, being "cool" enough to serve as conversation fodder among friends was sufficient. After all, the land they saw every day was just there; what did events from millions of years ago have to do with them?
Though questions lingered—like how a meteorite large enough to connect the sea surface to the ocean floor could strike Earth without shattering it, or how the resulting dust failed to clog the stratosphere for years, or how it didn't trigger a total mass extinction—kind-hearted students like Araragi chose to maintain a respectful silence for the sake of the teacher's pride.
Class ends. School's out. Greet the class rep from the room next door. Bike home. Eat dinner. Play with his sisters. Then, deep in the night, head to the store... to buy erotic magazines. A perfect day.
At least, it was a magnificent day for Araragi Koyomi—or it would have been, had he not run into those bizarre individuals who appeared as if the world had been switched by the press of a button.
Despite choosing the time when humans were least active to avoid notice (and to stay cool), why did it come to this?
What he thought was mere idle chatter among classmates—the legendary, beautiful vampire—was now standing before him, demanding his blood. Even without further evidence, her peerless beauty and the canine teeth revealed when she spoke were enough for Araragi to confirm: this woman was, without a doubt, a vampire of legend.
Ah, and perhaps he should factor in that spellbinding, almost hypnotic charisma.
Except for the fact that the party in question... the ghost in question, appeared to be critically wounded.
Compassion and dread warred within his heart. Araragi approached the blonde vampire, inching forward step by step. He truly wanted to run; he had even taken the first step toward flight. Yet, he froze when he heard her desperate, self-abandoning cry.
I must be insane, the high schooler thought. After consuming so many novels, anime, and movies, was it finally his turn as a high school student to save the world?
It was a bit late, honestly. If he waited another year, he'd probably lose his "World Savior" eligibility—Thinking like this, I'm definitely crazy, right?
Voluntarily offering his neck to a vampire with her mouth wide open...
As he mocked himself internally, he began to sink into that trance-like intoxication. In the next heartbeat, both Araragi and the blonde vampire's eyes snapped wide open.
The blood-sucking stopped. The beauty's allure vanished. This usually remote and chilly street corner suddenly became crowded.
It was no longer a matter of Araragi, the ordinary high schooler, making private deductions about whether the beautiful woman in the red dress was a real vampire. Compared to this heavily injured lady, the three individuals who suddenly appeared simply flipped the table on the "Ordinary World" in Araragi heart.
In an ordinary world, how could people suddenly appear in a street that was empty just a second ago?
In an ordinary world, how could someone have wings that unfurled freely—wings that even dropped feathers!
In an ordinary world, how could someone's body be so translucent you could see the car behind her!
That glowing halo above her head! And the other one with long, pointed ears!
Her figure was certainly impressive, though—Araragi instinctively gave a mental thumbs-up. And finally, one last question: How much longer did he have to live?
As if they had coordinated with the blonde vampire, these three newcomers were also in a state of utter wretchedness. One man among them collapsed onto the ground the moment he appeared.
He was covered in blood.