"Hello, everyone! My name is Fukube Satoshi! Let's get along!"

The following was cheered over extravagantly by a copper-haired boy, who seemed to be one of the few students throughout the school that were happy about school starting off fresh. His eyes, gleaming with an almost child-like innocence, contrasted significantly against his fellow peers. Despite so, he seemed to be friendly enough, with a heart-warming smile and a personality that assured him a good reputation in the hell-hole he got himself into for the next four years of his life.

High school in Japan was optional, after all, and while most ended up attending the four extra years of schooling, the option to quit studying permanently and to settle down was still an idea that crossed the minds of many students.

Among these students was Oreki Houtarou.

Said male stood at the back of the classroom, watching Satoshi with a grim expression. It wasn't every day one met someone else so… optimistic. "Hmph…"

Taking his time, Oreki took slow steps towards the other male, eventually making his way to the front of the room. There was something peculiar about this male… something strange…

Oreki had always been aloof, always able to remain apathetic in situations. Despite the other's unusual (and probably annoying) personality, there was definitely a connection between the two. Call him overly-dramatic, but his instincts had never failed him…

…Even when he was alive.

All Oreki knew about his circumstances was that he was dead and unable to leave the building.

Finding out he was dead was nothing too hard to discover, for one. The inevitable horror on his face at the sight of his name in the school newspaper tossed out a good two days later was an expression that would never leave his memory. It had been the first time he exerted that much energy, after all.

Leaving the building was an unusual experience for him, however. No matter how many times he stuck his foot out the front door, once the male stepped out, he'd be at the end of the hallway's door, as if he was going backwards. That time, he hadn't tried much at all, claiming it'd be too much work.

It wasn't as bad being dead as the male imagined it to be, surprisingly. No one was able to see him, for one. If the male had enough energy to spare, he'd skip through the halls for an occasional second or two.

Getting hungry was also not a problem for him. Everything tasted like dust to him, anyway.

It was good Oreki was optimistic enough about his situation. To imagine his stress if he wasn't…

…It exhausted him.

"He doesn't seem too unusual…" Oreki muttered, looking over the male from top to bottom. The male stared right through him, the grin on his face never faltering. At the other's face, Oreki couldn't help but scoff. Why was he so happy?

"You're outlook on life exhausts me. How do you do it?" He asks, in an attempt to at least be ironically funny. It satisfied his expectations, after all.

"Eh? Did you hear that, sensei?"

Oreki's eyes widened.

Holy crap-

"Stop joking around, what is there to hear?" The teacher of the class scolded the hyperactive boy, causing a few chuckles to arise throughout the room. It was almost ironic, considering the way Oreki felt.

Oreki did not feel like chuckling for the boy. He didn't even feel like scoffing in hate. All he could think about was how it was possible for the other to even hear him. In the three years he'd been stuck in that school, there was not a single soul who was able to hear him, no matter how much he screamed or ran around.

"Unusual…" Satoshi mumbles, narrowing his eyes at Oreki, as if he was visible. After a sense of silence in the room, the classroom's teacher continued on with class, as if every member in the classroom was supposed to forget about what had just happened.

Unable to fully grasp the situation, Oreki backs away slowly from the other male, eventually turning towards the door. If the other was able to see him, then others could as well! Running out of the room with haste, he makes his way towards the room he had always deemed to be the safest in the entire school.

It was a small room, almost like a teacher's lounge. Oreki assumed it would one day be used for something like a club. Regardless of what he thought, it was never really used.

Collasping into a chair, he puts his head down to fully comprehend the situation. Did that really happen? Or was he just losing it?

What if he wasn't dead? Just somehow… a ghost?

Oreki scoffs at the thought, dismissing it with a physical wave of his hand, as if he was slapping it away. He had saw his name in the newspaper. He was dead, that was for sure.

So… what was that about?

"Why does this always happen around this time of year…?" He mumbles, stretching a little in his seat to help relax him.

Suddenly, the door slides open behind him. Not bothering to look up, Oreki listened to the sounds the other made due to their entrance.

"Ah, hello!"

Not putting two and two together, Oreki's head still remains on the table's surface, only realizing that the other voice had been talking to him after a few moments of silence. Standing up quickly (and not too gracefully, unfortunately), Oreki's eyes grew wide at the sight of the other.

Aesthetically-wise, the girl in front of him wasn't anything too much at first glance. She had long hair (a factor of girls Oreki would admit he thought was charming), and pretty eyes, but it wasn't anything to go too crazy over.

He'd probably go crazy over the fact she was able to see him. This wasn't anything like before. This time, someone was able to see him!

Oreki's jaw had dropped. This, Oreki confirmed to himself, was probably the weirdest thing to happen after years of being a ghost. For an alive and well human-being to suddenly speak to you like you're one of them…

"Me…?" Oreki asked, to finalize his belief, pointing at himself weakly. The girl in front of him smiled, as if he was a fellow student.

"Yes! We're both rather early for the first club meeting, hm? I suppose it's alright for me, considering I am the president and all…"

Oreki blinked twice, as an attempt to hide the stunned expression that made its way to his face.

"Ah… I suppose."

Seeing the other beam made him a bit less nervous, resulting in him reducing his actions to just shuffling around on his feet.

There's no need to get worked up! As long as you can blend in long enough…

"So what's your name?" The girl asked casually, sticking out her hand as a greeting. "Chitanda Eru. Don't forget it!"

At the sight of the other's hand, Oreki backed away slowly. He wasn't able to touch people. Contact in skin resulted in his body becoming transparent-like. He was able to move through people physically, as long as they were alive.

"Oreki Houtarou," he answered stiffly, looking at the door as a source of escape. There was no way he could stay in that room for any longer without being recognized. "I… I have to go…"

Pulling open the door with haste, he sprinted down the hall until he found an empty classroom. Once he entered the room, he settled into a random chair to soak in his entire confrontation.

It was rather rude on his part, to leave a woman (girl!) like that by herself, but his circumstances indeed called for it. He had heard her faded "goodbye!" anyway, so it wasn't all too bad…

If that girl, Chitanda Eru, was able to see him, that meant that something was going on. Something very bad. It was only a feeling, but his instincts had never once failed him.

All he could do, frankly, was wait to see what time had to offer him.

"…Man, I'm tired."

AUTHOR: It's finally up! Thank you all for being so patient with me towards this work. I hope you all enjoy it and continue to stick with me as I upload new chapters. I was thinking a chapter a week would be good.

I also realized that when I upload this, it'll be December 31st. Isn't that something? To start a story close to the beginning of the new year? Perhaps it'll motivate me! I hope this story doesn't go on too long, after all. A year's worth of chapters should be long enough for one story.

If you enjoyed, please leave a review. Reviews help me (and I'm sure, other authors) see the feedback you all have on our stories, and they help us know who exactly is reading. After all, it would be a waste to write for no one, correct?

See you all next week! And, if the time hasn't come already for you, happy new year! I hope 2015 is good to you all!