CHAPTER 1

~ Shouta

I dragged my feet against the tense from the center of gravity which was gravely pulling my legs for not letting them to move forward. Thinking of yesterday's unwelcoming incident just made me felt worse than before, I ended giving up on walking straight to the school bus.

'Kana! You look gloomy today? We have a tough job for today.'

Someone patted my back and turned out to be the person that I've met last night.

A luminescent puffy dark blue hair with a sense of being blown by a hurricane, two decent blue eyes, a slender body which looked so feminine, and a height which was one head taller than me. The muffler stood out his character as well.

'Oh, Shouta. I thought you're gone right after we finished our conversation.'

'Nope.'

He went off after a short reply.

I stared blankly at him and wandered off into yesterday's conversation.

My blood gushed across my brain and flustered the minute I had those physical touch from a guy.

He just stared at me, like a total mindless being getting on its prey.

His blue eyes was certainly resembled a calm feeling deep inside his heart.

I have no idea on starting to talk in terms of what.

'You're, Suzuhina Kana?'

That was the first thing that came up from him.

How did he know my name!?

'Who… who the heck are you!?'

I broke off the awkward barrier, pushing him off away from my helpless body.

'What are you!? A stalker?' I asked him again.

He just gave me a lost expression, without any trace of embarrassment on what he had just did to me seconds ago.

'Are you Suzuhina Kana?'

There goes the question again.

I stalled a bit. His presence can't fit as a normal living creature. The atmosphere just didn't seem right to me at all.

'Why are you asking me this question?'

He didn't answer.

I decided to answer his question to see where he's trying to head to.

'Yeah, my name is Suzuhina Kana. Why?'

He finally made a reaction. And I thought I was dreaming about ghost who didn't know how to talk with humans.

He slowly approached to me; it'll be ironic if he was trying to act strange from the beginning.

'Suzuhina Kana, your time is up. It's time for you to come with me.'

What? You're kidding me, right? Judging his own way of speaking, saying that I'm finished sounded like he was some sort of a death reaper. Or, more like…

'HAHAHAHA!'

I ended up laughing after counter thinking the whole scenario was actually about.

'Don't tell me that you're trying to bail out of this situation by acting a strange death reaper.'

'Oh really?'

Now he's changing into a monotonous voice.

'Why not? An anonymous guy just entered in from my balcony and saying that you came here for me, I won't fall from that. Or you might be an anti-social pervert who only desire on feeding your dirty minded brain with girls?'

I continued.

'Apparently you look like you're the same age as me. I'll call my teacher to see which unit you're from. And from that, you're toast.'

I grasped the hotel phone and dialed the teacher's room number which was hanging on the wall nearby.

'Then I'll prove it to you.'

A sudden force then caught my wrist when I was about to call for help.

My head was facing him and his head leaned on me without hesitation.

I flustered.

He caught my lips and I immediately stunned by his reckless action.

Wait. I couldn't feel any undefined feeling while he kissed me. It's like my lips were just kissing the air.

As I regained my self-conscious, I pushed myself away from that pervert joker.

Now, it's getting weirder. I can't push him at all. My hands just seemingly pushing away some air and I ended up getting recoiled back, destined to get hit by the wall behind.

Come to my senses, I wasn't about to crash into a wall. In fact, as if nothing was actually interrupting my way for falling over.

After a few seconds, his appearance altered into just a piece of fully furnished wall. And then, I was completely landed onto a ground.

By the time I knew, I was sitting on the walkway carpet.

This had just made things worse and creepier.

'Suzuhina, why are you still at the hallway? Aren't you supposed to be in your room by now?'

It was my discipline teacher who had accompanied for this trip. She was standing at the middle of the crossroad hallway, roughly 10 meters away from me.

'Sorry, I… I'll be in just a minute.'

Okay, this is getting crazy!?

I sighed. I stared at the wall in front of me. How did I penetrate through this wall!?

Just then a mysterious hand grabbed my wrist and just like a lifeless doll being retracted back to its owner. And again, I got through the same wall.

I was back in my room. That pervert creature was still here.

'Who exactly are you? And, what did just happen!? I just got myself passing through this wall!'

I drew a big circle around the wall indicating a proof that I've been through this thick object.

It was indeed a nerve-wrecking one and unbelievable to think that supernatural exist here.

'I'm not a concern to this. It's just "you" that I need to take along with me.'

Now he's saying that I have to tag along with him, again.

'It doesn't make any sense! Maybe a magic trick or an illusion can fool me, but I'm still not going with you! You hear-'

I uttered. Now I'm having a second thought about my current eyesight. My hand was completely half invisible and a glow around the side of it while I tried to point at him. It's a total see-through hand. I could see him even my hand was in front of me.

'Do you believe in me now?'

'Suzuhina Kana?' he continued.

My hand was shaking like fluttering leaves on a tree branch getting blown by a wind.

I slowly believed on what the man standing opposite of me was telling the truth. Am I, dead? I'm just a piece of empty soul lingering around the mainland?

'When did that happened?' I asked, with a slight fidgeting tone.

'From a car crash. It was five days ago.'

'Five days ago…?' I repeated his words.

'You were getting a melody box from a swap shop before ending up facing a car crash.'

Come to think of it, that part of time in my memory was kind of blurry.

'I don't remember. I was just going into the swap shop to swap for a melody juke box. When I came out from the shop, I remembered seeing a car racing across the street, but not getting hit by it. All of a sudden, I was immediately at the opposite of the street where I was standing…'

I stopped.

The place turned silent.

'So, you're saying that I'm…'

I couldn't form that exact word from my mouth. It sounded so painful to me to reveal that word.

'What else?'

I was terrified when it came to me that I'm officially dead.

'That makes you a death reaper and now I have no choice but to follow you?'

'What do you mean?'

'Aren't you a death reaper from the start? Came out of nowhere to say that I need to go away. Isn't that obvious?'

Why he sounded so sarcastic?

'You're the one who said that I'm a death reaper. Not me. Since when did I admit I'm a death reaper?'

'Huh? Then what are you!?'

I felt lost.

'Emm, do you know a story called Aladdin? That person who owns a magic lamp and there's a genie inside, I'm kind of like that genie.'

After all this time, I had a stupid opinion that this pervert was a death reaper. I really, I mean, SERIOUSLY need to find a way to stop this nonsense.

'Genie?'

'The one and only. Do I look like one to you?'

Instantaneously I thought of something.

'If you're a genie that's like from the story "Aladdin", you could grant me three wishes, am I correct? I could wish myself to be alive again!'

'About that, there's no such thing as three wishes now. We're not that foolish to offer three wishes where nowadays people tend to wish to have 100 more extra wishes.'

'So… it's a "no"?'

My tiny little fate soon converted into ashes once hearing there's no hope to be alive again from a genie.

'Then why do you even appear in front of me when I'm officially dead?'

'You did make a wish from the start.'

Since when?

I put myself into a flashback to find out what kind of random and idiotic wish I did.

Okay, first. I was at the swap shop, exchanging a few well-known books to the shop owner to switch with the melody box that I wanted.

Then, I came out of the shop. And I kept on staring at the details hidden inside this classic juke box.

It showed a few plastic models resembled as kids holding hands together while spinning along with the melody which was already installed.

Those kids reminded me of the days with my childhood friends playing all day.

Something just came out from my mouth.

"I wish that we can just get over with the misunderstandings and be back together again. Even it will cost my life. I just want to bring my dearest friends back."

And the second last sentence just bit my tongue.

'Oh that… I don't suppose you heard that sentence and make me get into an accident?'

'Each and every word counts, Suzuhina. Otherwise, I may be the one ending up getting blame for not listening to EACH and EVERY word you're expressing and got a wrong granted wish.'

…

'So, as a genie, I shall fulfill the wish you desire and I'm humble to escort you to the wonders which you like.'

"Some sort of a self-introduction to proclaim as a genie…" I muttered.

"BANG!"

A slam ignited from my sole onto the ground which alerted that pervert-genie.

'You know what? You just simply granted my wish that makes me to lose my life. This is not a JOKE!'

I anguished my anger by picking up a broom stick which was standing quietly at the side door.

'Saying that "even it cost my life" doesn't mean I have to DIE! It's called an "expression"! Do you think that you can just simply playing a fool of my life by just listening to the metaphors I just made!?'

I paused.

"Do you simply just playing a fool of your life-!"

Those words resonated across my mind.

It gave me a chill when I suddenly spoke similar to that. There's once a person who told me those words. But who was that…?

"Prang!"

My broom slipped off from my hands and fall onto the floor. Not by accident, it's the same phenomenon I had then. It sunk into my hands and eventually fell.

Now, I'm completely helpless.

I curled myself up and squatted on the floor. I have no intention to touch anything that was non-abstract. It made me feel like I don't belong here.

'What's your name? Since you already knew mine.'

He looked at me and finally gave me a smile that I wasn't expecting him to have one.

'Shouta.' He answered.

'Shouta…'

I repeated his answer, like an echo.

'Suzuhina Kana. Can you hear me?'

'Huh?'

'Did you ward off somewhere? The bus can't wait for us, you know. Let's go.'

Shouta once again gave that same smile I saw last night, directing me a strong pull and pushed me straight to the bus entrance.

'Alright, Shouta. Stop pushing me in! It's very embarrassing…'