Back on track with the faster release schedules. For now.

The Fool

What does it mean to be alive? What is the difference between living and surviving? If each day is passed in everlasting mediocrity, unending monotony, what makes life worth living?

If there was a meaning to life then it would have to be what each individual considered their goals and dreams. Striving to reach what only they could do, something they wanted more than anything else or perhaps just something that satisfied their shortsighted desires. That's what being alive is.

Shigechiyo Sano had forgotten what living truly meant. Each day was just a blur of routine and repetition. As an individual he did not stand out and in a group he had nothing to offer. The worst part was that he had long since given up on changing this about himself.

He slowly opened his eyelids in response to the morning light streaming into his bedroom. With a groan he raised himself up and looked at the clock on his nightstand. It was already past 07:30. Time to get up for school.

Without thinking of anything in particular he went through the motions and prepared himself. Shower, dressing, breakfast, getting the bag, putting on the shoes and leaving through the front door of his flat.

"I'm off to school." He mumbled to nobody in particular as he closed the door. It was not like anybody lived here aside from him.

The school's blazer was covered in a black and green checkered pattern and didn't stand out much in the morning crowd headed for school and work. With his unassuming looks and unkempt dark green hair, Shigechiyo was blending into the sea of workforce robots naturally. He boarded the train and exited it one stop later.

The sky above seemed to be just as murky as his mood, as it was starting to get clouded. The weather report didn't say anything about rain, but rainy season wasn't far off, so it was to be expected.

Shigechiyo vaguely felt a pang of unease as he passed the school gate. He couldn't put his finger on it. It felt almost like he had been stung by static electricity. With a sigh he rubbed his stiff shoulders and walked past the stone benches and cherry trees in the entrance area. They were already past their blooming stage, so they looked rather dreary.

Taking the steps straight to the classroom on the first floor, he soon ran into familiar faces. His classmates from class 2-3 were spread out in the hallway. They didn't notice him for a while, but eventually one of them came running out of the classroom and shouted.

"Sano! Let me look at your math homework!" He seemed really desperate for some reason. Shige vaguely remembered that math class was in the first period. That must have been why.

"…I actually didn't do it either." He replied with a apologetic smile and raised his hand defensively.

"Dammit! I'm so done for! Natsunoe-sensei is going to kill me if I don't have it again…!" The frantic guy was rubbing his shaved head in despair. His name was Ren if Shige remembered right.

If he was in such a bad position, why didn't he do his homework then? That's what was going through his head, but he wouldn't say any of it out loud. It didn't really matter what others were doing as long as they left him alone.

"Ren you freaking moron!" Suddenly two other classmates appeared from behind the shaved boy and hit him against the head in a synchronized motion.

"Ouch!" Ren flipped over and hit the polished hallway floor face first. Shige stepped aside just far enough to get out of the way.

"I told you that you were in deep shit if ya forget it again! If you don't do your homework who am I gonna copy it from?!" The spiky haired guy who had initially yelled out raised his fist with an equally despairing expression as Ren. His foot was on the fallen friend's back.

"Don't let your true intentions leak out so easily…." The lanky guy next to him was putting a hand to his face and acted annoyed, but he was clearly grinning below that facade.

"Sano, are you sure you didn't do it!? Help out your pals over here!"

"Sorry… I got distracted watching TV yesterday and fell asleep." Shige replied while rubbing his head.

"TV? That's really freaking lame." The spiky haired guy (his name was Keiji maybe?) looked at him as if he had just said he enjoyed building bottle ships and collect stamps.

"Now now." The lanky friend (Amane? It was probably Amane) was raising his hands to calm everyone down and then helped Ren up from the ground. He hadn't immediately gotten up after hitting it so flatly and his face sure was red. "My parents made me watch some documentary on shellfish last night too. I still managed to do my homework though." He added the last part with some glee.

"Shellfish?" Keiji looked like he would fall asleep just imagining it.

"They are surprisingly interesting. You can cook them in many ways." Amane shrugged.

"Ohhh, that sounds pretty tasty! Now I wanna eat some seafood for dinner." Keiji stared off into the distance longingly.

"How 'bout you apologize to me first before thinking of stuffing your face asshole?" Ren rubbed his red nose with tears in the corner of his eyes.

"What did you watch Sano-kun?"

"The news…" Shige replied with a strained smile. He would have preferred not to be asked any more questions and just get inside the classroom already. Amane's knowing eyes were making him uneasy.

"Man, seriously? Your parents must be really stiff." Keiji looked at him with pity.

"Ahaha… yeah they are pretty old-fashioned." Shige nodded and then moved to the door to get out of the conversation.

"Why don't you hang out with us after school Sano? You won't have to hang with your boring parents then." Keiji stopped him by the shoulder.

"…" Shige frowned unnoticeably, but then composed himself.

"Keiji… if he doesn't want to, then let him be." Amane once again got between them smoothly.

"No, it's fine. I just have something planned already." Shige turned back towards them and smiled. "Maybe another time?"

"I guess. We're going to hang out in the clubroom after school like always." Ren said amicably. He seemed to have gotten over his hurting face.

"The clubroom?" The question slipped out of Shige's mouth and he regretted it right away.

"Did ya already forget? We even invited you to join us before." Keiji frowned.

"Sorry."

"We are the proud members of the Claws fan society!" Ren gave him a thumbs up and what he probably considered a charming smile.

"Uhm…?" Shige was lost.

"Don't listen to him. We are officially the baseball club, but we don't have a supervisor ever since Tateyama-sensei went for sick leave." Amane explained calmly.

That's right; the Matsumae Phoenix Claws were a baseball team. Shige remembered seeing them on TV a few times. They were the home team of the city and played at the grand stadium a lot, so there was barely any local who didn't know about them. On the other hand he didn't even know that their school had a baseball club. Not that he paid special attention to any of the clubs recruiting.

"Sadly we don't have many members, so we can hardly play any real matches." Amane seemed to be genuinely unhappy about the situation.

"So you are trying to recruit me… again?" Shige raised a brow. They couldn't have been more transparent.

"I heard you were good at baseball! You can't hide those talents from the world dude!" Ren was way too hyper.

"Who told you that?" He looked at Ren with a surprised expression.

"Huh? Who was it again…?" The shaved head was once again rubbed intensely, as Ren tried to remember.

"Doesn't matter, just hang with us!" Keiji put a hand on his shoulder, again.

"Is this prior appointment perhaps about playing baseball as well?" Amane asked slyly. His face really resembled a fox more and more.

"I-" Before he could somehow wind his way out of the pincer attack they were suddenly interrupted by the shout of a teacher.

"What are you still doing in the hallway? Are you up to mischief again Nakamura?" The prim and proper math teacher, Natsunoe-san, was glaring at the group while carrying a stack of papers in her hands.

"S-s-s-shiiiit! The ho-homework!" Ren stuttered in fear. He just now remembered why he had even run around so much.

"Get inside already, you hear? We are writing a surprise test today." She huffed and opened the first door to the 2-3 classroom.

"Isn't that great Ren-kun? Now you don't need to hand in your homework." Amane smiled amusedly.

"Haaaah…." His soul left Ren's mouth all too fast.

"Let me copy your answers Sano." Keiji whispered into his ear while pushing him inside.

"I sit at the window though." Shige replied and pointed at his seat.

"You really ain't good for nothin'!" Keiji let his head sink and gave up.

"It's not like I'm good at math either." For some reason Shige felt compelled to say at least something in return.

As they all prepared for the test that was handed out Shige looked out the window and sighed. Of course he had actually done his homework. It was not like he had anything better to do. And this test didn't scare him either. His grades were all mediocre anyway.

During homeroom he pulled out his phone and skimmed through the news on the social media sites. He wasn't looking for anything in particular; it was just to kill time. There were some reports an upcoming home match for the Claws and something about urban development getting put into the crossfire. Apparently they had been sued for building houses with inferior material that was easily burnable. It was a disgrace to the whole city.

Shigechiyo hated corrupt people like that. People who just stuffed their pockets and safes with the money they gained from cheating normal citizens on a daily basis. What if someone had gotten hurt because of a fire that broke out? These people would just use their lawyers to get away with anything as long as they paid a fine. These bastards didn't care about the lives they ruined.

The screen of his Smartphone turned dark as he pushed the button on the side and then looked up. He had no idea why he always got upset at the injustice that was around him. In the end it didn't concern him directly; it wasn't like his house was in danger. If he had to bring it to a point… Bad people were just bad. He may hate them as much as he wanted to, but they didn't even know he existed.

"Sano-kun!" Suddenly Natsunoe-san pulled him out of his thoughts. She was their homeroom teacher additionally to teaching math and natural sciences, but she seemed to be looking at him in a different way than the other students. Not that he would admit to that. "Do I now have everyone's attention?"

"I wanna go home…" Ren and Keiji were leaning their faces on their desks with lifeless expressions. The math test in the first two periods had taken its toll.

"Cry me a river." Natsunoe-san was a stern teacher who didn't hold back for anyone, even her students. Her curly chestnut hair was natural, so thinking she had a laidback appearance would have been a fatal mistake. "As I was saying, don't get lazy just because of the holiday next Monday. We will go through the material for the exams for the next few weeks."

A collective groan escaped the class.

"This is your 2nd year of high-school, so you have to think of your future soon. The upperclassmen already have to consider their options and…" She went on for a while.

After the class ended it was finally recess time and most of the students burst out of their confinement. Shige kept sitting on his seat for a while and continued looking out the window. School was the same as always. Nothing had changed since he had enrolled over a year ago. The same cloudy sky, the same rowdy classroom and the same tranquil days.

"Yo, have you heard already?" One of the guys in the back row called out to his friend. "Apparently there is a really cute transfer student in the first year!"

"For real? I didn't hear anything about that."

"My little bro is in her class, I swear!" He seemed excited.

"You say she's cute?"

"I heard she wears a miko outfit. She came like that... to class!"

"Woah… what the hell? That's weird."

"No, that's moe!"

"How'd she get permission? We can't even wear our own shirts and she gets to wear cosplay?"

"Don't complain so much… this is awesome for us."

"Guess we should check her out then. What class was your brother in again?"

"1-1, but we can't just go down to the freshmen classrooms."

"Scared already you pansy?"

"Shut it!"

Shige had inadvertently heard the entire conversation (mainly due to the guys basically yelling). That rumor sounded so stupid that it was hard to make up. He had no idea what a shrine maiden would do at their school… well aside from learning. But the dress code was pretty strict around here. He had been chewed out just for not wearing his tie before.

It made even him curious a little, but he didn't have anything to do with the first years.

He got up from his chair and pulled out the breakfast (and lunch) he had brought along… heated bentos from the convenience store.

School went by in a flash. If you aren't tuned with the world, the passage of time could feel diluted. In fact most days seemed incredibly similar to Shige so he had trouble telling them apart if he didn't look at the calendar.

He left for the school gate as soon as the bell rang. On his way out he ran into the trio from before once again. Ren and Keiji, which had looked so drained before, were now completely recovered. The bell's sublime sound seemed to have healing properties for most students.

"Sorry 'bout springing this up on ya, but we have to retract our offer from this mornin'." Keiji said jovially.

"Uhm…"

"We are actually goin' to Jinya today and tomorrow. Gotta let off some steam!" He said and pretended to swing a bat.

Jinya was the entertainment district at the east of Matsumae. The sports stadium was close to that area as well. Judging by Keiji's motions they were probably going to a batting center.

"Don't you want to come with us tomorrow?" Ren made a new offer.

"Jinya is pretty far. I don't know if I should go there so late." Shige made up an excuse on the spot.

"Because of your strict parents, yeah? No biggie. We all got some personal shit to deal with." Keiji nodded understandingly and slapped Shigechiyo on the back before spearheading the trio's exit.

That issue had just solved itself. Shige looked a little relieved. Good thing they weren't too bright and liked to make assumptions. Except for Amane, who had winked as he passed him by. That guy creeped Shige out.

"Batting, huh?" He felt his hands open and close involuntarily. The itch to swing was there. Maybe he would swing by the park today…

After flinging his bag onto the couch and changing his clothes to something more casual he left his empty flat immediately and went to the park. It was really small, nothing compared to the city park over in the central district, but the scenery was still nice. Families came here with their children from time to time, even though there was no playground.

Among those kids were quite a few that came here regularly on their own. That group was here today as well and had already set up a mock baseball formation. For grade-schoolers they were incredibly organized.

"Ahhh! It's Shi-chan!"

"Shige-kun!"

"Shigeeee!"

The children called out to him in a familiar way and waved him over. He hurried his steps on and joined them with a smirk. He rubbed the heads of the two boys that had come running to intercept him. They made quite a commotion before settling down somewhat and handing him a baseball bat.

"Have you been practicing like I told you?" He asked the red-haired leader of the 'team'. The boy was covered in band-aids, showing off his wild nature.

"We passed the ball a hundred times!" He bragged with a beaming smile.

"Everyone did?" Shige raised a brow.

"Erm… I didn't catch that many…" A young girl admitted with her hands in front of her face. She seemed really embarrassed.

"Mei is too slow." The boys laughed.

"Did you catch Shouta's pitches?" He asked the black haired girl and patted her head.

"O-only… two times…" She said with a curious look. She certainly enjoyed the comforting motion of his hand.

"Shouta, your training is far from done." He called out to the red-haired kid.

"Wha-?!" He jerked back in surprise.

"You made fun of Mei, but she actually caught your serious throws. What does that say about your training?"

"B-but I w-wasn't going serious or anythin'-"

"Did I hear you right? You didn't take the training seriously?" Shige turned around with a dark smile.

"N-nah, I was throwing really hard! Mei c-caught my all-out throws!" He turned rigid and hastily replied.

"That's amazing, isn't it? Mei is a year younger than you and you are the captain. Yet she still managed to keep up." He smiled at Mei who looked back at him with sparkling eyes.

"It's not like… that's…" Shouta was in a predicament. He couldn't admit that he held back, but his pride was also in peril.

"Well enough about that. Show me that golden throw of yours." Shige got up and rubbed the bat on his hand a few times before getting into position.

"Y-yeah!" Now Shouta got excited again. The others positioned themselves at the corners of the 'field' and watched their showdown.

After a few grueling hours of training, Shige was covered in dirt and sand, but satisfied. The kids looked even more exhausted than him, but they did this pretty much every day, so they wouldn't collapse on the way home.

It was a good workout.

Shige waved the kids goodbye and sat down on the wooden park bench. He only occasionally visited the park and the kids. If he appeared here every day that would be a bother, not just for him. But these meetings were probably the most fun he had in his monotonous life. It was almost like he couldn't afford to take it lightly… If he came here too often, even this last solace might turn into a routine.

When did he lose his interest in baseball? Probably around the time he had started all those part-time jobs. Now that he was free of that heavy duty, he felt like he couldn't return to the way he was before. Those three painful years had ended abruptly this spring.

Now he was alone.

As he tried to empty his mind of bad thoughts and looked up at the evening sky, he stretched out his hand. If he could grasp anything with these dirty hands, what would it be?

He blinked a few times and then noticed something on his hand. It was a pretty bad bruise. It had already turned blue. It was almost comedic how much he got into those baseball matches with just children as opponents. To think he would injure himself this visibly just from that.

Shige sighed and rubbed his right hand. The bruise didn't actually hurt that much, perhaps because of the adrenaline still in his blood circulation. It didn't really matter.

Looking at the park clock he was aware that he needed to go home and prepare dinner soon. Even if that 'dinner' turned out to be just some snacks he still had lying around. When was the last time he had eaten something other than pre-packaged meals?

The street lights went on with a quiet hum, which was the final push he needed to head home.

This neighborhood was relatively quiet, with only the occasional dog owners making their rounds. Roughly around this time the kids would all be sitting at the dinner table and then prepare for bed.

"Do you think life is worth living?"

Suddenly, without any prior warning, a voice called out from his surroundings. It was a soft and feminine voice, yet with a low-key aloof note to it. The woman who had called out to him sounded like she was just asking for something banal like directions. He spun around, but couldn't catch sight of her. The voice had basically been next to his ear and yet there was nobody standing close to him.

"Who…?" He finally heard some rustling to his left and looked up. She was sitting on a garden wall with crossed legs and a truly relaxed posture.

The moment their eyes met Shigechiyo felt extremely self-conscious and he avoided her gaze instantly. He felt heat creep up his face. Not right now… he could not deal well with girls and women, especially pretty ones.

The woman on the wall was a raven haired lady with blue eyes that seemed to be glowing in the encroaching darkness of the night. Her hair was long enough to reach her back and silky enough to reflect the light from the lamps around them. Her outfit was entirely made of polished black leather, but it seemed to fit better on a man. Her pants were tight and the belt she wore was almost hidden below the folds of her leather jacket.

If he had to describe her, as childish as it may have sounded, she reminded him of a secret service woman from some spy flick.

That unblemished pale skin stood in stark contrast to her all-black outfit, so he had really been able to burn in all the details of her well-shaped face…

He bit his lip and shook his head. Now was not the time to fall prey to his weakness around women. She had asked him a question, right? What was it again?

"Did that question fluster you?" She smiled softly and lowered her inquisitive gaze a little. He only managed to see these details from the corner of his eyes.

"N-no... I wasn't… er…"

"Haha. It was my fault for imposing such a philosophical query on you. In truth I just saw such a curious expression on your face that I felt urged to inquire."

"Uh… ah." He really had no idea what to say to her!

"You seemed to be enjoying yourself before, so life must be fun for you." She leaned her face on one hand and watched him intently.

Shigechiyo felt a sudden heat rise up his chest. It wasn't embarrassment anymore. His throat felt choked up too. It was like something that had been boiling inside him for a while and now wanted to escape his chest.

"Fun?" He forced out.

"You were smiling as much as those children weren't you?"

She had been watching for that long? No, such thoughts didn't even matter right now. He had a bad aftertaste in his mouth.

"Right… sorry, I don't know much about living my life or having fun. Ask someone else please." He put his hands in his pockets and resumed heading home again.

"If the opportunity arises, will you grasp the chance to start living?" She cocked her head as she watched him leave.

"…" He wasn't in the mood to answer such a weird question. Odd ladies were hanging out around this neighborhood after all.

The next morning he felt incredibly tired. His diet wasn't great, but he worked out regularly, so he wondered how just playing some baseball could have exhausted him that much. It was unfair.

As he went to brush his teeth he looked through his flat more consciously than usual. The strange woman's words just didn't leave his head, so he had slept very badly. That was probably the true reason he felt so sluggish.

Not even making an attempt to get his bed hair in order, he moved to the drier and took out his washed uniform. His eyes widened in shock as he noticed something terrible about the spread out blazer… There was a giant blue stain on it!

"No way… Did I forget something inside the pockets?" He was sweating and hastily checked the contents of the washing machine. Indeed, all the other clothes also had blue spots! Some sort of ink must have gotten into the bunch and now all of this stuff was ruined!

"Damn it." He grinded his teeth. This day was shaping up to be just wonderful.

For now he could wear yesterday's uniform that he had casually thrown over the couch, but this stuff was expensive. Even with the rather big monthly allowance from his parents this would make a dent in his expenses.

Completely angry with himself he walked into the bedroom and opened the dresser in a hurry. Only about half its space was filled and even then there weren't too many pairs of pants. It was just terrible. Maybe there were some spares on the top shelf…

He went on his tiptoes and pulled some fabric down from above, but to his shock something very heavy came toppling down. His reflexes were just good enough to let him avoid getting hit on the head, but the loud smashing noise was still painful.

On the floor spread out were a bunch of old accessories and jewelry. They belonged to his mother. The box had been broken at the lid from the heavy impact.

"Mom is going to kill me." He grunted and squatted down. His parents were almost never in town, but his mother left the jewel case with him out of trust. Probably.

The rings and necklaces weren't that expensive looking, but they had sentimental value. He felt bad about the old wooden box, but at least the contents didn't seem to be broken. He hastily pushed them all back inside and pushed it back into the dresser. Checking them would have to wait for after school.

Just as he walked back into the bathroom to put on his uniform he felt a numb pain from stepping on something round.

"Ow… what the?" He raised his foot and noticed an odd necklace on the ground. Somehow he had overlooked it. It was reminiscent of a talisman or amulet more than anything one would wear to be fashionable. Its metallic case was almost shining despite the dust. A certain pure silver color was encompassing it all. But the center, where a jewel or gem might have gone in any normal necklace, this one had nothing but a piece of carved wood. Sure, it was very well polished and carved into a perfect marble form, but this didn't change the fact that it was just a wooden sphere.

Did his mother really like this kind of stuff? Maybe his father was more of a cheapskate than he remembered.

And yet it felt familiar… He must have seen it before. He held his pounding head.

"Grandpa…" He mumbled subconsciously.

He didn't have the leisure to just stand around and recollect! The clock warned him about how late he already was. He missed the train, so he would have to definitely get the next one.

Shige hurried around the flat and got dressed while also putting a dry toast in his mouth and stuffing a new bento in his bag.

Somehow he had made it to first period just on time. His classmates looked at him weird, probably because of his sweaty face and unusual lateness. This was the worst. He hated standing out.

After a while he cooled down and got back into the assembly line of his school life. During third period (history) he was already able to focus on the lesson again.

"Good morning class. I'm sure you are surprised to see me instead of Takeuchi-sensei." The middle-aged teacher with round glasses said with an awkward smile. Shige didn't know him too well, but wasn't he…?

"Tateyama?!" Keiji spat out his drink that he had been sipping on in secret.

"You shouldn't drink in class Nakamura-kun." The bespectacled teacher shook his head in exasperation as if asking 'Where did I go wrong?'.

"W-weren't you on sick leave, sir?" Ren was just as shocked as Keiji.

"I am feeling a lot better now. Were you concerned for my wellbeing? That is very touching." The class laughed at his joke. "As you may know, your history teacher Sugenomia is in a healthy relationship and as it turns out she has recently ascertained her pregnancy. For that reason she has been excused and is on mother's leave. I will be filling in for her as of today."

"Old Sugenomia is preggars?!"

"I didn't know she was married…"

"Who would put a roast into that oven anyway?"

The unavoidable commotion lasted for a while, but eventually Tateyama-sensei ran out of patience and clapped his hands.

"Yes yes, the miracle of life is very fascinating. You can extensively discuss this topic in biology class or research it at home. For now I will tell you about the new curriculum. After my long leave I reconsidered how the topics I taught for the last decade seemed all very limited due to what the board of directors considered relevant. I think of history as something that can teach us life lessons for the present, so my objective will be to give as many varied examples of humanity's long path as possible. To that end we will be covering not the usual Japanese history subjects, but instead…"

Shige started to zone out again. After the initial surprise of the teacher change, nothing was really keeping him interested. History was boring subject to begin with. He was more interested in the reaction the baseball fan club trio had given Tateyama's appearance.

During lunch break he listened in, this time intentionally.

"He is actually back?!" Ren tapped his fingers nervously.

"You can't be serious… we didn't do shit for club this year." Keiji smashed his fist against the wall.

"Well. It doesn't have to end badly altogether. Tateyama-sensei was never all that interested in the club anyway."

"That doesn't matter; we lost almost all members after the third years left! We hafta explain that to him somehow!"

"Geez, we are screwed… goodbye afterschool hangout." Ren surrendered his soul to the abyss and just slid down his chair.

"Konome-kun is still a member; he just focused on his part-time job for now."

"So what? We need at least five members dude." Keiji retorted in frustration.

"…then we just need to find a fifth member." Amane glanced at Shigechiyo, who pretended not to be paying attention.

This didn't bode well…

The moment classes ended Shige got up and hurried for the door, but he was intercepted magnificently by Keiji's bulky arms.

"A moment of your time please?" Amane and Ren cornered him from behind.

There was no escape.

A few minutes later Shigechiyo was dragged by the collar to the baseball team's clubroom. Any struggle would have been in vain, so he just flaccidly let himself get pulled along like a sack of potatoes. Inside the storage like room he was put on a chair.

"I don't really have the time to join a club…" He mumbled unconvincingly.

"C'mon we didn't even say nothing yet!" Keiji grimaced.

"Y-you don't need to do anything hard, just act like a member for a bit to convince Tateyama-sensei!" Ren nodded frantically.

"This… doesn't really concern me. Sorry." Finally Shige spoke his mind. After being dragged around like this even he couldn't keep up the polite act.

"Don't you like baseball?"

"That's not the issue…"

"I saw you play in the park a few times." Amane suddenly interrupted them. "You seemed to be very interested back then."

"Urgh." They were way too persistent. And Amane must have been living in his area to have walked by that park too. This could become a huge hassle.

"Look you are all bruised up from training, right?" Ren suddenly pointed at his right hand.

Shige just now remembered that. There was no pain whatsoever, so it completely slipped his mind. Instinctively he rubbed the blue mark on his hand. It didn't feel any different from normal.

"Yes… that bruise…" Amane looked at it with a fox like expression.

"I am sorry about your club situation, but there is no way I can pretend to be a member. Even if it's Tateyama-san, he will definitely figure me out." Shige scratched his head and adjusted his legs.

"…."

"…."

The trio stayed silent. He could understand their feelings to a degree, nobody wanted to lose their place in the world. But it was their fault for not taking it seriously in the first place. So he had to be firm with them.

"If you really want to keep this club going you should search for real new members." With that he stood up and put his bag over his shoulder. He passed between the chairs and put a hand on the door.

Clack.

It didn't budge.

"Hm? Did you seriously lock it just to have a talk?" Now he felt actually annoyed. This wasn't the right way to ask someone for a favor.

He turned back to scold them, but they still hadn't moved from their seats. But more importantly, their eyes creepily followed the movement… of his right hand only. Confused he stretched it to the side and then pulled it back and surely, their eyes followed.

"It's not that bad. I don't even feel any pain." He tried to reassure them in case they were worried or something. "Can you please unlock the door now?"

They didn't react. They kept staring at his hand like mindless zombies or something. That comparison became even more apt when they suddenly stood up in an indescribably unnatural manner. It wasn't normal… Shige couldn't even explain why it seemed so off. It was like their muscles moved independently, machine-like.

"Guys?" He gulped. Their empty expressions were freaking him out.

"Ouuhhh…" They groaned and stretched their hands after Shigechiyo.

"What the hell?" He backed away and barely escaped Keiji's grapple. "This isn't funny!"

Amane suddenly dashed his way and grabbed his right arm. Unexpected for the slim and frail looking Amane he pressed down on Shige's arm with as much force as a mechanical press. It hurt a lot.

Following up on that was Ren with a terrifying expression. He grabbed Shige below the arms twisted them back to hold him down. The strength he used was almost impossible.

This whole situation was abnormal. Shigechiyo had no idea what was going on, but he felt a fear like never before… this was the cold march of the reaper. The specter's icy hands were laid around his throat. And they slowly pressed the life out of him….

Keiji was strangling him.

"W-hy… krgll… you do….?" He felt like he was blacking out. The pain from his arms as they were bending backwards was fading away alongside his consciousness.

…..

"I am sorry Shigechiyo… thank you for watching over this old man… You are free now. Live your life for your own sake… please."

…

His pupils shrank and he forcefully inhaled as much air as possible.

With strong kick against Keiji's waist he loosened the deadly grip on his throat and then he used the momentum to push forward. With some effort he rammed Ren into Amane and then freed himself from the iron grip.

The trio rose in the same creepy manner as before.

"Gakh… you bastards… I'm not going to die… here." He rubbed his hurting throat and then dashed past the equipment in the back and tried to open the window. It was locked as well. "Haaaah!" He grabbed one of the baseball bats and slammed it into the glass window, which shattered loudly.

The trio was already right behind him, so he had no other choice but to jump right away. The club room was on the ground floor, so the fall was very short. He rolled off and jumped to his feet. The zombie like club members jumped after him. Whatever was driving them now, they couldn't do anything in front of the teachers!

His only hope was to get help as soon as possible, so he sprinted towards the main building. To his surprise his pursuers were far from slow, despite their zombie act. In fact they seemed to sprint faster than any track team member he had ever seen!

Keiji tackled him down like a battering ram would smash a castle gate. They rolled over the sandy yard and bruised their joints from the rolling and sliding. Shige's uniform looked quite bad already, but he couldn't care less right now.

His hands were bleeding, but he felt alive. The pain reminded him of that.

Amane and Ren caught up and he ducked under and incoming tackle and punch. He still held the bat in his right hand… This was self-defense!

With a loud crash he hit Ren into the back at full force. That was probably painful enough to knock out even a trained boxer. The bat even splintered a bit.

But the moaning crew cut boy just turned his head unnaturally and attacked again. His back was covered in blood from the wooden splinters, but he didn't even flinch. Amane kicked him from the side as Shige tried to get to grips with this berserker like assault.

The kick was painful, but what was even worse was the fact that he let go of the bat. Keiji picked it up.

"Fuck…" Shige held his hurting left arm and backed away. He felt the wall of the tool shed press against his back. If he could get in there he might have been able to find another weapon-

BAM!

The hit to his ribs was so painful he blacked out for a moment. The bat had really almost broken his bones. The wood splintered even worse and he could feel his skin being penetrated. Right after a punch from Ren struck him down to his knees. His left face half felt like it had just been pushed into boiling water.

"Ahhhh…! Ungh… guuuhhh…" He felt hot tears run down his face. The continuous beating hurt so much he just wanted to pass out. They were going to kill him! They really wanted him fucking dead!

With a loud bang he was smashed through the shed door. His body was covered in bruises and his arm felt like it was sprained. He probably suffered several concussions already.

Through the window high up he saw the last rays of the sun fade.

The trio had entered. They had no murderous intent whatsoever. They seemed… hollow. Mindless.

If they were drugged by someone, he would actually feel bad for them. Once they came to they would have his blood on their hands… how do you live with such a heavy conscience?

The broken bat in Keiji's hands was falling apart, so he threw it aside.

"Why… are you… doing…. this?" He asked them one more time. His mouth was filled with the iron taste of blood, but he still forced himself. In his final moments he wanted to know the truth.

"Heeeheeheee." Suddenly a ghastly chuckle escaped Amane's creepy mouth. "YoU reAlllLy wAnT toooo KnOW?" His words seemed fake. Forcefully moving the boy's mouth.

"…." He felt too faint to reply. The blood from his injuries had stained his shirt and blazer and in fact was already running along the cracks of the shed's floor.

"YOU were UNlucky." Amane said simply.

'Are you serious?' He thought in delirium.

"Thhhhat mArK. CuuRRSE it." Amane and Ren moved next to him and pulled up his hand. He could feel his pinky and middle finger being broken from the pressure.

The mark? The bruise? His head was spinning from blood loss and the concussions. This was why they wanted him dead?

That was bullshit.

That was not fair.

He didn't know what this shitty mark was about, but he didn't choose to have it!

He was pulled up violently and held into the air. Something slipped from his blazer pocket and fell into the blood puddle below. Something that reflected the light. Shige looked down with his swollen eyes.

It was the pendant.

As he felt the pressure of thick hands around his throat once again, he felt his life pass in front of his eyes. And that's where the answer lied.

He remembered where he had seen the pendant before. It was a family heirloom. His grandfather had given it to his mother, but she left it with Shigechiyo instead, saying it was something that would remind him of her father when he was gone.

Why did he take it with him? He must have subconsciously put it into his pocket.

What did it matter? He was seriously thinking of something irrelevant like that in this situation? It must have been his dying mind's fault. Why did he remember that sadness now? His grandpa's final words had given him the will to live, even if for just a moment. But even that was over now…

As he was strangled to death he fell back to the ground and into the blood circling around him. The pendant was close to his shivering hand, so he grabbed it. It was… comforting.

Do you want to live?

What? Between all the pain and blurry emotions he felt a voice inside his head.

If you want to live, call for me!

Call whom? He had long since forgotten how to speak anyway.

Is that the life you had envisioned? Is that what your line amounts to?

That wasn't… true. He was weak…. but his parents…. His grandpa… they were strong.

Call for me. Call for the spark of life and your wish shall be granted!

Could he really do it…?

Could he make one last wish?

"I….want…. to live….!" He cried out between coughing as his throat was at the limit of being crushed.

The very moment those words left his mouth the bloody circle around him started to glow brightly and the pendant in his hand turned warm. The wooden core started glowing in a strange purple light.

And in a moment she was there.

The blonde woman in a beautifully crafted blue armor. Her serene eyes filled with the determination to judge anyone. In her right hand she held a long weapon.

"You did well to call upon me, Master." She said with a reverent expression.

The next thing he knew he was freed from the handgrip and the three guys were being smashed against the walls. The impact was enough to make him cringe. But somehow they managed to rise with bend limbs as if they couldn't feel pain.

The awe-inspiring warrior woman raised her spear or lance or whatever it was and…

"Don't... cough… kill them!" He called out while holding his burning throat with both hands.

Her eyes were glowing silver-blue. It was magical.

"As you wish Master." She spun her lance in her hand and slammed the backside against Keiji, knocking him straight out. Then she kicked the struggling Amane so hard he flew out the window. Ren was trying to go for her throat, but she simply punched him so hard he fell over like a tower of cards.

They didn't move, but he could faintly see their breathing.

"Cursed power has taken hold of these children. They were acting upon another's will." She looked upon her short work and then turned towards Shigechiyo. She knelt down in front of him and stretched out her hand. "I am Servant Rider. My duty is to bring victory to your as your lance and shield."

Shige did not know if he was hallucinating… but he grabbed that hand with all his might.

In an instant his body was covered in the weird purple glow from the pendant and he felt… calm. His bleeding stopped and his hurting body felt light.

"So this is your birthright. I am glad to have met a worthy man." Her silver-blue eyes had been staring into his soul, but now they turned into a dark sapphire blue and seemed more human.

"I…" He was utterly confused.

"!" Suddenly the blonde woman that called herself 'Rider' rose up and looked into the direction of the school gate. "None are traversing this place. And yet there is a twisted soul at the gates."

"W-what do you mean nobody is here…?" This was a school. Even if it was really late, there should have been at least a handful of people still around.

"I believe the vile man responsible for this attack on you has just showed himself. I will strike him down in your name!" She suddenly moved forward and jumped a ridiculous distance with superhuman speed.

"Waaaait!" What was going on?! Who was she? And why did she want to kill someone in his name!?

Shige stretched out his hand in disbelief and staggered out of the shed. His body felt heavy again the moment the foreign woman had left.

He was alive, against all probability. But what would this saved life be truly worth?