Summary:
He is not a hero but even he couldn't let that kid get hit by a car. Fortunately, he managed to save him but at the cost of his life or so he thought, instead of dying he found himself on his bed an hour later with game-like abilities, no it's more appropriate to say his entire life has changed into a game. Who is this soul king and why is he talking to him? Why is he considered an anomaly?
Let the past die , Part 1
He knew he was dead the moment the car hit him in full force. There was no way he could have survived that. Then how come he is still and how did he get back to his room. Was it all a dream? it should be there is no logical reasoning or possibility of him miraculously surviving and getting teleported into his room. But he had no memory of getting back to his house and he was still dressed in his school pants, his shirt was on the floor beside his bed which he didn't mind at the moment but he got a sudden nagging feeling in his mind to check his shirt immediately which he ignored for the time being. He checked the time in the clock, the heck it's just 6 pm, only two hours from his school had ended, so probably his sister would be still in the school performing her student Council president duty. At least he could rest for few more minutes before he could prepare the dinner for the pain in the ass of a sister.
Unconsciously he took his cell phone from his pocket to check the messages in his inbox, knowing very well that he wouldn't be having any, he gave an audible sigh a man can only hope. And like he had predicted there was nothing, ah sometimes reality can be a total bitch. He chuckled, no use in crying over spilled milk, after all, he had established himself as an annoying comedic element, a necessary evil in the school, so changing that impression isn't possible at least during the current semester. And oh yeah, he had just severed his ties with all his friends without even listening to their reasons for why they did what they did. But something in his cell phone which wasn't there before in his phone caught his eyes, there was a slightly visible crack on his screen which wasn't there before and there was a tinge of something red on his phone keypad. A sense of dread took over him, he couldn't pinpoint why he was feeling that but he could feel it in his guts that it has to do with that nightmare he had. What if it wasn't a dream? What if he had been hit by that car? There were a lot of what if, which wouldn't make any sense if they were true.
The nagging feeling, he had been ignoring all this time came back in full force and he finally gave in. He switched on the light to quell this sensation and what he saw was something akin to those clothes in horror movies, his shirt was completely soaked in blood, not only that his pants were drenched in blood, so were his shoes and socks.
It took a moment for him to realize that he was shivering and shaking like a leaf and was hyperventilating. His legs finally gave in and he sank into the floor, his eyes never leaving the bloodied shirt. And just like that memories of events that had transpired two hours ago flooded into his mind.
Two hours Ago
The teacher had been absent for the last period, so the students in his class were chatting with each other, and since it was Friday most of them were having a conversation about how they were going to enjoy their weekend all except Keigo.
No he was enjoying the view outside, specifically the beauty of the sky and how it complements the evening. The sun was setting slowly casting long shadows on the ground. The slanting rays of the setting sun gave a warm orange tinge to the sky. It was as if the whole sky was burning and that source of the fire was the beautiful sun.
He looked up into the sky wondering where could heaven be or where could the dead souls go? With the development in technology shouldn't anyone be able to discover it or at least a glimpse of heaven or the ones who created everything? If things were true according to various myths and religions. Or is there anything else required to see them I.e like specific criteria to fulfill and that only a selected number of people might be able to see it, not all?
And if there is indeed a heaven, how will it look like, what sort of hierarchy will be followed there? Will, there be inequality among the people there just like how it is on the earth like the weak and powerless preyed upon by strong and powerful who can get away with anything or will it be different there, or the main reason why there is inequality on the earth in the first place is because of the inequality among the rulers or gods or the souls occupying heaven.
He gave a loud sigh. For some reason or another, his thoughts were always drawn to this topic for the past two weeks to the point that it was too much to handle. He had an urge to find out if there is anything similar to heaven and hell like they had been mentioned in the religion. And if so he wanted to know more about them and how they are intricately interconnected with each other. As much as he wanted to discuss about this with the people around him, he had a hunch that it would only make them look at him more weirder than before and they might not even be interested in what he is saying considering it as some gibberish.
He was drawn away from these thoughts by a loud discussion/ argument/Conversation from behind him. It was Arizawa having some sort of conversation with Ichigo and Orihime but from the looks of it, she seemed pissed so was Ichigo and Orihime were trying to calm them both, an argument then, Chad and surprisingly Uryuu were looking at them wearily as if waiting to intervene if things give South but he knew it wouldn't especially with Orihime present there since she is the one person Arizawa wouldn't want to hurt intentionally or Unintentionally and the same goes to Ichigo, Kojima was looking at them with wide eyes, his demeanor screamed fear and confusion, he can understand that if he was close to two hot heads arguing or discussing heatedly he himself would be afraid too but thankfully he wasn't in Kojima's place, he checked the time in his phone 10 more minutes for the period to end, perfect. As much as he wanted to join their conversation, he felt that either he would be unwanted or will be used as a punching bag by either one of those hotheads.
The old Keigo, the one from the beginning of the semester would have no qualms in joining them but the current him had realized that an invisible boundary had formed between them, he couldn't figure it out how it happened and when it had happened but he knew for sure that he was the odd one out in the group, his intuition was telling him that he wouldn't fit in that group from the beginning.
The signs were clearly there in front of him like the ignored messages/calls, ditching him frequently, the way Arzawa treated him with scorn and suspicion, the way none of them would have his back when she blamed him( and would take it as a joke) for something or other even though his intentions were not bad or perverted, the fact that he always felt like he was the one who was making an effort in trying to be their friend, he knew that he was being too harsh on them but he couldn't help it, he had been hurt a lot by them. He had ignored it for a long time but not anymore and that incident at Arizawa's place was the final straw that broke the camel's back. He is not sure if he would be welcome anymore though none of it was his doing.
He is aware that he is annoying, useless and a pervert to the core, still he wished that if they had been open about it and how it was getting on their nerves, he would have definitely changed himself or at least would have controlled those annoying habit of his, but now it doesn't matter. As much as it pained him to let go of their friendship it was for the best, he didn't want to bother them.
His sister wouldn't be back home till 6:30 due to student Council activities. He can spend his time cooking dinner leisurely without her nagging him for each and every ten minutes. No matter how bossy or demanding she is, he could never hate her since she was the one who almost raised and took care of him because their parents were almost absent due to their work and stuff, money was never an issue for their family since they are filthy rich and can survive with that for generations but still, his parents chose work over them, what they lacked at home was their parents care and affection.
He didn't tell her about the incident at Arizawa's place and it's the aftermath, she was the only person he didn't want to disappoint though he knew that she will listen to his side of the story before making any decision, still, he didn't want to worry her about petty issues. She already has enough on her plate and he didn't want to anything further. He sighed again, he has been that a lot today. Maybe he can prepare something special for dinner as a Friday night surprise to cheer his sister up, she had been working overtime in the student since he was planning to leave early anyway he could drop by the supermarket to check out the offers.
The argument wasn't stopping anytime sooner, as much as he is curious to know about, it he had learned from his past experience that when it comes to Arizawa and Ichigo, do not interfere. The last time he did, it ended up in him getting punched by both and they didn't even hold back. It was then he noticed that Ichigo was carrying a badge which almost looked like a relic, that's weird he hadn't noticed that before, probably would have got it during the holidays. He shrugged not his business and was about to turn away when Kojima saw him watching the argument. He gave him a look that pleaded do your thing to distract them.
Hell no! He had learnt his lessons, so he sent him an apologetic look and shrugged nonchalantly. A bad move, Kojima narrowed his eyes before a sly grin appeared on his face, Keigo had seen this grin too many times to know that he was going to do something which wouldn't end well for him, he named it as the crazy prank grin. Whenever Kojima has it on his face, it meant only one thing some one has been pranked or will be pranked and God save that poor soul who had been a target of it.
Keigo checked his phone again, more 9 minutes left, he hoped that no one would mind or notice if he left the class now. Well, the class rep will but she was busy doing her work so he still has a chance. Whatever Kojima is planning he would rather not be part of it. He calmly collected his bag and without drawing any attention, he started to leave without looking back and he would have been successful, but then he heard a loud familiar voice of Kojima
"Yo Mr. Asano, why are you in a hurry man? It's Friday why don't you spend time with your friends for some time and besides we still have time for this class to end "his voice was loud too loud to draw the attention of everyone on him and he could hear the amusement in his voice. He didn't have to look back to know that everyone was looking at him and that Kojima had a smug expression on his face.
"Damn him," Keigo thought he had a sudden urge to tell him off for asking him to hang out with "Friends" when the said friends have ignored him for a long time but thought better of it, not only it would make a big scene but also will draw attention to him. He still can leave as long as he doesn't acknowledge him. He moved without acknowledging his words or the murmurs but alas it was not meant to be because the class representative Onodera who was sitting in the front row near the entrance stopped him
"Asano Kun, where are you going? The class hasn't ended yet, even if the teacher isn't there in the class. We at least have to follow the rules at least, they trusted us enough, not to send a substitute teacher to monitor us, so let's not break that trust. "she spoke in a polite tone but there was a finality in her voice.
Great, just great, he should have known better than this wouldn't be easy. Now he has to talk his way out of the situation.
"I know Onodera San but I'm planning to go to the supermarket to buy groceries for tonight's dinner. I'm going to cook something special for my sister, you know as a surprise since she is overworking herself with the student Council activities "he replied with a smile on his face.
The class rep's expression softened a bit and she was about to say something but Kojima cut in again.
"Class rep, don't believe him. He usually buys groceries in one go and stores them in the fridge."
The Class rep was looking at Kojima with a slight suspicion in her eyes and her entire attention was focused on him. He could see in the corner of his eyes that Kojima had a polite smile on his face, Arizawa and Ichigo for some reason were glaring at him, Orihime , Uryuu and even the calm Chad were looking at him with a slight disappointment. Hell, what did he do to piss them off now? The situation was getting out of hand and if he doesn't do anything ASAP, he would be forced to stay till the end of the class and inevitably pulled into their argument even if he doesn't want to.
"His own words, not mine. If you have any doubt, you can ask them "Kojima shrugged and Keigo could see his friends, no former friends nodding their head in agreement.
"That's true, but today I'm planning to buy fresh vegetables and groceries, just for tonight's dinner. Like I said I'm planning something special, so that's why. As a temporary member of the student council, you can see, how hard my sister is working. So, cooking her something good is the least I could do" he spoke sincerely. I neither possess the intelligence or charisma to help her out, the words left unsaid.
The class reps' eyes widened a bit, she understood what he had implied. She was looking at him with slight admiration and pity.
Keigo did a victory dance in his mind, victory was almost within his grasp. And it looked like she would budge.
Onodera sighed
"I don't know Keigo Kun and with some sort of serial mugger on the loose, I don't feel like letting you early. If something happens, I'll be in trouble"
Right, the mysterious serial mugger who doesn't steal anything but the victims were found unconscious in and outside Karakua but it happens only after sunset. No external or internal injuries were found in the victims and most of them are still in the hospital, the doctors and authorities are baffled, just like those vampire attacks he had seen in the movies and read in the books except there isn't any pinprick in the neck or any other region, people have started calling him/her as the vampire mugger. But he was not worried because he never leaves his house after sunset.
There was uncertainty in her voice as if she was saying it just for the sake of it, she just needed a slight push. Besides, she just gave him something which he can use against her weak argument.
"Come on class rep no one in their right mind would attack someone in the presence of light. Most of those incidents happened after sunset and in isolated places. The way back from the supermarket is usually lonely during the night time. if anything, you will be keeping me safe since I would be reaching my home before sunset, by allowing me early "he replied.
She looked at him and sighed, then nodded accepting his reply. He knew that he had convinced her. He smiled at her and was about to leave when he heard a voice from behind him, a very familiar voice of Arizawa which was devoid of any emotion and it sent shivers down his spine.
"If that's the case, then why don't we go together to the supermarket after this class gets over. I too have something to buy" she spoke, he involuntarily turned around. Her face just like her voice was devoid of any emotions, the others were looking at her warily. Frankly speaking, her face and voice scared him.
"Why? "he questioned her without thinking.
"Safety in numbers" she replied stiffly giving a smile, if one could even call that a smile.
"Am I right class rep? "she spoke in a slightly polite and soft tone addressing Onodera.
Keigo was furious, he glared at the person responsible for all this Kojima, who at least had the slight decency to look embarrassed.
The class rep was about to accept what Arizawa said but after looking at his face she gave a slightly strained laugh and replied passively
"Well, it's up to Asano Kun to decide besides it's after class, so I don't think I have a say in it" she shrugged nonchalantly.
Then she looked at him and whispered
"Frankly speaking I was just joking about the whole teacher and trust thing. I don't know what's the deal between you and her. But if it's really making you uncomfortable, you can leave now and I wouldn't mind, but she looks really furious whatever has happened just talk with her and finish that issue today itself, otherwise, it would be a huge problem for you and trust me I'm speaking from experience, but at the end, it's up to you "
Keigo knew that the class rep was right and if he leaves the issue like that then it would remain unfinished. But on the contrary, it would be the best thing to do, if he intends to end his friendship with them. It would make him look like a jerk, but can he do it, can he stoop that low to achieve his goal. The answer is, he doesn't know, a part of him wanted to do that, to show them and others that he is not someone without self-respect, someone who they can step over whenever they wanted. The other part wanted him to be a better man by behaving like a mature adult tell them his decision and as well as find out what the hell was wrong with her to act like this? her behavior wasn't like this before the holidays, not that she didn't like him or something, it's just she didn't completely hate him, but once school started everything changed and after that incident, at her place, her hate for him dialed up a notch.
"I understand what you are saying class rep and I would like to do what you had suggested but I'm not sure, this is the right moment. I don't want this to turn into a big scene in front of the whole class and that's what going to happen if I talk to her now. She was already arguing with Ichigo before and if I am correct, they didn't resolve that "he paused before adding" I'll politely refuse her offer but thanks for the advice, sorry that I couldn't follow it"
"No, it's fine and you do that. Good luck though, you will definitely need it now "she grinned. He chuckled, true he needed it, a lot.
He moved closer to Arizawa, giving a slightly strained smile to the others on the way, only Orihime and Kojima returned it, bit reluctantly and he spoke softly
"Hey Arizawa" she looked at him.
"Thanks for the offer but I don't want to be a bother to you, so I prefer going alone now" and quickly added after seeing the fury on her face "Please don't take it as an offense, nothing against you, it's just that I need some time alone", the words after that incident at your place left unsaid.
That didn't do anything to quell her fury, instead, it did the opposite he could see anger and hurt in her eyes but thankfully she said nothing.
Then he continued
"And guys I know this is out of the blue, but please bear with me I know how annoying I can be but thank you for being my friends for so long and putting up with my antiques. I know we had ups and downs but I believe that I am not a proper fit in the group, anyone can see I'm the only odd one in " (So it's about time I walk a different path on my own and find myself) he couldn't tell it, no matter how hard he wanted to. It was a miraculous feat that he didn't manage to stutter.