"So Ranko," he started the conversation, breaking the comfortable silence between the two of them. The street is empty, save for the two of them. Rather, just one person is on the street. The other one is invisible to all, save for only one person who's can see her.

"ђ๓?" Ranko, the illusion of his first love, or what he likes to call her and the other of her kind, the first love zombie, replied back. Ranko, floating leisurely next to him, is wearing clothing somewhat identical to him. Red Chinese silk shirt and black knee-length skirt. Her silk shirt has a white lotus flower design, unlike his plain one. Instead of wearing any shoes, she is barefooted. Her long pink hair is flowing freely, accompanied by the sparkle that exists with almost every zombie, enveloping them in a heavenly glow.

"How much do you understand how I feel?" Looking at her, he continues, "I don't want to lie to you, so I'll say it directly." Looking back at the street, he said, "When I'm with any of the fiancees, the occasions when my heart beats faster have increased..." He glanced back at Ranko, she has that melancholic face on her again.

"The times I feel attracted to one of them, you enter the deep sleep state, I know it. But lately, you haven't slept, instead, you cried in pain. He struggled to say the next sentence, "And never once I see you...like those happy ones. For that, I'm sorr-"

"ฬђคՇ ץ๏ย Ŧєєɭ...เ кภ๏ฬ ภ๏Շђเภﻮ ๏Ŧ เՇ." She interrupted him before he can finish his apology. "เ ςคภ ๏ภɭץ Շєɭɭ ๓ץ ๒๏๔ץ'ร гєคςՇเ๏ภร. ฬђєภ เ ยภค๒ɭє Շ๏ รɭєєק ๏г รՇгยﻮﻮɭє๔ ฬเՇђ קคเภ, ๒єςคยรє ๏Ŧ ץ๏ยг Ŧєєɭเภﻮ Ŧ๏г Շђє๓..." She drawled her word for a moment. "Շђเร ๒๏๔ץ เร Շђє гєคɭเչคՇเ๏ภ ๏Ŧ ץ๏ยг "ŦเгรՇ ɭ๏שє" Ŧ๏г ђєг, เՇ เร ๏ภɭץ ภคՇยгคɭ Ŧ๏г ๓є Շ๏ Ŧєєɭ Շђ๏รє ๒єςคยรє Շђє ฬคשєгเภﻮ ๏Ŧ ץ๏ยг є๓๏Շเ๏ภ เร ภ๏Շ ςคยรє๔ ๒ץ ץ๏ยг "Շгยє ɭ๏שє", Շђє Շє๓קɭคՇє Ŧ๏г ๓ץ ๒๏๔ץ."

"๒ยՇ, єשєภ เŦ เ'๓ ๓ค๔є ɭเкє ՇђคՇ, ๓ץ "ђєคгՇ" เรภ'Շ ןยรՇ ՇђคՇ.." Floating higher than usual, she continued. "ץ๏ย кภ๏ฬ, ץ๏ยг ๓๏๓ ๏ภςє ครкє๔ ๓є เŦ เ ђค๔ คภץ ฬเรђєร Ŧг๏๓ Շђє ๔єקՇђร ๏Ŧ ๓ץ ๏ฬภ ђєคгՇ."

"Yeah, I understood that from a while back." The cold of the night of the winter season caused a wisp of white mist to come out from his mouth whenever he is breathing. "I closed my heart when I saw my first love die in front of my eyes 10 years ago. I was afraid of losing anyone I love once again, so I became a person that never wished for love again instead." Pause. "When you appeared before me out of nowhere, you opened the heart of mine that I kept closed for 10 years." By now, they're stopped walking.

"It's always been in mind...if after losing my first love 10 years ago, did I have any desire to feel love again?" Pause. "Why do you have the power to stir on me this way? If you were just a simple first love zombie,"

Looking up, directly to Ranko's face, he continued, "I wouldn't be able to love you the way I do now."


Once he uttered that sentence, she stared at him in disbelief and shock, before she cupped her face with both of her hands.

"єשєภ Շђ๏ยﻮђ เ คɭฬคץร ฬคภՇє๔ ץ๏ย Շ๏ Շєɭɭ ՇђคՇ Շ๏ ๓є," She lowered her hand, revealing a steadily flowing tear running down her cheeks. "ฬђץ? ฬђץ ๔๏ เ Ŧєєɭ ร๏ ๓ยςђ קคเภ เภ ๓ץ ђєคгՇ гเﻮђՇ ภ๏ฬ? เ ђคשє ภєשєг ๒єєภ ค๒ɭє Շ๏ ๔๏ ค รเภﻮɭє Շђเภﻮ Ŧ๏г ץ๏ย,"

(Wrong. She can but in exchange for his health and life force. She knew it. He knew it. His mom knows it. The entire Saotome clan that has this ability knows it.)

Sobbing, she continues, "เ ςคภ'Շ ๒гเภﻮ ץ๏ย ђคקקเภєรร ɭเкє ค ภ๏г๓คɭ ﻮเгɭ ฬ๏ยɭ๔...ץєՇ เ ๔๏ภ'Շ ฬคภՇ Շ๏ єשєг ๒є คקคгՇ Ŧг๏๓ ץ๏ย."

"คɭɭ เร ๒єςคยรє เ ɭ๏שє ץ๏ย."


Looking at the tear-filled face of Ranko, his heart wrenched in hatred for himself for making her cry.

Hand outstretched towards her, and she responded with floating lower this time, he "touched" her tear-stained cheek. "That's not something you should feel guilty about, because, from the very moment you were born, you were cursed with having to "love me"." Their face is only a few centimeters apart now, almost touching each other, yet never would.

"That's why, even if it is a bother, why don't we just let ourselves love each other? That way, it'll be easier." He says, smiling at Ranko. This time, he endured the familiar pain, far greater than Herb, Saffron or any of his rivals ever give to him and willed for Ranko to be real than just a mere delusion of his, just for a few minutes, and he touched her cheek, properly this time and wiped some of Ranko's tears.

"เ ค๓ ﻮɭค๔ เ ฬคร ๒๏гภ ץ๏ยг ŦเгรՇ ɭ๏שє չ๏๓๒เє." She said to him.

"And I'm glad you are my first love zombie."