Izaya stepped onto the grounds of the private high school: Raijin academy. He'd read in the brochure it was an increasingly honest high school with well-maintained grounds and good facilities. Izaya's grades were more than enough for his application to succeed, so his parents never worried about fees. Izaya noticed several students dressed in the academy's uniform and others dressed casually, like himself. Izaya was dressed in black trousers, a dark red shirt, and a black cropped jacket. Izaya stared up at the school, a grin forming on his face; he knew he would like it here.
"My name is Izaya Orihara, I'm fifteen years old, and I can see ghosts. Heh, maybe I should start from the beginning.
"I was twelve when I saw my first ghost, or if you prefer, a spirit. I was on my way home from school, and it was late, so I decided to take a shortcut. I remember looking down over the bridge I crossed, and there it was, just sitting on a rock below in the stream. My first initial thought was that I was tired and imagining things. It was dark, but I could clearly see this ghost – this spirit, as though it were the middle of the day. That very same night, before I left the school, I'd used a Ouija board.
"Now, you probably think it was just a coincidence and was probably my imagination, but it didn't stop there. I began to feel and see things no one else around me did. I was just a kid at the time, and at first, I freaked out like any normal person would. I can't remember when, but I began to get used to it. I know that sounds crazy, but I wasn't like all the other normal kids. I mostly kept to myself, preferring to observe my surroundings rather than interact with those around me. I was also a lot smarter than those in my class, but I didn't get bullied because it seemed to scare them off. Not that I minded. I liked it that way because it meant I'd be left alone.
"Back to the Ouija board incident. It was a dare, if I'm honest, a rather stupid dare, but still. I was getting ready to leave, having wanted to stay late so I could read up on a few things. Even the teachers thought I was weird, always wanting to learn everything I could. Ugh, I'm getting off-topic again, aren't I?
"Anyway, the day I chose to stay late, some other kids from my class also happened to still be there. When I left the classroom, they spotted me in the hall. There were three of them, and they were with another student, whom I wasn't familiar with, but he was at least two years older than us. They approached me and explained that the older student had dared them to do a Ouija board with him. I knew most of the kids in my class were the type who would do almost anything if it meant they'd be friends with someone from the upper classes and would make them more popular. I was not one of those people. I never understood the fascination with acting like someone you weren't for the sake of popularity.
"Of course, they grumbled about it, telling me that it should be my thing since I was already weird. I didn't care. I just wanted to go home and be left alone. I decided to go with them, whether it was just out of curiosity or whether I wanted to see how they'd react to something so out there. We did it in the library, and I know that probably sounds pretty cliché, but I didn't think about it at the time. Now, most students believed the library was somehow haunted and, therefore, was the reason for the location in the first place. It was also one of the reasons why people avoided me at times because that was usually where I spent most of my free time.
"I was scared, and I knew that it had been a bad idea when we touched the board. I wasn't scared because of what happened to the others with me. I could tell they weren't making it up. No one was that good at acting, and the fear and experience were real. Everyone in that library experienced paranormal phenomena, hearing voices, or physical touch. But I didn't, not once, so I was scared.
"I thought maybe it was because I always spent my time there. I didn't know whether I believed in ghosts and spirits or paranormal happening, and maybe it was the reason I didn't experience what my classmates had. That thought was abolished when I walked across that bridge. I remember my heart beating so fast I thought it would burst from my chest. My palms were sweaty, and it felt like I couldn't breathe. I didn't run away, and it didn't move from its position, but I knew it saw me, and from the moment it looked at me, I just couldn't look away. I just - stared. I could tell it was a woman just from its appearance: long hair and a white, long dress with some kind of shoes.
"I ran home once I'd snapped out of my shock and started researching the bridge I'd walked across to see if there was anything connected. What I found out scared me more than I'd like to admit. The bridge I'd used for my shortcut was the Oiran Buchi bridge. Back in the 16th century, the area used to have gold mines run by the Takeda clan, and that same clan also ran brothels to keep the miners happy. After the battle of Nagashino, the Takeda clan escaped the area, but not before killing the prostitutes so they wouldn't share the information about the mines. The clan members invited the prostitutes to the bridge and slashed the ropes. It took me a while, but I found a picture of one of them - taken before the murder. There was no mistaking it - the woman in the picture I'd found was the same woman I saw below the bridge.
"I never told anyone. I didn't expect anyone would believe me anyway. It was my secret, and just for my own sanity, I never went across that bridge again. I took the time to research the Ouija board itself, and the basic idea seems more logical than what others have been led people to believe. It supposedly works through your subconscious, and it's called ideomotor. Don't get me wrong, it's still scary to see, but it's not the work of a spirit, nor is it anything paranormal. It's your body moving subconsciously on its own. The questions you ask, you're answering yourself through your subconscious mind, almost like you're communicating with it without you ever knowing. That explains most of my classmates' experiences, but that didn't explain mine. There was no way my imagination, or rather, my subconscious, would have produced such a vivid image of that woman. Had I seen the picture of the woman before I walked over the bridge, that would explain it, but it wasn't the case. That's when I started to believe that something was wrong with me. The stories my classmates told other students were nothing compared to what I had experienced. If anything, they sounded a little exaggerated.
"Until one of them died.
"It was about a week after the Ouija board, and I remember sitting in the classroom, staring at whatever was interesting outside at the time, which happened to be a soccer game on the field. Our teacher came in, and we all rose from our chairs, bowed politely, and sat down again. The lesson didn't start, however, and the teacher told us there had been an incident and that she'd received some upsetting news. I glanced at the empty desk a few down from mine, and it was as if I already knew. I felt my blood run cold, and a few of the students started to cry, and most of the others were in shock. I remember the boy telling me how he kept feeling something brush past him or heard weird noises at night. In fact, all of those with me came up with similar stories, telling others about their experiences, obviously scared. I didn't care to associate with them, and I merely shrugged it off because I didn't want them to know what I had seen. It was easier to make them think they were delusional. Hearing the news that he'd died was something I hadn't counted on because I just didn't think it would come to that.
"We were sent home early out of respect for him and his family. The boy's name was Gen Aoi. I never forgot that name. I hadn't seen any spirit or ghost since the bridge, so I naturally assumed it was the only experience I would have, but the day we were dismissed early, I could have sworn I saw him standing in the doorway of my classroom. It wasn't like my experience on the bridge because I knew this person, and I figured it was probably just my imagination this time. The next day, I received a lot of hateful glares from the other students who were with me that night. I didn't understand. It wasn't my fault. I didn't cause Aoi's death. He killed himself. I wasn't to blame. Then I realized that they blamed me because nothing had happened to me, and I wondered whether they would have preferred me to die and not Aoi. I really didn't care what they thought. I wasn't to blame!
"I knew they hated me because of this, but I just didn't care. If they left me alone, I was fine. When I woke up in the hospital the day after, I knew something had happened, and it came back to me. I was on my way to the library. I had some free time, so I wanted to get away from the glares. I was about to enter the library when something touched my shoulder. I flinched, but I didn't want to panic, so I tried to ignore it. Then, I was shoved backward, hard. I remember stumbling and then falling before a cry of pain escaped my throat when I reached the bottom step. Before I blacked out, I remember looking up, trying to see my attacker, but there wasn't anyone there, nor did I hear anyone running away.
"I was lucky, really. I woke up with only a few bruises, a sprained arm, and a concussion. Apparently, the librarian found me. He'd obviously heard my yell and instantly came to my aid. The sad part is that he's the only one who didn't shy away from me. I thought whoever attacked me was one of the other students or the upper-class man, but no one was there. Even the librarian said there was no one else around. Of course, it was reported as an accident, but I knew better. I know what I felt that day. I was fucking pushed, and it wasn't by a living being.
"After that, I strongly believed that what I saw the night on the bridge and in the classroom was real. I also realized that even though it seemed like the spirits or ghosts were harmless, it wouldn't always be the case due to the passiveness of the woman. The other board users were angry with me, and so was he, for not confessing or believing him. So he wanted me to suffer. I don't know whether he wanted to kill me or just hurt me, but it didn't matter because it had the same result. The hatred from the others stopped, and I never saw Aoi again. I thought my life would finally get back to normal.
"But I continued to see the - spirits and ghosts, I mean, but I still didn't tell anyone, and I think my parents had started to worry. I don't know how, but they could tell that something bothered me, and when they asked me about it, I just gave them an off-handed shrug and told them I was okay. They left me alone, but they weren't convinced either. With each passing year, I kept more and more to myself. They were the kind of parents who worried about my social life because I didn't have any friends.
"I started doing a lot more research into the paranormal: the other side, ghosts, spirits, apparitions, and poltergeists. I wanted to learn more about why I saw them, but I came up with more ridiculous stories every time I thought I was close. When I started to investigate supposedly haunted places, that's when my parents caught me.
"I don't know why I told them about the Ouija board in the end, but after keeping it to myself for two years, I felt like I needed to. Obviously, they were angry, especially when they found out it was a dare and knew I wasn't one to give in to peer pressure. When I told them it was for my own curiosity and entertainment purposes, they got even angrier. Despite that, they were also worried and realized it was the reason for my behavior change and why I'd become more solitary than usual. I don't know how they made the connection, but it seemed like they'd started to think that what happened to me on the stairs wasn't an accident. When I asked them why they just smiled and told me I'd be okay. So, before my sixteenth birthday, we moved a month before I was due to start my first year of high school.
"It was supposed to be a fresh start for me, and maybe that was what my parents meant by telling me I'd be okay. I didn't question it because to me, it felt like the right thing to do. My sisters were due to start school soon anyway, so it was best to move before that happened. In the month we were getting settled, I got to know the city, and little by little I became a different person, at least, to those around me. I don't know why or how it started, and you might even call me a hypocrite, but ever since we left what had been our home since myself and my sisters were born, I refused to let people see that side of me again. In my time observing people, I learned that it didn't matter whether you were yourself or tried to be someone else, the result was the same. You still got hurt. Despite this, I was happy. I really was. The city gave me the kind of thrill that I never got back in Yamanashi, and in the month that we've been here, I haven't seen a spirit."
Izaya shoved his hands in his pockets, and the cool of metal brushed against his fingertips. Ever since he had been pushed down the stairs, Izaya wanted to defend himself, so he acquired his own switchblade but had yet to use it. In all honesty, he was just used to it being there.
Izaya made his way across the school grounds, glancing at the rest of the students. Since this was the first day of a new term, he was grateful that he wouldn't be the 'new' kid because that sucked.
Izaya unfolded a piece of paper from his back pocket as he entered the building with several other students. The school was definitely bigger than his middle school, that's for sure. I should probably get here earlier next time. What a pain it'll be just to get to my locker. Izaya decided to wait by the door until the crowd of students dispersed, and when he looked to his left, he saw a male student trying to budge past everyone, stuttering apologies and trying - but failing, to reach his own locker. Izaya shook his head and just leaned back against the door. Yeah, he was definitely getting there early or late. Hmm, probably late. Izaya watched the same boy stumble from the crowd, sighing as he pushed his glasses up with his middle finger. When the noise finally died down, most of the students followed one another up the flight of stairs behind the left row of lockers, and the one with glasses locked eyes with him. Don't you dare start talking to me.
The boy smiled at him. "Hey."
Ugh.
"I guess you're new too. Well, I suppose we all are at some point."
Was that his best conversation starter?
"What middle school did you come from? I doubt it was mine. I would have remembered you."
What the hell is that supposed to mean? Izaya had no desire to talk to this boy, so he walked past him and found his locker. Shoving the piece of paper back into his pocket, he opened the door and placed his bag inside.
"I'm Shinra Kishitani."
Izaya grunted in reply and shut his locker before making his way up the stairs, feeling eyes on him as he did so. Of all the people he could have spoken to, he picks me. Izaya sighed; he probably stood out. It was slightly off-putting, in a way, rarely was he ever approached, at least, not where he was from.
The bell rang loudly through the hall, and Izaya winced, touching his ear when everything went quiet for a few seconds. Izaya stepped into what would be his homeroom for the next however many months - possibly years and made his way to the back of the classroom. It was easier to observe from the back, and he always had a perfect view of the outside if he took the desk by the window. Izaya glanced around at the other students, wondering how long it would take him to remember their names. Someone took the seat next to him, and he didn't pay them any mind; he couldn't exactly tell them not to, could he? Only when Izaya felt eyes on him did he turn his head. It hadn't taken Izaya long to learn his name. "Don't you have someone else to bug, Kishitani?"
Shinra's smile seemed to just widen, and he tilted his head, dropping his smile ever so slightly. "Does it look like I have anyone else to talk to?"
Izaya raised an eyebrow. Huh, he hadn't expected such a blunt answer. A grin started to form on his face. "Actually, no."
Shinra laughed - he just laughed. Izaya stared at him like he'd lost his marbles. "I know, kind of sad, right?"
Izaya really had no idea how to respond. Shinra acted like it bothered him but, at the same time, acted like he didn't give a damn. Izaya mentally shook his head; this boy was not winning him over. "If you say so." Izaya looked out the window, hoping that would end their conversation for the school year. Since when do people approach me for friendship?
Their teacher soon came into the room; he was an older man, maybe in his forties. Opening a folder, he began addressing the students. "Welcome, students, to Raijin academy. I hope you will all find the best path in life, and that the school gives you everything you need for your future. My name is Mr Koshima, and I'll be your homeroom teacher. I am also a math teacher, so I expect I'll see some of you in my class later today."
"I didn't catch your name," Shinra whispered to Izaya when the teacher began calling the register.
Izaya looked at him again. "That's because I didn't tell you it."
Shinra continued to smile at him, completely unfazed by his attitude. "Wanna tell me now?"
"Alright."
"Really?" Shinra's eyes brightened.
"No."
Shinra sulked. "Aw, how come?"
Izaya almost laughed; this kid wasn't like those he came across in his classes. Izaya frowned a little. He needed to stop comparing this school to his old one. Izaya rolled his eyes. "You'll find out eventually from the registration."
"Well, yeah, but it's more personal this way, don't you think?"
"If I tell you my name, will you shut up?" Shinra nodded, obviously satisfied with that answer. "Orihara."
Shinra tilted his head with a smile. "And your first name?"
Izaya slumped. Shinra clearly didn't get the hint, and he had no intention of becoming his friend, but… "Izaya."
Shinra's eyes widened again, and Izaya was ready for the fallback. It was a rather uncommon name. "Wow! That's so peculiar. I bet it suits you too, huh?"
What the hell? Izaya found himself grinning. "You could say that, if you want."
"Are you two done with your little conversation?" the teacher said with a frown as he locked eyes with them.
Shinra jumped a little, looking to the front. "I'm sorry sir," he stammered out.
"Please don't interrupt me again. You may talk when I am finished."
Shinra nodded and turned back to Izaya, lowering his voice. "Yeah, I can tell. You're different, aren't you? You're not like the rest. You stand out." It wasn't his intention to stand out, but it just happened that way. Izaya stood back from those around him to observe them, not stand out. "Like me."
This time, Izaya did laugh. "You definitely do."
Shinra smiled at him, and Izaya could tell that there was something different about him just by how he spoke. He was honest and open with whoever he spoke to. Izaya wondered why Shinra didn't have any friends. He thought the idea of a friend was for them to be honest, wasn't it? Not that Izaya would know. Of course, even if Izaya preferred someone honest, he'd still complain about it because teasing was fun. Shinra seemed to respond well to teasing; at least, that's what Izaya had discovered in the first five minutes of talking to him. "So, where are you from? You didn't answer my question," he heard Shinra ask.
"I didn't answer your first one either."
Shinra grinned, and Izaya stared at him with fear for a second. Not the kind of fear that left you cowering, but that left Izaya realizing that Shinra meant whatever he said. Izaya even imagined him to be somewhat threatening, judging from how the light caught on his glasses so creepily. "But you did eventually, so you might as well save yourself the trouble of getting annoyed and tell me now."
"Are you always this annoying?"
Shinra tilted his head. "Are you?"
Izaya grinned. Touché. "Yamanashi," he finally said. Why the hell did I just tell him that?
Izaya almost fell out of his chair when Shinra shot up and slammed his hands on his desk. "Seriously!" The raven blinked; did he miss something? Was there something extremely fascinating about that city that even he didn't know about?
"What did I say!?" The teacher frowned and looked down at his register. "Kishitani!"
Shinra gulped, and Izaya grinned when the boy turned and bowed. "I'm so sorry, sir. It won't happen again, I promise."
Idiot, Izaya thought with amusement.
Mr. Koshima sighed. "I know a first day can be both exciting and nerve-racking, but there will be plenty of time to get to know one another later." Shinra bowed again and returned to his seat with a sigh of relief. "Would anyone like to be our class president? It's extra work, but of course, it'll benefit your grades later."
Shinra raised his head and then his hand. "I'll do it!" Izaya rolled his eyes like he'd totally predicted that of him.
"Okay, very good, Kishitani-kun. Would anyone else like to join him?"
Shinra smiled, stood up, and said, "Izaya would."
Izaya snapped his head to Shinra. "I didn't say that," he hissed.
Koshima nodded and looked at Izaya. "Is this something you would care for," the teacher looked down at his register and back up again, "Orihara?"
Izaya glared at Shinra; he'd never be interested in something like this, but now he was put on the spot and didn't want to seem like a coward. "Fine."
Shinra pumped his fist. "Yes."
Koshima smiled and wrote his name down, along with Shinra's. "Excellent. I don't have any announcements today, so you are now free to make your way to your first lesson."
The students stood up, bowed, and filed out of the room. Shinra hurried after Izaya and fell in step with him down the corridor. "Thank you."
Izaya clicked his tongue. "I don't have time for that, but you didn't exactly give me a choice."
Shinra laughed. "You don't have to do any work or anything. I guess I just wanted the company."
"You put my name down just for the company?"
Shinra nodded. "Sure. That, and this way, you'll get to have more free periods."
Izaya tilted his head in thought. Free periods wouldn't be bad, but he felt Shinra was up to something else. "Free periods to do what?" Izaya sighed, wondering how Shinra had even roped him into this when he'd known him less than an hour, and they hadn't even gone to their first lesson yet.
"So, Yamanishi huh? That city has some of the most popular haunted places in Japan."
Izaya blinked at Shinra, wondering what was up with this kid. He looked so excited about the whole thing. Sure, people usually did get excited about the prospect of 'haunted' places, but Izaya hated those people because they didn't know the truth. How could they? Haunted places weren't a joke; they were real. The spirits who once occupied those places were real, angry, upset, and hurting. Shinra didn't seem like the rest of them, and something in his eyes told Izaya he knew a lot more about this than others. There was a serious glint in his eyes despite the excitement.
He could be like me, Izaya thought but quickly shook that out of his head. No, he wouldn't do this; he wouldn't trust this boy.
"Izaya? You okay there?"
Izaya blinked again, realizing he had yet to even answer him. What was the question again? "What?"
"Yamanashi, where you lived, has some of the most popular haunted places."
I could always play dumb. "Oh, is that so? I've never really thought about it."
Shinra's eyes widened, and Izaya wondered whether he seriously might have a heart attack. "You're kidding! You must be! I mean, anyone who lives or lived there would know that."
Izaya shrugged. "I guess I just didn't pay attention much." When it came to feigning stupidity, Izaya was a terrible liar, and he had a feeling Shinra didn't believe him. Izaya was good at many things, but lying about how smart he was wasn't one of them.
Shinra raised an eyebrow at him. "How'd you get in?"
Wait, what? "What are you talking about now?"
Shinra grinned. "How'd you get into the academy? Everyone knows you're supposed to have certain grades to be able to at least get accepted."
Izaya groaned inwardly. Shinra had clearly thought this through a lot more than he let on. Izaya began to think he might have a stalker. Izaya grinned. "My parents paid the fee."
If you didn't receive passing grades for the entrance exam, a tuition fee must be paid. Shinra tilted his head. "If you say so."
Izaya couldn't help but think Shinra was disappointed that he wasn't as smart as Shinra thought. "Sorry to disappoint you. I'm sure there are other students around that you can brag with."
Shinra chuckled, pushing up his glasses. "Well, I'm obviously not the only nerd at the school, but those I know from my middle school are the cowardly types."
Izaya raised an eyebrow. "There are different types now?"
Shinra laughed. "Not really, but we just don't share the same interests."
"And that would be?"
Shinra grinned, raising a finger. "Ghosts."
Izaya sighed; maybe he was one of those people after all. "Ghosts?"
Shinra nodded. "There's a lot of untold and unexplained happenings everywhere. Sadly, no one takes it seriously enough, and those that do don't wanna be involved. As I said, they're too cowardly."
"Uh huh." They turned a corner, and Izaya realized they had their first lesson together.
"So, I was thinking that maybe you and I could - create something."
Izaya turned back to Shinra. "Create what exactly?"
"I can't do it by myself, so I need some help."
"Help with what? I'm really not interested in starting any club if that's what you're trying to say."
Shinra sighed. "It's not really a club, you know. I've even got some funding available. Not a lot, but it's sufficient."
"Why don't you just spit out whatever it is you want to say?"
"I can show you after school."
There was no avoiding it, and Izaya knew Shinra would just continue to bug him. His free periods suddenly became not so free. "Not today. My parents are working late tonight, and I have to pick up my sisters."
Shinra nodded. "How about tomorrow then?"
Izaya closed his eyes, sighing with frustration. "Fine."
"Great!"
…..
The bell rang to signal the end of the day, and students hurriedly filed out of the classrooms. Izaya waited for some of them to disperse from the lockers, with Shinra standing beside him. "Do you live nearby?" Shinra asked him.
"It's about ten minutes from here," the raven replied. The two changed their shoes and retrieved their belongings before walking out together.
"Which way? Maybe we can walk home together?"
Izaya shoved one hand in his pocket, his bag slung over one shoulder as he turned to the boy, making them stop momentarily. "Why?"
"Huh? Why what?"
"Out of everyone you could have approached, why me?"
Shinra smiled and shrugged. "I think you're interesting."
Izaya raised an eyebrow and then grinned. "Is that your idea of flattery?"
"W-what?" Shinra gave a stutter.
"Kind of forward." Shinra's cheeks grew a shade of red, and he started waving his hands.
"No! That's - that's not what I meant. I thought - since you seem different, that maybe we could actually become friends."
Izaya laughed. "Did you think I was being serious?"
Shinra pouted. "You're so mean! You knew what I meant."
The two continued toward the gate. "Of course, and watching you fluster was kind of funny."
Shinra sighed. "So mean." When they passed the gate, Shinra turned to his newfound 'friend.' "So, come on, how'd you really get in?"
Izaya rolled his eyes. "Back to this? I already told you."
Shinra shook his head. "What makes you think you have to hide your intelligence from me?"
"Because it's none of your business, and so I don't get roped into anything, and because I don't want to be friends."
Shinra tilted his head, completely unfazed by Izaya's last comment, and said, "Well, I've already done that. Roped you into being a class rep with me, didn't I?"
Izaya clicked his tongue. Shinra was persistent, and Izaya found himself curious about what Shinra had planned. "This thing you want to create, does it have to do with your interest in ghosts?"
Shinra smiled. "Maybe. I'll fill you in tomorrow. Are you interested in the paranormal, Izaya?"
"You think just because I'm from Yamanashi that I might automatically believe in all that?"
Shinra nodded and grinned. "So, you do know it's known for haunted places."
Izaya leaned against the wall when they stood outside the school gates. "I only said that because it's what you told me this morning."
Shinra laughed. "Oh, come on. I knew you already knew that."
Izaya shook his head and proceeded to walk down the street. "Whatever."
Shinra chuckled lightly, staring after him. "See you tomorrow, Izaya!"
Izaya frowned and continued to walk in the direction of his sisters' school. Luckily, it was only a few blocks down from his own. "Why was he so persistent? How annoying." Though Izaya was annoyed, he couldn't help but feel hopeful. Shinra was the first person he'd spoken to who had a genuine interest in the paranormal, not just for the thrill, but a real deep interest.
When Izaya finally decided to lift his head up, he turned toward a building on his left. It was boarded off by a wired fence, so it had been abandoned. The structure was wooden, and there were many windows lining the front of the building. Izaya stopped walking and narrowed his eyes when he looked toward the top left-hand side.
A singular window, and unlike the rest of them, this one was open.
If this was abandoned, why is there an opened window? Izaya curled his fingers around the fence when he stepped closer, staring at the open window. Suddenly, a flash of white appeared, and for a second, Izaya jumped. His grip on the fence tightened slightly. It had been a month since he'd seen any kind of spirit or ghost, almost forgetting what it was like, but Izaya continued to stare at it until it moved away from the window, leaving a light mist behind, and then nothing.
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