Chapter 1: Getting the Ropes Part 1: A Restless Night
I'm scared, worried, and confident. I know that's quite a bit to be feeling all at once, but let me explain myself. My name is Naomi Nakashima, I'm 16 years old, I have short black hair and brown eyes. I'm a high schooler at Kisaragi Academy. I have a good amount of friends, including-
"Naomi!~"
I looked up from my desk and saw a girl with brown hair that had two giant curls the bottoms and brown eyes.
"S-Seiko…" I said.
She smiled at me and closed her eyes. This is Seiko Shinohara… my best friend in the whole wide world…
"Naomi is very sleepy today! You better stay awake, or you might end up staying after school." Seiko told me in her usual bubbly tone.
I tried to put on a smile for her to let her know that I was still the same cheery Naomi she had known for years. And I was… I just felt… different. I know this is gonna be hard to understand, but despite this school being one of the safest places I know, it's also one of the most dangerous places I know. And what that means is that this timeline from today to tomorrow has happened before. And I'm talking about different years… I'm talking about different worlds… These particular days are caught in a constant time loop. Basically, after school, me and Seiko are gonna have a sleepover at my house, we'll fall asleep in the same bed, we'll come to school, and then My friend Ayumi Shinozaki, the class representative will bring out a paper doll. She says it's some sort of game, but I can't remember what it's called. Anyway, she says we all have to hold onto it and pull it so it rips into 9 pieces. However, when that particular thing happens, the school will start to shake, and then it will become a frightening maze of traps, ghosts, and a girl in red who tries to make at least ONE person die. And that person is my friend Seiko… You don't have to believe it if you don't want to, that's fine, but I'm the one who has to worry about it the most.
Seiko had confessed in another world that she loved me. I didn't know if I loved her back or not, and that's why she ran off and tried to commit suicide. However, I stopped her from hanging herself. Much to my dismay, though, she still ended up killing herself by tossing herself down the stairs and making her head break off. The girl in red said that no matter what my efforts, she would always die in every world… one way or the other… I did NOT accept this! I made a promise after somehow being able to keep my memories of the previous world, and that promise was to somehow save Seiko from her horrible, grotesque, decided fate. I didn't know how I would, but I would!
Just like I expected, Seiko came up and asked if she could spend the night at my place. I decided the first step in beating fate, was to start early somehow. I remembered in a previous world that Seiko asked if she could return the favor and spend the night at my house sometime soon. Maybe that would help me?
"Actually, Seiko, I think it's time I spent the night at your house." I said to her.
Seiko looked at me with a confused look. "Why? I thought you wanted a sleepover at your house first?" she asked me.
I shrugged my shoulders.
"I changed my mind," I added to the shrug.
Seiko stared at me. I could tell she could tell that something was bothering me. To assure her that I was falsely alright, I smiled and hugged her. I could feel her heartbeat against my own and her arms wrap around me, returning the hug. I still didn't know if I loved her back, but we should soon see if that was gonna be true…
After school, I called my mom asking if I could spend the night at Seiko's place. She said that was alright, as long as I called her before bed and when I woke up in the morning. I told her I would and hung up after saying I loved her. Seiko looked at me expectantly and I smiled and nodded. Seiko's big, brown eyes got sparkly and she smiled from ear-to-ear.
"Yay! Naomi is gonna sleep over at my house!~" my friend sang out.
Even though I had to be serious about preventing her death, I still had to make sure to be having some actual joy about spending the night at Seiko's.
Seiko and I passed another friend of ours on the way to her house: Satoshi Mochida. He has light brown hair and eyes and he's really cute. I've had a crush on him for a while now, and Seiko knows that I do. I don't know if the Seiko of this world has the same feelings for me, but I wouldn't put it past her. If she does, then I don't understand how even though she knows about my crush on Satoshi, she doesn't try to cut him out of my mind and make room for herself.
'Ah, well… That's just one of the great mysteries about Seiko…' I thought, closing my eyes.
"Ah! Mochida-kun! How are you faring today?" Seiko asked, bowing to him.
Satoshi smiled at Seiko.
"Oh, it's going well." he told her. "As a matter of fact, Ayumi and her family have been staying with me for a while."
My ears perked up at this and I looked up at Satoshi. Usually, I would be angry about this, but I wasn't. I can't really explain it, but I guess after repeating so many worlds, and learning about Seiko's feelings for me, my feelings towards everyone else have changed. Even Satoshi…
"Why, did something happen to her house?" I asked, holding my hands together.
Satoshi nodded and rubbed the back of his head.
"It somehow caught on fire and burned down before the firemen could get there." he explained, "And when her parents wondered where they would live, Ayumi somehow convinced them to stay with me. I was worried my family would reject them, but instead, they welcomed them with open arms."
I listened very closely to every word Satoshi said. Satoshi's family was very nice, as nice families go, but it seemed way too weird and good to be true that they would just welcome the Shinozaki family in so quickly. Not like I'd want Ayumi to live on the streets, even though that might somehow keep her from coming to school, thereby preventing the whole "Paperdoll game" incident. Still, I shouldn't say or even think something like that. Whether she and that game are the cause of Seiko's death in the first place or not, she's still my friend.
As for why she chose Satoshi's house, Satoshi's little sister, Yuka Mochida, said that Ayumi had a crush on Satoshi. When I heard that, I didn't get angry. Again, I have no real explanation as to why my feelings for Satoshi weren't as strong as before. I did have one explanation, but I refused to believe it.
"Well, Satoshi, this has been a real pleasant encounter, but Seiko and I have to get going." I said, grabbing Seiko's hand.
Seiko looked at me with a confused expression on her face.
"Naomi?" she wondered.
I didn't say anything in response. But just before we could get any farther, I felt someone grab my hand from behind. I looked to see it was Satoshi.
"What is it, Satoshi?" I asked, turning around completely towards him.
"Hey, just because Ayumi and I are living under the same roof, doesn't mean that we're… you know… a couple or anything. But hey, if you want, this weekend we can go do something together if you want?" Satoshi offered.
I stared into Satoshi's eyes, trying to read his expression. It looked happy, but also hopeful. I wanted to tell him that the weekend might not ever come, but he'd just think I was crazy. So, I was straightforward with him.
"Thanks, but no thanks, Satoshi… I think you might wanna wait about the weekend." I whispered.
Satoshi's happy expression turned into a disappointed one and he released my hand, letting it fall to my side once more.
"Oh… I see… Well, have fun with Seiko…" he told me, trying not to cry.
I hated to see him really sad, and I knew I couldn't leave him like this. So, I grabbed his hand and made him look at me.
"Hey, how about you save that fun weekend for Ayumi?" I suggested, smiling a little.
Satoshi's brown eyes widened at those words that he heard from me.
"Ayumi?" he repeated.
I nodded.
"After all," I said, shifting my eyes away, "after having her house burned down, she might need a little bit of a fun time with someone."
Satoshi stared at me for a little while before smiling and nodding.
"O-Okay… Thanks, Naomi…" he said.
I smiled at him in response. I then started walking away after Seiko.
"See you tomorrow at school," Satoshi called.
I didn't answer, because tomorrow's day at school, would be met with horrible consequences…
When we got to Seiko's house, I saw a little boy with khaki brown hair and big blue eyes looking through the window.
"Hey, there's Yuu!" Seiko exclaimed, pointing to the boy.
I remembered in a previous world that Seiko had a phone call with Yuu when she spent the night at my house. I'd never really seen Yuu, but Seiko told me he was a really nice boy.
Yuu saw the both of us and smiled from ear-to-ear and his blue eyes grew wider. He jumped up and down excitedly and with that, Seiko grabbed me by my arm and pulled me along towards the house.
When we got inside, I saw that Seiko's house was really clean and bright looking. I had a very calm yet cheery style to it with colours that settled for both a girl and boy's interests. Since I'm more of a tomboy, I liked the style. And there were small toys scattered about the living room floor and that fact alone proved to me that Seiko had a lot of little siblings in her house. Even though she's told me that she only has three, this living room toy spread made it look like she had more.
Suddenly, a little blur ran up and tackled Seiko to the ground! I gasped in shock and looked down at her. I saw that it was Yuu who had tackled her. He must've really missed her. I couldn't help but giggle at the scene. I'm an only child, so, I don't really know what it's like to have a younger brother or sister tackle you to the ground to show that they missed you.
Seiko giggled and Yuu cuddled himself into her chest. Seiko was a D-cup, so each time Yuu rubbed his face into her chest, it made them bounce slightly. Just watching that and thinking about it was enough to make me blush and feel confused. Like I said, I knew Seiko loved me as more than a friend, but I don't know if I actually loved her back. I definitely knew that I cared deeply for her as a super close friend, but as a… girlfriend… I'm not sure. Either way, I had to try and direct my thoughts before I let my guard down and Seiko starts to grab me like she usually did in previous worlds.
"Mommy! Daddy! Onee-chan is home!" Yuu called through the house.
I guess Yuu didn't notice me yet. Not like I blame him, of course. He just missed Seiko so much. I wonder if this is what happens every time Seiko comes home from anywhere. Even if she's gone for a few minutes, I can't help but laugh at the possibility that Yuu tackles her everytime she walks in the door. I heard footsteps come from the hallway and out of it came a lady with dark hair and brown eyes. I assumed this to be Seiko's mother.
"Alright, Yuu, I think it's time you let Seiko-chan stand up. Besides, she needs to introduce me to her friend here." she said to the small child before shifting her eyes towards me.
I waved nervously at her.
After prying Yuu from Seiko, my brunette friend stood up and dusted off her uniform. I giggled at this.
"Mom, this is my best friend, Naomi Nakashima." Seiko said, gesturing to me.
I bowed in respect to Seiko's mom.
"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Shinohara," I said politely.
"The pleasure is all mine, Naomi-san." Mrs. Shinohara said, bowing back.
"Seiko's told me so much about you, and now I finally get to meet you in person. Ah, yes, she talks about like there's no tomorrow!" the dark-haired lady said.
Seiko blushed upon hearing this and drew her hand across her throat.
"Mom! Ixnay!" she hissed in Pig Latin.
I chuckled at Seiko's reaction. Even though I'm still not sure of my true feelings towards her, she's still really funny when she reacts. And reacting is something I barely ever see her do. It's usually me that reacts and Seiko is the one laughing at me. Maybe that's somewhat of a sign that this world will be different? I sure hope so…
Seiko explained to me that her dad was away on a business trip and that she and Yuu were gonna surprise him when he came home. This wasn't much of a shock to me since I had heard Seiko say that over the phone to Yuu in a previous world. Still, I pretended to be somewhat surprised at this and she was happy. I know what tomorrow is gonna be like, but I still want Seiko to be her usual quirky self while there's still time for that.
Seiko told her mom that we were gonna go up to her room and talk about stuff. She said that was fine and she handed a plastic, shopping bag to us and explained that there was some goodies she had bought for just such an occasion. We thanked her and went upstairs to Seiko's bedroom.
Seiko's room was average sized for a teenage girl's bedroom and was a lot cleaner than I expected. Seiko likes eating sweets a lot and she said that she often forgot to pick up the wrappers when she was done eating. But her room seemed… flawless. Not one single thing was a mess! There wasn't even a single wrapper or crumb on the floor or her bed. Her bedspread had the band BabyMetal on it, which I knew was Seiko's favourite J-pop band. She also had a computer desk just a few feet to the left of her bed, where a laptop resided. It was turned off but I could tell that Seiko had been on it recently because it was still opened up. She must've been on it this morning and had to leave for school in a hurry. I went over to it and closed the lid for her. She didn't seem to notice because she was rummaging in the shopping back for a treat for us to share. I looked around the rest of her room and saw there was a lot of neat stuff. She even had a T.V., something that I don't have in my room. It was a medium flat screen T.V. that was turned off. It was really clean too. It didn't seem to have one speck of dust on it and looked smooth to the touch. I kept my hands to myself, though to keep it that way. Besides, when I was a kid and tried to touch the T.V., the static electricity would shock me. After that, I kept away from the screen and just watched what was on the T.V.
"Naomi!"
I looked over at Seiko who held her hands behind her back.
"I've got a treat for us!" she sang.
"Oh? What is it?" I asked, stepping closer to her.
She pulled her hands out from behind her back and revealed a can in her hands. I gasped in shock and my body felt stiff. Because it was chocolate soda…
Flashback… In Another World…
"Hey, you what we've got?" I said to Seiko, "We've got that chocolate soda we bought! Wanna try it?"
Seiko smirked and narrowed her eyes at me.
"Do I?! Just try and stop me!" she exclaimed.
I took out the bottle we'd purchased and poured it's fizzy contents into two cups. It had the faintest tinge of chocolate colour but was otherwise clear. As it hit the bottom of each cup, that familiar comfortable sizzle of carbonic acid echoed amidst forth a froth of bubbles.
"Well, it sure has a pretty colour," I observed, staring into my cup.
"But what do we do with the rest of it if it sucks?" I asked Seiko.
She grinned and brought me in closer.
"Then we bring it to school tomorrow and offer it up to everyone else; make like we're being real nice." she explained.
I nodded in agreement to this.
"Alright, then," I said, "let's drink it down on the count of three."
Seiko nodded.
"Sounds good! One, two…"
"Three!"
*Gulp!*
After swallowing the first gulp of the soda, we both smiled happily and said in unision, "Damn, that's good!"
End of Flashback…
I couldn't believe that we were caught in the same time setting in which we drank the chocolate soda!
"Well, Naomi, wanna try it?" Seiko asked me.
I wasn't sure how to respond to this. I wasn't even sure if drinking the chocolate soda in this world would result in the beheading of Seiko in the same world. I know that sounds cheesy, but even the smallest change can affect the outcome of the future. And if by drinking that chocolate soda made it so Seiko's death was the same as in that world, then I wasn't having it!
"No thanks, how about we try something else?" I suggested with a smile.
Seiko raised an eyebrow at me but then put the can of chocolate soda back in the bag. Instead, she suggested that we share this big Dorayaki. I nodded in response, because Dorayaki wasn't part of the sweets that we purchased in that previous world. Seiko held onto the plastic wrap and started to tear it in half, being careful not to squish the Dorayaki as she did. After making a big enough opening, she took the big sweet out of the wrapping and held it in her hands. She licked her lips hungrily and stared at the Dorayaki.
"Well, what do ya say we split it, Naomi?" Seiko suggested, holding the Dorayaki out to me.
I nodded and took ahold of the other end of it. We then pulled it apart so it was now in two halves. It had strawberry creme in the middle with azuki beans for extra flavor. Seiko was the most hungry of the both of us and finished hers in just a few bites. I kept on warning her that she'd get the hiccups, but she didn't listen. When she was finished, she licked the cream off her lips and fingers contentedly. Then, she hiccuped! I giggled at the inevitable result. Seiko blushed in embarrassment and smiled shyly.
"Heh, and I thought I was the one always warning you about getting the hiccups" my brunette friend said, hiccuping in between her words.
I smiled at her and started laughing. Seiko laughed along with me and kept on hiccuping.
Seiko and I spent the rest of the evening trying to get rid of her hiccups, but nothing was working. We were about to give up, but then the door swung open, startling Seiko! She jumped into my arms and I held her bridal style. I looked down and saw Yuu. He must've wanted to come in and see Seiko. He tilted his head like an innocent child would when they were confused. I was about to ask what he was staring at when I remembered… I looked at Seiko who looked back at me. She then smirked at me like she always did when we got close to each other.
"Hey, Naomi...~" she sang.
She then puckered her lips into a shape resembling the number 3 and closed her eyes. I blushed and bared my teeth. I then dropped her to the ground and she fell with a thud!
"OW! That hurt my head…"
I sweatdropped at this.
"Sorry, Seiko…" I said in a shameful tone.
"Well, the good news is, Yuu scared my hiccups away…" Seiko said in a wary tone.
I sighed. What am I gonna do with Seiko?
Seiko requested that I sleep with her in her bed. I remembered in a previous world that she requested that I do that as well. I wondered if that would also lead to Seiko's demise like it did in that world. I said that I'd be fine sleeping on a roll out futon, but Seiko said that she didn't have any.
This made my mind go, 'WTF?!'
What kind of person doesn't have at least one futon in their house?! I was about to snap at Seiko, but I didn't want to be mean to her if she was gonna die tomorrow… I hope that doesn't happen, but just in case it does…
"Okay… I'll sleep with you, Seiko… But don't do anything funny!" I warned her.
She giggled in response and crossed her heart. I decided to trust Seiko and I climbed into bed with her.
Her bed was unusually large for just her. It's as if she got a big bed like she was expecting someone to sleep with her… I shook that thought out of my mind and turned away from Seiko.
"Naomi, you haven't been acting like your usual self lately… Is something wrong?" she asked me, touching my shoulder.
I gasped lightly but tried to remain calm.
"N-No… nothing's wrong, Seiko…" I lied.
I heard nothing from Seiko except a sigh.
"You've been having them too, haven't you?"
My mouth gaped and my heart skipped a beat. I turned to face Seiko and looked her straight in the eye.
"Having what?" I asked.
Seiko shifted her eyes away then looked back at me.
"Nightmares," she uttered.
I looked at Seiko who had her eyes half-lidded. She appeared to be sad and scared but was holding most of it in.
"No… What are your nightmares about, Seiko?" I asked in a concerned tone.
Seiko said nothing for a while but then said, "Well, it's kind of strange, because I feel like… Ah, no. That's impossible, otherwise I wouldn't be here…"
My eyes widened and my heart skipped a beat; just what was Seiko trying to get at here?
"What is it, Seiko?" I asked, putting my hand to her cheek.
Seiko blushed and her eyes widened at me.
"Naomi…" she whispered in a soft tone.
She gulped and sighed.
"Well, it's very faint, but in my dreams, the school becomes a death trap, and I end up committing suicide by hanging myself…" my brunette friend explained, shuddering at the end.
I gasped in shock at this news. Was Seiko remembering the other worlds? And what exactly was she talking about earlier?
"And what were you talking about before?' I asked, moving closer to my friend.
"Um… I don't know, it's just that… they felt so… so… real…" Seiko said, flinching.
I gasped and my heart stopped as my blood ran cold.
What is this? It seems like Seiko is somewhat remembering the events of the previous worlds…
Seiko stayed quiet for a bit before smiling again.
"Oh, well, it's just a bad dream, right? I mean it's not like that's gonna happen anytime, right?" she asked.
I didn't answer Seiko for a little while. It felt like everything around me had disappeared and I was standing alone in the darkness, deep in thought. I couldn't hear anything or anyone, not even Seiko. I think that Seiko might be having visions of her past or her future. I hope it's just her past, because I want her to live in this world. Still, I'd repeat a million worlds if it meant saving Seiko…
"Um… Naomi?"
I have to save my Seiko! Wait a minute… Did I just say "my Seiko"? What is going on with me?
"Naomi?~"
I must seriously have a problem… I'm either extremely crazy, or I'm… falling in love with her… And I'm not 100% sure, but I think it's the latter…
"Naomi Nakashima!"
I exclaimed as I was broken out of my state of mind when Seiko yelled my name. I saw her pouting and frowning at me. I didn't wanna see her like this…
"Hey, Seiko?" I spoke up.
Seiko's expression changed to a curious one.
"What is it, Naomi?" she asked.
I breathed in and breathed out as the question escaped my lips.
"If today was your last day, what would do?"
Seiko's mouth made an 'o' shape and her eyes widened slightly. I could tell she was surprised at this question, considering she knew that I'd never ask such a question. Still, I can't help but wonder what she would do. I had an idea, but I don't know if that would be true…
"I'd want to kiss you…"
I blushed as my eyes widened. My mouth stayed closed but I had plenty of words swirling around in my head. I knew somehow that Seiko would say that, because not only was she weird like that, I now knew that even in this world, she loved me. Still, I'd probably wanna kiss the one I loved most if it was my last day… At this point it's kind of hard to tell who I love or not. I'm not even sure if I still had a crush on Satoshi… And Seiko? Well, I don't really know or not… I might have feelings for her, but I'm not completely sure… Either way, today might be her last day, so, I have to make sure she enjoys it…
"Okay…"
Seiko gasped and her eyes widened at me.
"N-Naomi?! Are you serious?" she stuttered in disbelief.
I nodded. I couldn't hold back my blush.
"I don't know how, but I feel like this is gonna be the last chance you might have…" I uttered.
"What? What do you mean, Naomi?" Seiko asked.
I shook my head and tried to smile.
"Nevermind, just… go ahead…" I whispered, closing my eyes and puckering my lips slightly.
"Well, okay… But, I know that you like Mochida-kun, so, you don't have to count this as your first kiss if you don't want to, okay?" Seiko stuttered.
I nodded and waited for her to come forward. I felt slight movement next to me and I assumed it to be Seiko leaning forward to kiss me.
Before I knew it, I could feel Seiko's soft lips on mine. I remember this… In another world, I had a dream where I kissed Seiko, and her lips were this soft, if not more. Her lips also felt as perfectly shaped as they looked. My heart pounded in my chest as I pushed the kiss deeper.
Soon, I had to breath, so I pulled away from Seiko and opened my eyes. Seiko opened hers as well and she ended up smiling.
"Ahhh… I got kissed by Naomi… now I can die a happy woman…" she said in a singsong voice.
I blushed and smiled slightly at how loopy Seiko was.
"H-How was it?" I asked, feeling a bit shy and embarrassed.
"Awesome… Mochida-kun is gonna get himself one hell of a kisser." Seiko answered, putting both hands on her cheeks.
My smile fell and I half lidded my eyes.
"Y-Yeah… I guess he is…" I said in a depressed tone.
Hopefully Seiko's too loopy to notice.
"Well… we'd better get some sleep, Naomi. Don't wanna be too tired for school tomorrow!" Seiko yawned.
I nodded in agreement. Seiko snuggled under the blankets and closed her eyes.
"Goodnight, Naomi…" she whispered in a sleepy tone. "Goodnight, Seiko…" I whisper back.
I really didn't wanna go to sleep… Because the sooner I try and sleep, the sooner I black out, the sooner I wake up in the morning and go to school. And when we go to school, then Ayumi will bring the paper doll and… I started to sniff quietly. If only this constant time loop didn't exist! Then Seiko and I would be alright… I wouldn't have to worry about preventing her fate… Her fate wouldn't even exist! Why? Why does the girl in red clothes insist on watching us suffer? Is it her that causes Seiko's death each and every time? Or is it just some fate that was decided when Seiko was first born? And if so, then who would decide such a horrible thing to happen to Seiko? What did she ever do to deserve it? Seiko may be a little weird and perverted, but there's nothing wrong with that! She's always been like that towards me, ever since we became friends. And why does Seiko have to be the one to die? I'd gladly take her place and die instead…
"Huh?"
I felt movement next to me and soon, I felt Seiko's arm wrap around my waist. I was about to ask what she was doing but then I heard her soft breathing, saying to me that she was asleep and doing things without realizing it. Sometimes I wonder about her…
Either way, the warmth of her body near mine made really sleepy. Even if my plan to beat fate doesn't work this time, I need to savor the time I had with Seiko whilst I could… I then smiled and turned around to face the still sleeping Seiko. I petted her hair and returned her embrace.
"Goodnight, Seiko…"
Done! God, this was a long chapter! Also, I know there wasn't a lot of talking in this chapter, but when I watched PewDiePie play Corpse Party: Book of Shadows, I noticed there wasn't a lot of talking in it, but more like, describing.
Shadow: Yeah, I've played it and I noticed it as well…
Also, if there's anything I didn't get right, let me know in a review. But please be NICE about it!
R&R!