《The Picture Of》 Chapter 1 A few beginning note: Yes the title is correct, there is nothing after the ''Of''. Now that''s out of the way, this is a project I have been working on the side with a friend, TH-Z, who serves as a co-writer. Many thanks to him and I hope you will enjoy this story as much as we have while making it. Chapter 1: A rotten beginning Sometimes, the wind would carry quite an unpleasant taste. Something mire, something burnt like decaying flesh. It is so vivid you can practically feel yourself rotting away. It¡¯s truly horrible and any sane person would immediately eject his stomach content in a spectacular stream the moment the wind touches his tongue. In fact, that what happened to me on the first day in this school. Vomiting profusely in the middle of a hallway doesn¡¯t make a good introduction. So much for a high school debut. To make matter worse, it seems like I¡¯m the only one who could sense it, that absolutely revolting taste. A few months have passed since that explosive entrance of mine and a lot has happened since then. I am now president of the Paranormal Activity club (unofficial), which remains in the shadow to hide from the general populace. That is a polite way to say no one knows or cares about what we do here basically. Now we are in a time of crisis. ¡°Oi, have you thought about what to do yet, President?¡± Asked Akihiko, a member of my club. Tall, dark, handsome with short black hair he is the direct opposite of the wimpy me. A model student on all subjects with a polite attitude. Despite his academic prowess, Akihiko is very well-built and with great reaction, a natural athlete. Truly a person well-loved by almost everyone, students and teachers alike. Sometimes I do wonder why a person his calibre would hang out with someone like me. Back to his question, I should answer it but there is a slight problem. I actually have no idea what he is talking about, seeing that I was deep in thought for a moment there. Multi-tasking is truly the bane of my existent. ¡°Um, what are you talking about? We are in the middle of a class her¡­¡± Before I could finish, a piece of chalk pierce through the air and strike me square in the forehead. ¡°So first you are too good to listen to your teacher now you dare to talk in my lesson¡± Kumiko-sensei looks at me with a gaze filled with cold rage. Crap, she realises I was day-dreaming earlier ¡°Out in the hall, now!¡± First lesson in the morning and I am already out in the hall, standing. Other teachers walk by with a sorry gaze. ¡®This kid is probably having Kumiko¡¯ they must have thought. Shortly after, however, I am joined by a compatriot. ¡°Yo, how are you doing President!¡± ¡°Akihiko, what are you doing out here?¡± ¡°Well, that was kinda my fault so I might as well keep you company¡± On his forehead is a small red mark no doubt due to flying chalk. He is always such a nice guy. Of course, that isn¡¯t Akihiko only motive, he wants to continue our talk from before which I still have no idea. I tries to talk abstract while trying to figure out what he is on about to no avail. ¡°It¡¯s about Aoi-san, don¡¯t you remember¡± He is too sharp for my feint or maybe I¡¯m just garbage at it. At least I now know what he is talking about. To bring you up to speed, our club consists of three members including me. Remember when I said that I am the only one who can sense that decaying taste. Well, that isn¡¯t entirely the truth. The other members can also feel it through different means, touch and smell. Basically, this unknown rotten existent is what binds us together. But as I have mentioned before, we are facing a crisis which incidentally is also what Akihiko was talking about. A girl called Aoi. What is special about her? Nothing really and that is a problem. The club was formed to investigate our revolting experience with what we called ¡®the rot¡¯ which Aoi has no idea about. Investigating while keeping it under wrap isn¡¯t much of an issue but investigating while keeping it under wrap from one of our own will be quite challenging. On the outside, Aoi is a perfectly normal high school girl. In fact, she is rather popular in class due to her energetic nature and ¡®cute¡¯ appearance. She did her nails and put on make-up¡­ - things a normal girl would do, well maybe except the whole rolling skirt up thing. Her hair is short but very fluffy and soft with a brown hue to it, apparently, she used to dye her hair. What is most intriguing is her petite figure but more on that later. Come to think of it, I have been watching over her quite a lot lately to determine her motive. Doesn¡¯t that make me a stalker! ¡­Nevertheless, I still need to deal with her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Akihiko, I will handle this¡± As the Paranormal Activity (unofficial) club president, it is my job to turn her down properly. I will need to be firm and direct. Marching through the hallway I make my way for Aoi¡¯s classroom, the first break is about to start soon. ¡°O, isn¡¯t that the President!¡± A familiar high-pitch voice calls me out from behind. Wait, isn¡¯t that Aoi! What is she doing in the hallway in the middle of class. She is coming for me with that sparkling eyes of her, no I¡¯m not ready for this yet. ¡°What are you doing out here?¡± Must makes up a subject, direct the flow of the conversation! That¡¯s what mother told me as a facet of a real men! ¡°Have you thought about my application yet, Pre-si-dent~¡± ¡°Um, what are yo¡­¡± Must¡­ direct¡­ the¡­ conversation¡­ ¡°Ah, sorry I am just so excited about this! I really looked forward to working with you guys~¡± Aoi said enthusiastically as she steps up to face me directly. Ah, her face is too close, I can see into her sparkling brown eyes Ah, concentrate damn you! I need to turn her down fast! Decisiveness is a facet of a real man (like mother always says) Come to think of it, she also smells real nice I noticed! Girl conditionings nowadays all smell criminally good. And her lips with a slight hint of gloss, they look so soft, so¡­ Decisiveness gosh darn it! ¡°Um, I am considering it¡­ Heh heh¡­¡± ¡°Yay! That¡¯s mean I¡¯m still in the race! See you around, President~¡± Aoi rejoices and prances away. Mother, it seems like I still have a long way to go to become a real man¡­ _______ ¡°Heh, so you still haven¡¯t turned her down yet¡± Akihiko said jokingly while sipping his tea. ¡°Well, I¡­ I don¡¯t have anything to say¡± ¡°At this rate, vice pres is going to chew you up¡± I¡¯m also worry about that. Despite having only three members, we still have a vice-president anyway, Yuuko, who¡¯s also the librarian. She was the person who took me to the infirmary after my first time vomiting explosively. Long flowing hair, check. Eyes as black as a night sky, check. Skin white and soft, check. Yuuko is what one might call a traditional beauty. Well, maybe except for her height which is higher than average. She reigns over the library which resides in the clock tower, the oldest building in school. Not many students fancy the place, however, seeing that the atmosphere can be rather creepy plus the lack of modern literature. To make matter worse, that place was built by Westerners back in the day so a huge chunk of the books is written in language foreign to most people here. So, the old library is mostly left desolated, except for the librarian of course. The lack of visibility to us is a blessing, however and so the upper storage floor is recommissioned for the Paranormal Activity club (unofficial). Now there are only Akihiko and me here though seeing that Yuuko has to complete her compulsory librarian task of sitting there doing nothing. But when she hears that I haven¡¯t declined Aoi yet then there will be hell to pay. While they clash head a lot, this is something both her and Akihiko agree strongly upon. I better prepare for an apology then. ¡°President, why are you kneeling on the floor like that¡± Yuuko entered to see me apologising. ¡°Well, he wants to say something right, isn¡¯t that right President?¡± ¡°Sorry, vice pres but I¡­ still couldn¡¯t turn Aoi-san down¡± Ah, I can feel Yuuko¡¯s gaze drilling into my soul, or not? Actually, she looks strangely calm, just a bit stern. Akihiko also seems to wonder why is that the case. ¡°Huh, I should have guess. Anyway, President I believe there is need for you to prostrate in front of me like this. It¡¯s rather unsightly¡± ¡°Eh, sorry about that¡­ Aren¡¯t you angry?¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Well, it¡¯s true you can be quite indecisive and weak-willed¡± So she IS mad after all ¡°But if you still can¡¯t say no then I am sure you have your own reason, President¡± Yuuko looks at me, her expression softens. I will be off the hook after all. ¡°And here I thought the vice pres here said something along the line of ¡®I won¡¯t let that girl in no matter what¡¯, why the change of heart?¡± ¡°So do you if memory serves. Why don¡¯t you do something about it Akihiko-san seeing that you have much more free time than I do. Maybe you should actually start doing something for the club¡± Ouch, that certainly hits close to home. Akihiko can¡¯t think of anything to say. ¡°Just leave everything to the President then seeing that you should have club activity now right. Well better run right now then, chop chop¡± That¡¯s cold of her as usual. She is rather infamous for her scornful and uncaring attitude among the few that know of her. Oh, I forgot to mention but Yuuko and Akihiko for some reason really dislikes one another. There was a brief argument on who would be getting the vice president seat for the Paranormal Activity club (unofficial). In the end, Yuuko only won out because as the librarian, she allowed them to use this venue. The two have been butting heads ever since and this time, Akihiko accepted defeat and left begrudgingly. Unlike us two, he is in the baseball club (official). Because of that, Akihiko would accompany me during the day to investigate during the breaks. After school, it will be Yuuko¡¯s turn since there¡¯s (official) club activities. We would go around the school and try to record where and when we have a reaction as well as its intensity. I can taste it, Akihiko can smell it while Yuuko can feel the rot through her skin. The results can be random as first but after putting it all in charts and diagrams, patterns can be seen. There are areas that are definitely more concentrated than others. Nowadays we mostly focus on narrowing down the actual sources of the corruption though. Walking down the empty hallway of the old school building next to the clock tower, I can feel chill running down my spine. There it is, that decaying taste! Clutching my throat, I try not to vomit. This level of intensity is way worse than normal. It is enough to bring me to my knees. The food is building up in my throat, wanting out. I shouldn¡¯t have eaten so much during lunch time... I must hold it down, hold it downnnnn!!! ¡­.. ¡­.. ¡­.. The sensation finally passes by, I win this time. Looking up, I can see Yuuko already reaching the end of the corridor. ¡°Wait up, didn¡¯t you feel anything at all?¡± Yuuko turns around distractingly and gives a half-hearted reply. ¡°Now that you say it, I did feel something just now¡± Another thing to clarify, while the others two can also feel the rot, they feel it much weakly. Also, since we have the most reactions within the old-school buildings, Yuuko, who used to stow herself on top of the library tower has had way more exposure and thus became rather resistant to the effect. But still, for her to be completely straight-face about a hit as intense as that. ¡°Are you still bothered about that, about Aoi I mean¡± Yuuko darts her eyes quickly to the windows ¡°Not really¡± she said. ¡°You are lying¡± ¡°I¡¯m not¡± She looks straight at me, trying to maintain eyes contact. Her gaze trails off a bit, however, which is a tell-tale sign. Yuuko also realises that and tries to think of a way to cover the trail to no avail. Her face starts to redden ¡°President, you are a meanie!¡± ¡°Ha ha ha¡­.¡± Yuuko, cool and proper. Yuuko, sometimes scornful and cold but always elegant always traditional. ¡°Wh¡­ What are you laughing about!¡± The Yuuko in front of me, the one that I know who is currently pouting slightly, however, can be rather childish. But one thing is always certain, Yuuko is always beautiful. She truly is gorgeousness and gorgeosity made flesh. Too busy laughing, I let my guard down and with a swoop she snatches my glasses. I try to get it back but she only needs to hold it up out of my reach, our height difference is clear. ¡°This is payback for teasing me!¡± Yuuko proudly declared. ¡°Ok then, you can keep them for now¡± ¡°Eh, don¡¯t you need your glasses!¡± ¡°Only for reading, my eyes aren¡¯t that bad. Although per Mamoru-sensei we may have surprise quiz tomorrow so I might need them before 9¡± Pouting even more now, Yuuko tries to find a way to get back at me. In the end, she relents and decides to give back my glasses. I am never good with dealing with others, especially girls. But I can handle my lovely vice president all right. As I reaches for my glasses, Yuuko suddenly pulls me over and I can feel her soft lips on my cheek. ¡°Wait¡­ What was that about¡± ¡°Payback!¡± Ah, she got me there. Come to think of it, I should have mentioned earlier but we are currently a couple. Not for long though in fact I just asked her out last week. My heart nearly jumped out when she said yes but I managed to hold it in. Wait, is that why! ¡°Now that I think about it. About Aoi-san, are you perhaps jealous?¡± Yuuko turns back her ears bright red. She contemplates her answer for a few moments and decides that hiding this isn¡¯t going to do any good. ¡°What if I am, we already have Akihiko around! There is no need for more people! Besides, she also isn¡¯t in any club. A pushy girl like her will definitely tag along during our afternoon investigation. Then¡­ then we won¡¯t get to be by ourselves¡± An outburst, now this is the first. She still not stopping though. ¡°Remember the time when there were just the two of us snooping around. Only us two could feel the rot, it was like a personal connection a shared secret between us two. It was something special. Then you had to go and to dig up Akihiko¡± Wait, what she is saying right now. Does it means that Yuuko had feeling for me way back then. ¡°I was fine with it, since he was your old friend and he could also sense the rot. But this girl, she couldn¡¯t even manage that and there is no way you can keep our abilities a secret if she joins. I don¡¯t want someone like that to be one of us. I know this is selfish of me, that was why I didn¡¯t want to complain in front of you but¡­ but you just had to push it¡­¡± Yuuko is now overheating, now not only her ears aren¡¯t the only parts that are red. To see her be jealous like this, to have an outburst over me like this. It feels¡­ great, flattering even. I should calm her down though as much as I relish this scene. Ah, mother am I a pervert? I hope not. It¡¯s time for a hug. Yuuko seems to calm down as she rests her head on my chest. ¡°T¡­ Thanks, you sure you want to keep this up though, President?¡± ¡°Eh, I thought you always like me hugging you like this?¡± ¡°True but at those time, I am usually sitting down¡± She is right, this is a rather embarrassing scene. Me having to stand on a table like this! Curse our difference in height! ¡­ Some minutes have come to pass. ¡°President, your hug seems to be quite strenuous today¡± Yuuko said worryingly. ¡°Well, this table is more unstable than I thought¡± I admitted. Aaaand there goes our romantic moment. But in all seriousness, the last thing I need is falling on my head. After some difficulty, I finally manage to make my way down. Yuuko meanwhile looks dejected, ¡®my moment¡¯ I can hear her murmurs. ¡°Anyway I need to go and see Aoi! I have to turn her down¡± I declared, after hearing my girlfriend pouring her heart out like that, there is no way a real man can just sit still! I can already see mother among the cloud giving me a thumb up. ¡°Why? Won¡¯t she just going to push you around again, besides I thought you have your reason?¡± True, it¡¯s hard for me to do this seeing that Aoi must have her reason of wanting to join. But then I have made up my mind. ¡°Well, I am rather weak against type like her but for you I sure I can do it!¡± ¡°Geez, so you have to push that on to me¡­ Still, I am glad¡± Yuuko turns away but I can catch a glimpse of it, her smile. _______ I ran back to the main school building. Still, it isn¡¯t that bad. Guess that walking around every day does help to increase my cardio if for just a slight bit. Aoi should be in the Drawing room. Stopping in front the door, I run all the facts about her through my head. I will of course try to decline her offer outright but in the case of the conversation going awry, which I highly doubt, this information will be useful. Or maybe I hope I can use all these, at least it can justify somewhat my stalker-ish behaviour. Ah, mother don¡¯t look at me with that judging eyes. I went a bit off-track there. Ok, breath in, breath out, buckle up, it time to face the overwhelming creature known as Aoi. I took a long breath and opened the door ¡­¡­ What await me was not what I had expected. Well, in front of me is Aoi, which was what I had foreseen. But I did NOT expect to see her lying against the wall unmoving. Her lifeless face titled to the side revealing hand mark burnt on her neck. I could feel her dead eyes looking straight at me, staring deep within my soul. I fell to my knees again clutching my mouth but not because of the gruesome scene. I could feel it all over, ¡®the rot¡¯. Not through taste only like normal, however. I can smell it clearly, that revolting stench of a million dead rats. Even my skin feels like crawling against its corrupting touch. But worst of all is the sight. Aoi with a horrified expression imprinted upon her face. The hand mark on her neck is of rotten flesh, looking at it I realise, so this is it. I can feel it with all of my senses. The rot in all its festering glory. But what does this mean! Aoi could also feel it like we do all this time? That¡¯s impossible, I have been watching her closely and she hasn¡¯t made any suspicious reaction. No one can keep a straight expression feeling the rot. There is Yuuko but as a senior she has a year worth of experience compared to us. Did she know about this, was that why she come to us? But that girl hasn¡¯t shown any worry at all, or did she manage to fool me? Was something observing her? Questions swirls around in my head, none of which I can answer. For a moment, nothing seems real except for one fact only. Aoi is dead and that is my fault. I know of the rot and she came to me. Maybe I could have helped or maybe she got targeted because of me. Whatever way I choose, it is still my fault. I can feel tears streaming from my eyes. I haven¡¯t known her much at all but after all this time I spent watching. I have come to an understanding of who Aoi is, what kind of girl is she. That in a sense is a bond and it is now tearing me apart with sadness and guilt. ¡°Stand up and face me boy¡± A voice calls to me and as I look up a man is standing in front of me. A young foreigner with dark yellow hair and striking blue eyes. Wearing an aristocratic looking garb, he is impossibly handsome. Enough for me to forget about everything, about Aoi just for a moment as I gaze as his radiant presence. Of course, reality soon came crashing down on me again. ¡°Who¡­ who are you!¡± I screamed at him with the top of my lungs. He looks at me with gentle eyes. ¡°I am Dorian, Dorian Grey. I see that you can perceive me just like this poor girl here. No it seems to be even more than that¡± ¡°Wait, what does that mean! Is the ¡®girl¡¯ Aoi? What happened with her? What is going on?¡± I panicked, I just want to run away. To hide this dirty self from the world, from his gaze, from her long dead gaze. I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry. ¡°Telling you to calm down would be futile, but I should try nevertheless¡± The man said softly, his words feel somewhat soothing. ¡°This girl has been keeping me company this past few months. Now she is dead and I have no idea why. All I can do is to bring her back to life just this once¡± Wait, is he serious, can he bring her back. I want to ask but he just gaze at me and deep inside, I feel like I can trust this person. No, I shouldn¡¯t be easily swayed like this, especially by an unknown entity like this. All my resistant is washed away, however, by the desire to bring back Aoi. ¡°When everything returns to normal. Please do not tell her of this incident. To remember yourself dying is a feeling I do not wish her to feel. And lastly, please accept this request of mine, please save this girl, Aoi!¡± ¡°I will¡± I whispered to myself and before I know it here I am standing in front of an open door. Behind it she is turning back to face me with a smile on her face. The normal, very much alive, Aoi. ¡°Oh, isn¡¯t it the President, what are you doing here, looking for me perhaps?¡± She said cheerfully which stands in stark contrast of the lifeless being lying there just a few moments ago. I hold back my raging emotion, however, no need to worry her now. I am quite a jaded person if one might say and after all the training to hold back myself when tasting the rot, I have developed quite a strong front. Because of that, acting calm here isn¡¯t much of a problem at all. ¡°President, why are you crying, are you alright?¡± Eh, am I. Oh she is right, tears are streaming down my cheeks. They aren¡¯t from before since my face was also washed clean. Aoi runs toward me worryingly. Asking a bunch of questions to no avail, she realises I am not listening at all. The girl tries to click in front of my face instead but I also can¡¯t see it probably as my eyes are all watery. Feeling overwhelmed, I lunge toward to hug her and cry uncontrollably in her embrace. A lot has happened, from the sight of the girl¡¯s lifeless form to the rot assaulting all my senses. Then came an incandescent figure of whom I can¡¯t comprehend. Now, facing the normal Aoi I can let all of it out basking in her warmth. I can finally break down. Chapter 2 Chapter 2: An overdue and overlong conversation It was certainly a revitalising experience. Crying like a baby like that in someone arms. Wiping my tears, I feel fresh and alive like never before. But now¡­ to deal with the fallout. Aoi is standing in front of me with a curious look on her face. Her shirt is completely drenched at the chest. Wait, it is now see-through, I can see her bra even. Whoa, they are quite simple which falls squarely within my prediction. No, what prediction? Ha ha¡­, of course I never thought about something about that, I¡¯m not a stalker¡­ Oh who am I kidding, sorry mother your son has grown up to be a pervert. Oh wait, it¡¯s mother, I can already hear her asking me what kind of bra is Aoi wearing already. ¡°President, have you stared enough yet, this is rather embarrassing you know¡± ¡°Ah, sorry about that¡­ and about before as well, suddenly throwing a tantrum like that¡± I want to die, to end my life, to stop functioning or whatever right now. Aoi meanwhile is still looking at me curiously but now with a smile on her face. I need to gain back control of the situation, take the initiative. I ask if we can both sit down and sure enough she listens, now with an amused look. I have given her too much ammunitions and Aoi now looks like a hunter trying to find which one to use against me. A cat playing with her mouse you might even say. I still need to first address something first, which she probably left there for me to point out. ¡°Um, maybe you should put on your jacket or something, I can see through that you know¡± ¡°Oh right I should. So, did you enjoy the view President?¡± Huh, that¡¯s the first shot and it hurts, I really don¡¯t know what to say in defence. I will just go where the wind take me. ¡°Well, it isn¡¯t¡­ bad per se¡± Abort that plan immediately. After the beating dealt to my mind, I am in no condition to mince words nor to control my speaking. In times like that, I may enter rambling mood, which involves saying whatever come to my mind first. Even if it is something supremely idiotic like the previous sentence. ¡°You want some hot tea, President?¡± I give her a silent nod, opening my mouth now is too risky. Aoi pours me a cup, still heated after an entire day. I really should get myself one of that containers. Blowing the tea, I notice Aoi is giggling. ¡°Sorry about that, you just seem too cute, blowing rapidly like a kid¡± Did she just tell me ¡®cute¡¯, isn¡¯t that something a guy would say? Come to think of it, mother did say I blow at hot food like a child. I always thought that was just a joke she liked to make. Taking a sip, I can feel the hot tea coursing through my body. Coherent thoughts finally return this tired mind of mine. ¡°Thank you, I needed that¡± ¡°No problem, President~ I guess you are here for my application¡± Straight to the point and she is not being as pushy as normal. Guess that after my meltdown acting like that can be inconsiderate. It does make me think, all those times before when we talk, all the close up, was she trying to unnerve me deliberately? When I think back about that, it does seem plausible. ¡°Yes, I was even going to turn you down actually. But something¡­ happened, now I want to know why would someone like you want to join us?¡± Of course, I did ask that question before but her answers have always been ranging from vague to the kind of ¡®because it seems fun¡¯. I could never ask for more detail seeing that I had always been overwhelmed by her pushy attitude. I am certain her shtick would not work now. Aoi has something else on her mind, however. ¡°Someone like me? You say as if you know, or maybe you do¡± There seems to be no trace of her usual energetic self. There is only a sly smile on Aoi face. ¡°You must have some idea, especially after following me around like that!¡± She knows or is this a bluff? Probably a former seeing that there aren¡¯t much to support the later. At least I need to find out how. ¡°And why would you say that, Aoi-san?¡± Yes, that¡¯s right. Act a bit surprise, vulnerable, that should boost her ego enough to spill the beans. ¡°Well, I guess as much. Or else how would the President knew to find me here¡± That¡¯s a good one I have literary gift-wrapped to her. I was so pumped after talking to Yuuko that I immediately dashed straight for this room. Should have wandered inside the building more, acting as if I stumbled upon her by accident. I could perhaps act as if someone told me her location? No, Aoi is very confident and much slyer than what she normally would let on. Maybe I shou¡­ My train of thought is interrupted by Aoi who suddenly burst out laughing. ¡°Hah hah hah, look at you wrecking your brain like that is just too cute. President, try not to overestimate me too much¡± Looking at the girl laughing so genuinely in front of me, who was that I saw before with a sly look. Or maybe she never existed in the first place. ¡°I was worry you know. But at least you seem to be back to normal now, I¡¯m glad~¡± Aoi literally jumps out of her seat to face me. She must have felt so tense before seeing me like that. I was just being paranoid and saw conspiracies everywhere even interpreting her awkwardness as calculating. The Aoi in front of me now is the one I have been observing all this time¡­ still need to learn about personal space. ¡°You didn¡¯t deny stalking me though¡± Pfft, I forgot about that, oh well might as well admitting it ¡°Well, I did look you up a bit. Just a bit!¡± Aoi brings her face close to mine, our noses nearly touch even. Looking straight into my eyes she whispered ¡°Pre-si-dent?¡± ¡°Ok, maybe more than just a bit. Just during some breaks and sometimes on the weekend!¡± Satisfied, Aoi retreats back to her seat. Dragging her chair nearer to mine. She finally settles down, kicking her legs Aoi asks with that sparkling eyes of hers. ¡°Let¡¯s have a quiz then, how much does the President know about me~¡± ¡°Um, maybe you can answer my question first¡­¡± I try in a futile attempt to divert the flow. ¡°Well, I am not the one stalking another. Let¡¯s start then, what is my three sizes?¡± ¡°How would I know about that!¡± This is the truth, trust me this is the truth. ¡°My sleeping posture?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t know that!¡± This is also the truth, please believe me. ¡°My favourite underwear?¡±The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°What kind of person do you think I am!¡± While I have my prediction, of course I don¡¯t know for real. ¡°Sorry, that was a joke. I know you are not that kind of person¡­ or are you Pre-si-dent?¡± ¡°All I did was just following you around for a bit, that¡¯s for real¡­¡± Aoi leans back to her chair, looking rather regretful for putting me through that. She seems to be serious now though. ¡°Anyhow, tell me, what is your conclusion about me, President¡± ¡°Nothing much really, I do know you are much more athletic than you let on though and you would always try to hunch slightly around others¡± Remember when I said there are more behind her petite figure? This is it, the discovery is pure chance though. I was just walking through the street one day, I managed to catch a glimpse of Aoi prepared to run somewhere. She tied up her hair and did a short stretch before dashing away to buy some last eggs at the sale. I have never since her doing anything like that at school. Even though I didn¡¯t know anything about sport a normal person would never stretched like that. Aoi is definitely trying to hide her physical capability. That dash was lighting fast compared to her performance during PE. The later Aoi looked as if she needed to muster up all her strength to finish a lap, completed with fake panting even. That also aligns with another detail which would normally fly over me. ¡°Your skirt, I wondered why you never rolls up your skirt like most of the girls do. Is it perhaps to hide your legs?¡± ¡°Well you are correct, President¡± Aoi rolls up her skirt showing a pair of thighs, while thin but quite muscular. ¡°Have you ever felt a girl, President? Oh, that certainly came out wrong! They are so soft and smooth compared to mine, do you want to feel them~¡± ¡°O-Of course not!¡± Ah, I am gaining the lead here, don¡¯t let her throw me off. ¡°I also found out you are much smarter than your grade which is rather average, too average even¡± This one was thanked to Yuuko. After several failed attempts to dissuade Aoi, our vice president suggested the girl might have been more savant than what I had expected. And that the girl was trying to overwhelm me on purpose. Her proof was that when Akihiko tried to talk to her, Aoi was busy or nowhere to be found. As if she knew he wouldn¡¯t go down as easily as me. So I spent my precious lessons with her, observing every movements. I noticed that anytime someone was struggling at some difficult question, Aoi would just drop a casual hint, always as if she was talking to someone else. Someone with her grade wouldn¡¯t get half of those problems. ¡°After those two, I conclude that you just want to be¡­ ¡®cute¡¯ like the other girls¡± I expected more of a reaction out of that. Actually, Aoi looks rather sad even. As if she had expected her ruses to be exposed all along. ¡°Ding ding ding, that¡¯s right. It was just that, my effort of an idiotic high school debut¡± She smiles at me but I can see a slight hint of sadness behind. It may be minor but for a cheerful girl like Aoi this stands out like a sore thumb. I don¡¯t want to see her like this! ¡°No, it¡¯s not just an ¡®idiotic high school debut¡¯. I don¡¯t know what happened to you before coming her. There is one thing I am sure of, you tried your best and I won¡¯t let you call your earnest effort something ¡®idiotic¡¯. In fact, I do think Aoi-san is really cute!¡± Yes, like me she transferred to this island for high school. In this place, everyone knows one another, everyone is each other childhood friend. It made asking other about Aoi absolutely useless though. I had Akihiko helping me due to our ¡®rotting¡¯ bond but Aoi wasn¡¯t that fortunate. But she managed to integrate herself, now she is the part of this community. For someone like me at least, such a feat is worthy of admiration. ¡°Geez, you are praising me too much! Still, thank you, President!¡± Aoi looks at me with a gentle smile on her face. I didn¡¯t try to hide anything, even my stalking activities and I have exposed her ruses. We are seeing each other eyes to eyes, now for the first time. ¡°Now, it¡¯s my turn, why did you want to join us?¡± There is still more I wanted to ask, like how she knew of our (unofficial) club in the first place. Aoi did say passingly that accidentally heard me and Akihiko talking about it but that is one flimsy reason. Oh well, let start small at first. ¡°To tell the truth, I have something paranormal that I wanted to ask about. Someone to be precise¡± She is probably talking about Dorian, I have to feign ignorant for now. Who knows what would trigger her dying memory. ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you go to the Paranormal Activity club¡­ the official one¡± ¡°Well, I tried to observed them for a while, it wasn¡¯t hard to see they are just a bunch of students trying to have fun. Is that why you never even tried to approach them in the first place?¡± Now that was a rather scathing remark to come out of her mouth but I can relate. To experience something out this world, to us the rot to her hearing Dorian, must have been daunting. I had Yuuko and eventually Akihiko to be my support, my compatriots. Aoi, however, didn¡¯t have anyone to rely on. Especially during the period when she was trying to integrate. The girl must have tried her best to find help, anything. The Paranormal Activity club (official) would appear to be what she was looking for. Turn out they were just some students trying to have fun while Aoi was suffering like that. ¡°Then why did you choose us then? How did you even know about us in the first place?¡± Without any hesitation, Aoi immediately gives me her answer. ¡°It¡¯s because of you, President¡± ¡°Eh?¡± That wasn¡¯t what I was expecting. ¡°I have given up on trying to look for help but then you caught my eyes. Someone who is also much more capable than he looks. Someone who is good in subjects like history and geography, perhaps too good. Yet you are horrible when it comes to subjects like physics or maths¡± Wait, couldn¡¯t she have gotten it. My secret ability. ¡°Every time there are a pop quiz you would just take a quick glimpse at the book and nearly ace the test. Hm, is it¡­ eidetic memory perhaps?¡± That¡¯s the ability to remember something with near perfection after a few instants of exposure. Commonly mistook for photographic memory which is still considered as a myth. For her to use the term ¡®eidetic¡¯, however, proved that Aoi must have look up about this a great deal. That¡¯s close, but not enough¡­ ¡°You probably memorise the whole textbook and only need to see the page slightly to remember all the content. But it is still not enough to get full mark¡± That is partly correct. I still need to read the book again after a while to refresh the image. Also, looking at the page that fast isn¡¯t really enough to recall everything to a tee. The ability to remember a perfect copy is the more well-known photographic memory which as mentioned before, is still hasn¡¯t been proven to exist yet. ¡°But you never really try to think though. Hence the frankly atrocious marks in subjects that need more than just memory¡± Huh, that hurts, because it¡¯s true. She seems to have finished though. I let out a relieving sigh by mistake. ¡°Huh, judging from your reaction, is there something more to it, your eidetic memory¡± ¡°Eh, what are you talking about¡­¡± Aoi can smell blood, she is coming in for the kill. She shoves a familiar piece of crumpled paper in front of me. It was what I drew jokingly on my first drawing lesson. She must have salvaged it from the bin. ¡°This is exactly the same as the picture that the teacher showed us. Not only did you copy it down perfectly but you could also mimic the colour perfectly and to do it fast enough to draw a dud afterward. This is much more than photographic memory even, although I doubt you can copy without the original but that is just a guess¡± That¡­ was spot on. Even Yuuko isn¡¯t aware of this enhance version of my eidetic memory. Remembering something is extraordinary, to replicate it completely with sufficient tool is unheard of. ¡°I have searched everything but couldn¡¯t find anyone with your talent. The most famous example is a man who can redraw something after a short observation but not a perfect copy. To me, this seems almost¡­ no this paranormal¡± Yes, I also feel the same, that¡¯s why I have been keeping this ability a secret. It never felt like mine, at any moment it could just poof be gone without a trace. That¡¯s why I have decided on never using it to benefit me in anyway. My eidetic memory is a different matter though. ¡°I guess that afterward you did follow me around a bit and eventually heard about the Paranormal Activity club (unofficial)¡± ¡°No no no, I am not done yet!¡± Wait, what else is there of me left¡­ Don¡¯t tell me. Please no, anything but that. ¡°I only became truly interested in you after finding this masterpiece. Tada, your own drawing piece!¡± It was a boring day, I didn¡¯t have anything to do. Passing by the empty drawing room, I decided to draw something of my own. Using all the muscle memory of replicating painting I nearly finished it, my own piece. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to draw a girl. The face is blank but I can still tell a lot of emotion was pour into this. She must have been quite a beauty for you to be this inspired¡± Of course, she is, that jet-black hair, that lean figure. This painting was my effort to draw Yuuko. But even after drawing all those masterpiece, I still feel like her beauty isn¡¯t something I could express with this meagre ability. That was also when I realised my love for her. Only till recently did she became my girlfriend and this painting slipped out of my mind. I must have left it here in a moment of air headedness. Aghh I can¡¯t say anything at all. Even without a mirror, I can still sense my face becoming bright red. I thought I have dig all I could about her, enough to demolish any sort of argument. Little did I know, Aoi had way more then all I could prepare against. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, President I won¡¯t tell anyone about this. But hang on to this, however, you must have poured a lot of effort into it¡± I want to turn it down or maybe shred the picture. Now that I have the real Yuuko in my grasp this once proud piece of mine is now pale in comparison. But after my encouragement earlier about effort, discarding this would appear to be disingenuous. Accepting the piece, I can feel more than just my failure but something else as well. This was drawn more than a month ago, and yet the canvas and everything is still in tip top condition. This painting of mine has transcended as it now holds Aoi¡¯s feeling. Her trust in me to resolve the mystery of Dorian Grey. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Aoi-san but I am here to say that you can¡¯t join our club¡± ¡°Uh¡­ I see. Guess I was getting ahead of myself there. Hah hah¡± Aoi tries to laugh but nothing but meaningless sound comes out of her lips. ¡°But, as the president I will hereby declare for the first time the Paranormal Activity club (unofficial) would be mobilised to resolve this problem of yours until you can live your high school life at peace. So put your trust in us, Aoi-san!¡± She looks at me with a mix of confusion and gratitude. After a while, she finally gives me nod. ¡°I will be in your care then. Please take good care of me then, Pre-si-dent~¡± That few words are enough to fill me full of determination. Aoi is the cutest like this, energetic and full of life. I won¡¯t let anyone or anything take that away from her. I promise I will save you from that wretched, rotten fate. Chapter 3
Chapter 3: Wenn du lange in einen Abgrund blickst After all that debacle, I returned to my dorm room. Thinking back, I listened to Aoi''s story attentively, every word, every vowel, none escaped my ears. As I have predicted, her high school debut was a very stressful period and so she would retreat to this nearly always empty room to rewind. Digging through all the paintings, old and new had become her new hobby. What are they but windows into people minds. Their hopes, their dreams, their passions and most of all their emotions. Every brushes a feeling every strokes a word. Seeing all these fragments had helped Aoi to not be lonely, to push her into going forward. One day, when she returned to the drawing room after a particular stressful day. The girl found a drawer normally locked was left ajar. What caught my attention the most was that the lock was broken, drenched in a decaying stench. Inside it was a painting carefully wrapped. It was of a man whose handsomeness was out of this world, unreal even. That description alone was enough for me. It was a moment straight out of a fairy tale. Soon Aoi started to be able to hear his voice. She didn''t panic, however, seeing that it was the smoothest of tone. So there were the two of them, a girl with worries and a man trapped in the dark for so long. He listened to Aoi, her problems her stories. It was sunshine and rainbow until the magic in his words faded and she realised the implication of what was going on. A talking voice that could lure you into a trance with sweetness of the devil. It was around this time that Aoi became interested in me and after learning of my Paranormal Activity club (unofficial) just as she needed it the most. It seemed like fate was guiding us together (that was her words). Now here I am in my room with a painting of such a magnificent man. Before when I was in a spiral of despair, he was almost angelic. Now that I am thinking back rationally. This is actually rather creepy, having this in my room. I tried to change my clothes first but it was just too awkward to bear. Guess we will have to talk first then. "Can you hear me, Dorian-san" "Yes" He answered back and just like how Aoi described it, now that the magic is gone his voice feels like a honey trap. But he still brought her back from the dead so I will trust him for now. Still, there is no problem in keeping one''s guard up. "Is it possible for you to come out, like before?" "I am afraid not, all the power I had accumulated over the years was spent to save Aoi. Now projecting my thought is all I could do" I see, that explain a question of mine. While the drawing room is usually left empty the hallway is still used occasionally. Then how come no one had ever heard Aoi talking to the painting? What he said just now mean that telepathy is used instead. It is so natural that me and Aoi as well must have felt like we are talking. Now that I am aware of it of the difference it is clear that my mouth is actually not moving at all. Talking with your mind is certainly a surreal experience. "Wait, you can accumulate power? For what?" "Yes, there are power, energy everywhere, every nook and cranny. Around every person, every living being. If I concentrate, I can siphon it slowly over time. In fact, I had amassed quite an amount" My mind is racking itself trying to think about this energy, particle, atom? Physics, however, is never my strong point and telepathically communicating with a painting isn''t something very scientific anyway. "For your second question, I have wondered that very thing myself. My conclusion is everything" "What does that mean?" "It means I can do anything, with this enough power I can affect the physical world in any way possible. I can bend anything to my will. Don''t worry, I have no where enough to do anything significant" "Significant? You revived Aoi, bringing back someone from the dead is not ''significant''?" "Revive? No, I only prevent her actual dead by reversing the influence of another" When he said ''another'', did he mean the rot. Come to think of it, it was hand mark that was around Aoi''s neck. I still need to know more, it seems like my ability will be needed. Remember to the tiniest detail possible, the site of her death. Just thinking back nearly makes me want to fall down again. But I need to concentrate, must not left any detail out no matter how painful. Let starts around the body first, I still can''t bear to look at her lifeless corpse. The ground has various marks around her feet, no doubts caused by her struggling. It wasn''t a quick encounter then. Aoi was some painting tools, wanted to practice perhaps? They were sprinkled on the left side of the room and so was a fallen over stand. She must have been facing away from the door but then turned around before being attacked. The assailant was strong and pushed her all the way to the end of the room. The girl''s face was slightly discoloured and the mark suggested strangulation. There were also that expression and the puddle under her. Aoi was absolutely terrified and helpless as her life was violently ripped away like that. Now for the most important detail, the hand mark itself. Suddenly a revolting taste fills my mouth almost instantly. Soon everything around me seems to be distorted and perverted into something rotting. Even the white noise one has become so accustomed with is now some sort of twisted melody. And then it is all over as the image faded from my mind. Just remembering it brought back reaction of such intensity, sometime I really curse this eidetic memory of mine. But still, I haven''t even truly focused on it probably yet, not enough to make out any detail. Up until now, we have never truly encountered the rot but only its residues. Their repulsiveness is nowhere near the real deal. Outside it is already dark, how long was that even? It seems like I missed dinner but at this rate I really don''t have the stomach for it. "Are you still here, Dorian-san?" There are still things that I need to ask. "Yes I am. But first are you alright? I don''t what you did but it was excruciating" Huh, for who? "I will be, my mind is in a shamble though so I need your answer before all of this goes away. Are you really the Dorian Grey?" "I see, so you are familiar with it, The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde" Only vaguely as I have never read the actual book. I stumbled upon a copy as a little boy but it was in another language. Interested, I asked mother what is it about. Now thinking back, it is rather surprising that mother would tell me something like that. The story chronicled the life of Dorian Grey, the subject of a portrait by one Basil Hallward who is infatuated with the young man beauty. The main character is then exposed and enthralled by the life and worldview of the Victorian era England aristocrat. That beauty and sensual indulgent are the only aspects worth fulfilling. Fearful that one day his look would face, Dorian wishes that the painting would age instead of him and it is granted. And so, the young man pursues a life of debauchery while the painting would decay instead of him. This has him dipping into everything amoral and pushed countless people into misery and early graves in his pursuit of new experiences. He even kills the painter Basil when he discovers the state of his now hideous masterpiece. When Dorian Grey finally decides to go along the path of reformation he finds the painting is now even uglier. The man realises that he only pursues self-sacrifice as a part of his quest for new experiences. He tries to kill the last of his conscience, the painting with the knife used to murder Basil. The piece ends with the people alerted by a cry coming from a locked room. As they enter, what is there is a corpse of a withered and decrepit old man stabbed in the heart. He is only recognisable by the familiar rings, meanwhile on the wall is the picture of Dorian Grey in all of its restored beauty. "To answer your question, I am nothing but a mere imitation. A product fuelled by fiction" "I guessed as much. That would explain it, your overwhelming existent. The power you accumulated is constantly used to shift our perception, to see you as the unparalleled beauty that is Dorian Grey!" That is what both me and Aoi feel, a figure so incandescent that it is not possible. Our resulting fears of this ensnaring look is in a sense correct. It is a way for our minds to warn us of the falsity. "I¡­ think you are correct. After all, I have always wondered the reason behind my existent, why was I created why do I have this power. So, it is to maintain this fa?ade of beauty" His once alluring voice now only sound dejected. I shouldn''t have done that, being too hot-headed what I said was nothing but cruel. To imply that someone, a conscience whole reason of existing is a lie, that was the worst.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. "But you did more than that right, it was thanks to your power that Aoi was brought back to life" Silence awaits me. The damage has been done and I only hope that this would alleviate the pain. Isn''t this also what I inflicted on Aoi as well. I was too caught up with my deduction that I tore down all her carefully conceived ruses without a moment to spare of the consequences. It worked out in my favour back then but now¡­ Nevertheless, I can''t stop now, if I want to save Aoi I need to know all about this rot. "You said before that saving Aoi was ''reversing influence'', does that mean whatever assaulted her is the same as you?" There is a moment of pregnant pause. Finally, I can hear his answer. "I could sense it, another canvas, another painting but its location I am not sure of. That thing is definitely a painting like me but that where our similarities end" "Then what is it, exactly?" "Unlike me, the painting serves as a constraint, a vessel you might say. It is much more powerful, though, enough to form as a physical entity even. But perhaps our difference in power is because I am made from scratch while that thing was born of someone" So that how it is, while I do have a theory maybe it is worth hearing Dorian perspective. "Why do you think so?" "The only way for it to affect the physical world is through its body which resemble a human I think. With that much power, that thing could just overwhelm and kill that girl with pure corrupting force. Instead, it chose to use bare hands which I don''t think is by choice" That should explain the hand mark. I ask Dorian a bit more but there is not much else for him to say. Although as a painting, he could still feel the rot''s influence all around the school. Now it is my turn, to return to that dreadful scene again. There is not much to go on at the moment and the only lead I can follow at the moment is that hand mark. Before taking a dive, however, a mint would be a good idea. After several initial encounters that caused some puking accidents (none were as spectacular as the first one though) I made sure to always have some mints on hand. Although lately I can hold myself back good enough without their help. Taking a bite out of several pellets at once, a cool wave runs through my throat and nose enough to make one shivers slightly. Now I am ready. Closing my eyes, the world around shifts rapidly into a perverse version of that very drawing room. What is going on, I haven''t even focused on the rot yet. Why is this place already corrupted? Is this fear, my own fear? That initial encounter had scarred me more deeply than I could have imagine. Now even the thought of facing the rot shakes me to the very core. Darn it, now it is my very own self standing in the way. Going down isn''t an option though, there is no way to know when the rot could strike again. There is virtually nothing we could do to protect Aoi so the least I could do is stopping this as early as humanly possible. Taking another deep breath, I try to stare straight at that defiled neck only to find Aoi standing in front of me, smiling like usual. What is going one? Is this happening right now in my mind? "Are you alright, Pre-si-dent~" Aoi said as she cutely titled her head to the side. Wait, behind her I can still see the corpse lying there. Suddenly, she jumps in front me, her face pushes right at mine. Lack of personal space awareness as usual. "Why are you looking at that thing, why focus your gaze on this cute me instead, tee hee~" The moment she finishes her sentence, everything in my mind is flaring up as if to say ''run''. Her skin shrivelled and rotted. Aoi''s sparkling brown eyes are slowly corrupted and fall out of their sockets. I can feel as if that two hollow holes continue to stare at me, defiling my very own soul. I tried to scream but all that come out are disgusting gurgles. She pushes me down to the cold hard floor, nearly knocking me out cold. This is too realistic to be in my mind. All thoughts of escaping are knocked out by the concussion. Sitting on top of me, Aoi''s rotten lips contorted into a twisted smile, stretching all the way to her ears. And with a chilling laugh, she melted, her mired contents drip onto the defenceless me. I find myself showered and washed away in a whirlpool of putrid flesh and is soon drown. I can''t think nor feel. All my senses are now overloaded by the overwhelming rot. ¡­ Suddenly, I can feel something, warmth? It soon envelopes my pathetic self. This is calming, this is peaceful. I want to stay like this forever. ¡­ No, this is not the time for something like this. There is no time to rest. Aoi still needs my help, I still need to crack this mystery. Not only for her sake but mine as well and Akihiko and most of all, my Yuuko. This rot has tormented us long enough. I try to rise up but is stopped by a soothing voice. It is someone I know very well, someone I hold dear but can''t seem to make out who. It tells me to rest, at least for now at least. Maybe¡­ that¡­ isn''t¡­ too bad¡­ And so, I sleep, one deeper than ever before. ¡­ When I am finally awake, what greet me is a familiar face indeed. It is Aoi looking at me with worrying eyes. "Oh, President you are finally awake!" She said with care, no doubt this person here is the genuine article. Seeing her now after witnessing such a harrowing scene once again fills me with emotions. At least this time I manage to keep a straight face, it is always easier second time around. But this situation needs to be addressed. "Aoi-san, why am I lying on your lap?" I am pretty sure that she can carry me onto the bed with little problem. "I wanted to try this out. Are my thighs not soft enough for you?" "Eh¡­ it''s not like that. Well they are certainly firmer but I don''t really hate that" I just want to dig a hole somewhere and die in there. Aoi said that to throw me off just like usual but this reply is more self-destructive than anything. "-er? So you had other lap pillows before, President?" "My mother did pull this once. Actually, she also said something the lines of wanting to try this out again or something?" And there were also a few other occasions though. Back before when my resistant against the rot wasn''t this strong, investigating around school was simply hellish especially in the old school buildings. I would pass out sometimes even. But Yuuko was always there when I woke up. It was always a lap pillow and she would tease me about it. Now I don''t faint anymore but she would just ask me to lie down randomly anyway. One of our many traditions together I guess. Yuuko would just sit there, patting her lap with such a childlike excitement that I could never refuse. Oh well, that is enough reminiscing. Time to go back to work. "Aoi-san, why are you here?" "I was worried for you, that''s all. When I arrived you were just lying there listless. Dorian then told me that apparently, you were doing something dangerous for my sake" Aoi stops for a moment as her voice started to shaken toward the end there. Taking a slow and deep breath, she continues with heated determination. "I don''t know what is it you are doing but I know it is dangerous. President, if you are going that far then I also want to help in any way possible! This is my problem after all and those who don''t work don''t get to eat! Wait, is that how the saying goes?" Aoi scratches her head, wondering whether that was the correct usage for that saying. As much as I want to turn her down, there is nothing for me to argue back. It''s not like I am an expert at this, in fact a few moments ago, it was getting too dangerous there. Next time there is definitely no coming back from that. But what caused that phenomenon. Was it the rot assaulting me directly? No, or else it would use its physical form. Part of that was caused by my fear no doubt and the image of Aoi was merged with the corruption. But that was still more than this feeble mind of mine could ever conjure. Perhaps, it was truly the rot responding but unconsciously. This entire school is, after all, blanketed with its festering influence. Nevertheless, I am now confident in this next dive. With the real Aoi here, I can use her as base for recalling the rest. Let''s hope that it would work. For now, I explain that I can''t tell her what is going on. She puffs up her cheeks in annoyance. "But I will still need your help with this though" "Hmpf, what do you need then?" Aoi accepted with her cheeks still all puffy. "Just stay absolutely still" I stare straight at her face intensively, carving all the details into my minds. Her sparkling eyes, her flustered cheeks, her soft lips, her everything. Now for the rest, especially her tender neck. I can hear Aoi''s voice but none of them register. "President, what are you doing¡­ Is this payback? President?" That should be enough. I close my eyes and start the dive deep into this cesspool that is my memory. I am now back in that cursed room which is now even more distorted and before. There are moulds and maggots galore. Completed with pieces of pulsing fetid flesh growing out of the walls. Actually, the entire place feels like convulsing, writhing torturously. But at the very end lies Aoi lifeless body, untouched by the corruption that has swallowed this place. Compared to it, she is almost beautiful in a twisted sense. Here she is, lying there with all of her dirty self laid bare, oh so eerily tempting. Agh, the pain is almost unbearable as I bite my own tongue until it sheds blood. I was so close to being swallowed by the rotten influence. Around the corpse''s neck is still the mark but now with a repulsive air around it as if to hide its true nature. As I take a step forward however two slender arms wrap around my waist and a disgusting voice, beckoning me. "Where do you think you are going, Pre-si-dent~" Then there are more of them, arms wrapping all over, suffocating, choking the life out of me. Their touches are freezing like long dead carcasses. Squeezing the energy out of me chunks by chunks. Memories flashes in front of my very own eyes, it is of my past. There are mother and grandpa and grandma. All of my friends from junior high are also here. Oh, it was the time we all went to the festival. Ah, Kenta was so disappointed that none of the girls wore yukatas, actually no one there was wearing one. There was the time mother tried to make udon and failed, the result was a dubious mix but I actually liked it. Then there is also when class rep turned down my confession, lucky the boys were there to cheer me back up. Ah, am I going to die, basked in all these memories of mine. The rot seems to disagree though, nothing here can remain untouched. Soon the images are all messed up. The sceneries look more and more decrepit and everyone is decaying rapidly. Wait, is that Akihiko? There are also Kumiko-sensei, Aoi and everyone else except one. I can see her turning back a me, her hair flying in the wind. It''s Yuuko in all of her splendour beauty. Our memories together flood my mind. I feel like a drowning man desperately gasping for just a bit of air. But soon there are blemishes as the rot starts to spread within those very memories as well. It rapidly approaches my Yuuko and soon she is to be consumed¡­ NOOOOO! I screamed with all my might. I shall not let this cursed being defiles her image. With new-found vigour fuelled by pure rage, I try to break apart from the overwhelming presences. Tearing myself from those arms only to find more to come with even greater intensity. Their touches tainted my skin their words drilled at my ears. They even reach into my mouth, filling it with a taste of pure rancid flesh. But I keep on struggling, this will never corrupt me, NEVER! My body is suddenly enveloped by warmth of an embrace. These cold lips of mine are suddenly set ablaze by a soft and gentle feeling as my mouth is filled with the sweetest taste of strawberry. Drowning out the whispering with my own inner scream, blinded my eyes with Yuuko''s image I charge and tear those binding arms apart. I can see it clearly now, the hand mark, it belongs to an adult male. Opening my eyes my vision is filled with Aoi as she backs away after smothering me with a rather passionate kiss. That was my very first. Pushing her away I instinctively clarify. "I''m sorry but I have a gir¡­" Before I could finish my hasty statement, I am cut off as Aoi places a finger on my lips "I know" she said softly with a hint of sadness in her eyes. They are not sparkling anymore¡­ She stands up and asks if I am alright, if I have accomplished whatever that I need. All I could do is to nod silently. "See you again" Aoi said and with that she is gone so suddenly. I hold out my hand to the air but what for? A token effort? It doesn''t matter she is gone now. What has caused that, from watching me? My painting? Or perhaps my vulnerability displayed here? I can''t seem to figure out what caused Aoi to act as she did. Ah, but who am I to try and figure out her feeling. I was the one who dragged her into the rot. I was the one who probed and violently tore down her shells. Was it worth it, did I enjoy it, stripping a girl down, laying her bare like that? You sick bastard. I failed to notice her feeling. I am unworthy of deciphering Aoi. I truly am the worst. I can''t even concentrate on her properly. My mind is now filled with Yuuko, in a moment like this. After hurting someone else like that. Ah, I feel like dirtying my dear vice president just thinking about her, just by associating me with her. I truly am the worst. Rolling on my bed, I try to fall asleep still wearing the school uniform. Maybe tomorrow will be better. I will tell Akihiko what happened. I will say sorry to Aoi. Ah, Yuuko, I want to see you. Drifting to sleep with heavy conscience, little do I know about the horror that lay ahead, to stare into the abyss like that. Chapter 4
Chapter 4: Blickt der Abgrund auch in dich hinein Something is stalking me, it is right behind me. What I don''t know but it is feral, murderous and most of all rotten. No matter how fast I run, no matter how hard I try, that thing is still there hounding me. Around me, everything is breaking down, decaying into a desolate landscape, barren and revolting. Soon, everything starts to contort into a twisted form, the ground the sky all mesh together impossibly. Soon I found myself losing all sort of footing and keep on falling up through this perverted world. There is nothing I could do but to curl up and wish that all of this would end. In a sudden, I slam against the cold hard floor which feels strangely welcoming after the disorienting experience. Looking up, I found myself in a gigantic chamber full of spinning gears. It is empty saves for a woman resting on the chair at the end of the room. Behind her is a giant ornate clock face, facing outside. That looks exactly like the school clock just without the number, this one is way bigger, however. I was inside the clock tower once with Yuuko, there wasn''t any chamber behind it. There were only a bunch of gears and several walkways for maintenance. I want to make out more of the detail but can''t because my eyes are drawn by the woman otherworldly beauty. She wears a plain white shirt which conforms to her slender and finely shaped body. Her dress is also rather featureless but the simplicity works well with her angelic look. The woman has long flowing white hair that looks as if it is shining in the dim lighting. She looks up, eyes remain closed but I can still feel her gaze. I am at a loss for words against the woman, not because of her beauty though. Oh no, it is the familiarity that makes me think. I have met with this person before but when and where I can''t remember. Me, can''t remember something! Is that even possible! Noticing my confusion, a sinister smile of sort flashes on her face but it is soon replaced with a more benevolent substitute. "Welcome to the land of the dead, my dear" Her voice is clear and piercing an¡­ "Wait, what did you say!" Did she say that I am¡­ "Don''t worry you are alive for now. I am here to greet you simply as your ancestor, truly sorry that you have to hold this power of mine. To be bestowed such a fate, tragic indeed" Fate? What is she talking about, the rot? And the ''power'' mentioned, is it my eidetic memory? There are so many questions I want to ask but suddenly a force pull me back. I am dragged back to the dark void behind me. Grabbing a gear, I try to get some answer at least before being booted out like this. "Are you talking about the rotten influence over this school! If so, do you know how I can stop it!" White, ambient noises filled my ears and so I yelled to drown out them out. "You faced the abyss once yet you still dare to stare at it once again? Very well, if that is your wish then seek out my canvases of power then paint your own wretched vision" She said, amused. My grip is starting to loosen, my fingers are numb. With all of left strength left in me, I ask. "Who are you?" "I am Elizabeth, Elizabeth Grey. Say hello to dear brother for me when you return" As I am dragged away by the inexplicable force, I can hear her musing. "In the end, we will not be judge by what we destroy but by what we create" I wake up greeted by a soft smell of fetid flesh, basked in the rotten sunlight. There were birds outside chirping happily in a revolting melody that can pierce one mind. Ah, I haven''t changed out of my uniform yet, guess I could wear it for today as well. I tried to see if it may need ironing but the exercise is near impossible with this mouldy fabric. Giving up, I lie on my bed again only to find the bouncy sensation I am all too used to being replaced with a mushy thud. This is surprisingly even softer than before, maybe a rotten bed isn''t that bad after all. That was certainly comfortable, albeit strangely but I still need to go to school, much as I don''t want to. Inside of me is filled with dread of what could be waiting outside but the investigation must go on. "Must save Aoi", I said to myself as a reminder but the words just rang hollow. Washing my face, I look to look at that handsome devil in the mirror. A scorched face with parches of decomposing skin and shrivelled lips. My teeth - jagged and blackened, so brushing them probably won''t do any good. Even the messy blond hair that Yuuko loves to ruffle have decayed into broken discoloured strands. Then there are the clear blue eyes, my greatest pride, which are now dull and full of cracks. I am truly a mess, at least mother would still say I am the most handsome guy in the world so there is that. The painting of Dorian Grey is still there, silent. He used up too much power I guess. Making my way outside I can also see my burnt and decayed dormmates making their way to school. The rows of trees are now withered and let off an almost unbearable stench. The wind blowing is foul and feels like the most repulsive touches. Around me, everyone is still walking, chatting happily to one another unaware of their rotten surrounding. So I am the only one who can see the world like this. No surprise there but there was a tiny hope inside that this is real, that it is not just me who sees the world that way. Guess that I will just have to shoulder this then as someone who is now frankly used to this. Or maybe I am the rotten one¡­ As I pace my way, a question keeps on nagging me. Should I inform Akihiko of what had happened? We are all members of the Paranormal Activity club (unofficial) after all. But before, there hasn''t been anything life-threatening or at least that we noticed. But now I know such a thing exists, something deadly, something that killed Aoi. Can I drag him into something like this, what if he is killed or gains this blasted filter of mine? If he dies, it would then be my fault. How can I cope with something like that! Come to think of it, the reason why I first investigated this rot was for finding the truth. But soon, it became something routine, soon I continued to be with them Akihiko and¡­ Yuuko. Just thinking about her makes my heart sinks. I can''t keep on walking anymore, knowing that I would meet her, I would see her with this twisted vision of mine. My Yuuko tainted by this vision! Her perfect form deformed! That pristine skin charred into cinder! Her heavenly hair reduced to a twisted state! Her deep black eyes cracked and hollow! Her sweet and playful voice distorted a screeching mess! Just imagining that makes me sick! No, I don''t want to continue like this! I knew there must be a drawback, a side effect of diving too deep into the rot. Here it is, gazing back at me, corrupting me that rotten abyss. I should have accepted this as a punishment for my overconfidence. I know all too well. I thought I was used to it but no¡­ there is no way to come to term with this festering madness! I can''t stand this anymore, all the stenches, all the warped and impossibly twisted scenery, all the scorched people and their shrills. But the worst lies in the terrifying future, Yuuko. I want to stop this, all of it, everything. Ruffling in my bag, I found it the object I am looking for. The unforgiving coldness of steel is certainly welcoming. With a smile on my face, I plunge the pair of scissors into this rotten neck of mine. And then it was all black¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ I wake up once again, emerge from the void only to be immediately assaulted by the foulest of noise, the most decaying smell. Around me are full of harrowing faces, charred features, hanging jaws. They hound at me, waiting to tear me apart. I try to close my eyes again but the images are still present.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Then suddenly, an angelic like voice, clear as day, shoot through the shrills the shrieks. "All of you go to your classes before you are late. Leave him some space!" I open my eyes and is graced by the purest of figure standing in the midst of the corruption, completely unaffected. "You are awake now? Good, let''s get you to the infirmary" I was picked up gently, my head held in case of concussion. My small frame fits perfectly like a baby in Kumiko-sensei arms as she carries me gently away. This is the third time in the last two days that I feel compel to shed tears for witnessing normalcy. Like the last time, however, I manage to hold it in. To be fair, from today onward, the normal of yesterday will become exceptions. I have hoped that this vision is just a temporary effect but now that is just wishful thinking. So, this will be my life from now on, if so then I will enjoy this for as much as possible. Unmoving, I peek at Kumiko-sensei''s dignified presence. It seems like against a twisting backdrop, all of her features are amplified somewhat. Even her hair, which is of decent quality, look strangely enchanting. Come to think of it, Sensei always has her hair perfectly cut, shoulder length and her bang split down to the side for a bit. A teacher once said he had never seen her donning another style out of her 16 years of teaching. Despite being in her late thirties, Kumiko-sensei looks deceptively young. I even mistook her to be trainee teacher at first seeing that she looks to be in her early twenty. Students would jest that is one of the school 7 mysteries (if there are even enough to be 7), Sensei would say that is a discipline lifestyle. Despite that, she still needs glasses though. Her youthful look, clear sharp eyes plus a mole in the left side under the lips make her a popular target of flirting men. Everyone was rejected outright of course but that didn''t stop them. One day, they would say, someone would eventually conquer the harsh teacher. Looking at her untainted self seems to have restored my sanity somewhat, thatplus sensei''s feeling of gentleness soon lure me into a deep sounding sleep. When I woke up again, I am now in the decaying infirmary. At least in this rotten world, decomposing matter is easy on the back, it feels rather funny though, a bit mushy. The bed is certainly nice but I really don''t want to look at what is it like. "President, you are awake!" A familiar voice called out to me and at that moment everything around just fades away. There is only me and my lovely Yuuko standing there cleansing my mind with her presence. Coming over, she sits by me who is still wondering if this is a dream or not. She pinches me in the cheek. "What with that dazed look, sleepyhead" Her voice is to a still dazed me, too angelic to be true. Plunging myself into her chest, I bask myself in her scent. Digging my fingers into her soft waist, I must look like a weirdo right now but it doesn''t matter. With the other hand, I grab and caress her flowing hair, running the smooth strands between my fingers. I can feel her arms wrapped around my shivering head. At this moment, I could forget everything, Aoi''s death, Elizabeth and Dorian Grey, even the rot itself, everything. "What happened, President?" She asked softly. It takes a while for me to regain my composure but I finally do. Still buried in her chest, I explain everything with a muffled voice. And by ''everything'' I really mean it, even about what happened about Aoi last night and my guilt. Listening attentively from beginning to end, Yuuko remains silent for a while before ruffling my hair just like back then. Before, when I wasn''t used to the rot I would often collapse from the revolting taste. She would always be there to ruffle my hair, to calm me down. ''Don''t worry, Yuuko-senpai is here'' she used to say after those occasions. After becoming a couple though, it changed to just a ''I''m here''. I do miss the old one but of course I much prefer this version. "President, you are a good person and nothing will change that. You just get too into it with your deductions though but I know you mean well" "But what I did are still¡­" I tried to reply but muffled my voice too much at the end here. I am acting like a child now¡­ "Then try to change, I''m sure if you try, the President can become much more considerate. Don''t worry there are me and¡­" I can hear her grunted the name ''Akihiko'' along with a ''tch'' "¡­ there to be with you all the way" "True, guess I am still lucky to have you guys¡­ although it would be great if you and Akihiko could get along though" I can hear Yuuko voice changes, she is probably pouting. "It''s not like I don''t value him being your friend. It''s just that¡­" "You jealous?" I asked, jokingly. A teased Yuuko is just too cute, I want to look at her face but are too afraid. I don''t want to see that horrible scenery anymore. "No, I am not" She immediately retorted "Well, maybe a bit¡­ but that isn''t the main reason. I just don''t like him and I am sure the feeling is mutual!" "Ha ha ha, now that is true. Not sure about the first part though" "Mooo, President you meanie!" Ah, I really want to look at Yuuko right now. Slowly backing my head away, I can feel it is shaking again. I don''t want to open my eyes. Suddenly, I can feel Yuuko palms on my cheeks. She whispered at me softly. "Don''t worry, just look at me only, President" I open my eyes and my vision is filled with only with Yuuko smiling gently at me. "See, it isn''t too hard" She said, pausing a bit before continuing. "On another note, I wonder where you get that recent habit of diving into another chest from?" Ahhhh! I tried to fumble my way out of this. Yesterday with Aoi, it was because our height match like that, ha ha, that''s it! Why did I have to go and describe everything like that! "That''s payback, for teasing me earlier" Yuuko playfully said to a flustered me. We both laugh out loud. Gazing back into me, she continues. "Your blue eyes, they are clear again!" She seemed happy. Guess that before, I must have looked horrible. I can already imagine my eyes dead from staring at all the decay. I admit. "I¡­ I''m scared. I don''t think I can go on, looking at this world like that all the time" Smiling, Yuuko pokes at my forehead "Then why don''t use this head you are so proud of? You remember everything right, why not applying them all over" S¡­She is right, why hadn''t I thought of this earlier. While I can''t remember everything but common sense would just help to fill in the blank. If faced with something new, I just need to glimpse at it with the rot and tries to restore it in my mind. Let just hope that my common sense hasn''t eroded too much yet. I try to look at the space around us and voila, it is a normal infirmary. Everything, all the cabinets, the medicines, the posters they are all here, normal looking. With this I can see it¡­ the world once again. This memory of mine has been of use, that much is undeniable. But then, I have never really cared that much about it, I could probably be fine without something like that. After all, most people don''t have it and deep inside, I feel guilty being born with this ability instead of through hard work. But now, however, I am truly grateful. For this power and especially for Yuuko. I look back at her and our gazes meet. We freeze, fixated on one another. I move my face closer to hers. Is this finally the time? I have been looking forward to this moment for so long, a chance to taste that lips of hers, of my Yuuko. Our mood is interrupted rudely by the sound of bell ringing. Darn it. "Well, I guess I have to go back to class" Yuuko said with a hint of bitterness. "Me too, too bad I can''t lie here all day" The two of us laugh awkwardly and it is time for my girlfriend to return to the senior building. Before she leaves, however, Yuuko suddenly turns around. "President" She called me and kiss on my unsuspecting cheek "See you again soon" And with that, Yuuko left me here all red in the face. Ah, ever since this day started, I have been sent to the land of the dead. Thrown around in an environment shifting constantly. My senses were corrupted and I attempted to kill myself. But then I got Yuuko to kiss me on the cheek. These all happen before noon even. ¡­ Guess that this morning wasn''t so bad after all! Returning to the classroom, the reception I receive wasn''t really to my expectation. Or more like a few ''hi'' is all that I have. Some of my classmates were there this very morning, by now everyone should have known about my attempted suicide right now. Even though I would this the non-existent reaction is rather alarming. It''s not like they were told to stay quiet even, if that was the case then it would be shown in their faces. No, this is as if no one knows what happened. Also, the most pressing question is that how did I survive that even. Placing a hand on my throat I can''t seem to sense any scar or mark. Even if I messed up people would have still witnessed the fail attempt. No, this is as if my meltdown didn''t even exist in the first place. But then what was I even doing at the infirmary. About that place, for some reason I keep on feeling like something was overlooked, but what? Questions swirling in my place but that is when a hint present itself in front of me. "Ah, you are here, lesson is¡­ starting soon" This is Mamoru-sensei''s lesson, who is acting rather cautious toward me. Does he know, I wonder. I try to turn of the vision and in just a blink of an eyes, the classroom becomes hell on earth. All the things most repulsive once again envelop me. While I am fine with burst exposure like this, the transition needs to be work on. In this state, the sudden transformation is even more unbearable than the scenery itself. At least this has been educational as now I know two more that aren''t affected by this rotten vision of mind. One is Akihiko and the other is Mamoru-sensei himself. Putting the filter back on I return to my usual seat where my good friend is sitting there with a worried face on his expression. He wants to say something but the lesson has already started and this is the one class that he can''t talk in seeing that we are marked by the teacher. Trying to be as discrete as possible, I slip Akihiko a message, asking whether he has heard about my attempted suicide or not. After reading the piece of paper, he gives me a V with his hand, that''s a yes. Due to the fact that we investigate the new buildings together, which are always full of students, we have to be extra discrete. For that, us both devised a simple signalling system using hand gestures to indicate various responses. It is quite detail when it comes to the rot, showing if it is where we are or not and its intensity or without a word. That was a fun weekend, spent making up code and level for the rot. For example, level five is equivalent to smell like dead fish in Akihiko case. We really felt like spies, conducting the most secret of operations. Yuuko wasn''t interested though, ''boys stuff'' she said. After several exchanges, I have managed to confirm that Akihiko didn''t learn of my suicide attempt through the students but a teacher instead, Mamoru-sensei to be precise. A memory wiped of sort happened, so are the people unaffected the same with ones that aren''t tainted through my vision? Can those people also sense the rot? More and more questions keep on popping up and many of them have always been there. The more I dig the more layers there are, this rabbit hole just keeps on getting deeper. I try to put up some of our past investigation results up to confirm some suspicion but what appear are blurry messes. Ah, keeping this filter up is more taxing than I thought. There is also not enough information to make any sound theory. Guess¡­ I will just enjoy the lesson then. Gosh, just thinking that is so weird. To enjoy something like this¡­ Chapter 5
Chapter 5: An undeserved break "Guess I will skip practices for now" Akihiko concluded after I recounted to him what happened. "Eh, but aren''t you the baseball club (official) ace and the tournament is coming up after all!" "So what, an innocent girl may get killed over this, you are all messed up. Of course, this would take priority over anything, even baseball" That is¡­ true. Akihiko certainly makes up his mind quickly. Now even if I tell him off because of the danger that guy still wouldn''t step down. Heck, maybe I shouldn''t have told him this at all. Or Yuuko, or anyone for that matter if I want to keep them safe. But then again, I am under no illusion that this feeble me could finish this task by myself, an attempted suicide is already enough proof. So, if I am going to do this I will need help from my trusted friends. I already have a battle plan ready but more help will be needed, just three people wouldn''t be enough. There is a candidate in mind but¡­ maybe I should consult with Akihiko first. "Eh, you want Aoi''s help, but wasn''t she nearly killed" "True that but why didn''t the rot returned to finish the job. I mean its influence is all over the school maybe even more" He seems to be deep in thought, probably going all over the reasons possible. I continue. "This may sound cruel but if that thing returns then she would be dead anyway¡­ might as well have her help" Akihiko looks at me eyes wide. I also can''t believe the day I could say something like this as well. The situation calls for some pragmatism I guess¡­ this is still a scummy thing to say though. Finally, he relents but still seems rather uncomfortable. "Alright, it''s your decision, President. Do you need me to talk to her?" "Nah, I will handle that. I need you to see if there are any other teachers who remember about me trying to kill myself¡­ Actually, it would be great if anyone know how I survived that" I forgot to mention it but Mamoru-sensei is actually Akihiko father. Because of that he is especially strict when it comes to us, yes I am collateral damage here. It is rather unfair but at least no one complains that we are getting special treatment. It is rather strange to see Mamoru-sensei who is just the sweetest suddenly switches to cold as ice when it comes to his own son. Sighing, Akihiko heads to the teacher room before break end. Turning his head mid-way, he turns around to say one last thing. "Just don''t overwork yourself. This may sound cruel but you can''t do anything if you break down" Huh, didn''t think I would receive a comeback, that was a good one though. Anyway, now to head off to meet with Aoi. ¡­ I''m thinking back about last night, right¡­ I definitely am. Ah, what can I say to her after that. To make matter worse, Aoi doesn''t know about the rot at all. As much as I don''t want to spread this story around, she deserved to know. After all I wouldn''t have made it through last night without her. That kiss though, it was my first. Her lips were so soft and for a moment I could feel her tongue washing away the rotten taste. At that moment, I seem to have channel the great Benkei and die right there while standing as blood rushes to my head. The realisation fades rather quickly though and I return to life. But wait, after entering high school for just a few months, I have found myself a girlfriend and also had my first kiss. Now that development isn''t too bad for someone who messed up his debut. Too bad Yuuko wasn''t the one who stole my lips¡­ Wait, it should be the other way around. Ah, mother for just a second there, I have lost sight of being a man! But now¡­ Actually that is enough side-tracking, time to go and actually meets with Aoi. I''m nearly at my destination as well so this time should be spent thinking up what to say. After all, I am horrible in talking if unprepared. Too easy to push around I have to painfully admit. As I approach a turn, however, there is sound of rapid footsteps coming around the corner. Even though I could hear it incoming reacting is a different matter altogether. A resounding thud and I am sent flying as the bodybuilder ace slams at me with all of his might. Rolling in the ground, I can hear him yelling ''sorry'' back at me. Geez, what''s the rush, at least help me up a bit there. I can hear laughter coming from around, this must be a rather amusing scene to watch. Someone does come over and give me a hand, so there is that. Reaching out, I grab the hand instinctively before realising who that is. "Here you go, Pre-si-dent~" It''s Aoi! Talk of the devil. Well, I shouldn''t be surprise to see her here, but the problem is I haven''t prepared myself properly yet. Taking a deep breath, Aoi drags me back up with just a single pull. Fixing my clothes, all I could mutter is a weak sounding ''thanks'' as the memories storm my mind like the Huns. The girl, on the other hand, looks completely as cheery as normal. "Come to think of it, I have been looking for you, President~" Slinging her arm around my shoulders, Aoi drag me away with little trouble. "Where are we going?" I asked while trying to escape her headlock to no avail. "That-is-a-secret~" So, with me in tow, Aoi goes all the way to the music club room. All the way, I can hear giggling, mocking my pathetic escape attempt. Inside are two other girls, both don''t seem to be expecting me. One of them I don''t recognise, which is strange considered her peculiar appearance. No, she is definitely not of our school seeing that I can remember everyone faces. Despite that, the girl is wearing our summer uniform bar the jacket. One of her wrist is full of different colourful bracelets of every kind, hidden among them is a slender¡­ brand name watch! The other is also filled with different hair ties, even the telephone cord variant. Her black hairband is rather tame in comparison. But of course, being a healthy young boy that I am, the first thing that strike my eyes isn''t those accessories. No, it''s her rather well-developed voluptuous body! Her b¡­ size is not overwhelmingly big or anything but still impressive compared to the girls on the island. There is also another detail that is certain to catch one''s attention, that full black sheer tights though! I won''t question it. Her jet-black hair while short is in extremely good condition, it may rival Yuuko even. The bang is evenly cut with a split to the left. She introduced herself as Azumi The other is Makoto, tall and attractive, she is quite reserved in spite of her popularity. Shuffling through quite a few different styles at the beginning of high school, she seems to have settled at just leaving her decently long hair down, the tips are slightly curled outside though. Being Aoi''s closest friends, I also got to observe her quite a bit during my ''investigation''. "Well, he would do" Azumi commented as she tries to hide her smirk. "Ah, you don''t have to drag him all the way here like this" Makoto answered nervously. Stuttering for a bit, she introduced herself proper. Finally letting me loose, Aoi grabs my shoulder tightly. I feel like my bones are starting to crack. "Makoto-chan here wants to ask you something. You would listen right, President~" Even though she is acting like her usual self, this grip really suggests otherwise. If I am not careful, heads will be rolling, my head! At least the Makoto is nice enough to let me sit down probably. She even offers me some tea which I decline, it does smell real good though. After some formality, the room falls silent. Both Aoi and Azumi seem to be expecting their friend to be saying something. Meanwhile, Makoto is quite fidgety, blushing even. I know that usually she can be quite shy but not like this. Wait, this setup, is this¡­ perhaps a confession! "I see you have something to say. Don''t worry, just take all the time you want" Well, I already have Yuuko so sincerely sorry. Although I must say I am quite flattered! "Well, sorry for bothering you like this but¡­ I want to ask you about Akihiko-san!" "Eh?" "You see, this girl here fancies that guy and since his birthday is coming up. She wants to ask of you for advice!" Azumi interjected while a flustered Makoto tries to stop her. Now I feel like a dork for that hasty judgement, talk about over-confidence. But why come to me though? Akihiko is born and raised on this island, almost everyone here including Makoto grow up with him. Besides, he has always been a very popular guy, well loved by actually everyone I have met. While I am close with him now true, I just came here a few months ago! "Why don''t you ask Kubota or Gou of the baseball club. They are Akihiko neighbours since¡­ well the beginning, right?! Sighing, Azumi steps on a chair to lecture me. "So are we and that is the problem! They all know the same thing and there are tons more girls pinning for him. I mean, handsome, athletic and from a respectable family. Akihiko is hot stock here" Um, hearing someone describing your friend like that is strange to the ears¡­ Still, I can get what she is saying. Anyway, the girl continues. "They are all too used to each other. You, meanwhile, are someone new so maybe you can spot something that we don''t!" That¡­ actually make sense. But then, there is something I should ask. "But if you like him¡­ why not confess?" I can hear Aoi clicking her tongue on that. Before Azumi can answer that, however, Makoto herself stands in. "It''s because to Akihiko-san, I am just one of his many friends. Of course, I try myself to stand out, approaching him more frequently and such but¡­ he still looks at me the same way. Besides, I can''t just confessing out of nowhere and hopes for the best. I need to do something special and please don''t give me the ''your feeling is what matter''. There are lots more girls out there ready to pour their ''feeling'' into this¡­" She got a bit heated at the end there. The girl realises that at least. "Sorry, I¡­ shouldn''t have said that" She was certainly frustrated, the girl probably tried everything she knows already, probably asked for help from a ton more. Yet, she couldn''t see any result. Suddenly it reminds me of how lucky I am to be with someone like Yuuko. After all, I am someone with a lot of advantages already. My yellow hair and blue eyes are quite exotic after all. Also, I could sense the rot, a bond I share with her (and Akihiko). It was logical that we would hang out, us going out also flowed naturally. Having a strict parents, Yuuko barely shows herself on the street so many don''t even know of her. Ever since the beginning I had no competition. Despite all this rot business, I am still quite blessed after all. Hm, now after realising all this, I can''t keep on being this passive! Especially my life may end any moment now, it''s time to initiate my own romantic events. That''s it, after school today I am asking her out for a date! But now I should help Makoto first. "Don''t worry, I can understand where you are coming from. I will try my best to help then!"A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. "Really?" Whoa, she is certainly pretty smiling like this. Akihiko, you are one lucky guy as well, oh well it''s not like I am jealous anyway. "See, I told you the President would help" "Um, why do you keep calling him that anyway?" Azumi questioned but Aoi just laughed it off anyway. That was¡­ simple, brushing off like that. She acted like it doesn''t matter then others won''t care. That is a very useful technique, I can''t seem to use it though. Anyway, back to the request. I rack my brain, trying to think of something Akihiko likes that is not well-known. Yes, there is something like it, he told me once while strolling the old library. "I know that he is really interested in Western classic literature. He even mentioned some books he specifically wants once" Now that is a weird one, Akihiko has read them from the library and yet he still wants physical copies. Hearing Makoto''s eyes seem to light up, so at least this isn''t known. Although why though, I wonder? "So¡­ do you have any suggestion?" Funny fact, despite having a pair of glasses and being rather reserved, I don''t actually read much or any at all. At least I still remember the examples Akihiko gave me, they should be enough. "Well, I do have a few, want me to make a list for you?" "Um, that would be great!" The others stare as I write down the titles. They don''t seem to recognise any in this, Azumi and Aoi are soon bored and return to chatting about something. Finishing, I give my list to Makoto. Her gaze seems so intense it may go through the paper even. She seems to whispering something to herself, trying to name possible book stores I guess. Looking at her being this dedicated, I can''t be help but wanting to help. "Makoto-san, so have you thought of when to give him this?" Looking at me with disappointed eyes, she answers. "With everyone else I guess" "Well, why don''t you ask him out for something. To help with something for example, knowing Akihiko he would definitely help!" Makoto thinks about it for a bit and starts to get red in the face. "You mean¡­ like a¡­ date!" "Maybe, but don''t go tell Akihiko that" We then go over some convincing excuses, while he would help anyway having a sound reason wouldn''t hurt. The birthday boy himself might be busy on that day though. So it falls to me to see if he has to do anything, if needed I can set them even. If Akihiko actually has something to do, maybe it is best to do this before that date then. It is a shame to miss the birthday but then the present would stand out more. After some time, Makoto has quite a solid plan ready. "Thank you, for of all of this" She said sincerely, enough to make me blush slightly. "Wah, you certainly are a thorough guy! Azumi said. "That''s the President for you, never do anything half-way!" Ah, all of this compliments are making me redder and redder. Although I can hear Aoi whispers ''thorough in everything, even stalking even'' at me. None of the others catch that at least. After a few laugh we realise that lunch break is coming to an end. Azumi and Makoto already have their own bento so me and Aoi will have to get to the cafeteria fast. Saying goodbye, I left the room. After such a long time concentrating on the rot, this is quite a refreshing change. The time for break is over though, time to get back to work. I ask Aoi if we could talk somewhere private. She reluctantly accepts. "So what do you have for me then, President? Is it about Dorian-san?" In the end, I could not make up my mind whether to tell her or not. I will have to gauge her reaction first then. "Yes, he told me there is another painting like that in the school" "Wait, really! Where is it then?" Aoi really seems interested, I wonder how much do she care about this, about Dorian. "This other one¡­ it''s very dangerous and capable of murder even. Our club was formed to investigate its influence in the first place actually. We never would have known that it is another painting though if not for Dorian¡­" "So you are telling me that this is very dangerous then" Aoi doesn''t seem to flinch, even when I mentioned ''murder''. Although I could see that she is taking this seriously. She continues. "I¡­ know that, especially after yesterday. You didn''t know it but the expression on your face was¡­ harrowing. Your body was contorting, withering painfully. And you kept on asking to be released, to be killed. It was just¡­ horrifying" She paused as the memories came back to her all at once. Aoi looks a bit sick actually. I have never thought of this though, how would I look facing the overwhelming corruption. How I would reflect upon being imprinted by evil. "After that, even I would know that this is dangerous!" "Don''t worry, I would understand if you don''t want to help¡­" "Of course I would help" Aoi immediately reacted, cutting me mid-sentence "Dorian told me what you did was for my sake. You had to face something so terrible that it reduced you to¡­ that, because of me. It that is the case then I at least want to do something!" Aoi finished her declaration right when the bell rings, it''s time for class again. I tell her we will talk later and take my leave. Just as I am turning around, she grabs my sleeve. "President, a girl is pouring her heart out here you know¡­ Don''t leave me hanging like that¡­" Aoi face is blushing slightly as she looks to the side. Seeing her fidgeting like this, how can I say no. The next class belong to Kumiko-sensei though¡­ Oh well, I will endure her punishment later then. We walk opposite of everyone else quietly to some place discrete. Aoi doesn''t even turn around to face me once. She, however, keeps on holding my sleeve all the way though. "Just sit down wherever you like~" Aoi said as we return to the now empty music club room. Looking around, I picked the same spot as before anyway. The girl, this time, drags a chair next to the window and settle down there. "I''m ready, just lay it all out, President" Her usual cheery self is now switched to a more serious attitude. Gathering my courage, I told her about the rot, about nearly everything, even my vision, all I left out is Elizabeth. Yes, I even informed her of her own demise. After all, if Aoi is to help us, there''s a high chance that her memory may resurface again. If that is the case, her knowing will make the remembering much easier to swallow. Of course, there is still a different between knowing and experiencing, especially when it comes to death. But in this case, every bit would help. At first, she looked surprise, for a moment there was the face of denial. It was a hollow, was she trying to stare at it I wonder, the empty void of oblivion. Aoi then quietly accepted it, much to my surprise. Although I know that deep down, she is still trying to cope with the information. But for her to believe it so easily, maybe a part of her still remembers. Although she did react quite strongly listening about my altered perception, even more than with her own demise. There is an almost empty expression as she tried to sort her feeling. Next I told her next about my attempted suicide. The image of Aoi then is burned into my mind. It isn''t anything overtly emotional or anything. It was more of a restrained expression, maybe that is what hit me. Aoi bit on her lips with her eyes open wide. She tries to close it, to look away but can''t. Her hands reach out slightly for seemingly no reason, all rigid. She was devastated but tried to hold it in. That girl tried to restrain it, what is inside. But in her eyes, I can still see it, the raging emotion. And all that was because of me. Because Aoi cares. "After all that, do you still want to help me?" The girl stands up and proudly says. "I am at your service now, President~" She is still quite shaken but still maintain her cheerful look, Aoi is certainly strong. Looking at her trying her best like this is certainly contagious, even I now have a smile on my face. Can''t believe that just this very morning I was going to give all of this up. "But still, my help doesn''t come for free though~" "Um, what do you need?" "Well, how about making me member of this club of yours~" That was what she asked for? It''s not like our (unofficial) club does anything aside from investigation. Besides, she spends most of the time during school time with her friends anyway. There is normal club time but¡­ that''s my time with Yuuko! Gosh, just thinking that make me feel like I''m full of ulterior motives. With a smile on her face, Aoi continues. "Don''t worry, I won''t jump in your lovey-dovey time, Pre-si-dent~" "Wait¡­ what are you talking about¡­ ha ha" "Geez, didn''t you say yesterday that you have a girlfriend right. But normally I never see you with any girl, so of course you would hang out with her in club time like" She got me, how can Aoi mention yesterday event so straight-face like that. "Hm, let''s see, is she your vice President, that Yuuko that you told me~" "Well, you can say so¡­ ha ha" Technically this isn''t really a secret or anything. It just that after so long with no one aside from Akihiko knowing, it just became so naturally. A discrete relationship, there is some romance in that. But when pointed out like it is more embarrassing than it ever has the right to. Aoi is still not done with me though. "So, is she the one in that drawing of yours? Right right! Oh my, President, you struck gold there~" Ah, now I''m just being teased. Aoi has always known how to deal with me, ever since the beginning. "Ha ha, with someone like that, of course I didn''t stand a chance~" That¡­ Guess maybe this is the time for me to ask her "Aoi-san¡­ why did you like me in the first place?" My question kind of came out of nowhere, maybe it was unfair but it was her who brought it up first. "I was scared you know, hearing voice out of painting like that. You came along and shared that secret with me. Then last night, seeing you like that for my sake, it was rather touching so¡­ Oh well, it was just a spur of the moment, it will pass soon" "I¡­ I see" "What, you think I liked you before yesterday? You are quite a confident guy, Pre-si-dent~" Looks at me, being toyed around like this. Still, that makes sense now that I think about it. Now I feel even more stupid, to take something like that so seriously. "But you know, President?" Aoi continues. "Huh? About what?" She turns to me, her usual merry self is gone, in its place is a gentle look. Placing a finger on her soft lips, that girl strikes the final blow. "That was my first kiss, you know" Ah, now I am getting all worked up now. I try to hide my blushing face but exactly how I don''t know. Meanwhile, Aoi is still smiling like that. Ah, I would rather her just laughing at me for that. This somehow hits even harder. But still, I have observed her plenty by now. I got to see the normal cheery Aoi, the secretly studious Aoi, the pushy Aoi, the athletic Aoi, the troubled Aoi and even a de¡­ an Aoi that has rested in peace. I truly have seen a lot of her, probably more than anyone at this school, at this island even. But still, the girl in front of me with a hint of sombre is the most beautiful Aoi. My heart even skips a beat, a few beats actually. Yes, I do have a girlfriend but at the same time, I am still a boy. Of course I would get nervous being with someone this alluring. We spend the next moments in silent in this empty room together. I can''t have it but leering at Aoi who is now looking out the window. She seems to be deep in thought, about what I don''t know. The lights aren''t actually on, no one is supposed to be here after all. We can still see clearly though with the afternoon shining through the windows. It makes this scene almost enchanting. But this scenery itself puts fear in me. This is all just a fabrication of my mind after all, superimposed upon the world. What if all of this beauty, Aoi included is just me deluding myself. After all, I have never seen an Aoi like this, what if what in front of me is just a fantasy. I don''t want that to be the case. This isn''t about liking someone or not. In this mind of mind nothing is really forgotten, it is tiring and taxing. Soon everything becomes saturated. Now to me, the sight of Mt. Fuji, the lush green of the Kenrokuen Garden, the mighty Nachi Falls, even all that Miyajima can offer, everything is now generic good looking landscape. None of them resonate anymore. This bleeds over into everything of my life. Books, television, manga and even people, they are all clich¨¦. I never wanted to become like that though. I want to enjoy, to appreciate like everyone else. That was why I never liked this hyper eidetic memory of mine. Ever since coming here, a new horizon seems to have opened for me but it isn''t always present. The rot invaded my life so suddenly, so easily. Now there are this twisted vision of mine. None of this can be called boring. In face, when investigation started, when the Paranormal Activity club (unofficial) opened, it was all so exciting. But of course, corruption wasn''t what I had in my as something I ever wanted. No, what I truly appreciate is the scene of beauty, enough to shook this jaded soul of mine. It was Yuuko, my Yuuko who is truly unrivalled in this heart of mine. She has offered so much, just to see her every day is enough motivation for me to go. For the first time in years, my dysfunctional imagination was fired up on all cylinders. What would she wear, what expression would she make, what side of her would I get to see. Now, to see all of Yuuko is my dream. Gosh, I need to reign back this mind, a boy imagination does contain what you might call ''perverse''. Joking aside, I really mean it, Yuuko being my dream that is. I want to see it all, hers every nooks and crannies, both physically and mentally. Just thinking about that make me excited¡­ Anyway, enough of that tangent. My mind always side-tracked every time I think about that vice president of mine. What I meant is that I am a person who truly desire beauty. Now in front of me is one such example, just a thought of it being fake makes me nauseous. I must see, I must know the truth. And with that, I turn of my filter. What there is enough to bring me to my knees, lucky that I am already sitting down. Against the backdrop of corruption, Aoi is even more enchanting. At that moment, she turns around. When our eyes meet, I am thunderstruck, totally bewitched. But why? She is pretty, there is no doubt about hat but nowhere near Yuuko''s level. And yet there is still something about that girl called Aoi that is utterly tempting. Ah, I want to know, I want to see it all! My train of thought is rudely interrupted by the sound of the door opening. My filter automatically kicks in and everything turns back to normal. At this moment, a thought struck me. This untainted view is rather¡­ quaint. Anyway, back to our sudden visitor, who turns out to be Akihiko who is breathing quite heavily. I can even see droplets of sweat on his forehead even. He is going to say something but relents after spotting Aoi. Guess I should introduce my confused friend to the Paranormal Activity club (unofficial) newest member. Akihiko is surprised with my decision but he doesn''t seem to have any problem with it. "Are you alright, why are you here during class time" I asked. "So are we, President~" Aoi reminded me of our truancy. Putting both hands on his hip, Akihiko stands up to breath properly. "I was running everywhere looking for you, what else!" For him to be this tired out, he must have been combing through the entire school to look for me. "Do you have any news?" "No, it''s nothing like that" "Then why do you have to rush to find me like that?" I asked, truly wonder what is going on. Akihiko answers with just a small hint of anger in his voice. "Well, you told me about investigating evil murderous force. Then you went and didn''t return so I was worried. Turn out you are just chilling out here with a girl" "Hey, you don''t to put it like that!" I reacted quite fiercely, that was low of him. "Then what is it like then, you sure took your time recruiting" Akihiko replied in a mocking tone. "Well, things happened and I was dragged here you know" What is going on? I have never seen Akihiko this annoyed at something, especially me. Then I come to notice Aoi who has been having the widest grin. "You two sure are close friend~" She commented. "What make you think that?" I replied, rather pissed off with Akihiko''s attitude. "Well, he is only complaining because he is worried you know. For him to get so worked up, you two must be close~" I¡­ didn''t think of it that way. Judging from his state, he must have been searching for me in full sprint. Looking at me, Akihiko finally says. "I was, so what? Anyway, sorry about all that. It was rather uncalled for" "No, that was reasonable of you. I have to be the one to say sorry, worrying you like that" "Nah, you were dragged away right. Of course, you wouldn''t have been able to inform me" "Naah, I should have dropped by at least before lesson" "Naaah, that would have been rude of you" ¡­ Ok, this is starting to get to my nerve again. Akihiko is also equally ticked off. Meanwhile, Aoi couldn''t hold back anymore and burst out laughing. Looking at her like this, now I feel idiotic for getting so worked up like that. In front of me is Akihiko who is also feeling embarrassed for that display. We look up at each other and also burst into laughter. Finally settled down after a while. We decide to return for the next class. Luckily, Mamoru-sensei is being generous and so none of us receives detention. Chapter 6
Chapter 6: A rather inappropriate section Today has been a roller-coaster ride. I went from the lowest point possible in this life of mind to the top of the world. Things were looking up however, Aizumi and her problem was a much-needed diversion. Even me telling Aoi all the horrors ended with a surprisingly cheery note thanks to Akihiko. Gaining another member, the Paranormal Activity club (unofficial) went into full gear. Akihiko would try to find out why some teachers aren''t affect by my twisted vision. Aoi''s job is to access the Paranormal Activity club''s (official) records. Once upon the time that place was filled with serious people after all. They had left behind quite a substantial amount of written records, maybe they did catch onto something. Finally, class is over. Walking to the old-school building, I can feel the excitement burning in me. My pace quickens into a full sprint. Entering the old clock tower, I open the door to the desolate library. Navigating the maze-like bookshelves, I make my way to the librarian desk only to find it empty. What is going on? I thought to myself, Yuuko is always here after class. The counter is still open though, that''s mean she must be around. Maybe she is going to the toilet, or maybe picking out some book¡­ I assure myself but the words ring hollow. Something inside me feels like churning as I start to have cold sweat. What if it has¡­ gotten her¡­ I soon dismiss the thought, however, there are plenty of reasons why one would leave her seat. And yet, this accursed mind keeps on gravitating toward the grimmest of possibilities. Fear soon envelops my body and I am left shivering. Ah, this feeling of dread has been gnawing at me for a while now. Things all went too well after hell breaking loose like that. It was too idyllic, so much that I have been expecting some sort of divine intervention to strike down at the struggling me. Suddenly someone grabs my shoulders and I recoil in terror. "President, are you alright?" It''s Yuuko! Just looking at her has calmed me down somewhat. "Eh, me? Haha, I''m fine, very fine indeed" I said hastily, trying to brush it off. To my surprise, Yuuko lets that obvious lie through "I see" She just said "Well then, let''s us go to" "To the clubroom? I thought you still have work to do?" "About that, I have decided to close down the library early today" She gives me a wink while spinning a set of keys around "I lock the door even so no one could come in!" "Um, you do the staffs have a copy right¡­" Looking at me, a devilish smile flashes across her face. Now this is a rare expression, I thought¡­ Why is she making that though! I ask but she keeps on whistling, in the end all I receive is ''Guess!" Letting out a sigh I take on her challenge "You changed the lock right" On Yuuko face is a shocked expression. She must have expected me to take much more tries than this. Got her ''hard to guess'' mood ready even. But still, of course I would notice the extra keys on your keychain. They are quite old though, she probably dug them up from somewhere. "Aww, what''s wrong" I said in the sweetest of tone, enough to give myself type 2 diabetes. Having failed in her attempt to tease me and got counter attacked instead, Yuuko doesn''t know how to feel or what face to use. Embarrassed, she starts to put with her cheeks slightly red. Ah, my vice president is just too cute! I can''t help it but to give her a pat and ruffle her hair (while on a chair of course) "You are just treating me like kid now¡­" She said in muffled voice. "Ha ha" "President¡­ it''s kind of creepy how much you are enjoying this" Ah, that hurts! Being treated by a child by nearly everyone for my look, I really do like doing the same to someone else. Hearing Yuuko said that makes me feel like a pervert though¡­ Mother I swear I''m not one! At least she seems to enjoy my mental struggle, that or maybe just the sight of me getting off a chair. "You know" Yuuko said with her rare seductive tone "We have this entire library to ourselves" Her sudden shift in tone caused me to mess up my descending and fell on my bottoms. It hurts alright but I don''t care, the scene of me has taken all of my attention. It is of Yuuko who is on all fours, crawling toward me. She looks at me with the eyes of a predator, a cat perhaps playing her prey. On her face is a playful grin with a hint of naughtiness. Oh how am I fixated on that girl now, everything else just slowly fades away. Time even seems to slow down just so I can appreciate her beauty more. Suddenly, Yuuko licks her lips sultrily. I can feel myself burning up with something other than embarrassment for once. This is all progressing so fast¡­ but it''s not like I hate it. I''m still a healthy high school boy after all! Yuuko puts up her hand to my forehead and gives it a poke. "Ok, you are ''it'' now!" And with just that she bolted of, leaving me sitting there like an idiot. It took me what felt like an eon to realise what is going on, I''m becoming slow these day. I try to find Yuuko but it seems like quite a difficult task. This library is huge with many maze-like pathways and I haven''t been to most of them even. Isn''t this more hide and seek then? Or not since I can hear Yuuko calling out for me. It takes me a while to navigate this place but I am finally there, just after this turn¡­ Suddenly, Yuuko flings herself and pins me down to the floor "What took you so long, I was getting scared here!" "Sorry, guess I should have yelled back at you" I said, scratching my head "But why don''t you just return then?" After hearing my question, she immediately turns away with her mind in full gear. But what is she thinking about? Or don''t tell me¡­ "Were you lost?" I guessed and it hit bullseye. "No, it''s not like¡­ Alright, I was really lost" She admitted. Looking at her like this just make me want to tease her some more but I manage to resist the temptation. I still want to do something though. After some thought, I decide in a flip that catches an unsuspecting Yuuko off-guard. Now I am the one on top! Ah, what is this unfamiliar feeling of dominating! This feel so wrong yet so right! We stay like that for a minute, then another, then another and another¡­ "Um, what were you going to next, President?" Yuuko, who has turned from embarrassed to awkward, asked. "Guess that I should have put more thought into this" I admitted. That was a lie, however, I did have quite a clear thought of what to do. A kiss followed up by maybe a slight touch and much much more, use your own imagination for this one. It was all her though, leading me by the nose like that only for the bait and switch. How was I supposed to get rid of this excitement that easily. Well, that was the plan anyway but I don''t want to force something like this on my Yuuko. Before I could stand up though she suddenly pulls me down into her embrace. "What the?" I asked with my muffled voice. "This is to say sorry" She said. "Um, there is nothing for you to apologise for" "Well, that was for¡­ leading you on earlier¡­" Wait, did she notice my excitement, pretty sure I hid it pretty well! Yuuko continues. "I was¡­ curious too you know so there is no need to hide that. I wanted to do¡­ stuffs as well but not out of impulse like that¡­" She couldn''t continue anymore due to the embarrassment. I did get she mean though and it kind of makes me glad that she feels the same. After the kiss, a deep one even, yesterday I was getting anxious. Make no mistake, that wasn''t my first nor the furthest I have ever gotten. It just that Aoi isn''t my girlfriend and yet we did something like that. The circumstance made it justifiable, but I can''t help but feel anxious about my progress with Yuuko. This coupled with the fact that my previous relationship progress way faster. Too fast though, that skewed my own perspective about how something like this would progress. I was worried that Yuuko wouldn''t feel the same about me. Guess now I have my confirmation now. Hearing all that has calmed me down completely. There is no need for rush development. This to me is plentily fine. Besides, I''m not that thirsty for a physical relationship, having experienced plentily already. "Don''t worry, that was the right thing to do!" I assured Yuuko and hold her tight in my arms "I''m more than satisfied as long as you are with me" Even though I couldn''t see her, I can still sense a faint smile. A presumptuous guess but one I hope to be the truth. Yuuko reacts by holding me back. It makes me kind of guilty for lying again. Of course I want Yuuko, my one and only Yuuko. But oh well, I can wait.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Smothered by her gentleness, I slowly drifted off to sleep along with this dirty rotten mind. I finally woke up just in time to see the sun setting. The horizon was bleached with a striking red to my still unadjusted eyes. The scenery was most vivid and otherworldly. Maybe it was truly unreal, I couldn''t tell if this filter is showing me the truth or what. Although it was quite unlike me to dream up something like that seeing that the sun setting had never left any impact on me before. Yuuko had to leave in quite a rush though, it was way pass her schedule. It made me felt like a jerk, keeping her here like this. So, she left but not without leaving a final smile for me. That girl was certainly magical cause that never fail to cheer me up. Now I am have finally reached my room, still with an idiotic grin plastered on my face. Bursting the door open with joy, what greets me is most unusual. There he is, Dorian Grey, sitting the with all of his irresistible charm. It seems like he has gathered quite a bit of power to show a form this clear and alluring¡­ But why is a person like that¡­ holding my underpants in his hand! To make matter worse, Dorian is looking me with eyes filled with guilt as well. So he does know what is going on isn''t normal! "I''m so sorry for my action" He apologised while kneeling with his head touching the ground. Whoa. a dogeza no less! "Um, it''s alright, I''m not mad at all" That is the truth, it will take a lot more to dampen this Yuuko-infused positivity "But what are you doing?" "About that, I woke up shortly after you left for school. Sitting around with all of this made me rather¡­ curious" The man admitted. I can understand why he would feel that way though. Dorian has been locked up in that cabinet for as long as he can remember. To be surrounded by darkness like that must have been torturous. When he was finally freed the circumstance wasn''t the brightest. Only now can he finally explore this world¡­ starting with my room though. "So, Mr. President, how has your day been" Dorian asked. "Why are you calling me ''President'' though?" "Isn''t that what everyone calls you?" "Now that you say it. Well, I don''t really have any problem with it¡­ actually you can remover the ''Mr'' part" I answered. There is a lot of things for me to tell him but there is one problem that need to be addressed now "Dorian¡­ you can stop kneeling now" The man finally sits up, now we can finally talk properly. "There is something I have to ask. Does the name Elizabeth rings any bell at all?" "It does sound familiar but I don''t think I know who that is" Dorian answered. He tries to remember but nothing seems to come to light. "That''s strange, she refers to you as brother after all" Besides, you guys actually look scarily similar, just like a gender swap version of one another. Most of all, they both radiate an overwhelming beauty. Just looking at them can put someone in a trance, not me though since I am already used to it. Actually, if I try to filter out that godly presence, what will be left¡­ Wait, this¡­ "Are you alright there, President?" Dorian asked me who is now dumbfounded by a new-found revelation. "I¡­ I know someone who looks just like Elizabeth, down to every single detail except the hair colour" I said "That person just doesn''t have the same aura as you two" "Can you tell me who is that?" Dorian asked me with an almost desperate tone to it. "Well, she has been living with us ever since I could remember. She takes care of all the household chores only, also looking after me when I was a child as well" Back then, I always thought she was a relative. After all, in our whole small town only the three of us have yellow hair and blue eyes. She also distantly resembles mother somewhat. "For the longest time, I thought she is my auntie. Mother calls her Atsuko, which I highly doubt is her real name" I never found the name jarring though, probably because mine is also Japanese as well. "Do you think she is a Grey as well?" Dorian asked. "I¡­ don''t know actually. But I sure hope not!" Now I feel distressed just thinking about that possibility "Atsuko is¡­ my mother''s lover after all" "Eh?" Dorian is dumbfounded "How does that work? Aren''t they both¡­" "Female? Yep, they are" Just talking about this makes me despises this memory of mine. I will remember everything to the most minute of details. Also, our apartment isn''t that big either so¡­No, no, no, I need to get away from this topic quick. The last thing I need is to remember mother¡­ "AGHHHHHH" I screamed mentally as all the inappropriate memories returned in droves. Just images are horrifying enough but no, this ability of mine has to record everything! At least Dorian seems to notice my blank face of silent agony, the man decides to drop the subject. "Anyway, how come I can see you now, Dorian" I asked, trying to distract myself. "I have been wondering about that as well. My guess is that because there are more people around here. Right now, I can feel the presence of others in this building" So he can siphon power from people? From me and those around, the thought of that gives me cold sweet. How much is he sucking from us and what sort of ''power'' is this exactly. This also begs another question. "What about before, when you were in that cabinet? Was there some sort of seal or something?" Placing his chin on his hand, Dorian gives the question a few moment before answering. "I don''t believe that is the case. Back then I didn''t use this power for anything so acquiring it wasn''t much of a priority. But now I could do something, make a difference¡­" Gazing at his palm, Dorian fell silent. His mind no doubt filled with possibilities of what could do or could have done. "If only I knew, maybe I could prevent that in the first place, her death" The man murmured to himself with bitterness in his voice. He must care for her a lot, Aoi that is. I can''t imagine what it must feel like, to be in the dark for so long. To hear it all, the students the teachers and everything that went on in that art room. I can feel it, I can see it, a man desperately reaching out. But no matter how hard he tries, there is nothing there for him to touch, to feel. No matter how loud he screams, no one could hear him, no one would answer. The darkness must have felt eternal, unbearable, suffocating. But then one day someone did answer, someone did hear his pleas. It was a girl, full of worries but also full of energy. To him, she was there, she was real, she was alive. Then someone, something had to come and tear it away from her. That must have been the catalyst to awaken his power. Now here he is, discovering his potential like a child learning how to walk. And what a terrifying child he is. I can see it, distortion in the air, space twisting itself within his palm. Dimension itself is flailing, writhing violently. There isn''t anything particular horrific about it and yet I find this scene highly disturbing. Yes the me who has seen this world in its beautiful rotten form. How could I find something like this so unnerving! It''s as if I am seeing the natural order of this world being bent in the hand of a spectral figure. Feeling light-headed, I have to take a seat as strange phenomenon start to surface. Dots, there are dots in the middle of the rooms, there are dots everywhere. They are all impenetrably dark, maybe because there is nothing there, even light. They are hollow yet so inviting, as if they are luring you fill in those dots. Oh and when I say they are everywhere, I don''t mean just the kind you can see. I can smell it, I can hear it, I can feel it, I can taste it, dots of nothingness. You are always seeing, smelling, hearing, feeling, tasting, something anything, your mind just adjust those things to be normal, to be ignored. Quite ironic isn''t it, that nothingness can be so noticeable, so much so that all your attentions are seemingly drawn into that void. But you aren''t swallowed whole, no this is just like being nibbled by emptiness. I try to stand up, to stop Dorian but just end up head-first into the ground anyway. I don''t understand, this is not like my vision or the room itself is twisted. And yet, I can''t seem to orient myself, maybe there are more dots than I could ever imagine, or in my imagination as well. They are also getting bigger and bigger, I can feel it, terror/amazement/grief/loathing/rage/vigilance/ecstasy/admiration/fear/surprise/sadness/disgust/anger/anticipation/joy/trust/apprehension/distraction/pensiveness/boredom/annoyance/interest/serenity/acceptance/submission/awe/disapproval/remorse/contempt/aggressiveness/optimism/love. That feeling is surging inside me. Looking up, I can see a fr il lump of meat and s in and bone that is s pposed to be my arm. Is t at thing ev n connected o me I wond r, it sur doe n''t feel t at way. A tually, is his vis on e en min . T e v ids, he ttin ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ "President, wake up, President!" Suddenly, an angelic voice pierced my ears gently. I wake up to see Dorian kneeling by my side. Why does he look so shaken, as if something horrible has happened? Looking at me, tears start to stream out of his clear blue eyes. "You are¡­ awake, I thought that you would¡­ because of me" Oh, so it is because of that. I try to calm down him down, the man is starting to become hysterical. "If you are¡­ gone as well, I¡­I¡­" Dorian stuttered, he is currently having some sort of panic attack. To see someone this stunning breaking down like this is most unreal. To see him not being his alluring self. There is a strange sense of satisfaction in this though, knowing that it is because of me. I try to calm him down, to tell him it wasn''t bad at all. That is the truth or more like I think? I can''t seem to make up my mind or feeling about that experience at all. Was it bad? Was it good? Was it horrifying? Was it interesting? I really don''t know. At least I don''t regret it so there that¡­ I guess? "So, what did you do?" I asked him, hope that this would him feel better. "I was making this, I don''t know why though" Dorian opens his palm to reveal a small ball-like gem. The thing shines a sparkling but gentle shade of brown. For some reason, I find it to be so lively, so energetic, just like¡­ Ah, so that''s it. The realisation brings a smile to my face. "What''s wrong? You don''t like this creation of yours?" "No, it''s not like that. The problem is the opposite, I feel strangely¡­ attracted to it. This feeling, it doesn''t sit right with me, it feels dirty somehow¡­" I can certainly get where the man came from. The gem just seems to radiate love, longing, it is passionate yet clear, pure. And yet, Dorian still feel dirty, to look at his own innocent attraction. Kind of ironic given his name I supposed. "If you don''t want to, maybe I can have it instead" For some reason, I just blurted it out. Looking at me, Dorian seems to be truly bewildered "You want this¡­ impure thing?" "Of course" I gave a meaningless answer. After a few moments of hesitation, it is finally in my palm. Just holding it somehow makes me more conscious of my own perverted mine¡­ No, no it''s not at dirty all, my mind that is¡­ "Is there anything else?" I asked seeing that Dorian is still thinking about something. "Maybe tomorrow could you bring me to school!" "Huh? Why?" Does he want to study now, nah I think not. "I absorbed an immense amount of power right now, greater than I had ever accumulate before. Yet I can still maintain this form, I can still communicate with you. Imagine if I can draw even more¡­ maybe I can beat it, President! Maybe I can eradicate that rot!" Dorian said with a vengeful tone at the end there. I''m not sure about this though "I don''t think you should do this" I said. "Why, I can do it, to get rid of this evil!" Dorian was nearly yelling. "But are you getting too agitated here, just¡­ calm down for bit!" Standing up, I yelled back at him "What if you fail! Slow down for a bit will you" "How can I know if I don''t try" He also stood up, dwarfing the not so tall me "Besides, this is nor the time to go slow. What if he strikes again, what if something¡­ happens to her again. I thought you would know this best, witnessing it with your own eyes like that!" I¡­ I don''t know how to say about that actually. For a moment, images of most gruesome nature flash in my mind. I manage to suppress them though, these grisly memories. I certainly don''t want to see them again, to see Aoi suffers and yet¡­ I just don''t want to do this for some reason. I try to rack my brain but couldn''t think of any excuse. "You are right¡­ I will bring you to school first thing in the morning" "Thank you President" Sitting down again, Dorian continues "And sorry for earlier, I shouldn''t yell like that. It was rude and undignified of me" "Nah, it''s fine, I can understand¡­ you no what, I will crash now" Ignoring his response I dive for this comfy bed of mine. The moment I touch the thing, all the fatigue in the world hits me all at once. I am nearly out cold! Trying to set the alarm first though. I notice that this is still the school uniform from last night. I am too tired to change though so let''s just skip it for today. Holding the gem in my hand, I slowly drift to sleep. I see is that time with Aoi in the empty music room. That girl was truly irresistible¡­ Before I am out completely, my mind still manages to shift back to Yuuko in the end, MY Yuuko. Chapter 7
Chapter 7: An excess in indulgent "Why so shocked" The man said in a callous tone, almost mockingly. He received no answer, however, since I my mind was blank. I could never think properly under pressure after all. Besides, I was busy clutching her wound, trying to keep her innards from spilling out. I couldn''t think, I couldn''t feel, I couldn''t breathe, the world that I have existed in for so long seemingly uprooted. "Why!" I screamed back at him with all of my pathetic might. "Because I can" The answer was cold, inhuman "Besides, why would you care, child?" "Wh¡­What do you mean?" I asked desperately. He simply looked back at me with uncaring eyes. All of his previous gentleness gone without a trace. There is simply no shred of empathy to be found here. "Everyone around you are just mindless sheep, enjoying their empty life by filling it with fake smiles and dramas. Posers, the lots of them, who can only follow others, think about idiotic trends and follow the most arbitrary of system" The man said with a dispirited tone. But then a grin appeared, he declared grandly "In the end, we are all just matter, born as dirt and die as dirt! We are just insignificant speck of this vast world, thinking we are better than all! But you know the truth right, that our life is just meaningless, existent is just a pain!" My eyes widened into a horrified realisation, I recognised that spiel. "What''s wrong, boy? Isn''t that what you told me. To be blessed with such mighty intellect, to be such a philosopher among the world of blinds. Why so quiet, boy? Aren''t you the adult one, the savy one among the sheeple of this world!" The man said, not yelling or screaming, yet there was such an intensity to his voice. I was completely petrified, overwhelmed with his presence. "I don''t understand, why¡­ would you do this?" I asked with trembling voice all the while trying to hold her wound. It''s not working, however, she slowly turned cold due to losing too much blood. With the last of her strength, she still reached out to pat me on the head. I could feel her fading warmth. "Isn''t she just like them, an insignificant speck of dust. Why are you crying boy, why are you trying to save her?" The man continued, his cynical words drilled into me violently "Aren''t you like that as well, nothing. If that is the case, then this wouldn''t make much of a difference" I looked up only to see the flash of a blade coming down at me. "President, are you alright?" I woke up violently to the caring voice of Dorian Grey. My hands are still shaking so profusely and¡­ covered in blood. It doesn''t take me long to realise it''s not real though. My filter is being affected by that dream, or to be more precise, recollection. I try to focus but the red just don''t go away. I will just ignore this for now then. "Nothing, just a bad dream" I answered a still worried man. But still, for this memory in particular to flare up¡­ "Dorian, do the name Nathaniel rings any bell" The answer I receive is a positive no. Then I have no explanation why this would resurface now. In case you want to know, uncle Nathaniel is an acquaintance of sort. He only visited us a few time but those occasion tended to be quite memorable¡­ or bloody. Despite also having yellow hair and blue eyes, he¡­ doesn''t feel like a Grey. All of the identified people (including me), have unnaturally clear and¡­ beautiful iris. Gosh, just saying that make me feel rather narcissistic. That''s why I wear glasses by the way, to make my eyes just that less noticeable. Back to uncle Nathaniel, the point is that he just too¡­ plain. Now that is not a word I would use normally to describe him but here it works. Most of all, he is German apparently (his Japanese is perfect though) while the Grey are of English descent. Nevertheless, maybe he is involved somehow but frankly the link is not significant enough now for me to explore. Come to think of it, I seem to have accepted being part of that bloodline rather quickly. As if that is the truth I have known all along. Oh well, enough mellowing around, I need to change out this uniform of mine. I''ve worn it for two day straight already. Looking through my wardrobe, it''s finally dawned on me¡­ I haven''t done the laundry yet. Quick, if I am fast enough maybe I can wash this one in time, there should be plenty of time. Checking the time, another horrible realisation dawns on me. I am already late! "What''s wrong, President?" "Eh, Dorian, this morning was there any alarm" "You were sleeping so soundly so I turned it off" Ah, why did he has to do that! I understand his intention though, but still. Quickly packing my stuffs, I wrap up and bolt my way to school. Dorian seems to be saying something but it just flies over my head. Dashing up the hill to school, it doesn''t take long for me to reach my destination. The exercise, however, was hellish on this unattended body. My legs are shaking, I am also sweating profusely in this crumpled shirt. My lungs feel like bursting from improper breathing. Nevertheless, I made it and just in time as well! That''s when I notice the ground to be strangely vacant. "Where is everyone?" I whispered to myself, a sense of dread seems to linger in the air. "Isn''t today Saturday, school is off today, right?" The voice of Dorian answered me "That''s what I was trying to tell you earlier" I can still hear people though, on the weekend clubs are still active after all. But then again, it''s not like I have anything to do with them. Maybe dropping by to say hi to Akihiko, or not. I am never fond interacting with him while his friends are around anyway. I turn around to find Dorian starring somewhere attentively. There is a sense of wonder on the man face, enough to make me try to see what is he focusing on. "The school? Is there a problem with it?" I asked him. "Nothing really, it''s just that I have been there for what feel like decades and yet¡­ this is the first time I actually see this place" His voice was trembling with amazement, at something like this? I can hear him whispers "So this is it, what the world look like" There is such a childlike innocence on his face. So much so that I also want to see it, the vision that he is seeing. But then I am too used to this world, enough to apply an entire detail filter over it. I am too dispirited, but at least I can feel envious toward people with appreciation. "Hey" I interrupted his train of thought "I am going to town today for a bit, want to come as well?" The answer I receive is a predictable energetic "Yes!" I need to drop by my place for a change of clothe first though. So, we walk back, shrouded in the sound of nature. I want to strike some sort of conversation but there isn''t anything I could think of. Now isn''t the time for serious conversation so talking about the rot isn''t so hot. But then aside from that, what else is there to say. There isn''t much I can ask Dorian that won''t invoke something negative. I can talk of this town, but then again there isn''t much here to say. Despite being on an island, the place doesn''t really have anything that unique or at least to my knowledge. That is partly the fault of the unengaged me. There is definitely things here to talk about but I am simply don''t know enough. Dorian doesn''t mind though as he soaks in the scenery around. Suddenly, something seems to catch his attention as he looks straight up. I also turn my attention upwards to find the strangest of occurrence. To me, it is something both clich¨¦ and new. It is a girl falling from the sky. Baffled by this occurrence, I forget to actually do something. Luckily, Dorian is there to catch the falling girl. That''s when I also notice something about the man again, his amazing beauty. For some reason, his overwhelming overlay is back, shrouded him in an irresistible handsomeness. Guess that this is natural for him when faced with a stranger. That begs the question though. How can I observe this change? I am seeing the world including Dorian through a filter of my own. How can I notice that he has his aura back? How did I even pick up on that? Guess there are still many questions unanswered about my ability. Altering my own perception like this while taxing isn''t that difficult to perform, it''s just like natural instinct. It''s worryingly useful. ¡­ Wait, isn''t that girl going to fall straight through him! Fortunately, that isn''t the case as she lands squarely in Dorian''s arms. Meanwhile, I notice that instead of moving a single muscle to help the girl, all I did was standing there analysing the situation. So much for priority. My own train of thought is derailed, however, by the scenery in front me. A girl being held by such a handsome price-like man with yellow hair and blue eyes. This looks straight out of some over-written adjective-overabundant sappy fairy-tale like story.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Dorian''s charm seems to ooze outside even, enveloping everything around. It makes the scene even more enchanting. It is almost mesmerising even for someone like me who is used to this. I have to hold back from exclaiming "Awwwww!" Oh the girl is Azumi by the way who comments "Oh my". Her reaction makes me nearly yell ''what'' out loud. She just got snatched by a stupidly handsome man in such a romantic scenario. And yet, all she could mustered up was just a mildly surprise ''oh my''! "Are you hurt anywhere" Asked Dorian with utmost care. I can literary see flowers blooming behind for some reason. Maybe my filter has amplified the man charm or it has gone to next level¡­ Or more probable the answer is both combined. "Whoa, so people like this do exist!" Azumi, meanwhile, is being completely blunt. While she looks certainly excited not to a level that I am expecting. Maybe Dorian''s charm isn''t that strong and it is just¡­ me! No, I already have Yuuko! Anyway, an introduction is needed "Dorian, this is Azumi. Azumi, this here is my¡­ cousin, Dorian" "Nice to meet you" The man said with such charm that even my heart flutters slightly. Azumi seems to be taking it wildly different from me though "Nice to meet you too" She said with a surprising amount of grace. The girl, while doesn''t swoon over the effect, is certainly aware of it. That is probably the reason for her look of excitement, just like a child finding a new toy or something. The girl take a step and suddenly various ripping sounds ring out. Before I can react, a particularly striking coat is put around her. It''s belong to Dorian, he is certainly a gentleman. But still, is he that powerful now? To materialise his own coat! I mean he did catch her earlier but now he is creating a separate object. How does this work even? Can I even apply logic to them anymore, all that is happening. "Look like I am in a bind here" Azumi commented still with an amused look. From the sound of it, her stocking isn''t the only thing that gave out but the coat has covered up everything. Not that I am curious or anything¡­ no I am not! "Well, the female dormitory is near so maybe you should go there for help" I suggested. "I was just there and¡­ there isn''t actually anyone there right now!" Azumi declared proudly but for what I can''t really tell. "Then, what are you going to do then?" Around the school there were several barracks left from the war. Two of them were converted into inns by the locals only to fall into disuse. They were repurposed into dormitories for students who live too far away from the school. Even so, barely anyone uses these buildings. At least thank to their origin as inns, all the rooms include a proper bathroom. Now here I am, sewing this shirt in silent except for the sound of the shower. In the end, I had to offer Azumi my help. "Why don''t you drop by my place" I asked innocently, still being swayed by Dorian''s gallantness in the background. In hindsight, that really sounded as if I was hitting on her! Nevertheless, the girl took up my offer almost instantly. Now that was reckless of her, to go domain of a guy she barely knows. I meant a girl with that¡­ figure ought to be more careful. That was on my mind that was until I gaze at Dorian. His overwhelming gentlemen nature just simply wiped away all my impure thought. Finally finish with fixing this shirt which is extremely soft to the touch. While her skirt is our school uniform this is definitely not. I check the mark to find a familiar brand name¡­ Wait, this one is incredibly expensive! Just where does this girl crawl out from. I take the clothes to the washing machine room and return just as Azumi finishes with her shower. Adorning the gym clothing that she definitely borrowed from someone, that t-shirt is rather tight for her¡­ well-endowed members. The girl doesn''t seem to mind much though and it also kinds of deflate my¡­ enthusiasm somewhat. "So you just arrived at the island yesterday?" She is talking to Dorian. "That''s right, quite late as well so I haven''t gone anywhere yet" The man scratched his head. "Jeez, so have you treat you to any of the island specialties yet?" Azumi turned to me. "Does such a thing even exist!" "¡­ Now that I think of it, no" The girl looks like she just had the discovery of the century. "Now that you think of it!" You should be local here, not me! Without any hesitation, the girl shuffles in her rather big back pack and draw out several packets. "We do have this though!" She proudly announced. "Kinako bou is a common treat you know!" I exclaimed then turn to a confused Dorian "This¡­ is viscid mocha covered in soybean powdered¡­ Don''t worry, it is actually quite good" My latter clarification isn''t really needed though seeing that the man seems excited already. Azumi hands out a packet to all of us. The girl immediately rips hers open and Dorian follows suit. Those two look just like some children thirsting for cheap treats. But still, it''s been a long time since I last had some dagashi. Despite their cheapness, only one shop in my old town sells the things. Dazzled by the variety, the childish me always wanted some. Atsuko is very strict about the matter though and she would bust me every single time. Apparently, it had something to do with mother eating an excessive amount of dagashi before. Ah, is this what they call sins of the father (or in this case, mother)! Taking a bite, a childish delight jolts through my body. It''s been too long, the flavour is more nostalgic than I had expected. I can remember my first time having this treat. It was a rainy day and mother managed to smuggle a few. We were caught in the end but it was worth it. Looking up, I am greeted with the most bizarre of scene. It is of Azumi, licking the kinako bou in the most sensual of way. At any time I would welcome this but¡­ "Why are you even eating it like that!" I am having childhood flashback here, interjecting sexual innuendo is the last thing I need "And Dorian, stop copying her right now! You are freaking me out" "There is another way?" Azumi looks most surprise. "You could just bite it" I exclaimed out loud once again "And Dorian, you don''t need to look so guilty" The man looks like kick puppy for some reason, probably because of me scolding him. All the yelling finally gets to me though as I start to choke on the bit "W¡­Water" Azumi immediately reaches into her back pack again to draw out her own drinking bottle. I have no idea what is in it but now is not the time to dilly dally. Grabbing the item, I suck on the straw. "PFFFTTTT!" I let out a violent cough and managed to aim it at the ground just in time. "President, are you alright?" Azumi and Dorian both asked me worryingly. The girl seems comfortable using my supposed nickname immediately. Spoiler alert, I am not "Alright¡­ alright! Why did you put bin ramune (powdered soda) in here!" "I completely forgot about that!" She admitted. "Where are their original package?" "Well¡­ I suddenly wanted to eat monaka so¡­" She whistled while looking away. "In case you are wondering, bin ramune''s bottle can be eaten, not the outer package though" I explained to Dorian "But still, this is filled with powder¡­ How many did you even eat!" "That is just minor detail. Why don''t you let your cousin try it out as well!" She said trying to turn the subject. I let her slide this time, more like there is no reason for me to pursue this in the first place. Dorian, meanwhile, is holding the bottle with both his hands carefully. Why does he look like a kid now, where did that princely person go. Taking some, the man cough slightly. My first time having this was at school, the na?ve me thought it was liquid and sucked with all my might. The result was catastrophic, as I writhed on the floor. Yet, I couldn''t stop, the thing was strangely addictive and before I knew it, the whole bottle was gone. Kneeling two hours as punishment later was totally worth it. "You certainly have a lot of stuffs in there" Commented me about the back pack. "Of course!" Replied Azumi as she churned out lots more different kind of candy. "Wait, why do you have so much!" "I was going to crash Aoi''s place, but she told me straight to the face ''I''m busy''!" Crossing her arms, Azumi stands tall. "Don''t look so proud of that!" At this point, I can''t seem to decide whether she is random or stupid. I will go with the latter for now "Anyway, you shouldn''t eat too much dagashi like this, it is not good for your health" "President, you want some umaib¨­?" Azumi casually added. "Were you even listening to me¡­ Wait, is that takoyaki flavour¡­" Darn it, I fell to the dark side. "Cetainly, I also have much more than that, you know" The girl whispered while circling around me like a predator waiting to pounce on its prey. I need to resist it but the temptation is just too much. "Don''t you want to know what it taste like, takoyaki umaib¨­? Salami umaib¨­? Mentai umaib¨­? Teriyaki? Even pizza umaib¨­?" She said sensually, or at least that what I heard. Meanwhile, Dorian''s eyes are filled with amazement from all the exotic name "So many flavours" He commented with such childish enthusiasm. There is a war in this head of mine. All of mine discipline, forged by Atsuko''s years of strict teaching is being shaken. I can even imagine her stern gaze saying ''No!''. I am but a monk now finally faced with the greatest temptation. "It''s just candy!" I can hear my own voice whispering. "NO, they are cheap candy, dagashi. They aren''t good for me!" Me myself answered "Come on, just this one occasion" My voice continued, however, to try and lead me astray. "NO, this is a matter of discipline¡­" The words rang hollow as I reach out in quiet dignity with my head hangs low. There is a rustling sound and when I look up again, there it is. Umaib¨­ in the palm of my hand. Azumi look at me with gentle, approving gaze. Dorian, meanwhile, is determined to try out all the tastes. Despite him acting like that, there is still a sense of grace and etiquette. There is no trace of crumbs around the man at all. Azumi seems to find that amusing somehow. The fallen indulge myself all right in all of my earthly desire. My body trembles at the taste of sinful sakura daikon, shiver at the feel of ume jam. All the while the sound of fue ramune plays on, interrupted occasionally by a cracking sound of candy. And that fugashi? Absolute ecstasy. Of course, vice of the flesh isn''t all that we dabble in. There is also the deep dark hole that is known as cards. From old maid to Uno, oh boy do we play them all. Feeling hungry, we crack countless cups of butamen. Azumi even had a ''brilliant'' idea of trying some cooked with ramune instead of water. Needless to say, the result was an absolute disaster. That gives the girl an idea though, to mix different kind of ramune together! And so, we embark on a journey to find a new flavour. After countless trial and error, only Dorian manages to mix up anything drinkable which is rather delicious. Too bad he has forgotten the original label and so the new taste couldn''t be reproduced. In the end, here we are just lazing around, finishing off the rest of the new mix. I am now too full of dagashi and so is Dorian who is currently in bliss. Azumi is, meanwhile, lying half on the bed, her head sticking out. Starring at the girl, something catches me eyes. Is it just me or has her size¡­ decreased somewhat? Oh well, it isn''t important. "I need to go home" The girl commented lazily "It will get dark soon and my place is quite far away" What she said completely caught me off guard, it is that late already. We have spent half a day like this! Well, aside from the fact that my IQ has dropped to the single digit it wasn''t so bad after all¡­ Actually I can''t remember the last time I had this much fun. For some reason, even with this memory nothing comes up at all. Dorian also looks rather sombre though. All of his sparkling handsomeness was long gone, replaced by a child-like excitement that I''ve never expected. To him, today was a whole new experience, a whole new world even. And here I thought I understood who he is. So arrogant of me, as usual. "Well, that was fun, President and you too, Dorian. See you both again" "Wait, let me get your clothes first" Standing up, I take my leave and return shortly after, empty handed. "What''s wrong, President?" Azumi asked. "Well¡­ I forgot to put your clothes in the dryer and someone is actually using it now" Head hanging low, I admitted. Now that is an embarrassing display, I should really feel bad for that. Yet, I can''t seem to hide a grin on my face. Why am I feeling so thrilled right now? Azumi gazes at me with a surprise expression which is soon replaced by her amused look. For just a moment, there is a strange sense of maturity to her. That was probably my imagination though as the girl once again crosses her arms and says. "Guess I will hang around a bit more then. Oh well, it''s not like I can make it back now anyway!" Both me and Dorian look up with joyful eyes. It looks like the fun will go on for now. "Who wants another round of Uno!" Azumi challenged us both. "I certainly don''t mind" Dorian answered with the brightest smile I have ever seen. "Wasn''t you the one losing last time" I said, pushing my glasses up "Bring it on then!" So we play on right until late before all crashing on the floor, sleeping soundly more than ever. Chapter 8
Chapter 8: I think¡­ I am suddenly awakened by the sound of someone knocking on the door. Huh, how did I get into my bed in the first place? The room is also sparkling clean as well, the trash taken out. On the floor is Dorian lying on my blanket, his head rests on a neatly folded shirt. "Wait a bit" I yelled at the door and rushed in the bathroom for a speed brush and face washing. Opening the door, I am greeted by Aoi in a rather unusual attire, for her at least. The girl would normally wear a variety of blouses accompanied by miniskirts or shorts. But here she is in a jersey and track bottoms. Her usual well done hair is now tied behind, they are still very well-kept and fluffy though. "Good morning" I greeted her, trying to look as clear-headed as humanly possible. "Good morning, President~" Aoi replied "Your uniform is still wet you know" Ah, my collar is drenched and it belongs to clothing I have worn for two days no less. The moment she leaves this is immediately coming off. "What the!" The girl is startled by another man in the room who is also waking up. "Ah, it''s Aoi, good morning!" The man said, rubbing his tired eyes. "That voice¡­ Dorian!" Grasping for breath, the girl is surprised to see her mysterious companion for the first time. She walks past me to his side "It¡­ it''s really you!" Aoi reaches out her arm but soon retracts it in hesitation. Her face full of contemplations, the girl twitches slightly. In the end, she couldn''t hold it in anymore and give the man a pinch. "Sorry¡­ I just¡­" Aoi stuttered for words. Dorian is understanding though "Don''t worry, I don''t really mind this" "Really?" "Really" The man replied in the sincerest of tone. "Then can I?" The girl asked nervously her other arm starting to rise. She is met with an approving nod. With all stops pulled, Dorian finds both of his cheek being pinched by the confused girl. Her feeling is currently a mess but she finally settles on happy. "Anyway, what are you doing here?" I asked Aoi. "Just a visit perhaps?" The girl answered rather sarcastically, a jarring tone shift from her previous pinching session "Oh well, I am here to report on my finding, Pre-si-dent~" She said, sitting down on the floor. "Oh, so you went to the Paranormal Activity club (official) then?" "Yep and didn''t find much at all!" Aoi said with a straight face. "Ok then¡­ Even among all the old notebooks?" "About that, the new members put all of them in storage. The room is instead filled with their trash now" The girl sighed "But I managed to find one notebook hidden in a secret compartment" "Such a thing exists?" "Yep, it took me a whole of yesterday morning to dig it out!" Bending backward, Aoi stretched her back. I can hear a small crackling sound "Only a part of it is filled but¡­ well you should take a look yourself" The girl hands over a plain looking notebook. The first thing that catch my attention is the incredibly neat hand-writing, I even mistook it for typing at first. Every similar letter has the exact same shape, down the smallest detail, the smallest curve. This IS typing level. In this notebook are reports which is curiously signed by the alphabet letter G. There are others mentioned in this, all of them are referred to as a single letter as well. The rest is written in flawless kanji. "Whoever written this certainly has talent~" Aoi made a side comment. "No this is much more" I refuted the girl. With this memory, I can overlay the images and compare the individual letter together "Even expert has slight difference when writing the same symbol several times. Even then they tend to use a simple style more akin to typing. But this person, who is probably female judging from the handwriting, uses her own style which is rather whimsical. Yet every similar letter is completely identical!" "You sound impressed, President!" "Of course" Much more than usual even. Such an unbelievable ability, it''s evident just lying around like this. Although to me, there is a greater implication to this discovery though. Infer from Aoi reaction, I can tell this is related to the rot. If so, that is the second person with impossible skill who is involved with this. Don''t really want to brag but the first one is me by the way. Maybe this is unrelated but my gut tells me otherwise. Huh, now that is something I am starting to rely more on recently. Perhaps this is also a Grey, after all my family have another branch. Although for the longest time I have no idea because of their secrecy. Going as far as hiding our current family name O''Brien. Ugh, just thinking about them make my blood boil! Back to the notebook, the first few pages just talk about club activities through the author G. There is certainly a lot of playing around. They also mention discussions and reviewing data but none is recorded here. The others are denoted as B, T and M which is curious seeing that 4 people aren''t enough for an official club. After further reading, apparently, T is a teacher which docks the number down to 3. From the looks of it, they do seem official (unlike us), an exception perhaps? The next to final note catch my interest though. 19/2/92 Tomorrow we will visit Ry¨±jin-sama once again. Too bad this time we didn''t manage to find anything on that Hitobashira. I was rather bumped out by it but the others cheered me on. This is still our first year after and yet we have found so much. According to Hitotsume-chan, to be aware of the apparitions, much less finding them all like us were unheard of. Everyone wants to slow down though. Hitobashira (ÈËÖù, meaning: human pillar) is the last one after all, there is no need to rush. No one said it but I can tell, they all wish this search would go nowhere. I can understand that very well and a part of me feel the same. After all, we met and became friends through these oddities. What would happen when everything comes to an end. I''m not afraid though, this bond of ours won''t break that easily! So I must do this, to free the people from his reign once and for all. We will prove that Hitobashira exists and banished his influence somehow. Ry¨±jin-sama himself is already much stronger, combined with everyone else he won''t stand a chance! -G "The date format" I commented out loud. "So you noticed it as well, President~" Inching closer, Dorian takes a closer look "So this happened 15 years ago. What''s wrong with it" "When denoting date, we use this format, year then month then day. Meanwhile the date here is the opposite!" I explained "This plus the use of alphabet letters¡­ Maybe this person isn''t Japanese?" Also, who are these people, these apparitions that are mentioned? Do¡­ Did they even exist? There is nothing more that we can find out seeing that the final note is written in another language. It also uses the alphabet but isn''t anything we can identified, or at least I can''t. The individual letters in this are still the exact similar like before but it is signed by a Helena. Is this G, an English name out of nowhere? "It''s in Latin, took me the whole afternoon to look that up" Aoi said, flicking her hand "Still couldn''t decipher it though" On this island, computer is such an oddity and internet is non-existent. She must have poured a lot of time and effort into this. That''s why I come to her for help in the first place anyway. Despite her usual cheerful and somewhat air-headed manner, the girl is nothing but thorough. "I will try to find a dictionary at least then" I said, wanting to contribute. While Aoi was doing all those work I was lazing around eating dagashi. The President should actually do some work! Reading through this again, a detail catches my eyes "This final note is dated 23/2/92!" "That was a Sunday" Dorian commented casually. From Aoi surprised face I can infer that was correct. Knowing her, she must have crossed check the date beforehand. But still, he could instantly calculate that instantly and with such ease. Of course, I also notice signs of ripped papers "So some are missing" "Not really" Aoi said, giving me the last few pages "These were also in the secret compartment" Yup, there are enough here to fill in the missing days. 20/2/92 Cogito ergo sum. -Helena That was a short page I thought. The next page is also the same. The one after that, however, is certainly concerning. Filled with ink, the content is literary ripping on the tattered paper. 22/2/92 CogITo erGo SUm -heLEnA The sizes are all off, the composition is also wrong. And yet, even in this stage, the individual letters themselves are still so perfectly written. Taking a closer look, I manage to find something even more chilling. The ink covering this page is actually words, sentences so numerous. All of them as distorted yet eerily orderly like the rip. The content is of course still the same, that three words.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Cogito ergo sum. Was this Helena compelled to write these words or were they a reminder of sort? By what, who, how? Are all of this related to the rot even, Aoi seems to be convinced of that. After all, how many paranormal beings are there even on this island. Maybe it is this elusive Hitobashira or something else. "What are you guys doing?" Sitting down next to us, Azumi asked. "Just looking through some clues" Aoi answered in frustration as this brings even more questions. That''s when I notice something crucial, something urgent that is starring straight at us. "Azumi you are still here! Where did you even come from!" Aoi recoils in surprise and tries to hide herself¡­ somehow to no avail of course. She is now all flustered, my guess is that she doesn''t want to show this ''un-cute'' sight of her. Although I do find her reaction now plentily cute. Saying that out loud would be a different matter though. At least Azumi doesn''t seem to be surprised by her friend''s attire at all. She is wearing her shirt and skirt combo again, all fresh from the wash. Even the black sheer tights are back, I did remember seeing a few spares in her backpack though. Looking at us, the girl answers my question. "I just came out of a bath, sorry about that though. I wanted to ask but you were sleeping so soundly" "Eh, it''s alright, I don''t mind really" I truly don''t, she did take a shower here after all. Also, she must have been the one to clean the room and dump the trashes for me¡­ "Wait, then when I went into the bathroom earlier¡­" "I was there! I even waved but you didn''t really reply" Azumi said casually. I was that unaware of my surrounding! True that this is my place but still. Besides, there are still all these papers lying around. I need to do something to divert attention away from them, especially that black mangy page. A plan appears in my mind and in just a moment I am now on the ground. "What is the President doing?" Asked a curious Dorian who is poking at me. "That my boy, is what you call a dogeza!" Azumi pushed up her non-existent glasses and explained to the clueless man "But oh my, President your form is wonderful!" Meanwhile, Aoi is looking at us with so many questions right now. Most of her attention is now currently focused on Dorian though, whose clueless attitude is rather different from what she had imagined. She still remembered to gather the papers and hide them out of sight. It''s still too late though "Cogito ergo sum huh?" Azumi murmured to herself. "So you saw that. It was just a stupid riddle so pay it no mind" Aoi covered our track with some frankly very convincing acting. If I didn''t know any better, I would be fooled. "So what was the riddle?" Asked Azumi who seems to believe the lie. "Oh, it is to translate that¡­ Yeh, that girl sure doesn''t know what a riddle actually is!" Aoi giggled cutely. Her transition to the usual fluffy self is the smoothest I have ever seen. "Um¡­ I think I can translate¡­ I think" "Are you sure, it''s in Latin you know! Anyway, I am going to town for a bit, want to come?" My newest club member diverted the flow as much as she can and it succeeded. "Ok" Azumi answered merrily "I guess it''s time to leave now. It was fun playing with you two!" "Agh, see you again" Both me and Dorian replied at the same time. We turn and look at each other awkwardly as the two girls giggle. Behind they leave completely though, Azumi remembers something "Oh that phrase, I know what it means now!" "What!" This has of course attracted all of our attention. The girl tilts her head to the side, confirming her thought. While we don''t expect much the possibility of her answer actually correct is still there. After a few moments, Azumi finally said with confident. "I think, therefore I am! It is the first part of Principia philosophiae by Ren¨¦ Descartes!" Inserting the key, I open the old and cumbersome lock to the old library. Yuuko isn''t in during the weekend seeing that her parents are very strict. At least she gave me spare keys for the place. I enter the place which is usually so warm and welcoming. But now without Yuuko, the sheer size, the maze of bookcases and the gothic design really send chills down my spine. I can see now why people don''t really frequent the place. At least thanks to that, I can have more time with my lovely girlfriend. Thinking about that word, ''girlfriend'', seems to struck a nerve within me. Why am I remembering my ex now, probably because I was thinking about the other family branch earlier. At least this time I can get rid of her images easily by super-imposing Yuuko all over them. I make my way to the club room (unofficial) and put the wrapped painting down. Before I could remove the cover, however, Dorian appears beside me. "So you can project yourselves even with this covered up" That wasn''t a new discovery, just a self-reminder. He did appear when I met with Azumi after all. I also found out then he could truly materialise himself and individual object like a coat then. Still, how far and how many layers can he project himself through? Also, back in my room, didn''t he create a gem out of thin air? From all the defect my perception were experiencing maybe something was taken to make it after all. But then what was that, why were my senses failing. More than the normal five, even my ability to maintain balance, to feel my limbs and more were affected. They weren''t disabled completely but more like there are¡­ holes all over, if that makes any sense. While I am pondering to myself, Dorian is already looking through the absolutely massive book lists for our target, Principia philosophiae. "There it is!" He does manage to find that blasted title "But¡­ someone borrowed it already" "Wait, what? When was that!" The man points at the registry "There wasn''t any name, even in the librarian spot. But check out the date here!" I take a look and see the date 92/11/13. So it wasn''t Azumi herself who borrowed it. All of us would just be one year old then. "That''s a Friday" commented Dorian "And there are also two more book borrowed that day" "What are they?" "The dictionaries from Latin to English and English to Japanese" The latter I have thought to be plentiful but apparently not, there isn''t a copy that. Curiously, there was another copy for Latin to English. Emphasised on the ''was'', apparently, someone already borrowed it a month back. Guess there was no Latin to Japanese one "Then what about our other objectives?" "Principes de la Philosophie is here, unfortunately we only have French to English dictionary here" In case you are wondering, according to Azumi that phrase Cogito ergo sum is in the book that was borrowed. However, she did remember that there was an edition in French which is the one we have here. Why did she know that, I have no idea. Aoi would try to ask about it later. Now I would try to crack the meaning behind these words. To be honest, this is a fifteen years old lead that doesn''t even have a visible connection to our current problem. Yet I decided to pursue it anyway seeing that most leads have gone cold for now. Besides, I have what you might call a feeling about this one. Dorian seems to also agree. "Woah, this place is certainly huge" The man said in amazement as we stroll along the bookcases. "I wonder if it has anything to do with what is going on, with the rot, with all those¡­ apparitions" "Are you alright, President? You seem tired" "Am I? I''m fine actually, yesterday was a good rest" Looking down at my feet, I commented "It just that after all that happened. A place with apparitions, one is a mysterious murderous rotten being, a gigantic gothic library! They just all seem connected somehow, so many unusualness in one place like this" "Well, you forgot to add me in that list of yours! A talking painting is rather special don''t you know" "Nah, I met plenty already. Went to an art gallery once, this one painting just won''t shut up!" Both of us laugh out loud, our noise echo throughout this full but empty place. I am glad, to be able to be like this. For the longest time, all I did was chasing after this nebulous concept of the rot. Sure, we did have a goal but it was so vague to the point of unreal. None of us actually expected to stumble on any finding at all. I was already adjusted to this new school life. The rot was integrated into my every day. Then there was a breakthrough, the death of Aoi. I was exposed directly to the rot, starring straight at it. On the very next day, my vision was corrupted. It all happened so fast after so much stagnation that I wanted to kill myself. Thinking back, it was such an idiotic thing to do. Then I had to alter my own perception just to remain sane while drifting further into a surreal reality. Everyday sceneries were all suddenly so enchanting, so fantasy like. Then finally, I had the strangest of experience. To be disconnected to all of my sense. Touch, smell, taste, tension, nociception, equilibrioception, magnetoception everything was slowly punctured and made gone. Each one of those could be life changing but I went through all in just two days. "Hey, was yesterday fun to you" I asked Dorian out of nowhere. "Yes" The man answered, unsure where did that come from. In just today, I found out about others possibly like the rot. A whole host of apparitions, all unknown and mysterious. A group who went on a trail to discover those beings. Suddenly the scale just seemed to enlarge in an instant. What if they are all as powerful or even more than this rotten thing. Then what would all of my struggles, my efforts, my dilemmas¡­ my death even mean. I could see a me sitting there clutching my head, having existential crisis. I could see a me curling up, waiting to be rescued. I could see a me, couldn''t cope with all of newfound information, forfeiting my life once again. But I am here, pacing through the old library, still alive. "Do you want to hang out again, with Azumi?" "Uh¡­ of course" Dorian is still wondering where is all this leading, he was stuttering a bit though. "You seem awfully fond of that girl" I made a side comment. "Well, she is a nice person and¡­ and¡­" "And what?" I pushed him further with a smile on my face. "I¡­ could really let loose, around Azumi that is" He admitted. I can certainly understand. She came to us, to me in my darkest of time. That girl was a force of her own, a bit crazy and confident. Azumi was certainly headstrong, maybe that was why Dorian''s aura had no effect. We were pulled along with her flow but you know, sometimes it''s nice to follow. Especially if it was a particularly fun trip. Without that joyride yesterday, I would one of those me I could see earlier. But no, I was thoroughly entertained and relieved. I could continue walking today. But still¡­ "Don''t you think it was rather¡­ convenient?" Suddenly turning around, I asked Dorian seriously. "What do you mean, President?" "I just met her the day before, Azumi. Yet there she was literally falling down on us. And for her to know a Latin phrase that just happened to pop up the very next day. And for her to even know about where it various editions even. What are the odds of that!" "So you want to say that she is related to all this somehow, that she was¡­ lying to us" The man looks down, clenching his fist. I won''t be surprise if that is the case. Heck, if that girl somehow turns out to be the moustache-twirling villain behind this then fine. That won''t happen but still, who know. Before I could continue speaking Dorian cuts in. Putting his palm on his heart the man declares "I¡­ don''t believe it!" He continues to elaborate "But don''t worry cause I am prepared. I would steel myself if it is true that she was lying, or on the other side. But until that happens, I want to believe in Azumi!" "You really like her, don''t you?" I let out a sigh. "Of course! He said without a hint of a doubt. "I didn''t expect Dorian Grey to be someone to fall head over heel over a girl after just a day!" "Eh, what?" The innocent man finally realised what I was talking about "No¡­ it''s not like that!" On my face is the biggest smirk right now "Ho, are you sure? Maybe there is something, a crush?" "Maybe¡­ I guess I do have this ''crush'' after all" Dorian turned away, his ears all red. That was blunter than I had expected. He is such a truthful guy. But what he said is more or less how I feel right now, minus the ''crush'' part! But still, I do have this nagging feeling that her appearance was deliberate. Maybe not by her own will but of someone or maybe something higher above. Entropy? Karma? Was she there to help us relax or soften us to an even stronger blow¡­ Now that was pretentious, to think the world revolves around me like that! "Don''t worry Dorian, I will cheer for you!" Putting my hand on his shoulder (with great difficulty of course, why does he have to be that tall!), I said. "F¡­For what?" The man fumbled, he is probably suspecting the correct answer. "Wooing Azumi of course! Don''t worry, I will help you all the way" "That¡­" For a second there was a gleam of hope in his eyes which he truly regrets showing. "She is a bit off her rocker though but definitely high on the hot-o-meter!" I give a thumb up "Her assets are great as well¡­ actually a bit smaller than I originally thought, that was strange. Still those curves are still among the best!" It takes a while for Dorian to realise what I am talking about. I can see his face redden as he loads the information slowly. It finally explodes in a flurry of stuttering and embarrassment. "Pr¡­President, that was too vulgar. To mention a girl¡­ size like that!" Ah, the flustered Dorian is just so adorable that I want to trample on "Don''t worry, I know you are into her personality. All of those are just added bonuses¡­ quite substantial if you know what I mean!" I laugh as the man tries to hide his bright red face. It may be true that the situation is much more severe and vast than what we expected. Maybe everything is dictated, that there is some force controlling us all, to make us suffer. But then what if we are all just dolls without string, fantasy of a trashy writer. We, I will continue to go on, to tackle against these problems of mine. Even if they are insignificant to the grand scheme of thing, to some eldritch or cosmic being. As long as I continue my struggle then it won''t be in vain, all of my pains and experiences. I feel like I could understand it somewhat. Maybe it is not what the original author intended but I can still see. Cogito¡­ ergo sum. I think¡­ therefore I am¡­ I exist. Chapter 9
Chapter 9: Blue bird President, do you know that I have always looked at you? That day I saw you in the hallway on the first day of high school, my heart skipped a beat. To see you again on this middle of nowhere island, this has to be fate. I told myself that my debut should be top priority, because of that I didn''t greet you. That was a lie, I just couldn''t muster the courage. Time passed and everything just seemed to fall apart. Even though I tried my best, President, nothing worked out. All the days spent practicing, learning on how to speak, to walk, to act, to be cutesy. All the time spent in front of the mirror perfecting this ''fluffy'' look of mine. Everything was for naught. I couldn''t squeeze my way in this impenetrable community. But everywhere there are ''those'' kind of people, right? Those who are outside of the social norms. I could seek them out, maybe I could make friends that way! Oh, how na?ve I was. Look at this ''cutesy'' girl, why would someone like that be interested on all of this niche things! That what they all said. Posers like myself should just stick it. It was amusing to hear that actually. Of course, there were those who would hang out with me but why I could tell. The way they leered at me, the way they tested the water. I was desperate but not to the level of whoring myself out. It may be superficial, it may be shallow, instead of bending backward for others I should be myself. But¡­ I want to have friends, I want to be popular, I want people to like me. Then I would think of you, maybe I should come to talk, strike a conversation. But then I would tell myself off. After all, doing that is just like treating you as a backup plan or some sort. Because of the guilt I couldn''t do it¡­ but of course that was also a lie. Before I knew it you somehow befriend the school most popular, that Akihiko. Everyone wanted to be with you, everyone wanted to be your friend. You achieved what I always dreamt of. That at least gave me some solace, knowing that you succeeded. But somehow it felt lonely. One day, as I was staying behind to find the painting you threw away, I heard a voice. It was beautiful, angelic and my ears were pierce by the sweetest of sound. I was saved, purified just by hearing. But soon, as the novelty wore off, all that left were a feeling of dread. I found myself buried by it all, the stress, the horror. But I kept on going, never once did the thought of ending it all entered my mind. No matter what happened I still tried my best. Even though it was such a pain to apply all the make-ups, do my hair every morning, meet with my uncaring classmates and faced with a paranormal voice. One day, a girl sat next to me and tried to talk. It wasn''t anything much but I was thrilled, my heart felt like bursting from the joy. Everything just started to go up from there. People started to warm up to me, I made more and more friends. My efforts paid off finally! I had the high school life that I had always wanted. No more than that, I found myself the centre of attention. Kind, caring, cheerful, decently smart and a bit ditsy, people would turn around when I walked by. But I am such a selfish girl, I was living the dream yet I still wanted more. For you to look at me¡­ President, the way the panicked you are looking at me right now make me want to blush! I want to say something but it is too late as I smashed against the hard ground and die instantly. It was a collaborative event between two elementary schools, there were plenty of games and competitions. I just sat there in the corner for the whole time, not doing anything. Whenever some kids from your school came my way, one from mine was ready to tell them off. "Don''t play with that Aoi" They would say "She is not nice, she is crazy" They would whisper. Soon no one tried to approach me anymore. That was when I noticed someone else also sitting by himself, it was you President. But unlike me even the teachers seemed to avoid you. With just one look I can tell why, your clear blue eyes were filled with so much scathing disdain. But it was directed to no one because you looked at no one. I would sometime see it, bigger kids, seniors acting like they don''t care just to invite attention, just so they could wallow in their angst. But you were different, there wasn''t a shred of compassion nor humanity. You wouldn''t harm a fly not out of kindness but because you just didn''t care. It was repulsive, uncanny, enough to make even the adults avoided you. Wherever you went, there was this empty circle around you as people just drifted away unconsciously or not. Then came the competition where students showed of their craft with papers. Everyone was forced to participate, I threw the match. When I looked up you were already done. All you did was cut out a paper circle with a box-cutter. Of course, yours wasn''t considered at all. It caught my eyes, however, so I dug up and measured it. In just a few seconds, in just one stroke you made a masterpiece. You cut out a perfect circle without any measuring tool. You were solitary but excellent. You inspired me to endure the rumours and waded on by myself as an independent person¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ "Aoi! Wake up!" President, is that you? I am supposed to be dead, how can I still hear you calling out for me? I open my eyes to find the President and Dorian sitting over me in a panic. "You are still¡­ alright" The man said with tears streaming down his face. "Anyway, we need to move!" The President said in a hurry. Dorian nods and carries me in his arms. With that we made our way down the hill, back to town. Everything still feel like a dream, however, as I can clearly remember my head colliding with the ground. I was falling from the third floor, that was fatal¡­ Or maybe I did die and was revived once again by Dorian''s power. This time my memory is still here though. "What the¡­" The President said in horror as we returned to where we came from, the school. "The rot must have trapped us in some sort of alternate dimension of its own making" Dorian concluded "That''s why I could re¡­ manipulate things so easily" The man changed his sentence half-way through after glancing at me. There is no need to hide, I already know what you were talking about reviving me. In this dimension, everything isn''t real, but the damages dealt to the fakes would transfer back to the genuine articles. At least that''s my speculation. I want to tell them to put me down, that I can walk by myself but I can''t. My body is still shaking from that encounter. That thing first appeared from afar, a humanoid figure with an unbearable smell. For some reason I couldn''t make out any details at all. I could tell that its skin was charred and rotting, but nothing specific. Its moment was strange, tortured as it inched closer and closer to me, twitching all the way. Its arms and legs were twisting unnaturally, enough to make one vomit. It was revolting indeed but nowhere near the elementary you, President. I was surprised even, to be overwhelmed by that thing once, killed even. Nevertheless I kept my guard up as it inched closer. But the more it moved, the more I started to feel sorry for this thing. It has caused me, the President many more so much pain and yet it was just pathetic. That thing can barely walk, every time it moved there was this pained sound. Its bones creaked and snapped constantly, barely sending the pitiful thing to the ground. The moment it moved closer, however, all of my senses were brutally violated. Everything around me seemed to decay that very instant. The once familiar hallway contorted and shifted. Strange dissonant sounds, vying for dominance over one another, filled my ears. My nose was also assaulted by the smell of excrement and burnt flesh. The inside of my mouth also adopted the taste of fetid meat and maggots. Overwhelmed I threw up what little I had for breakfast this morning. I was rather thankful for not having anything at lunch. My knees went weak and it could feel it. The thing let out a blood-curdling scream as it violently snapped its joints in places. There was another scream and then the thing lunged at me. I tried to run and would probably escape. But then, my trembling legs had to trip over each other and I landed head first into the ground. Before I could recover the thing was already on top of me, starring straight into me. Suddenly there was a moment of silence, of tranquillity as I looked back at the empty socket, where its eye should be if it had any. It didn''t last long as the thing immediately started to strangle me, for the second time apparently. I tried to struggle but couldn''t muster up any strength against this eldritch horror. So this was why I died last time¡­ "Pr¡­pre¡­President" I tried my best to call him. I could barely open my mouth out in fear of something decayed forcing itself in. But then in this second encounter I made a discovery that he must know. And so, with great difficulty, I tell him "It¡­ the rot can bleed¡­ it can be¡­ hurt!" This time when facing it, I was armed. With the last of my power, I stabbed it with mother''s gift, the combat knife which the President had picked up next to my corpse. I could hear it howled in pain as I kicked it to the side. Before I could run away though, that thing managed to catch and throw me out of the window. Ah, just remembering that encounter make me want to shiver. I can feel my body getting colder and colder. Dorian seems to be panicking. As I raise my dangling arm all I can see is a discoloured limb with blue-ish veins all over. "C¡­Can you¡­ get me¡­ the mirror in the back pocket¡­, pretty¡­ please President~" I turn into Dorian''s chest and with all of my fading strength lift up this arm to cover this face. I must look horrible now, a girl can''t possibly show this around. Ah, what a disgrace¡­ President, do you know how overjoyed I was to finally be able to approach you at first. Back then, I asked to be part of your club as an excuse. All I wanted was to talk to you for the first time. Funny, isn''t it, I had been looking at you for years and yet we never even met.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Seeing you all surprised like that was simply too much for my frail heart to handle. It just made me wanted to push you more and more, to see all that delicious expressions of yours. Looked at you fumbled for a reply was just too endearing. I felt like eating you up right then and there. It worked better than I had ever hoped though. Oh, President, of course I would notice you watching me. I must applaud your serious stealth skill there, I myself didn''t spot you at first. But when you walk over to observe me, everyone around you is my friend. Even though you tried your best not to stand out one or two were bounded to notice. They informed me and I told them to keep mum. Armed with that knowledge, locating you wasn''t that difficult. It was exhilarating to be watched, to have you looking my way for the first time. As your long-time admirer, I was honoured somewhat. Oh my, that came out wrong, didn''t it? Tee hee~ When I met you in that drawing room, the look on your face confused me greatly. When you broke down crying and buried yourself in my chest I was contented, ready to die there even¡­ Hah, I wonder if it is insensitive to make joke about your own demise. Nevertheless, holding you then was one of the happiest moment in my life. Too bad I didn''t have much cushion for you. Oh my, now that was a bit too much for the ''innocent'' me! Tee hee~ Of course, you still managed to surprise me that day. I never expected you to see them, my plainer side, my athletic side, my brainy side. But of course, how could I hide those sorts of thing from the President. Just suppressing my feeling was already difficult enough. It was embarrassing at first but that soon changed into excitement. For you to see that many sides of me, oh my! Still, thanks to that I could feel more relaxed around you, more casual. I could show up earlier today looking like that. But still, the me dying me now is too much to bear. I am naught but withered, it seems like Dorian''s magic is not working this time. My skin is greyish pale, my once soft lips are now shrivelled. I can''t let you see me like this. I would rather the casual me to be the last image you saw if I truly die this time. Too bad I couldn''t show you something cuter, prettier. But everything is better than the me right now. I can hear the President trying to hear something but can''t seem to make out what. I can feel Dorian running, the man still try his best not to shake me too much however. Such a nice guy, too bad I can''t seem to like you more. Don''t get me wrong, the man had helped me in my darkest of time. But then, I could never forget it, the after-effect that he brought. The existential dread that I went through. Still, I want to thank you but I can no longer open my mouth. I am slowly drifting away but something tells me the moment I fall asleep, it would be the end. There must be something I can do¡­ ¡­ Here I am lying in the darkness, the ground feels neither warm or cold. Even if I open my eyes, nothing is there to be seen. It feels lonely but somewhat liberating. I could lie in the dark like this forever. Freed from all the shackles, I don''t have to worry about my look, my friends, my life anymore. Is this what death feels like? Not too bad I must say. As I lay there, I can feel something approaching as if to denounce my assumption. It''s the rot, coming here to finish the job, to consume me whole. Something it''s strange though, that thing is still so revolting, enough to make your stomach churns. Yet, there is an inviting quality to it. SuRre[it''s hurt]Nder, lEt [please]YOurseL[anybody]f beCome parT oF T[can you hear me]he mire. I guess it doesn''t really matter, I have resigned myself to be here after all. Besides, the mire sounds like a lovely place for some twisted reasons. Suddenly, I can feel a sharp pain on my hand. Opening my eyes, I am greeted by a plain looking blue bird with a yellow feather stripe on its head. There is something alluring about the creature, however. I want to take a closer look but it just flies away. "Wait, come back here!" I yelled but of course it doesn''t stop. Seeing nothing better to do, I stand up and chase after it. This bird doesn''t seem to be particularly fast though. I quickly catch up after a quick sprint. Before I can grab it, the blue bird flies a way again. "Ah, just stop!" Catching up to isn''t much of a problem but before I could swipe it out of the air, something pulls me back. "What the!" Hands, clinging to my back, my legs, my hair. I try to shake them off to no avail, the grips just keep on getting stronger and stronger. "Let me go, I want to catch it, I need that blue bird!" Grunting, I manage to break free. There is no time to rest, however, seeing that whatever it is after me is right behind. I once again catch up to the bird rather quickly but of course it escapes my grasp. That thing is always there, right in front of me, toying with me. It''s infuriating, I''m tired but¡­ I want it, that bird! I keep on running, my chest feels like bursting and my breathing is getting more and more rushed. My muscles seem like they are going to be ripped apart anytime soon. My lungs are in tremendous pain. Nevertheless, I kept on running. This is still nothing compared to what I had been through. President, do you know that I am like this because of you? I was isolated because of fear, because of a mistake I made once. They would never let it go, every student in school knew about it. Everyone avoided me, even the teachers were wary around me. Of course, how could that be a problem! I was an elementary school kid! No kid that age have any trouble that could be considered substantial! That was what everyone said. For that reason they were fine with me being ostracised, being beaten up. Only father and mother were supportive of me but there was nothing that they could do. They never told me but I knew, they would go to every teachers'' houses, tried to convince them to help me. So that I could be accepted. There were times when they returned late, I could see father''s knees all dirtied, his forehead slightly red. It didn''t change anything, however. There was no other choice for us but to transfer. I didn''t mind though because by that time, I had already met you for the first time. Your uncaring nature was to the point of abhorrent but what struck me the most was your acceptance of it. The President back then wasn''t liked and he never minded it in any capacity. To me who was ostracized constantly, that way of living was inspirational. Who need others, why should I seek acceptance! I didn''t need it any from those people anyway. I just need to be myself, be who I am. Just like you, President. Soon the new school heard of my feat, as expected. Many were scared, others just didn''t care, some were amazed. It was a more diverse range of reactions than what I was used to. Nevertheless, it didn''t bother me at all. I am an independent agent, I am myself, there is no need for others. And so, I was content being all by myself for the next four years of elementary school. Finally, junior high arrived, it was a new school but familiar faces anyway. Many have forgotten my past deed but I have no intention of changing now. If anything happened, I would just be ditched anyway so why should I try. Why should I befriend them, that was what I genuinely thought. The me back then was such a brat~ I was content with this life of mine until I saw you again, attending the same school. I didn''t believe it at first, the person that I saw. That callous boy was gone, replaced by a pale imitation, surrounded by people. You even tried to confess to a girl, your class representative if I remembered correctly. The more I saw, the more enraged I became. You of all people were trying to mingle. What happened to that defiant boy, thought? Where was that person that I yearned to be like? In the end, you was also like the rest. You would rather change, diluted yourself just to be accepted! The smile you would put one, that dorky expression, everything about you disgusted me! I tried to look away, thinking it was just my imagination. Things kept on going that way for the rest of the year. I would be myself, I would avoid you at all cost, I would rather not even look at you. Until that day, when you and your friends were ambushed by a bunch of high-school seniors. They took all of your money and even those in your company were enraged. Yet, what did you do, talk back? No, all you did was kneeling on the ground asking them to leave. That act shocked even those who you would call friends. In the end, those people left with your money and your dignity. I didn''t know what compelled me to go after those bullies. Maybe it was of how pathetic you were, or maybe because the sight of your dirtied knees reminded me of father. Nevertheless, I decided to go and get your money back. I would shove it back to you and then maybe, President, you would truly leave my mind. Apparently, I didn''t expect someone else beating me to the punch. I still remember it vividly, the scene on that day. The tiny you standing there with a bloodied box-cutter in your hand. All four bullies were on the ground, withering in pain. No other traces of blood could be found, no other signs of struggle. I didn''t understand at first but when I looked at where they were clutching I understood. All those areas were painful but non-lethal, as long as pressure was applied properly. Mother taught me about such places. Meanwhile, there you were completely unscathed. You simply retrieved the money without a single word. And that eyes, they were simply hollow. Those bullies to you simply didn''t exist. At that very moment, I was paralysed by your presence. That callousness, that blatant disregard for others, that lack of empathy. It was the boy I saw that day! I started to watch you, I wanted to know more about you. Then I could see it, deep underneath that friendly boy was someone trying to gain humanity. You hid your gaze of disdain, your uncaring attitude. Instead, you faked everything, your smile, your happiness, your friendliness. But you tried to fake them with such a genuine effort. You really did try to be¡­ a person. That was when I also learn, the President eyes never lie. But no matter how hard you tried, the cruelty of your nature was still there. It continued to torment you. But it was a pain you could avoid, if only you didn''t try to change yourself. If only you didn''t try to be someone you were not. There was a strange sense of satisfaction in me, seeing you failed like that. Maybe I hoped that it would validate my choice somehow. Then she came, Willow. Another foreigner with yellow hair and blue eyes just like you. She was beautiful, charismatic, intelligence, athletic, an adept in pretty much everything. That girl was stunning, perfect. People of course flocked over to her side, she was born to attract others after all. Even all attempts to outright resist her charm fail. I opted to avoid that girl entirely. You would remember her alright. She was your girlfriend for the last two years of junior high. Before I knew it, you two were together, inseparable¡­ well, while you were together anyway. Thanks to her, you changed for real. Soon your indifferent nature was gone. In its place was a kind and caring person. You became easily overwhelmed and even embarrassed easily. You were dead to me¡­ or at least that was what I wanted. Life went on but I couldn''t seem to get you out of my head. Two more years passed and it was the end of junior high. During that time, mother was gone for good. I wanted to cry only to find out I seemed to remember how. It was somewhat¡­ painful, being unable to shed tears like that. I was going to move, to this cursed island. I thought you would be gone forever, out of my life once and for all. I wanted to leave in peace, in silent but in the end, that didn''t happen. No, I was still too confused because of you. I never could get you out of my head. The once cruel you were smiling so brightly, so innocently. You were happy. I also want a taste of it, happiness that is. I decided to change. I decided to follow your footsteps one more time. And so, I became who I am today. The cute, the well-loved, the popular Aoi ¡­Yet, I nearly threw it all away just to lie here forever! I was nearly lured away by the temptation of peace. That was what I rejected already. I chose to change, to try my best to truly live, to experience life! No, this darkness won''t swallow me, this rot won''t have me! I will continue to struggle, to soldier on till the last shred of my power! I yell out with all my might. "Please, lead me out of here, blue bird!" I could see it speed up, flying further and further away. If that is the case then I will just have to run faster, I just need to try harder. My vision starts to blur, my body feels like bursting. My legs are becoming harder and harder to move. But I push on anyway! Finally, this body of my, explode. I could feel a sudden surge of adrenaline and finally everything is clear. My body is lighter than ever and the bird seems slower than ever. I clench my teeth to make a final sprint and nab that blue bird. As I touch the creature, warmth envelops this hand of mine. I regain my consciousness to find you clutching my pale dying hand closely. Tears are streaming out of your clear blue eyes. "Aoi, I¡­ I am glad" You said with your shaky voice, because of me. "Pre¡­si¡­dent..~" I replied with tired breath. Sorry, President but that was all I could muster. Ah, I am still¡­ It is difficult, my neck is rigid, but I try to turn away anyway. I am still dying, I can''t let the President sees me like this. "There is no need to turn away" You held me back gently. "B..b¡­ut" I couldn''t say anything, my throat has given out for now. I try my best to move but my body is frozen as you gaze into my eyes. "There is no need to hide. I truly do find Aoi beautiful even like this" Ah, you are cheating President, looking at me like this. Your eyes never lie I know, they tell me that what you said¡­ was true. It wasn''t just a consolation, you truly find this withered me¡­ beautiful. Come to think of it, I have heard many ways to describe me. Cute, charming, pretty, attractive and even alluring. Yet, ''beautiful'' sounds so foreign¡­ "I am going to end this, don''t worry I have a plan" The President said with great conviction "I will leave just for a bit¡­ don''t worry I will definitely return. Just promise me¡­ that you would live!" With those words, you look into my eyes and hold both my cold hands tightly. Oh, how could I turn you down like this. All I can do now is to give you a nod and the best smile I can muster. You looks back at me with gentle eyes and give me a kiss on the forehead. My face is tired but I will keep on smiling as you leave and I will stay her like this for your return, still with this smile of mine. ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ President, do you that I like you very very much¡­ a very long time now¡­ Chapter 10 Chapter 10: A season to die Everything went downhill and yet there was such a natural flow to it was surreal. It took me and Dorian the rest of the day in the library, reading Principes de la Philosophie with help from a dictionary of course. Lucky for me, the man learnt how to read French rather quickly, soon he could read the book fluently. Both of us wasn''t sure of the accent and tone but that didn''t really matter anyway. In the end, asides from some interesting historical titbits, nothing was really useful. The phrase used in that notebook was just by itself. Maybe the meaning was what the author concluded herself, just like I did earlier. We decided to return before it turned dark only for Dorian to pick up on a disturbance. No, it was more than that, it was the rot spreading itself. Exposing it ugly self to the world. This being had hidden itself for so long, what made it suddenly flexing its influence so overtly like this. Such an uncharacteristically vulgar display of power. Then the answer came to us immediately just as sudden as a window shattered. Then out come a last glimpse of a struggle to live. A life moment before its demise. For a moment, I was frozen. I wanted to see it, that last shine before the end. Of course, my common sense kicked in and I rushed in. It wasn''t enough to save Hitomi who crashed into the hard ground. It was a messy death for such a girl. Her head smashed against the hard surface, cracked open. Its content which wasn''t just blood leaked onto the floor. You surely didn''t deserve such cruelty but I couldn''t help but shaken by what I saw. It was¡­ unusual to see you like this, dirtied and defiled. Yet, I felt like I could see your body twitching, trying to summon any strength left. Was it just a flourish before death, or was it your final effort against the void? Knowing you, I can confidently believe it to be the later. Such a disgustingly alluring sight. Now here she is in front me, still clinging onto life. Don''t worry, you are truly a sight to behold, truly beautiful. I slowly put down Hitomi dying arm and let her lie there on the sofa. On her face is a pained smile, one she seems determined to keep for now. Don''t worry, I will get you out of here alive. "Dorian, can you still here me?" I called out and was replied by a weakened voice. "Yes, President" He sounded as if he is also going to die soon. It''s all because of the rot, it knows that Hitomi was revived. If it tries to kill her again, the girl would just be brought back again. Dorian now is powerful enough to do that several times even. So, it decided to trap us in this twisted domain. As long as Hitomi is still here, she will keep on dying. No matter how hard the man tries, it is impossible to revert the effect. The rot is simply stronger than him and by making her wound itself an apparition like this, it can exert direct power over it. Dorian is now all drained once again, now even worse than ever. He can barely keep Hitomi alive at this point. Plenty of his power has to also be used to maintain his aura to ward of the rot. Thanks to that, we can still see the school as it is, not some decayed monstrosities. But he is approaching the breaking point. "Can you hide her presence, just a while?" "I¡­ I will try my best, President" Good, then I don''t have to worry about Hitomi''s safety for now. But from the sound of his voice, I won''t have much time left. I left Hitomi''s knife on the table and get a move on. What''s my plan, you may ask. Oh the answer is simple, I will kill this rot right here right now. Of course, it all depends on whether that thing can even be killed conventionally or not. But then, Hitomi told me it could bleed. Guess that I will gamble everything on this. Besides, it''s not like I have any other plan. With its power, the rot could just easily win in a war of attrition. I look around the club room for possibly one last time. It took us a great deal of effort just to get hear. Lucky that Dorian could detect the rot to a certain degree. Thanks to that we could sneak hear for this equipment. I open the floor to reveal an old World War II cache. This island was never truly embroiled in the conflicted. Even so, the place was still dotted all over with barracks and the old school building itself was a military base once. Maybe that could explain this secret compartment full of weapons in here. In front of me are several empty Nambu types pistols, four type 99 rifles, several type 44 carbines. Surprisingly, there are two type 100 submachine guns, rare for this area. Finally is one type 99 light machine gun alongside tons of ammo boxes organised neatly. Rather abundant for a stash in what seems used to be an officer room. I stumbled upon this cache one day while waiting for the rest of the members. If I remember correctly, I didn''t tell this to anybody. There was no need for these weapons after all, it was best that they remained forgotten. I did do a few research about them of course. Too bad I can''t handle any of this aside from the pistol which I take two. Next I open a big box in the compartment and is greeted with four type 94 shin gunt¨­. I pick one up and try to familiarise myself with its weight. The sword is lighter than I had expected but to swing it around will still be quite an exercise. Two or three precise slash would be all that I could muster. But then, if my plan succeed then there is no need for that. I exit the room blade ready to be greeted by the most desolate of landscape. It is still the library and to my surprise, there is simply no sign of decay. No violating taste, no disgusting smell, no revolting sight, no dissonant noise, no skin-crawling touch, nothing at all. There is nothing here but an environment devoid of life. I bask myself in the emptiness, now this is new. When we passed this place it wasn''t like this at all. But then we were carrying a frail Aoi, because of that, Dorian must have used his power to influence both our perception. To a girl clinging to life, the infinite void wasn''t what she needed to experience right then. There isn''t much time for me to experience this lifeless library, however, seeing that my senses all pick up on a disturbance at once. It feels like an arrow, filled with twisted life, piercing through the oblivion and strikes right at me. In that moment, the entire place is engulfed by a sickly influence.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Ah, I almost miss this. The crumbling mouldy walls, the termites infested wood, the decayed book. It was only three days ago that I first truly encountered this phenomenon. Afterward I indulged excessively with my own fantasy world. But then that empty library came, even just for a short while it had cleansed my palate for what to come. This rotten world in all of its festering glory! Ah, this fetid smell is sure to make your stomach turns inside out. The sight is one so strikingly disgusting that it burns into the back of your eyes. My tongue can feel a familiar taste of flesh and blood. Huh, just a few days ago it was the only thing I could feel, how things escalated. Now, even the air makes my skin itches in extreme disgust. To top it off, I am confronted by the one behind it all, the rot. It is a humanoid figure whom I can''t seem to make out any details. On one hand is another shin gunt¨­ like mine, the other is a rifle ready to fire. This is not quite what I expected. For a creature with seemingly infinite power, seeing it with weapons is most unreal. Although to be honest, the rot''s sense of mystique was ruined slightly when I learnt of its vulnerability. The figure is so tame that it actually stands out among this chaotic background. The shrouded is more like a product of restraint rather than any effort at concealment. Despite that, my hands are still shaken by fear. It is born not of my own fragile mortality though but of the implication behind the thing''s unimpressive entrance. My heart sinks even lower as it drops the well-oiled rifle on the ground and clutches its sword. The rot adopts a stance that I am familiar with. Uncle Nathaniel showed it to me once. "The best among Japanese master swordsmen. People do mimic this but you can tell the difference between them and me right" He said, clutching an unchigatana "Imprint this in your memory. If you ever face someone whose stance deviates mine 1% percent or less, just run" Now I am faced with one like that. The way it shifts weight, its form and placement are almost identical if accounted for the difference in body size. To be honest, I have no idea why this stance is good, I simply trust in uncle Nathaniel''s judgment. But even as a complete amateur, I can still feel danger radiating. Was it the completely still posture or just how focused it seemed even under all the shrouded details. I take in a deep breath and immediately draw out my gun. I empty the magazine of its six bullets at the thing while gritting my teeth. The rot effortlessly dodge the first five clumsy shots with minimal movements. Three projectiles slide past its surface while two just miss completely. I fired them consecutively and the recoil was harsh even for such a small gun. The final shot is difference though, I waited just long enough to stabilise my aim before firing. I expected the rot to dodge this one as well but no. With a swift slash, I can see a slight spark as the lead bullet is sliced in half. An absurd feat, no doubt to crush my spirit if only I¡­ didn''t see it before. Now, that display inflict no effect on me at all whatsoever. But even so, I shiver even more out of fear. This isn''t because of death or the unknown, in fact it is the opposite of the latter even. I want to turn around and run away but I can''t. The rot won''t be kind on Dorian or Aoi, their execution will be brutal and swift. I scream out loud and charge straight at the being. One hand gripping the sword while the other fires rapidly. Four of my bullets miss the mark completely, one is dodged while the final is slashed in half again. I don''t really care seeing that I only needed the sound to drown out my inner voice, telling me to turn the other way. It was more than adequate, my ears are out of commission. In the heat of the moment, my mind involuntary blink. It is just for a millisecond but as I open my eyes, the tip of a blade is already halfway to me. At this very moment, I can see images flashes in front of my eyes. There is voice deep within me. It is of me talking to someone else. ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ "What are you doing?" I asked. "Ah¡­ no¡­ nothing at all" It''s my Yuuko, trying to hide something behind her back. "Oh ok" I replied nonchalantly and turned away. As the girl was letting out a sigh, however, I immediately lunged back and saw¡­ a half-knitted scarf. "P¡­President you meanie!" Yuuko blushed and immediately pushed me away. She used too much force, however, and do the scrawny me fell first into the ground. "Oh, no" The girl immediately rushed to my side "Are you alright, can you hear me President" She was worried sick for me. Luckily, there was no injury at all, only a mild concussion. Yuuko, despite already said sorry, was still feeling guilty and so offer me a lap pillow. "So, what was that all about?" Settling down comfortably, I asked her. "It''s a scarf¡­ I am making it for you, for when it turns cold" The girl admitted, her ears bright red. I hadn''t expected that, there was a reason for that though "It''s rather complete¡­ the later part looks rushed though" We had just become a couple yesterday and yet this thing was already near its completion¡­ "It''s because¡­ I already started way before¡­ just for you" Yuuko put her hand over to cover her face. This was something I would soon get used to. For some reason, just the image of her trying to hide a flushed expression was just too precious. But I didn''t really care about that back then, what caught my attention was her answer. My girlfriend, being sharp as usual, noticed it. She stuttered in consideration but decided to answer anyway, out of guilt perhaps? "I already like you for quite a while now¡­" Yuuko admitted and I could feel my heart flutter with each word "I intended to confess after finishing this and got quite¡­ impatient¡­" If she had gone on like that, the scarf would be finish about today. Just a day after my own confession. Now that wasn''t the same time or anytime but I was touched by our wavelength anyway. After that, we both just stayed like that in silent. It was the most peaceful time of my life and our first couple-like interaction after going out. I was happy. My mind is flooded by our many events together at well. There was the time when she Yuuko skipped class to take care of a sick me. When she made sweets for me, eating them I couldn''t believe it was her first time making the thing, the amount of preparation must have been gruelling. Then I had to go and try to repaid her with my own attempt at baking a cake. I copied from the best and practiced as much as possible¡­ only for my class to eat it all them jerks. I even tried to be more manly to be able to carry her, after breaking my back at the local gym every day I gained absolutely nothing¡­ But then of course the final memory must be that time. It was in an empty library on the most beautiful day I could ever remember. I brought a big hand-picked bouquet and kneeled in front of her. "I¡­ I have like you for the longest time now. Vice-president Yuuko, would you go out with me!" In hindsight that was too cheesy even for me, it even looked more like a marriage proposals even. I could see a hint of tear on her face. The girl tried to keep calm, put on a poker face but she couldn''t. Yuuko then gave me her brightest of smile. "Of course, I would be glad to go out with you, President!" Ah, I could feel tears starting to stream out of my eyes as all of these came back all at once. In this life and death moment, all is on my mind is just Yuuko and it remains that way as my mind goes blank. ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ In the darkness there is an image, clear as day. It is of uncle Nathaniel, his movement swift and precise. I have always looked up to him, I wanted to be strong. Alas, it didn''t happen due to this figure of mine. Nevertheless, I was dedicated, I had imprinted his posture, his actions, his movements into my brain. Now they will finally be of use. My arms and legs feel like bursting from the sudden movements. I throw myself against the blade. The pain that follow is excruciating as the blade runs through my shoulder. In return, I plunge my shin gunt¨­ between the rot''s ribs. I can feel the sword going through its beating heart. Judging from its movement, dodging my assault would be trivial. That was why I acted so clumsily with the guns. That is what I am trying to tell myself but the truth is far more painful. There was the sound of whisper but I block it out, a final sign of denial. The rot could just stab me there and then, straight through the throat. But I expected differently and I was right, the blade was redirected at the end, a sign of panic which heralded the rot''s end. I won but for reasons most damning, because she never intended to kill me. My hands shake uncontrollably as now the truth is in the light now. I could no longer be in denial any longer. The shroud that I imposed fades away. As the rot takes its last breath the scenery around return to one I am too familiar of. I let the body slide along me and catch it before the ground could. Then I cry, cry like never before clutching Yuuko''s lifeless body as the sun set painted the old library in a light most romantic. Chapter 11
Chapter 11: A dangerous liaison This Wednesday there is a test but I won''t be there. School can wait seeing that the President will be discharged from hospital and so here I am waiting in the lobby. Aoi isn''t so lucky though, the encounter last Sunday had left her shrivelled and malnourished. Nevertheless, the girl is getting better and better, her mood also seems to be unaffected by the incident. Or maybe that is just the fa?ade she put up in front of others, I am not as perceptive as the President to tell. She now also has a pet blue bird out of nowhere, the little creature just keeps following her around. "Sei he is called" Aoi said as her classmate swooned over the little thing. Something about it unsettles me, however, a sentiment shared by the President. The bird never leaves her side, that and its timing are all too unnatural. This led both of us to conclude separately that the thing is an apparition. Speaking of the devil, here he is waving at me with a covered painting strapped on his back. "Sooner than I expected, maybe you could make it to the exam" I said. "I would rather not" The President replied in a smile most uncanny. There was something off about him. The President would still talk like normal, act like normal, laugh like normal and everyone would find him normal. Well, except for me who find all of it slightly off, not by much but enough to be, like I described before, uncanny "Anyway, let''s get something to eat, I am starving. Did you have anything yet, Akihiko?" "Nah, was waiting for you" In case you want to know I am aware of apparitions. The President told me everything, including what happened to our vice-president. She is gone, and so is the rot he said with a sombre look on his face. I guess it''s now my turn to tell a story of my own too, that I already knew of them, and that we aren''t the only players here. It all happened last Saturday during club practice. The competition is coming up and the intense training routine meant that someone was to go down sooner or later. And the person to bite the dust was me¡­ maybe that was an exaggeration. Our pitcher simply slipped and sent a high speed ball straight to my face. Aside from the concussion nothing serious happened but I was sent to the infirmary regardless. "Are you there, Kitamura-san" I called out but there was no answer, our physician was nowhere to be found. "Hm?" My teammate looked at me strangely "Who are you talking about?" He said curiously. "Kitamura? The physician?" I replied which made him more confused. "No, I never heard of him before. Are you alright there Akihiko?" He said worryingly "We¡­ currently has no physician, why did I forget about that" He sunk deep in thought for a moment but instantly snapped back to normal, it was as if something had yanked him back to this reality. "Let me get something for your head" He said, seemingly unaware of our previous conversation. In the end, nothing was really needed so I asked my teammate to go back first. The moment he left I shuffled the drawer only to find¡­ nothing. Kitamura always gives out candy to all those coming to his infirmary. Because of that, this was always filled with treats of all kind. Now it was empty. I looked around some more but there was no trace of our physician. I was going mad for a moment there, that is until I noticed something strapped under the table. A mobile phone! Taking it out, I inspect the device but couldn''t find anything outstanding, it was just a normal flip phone. Or that what I thought, seeing that next to nobody in this village has something like this. I only know the shape because the President had shown me one prior. Opening the thing, I noticed the language setting to be English which is a peculiar choice. Again, only a few people here understand it. Luckily, I happened to be one of them (the President isn''t ironically). Even so, all I saw was that the device was locked. After a good while of thinking, I couldn''t figure out the password at all. Before I gave up and put that thing away, however, the screen lit up¡­ an incoming call! The caller was simply "Gas-chan". Before answering, I take a look outside to see if anyone is around. To my absolute horror, there was. A tall figure completely hidden under a brown duster with black gloves and boats. But most unsettling is his head which was covered by a black gas mask of sort. In his hand was another phone which was also lighting up. There was something menacing about the man, maybe because of his strange attire. Nevertheless, I could feel danger radiating from him. Even through the visors I could feel his intense gaze. For a moment, I was paralysed with the thought of my own mortality. At that very moment, there were sounds of shuffling as the door behind me was opened. Even though I tried not to, my head turn back with reflex anyway. "Akihiko?" It was Makoto, my neighbour, and her two friends from the wind instrument club. They just finished practice apparently. "Looking pale there, are you alright?" Another one of them, Aya, asked me. Looking back, I couldn''t see the masked figure anymore, the phone is also now silent. I fumbled to answer "I am fine, just had a little concussion, that''s all" "Did you hit your face?" The flute expert, Fumiko, chimed in "Not the face!" Everyone let out a slight giggle, that girl really like to poke fun at the fact that I am apparently handsome. I also tried to laugh for a bit but the feeling of dread hadn''t left me yet. I could still feel that person lurking around waiting. That guy is definitely dangerous, I need to get away from here lest somebody here get involved. I need to get back to town to find help. "Are you girls going back to town?" I asked, trying to be as natural as possible. "Yep" Aya answered "How about you?" "Ah¡­ yes" I replied. This is bad, at this rate they would accompany me back. I have to find a way to delay them "Oh Aya, it seems like Gorou wants to see you for something urgent. He is still practicing at the field so maybe you could drop by" "Hm, what does he want with me¡­ Oh well, since I am here, might as well" Aya chimed in again, nudging her friend hip "Maybe he wants to confess or something" "Probably not, anyway, be seeing you around, Akihiko" Fumiko laughed the possibility off. "See ya, cutie!" Aya also said goodbye. Meanwhile, Makoto simply nodded at me in silent. Good, it seemed like they would be going together. I took that opportunity to quickly leave. Feeling a bit guilty to abandon practice like this though. Nevertheless, this was an emergency. The school that Saturday was mostly empty and so was the road back to town. A trek downhill devoid of people would be risky but maybe I could make a run for it. Or at least that was what I thought. There were sounds of footsteps behind me and turned out it was Makoto. "Can I go with you?" She said so softly, I could barely hear it. "It would be great but I need to run" Of course, I politely turned her down. She was fidgeting quite a bit, however. Makoto had always been a shy one. Everyone said that ever since high school started, she had become much more talkative, something I never got to witness. It wasn''t that I don''t get to see her, we are neighbours after all. But aside from her trying out some new hairstyles only to return to her old one recently, she was still the Makoto that I had always known, sweet but shy and reserve. She clearly had something to say to me, however, I couldn''t just leave her standing here like that. Besides, there were still some people around the school ground so it should be safe here at least. "What''s wrong?" I asked the nervous girl. "Can I show you something, Akihiko?" "Of course" "Here" Makoto took out a coin in one hand and with just a flick it was gone. She showed her hand nothing was really there. "Uh, where is it?" I looked around but couldn''t find the item anywhere. Smiling for a bit, Makoto reached for my ear with little difficulty and voila, there it was, the coin. "Whoa" That was my first time seeing a magic trick of any kind so needless to say, I was impressed "How did you do it?" "That''s a secret!" Answered the girl, who seemed to have gained some confidence from successfully completing the act "And also¡­ Happy birthday, Akihiko" It took me a few moments to completely register what she was saying "Oh, I completely forgot about that" I scratched my neck, feeling a bit embarrassed. "I knew you would" Said Makoto with a hint of playfulness "Hey, can I tell you something?" I gave a nod. After a pause, she finally said what was on her mind for a long time now. "I really like you" It was short, sincere and crystal clear. It left me stunned, not knowing what to say. I truly didn''t know how to answer, while she was still my neighbour and a precious friend of mine, I never really saw her that way at all. But just outright shooting her down would be cruel. It must have taken someone like her a great deal of courage to say something like that, I just didn''t want to shut it all down. "I''m sorry that was out of nowhere" She apologised "I just felt like if I didn''t confess then, I would never be able to say it again¡­"Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. "It''s fine, I understand" I truly do. Makoto had always been nervous, restless about me. Successfully doing that magic trick must have given her some confidence which she didn''t want to waste¡­ Guess I should give her a proper answer then. Clearing my throat, I reply with great sincerity, she deserved that "I''m sorry I''ve never noticed, but I don''t see you that''s way" Hanging her head low for a bit, Makoto looked back up to me with a slight smile "Thanks, for the answer" She said "I should have given you this earlier, here" The girl handed me what seemed like a book wrapped neatly in colourful papers. "Happy birthday, Akihiko" And with just that, Makoto ran back inside. Even though she turned away rather quickly, I could still caught glimpse of a shinning tear. It was hard, confessing all the while knowing the answer. Maybe that was why she never said this to me earlier. Instead, the girl tried to catch my attention, maybe she tried much more. But in the end, I never noticed their intention¡­ Am I that dense, that cruel? Biting my lips, I made a sprint back down to town, there were still things that needed to be done. The moment I was out of sight of everybody, however, The figure burst out of nowhere. I tried to react but my mouth was covered my hands locked behind my back in an instant. His movements were lighting quick and with great precision. And with seemingly no effort at all, the figure dragged me to the side of the road, to the dense forest. "No need to run, I am not going hurt you" His voice was deep, slightly muffled by the gas mask which must have some sort of speaker in it, I could even hear his breath "I just want to ask some questions that''s all" I tried to struggle to no avail, the man''s grips were like steel. In the end, I stopped in resignation and gave him a nod, he let me go. "Are you Gas-chan?" I asked and could hear him sighing "Yes, that was what Kitamura called me. And you are¡­ Akihiko from the unofficial Paranormal Activity club right" "Wait, how do you know about that" I was taken aback but at the same time intrigued. "The phenomenon you called the ''rot'' has been here for decades now. You don''t expect to be the only people interested" Gas looked straight at me and just walked away "Let''s go, here isn''t the best place to talk" I contemplate running away but with the reflex this man had displayed, he could probably grabbed me just in time. But in the end, I decided to follow out of curiosity, this was after all a brand new lead. "What do you know about it, this ''rot'' thing" He asked, probably to test me. "Well, all we know is that thing has influenced all over the school but is also contained there. There are those like me who can sense, basically one of our sense will feel something rotten, revolting. And that overexposure will overload all your senses, making them sensing the ''rot'' constantly" I paused a bit in consideration before continuing "But recently, we found out that it can kill but the death is gradual, it would take a while before its effect to be permanent" That was what the President told me, somehow the person known as Dorian Grey could revert it, but only before a certain amount of time has passed. "So you have stumbled upon a victim?" Gas asked with a hint of interest. "Yes" "And that person was revived, back from the dead?" He turned around and stared at me through the visors. The information I presented was new to him apparently. I replied with a nod. The man stood still for a moment before busted out laughing "So you are actually useful! Guess me showing myself wasn''t such a bad deal" The laughter soon stopped, however, as sudden as its entrance. Gas asked "So what did it, the reviving, was it an apparitions?" "Eh, what do you mean?" This was the first time I heard of such a thing. Did Dorian fall into that category I wonder, while I never met the man, he did seem to be paranormal. In the end, I gave a confirmation nod "Are there other apparitions, aside from the ''rot'' I means" "Of course, only on this island though" He continued walking on "I heard this place was full of them, but now only three remaining, the first is Hitobashira" "Wait, ''human pillar''? But I thought¡­ all major constructions here were done after that practice has fallen out of use?" "Ho, boy you sure know your history. Most folk here, including Kitamura, don''t even what ''human pillar'' is, much less dating it" Gas seemed impressed "I theorised that maybe because this island is rather isolated, maybe such a practice still persisted. But alas, it wasn''t the case, do you know why, boy?" Was that a test I wonder, it did seem like it "Because we only became reclusive recently some decades ago. Meanwhile, Hitobashira waned of at about the end of the 16th century. Back then, we were still quite active in trading and very much connected with the mainland" Now the only product we supply are seafood but the catch tend to be little and of lower quality, commerce here is in a crisis but no one would admit that. "Bingo!" Gas gave me a thumb up and continued "In the end, why he was called Hitobashira remained to be a mystery. Although that name was coined by a group of students apparently so the accuracy is certainly up for debate. I have no idea what it is actually to confirm. Who know, maybe it is actually a literal human pillar, that would be a sight though" "Wait, students? How long ago was this? I asked but he ignored my question "The second apparition is called Shoudan" "As in ''promotion'' (•N¶Î)?" "No, as in ''burning man'' (½¹ÄÐ). And don''t ask, I know nothing about it either" "Sound like you don''t really know much" I talked under my breath, kind of regretting going with this guy now. "I could hear that you know" Somehow he could even with that gas mask which covered his ears "Anyway, the third and final one is your ''rot''¡­ who thought of that name anyway" "The others don''t really remember but it was me actually" I said, raising my hand. "Oh, that explain it" He said as we continued to cut through the forest "What?" "Why it is so lame" Gas casually threw that remark at me. "Oi, that was uncalled for!" I reacted ''appropriately'' He turned around "Well, it is true. Saying ''rot'' (kusa) just seems kind of short, kusa, kusa, kusa" The man said snidely "Don''t tell me you take pride in that name" "Well yes, it is concise, descriptive and sounds like a name!" I felt a bit insulted "What do you even call it then" "Well, Kitamura called it ''the murderer'' (satsujin), my source calls it ''the storm'' (arashi). Well, my employer and me prefer to call it the warrior" He said in a slight condescending tone which could be heard even through the muffling. I, of course, didn''t let that slide "Why don''t you just call him the warrior (bushi) then, using it in English is even cheaper. I mean that''s the epitome of generic" I had no idea why I said this really since it''s not like I am that well-versed in this matter. I just felt like that was the case I guess. "And changing them to Japanese isn''t!" Gas said sarcastically. "That''s because we tend to actually name stuff, not just calling them by the plus some word. Besides, saying it in Japanese sounds more varied" I replied, crossing my arms "All those names, I assume you and your employer are foreigners?" "Oh wow, not only are you a history buff, know English but you are not a total xenophobe. I struck gold today it seems" He suddenly threw out a compliment which took me a few moments to realise. "Thanks" I said, slightly flustered. "But yes, I am not Japanese and you don''t need to know where I am from" I had to admit this took a bit long for me to realise. His Japanese was perfect and the muffling kind of masked any sort of accent. It is such a coincident now that I think about it, the only two foreigner I know can speak so well, is this normal I wonder? "You mentioned an employer¡­ what are you and why are you here even?" I had to admit, this should have been asked way earlier. I was all too eager to learn more of the ''rot''. "Well, before that, I wonder if you know this person¡­ an Elizabeth Grey" I certainly didn''t expect to hear that name "Y¡­ Yes" Gas turn back to face me "You must have heard of her from Mr. O''Brien then. What do you know about her then" ¡­ After an uncomfortable silent, I finally nodded. It had been too long since I last heard the President''s family name. Actually, I only heard it once, it was the start of this school year. It was a new class but everyone already knew each other, all except one. A Westerner, but he was far from my expectation. He was rather small and somewhat shy. His hair was scruffy and yellow, his glasses were quite foggy but behind them were the most brilliance shade of blue. The teacher introduced and completely butchered the pronunciation of his name. He tried to talk to the whole class but no one was interested, it must have been depressing standing there that day. Soon he just gloomily went to the seat the disinterested teacher had assigned. No one cared nor turned his way, no one except for me. Even now, I could still remember our vividly our first conversation. "I''m Akihiko. Your name, how do you pronounce it exactly" I asked, extending my arm for a handshake. In that very moment, the transfer student''s gloomy face lit up in an instant. He grabbed my hand, I could feel his hand trembling. His eyes shone brightly like the brightest gemstone, I could even see tears welling up. It was beautiful for a lack of a better word. That was the first time someone had ever acknowledge his existent ever since coming here, much less showing kindness. How could I leave him alone after that. (Although he would latter vomit uncontrollably and was help by someone else, another sign of kindness from a person called Yuuko) Since then we have become best friends. I now call him President and he now has supposedly a small ponytail, I find it more like a bun because of how scruffy it is (he is quite lazy when it comes to having a haircut). His eyes were still as brilliance as they were on the day we first met, although their shine is now directed toward someone else¡­ Anyway, my mind went a bit off track there. "He didn''t tell me anything about Elizabeth though¡­ why do you want to talk about her?" Actually, the President told me everything he knew. I just didn''t want to divulge too much information. Gas continued to look at me, I could feel his eyes squinting behind the visors "So you are finally back down to Earth" I could feel my face redden from the embarrassment "Well, that Elizabeth was a scientist of sort. Not too long before the second World War, she moved to this island, for what I don''t know" He suddenly stopped and stared at me "What''s the matter?" I asked. "Nothing, just checking to see if you are still here" Gas replied in a rather sarcastic tone "Anyway, what important is that she brought her researches with her. Apparently, they were millennia ahead of the science back then. I am simply an errand runner who was sent here to fetch her artefact, that''s all" "Some very special canvases to be exact" His tone were quite playful but even through the gas mask, his next words were still strangely eerie "Do you happened to know about them?" "No¡­" was my answer. I did know that they exist but that was all. Gas seemed satisfied and we continued in silent. We soon reached a rather well concealed shack "What is in there exactly?" I asked. "In here" Gas turn back to me and paused a bit seemingly for effect "Doom" He said it in a joking tone but it only made me more nervous. Inside there was a table and several cabinets. Gas opened one and took out several stacks of papers "You have given me quite a bit of info there, consider this a trade" I looked directed to the bunch of documents which were just lists of high school students from¡­ 1980 till now! At least they were nicely packed into years. The one from the past 15 years were on one side with a huge note "Too many?" on top. Too many of what, students? Maybe, everyone here has lots of sibling and relatives, hence our tendency to call each other by name. I personally am an only child though. That was when I notice the piles before 1993 are noticeably thinner. Grabbing one of them, I was puzzled by the finding. The number of students were much less, a third or even fourth of now. Also, for some reason, I couldn''t seem to find many similar family names. Was there some sort of natural disaster? Disease? What most noticeable is that the number instantly shoot up in just one year, after 1992 and they just kept increasing until now. "What''s the meaning of this" I asked, my heart filled with a sense of dread. Gas was just standing in the corner, his hands crossed "Judging from your reaction, you must already have some theory already. Let''s hear them, shall we" There wasn''t any sort birth control back then, still none now actually. And yet the number of students were surprisingly low back then, too low. Maybe schooling wasn''t popular back then? That would make sense but if that was the case, then Gas wouldn''t have shown me this. Then, all those people, children back "They were all murdered¡­ Is that it" "Bingo" "Was it the rot?" My question was met with a "Yes" "Then how?" I continued "How come no one know of this, there is no record of this" "Because there was none" Gas answered "Whenever your rot murder someone, that person is seemingly wiped away from everyone mind. No one remember them anymore. I couldn''t find any records for junior high, likely because it was when all of the killings were committed. And all those who come close would have their mind wiped, right in front of you" What he said struck me hard as I remembered what happened to my friend earlier today, but then that also mean¡­ "Of course, there are those who resist that effect, only to be killed themselves just like poor Kitamura" There was total silence, enough to hear a pin fall. Gas then stood up and look at me, what he said next would send a chill down my spine. "Now that you are in the know. Better watch your back, Akihiko" The man looked at me, I wondered what was under his mask then. He put his hand inside the duster "This is your birthday, right?" I couldn''t decipher the tone of his words. Gas suddenly pulled something out, startling me "Here you go, this is all I have on me" It was a piece of chocolate, mostly eaten. I reached out my hand to take it, still silent. Looking at the piece, I could see bite mark, I ate it anyway with an unreasonable fear of retaliation. The taste was bitter with strange hint of cherry. Chapter 12 Chap 12: An everlasting pain, an unending storm We had a nice stroll that ended in a small food stall. The owner obviously recognised our mugs but he jokingly promised not to tell the teachers. We had some ramens and are now making our back to my dorm. Akihiko, after a great deal of consideration, told me of his small adventure. "A lot certainly happened" I commented with some feeling of guilt, I was probably playing card then. But still, all those information, I truly don''t know how to deal with them "So now you are that Gas guy new contact?" "Yep, not sure how I feel about that really" Akihiko showed me the phone, which used to be Kitamura''s. Actually, I never forgot about our old physician, perhaps I am unaffected by the memory wipe? That guy would always joke about my height, treating me like a kid. Annoyed I was but his fruit candies were just too good. Kind of sad really, he is now a goner, forgotten. "At least now I will have someone to call aside from my mom" I said jokingly. "True" Answered Akihiko who seems to be thinking about something "Wouldn''t Aoi also have a phone as well, she is from the city like you" That¡­ has slipped from my mind actually. He continued "Maybe I will ask for her number later" "You do that" I said, reaching my arm up to pat his shoulder "Do you even know how to use this?" I asked, looking at my friend''s new phone. It isn''t a flip phone and the language is set to English which I don''t understand, kind of ironic really. "Gas did teach me quite thoroughly. He even showed me how to play the games in it, the one with the bouncy ball" Akihiko surfs through the menus like a pro. "That seemed unnecessary" I said, scratching my head. "I guess so, he did seem creepily enthusiastic about it¡­ Actually that guy is quite talkative" I am thinking about that actually. For someone who is supposedly like a spy of sort, that Gas seemed to talk a lot. Maybe he was just glad to talk to someone isn''t horribly hostile and racist. But what about our old physician, I never found him to be backward like the people here¡­ "Wait, you mentioned someone who seems to be an expert on apparition here. Who is that?" I asked, Gas must have had another contact. "Forgot about that, here he is" Akihiko showed me the contact list on his phone. There are only two numbers, Gas-chan and¡­ "Ishmael, he only contacted with Kitamura, never Gas directly. I tried to call him but no one picked up" "There is another foreigner here?" "No, apparently he is Japanese, native to this island even. I have no idea why he would use that name. Maybe a reference to the son of Abraham or that guy just read a lot of Moby Dick" I have no idea about those but didn''t ask anyway, Akihiko can get¡­ carried away with explaining sometimes. As I am thinking, however, a remark comes out of nowhere. "Wait, is Dorian here, he is awfully quiet" Surprised, I stumbled for an answer "Eh¡­ I wonder why, maybe he is just tired" It didn''t seem to fly but Akihiko decides not to pursue that subject. Nevertheless, the lie sours our conversation somewhat. We continue to make our way up the mountain in silence. That is, until we can both hear a short jingle, I draw out my phone to find it inert. It comes from Akihiko. He looks at his phone with a sense of dread, this is the first time the thing has been used. After that Saturday, Gas hasn''t contacted him at all, not until now. "Hello?" Said Akihiko cautiously. A faint sound comes from the device, I forgot to tell him to turn on the speaker. It isn''t long before the call is cut. "So, what is it" I asked nervously. "It''s Gas, he said there is something¡­ ''we'' should see" So he knew I am here as well. I don''t want to go, however. All these business, to me has now concluded, the rot is gone. I have had enough already. "Guess we should go then" But then again, I can''t just let Akihiko to go by himself¡­ Or at least that is what I tell myself. Still, my best friend seems to be really into this, now all of a sudden. Unlike me, it was a while until Akihiko could sense the rot and even then, his exposure was minimal. He was never as acute as me, nor was he that invested. It made me doubtful of his intention, why did this person decide to follow me. In my eyes, Akihiko had everything I ever wanted. The look, the height, the build, the charisma, the charm and most of all, connections. He is respected, admired and loved. And yet a person like that decided to follow someone like me around. Was he bored, I wondered, of all that he had. Maybe I was something new? Was it a cheap thrill he seeks? Could he ever sense the rot to begin with? Over time, those doubt of mine dissipate, Akihiko was a best friend I could ever have. He would always listen to me, standing up to me. Even when others were concerned for him, hanging out with a gaijin (ÍâÈË). He would still be there with me. But now, seeing him so engrossed in this, so enthusiastic after everything is done. That tingling doubt returns to me. Ah, I shouldn''t be like that¡­ We go pass the school even further up the hill. It isn''t long before we hit a wall of rock. To the left, behind a discrete bush, however, is a hidden cave. Suddenly, I can smell it, that rotten smell of fetid flesh. For a moment, my mind is flooded with thoughts and questions, I couldn''t breath as all of them overwhelm me. Is it back? How did it return? Why did it have to come back? When did this happen? What will it do? What could I do? What should I do? Yuu¡­ I snap out of the trance, however, seeing Akihiko also turning pale. He could smell it too. We look at each other and nod, then make our way in, talk about a bad idea. The cave gets even more spacious inside and we soon stumble upon the source. It is a rotting corpse wearing a white lab coat. At least all the business with the rot has prepared me well since this only taken me aback not by much. Akihiko, however, is trying his best not to puke at the sight of our old physician, Kitamura. In the corner is a man leaning on the wall with a thick duster "Nice to see you both" This must be Gas "We can skip the introduction; your friend must have told you all about yours truly here" "Yes" While I am not that affected, this choice of scenery is still a thing of disgust "Is this all want to show us?" "Not really. When I found him like this there was a notebook in his hands. A few final pages were ripped out, however" Gas handed me some papers "He had hidden them deep in his coat" Taking the items, I have to wonder why he would do something like that. Perhaps he was being chased, so Kitamura decided to use the notebook as bait, so that the real information could be hidden. I was expecting a journal of sort, but no the first page is something familiar. 23/2/92 Everyone is gone now, only I remain. Soon, all of this will be forgotten, just like all the souls taken by this rotten monstrosity. It has prowled they hallways of this school for more than a decade, preying upon us all. Every year, dozens of unsuspecting students are consumed. For what, I don''t know. The most horrifying thing is not the senseless slaughter, however, it is that we all none the wiser. Everyone killed by this creature are simply forgotten. Records were rewritten, items thrown out, there was nothing left of the dead. Nothing but a final torrent, a congregation of tortured souls. Withering, screaming, rotting away. I can feel their confusion, their fear, their pain. They are mindless and so dangerous. Two of my friends were gone like that, dragged away by thousands of dead ones. I can now no longer remember their name, those who I hold dear. I can''t remember her name, one from the painting. She sacrificed herself to evil, to seal it away inside her own shell. Will it be eternal? Will the thing one day completely eaten her inside out? That I do now know, but I made a promise, to return for her. What a fool I was, spewing such words of heroism. A vow that would soon slip away from my mind anyway No, I will return somehow! Even if this mind of mine erodes away, I won''t let you suffer for my sin. I promise no matter what, you will be free my friend. -Helena It was the final entry that Aoi found but translated. I can''t help it but fixated on those words, ''one from the painting''. There is only one person I know who fit the bill, one who is no more. I try to focus but that''s all my mind care to wander. This is no time to dwell on the past, to what has been done. I must move on, that was what I promise myself, what I willed. "President" A hand suddenly patted at my shoulder. It''s Akihiko, looking at me worryingly "Are you alright?" He said. There is such sincerity to his look that I manage to refocus. I remember now, why my skepticism about him was discarded. I have met many and he is one of the few who actually, truly care. Sorry for doubting you again like that. "I''m fine" I reassured him and continue reading. The other papers are written by Kitamura himself. I have finally found him, that rotten murderer, or more like a her. It''s the girl in the old library, but at the same time not. When she kills, something seems to engulf her, something controlling. Her movement in an instant would change, her walking and posture resemble that of a man. If the translation is correct then this must be the one who sealed the murderer years ago. Then why has the killing continued, albeit not on the scale as before. Has that thing taken control of her finally? ''Eaten her inside out'' per that journal? But then why would her face then would still look the same, cold but slightly mournful. I couldn''t observe anymore, it is too dangerous. It makes my stomach turns but I must once again sneak away and left my student to death. This time it is Aoi, that poor girl doesn''t deserved this fate. I don''t know how much longer I can keep on doing this. I follow this case to maybe finally avenging those who died but now the body just keep on pilling up more and more. The final is written in a hurry, the paper all crumpled. Years ago, some students managed to seal away the murderer. But it took almost all the apparitions along. According to Ishmael, only Hitobashira remained. However, that event also gave birth to Shoudan, a vengeful spirit. He wants to release and consume the murderer for spawning him. But for some reason, Shoudan can''t touch the girl, the seal. Can''t or won''t I don''t know. But he had found me out, he wanted me dead. But ironically I won''t be around much longer anyway. The murderer knew I was there when at Aoi''s murder, who survived somehow? I can smell that rotting presence, he is here in the corridor. I would lock myself in but O''Brien is here lying on the bed. I can''t involve the boy. That''s where it ends, as sudden as how it started. There are lots more in the notebook held by Gas, but now me and Akihiko couldn''t care less about it. Seeing that we just learnt the worst news possible.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. "What''s wrong?" Gas asked, noticing our behaviour. "The girl in this note, the librarian¡­ she is gone" Akihiko answered "But does that mean this Shoudan, whatever he is, will try to release the rot!" "I can''t let that happen" "I can''t let that happen" He continued to mutter those words to himself. The news was horrible but it seems like my friend here takes it much worse. Before I can say anything he suddenly leaves in a hurry. Worried, I grab his arm "Akihiko, what is going on? Are you alright?" He turns around and I am certainly surprised by the person in front of me. The always healthy athlete is now all pale, his arm shaking slightly. His eyes open wide in an expression of dread. He looks more like an addict, a long-time wreck. As if all of his fatigue surface at once. "I don''t know" He muttered with his cracking dry lips "It''s nothing" "You look horrible, don''t say it''s nothing" I am determined to get to the bottom of this phenomenon, but maybe the reason is much clearer than I have thought. "Horrible? He just gotten a bit pale, that''s all" Said Gas who is still leaning on the wall. Hearing such words while my friend is like this send a jolt of anger through me. "Just a bit pale! He looks like he is dying here!" My rage, however, is extinguished just as fast. "He has been looking like that ever since you two arrived" Gas answered, intrigued by my mistake "Hey boy, these past three days, have you been sleeping properly?" He suddenly asked. "Hm¡­ not really" Akihiko didn''t expect that out of nowhere but he answered anyway. What is going on here? He was completely normal earlier? I step back in confusion before finally realizing why. My filter is still there, still active. Come to think of it, is my perception still affected, is the world still just a rotten mess. Closing my eyes, I try to concentrate but when I open them again, the everything is still the same. I¡­ can''t seem to remove it, to see the world for what it actually it¡­ Turning around at Gas, I stare at the man whom I have never seen before. A metallic gas mask and a thick duster. Everything seems to fit Akihiko''s description. And then there was Azumi whom I only saw after the filter was on. I could still see her¡­ right? If the person I saw wasn''t her, if the person in front of me here isn''t Gas? then what is in front of me then and now. The thing I saw then and now are brand new. Then what¡­ Ah, I shouldn''t be thinking about this right now, there are more pressing matters. "Akihiko, you really look like a dump, what is¡­ going on?" I said, feeling like a broken record. Looking at me, he lets out a sigh "I should be the one asking that¡­ But yeh, I haven''t been feeling well lately, it''s just¡­" Akihiko paused a bit, a pained expression flashes on his face "This thought has been plaguing me, that I have forgotten something, or somebody. They were important, dear to me and now I couldn''t remember them at all. A piece of me, gone without my knowledge" Clenching his fist, Akihiko looks up with determination "I won''t let it happen, the rot can''t roam again. I won''t let something like that be awake!" And with that, he bolt away, leaving me behind in contemplation. Isn''t Shoudan going to kill the rot for good. That thought must have crossed Akihiko mind, but we don''t know if that unknown apparition would succeed or not. If that is the case, it''s best if it never tries in the first place. Grinding my teeth, I decide to chase after my friend. "Are you going to help him?" Gas asked. "Yes" I gave my answer and starting to make my way out of the cave. That is until I heard a familiar name coming from the man. "What would Ms. Eileen think about this I wonder?" All the alarm bells in my head ring loudly, in that moment, nothing else matter. I turn back in rage "Why did you mention her!" "Woah, that''s quite an intense expression you have there" Gas stood straight "Don''t worry, I only read about her after going through the Grey, not the O''Brien, family tree. I won''t touch your precious mother at all" "Then why mentioning her in the first place" I asked again. "Well, judging from your reaction, she is very dear to you. I hope the reverse is true" He continued in a taunting tone, apparent even through the mask. "Just get to the point" I squinted my eyes as for a moment, Gas posture seemed to shift instantly. "This kusa of yours is very dangerous, that I know for sure. What are you and your friend going to do. What if something bad happen to you, your mother would be very sad indeed" Halfway through his sentence, his tone instantly changed to one that sounds more concerning. The man didn''t even seem to be aware of that, or maybe that never occurred "Is this island worth it to you. Just grab those you are fond of, convince them, drag them of this place. I will help you even. If there is one thing I know, you don''t care squat about almost everyone here anyway" I tried to deny his claim but words don''t come out of my mouth. I staggered backward unconsciously "That''s not true" I said mostly to myself "What would you know" "I know you are a Grey and that is enough" Gas muttered in a grunted voice. "No!" I have changed! It''s true that I have! I tried my best! Right? "Anyway, I am not here to argue with you. That was just a friendly advice" He said with a concealed hatred nearly muffled by the metallic mask. In hindsight, his attitude, his sudden offer to help were telltale. Gas must have some sort of history with my family. Nevertheless, the me now doesn''t care. I take my leave anyway, not saying a word. But then, it doesn''t feel right to just leave. And so, I turn around one last time "Every time I tried to imagine me forgetting about mother, about all those who are important to me, I couldn''t continue, couldn''t breathe. It was horrible, suffocating and¡­ even if those who may die are of no concern to me. They are still dear to him, to Akihiko and I don''t want my best friend to go through that, maybe for the second time I don''t really know!" With those words, I can feel a sense of relieve, as if I have justified something, not only to Gas but me myself as well. And with that, I can leave with confidence. "President, what are you doing here?" Akihiko seemed surprised to see me here, also in the old library with him. "What make you think I wouldn''t be here" I replied "A president should help out his member in distress after all. Besides, preventing an apparition from releasing an ages old evil sounds like a job for the Paranormal Activity club (unofficial)" "Hah" Akihiko let out a slight laugh "I am in your care then" "So you have any idea of what to do yet, my cadet" I asked. Akihiko sighed "I figure we should at least know where the painting is. Then we could figure out a way to defend it against this Shoudan. But then I have no idea about where it could be" "That¡­ I actually know something about that" On the way here, I had been thinking about it after all, the painting. Then I could feel this tingling feeling that I had buried away, the memory I didn''t want to relive. I know¡­ knew this painting after all and were¡­ close. So I tried to delve into my mind, my own consciousness. And deep down there, I found the answer or at least I thought that was the answer. Oh well, only one way to. I grab the chair behind the librarian desk and look forward. In front of me is a door, behind it is our clubroom but that is not my objective. No, I care about what above that door. Gripping the metal chair tightly, I swing it upward while letting out a war cry on the top of my lungs. And my full power leave behind¡­ a slight crack. That was embarrassing, guess that tip toeing isn''t the best way to focus your strength. "Are you sure about this?" Akihiko asked. I give him a nod then hand over the chair with my head hanging low. With just a swing, a chunk of the wooden cover falls off revealing¡­ a painting! Another hit follows up with a final one and then it all comes down, showing me something all too familiar. It is the painting Aoi showed me last week, my own unfinished drawing. Of course, this piece is completed. So that mean what I have thought to be my own painting, my own effort, turns out to be just a replica after all¡­ Guess that''s all I am good at. As I reach out my hand to touch the canvas I am dragged down violently by Akihiko. "Watch out" He screamed out as a gust of flame flew above our head. Hitting my head on the ground, my vision is just a blur. But even then, I can still see the old library going up in flame. The fire is spreading, to the painting on the wall. I reach up and to grab the ornate frame, a big mistake. My fingers touch the scorching metal, I can smell burning flesh. It hurt, I scream internally. The pain is unbearable but I still hold on, trying to yank the painting of the wall to no avail. Soon it starts to catch fire and I can do nothing but watch her being swallowed whole, turning into ash. No, I could still do it. I yell out in determination as my hands are engulfed by the scorching flame. Suddenly, I am dragged away by an invisible force. It isn''t Akihiko, who is looking on in horror. There is only one. "Let me go, Dorian! I can do this! I can save her" I tried to free myself from his influence "Let me go" My friend soon snaps back to reality and also try to hold me back. I struggle, I kick and bite but couldn''t escape his grasp. With just a swing, Akihiko throws me on my back. "Arghhhh" I let out a pained groan as my glasses crack and shatter. The pieces fall of but one still manages to dig into my face. Blood stream out of me and so are tears, but not because of the wound. These past few days, it was difficult to cope with what happened. I couldn''t eat, I couldn''t talk. Every time I closed my eyes, her image flashed in front of me. She haunted me in my sleep, in the waking world. And the pain, it was excruciating and constant, as if my heart is pierced by a thousand needles. My body trembled and shriveled with every passing hours. But I have promised myself, to move on no matter what, to continue struggling. And so I tried to cast everything away, to seal her in the back of my mind. To avert my mind. And to a degree, it succeeded. Aside from a constant dull pain, I was fine, I could move on. But this day, to see her again so vividly only to have it snatched away from me like that. It hit my deepest self. It broke the dam and now I am drowned in the flood of memories. She is gone, my Yuuko is gone. Opening my eyes, I find my hands now burnt black from the fire. It doesn''t hurt though, I couldn''t feel anything. Looking up, I could see him, the person who must have followed us. Standing tall, he dons a rather normal setup, a shirt and a pair of trousers. His clothes are in tatter but everything is covered with bandage all over, including his eyes. Fire gust out from beneath all the covering however as he approaches us both. It is the apparition Shoudan. All the bookshelves are covered in flame and yet they don''t seem damaged. Even the books are all fine under the heat. But this inferno is still true, my hands are still charred. The apparition raises his arm and soon I can see scorch. Akihiko jumps toward to shield me but there is no need for that. Shoudan is suddenly brought to his knees, the cause is a machete lodged behind his head. Before he can stood back up again Gas jumps in and grab the handle, draws out the blade and delivers a devastating slash at the apparition throat. Shoudan staggered backward, flame gushing out of his outstretched arm. The fire, however, couldn''t damage the hardened duster. Another slash and his head falls back, held only by a strip of flesh left. But even then, Shoudan still lives. With a screeching scream, he seemingly detonates himself. Me and Akihiko manage to hide behind the librarian desk. Gas vault over to us just in time to avoid the explosion. "Nice to see you two here" He said nonchalantly, wiping the blood of his gleaming machete. Akihiko is surprised alright "What are you doing here!" "Helping you out, of course" Gas answered "But we are in kind of a pickle here" The man holds onto some sort of handle peeking out of his duster. "What is that?" Asked Akihiko again while I remained quiet, too consumed to realize what is going on or what to do. "This?" The man said with bated excitement, as if he has been wanting to hear that question. He stands up and takes out a double-barreled gun. Pausing for effect, he says cockily. "This is my boomstick!" A thunderous sound filled the library as both barrels unload dozens of pellets into the furious apparition, sending him flying onto his back. Quickly loading another two rounds, Gas fires before Shoudan could detonate himself again. The blast rips his arm straight off, blood gushes out the open wood. The apparition tries to reach for his dismembered limb but two other rounds are ready to discharge. There goes a leg. "I have enough slug rounds to do this all day" Gas loads another pair. What was once a dangerous supernatural threat is now reduced to a mess. He crawls along the ground pathetically, trying to escape the next shotgun blast. Oh how things change. Looking at him, one can be forgiven for showing some sort of sympathy. Blood still streams out Shoudan gaping wounds, he can be heard crying out for help. But then his voice is reduced to gargles as his mouth is filled with blood, dripping through the bandage. Meanwhile, Gas is walking toward him through the fire, his black mask gleams ominously. Even through the burning sound, I could somehow hear his muffled breathing. I have never realized how unnatural that sounds before. But even after all that, I can feel no sympathy toward the apparition. Looking back at the painting covered with ashes, what is burning inside me is an uncontrollable rage. "Stop" Yelled Akihiko "He has enough already" He can''t bear seeing someone suffering like this, even if that person just tried to kill us all. Such a kind person this friend of mine, he is certainly dear to me but I can''t entertain that notion. I want to see pain, I want to see blood, I want to see suffering. And so, I scream out at the top of my lungs, with an intensity I have never reached before. "KILL HIM!" Before Gas can pull the trigger, however, there is a sudden tremor. I look back to see hands, of various size and shape. Rotten hands reaching out of the scorched painting. Then they all flood out, countless stream out knocking us of our feet. Ah, this smell of fetid flesh, this festering sensation, it''s the rot I have come to know so well. I can feel myself rotting away, my senses overwhelmed. Even my filter can''t save me now. Next to me Akihiko is also withering away, his body decaying. Before we both succumb completely to this torrent of lost souls, I can feel myself being dragged away. It''s Gas, he lifts Akihiko back to his feet. "RUN!" He screamed into our face. His voice, revolting due to the rot, still clear our mind enough to move. We run outside of the library to be met with the most depressing of sight. The rot somehow couldn''t exit the school perimeter no matter how hard its try. Myriad of souls scream out in pain, they burst out but are held back by an unknown force. With another disgusting screech, the rot starts to swirl, they orbit the school. And as more and more of them streaming out of the painting, the place is soon surrounded by a storm of rotten souls. "It''s closing down upon us" Warned Gas. We have to scramble lest we be swallowed whole. But before we could make our way into the school building, Akihiko suddenly clutches his head in pain "What is going on!" He groaned in pain "No, that''s not true, how" I run back to his side but he just pushes me away. My friends mutter to himself "No, I have no brother, what is going on!" "Snap out of it" I yelled at him but it was already too late. "Ah" Akihito turned back at the storm and reached out "Mother, brother¡­" Gas drags me back as I can do nothing but watch helplessly as my friend slowly walk toward the torrent. As I am forced inside the building I can see him being consumed by the encroaching storm. Chapter 13
Chap 13: In your heart it shall rages on "It''s has stopped expanding" Gas said as we hole ourselves in one of the many classrooms. Looking at me, he says softly "I''m sorry about your friend" Something I didn''t know he is capable of, maybe that was why it sounded so¡­ strange. But his concern seems false seeing how fast he wrote of Akihiko as¡­ dead. He only gives me a few moments to rest, however. Soon Gas reaches over to take the painting behind my back. "What are you doing!" I recoiled in surprise. "I need it, the painting behind your back" He said, still with his gentle tone. "But why?" I said "It is just a normal painting!" I tried to fool him but my voice was too shaken. Gas looks at me for few moment, his hand slightly moves forward. I feel like he would yank Dorian away from me and I won''t be able to fight back. The man, however, puts down his hand and decides to convince me instead. "That girl, Aoi was dead. Kitamura said so in his journal, but I know she is alive. Your late¡­ Akihiko said that someone was brought back from the dead. He never told me who but it''s not difficult to pierce that two information together" For some reason, I feel like this is not him giving me his reason, this is Gas giving me a choice "Something brought her back, I can only deduce it to be an apparition. Akihiko knew about it but he didn''t tell me, he was also oblivious of the other apparitions on this island. So, this one is someone new, perhaps, something Ishmael who has been following this case for years don''t know of. It must also be powerful enough to go against the rot. By the letter we learnt that a painting managed to seal that thing, so an apparition of that kind would fit the bill. Next, both you and Akihiko knew who revived that girl and you are carrying a covered canvas. It doesn''t take Sherlock Holmes to connect the dot, O''Brien" At the end, the man stressed at my family name, something I don''t hear often here at all. His voice is still sweet but that was a threat no doubt. My intuition is correct, this is a choice. Whether I ''get'' convinced or he will just take it away by force. But still, I don''t want this, not at all¡­ "What are you going to do?" I asked weakly. "Isn''t it obvious, I want to seal off this storm" Gas immediately cut to the chase "Look outside, it is still trying to get out whatever is holding it back. I could make it and get off this island but what about others here, this thing will consume them as well" I couldn''t say anything to refute this at all. Guess there is no other choice, I reach behind to get the painting. Before I could hand it over, however, I could hear something. "No¡­" A weak protest¡­ coming from me "No, no, NO!" No I can''t do it. Holding the painting tight I back up against the wall. I have lost everyone I care about here, first Yuuko then Akihiko. I haven''t known Dorian for long but it is enough, I can''t let him go as well. I don''t know what will happen to him, he is already damaged, I don''t know if he can hold on. Knowing retaliation, I close my eyes in anticipation. ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ "That''s not true at all" I¡­ could somehow, hear something in my mind. A familiar voice, it''s¡­ Dorian "What about Aoi?" He asked. "She is just a meddlesome girl, I don''t¡­" "But didn''t you make a promise, for her¡­" "¡­ To have a peaceful high school life, I know" "Besides, can you truly say that you don''t care about her at all?" "I¡­ that¡­ I can''t" "Then what about Azumi? What about her?" "I only know her for a day, how could I care!" "Then are you fine then, with leaving her to be consumed by this storm?" "¡­" "You know what it''s like, to be swallowed by the rot. You have experience it firsthand. Are you fine then, with leaving those you know, the students, the teachers, the people here to that fate. Knowing full well they can''t filter the horror out like you" "¡­ But I¡­" "I know to you, Yuuko and Akihiko are the most important people on this island. But you have made so many memories here with so many others, even during these past 7 days. Are you ready to let them end just to like that?" "I¡­ can''t. I don''t want anyone to die, to suffer¡­ including you as well. I¡­ don''t know what to do" "Everything will be fine, I promise. You need to open your eyes first though" After a moment of silence, I comply. Opening my eyes, I am confronted be a person most hideous, enough to bring tears to me. On that Sunday, Dorian drew most of the rot power to help us sneak away, to hide Aoi away. However, the result is something I know too well, his perceptions are now tainted from staring into the abyss and with them, the painting and Dorian himself. His magnificent coat soon turned greyish and ragged, molded start to appear all over. The man pristine skin started to rot, to burn, to be torn apart to reveal the fetid flesh within. His hair withered and its brilliance yellow was replaced by a most depressing stain. The rot also managed to strike him, staining his hand with red spots of blood. Once, Dorian was such a beauty that even my heart would flutter with just a glance. Now he is no more than a revolting sight to behold and my filter refused to work here, I could no longer see him as a person. And so, I covered up the painting, even to Akihiko. I never could understand how he felt, however, despite us both being tainted. Maybe because the man was such a pure and innocent being compared to the already twisted and heartless me. And to see someone like being soiled, it hurts. Now, here he is once again standing in front of me. The man¡­ The thing was still loathsome ¡ª more loathsome, if possible, than before ¡ª and the scarlet dew that spotted the hand seemed brighter, and more like blood newly spilt. Behind him is Gas holding a pistol to the apparition sudden appearance. Dorian slowly unveils his picture to the cautious man "Don''t worry, I am here to help" He said "I believe I could do it, seal the storm away I mean" "Are you sure?" Gas asked with great concern. "Yes, but the paintings need to be replaced, I need to go to where she used to be. And¡­ I am not sure I could make it there by myself" Dorian continued with sadness in his voice "As you can see I am already tainted, I would be swallowed whole. There are¡­ things hidden in the torrent, they are waiting to drag me in, I could feel them" Gas looks at me to confirm what the man said, I give him a nod. I can see that he wants something more concrete, but the situation is not really allowing it. He decides to risk it "Fine, I will go with you then" "I will go too" I chimed in, wanting to see the end of this. "No you stay" Gas is not allowing it, however. "I will be fine, I am already used to the rot" To my surprise, the man kneels in front of me and puts his hands firmly on both of my shoulders "I know, but you are used to it doesn''t mean you have to endure it anymore. These past days must have been horrifying for you. So now, just stay here, let the adult handles the job" I want to object but am still surprise by his gentle gesture. I can hear it in his voice even through the muffling that¡­ he cares.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. "You have no idea how much of a mess you are looking like right now. Let''s just say, quite bad." He continued and patted on my ruffled head. We don''t really have a mirror here and even if we do, I don''t know if what I see will be real or not. But still, I trust him. "Ok" I muttered. In the background, Dorian is nodding in approval. "Here you go" Gas turned over his pistol and hands it to me. Compared to his double-barrelled gun, the black side arm looks rather futuristic. "What is this?" I asked nervously. The man gives a straight answer "A Heckler and Koch USP tactical, completed with a suppressor, pistol sight and laser!" "You know that is not what I meant¡­" "I know, figure you want a joke to lighten up a bit" He continued "Anyway, this is to defend yourself in case anything comes up. It is chambered with .45 ACP so the recoil will be a bit mean but I am sure you will be able to handle that" I clumsily accept the weapon, it feels so much more reliable to have compare to the one I had in the old library. Gas looks at how I hold it for a few seconds, seemed satisfied he then talks a bit about the safety lock. Then, the two leave in a hurry and to my dismay, Dorian doesn''t even turn around to say goodbye. And so I seat by myself in the empty room, fiddling with my weapon. Ah, I am so used to having the painting behind my back that now without it, my balance is slightly off. Outside the window, the storm is still raging overlapping even the school building. But it shows no sign of entering anymore, as if where I am is the eye of the storm. Before my mind could wander to undesirable territories I could hear Dorian''s voice. "President, can you hear me?" "You could still talk to me, even when we are apart?" "Yes, I am growing stronger and stronger every second out here, it''s the storm¡­ Come to think of it, President, do you what is it exactly?" "You mean¡­ this is the rot, is it not?" "Yes and no, President. I finally realise, the rot and the murderer are different entities. The former is simply the product of the later" "Wait, if that is the case¡­ what is the rot exactly?" "Do you truly want to know?" "¡­ Yes" "They are cries. This storm is mostly made by those who died by the hand of the murderer. But I can feel among them are the original rot, I don''t know how they die but it must have been horrifying. In fact, it is so terrible that their pains linger on, clinging onto one another. Perhaps they seek solace in the company of another" "But¡­ aren''t all of them in pain?" "Correct, because of that, they cling to each other forcefully, desperately trying to lessen their suffering. But alas, it only made matter worse. Together the pain is amplified, so much so they were all consumed, it warped their mind, tainted their perceptions" "¡­" "As a congregation, they desperately seek others, living people in a false hope to sooth their pain. Ah, all those innocents, suddenly swept away by an avalanche of agony. I could feel their confusion, their regrets, their broken hearts and broken minds. But then it stopped, the scourge" "How, how was it stopped?" "It was due to one man" "What!" "He was among them, the original rots but unlike them, he didn''t succumb to pain. So instead of suffering, it was will that he was made manifested. I¡­ I think I know him¡­" "How so? Did you remember anything?" "No, but the rot recognised me as¡­ one of their tormenters, one that fell under that man hand" "That¡­ I don''t know what happened but that must be the original Dorian. That wasn''t you, I believe so!" "Thanks, President. Anyway, where was I. Ah, the man, he had taken all of them in him, harnessing them. Soon after that, the slaughters began. The man murdered people after people, wiping them from this world somehow. I don''t know why would someone do such a thing but he was the murderer. It was his grip, his hands that strangled Aoi. The seal, it was all for him. But over time, it must have weakened, allowing him to take over Yu¡­ the host¡­" "It''s alright¡­ I''m fine, you can continue" "All those he killed, they are consumed by the congregation, the rot. They grew and grew, turning into this raging storm of agony. But they are held under man control and he suppressed them, hiding them from the world. Now, the seal is fading away and the spirits have escaped but he is still partly trapped. But even then, his will is still powerful enough to keep them from spilling out, to contain them here" "What exactly does he want then, this murderer?" "I don''t know but one thing I am sure of. If he is released the killing will continue" "NO! I can''t let that happen!" "Don''t worry, President. I am already on it, remember? You won''t have to do a thing" "That¡­ thanks, Dorian" "No problem¡­" "¡­" "President, there is still more, it''s about what happened to you" "You mean, my corrupted perceptions?" "Yes, it''s because you are¡­ a kind and open person" "That¡­ doesn''t make any sense at all" "Oh yes it does, you see, even sealed the rot still tries to reach out. But then the people have closed their heart, themselves. Maybe it was because of the spirits constant beckoning I wonder. Only the kindest, most open-minded here can feel a smidgen of the calling, but to them it is just a passing sensation" "¡­" "But then you came, you heeded their call, their cries for help. Because you are accepting that they could reach you. Then you started to give deeper, eventually enough to connect with them. It helped you to see through their eyes, hear through their ears, sense through their distorted senses. And the day after, that horrible urge of yours to kill yourself? That was their plea for you, the only who could ''see'' them, to end it all. To deliver them all from this life of eternal suffering" "That certainly didn''t turn out well" "True that" "I¡­ I don''t know how to feel about that really. But¡­" "But?" "But I am sure that one day, I will return for you. That I promise" "I¡­ I believe you, thanks President. Since there isn''t much time left, I want to say something. I am grateful for what you have done for me. I am thankful of the things I could experience because of you" "They aren''t much at all, this world¡­ there is still so much more to do, to see, to experience" "I''m sure there are, maybe one day I would be able to see them all but now, I am content¡­ Goodbye, President" "¡­ Goodbye, Dorian. We will see each other again" ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ There is silence follows by even more silence. I open my eyes again to see the empty classroom. I could feel nothing but emptiness. As if I have lost something important, once again. Soon that feeling is followed up by an overwhelming sadness. I can''t help to be reduced to tears, I am truly a mess. Standing up, I make my way outside, I want to escape this empty place. I know the building is now desolate save for the still raging storm. Yet I still try regardless. However, in a hallway, someone is already out there waiting for me. It''s a tall man, impossibly tall, he is dressed in tatters. His black hair is messy and dead. He looks up to me and I could see them. Two black holes where his eyes supposed to be, but that is not the most shocking. His lips and eyelids are all cut off, there is a long cut from the edges of his mouth to both ears. It reveals his toothless inside, still stained black with dried blood. Taking a closer look, his body seems to also suffer. The arms and legs have incisions running along, all of his flesh seemed to be sucked out of the body. All of his joints also have metal rods piercing through. The man walks toward me and I feel as if his body will fall apart any time soon. Around his waist is an old piece of white cloth filled with countless red stitches. It also held onto what seems like an uchigatana with its blade broken in half. He seems familiar, this broken man. Soon, I realise who he is. The mark on Aoi''s neck, the person holding the sword for Yuuko, it is him. Panicked, I draw my gun straight at him but couldn''t pull the trigger. How could I, against this shell of a man, he is naught but a hollow. Before I know it, however, he is already in front of me. As he starts to move his hand I pointed the gun at his head. But all he does is to take something from his back. Something I somehow missed. It''s¡­ a burnt canvas. There is no mistake, I can feel it, it''s her. Dropping the gun, I take the painting. The moment I touch its burnt surface. Suddenly in me there is a surge of suppressed emotions and memories. It''s of the time we are together, it''s of the time we are apart, it''s of the time we are forever separated. All of them just mashed together, creating an explosion of feelings. [I love you] Sadness, happiness, doubt, pain, loneliness, warmth¡­ I appreciate the time we had but because of them I am now in pain. Everything keeps on swirling within me, creating a torrent of emotions. It drowns out everything else, even the storm raging just outside. Soon I found myself swept along with its current. [I hate you] The man is gone. Here I am walking through the corridor in tears with a pained grin on my face. I used to be a heartless bastard. I used to be uncaring, cold and callous. But then I was shaken to my core, I decided to change. It was tough but I changed alright. I tried to accept all that the world has and I learnt to care. But then my desire to connect was what tied my fate with the rot. Because of it, I went through so much agonies, suffering that the old me wouldn''t even register. But also because of it, I experienced so many wonderful feelings, so many flavours of love. In the end, after enduring all these pains do all the wonderful memories shine even brighter. And remembering them I can''t stop smiling. [I love you] But there was one thing that Dorian was wrong. I know you were never possessed, you were never taken over. To me, you were and still the most dazzling of all. I have watched you so much I have memorised everything about you. Your every detail is imprinted deep in my mind so I can tell that was you. The person who faced me in the old library was you, that was why I lived, because you hesitated, because you loved me. It was the reverse, you were using him, the murderer. You wield his skill, his movement, his posture and everything but behind all those cloaks and daggers it was still you. It was you who killed Aoi, it was you who killed Kitamura. I don''t know why but I know it was all you. That is why I am now in pain, it is all you. [I hate y¡­ No, even after all that I still can''t come to hate you¡­ "I love you, Yuuko" I said to myself in the dark hallway, where no one is listening, or maybe everyone is. I can feel something lifting but it is not enough. Here I am, still being torn apart by all these emotions. The storm within me still rages on. And so I scream, loud and clear, enough to feel my throat bursting. "I LOVE YOU, YUUKO!... I still do" What follows next is a strange feeling of calmness, is this¡­ acceptance¡­ Looking down, the ashes have fallen of, its content forever gone. Underneath is a pristine canvas, pure and indestructible. Looking to my side to the drawing room. Now that I am here, might as well. I go inside and set everything up, mix some paints. Then with a sigh of relief, I started to paint, a truly original piece of my own. I paint on and on, not caring of the countless spirits just outside the window. I can only deal with one storm and it is one within me. But at least now, there is only one emotion raging on fierce and strong. Chapter 14
Chap 14 "Woah" I woke up suddenly, drenched with sweats. "President, are you alright" Asked Yuuko, who seems to be worried sick. We are in the clubroom on the couch. Or at least I was, taking a nap. Somehow I am now on her laps which are now all wet from my profuse sweating. "It''s alright, it just a nightmare. It''s gone now¡­" I reassured my dear vice-president. Looking at me, she breathes a sigh of relief. Soon, her gentle smile returns, warming my heart like how it always does. I try to sit up but Yuuko pushes me down again. "President, you need some rest" She said in a mock lecturing tone. "I think I have plenty of sleep already. We better do something before you have to go home" "Well, I don''t really count that as resting" Yuuko pouted slightly "Besides, isn''t this already ''something'', or do you mean something more?" That later part she delivered in a tone that is supposed to be seductive, I found the attempt absolutely adorable. Nevertheless, she just tried to be sassy with me, how could I let that slide. It doesn''t take me long to find a retort, as it is somehow always the case with Yuuko. "Well, I wouldn''t mind that, how about a kiss"Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. I managed to say it flawlessly and the reward is getting to see my girlfriend getting all red, what could be better. I don''t expect her counterattack, however. Yuuko kisses a finger then put it on my lips, she is looking away in embarrassment. "Is this enough" Ah, I can feel my face burning up, not by much but definitely noticeable. Both of us turn away in silence. Yuuko decides wisely to change the subject, but to one I don''t really want to talk about. "So, what was your nightmare about, President?" She asked innocently. "No, it''s nothing!" I tried to brush it off. "How could it be nothing, you were sweating like mad, mumbling to yourself" Yuuko looked at me with that slightly sombre eyes of her "No matter how hard I tried, you just wouldn''t wake up. I was worried you know¡­" I want to continue brushing it off but just thinking about that nightmare my heart sinks again. "I just¡­ I dream that you are gone. That you won''t be with me anymore" I confessed. "Is that so" She said while brushing through my messy hair "I am flattered, President. But you don''t need to worry. I am here now, by your side" Her gentle voice is like a lullaby and soon I am once again drifting into a deep sleep. I had hoped she would make a promise, that she would never go away but that never happened. Every good thing has to come an end and I found myself pulled back from this trip down the memory lane. I don''t want to open my eyes yet, I still want to stay adrift for just a bit more but all the images are gone now. My heart feel like someone prick it with a small needle but I soon realise something. I could feel the cold hard floor of the drawing room underneath my back. My head, however, is resting on something soft, something that I am so familiar with. I open my eyes in a hurry and is greeted by a familiar face. "President, are you alright" Asked Yuuko, who seems to be worried sick. Tears streaming out of my eyes. I reach up my hand, touching her soft cheek. It really is her, my Yuuko, who is confused by my strange behaviour. "Ah¡­ a¡­ a" I can''t say anything, I can''t do anything but be sucked into the moment. I could see nor feel nothing else but Yuuko. Not even the sunlight through the window or the sound of Gas banging on the door or the gun she held firmly in her hand. Epilogue Epilogue: After the storm My name is Sayuri Ito, years ago my parents had an argument and split up. Me and Ichirou-niisan were taken away by father to the city. While my twin little brother Jirou stayed behind with mother, who passed away recently. And so, I will move back with him, I will finally be back home. Don''t get me wrong, staying in the city was great and all and I have made many good friends. But even then, home is still home, I can still feel it calling out for me. I step out onto the busy dock and is greeted by a familiar fa¡­ wait what! There is Jirou, waving at me but the cute and proper little boy is not here. His hair is too long, covering one of his eye even. The other side is tucked behind his ear, revealed three piercings. Also, that slightly brown hue, he dyed them. With scruffy clothing, he looks just like a sleazy teenager you can find hanging behind the gym after class. What happened to my cute little brother! "Sayuri-neechan, it''s been too lo¡­ What with that dejected look! You just arrive! Are you alright" Ah, I already make him worry, that''s just irresponsible. I should be more proper, straighten myself up "I am a bit seasick from the trip, that''s all" I assured him but my tongue still slipped a bit "You sure have changed¡­" "It''s been years after all" He replied casually, at least his language still seems proper. Although I wonder if it is a front to show me. Ah, I can''t imagine my cute little brother spewing out lingos and all those dirty words. Jirou flicks his hair and ask me with a smile "I did change quite a bit, how do you find my look, neechan" "Don''t worry, no matter what, you are still my little brother" I answered sternly. "Is that grim of a reply necessary. Don''t worry, neechan, I am still me" There is something sincere in his voice, or maybe I am just imagining it. Nevertheless, hearing those words feel kind of reassuring "That''s fine then" I replied. "Jeez, you haven''t changed a bit" Muttered Jirou. We make our way through town to the female dormitory. It is not terribly far but by the time we reach the mountain road, it is already noon. Everyone in town still remember me, everyone wanted to say hi, to ask me of the city. We were stopped every step of the way. It didn''t help that the mood in town was rather joyous. Apparently, last week there was a storm of sort. It was out of nowhere, deep within the mountain where the school is. The place remained undamaged, however, except for in some odd areas. A wooden wall in the old library is broken open, there are also some holes on the ground caused by what no one know. The door to the art room was also broken despite being replaced recently. Someone was there that stormy night, who no one knows and no one care. Despite being completely inland, the storm had certainly stirred up the local ecosystem somewhat. Our fishermen are having great hauls after great hauls. I''ve never seen the harbour so bustling with activities like this before. I should be happy and yet what is this heavy feeling in my chest¡­ My mind runs wild with possibilities and emotions, each one grimmer than the last. My train of negativity, however, is soon derailed much to by relief "Neechan, are you alright" Said a worried Jirou. "Nothing, I am just a bit tired from the trip, that''s all" I answered him with a smile like usual. He still looks at me however, his uncovered eye still full of worry. We stand there like that for a bit before Jirou start to carry my luggage to his shoulder, we are going a uphill after all. Ah, what kind of big sister would make her brother worry on her first day of return like that. This is quite unacceptable of me. Thinking to myself, I try to hide a grin from appearing on my face. My cute little Jirou is still a worrywart like before. Something about him is different though "You still aren''t tired" I asked, the little brother I knew was a weak boy after all. "I''m fine, neechan" He gave me a thumb up "I go to gym every day after all!" "Oh my, we even have gym here as well" What is this, not only did my Jirou became stronger and healthier he is also disciplined. As a sister, such progress nearly brings me to tears, of joy of course! "About that, you remember Ranmaru, Kioshi''s sister?" If I remember correctly, she left the island quite some time ago. What does she have to do with anything "I do" "Well, she was the one to open the gym. Since I am trying to woo her so I go there with the boys regularly!" He said with a flirtatious smile. "Ah, you sure have changed. Don''t worry Jirou, now that I am here, neechan will surely turn you into a respectable human being again" I replied, trying to contain tears of pain. Jirou immediately replied "That was just a joke, a joke" After some convincing, I have decided to trust him for now. We make our way up the hill to the girl dormitory, where I will be staying. Both of us are quite tired, however, and the noon sun is blazing through the trees. So we decide to stop by the male dormitory instead to eat and rest for a bit. It is quite inappropriate but it is also a chance for me to meet with Jirou housemates. As we approach the building, a striking figure suddenly appear in front of my eyes. It is a girl around my age, standing in the shade, facing away from me. Her long jet black hair covered most of her body, swinging slightly in the wind. As she turns around my heart drop a bit from her mesmerising beauty. With an unbelievably pale and translucence skin and deep eyes, that girl is most unnatural. A smile appears on her face and then she is gone, vanished from my view. I didn''t blink nor look away at all and yet that girl is nowhere to be found. Her disappearance is as sudden as her arrival. Jirou still goes on as normal, completely unaware of the mysterious figure. Maybe it is just the heat, playing trick again, I wondered¡­ We enter the kitchen which is also the guest room, I encounter the aforementioned Kioshi. He has also changed a lot¡­ or not actually, aside from having his spiky hair dyed dark yellow, the boy still looks the same. He even has the same laid-back attitude as before. "Ah, aren''t you Sayuri-nee, welcome back" "Thanks for the welcome" I put my hand on his shoulder "So are you the bad influence on my Jirou, little Kioshi" "Why are you interrogating him!" My little brother objected.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. His friend, however, answers immediately "No" Oh my, such conviction. I feel a bit embarrassed now, jumping onto conclusion like that. "Jeez, I am still normal" Jirou assured me once again. I would have believe him if Kioshi doesn''t continue "As a matter of fact, it was Jirou who drag me into this rebellious phrase" "Wait, why are you throwing me under the bus like that!" The boy continues, however, holding his arms "He used my curiosity as a healthy young man at puberty against me" He answered with a hint of fear in his voice "Ah, the thing he made me do!" "Oi oi oi, where does that come from!" Jirou jumped in again, trying to defence his innocence. "I''m so glad you are here, Sayuri-nee, please rescue me from this beast!" Kioshi falls to his knees, weeping. "I¡­ I can''t believe you would do something like that. I still love you as a sister but¡­ Don''t worry Jirou, I will make sure to rehabilitate you!" "Oi, is this a joke" Said Jirou. In that moment, Kioshi spring back to his feet, once again in his laid back mode "Of course" He said. And after a moment of silence, that is also my answer. "Neechan, I knew you were serious¡­" Jirou commented. The air becomes rather awkward, we all stand there looking at each other. Kioshi gave up midway though and reached into to refrigerator for some ramune. Jirou is the first to break the silent "Come to think of it, where is the president?" He asked. "Oh, I think he just went up to his room to get something" Answered Kioshi "PRESIDENT, WE HAVE GUEST!" "Here, here" From behind the door, I could hear a familiar voice. It''s Isao, our old neighbour and Jirou childhood friend. Compared to the others, he hasn''t changed at all. Still those dead eyes, that cleanly cut hair style, that malnourished form. He really is just a bigger Isao, maybe with thicker glasses¡­ But what with the yellow cat ears on his head. "Ah, Sayuri-nee, it''s been too long¡­ wait, what with that judgemental look" He asked nervously. Both Kioshi and Jirou point to his head, even then it is quite a while before Isao realise the problem. He immediately rips it off "This, Nakai-san was cleaning out the warehouse today and found this. He just shoved it into my hands" How it gets onto his head is a whole other matter but seeing the boy so flustered, I decide to let it go. Kioshi is thinking differently, however, if that sadistic grin is anything to go by. I decide to change the subject "It''s been a while, Isao, I noticed that you are called ''president'' now" "About that" The boy scratched his head, trying to hold back a grin "I am the student council president now!" That isn''t much of a surprise, he has always been a discipline and excellent boy after all. He also admires Ichirou-niisan, who was the president, as well. Although the position seems to make him slightly more confident. He is still flustering like mad trying to put the cat ears away though. Kioshi, feeling charitable, yanks the item and puts it on his head "How do I look?" "Horrible" All of us answered truthfully. "Eh, why? My hair colour should be a fit" Just looking one may be fooled into thinking that Kioshi is actually wondering about the cat ears. But in truth he is just trying to strike a gag, that or maybe I am reading too much. "Your hair is way darker than the ears you know" Said Jirou "Besides, your spiky hair isn''t a fit with this thing anyway. Hm, maybe it could suit him" "Him?" I wondered who are they talking about. Before my brother could continue, however, Kioshi stop him "Oi, Jirou, are you seriously going to tell her about that" His voice is serious and with just that warning, the room is filled with an atmosphere most grim. "I¡­I" My brother looks away, his head low. "What is going on?" I asked, completely confused. "It''s better that you tell her" Isao said, looking away also. "You are right, it already comes to this after all" Kioshi said "The ''him'' Jirou was talking about is our final housemate, or ex-housemate to be more precise" He looks at me to see if I am invested, after a pause he decides to continue. "He was a transfer student, which is rare. Not only that, the guy is also a foreigner, blond with clear blue eyes and all that. He was rather skittish at first but soon he was well loved by everyone including" After that, Kioshi paused again to compose himself "What happened?" I asked. "Well, he is always a nerd for everything paranormal. And so he like to dig around for things like that" The boy decided to take a seat, his legs seem to be giving out "No one think much about that, of course. That it, until he found something, very very real. The poor guy released what seem like an evil spirit of sort. It takes the form of a beautiful woman with pale skin and jet black hair" Those very words make my heart drop to the floor. My mind immediately brings back images of that mysterious figure. "We should have noticed it earlier, his abnormal behaviours, the frequent disappearances. But we didn''t and so, the poor guy was gone, spirited away" With a sigh, Kioshi gazed straight at me "But the worst is that, she is still out there, the evil spirit. She is looking for more victims, more people to consume" This can''t be true, right¡­ I want to deny it but the figure just keep on appearing in my mind. She exists, but does that mean¡­ she is after me now. I can feel cold sweat running, the person I saw didn''t seem to be malevolence though. She was captivating but I couldn''t sense any evil intent. Maybe that was just a ruse, a honey trap¡­ "A pale girl with black hair? That''s so clich¨¦" Said Jirou, which totally kicked me out of the moment. "Eh" What is he talking about. "Well, I just thought of that on the spot after all, what do you expect" Kioshi replied, back in his relaxed state. "Well, for that serious of an act, we kind of expected something more" Isao commented, scratching his head. What is going¡­ All these reactions, does that the story was just "Made up?" "Of course" Jirou seemed puzzled about my reaction, guess that he thought I would notice that immediately "But well, our final housemate does exist, from the sound of it, I think he is here" I could hear some shuffling before the door finally open. Then enter a very familiar young man carrying a huge box. "Ah, aren''t you, Sayuri-senpai" It''s Akihiko, so he lives here? I thought his house is near the school? That turns out not to be the case however, judging by Isao comment "You dropping by?" "Yeah, I am helping the President out with this" It takes me a moment to realise the person he is talking about isn''t Isao but a boy who enters after Akihiko. A foreigner, with blond hair and clear blue eyes just like the description. He looks much smaller than I expected. Standing next to the tallest person in school doesn''t help. His attire is the school uniform but with a pair of gloves for some reason. We are then introduced to one another. "You can call him President" Isao said with a hint of bitterness in his voice. "Nice to meet you" I said and accidentally wondered out loud "What with that box?" "Ah, it''s my mother, she just sent quite a bit of food" The President answered, a bit embarrassed. "And they are all delicious" Said Kioshi, who is casually drooling "Actually, since we have a guest here, let bust it open now" Clutching his chest, the President reluctantly gives his approval. I want to help out with the preparation but is seated down by Jirou, who tells me to just relax. We all chit chat casually, mostly about what happened here. Apparently, Akihiko is now the baseball club ace, no surprise there really. Although just last week, his health deteriorates quite badly but it doesn''t take long for him to recover. Then I found out that the President''s package also arrived on the same boat as me. We somehow managed to miss each other. Him and Akihiko also got held back by the townsfolks like us and since their box was quite heavy, it took them quite some time to reach here. The latter is drenched with sweats, which he is trying to dry with a small electrical fan. "Still, the heat is brutal today" Commented Akihiko. As the others talk on, I could hear the President muttering something "Certainly, enough to make you see things" He then looks straight at me, so sudden that it has taken me back. What did he mean, was he talking about the person I saw earlier? I don''t know, he is still low-key staring at me, waiting for some sort of response. I¡­ I don''t know what to say. Kioshi''s stupid story suddenly comes back to me. It is just bogus but I can''t seem to get rid of it. A part me believe there is some truth in there, even though it was just coincidental. My mind is suddenly flooded with the images of that mysterious person, her smile¡­ It is soon override, however, by what is happening right in front of me¡­ "This certainly suit you¡­ no it''s perfect" Said Kioshi as he finished putting the cat ears on the President head. "Wait, what!" He tried to get it off but Kioshi hold it tight to his head "Akihiko, help me!" His plea for help is denied, however "Sorry, President, but that serious go well with you" It''s a bit of a surprise, hearing those words coming out of Akihiko. But then again, I have to agree with him there. Even though I still don''t understand what with those words, this President doesn''t seem like a bad person. Seeing everyone here having fun like that certainly make your heart warm. Although Jirou seems way to enthusiastic with this image, I will have a talk with him about his preferences later. I will have plenty of time for that, all the time in the world.