Chapter 220 - That Encounter Seemed Like Fate
Living alone. It might not be anything special to an adult, but for a kid like me, it’s a different story. Cooking, laundry, cleaning. There’s the downside of having to do all the housework by myself. For an adult, it’s probably a huge pain to come home from work and then do chores. But for a kid like me, the thrill of living alone is more than enough to make me forget such inconveniences. It’s been a little over a year since my old man and my mom went overseas around the beginning of March last year. My life alone is still sparkling and bright. Like right now. I’m in the middle of enjoying the benefits that come with living on my own.
"~♪"
The time is two in the morning. The middle of the night. I’m walking through the night city, heading for a convenience store a little ways away. It wouldn’t be like this if I lived with my parents. I’d have to worry about sneaking out of the house without waking them up or getting caught. But living alone, I don't need to worry about that. I can go out whenever I want, however I want, without a care in the world. I wonder why the night city is so exciting, even when there’s nothing special going on. I suppose there’s the risk of being spotted by a cop and getting taken in for guidance… but I’m pretty much on a first-name basis with the local cops. Even if I get caught, if I tell them I’ll head straight home after buying what I need at the convenience store, I’ll probably get off with a light scolding.
"Huh?"
As I was cutting through a park, my skin suddenly prickled. It’s April, and though some nights can still be a little chilly, today is warm. Warm enough to be comfortable in a short-sleeved shirt. Guided by the strange sensation, my gaze naturally drifted upwards.
"—"
My eyes stopped on top of a water tank on the roof of a nearby apartment building. A girl with short black hair, reminiscent of a somewhat surly black cat, was standing on the tank's edge. Her gaze was fixed on the distance, and she didn’t seem to have noticed me at all.
(…She’s cute.)
My heart pounded in my chest. I’ve seen plenty of cute girls before. In terms of simple looks, I know girls cuter than her. Like Shirogane, who sits next to me and works as a reader model. But I’ve never felt my heart flutter this much just chatting with Shirogane. I get a thrill when I manage to get a panty shot, but that’s just lust. I know it’s kind of creepy of me to think, but,
(Damn, I’m totally feeling fate right now.)
I’m sure the magic of the night has something to do with it. But more than that, I feel a mysterious connection.
"Ah."
With a light tap, the girl kicked off the tank and jumped. Her form, leaping with the moon at her back, was like a rabbit’s… Oh, I saw her panties! Gray sports shorts! Compared to the ridiculously see-through ones Shirogane was wearing yesterday, these were nothing, utterly plain, yet I was more excited than ever… huh?
"Eh, huh?"
The excitement vanished in an instant. The girl’s figure had disappeared. Literally, like smoke. I must be making a ridiculously stupid face right now. I pinch my cheek. It hurts. I’m not dreaming.
"Was I, like, bewitched by a fox or something?"
…If so, that’s its own thing. I mean, fox wives have this image of catering to their husband’s fetishes every night!
"Haa."
After spacing out for a while, I remembered my original goal. I jogged to the convenience store, bought some ramen and snacks, and went home. The reason I went out was because I was too hungry to sleep. I got home, quickly made the ramen, and slurped it down, baba! After eating my dessert and brushing my teeth, all that was left was to sleep. Usually, I can fall asleep right away once my stomach is full, but…
"Can’t sleep."
And just like that, morning came without a wink of sleep. I went to school feeling like I had a slight fever, spaced out through my classes, and ended up staying that way until after school.
"Hideo, you’ve been seriously out of it today. Something happen?"
"Huh? Nah, not really."
"Can’t be ‘not really.’ It’s impossible for you, Hero, the guy who never stops yapping like a comedian from western Japan, to be this quiet."
"Yeah, yeah. Even Mori-sen was worried about you."
"It’s nothing, I said."
I just don’t have the courage to tell them exactly what happened last night. Because even I think it sounds pretty damn cringe. If I told them, they’d definitely just make fun of me for it.
"Anyway, you sure about this?"
"Yeah, yeah, it’s fine."
One of my buddies told me he’d found an accessory shop I’d like, so we came to Shibuya, but… I’m not so sure. I mean, the location… you know? It’s the love hotel district. It’s not that there are no shops in places like this, but still. I feel like it’s safer to go to a place where competitor shops are all clustered together. They’re all fighting for business, so the weak ones naturally get weeded out, right? I just don't feel that competitive vibe here, you know?
"You’ll get it when we get there."
"Fine, whatever. But I’m telling you, my standards are high. They call me the User’s Choice of Bukuro."
"User’s Choice is for food, dude."
As we were joking around like that,
"!!"
A powerful wave of dizziness hit me. The headache and ringing in my ears were so bad it was painful to even keep my eyes open, and I dropped to one knee, clutching my face. It lasted for what felt like five minutes. Then, as if it had all been a lie, I felt the discomfort drain away.
"My bad, my bad. Just a sec."
I slowly got to my feet, about to call out to my worried-looking buddies, but then I froze in astonishment.
"Huh?"
No one was there. Did they leave me behind? No, that’s not it. It wasn't just my buddies, the touts from the adult entertainment shops and all the other passersby were gone too. And most of all… the scenery. The sky and the buildings had taken on a bizarre, psychedelic coloring. Something was very wrong. My instincts were screaming that this was the most dangerous situation I had ever been in. Standing here wouldn't change anything. For now, I decided to head back the way I came. I had walked almost to the station front when suddenly, a loud explosion? and roars echoed out.
"Huh?"
A man flying through the sky raining down bullets of light. A woman with long black hair, manipulating it like tentacles to slice through a crowd of attacking men. The scene unfolding in front of Shibuya Station was like something out of a supernatural battle manga. I was scared and shocked, of course, but the sight was so divorced from reality that, conversely… I don't know. I felt incredibly calm. For now, it was dangerous here, so I decided to find a place to hide. I slipped away from the station front, careful not to be seen by the clashing groups.
(If I’m going to run, maybe underground? They were fighting so openly above ground.)
Recalling the local geography, I headed for an entrance to the subway. On the way, I ran into two other guys who seemed to be my age and caught up in this bizarre phenomenon. One was an honor student type, and the other a delinquent type covered in wounds as if he’d just been in a fight. Their names were apparently Suzuki and Takahashi. Given the situation, I suggested we stick together. Suzuki agreed immediately, and Takahashi nodded with some reluctance.
"Hah. For now, I think we’re safe enough here."
I agreed with Suzuki’s words. We had put enough distance between us and the fighting that we could no longer hear the commotion.
"I’m totally exhausted, and we haven’t even moved that much."
It was probably due to the mental pressure.
"Yo, there’s a convenience store. Wanna take a smoke break?"
"...You, in a situation like this…"
"No, I think that’s a good idea. We don’t know what’s going to happen next, so we should at least stay hydrated."
And so, we entered the convenience store.
"Hey, you, what are you doing, browsing magazines all of a sudden?"
"When you enter a convenience store, the first thing you do is browse the magazines, man."
"Read the room!!"
"It’s my routine, my routine. It’s precisely at times like these that by consciously acting as I normally would…"
"Stop with the excuses!!"
It was at that moment. A deafening roar echoed, and the ceiling of the underground passage collapsed. A man who looked like an ex-host came crashing down through the ceiling.
"Oof… you really did a number on me."
The impact of the fall created a small crater, and the man sluggishly rose from its center. My biggest mistake was hesitating to act because of the suddenness of it all.
"Hm?"
The man spotted us. He started walking this way.
(Ah, this is bad.)
It must have been my survival instinct. It was screaming at me about the danger. And so, to increase my chances of survival even slightly, I began to act with a calmness that surprised even myself.
"So some people with aptitude got caught up in this… sloppy work."
The man who had come inside sighed as he looked at us. Please let this be a misunderstanding. Such faint hopes are often betrayed.
"Hey you, what the hell is…"
"You’ve got bad luck. It’s a pain to send you outside now, so I’ll just make it as if you ‘never existed’."
The moment his eyes took on a dangerous glint, I sprayed the insecticide I had just acquired directly into the man’s face.
"!?"
He had been completely unharmed after falling with such force. There was no doubting his durability. But he was still human. What would happen if you suddenly induced a physiological reaction? If you suddenly sprayed insecticide in his face, couldn't you delay his actions, at least a little? My gamble paid off.
"Run!!"
I was the first to bolt. As I passed the man, I felt a chill on the back of my neck. I instinctively ducked. I felt something slice through the air above my head with incredible speed. He had probably swung his arm. It must have been an instinctive action, because it caused another delay in his movement. Thanks to that, Takahashi and Suzuki also managed to escape.
(…I’m lucky.)
In terms of specs, he should have caught up to us immediately. I thought so, but the insecticide worked. And my dodge afterwards, too. The man seemed annoyed, and I could see him slowly walking towards us. He probably intended to toy with us and kill us slowly. That was the perfect opportunity. Not that it improved our chances much beyond moving from zero to infinitesimally close to zero.
"Would you rather be killed without a fight, or resist!?"
""You even have to ask!?""
"OK! Then you’re gonna follow my lead! I was the first one to act, after all!!"
I quickly summarized the situation, and a joint front was formed right there. Our resistance had begun. It lasted for maybe ten-odd minutes. I wracked my brain in that extreme state and used everything we had, but it was no use. I knew it would happen. Even if we exploited his arrogance, if we kept resisting, it would eventually run out. We were just running without a clear way to win, and we were bound to hit our limit sooner or later.
"...Takahashi, Suzuki, I can draw his attention for ten seconds. In that time, get as far away as you can."
"What!?"
"What are you…"
"You only get one chance. Don’t miss it."
I didn’t think they could get away, but maybe a miracle would happen. The chances might be one in a hundred million, but I could at least create a lottery ticket. This was my final ace in the hole. His hate was completely focused on me, so he should want to kill me first… Yeah, I can probably do this.
"You really made me work for it… Aaargh!? You damn brats!!"
"Thanks for the complimeeeeeeeeeeeent!!"
I clasped my hands behind my back, stuck out my butt, and bowed with my head held high. I saw the man’s face twitch even more.
"...Do you not understand the situation?"
"I get it. I’m going to die. There’s no getting around that."
But,
"I managed to brand you with a shame that’ll last a lifetime. I got a good souvenir to take to the afterlife. Kukuku… the spec difference between us and you is like kids and adults, or even an elephant and an ant, right? And yet, you were played for a fool for over ten minutes! Hey, tell me, how does it feel!? I wanna know!! If it were me, I’d be so pathetic I’d commit seppuku on the spot. But hey, good for you, right? There are no witnesses!! Your shame won’t be known to others. But it’ll never disappear. In some random moment, you’ll definitely remember. This memory of humiliation!!!"
Cackling, I flipped him the bird, and the man’s expression went completely blank. I think he was past anger. I could see an aura-like energy concentrating in his right hand. …Ah, good. Come on, that’s it. Get closer.
""!?""
Just as the distance between me and the man closed by half, a shadow burst through the ceiling. Landing right between me and him was,
"—Looks like you’re okay."
The girl from last night. The moment he saw her, a look of panic crossed the man’s face.
"You’re… Saionji Chikage!?"
I was saved. I understood that, but more than anything else,
(Hawawawawa! This is it! This has to be it!)
Is there anyone who wouldn't feel fate in this situation!? Of course not!!
"…"
I surface from the dream. The time is a little earlier than my alarm, but that’s fine. I’m starting the day with an apology tour, so I need to wake up early and steel my resolve. …Still, ah, what a nostalgic memory. So nostalgic. Yes, that was my… no, our beginning. Everything started from there.
"—How is it possible we didn't get together after all that!?"
We had a fateful encounter, and after that, we even had more events that seemed to be smoothly deepening our bond!? And just before the final battle, too! The atmosphere was so good!!
"This is just not fair…!!"
I wept.