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“Have you heard the rumor about the Restless Roof Spirit? If you go to the roof at four o’clock, yell into the wind ‘Taka-san, Taka-san, show me your wings,’ then jump, he might show up. And if he catches you, he’ll grant you any wish.”
“What if he doesn’t?”
“Then you die.”
“Why would anyone risk that?”
“If you’re desperate enough, the risk is worth it.”
Touya rolls his eyes. With Yu, it’s a new rumor a day, each whispered loudly across the aisle to her best friend Shinji. Today’s rumor is especially vexing. Touya’s not sure why yet, but once he pinpoints the reason, he’ll shelve her insipid prattle for good.
A reality where everything happens for a reason is a childish daydream, wishful thinking at best and dangerous ignorance at worst—like in Yu’s case. Pencils and papers disappear because they’ve been misplaced. Baubles are stolen by peers, and students go missing when they transfer schools. Touya is long tired of Yu’s insistence that ghosts have anything to do with these events, and he refuses to believe that such affairs are as grim or sinister as his classmate would have him believe.
After all, Touya knows a thing or two about grim and sinister realities; he’s got the bruises and burns to prove it. Ghosts don’t hurt people. People hurt people. The sooner Yu realizes there’s plenty of evil in the world without inventing fairy tales the better.
Still, there is one thing Touya wishes for more than life itself. Head pounding, he grips his trouser legs, wrinkling the hastily pressed fabric with agitated fingers.
Steadying his breath, Touya takes a moment to collect himself. He can’t quite unclench his jaw, but he holds his head high, eyes gleaming in the afternoon light. Then he checks the time.
Wind tears at Touya’s cheeks, kissing his mottled skin raw. There hadn’t been an advisory that morning, but at four o’clock sharp on the middle school’s roof, the wind came to life with a mind of its own.
A harsh shiver rolls up the boy’s spine.
His life as he knows it will cease to exist if he scales the chain-link fence that stands between him and the five-story drop to the cement walkway below. He’s certain because, whether the rumor is true or not, he risks death finding out.
Touya braces against the wind and steps forward. He loathes to admit he’s desperate, but he wouldn’t lace his fingers through the chain-link fence and haul his weight up so willingly if he wasn’t.
At Touya’s back, the fence rattles in the wind. Arms spread, he clings to the cool metal, facing the drop with mounting fear. Bile rises in his throat, and his mouth tastes like copper, the insides of his cheeks a bloody pulp. Adrenaline hums in his bloodstream, chilling and electrifying.
If he were wiser, stronger, braver, he’d turn back.
“Taka-san. Taka-san. Show me your wings!” The words are ripped from his lungs and lost to the wind in an instant.
Touya takes a deep breath and, before he can change his mind, jumps.
“What were you doing on the roof like that? Did you jump on purpose or something? What if I— Hey, kid? Kid? You aren’t dead, are you?”
Touya groans and curls in on himself. His skin is like ice, and even his bones feel cold, as if death itself has wrapped its arms around him.
“Ah, so you’re alive. That’s good, I guess.”
Touya rubs at his eyes before slowly opening them. He peers through the cracks between his fingers and sighs deeply—or he starts to.
His senses return to him in a white flash, and he chokes on air, stomach churning. He remembers falling, falling, falling, falling, and then the world dissolving, black as pitch, right before he hit the pavement.
Only he didn’t splat, and he isn’t dead. He’s…
…leaned against a tree trunk. A boy around his age looms over him, his expression one of interest and worry. Behind him, a set of massive wings fans out, more crimson than the tree’s autumn leaves and more vibrant than the setting sun.
“A-are you Taka-san?” Touya splutters, scrambling to his feet.
Sunlight streams through the boy, and he hovers a foot off the ground, held aloft by his wings, which he lazily beats—a habit most likely. Touya doesn’t think ghosts need wings to fly.
“That’s me!” The apparition’s grin is dazzling, all cheek, his eyes scrunched and shining. “Or at least, that’s what they call me. I didn’t choose Taka-san for myself. It’s kinda annoying to be honest. Since you managed to summon me, you should call me Keigo-kun. That’s my real name.”
“Keigo-kun?” Touya frowns.
“What’s the matter?”
“We aren’t friends.”
“Tch. Agree to disagree, kid. We’re so much more than friends. I saved your life, after all. You owe me a debt now!”
“Huh?! No way, you’re supposed to grant me a wish!”
Touya can’t believe his ears. He should have known better than to believe a rumor at face value. Even so, the realization that he’s at Keigo’s mercy smarts.
“Oh… you know about that? Sheesh, well, I guess I’ll grant you a wish, kid, but remember—every wish comes at a price.”
Keigo glows under the afternoon sun. It’s as if his wings are on fire the way they flicker, the fluttering crimson combed by amber rays. His expression is bright, erring on the side of mischief, but his eyes are sad—or maybe it’s pity that wavers in them. Touya can’t be sure.
“So… what’ll it be?”
“I want you to kill my dad.”
Touya doesn’t know the first thing about exorcisms, but he’s ready to learn. His wish isn’t a joke, nor is it funny. But that hasn’t stopped the bastard apparition from laughing himself red in the face—an impressive feat given his ghostly pallor.
“I’m serious,” Touya grits out.
“Dead serious?” Keigo wheezes back.
“Can you do it or not?”
“Mmm… sorry. As a School Wonder, I’m not allowed to kill humans. I’m not even really supposed to interact with them. My job is to watch over the other apparitions in the school.”
“School Wonder?” Touya’s snarl twists his face and pulls at his recent burns. Wincing, he clenches his fists at his sides. “Tell me, won’t or can’t?”
“Does it matter?” Keigo’s expression drops, his eyes growing cold and distant. “Find a new wish, or forfeit. I don’t care.”
Embarrassment wells in Touya. He loathes groveling and can’t stand begging. Desperation isn’t a good look on anyone. Still, he’s already risked life and limb to summon Keigo. Letting pride get in the way of a free wish is tantamount to winning the lottery and then throwing the prize away.
“Fine,” he whispers.
With fumbling fingers, Touya fiddles with the bandages tied off at his wrists, unwinding the cloth to reveal the angry burns peppering his skin. Keigo’s eyes widen at the sight, but he says nothing.
Touya’s heart beats erratically as he offers Keigo his arms. Hot tears sting his eyes and frustration knots his stomach, but he manages to shelve his pride.
“If you won’t kill my old man, then take my quirk.” The words are a hoarse whisper that burns Touya’s lips.
“Listen, kid…” Keigo touches down lightly, folding his wings against his back. Stepping forward, he enters Touya’s space, crowding him back against the tree’s trunk. “I can’t do that either—can’t give or take quirks.”
Touya’s breath catches in his throat. Up close, he can see inky black markings around Keigo’s golden eyes. His eyebrows are bushy, and his hair looks soft, downy like delicate feathers. Without a doubt, Keigo is the strangest boy Touya has ever met. He’s also the prettiest boy he’s ever seen.
There’s no chance for Touya to recover before Keigo reaches for his arm, trailing a cool finger through the skin.
“There’s something else I might be able to do for you,” Keigo murmurs. “If you’d like, I can lessen the effect your quirk has on your body, but understand that—”
“Do it.”
—it’ll cost you—”
“Keigo-kun. I don’t care. Just do it.”
“Are you sure?” Keigo quirks an eyebrow and places a hand beside Touya’s head on the tree, leaning close.
“Certain,” Touya breaths.
“Very well, but don’t come crying to me when your expectations aren’t met.”
“Whatever,” Touya snaps. “Quit wasting my time and—”
Cupping Touya’s chin in the palm of his hand, Keigo presses up on his toes and tilts Touya’s head down, interrupting the human with a kiss as soft and cold as fresh snow.
Touya’s brain short circuits and his head swims, but before he can push the boy away, Keigo pulls back.
“What was that for?” he hisses, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
“Sealing our contract.” Keigo kicks off the ground, returning to his previous hovering.
“Contract?” Touya’s eyes narrow, and he starts to fold his arms over his chest. Something’s different, though. Something has changed.
His burns are gone. Other than a smattering of faint bruises, his skin is clear—healthy even.
“W-what did you do?”
“I can’t take your quirk, but I can halve your burden.” As if to illuminate his point, Keigo waves a hand, drawing attention to the faint smoke wafting off his wings.
Understanding dawns on Touya.
“But it’ll burn you…”
“I’m already dead, aren’t I?” Keigo’s laugh is light. “Don’t worry, kid. I— Wait, what’s your name, by the way? We’re going to be seeing a lot of each other, so, unless you want me to keep calling you ‘kid,’ you better tell me.”
“Todoroki Touya.”
“Okay, Touya-kun.” Keigo grins, throwing his arms wide. “Starting today, you’re my assistant for life!”
“Your what?!”
Touya slumps against the tree and slides to the ground. His ears burn, and his lips haven’t forgotten Keigo’s kiss. Assistant? For life? The bratty bird has to be kidding.
Except… Touya had been warned, so now, he must pay the price.
Even if that means being at a School Wonder’s beck and call.
Touya almost wishes he’d gone splat. Then again, Keigo is the prettiest boy he’s ever seen.