Chapter Text
The boy peered down at the scattered remains of the massive "beast"—a phantom—that he had just killed. His grip tightened on the sword in hand while his indigo hair swayed in sync with the harsh wind.
After a few more seconds, the phantom-being let off a small glow then shattered into particles of nothingness. The area was clear as if nothing had happened. It was now like it should be.
The boy huffed and muttered to himself, "...how annoying."
With this, he turned around and jumped off the high school building. Soon, he, himself, disappeared as if he had never existed in the first place.
And, for all anyone cared, he probably didn't.
Tapping the pencil against the desk and staring out the window, you couldn't care less of what the teacher, Mr. Tighnari, droned on and on about during the class.
Eventually, however, the bell rang.
Mr. Tighnari said a few more things (a bit too much one could argue) on a research paper that was due by the end of this week. After what felt like an extra ten minutes added to your school day, he finally allowed everyone to leave.
You quickly packed up your things and headed out of the classroom. Outside, you met up with your two best friends, Amber and Collei, who were waiting for you there.
"Geez," Amber said while the three of you started walking off the school grounds. "We thought you'd never make it out."
You sighed. "I almost didn't either. That man can talk, I tell you."
"Oh, he's not that bad," Collei said. "A lot of what he says has a purpose."
You and Amber gave her a look as you made your way down the street in town then stopped. You could see a light dusty redness forming on Collei's pale face. A reaction that always happened when talking about a certain teacher.
"Of course, he isn't to you. After all..." Amber stepped behind Collei and gripped her shoulders. She then leaned towards her ear with a smirk and said, "he's your favorite teacher."
Collei squeaked right as her face erupted into a deep shade of crimson. "D-Don't say it like that!"
"Oh, but am I wrong though?~"
"I-I-I—" Collei whipped her head around in every which way, trying to find anything to redirect her friend's attention. She stopped once her eyes landed on a poster taped to the wall. "Hey look over there!"
You and Amber moved your guys' attention to the "missing" yellow poster. The name "Uesama" was etched across the paper in big, black letters above a printed picture of a white and black cat. There was also a phone number to call if one had seen or found the animal.
Amber scrunched up her nose. "Uesama—what a weird name for a cat. Who would ever give their pet such an ugly name like that?"
"Didn't you name your dog 'Captain Floofpaws' or something along those lines?" you asked.
"I..." It was her turn for her face to become red. "That's different."
"Mhm. Sure it is."
"Well, I think it's kind of cute," Collei said, merely thankful the attention was now off her.
You simply smiled and turned around, ready to get going once more. But then, amidst the crowd throughout the street, your eyes locked on a young boy who appeared to be about your age. In an instant, the world around you faded into the background as your focus went entirely on the boy.
He was one of the most handsome guys you had ever seen. His indigo hair practically shimmered under the evening sun as he began to walk across the road to the other side. However, this infatuation was quickly lost once you noticed a truck speeding dangerously towards him to which he seemed to have no idea.
Your eyes went wide. "H-Hey, stop!"
Though your calls seemed to fall on deaf ears. Without much thought, you sprinted towards the boy. You quickly wrapped your arms around his waist and pushed him out of the way. There wasn't much time for him to react as the two of you fell on the other side of the road.
You could hear your friends yell out your name. Yet, you ignored them as you looked over at the boy that you currently were atop of and who was now staring back. His brows furrowed as he began to glare at you.
"You—" But he stopped whatever he planned to angrily say upon glancing behind you. His expression flipped from anger to confusion.
"What do you think you were doing?!" you said, ignoring his sudden off behavior. "You need to look at where you're going next time; you could've gotten hurt!"
"Oh, my God. (Name)?!"
"H-Hang in there!"
Hearing the worried calls of your friends, you turned around. Your body then went rigid at what you saw. A bead of sweat formed on your cheek.
You blinked.
Once.
Twice.
Then three times.
In the middle of the road, your body was lying in front of the truck while Amber and Collei as well as other random bystanders hovered above it.
You shot up from your spot. But as you did, the world went black.
When you opened your eyes, you were instantly greeted by the worried faces of your mother and friends as well as the whiteness of a hospital room.
Great.
"(Name)!" your mother screeched. "Are you alright?! Does it hurt anywhere?"
"I..."
"(Name)!" Amber and Collei said in unison.
"Oh, I'm going to call the doctor right now!" Your mother rushed out of the room.
It wasn't long before the doctor and your mother stepped inside the room together. They both walked up to your bed.
"Allow me to give you a quick check-up," the doctor said.
He took out his stethoscope and put it on your chest. He listened for a few minutes then grabbed a flashlight to shine in your eyes and track movement.
Seemingly satisfied by the results, he said, "the CT looked fine and her brain waves were normal, too. Given everything, I'm surprised she came out with only a few scratches to the forehead. Even so, we'll keep an eye on her for the night. And if everything remains normal, she should be able to be discharged by tomorrow."
"Oh, that's good!" your mother said.
"What about the boy?" you suddenly asked.
"The boy?" Amber tilted her head.
"Oh, yeah. There was," Collei said though she sounded unsure.
"Eh, really? I didn't see anything."
"Well...maybe not. Now that I think about it. The truck driver only said (Name) just ran out of nowhere. Then again, he wasn't paying much attention to the road. So who knows."
"There was no other boy mentioned," your mother said. "Are you still confused?"
"But there was a boy..." you said.
"I think we should let you rest," the doctor said. "You've been through a lot today. And rest is the best medicine for someone in your state."
Your mother nodded in agreement. "Yes. I think that's best. I've already talked to the school, so you should be fine for tomorrow."
"We should get going anyway," Amber said. "See you in a few days, (Name)."
"Bye." Collei waves meekly and followed Amber out.
Once your mother and doctor had left the room, you huffed out a sigh and gazed out the hospital window. The doctor's advice echoed in your mind, urging you to rest. But despite your best attempts to put the day's events behind you, your thoughts refused to cooperate.
You couldn't shake the memory of the boy who you knew you had saved today. There was no doubt. However, there was something more perplexing gnawing at your thoughts.
It was for the fact that, back then, it looked as if there had been another you...