《Death Flag》 DAY 0 It has been 10 years since I was adopted by my father. Originally, all I remember was that, I was saved by my father in a burning building. Nothing special in all of it, it is just, it is the first memory I ever had since that day. That day, it feels like I¡¯ve been reborn again, and my past memories were all black. All I know is that, my father is my hero. And someday, I want to be just like him. My name is Yurutsu Itsuka. Well, that was what my father told me. It has been a year since father died after saving another flock of people. My late-father, Yurutsu Saiba, was a fireman. That make sense on how and why he saved me. To be honest with you, I forced him to adopt me since I have no memory of which my parents are, neither do I know where to go once I was discharged off the hospital. His house, as soon as I stepped a foot on it, was a total mess. In return of him having me live here with him, I tried my best to keep the stuff he had to be in their proper places and keep the house clean.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. He was often at work, so it is rare for us to meet each other. He let me go to a school. Even though it was a public school, I am still grateful that I was found by him. Why is that? Because, I¡¯ve got to live a normal life instead of being in a place that I don¡¯t want to be in. After all of that, it is hard for me to make new friends since I¡¯m in a town I never knew of. There¡¯s just one girl, a year younger than me that seems to be clingy around me. She is the little sister of one of my classmate that I often talked to. I wonder why she is clinging all over me almost every time we meet. Then, there¡¯s a certain girl who piques my interests. She is the ultimate genius of the school, and so that¡¯s how everybody describes her. Considering that she is an ultimate genius, she also possessed a chic side in her. Almost all guys in my class fell for her, which also includes me. Her name is Tachibana Akeno. No one, even the principal knew anything about her personal life. It is weird, but her being a mystery must be the reason why many guys fall for her. Aside from those things, nothing more was expected to be out of ordinary in me. I am just your typical high school student who was taken care of her father¡¯s sister the time he died. Nothing is special about me. Nothing. DAY 1 – WHAT IT TAKES TO STAY A HUMAN If ever I were to be reborn, I want to be a magus. Well, learning magic is easy, but being a magus is another thing. After all, there are no proofs that can be shown to us that they, magus, really do exist. Supernatural beings are the impossible. First, there were no real cases which involve a supernatural phenomenon. Second, magi are just fictional character which you can see in an action-fantasy manga. Lastly, if there are magi, why it doesn¡¯t appear right in front of me? Or why I haven¡¯t witnessed one? Honestly, if there is anyone who possesses such greater powers, please appear right in front of me. There are rumours of their existence, but in the end it was just for naught. At this very moment, I am staring at the bird on a tree through the window in our classroom. It is 22nd of June in the year of 2035. A lot has changed for the last decade. There were a lot of unusual disasters that happened since I was little. The world lies in its last hours, and anytime now would be apocalypse. The sun, it was so dim that you will think it will be dawn even though it was really six in the morning. When could we gain some light to make our world a bit brighter? If there would be someone who can bring some light in my life, I think it would be her. Tachibana Akeno, the crush of most guys in campus, which includes me. If ever I would get to be on date with her before the world ended, I might say I¡¯ve lived the best part of my life. Her seat, fortunately was right in front of me. But it seems like she won¡¯t be at school now. I wonder where she could be right now. Out of nowhere, someone place their heavy hands behind me, hitting me. ¡°So, you were wondering where she could be?¡± a man¡¯s voice said. The voice was kind of familiar. Well, who else could it be? I turn around me, glaring at him with a scary look in my eyes. ¡°What do you think you are doing, Matsuda?¡± I asked him, still bearing the scary look in me.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. He smirked at me and said, ¡°Weren¡¯t you thinking where could be Ms. Tachibana are now?¡± How could he?! No, I think I am just that easy to read type of person. ¡°And what made you think that I am thinking about it?¡± I asked him, now with a poker face. ¡°Hmm¡­ Let¡¯s say, it is written all over your face.¡± He tried to sound cool but it still pisses me off whenever he does that. Himejima Matsuda is my classmate since we were little. He was like a brother to me; he even teases me that I should marry his sister so that we can truly be brothers. He was almost never home that is why he told his sister to stay at our house whenever he said he won¡¯t be coming home. He has a problem with his parents for their parents wants to divorce and when that happens, the two siblings will be separated from each other. In order to protect his little sister, I was held responsible to look after her whenever he is not around. ¡°Umm¡­ Senpai?¡± a girl¡¯s voice. As expected, I knew that she will pop out again like she always does. ¡°Yuri? What is it?¡± I smiled at her. Really, if her brother is so aggressive, she¡¯s the opposite. Himejima Yuri, the little sister of Matsuda. Just this morning, she woke me up like she always does. I kinda get why her brother teases us so much, because she acts like my wife. Not that she is not a wife material ¨C she really is, but she is my friend¡¯s sister. As soon as I smiled at her, her face turns red. Yeah, I know what it means. I am not your anime character who is so dense and can¡¯t tell if a girl likes him or not. In fact, I knew that she likes me since I got sick. She looked out for me and she did not go to school at those times and was always beside me. ¡°Ahem! Maybe I should get going or else, Yuri will get mad at me. Y¡¯know? For me, not letting you have your time with each other.¡± Matsuda butt in in the awkward silence just lately. The time starts to tick again as soon as Matsuda talked. The heavy wind is gone and I can breathe easily. Awkward situations, I hate those kinds of situations. I have troubles in finding the right words that is why, as possible as it can be, I want to get myself away in those situations. ¡°Geez, onii-chan! What are you babbling about?¡± Yuri complains to her big brother, face is red, and she is pouting her face as if she is an anime character who is both pissed off and embarrassed. These kinds of situations, it is easy for me to identify the situations quickly. I am not that dumb not to realize things like these. ¡°Ah! I will let you off the hook this time, Itsuka-kun! Next time I ask you, better be prepare for it!¡± He waved to us a goodbye and left in thin air. I thought of it, what is she doing at these times? Where she could be at the moment I¡¯m thinking this? I don¡¯t know. Probably, I won¡¯t know. At the blank space I¡¯m in, I saw a hand, waving at my sight. Now, I am sure of it that I am spacing out. ¡°Itsuka-senpai? Are you spacing out at this moment?¡± Yuri continues. I grabbed her hand, to make her sure that I am not spacing out at that moment, well, not this time I guess. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what is it again?¡± I set myself straight again. ¡°I¡¯m asking you what could be onii-chan are talking about?¡± Yuri asked with a curious look at her face. ¡°Nothing.¡± I answered, avoiding her to ask me about it more. What is it again? Where did we left the air hanging from before? ¡°Um- ¡°Ah! Senpai, I should return to my room now! Bye!¡± Yuri said without hesitation and left as if she was chasing the time. I looked at my wristwatch to look at the time. Weird. It should be just another 10 minutes before the bell rings.