《Un: Dying Memories》


 001- The Shrine

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    Clad in a grey uniform, it''s me who''s standing in front of the mirror, shoving my messy dark


    brown hair off my lazy grey eyes, because I''m too lazy to use a brush or a comb.


    I take the toothbrush, and after putting toothpaste on it, I start brushing my teeth.


    "Who am I, you may ask?"


    "My name is Nakamura Shoji, or how others call me: "Mr. Can do, but is too lazy to."."


    "I am fourteen years old, currently a first grader in the nearby high school, that''s why I am in my


    beautiful uniform."


    After brushing my teeth, I walk out of the bathroom. I grabbed the bag that was lying next to


    the door and I started to walk towards the door of the house.


    The TV is loud as hell, almost preventing me from hearing my own thoughts.


    "Don''t forget about your classes, you little spoiled brat!" I say loudly, turning my face towards


    the nearby room, with a slightly opened door.


    As I''m putting on my shoes, the TV''s volume slightly drops.


    "Right!" A sweet childish voice replies from within the room that the light is coming from.


    I roll my eyes, and grab the door knob, opening the door and stepping out of the house,


    closing the door behind.


    I search through my pockets, checking if I have forgotten it.


    "Okay... the knife for self-defense is here..."


    I take a deep breath of the fresh air, putting my bag on my right shoulder, and then my hands


    into the pockets of my pants.


    I start walking down the street, and many students from my high school pass by. Students


    whom I recognize easily after so many times seeing them in the morning.


    "Everything is happening in the same monotone and repetitive way like every day. It makes


    I bored as hell."


    I look down at the black skirt accompanied by darkening thigh highs of some girl passing by.


    "So anyways..."


    "I am straight up a scumbag. It''s not like I was some kind of Nicola Tesla or some other


    Einstein, but I''m kinda smart. It''s just that I''m too lazy to do anything."


    I move my gaze away from the girl''s legs, and I straighten up, sighing softly and rolling my


    eyes.


    "Shit... this girl got em thighs."


    "I''m so glad that I''ve picked this school out of all the options I''ve had..."


    "...After all, one year ago, this high school was an only-girls high school."


    "And here comes my only goal in life..."


    As I stop walking, I look up at the sky. I take my right hand out of my pocket, putting it in front


    of the sun and clenching it tight into a fist, making people think I''m some kind of weirdo.


    "I want to clap a nice chick!"


    "That''s why I have chosen this particular high school!"


    "The high school has five grades in total! All the guys that are attending are in the first grades.


    Each grade has about 4 different classes in which there are about 30 students."


    "I''ve counted about 20 male students in the entire campus and about 548 girls."


    "Making me an exclusive treat!"


    I put my hands back into the pockets of my gray pants, and I continue to walk very slowly,


    glancing at some girls from time to time.


    Suddenly, a shiver runs down my spine, and I instinctively move my neck down.


    "Hadeka Haruki...! I''ve told you not to scare me like that!" I glance at his friendly smile, rolling


    my eyes with annoyance.


    Haruki sticks his tongue out playfully, wrapping his arm around my neck in a friendly manner,


    playing with nerves just like always, tho I''m not angry or anything.


    "Who Haruki, huh?"


    "Just look at him!"


    "A handsome face, blue eyes that resemble diamonds, the lightest blonde hair I''ve ever seen,


    manly voice, but at least we have the same height."


    "What can I say?! He''s the perfect man! And it''s so frustrating! He wants to be my friend, tho


    he drags all of the girls'' attention towards himself!"


    "It''s frustrating!"


    "And no, not because he has the attention, but because he doesn''t do anything with it."


    I shove his arm off my neck and bump my fist into his shoulder softly as if in a way of greeting


    him.


    "Yo, Haruki," I say while rolling my eyes yet again.


    I see a smile creeping onto his face as he starts to walk alongside me.


    "Shoji! It''s April 13th today... and it means that it''s Friday!" Haruki says with an excited voice, a


    wide smile of anticipation on his face, his eyes almost shining with it.


    "So what?" I reply while looking into his eyes over my shoulder.


    "Let''s go somewhere after classes end! I know a perfect place to go!"


    "What is that place?" I ask curiously.


    "You''ll see later!"


    "Fine"


    Later in classes, I''m sitting with Haruki at the second last desk of the third row - a perfect


    desk for lazy students like me.


    The teacher is writing something on a chalkboard following some immense amount of


    yapping.


    "Of course, this teacher is a woman, a nice one to look at to add, making it hard to even


    concentrate during those stupid classes."


    "So Haruki?" I whisper to him, nudging his shoulder.


    "Hm? What is it?" He whispers back.


    "As I''m staring at those girls from our class, I start to wonder if you''re even interested in girls."


    "I don''t like where this is going, Shoji-..." I immediately cut him off.


    "Do you even like girls to begin with? Like, you know... I''ve never caught you looking at some ass


    or tits or anything like that... like ever!"


    "Maan!~ Shoji, you''re stupid!" Haruki rolled his eyes at me, an annoyed look on his face.


    "Of course, I do like girls! I am just respectful because staring at them could make them


    uncomfortable. "


    "Ehh... Haruki, if you''ll keep saying that crap ill really start to see you as a knight on a white


    horse, duhh~"


    I lean back on my chair, stretching my arms behind my back like a carefree child, until


    someone grabs my right arm from behind and grips it.


    "Oh, you see Shoji, some guys aren''t such scumbags and creeps like you~." A sweet, but at


    At the same time, a cruel whisper comes from behind.


    I lean my head even further to look at her face, which is upside down.


    "Who''s that?"


    "Oh, that''s just Hoshino Carmilla."


    "She''s sitting behind us alone all the time."


    "She also likes to insult me for my laziness and straightforwardness, but on the other hand


    loves to praise Haruki for anything he does."


    "To be honest, despite being so annoying, she is still somewhat cute. Pink hair, cute pink eyes


    that contrast her cruel personality."


    "She''s like bubblegum or something like that - is sweet, but also can kill."


    "And you''re at it again, huh, Carmilla~?" I whisper back to her, rolling my eyes a little.


    A few classmates start to look in our direction, annoy the teacher a little, and make Haruki


    resign from being a member of the upcoming conversation.


    "Oh, course I am, you creep! You''re constantly looking at us with lust. I can accept that!..."


    "...But do not corrupt Haruki with your bad influence!"


    I hear Haruki giggle softly, tho his attention is on the teacher, rather than on us, he waves his


    hand dismissingly.


    "Carmilla, it''s okay."


    I feel her grip on my hand tighten even more, "Shit, she''s strong, ay ay! That hurts!"... tho I


    keep my expression calm, smirking playfully.


    "Heyy~, can you let go? You don''t want anyone to see you holding me like that, don''t you,


    Carmilla~"


    I see her face instantly flushing with a deep shade of red, even her ears are red. She instantly lets go of me.


    "That red flush matches you quite well Carmilla, wear it more often, haha~."


    "... Shut up..."


    Carmilla looks away with a pout on her face. I see one of her eyes falling onto Haruki, making


    I softly giggle.


    I turn my gaze towards Haruki yet again, knowing that I''m already doomed because of the


    stern look she''s giving me right now.


    I put my hand on his shoulder and pat it with a smile on my face.


    "See ya later."


    "Yeah..." Haruki mutters under his nose, disappointed at me like always.


    "Nakamura Shoji! You''re here, interrupting my class again, over and over again, dragging your


    fellow students'' attention towards yourself! You truly are the worst student I''ve ever had!" Her voice is commanding and firm, fitting her serious demeanor quite well.


    "Yeah, yeah, sorry, I know, I know..." I stand up from my seat, pick up my bag, and hang


    it is on my right shoulder.


    "...Detention." We both say at the same time, dragging her annoyance even further.


    "I actually knew that she was going to say this, because although it''s only been


    two weeks since the school year has started... I''ve been to detention at least five times."


    "Aiight!"


    I start to walk towards the door, passing by many desks that are filled with my classmates. I


    feel many judging looks falling onto me, tho Im already used to it, but there she is, seated in


    the literal front desk and sleeping yet again.


    "Her name is Layla, and she''s always sleeping in classes, tho no teacher ever pays attention to


    it, because she is always getting the best grades on the tests anyway."


    I stop walking by her desk and pinch the back of her neck, that''s covered in her long, messy


    black hair.


    The class falls silent, and the teacher doesn''t even say anything, just like if she''s waiting for


    something.


    "Hey you, don''t sleep, or else you''ll end up like me, got it?"


    She slowly raises her head, looking up at me, tho her eyes are always covered by her raven black bangs. People are even speculating that she doesn''t even have eyes because no one


    has ever seen them.


    I hear her hum something like an "Mhm...Okay... thanks..." In a sleepy tone, a faint, barely visible


    smile on her face.


    I roll my eyes at her, and I leave the classroom, closing the door loudly behind myself.


    As I''m walking through the hallway, heading towards the detention. I look out the window


    at the P.E. class that''s having a place outside.


    "From what I remember, these girls are in the 3rd grade... I particularly like the one with the silver


    hair and blue eyes."


    "Hirano Mitsuki, the student council vice-president..."


    "But damn... they all be lookin'' good in those P.E. clothes..."


    "These are bouncing and the other jiggling, like a jelly haha!~"


    "A feast for my eyes!~"


    Suddenly, a guy whom I recognize very well walks up to me.


    "Ohh~?"


    "Are you lost, Nakamura Shoji~?... Oh, or maybe..."


    "...Sent to detention again, haha?~" His voice annoys me like nothing else.


    "It''s no one else than my greatest rival from middle school..."


    "...Hirano Artur..."


    "He''s a spitting image of his older sister, and by the white design of his uniform, I can easily


    tell..."


    "Student council, huh? It''s been only 2 weeks since we started attending this high school, and


    you were already accepted, huh?" I say with annoyance while rolling my eyes.


    "It smells very fishy, oh wait, fish? Ohhh! You must''ve received help from your big sister, didn''t


    you?~"


    "And what''s with that silly sword on your hip, huh?~ Trying to be a knight or what~?" I add


    with a mocking tone in my voice.


    Arthur just simply laughs at my face, adjusting his student council pin, that''s on the left side of


    his chest, flexing obviously.


    "I will not let you provocate me, Nakamura Sh¨­ji, as a member of the student council, I deal


    with people like you daily, there''s no way in hell that you can force me to  break


    character haha!"


    His eyes then fall onto the hilt of his sword, which''s lying in its sheath, a prideful smile visiting


    his already annoying face.


    "Oh, and this little thing? I''ve joined a club, unlike you. A club where we learn the


    swordsmanship. In other words, I''m learning something, when you''re just fucking around


    haha~!"


    "Pft don''t make me laugh! I prefer to be boring and lazy than to be like you, Arthur! So don''t


    bother my ass!" I reply with even more annoyance than before.


    I just walk past him, giving him the satisfaction of winning, but only because if I listen to him


    for a couple more seconds, I''ll lose it.


    After a minute, I enter the detention class, which is always empty, only the old teacher, being


    there like always.


    "This old man is called Muraoka Tetsuya, he is very kind to me, unlike other teachers whom I


    understand very well. He''s also the principal of this school."


    I close the door behind myself and chuckle slightly because I just woke the old man up from


    his slumber.


    "Good morning Mr. Muraoka," I say with an unusual kindness coming from my voice.


    It takes him a couple of seconds to fully wake up, and then he looks at me with a smile on his


    face, not even surprised that I''m here yet again.


    "Oh, it''s you again Shoji, huh?" His voice is kind like the sweet breeze of wind in the spring


    mornings.


    I sit down at the front desk, dropping my bag to the floor and lying my cheek on the desk.


    "You can resume your nap old man, I won''t do anything while you''re asleep," I mutter under


    my nose, my voice slightly muffled by the desk.


    "Oh..."


    I look at the old man.


    "... He''s already out cold haha..."


    "Oh god, it takes me back in time a couple of years haah..."


    "I met this old man when I was a kid, tho I remember it like it was yesterday, not to


    mention that this encounter made me the Nakamura Shoji I am today."


    "The I''m too lazy to recall it haha! Maybe another day!~"


    I close my eyes and I slowly drift off into the realm of dreams.


    I woke up a few hours later. I stretch myself and look over at the clock that''s on the wall.


    "15:37 huh? So I guess it''s time for me then."


    I yawn softly as I grab my bag and stand up from the desk. I look over at the principal as he''s


    still sleeping.


    "Arrivederci, old man." I say with a drowsy tone, and then I walk out of the class. I rub my eyes, and suddenly I bump into someone, whom I immediately look at.


    "Oh... it''s you Haruki?"


    "Was there at least one day, on which you weren''t sent to the detention, Sh¨­ji?" Haruki says


    with annoyance, which I understand.


    "Okay, so are we going to the place you told me about in the morning, or nah?"


    I hang my backpack onto both of my shoulders.


    "Oh yeah we are going, after all, we both don''t have anything better to do right, Sh¨­ji?"


    "Yeah yeah let''s get going."


    I start to walk down the hallway towards the edit. "Just leave the school without any more


    disturbances aight, Shoji Nakamura?".


    Suddenly Haruki nudges my arm and points at the detention classroom door.


    "Hey, isn''t that Layla? Why is she going to the detention class?"


    I turn around and look at her for a moment, but then she also turns around and despite not


    seeing her eyes because of the bangs she has, I feel her stare, and I see her small smile that


    sends shivers down my spine.


    I immediately turn around, my chest clenches tightly like never before. I take a deep breath and start to


    walk again.


    "Pft... I don''t care."


    Haruki looks between the two of us a couple of times but finally decides to follow me.


    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.Before we went to the place he was talking about, he took me to his home which I''ve


    had already been to like 2 times, as I walked through the front door I saw his mom and I gave her a


    slight nod of respect.


    Haruki''s house is a very cozy place, the front door leads right into the hallway which has a staircase that leads to the second floor where all the rooms and the second bathroom are in.


    The hallway on the first floor leads to four rooms that are on the sides- a living room, kitchen,


    bathroom and the last door that''s the door to the basement.


    "Good afternoon, Mrs. Hadeka."


    She looks at me and smiles so warmly that makes my cheeks flush slightly.


    "Oh! Welcome...uhh... Sh¨­ji, was it?"


    "Yeah."


    Haruki gestures for me to follow him as he starts to walk up the stairs.


    "Sh¨­ji quick! Or else she will notice that you are here! I don''t want her to bother our ass, not


    right now!"


    I look at him and then back at his mother, I smile slightly, trying to be polite I give her a small


    bow with my head.


    "Excuse me, ma''am."


    Right after saying this I take off my shoes and walk up the stairs, following Haruki. He leads


    the way to his room and as we enter, I close the door behind us.


    "So why did we go here instead of the place? Maybe you''ll at least tell me where are we going?"


    I say with a slight amount of curiosity as I drop onto his bed.


    Haruki giggles and sits down on the armchair that stands by his desk, taking a map out of one


    of his drawers, then putting it onto the desk which intrigues me.


    I stand up from the bed and walk over to his desk. I look down at the map and a big smile


    creeps onto my face.


    "Huh? The abandoned shrine? Why out of all places you choose this one?"


    "I''m sure you''ve heard of it at some point, Sh¨­ji. I also know that you surely don''t believe in


    such things, but I''ll say it anyway."


    "This shrine is haunted by something, and it''s not only this shrine..."


    "...I believe that this whole city is weird..."


    "Especially our high school." I start laughing at him, almost tearing up a little.


    "Oh my god! Bahhah! You don''t believe that do you~?" I say while nudging his


    shoulder.


    "My father works at the police station here, even tho he told me not to share this with anyone,


    I''ll tell you it, but promise that you won''t tell anyone else." It surprised me that his voice turned


    into such a serious one in just a moment, so I replied to it with a smirk.


    "Sure, after all spreading fake information isn''t a good idea ya~?" I say with a sarcastic tone,


    rolling my eyes.


    Haruki also rolls his eyes, but because of annoyance rather than playfulness.


    "593 people went missing since January this year."


    "Yeah, normally, people go missing, maybe that''s just an unfortunate turn of events?"


    "...About 431 of them were found dead a couple of days after visiting this shrine..."


    "Maan it''s just a coincidence haha..." My mocking smile is replaced with a nervous one.


    Suddenly a sound of soft, but quick footsteps comes from outside the room. It catches us


    two off guard and we both stare at the door. I see Haruki rolling his eyes.


    "Don''t even da-..." His voice was loud, just as if he was ordering someone, but that was not


    too efficient as literally after a second the door of his room was smashed onto the wall.


    I look at the middle-schooler who''s standing in the doorframe, her blonde hair messy like


    always, and her blue eyes glistened with joy.


    "A spitting image of her older brother."


    "Harumi! Leave my room! I''ve told you to not bother my ass when I have guests!" Haruki


    immediately stands up from his armchair and tries to grab her shoulders, but she just swiftly


    moves away and runs up to me, clinging to me.


    "Sh¨­ji! Hello! You remember me!? It''s me! Harumi! Your wife!" Her high pitched amazed voice


    slightly muffled as she''s rubbing her face into my shirt.


    "Oh my god... my poor shirt... my poor uniform..."


    I look down at her and I pat her head.


    "Don''t cling to me like that, and besides I''m not your husband~! I''ve told you to return when


    you''ll be bigger~!" I say with a cheeky voice, annoying Haruki even further.


    "...Sh¨­ji..." I hear him mutter my name, but I just laugh at it.


    "Oh please Haruki, you know I''m just joking. I''m not into 12-year-olds!"


    I pull Harumi off myself, as she calms down a little. Then she jumps onto Haruki''s bed with a happy smile on her face.


    "Your sister is a pure person, she will grow up to be a nice woman." I look over at Haruki, a


    smile on my face.


    "You say so?" He looks at me with a confused frown.


    "Maybe you''re right, after all, you''re quite smart."


    "Pft"


    "Okay, so why didn''t we go to the spot immediately and instead come here first?" I ask him


    curiously, changing the subject.


    "Oh, it''s simple! We need to prepare don''t you think?" Haruki says and then goes over to his


    wardrobe. Inside of it are multiple bats and long red staffs.


    "Damn, where did he get so much of those?"


    As Harumi hears Haruki''s wardrobe doors, she instantly jumps off the bed and runs up to the


    wardrobe.


    "Can I go? Please please, big brother!" She says with a cute and innocent voice, her eyes


    pleading making it impossible to reject her.


    "Nah." Haruki replies


    About an hour later we are walking on a small, dark path in the forest, the flashlight that


    Haruki is holding giving us at least some level of awareness of what is before us.


    I hold the red bo staff in my right hand and Haruki holds a baseball bat in his other hand.


    The wind is blowing the leaves and many animals can be heard around.


    "You scared Sh¨­ji~" His cheeky voice annoyed me a bit.


    "Pft... even tho the thought of something bad happening giving me chills."


    "I will never admit that I''m scared!"


    "Nah! Me? Scared? I think you''ve mistaken me for someone else ha?!" I say, my voice still


    carrying some annoyance in it.


    "Shit this mud is so disgusting... dirtying my precious shoes..."


    "I just wanna gooo hommmeeee!"


    I continue to follow Haruki''s lead until we arrive right before the abandoned shrine.


    "Oh fuck! It stinks!" I plug my nose while nudging Haruki''s shoulder.


    Haruki also plugs his nose, a look of disgust appearing on his face as he reaches toward the


    shoji doors that lead to the inside.


    "Wait Haruki!" I say loudly, gripping his shoulder with slightly more strength.


    "What?" He looks at me over his shoulder with a confused look on his face.


    "You want to spread those shoji''s before me? You want to make me flustered~?" I say with a


    mischievous and sarcastic tone as I walk past him to open the doors myself.


    It takes him a moment to understand my joke, but as soon as he does, his face burns with red


    blush.


    "Nakamura Shoji! Your jokes aren''t funny!" His frustrated voice makes me giggle.


    I grab the doors and after taking a deep breath I close my eyes. I slide to push the shoji doors to


    the sides.


    I hear Haruki''s gasp that comes from behind.


    "I don''t want to see it! I don''t want to see it... but I want to!"


    I take a deep breath again and I open my eyes... and then... I see... a simple room.


    "Pft...What? This shrine is just a small room?" I say confused, looking over at Haruki.


    Haruki then walks into the shrine, placing the flashlight next to a paper lantern, lighting up


    the whole room.


    I look around, up and down and then I walk up to one of the paper walls, poking it with my


    staff.


    "How come this shit is not destroyed, nor even slightly dirty after being abandoned for so


    many years?"


    I look around again.


    "And this shrine looks like someone cleaning it daily..."


    "Hey Shoji...?"


    I look over at Haruki who standing at the back of the shrine, next to a pedestal on which an


    opened black box is placed.


    "There''s a ring here... it looks so nice!"


    I roll my eyes, "Remember that we don''t touch the-..."


    I hear Haruki place his bat on the ground.


    "...Heuh...?"


    My eyes widen and my mouth hangs open. Haruki just took the ring and put it on his finger.


    "Haruki... what have you donee?! Take it off! Quickly! Fast! Fast!" I scream in fear as I run up to


    him and pull the ring, trying to get it off his finger.


    "IT WON''T COME OFF! IT WON''T COME OFF!" Haruki screams with the same amount of terror


    as me.


    "WHY THE HELL DID YOU PUT IT ON ANYWAYS?!" I scream back at him, but then a shiver runs down my spine as I look at the pedestal.


    The pedestal starts to sink into the ground leaving a pool of black substance on the


    ground from which a creature starts to emerge, causing the shrine to start falling apart.


    We both look at each other, then at the creature then at each other, then at the ring on his


    finger.


    "AAAHAHAHAHHH!!!" We scream in unison and terror.


    Haruki grabs the baseball bat and as we start running he also somehow manages to get


    his flashlight.


    We run through the dark forest, the light coming from the flashlight starts to flicker and


    stutter, until it turns off completely.


    "NO NO NO NO NO I DON''T WANT TO DIE I DON''T WANT TO DIE!"


    I run, run, and run.


    "I CAN''T STOP RUNNING OR ELSE I''LL DIE! NO ONE WANTS TO DIE!"


    As I''m running alongside Haruki, I peek over the shoulder and I see a figure quickly catching


    up to us at an insane speed.


    We both are panting out of exhaustion, but we are almost on the highway, or at least it looks


    like it.


    "I CAN SEE THE LIGHTS!" I scream with terror, but also a lot of relief.


    "I CAN SEE THEM TOO!" Haruki screams back at me with happiness.


    Our happiness blinded us, we had picked the wrong way, and as our eyes adjusted to the


    lights, we realized that we were on a dead end, a huge fall that would leave us in a pool of blood


    on the highway.


    We are right next to the electronic pole that''s connected to the one on the


    other side of the highway via electronic wires.


    I see Haruki''s eyes tear up as we just hopelessly stare at the creature getting closer and


    closer.


    "Sh¨­ji... it was a nice experience to have a good friend... but I guess this is our ending isn''t it?"


    He says, his voice full of terror, but also sadness.


    "Haruki..." I look around, gripping the BO staff in my hand until I look at the bat in Haruki''s


    hands and then at the electronic wires.


    "The pole... it''s low enough..." I mutter under my nose.


    "What are you talking about...?"


    "Haruki! It''s now or never! Jump!"


    I run towards the edge of the ground and then jump, holding my staff to use the wires


    as a zip-line.


    "Sh¨­ji...?!" He screams at me and smiles, doing the same thing I did, but with his bat.


    But then were both stuck on the wire, right above the center of the highway. The creature


    also didn''t seem to give up because it was climbing up the electronic pole.


    I look down at the ground, waiting for a perfect moment. Haruki looks at me with a serious


    look, knowing that I''m thinking of something.


    "Just the right moment..."


    "NOW HARUKI! HOLD THE WIRE TIGHT AND RELEASE IT WHEN I WILL!"


    I pull a small camping knife out of my pocket, and then I cut the wire. We both hold onto it


    right like some kind of monkey in the jungle, and then we release our hold on it and safely land on


    a truck stuffed with hay.


    After an hour, we finally stand before Haruki''s house, we are both still very shaken by the


    incident that happened earlier. Haruki is holding the staff and the bat in his left hand.


    "See ya on Monday, Haruki... I''m not leaving my house for the whole weekend after this..."


    "Yeah... see ya, Sh¨­ji, but are you sure that you don''t want to stay here for the night? It''s


    already pretty late know?" Haruki asks with genuine concern.


    I shake my head and wave my hand in a dismissing way, "Nah, I''m fine, see ya." I offer him my


    hand for a dap and we of course make a perfect dap and then we go into the opposite


    directions, he enters his house and I head towards mine.


    I walk through the empty dark streets, eerie silence creeping me out.


    "Shit, it''s so late... I''m so sleepy... I just wanna go home..."


    "No one is here..."


    But then from out of nowhere, I fall on the ground, struggling to move... I don''t feel my legs.


    "Huh? I just collapsed...? I must be ti-..."


    I look over at my legs, the pain just kicks in, and my eyes widen as I see my legs cut off...


    I scream in pain and terror, my eyes wide in fear. I start puking on the ground.


    My flesh and an unholy amount of blood start to slowly rip off itself, creating the most disgusting view I''ve ever seen.


    "WHAT THE HELL"


    "AGHHHHH!"


    "WHHRGRAHH!"


    "WHERE ARE MY LEGS"


    "IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS"


    "AHHHHGHH!"


    I hear someone licking something and then I look up.


    I see a woman clad in something that looks like a junihitoe kimono. She also wields a


    katana whose blade is covered in my blood.


    Two orange fox ears on top of her head, fitting her orange hair and the nine tails that are


    swaying around behind her.


    My eyes widen as her orange eyes are staring into my soul.


    "Don''t get any closer... don''t get any closer... don''t get any closer..."


    I try to scream, but I can''t, my body won''t move... not even a bit... I''m paralyzed out of fear...


    The only thing I can do is listen to this woman.


    I reach towards my neck, tracing over it, feeling a deep cut in it.


    She licks my blood off her blade, looking down at my fingers, which she slowly and painfully


    starts to chop, increasing my agony, tho I can''t even pass out... Something wrong.


    "Oh? Where is the ring? I thought you stole it. After all... you smell like those filthy demons." Her voice is colder than the lowest temperature ever recorded, it sends shivers down my


    spine.


    I just stare at her, my eyes are full of tears, and I''m starting to pass out of the blood loss, accepting my death.


    "It hurts it hurts it hurts... I want to die die die die... please end this end this end this."


    "Oh that''s too bad, I''m sorry human, I didn''t mean it." She then nonchalantly walks away and


    fades into the darkness.


    I just lie there in a pool of blood, my eyes half-lidded, my vision blurry, I can''t even do anything,


    not even think straight. I just close my eyes and wait for it all to end.


    "Oh, why hello Shoji~! We can fix it up, can we~?" It''s the last thing I''ve heard, a sweet, almost


    addictive kind and bubbly female voice.


    I try my hardest to open my eyes, but I manage to open them just slightly.


    "The right eye is red... the other one is covered with a part of her blonde hair..."


    My vision blacks out. I''m dead.

 002- Misaki

    "Huh?"


    Breathing heavily, I open my eyes which are still full of terror, getting blinded by the sun in an instant.


    As my eyes adjust to the light, I see a familiar white ceiling above my face.


    Dumfounded, I look down under my blanket trying to move my legs, then reach up to touch my neck, the wound seems to be gone tho my throat is dry like I''ve not drunk in a week.


    I slowly sit up on the bed as my breathing calms down. A drop of sweat drops from my chin.


    "Was that just a dream?"


    I look over at the small clock that''s standing on the nightstand right next to my phone.


    "Huh? 7:43?! I will be late to school!"


    I slowly stand up from my bed, my legs shaking horribly as I start walking towards the door.


    "What the hell is going on... I feel bad..."


    I stumble onto the door with a loud thud, tho I manage to not collapse by grabbing onto the handle at the last moment.


    I softly open the door, walking out of the room very slowly, looking down at the ground.


    I hear footsteps getting louder and louder so I look up to see my younger sister. She''s looking at me with an expression that I would describe as a mix of relief and frustration, puffing out her cheeks.


    "Why is she lookin'' at me like that?"


    "Not gonna lie, she looks like a tomato while puffing out them cheeks~"


    "What''s wrong Kaori~? Aren''t you supposed to be getting ready for school?"


    I reach my hand up to cover my mouth in a feigned worry.


    "No... you aren''t skipping, aren''t you~?!"


    I look down, my feigned worry turning into a dramatic sadness like in some romance drama.


    "Those kids... growing up so fast...~"


    Kaori then takes a huge step towards me, grabbing the collar of my striped pajama. It looks goofy because she''s like 147 cm tall.


    "Shojii!!! I''ve been worried, y''know?!"


    I look down at her in confusion. Her grip on my collar loosens until she lets go of it.


    "Worried?"


    "You''ve been asleep for two whole days! I didn''t know what to do!" Her voice is frustrated and sad.


    Her statement confused me, but as soon as I see tears forming in the corners of her eyes I get even more confused.


    "Whatcha mean sis?" I ask confused, but then I just shake my head dismissingly.


    "Eh... you''re just yappin'' to confuse me again aren''t you~?" I ask her jokingly, pinching her nose softly.


    I look down at her face and my eyes meet her glare.


    "Why you lookin'' at me like dat, Kaori?"


    "You should be getting ready for school y''know~?"


    Suddenly my hand is slapped away by her.


    "Shoji! You shouldn''t be making jokes after such a situation! Are you drunk or something?! Did you start drinking?!" She asks her voice angry and protective, her gaze falling on the ground, along with some tears dropping from her cheeks.


    "Huh? No... wait..."


    My eyes widen and I reach my hand to cover my mouth.


    "...What day is it?"


    "Saturday... 14th..." She says, her voice muffled as she''s crying into her hands quietly.


    My body starts shaking in fear and confusion at the same time, it''s a kinda weird feeling to experience.


    "Maybe she is right? Maybe I was really asleep for two whole days? But it felt so real... everything that happened... The Shrine... the yokai that killed me... I can''t help but shake when thinking about that yokai..."


    I reach my arms down and wrap them around her thin neck, pulling her into a tight but soft embrace.


    "Hey, it''s okay... I''m sorry... y''know Kaori... I probably haven''t slept enough and I just needed a longer rest..."


    I feel her arms wrap around my torso, her hug is very tight, as if she wants to squeeze me to death.


    "Maybe I was really asleep? Hmm... I guess yeah... that explains the wild dream..."


    She looks up at me and I immediately see a mischievous smile, no longer crying. I instantly understand that she''s got an idea that I cannot possibly reject.


    "Brother... take me shopping today!" She says with an excited voice, proud of herself.


    "Why would I, you little sneaky kid~?" I ruffle her hair, my hands no longer shaking.


    "I was worried... soo... you owe me a compensation~!" She giggles cutely at the end.


    "I guess she''s right, isn''t she?"


    I break the hug and take a step back, smiling at her slightly and sighing softly.


    "Fine fine... go get yourself ready then kiddo~."


    As I say that she''s already gone to her room.


    "Oh my god, I can finally go drink some water! I''m so dry inside!"


    I walk towards the kitchen, where I open a cabinet, and take a glass out of it. I fill it with cold tap water and drink it in one go.


    "Ehhh..."


    "Oh yeah, my phone. I forgot to check the notifications!"


    I start walking back to my room.


    I grab my phone off the nightstand and turn it on.


    "Huh?"


    "Haruki sent me something?"


    "Hey, man! Why aren''t you at school today? I''m bored!"


    "Can you visit me after school? I have something interesting to show you."


    "Hey?! Why aren''t you responding?!"


    "Okay fine! I will tell you everything on Monday, and you''ll be jealous of me!"


    I frown and turn off my phone, rolling my eyes.


    "Pft... what''s his deal duhh?"


    "I guess I need to go get ready because Kaori will bother my ass with "Why aren''t you ready yet!?" Etc."


    Later we both went to a mall and a lot of shops around us.


    I''m dressed in some casual clothes- a black t-shirt, white sweatpants, and a gray zip-up hoodie. Kaori is wearing some kind of cyan button-up shirt and a light purple skirt that''s pulled up very high.


    I look at her over my shoulder, glaring right into her eyes. She looks at me with a confused look.


    "Wut?" She says with a confused voice.


    "Lower down that skirt of yours, brat." I say like a commander, not accepting any "no" or "but" as an answer.


    "No~"


    "Yes."


    "No~"


    "Yes."


    "Fineee~! Stupid Shoji~." She giggles softly and lowers her skirt to a level that''s acceptable for a girl her age.


    "That''s what I thought." I roll my eyes at her, making her pout.


    Kaori points at the nearby shoe store. She takes my hand and starts dragging me towards it.


    "Let''s go there first, brother! I want nice high heels!"


    "What do you need high heels for? Even in high heels, you''ll be short as hell~" I say, mocking her height.


    I see her ears slightly reddening, which makes me giggle in amusement.


    "...Shut up..." She mutters under her nose.


    I follow her in between all the shelves with the shoes. Her face shows so much excitement, but for me, it''s boring as hell.


    "Pick something quick, I''m not gonna stand here all day y''know?"


    "You''re borrrinnng~! You will never understand me brother because you are..."


    She then leans towards me with a playful smile on her face, looking up at me.


    "Ve-ry Bo-ring~!"


    I put my hand on her face, pulling it away while rolling my eyes.


    "Stupid Brat."


    I sit down on some leather couch, putting my ankle on the knee and lying my cheek against my hand.


    I think to myself as I look at Kaori walking around, trying shoes.


    "Mhmm... Maybe after this, I should take her to the amusement park? I wonder if she will like it or nah."


    I look down at the ground until someone taps my head softly.


    I look up to see two big familiar blue eyes staring into my soul.


    "Uhh... Hadeka Harumi?"


    "Yes, hubby! It''s me indeed! Have you missed me, Shoji?! We haven''t met in such a loooong timeee~!"


    I see her mother walk towards us slowly from the other side of the store.


    "And today Kaori told me that you will be with her! She also wants you to marry me, I''m sure of it! So why keep waiting?! Just let''s do it today! Okay, Shoji?!" She says, her eyes gleaming with excitement and her voice happy. I feel her fingernails digging into my hand as she grips it, tho my attention is on Mrs. Hadeka.


    "Oh my god... Haruki''s father is so lucky to get a woman like that! That beautiful hair... those majestic eyes... the perfect figure... and a voice that can warm up my heart, no matter in what situation I''m in..."


    I look at Harumi who''s looking at me with excited eyes.


    "Maybe I should invest in her? The genetics could always hit in. She''s about Kaori''s age meaning that she''s like... Hm... one to two years younger so that wouldn''t be inappropriate if I would wait till she turns eighteen..."


    I close my eyes, nodding and huffing a couple of times.


    "Just the thought of myself having a nice wife... oh my god! It makes me think that fulfilling my beautiful dream is possible after all!"


    As I open my eyes, I instinctively look up. I meet Mrs. Hadeka''s warm eyes that make my heart flutter.


    "Oh god..."


    She gives me a warm smile and pulls Harumi away, giving her a scolding look.


    "Harumi, give him some space. I''m sure Haruki wouldn''t be happy if he was there with us." Says Mrs. Hadeka, her voice like honey to my ears.


    Mrs. Hadeka then sits down next to me. Harumi pouts and starts to walk towards Kaori.


    "Good morning Mrs. Hadeka."


    "No no no no. Stop with that "Mrs." crap! It makes me feel like I''m some kind of old lady! You can call me by my name, Shoji. After all,l you seem like a very mature boy. Call me Misaki." She says as her beautiful smile widens. I just can''t get enough of this woman.


    I swallow my saliva in surprise. I wasn''t expecting this turn of events.


    "O-Okay... Misaki." I say while looking away in embarrassment.


    "What the hell is going on with me?! This woman is making me embarrassed like in some cheap vampire romance from Wutpod!"


    I''m lost in thought, thinking about the woman who is sitting next to me in every way possible. Thinking what if I was older... what if I married her before her current husband?


    "Fuck... I''m a scumbag for having such thoughts about my friend''s mother, aren''t I haha...?"


    Suddenly I''m broken free from the trance as she starts to speak again, her gaze on the two girls who are trying on new shoes.


    "Shoji, have you ever wondered about why my daughter is so clingy towards you?" Her voice is still very kind, but it also turns slightly serious. She leans her chin onto her hand.


    I think about it for a moment, surprised that I never thought about it, as it has always been like that since the day I saw Harumi for the first time.


    "I have no idea..."


    She then turns to look at me once again.


    "Very well, then I will tell you the reason that''s behind her behavior."


    I respond with a slight nod.


    "Well you see when Haruki was seven and Harumi was six, we were living in another city. Haruki had a lot of friends, but Harumi had none so she only played with her brother. Not convincing Harumi to make her own friends was the biggest mistake of my life, but I''ve realized it too late."


    "She was growing so fond of her big brother that she started to follow him all the time, even if he was playing with his friends."


    "Haruki had a small group of friends which he was never outside of, talking to anyone else. Which led to him being unable to make friends with anyone else."


    "Their father, my husband was offered the transfer to this city. Money was tight back then, and here, despite it being a smaller city, he''s earning three times more money."


    "When we moved here, Haruki was lonely, unable to make friends with anyone in the elementary school."


    "He was so sad that he pushed Harumi away, not playing with her anymore. It made Harumi suffer and cry all day, but she was suffering not because he didn''t want to play with her, but rather because of seeing how he was suffering."


    Tears start to build up in the corners of her eyes and she sniffs a couple of times.


    "And then you, Nakamura Shoji, appeared out of thin air. I still remember how happy Haruki was when he told me that he befriended someone. His smile was so wide, making me tear up to this day know?"


    "He was telling me what kind of person you are, and at first I wasn''t proud that my son is playing with a troublemaker, but now after all those years I don''t see you as a troublemaker, but my son''s best friend."


    I look away nervously, muttering under my nose in shame.


    "I don''t think it was like I wanted to help him, it was more of me being bored and craving a new friend here... I was just selfish, nothing more..."


    Misaki pinches my ears, making me squeak in surprise.


    "You can say whatever you want, but I won''t change my mind and perspective, Shoji."


    I look at her in surprise, my eyes wide and my expression dumbfounded.


    "...Okay..."


    I look over at Kaori and Harumi who are still trying new shoes all around the store, as Misaki continues speaking.


    "About a week later Harumi noticed how her brother started to act, it made her happy seeing how he was no longer gloomy all day. She was asking me what happened, over and over again, so I told her that Haruki had gotten himself a friend."


    "The smile that appeared on her face is something I''ll never forget, even if I die I''ll remember it..."


    "...It was the most beautiful out of the most beautiful smiles..."


    "I don''t know why, but her obsession towards her brother has intensified into an obsession towards the person who saved him- It was you Shoji."


    I just stare at her for a moment, but for me, it feels like an eternity. My eyes are wide, but my gaze falls on the ground, because I know that I''m not a real savior, nor anything like that.


    I feel a soft hand being placed on top of my head, caressing my hair softly.


    "I know it''ll happen sooner or later, but promise me one thing, okay?"


    I look up from the ground, right into her eyes.


    "Promise what?"


    "Just wait until she''s sixteen, right?"


    "Huh?"


    "Wait no! I don''t mean to do it!"


    Suddenly she pulls me into a tight hug. My head is pressed by her breasts from both sides.


    "I''m in heaven."


    As she strokes my hair, she suddenly rips my hair out.


    "Ouch!"


    I lean away from her chest, looking into her eyes.


    "What was that for?!"


    "Wait... why am I talking to her like to a friend? She''s my friend''s mother!"


    She looks at me with a worried expression, her motherly smile slightly fading.


    "Hmm... why is your hair starting to turn grey, Shoji?" She says, her voice filled with worry and confusion.


    I look at the gray strand of hair that''s in her hand.

 003- Have-Some-Fun Time!

    "Aww come on, Big Bro~!" Kaori says with a cheeky smile on her face. She is pointing


    at the food section of the amusement park, holding a paper bag in the other hand.


    "Huh? You want me to run out of my money or what?" I point at the bag in her hand.


    "Those high heels or whatever those are, were the most expensive ones!" I shake my head in irritation.


    "Kids like you should burn in hell for using their older brothers, you know~?" I pinch her cheeks, letting out a small yawn at the same time.


    "Ouch!" She jumps back slightly and rubs her cheeks with her free hand.


    "But it was you who bought me the shoes! You''ve agreed on those!" She pouts, stomping her feet.


    "Agreed?!" I pull her ear softly. "You know I was in a tight conversation with Mrs. Hadeka!" I shake my head. "I was off guard and you''ve used it against me because you are a spoiled brat! When I saw the price I was dumbfounded, tho I couldn''t just put it away because it would be tooooooo embarrassing!" I pull her ears softly in frustration.


    "Then brother I have an offer for you!" She somehow manages to shove my hands away from her ears, a cheeky smile creeps onto her face once again.


    "Hm?"


    "We will compete! Booths, food, and fun! Whoever will lose..." Her smile widens further and she sticks her tongue out. "...Will be doing all the chores for a whole month, plus if I lose I won''t bother you for any money till the next month~!" She extends her hand towards me.


    I look down at her small hand, and then at her stupid face.


    "Shit... I don''t know if I should or not... but wait..."


    I close my eyes, remembering that I do all the chores anyways, as she''s constantly playing video games on her console, or bothering my ass.


    "Very well then... let''s see who will have more fun tonight~!" I squeeze her hand tightly, making her squeak and jump up slightly.


    "Ouchie! Hmph, stupid Shoji!~" She pouts while blowing some air onto her hand.


    "Do wesela sie zagoi~." I ruffle her hair, smiling playfully.


    She then smiles back at me and starts dragging me towards one of the restaurants that serve spicy food.


    "Mehh... it''s too late! I would love to take a nap somewhere... but... I don''t want to lose to my stupid sister! When I recommended the amusement park I thought I''d be overflowing with energy, but to my surprise even tho I slept 2 days... I''m very tired..." I let out another small yawn at which Kaori softly laughs.


    "Oh? My my~... Are you tired Shoji? Ohhhh my! It''ll be so easy to win this competition~!" She starts to walk quicker and quicker until we finally end up at a table in the restaurant. There are also some loud kids sitting at a table that''s next to the bathroom.


    "Those idiots again..." She mutters under her nose.


    "What are they playing? Board game with fake money huh?" I say to myself and look over at Kaori as she''s looking at the menu "They''re annoying, but not more than Kaori."


    "This spoiled brat... I swear if I were in whole ass another dimension, I could feel her enthusiasm..."


    I look at her as her eyes wander around the menu.


    "So what are you picking, Kaori?"


    Her smile widens as she raises her hand, waiting for a waiter to come up and put the menu upside down on the table.


    Soon enough a guy in a waiter outfit comes up to us with a kind smile on his face, or at least he tries to make one.


    "What can I get for you?" He asks kindly.


    "Disgusting... I would never act kind despite being in a situation like his, working a part-time job in which you see many disgusting and annoying people daily. But... that also gives me an opportunity." I mockingly smile to myself.


    "I would like to order two plates of Jalape?o flavored stew!" Kaori says with a kind smile on her face, picking up the menu once again and pointing at the dish on the list.


    "Okay, you''ll dish will be ready in about ten minutes, so make sure that you''ll be there, okay?" He says with an even kinder voice.


    "Sugar, sugary, and once again sugar haha~!" I roll my eyes in a way that he didn''t even notice.


    The waiter then walks away. Then I turn to Kaori with a feigned smile of amazement and kindness on my face. "Oh my god! This guy is so kind and professional... I''ll consider giving him a hefty tip after we eat!" I say loudly enough for him to hear it.


    It takes Kaori a moment to analyze what I''ve just said, a look of surprise appears on her face, mainly because I''ve never tipped.


    "Oh my my~ You''re feeling generous tonight, aren''t you, Shoji~?" She smiles playfully, reaching her hand towards me and hitting my shoulder softly.


    I shove her hand away, keeping the fake smile on my face. I slowly stand up from the table.


    "Ima be right back, I''m going to the toilet," I say, looking down at her.


    "Ho ho~? Are you sure? I bet that you''ll revisit after we eat~ After all if it''s spicy then it won''t be afterwards nicey~!" She laughs playfully, leaning her chin on her hand.


    "Oh shut up, brat~" I ruffle her hair as I pass her by, heading towards the bathroom, passing the annoying kids.


    After a couple of minutes, I leave the bathroom. I walk up to the kids who are playing the board game, sitting at the table that''s under the window. I take out a tissue from my pocket and hold it in my right hand.


    "Whatcha playing kids~?" I ask with feigned curiosity.


    The two boys that are around the age of eleven judging by their looks, look up at me in confusion.


    "Uhh... we are playing Minipole...?" The black-haired boy says as the other one is looking down at the board. I hear the uncertainty and even a slight amount of fear in his voice.


    "Oh, they two already know haha~" I giggle to myself, giving them a serious look afterward.


    "Can you two be quieter, please? There are many people here who want to eat in peace and silence." I look down at the brown-haired kid who''s looking down.


    "Look into my eyes when I''m speaking."


    The kid looks up at me, tears forming in his eyes. As the two kids are looking up at me, I lean my hands against the table.


    "So can you two behave? Otherwise, they will kick you out." I smile at them, biting my cheek from the inside to prevent myself from laughing.


    "Y-Yes sir... we will b-behave..." The black-haired one says when the other one just nods.


    "That''s what I thought," I say as I straighten up, and start walking towards my table.


    As I sit down, Kaori looks at me with a mocking expression on her face.


    "What was that, Big bro~? Got a little mad, or just wanted to terrorize some kids, planting a seed of uncertainty and shyness that is sooooo deep inside of their souls that it''ll accompany them for the rest of their lives, making it harder for them in future~? Or did you just pee on yourself or something huh~?" She says with a mischievous smile on her face.


    I blink a couple of times in surprise and then I giggle softly, and a smile appears on my face.


    "You''re exaggerating~! I''m not THAT bad you understand~? And besides! I would never pee on myself! I would never! And I repeat never!"


    My smile fades as quickly as it appears. I look at her for a moment without saying anything.


    "Is it really how she sees me? I know I''m not an entirely good person... but I''m not that bad...?"


    "Shoji?" She starts to wave her hand before my face, tho I''m too deep in thought to even notice it.


    "I can''t tell if she''s kidding or not... I''m too bad at reading people..."


    "Shoji?"


    "Her voice sounds sarcastic, but that doesn''t mean that whatever she is saying is a lie..."


    "Shoji?!" She pinches my nose, finally snapping me out of thought.


    "Is something wrong Shoji? You just zoned out." She asks me with a hint of worry in her voice.


    "Yeah yeah, don''t worry Kaori." I reach over and ruffle her hair, messing it up.


    "Aww, man~!" She pouts slightly, fixing her messed-up hair.


    Suddenly the waiter walks up to the table and places our dishes before us.


    "Have a nice meal, I will come back for the money after you two finish eating." He says with a kind smile, tho this smile seems to be honest.


    "He fell for it... pft..."


    The waiter then walks away and we start eating.


    "Eek! Water! Water! It''s so spicy and hot! Shoji! Water!" Kaori squeaks, blowing on the foot and taking a couple of deep breaths afterward.


    I sigh and pour some water into her glass, while I eat my stew like it''s not even spicy at all.


    "How are you... able to eat it... just like that?!" She says in frustration, drinking water in between.


    "I''ve built a strong tolerance towards it after eating spicy instant noodles, almost every day for about 4 years, y''know~?" I smirk and giggle softly at her frustration.


    After we finish eating the stew, I lean back on the chair with a happy smile on my face.


    "Ehhh... haven''t eaten something that''s made in the kitchen for a long, long time!"


    The waiter walks up to our table, holding a check presenter in his hand, a wide smile of excitement on his face.


    "Was the food tasty?"


    Kaori looks at him with a happy smile, almost as happy as mine.


    "It was very spicy... but also very tasty! It was wonderful!"


    I nod slightly as I take the check presenter from the waiter. There are a couple of already-paid orders here, but when I see a particular order, my smile widens and turns into a rather mischievous one.


    Kaori is talking to the waiter, and it turns out that we are his last customers for today and he still didn''t count the money, because he always does it after his shift ends.


    After a moment, I hand the check presenter to the waiter. When he looks at it his eyes widen with happiness.


    "Woah! That''s a hefty tip coming from a teenager like you. Are you sure you want to tip it?" The waiter asks with excitement. It''s clear that he wants to be as polite as he can, but in the end... human greed will always win.


    "Nah, it''s okay," I say nonchalantly as I put a tissue into my pocket.


    "Very well then, have fun and thanks!" The waiter walks away.


    Kaori just looked at me with a surprised and confused look on her face. I hear her mutter something like "What the".


    When we leave the restaurant I gesture for her to sit down next to me at a bench that has the view of the restaurant via a certain window.


    "Why here out of all places, Shoji?" She asks curiously.


    I start giggling to myself as I point at the window. Sitting behind the window were the two kids who were loud and annoying. The waiter is yelling at them and pointing at the check presenter.


    "What is happening over there and why are you giggling like an idiot, big bro?" She asks curiously, her eyes wide with surprise.


    I lean back on the bench, taking out the tissue from my pocket and throwing it into the trashcan that''s next to the bench.


    "When I was talking to the kids, I made them look up at me, and only focus on me, so I could take some of their fake money with that tissue so there are no fingerprints, and also it wasn''t visible by the cameras. Then when I was paying for the food I swapped the money from the other customers as the waiter was too focused on your shit talking about the food!" I burst out laughing, holding my shirt in the chest area because I could not catch my breath out of the laughter.


    Kaori looks at me, trying to process what I''ve just told her. Suddenly a furious look appears on her face and she grabs me by the sides of my hoodie tightly.


    "You can''t do that! You just can''t! You''re the worst, Shoji! I hate you sooo much! You can''t be doing this!" She screams at me shaking me a lot of times.


    "You cannot be having more fun than me, or else I''ll lose our bet!"


    "What?"


    I sit there dumbfounded for a couple of seconds.


    "Why are you mad at the wrong thing huh?!" I say loudly in frustration, also shaking her.


    "Aren''t you mad because I did that to some random kids?" I stop shaking her as I ask her with curiosity that mixes with my frustration.


    She takes a deep breath and replies with a simple. "No, I''m not."


    "Well you see Shoji, I know those kids from elementary school. They were 2 grades lower than me, but they''re the most disrespectful brats you''ve ever met. They were annoying teachers and students all the time, but always got away with it. Too bad for them that they''ve met such a scumbag like my big brother~!" She then hugs me tightly.


    "Ughh! Get off me you stupid koala!" I say while trying to push her away.


    After this incident, we try multiple attractions in the amusement park- snipers, go-karts, roller coasters, etc.


    We are now on the Ferris wheel, spinning around.


    Kaori looks at me in frustration and holds out her hand, offering me a handshake.


    "I have to admit my defeat... I lost." She says in frustration, pouting a little.


    I shake her hand.


    "Ez win."


    Her frustration then morphs into happiness as she hugs my arm softly.


    "I only lost because you had the most fun in the restaurant... Tho I was having lots of fun overall as well y''know? I just wanted to say that I love you, big brother..." She then looks up at me.


    "You''re the best of the best brothers I could''ve ever imagined... thank you..." She tears up a little as a wide smile appears on her face.


    I just look down at her. I can''t help, but smile myself, seeing her this happy. I reach over to her head and ruffle her hair playfully.


    "I love you too, you spoiled brat."


    "And remember that you can always rely on me, after all, a big brother should always help his younger careless siblings, right?"

 004- Lost Bet

    I''m sitting alone at my desk in the classroom, bored like never before. The class is silent because we just had a test, tho no one besides me is worried about the results as they all are always getting A''s and B''s and I''m the only one getting C''s and D''s. The tests are lying in a pile on the teacher''s desk.


    "This shit was so hard that I didn''t even write anything on it..." I sigh softly.


    I look over at the empty seat next to me, a look of annoyance creeping onto my face.


    "Haruki''s absent huh? It''s not very usual... I think I''ll go check up on him after classes."


    I feel weird stares coming towards me, but when I look at the people they''re immediately turning around.


    "Something''s wrong. Why are they staring at me like that? I can feel and see it yknow? When someone is staring at me or comes up from behind, I always get a shiver running down my spine."


    But then finally, I lean my back against the desk that''s behind me- Carmillas desk- locking eyes with her.


    "Why are yall staring at me like that?" I say curiously and she immediately looks away and then back into my eyes with a pouty look on her face.


    "Well... you see Shoji. Haruki-kun isn''t at school today, and you''re always with him."


    She then mutters something like "I don''t know what he sees in you" under her nose, but she continues as I roll my eyes.


    "We are just worried because there''s no way that Haruki is absent by wish." She says with a hint of worry in her voice.


    "Yall are too overprotective for that guy! Maybe he is just sick and that''s it?" It annoys me how they''re treating Haruki like some child of God or something.


    "Haruki told me that he''s going to visit an abandoned shrine, you know the one that many people disappear after getting close. Maybe you know something about it?" She asks me, clearly biting through her pride which annoys me a little bit.


    "I don''t know shit! I wasn''t with him there. I''ve been sleeping the entire Friday and woke up on Saturday, which is kinda wild haha~!" I smile at her in a mocking way, tho I''m telling the truth.


    Carmilla glares at me with her pink eyes showing murderous intent. The sudden shift from worry to anger in her eyes surprises me. It almost seems that her eyes are slightly glowing.


    "Why are you lying?!" She says angrily, grabbing my collar from behind.


    Suddenly our homeroom teacher looks over at us and speaks up loudly, before she even says the first words I''m already sure that she''ll send me to detention.


    Carmilla''s grip on my collar loosens and I start to pack my things into my bag, while the teacher is speaking.


    "Carmilla! Stand up from your seat and leave the classroom! We have a matter to discuss!" Her voice is a furious one mixed with authority, but the thing that surprises me is that Carmilla is going, not me.


    "Huh?" I gasp in surprise as I stop packing my things.


    "...I understand, ma''am..." Carmilla says with a hint of disappointment in herself, her eyes no longer have that shine from before.


    "What''s going on? Carmilla did nothing wrong? Like I was the one who started the conversation."


    Carmilla stands up from her seat and walks out of the classroom with Mrs. Takahashi.


    I waste no time, seeing the opportunity that has been given to me by luck.


    "Oh thank goodness...! I didn''t know any answers so it''s empty! I will do it in time!"


    I walk over to Mrs. Takahashi''s desk and I start to search through the pile of tests. Many classmates are dumbfounded by what I am doing right now, many saying "What are you doing?", or "Stop it, it''s unfair!", tho not too loud so Sayuri Takahashi won''t hear it.


    I take out two papers- my test and Layla''s test.


    I turn around to look at Layla who''s surprisingly not asleep. It seems that she''s staring at me, tho her eyes are covered with the raven-black bangs like always.


    "You don''t mind, right?" I ask with a mischievous and prideful smile on my face.


    She shakes her head softly and mumbles under her nose "No... do whatever you want with it..." She says softly, a small smile on her face as my eyes go wide. She takes her pen and reaches it out towards me.


    I hear a couple of gasps around the class, probably because it''s dangerous to do something like that when the teacher is literally behind the door, as somewhere in school rules there''s a rule that forbids doing things like this, threatening with possibly being expelled.


    "Damn... it''s the first time I hear her voice without it being drowsy or sleepy or anything like that... it''s so... damn cute!" I take her pen and start to write down changed answers but keep them correct.


    In the middle of writing the answers, I noticed that my classmates suddenly were silent, after my interaction with Layla.


    After writing everything down, I put all the tests in the order, identically like they were before.


    I put the pen on her desk, a bright smile on my face as I''m finally gonna get a good grade after all those weeks.


    She takes the pen and puts it back into her pencil box, the small smile still apparent on her face.


    "No problem... Shoji-kun..."


    I walk towards my desk, too happy to even care about the judging stares of my classmates as I sit down once again.


    "No one was as brave as me to do something like that huh...?"


    "...No... it''s not bravery..."


    "...It''s just the human greed..."


    I take the previously packed things out of my bag and place them on the desk, lying my cheek against a book.


    Soon enough Carmilla and Mrs. Takahashi enter the classroom. Carmilla glares at me with the murderous intent from before, which makes my heart beat faster.


    Suddenly I realize something I''ve totally forgotten about.


    I take my phone out of my pocket. I turn it on and look at my chat with Haruki.


    "I''ve totally forgotten... he texted me to visit him today! I was going to do it anyway, but now I wonder... what''s so important to show that he didn''t even go to school?"


    And so for the rest of the classes I did nothing, even slept on some. The last class we had was with Mrs. Takahashi once again.


    I was not doing nor listening, but then she started to say some intriguing things.


    "The club recruitments will begin tomorrow. I''m aware that most of you have already joined a club, but I also recommend joining a club if you want done it already, because club activities have the most influence when it comes to graduating." She says softly with a kind smile on her face.


    "Especially you, Nakamura Shoji!" She glares at me, her voice now serious and slightly angry.


    "Huh? Why especially me? I didn''t do anything today, so why are you mad at me ma''am?!" I stand up looking straight into her eyes, deeply annoyed with the way she talks to me, that''s not like how she talks to other students.


    "You have bad grades, you''re known for being problematic and having poor behavior towards everyone."


    "Club activities are the most important thing in our high school!"


    "When you''re in a club, you''ll spend less time spending on the subjects that you don''t like, and in return, you will be doing things you like to do!"


    "So it''s either you join a club, or you''ll very likely not pass to the next class, or in the worst case you''ll be expelled because of your lack of cooperation!" She says with a serious voice again, but even tho she''s trying to hide it, everyone can tell that she''s enjoying this.


    My eyes widen as I realize that I''ll be expelled if I don''t do anything. I look down at the ground, curling my hands into fists and clenching them tightly.


    "I will be...? Expelled? No no... I cannot be expelled... how will I achieve my goal otherwise?! The majority of the exclusive girls in this small city are attending this exact high school... HOW WILL I BE ABLE TO CLAP A NICE CHICK WHEN I WILL NOT HAVE ANY TARGET ON MY MIND HUH?!"


    I raise my head and look into her eyes with determination, that Mrs. Takahashi has never seen coming from me.


    "Very well then! I will join a club by the end of this week!"


    Mrs. Takahashi smirks at me and speaks up in a kind, but cruel voice.


    "Very well then, if you won''t join a club till the end of this week..."


    "...You Will Be Expelled~!..." She laughs softly.


    My smile fades as I process what I''ve just done. The once-silent class is suddenly filled with laughter.


    "WHAT HAVE I JUST DONE!?" I sit down on my chair, hitting my head against the desk.


    I''m now sitting on the seat in the detention class, not because I was sent here, but I just came for Mr. Muraoka''s wisdom.


    "Do you believe it, gramps!?" I say loudly, my frustration reaching its peak.


    "You''ve doomed yourself, it''s your fault, Shoji-kun." The principal exclaims calmly, firing up his cigarette.


    "Smoking in school huh? I guess you''re capable of anything gramps."


    "Sooo gramps... can you give me the list of the clubs?" I ask with a pleading look on my face.


    Mr. Muraoka searches through his drawers until he pulls out a yellow folder, reaching it out towards me.


    I take the folder and look at the various amount of clubs.


    "Medical Club, Martial Arts Club, Science Research Club, Historical Club, Gastronomic Club, Occult Club, Theatre Club... I''m not reading allat!"


    Suddenly the door is opened and no one other than Hirano Arthur enters the classroom.


    "I have a report from Mrs. Takahashi, Mr Mura-..." He stops speaking as he notices me and we lock onto each other''s glares.


    "...Nakamura Shoji..."


    "Hirano Artur!" I stand up from my seat looking him up and down and placing the folder on the desk. He''s carrying that silly sword of his yet again.


    "It''s Arthur, not Artur you bastard! Don''t twist my name, you piece of shit!" He says, clearly angry and displeased.


    "Huh?! Or what you''ll do Artur~?" I walk up to him, annoying him further.


    Mr. Muraoka just leans back on his armchair, giggling softly to himself.


    "Huh?! What''s so funny gramps?" I look at the principal.


    Arthur grabs me by the collar of my uniform, his eyes glaring with anger.


    "Watch your tone when you''re speaking to the d-... principal!" He screams at me, tho not too loudly so no one outside will hear.


    I try to get his hands off my collar, but his grip is too strong. He raises me a few centimeters into the air.


    "Where the hell does he get so much strength from?!"


    "Tsk... let me go!" I scream at him.


    "Okay that''s enough, you two." Mr. Muraoka says softly, but there''s a hint of seriousness in his voice.


    Arthur immediately lets go of me, dropping me onto the ground. I feel his intense glare burning my head.


    "I think it''s about time for you to leave, Shoji-kun." Mr. Muraoka says kindly, gesturing for Arthur to get closer to his desk.


    "Huh why m-..." Before I can even finish my sentence, Arthur cuts me off.


    "You''ve heard Mr. Principal! Get out, Nakamura!" Arthur says loudly, pointing at the door.


    I slowly stand up clenching my teeth. I walk up to the desk I was sitting on. I grab my bag and the folder, leaving the classroom quickly with hatred in my eyes.


    "This guy is so fucking stupid... I swear I''ll shred him to pieces one day!"

 005- A Weird Priest

    It''s starting to get late as the sun is slowly setting. I''m walking down the streets, heading towards Haruki''s house that''s a few streets away from mine, tho we''re always coming across each other on the way to school.


    I feel a shiver run down my spine.


    "Oh damn... I guess my body is telling me that it''s getting cold, despite it being April haha~"


    Suddenly I spot an old balding man who seems to be a priest, judging by the cassock he''s wearing. He is lying unconscious next to a bench.


    There''s a small pool of blood under his head.


    "Oh no... what should I do?! Call for help? Or just pass by... fuck... oh fuck this!"


    I run up to him, taking my phone out of my pocket. I kneel down next to him, trying to turn on my phone... but the battery is dead.


    "Hey! Are you okay sir?! Wake up!" I shake him, trying to somehow bring him back to shis enses.


    Suddenly his eyes start to slowly open.


    "Stupid de-...Where... am I?" He says with a hoarse voice, that''s filled with confusion and a hint of anger.


    "Oh thank god! You''re alive!" I feel like a stone has been thrown off my heart.


    I help the priest sit on the bench.


    "So you''ve found me, young man?" His voice is still confused, but the slight anger is replaced with relief.


    "Ummm... yeah... but..." I look at the back of his head, which has a massive cut on it- probably it''s the reason behind him lying there.


    "...That wound looks nasty... maybe you should call for help, Father?" I ask with a hint of worry in my voice.


    The priest just casually shakes his head and gives me an assuring smile, taking a weird small glass bottle filled with some transparent, water-looking liquid.


    "No, it''s okay child. But thanks for the care."


    The priest then pours some of the water on his hand, and then puts the hand to his wound which magically starts to close up instantly.


    "...What the fuck..."


    My brain was literally in a decline of what I''d just witnessed.


    "Huh? What? How? Huh?!" I look at the priest, who just smiles at me.


    "You see my dear child, we all are in the Father''s care." He pats me on the head softly with the other hand.


    I just sit there in disbelief, still trying to comprehend what just happened.


    "I mean... I believe in ghosts... and spirits..." I look down, clenching my hand into a fist as I remember something bad, a frown appearing on my face.


    I calm myself down and finish my sentence after sighing softly.


    "But magic? It''s magic? Right?" I ask curiously, my frown from earlier replaced with a curious expression.


    The priest looks at me with a skeptical smile, clicking his tongue a couple of times.


    "You believe in ghosts huh?"


    The priest then stands up from the bench, stretching his above his head.


    "I think it''s about time for me to go, have a nice day kiddo." He starts to slowly walk away.


    I quickly stand up from the bench, catching up to him quickly.


    "Wait! Father! I can''t just let you go after finding you on the ground! I''ll accompany you to the church, aight?" I say, trying to sound like I have no ulterior intentions, but the priest knows that it''s more out of curiosity than kindness.


    The priest looks over at me and sighs softly, slightly rolling his eyes, but in the end, he gives in.


    "Okay, thanks."


    "But tell me your name first, young man. My name is Kamiyama Sebastian."


    "My name...?" I say in surprise, tho I don''t know why am I surprised. It''s normal for people to ask someone''s name after meeting them right?


    "Nakamura Shoji."


    "...Shoji... Nakamura... huh?" I hear him mutter under his nose and I look at him curiously.


    "Did you say something, father?"


    "No, everything''s okay." He laughs it off softly, but he definitely said my name with some kind of wonder in his voice.


    Then we both walk to the church. Tho the uneasy feeling and shivers never left me.


    I''m now walking around the room in the presbytery, looking at the various amount of paintings and figures, as the priest went to make some tea for us. My phone is lying on a cabinet, as it''s charging.


    I don''t know why, but since I entered the church, I started to feel really dizzy.


    I look at the landline telephone that''s standing on a cabinet.


    "Oh yeah! I forgot to make the call."


    I walk up to the cabinet, dialing a number, and putting the telephone to my ear.


    "Hello?"


    "Hey Haruki! It''s me, Shoji."


    "So why are you calling just now? You were supposed to be at my place a long time ago. I was calling you, but you didn''t answer and now you''re calling from some unknown number."


    I sit down on a chair, sighing deeply.


    "Uhh I''m sure you won''t believe me at any point, but when I was on my way to your house, I stumbled across a wounded unconscious priest, who was lying on the ground under a bench, and I wasn''t answering because my phone died!"


    "I don''t believe you, bro." He says without even hesitating, his voice cold.


    "Oh god, he is probably thinking that I''m just avoiding his stupid ass!"


    "Haruki believe me or not, but I''m really really sorry, you''ll tell me everything tomorrow in class or wherever you want, okay?"


    "Okay fine, I guess! See ya, you liar~"


    "Hey I''m not lyi--" He hung up the call before I could even finish my sentence.


    I put the telephone back where it belongs.


    "Fucking idiot..." I sigh, leaning back on the chair while looking up at the ceiling.


    "I should call Kaori, or else she''ll get mad at me and throw a tantrum if I won''t show up without telling her earli-..." Suddenly my phone starts buzzing.


    I look over at the cabinet that my phone is lying on. I get off the chair and walk up to the cabinet.


    "Oh? Kaori? Just like if she was summoned haha~."


    "I can''t talk for too long cus my phone is at 3%..." I roll my eyes.


    I bring the phone to my ear.


    "What?"


    "Brother! Ugmm...! Grandpa and Grandma both want to take us for a week, on a trip! Do you want me to pack your things?"


    "What? Trip? Now?! It''s the beginning..." I sigh and close my eyes, grabbing the bridge of my nose.


    "...another camping huh...?"


    "I''m not going."


    I hear my grandpa in the background, saying something like "I''ve told you Kaori. This gloomy kid won''t move his ass."


    "G-Grandpa!" She says as her voice sounds slightly flustered.


    Suddenly my grandma speaks up to Grandpa. "You''re going too hard on him!".


    I just sigh, no longer even listening to what''s happening on the other side.


    "Call me when you will be back, Kaori."


    "Hey! Brot-..." I hang up the call, muting the sound and putting it back on the cabinet.


    The priest walks into the room. He''s holding two cups of tea.


    "I didn''t want to interrupt you nor try eavesdropping on you, young man. Is everything okay?" He says as he sits down by the small table that stands in the middle of the room. He places the two cups of tea on it.


    I sit down next to him, rolling my eyes slightly.


    "Family... Ehh I love ''em, but they''re annoying most of the time."


    I take the tea and sip it, burning my tongue.


    "Ahh! It''s so hot!" I stick my tongue out, trying to cool it down a bit.


    "What did you expect, child? It''s literally steaming." The priest says while softly giggling.


    I roll my eyes slightly, annoyed by him laughing at my pain.


    "Who the hell makes the tea so hot for no reason at all?!"


    "So is there any reason behind your belief in supernatural things?" He asks me, straightening up on his chair.


    All of my thoughts immediately disappear from my head as I look at the ground, answering with a quiet muffled voice.


    "Uhh... I''ve always believed since I was a kid... because I''ve actually seen two possessed people..."


    The priest puts his hand on my shoulder, patting it a couple of times.


    "Oh, I understand. I''m sorry for asking this question, child." He says with sorrow in his voice.


    "I should leave this place, it''s getting very uncomfortable in here..."


    "And the priest seems to be fine."


    After the priest removes his hand from my shoulder, I sip the tea again, but this time without burning my tongue.


    The priest puts a small silver thing that looks like the thing that holds holy water.


    My eyes widen in surprise and my mouth hangs open.


    "It''s that water! The one that healed him!" I stare at the water intently.


    "It will heal your tongue kiddo just like it did with my wound, try it." He smiles at me and pushes the small container closer to it.


    I raise my eyebrows and look at him in suspicion, calming myself down.


    "It''s nothing personal, but can you like uhh... drink it first, Father?" I smile awkwardly, pushing the container softly towards him.


    He shoots me a big smile and takes the bottle immediately.


    "Of course! I understand you pretty well, young man. Not taking anything from strangers huh? That''s good!" He then removes the lid of the container and drinks the substance inside of it.


    I look at him with extreme focus, trying to see if there are any changes happening to him. Intense. Intense. Intense.


    The priest then holds the container out to be, offering it obviously.


    "See? Nothing happened!" He smiles at me again, but this time even wider.


    "This guy doesn''t seem to be lying, or at least to me... mehh... I''m bad at reading other people."


    I take the container, rolling my eyes slightly at my own stupidity.


    "We live once!"


    I take a sip of the holy water or whatever it is.


    "Oh, nothing happ-..."


    I fall off the chair, straight onto the ground. I grabbed my neck was in pain and started to scream in pain and terror.


    The liquid from the container slowly spills on the ground as the priest gets off his chair and runs up to me, crouching right next to me.


    "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?! IT HURTS! IT HURTS! STOP IT! WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU DONE TO ME?!"


    I feel like my insides and everything even my soul itself are burning.


    The priest starts to hold my shoulders, shaking me lightly, obviously trying to calm me down.


    "Calm down, Shoji-kun! It''ll stop very soon! You took a very small amount of it! Just calm down!" He says in a reassuring voice.


    "STOP IT PLEASE! PLEASE!" I scream with tears in my eyes.


    I start to cough as I curl up into a ball on the ground, holding my neck tightly. My vision starts to slowly black out, but then everything stops. The pain, the nausea, the discomfort, everything is gone.


    "Oh God..." I sigh deeply, putting my hand on my face, and covering my eyes.


    "Thank God..." The priest also sighs, sitting down on the ground next to me and grabbing the small container.


    The priest stands up and helps me onto the chair.


    I wait for him to sit down, but as soon as he does I start to scream at him.


    "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT SUPPOSED TO BE, HUH?! ARE YOU SOME KIND OF CREEP?! I DON''T EVEN KNOW IF I SHOULD RUN OR NOT! WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?!" I lean over the table and grab him by the collar of his cassock.


    The priest doesn''t seem to be surprised by my actions and that I''m screaming at him.


    "You''re cursed, Nakamura Shoji-kun." He says in a low, cold voice- a total contrast to his previous tone.


    My eyes widen and I feel a shiver run down my spine and I immediately let go of his cassock, leaning back onto my chair, a drop of sweat running down my forehead.


    "H-Huh?"


    "What does he mean? Me cursed?! Hahaha... no?! It''s impossible..."


    "You''re straight-up cursed, Nakamura Shoji."


    "No, I am not!" I say, rejecting every word that comes out of his mouth in an instant.


    The priest rolls his eyes at me. He seems to be very annoyed.


    "You see Shoji this liquid you''ve drank was the finest holy water you could''ve ever tasted. It was blessed by Michael himself."


    "What the fuck is that priest talking about?! I''ve almost died here and now he''s yappin'' about some angels from the Bible or something?!"


    "I am aware of the fact that you''re probably thinking that I''m just speaking some kind of bullshit, but I can assure you that everything I say is true."


    He puts the container on the table, playing with it for a moment as he continues to speak.


    "The holy water is used to exterminate demons. The slightest contact with it can burn through their skin, flesh ,and even the soul itself."


    "Of course, it depends on how strong the individual is and how much Vymir does it possess."


    "Since the holy water gave you a lot of pain, but no psychical damage, nor anything else then it means that you''re cursed."


    I just sit there, unable to speak a single word, not that I know what should I even say. My hands are shaking, my eyes are wide... there''s no mistake... I am scared.


    The priest then stands up and walks up to me muttering something like "Ka Hilo". I get another, even stronger shiver running down my spine and then a weird light appears in the priest''s hand.


    Before I could even realize it, he was holding a literal glowing piece of light itself to my throat.


    I swallow my saliva in fear as I know that this man is dangerous.


    "So, Shoji-kun."


    "Will you die right now, or try to find out who cursed you, maybe even succeeding in breaking that curse in the end?" He pressed the light thingy very very softly against my neck, drawing some blood immediately.


    "I-I..."

 006- Cold Blood

    I swallow my saliva nervously, my whole body is shaking and sweating out of fear.


    "Fuck this... this shit feels so real, there is no way that I''m gon-..."


    "...Wait? Did he just say that I''m cursed?..."


    "Huh?! What do you mean that I am cursed?!" I ask loudly, still shaking in fear.


    "Cursed." He replies.


    "By who?!" I swallow again, my sweat dropping from my chin, right onto the glowing thing.


    "By a demon of course."


    "So I''ll ask again, Shoji-kun. Will you die right here, without trying to do anything about the curse, or will you continue to live, trying to break it?"


    "Huh? Wait... so that priest... is just offering me a life or death choice without any catches?" I relax a little as a nervous smile creeps onto my face.


    "Yes, yes! I choose the second!" I say as loudly as I can.


    "Very well then. Come with me, Shoji-kun." The glowing thing vanishes as fast as it appears and the priest walks out of the room.


    I drop onto the ground immediately, holding my neck and softly crying out of happiness that I''ve survived.


    "Oh my god... I need to run... as fast as I can! I just need to find a window!" I look around, but then the priest walks into the room. He grabs me by my collar before I can even react, and starts to drag me somewhere.


    "Let me go! Please! Don''t kill me! Oh my god! I''m too young! I have a sister to look after! My brother is working far, far away so he can''t take care of her! Please! Please!" I say loudly in fear and desperation, tears dripping down my chin.


    The priest sighs and shakes his head in annoyance. "I''m not gonna do anything bad to you, kiddo. I just want to show you something."


    "YOU''RE TELLING ME THAT YOU''RE NOT GONNA HURT ME, JUST LIKE IF YOU WEREN''T THREATENING TO KILL ME A MINUTE AGO?!"


    "You''re alive, that''s the proof of my intentions."


    I totally give up as he drags me. I''ve tried too hard to somehow run away from him but to no avail.


    He drags me onto the church altar, letting go of me. I hug my knees and sob hopelessly, not even trying to stand up.


    "If I''ll somehow survive throughout all of this... I WILL NEVER EVER AGAIN HELP SOME RANDOM WOUNDED PERSON WHO CAN USE SOME FUCKING MAGIC..."


    I look up at the priest who''s doing something. He''s oddly quiet and seems to be searching for something.


    "He''s focused... maybe that''s my chance...!"


    I slowly stand up, trying to be as quiet as I can. Suddenly a shiver runs down my spine.


    "Don''t even try sneaking out, Shoji-kun" The priest says, his voice echoing throughout the church.


    I turn around to look at him. He puts his hand on the tabernacle, tracing the symbols on it with his fingers.


    "What the fuck is he doing? Opening some stupid hidden chamber or something haha-..." My eyes widen as the tabernacle starts to glow and the whole altar starts to move, revealing a dark staircase.


    "What the fuck?!"


    The priest walks up to me and grabs my wrist, dragging me down the stairs. The torches on the walls are lighting up.


    "The place that I''m taking you to is not a place accessible to anyone besides some priests and the pope."


    "So why are you taking me here then?! Can''t you just let me go!? I will not tell anyone about this place! Ever! I promise!"


    "You''re cursed, Shoji-kun. As a priest, I cannot just let someone cursed go without giving them proper treatment, because I''ve vowed to always help those who are in need."


    I just stare at his back as he''s dragging me.


    "At first I thought he really wanted to kill me... this priest is weird... maybe even slightly crazy, judging by his way of thinking and acting... but he doesn''t seem to be lying."


    "Oh and besides Shoji-kun, those who enter this sacred sanctuary that those stairs are leading to, apply a certain rule to the ones who enter..."


    "Rule? What rule?!"


    "If you''ll tell a demon, their familiar or even servant... You''ll be killed by an Angel that will be automatically sent after you for breaking the rule." This priest is too damn calm and relaxed while saying things like that to an already desperate person like me.


    I frown and a look of frustration appears on my face.


    "Angels? Demons? What the fuck are you talking about?! This rule doesn''t even feel like a rule at all! This stupid sanctuary compels a fucking act onto your soul! Normal rules only apply to the places where a person is! Not outside of them!"


    "Hmm? Compels a Pact? Oh! You''re a genius, Shoji! I was thinking about a way to call it because you''re right. I''ve called it a ''rule'', only because I couldn''t find any better way to name it, but here you are giving me a nice name for it. ''Compelling Pact'' it is." The priest says in a happy tone as if some burden had been thrown off his heart.


    "This priest... nahh... he doesn''t even act like a priest! His morals are twisted! First of all! He doesn''t value the lives of others a bit, why do I think so? Because he told me to "Live or Die"! Second of all! He''s dragging me against my will to places where I don''t want to be, and he thinks he''s right just because he said that I''m apparently ''Cursed by a demon or something like that! And third of all! He''s happy that he''s named a fucking rule or pact, whatever the hell it is, despite it literally killing people! Like how the hell am I supposed to tell if someone''s a demon, or an angel, or fucking I don''t know... Everything''s happening too fast-... wait... what if... no no! That''s impossible!"


    Finally, we enter a room and he drags me towards a pedestal that''s standing in the middle of the room.


    I immediately get a headache, probably because this is a sacred place or something.


    There''s a small needle sticking out of the pedestal.


    "You need to stab your finger with it, Shoji."


    I look at him in confusion and obvious rejection of his stupid idea.


    "What do you mean, Sebas?! I won''t stab myself!"


    "Sebas, huh? Since when are we friends for you to call me by my name? It''s quite disrespectful you know Hm? But whatever, call me as you wish, Shoji-kun."


    Suddenly he pushes my hand onto the needle. The needle pierces through my hand, drawing a lot of blood that falls onto the pedestal.


    "Agggh! Motherfucker! What the hell are you doing?! It hurts!" I scream at him as I pull my hand away from the needle. A small hole from which blood is spilling out, in the middle of it.


    The priest sighs and frowns slightly.


    "You will recover quickly, Shoji. This Sanctuary has an amazing healing factor, that''s why you''ll start having nausea in like 2 seconds, but it''ll go away in a minute."


    And after he said this I dropped on my knees, feeling nauseous, just like he predicted me to.


    "Fuck... what the hell..." I say while holding my stomach and looking down at my right hand, as the small hole is quickly patching up.


    The torches around the room start to suddenly light up, one by one.


    "So Shoji-kun, you''re Slavic, right?"


    I look up at him with a look of confusion and surprise. After all it''s a weird moment to ask something like that, isn''t it?


    "My father was Slavic, he met my mother here and I was born, but it turned out that he already had a wife or something, so he took me and ran away from my mother, back to Europe. I don''t even remember what my mother looks like, nor what''s her voice like." I say as the nausea starts slowly going away.


    "So why are you here, and not in Europe, Shoji-kun?


    A look of sadness appears on my face as I look down, clenching my teeth in sadness and guilt.


    "It was some time after my Dad and his wife who''s Kaori''s and my brother''s mother, have both died. Brother was offered a job that forced us to move here..." I tear up a little as I speak.


    "That''s sad, sorry for asking, Shoji." He says softly and pats me on the head.


    "It''s weird... his hand is so warm... but I''m not a dog to be pet!" I slap his hand away.


    The priest slowly walks up to the pedestal. A surprised and frightened look appears on his face.


    "That''s weird..." He mutters under his nose.


    I slowly get up from the ground as the nausea is no longer as strong as it was before. I look at him, wiping my tears away with my sleeve.


    "What''s wrong, Sebas? You seem troubled. Oh..." I look down at the pedestal. It seems that the pedestal has some weird symbols on it. A language that I can''t understand. Every letter is crimson... just like if it was written with my blood.


    "What is this?" I ask curiously, softly touching the crimson symbols with my hand.


    "Huh?! What''s going on... I can read it... but I can''t remember what it says..." The priest steps back in disbelief, grabbing the collar of his cassock.


    "The one who cursed you must have at least Authority Type 6 Vymir... I can''t do anything about it. That level exceeds far beyond my capabilities... I need to call them for help... probably..." His voice is slightly shaky, it seems that he''s in disbelief.


    He walks past the pedestal and stops in front of the wall that has a weird hand-shaped hole in it.


    "Vymir? Authority? You''ve been saying this word ''Vymir'' earlier, what does it exactly mean and what does it have to do with me being cursed." I look at him with curiosity while walking towards him.


    "I don''t know how to explain it for a young kid like you to understand, but I''ll try my best. Basically, Vymir is something that resides within your soul, powering it like a battery. The amount and type of Vymir a person has depends on their life achievements, deeds, motivation, lifestyle, training, goals, and character. For example,e if an average human with an Authority Type 1 Vymir somehow killed a great monster like Kraken, yes Kraken does exist, then their Authority Type and the amount of Vymir their soul deposits will increase. Of course, the gifted geniuses who are born strong have it the easiest out of everyone. Vymir can be materialized into various spells, which are manifesting into the elements that the user has access to: Hilo- Light; Yano- Darkness; Mida- Water; Hoen- Fire; Raca- Lightning; Katr- Wind; Chia- Earth; Chie- Healing. Each element has six spells in total, I''ll list them from weakest to strongest: Ka, Jo, and Kyu are the first-tier spells. When a person completely masters them, there are three more spells to learn- the second-tier spells: Kaki, Jozy, and Kyuy.


    Vymir can also mutate, creating an extension in the soul that we just call mutations, original right? Mutations are mostly gained via inheriting power from your ancestors, but even tho it''s very rare, a small number of people can manifest a mutation of their own. So do you understand everything, Shoji-kun?" He explained as he held his hand on the spot that was on the wall.


    I just stare at him.


    "Wat"


    The priest looks down at the watch that''s on his wrist.


    "You should be going home, kiddo. Go back to the presbytery, I believe you left your thing there, just don''t steal anything and go home right?" He says while staring at the wall. I still have no clue what he is doing, but I start walking towards the staircase.


    "Aighht!~" I say with a careless childish voice, relieved that I can finally leave.


    "Wait! One more thing."


    "Huh?" I turn around to look at his back.


    "I recommend you to visit from time to time, you''re cursed, y''know what that means? You''ll life will be flipped upside down, and your worldview, goals, and survival chances will change drastically. So come here from time to time and I''ll teach you some things." He seems to be happy... just like if he has found someone to talk to...


    "Oh god... I''m a scumbag... but I''m not such a scumbag to decline visiting an old priest from time to time, aren''t I hehe~?"


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    "Sure, why not!" I say, giving him a last wave.


    Sometime later I''m walking towards my house, I''m maybe like 800 meters away from it. I hum to myself with a small smile on my face. A shiver runs down my spine.


    "I can''t believe! This day was so wild! So many things happened! So many twists! Meeting Sebas, talking to him, feeling a lot of pain for a moment, getting death threats, but some time later talking to him like to a friend haha! I can''t believe it... I''m soooo tired! I just want to lie down and have a long nap!"


    Suddenly I realize that I don''t feel my legs. I look down and see them covered in ice that''s holding me in place.


    "Huh?" A confused look appears on my face.


    "You''re a pervert, you''re a scumbag, you''re a creep, you''re plotting with the church, you''re the reason that Haruki-kun isn''t coming to school, yet you share a similar scent to her, Nakamura Shoji. I don''t know what they see in this garbage bag that''s standing hopelessly in front of me." She says in a voice colder than the void itself.


    I slowly turn my head around to face her as my eyes widen. "Carmilla...? What''s going on...? What are you talking about?" I say with a hint of fear and uncertainty.


    "They see potential in you, something that I will never acknowledge."


    "What are you talking about I''m asking again Carmilla?!" I get even more scared of her, she''s acting weird.


    Two horns grow out of her head following a long demonic tail growing out from her behind.


    She starts to slowly walk towards me, never breaking the eye contact between us.


    Another shiver runs down my spine.


    "But you are his friend, that''s why you''ll be blessed with a painless and quick death by my hands." A beautiful longsword appears in her right hand and she brings it to my neck, drawing some blood from it.


    "Carmilla! What are you... what are you doing?!" I say loudly, my voice shaky and desperate.


    "No... this isn''t the same situation as the one with Sebas... those horns... the tail... even a stupid child with an additional chromosome would understand it... Carmilla''s a demon... I feel it... something that wasn''t apparent in Sebas''s voice, but is apparent in her''s. This bloodlust... is truly... evil."


    I try moving my whole body to somehow get out of the ice spikes that are holding me, but the ice covers me even more instead.


    "STOP IT PLEASE! WE CAN TALK IT OUT CARMILLA! I DIDN''T DO ANYTHING AGAINST YOU! I DIDN''T HURT HARUKI IN ANY WAY! PLEASE! DON''T DO IT!" I scream at the top of my lungs. Tears are forming in my eyes. My body temperature is constantly going lower and lower. The tears turn into ice before they can even fall out of my eyes, causing my eyeballs to freeze.


    And now, I have become a literal ice statue, I can hear, I can think, I can imagine, I can feel, but I feel no pain... all I can do is listen...


    "Mix: Painless Freeze. Farewell, Nakamura Shoji." She says coldly and slices my head off with the sword that appeared in her hand earlier.

 007- The First Shift

    I was sitting on the ground. A small black kitten was sleeping on my lap, and I covered my face with my hands, crying softly.


    "Hiya! My name is #####! You seem to be sad. Is something wrong?! " someone said and then patted my head with a small, soft hand.


    I stared at my small hands for some time, but then I decided to wipe my tears, and I looked into their eyes afterward.


    I stumbled backward as I saw a dark figure with a creepy wide smile apparent on their unreadable face, no, this person had no face at all.


    "Who are you?" I said, tho my voice didn''t seem to hold any fear, just surprise.


    "Just like I have said earlier. My name is #####. Now that I''ve introduced myself, you should tell me your name right?" They said childishly, sitting down next to me on the ground.


    Many people who were passing by gave us heartwarming stares as if we were some cute cats getting looked down at by some old grandmas.


    "My name is Shoji... Nakamura Shoji." I muttered under my nose, as I looked down on the ground again.


    "Why are you so sad, Sho~?" They grabbed my chin, making me look into their eyes.


    "My name is Shoji, not Sho." I replied as I rolled my eyes.


    "But Sho is more cute~! So I''ll ask yet again, why are you so sad Sho~?" They leaned closer, wrapping their small arms around my small arm.


    "I''ve moved here a month ago... so I don''t know this place very well... I lost the sight of my big brother... and I''m lost."


    The figure then hugged me tightly, wrapping their arms around my neck. The figure whispered into my ear.


    "Don''t worry Sho~... I''m here for you and I''ll always be..."


    I looked at them and noticed a bruise on their cheek.


    "Are you hurt #####? You have a bruise here." I reached towards their cheek and poked it softly.


    "Ouchie~! You''re a meanie Sho~! It hurts when you touch it~!" They said with a pleased and mocking smile on their face.


    "You will heal every wound, #####." I said with a muffled voice as I removed my hand from their cheek.


    They then looked down at the black kitten that was still sleeping on my lap.


    "That''s a cute kitten, Sho~. May I pet it? Pleaseeee~?" They said, and before I could even answer they started to pet the cat.


    The cat purred and started to knead my legs which hurt a little.


    I looked at them for a moment, and then I looked down at the cat.


    "##### do you want this cat as your own?" I muttered under my nose, gripping the fabric of my pants.


    They looked at me with confusion, their smile faded, replaced with a look of confusion.


    "Why? Isn''t this your cat, Sho?"


    "I''ve lied to you, #####. I mean... the part about me being lost is true... but the truth is that I''ve run away from my big brother because he didn''t allow me to take this kitten home... It''s following me everywhere I go, tho I cannot take it home... You seem like you are capable of taking care of it... So, please... Take care of it, #####..." I clenched my teeth, a tear rolled down my cheek.


    "Hmm... okay Sho~... but just because you asked me to~!" They pick up the cat from my lap and hug it softly.


    "What is this cutie called~?" They asked curiously, putting a finger on their lips.


    "...Kuro..."


    I wake up, lying on the ground in the same place where Carmilla freezed me.


    I stand up slowly, my muscles are sore and I have a headache. I touch my neck to see if everything''s alright with it, there are no cuts or bruises on it.


    "What the hell is going on? Was that real? Was that Carmilla? Did she kill me? No... I''m right here... I''ve probably passed out of exhaustion haha..." I say in confusion, but as soon as I look down I see the pool of blood beneath me making my eye go wide in horror.


    "WHAT THE HELL?! WHERE DID ALL THIS BLOOD COME FROM?!"


    I look at my clothes which are soaked in blood. I slowly reach towards my pocket for my phone.


    "God! It''s so disgusting! Everything''s sticky... and eugh!"


    I unlock my phone and turn on the flashlight, for at least some sense of direction.


    "I need to go home... quick..."


    I look down at my hands and then at the pool of blood.


    "Maybe... I''ve been killed? But why? Why would she kill me?! And why am I alive?! Why didn''t it hurt?! What the hell is going on?!"


    I look down at the screen of my phone, looking at today''s date. A frown appears on my face.


    "Wednesday, huh? Think you fucking idiot! Think Shoji think!" I slap myself a few times trying to get myself back to my senses.


    I crouch, trying to gather my thoughts.


    "When I was leaving the presbytery it was like 11:53 PM... I haven''t thought about it earlier, but it seems that time passes differently in the Sanctuary that Sebas dragged me to."


    "It felt real... just like the dream I had on Saturday... maybe... it all was real?!"


    I pull on the ground and my body starts to tremble as I remember the pain from back then when the kitsune was chopping my fingers off...


    "That''s the only logical answer... even tho it has no logic, but why didn''t anyone remember even talking to me on Friday? It seems that Sebas was right... I really am cursed... and this pool of blood is probably mine... but why am I here? I woke up in my bed last time..."


    "Calm down Nakamura... stop trembling like some pushy... it''s not the time for it!" I grab my wrist and I start to squeeze it.


    I try to focus even more, calming myself down and trying to remember what I exactly saw right before my vision went out completely on the Friday night.


    "Oh yes! The blonde chick with the red eye! She was talking about fixing me up or patching me up, whatever! So we have this chick... and I cannot die. Shit, I''m not even surprised after everything that happened on Monday."


    "Maybe I''m just turning schizo or something, who the hell knows right, Shoji Nakamura...~?"


    "Fuck I shouldn''t be laughing at this! I''ve died two times in four days, this is what Sebas was probably talking about... the rate of survival."


    "Shit shit! I''m overthinking allat! Let''s connect all these dots. The Kitsune killed me; the blondie cursed me with some kind of immortality that also seems to wipe every memory of me created in that certain day; there''s a time chamber under the church; Carmilla killed me on Monday right here."


    "Hmm now that I think about it... Carmilla was acting strange the whole day, just because Haruki didn''t show up... But she''s so down bad for him that she killed me for no reason at a-..."


    I remember one crucial moment from Monday.


    "Wait a second... Back then I thought it was just my eyes messing with me, but now I understand..."


    "She asked me about him and if I knew anything about him going to the shrine on Friday... Off-topic but am I so stupid that I haven''t realized it back then?! She told me about the shrine! I could''ve realized that it was real back then! Fuck! I need to focus more on my surroundings starting from now on..."


    "This confirms the theory that everyone forgot about my existence on this certain day..."


    My hands start to shake even more and I feel myself getting even more desperate.


    "But back to the topic! I thought my eyes were messing with me when I saw her eyes glow slightly after I told her that I wasn''t there with him, but her reaction confirmed my suspicions! She called me out as a liar, she was sure of it! I could tell by her expression and voice! She must have some... uhh... how did Sebas call it? Mutation? Yeah, let''s call it Mutation! She probably has a Mutation that lets her detect any lies!"


    "She must also be a demon, after all, she had those horns and this long tail. Many people from my high school may be also demons... maybe I should just drop out and stick to Sebas to survive... after all the first death was very painful... I''m just lucky that Carmilla decided to give me a painless one this time... just what will happen if someone decides to torture me... demons are very cruel from the common knowledge..."


    "I''m sure that Sebas will do something to help me, after all, he kinda dragged me further into this shitty situation..."


    My knees fall into the pool of blood, I''m really hopeless right now. I start to cry into my hands.


    "I just wanted to clap a nice girl... that''s all! Why is this happening to me?! Why?! Why?! Tell me, God! Why?! Someone is constantly after my life, trying to bring me to the ground! What can I fucking do against them! First, a fucking kitsune that cut my legs off before I could even comprehend what is going on, and now a fucking demon that uses some kind of magic is after my head!"


    "...Wait... demons?..."


    I swallow my saliva hard, as many thoughts run across my mind.


    "DEMONS?! Oh my god... oh my fucking God! No fucking way! No no no! Hahaha! This is my only, and the best chance ever..."


    I put my hands on my face, my tears of sadness turned into tears of joy and my hopelessness into excitement.


    "Give up?! Now?! Nahhh! This is an obvious chance! This is my dream! Just imagine I,t Nakamura Shoji! I can have a demon chick if everything goes right! Fuck it! I don''t care how many times will I die in the process! I want to fuck a demon!"


    I start to jump around from the excitement, my thoughts are generating many lewd scenarios, and there''s no saving for me.


    "Everyone at least once in their lifetime had a kinky imaginary scenario with a demoness! Every man, everyone! And I will be the one to finally have a real interaction like this!"


    I pick up my bag that''s soaked in blood and I hang it on my shoulder. I start to walk towards home, but then I stop walking as I turn around and look at the street that leads to the church. I smile slightly.


    "This is the path I will take, after all... what is life about if not about chasing your dreams, right?"


    After a few minutes of walking, I finally calmed down my excitement.


    "I should name this ability, or curse... ugh whatever!"


    I start to scratch my chin.


    "Hmm... I get killed but I don''t die, tho everyone seems to forget my existence from that day..."


    I start wondering for a moment.


    "...Now that I think about it seems more like a protection than a curse, but whatever!"


    "I shall name it... Deadly Knowledge!"


    "Why?"


    "Because I know things from the day that people think I don''t know!"


    "Now everything''s gonna go the way I want it to go!"


    "This is my story! This is the story of how I, Shoji Nakamura will smash a demoness!"

 008- Preparations

    I''m lying on the couch in the living room, looking at the ceiling hopelessly.


    "What can I do about a demon, huh? I don''t have a lot of time until Kaori comes back from the trip with grandparents."


    I close my eyes, the memory of Carmilla''s sword made out of ice flashing before my eyes.


    "She always was prideful, but she wants to kill me without inflicting much pain, just because I''m Haruki''s friend."


    "What should I do? I can''t kill a demon! They''re powerful, right? Magical, whatever!"


    I take the TV remote and turn the TV on.


    "That''s a nice thing... this city has its information channel, it''s very comfortable when you''re curious about what''s going on."


    The voice from the TV starts to speak.


    "Breaking News! Yet another body was found near the abandoned shrine! Who does that and why? We don''t know! But the police are trying to figure out the identity of that serial killer. The identity of the 442nd body is still unclear, due to the chopped-off fingers and massacred face."


    "Huh...? I''m not watching the news, like ever, but I remember what Haruki told me about the shrine... that it all was top secret in the police... why did he lie?"


    "But damn, already 442? That''s wild to think about... wait? Wasn''t the shrine falling apart when we were running away?"


    "Hell yeah, it was!"


    I turn off the TV, looking over at the clock to see the time.


    It''s already 3:40 AM, huh?"


    "I need to think of something very fast, or else Carmilla will try to hunt me down yet again... Ehh... she and her pride."


    "Pride...?"


    "Oh my God, I''m a genius!"


    I get off the sofa and I run to my room.


    I sit down before my pc and I look up my high-school view from the video that''s recommending the school.


    "Every high school does that stupid video that has a drone flying around it, recording it from every side. As a promotional video it sucks, but it''ll save my ass~!"


    I take out one of my notebooks and I start to draw the whole plan of the building, drawing a big circle above the girl''s changing room, with a big smile on my face.


    "What am I doing? Oh, it''s simple~! Carmilla is a very prideful individual, it''s clear that she is down bad for Haruki, but she won''t admit it herself~! I''ve always teased her, asking when she will make a move towards Haruki for real, tho she always went full tomato and lashed out at me with fury~."


    My smile widens further as this plan is perfect and there''s no way that it won''t work out. I throw all the books out of my bag and put the plan inside along with a black box I''ve taken out of my drawer.


    I leave my room, heading to Kaori''s.


    "I''m sorry Kaori, but I need to borrow your camera for some time, tho I''m sure you wouldn''t be mad at me~!"


    I hum a song under my nose as I enter her room, taking the camera that is lying on her desk.


    "Oh...?"


    The camera had a printed photo of the two of us back in the amusement park, smiling together. The photo makes me tear up a little.


    "Oh, Kaori... you''re really something else..." I take the photo, and I pin it to the board that she pins her photos on.


    I shake my head, closing my eyes for a moment.


    "Thank God you''re away... I cannot drag you into this shit I''ve been dragged in myself..." I let out a sigh, leaving her room.


    I put the camera into the bag.


    After a moment I''m dressed up in black pants and a black hoodie.


    "Okay, so only the mirror now..."


    I look over at the clock.


    "Already 4:10?! I have less than two hours! I need to keep my pace up!"


    I leave my house, closing and locking the door behind me.


    About 10 minutes later I entered a 24/7 mirror store, in search of a particular mirror.


    I walk around the store, there are barely any people at that time.


    "Not here..."


    I walk through another section.


    "Not here."


    Another section.


    "Not here."


    Before walking into the last section I just stand still for a second, scratching my chin in wonder.


    "There are many cameras here, if they somehow find out about the mirror, it might lead them to this shop."


    "I wonder if the hood will be enough to hide my identity, at least for some time..."


    "...Ehh I''ll figure something out."


    I walk into the last section and I stop in the middle of it to look at one particular mirror. It''s not a big mirror, but rather a small one that could easily fit into my bag.


    "Finally! A two-sided mirror... I''ve been searching for you yknow~?" I smile at my reflection, putting my finger on it.


    "Hmmm... it''s a little expensive..."


    "Whatever! I was prepared for this haha~! I have some extra money to spend anyway!"


    I take the mirror and I start to walk towards the checkout, a wide smile on my face.


    The cashier takes the mirror and scans the code.


    "It''ll be 3,078 yen." The cashier says in a monotone tone, he''s clearly tired.


    "Another student who needs to work part-time huh?"


    I take the money out of my wallet and put it in front of him.


    "Now that I look at you... you look very young. Highschooler?"


    "Yeah."


    "May I ask what you need a two-way mirror for? You''re not trying to do anything bad with it, aren''t you~? I mean you''re a high schooler after all." His tone changed into a cheeky one.


    I just smile, rolling my eyes slightly as I reach for the mirror.


    "Of course I am! Like why would I be buying such a thing in the first place~? It''s obvious that it has something to do with girls, so what? Will you do anything with it, sir~?"


    "No~! Oh kiddo, you think that after you reach your 20s, you suddenly become a boring gloomy bastard~? Don''t forget that I also was a high schooler once, I''ve had the same plans as you, tho I''ve never executed them~... You''re brave for doing this. We could say that I''m on your side, so I''ll be praying for you to succeed~..."


    "Very well then, goo-..." Before I could finish, he interrupted me.


    "But before you go I have two things to say kiddo. Wanna hear them?"


    "Advice, huh? Sure why not, you''re the one experienced here, sir." I shrug my shoulders.


    "Put a transparent foil on the mirror, but do it so precisely that it won''t be noticeable. It will prevent your targets from realizing that''s a two-sided mirror."


    My eyes widen as I didn''t think about that earlier.


    "Give me that mirror for a moment, kiddo." He gestures to me to hand the mirror to him and I do it quickly.


    He puts his index finger to the mirror.


    "Look closely."


    "See? There''s no gap between my finger and the mirror. This is how you check if it''s not a two-way mirror."


    He takes out some transparent plastic wrap from under the counter, precisely applying it to the mirror.


    The mirror looks the same, but when he puts his finger on it, there is a small gap between his finger and the mirror now.


    My mouth hangs open, my eyes wide in surprise.


    "This guy... is it... Yeah... It is... Male solidarity!"


    "Thank you, I guess? But what''s the other advice?" I ask curiously, craving for his wisdom now.


    The cashier leans over the counter and pats me on the shoulder.


    "When it comes to girls, you need to remember this one thing about them..."


    "And what is that thing?"


    "In the end,d everyone finds a girl whom they like more than the other ones, and if it happens to you, and she will give you signs, more or less obvious signs, then fight for her, no matter what."


    I swallow my saliva and look at him with sudden confusion. "Why are you even telling me that, sir? I mean... you shouldn''t be supposed to care about my life by any means, right?


    "You''re right! Your life is none of my business, young fellow, but I''m telling you that because a long time ago I made that mistake, which I still ask myself ''Why didn''t I fight for her?'' To this day. We could say that I''m just trying to value myself by helping you~."


    He then gives me a thumbs-up and smiles widely.


    "You better find yourself a good wife, or I''ll hunt you down~. I wish the best for you kiddo!"


    I try to force a smile, but only a nervous imitation visits my face.


    "No one other than Haruki sees me as a friend. No girls even look my way at school. My goal is simple, I''m not looking for a relationship or anything. I just want to clap, even a prostitute would be fine, I''m not picky... or at least this was my mindset before I found out that demons exist! I want to clap a fine demon chick! This dream is one of the only two things I care about! No one''s gonna stop me from achieving my goal!"


    My smile fills up with confidence and determination as I put the mirror inside my bag.


    "Yeah! Goodbye and thanks! But you shouldn''t worry for me, sir! I will do it for sure!"


    I offer him a fist bump.


    "Believe me~!"


    He starts laughing, almost crying out of laughter as he fistbumps me.


    "U-Yeah haha~! Do it kiddo~! But when you do... visit me and tell me everything~!"


    I leave the store with a wide smile on my face.


    "This guy... he''s just like me, tho he''s focused on the wrong aspect..."


    After some time I''m standing before the high school building.


    "Shit... It''s 4:50 already..."


    I look at the sky which starts to get less dark every minute. "The sun will come out in about 30 minutes, so I need to do it quickly."


    I take my balaclava out of my bag and I put it on.


    I put the bag on the ground as I started to climb up the fence that surrounded the building.


    "I''m glad my big brother forced me to attend climbing sessions when I was a kid."


    I smile at the memory of constantly falling off the climbing wall.


    When I''m on the other side I start to climb down slowly. When I''m about 1 meter above the ground I just jump down.


    I put my hand in between the fence bars, reaching for my bag, which I successfully squeeze between them.


    I open the bag, taking out a flashlight and a map out of it.


    I turn on the flashlight, pointing it at the map as I try to figure out in which direction the back door is.


    "I''m on the west of the building so the south should be this way..."


    I put the map along with the flashlight back into the bag as I start to walk slowly, trying to be as quiet as I can.


    After a moment I''m finally standing before the back door. I take out the flashlight and search for a small window that''s somewhere near that door, slightly above the ground.


    "Found ya~"


    "It''s just like in the video... there''s no window here, only the frame!"


    I crouch down before it, trying to measure it with my hands.


    "I''ll fit in here, tho I don''t know if I will be able to find the way under here. I was never in the school basement, because this place is not accessible for students."


    "There''s a chance I won''t make it in time and be caught, suspended d and everything."


    "That''s a real gamble... but! Without a sacrifice, there''s no way to catch the mice haha~!"


    I joke comparing myself to the cheese in the mice traps and Carmilla to the mice.


    I crawl into the basement through the small window.


    I fall hard on my butt.


    "Aghh!"


    "Shit... my ass... ehh whatever."


    I reach for my bag and I start to walk through the basement.


    "This place is weird, it looks like it''s been here since the steampunk Era haha! It''s also very hot in here, the boiler is probably located close to me."


    I start to walk quicker, my body is getting sweaty because of the heat.


    "I need to be quicker, I don''t have much time left until the first teachers and the janitors arrive."


    The basement is like a labyrinth filled with pipes, there''s not even much space as the walls are about 1,5 meters apart.


    Finally, I stumble across the stairs that are leading to a closed door.


    "Finally! The stairs!"


    I run up the stairs and I reach for the door handle, trying to open the door. My eyes widen as the door is closed.


    "Holy shit! No! It''s closed! Fuck! Fuck! I need to use it right now?!"


    I take out a small black box out of my bag.


    "Haven''t used you since middle school, my old friend~."


    I open the box and take out an automatic lockpick.


    "I know that you''re old and rusty, but please don''t fail me now. I need to use you one more time later."


    I successfully pick the lock without breaking the lockpick. My heart is beating so loud that I can''t even describe it.


    "Oh god... I''ve just realized how scared I am..."


    I start to walk down the campus hallways, heading toward the room where the janitor keeps all the keys. I clench my fists while breathing heavily.


    "I feel how sweaty I am underneath all those clothes... but that''s not just from the heat. My hands are shaking, and my heart is beating fast, but that''s not entirely from the fear of the lockpick breaking..."


    "...No, I''ve picked the wrong words... it''s indeed because I feared that the lockpick would be broken after picking that lock... but why was I scared?..."


    "...I fear her... I fear that Carmilla will kill me again... I don''t want to die! What if the next time won''t be painless, but a literal torture, huh?!"


    "The truth is that if this lockpick will fail me, then I won''t be able to do anything... my plan will fail... and she will kill me again..."


    "I was yapping about how I don''t care that I''ve died... but deep inside I fear death... I''m just a human... I feel... I hear... I cry... and I suffer..."


    I tightened my teeth and hit myself right in the middle of my face.


    "Shut the fuck u,p Shoji Nakamura! This path you''ve taken is all your responsibility! You shouldn''t feel down or else your plan will fail!"


    "Keep your head high! Believe in yourself, or else you''ll fail!"


    "Yes... I''m right! I will survive! And then I''ll bag a nice chick!"


    I start to pick the lock of the door that leads to the room in which all the keys are located.


    "It''s the first and the last time I am doing this in this school. I''m glad the cameras are turned off now, or else this would be even harder to do without being caught."


    I successfully open the door and I walk in, turning on the light.


    "This room is messy! It doesn''t even look like a janitor even cleans here, not to mention that he spend most of his time here!"


    I walk up to the desk on which a lot of paper sheets and old cans of beer are lying.


    "I see that even the staff needs to relax sometimes, huh?"


    I take my phone out and I start to take a bunch of photos of the room and all the alcohol.


    "Might come in handy if I was to blackmail that old man for a favor~"


    I open the drawer and I take two keys out of it.


    "Found ya~"


    "Oh?"


    I look at the rotary dial telephone that''s on the desk.


    "Hahaha~! What the hell? Why does Bro have this old ass telephone here? It''s 2024, not 1980 haha~!"


    "That''s so stupid~! Why is he keeping it here? Is it valuable, or something?"


    "Ehhhh! Whatever!"


    I leave the room, closing the door softly.


    I take my phone out of my pocket.


    "5:10 huh? I''m slightly off with time... I need to be a bit quicker..."


    I start walking faster, heading towards the girl''s changing room.


    "Thank God that the two rooms aren''t so far away from each other~ Because that would be a big issue~"


    After a moment I''m standing before the changing room door.


    "Here goes nothing~!"


    I unlock the door with the key I''ve taken from the drawer and I open the door quickly.


    My eyes widen as I see the inside of the changing room.


    "..."


    "IT''S UNFAIR! WHY DO GIRLS HAVE SUCH A NICE CHANGING ROOM HUH?! I MEAN I UNDERSTAND THAT GIRLS SHOULD HAVE A CLEANER ENVIRONMENT THAN BOYS AND THAT IT WAS AN ALL-GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL... BUT HUH?! WHY?!"


    "That''s unfair..."


    I continue pouting as I walk into the room, searching for any mirrors. The mirror is hanging in the most open space they could''ve chosen.


    "That''s the perfect place for my plan! I''m so lucky, I don''t even need to search for the place..."


    A sudden realization hits me and my eyes widen. I walk up to the mirror, looking directly into it.


    "Could it be that..."


    "...Some man, or woman of culture..."


    I grab the sides of the mirror and I remove it off the wall, revealing a small hole in the wall where another camera is located.


    "...Has already done what I wanted to do?!"


    I carefully put the mirror down on the ground, then I grab the camera and start to look through the saved videos and photos.


    "OH MY GOD! THAT''S... THAT''S A JACKPOT! JACKPOT! IT''S JUST LIKE IF IT WAS RAINING GOLD! OH MY FUCKING GOD! SO MANY GIRLS IN ONE VIDEO... OH MY FUCKING GOD..."


    I open my bag, but before putting the camera inside of it I just stop.


    "...No..."


    I raise my fist into the air, while my eyes start to tear up.


    "I can''t do it... this treasure belongs to another person... they''ve worked hard for it... very hard! As a fellow man of culture... I cannot do it!"


    "One day... I want to meet that person and personally congratulate them for doing this before me!"


    I grip my hoodie dramatically.


    "It hurts to think that there is someone who thought of it earlier than me... Agh!"


    I put the camera back where it originally was and then I take out Kaori''s camera out of my bag.


    I start to press a couple of buttons on it.


    "Hmmm... how do I use it..."


    "Click"


    "Oh yeah! Schedule recording..."


    "When do have PE today...? Uhh... it was somewhere around 2 PM, I guess?"


    "So... 2 PM to 4 PM..."


    "Click"


    "Confirm? Yeah yeah, I''m confirming!"


    I put the camera next to the other one.


    I pick the mirror up from the ground and I cover up the small hole in the wall with it.


    "That saved a lot of time for me. I can slowly leave the place, without being scared of the time running out."


    "I guess it''s about the time to go."


    I look around the changing room for the last time with a big smile on my face.


    "I''ll visit you again in a couple of hours, my dear friend~."


    I walk out of the changing room, closing and locking the door behind me.


    "Now I just need to pay another visit to the janitor''s cave and put the key back into that drawer of his."


    I huff pridefully, pushing my chest out.


    "Simple work hah~!"


    After a moment I walk into the janitor''s room and put the girl''s changing room key back in the drawer where it belongs.


    I take off my balaclava, wiping the sweat off my face.


    "Finally! Oh god! I''m so sweaty right now... it''s too hot in those clothes..."


    I walk out of the room, closing it with the key from the drawer.


    "I need to keep that key. I hope the janitor doesn''t notice the lack of it, and if he does, I pray that he''ll just think that he lost it somewhere."


    I walk through the school''s hallways, trying to find an unlocked room that has a window inside of it, because the windows on the hallways always have bars on the other side.


    "I can''t just take the key to a class, because someone can lose a key to one room alright! But it''s a lot more suspicious if you somehow lose a key, and then you pass by a classroom and notice that the temperature inside is a little bit lower than that in the hallway, but you cannot open the door, so you check the classroom from the outside, finding out that the window is opened."


    After trying to open a door for about 6 tries, I''m starting to hear weird sounds coming from the end of the hallway.


    "What are those sounds? Are they coming from the Administration Office or what?"


    "No... that''s none of my business..."


    I start to walk away from the source of the sounds, tho just for a moment because my curiosity takes over and I turn around, walking even faster towards the end of the hallway.


    "I NEED TO SEE IT! I NEED TO SEE WHAT IS GOING ON IN HERE SO EARLY IN THE MORNING WHEN NO ONE''S SUPPOSED TO BE THERE!"


    I put my balaclava back on my head as I sneak into the Administration Office.


    The sounds just keep getting louder and louder with each second as I get closer to the source which seems to come from the principal room that''s in the office.


    "Oh god... the door is slightly opened... what do I do?! There''s a window here... I can leave just now... but my curiosity! I want to see this!"


    I peek inside and the sigh that meets my eyes is rather questionable. It''s Mr. Muraoka and Mrs. Takahashi doing some rather questionable things.


    "WHAT THE HELL?! IS THAT REAL WHAT I AM SEEING?! Is Mr. Muraoka... my favorite principal ever... giving having sex with Mrs. Takahashi, who''s pushed against the desk?!"


    I just stare at them two and it seems that they''re too focused on having fun to notice my presence. It seems that the sounds were Mrs. Takahashi''s moans, but it''s not the moans that catch my attention, it''s the nonsense that''s coming out of her mouth.


    "What is that foreign language she''s speaking in?"


    "Never mind, I don''t care~! I mean! Gramps got a taste for real! This moment is too good..."


    "Too good to not catch haha~!"


    I smirk playfully and I take out my phone, peeking at its camera slightly to record them.


    I just stay here for about 30 seconds, catching their every move, moan, and word on the camera.


    Then I just go to the main room in the office and sneak out of the building via the window.


    "Finally... everything''s set... "


    I yawn, rubbing my eyes.


    "Now just go home... and take a shower... then school... and later... the camera..."

 009- Declaration and Reunion

    I''m walking down the busy streets. I''m clad in my school uniform and my bag is on my back.


    The weather is sunny, with no clouds, and no wind- perfect weather for walking home.


    A wide smile is present on my face because everything has gone perfectly today.


    "After the classes, I''ve successfully retrieved the camera from the changing room. It was easy, no one stood in my way."


    "Tho I had detention today right after the first class. Mr. Muraoka was acting like always, I don''t care what he does after school and it won''t affect the way I see him, let it be good or evil, I don''t care"


    "Carmilla was absent."


    Suddenly, from out of nowhere, someone pulls me into an alley.


    "Huh?! What the he-..." I trip over my legs as I run my eyes, looking up to see who just did that.


    "Hey... what''s your problem huh?!"


    My eyes widen as soon as I get a clear view of the person that''s towering over me. My heart starts to beat fast and I get a hard shiver running down my spine.


    "Oh..."


    "C-Carmilla...?" I say, scared out of my mind, my voice shaky and afraid.


    "Nakamura Shoji, I thought that you were gone? That''s weird..." She says calmly, caressing her cheek.


    "Y-You... r-re-really think... so?"


    "Now that I think about it... I don''t remember killing you in the end... just freezing you..." Her voice holds a little bit of curiosity in it.


    "It seems that my theory about the memory wipe is real... but... that doesn''t matter right now..."


    "The only thing that matters right now is if she''ll spare me... or just kill me like a fucking mosquito...?!"


    "Carmilla... you don''t need to do anything... I didn''t tell anyone about you!" I stand up slowly, my body shaking as I look into her pink eyes.


    "Hmmm... Lemme think Shoji~" She says with a cute voice as she leans over towards me, wrapping her arms around my neck.


    "You''ve lied to me, you''re plotting with that exorcist, you''ve seen my horns, and you know things that you shouldn''t know."


    "Carmilla... I-I won''t tell anyone! I swear! We can even partner up! I''ll help you! I swear!" I say as my eyes are wandering around, avoiding her eyes.


    "Oh, Shoji~ Shoji~. What would a human like you be able to help me with, huh~? Maybe if you had a mutation, but judging by your weak presence, you''re probably at Authority Level 1~"


    "She''s looking down at me... my pride... why do I even allow this in the first place?! She doesn''t even see me as a person worthy of even sparing, when sparing someone comes from the pity felt towards someone else..."


    I look straight into her eyes, biting through my fear I also wrap my arms around her neck.


    "You underestimate me don''t you, Carmilla?!"


    "Of course, I do~! I consider you a worthless, pathetic being~"


    "Then give me two days... two fucking days... and I''ll defeat you, Carmilla."


    "Yes... I''m certain... I wasn''t just doing all that preparation to die right here... the camera is in my bag, if she kills me now, then I might even lose my trump card... and Kaori will be sad that her camera was destroyed..."


    She leans her chin onto my shoulder softly. I can feel the pride she''s feeling right now, just from her movements.


    "Hmmm~...? Two days and you''ll defeat me, huh~? Oh, Shoji~ Shoji~! You never learn, don''t you~?!" She says cutely and then starts to laugh maniacally. Her horns and tail start to slowly grow out of her body.


    "A true demon..."


    "HIHAHAHI~! YOU''VE HAD A CHANCE, NAKAMURA SHOJI~! I SOMEHOW DID LET YOU GO THE FIRST TIME, BUT THE NEXT TIME WILL NOT BE THE SAME~"


    Her nails start to slowly dig into the skin of the back of my neck. It hurts like hell but I just stand here, trying not to scream out of pain, or tell her to stop.


    "THIS WHOLE DECLARATION OF YOU DEFEATING ME IS SO SILLY AND IMPOSSIBLE THAT I WILL DIE FROM THE LAUGHTER~! HAHHAHAH~"


    Her horns and the tail slowly start to disappear, as fast as they grow out of her body. The insane laughter I''d immediately gone, but the mischief and sarcasm were still there.


    She leans away from me and steps back about two meters away from me.


    "Very well then, Shoji~. In two days, at the place where I ambushed you yesterday, 10 PM..."


    "It will be the place where your life will end, do you understand, Shoji~?" She smiles slyly at me, her eyes start to glow a little.


    "I''ll be there, but after I win, it will officially be the place where you promised that you''ll never try to kill me again."


    Her eyes stop glowing and she turns around, her silhouette fading away into the darkness along with her voice.


    "Kisses and hugs, abaya, Shoji!~"


    After I''m sure that she''s gone, my legs finally release all the pressure and I collapse onto the ground. My heart is beating fast like hell, my body is shaking and my breathing is heavy.


    "Oh my God... I thought I''ll shit myself there... how was I even able to gain so much confidence before her... she''s a literal demon... she could''ve just killed me with a snap of her fingers like back then!"


    I was too lost in my thoughts to even notice that someone was running towards me. I feel someone put their hand on my shoulder and as I return to reality I''m met with the sound of heavy breathing.


    "Shoji... I was trying to catch up to you and I lost you... eh... why are you... in an alley like this... huh...?" I turn my head around and the person who''s behind me is no one else than Haruki.


    "Oh Haruki... Finally moved your ass out of the house, huh?!"


    My cheeks flush red after a moment of realization.


    "I bet it must look pathetic with me on the ground like some victim! I need to get up fast, or else my pride will be crushed with no saving!"


    I quickly stand up, scratching the back of my head in embarrassment.


    "Why are you so red, Shoji~?" Haruki says with a mocking tone in his voice.


    "Fuck you."


    "Got a little mad~?"


    "Shut the fuck up Haruki." I frown at him, embarrassed because of his remarks.


    "Anyways, why were you absent for like two days?" I ask curiously.


    "Oh! Yeah yeah! I wanted to explain it to you yesterday, but you made up that priest excuse or whatever you were talking about!"


    "You fucking idiot... if you just were there back then, then nothing bad would happen!"


    I grab his collar out of frustration.


    "What are you talking about?"


    I look at him for a moment and I release his collar from my grip.


    "What am I doing?! He''s clueless... it''s not his fault... I mean it kinda is... but it isn''t!"


    "Ehh... Never mind, don''t think about it."


    He then smiles mockingly like an idiot.


    "Having a bad day, huh~?"


    "I understand, but that doesn''t give you any right to just lash out at me like that~! Man, I''m sorry that you were bored all day today and yesterday... but I wanted to explain everything to you yesterday, and you''ve just made up excuses to avoid meeting up!"


    "Hey! I''m telling you again that it wasn''t an excuse!"


    "Blah blah blah."


    I start to walk out of the alley with Haruki following me.


    "Where are you going, Shoji?"


    "I''m going home, I need to do something, yknow?"


    "Yeah yeah... For sure I will tell him that I''m going to cut out all the clips where Carmilla is visible out of the video from the camera."


    "Why are you going home so early? I thought that as we finally met up, you would want to see what I was spending so much time on for the past two days...?" His voice seems to hold a hint of disappointment in it.


    "Hm...? So there was a real reason behind it, you''re not kidding?"


    "Nope."


    I stop walking and I look over at him curiously.


    "Okay, you''ve got my attention. Tell me, show me, whatever."


    "Now? Like right here? Uhh... I can''t! Not right here! We need to go to a more... uhh... empty place? Like, look around at how many people are here!"


    "Since when are you so self-conscious, Haruki?"


    "No no! Youre wrong! I''m not self-conscious or anything like that... it''s just... uhh... just trust me, okay?!"


    "Whatever, but y''know what? I don''t see any logic in why I am leading the way if you''re the one who should be?" I scratch my chin in wonder.


    "Oh... I think that''s kinda my fault... haha!"


    "Whatcha mean?" I raise my eyebrows in wonder, looking at his embarrassed face.


    "No, it''s nothing! Nevermind! Let''s just go!"


    He takes the lead and I follow him without even asking where he even going to lead us.


    After some time we''re about to enter an abandoned building, but I stop before the entrance.


    Haruki turns around to look at me in confusion.


    "What''s wrong, Shoji?"


    "You scared~?" His cheeky voice and this sentence remind me of the shrine.


    "I don''t like places like this after the shrine... y''know it was kinda traumatic..."


    His cheeky smile fades and a look of confusion appears on his face.


    "What are you talking about, Shoji? You weren''t in the shrine with me... no... I haven''t even told you about it...?"


    My eyes widen and I cover my mouth.


    "I''ve messed up..."


    "...He''s right... he doesn''t remember... shit... I need to somehow crawl out of this uncomfortable situation."


    I look at him for a moment, forcing a playful smile and rolling my eyes.


    "Just kidding hehe~! Let''s go inside and finally show me the thing you were talking about, ya~?" I walk into the abandoned building and he quickly follows me.


    "What even is this place? Some old unfinished parking?"


    "Yeah, something like this, but helicopters were meant to land on the top floor."


    I stop walking and turn around to face him.


    "Okay, no more yapping! Show it to me, Haruki." I say with a serious tone.


    "Oh... okay, okay! It''s kind of embarrassing to do this when someone is watching, but I am the one who wanted to do this in the first place."


    I stay silent, waiting for him to do anything.


    "So, Shoji... I was in a shrine on Friday... now that I think about it, Harumi probably told you that I was here right, she told me that you were out shopping with your sist-..."


    "Haruki, get to the point! I''ve already told you that I have an important thing to do! I''m not here to listen to the obvious things I already know!"


    He''s stunned, his mouth hangs open.


    "Chill out, Shoji... it''s not that big of a deal... I know that it''s not probably anything important like you''re saying, but fine... I''ll get to the point."


    I clench my fist, trying to somehow stay calm.


    "Haruki... you''re so fucking stupid... I''m here fighting for my life! Saving time to get prepared and you''re shortening it, just like if you agreed with Carmilla!"


    "So basically I was in an abandoned shrine, y''know the one that someone from the police leaked to the media and they''re talking about it on the news?"


    "Yeah, I know, what about it?"


    I immediately remembered how I thought that he was lying when I watched the news.


    "Oh... that''s why he told me that it''s top secret! I thought that he was just lying for no reason, but it seems that back then it was the truth."


    "So I''ve found a ring in the shrine, and I can''t take it off, but-..."


    My eyes widen and I look down at the ring of his finger. The memory of the kitsune talking about the ring flashes before my eyes, making me shake in fear.


    "How haven''t I noticed before?! The ring! It''s on his finger! He''s in danger! The kitsune!"


    I grab his collars desperately and I look straight into his eyes.


    "Haruki?! Have you noticed anything weird happening around you lately? Are you feeling off?"


    Suddenly a black slime-like liquid starts to leak out of his ring. It looks the same as the black substance that was on the ground back in the shrine.


    "Oh!" Haruki gasps as he steps back and the slime wraps itself around me.


    Suddenly the slime just morphed into a human, holding my neck tightly, its fingernails so sharp that they drew some of my blood.


    "HARUKI?! WHAT THE HELL IS THIS SUPPOSED TO BE?!" I scream in terror.


    Suddenly the creature starts to speak in a rather emotionless voice.


    "Master... this stupid guy has grabbed your collars... should I kill him right now?"


    "Oozarith! Stop it! It''s not an enemy! It''s Nakamura Shoji, I told you about him earlier!" Haruki''s voice holds some authority that has never been noticed before.


    The humanoid gets away from me and falls on its knees, giving me a bow.


    "I apologize for threatening you. I thought that you were the enemy, but if you are my master''s friend then I''m sorry."


    I step back, frowning at the humanoid.


    "That thing should at least pretend to have emotions when apologizing... fucking monster."


    I walk up to the creature and I start to squeeze its cheeks.


    "What the hell is that, Haruki?! It feels so fucking human! Is this even a girl or a guy?!"


    "Ah of course in the end you''re always thinking about one thing, don''t you?" Haruki says with a cheeky voice.


    "Just answer my fucking question! What the fuck is this?!"


    The creature starts to speak, so I put my hands off its cheeks.


    "Master Haruki is my master. I was named Oozarith and I''m protecting my master from people who have bad intentions."


    "Haruki...?"


    "What?"


    "How did you get a fucking slave in your hands?! Where?! When?!" I say in excitement, realizing how nice that must be.


    "I didn''t get it on purpose! It just came out of the ring one day! That''s why I was absent because it wants to kill everyone who seems to be at least a little bit suspicious!"


    I look down at Oozarith.


    "Oozarith, yeah~?"


    The humanoid nods.


    "Oh God... here we go again..." Haruki mutters under his nose, sighing deeply.


    "Can you turn into a girl~?"


    "Oozarith could if its master wanted it to be. Oozarith was created to serve its master in any way possible."


    "Are there any limitations in your morphing ability, Oozarith~?"


    "No, Oozarith doesn''t have limitations."


    "Hmm... it seems that this creature is in existence without free will, nor emotions to begin with..."


    I look over at Haruki with a hopeful smile on my face.


    "Hey Haruuuki~? Could you bo-..."


    "No, I won''t." He says coldly.


    "Oh man~! We are friends, why can''t you just give me a small favor, or a slave from time to time~?"


    "No is a no."


    "Ehh whatever."


    "So, can you take the ring off, Haruki?" I point at his ring curiously.


    "No, I''ve tried everything, but I couldn''t succeed in taking it off. It seems that I''m stuck with it."


    "So you believe in the supernatural, don''t you? After all, you have a living proof here- Oozarith."


    "I think I do, but Shoji I have a question for you."


    "What is it?"


    "How come you''re not surprised? I mean you seemed frightened when Oozarith wanted to kill you, but you''re not surprised that things like this exist. It''s like magic, isn''t it?"


    "Not magic, it''s called Vymir."


    Oozarith finally stands up from the kneeling position and looks into my eyes.


    "What did you say? ''Vymir''?"


    "Vymir? What is that even supposed to mean?" Haruki asks curiously.


    I look at Oozarith and then back at Haruki.


    "Can you somehow... uhh... make this thing go away? I''m talking to you, not it."


    He looks at Oozarith and smiles kindly.


    "Can you return to the ring, Oozarith?"


    "Yes. Understood, master."


    The humanoid melts into the dark liquid and enters the ring.


    "So Vymir is everything around us, or at least I understand it like that."


    "It''s kinda like the soul of the world, which also empowers our souls, some people less and some more."


    "Sebas also told me about magic spells that you can cast using this inner energy, or some other unique mutations that some people possess."


    "For the magi,c it had a weird pronunciation... something like... ugh.. Ka... Yano...?"

 010- "Vymir"

    Suddenly everything goes white. I look around and I see a black string flying towards something that looks like a void.


    "What the hell is this?"


    "Where am I?!"


    "Hello?!"


    Suddenly a distorted voice comes from somewhere.


    "Oh? That''s weird. You weren''t supposed to be here this time... but very well then, if it''s the path you''ve chosen right now, then I''ll explain it."


    "Who are you? Where are you? What is this place? What is this string?"


    "Shit... why can''t I focus?! I cannot even tell where''s the voice coming from!"


    "You''ve cast a spell, my Little Fragment. This string is the energy that''s leading from within your soul, and the void is the outside world. Also, your consciousness was ripped out of your body, and in this place, you cannot focus very well."


    "Oh... okay? But ''Little Fragmenty? Couldn''t make up something better?"


    "It fits you, my Little Fragment."


    "Anyways... what do I do now?"


    "You need to grab the string to stop your soul power from leaking out of your body, because if the whole string will come out before you catch it, then you''ll die."


    "Huh?! Whatcha mean?!"


    I look at the end of the string, which is very close to the edge of the white world.


    "YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME EARLIER!"


    I start running after it, thinking to myself in desperation.


    "Yes... I know that I probably will not die because of the curse..."


    "Ahuhu~! My Little Frament, I can hear your thoughts here, so I will tell you one thing. I''m aware of your curse, but if your soul will die, then you will die for real!"


    "Huh?!"


    I start running even faster. The string is right about to fall into the void, but I catch it at the last moment.


    "What exactly are you!? What do you want from me?!"


    "Nothing. I don''t have bad intentions, nor good ones. I can''t tell what''s evil and what''s good, but I''m curious about what path will you take."


    "And it''s not only me, my dear Little Fragment. The seven other ones are also watching."


    "THAT BARELY ANSWERS ONE OF MY QUESTIONS AND ADDS EVEN MORE QUESTIONS-..."


    Suddenly I''m pulled by an invisible force and I fall into the void, bringing silence upon the whole realm.


    A small, barely visible piece of string falls on the ground.


    The thin lips create a small smile.


    My consciousness goes back to my body.


    I see Haruki looking at me, his eyes wide in amazement.


    "Woah, Shoji! Is that magic?! Actual magic?!"


    "Huh what are you talking about, Haruki?" I say, my voice slightly hoarse. My vision is starting to get blurry.


    "In your hand! This glowing black revolver!" He points at my right hand.


    My eyes slowly fall. I look at the revolver for a couple of seconds.


    "Oh what''s that-..." Before I could finish my sentence the revolver disappeared and I fell on the ground, my vision all dizzy and blurry.


    "Shoji!" Haruki says loudly with worry and walks up to me.


    "Oh shit..."


    "What''s wrong?!"


    "Fuck... I need you to take me to him somehow... it seems that I''ve used all my Vymir..."


    "Take you to who?!"


    "Take me to the church that''s a couple of streets away from my house... there''s a priest here... his name is Sebastian... tell him to give me... the water..." I say, struggling to keep my eyes open.


    "Okay! Okay! I don''t have a clue what that even means, but I''ll do it! Just don''t close your eyes, because I''ll freak out!"


    I slowly close my eyes, listening to whatever he is saying.


    "You fucker! I just told you to not do it and you do it! You really are stupid, Shoji!"

 011- Interview; Angel and Priest

    I open my eyes and I instantly puke into a bucket that someone is holding under my chin.


    "Blehh! Fuck! What the hell is that disgusting... blehh!"


    The person holding the bucket is no one other than Haruki.


    "What the hell was that disgusting smell, Haruki?!"


    "Maybe a thank you, huh?!" He replies, putting the bucket on the ground.


    I look around the room, recognizing it immediately as the room is in plebistery.


    I try to stand up, but I''m tied up to the chair.


    "Haruki, what is going o-..."


    A shiver runs down my spine and from out of nowhere someone grabs me by the back of my head and smashes my face against the table.


    Sebas is sitting on the other side of the table, a cup of tea in front of him.


    "What the hell?! My nose! Aghh!" I see blood leaking out of my nose.


    "I don''t think that physical violence is crucial in this situation, Seraphina," Sebas says calmly, taking a sip of his tea.


    "Uhmm... yeah! The Father is right, your Angelness, I guess? Besides... you''ve told me that you only want to help my friend, yes!" Haruki says with a hint of uncertainty, walking away from the chair I''m sitting on.


    "''Angelness''? What the fuck do you mean, Haruki?! Is that a fucking Angel behind me?!"


    "Human, your scent gives me hard demon vibes, your friend told me that you''ve used dark magic before, you''re puking and experiencing nausea because of holy water that should be like a cure for humans in case they were cursed. Just answer my questions and I''ll consider letting you go, but I do not respect liars." A cold feminine voice whispers into my ear.


    "You''re cursed, Shoji? Why didn''t you tell me before?" Haruki asks curiously.


    "Who exactly are you, Nakamura Shoji?" Seraphina adds coldly.


    "What the fuck is going on?! Let me go! I didn''t do shit! I don''t fucking know what are you talking about! What the fuck do you mean by questioning what am I, huh?! I am goddamn fucking human, you stupid bitch!"


    "Uhh... Shoji I don''t think you should be talking like this towards an-..." Haruki is cut off by Sebastian who shakes his head dismissingly to stop him from speaking further.


    "Oh I see, I see! You''ve got a sharp tongue didn''t you, Shoji? Oh well~! You know what else is sharp?! YOU KNOW WHAT ELSE IS SHARP?!" She raises my head again and smashes it against the table even harder than earlier.


    I scream in pain. "Aghhh! Ugh...! My fucking nose! It hurts so fucking much! You bitch! You''ve broken it! You''ve broken my nose!"


    "Yes, I did, four limbs and twenty fingers to go."


    "Stop it! Please! It''s enough, Seraphina! Please! Release him! He didn''t do anything wrong! I swear on my life!" Haruki screams, pleading for her to let me go.


    "Took you long enough, Haruki!" I say loudly, biting my lip out of the pain.


    Sebas takes another sip of his tea and calmly stands up.


    "Yeah. He doesn''t know anything, so let him go, Seraphina." He says calmly.


    "Hmph! Finee!" She releases her grip on my hair and turns her back on me.


    Sebas walks up to me and unties me. He rubs the back of his head with an embarrassed smile.


    I stand up from the chair, looking at him with a furious expression and wiping the blood off my face.


    "I''m sorry for that, we''ll heal your injuries, but if you want, then you can pun-..." I punch him in the face with all the strength and fury I have.


    He falls to the ground and Haruki runs up to him, kneeling next to him and looking up at me with a mix of disappointment and relief.


    Seraphina doesn''t even turn around to help Sebas or anything.


    "Shoji! Why did you do that?! I understand that he ordered her to take all the information out of you... which led to this... uhh..." He looks at my beat-up face for a moment.


    "...But this is an old man! Even worse! A priest!"


    Sebas slowly stands up with Haruki''s help and before I could even lash out at Haruki, Seraphina starts to speak.


    "The human did the right thing, I would do the same."


    I look over at her, finally seeing what she looks like.


    She has six huge white-feathered wings grown out of her back.


    "Huh?! Okay then! Let me punch you as well!"


    She turns around to look at me, her expression surprised.


    She''s clad in a white dress that''s reaching the floor. Her hair is blonde and her eyes are blue. She''s about 162 cm tall.


    "Wut?"


    Before she could even react, I threw the chair at her.


    "Not the chair, please!" Sebas screams in terror.


    After some time of arguing and everyone throwing things at each other, the whole room ends up in chaos.


    The four of us are sitting at the table, a cup of tea in front of everyone.


    A bandage is apparent on my broken nose.


    "Now that everyone''s calm, we can finally talk. Why won''t we introduce ourselves again?" Sebas says calmly.


    "My name is Sebas, only you do not know me, Haruki so I''ll give you a summary of my role here. I am a priest and an exorcist. Your turn Haruki-kun."


    Haruki stands up.


    "My name is Haruki, Hadeka Haruki. I am Shoji''s friend and I have no clue on what is going on, nice to meet you all."


    I stand up, rolling my eyes slightly.


    "Shoji Nakamura. I''m fourteen, cursed and I like naturally gifted girls. Now you, pigeon!" I point at the angel.


    She stands up with a red blush of embarrassment on her face, putting her hands on the table.


    "Pigeon?!"


    "Hmph...! My name is Seraphina. I come from heaven obviously... aand I can sometimes lose control over myself when I''m let loose."


    "Yeah... we haven''t noticed you know?" I roll my eyes at her.


    The blush on her face deepens.


    "Oh yeah Shoji, here you go." Sebas takes out a bottle of holy water and throws it at me.


    I catch it and I look at it for a moment.


    "Why are you not drinking the water, Shoji? I mean your nose is really in a bad shape." Seraphina asks curiously, her wings slightly moving.


    "I won''t drink it now because I look pathetic while doing so, y''know?" I roll my eyes yet again.


    Sebas just laughs softly and I know he''s laughing at me.


    Haruki then speaks up with curiosity and hesitation apparent in his voice.


    "Shoji, Seraphina earlier mentioned that you were cursed, and you''ve just repeated that. Are you cursed? Why haven''t you told me about it earlier?"


    "Mhm." I nod slightly.


    Sebas speaks up.


    "Seraphina, you were examining Shoji''s curse earlier, what have you found out?"


    At this moment, everyone''s attention was on Seraphina. She was no longer blushing, as she started to speak in a serious tone.


    "Shoji''s curse is weird. I couldn''t tell what it did, nor who cast it. I''m sure you''ve noticed how I zoned out earlier, Sebas... And it was because the curse pulled me in, pulled me into some kind of never-ending fall surrounded with darkness that tried to corrupt my soul and Vymir itself. The person who cursed Shoji, is someone powerful, having even higher Authority Level than me... or maybe even Seraphim himself..."


    "This person probably has something to do with the Vymir Overload that happened fifteen years ago."


    Sebas gasps in horror, his eyes are wider than ever before.


    "That''s bad! We cannot just simply ignore something like this... that''s why..." He looks at me and Seraphina starts to speak again.


    "This person has some twisted morals and has taken a liking to you which surprises me, Shoji-kun. You seem so ordinary, unlike your friend over here..." She looks at Haruki but then looks at me again.


    I look down, clenching my teeth in frustration.


    "So Haruki is special, huh? He could probably take on Carmilla with no help at all... he also has Oozarith to help him..."


    "Yet you are here, cursed by some unknown evil entity. Then Shoji-kun... do you perhaps know anything? Maybe even the day when everything started to become weird... people other than us you''ve stumbled across... any subnatural things happening to you lately.... anything, just anything..."


    "She''s right Shoji, I am more experienced than everyone in this room, I''ve seen many things I shouldn''t... but this thing is the worst out of all of them. I want to apologize for not calling Seraphina earlier, but I''m also looking forward to you answering all of her questions, because if the one who cursed you, starts to do something that''s forbidden in the Peace Pact Lucifer and Michael signed a long time ago... then the next War between factions will begin, many humans will die... you guys both have your families, right? So Shoji, please be honest and tell us everything."


    "Kaori..."


    Haruki looks at me with worry.


    "I probably won''t ever understand what you''re going through, but I also don''t understand why haven''t you told me anything about it earlier... I don''t understand how important this conversation is... but be honest... just this once... please, Shoji."


    I look at them, my frustration replaced with determination.


    "Very well then, I will say everything I know... but I have actually come up with a way to confirm what I am saying."


    "We''re listening," Seraphina says softly.


    "Compelling Pact... I will make a Pact with you Seraphina... I will vow to say everything I know, that''s the only way to confirm the information I have. Do you agree?"


    "What''s a ''Compelling Pact''?" She asks curiously.


    "Shoji named the rule that Michael''s room forces onto your soul ''Compelling Pact'', it''s a nice name so we will use it from now on."


    "You''ve shown him the room?! Our sanctuary?! You''re stupid, or what Sebastian?!" She says in frustration.


    "Okay, okay! You two please stop arguing! Just make the Pact already!" Haruki says loudly, looking at the two.


    "Fine, fine!" Seraphina stands up from the chair and walks over to me, offering her hand.


    "Remember that you need to promise something in return, or else the Pact won''t work." Sebas sighs softly.


    I stand up from the chair, and I take her hand.


    "Now speak Shoji. Do you suspect anyone?"


    I look at her with determination.


    "I-..."


    The red-eyed blonde''s face flashes before my eyes and the light from my eyes fades away.


    "I haven''t met anyone suspicious, I have no suspicion towards anyone and I have no clue what my curse does,." I say coldly.


    "Well... that''s very bad then..." Seraphina shakes her head and breaks the handshake, sitting down on her chair again.


    "Huh?!" The light in my eyes reappears as I sit down on the chair again.


    "What the hell was that?! It''s just like my memories were wiped in that moment... I didn''t remember..."


    I tried to speak again, but I forgot that I wanted to speak again.


    "What the hell?! Is she preventing me from saying it out loud?!"


    "Well... that was underwhelming..." Sebas says in disappointment.


    I just sit there, looking at the ground.


    "I think that''s time for me to go. I need to report everything to Seraphim." Seraphina says as she slowly starts to become transparent.


    "Oh yeah, Shoji-kun. The Compelling Pact needed a hefty price, so I''ve placed a spark of Hilo inside of you, but it''s up to you whether you want to master it or not." She adds and then disappears.


    There''s an uncomfortable moment of silence in the room which Haruki breaks.


    "So... uhh... Father, can you tell us what happened to Shoji when I brought him here?" He asks curiously.


    "I''ve probably used almost all my Vymir in one go..."


    Sebas sighs and sips his tea. "Yes, you''re right, that''s what happened, but Haruki said that the thing that formed was a black Revolver or something like that."


    "Yeah! Exactly! It was cool! But then you fainted and uhh here we are?" Haruki adds.


    "So what? Like it''s not that big of a deal, I probably have almost no Vymir at all, judging by the fact that one spell drained all of it and was canceled three seconds later."


    "Yeah, you''re right Shoji-kun, but it''s not the thing I''m curious about. The thing is your capability of casting a spell you''ve never seen before or practiced before."


    "Is that something bad?" Haruki asks.


    "No, it''s just intriguing... that''s why I want to teach you two, how to use and control Vymir correctly."


    Haruki stands up, his eyes shining with excitement as he starts to freak out like a child.


    "Really?! Really?! Oh my God, I''m so excited!"


    I just sip the tea, rolling my eyes at Haruki''s childish behavior.


    "Fine, I can be your student Sebas, but under one condition."


    "Oh? A condition? Very well then, what is that condition of yours?"


    "You''ve mentioned that you''re an exorcist, that''s why I want you to teach us the basics of fighting a demon in two days." My determination comes back to me.


    Haruki smiles at me, his excitement growing even further.


    "Sure, then the first class will be tonight."


    I smile to myself.


    "I''ll learn how to fight demons... AND I''LL DEFEAT YOU WITH MY OWN STRENGTH CARMILLA!"

 012- The Priests Tortures Part 1: Body

    Sebas took the two of us to a training room that was in the church.


    I''m on the ground with Haruki, both of us beaten up like never before.


    We are breathing heavily, only clad in our underwear, our bodies covered in sweat and bruises. The bandage is still on my nose.


    "I can''t... ehhh... It''s too... much!" I say, my voice breathless.


    "You''re... right Shoji... I also can''t... it''s... a torture!" Haruki says, covering his eyes with his arm.


    "Oh come on, crying brats. I''m just doing what you two have asked me to do! Come on! Get up!" Sebas says, sighing deeply afterward.


    I slowly stand up, pulling Haruki up with myself.


    "Come on Haruki... we can do this... we''ll catch him off guard and beat his ass..." I say with determination.


    Haruki wipes the sweat off his face. "You''re right, Shoji. We only need to land one attack..." Haruki also sounds determined.


    "It''s not that hard to strengthen your bodies with Vymir, guys! If you two do not learn this by the end of this day, then there will be no dinner!" he says loudly; his voice shows that he isn''t lying.


    We both stare at him for a second.


    "We were never practicing fighting, nor any martial arts before, how are we supposed to defeat this goddamn priest!?"


    "Can''t you just show us how you do it, Father? I mean it would be easier for us, you know?" Haruki asks with frustration in his voice.


    "No, because everyone needs to learn this their way, because everyone has a different kind of Vymir, based on their soul."


    "Who even believes in the soul bullshit, huh?!" I ask, frustrated that I need actually to work once.


    "I can kinda believe that, you know? I mean it hasn''t even been a week and I''m learning something that I didn''t think was even real to begin with. Also, I''ve met an angel and I will exercise a wild demon in the future." Haruki looks at me with this stupid childish look.


    "Haruki... you really don''t know what you''re getting yourself into... you seem so happy, yet you''re in danger... you really shouldn''t do this... but why are you doing this?! Why is Hadeka Haruki doing something so stupid when he can have it all without risking his life?! For me... I only do this because I need to look after Kaori, I don''t care what I need to go through, but I''ll go through it just to make her happy..." I roll my eyes at him.


    Without any warning, Sebastian runs up to us and smashes our heads against one another.


    "Aghh!... Fuck you Sebas! Can''t you see that we''re in the middle of conversa-..." Sebas quickly cuts me off.


    "If it was an insane demon instead of me, then the two of you would already be on the ground in pieces, stop beating around the bush and just do it! Break your limits!"


    I fall to the ground, but Haruki is still standing, his eyes are wide open and his hands are curled into fists.


    "Haruki...?"


    "Oh? I thought that you''d be on the gro-..." A shiver runs down my spine and then Haruki punches Sebastian, straight into the gut with much brutality, cutting him off from finishing his sentence.


    "Huh? What did just happen... did Haruki just do it? Huh? It was so fast... I can''t even process it clearly... but that''s... so..."


    The priest takes a step back and coughs a couple of times. He then looks Haruki up and down.


    Haruki doesn''t say anything, he just looks at the priest with his eyes wide open.


    "Feels good, doesn''t it Haruki-kun? You can go take a shower and eat something, you pass." Sebas says calmly and spits on the ground.


    Haruki shakes out of whatever he is feeling in this moment and he looks at the priest with confusion. "It felt... like I was able to do anything, lift mountains and even, but at the same time I felt a lot of anger..."


    "That''s good Haruki, that''s good. Engrave this feeling in your memory, it''ll help you strengthen your body in the future."


    Haruki walks over to the priest and gives him a respectful bow. "Thank you so much, Father. Now excuse me."


    "I wonder what he imagines, to just do the thing that we''ve been trying to do for hours so simply..."


    "It''s so easy for him... and that''s so..."


    "You see, Shoji? Haruki is very talented, I wonder why can''t you do the same... after all similar people attract each other, and you two seem like you''ve been friends for a long time."


    I curl my hand into a fist and I hit the ground.


    "ITS SO FUCKING FRUSTRATING! I WANT TO BE LIKE YOU, HARUKI! I WANT TO ATTRACT GIRLS! I WANT TO LEARN AS FAST AS YOU DO! I WANT TO HAVE A SERVANT JUST LIKE YOU! SO WHY CAN''T I HAVE IT ALL IF YOU CAN, HUH?!"


    I stand up from the ground as fast as I can, swinging my arms towards the priest, but he just keeps moving out of the way.


    "Let me fucking hit you, Sebas!" I scream at him, but he dodges again and hits me in the gut.


    I fall to the ground and he sighs again.


    "You call this determination? I''ve seen many people like you, Shoji Nakamura... but do you know what I did with them?"


    "Threw them out and never taught anything again."


    I hit the ground, standing up again.


    "SHUT THE FUCK UP! I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU, SEBAS! I''M DONE! I''M DONE BEING KNOCKED DOWN LIKE THAT!"


    "Hoho... that''s more like it, Shoji-kun."


    I try to land an attack so many times that I can''t even count. I''ve been knocked down over and over again, my frustration growing even more along with Sebastian''s taunts getting even worse as the seconds turned into minutes and then into hours.


    "Fuck you, Sebas!" I throw yet another punch, but after so much time, I''m even slower than a drunk bum. My body is all in bruises and I''ve even got a black eye.


    He punches me yet again, but this time even harder than ever before.


    I drop onto the ground, spitting out some blood, but this time I don''t even move anymore.


    "I give up..."


    "Shoji, you know that you smell like a demon, Seraphina mentioned that earlier."


    "I don''t... give a fuck..."


    "Do you understand what I''m implying, Shoji-kun?"


    "The fuck... are you talking about... Sebas..."


    "The demons might want to learn things about you."


    "It can lead them to your house... to your family..."


    My eyes widen as I understand what is he talking about. "Kaori..."


    "Exactly. If you will not start to work on yourself and give it your best, then she will die, and her blood will be on your hands." He kicks my face softly.


    "So stand up, and show it to me, show me what you''re made of Shoji-kun."


    "It''s your last chance."


    I bite my lip so hard that it starts to draw some blood.


    I slowly stand up as still memories of Kaori''s horrified face, covered in blood and tears are flashing before my eyes.


    "He''s right... I need to give my best, for my little sister... I can''t let anything like this happen ever again... I can''t let her cry like this ever again!"


    Suddenly a purple magical string appears before my eyes. It looks like the one from the white realm, tho it''s not black, but purple.


    I take a long and deep breath as I close my eyes, grabbing the string with my soul itself.


    My body suddenly feels so light and my mind is clear of even the smallest negative thoughts, almost as if I had reached eternal peace.


    "So that''s your answer, huh?" Sebas says, clearly disappointed, and launches his fist toward my face.


    I open my eyes and everything seems to slow down.


    "I see it... his punch... the direction... I just need to..."


    Before the punch connects with my face, a shiver runs down my spine and I step out of the way at the last moment. I did it so fast, that it almost looked like my body turned into liquid.


    "That''s amazing! Woah! This feeling is better than a fucking orgasm!"


    The priest''s eyes widen in surprise, but it''s too late for any reaction.


    I punch him straight in the nose with all the strength I have left.


    He doesn''t even flinch back, nor even get hurt, but his eyes are wide open.


    I start to feel very dizzy and my vision starts to get very messy. "Oh shit..." I collapse onto the ground, barely holding onto my consciousness.


    He reaches his hand towards his nose and caresses it gently. He looks down at me in surprise.


    "You pass, Shoji-kun."


    A wide smile spreads on my face when I hear those words.


    "What did you think... that I''m going to give up, huh?! It was all just bait to catch you off guard, haha~! I will... become, the fucking greatest, do you understand... me, Sebas~?!" I say loudly, but then I pass out again.


    He looks down at me and laughs softly.


    "There''s a long spiky path before you, Shoji-kun. Tho you''re a really interesting case, maybe even more interesting than our top knight..."


    "You are something else, and I will be here to raise you from the bottom to the top."


    "Tho it won''t be easy for you, haha!"

 013- The Priests Tortures Part 1: Mind

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    I look at the young silhouette that''s sitting on the bench next to the young me. We are on a playground, many other kids are playing here.


    "This weird dream again?"


    "My brain is fucking with me, creating those damn dreams that have this person in them..."


    "Hey, Shoo~" The Silhouette nudged my shoulder softly.


    "What, now?" I asked, rolling my eyes at them.


    "Remember that if you''re sad, or troubled..."


    "You will always have me in your reach, okay?" They said kindly.


    "After all, I will always be there, protecting you from somewhere, you know?" They added, taking my hands in theirs.


    "...Yeah..." I muttered under my nose.


    The memory shatters and I sight deeply.


    "I don''t remember who it was, but whoever they were... they were giving some promises that are pulled straight out of their ass."


    Everything goes dark and I wake up, lying on some bed. I roll to the side, and then I see a beautiful black-haired girl with silver eyes staring at me.


    "Oh? Who are you? Why are we in the same bed?" I ask curiously, sensing that something is wrong.


    As I''m waiting for her response, I touch my nose noticing that it''s not broken anymore.


    "Oh... it seems that Sebas has poured some of what fucking water while I was sleeping... ehh... at least the bruises are gone, after all,l he beat me up real bad.''


    "Wanna get freaky, Shoji-kun?" She grabs my chin, leaning closer towards me, her empty eyes staring at my soul.


    "Oh... I think that I know what''s going on..."


    I look under the blanket, and then back at her.


    "There''s no tension here... there''s no way that a cute black-haired chick, totally my type in the same bed wouldn''t fucking turn me on... unless... it''s not a real girl!"


    I grab her by the shoulders and I shake her lightly.


    "Why are you doing this to me, Oozarith?!" I ask loudly in frustration, shaking her.


    "Oh. You got Oozarith, Shoji." Oozarith says with no emotion in her voice.


    "But that doesn''t stop us from doing anything, right?" She leans in even closer.


    "After all... master ordered Oozarith to please you so here Oozarith is." She wraps her arms around my neck, pushing her chest into mine.


    "So how do you like them, Shoji? D or E, huh?" She taps my chest softly and pulls the blanket on her head.


    "Why the hell you care, huh?! Just get off me, or I''ll throw you off this bed!"


    "Just think of me as a real girl, it''ll work, I can even fill the curves even more if you want, Shoji-kun." She lies her ear against my chest.


    "It''s not like Oozarith cannot be a girl anyways, Oozarith is whatever its master wants it to be."


    "So just imagine it, Shoji-kun, and then I''ll do the rest." She kisses my stomach, getting lower and lower each second.


    I close my eyes.


    "Whatever! Girl is a girl! Tho I can''t believe... it''ll be my first time... and it will take place in a damn church!" I softly grab her head, accepting what''s about to come, or who''s about to come.


    I feel my pants being slowly pulled off.


    The blanket falls off her, leaving us exposed.


    Suddenly someone opens the door and turns the lights on.


    "What the hell, Shoji?!" Haruki screams in surprise.


    "Huh?" I open my eyes, seeing him standing before me.


    "Oh... uhh... it''s just Oo-..." I look down and I notice that Oozarith is gone, and my hand is on my crotch. My eyes widen in embarrassment.


    "IT''S NOT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE, I SWEAR TO GOD!" I say loudly in desperation, waving my hands dismissingly.


    "Shoji! Why here?! Why are you doing this in a damn church out of all the places you! Couldn''t you just hold it for at least one more day, or try to do it in secret, not like this!" He says in disappointment and disgusted.


    "IT WAS OOZARITH! I SWEAR! IT TURNED INTO A HOTTIE AND WANTED TO DO IT! I SWEAR TO GOD! BELIEVE ME, HARUKI!"


    "Yeah, of course! But you wanna hear a fun fact?! Oozarith cannot leave the ring unless I allow it to! We are bound by a master-servant Pact, or as you guys like to call it "Compelling Pact", so it''s impossible for it to leave without me allowing it too!"


    "I SWEAR TO GOD FOR THE THIRD TIME THAT I''M TELLING THE TRUTH, BELIEVE IN ME HARUKI!"


    Sebas walks into the room, a look of anger and annoyance on his face.


    "You two won''t let me sleep, huh?! I wanted to let you two rest after this training, especially you, Shoji... but seeing you two soo active in the middle of the night must mean one thing~!..."


    "Oh no no no please!" We both plead at the same time.


    "...You two must be eager for the second part of the training, right~?" He says, his voice playful, but also has a hint of sadism in it.


    And so we end up hanging upside down with our legs tied to the ceiling with no way of escaping.


    Sebastian is sitting on a chair that''s in front of us.


    Haruki looks over at me with a frown on his face.


    "All your fault, Shoji!"


    "I''ve told you tha-..."


    "Ka Mida" Suddenly water appears on our faces, cutting our ability to breathe off.


    We both start to mumble as the Priest starts speaking.


    "This training will be slightly harder than the previous one, tho I think that you two will do it."


    "It''s harder because there''s a countdown to the end of your lives, how? Oh, it''s very simple! Organs start to struggle after one hour of hanging upside down, and the consequences are just getting worse and worse."


    The water disappears as he flicks his fingers and the both of us can finally catch some air.


    "This is a fucking torture, Sebas!" I scream at him.


    "Get us down! We will either drown or die from brain damage! Please, father!" Haruki pleads.


    "How can you even call yourself a priest, you mother fucker!" I struggle even more.


    Sebastian just sighs softly. "Ka Katr."


    Suddenly many small cuts start to appear on our bodies, some hurt less, some hurt more.


    "The hell?!" Haruki gasps.


    "The fuck is goi-..."


    "That''s enough time to catch a breath, Ka Mida." The water appears on our faces yet again.


    "The point of this training is for you two to concentrate your Vymir around your bodies to create an aura that can deconstruct low-tier spells, or natural phenomena, making them inefficient, or neutralize them."


    "I will begin with covering your mouths and noses for thirty seconds, and I will give you thirty seconds of being cut afterward to keep the two of you awake."


    "Of course, I''ll increase the time "underwater", decrease the "break time" and increase the duration of the cuts with time, so if you two won''t learn it quickly, then you''ll be constantly cut, even when being "underwater"."


    "This guy... this fucking priest is insane! What the fuck is going on today, huh?! I thought that I will fucking dip in the sauce today, but it all turned into torture very quickly!"


    "After 10 minutes you two will start having a headache and your backs will also be in pain."


    "After 30 minutes of hanging upside down you, two will start to feel nauseous and struggle to breathe in the "break time"."


    "After around 45 minutes your blood pressure will rise to dangerous levels, retinal detachment may also occur."


    "After 1 hour organs will start to struggle, just like I said earlier."


    "And after two hours there will be high chances of: brain damage, loss of vision, nerve damage, and many more, but the point is that you two will surely die."


    "So, what can I say?"


    "Good luck~."


    The water disappears and we both struggle to breathe yet again. "Ka Katr." We are starting to get cut yet again.


    "You... fucker... how... did... you... even... become... a... priest...?...!" I ask loudly, trying to catch some air.


    "Ouch... ouch... ouch..." Haruki eeks and looks over at me. "How come you have so much pain tolerance, Shoji?! It''s like needles are constantly inserted into your body!"


    I roll my eyes at him. "I guess you''re just more sensitive than me, it''s nothing bad!"


    "Ka Mida."


    The water appears again and I start to struggle even more.


    Sebas walks over to a turntable and turns it on. I immediately recognized this song, it''s nothing other than Mozart''s Magic Flute, which will accompany us for the next rounds of the "training".


    After 30 minutes we''re still hanging there, the music is still playing, but we''re both starting to finally get a grasp on it.


    We''ve already manifested the aura, but it doesn''t seem to do anything right now, because it just blends in with the water.


    Both of us are in a lot of pain and our bodies are bloody, just like if we were walking in between thorns because the new cuts landed on the old ones.


    In the past 30 minutes we''ve been "pulled underwater" about 20 times, but the "break time" was shortened so much that it''s only 5 seconds now.


    I close my eyes as I hold my breath, flinching from the pain, feeling nauseous and sick.


    "How the fuck do I neutralize water with my "aura"?! It''s fucking insane... Think Shoji think!"


    "If you won''t think of anything right now then we both will die! I''m so fucking stupid! Oh my god! In some time, we won''t even be able to get oxygen..."


    "Wait...? Oxygen?"


    "Water..."


    "Two Hydrogen atoms and one Oxygen atom..."


    "He said... "The point of this training is for you two to concentrate your Vymir around your bodies to create an aura that can deconstruct low-tier spells, or natural phenomena, making them inefficient, or neutralize them." That fucking priest! He tricked us! He could''ve just said it straight away!"


    Suddenly the water disappears and I scream to Haruki, screaming those words as fast as I can.


    "HARUKI, H? + O! RECONSTRUCT THE SPELL BY TAKING AWAY THE TWO ATOMS OF HYDROG-..."


    Sebastian gasps in surprise and amazement.


    "Ka Mida!" He says loudly and the water appears on our faces yet again, but it''s too late because Haruki already knows the answer.


    "Imagine it... Nakamura Shoji... two atoms of Hydrogen and one atom of Oxygen in my purple aura... now reach your hand towards the Hydrogens... and rip them out!" I rip the Hydrogens out of my aura.


    I take a deep breath, finally having good access to the oxygen.


    "Shoj! We can finally breathe! It was a hell of a torture! We can finally go to sleep now haha~" Haruki says with a wide smile on his face, tears of happiness dropping from his forehead.


    "Yeah!"


    "Shit... this feels amazing... the water is still there... but only partially... the aura separates me from the water, preventing it from affecting me..."


    "You two... have done that that fast?!" The priest screams in amazement.


    "Yeah, fuck we did! So take us off, you motherfucker!" I scream at the priest.


    Sebastian bursts out laughing as if he''s held this laughter since WW2.


    "I never said anything about taking you two off, right~?"


    "SEBAS! YOU FUCKING PRIEST! TAKE US OFF AND TURN THE FUCKING CUTTING SPELL OFF! DO YOU EVEN KNOW HOW FUCKING MUCH IT EVEN HURTS?!" I scream at him with frustration and annoyance.


    "He''s right, Father! Please! I don''t want to die or anything... please... just stop saying this stupid incantation!" Haruki pleads.


    "Incantation?" I immediately recall how Sebastian told me that I could cast a spell I''d never seen or come across. "He''s right... back then I cast the Yano spell, tho I didn''t even know it existed... I mean... I''ve just remembered the names Hilo, Yano, Mida, and the others... so maybe... just maybe..." I look at the rope that''s tied to my legs.


    "Ka Katr...?" The magical string appears before my eyes, but this time it''s cyan.


    I spiritually press the string in the middle of it and then I fall onto the ground.


    "Ouch...!"


    Sebas smiles and starts to clap as he slowly stands up from the chair. He walks over to the turntable and stops the music.


    "Ka Katr." He says softly and Haruki fallston the ground.


    "Ouch! My head!" Haruki says while rubbing the back of his head.


    "You two have passed this training, and the time is amazing."


    "Huh? What do you mean, Father?" Haruki asks curiously.


    "Huh? Isn''t he angry? This fucking excuse of a priest just hanged us upside down for half an hour!"


    "Well, you see, Haruki. You two are learning everything very fast, even faster than my first student who is a holy knight now, on a mission in Europe." Sebas says with a smile on his face.


    "You two can go to your beds or something."


    "Fuck yo,." I say loudly.


    "Shoji!" Haruki looks at me.


    "What?! He just hung us upside down!" I say in frustration.


    "We agreed to be his students, and this is the training you wanted!"


    "Fuck you too, Haruki."


    "You haven''t even thanked me for figuring out the aura thingy...!" I say with even more frustration.


    "Okay, okay! Thank you, Shoji!"


    "Now you can go fuck yourself Haruki! I''m now going to the room, to think about girls so don''t bother my ass!" I leave the room.


    Haruki gives Sebastian a slight bow of embarrassment.


    "I''m sorry for him, Father." He says softly.


    "No, it''s okay, after all, I was like him when I was his age." Sebas smiles.