Claire opened her eyes slowly. She stared at the white ceiling in front of her with a confused expression. She quickly get up from her position and sat on the bed.
Her nose smell a faint smell of medicine, and when she turn her eyes to her right side, she was greeted with a open window that showing a big, pink sakura tree that blowed slowly by the wind. This was a tree that her former high school chairman has planted.
She was shocked.
What's going on? Why is this tree here? wasn't it already cutted 6 years ago? Why is she suddenly saw it here?
Claire turn her head to observed her surrounding. 4 comfortable white bed that covered by curtains, twin cabinets that filled with medicines, full white room, and a sleeping woman on a desk.
there's no mistake. this is the infirmary room in her high school building.
Did she dreamed about her high school years?
She was in deep thought. Her mind keep repeating the last activities that she do which can lead to this situation until she realized something. Her eyes flashed for a bit. an understanding look formed in her face.
'Well, look like I'm transmigrated to myself 7 years ago. the cause... probably that'
'hmm... does that mean, I'm still in my school years? not yet received that fucking job?'
'Aha, ahahahaha, AHAHAHAHAHAHA'
'YES! YESSS FINALLY!!! FINALLY I CAN TAKE A REST! FUCK YOU JOB! YOU WON'T BE MISSED! FROM NOW ON, I SHALL LAZED AROUND TILL I'M SATISFIED!'
'yes, for now, let's go home. I want to lazed around'
She grinned for a bit, before nodded at herself.
Claire slowly get up from her position. Her ached body began protesting at her, but she ignored and instead approached the sleeping woman in her vision.
The woman was beautiful. She have a slim body, a beautiful face that have a tiny beauty mark near her cherry red lips, and waist-length long black hair on her back. this woman is her former high school teacher, Yukiko-sensei.
Claire saw how she have this foolish smile on her face while grinning like a fool, which makes her wonder what kind of dream is this woman have for to have that kind of foolish look.
however, as a proper and good student, she do whatever she should do.
Claire reach her hand to pull out her phone from her pocket then quickly took a few snap toward Yukiko-sensei.
After she finished, she put the photos in her private folder and quickly hide her phone.
Claire cleared her throat, and gently wake Yukiko-sensei up.
"sensei? sensei....? please, wake up...."
Claire keep calling the older woman with a patient voice. Claire herself have a really soothing and soft voice, so she took a minute full to finally managed to wake her sensei up.
"Nnn...." Yukiko-sensei let out a cute voice while she slowly rise up from her position. She rubbed her eyes with her hand while letting a cute yawn with a sleepy expression adored on her face. Claire smiled seeing this sight. she find this woman was quite cute. just like in her previous life when she reached 24 years old.
"what's wrong...?" asked her with a slightly hoarse voice. look like she still half asleep.
"I'm sorry for waking you up sensei. but I need your permission to go home now" Claire said helplessly. she have a troubled expression on her face which make Yukiko finally realized where she is.
"Ep....!" Yukiko-sensei let out an embarrassed noise. Her face reddened and she quickly covered her face with her hand. Claire giggled at her antic.
"wha-what is it? what are talking about???" asked Yukiko shuttering. Claire shake her head helplessly and said "Please give me your permission to leave early. I want to go home, sensei"
Yukiko face turned into worry "are you alright Claire-san? does your body still hurt? Should I send you home? wait, maybe we should go to hospital?"
Claire shake her head "I'm alright sensei. I still have a few ache in my body but it will healed tomorrow and no, you don't have to send me. my home was near here and I don't have enough money to pay the hospital bill"
"No! what are you talking about Claire-san?! you are rolling from the 2F stair! of course you would be hurt! Let me send you back! beside, I can pay your bill. you don't have to worry" insisted Yukiko. She was quite worried with this transfer student of hers that always hurt herself. but the person herself always brush it off like nothing. making her quite frustrated.
"No, thank you, sensei. I'm felling better now, but I need to go home to take a peaceful rest like you just did earlier" Claire said. The first part she said in a grateful and the last part in a teasing tone. She even grinned, making Yukiko red once again from embarrassment.
It took a long time, but Claire finally managed to coax Yukiko and get her permission to leave early.
Claire go to her classroom to take her bag home. She was greeted by her noisy, worrywart classmates and her strict homeroom teacher about her health. It took her a long time to finally put them down before she going home.
While on the way home, Claire mind keep flashing her life as a slave to job that don't even have a time to rest. she was quite sad. If she take a rest while the experiment still on, a problem might occurred and the experiment would go down instantly. that's why she can't take a rest at all. her last experiment was probably the cause of her death. after all, even after a week progress, the experiment still go on and on which deprived her sleep time. even her fit body can't take it.
however, Claire was glad that she collapsed. without her, now those colleague of hers won't have a place to put their blame to and just can shoulder it by them self. Haha, she can finally be free.
whoever deity that give her a chance of rebirth, Claire just can offered them her utmost respect. Look like she need to donated to a few orphanage as a thank you.
but with her situation now, she might need to take a few part-time job to do that. after all, as a poor orphan high school girl, she doesn't have enough money to do that.
Claire grimaced. look like she and job can't just separated easily.
oh well, she will check it later. for now, she really need a rest. both for her mental and physical body.
30 minutes later, Claire finally arrived in the residential area in block A. She took a quick detour to avoided a few punks that lived around and quickly go inside.
"I'm home"
A faint wooden fragrance attack her nose right after she come home. making her feel quite melancholic. it's been a long time since she come home like this. her job has been holding her back for years and now she feel the urge to just lay on the floor and sleep there.
So she did just that.
Claire doesn't care about anything and just lay herself on the floor like a starfish. a cold temperature of her marble floor transferred to her cheek. making her couldn't help but let out a delightful sigh. Yes, this is life.
*duk duk duk*
"Claire? You come home----"
and elderly woman voice stopped when the she saw Claire's lying on the floor. She have a shocked expression on her face, which Claire mirrored with her own.
Claire was surprised. Who is this lady? and how can she slip in to her house? She was sure that she has lock the door before, so how...?
Both a woman and a girl stared at each other in silence.
"....."
"....."
after a long time in a staring contest, the woman seems to give up and rub her temple tiredly.
"alright. I know that I give birth to a weird kid since a long time but I never thought you would forget your manner here. not even after years of my teaching" said the woman tiredly.
Claire face grew foolish with each of the woman word. what? weird since birth? manner? years of teaching? what is this woman talking about? is she crazy?
Claire feel uncomfortable with this situation. "Umm aunty. who are you and what are you doing here? no, wait, how come you are here?"
right after she said that, the temperature in the room drop instantly. Claire stared in shock at the woman face that turn like an ashura from hell.
She roared loudly "WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT TO YOUR MOTHER, YOU BRAT?! DO YOUR IQ LOWERING AS TIME GOES BY?! DO YOU NEED A BEATING?!!"
the woman then grab her slipper that she used and began approaching a shocked Claire. certainly ready to beat her. Claire quickly snap out from her stupor and began avoiding the woman furious attack.
"WAIT, WAIT, WAIT!"
"I'M SORRY I'M SORRY I'M SORRY I'M SORRY"
"NO WAIT, AUNT---- MOTHER! MOTHER! WAIT A MINUTE!"
The two of them began the tag play with the woman chasing and the girl avoiding. They keep playing the tag till both of them feel tired and flopped simultaneously in the sofa.
Claire was quite alright because her body still in her 17, but the woman was gasping the air like a fish that out from water. their body was drenched in sweat and both decide to not take any energy to talk with each other.
Claire honestly feel confused. This woman doesn't seems to be lying so she know that she telling the truth. then does that mean she have a mother? But Claire was sure in her previous life she was an orphan. that's why she was poor and can't effort to go to hospital. she doesn't have money to do that.
when she keep questioning her life, a gust of memories flooded in her head. she hold her head painfully, gritting her teeth to hold back a shout of pain. Her mother on her side already have an anxious, worrying expression on her face, watching her daughter in a painful state.
Before she can say something to her daughter. she saw her passed out on the sofa. Her mother was freaking out and quickly bring her to the hospital in a hurry.
--------
In the hospital.
Claire opened her eyes and greeted by a white ceiling once again. She hold her head painfully while grimacing at her aching body.
She just received the memories of Claire's in this world and she couldn't help but cursed at her nonexistence luck.
She know that she usually have a bad luck. When she know that she rebirth to 7 years ago, she thought that her previous series of bad luck has paid off.
She was wrong.
Her bad luck has multiplied in this life.
She let out a whimper of sadness when she imagined her life with this kind of bad luck. She now really really certain that she need to donate a lot of donation to orphanage. She just hope that her bad luck won't bring her to the previous situation that forced her to received that fatherfucker job.
Claire suddenly hear the door of her room opened and saw her mother face that filled with worry, sadness, and anger.
Alright, now Claire don't know what to do with her new mom here.
She certainly is her biological mother, but she have her previous 24 years old memory of an orphan which makes her quite complex at this. It's like giving someone something that he really yearn for when he was a kid, but you give him when he already get used to be independent and alone. it's make her don't know what to do in this situation.
Claire snap out of her stupor when she suddenly get hugged by her mother. she heard her mother crying in her arms that makes her more guilty and more complex. all she can do was hugging back the crying older woman while secretly say in her head.
'I'm sorry....'
'I'm not really your daughter...'