'What the hell is wrong with her?!'
After the absorbing her kick I was... the feeling was impossible to describe. I was on my knees recovering from her blow.
'Was she really the topper?'
It was obvious I was trying to help her but instead of thanking me for helping her she kicked me.
"Argh!"
I tried to keep my scream as low as possible and looking at my friend's around me it looked like I was successful in doing so.
After few seconds the pain lessened , Ken and Akio were confused by what just happened. They didn't see the part of me saving Remi and only saw me getting kicked by her.
'Atsu , always be respectful. If you give respect , then you get respect.'
For some reason my parents words rang in my ears.
'Don't get in a fight or any situation like that. Fighting is for those who don't have brain , and I know that you my son are definitely not brainless like them. Remember , sometimes words are stronger than hands.'
Their words- no their advice were definitely correct and I always followed them as they made my life easier and better.
'Slap'
'Well , Dad did say 'sometimes' words are stronger than hands.'
My right hand was burning hot , and all the frustration I felt disappeared.
"Huh?"
The consequence for my frustrations to disappear was Remi getting slapped.
'Calm down... let's calm down. She was the one who kicked me first , I can just say I slapped her as my self defence. Yes , let's just go away before anything more happens.'
It was simple 'tit for tat' situation she kicked , I slapped. That was all that happened.
'I tried to help , why can't some people just accept help? Tch annoying.'
I picked my bag and turned around to my home , Ken and Akio quietly followed and the driver also left.
"Hey Atsu , that was not cool. I mean hitting a girl is just... what if she tell everyone what you did today?"
"I don't usually agree with this dumbass but are you really okay with what you did? She can single-handedly destroy your reputation at the school if she tells everyone about what happened today."
"She pissed me off. We will see what happens tomorrow , there's no use stressing about it now. Goodbye."
I turned left while Akio and Ken went straight and we went our separate ways like we always did.
'My day is ruined.'
Just that encounter was enough to ruin my day , on my way I couldn't think of a reason for why she kicked me.
"Maybe it was cause my lips touched her nose?"
'It felt softer though , maybe cheeks?'
And this was the only conclusion that made sense.
'That stone made me trip over , if only I didn't trip and just resolved the situation with no physical contact.'
"Welp , there's no use thinking about it."
×-×-×
Some kind of annoying sound started ringing in my head , I couldn't hear anything around me. My right cheek felt hot. It was the first time I got slapped- no got hit by someone.
I saw his eyes wide open for a second but then they dropped and he was back to his normal self. It didn't make any sense to me.
'H-He was the one to force himself on me , then why did he slap me back?! Wasn't it self defense?! Then why...'
He turned around and was on his way back before I could even react. The old Remi would've been annoyed by his actions , but this time was different. I was a teenager with a mind of adult , much more developed and matured.
"Then again what can I expect from a guy like him."
I got up and cleaned my uniform a bit before walking back to my home.
'He always wore a sole expression of nothing , his laugh fake , his smile fake , he was fake.'
"Aaah! He pisses me off! Get out of my head!"
I looked around me and felt nostalgic walking on my home.
'A left from here... a right then go straight...'
The route to my home was pretty long , on foot it took around 15 minutes.
'Ah... it's the same. But I still can't wrap my head around what happened. Was it just a bad dream?'
"Well , if it was a bad dream then that was a freaking long one."
With the left turn I took next I was infront of my house. It was nothing grand , just a Japanese styled house with small garden. Right as I was about to open the gate I felt a person's hand on my shoulder.
The touch too was nostalgic , it was definitely him. Nobody had hands like him.
"You're pretty late today , huh."
"Dad?"
"Who else would it be? Let's go in together."
"Uh- Y-Yeah."
'How long has been since I saw him last time?'
My Dad was a hard worker , after life full of struggles he was able to open a small construction company. Before that he himself was a construction worker , which is why he believed that he was good enough to run a company.
"Let me get your bag for you."
"Oh hoho! Thanks Remi , I'm quite tired today. Managing a company is harder than I thought."
"Hah. Of course it is."
'Tired as always.'
'Ding Dong Dong'
Everything felt unreal , it was as if I was reliving my life. The same door bell with an extra 'Dong' at the end , same tired dad , same everything. I felt blessed.
×-×-×
"Well , atleast she's grateful. Father , I still don't see the point. Also why can't she figure out that she's been sent back to the past?"
Father turned his attention to me and said ,
"Us Shinigami's have experience death in every possible , that's how we are raised. Once old enough like me , we are taken to 'that' place and rest there , that's how the cycle works."
I still didn't understand my father wanted to say , of course it was common knowledge that Shinigami's have experienced death in every possible way. There was nothing special about that.
"We've experienced death , but humans only experience death once. We can't die , humans can only die once. Don't see them as Shinigamis , son. Death is a new experience to them and also their last experience."
It was eye opening. Somehow , it made sense. And unknown of it , I had already started doubting my decision.
"Just so you know I still haven't changed my decision."