I walk over to the man cautiously, making sure not to let my guard down for even a second.
"Yo shounen!"
"Yo…"
"Relax, no need to be so jittery.
I only called you over to ask if you wanted to skip some stones with me, ahahaha."
The man laughs heartily with a big carefree smile.
Did this guy call over a random high school student just to skip stones?
He must be a strange person after all.
"Actually, I need to hurry back home…"
That's a lie. I have plenty of time before dinner, but I want to get away from this guy as soon as possible.
"Now now, don't be so cold. I'm sure a high school student like you has one or two worries burdening them right?"
"Why not let off some steam by skipping stones?"
Well, he technically isn't wrong…
And if I go home while feeling annoyed my mom will definitely pick up on it. Knowing her, she won't let it go until I tell her what's wrong. I would rather avoid that.
I don't really trust this guy, but at the very least I can tell he doesn't have any ulterior motives.
I weigh my options before ultimately deciding to play along with his antics for my own benefit.
"Fine, pass me some stones."
" 'My man' "
The man gives me a thumbs up and says something in what I presume is English.
I got an astounding D grade in English class last year so I obviously have no idea what he just said.
(*note: any word or phrase from Taijin with ' by it is in English.)
I hesitantly sit down on the grass beside him and he gives me a handful of stones to throw.
"I'm Taijin. Itou Taijin. You can just call me Tai-san though."
Yeah, that's a no go from me…
"Fuyuki Akira. I don't really care what you call me."
"Fuyuki…."
Taijin dropped his stones and is now looking at me with a slightly surprised face.
"What is it?"
"Hahahaha, it's nothing. That's a nice name you got there shounen."
"Thanks…"
He really is a bizarre individual.
(Splash)
I throw a stone across the river, and it skips twice before sinking.
"Tsk tsk tsk, I'll show you how it's done!"
(Splash)
He effortlessly skips the rock all the way across the river.
"Wow," I say nonchalantly.
"Hehe, pretty good, huh?"
"I'm in awe…" I sarcastically feign my fascination.
"So what's troubling you, shounen?"
This guy really doesn't beat around the bush…
"Where is this coming from all of a sudden?"
"Well, I doubt you would've actually stayed if there wasn't anything on your mind right? I don't mind at least listening since you kept me company and all."
I look over at the man.
He has an oddly gentle expression that doesn't match his appearance at all.
"…"
I'm not quite sure why, but I feel relaxed around this person even though this is the first time I've ever met him in my life. He has a strangely familiar calming
presence around him, which makes it easy to talk with him.
I contemplate for a bit, but I decide to just trust my gut.
"…Basically, my girlfriend's just overly concerned about something I already told her wasn't a big deal."
I probably should've been a bit more indirect than that.
(Splash)
I throw another stone into the river, and this time it sinks immediately.
"Since when is having your girlfriend worry about you a bad thing?"
(Splash)
Another flawless skip across the river.
"I understand she's just being considerate, but if I told her it's fine then shouldn't she just trust me and let it go?"
Why am I telling this guy so much when I just met him?
"…."
(Splash)
The man stays silent as he skips another stone across the river.
"Shounen. It sounds to me like you're just being ungrateful to your girlfriend."
I'm taken aback by his words.
Me? Ungrateful? What the fuck is this guy on about?
"What is that supposed to mean?" I feel myself getting agitated as I question him.
(Splash)
"Tsk tsk tsk, shouldn't you be happy that she's willing to worry about you to that degree? That's just proof of her affection for you, isn't it? For you to be upset that she's concerned about you is outright unappreciative."
"Wha—"
I'm dumbfounded at the moronic conclusion he's come to.
Who does this guy think he is?
What the hell does he know?
And why….
Why the hell does he have that damn smile on his face?!
A vast array of intrusive thoughts spiral through my head and I begin to lose my composure.
"That doesn't make any sense! If she wanted to show affection she would just trust me and drop the subject!"
I slam my hand against the ground and direct my pent-up frustration toward this person whom I've just met.
"Now now, calm down, shounen. No need to get so worked up. I'm just giving you my opinion, you don't have to listen to what I'm telling you. I'm just some stranger you've just met, after all."
(Splash)
He continues to smile, not even facing my direction whilst happily skipping another stone across the river.
His calm tone pisses me off. It's like he's talking down to me, which infuriates me even further.
What the hell does this guy know, anyway? He's a bum with absolutely nothing. And me? I have everything I could possibly want. So where does he get off lecturing me like he knows it all? He has to be talking out of his ass right now. If you were so damn smart, you wouldn't have ended up homeless now, would you?
Why am I even getting so worked up about this?
Something about the way this guy articulates himself reminds me of something I want to forget about…
His very presence feels like a slap in the face to who I am and the path I've chosen to walk…
"So what are you suggesting I do then…?"
"Nothing at all. If your girlfriend is worried about you to such an extent it's obviously for a reason. If you can't even figure out that reason, then aren't you the one being inconsiderate here?"
"…"
That's it.
I'm done listening to this guy.
Getting angry at him isn't going to help, nor will it change anything, but I can't stand listening to him patronize me any longer with that damn upbeat attitude.
I'm going home.
I silently stand up and turn to walk away.
"Leaving already, shounen?"
"I am."
(Sigh)
The man sighs and lays back on the grass with his eyes closed and hands behind his head.
"Listen shounen. I'll give you one last piece of advice. You can ignore everything else I've said today, but remember this…"
I keep my back turned toward him, but I momentarily stop walking to hear what he has to say.
"Small gestures of gratitude can go a long way."
"…"
Why did I even bother listening…
"Just try to keep that in mind, shounen."
I walk away without another word.
"I'm always here if you feel like talking or skipping some stones!"
"No thanks, I would rather if we didn't speak to each other ever again."
I silently curse him in my head one last time as I make my way home feeling even more agitated than before.
******
FUYUKI AYASE
"Thanks, Aki~ Alright, love ya, bye-bye."
(Click)
"Now then, tonight I'll make Hamburg Steak."
I wash my hands and start to prepare the ingredients. "Let's see, ground beef check, panko breadcrumb check, and sauteed onions check.
"I'm pretty sure I recently bought Worcestershire sauce."
"Fufu, I wonder if Aki will be happy. I'm sure he definitely will be!"
I feel a smile creeping up on my face as I imagine Aki happily eating.
Once I've finished all of the prep work I let my hair down and make my way to the back room.
"I'm back."
"How've you been, ___?"
"…"
I sit down in front of our small altar taking a seiza position.
"Sorry it's been a while since I've had a chance to speak with you like this, but I have so much to tell you!"
I enthusiastically begin talking to the picture in front of me.
"Listen to this, ___! Aki has a girlfriend now! Can you believe that?! Our son is finally growing up to be a man."
"You should see him, he's gotten so big now! Of course, that's thanks to my amazing cooking hehe."
I smugly rub my upper lip as if I'm boasting.
"Aki is in his second year of high school already, and soon he'll be in his third year, and then he'll have graduated…"
"Time really has flown by, I've been so busy trying to make sure Aki has everything he needs I ended up becoming an old lady, haha."
"Although, if you were here I'm sure you'd say that you would still love me even if I was an old lady."
"That's just the kind of person you were, ___."
"…"
"You know…"
"I really miss you…"
I lower my head and continue speaking.
"It's been tough taking care of Aki all by myself."
My voice starts to shake and I lower my tone.
"Even now we aren't doing too great financially. I have to get another job. Which I wouldn't mind normally, but…"
Before I know it my body begins trembling uncontrollably.
"I won't be able to eat breakfast with Aki anymore…"
"Seeing his silly face in the morning always gave me so much strength. I felt like I could make it through every day no matter how tough it was or how drained I felt."
"Now even that's been taken away from me…"
A tear creeps down my cheek.
"Hey… what would you do if you were here? I'm not as strong as you were. I'm a weak crybaby desperately trying to hold onto my last ray of sunshine…"
"I'm sorry… I didn't want to complain or vent to you. I wanted to tell you about all the good times Aki and I have had. All the fun experiences I've had at work and all the kind people I've met. I wanted to share the happiness I've felt raising Aki and watching him grow up with you.
"…But you're the only one I can talk to, ___."
"You're the only one I'll allow myself to show weakness in front of."
"I'm sorry…"
"I'm sorry for being such a lousy wife who can't do anything right without you here."
I reach out and gently grab the picture.
"From here on out, I'm sure it'll be even tougher."
"I'm sure I'll be even more exhausted."
"I'll probably come crying to you even more often than before."
"But…"
"I promise you one thing will never ever change…"
"No matter what…"
"I'll make sure Aki is always smiling…"
"I'll do everything in my power to assure that Aki is happy from the bottom of his heart."
"After all…"
I close my eyes.
"He's our precious son…"
I can no longer stop my tears.
"WAAAAAHHHHHHH…"
"I-I'm sowwy Aki, your mom is such a failure…"
"I'm so sowwy, I'm such a weak and pathetic mother."
"I jus wadda see you happy Aki…"
Tears and snot paint my face, rendering me unable to properly speak.
"Please… please don't hate me, Aki…"
"I'm sowwyyy..."
"I'm sowwyy.."
"I'm sowwy."
"I'm…(sniff) so sorry Aki…."
"—Waaaahhhhhhhhhh…"
How long has it been since I've cried?
I can't even remember.
All this time I've smiled in front of Aki.
All this time I've held these feelings inside.
And all this time…
I've been hurting so much.
I'm sorry, Aki.
Your mom isn't as super as she pretends to be.
I'm sorry for deceiving you, but I don't want you to see me like this.
I want to keep smiling in front of you…
I want us to keep smiling together.
I bring the picture to my chest and gently embrace it.
"This isn't good… I need to start cooking dinner…"
I try to get up, but my body isn't listening to me.
"Sorry, just a little longer, I want to be with you just a little longer,___."
I continue to cry whilst holding on tightly to the one who isn't here anymore.
******
FUYUKI AKIRA
"I'm home…"
I've arrived back home.
(Sniff Sniff)
Something smells really good.
"Welcome home, Aki!"
"Did you have a good day at school?"
My mom greets me in her usual happy tone.
See, I told Kyoko she was just fine…
"It was alright, just a normal first day."
I ended up walking around for an extra hour before coming home in order to regain my composure.
"Is that so? You saw Kyoko today, didn't you?"
"Yeah…"
"Hmmm… things must be going well between you two.
She smirks at me, lifting up both of her eyebrows.
I recall the kiss Kyoko gave me at lunch.
"…"
My face instantly starts to feel hot.
"Oh my, you're a naughty boy Aki~"
"N-No it's not like that!"
"Fufu, I'm only teasing. Come to the table after you've gotten changed. We can talk over dinner. I made Hamburg Steak today!"
"You've been really going all out with meals lately, huh?"
I take off my shoes and walk inside.
"Anything for my favorite son!"
"I'm your only son…"
"Oh, I suppose that's true teehee."
How old is she again?
I make my way up to my room and change out of my school clothes. I throw on a t-shirt and some basketball shorts.
(Ding)
"A message?"
"Ah."
It's from Kyoko.
(K)"Good evening Akira-kun."
(K)"I apologize for the sudden request today."
(K)"How was Ayase-san?"
(A)"She was totally fine, no worries."
(K)"That's wonderful!"
(K)"Are you… mad at me Akira-kun?"
(A)"No Kyoko… I was just being childish. I'm sorry."
(K)"Hehe, it's alright~ I'll make lunch for you tomorrow as a token of my gratitude."
(A)"I'll look forward to it then."
(K)"Leave it to me!"
Now then, I wonder what mom wants to talk about today.
"…"
I get an uncanny feeling in my stomach all of sudden.
"I'm sure it's nothing serious… right?"
I can't shake off this impending feeling creeping up on me.
"Ahhh whatever, no point standing up here."
I head downstairs, ignoring the feeling looming inside of me.
"TAADAA! Behold my masterpiece."
"Woah!"
Mom really went all out today.
The Hamburg steak looks really good. She also made a bunch of side dishes to go with it.
"Now, don't be shy, come sit down Aki."
She walks over to me and leads me to my seat.
She's being surprisingly nice, even for her standards.
I take a seat.
My mom shortly follows and we both bless the food.
"Let's eat!"
I immediately start to dig in.
The Hamburg Steak is really good!
The texture is amazing and it's loaded with flavor.
These side dishes are great as well.
She made rice, fried egg, potatoes, and steamed veggies.
"This is really good!"
"I'm glad you like it, Aki~"
Just like this morning, I find her smiling as she joyfully observes me eat.
Does she really enjoy watching me eat that much?
The two of us continue to eat dinner. There's a strangely heavy air around my mom and it seems like she's been hesitating to tell me something the whole time.
I haven't ever seen her like this…
"Thanks for the food."
I finish my dinner and put my utensils down.
"So…"
My mom flinches a bit.
She has barely touched her food at all.
"What did you wanna talk about mom?"
"O-Oh yeah, um actually…"
"Hm?"
I tilt my head, confused as to why she's being so indirect.
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," I suggest to her hoping she would stop acting so weird.
"No, this is important…"
(Inhale)
(Exhale)
She takes a deep breath and composes herself.
(Gulp)
The unsettling feeling begins to creep up from deep within my gut again…
I sit there waiting for her to speak with nervous anticipation.
"Aki…"
"Yes?"
"I'm getting a second job."
(THUMP)
I fall out of my chair from the shock.
"THAT'S WHAT YOU WERE TRYING TO TELL ME!?"
"Well… yeah."
"I thought you were going to say something more serious… jeez I was worried for nothing."
(Sigh)
I let out a sigh of relief as I get back on my chair with my hand over my heart.
The dreadful feeling subsides.
"So why are you getting another job? Are we running low on money?"
"Ahaha, no of course not, silly! I just thought I would start saving a bit more money for your college funds…"
"Ohhhh, I suppose that's not too far away now huh?"
"Exactly! I just thought it would be better to start now."
"Ok, I understand. I don't have any objections."
"Good luck with your new job, mom."
I give her a thumbs up and stand up.
"W-Wait… that's not all."
"Hmm? Was there something else?"
"No… well yes, but it's pertaining to the job."
I sit back down.
"I'll have to go into my office job much earlier now…"
"Uh-huh." I nod, waiting for her to get to the point.
"So, starting tomorrow I probably won't be able to eat breakfast with you anymore…"
"Of course, I'll still make it and leave it for you in the morning!"
"But we won't be able to eat together anymore, with the exception of my one day off…"
Her head is now downcast and I can't see her face.
"What, that's all?"
"Huh?"
She lifts her head back up with a surprised expression.
"But I thought…"
"I thought you would be upset about it…"
"Why would I be upset about that? You're getting a second job for my sake."
"And besides, it's not that big a deal in the first place. It's just one meal right?"
"That's…"
"Is that so…haha."
"Well, that's a relief."
She's smiling again, but I sense a hint of sadness behind it.
"HRGH"
"Well, I'm glad I got that off my chest! That's all I wanted to say. Although, we can always talk about your love life if you want hehe. Your mom's pretty good at giving romantic advice, ya know?"
And just like that, she's back to her usual self…
"No thanks."
"Awww don't be so cold Akiiii."
She hugs me and rubs her cheek against mine.
"Mmm! Cut it out, mom!"
"Ahahaha sorry sorry."
"Well if that's all, I'm gonna head to bed."
"Alright, good night, Aki, sweet dreams! I love you!
"Ugh…"
I quickly walk away to hide my embarrassment.
"Heyyyy Aki? C'mon, you forgot to say you love me back!"
"No way can I say something embarrassing like that when you ask me to!"
"Awww…" I turn around to see her pouting like a child.
Jeez, just what is she expecting me to say…
Once I finish brushing my teeth and washing my face, I hop into bed.
I think about how my day will go tomorrow.
"Kyoko's making me lunch huh?"
I wonder what kind of food she'll make…
I silently continue to envision it until I've dozed off.
******
Where am I?
I look around and find myself in a familiar place.
"This dream again…"
I subconsciously start to look for the figure.
The bright and vibrant figure that lights this world of darkness.
"There it is!"
"HEY!!!"
I call out to the figure.
"…"
"Huh?"
The figure is… crying?
It looks at me for a few more seconds before reaching out its hand."
"Does it… want me to follow it?"
I try to take a step forward but something stops me.
"What the—" someone's grabbing my arm.
"Let go of me you bastar—."
I violently turn around to locate what's restraining me.
"…"
There's another figure.
Contrary to the one behind me, this one is dark and I can feel nothing but regret and sadness coming from it.
"LET GO OF ME!" I try to pull my arm away by force.
"…."
The figure shakes its head "No"
"What do you mean no?!"
I turn back toward the bright figure.
It slowly retracts its hand and now has its head downcast.
"Wait!!! I'm coming with you!"
"I'll get this thing off me right now!"
The figure turns around and begins walking away.
"W-Wait! Don't leave! Please!!!"
I desperately try to pull my arm free.
"PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME BEHIND!!!"
"—please…don't leave."
Soon the figure is out of sight.
I feel an insurmountable amount rage boiling up inside me as I get ready to attack the figure holding onto me.
"You fucking bastard!"
"…"
"What the—?"
The figure is no longer there when I turn around.
Instead, there is a mirror.
Tears are coming down my eyes and my face is in a complete state of disarray.
"Where the hell did it go?"
Suddenly I hear a voice.
"There's no going back anymore."
The figure reappears behind me.
"Huh?"
"What does that mean?"
"Treasure the things around you, otherwise you'll lose everything."
There's an immense amount of sorrow and remorse in its voice.
"I have no idea what you're talking about, but because of you, that figure left me behind, you asshole!"
I walk up to the figure and grab it by the shoulders.
"…"
The figure points to something.
"Hm?"
I look in the direction it's pointing to.
There sits an ashen white dining table, but what catches my attention is the sole item that rests on top of it.
"An hourglass?"
All the sand is at the top and it doesn't seem to be moving at all.
"I don't get it…"
I try to grab the hourglass.
(Flash)
There's a huge flash and the world begins crumbling.
"W-What's going on!?"
I look around for the figure, but it is no longer present.
Soon my field of vision blurs and the ground beneath my feet crumbles away as my body is enveloped by a sinking feeling.
I look down, only to find my feet are no longer touching the ground.
I'm dead.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
I'm falling quickly toward the bottom with no way of getting back up.
"No!"
"No!"
"No!"
"I don't wanna die! I don't wanna die! I don't wanna die!"
Despair sinks into my soul as I lament the inevitable doom that awaits me at the bottom.
I look around for something to grab onto. Anything.
In my desperate panic, I close my eyes and attempt to grip the wall shrouded in darkness in hopes to slow down my fall.
"..."
"Huh?"
I open my eyes and look toward my hands.
Or at least where my hands were supposed to be….
"GYAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"
Both of my hands are ripped off by the velocity of my descent.
A searing pain shoots through my arms from where my hands used to be.
It feels like someone stuck a scorching hot metal rod down into my arm as blood spurts out, painting the wall a deep shade of crimson red.
"IT HURTS! IT HURTS! IT HUR—"
(Cough)
Liquid violently rushes out of my throat and nose as I begin to choke on my own blood, drowning in the depths of crimson purgatory.
"Cant… breath…"
I continue to rapidly fall in agonizing pain whilst not even being able to scream for help…
Until finally…
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
(SPLAT)
My body is shattered.
*****************************************************
(Chirp Chirp)
I'm woken up by the sounds of the morning birds.
There's a cold sweat running down my forehead and I feel nauseous as I recall the dream I just had.
"What the fuck was that all about…"
I feel like I'll vomit if I think about it anymore.
I look around my room and notice the clock reads 7:30.
"That's strange. By now she would have woken me up.
(We won't be able to eat together anymore…)
"Oh, that's right, she starts her new job today so she had to go in early."
"I can't remember the last time I woke up on a school day without her loudly intruding into my room. It certainly is much more peaceful."
I get out of bed and go through my usual morning routine.
Once I'm finished I walk downstairs into the kitchen where I see a plate of food wrapped up with a note on it.
(Have a good day at school, Aki! I love you! -Mom)
(Sigh)
"She really never changes," I think as I let out a small sigh.
I sit down and unwrap the food she's prepared for me.
Today's breakfast is more of a traditional Japanese meal.
"Let's eat!" I put my hands together and bless the food.
I turn on the tv and begin to eat.
"Today we will be looking at clear skies with a temperature of around 70 degrees with the high being 78 at noon in Osaka."
As I'm watching, I suddenly sense that dreadful feeling from yesterday slowly begin to overtake my entire being as I realize something is very, very wrong.
I look down at my plate of food and pick up a piece of fish with my chopsticks.
*Bite*
I feel my expression instantly darken and I drop my chopsticks onto the floor.
Memories of the previous day flash into my mind all at once.
(Can you check on Ayase-san?)
(Small gestures of gratitude can go a long way.)
(We won't be able to eat together anymore…)
(Treasure the things around you…)
(Did I…ever thank her for the food?)
A single tear falls from my eye as I realize something that sends a cold chill down my spine.
(Gulp)
"Why…"
"Why can't I taste the food…"
*******
Turning Point: First Loss
The Wheel Of Misfortune Has Begun To Spin.