Chapter 1
…Nothing
There's nothing...
...The space around "him" felt hollow, infinite, and unyielding, a place of silence where nothing ever moved or shifted. A cold, crushing void with no landmarks to guide him, no sense of time. It was as though his very existence had stopped mattering. He couldn't even remember what he was waiting for, but something had to break the stillness, something had to shift. And then... a loud whisper....
"Kei..!"
A voice, familiar, comforting, and annoying cutting through the endless silence. He didn't need to look to know who it was. It was her. Akari. The same voice that had always been his anchor, even when things didn't make sense.
The boy opened his ocean blue eyes while he scratches his light brown hair in confusion, as he found her standing in front of him, he saw admires her straight long brown hair and stares at her mellow red eyes, as the space around them still warped and strange, but her comforting presence—her voice—and the cold wind brought some semblance of reality back. Akari stood there, one hand on her hip, her face twisted in that playful exasperation he had always adored.
"What the hell are you doing, Little Kei Sleeping on the hard concrete floor again?" she asked, a teasing smile pulling at the corner of her lips as she pinched both sides of his cheek, playing with it.
Kei rubbed his eyes, feeling the weight of sleep cling to him and her playful touch, the confusion making it harder to grasp the moment. "Huh? Akari, what happened? Where am I? Are you ok!? In Fact Why are we here and why are you ok!?" Kei panics internally thinking of a million possibilities of what is going on, very much trying to remember what is going on, and why he was even worried for her in the first place? I mean a while ago he just slept here right? Nothing other than that happened? What the hell...what is going on? Why is his mind so distorted he internally thought.
But Akari cut off his confused thoughts "The roof, dummy and what's with you today." She sighed, but there was warmth in her tone. "You've been up here all afternoon. You're hopeless." She laughs haughtily very much intentionally getting under his skin.
Kei ignored her and scanned their surroundings, taking in the familiar sight of the school rooftop. The low hum of the city below them felt distant, muffled, as though it were part of a dream. But the image was too real, too sharp, to be a hallucination...but it feels so real that it feels fake...god nothing makes sense he internally thought, Akari's teasing smile and annoying laughter was the only thing that made sense.
"Yeah, guess I just zoned out," Kei said, his words trailing off as he tried to push himself up, still feeling the lingering heaviness in his limbs. "Can you carry me?" Kei asked Akari in the most feminine voice as he opened up his arms.
Akari rolled her eyes, offering her hand to him, clearly having no intention of carrying him
"But I want you to carry me" Kei insisted, moving his arm around like a toddler
"No," Akari refused, her playful look reverting back to her mellow look.
"B-But" Kei insists again, like a child not getting the toy he wants.
"NO" Akari sharply retorts as she ignores his request and pulls him up leaning with an empty smile? "You've been up here for hours, Kei. Don't even try to tell me you're still tired. I'm not going to drag you back to the sewing club room by myself"
Kei shudders at her empty smile and hesitated for a moment before taking her hand, his fingers brushing hers, sending a jolt of warmth through him. He wasn't sure why, but it felt different..."O-Of course not Sir I mean Madam!" he hurriedly responds caught surprised by her uncanny smile, whatever maybe he's just being paranoid today, he shouldn't think of such bizarre things...but though he does always knew Akari—knew how she moved, the way she talked, how her presence filled the spaces around them. But now, her eyes... they looked like they were staring past him, not quite focusing on him in the way they once did. Still, he didn't want to ask. Not yet. Not when everything else felt like it was crumbling. Not when his brain still feels foggy from that sleep...What the hell even is going on anymore....
As they walked down the stairs, the school felt strangely quiet. The walls seemed to close in, and yet the sounds around them didn't feel as sharp as they should have. It's like his world has been replaced by AI!? Pfft not like that's gonna happen as if those dumb ai can even replace the people around him! What if they replace his cute precious childhood friend Akari!? Kei sweats profusely at the thought of that as he takes a deep breath to keep his composure..."But what if all along I wanted to be carried by Akari but it turns out it's an alien disguised as her...God calm down Kei!" he quickly covers his mouth embarrassingly, as he just reveals his internal thoughts.
While Akari is just unimpressed by his overthinking attitude and leans closer whispering to his ear "Your annoying, your always overthinking as always Kei, and your thoughts are always bizarre, your weird definitely" she casually retorts with a straight face, as she breathe through his ears which felt very ticklish and backs off.
"Are you flirting with me?" Kei asked, scratching his head like a blushing maiden who had just discovered true love.
Akari puts her right hand to her hip. "Uh Yeah...no I am not flirting with you" she exasperatedly sighs. "Besides...you're the one who is actually flirting with me, dumbass." she retorts, pinching his nose. "Anyway let's get going now there's no time to waste, we have to sew those dresses for the theater club!" She pulls him, walking faster than before.
As they continued their walk Akari kept talking, her voice warm, light, filling the silence between them with jokes and teasing. But her smile didn't quite reach her eyes. Every so often, she would pause, a flicker of something unreadable in her gaze, before returning to her playful tone as if nothing had changed. He is glad that nothing changed since they were kids, they were still friends, always teasing each other, enjoying each other's company, growing up with their hobby together.
Kei prays internally.
...Oh please lord don't ever let anything take us apart...