Mystic Eyes of Death Perception
After summer vacation ended and a new semester began, my class was as lively as on the first day of school. There was a girl handing out travel souvenirs from her trip, and another trying image changes to catch attention. Looking around the noisy classroom, I spotted Mikiya. The black-haired guy wearing glasses that seemed more suited for an old man hadn't changed at all since vacation. If anyone was Mikiya, it was Mikiya, but even his skin looked tanned. “You seem in a good mood today too.” “Hmm? I guess so. Nothing much happened.” We chatted a little longer, then Mikiya went back to his seat. Well, it was right next to me. Unlike me, Mikiya got along with everyone in the class. There wasn't enough time to share the boring things that happened during vacation. Sadly, I had free time on my hands. The good part was knowing someone like me who had plenty of it. Shiki always sat in her blue kimono like that. Her refined posture made her look like a refined immortal. If you only looked at Shiki and Mikiya, it was hard to tell if they'd even taken vacation. I quietly stood up and walked over to Shiki's desk. As if sensing I was coming, she turned her head toward the window. I pulled out the chair from the seat in front of her and sat down. “Hey, Shiki. Did you have a good vacation?” “...” “I went to China for vacation. There, they sell knives. I checked it out, and it was amazing. Not just knives, but works of art.” At the word knife, Shiki perked up. She still stared out the window, but I could feel occasional glances at me. Even that was cute, and it made me want to laugh. On the other hand, it was good that all the effort hadn't been for nothing. No matter how ignored I was, it had been a month. Since that incident, she wouldn't reject me even if I sat next to her, and now she just listened while I talked randomly, but she did listen at least. I thought it was amazing progress. The only person who got close to that ice-cold Ryougi Shiki this quickly was me. Was this the power of love? One-way street though. The bell announcing the class schedule rang, and I had no choice but to hand over my seat to the owner. With regret, I returned. Boring classes began. As I sat daydreaming, time passed, and it was suddenly lunchtime. Shiki went up to the roof first. I tried to follow, but Mikiya grabbed my arm. “On the last day of summer vacation, a murder happened near the west shopping district. It hasn't been reported yet, but be careful.” “Now that you mention it, you said one of your relatives is a cop, right?” “Yeah. The body had both hands and both feet cut off and dumped. The culprit hasn't been caught yet.” Murder. If Mikiya heard I almost died, what kind of reaction would he show? The location was the school, and if he also knew it was Shiki, he probably wouldn't fall over from shock. Since that day, Shiki showed no sign of that. Until the vacation days, she stayed quiet like nothing happened, making me wonder if it had all been my imagination. I scratched my throat. The knife wound had healed. On the roof, there were still students. More than before summer vacation. Even on the noisy roof, Shiki was spending time alone, as always, in the same spot. “Tomato sandwich. Tomatoes are tasty. Mmm.” I wandered around the roof and leaned against the railing. I hadn't packed lunch today. I overslept. I could go hungry for a day, but quietly watching others eat was the real hardship. “Ah, I couldn't prepare lunch today, so don't worry.” “I won't worry.” “That's a shame...” As if trying to cut off my interest with cold words, but it was already too late. To really cut off interest, I shouldn't respond. Of course, even if I ignored her completely, she'd keep talking, but... “That smile. Kinda pisses me off.” It sounded like laughter. Shiki stopped eating the sandwich and glared at me. “Hahaha. I didn't notice. Maybe because I didn't eat enough?” Shiki drank water. I wandered around the schoolyard and suddenly remembered what Mikiya said. “Hey, Shiki, you know what? They say there was a murder in the west shopping district on the last day of summer vacation.” “Murder?” “The body had both hands and both feet cut off. Whatever. Just so you know.” “Even that could kill someone?” “Maybe from excessive bleeding or shock.” Shiki surprisingly liked gruesome stuff like murder or knives. Today too, I secretly thanked Mikiya in my heart. Was he really the love god? Advising me to call Shiki by her name since she hated her own name, and then telling me about a murder that ordinary girls hated, just to make conversation. Those were the things I never expected. “It doesn't sound like something to talk about while eating.” “Huh?” “I'm gonna go first.” After Shiki left, I stayed still for a while, then raised my arm and jumped. The kids on the roof looked at me like I was crazy, but I didn't care.
The season changed from summer to autumn, and my subtle relationship with Shiki advanced a little more. On a Saturday when I didn't go to school, I lay in the room wondering what to buy for winter clothes. I didn't care about fashion. It wasn't like I could buy seven of the same outfits and rotate them. “Now that I think about it, does Shiki still wear kimono in winter?” I muttered it out loud. I actually thought it was possible. If Shiki caught a cold and didn't come to school, there'd be no point in going. I sat up from my slouched position and checked my bank balance. I had enough to buy two or three high-end items. My parents gave me 1.5 times more than normal living expenses. The house wasn't rich. I wondered if it was because they left me alone to raise a kid like I was. Of course, I didn't spend money either. I put on the coat hanging on the hanger and went outside. I looked around the department store. I couldn't think of anything that would go with a kimono. Should I call Mikiya? No, I gave up. He always wore the same clothes. Asking a black-haired beauty about fashion was impossible. A clerk came over and asked if I was looking for anything, so I said I was looking for a coat that went with a kimono. The clerk took me around, but it seemed hard to find clothes that matched. “...Then how about this leather jacket? Sir? It has warm fur, so you can wear it fine even in winter~. The deep red color will make you even more attractive!” I raised my eyebrows. This person probably just wanted to sell me something and send me off. Annoyance kept flowing from the end of my sentences. I had no choice. I asked for the average women's size. Shiki really had the perfect body. It should fit perfectly. The price was ridiculously expensive. I walked home through the night streets with a plastic bag. The sun set fast and the night air was cold. I mingled with the crowd and slowly went home. What caught my eye was an alley beside the road. It looked ordinary, but strangely I wanted to go in. “Hey there, sir. Want to have your fortune told?” “Eh?” At the end of the turning alley was an old woman with white hair. She had one crystal ball on the table and was staring at me steadily. I raised my eyebrows. Something alien felt coming from her. “You too have an unusual power, don't you?” “Who are you?” “I'm a fortune teller. Not one of those cheap con artists you know, but a real one.” I was surprised. This old lady was serious. Unlike smooth talkers who only wanted to swindle, there was no wavering in her words. I felt her dignity and pride. The old lady rested her chin on one hand and toyed with the crystal ball in the other with ease. She dramatically raised both arms high, then lowered them instantly under the table. “You'll get into big trouble because of those eyes.” “!” I rushed right in front of her. Through the mesh, her face was hidden. She seemed to be smiling. “You want to avoid it?” “...” No need to say it. Because of these eyes, the same thing happened, and I hated it more than dying. “Stay away from the woman you're starting to feel affection for. As far as possible. That'll solve it.” “....... I can't do that.” “Why?” Why? Just because Ryougi Shiki was pretty? Because I liked her rationally? There was no such emotion. But.... “Because I already know.” Know what? The old lady rested her folded hands on her chin and looked at me interestedly. I blurted it out without thinking. “At first, I just liked her rationally. Because she was beautiful. But on the day Shiki tried to kill me, I realized. She carries pain like I do. If I have pain about human relationships, that kid was probably worrying about some special point of hers.” “That's interesting. So what is that special point?” “I don't know either. My ability can't figure it out. The emotions Shiki felt when she put a knife to my neck that day were joy. She felt joy in killing me. But she didn't kill me. She hesitated and felt guilt about the act of murder.” “Liking murder but hating it.... You're not an ordinary girl. But you're saying that point isn't why Shiki likes murder?” “There must be something else. Definitely.” After listening to my rambling, the old lady laughed loudly. She laughed so hard I worried it would strain her body. After a while, when she stopped laughing, she said I didn't need to pay. It was her reward for hearing an interesting story for the first time in a while. I felt like I lost money. I didn't understand why I was explaining this so earnestly to a stranger. The time outside must have passed because fewer people were walking around. I had to go home soon. “Take care, sir. If you have no intention of staying away from that Shiki girl.... you have to fight with all your might!” The old lady's voice echoing along the alley wall sounded like the start of a play.