Nothing New, Just f*cking Life

Aiko POV

"Hey, Aiko, is everything okay?" one of my friends asked.

"Hm-mh, what do you mean?" I replied, glancing at her as we walked down the bustling street. The sounds of honking cars and chatter filled the air, while the heat of the afternoon sun pressed down on us, making me feel a bit lightheaded.

"You know about Yama-kun," the first girl continued. "Today, you seem distant with him. Did something happen?"

"Yeah, I noticed that too!" the second girl said, as she looked for an answer in my face. "What's going on, Aiko?"

Mizuki, always the straightforward one, leaned in closer. "Did you two get into a fight? It's rare!"

"I-I don't know." I stammered, feeling the heat rise in my cheeks as I avoided their gaze.

"Eh~?" they all exclaimed in unison. "Aiko, you're definitely hiding something from us!" Mizuki said, crossing her arms and giving me a playful glare.

"I'm not hiding anything! It's just... I don't want to talk about it."

"Aiko, that's literally what hiding is!" Mizuki shot back, a teasing smile on her lips. "Come on, we're your friends! You can tell us anything."

"Yeah, we're here for you!" the first girl added, nudging me playfully.

I sighed, knowing they wouldn't let this go easily. "Fine, fine! Just..." Suddenly, my phone buzzed in my pocket, interrupting the moment. "Give me a minute, girls?"

"O-okay?" they replied, a mix of curiosity and concern in their voices.

As I checked the caller ID, my heart skipped a beat. The screen displayed Kei's name.

Wait?! Why is he calling me now? I'm not ready. Did he want to say sorry? But it's my fault; I was just misunderstanding everything. I want to tell him I'm sorry. With a long sigh, I took a deep breath and picked up the call.

"H-hello, Kai? What do you want...? hmm, huh? Y-you must be kidding...?" My voice trembled, full of disbelief, as I spoke. Suddenly, I felt a warm drop of water fall onto the ground. Confused, I looked down and realized it was coming from my eyes—I was crying.

The tears streamed down my cheeks, blurring my vision as I struggled to process what he was saying. My heart raced, each beat echoing in my ears. I wiped my face with the back of my hand, but the tears kept coming.

"Are you really the Kai I know...?" I managed to choke out, my voice barely above a whisper. The world around me faded, and all I could focus on was the sound of his voice on the other end of the line, the weight of his words hanging heavily in the air.

"Hey, hey, Aiko, was that Kai? What did he say?" Mizuki stepped forward, concern etched on her face as I suddenly stopped speaking. "A-Aiko, what happened? Why are you—"

"Oh, it's nothing! Just something got in my eyes," I said, trying to calm myself, but tears kept flowing down my cheeks. "Girls, I'm really sorry, but it seems like I can't hang out with you today."

"Aiko, please tell us what happened," Mizuki urged, her expression filled with worry.

"It's nothing; I just remembered I need to do something," I said, my voice shaky as I turned to leave them behind, my heart racing as I hurried away.

***

Ren POV

"Okay, I understand what had happened. But why are you coming to me? You can talk to your female friends too." I said, trying to make sense of the situation as Aiko sat on the couch, tears still streaming down her face.

"*Sob* I-It's you who are the closest... one with Kai and me, *Sob* So, I thought, *Sniff*... you can help me." said Aiko, covering her face with her hands.

"*Sigh* What makes you think I could solve your problem?" 

"*Sob* I heard that every girl who confessed to you got a boyfriend within a month..."

"How is that related to what you are saying?" 

"W-well, I thought you can *Sob*—" 

"Okay, okay, first calm down..."

It's confusing, man. I don't know what I should do. I thought as I looked to my left.

"Destroy the relationship, Ren; it's your only choice," said the small creatures sitting on my left shoulder. 

***

A few minutes ago.

As I pondered what might happen to Kai, a small creature suddenly appeared, resembling a tiny girl with purple hair and red eyes, flitting around me like a mischievous sprite.

"What do you mean by "correct"?" I asked, trying to keep my composure.

"Hey, hey, are you not surprised?" She chirped, her voice light and playful.

"No, why will I be? I replied, crossing my arms.

"Hmm, you are strange," she said, tilting her head as if studying me.

"Don't suddenly change the topic. What do you mean by "correct"?"

"As it sounds, Kai is being possessed by the higher-ups."

"Higher-ups? Possessed?"

"Yeah, higher-ups possessed Kai to execute the plan, as you are taking it too slow."

"Okay. Then I said to them to stop possessing my friend." 

"No, it's not possible; you need to defend him."

"What do you mean?" I asked, confusion swirling in my mind.

"As it sounds, we cannot release possession if it starts; you need to defeat it."

"How?"

"Don't ask me! and you know, it's rude that you haven't introduced yourself."

"Same goes to you too."

"Oh, I forgot! I'm Sisha, your personal fairy.'

"Is this a fairy tale? Well, whatever, I'm Ren Tanaka."

"Hey, you forgot to mention what you possess!"

"Hmm?"

"I mean, you forgot to tell me that you're one of the players of the Soul Chosen."

"Soul chosen?" I echoed; my curiosity piqued.

"Oh, my mistake! Don't mind that," she said, waving her hand dismissively. Look like she told me things she wasn't supposed to.

"Hey, Ren, who are you talking to?" Asked Aiko, still trying to calm down.

"Oh, nothing. It's just me talking to myself." I replied, shi—I forgot that Aiko was here, but didn't she see this wannbe fairy?

***

The next day, as usual, I got ready for school.

Ding, Dong.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. I opened the door to find Aiko standing there, looking a bit anxious.

"Yo, looks like Kei isn't with you?" I asked, trying to gauge her mood.

"Yeah, Ren, did you try to call Kei yesterday?" She replied, her voice tinged with worry.

"Yeah, but after calling more than fifty times, he still hasn't picked up."

"Ohh, I... see..." Aiko's shoulders slumped, and her gaze dropped to the ground, sadness evident in her expression.

"*Sigh* Let's try to talk Kei at school; he must have gone too." I suggested, hoping to lift her spirits.

"Y-yeah, I can't let myself down!" She said, determination flickering in her eyes, though her voice still wavered.

***

"—zi"

"Present!"

Our homeroom teacher was taking roll call, and the classroom was enveloped in silence. The only sounds were the rustling of papers and the faint whispers that drifted through the air; they must have been talking about—

"Yamamoto." Kei's name echoed in the stillness, but no one replied. He hadn't been to school for more than three days now. Aiko and I had tried to check on him by going to his house, but when we rang the bell, no one answered. 

I somehow convinced Aiko that Kei must have gone on a trip with his family, but deep down, I knew what was really happening. 

"Tanaka, did you know what happened to Yamamoto? You said before that they had gone on a trip, but they haven't called the school. You know they need to notify us." said the teacher, concern etched on her face.

"Yes, I know."

"If you then it's go—"

*Rustle*

Suddenly, the door swung open.

Everyone turned to see a white-haired girl entering the classroom. She moved silently, but while the rest of us were shocked, she appeared calm as she approached me.

"Master Ren, may I have a word with you?" She said, her voice steady and firm.

"Why?" I asked, confusion swirling in my mind.

"I must prepare you for what lies ahead."

"For what?" I questioned, my heart racing.

"To defeat Kai."

***