Prologue.

"May I have everyone's attention, please!" the teacher announced.

Respectfully, the class shifted its focus towards the teacher. "The test results have come in... everyone has passed..." she said, placing the test papers on her desk.

A couple of students began marching their way towards the teacher's desk, followed by the rest of the students in the class.

"Someone got an... 100 percent?!" one of the students yelled out, holding the paper in the air.

"Who could that be?" A student questioned.

The teacher grabbed the paper, placing it back in the pile. "As I was saying, for our reward we are participating in a class trip."

The students began to celebrate, forgetting about the test. The bell rang, signaling the end of school and the start of the weekend.

"We will meet at the school tomorrow, 8:00 AM. Make sure to pack everything you need!" She announced.

As everyone retreated, one student, who was late getting up, caught the attention of the teacher.

"Itsuki... you can't fall asleep in all my classes," she said, her tone playful but serious.

"Sorry, I'm just tired from P.E.," Itsuki responded.

She chuckled, then gestured for him to leave. "I hope to see you tomorrow."

"Right..." Itsuki’s last words before the door closed behind him. The school was much quieter; a few people were seen throughout the halls. Itsuki made his way towards the exit, his eyes squinting from the bright sun. He began his way towards his apartment, not living too far from school.

Arriving at his apartment, he climbed up the stairs and knocked on the door. After a while the door opened, his younger sister, Takoshi Riko, stood in front of him.

"You look... terrible... which isn't unusual. But this—this feels different," she said, her gaze sharp, as if her eyes could find the answer.

"Do you have to do this—" he said, trying to move past her.

"Wait, let me figure it out," Riko said, blocking his way from entering. "Hmm, are you sick?"

"No," he responded.

"Sad?"

"No."

"Tired?"

"Correct." The back-and-forth was already wearing him out. "Now can I come inside?" he said quickly.

Riko stepped aside, allowing Itsuki to come in.

"Is Mom... still at work?" Itsuki asked.

"Yeah, she just called saying that she might be home late again," Riko responded, taking a seat on the couch.

"She's always been working late in this new job that she has. I'm starting to get worried."

This has been a recurring sequence over time... I should probably start working soon. Maybe that might take the load off her, Itsuki thought, the weight of the situation had become a problem.

"Yeah, same here..." Itsuki said.

"Anything happened at school?" Riko asked, breaking the awkward silence.

"I am participating in a class trip, something about our test grades allowed this opportunity," he responded, his voice sounding uninterested.

"You don't seem happy about it..."

"I'm not comfortable with sleeping in the same room as my classmates."

"If you stay like that, you'll never be comfortable with anything. Sometimes you have to take in opportunities that are given to you," Riko suggested.

I guess she's right and... there's no point in arguing about it. She will try everything to make sure I participate, Itsuki thought.

"Then can you help me prepare? I'm not sure on what to pack first..." he asked.

"Let me do the packing. You'll just get in the way," she said, a slight smirk appearing on her face.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

She chuckled, "Don't worry about it..."

Itsuki entered his room. The atmosphere was much different than outside. The room was dark, black curtains covered the sunlight from seeping in. Itsuki tossed his bag on the floor and fell onto the bed. Digging his face deep into his pillow, this small comfort was just what he needed. Itsuki’s breathing began to deepen, his body becoming relaxed and content.

"Wake up... please..."

A female voice was heard.

Who was that... that voice... It felt... lonely... The thought lingered, unsure of who the voice belonged to.

Itsuki’s eyes stirred awake. He wasn't in his room anymore, rather he was somewhere that looked like heaven or something close to it.

Itsuki sat up from the bench. He looked around his surroundings and for whomever that voice belonged to.

"What... is this place...?" Itsuki said to himself.

Everything looked surreal, colors were bright, almost blinding. The air felt pure, breathing felt addicting. The grass looked like an illusion the more you stared at it. And finally, the sky felt heavy, almost as if it was weighing you down.

"It is my palace... but it's more of a prison in my definition..." she whispered.

Itsuki jumped from the sudden contact on his ear. He turned around, now on the ground. A girl with ice-cold hair and blue eyes stood above him.

"Who are you?!"

"You can call me Aoi... as for who I am... is something I cannot answer," Aoi responded. She reached her hand out to him.

Itsuki reached his hand out but hesitated. "You said this place is a prison, why?" he questioned, picking himself off the ground.

"Yes, it does look nice—"

She paused, "but, if you've been here as long as me... it wrinkles over time."

"You're trapped here?" he questioned.

She chuckled, "I've tried... many times... and failed..."

The last thing I remember was going to sleep... before ending up here. All I can do now is know more about the situation I’m in.

"Am I the first person you've ever... seen here?"

"I'm not sure, not really good on faces so if there was somebody, I couldn't help you on that," she responded.

Great, that makes things a lot easier... he thought sarcastically. I'll have to ask more questions... I'm sure that she won't hesitate to answer any of them.

"Is there only this bench here... I don't see anything else."

"Yeah, it's where I sleep, so seeing someone else here is kind of aggravating—"

Itsuki's face lit up in surprise, "Wait really?!"

She smirked, "Kidding—"

Aoi burst out laughing, "You should've seen your face, ha-ha..."

Itsuki was caught off guard, the sudden laughter had made him question if she was being serious right now.

Aoi cleared her throat, adjusting herself to appear more serious.

"You were trying to sleep weren't you... I mean, that's how you ended up here?" she questioned.

"Yes, but how did you come to that conclusion?"

"You were positioned as if you were lying in bed holding someone... at your age, that level of—"

Itsuki cut her off, "I wasn't holding anyone... you must’ve been mistaken!?"

"That's what I saw... but, if you claim there was no one to begin with... then what was it, a pillow?"

"I-uh, can't come up with an answer..." he responded, his face growing red from embarrassment.

Aoi covered her mouth, trying to hide her laughter. "Pfft, it was a pillow... I never thought someone was that lonely when they cuddled with their own pillow."

Just wake me up now…

"I haven't had this much fun in a while... What is your name?"

"Takoshi Itsuki..." he responded

"Takoshi Itsuki... I've heard that name before."

"Really?!" He asked, eyes widened with surprise and confusion.

"4 years ago... there was a man that had that name, he often visited me from time to time. But then he stopped for some reason..."

My father died 4 years ago... this can't be a coincidence... right?

"Do you know what he looked like?" he asked, his face drowning in desperation.

Itsuki quickly closed the distance between him and Aoi, grabbing both of her hands.

"Whoa, you seem really intrigued.... does this person—"

Itsuki cut her off, "Answer the question... please... Do you remember what he looked like?" His grip tightened.

"Y-you're hurting me..."

Itsuki suddenly wakes up, sitting up on his bed, squeezing his pillow tightly.

What am I doing—did I...

"Y-you're hurting me..." Her voice played back in his head.

Itsuki was stunned that he actually hurt someone. Have I really lost it... No, it was only a dream... nothing was real...

Itsuki quickly shook off the guilt feeling, glancing at his clock on the desk. 5.32AM... I should start getting ready...

Itsuki gets out of bed, he feels exhausted despite sleeping so early in the afternoon. Entering the bathroom, Itsuki turned on the shower, the steam quickly obscured his vision. Stepping into the shower, all of the negative emotions washed off his body. The water looked as if it had darkened from negativity. His body began to loosen, becoming lighter as the water fell down to his feet.

After what felt like ages, he finally exits the shower. He wraps himself in a towel and heads towards his closet. He grabs an all-black t-shirt, grey sweatpants, Socks, and his only pair of shoes.

I remember Riko saying... "Black shoes go with almost anything, big money saver." I hope she's right…

Slipping on his shirt, Itsuki had second thoughts about this.

Will I even... have fun, would my existence of being there even... matter. I don't even want to go... so why am I forcing myself to? Is it because I want to change, become noticeable... Is this who I want to be...?