The Shooting Star

In the city of Tokyo...

A young man was navigating through a sea of people. Even though it was late at night, Tokyo was still vibrant. He pulled his black cap lower and his white mask higher, hiding his face. His baggy white hoodie made him look small.

The young man seemed suspicious, but no one suspected anything, except for a few passersby who briefly turned to look because the way he hid himself made him look like a celebrity.

As soon as he reached his destination, a bookstore, the young man took off his mask and exhaled in relief a he stepped inside, inhaling the scent of the books that filled the store.

He then glanced at the cashier, a girl who must have been a part-timer, chatting and laughing with a customer. He raised an eyebrow, seemingly confused. 'Where's that boy? Did he quit? Or is he not working today?' he thought, but he just shrugged and walked away.

The young man passed several bookshelves before reaching the section he was looking for.  His royal blue eyes lit up with enthusiasm as they landed on a manga book, the last one he had been searching for.

'Finally, I got this manga~ I tried buying it online, but it was sold out, and I had to go to several stores for this manga, huhuhu. Luckily, there's one left. I should have asked that boy to save it, but oh well, now I have it, so let's get out of here before-'

"Kyaa! Meowa-sama released a new novel!"

"!!!"

He flinched strongly when a high school girl suddenly shrieked with excitement beside him. The girl ran and then pulled her friend, who was next to the shelf.

The young man seemed to began nervous and quickly put his mask back on. He slowly tried to leave like a thief while the two schoolgirls were busy making noise about the new novel.

"Hey! Meowa-sama released a new novel!"

"What? When?"

"Two hours ago on his website", her friend immediately pulled out her phone from her pocket and looked at it with a serious face.

"Yeah, he released a new novel, even though it's only chapter 1. I didn't expect him to publish a new novel so soon since the last one just finished two days ago."

"Well, this is Meowa-sama we're talking about. His story is always interesting and makes me curious to know what happened next until the end. I want to read it when I get home!"

"I wonder if you like Meowa-sama because of his looks or his novels?"

"Both!"

"Oh? Meowa-sama? Why are you here?"

The two girls instantly turned towards the voice, which was the boy, then looked where the boy was looking, which was the young man, or Meowa, who had almost successfully left but froze when someone called him.

Meowa shot a sharp, annoyed glare at the boy who had called him, even though his cap slightly covered it, the boy could feel a shiver from the famous author's gaze.

He just sweatdrop and mumbled, 'Sorry'.

The novelist wished he could go and strangle that boy. If those two girls, his fans, weren't like the crazy fans out there, he might have entertained them for a bit.

The problem is, he wanted to hurry home to read that manga and didn't want to socialize with anyone right now, and just from his gut feeling. He knew those two were 'those' fans.

As fast as the wind, the two girls were in front of him, so close, invading his personal space and making him uncomfortable. One looked excited and the other looked calm, but her eyes were shiny with amazed.

'Can this day not get any worse, huh?', thought Meowa, facepalming at his luck.

"Those beautiful blue eyes... No mistake! It's Meowa-sama!!"

"Meowa-sama, can I take a picture with you? I've been your big fan since you debuted as an author!"

"Wait! I spoke to him first!"

"Whoever asks first gets it."

"Let Meowa-sama choose! Meo...wa? Huh? Where is he?"

They both looked around before their eyes spotted a manga book on the floor, then the sound of the bookstore door opening indicated someone had just run out from the sound of it. 

Skip...

In a residential area,

Meowa, the novelist who had just successfully escaped from his fans, let out a long, weary sigh. He felt a little sad because he still couldn't buy that manga in the end.

His body slumped as he walked slowly on the sidewalk, looking depressed as if there was a black cloud over his head. 'Looks like I'II have to go out tomorrow and search somewhere else, I hope there's still one left. I just noticed my favorite author releasing his new manga today. It's annoying me if I need to wait again a long time to get it or be released in digital.'        

"I spent two nights finishing the synopsis, cover, and chapter 1 for this new novel. If it weren't for my pictures leaking on social media, I wouldn't be facing such difficulties", he mumbled, sounding tired.

Meowa stopped his steps, took off his cap, revealing his fluffy, soft black hair. His front bangs were slightly long, almost covering his sharp yet soft, beautiful royal blue eyes. His eyes looked tired, as if he hadn't had enough sleep, yet they still shone with life under the moonlight.

His skin was pale white like snow, his face thin, but his cheeks chubby with a slight flush due to the cold weather, as was his small, straight nose. His lips looked moist, as if well-maintained with just lip balm, making them peach-colored.

He was stunning. Meowa knew many thought he was an idol because of his looks and body. That's why he hid his face as a mysterious author for several years until a few months ago, when his pictures were spread, he could no longer move around freely.

His peaceful, quiet, and comfortable life vanished just like that. Meowa sighed wearily again. Don't get him wrong. He loved his fans. Because of them, he had become the most successful young author of this century.

But he wished they could understand his discomfort when someone was too close or his desire to live peacefully, to walk freely without the fear of being surrounded or chased again.

'Are they my fans because of my novels or my looks? Seriously, how long do I have to live like this?' he thought, starting to feel depressed again.

Meowa wanted to continue walking after checking his smartphone, which showed 1 AM. 'Won't there be a shooting star later?', thought he again, but with a small smile.

"Maybe I can watch it", he mumbled to himself.

But he stopped when he realized his shadow grew larger and taller, indicating someone had crept up and was very close behind him.

Feeling danger and alert, Meowa turned around to see which fan was chasing him again, or if it was those two girls, but that thought shattered as soon as he almost fully turned to see the stalker's face.

He felt something sharp pierce his stomach, and... Pain. His whole body felt pain, especially in his stomach. 

The novelist was so shocked he couldn't speak, and no sound came from his lips besides a small gasp. His eyes welled up with tears from shock and pain.

He darted his eyes, trying to see the face of the person who attacked him, but his vision blurred due to tears.

The person pulled out the knife, making Meowa cough up blood and grasp the stabbed area, trying to stop the blood from flowing out, but it was too late because he could see a pool of blood at his feet.

Meowa then slumped to the ground as his legs gave up. He felt his breathing becoming shorter and it was getting harder to breathe. It terrified him.

His heart, which had been beating fast, began to slow down. His body started to get cold, even though he could still feel the warmth from his blood flowing. It made reality truly hit him as if a truck had collided with him, that he would die soon. There was no one there because it was late, and his phone was far from his hand to call for help.

Tears finally down. He could feel his time was almost up. It hurt so much. 'So, is it true what people say, that when you die, it will be very painful?'. His pale face became even paler, as his blood gushed out more, and his eyes, once shiny with life, faded as he slowly died.

He managed to glance up again, seeing the perpetrator still standing there, watching him run out of life with an expression he couldn't decipher because it was getting blurrier, and black spots started to appear.

His gaze was filled with anger, confusion, and betrayal. 'Why? Why me? What did I do? Who are you?' These were the questions he wanted to ask, but even moving his lips was difficult, let alone uttering a sound.

He felt his senses dulling, and the pain began to disappear before darkness enveloped him. His last sight was a beautiful, shining shooting star, passing over the perpetrator's head.

'Heh, what a beautiful last sight, huh?' thought he sarcastically, at his fate ending like this.

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