Rentarou Kawashima

“Oh, how I wish I had been born with even a shred of talent,” I thought to myself as Kotobuki High’s students were divided into groups of six for the school trip. Fate, in its strange sense of humor, dropped me into the same group as the girl I liked: Aya Yamamoto.

Aya—ace striker of the girls’ soccer team, top five academically, and even chased by modeling agencies. She was the kind of person who seemed born to shine.

And me? I was barely tall enough to pass for a high schooler. My only real sports victories existed inside video games, and I survived exams by skimming the razor’s edge of failure. At school, they didn’t even bother calling me by name. I was “Background Noise.”

“Yikes! Why is Background Noise in Aya’s group?” Kei Sawamura, the baseball ace—and Aya’s persistent, hopeless suitor—grumbled the moment groups were announced.

“Oh, please, Sawamura,” Aya’s best friend Haru shot back, smirking. “Aya wouldn’t want to be in your group anyway.” The class laughed, feeding on the tension.

“Not to mention, Background Noise here isn’t going to try anything funny. We’ll actually be able to enjoy the trip without a single worry,” Haru added, glancing at me with playful cruelty.

Aya giggled softly. “I agree. Not because I think he’s weak or anything, but… he’s more respectful than Kei.”

Her words nearly broke me. Did she just defend me? Did she… notice me? My heart screamed yes, though my brain whispered it was just politeness. For someone like me, even scraps of kindness felt like miracles.

Still, deep inside, the thought gnawed at me: If only I had a real talent. If only I had something… anything…
But the only thing I ever truly admired—the only thing I ever dreamed about—was magic. And in this world, magic was nothing more than fantasy.

Oh Gods, why give me a heart that longs for what doesn’t exist? Why make me this invisible, this ordinary?

-----X-----X-----X-----

The morning of the trip, the buses rolled out toward the mountain range where we were to study its ecosystems. Aya sat ahead of me. That alone should’ve been enough to make the day feel worthwhile.

Until Kei showed up.

He yanked me from my seat without hesitation and plopped himself behind Aya instead.

“Have some decency, Kei!” Haru snapped. “We may tease him for his… well, lack of talents, but that doesn’t mean we treat him like garbage.”

“Come on, he doesn’t mind giving up a seat for someone like me. Especially since my future girlfriend is sitting right in front.” Kei smirked.

Aya’s voice cut sharp and cold. “Me? Your girlfriend? Not going to happen. And even if it did, that doesn’t give you the right to treat him like that.”

For once, Kei backed down. Scowling, he yanked me to my feet and shoved me back into the seat. “Fine. Have it your way, Background Noise.”

-----X-----X-----X-----

That afternoon, we hiked to observe cliff-dwelling birds. A railing lined the ledge, old but solid enough—at least, it was supposed to be. The climb was exhausting, though vending machines dotted the resting spots along the path.

“I’ll grab drinks,” I offered, eager to be useful.
“Orange juice for me,” Haru said.
“A soda,” Aya added with a smile.

By the time I returned, my heart stopped cold.

Kei was with Aya. His face was twisted with frustration. She was rejecting him—again. Then, in a flash of anger, he shoved her.

Time froze.

Aya crashed against the rusty railing, and with a sickening groan, it snapped. She fell.

“Aya!” I screamed, sprinting forward. Kei bolted in the opposite direction, his cowardice leaving her to die.

I peered over the cliff’s edge. Aya was dangling from an overhang, fingers slipping. Without thinking, I threw myself down and reached for her hand.

Her weight nearly tore me in half, but I held on. Every muscle in my body screamed, yet somehow, somehow, I dragged her back up onto solid ground.

Relief washed over me. And then my fingers gave way.

The cliff crumbled beneath me.

I felt the void pull me down—until a pair of strong arms caught me just in time. Our teacher.

The danger had passed… at least for now.

-----X-----X-----X-----

Kei was dragged before the teachers, his actions condemned. Aya, still shaken, came to me later with gratitude shining in her eyes.

“Thank you,” she said softly. “You saved my life.”

Her smile was the brightest thing I had ever seen. For once, I wasn’t invisible.

Then Kei appeared. His expression was unreadable. “Hey, Background Noise… can we talk? Alone?”

Suspicion prickled my gut, but he looked almost… remorseful. Against my better judgment, I agreed.

We walked into the forest, the night alive with crickets. Eventually, the trees opened to reveal a still, moonlit lake. We sat by its edge, his words oddly calm. He spoke of apologies, of redemption, of making amends.

I almost believed him. Almost.

Then the pain struck. Sharp. Burning. My stomach clenched as warmth spread down my back, wet and sticky.

I staggered, breathless, while Kei leaned in close and whispered:

“Aya is mine. You don’t get to steal her heart. Not anymore.”

His knife had found my back.

-----X-----X-----X-----

Darkness closed around me. My thoughts scattered. Am I dying? Or fainting? Do fainting people even think?

If this was death, then all I wanted was a kinder fate in the next life. A world with magic, perhaps. A world where even someone like me could shine.

But then… a sound pierced the void. A baby’s cry.

I frowned. A baby? At the lake? That can’t be…

A voice echoed:
“It seems you are finally ready.”

Was it God? Or a hallucination?

When I opened my eyes again, I was no longer lying on the forest floor. Instead, I was cradled in the arms of a young woman with light-brown hair. Beside her stood a man with fiery red hair and kind eyes.

He smiled warmly at me. “Welcome to this world, Alex Redcliffe. Our son.”