Hiiro

Hiiro felt like he was falling.

Darkness cascaded around him, strange figures surrounded him. He was in pain, falling, and falling.

He was falling.

“O- N- I-!”

He felt like a voice was calling out to him.

But he was falling downwards.

Towards hell.

Where a demon like him belonged.

“I- CHAN!”

“WAHHHH!”

Hiiro’s body jerked up, rising in a sit-up.

His eyes adjusted to the light, revealing a familiar and comforting scene.

“This is…”

“What are you doing, onii-chan?”

At the sound of the voice, Hiiro looked to his side.

There, a brown haired girl stood, a white shirt and dark blue skirt on, she tied a pigtail with her hands as she called out to him.

“You're going to be late! I’ve already made breakfast; it's downstairs.” His little sister, Hajime Kiyoko.

“Breakfast? Late..?”

“You still sleeping, bro?”

“AH!” School!

Hiiro jumped up, uncaring about being in just his boxers, he rushed to the dresser.

“Well, hurry up! Saeki’s waiting outside.”

Hiiro quickened his pace, putting on the pants, then the belts. He realized too late that his shirt needed to be ironed, but had no choice but to wear it. How did I forget to wash all my shirts!

Hurrying downstairs after brushing his teeth, Hiiro turned to the dining table. Made out of un-special wood, it was surrounded by four chairs, though two of them hadn't moved in a very long time.

Hiiro sat in the left-most chair, closest to the door. He munched down the breakfast his sister had made.

“Thanks, I should’ve made it today…”

“Bro, you make it every morning, I can help sometimes!” His sister replies with a worried look on her face.

“Yeah…” She’s switching between bro and Onii-chan again… She’s done that since getting into middle school… “I’m going to visit mom after school.”

“Hk.” Kiyoko freezes, looking towards her big brother, “Bro, you…”

“I should, she’s our mom.”

The two entered a silence until the doorbell rang.

Ding!

“That's probably Katsumi. You should get going.”

“Yeah!” Hiiro stuffed down the rest of his breakfast and stormed to the door.

“Bro!” Kiyoko called out.

“Yeah?”

“Let's all meet up after school and go to that karaoke!”

“Sure!” Hiiro replied, answering his sister's request as she wore a worried expression.

–

“You slept in?!”

“What’s so shocking about that!?”

“Well… I just didn’t think it was possible, you're always moving!” The beautiful girl next to him said as she giggled. This girl, Saeki Katsumi, is his girlfriend.

“Yeah, well… I thought I’d try it for once!”

“Haha, well, it’s good to know you can… for the future,” Katsumi said as she leaned in, wearing a seductive look.

“O-oh yeah?” Hiiro took a few steps back, leaving Katsumi with a disappointed look.

“Well…” Hiiro was about to continue until he saw a familiar face. “Okamura!”

The tanned-skinned and nicely toned Okamura Mizuki stood running in place at the intersection.

“Ah, Hiiro!” Okamura called out, a smile on her face. Once her gaze met Katsumi’s, that smile turned more complicated.

“Good morning!”

“Morning!”

The two girls greeted cordially, seeming like new acquaintances. Though they’ve known each other since kindergarten.

“You're going for a run?”

“Yeah! I'll change at school!” The tomboyish Okamura announced.

“O-oh?” Katsumi gained a wry smile.

“Oh, Kiyoko wants to go to karaoke, do you guys wanna go?”

“Karaoke? Sure! I'm the best there is!”

“You?! You sound like a horse!”

“Horse?! You must mean one of the umam-”

The two’s conversation shifted into blabber as Hiiro was brought elsewhere. On the street pole next to the three of them, a missing poster was displayed.

It had two pictures, one was of a gloomy girl with dark bags under her eyes, who seemed to be dressed in goth. The other was of a seemingly typical high school girl; short black hair and a happy smile were the only standout characteristics.

“Hiiro? Oh…” Katsumi noticed his gaze and followed it, landing on the poster. “... She used to be in our class, remember?”

“Yeah…”

“You tried to talk to her all the time then… But she just wouldn’t let you in…”

“Um…” Okamura says to the two. “The lights are green!”

“Ah!”

The three continued, a foreboding feeling in Hiiro’s chest.

—

The bell had yet to ring as he entered the classroom. Reaching his desk at the back corner along to the windows, Hiiro was met with the familiar face of his friend, Hitoshi Koda.

“Hey! What's up, your hair's a total mess!”

“Gah!” Hiiro had forgotten to brush it. And nobody said anything…

“Well, it ain't a big deal.”

“You look like the MC of an isekai!” A new voice dropped in, Arakawa Rika.

“Please, don’t say that…” Hiiro responded as he sat at his desk.

“Hahaha! We have our soccer tournament coming up, be in your best shape!” Koda told him as he leaned forward in his backwards chair, though in reality, he was the backwards one.

“Yeah, yeah, I know.”

The three talked about random things until the bell rang.

The teacher didn’t enter immediately, so Hiiro decided to ask then.

“Do you guys want to head to Karaoke after school?”

“Karaoke?” Arakawa asked. “Sure…”

“Is Mizu going to be there?” Mizu was Okamura Mizuki, who had received the nickname after the sheer amount of sweat she released after her famous runs. What a crude nickname… She doesn’t seem to mind though…

“Yeah, I ran into her this morning.”

“I'm sure she was the one running, though! Hahaha”

Hiiro took that bad pun as a yes.

–

After school ended, the group consisting of Hiiro, Katsumi, Okamura, Koda, and Rika headed out.

“How dare you all not invite me!” A glamorous girl said as she noticed the group together.

“Of course we were going to, we just knew we’d see you here, Suda!” Hiiro explained to Suda Mai, the resident Gyaru.

“Haah, fine… Let's go!”

“Yeah!”

“Actually… I have to stop by the hospital.”

“...” The group turned silent as worried looks invaded their faces.

“Hiiro…”

“It's fine, you guys go on ahead.”

“No, we’ll come with,” Katsumi says in return.

“No…”

“We’ll wait outside.”

Hiiro agreed to that compromise.

–

Hiiro found the familiar door quite easily.

The nameplate on the door had two names. The top one was written in English, though Hiiro couldn’t read it, it was clear to him that it was a man's name. His thoughts quickly drifted to the bottom name- Taguchi Minori.

Hiiro reluctantly slid the door open.

The typical hospital room that he was so familiar with appeared before him. In the room, a single bed stretched out from the left wall. A small table was next to it, and on it were several containers that once contained pills.

“Roro?” a soft voice weakly called out from atop the bed. Sitting there was a thin woman, lengthy and messy black hair that hung down to her waist. Her arms as thin as they could be, she looked at him with sunken, black eyes. “You came to visit me?”

“Yeah, Mom.” Hiiro walked into the room and shut the door. “How have you been doing? Where's the other guy?”

Hiiro hadn’t met this foreigner, as he had been admitted after his last visit.

“You're worried about mommy? Hehe! It's okay!~ It's okay~ That man has already left.” Minori said with a smile on her face. “Come here, come here!”

Hiiro obliged as he sat down on a stool next to his mother's bed.

“Your mommies have been a little worse recently! Did anything happen?” Her sunken eyes looked down at Hiiro.

He felt as though he couldn’t hide anything from his mom.

“I-I Slept in, and Kiyoko made breakfast… I forgot to wash my shirts…” Hiiro explained.

“You… Now, that's not good!” His mother's expression turned sullen. “You're the older brother, you should be taking care of your younger sister! You can't be irresponsible! That’s why I’ve gotten worse! It’s because you haven't been a good boy!”

“Y-yes, mom…” Hiiro’s eyes look downward, falling on his mom's wrists. His gaze lingers, though not because of her wrist but the scars there. There are new ones…

“I’ve told you lots, haven’t I? You're my hero, Hiiro! That’s why I named you that… You need to be a hero, one that helps everyone, or else you’ll hurt your mommy.”

Her thin arms rose to hold his face, forcing him to look at her.

“But don’t worry, mommy forgives you!” She removes one hand from his cheek, which slowly drifts downward. “Its okay~ It’s okay~ Mommy will make you all-”

“M-mom…”

His mom's hands stop, she looks at him quizically.

“M-my friends, their- their waiting for me downstairs…”

“O-oh! We wouldn’t want you to make them wait, now would we~” His mom sits back down on her bed, her weak frame seeming to rest. “Now get going, don’t want to be bad, now do we?”

“Y-yeah,” Hiiro replies weakly as he stands up and walks to the door.

“Hiiro?” His mom calls out to him. “Remember, you're a Hero, you must always help people,” Or else you’ll hurt me.

Those words reverberated in his skull as she shut the door.

“Ha-haah-” Hiiro let out a deep sigh before moving to the elevator.

–

“Wait, so are they all about defeating some demon king?”

“No, no. Lots are about different stuff. Isekai can be anything!” Arakawa Rika explained as the group walked down the street.

Hiiro listened intently as Rika explained, knowing that it was her attempt to bring his mind off of his mom.

“BRO!” Hiiro hears from across the street.

Kiyoko waves at the group before stepping onto the street.

“Wait!” Hiiro yells at her to stop, and she listens, narrowly avoiding a car.

BEEEP!
“W-woah!” Kiyoko walks down the street to a crosswalk and meets up with the group. “What's up, guys!”

“You almost got Isekai’d!” Rika says in shock.

“Wha?! I could’ve been reincarnated and gotten a harem of pretty babes?!?” Kiyoko replies.

“Babes?”
“Gah!”

“Hahahaha!” the group continued to laugh as they walked towards the karaoke spot.

After walking for a while, the group made it to the street. A busy road on one side, many stores line the other.

The group continues down this street.

“So that's when this guy-”

“HELP!”

The group looks towards the voice. An older woman is looking into the street, following her gaze, Hiiro sees a small girl holding a stuffed animal.

“Ah!” The girl's eyes are filled with tears as a truck comes barreling towards her.

“DAMN IT!” Hiiro, without thinking, runs towards the truck.

His mom’s last words still linger in his head.

“HIIRO!”

Hiiro rushes towards the girl. Wrapping his arms around her, he notices that the two lanes are both filled it cars. Not having enough time to turn around, Hiiro immediately steps into the space between the two vehicles.

VROOOOSH

“Y-yes!” The two trucks speed by, without harming either of them. Hiiro is about to celebrate when his vision flickers.

“Wha?”

His vision isn't that of the speeding truck, nor the small girl.

A room of white stretches out before him, and an old man in an extravagant robe of white, outlined by seven colors, speaks to him.

“Welcome, child.”

“W-where am I?”

“You are in a new world, child.”

“N-new… W-why?”

“Because…” The old man continues, but Hiiro feels as if he knows what’s coming next.

The old man's voice mixes with the familiar one he had heard hundreds of times in his head.

“You're our Hero.”