Reincarnation

The blinding light had faded from my sight.

I found myself outside Makoto’s apartment. I don’t know how I came here, or why I was here. It felt like the start—or the end of a dream.

Something was different. Something felt different, rather.

I observed my surroundings, and it came to me. Every light from every louse was off, and only the streetlights remained lit.

Another thing was strange. I held in my hand the same blue orb Miki gave me just earlier. So the contract wasn’t broken in full yet, it seems. I didn’t think deleting an exe file would erase a spiritual contract. No; I had to break its physical manifestation for real.

It should be simple.

The orb itself felt brittle and fragile. Its texture wasn’t any different from a fishbowl, even more glass-like than a marble.

That should do the trick if I throw it into the ground with all I’ve got.

A pair of footsteps began to clack slowly towards me from down the street. A silhouette emerged from the darkness, walking into the narrow light of the lampposts.

It was Makoto Shirase herself.

She had a sullen look to her, as she faced me but couldn’t maintain eye contact.

“You really did it, huh?” Makoto said.

“Not yet.” I replied, clutching the blue orb. “All that’s left is to break this thing.”

She took a step forward, walking out of the lamppost’s spotlight.

“I…”

“Sorry, but I’ve made my choice. It’s not that I don’t want you to be happy. It’s just… not like this. Not with some curse that’ll eventually take your life.”

Makoto averted her gaze even more.

“I hope this is the right choice.”

“Only time will tell. We’ll do what we can until our fate’s revealed to us.”

I lifted the orb in the air, above my head.

I turned my hand around, and I released my grip. The orb hurtled towards the ground.

It struck the ground, shattering it into hundreds of small pieces. A loud crash resounded across the deathly silent neighborhood. Its splinters splattered around, like a water droplet falling into the ocean’s surface.

All in a second. For what felt like an immensely important moment for me and Makoto, was nothing but a second in the eyes of the universe.

I stared at Makoto, and she stared back at me, still looking forlorn. I couldn’t blame her—it was a drastic and tough decision, and I took the path of least certainty. Who knew what would happen now? To her career? Her talent?

What about the life force the yokai had already taken. Would it return to her, or would it not? What if her life had already been so drained that Makoto would just keel over tomorrow?

What was going to happen now?

The answer: Nothing good.

A thud.

A force pushed me from behind. A cold, foreign object forced itself into my backside as this force collided with my body, staggering me forward.

I stumbled, trying to make sense of what just crashed into me.

Before I could turn and look, it spoke in a familiar, gentle voice—but one filled with a clear menace.

“I gotcha.”

It was Senpai’s voice.

But at the same time, I couldn’t safely say it was the same girl I once knew. The tone in her voice sounded twisted and perverted, playfully so. I’d never heard her speak like that before.

“Ugh!” I uttered.

I glanced at the girl beside me. She raised her head to meet my gaze.

Oh, God.

Her eyes were that of a snake’s. Though they were in human eye sockets, the pupils were anything but.

Her expression was a mix of maddened and crazed, both furious and angry. Her visage and school uniform was that of Senpai’s, but it couldn’t be Senpai.

A sharp, burning pain quickly shot from my backside.

It hurts. It hurts.

There was something cold, yet organic inside me. A spike, a tendril, pierced right through my back.

As she pulled it out of my body with a sickening squelch, I felt my skin pull right out of me. As she pulled it, the pain increased ten—no, hundredfold. I couldn’t stand.

I fell onto the cold, hard cement. I clutched the part where I felt the pain, clutching it desperately, trying anything to ease the pain.

There was no use.

I pulled my hand up in front of my eyes.

Blood.

Deep red, fresh, blood.

My blood. My very own, painting my hand a horrifying crimson.

The pain. Dear God, the pain.

It felt like a giant needle had just been stuck into me. Like the worst muscle cramp, all jam-packed into one spot. Like hot magma pouring right into my innards.

But as the seconds went by, that place began to feel cold.

I gazed upon my assailant. She stood above me, dressed exactly like the image I’ve had of Senpai. But it wasn’t her.

Her arm. It was a dark, scaly spike, shaped like a snake’s tail, but at the same time resembled that of a bee’s stinger.

My blood wrapped it like icing on a bread knife. It dripped onto the street. The entity looked at me with a big smile on her face, and a malicious stare.

“You really think I’d let you out of here without my cut?” she said, tauntingly.

The pain. It just wouldn’t stop.

It must be her. The yokai.

She’s come here to take my life instead. And to make a mockery of me, she took the form of Senpai to drive home a strange, poetic justice to it all.

I wanted to look at Makoto, but I couldn’t. My body wouldn’t let me. My head couldn’t turn that far.

I was worried about what she might do to Makoto.

But I couldn’t say anything anymore. All I could utter were grunts and groans, moans of horror and pain.

All I could hear was Makoto falling to the ground, and her whimpering.

I could tell. She must’ve been panicking right about now.

“Well, well, Makoto. What’re you crying about?

You got your life back, right? Oh, but don’t worry about this guy. I’m only here to collect while I’m still in the human realm.”

The lady kneeled to my side and slammed her fist right into my open wound. She wanted to drive that pain home—and drive it home she did.

Not even the cold of my body protected me from the force.

It hurts. It hurts!!

“...After all, this guy will probably find a way to bail on his contract in the future. Can’t have that happening, can we?”

She grinned at me. Her eyes glowed a dark red, almost like blood.

The yokai lady pulled her spiked arm up as it coiled and bent towards me. She wound up for one big, final blow.

So this is it for me, huh?

You know, I thought I’d be more afraid of death.

It’s painful but… now that I’m here, all I could think about was ‘Oh, so that’s it huh?’.

At least I died doing something that meant to me. If I had died before, I would have thought it would be a meaningless life.

But you know what? This is… an acceptable concession.

The lady dropped her appendage. In my eyes, seconds turned to minutes, as I watched the spike approach my abdomen at super slow motion.

No life replay. No flashback sequence. Just me, the yokai, and the weapon that would finish me off.

I’m sorry, everyone.

I’m sorry, Jougasaki.

I’m sorry, Makoto.

And I’m sorry, Senpai.

But I’m going.

An arm sprung from out of sight.

It grabbed the tendril mid-trajectory. Its grip was iron-clad—even the yokai couldn’t believe what was happening, as her snake eyes widened in shock.

A familiar voice spoke again, that of a girl’s.

“Stop this.” she said.

Wait. How was this possible?

It was Senpai’s voice.

But not the one the yokai had mimicked. It sounded much more like the Senpai I knew. That same kindred voice, but without so much as a hint of malice.

My vision was darkening. I couldn’t make out Senpai’s face yet again. She appeared to me now like she always appeared in my memories.

A small, faint, golden glow emanated from her other hand. It was a familiar color, but I couldn’t make it out.

The yokai hopped back out of my vision. Senpai stepped towards it, looming over me.

I could make out a smile from her, but not her eyes.

I checked her hand out, and it finally kicked in what that familiar glow was. It was coming from a stone—not just any stone, but from that mysterious yellow rock inside the yokai incense pot.

She turned to me, grasping the stone in her fist.

She gave me a reassuring smile as my vision began to black out.

“Please, go to sleep now. Leave the rest to me.”

“Ugh… Senpai?”

“Shhh.” she shushed. “I’m using what I can of the Soma to end this and to make sure you survive.

But this might be the last time I ever see you.

Please take care, and have a good life.

I love you.”

***
***

It felt like only a few seconds had passed.

I opened my eyes slowly.

In front of me was a ceiling of monotone white wood. Warm sunlight filtered from a nearby window, illuminating the otherwise dull sight.

The ringing in my ears softened and softened, eventually clearing up until I could hear my surroundings.

A radio-like noise was coming from somewhere in this room.

The pain in my side was gone.

I felt weak, like I had slept for a long, long time. But I could feel everything in my body. Not a single pain.

I heard two voices speak.

The first was of a young girl’s: Makoto.

“Hey, can you stop spamming that move?”

And the other was a young man’s: Jougasaki.

“It’s not spamming. It’s called strategy.”

I chuckled. These people were way too noisy for what I would assume to be a hospital room.

“Can you keep it down? Someone’s sleeping here.” I said.

The radio-like noise ceased all of a sudden. I think it was safe to assume they had paused their game.

Makoto rushed to me and glomped me with her entire body. She hugged me tight, almost vice-like, but nothing even close to her grip when the yokai was present.

“Oh my god… you’re okay.” she said, her voice tearing up from the joy.

“You fuckin’ scared us, dude.” said Jougasaki.

I pushed Makoto away lightly and tried to sit up with no difficulty at all. I clutched the place where the yokai had stabbed me, and found no blood at all.

I surveyed my surroundings and realized that where I was now was no hospital at all. I was, in fact, in bed back at our hotel room.

My gaze shifted to Jougasaki, as I looked at him incredulously.

“Pardon me asking, but why the hell didn’t you take me to the hospital?”

He laughed nervously and scratched his nape. “I mean… you weren’t wounded at all.”

“Huh?”

So was it a dream? But no, the way they talked about it, the whole thing seemed very real to me.

Makoto tried to explain the situation to me.

“There was this weird girl last night who took the yokai out. I didn’t see how, but she did for sure.

Then she used this yellow rock to heal your wound up, and told me to call Jougasaki from your phone.”

“I see. And where is she now?”

Makoto shook her head. “I don’t know. After that, she left. I didn’t even get to thank her for saving your life.”

Jougasaki went closer and told his part of the tale.

“Pretty crazy story. And even crazier’s how you got into this mess. If what Makoto said was true, then you’re one lucky son of a gun.” he said.

He laughed and continued:

“You even got some mysterious chick saving your ass at the last second. Geez, dude, you got a girlfriend from another world or something?”

“Ha. Very funny.”

I turned to Makoto, looking at her teary-eyed expression as she worried endlessly about me. It must have been rough for her, seeing me unconscious for so long.

“How long was I out? What time is it?” I asked.

“Don’t panic or anything,” said Jougasaki, “It’s been several hours. And it’s 3pm now. Like, we only have seven to eight hours to go till our flight.”

I sprang from the bed and sat on its side. “Shit!”

“I’m sorry! I really wasted your day here.”

Jou laughed while Makoto started at me, furrowing her brow and expressing her discontent at my statement.

“Sheesh, dude! I wasn’t gonna leave an injured brother alone.” said Jougasaki.

“How could you say that? Of course you were our priority, you idiot.” said Makoto.

I felt like I had made a mistake here.

Both sides were clearly against me.

“Asides,” said Jougasaki. “You gotta tell me how it felt like to get impaled. Like, is it just like pricking your finger with a kitchen knife, just worse?”

I shot him a skeptical look. “You seem to be taking my close shave with death a little lightly.”

“To be fair, dude, you don’t sound like it was a big deal to you, too.”

Jougasaki and I shared a laugh. Meanwhile, Makoto crossed her arms, and pouted at us disappointingly.

“You boys are incorrigible!”

I stood up, again, without difficulty, feeling the warmth of the ground on my feet.

I’d only laid on the cold asphalt for a bit, yet it felt like an eternity since I’ve felt the ground's warmth. What they said about a near-death experience was true after all.

When you go through something like that, suddenly everything else around you seemed just a little more… lovely.

The chill of the air conditioning. The odd warmth of the carpeted floor. The noise of the crowds and cars passing just a few storeys below our window.

Jougasaki’s dumb laughter.

Makoto’s cute blushing and pouting.

There were so many things I took for granted.

And…

Soma. That’s what Senpai called the yellow rock. So that’s what it was.

I didn’t know much about it, but a Soma was a life-giving substance from a long-lost art. I was surprised to learn something like that still exists in this day and age.

But the elephant in the room was the presence of Senpai herself.

I had no idea why she was there at that moment. Or if she were that mysterious diviner we met the other day. Heck, it even seemed like this whole operation was her idea. She gave me the incense and Soma in anticipation that something like this would happen.

But in any case… was Senpai still alive?

Was she a spirit? My guardian angel? A mysterious spirit hunter?

I held the place where my stab wound was supposed to be, and thought…

I’m happier not knowing.

It was simply comforting, hearing her voice again—and the last words I’ll ever hear from her.

“Please take care, and have a good life.

I love you.”

And that was the only answer I might have ever wanted to hear from her. An answer to how she felt about me.

…

I think Senpai has the right idea.

No matter where you are, your memory will always live on. And I’ll never forget what you did for me all those years ago, and all that you’ve done today.

Thank you.

I breathed deeply and put my arms around my waist. I faced both Makoto and Jougasaki silently as they stared at me, anticipating what I was about to say.

“You know, what? That’s still a lot of time to go. What say we hit town and have some fun before we go?

“We really don’t have much time, " said Jougasaki, rubbing his chin and weighing his options. “Besides, aren’t you injured?”

I flexed in jest and boasted, “If I were injured, could I do this?”

“Heh. Cheeky bastard. Fine, then.”

Makoto pointed to herself, confused. “Uhm, am I coming along?”

I smiled the warmest I could at Makoto, and put my hand on her shoulder.

“Well, duh. Unless you got something else in mind, you’re in.”

Makoto’s mouth curled into this huge smile I’ve never seen from her before. It was an enlightening sight, and for a second, I felt my heart stop.

It was the purest joy I’ve seen from her, and the purest one I’ve felt for myself this entire trip.

Jougasaki raised his arm in jubilation. “Alright, one happy Fun Night, coming right up!”

“Dumbass! We’re not doing that with Makoto in town!”

Jougasaki and I shared a laugh, while Makoto stared us down, still confused.

“Guys? You still haven’t told me what ‘Fun Night’ is.”

“O-oh, it’s uh,” I said, stammering. “Well, wouldn’t you like to know!”

“Y-yeah, that’s right!” added Jougasaki, not helping at all.

Makoto tapped her foot and raised her eyebrows. “You know, I think I’m starting to get what you guys were really up to all this time.

Both Jougasaki and I began to sweat.

I was nervous. I think she finally got it. We are so, so screwed.

Silence enveloped the room. The three of us kept shifting glances as if a horrible crime had just been committed in this very hotel room.

She continued. “...I’ll let it slide this time. Besides, Mister Jougasaki, I’m pretty sure Ami-chan will totally mind you going to those kinds of places.”

Jougasaki gulped. “Oh… so you know.”

“Of course,” she said confidently. “And that’s okay. Because I’m leading you guys around tonight. No funny business.”

Makoto smiled warmly and confidently.

“I know a few places.”

…

And so, we began packing our bags, and started to clean house—making sure none of our dirty laundry and litter were to remain in this room. Well, as much as possible, that is. I’m pretty sure we missed a few; but that will be up to room service to clean up. Hopefully.

I took count of all the souvenirs we bought, making sure we didn't leave anything. All the little trinkets, postcards.

And in that process, it finally began to sink in.

A sort of relief, but also a light and tender depression.

That this is the last day.

That it’s over.

My vacation is over.

The departure was only a few hours away, and even though we were having our last hurrah, the fact remains.

After this, we were leaving.

You could hardly say this was the perfect vacation. It was anything but. One could even say it was an awful one.

After all, my childhood friend was possessed by a yokai.

And then, we had several arguments about different things.

And then, I’d spent the last day recuperating from an actual stab wound. For the most part, anyway.

But if anything, it was interesting.

And for all its worth, I enjoyed my time here.

The different views. The beautiful colors. The vibrant, living city lights. All the activities we’ve done that wouldn’t be possible back home.

And then, there was Makoto.

We were already part in so many ways. Her status in life, and her location relative to home were so far apart from mine.

As far as I was concerned, Makoto was from another world.

Now I was gonna leave her behind.

And my decision was an unsure one. It was one where I essentially took her boat's engine and made her pray for the wind to carry her sails.

It was a harsh decision I made on her behalf.

Though, I have faith in her.

But what about me?

She did all those things for my sake, and here I was, leaving her without a surefire means to return.

I had little faith in what I could do myself.

But I have to find one. Find what I could do.

Luck or some sorcery won’t bring me back to her, anymore. So now, I’ll have to swim. Fight the wind—Brave the storm.

I love this place.

And I would love to spend more time with her.

She called me her boyfriend, but that was a mere title born from our deal back in the cafe. I can’t call myself worthy of holding that title just yet.

There was so much catching up between us to do. There was so much that still needed to be done for myself.

I’ll miss all of this. I’ll miss Japan.

I’ll miss Makoto.

But I’ll be back.

If Makoto is from another world, then it’ll be up to me to cross that gap and into her world.

…

Jougasaki and Makoto exited our hotel room, strollers in hand and bags on the other. I remained inside, making last-minute inspections and zipping up the last few bags I had on me.

I turned to them as they beckoned me.

“Ready?”

I simply smiled and nodded.

“Ready.”