No Ru!

I’m a blank page.

Until I start writing, no thoughts are produced. They only take shape and form once words are written within the confines of these sheets of paper.

Devoid of reason or musings in the physical world, I became an involuntary ghostwriter of myself.

I’ve long been having these repeated trance episodes. My consciousness drifts away, detaching my sense of self from my body. Inside this diary, real memories are interweaved with my imagination.

The characters in my stories are based on things I've seen, read, or heard during my brief existence. In their original form or combined with other ideas. A famous actor could eventually blend with a rare bird. Beings from different ages and realms could converge in the same timeline. My subconscious would allow everything to co-exist, believing it was perfectly normal, even if my persona inside the narrative found it weird.

However, when every cycle ends, I realize what is genuinely happening and temporarily regain the ability to create whatever I want.

Suppose I were to write that I'm on a paradisiacal beach, basking in the warm rays of the sun, sprawling on a bamboo chaise lounge, and sipping on an icy-cold piña colada. It will instantly come true. This is now the beginning of my new story.

I’m not restricted to staying in this particular place. If I want to, my beloved pink plesiosaur, Donna Gorgonzola, rising from the depths of this crystalline waters, will take me to the enchanting Cotton Candy Island at Mach 1 speed.

The entirety of this camouflaged island, shrouded by mist in the middle of the Pacific, is made of colorful, fluffy, sugary cotton candy. This includes the palm trees, the coconuts hanging from their branches, the crabs roaming on the shore, and even the powder-like sand beneath my feet. Everything can be consumed and will eventually regenerate from thin air, perpetuating this eternal heaven.

At the top of Cotton Candy Mountain, my intricate spaceship awaits me. This cutting-edge vessel will take me to my next destination: Kikipon, a planet roughly the size of a blue whale.

The Pyunkos are microscopic marmalade fluffy inhabitants of this small planet. I’m a colossus from their point of view. To prevent a small meteorite from decimating their precious land, I reached into my back pocket and pulled out a trusty baseball bat. With a mighty swing, I hit a home run, sending that comet out of this galaxy. After the crisis was averted, they hailed me as their hero and king.

But, as always, I begin to lose control after a certain point. It becomes overbearing, and the story gains a life of its own. I soon turn into a living dead, oblivious once again.

It’s getting dark. My spaceship disintegrated into dust. The perky aliens are vanishing one by one at an alarming rate. I lose my footing as the planet under me disappears, and I’m left drifting in the darkness of space.

Will I even be the narrator this time around?

I’m teleported. From one hundred meters above ground, I plummet with the astonishing speed of a shooting star into the middle of my grandpa’s garden. Despite the tremendous impact, my body is intact, and I retain consciousness of reality.

In front of me, two figures emerge. Tenchō smiles, extends his hand, and helps me back on my feet. Beside him is Niwashi.

“Thanks,” I say, shaking the dirt out of my pants.

“Hello, my dear Ru! What were you doing sleeping on the ground? Are you drunk?”

“Yeah, something like that. Long time no see, huh?”

“What do you mean, silly? We just saw you yesterday!” Niwachi giggles.

“I knew he had too much to drink at the barbecue. He was singing opera with Jackson at some point!”

“Right, right… Listen, guys… Since you're both here, let me share a memory with you while I can still remember it. Don’t worry. I’ll make it brief.

When I was a little boy, I often spent the afternoons playing with my sister at my mom’s shop.

Our favorite game was hide and seek. We would take turns being the hider and the seeker. I loved the thrill of figuring out the best hiding spots. We were close to having explored every nook and cranny of the store.

On that particular day, my sister was the seeker.

Unbeknownst to every one of us, my dad decided to surprise my mom. He left work early and appeared without notice, bringing delicious matcha cakes and strawberry crepes.

Everything was well. That is, until my sister, with her eyes closed and facing the wall next to the entrance to the store, was in the midst of loudly counting down from ten.

“Nine.”

A burglar ran into the store trying to escape from two bounty hunters chasing him.

“Eight.”

“Hands in the air, you’re surrounded!” they warned him, pointing their guns at him.

“Seven.”

“You got me… It’s such a pity that I have a hostage, dumbasses!” he shouts, grabbing my mom and shoving a gun against her forehead.

“Six.”

“Let go of my wife!!” my father demands.

“Five.”

Seeing as he refused to comply, my dad lunged and knocked the assailant down.

“Four.”

They wrestled on the ground. My dad punched him in the head and tried to take the weapon from his hand.

“Three”

The bandit shot in all directions. The bounty hunters also opened fire. One shot hit the light. Everything went dark. Another caused a fire to break out.

“Two”

“Get out, Ru!!!” my parents desperately yelled.

“One”

The flames reached the countless stored ammonium-nitrate fertilizers.

“Zero. Here I—”

…..

…..

My sister let out a piercing scream, crying for help. The police, firefighters, and paramedics arrived rapidly at the scene since the tremendous bang was heard by all stations nearby. They promptly treated her, who thankfully was only mildly injured. Yet, their promptitude wasn’t enough to save anyone inside.

The explosion was so violent that it wrecked the whole structure into rubble, and flames consumed the remains of the building. I was the only survivor, found passed out under a large vase, miraculously unscathed. I decided to tell you this story because I thought it might sound familiar to you.”

“You have such a vivid imagination, Ru. You always had.” Tenchō laughs.

“And you always had the habit of trying to be the hero.”

“When confronted with circumstances where the consequences of our choices aren’t clear, we have to decide how to act to the best of our abilities. I want to protect the people I love, and to that end, I will even put my own life at risk.”

“Don’t you regret it? Don’t you hate them?!”

“I don’t hate anyone or my decisions. Neither should you, Ru. Sometimes things go wrong, but refraining from taking action is often the wrong choice.”

"For sure? Nothing bad happens if I don't do anything. Blissfully pretending everything is fine, unaware of what’s happening outside.”

“Nothing good will come from that either. Stop being stuck up on the past, Ru. It’s time to move on. Don’t waste your precious time moping around. You now have someone who needs you and loves you unconditionally for what you really are.”

“And don’t forget about your sister,” Niwashi intervenes. “She acts all strong by accepting every challenge that appears before her. In truth, she’s just pretending to be brave. She was always a kind-hearted snowflake. Please support her, Ru.”

They get close to me while I fail to hide my face, cleaning my eyes with my t-shirt sleeve and shoulder.

“You are better than you think. We will always be proud of you, no matter what. Trust them. They'll understand and listen to your fears. You would do the same if you were in their shoes. Believe in the people around you, Ru. We believe in you.”

They embrace me between them, hugging me tightly as a goodbye, patting me on the head and back.

…

“…S-s-soon I won't remember any of this…. A new story will begin… Where we live happily together…. Can't I stay here with you forever...? I miss you both so much…”

They smile as their bodies start to evaporate. Then, something thunderously hits me in the face.

“No!”

It was a "Baba Cannon", and Yada was right before me.