Chapter 0:

One Shot

Birth Certificate


Satou adds to the accumulating number of cardboard boxes in his empty room.

"Phew. That should be all of it. I never knew how much stuff I had until I moved out. Well... I say moved out but I only moved into my parents' old house. Oh well. I'm finally living by myself so it counts. Adult life, here I come!"

He walks around surveying every corner.

"How long has it been? 19 years? Everything's so old. It looks like a haunted house," he scoffs as he comes across a worn down closet. "No wonder they couldn't sell it. but it's the perfect atmosphere for my next novel."

He carefully opens the closet door as to not accidentally break it. Slowly, a form of a human appears before him. A black-haired, teenage girl in a white one-piece dress is sitting inside, staring at him dumbfounded.

"What the hell?" he shockingly reacts.

The embarrassed girl starts screaming at the top of her lungs.

"Wh- Hey!" Satou yells back while covering his ears. "I'm the one who should be screaming! Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"Where am I?!"

"How are- Wait! You don't get to ask questions! You're the one who broke into my house!"

"Why would I break into your house?"

"Hell if I know!" Satou grunts. "This isn't going anywhere. So, who are you? Are you from around here?"

"I'm..." the girl is in deep thought.

"Oh!" Satou interrupts. "Are you an old tenant perhaps? Mom never mentioned anything about renting this place out before."

"Am I?"

"Listen here, you... I ask the questions. You give me answers. Got it?"

The girl ignores him completely and looks around the room.

"What is with this sad place?"

"As I said, it's my house. Thank you for your needless opinion. Could I ask you to leave now?"

"Why should I?"

"Look," Satou sighs getting tired of questioning her. "Can you just tell me who you are?"

"I'm... I don't remember."

"Excuse me?"

"I don't know."

"Alright. Playtime is over. I really need you to leave now or I'll call the cops." Satou grabs her by the arm... but his hand goes through her skin. "Eeep! A g-g-g-g-ghost?!" He jumps back in fright and falls on the floor.

"Ew!" the girl looks at her translucent arm with fear and disgust. "What is this?! Gross!"

"What in the loving hell-" Satou watches as she jumps outside of the closet and examines her body.

"I'm... a ghost?!"

"Are... Are you haunting me?!"

"What?!"

"You're not going to kill me, are you?"

"Why would I do that?"

"Because you're a ghost?" Satou answers with a question. "I don't even know what the hell is going on anymore!"

"You just keep saying hell. Hell this. Hell that. Are you a satanist?"

"It's just an expression!" Satou takes a better look at her ghostly body. "More importantly... I'm not dreaming, am I? This is so cool."

"What's so cool about it?! Why don't you be the ghost instead?"

"I would if I could."

The girl's eyebrow twitches. "... You really area a satanist. Gross."

"Did you die here?"

"I don't know."

"Are you bound to this house?"

"I don't know."

"Well, what do you know?"

"Nothing."

"Not even your name? How you died? Or when?"

"Nothing!" She seems frustrated for being asked the questions she wants answers to as well. "What do you want from me?!"

"I see. Oh well. I guess I'll be living with a ghost now, huh?"

"How can you be so calm about this?"

A mobile phone rings on a distant table.

"Hold on. I'll be back."

"Gross."

Satou runs to pick up his phone.

"Satou, dear," his mom speaks on the other line. "How are you?"

"Hey, mom. I'm..." he takes a peek at the girl touching her face and arms. "... good. Quick question. Did anyone live in this house after us?"

"Hm? No. It was empty. Why?"

"I thought so. Nothing. Just curious. What's up?"

"Just checking in on you. The small box marked Important is with you, right?"

Satou puts his hand on top of the box. "It is. Right here."

"Good. You should be responsible for your own documents now. Make sure everything is there. Your passport..."

Satou opens the box and picks up the passport. "Right here."

"Your birth certificate..." his mom continues.

"Right here," he picks up the piece of paper and skimmed through it. "Hm?"

"Your school credentials..."

"Hey, uh... Mom? I think there's a mistake," he interrupts.

"What do you mean?"

"In my birth certificate, the checkbox for Twin is ticked instead of Single."

"Oh," his mom's voice falls. "Mm."

"What do you mean 'Mm'? Don't we need to get this corrected?"

"No. That's not a mistake. I did give birth to twins."

"Huh?"

"I'm sorry I had to tell you this over the phone. We didn't mean to hide it from you. We just couldn't find the right time to bring it up."

"Wait, wait, wait. I have a twin? Where-"

"She died shortly after birth."

"S-She?" Satou gets even more confused.

"It was a girl. You were fraternal twins."

Satou slowly processes the information. "... I see."

"I'm sorry, dear."

"No, it's fine. I just..." he tries to come up with an excuse. "... need to clean up in here."

"Okay. Take care."

"By the way, did... Did she have a name?"

"Hm? Oh. We were going to name her Sachi."

"I see. Okay, I have to go. I'll call you later."

Satou hangs up the phone after they bid their goodbyes.

He turns around to see the girl who is checking the back of her dress. He walks closer to her but she doesn't seem to notice him.

"Sachi." Satou throws the name out like a roulette ball hoping it will fall into the right pocket.

"Yes?" She turns to him. "Huh? Sachi? Sachi! That's it! How did you know?"

"You've got to be kidding me..."

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Birth Certificate