Signalized Instinct

The classroom was filled with chitter-chatters of students, taking seats near the group that they belong to. The lights coming from the window beside him felt colder than usual. Kazuaki took out a lunch box, revealing a well made bento that he himself had prepared this morning.

"Oh! Kazuaki! As usual, what a great bento you got there man!"

A friend of his, Takumi Kobayashi, sat across in a backward position as he popped a yakisoba bread.

"You see, the other day right..."

They engaged in their usual daily conversation, blending in with the atmosphere surrounding them. It was just another peaceful day, almost as if what had happened last friday was nothing more than a strange dream to Kazuaki. Although he himself was skeptical as to what had happened that day, he still acknowledged the encounter, bringing the red capsule to the school, tucked inside his beige parka.

"Hey, Takumi."

"Hm? What's up?"

"What narrow streets are you in?"

"Eh? What do you mean?"

His reaction was to be expected. A sudden random question with no context, made it hard to interpret the meaning and answer to it. The content of the paper was blurry for Takumi that he even tried to quiz his friend with it.

Red equals tragedy. That was the warning given by Kuroneko to him. But nothing had happened during the past two days. It wasn't because Kazuaki had somehow developed a way to counter this so-called "prediction" made by the capsule. As he had been living these two days just like he had normally done in the past. Worried? A little bit. But his concern wasn't being put towards the revelation of his fate, rather,

(I wonder why she looked like that...)

Her appearance, was that of an ice queen blending with the snow, a true beauty. Was it because of her grace? No, but rather, her face filled with sorrow. Her expression hid it, yet Kazuaki's instinct told him so. How? He doesn't know, but he felt it.

It was his instinct that presented him with the engagement towards the mysterious being rather than his intellect. And to this day, he still pondered the reason as to why his instinct prompted him to do so. Normally, he wouldn't even think of doing something like that.

His instinct controlled him. Walking late at night alone, his instinct. Playing with the gachapon, his instinct. Somehow not being scared by Kuroneko's beastly appearance, his instinct. Feeling something is wrong with her, also his instinct.

Have 'instinct' heavily affected our day to day decision from the day we were born? If so, then it must be a crucially critical component in living. But what exactly is 'instinct'? They said the heart controlled the mind. If so, then instinct must be the heart.

Well, no. To be precise, instinct was the byproduct made by our brain in response to certain stimuli in our surroundings and experience. It can also be something akin to 'innate behaviour' hardwired into our genetics. This is the main reason as to why baby sea turtles already knew where the ocean is as soon as they hatched. It's 'survival intuition'.

But then, does that mean his 'survival intuition' told him to just stare at a beastly monster and even compliment it? That doesn't make any sense then. He had never encountered a monster before, so what kind of stimuli made his brain respond the way it did.

*ping pong pang pong*

The school bell snapped him out of deep thoughts. He had already finished his lunch box and somehow engaged in a conversation with Takumi, which he himself wasn't aware of. With that, he prepared for the fifth period.

_______

Snowflakes drifted through the orange sky, settling itself onto the school pavement. Students walked around in groups as they headed towards the school gate, footsteps crunching softly into the snow. Kazuaki followed the crowd, lost in thought, when he noticed a familiar silhouette approaching him from the corner of his eyes.

"..."

The two walked alongside each other in silence, respecting each other's presents. Kazuaki knew that he was the only one who could perceive this entity at the moment, judging by the lack of reaction from those around, so he waited for the right time before popping a conversation.

Some time passed, and the two had walked for a quiet distance, strolling around a serene town, cloaked in white, layered by the soft sunset shades. Not many people can be seen wandering around the freezing cold afternoon.

"How's your day?"

"Fufu... a gentleman you are lad. It's a pleasure, thanks to you."

He passed a warm greeting, pleasing the cat lady.

"I see it that you also have a wonderful day no?"

"I guess... the snow felt nice."

"Fufu, what a contented life you have."

"..."

They paused for a moment, awaiting questions from one another.

"Kuroneko... san?"

"Fufu, that would be me."

"Kuroneko-san... if you're not a Yōkai or a ghost... then what are you?"

"My, my, what a hasty fellow. Ladies aren't so fond of talking about their past, lad."

Kazuaki pried for an answer, as Kuroneko gave a friendly critic.

"Let's see... you could say... a former human."

Having stated the fact that she is an entity unrelated to supernatural, she simply labeled herself as a 'former human'. If you're a 'former human', yet have unhuman abilities. It could only mean that you're dead to become a ghost, but that is not true in this case, as she denied her relation towards it.

"Kuroneko-san..."

"Fufu, aren't you being too greedy lad."

"...I don't know if I have the ability to help, being a normal human myself... But if you want to talk about something, I'm all ears."

"..."

Hearing that, she came to a sudden stop.

"Kuroneko-san?"

Kazuaki turned to look at her. Under the sunset shadow, cast by the buildings, she forced a fragile smile.

"Truly... what a fool I am..."

She muttered, as Kazuaki pondered over the significance behind her reaction.

The two now stood before a crossing line, awaiting the green signal, along with a mother and her daughter. No signs of cars passing by, yet they still chose to follow the rule, setting a positive example for a growing child.

**YOU MAY GO IN ~ ♪ YOU MAY ENTER ~ ♪**

[[[通りゃんせ ~ ♪ 通りゃんせ ~ ♪]]

The melody of Tōryanse rang. It was then that Kazuaki got a hint of something, his eyes wide open.

**WHAT NARROW STREETS ARE YOU IN ~ ♪**

[[[ここはどこの細道じゃ ~ ♪ ]]]

The daughter rushed, the moment red turned green, not realizing a speeding car that was approaching from her left. Kazuaki could see the driver of the car trying his best to brake, but the condition of the slippery road made it impossible for him, alas the car swayed chaotically.

*HONK!!!*

His instinct thumped, a sudden blackout. When he came to realization, he saw himself lying on the road, hugging the little girl in the middle of the crosswalk. Red painted his vision as he tried to make out what had happened. From his view, everything seems to be in slow motion. The face of a panic driver, the face of a regretful mother, the face of a scared child, and lastly, the face of a sorrowful cat. Truly, a moment before death.

Who's at fault here? Was it the driver, recklessly driving in the snowy road? Was it the mother, for not handling her child with better care? Was it the daughter, for rushing blindly without looking at her surrounding? Was it himself, for acting according to his zero-survival instinct? Or was it the capsule, for stating a clue to his tragedy?

No. The question was invalid from the start. And he himself had already knew it. No one's at wrong here. It was simply his 'fate', not a calculated one, not a result of an accident, and certainly, not because of the red capsule. Something inevitable, something that one can't even escape no matter how hard they try. Looking at Kuroneko, he felt the sense of guilt within her as she held her tears, maybe blaming herself for representing him to his fate.

"K– Kuroneko..."

He called out to her, amidst the panic junction. Hearing this, she lifted her face.

"I– It... wasn't... your fault..."

The adrenaline had dissipated. He could slowly feel his body becoming heavier and heavier. The needle-like pain had now kicked in. But rather than screaming, he presented a warm smile towards her. Receiving this, her elegant facade broke, as she dropped to the ground, grieving.

A second passed by the chilly afternoon, yet it felt like eternity. With that – Null.