The choice.

I could feel them slowly freeing me after that incident. "Let's go..." Satoshi said. But how? My legs were numb, my mind was numb, I just witnessed... something that I never wanted to witness...

I couldn't speak too.

They had no choice but to carry me like a dead body somewhere in the woods, where I saw that old receptionist lady sitting in front of a fireplace, with another empty seat, probably for me. Was she behind all these? I didn't know... and I don't want to anymore. I wish that fire was large enough that I could just get inside and let it engulf me into ashes.

Satoshi and Teiji sat me where I thought. That old lady looked sore. She was the one who gave me the idea that Airi-chan was alive... that was a lie.

"Young man, I want to know everything that has happened when you disappeared." She demanded.

I mean... do I have anything to hide? She was no more, what purpose do I serve in this world now?

I told her everything. Teiji and Satoshi stood there and listened to me too. Maybe it sounded like fiction to them I guess? Because, Airi-chan was not real and I was delusional for this long, maybe what I am telling right now might strike as another speech of a mentally unstable person? Maybe they will throw me into a mental hospital?

"You two, go away from here for now. I will tell you when to come back. For now, give him some space."

They two nodded at each other, before leaving without a word. I looked blankly at the fire without anything to do.

"Young man, let me ask you a question. If your Airi were to ask anything from you earnestly, would you give it to her?"

That was a weird question to ask right now. "Yes."

"If you had a choice, where you can save the world or save Airi-"

"I would save Airi-chan."

"Let me finish the sentence. If you had a choice, where you can save the world or save Airi, what would you think she would tell you to choose?"

That wasn't the question I was expecting. It was a hard question to answer too... Airi-chan is kind, loving, caring. "She would tell me to choose to save the world..."

"You know how this Tsurihito works?"

"No..." I don't think I want to know right now... I want to sleep... maybe it's all just a dream.

"All people cannot be a vessel for Tsurihito, only the ones with much negative emotions can hold the combined emotions of all the fishes. There is another problem too, human body is very degradable, and it is much more in waters. Thats why Tsurihito looked like that when you saw him. The vessel of Tsurihito needs to be replaced every year to make it continue."

I didn't reply. I don't think my mind is absorbing any of that information.

"I don't know if you remember this, but your Airi died here, in Fujigawa two months ago. She drowned in the sea..."

Wow... what do I do with that information now, end myself? Be more depressed?

"This time... the Tsurihito was planning to choose you as the next Tsurihito, seeing the amount of negative emotions you have. The fact regarding Airi being his daughter might also be true. It is possible that her mother died here a year ago."

Wasn't she an orphan? Oh... I remember her telling me that she was found in front of the orphanage...

"I know you are not listening properly but..." she looked at me in the eyes. "I want you to listen to this thing very carefully. This is my hypothesis, but..."

Is she trying to hook me into the story? If she is that it's not working.

"Tsurihito told you to take care of her. My guess is she was already nominated as the bride, the problem is, Tsurihito was not nominated yet. That could only mean one thing, the only way you could take care of her is if you become the Tsurihito yourself and take Airi's body from the grave and end yourself on the sea. That way, both the new Tsurihito and his bride's bodies would be in the sea, perfect for becoming the vessel. If we hadn't stopped you, that would've happened. The deaths would also stop rolling."

"So...? That was better, no?" I got the energy to say something... I was surprised at myself. But what she was saying was so confusing that I couldn't help but question. "What do I do now with the information?"

"The curse hasn't ended yet, you know? I think... the only way now is to get her body and release it in the ocean..."

Oh... so thats why she started off with that question... but it was true... even now, if Airi-chan was to hear this, she would tell me to release her to the sea. Right, Airi-chan?

But I had one question before agreeing to her request.

"How are you sure...?"

She looked at the sky, as if she was reminiscing something from the past. I could see the tears stagnant in her eyes. "Because I was in the same situation as you. I went through the same thing that you are going through now..."