NARRATED BY THE DEEP VOICE OF A MIDDLE-AGED MAN...

~~~

The sun is high up in the sky and the wind is cold. Few leaves of the sakura trees fell through the wind onto the ground as the seconds passed. The not-so-bright light of the sun and the slow falling of the sakura leaves indicates that the season is spring.

In this scene, two people stood on a small bridge just above a small river beside the sakura trees, people who both have a hard expression on their faces.

[ I like you! Please go out with me! ]

It's already been a few months since school started, and now, finally, after a few months of waiting, a certain guy has mustered the courage to ask the girl he likes out.

( I'm confident that she likes me! She's definitely looking at me all the time since we were in middle school! In the class, when I'm sitting in my chair; outside the field when I'm playing baseball, and especially - when I announced that I will become vice-president just today! There's... There's no doubt that she likes me too! )

Uruka Shinjiro - A young man in his youth, asked the girl he likes, and with such confidence, he bowed his head and held out one of his hands to her.

...

...

He waited for her reply.

A second had passed...

Then a moment...

Then a minute...

( Why is she not replying...? ) with that question suddenly struck Shinjiro's head, in anxiousness, he finally wasn't able to endure the wait and turn his head up, looking at the face of the girl in front of him.

( ... )

She's blushing...

But she's not looking at his direction.

[ Umm... Hana... san? Your answer...? ] Shinjiro shamelessly asked with his body still leaned over.

[ Ano... Uruka... san, is that it...? ] she muttered to him in a very quiet voice.

...

...

[ Ye-Yes... It's Shinjiro... ] scratching his head, trying not to hide his baffled expression, he replied.

( Wha-What do you mean "Is that it?"!? She's bluffing, isn't she...!? She's kidding, right!? I've known her since middle school and yet... She can't possibly still doesn't know my name, right!? )

[ Ahh... Right... Uruka... san. ]

SFX: Stab!*

[ I'm sorry Uruka-san... But... You're not my type... ]

SFX: Stab!*

[ I mean... You're too average... ]

SFX: Stab!*

[ I mean... You just don't stand out that much... I mean... This is the first time I've talked with you, you know...? ]

SFX: Stab!* Stab!*

Like knives and swords that suddenly pierced his body, her words cause him unexplainable pain.

[ ... ]

[ Umm... Uruka-san...? ]

Shinjiro turned silent. All the things that had happened before this day; he had recalled all of them. From how he had stalked her since the day he had first met her, to this day where he had to muster the courage to ask her out. And at the end of his flashback, the smile of the girl in front of him appeared on his mind.

And finally, he snapped.

[ Haah!!! I can't take it anymore! I-I was so sure you liked me too! ] shouting those words on top of his lungs, he closed the gap between the two of them.

[ Hiiee!!! ] of course, seeing his action made the girl he likes shriek in fear.

[ I-I mean! You're always looking at my direction with a blushing face and a creepy smile! How is that "You're not my type"!? ]

[ Lo-Looking in your direction!? I've never! ]

[ Tha-That's...! ]

[ Well... But now that I think about it... I think you're misunderstanding something big here... I will be honest and say that the person I'm looking at is not you... But the person behind you... ] she whispered the words as she averted her eyes away from him.

( Th-That's! )

...

...

[ That bastard Satou! ] clenching his fists, he shouted through the air.

Hearing her words, Shinjiro had already guessed and realized who was the guy she was talking about.

[ Is being a goddam Ikemen always supposed to be a requirement!? ] shouting those words, his face twisted, and the creepy face of the most popular guy in their school appeared on his mind.

[ If only my parents were both good-looking! ]

...

...

[ Haah... I can't anymore... ] he muttered in defeat as he lays his knees on the ground.

[ U-Umm... Do-Don't worry about it! I'm sure there's someone out there who likes you! ] as if she's trying to comfort him, the girl also bent her knees and said those words with an obviously fake smile on her face.

[ Do... Do you mean those words...? ] he asked in a whisper while wiping the tears that are about to fall from his eyes.

[ Yu-Yup! ] she nodded with hesitation.

( ...? )

[ Then... Can you like me too? ]

[ No way. ] she flatly replied with her face disgusted and in disapproval.

[ Please get out of my sight... ] Shinjiro only muttered.

[ U-un... ]

***

With his body bent a little over, Uruka Shinjiro walked the lively street of his small town.

[ I can't believe this... ] he muttered with his face red in anger.

( I was so sure...! How did this happen!? ) with those words, he turned his head forward.

[ That Satou! I can't believe that even the girl I like since middle school... He was able to hook with his chick-magnet Ikemen face in just a few months... Wa-Wait a minute! Now that I think about it clearly... She really wasn't looking at my direction when I participated as the vice-president just to act cool... But he was looking at Satou! Who participated as the president! ]

( How! Just how much of a show-off he is!? ) he shouted just inside his head with clear bloodlust on his eyes.

[ I'll definitely kill him someday...! No! I will kill all Ikemen someday! ] raising his clenched fist up, he shouted.

[ And that girl! After I sincerely poured my heart to that confession! She just straightly denied that I have no chance of making her like me! Just how cruel was that!? ] as he was reminded of what just happened, a vein appeared on the corner of his forehead.

[ He-Hey young man! The light's green! ] an old man wearing a suit called at him.

[ Huh...!? ] annoyed by the sudden call, Shinjiro turned his head to the old man's sight and shouted back:

[ What's green, old man!? ]

[ The lights! The lights! ] the old man replied, shouting his words even louder than before.

[ Huh...? ]

[ The traffic sign! ]

( The traffic sign...? What about it...? ) with those words inside his head, Shinjiro finally decided to turn his head to the traffic lights.

[ ... ]

( Oh... )

[ Old man! Why didn't you say so!? Augh! ]

SFX: BANG!

...

...

[ Ca-Call the ambulance!!! ]

As the shock appeared on the faces of the people who had witnessed the scene and the call for ambulance resounded in the small streets, Shinjiro's consciousness almost immediately faded away.

And just like that, the young man, Uruka Shinjiro, died with his last words being nothing more than stupid.

***

[ Where... Where am I? ] he asks with a very faint voice.

A second later, Shinjiro opened his eyes and a bright light pierces it. He immediately then covered his eyes to shadow them from the bright light.

( ... )

Then, after his eyes were finally able to take the bright light, he removed his hand that was covering them and sat up to looked at the view in front of him.

[ Thi-This is!? ]

What was revealed to him was nothing more than an empty space of white light; no object nor shadow can be seen, but only pure white of nothingness.

( Where the heck is this...!? ) he shouted only inside his head, with a shocked look on his face.

[ Hello there, young man! ] the voice of a male that can only be described as "Gentle" was suddenly heard from his side.

Hearing it, he immediately turned his head around, and what he saw standing there was...

The 'kind' of person Shinjiro hated the most.

( ... )

[ An Ikemen... ]

( And a naked one in that... ) Shinjiro's face showed a blank expression.

[ Good morning, young man! Welcome to my world! ] he shouted, raising both of his hands up in the air. The way he suddenly showed up plus the beautiful smile on his face can only be called "Grandeur"

But of course, Shinjiro showed no expression on his face, and a small vein popping out of his forehead was the only change that occurred on it.

[ Hahaha... Please don't look at me like that... ] scratching his head, the man voiced.

[ Umm... I just came out of the bath... I know I look weird but... He-Hey! Don't look at me with such bloodlust! ]

( ... )

[ Hey weirdo! Just who are you!? Showing up in front of me naked like that! ] 

[ We-Well, that's! ] he whispered, fidgeting and with a blush on his face.

[ The-The heck! S-Stop fidgeting! Your thing is dangling too much! ] Shinjiro shouted, covering his eyes with both of his arms.

[ A-Ah! Yes, I'm really sorry bout' that. ] saying so, his body suddenly shone and it got suddenly covered in shining white clothes.

[ Phew! ] Shinjiro sighed, washing away the sweat that appeared on his forehead.

[ Thank God... Any more of that and I'll have nightmares... ]

[ Umm... By the way... Can you care to explain what did you just did...? Wa-Was it magic...? ] 

Shinjiro was talking about how he was able to suddenly put on his shining clothes. The only way Shinjiro was able to explain it was with the word "Magic"

[ Thank God, huh...? If that is so, then I guess I should have your thanks...? ]

( This guy... )

[ What do you mean by that...? ]

[ Hmm... It's nice to meet you, Uruka Shinjiro. Your country's Japan, right? Then I guess I should introduce my self as Kami-sama? That's right, isn't it? ]

...

...