Chapter 1 Part 1

The sun peeked out from behind the mountain to announce that a new day had begun, with the mountainous and forested sounds blending together to create a symphony only heard at the gates of heaven.

The corn and wheat plantations on the nearby mountain swayed to the rhythm of nature's music as the first rays of sun pierced through the window of my room...

I sounded pretty cultured saying that! Although, it was just in my mind... Uh-huh.

A traditional two-story house at the peak of a massive mountain, with a flower garden, a pond, and a cherry blossom tree, was the first to receive the morning sun – well, that was five hours ago.

I've grown tired of pretending to be a poet; now, speaking seriously...

I'm Rasec Zaid, that guy lying in bed with dark circles and a T-shirt that says "fool" in Japanese; the house I described is where I reside, my teacher Seji-sensei's house. No one in this small town knows his real name, though being Salvadoran, I can only imagine the funniest name I've ever heard.

Yes, I said he's Salvadoran, just like me. You'll gradually learn more about that.

I just remembered that summer vacation ends today. I spent every day training to make pupusas and occasionally taking breaks to hang out with friends. However, the thought of returning to school makes me wish the vacation lasted longer.

I can't complain; during the vacation, I played a lot of video games, read plenty of manga, watched lots of anime, and stayed up later than usual to the point where I didn't sleep for three consecutive days.

But right at this moment, I feel like someone is about to interrupt my sleep.

— Get up, lazybones, and find something to do!

My teacher got tired of me still sleeping, so he knocked loudly on my bedroom door to wake me up.

I sit up in bed, looking tired with my hair all tousled.

— Darn it, I overslept again.

I mutter curses as I slip on my cat slippers.

I guess it's not normal to see a room this messy, unless it is, in which case you probably have the same...

After getting up and rubbing my eyes, I head to the bathroom, wash my face, and then proceed downstairs to where Seji-sensei, my cooking teacher, is.

Still groggy, I say to him:

— It's nine in the morning.

— You should have been up at five to chop the tomatoes and prepare the sauce!

Annoyed, he points at the clock with the spatula he was using to prepare pupusas for our breakfast.

— I forgot...

I take a seat at the bar in front of the griddle.

I act indifferent, still half asleep, pretending to have forgotten my duties while Seji-sensei places a plate of three bean and cheese pupusas in front of me.

Despite it being my favorite dish, I look at them with a bit of disdain.

— Pupusas again? I know I love them, but I've been eating this the entire vacation.

Annoyed, he turns towards me, pointing the greasy and hot spatula at me.

— Reina-sensei would be disappointed if she heard those words!

— Yeah, yeah.

Seji-sensei turns back to finish preparing the remaining pupusas.

— Now finish that and come help me at the pupusería.

He continued preparing his breakfast while saying that. To avoid further annoyance, I decide to comply for the rest of the day, so I'll go help him at the pupusería as he requested without complaining.

You're probably wondering, what on earth is a pupusa or a pupusería? Even if you're not, I'll tell you anyway.

Pupusas are a traditional dish from the country where I grew up until I was 10 years old, El Salvador. They are made from corn or rice dough, filled with beans, cheese, pork, or other ingredients of your choice, and then cooked on a hot griddle.

And a pupusería is a restaurant that sells this food.

I came to Japan with my teacher Seji-sensei to learn this art because my parents went on a long trip, and I decided to stay with my teacher here in Japan. I don't know why we didn't stay in El Salvador... oh well, I guess it's adult stuff.

Still, I don't mind being in Japan, as I met the most beautiful girl I could have ever imagined.

Anyway, today I would continue my training to make the perfect pupusa.

To get to the pupusería is quite a journey; I have to descend the seemingly endless stairs of my house because, for some reason, Seji-sensei decided to live at the top of a large mountain. I don't mind going up or down since I've been doing it ever since I've lived here.

I always carry the mixtures of pork and cheese, corn and rice dough, while Seji-sensei handles the curtido, sauce, and chocolates he'll prepare at the pupusería.

The place we're heading to is located in the heart of the town nestled at the foot of the mountains, a small rural town surrounded by them, named Ana no mura, which in Spanish would be "town of the hole" or as I know it, "The Hole," because where I used to live there was a place similar to this called "The Hole" due to it being at the foot of a hill and by a mountain range.

At the pupusería, I take care of setting up and arranging the wooden seats while Seji-sensei cleans the tables.

Once that's done and I'm fully awake, we begin.

— Alright, time to continue your training, Rasec!

— Yes, Seji-sensei!

With a steady hand, Seji-sensei cuts a tomato in half, leaving both halves visually similar in size.

— This is the correct way to cut a tomato!

— Yes!

With great energy, Seji-sensei adds half a cup of white vinegar to the mixture of cabbage, carrots, and jalapeños.

— To make a good curtido, you must use the exact amount!

— Yes, Seji-sensei!

It's not bad to see him so energetic, but it's quite unusual; I'm amazed at how quickly he moves, radiating an enviable energy for someone his age.

When flattening the pupusas, I can see how swift he is.

— To ensure the pupusa is uniform, you must shape it into a round form while flattening it!

— Y-yes, Seji-sensei!

Just being near him makes me feel tired, and the atmosphere becomes heavy; that's very unusual.

— Finally, flip the pupusa so it sits at this exact angle!

— Uh, y-yes, Seji-sensei!

The hours pass by quickly, thinking about all of this leaves me exhausted; it's six in the evening, but I decide to go to bed early tonight because summer vacation is over.

That idea doesn't last long in my mind when suddenly someone opens the door.

— Uraseku-senpai!

— M-Miru-chan!

I'm surprised and nervous to hear a girl calling me.

A

 beautiful girl with orange hair as fine as silk appears in the shop, wearing a pink button-up shirt and a long white skirt – it's Miru-chan, my friend for three years. When I couldn't rely on anyone else in this town, she was always there for me.

We attend the same school, but she's a year younger than me, so she calls me "senpai," which in Japan is a term for someone of higher grade.

As someone who's lived her whole life in Japan, she struggles to pronounce my name properly, so instead of calling me Rasec, she calls me "Uraseku" because here they don't have the sound of the letter 'r' without a following vowel.

— Uraseku-senpai!

— Uh, well, just call me Rasec.

I blush and look away.

It was impossible to hide the fact that I blushed after she called me senpai; even though it's something I hear every day, I still haven't gotten used to it – those weird games and anime I watch seem to have corrupted my mind...

Seji-sensei looks at me with admiration and says:

— Oh! Is this the girl you talk about so much?

— She's my friend...

It was impossible to hide my blushing face, and it was even more impossible to hide my discomfort after Seji-sensei said that.

— That doesn't matter, senpai, please come with me!

She looks concerned, so I decide to go with her.

It seemed quite serious.

Chapter 1 Part 2

Miru-chan takes me to a place not far from my house, the daylight was beginning to disappear behind the mountains as the sun set.

— What did you want to show me?

I asked with much curiosity and concern because she remained serious and quiet the whole way to the place.

— Look at that.

— Huh?

She takes me to the other side of the mountain slopes and shows me a meteorite split in half.

I can't hide my surprise as I observe it; by its appearance, it doesn't seem to have been here for more than twenty-four hours. I'm surprised that it didn't make any noise when it fell or cause significant destruction due to its size.

This meteorite could really have wiped out this country and its surroundings.

— A meteorite?

— Last night, while I was stargazing, I noticed a strange glow, it seemed quite odd to me, and then something rapidly approached me and knocked me out.

She slowly looks down at the ground.

— And when I woke up, I noticed this.

— Hey!

Miru-chan starts unbuttoning her shirt.

At first, I didn't understand why she was doing that. Being a guy with almost no contact with women, and humans in general... I couldn't help but blush and think indecent thoughts, but it wasn't anything like what I was thinking.

While I try to act distracted, she shows me her back, and amidst it all, there appears to be some kind of mark or tattoo of a pink diamond with a polygonal heart shape in the center.

— That's a tattoo?!

— Last night, a pink diamond hit me and left this mark. It's not exactly a tattoo, I'm not sure if it's bad in the long run for it to still be there.

— T-that's really weird... I really don't know what to think about it...

Why can't I stop stuttering?! I try to look away, but I only end up noticing something surprising.

— Hey, Miru-chan, the meteorite seems to have something shiny.

I see a green diamond emitting light; I am quickly drawn to it, but I don't know why the thought of touching it crossed my mind when I saw that the diamond that came into contact with Miru-chan left a mark on her skin.

— Senpai, wait, it could be dangerous!

— Woah!

Without thinking twice, I touch the diamond.

What is all this power?! It's magnificent! Along with the diamond, I start emitting a green light and a lot of energy; it's releasing too much energy!

IT'S TOO MUCH ENERGY!

— GHHHAAAAAAAAAAGHH!

I feel myself gradually getting tired, almost as if the diamond were absorbing all my life.

A strong heartbeat comes from my heart; the diamond starts to merge with my hand, the veins passing through it move aside and disconnect to make way for the diamond and then reconnect to it.

The pain is unbearable; the light and energy released are so great that it can be seen for miles.

That leaves me very exhausted, but surprisingly, I don't lose consciousness.

After so much energy release, I fall to the ground, struggling to breathe and starting to sweat heavily.

Miru-chan was very scared.

— Are you okay? Th-the diamond... It merged with you!

It had joined me, but in a somewhat different way from hers; mine didn't become a mark, but rather something physical.

Miru-chan's back also starts emitting a light; however, it is softer and whiter.

From the diamond mark comes what appears to be a smiling cloth ghost; Miru-chan and I are amazed by this.

The diamond mark begins to turn into a real diamond that seems to be embedded in her, almost like the one on my hand.

— They make so much noise, they won't let me rest! — Exclaims the one that came out of the diamond with a sleepy face.

— It's a teru teru bozu!

What came out of Miru-chan's back is a teru teru bozu, small paper or cloth dolls used to ward off rain, but this one could talk and move freely.

Curiosity forced me to ask, even as I lay on the ground:

— Who are you?

— I'm Ai, the spirit that dwells in the diamond of love.

— Diamond of love? Do you mean that thing on Miru-chan's back?

— Yes, I come from the pink diamond!

What kind of joke is this...?

— Where did the meteorite come from?

— I don't knooooow!

— What is your purpose here?

— I don't knooooow!

Tch, we couldn't get any answers! This thing doesn't seem to know much either.

Miru-chan helps me up from the ground; I'm still exhausted, but I can stand.

Ai, the spirit of the diamond, looks at us curiously.

— I really like you both; I should introduce you to my other siblings!

— There are more?!

At this point, I don't think anything surprises me anymore.

— Yep, we all come from diamonds.

— B-but what do they do, why did they join us?

— The diamond chose you; so, you could say you're worthy of wielding its power.

This teru teru bozu, instead of clarifying my doubts, only leaves me with more questions; still, Miru-chan seems interested in the diamond's functions.

— Power? What kind of power?

— I detected that in your heart, there is no hatred, only love! That's why I chose you as the bearer of the diamond of love.

How cliché...

But it was true; Miru-chan is a spectacular girl, so I'm not surprised that she harbors no hatred. But right now, I was wondering about other things.

— And, is my teru teru bozu in the diamond?

— I don't detect its presence, but it should be nearby.

I was about to ask if it could detect the other spirits and diamonds, but Miru-chan beat me to it.

— So you can detect your siblings.

— They should be close... Huh?

That was the growl of the teru teru bozu's stomach; how is it possible for a teru teru bozu to get hungry? That growl sounded throughout the town! Well, maybe I'm exaggerating.

— I'm huuuungry!

— Alright, calm down, Ai-chan, I'll find something for you to eat.

While Miru-chan tries to calm Ai, my cellphone starts ringing.

— Um, excuse me, I'll answer.

— Oh, sure, Senpai.

Tch, she really knows how to make me nervous; all those visual novels messed with my mind!

At times like these, it's best to maintain composure.

— Um, it's Seji-sensei, hello.

He sounds quite angry and drunk, not surprising, but this case seems different; it's better if I go home.

Turning to Miru-chan, I say:

— It's Seji-sensei; why don't we go home and talk about this while eating pupusas?

— Can you walk like this?

— Don't worry; I'll be fine.

— Uh, yeah, Senpai, then this would be a good

 time for me to try pupusas.

I didn't remember that in three years of friendship, I had never taken her to eat the food I prepare. Who would've thought...?

Miru-chan's diamond hasn't returned to being a mark, and as she puts her shirt back on, there's a kind of lump on her back.

Ai, upon hearing about pupusas, gets very excited and starts fluttering around.

— Pupusas?! What's that, is it eaten, is it delicious?!

She's very noisy; the journey back home was not serene at all; I wanted to spend more time alone with my kohai... I always wanted to say that! Even if it's only in my mind... kohai is what you call someone in a lower grade here in Japan.

As we walk towards Seji-sensei's house, Miru-chan starts a conversation despite Ai's noise.

— Uraseku-senpai.

— Um, just call me Rasec.

I reply blushing.

— In that case, Uraseku...

Waaaaaaahhh, how can she be so cuteeeeeee?!

— Um, yes, Miru-chan.

I turn to Miru-chan with my best gaze, or at least what I think is my best gaze; the dark circles under my eyes don't help much...

At this point, it's impossible for me to hide my nervousness; Ai talking in the background about food doesn't help!

— What do you think these diamonds are for? I'm nervous that they might be for something bad.

— Um, so that's it... don't worry; I'm sure we'll find someone who can give us information about it.

I turn my gaze forward again with my usual serious expression.

I don't know why I said that; I'm really confused and tired from all the energy release. In a moment like this, I can't think clearly.

These diamonds could be dangerous; I don't know how we'll hide them from people.

At least we arrived home after a noisy journey.

I just want some peace and hope to find it at home.

— I'm home... ahhhh!

I can't believe what I see; does Seji-sensei also have a diamond?!

— Give me that sake!

— Nopi *hic*

Seji-sensei is chasing a teru teru bozu around the house that's drinking his sake; finally, the teru teru bozu faints, leaving Miru-chan and me dumbfounded by what we've seen.

— Ah, Chie, brother! — Exclaimed Ai cheerfully.

— Brother?!

It wasn't so hard to find another diamond bearer... Ai found one of his siblings! We've definitely found another bearer!

I'm glad it was someone as close as Seji-sensei, but now he looks very exhausted.

— Why did such a annoying thing have to come out, what a bother?

— Do you also have one, Seji-sensei?

— Have one of what?

Miru-chan asks:

— A diamond, do you also have a diamond mark?

— Huh? Me too? So you two have one?

There's something strange; they all have a teru teru bozu, but mine hasn't appeared yet. That's what was going through my mind at that moment.

— I have a diamond, but I haven't seen a spirit come out of it; I don't know if...

I didn't finish what I was going to say when someone opens the door to the house very loudly and yells.

— Who touched the diamond?!

— Hey! Who opens the door like that, yo...! Oh Rasec, I think that thing over there is what you're looking for.

— Huh?

I turn to the door and see a teru teru bozu with a green tie.

— Brother, is that you, Kibō! — Exclaimed Ai upon seeing him enter.

— *hic*

— Brother?

Now Seji-sensei looks confused; it's good that someone so clever also feels foolish in the face of something like this, although I think anyone would find all this strange. Ai, in response to my teru teru bozu's question, said:

— That boy with woman's hair touched the diamond!

— Woman?!

I was paralyzed after that; do I look like a woman with my hair this long?

— See why I told you to cut your hair?

Seji-sensei is not helping at all!

— How dare you touch the diamond of hope?! — The teru teru bozu that entered seems very upset, but imagine how I feel after what Ai said!

— What do you mean, woman's hair?! Just because I take care of it and let it grow long doesn't mean it's woman's hair!

— Don't ignore me, you idiot!

My teru teru bozu starts rising, seemingly about to hit me; I suppose since he's a spirit, he won't do anything more than...

— Ouch, did I really feel your punches if you're a spirit?!

Fortunately, Miru-chan intervenes in the argument I was having with my diamond spirit.

— Hey, hey, calm down! What's going on with the diamond that Uraseku-senpai touched?

Miru-chan exclaims, now addressing Ai.

— Well, like all the other diamonds, the diamond of hope can only be carried by someone whose strongest feeling is hope, the same goes for the diamond of love in your case and the diamond of intelligence in the old man's case.

Seji-sensei gets serious, seemingly analyzing the situation; after hearing that he's very clever, he wears an expression of pride.

— I'm not an old man, but well, I understand that I'm very clever, and this girl really seems to love even the ugliest things... but this fool doesn't seem to feel anything.

Seji-sensei was referring to me; what a surprise,

After that, my diamond spirit hits me again and shouts:

— Grrrrah, That's the problem; how do you expect to use the diamond if you don't have a strong feeling of hope!

Very annoyed, I hit him back.

— Hey, I don't even know what it's for!

— Uraseku-senpai is right; what are the diamonds for?

I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one confused in this situation; at least I don't feel so foolish.

Chapter 1 Part 3

Chie, Seji-sensei's teru teru bozu, despite being drunk, starts to tell us a bit about the functions of diamonds.

— Let me explain, *hic*!

The lights in the house turn off and Chie settles under the light of a lantern as if about to tell a scary story.

Seji-sensei, Miru-chan, the other spirits, and I sit on dining chairs to hear what he had to tell us.

— So, we have the power to create magical weapons with diamonds, and since we are spirits inhabiting the diamond, we need a worthy bearer to use our powers.

— Okay, but why do you need to create magical weapons?

— I doooon't knooow *hic*!

All the seriousness of the situation was gone, and as usual, he left us with more questions than answers.

Why does this happen to us?! Not even the diamond spirits know what they're for!

— But, in the meteorite, I felt... no, many presences contrary to our ideals, and that doesn't seem like a good sign...

Hmm, it seems there are many more diamonds than I expected, but my thoughts were abruptly interrupted.

The lights come on and there's a loud growl from Ai's non-existent stomach, Miru-chan's diamond spirit.

— I'm hungry, where are those pupusas?!

— Pupusas? — my confused teru teru bozu exclaims.

Apparently, he was quite intrigued by pupusas. What was his name again, Bako, Koba? Oh no, was it Boki? Whatever, I'll ask later.

Seji-sensei takes a plate of pupusas he had saved, serves them on four different plates, and puts two cups of hot chocolate on the table.

— Well, since Rasec came late, you guys can eat his dinner, go ahead, young lady.

Miru-chan, feeling embarrassed about eating my dinner, replies:

— Thank you very much, but I couldn't eat someone else's meal.

I cheerfully reply to Miru:

— Don't worry, it's a good opportunity for you to try pupusas.

— Really? Thanks, Senpai! — she says with a sweet smile, then turns to Seji-sensei to introduce herself.

— Oh, right! It's a pleasure to meet you in person, Seji-sama. I'm Sakurai Miru, Uraseku-senpai has told me a lot about you.

Miru-chan says as Seji-sensei serves her the food.

— Oh, what a polite young lady. I hope she's said good things about me. Maybe you'll learn something from her, Rasec.

I sensed he would say that. Since they're eating my dinner, I might as well see what I can have.

— Ugh, I'll just have a churro and then go to bed.

— Don't eat up all the merchandise from my shop.

Seji-sensei tells me since he also sells other products.

— Ch-churro?

I love using words no one understands in Japan, especially to see Miru-chan's confused face!

— Please eat, before it gets cold. — Seji-sensei tells all the diamond spirits and Miru-chan.

The teru teru bozu seem very excited.

— Pupusas?

— Smells delicious!

— Let's eat!

Miru-chan also joins them, which doesn't surprise me; she loves trying new things.

— Enjoy your meal!

They all take a bite at the same time, and for a moment, they fall silent. Did they like it? Hmm...

— IT'S SOOO GOOD! — they all exclaim loudly.

I got scared and thought they didn't like it, I guess the first time you try pupusas must be quite an experience.

It's Reina-dono-sensei's recipe after all.

— How can it taste this good?!

— It's like a warm hug to my taste buds!

— The cheese melts in my mouth!

— I've never tried this before, it's delicious!

Even Miru-chan liked it; she should start getting used to it. If she were to live with me, she wouldn't eat anything else... hahaha... well, that's not going to happen, right...?

— Senpai, I've been your friend for three years, how could you hide this delicacy from me?!

— Huh? You've been friends with this girl for three years? I'm your teacher and just now finding out... I guess you're bigger than I thought... — Seji-sensei exclaimed with great surprise.

My mind goes blank so I can't process things normally.

— Anyway, I'm going to bed.

I start climbing the stairs to my room, Seji-sensei looks at me and says:

— Remember, tomorrow you're going to Adachi Institute, don't stay up late playing your dating games.

I turn around, exasperated, and reply:

— They're not dating games, they're role-playing games, just because you can have a girlfriend in them doesn't mean that's why I play! Also, don't say that in front of Miru-chan!

Seji-sensei proudly looks at Miru-chan and the diamond spirits eating.

— She's too busy eating, so it doesn't matter, but don't stay up late.

— Yes, yes.

I continue climbing the stairs to my room when Miru-chan says something to me, and I turn to look at her.

— Uraseku-senpai, good night.

Miru-chan smiles sweetly when she wishes me good night, I couldn't help but turn as red as a tomato, how can she be so cute?!

— Um, good night, Miru-chan.

Very flushed and shy, I try to be serious and continue climbing to my room.

In my room now, I just hear them talking, nothing about diamonds, they seem like lifelong friends based on what they're saying.

It seems they don't give enough importance to the topic of diamonds and teru teru bozu.

— Just when I thought nothing would happen today.

I look at my hand with the diamond mark; I try to remove it gently, but it's impossible and very painful, I think I'll leave it be.

Now that I think about it, they only have the marks of the diamonds.

I haven't shown my diamond to Seji-sensei; I'll do it tomorrow anyway.

Chapter 1 Part 4

In the middle of the night, a figure appeared in my dreams, shrouded in dense white fog. I wonder if it's a representation of Boki or whatever it's called.

— Um... as you may already know, there has been a mistake.

The silhouette of that person began speaking to me with a deep, almost unearthly voice, but no matter how much I try, I can't see their face.

— You are not the person meant to possess the diamond; the spirit will not be bound to obey your orders or grant you its power.

No matter how hard I try to speak, it's impossible; what the heck is that rag talking about?! At this point, all I can do is keep listening.

— With time, the diamond will start rejecting your body, consuming it until your inevitable death.

As they said that, their silhouette began to fade into the dense fog.

— I suppose we'll meet again... if you discover how to avoid your misfortune, I trust you'll succeed.

I couldn't speak; before I could ask anything, the dream had ended.

— Aaaaaaaaaaaaah!

I wake up with a loud scream and a burning sensation on my face.

What is this? Do I have a cut on my face?

There's definitely a cut on the left side of my face.

Touching it, my hand with the diamond is covered in blood from my face.

— Tch, that damn rag...

Blaming Boki is the most normal thing in a moment like this. By the way, where has he gone off to?

I'm bleeding too much to think about that; I better clean my face.

Seji-sensei shouts up at me:

— Hey! Stop screaming! You have school today, so you better get ready!

— Ah, y-yes!

I shouldn't waste any more time.

I clean my face, put on my uniform, and go downstairs for breakfast.

— Here, wash the dishes before you leave. — Seji-sensei said while serving me breakfast.

— Understood.

Seji-sensei places a plate with three bean and cheese pupusas and a cup of chocolate for himself.

I can't hide the cut on my face, and Seji-sensei can't ignore it; he looks at me with some curiosity.

— Umh? Why do you have a cut on your face? Don't tell me you're one of those who cuts themselves.

— N-no, I didn't do it!

— Then it must've been the spirit of your diamond; get it under control, or it'll end up killing you.

This is the last straw; now there are two of us thinking the same thing!

— It will end up killing me; maybe that'll happen, hahaha...

Did I just say I'll die?

— Umh?

— Forget it! By the way, where's Chie? Maybe he knows where Boki is.

First time using my brain, although it didn't help much.

— He woke up with a hangover, so I left him in the backyard because I didn't want him to vomit inside. Don't bother him; he's still asleep. Also, it's not Boki; it's Kibō. Say his name right unless you want him to sell you off in parts on the internet.

— I can tell...

I guess Boki, I mean... Kibō, must be inside my diamond. I better stop thinking about that and get going to school.

During the entire way to school, I can't stop thinking about how to explain if someone asks about the cut; it's better to keep the topic of diamonds and teru teru bozu to myself.

Finally, I arrive at school, earlier than ever; on my way to my seat, I bump into someone, and my notebooks fall.

— Hey, watch where you're going! — a guy with a troublesome demeanor shouts at me.

— I'm sorry.

I pick up my notebooks and head to my seat. I can hear them talking about it afterward.

— Leave it; let's keep going. — one of his friends tells the guy I bumped into.

He stares at me for a moment, but I decide to ignore him.

Then, I hear a voice in my head; I think it's Kibō.

— Who was that guy?

Now in my seat, I sigh heavily and say:

— Oh, that's Sakamoto Hiroki; he and his group like to bother others.

— That presence... — Kibō said in a very serious tone.

— By the way, why did I get cut...? Aaaaaaah!

My question was interrupted because my diamond starts emitting a strong green glow.

Kibō is coming out of the diamond! I quickly hide it under the table! It's hard for something like this not to attract attention; the whole class turns to look at me.

— You fool, you can't just show up like this in public, and what are you doing here?!

I ask him quietly and under the weight of the entire class's stares.

— I live in the diamond; I need to recharge!

— Whatever, you can't just show up like this in public; it wouldn't be normal if they saw a floating, talking teru teru bozu!

A friend of mine approaches; I urge Kibō to hide back in the diamond.

I try to play it cool, but everyone must have noticed how bad I am at this.

— What was that big glow about, Uraseku-chan? Tell me.

It's Kenji, my friend since first grade; I don't even remember how we became friends...

— Ugh!

Why do I worry if everyone saw the glow?!

— Uh, well... um, it was nothing.

— And that cut?

— Ugh!

What should I tell him?!

— Oh! Um, did I... injure myself?

— Umh... You're so absent-minded; we'll both end up failing, hahaha!

— Uh, y-yes!

Phew, it's a good thing Kenji is as clueless as I am... wait, why is he so mischievous?! He's really getting a smirk on his face!

— Could it be that you're in love, and that's why you're distracted?

— Eeeh!

I knew he'd go there!

Kenji gets really close to me; our faces are less than a foot apart as he holds his mischievous expression.

— Aren't you in love with that girl from first grade? Who was it? Oh, the one with orange hair, right?

— Ah!

I'm blushing now; he's right! But wait, it's not because of distraction; that damn rag did this to my face. I'll try to keep my composure.

His face is too close; I try to move away from him to avoid confusion among my classmates, even though I usually go unnoticed by everyone.

— You spend a lot of time with her; I thought you two were a thing...

— *cough* She and I are just friends.

Kenji finally backs away from me.

— Haha, whatever you say.

I manage to keep my composure, but now that he mentions it, maybe I am in love with her...

Focus, stop thinking about it when you're about to die at any moment!

Dying at any moment...

— Please take your

 seats; class is about to start. Since we're late, I'll begin the lesson now.

I didn't notice when the teacher entered the classroom. Kenji says goodbye to me and returns to his seat while I get my study materials out.

Throughout the class, I keep thinking about death; Kibō isn't speaking to me, not even in my mind. I don't know what he's doing in there.

I didn't realize when class ended.

When I leave school, Kenji decides to walk with me to the exit.

— Miru-chan didn't come today?

I ask Kenji, who was next to me.

— Oh, I think she got sick from something she ate.

— Um!

I look ahead, somewhat worried.

Did the pupusas not sit well with her? I guess Japanese stomachs aren't used to that ambrosia; I would never call it "ambrosia"... what's wrong with me?!

— Hey, the school workshops are starting soon; which one are you going to join?

Kenji asks, looking at the horizon.

— Maybe I'll choose music; I hate sports and the sun, and music is the only indoor activity that doesn't require sewing or acting. Besides, I can play the guitar, so it won't be difficult for me.

— Heh, very typical of you.

Kenji and I talk about many irrelevant things as we head to our respective homes.

I seem very calm to others, but inside, I'm only thinking about whether that dream was a real warning or just a bad nightmare.

It's true that the diamond didn't choose me; I'll ask Miru-chan or Seji-sensei to see if they've had a similar situation.

For now, all I can do is enjoy life my way; maybe I'll visit Miru-chan tomorrow.

She won't recover in less than a day, but I hope she feels better tomorrow.

I should think about what gift to give her when I visit.

Final part of Chapter 1

In a dark room filled with rock and metal posters, guitars, basses, drums, and a shelf full of games, there's a girl in punk clothing with black hair tipped in red sitting in a corner, crying and hugging a teru teru bozu with a flower instead of a bow tie.

Background shouts can be heard, perhaps from her parents.

The girl, with her right hand bloody, says:

— I...

— Su-Sumire-chan!

The teru teru bozu exclaims, scared and trembling; the shouts continue in the background.

— I... just want peace...

The girl curls up more and more.

— Nya!

A very small black cat with bangs on its forehead hides and meows.

It has a teru teru bozu, suggesting that the appearance of the fourth diamond room could be about to happen...