CHAPTER 17- The Mentality of a Widow. Part 7.

The pizza is ready and we start to have dinner, as if we were a normal family.

Noel would have the role of the responsible adult.

Yuki would be the adorable younger sister.

And I'd be the boring teen cliché.

Only the mother would be missing and the family would be complete... Although I don't consider Noel to be part of my family.

Yuki is like my little younger sister, but Noel is just a stranger I help to help me study.

"Saik, Saik! If you wear glasses at school, you'll be popular with women! You'll have more friends and maybe some pretty girl will fall in love with you!"

"I'm not interested in friends or girlfriends."

They're unnecessary, I don't need them.

"I just want a normal school life."

And then I'll kill myself.

"By the way, Saik. What happened to my... ex-wife?"

"I moved the plan forward. It'll be ready in a couple of days."

Sylphie's actions brought it forward. It saved me a lot of time.

I thought it would take Sylphie longer to consider me her friend, but I was lucky that her self-esteem is so low that she considers me a friend in a very short time.

... Wow... Sylphie was lucky not to have a pervert as a friend.

Sylphie would easily fall for the charms of some man. Her self-esteem is too low.

I have to do something about that.

I'd rather ignore her problems, but I have to do something. In the future, this low self-esteem could hurt me. She already considers me a friend, I don't want her to be so dependent on me.

In the past, many people put their trust in me and regretted it.

I didn't care, because I never asked for their trust. But, on this occasion, I must do something about it, as I made a deal with Yuki to help Sylphie.

Ah... Ah. What laziness.

•

•

After dinner, Noel began to wash the dishes, for it was his turn, and Yuki and I went to a store, to buy vegetables and meat to prepare our lunches tomorrow.

Eating a lot of meat is bad for health, but Yuki is a ghost, it doesn't affect her, and my digestive system is not normal, like my whole body... Being a weirdo has its advantages.

I can eat as much as I want and I won't get fat, as long as I exercise constantly.

"I want sausages, rice, chocolate milk and broccoli!"

“Chocolate milk… Mmm... It sounds good... I'll buy chocolate to make hot chocolate at home."

Tomorrow is Thursday, August 28, in the year 2206.

I'm 17 years old on September 4th.

In one week... Wow... How fast time passes.

"And I think I'll buy some hamburger meat too."

"Homemade burgers?! Yay! You're the best, Saik!"

We went into the store.

I won't waste too much time, I must return soon before... Ah... I assumed.

"Kya!"

Is he really scary? I don't find him scary.

"Disgusting! Stop showing up in front of us!"

He doesn't hear you or see you, Yuki. For him, you're dead.

“Should I buy another toothbrush...? Better not, mine's still good."

The ghost that tried to scare me, appeared again in front of me, trying to scare me.

Yuki was the only one who got scared, I acted like nothing was happening.

I yawned and walked across the ghost.

Oh, how adorable, that little ghost hunter is trying to lower a box of cereal, but she can't reach it.

"You're a little girl. You should eat more."

"I eat enough, you idiot!"

I lowered the cereal to her.

"Mmm... Chocolate cereal... No wonder you don't grow. Do I recommend a more nutritious cereal?"

"I don't need anything from you!"

"Oh, how aggressive. I'd give you candy, but I'm out of candy."

I handed her the box and went on with my shopping.

•

•

"I-is that all?"

... Why does the employee avoid looking me in the eye?

How strange ... This never happens to me.

She's probably a shy girl.

"Yes, that's all."

After I paid, I took my shopping bags and left the store.

"That ghost is a stalker! But, Saik, I will never tire of saying it! You're amazing! That ghost is scary, but you act like nothing happened... Aren't you afraid of anything?"

Afraid...?

—... "I don’t know."

I never thought about that... Am I afraid of something?

I don't know... I got so used to seeing deaths and scary things, that nothing scares or disturbs me anymore.

What can I be afraid of?

I don't know... I don't know... I'm not normal, I've known that since I was a little boy.

... I am a freak.

I passed by a park... Ah... I need a break.

I sat on a bench and sighed.

"Saik, is something wrong?"

I shook my head no.

"Saik?"

I will be 17 years old and I have no plan... I'm just planning to finish high school and kill myself... Am I really not able to move on with my life? What’s wrong with me?

Ah... My head hurts a little.

"Hey, idiot. What's wrong with you?"

—... "Hi... There is nothing wrong with me... I just think about my future."

That ghost hunter sat next to me and the ghost kept trying to scare me.

"You really can't see me?!"

"Unlike the first time we met, this time you look more normal. Is it so hard to comb your hair?"

"It makes me lazy to do it."

"Lazy?"

"Yes."

—... "You're definitely weird."

"I know."

I looked up and looked at the stars.

"The past is not recovered, the present is enjoyed and the future is a mystery... My father told me to enjoy my present, and my mother told me to worry about my future... Ah... I have a headache."

—... "What's your name?"

"My name is Saik, and you?"

"My name is Sayu."

"Nice name... I'm sorry, but I must go."

I took the bags and got up.

"It was a pleasure to meet you."

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"Do you believe in ghosts?"

"Mmm... Yes and no. I like to think that paradise exists, but I don't believe so much in ghosts in this world... I would say maybe... 50/50. Why do you ask...? Oh, it is true, little girls are very curious."

"I'm not a little girl, you idiot!"

"You're adorable... I'm sorry, but I must go. Goodbye."

I walked away.

... Well, my performance of a sad, feeling guy worked.

Wow. I'm a great actor. I even pretended to be sad in my mind.

She realized my sadness and pitied me.

A perfect plan. I knew she was likely to follow me tonight, so it was the perfect opportunity to get rid of her.

Shadow is known to be a cold, unfeeling boy.

Saik is a guy who can feel sad, even if it's a performance.

Definitely with this they will leave me alone and not watch me.

•

•

I left things on the table and Yuki applauded me.

"You're a great actor, Saik! Even I thought you were sad! You should be an actor!"

"With this, we free ourselves from the suspicions of that ghost hunter. We can stay calm, at least for a while."

Ah... I hope so.

•

•

After exercising for two hours, I bathed and started studying.

At 4 in the morning, I stopped studying and went to bed to sleep for at least two hours.

Two delightful hours of sleep, which I quite enjoyed.

At 6 a.m., I woke up, put on my uniform and packed my lunches in my backpack.

With everything ready, Yuki and I left the house, on our way to school.

I'm dying of sleep, but I have to control myself.

"Today is Thursday... Ah... Time is moving fast, isn't it, Yuki?"

"Yep...! When I didn't know you yet, I was condemned to be locked up at home without being able to talk to someone or touch something... But thanks to you, I have a friend and delicious food! I feel alive again! Thank you very much, Saik!"

—... "What does that have to do with time?"

“Nothing, I just want to remind you how grateful I am to you.”- She said with a big smile.

Wow... She's grateful to me... What a nice gesture.

"You're welcome, Yuki."

•

•

I walked into my classroom. 20 minutes to go before the first class starts... Yes. I have 20 minutes to sleep.

"Yuki, wake me up."

"Yep! Sleep, don't worry, I'll wake you up."

I put my backpack on my table and tried to sleep using my backpack as a pillow.

I must admit, I'm very comfortable. In a couple of minutes I will be sound asleep... Maybe… less.

I yawned... Ah, I'm so sleepy.

•

•

(Pov- Yuki.)

Wow... He fell asleep too fast... That must be a record!

Saik studied too much with Noel today, he deserves a break.

Well... What do I do while I wait?

I know, I'll go spy on the students!

Maybe I'll discover a dirty secret. Fufu.

"I'll be back soon, Saik."

I left the classroom... Ohhhh... What's Sylphie doing outside?

Why doesn't she go into the classroom?

Wait… I recognize that expression... She was crying.

I began to float and looked better at her face... She was crying... Did the girls from before hit her?!

I'll tell Saik immediately!

"Mother..."

... Oh, it has to do with her mother.

She wiped away the tears that began to flow and sighed.

"What can I do...?"

She sighed and entered the classroom.

Wow... Something bad happened to her mother... But what?

Curiosity is going to kill me... I have to find out what's going on!

•

•

(Pov- Saik.)

"Saik, Saik, Saik! Wake up, Saik! Wake up! I'm telling you to wake up! Wake up! Wake up!"

Yuki, if you weren't adorable, I would have hit you already.

I was having such a comfortable and pleasant dream... Ah... Ah. What laziness.

I raised my head and yawned.

Ah... I was dreaming about cakes and chocolates... I'm hungry.

"Yuki... Please, would you shut up?"

"Look at Sylphie!"

I turned to see her.

"Have you realized what's going on yet?!"

"Yes... Her hair is shorter."

"Not that...! Wait…"

Yuki turned to see her.

"True, her hair is a bit shorter, it's barely noticeable... Saik, you're disgusting! Do you look at her so much...?! Fufu. Did you fall in love with her?"

"No."

I covered my mouth with my hand.

"I only have good eyesight."

I know what's going on, but I had already planned this to happen. I already have a plan for this.

"Sylphie was crying! Something happened to her mother! You must help her, you're her friend!"

"Ah... Ah. What laziness."

"Put the laziness aside!"

Ah... Ok.

... The boy who tried to flirt with Sylphie on the first day of school is getting closer to her.

It's his chance to be her friend and, perhaps, in the future, her boyfriend.

I must avoid it.

"Yuki, make that boy fall."

"Yep!"

She immediately realized what he was planning.

She approached him and put her foot to him.

He fell to the floor and I approached Sylphie.

"Good morning, Sylphie."

"G-good morning, Saik!"

"Mmm... Did they steal your money or beat you? Well, I warned them. I'll go hit them."

"W-wait! T-they haven't tried to do anything bad to me. T-thanks to you, I'm safe."

—... "Oh, I know. Did you forget to do your homework? No te preocupes (Don't worry). Don't worry, I'll give it to you."

"I-it's not that..."

—... "I give up. I'm bad at riddles."

"Saik, Saik, look at that boy's face! He was angry because you stole his chance to win Sylphie's heart. Hahahaha!"

Although I don't care who tries to conquer her, I just avoided it to get information.

"I could tell you were crying. Has something bad happened? But if you don't want to talk about it, no problem."

—... "I had a discussion with my mother..."

I could tell she didn't want to talk about it with me.

"Oh, a family matter. Don't worry, I won't ask anymore. I know it's private."

It's best to keep my distance from that issue with Sylphie.

"Here."

I pulled a lollipop out of my pocket and offered it to her.

"Here, something sweet will calm you down. I'll just give you one piece of advice, if you have a fight with your mother, dialogue is the solution. If she refuses to speak, only you speak and let her hear you. Ignoring the problem is never a good idea."

"Yes..."

She took the lollipop and smiled.

"Thank you, Saik."

"I hope everything will work out... Well, better change the subject. Do you want to do the project in your house or mine? It's almost time to finish it... Wait… You barely know me, inviting you to my house would be uncomfortable and could be misinterpreted... I'm sorry if I bothered you, but I assure you I'm not a pervert."

"D-don't worry, I know you're a good person!"

"Can we do it in the school library?"

"O-of course, that's fine by me."

"Thank you."

I pulled out my smartphone.

"Can I have your number? I will send you the topic that you have to investigate and collect information."

"S-sure!"

Well... In a short time, I earned her trust, as I demonstrated on several occasions that I do not try to conquer her or take advantage of her.

Although I still think it was very short time... Well, I'm her only friend, so... does that have anything to do with it? I don’t know.

But well, today will be the final phase of my plan.

Wow... I thought it would take longer, but it only took a couple of days… Iris' depression must have been more severe than I thought.

... Too serious... I think I'll change the plan a little bit again.

I was just thinking about talking, but it won't be enough this time. I have to act.

•

•

The first classes were over and Sylphie approached me as I pulled the lunches out of my backpack.

"D-do you want... to eat with me?"

"Saik, accept, you need to socialize! But leave my food in your backpack, I'll eat without them noticing, I promise."

I put my backpack on the seat, I left one of the lunches inside the backpack, in a not very visible position.

"Sure, let's go."

—... "Do you eat that much? I noticed you always have two lunches."

"Besides being lazy, I eat a lot of food. I'm surprised I don't put on weight... I guess I have a good digestive system."

"I-I see."

Sylphie and I left the classroom.

I must continue to behave as her friend for two reasons.

Number 1: I promised Yuki. Even if it doesn't look like it, I'm a man who keeps his promises.

Number 2: If I am her friend, I will be able to tell if her mother's problem comes back.

As I said before, I am a man who keeps his word.

I promised to help Noel, and I don't plan to leave a job halfway.

I'll improve Sylphie's self-esteem, so she can get friends and I can get rid of her.

My plan for a peaceful school life does not include friends.

—... "Saik, do you really not like wearing glasses?"

"I'd be lying if I said no. I do like to wear it, but I like to save myself the time of combing my hair. As you could tell, I don't care about people's opinions. Why should I care what others think of me? I just have to care what I think of myself. Don’t you agree?"

—... "Yes... You're right."- She said with an adorable smile.

Ah, I left my candy in my backpack. I want to give one to her... I will give her one later.

"Why do you want to know about my glasses...? Oh... Are you ashamed of me? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

"N-no! I-It's not that! T-that doesn't bother me, I-I was just curious... Is that... W-well... Y-you look... v-very cute... w-with glasses."

Oh, how adorable, she turned red.

I'll give her two sweets.

Her low self-esteem makes her think I'm cute.

Well... I don’t know. I never cared about my appearance and I don't know anything about it either.

Am I considered cute with glasses?

Yuki told me I looked cute and Sylphie told me so too.

I suppose I am.

And how does that affect my life?

In nothing. I won't comb my hair even if they call me cute.

I feel lazy combing my hair, and I don't mind being considered cute.

"Thank you... Honestly, I only do that because I don't like to comb my hair, and I like to have long hair... I don't care if people think I'm weird. I'd rather be comfortable than satisfy others."

"I-I agree with that."

We arrived at the school canteen.

The cliché place where groups of friends gather to socialize.

Different types of people can clearly be differentiated.

There is a group of boys playing video games on their portable consoles.

Groups of girls talking to each other and their laughter are annoying.

And, of course, the popular students.

How do I know they're popular? For being the biggest group in the place.

"Hey, Sylphie, you gonna buy some food?"

"Yes."

"I will get a table."

"Thank you."

I walked over to the tables... All tables are occupied, but not full. There are some tables with spaces available.

Mmm... Here's a perfect place for me and Sylphie.

I sat next to a group of girls and opened my lunch.

"Hey, the place is occupied."

Now they'll try to throw me out. So funny.

"Did I crush a ghost? Ah, that sounds scary."

I turned to see them.

"Oh..."

That's the girl I hit. She looked at me furiously as our gazes crossed.

"Does your stomach still hurt?"

"Tsk. I don't want to be around him. Let's go."

She retired and they all followed her.

She is the most important of that group of friends, for being the most beautiful and with more money.

Cliché... But at least now I have a table to myself.

"Yeah, I'm telling you, I could have crushed him! The opposing team was humiliated!"

"Shit, I lost the bet!"

"Did you bet we'd lose?!"

"This... Oops."

... Two guys sat at my table... And one of them pulled out his tongue as he punched himself in the head.

That's only adorable in women, in men it's disgusting.

"Hi, Saik. Let's hope you don't mind sharing."

"It's the first time we've talked, isn't it?"

... Do they know me?

One of them is tall, has a strong body, red eyes and his hair is orange. The other guy is average height, short green hair, and blue eyes.

... No, I do not know them.

"Hi... Who are you?"

"Don't you recognize us?!"

—... "Are you famous?"

"We're your classmates!"

"Ah... I see... I never pay attention to my classmates, so I didn't recognize you... Hello, my name is Saik."

"I'm Naok!"- Said the tall, strong boy.

"And my name is Bell!"- Said the other, who does not stand out in any way, unlike Naok, who I can tell apart from the others because of his large stature.

"I see..."

"I came back!"

Sylphie left her food on the table and offered me a lemon drink.

"H-here, I bought you a drink."

"Ah... It's true, I forgot to buy one... I'll pay you back."

"N-Not necessary, you invited me to eat, it's my turn to return the favor!"

—... "I see... Thank you very much."

She sat down in front of me and I opened the drink.

"Oh... Are we interrupting something?"

"Fufu. I thought you were just a nerd, but you have a pretty girlfriend."

"G-girlfriend?!"

"We're just friends... And I'm not a nerd... I guess... Did you become jealous? Don't worry, I'm still available... Unfortunately, I don't like men."

They both started laughing and Naok slapped me hard on the back.

"You're funny, Saik!"

—... "Funny?"

Did I say something funny?

“I thought you were a boring boy, Saik, but you're nicer than I thought."- Bell said.

"Mmm... Boring? Is that a bad thing?"

"We thought you were the typical guy who spends all his time studying."

... Is that a bad thing?

Isn't it supposed to be good for a student to study? That's what we're supposed to go to school for.

... How strange.

"S-Saik is not boring! He's a fun guy."

Funny?

I never try to be funny... How weird is my personality?

"Saik, Saik, some girls are scratching your table!"

Yuki, you look very nervous. It's just a table, no problem.

"And they stole your candy!"

... This is already a problem.

But I won't act yet... But I will take revenge. Nobody steals my candy and walks out unharmed.