Chapter 118. Meeting with Ms. Angel of Death. (2/3)

“Hey… what song are you listening to?”

Yes, an objective of mine was to draw her focus to the song. To make her listen to it. That was one reason I pretended I neither heard nor saw her.

What was I listening to so intently that her voice could not reach me?

Her eyes would naturally be drawn to the free-hanging right earbud I’d intentionally left out for her to take. I’d also left it out so I’d hear her when she arrived, but this was an even more important reason.

So just like now, as she’s extending her hand out toward me she would grab it. She took it in her hand and put it in her ear.

For a singer like her, I knew music would speak to her the most. To move her, it required the right song for the right moment. For what she was feeling. I’d disrupt her mind with this song. 

Psychological warfare.

Everything had to be done right here, or I’d fail. I wouldn’t be able to stop her death if I made one misstep. I was no more than a mysterious stranger to her after all.

Time. I was buying time right now. I would allow this song to play for as long as she would listen to it or as long as the battery in my phone would last.

She listened to the song in silence and didn’t open her mouth to ask me another question.

After it played through the first time, she leaned forward onto the railing the same way I was.

The two of us stood there in silence together listening to the song over and over again on repeat.

After an unknown length of time, the song finally cut out. It coincidentally lined up with midnight on the dot.

It was now the day after the new year. She would no longer die on New Year’s Day. I was certain her objective had been to die on this specific day. I’d now successfully ruined that. I didn’t know why she might want to do so, but I felt it was important to do exactly that.

It could be an important day between her and the person who made her want to commit suicide. That was my best guess. Perhaps an anniversary. To send a more powerful message, ‘I killed myself because of you.’ There would be no confusion that way.

The reason I’d deduced this much was because this was the city that particular individual was born in. That person was coincidentally visiting their family for the holidays and would be in this city for a few more days. After her death, the person who was the root cause of all of this didn’t dare to leave the city. They locked themself up somewhere and hid from the wrath of her fans. Eventually, they too committed suicide because of the backlash they faced after her death.

She wanted to push that person into a corner with her own death. She wanted to make them experience hell for what they put her through and did to her.

I remembered the story quite well. I’d gotten a bit curious about it as it was a fun little puzzle for me to solve my first time through life. As an author, later in life, I even made use of her story to write a story of my own. I only remembered the name I gave her, Ms. Angel of Death. I was truly a terrible person. That was the name I associated with this woman. Rather than her real name, this was the name for her that stuck in my mind.

“Hey, can you at least tell me what the name of that song was?”

This time I opened my mouth and said, “Hysteria.” I’d altered my voice a bit to make it less recognizable.

“Who’s the vocalist?”

“Nano. This is the acoustic version of the song though.”

“Oh. I see. I’ve never heard this song before… it’s quite… nice. I like it.”

“Nobody asked,” I responded coldly.

“Right. Sorry.”

“Uh… do you mind if I ask why you’re up here at such a late hour for so long? Are you waiting for someone?”

“None of your business.”

“I see. Sorry, you’re right.”

“Are you planning to stay here much longer?”

“You know, it’s already the next day.”

“What! It’s not New Year’s Day anymore!”

“No, it isn’t. So… you won’t be able to commit suicide and send the message you wanted to anymore. You missed your opportunity and will need to wait another year.”

She was startled and shocked when I said that. “What do you mean! How do you know what I-”

“What you intended to do tonight? It’s quite simple, your eyes were always glued to the ground when you came up here. You failed to even notice I was standing here from the very beginning. Obviously, there is something you’re thinking about. Something weighing down heavily on your mind. Perhaps you’re having suicidal thoughts. You were just about to climb over this railing before you noticed the song playing to your side, weren’t you?”

“Uh… you could tell all that with a single glance? But… what about what you said about the message I wanted to send? And how would you even know it had to be tonight?”

“Well, what would make a young lady wish to commit suicide? Perhaps a failed relationship? Maybe a horrible boyfriend? Why pick New Year's Day specifically to die anyway? Well, it could just be that it's an important day for you and your boyfriend. Maybe your boyfriend cheated on you or something. Or maybe… he formed himself on you when you weren’t ready. Perhaps he turned out to be a scumbag who’d even record everything and threaten you. There are countless possibilities really. Those are just examples.”

“Examples… you say? Who are you? Did he send you here? There’s no way what you just said are examples?”

“Oh? You mean to say those wild guesses I threw out are spot on?”

“Answer my question, who are you!”

“Me? What does it matter who I am?”

“Are you some creepy stalker? One of my overly obsessive fans or something?” She had her guard up.

“Ms. Angel of Death, I don’t even know your name or who you are. Nor do I care to learn of it. Rather, your presence in this city is a nuisance to my quiet and peaceful life if you say you’ve got obsessive fans. Are you some sort of famous celebrity or something?”

“You… really don’t know me?”

“I really don’t know you.”

“What’s with the Angel of Death thing you just called me?”

“Well... if you committed suicide here, I suppose you might look like one with that pure white hair of yours and your white outfit, that’s all.”

“Oh. I see... You’re dressed in all black though. Are you supposed to be some sort of devil?”

“Haha. Perhaps I am. Would you be interested in striking up a deal with such a devil?”

“A deal… what do you mean?”

“The darkness engulfing you, if you like, I can do something about it. To make the one who hurt you suffer the way you wish and push him into a corner he will never be able to crawl out of without the need for you to die.”

“What? And why would you make an offer like this? What’s even in it for you? Are you after my body?”

“Your body? I have no interest in such a thing. The only thing you’d need to agree to is to leave this city and never come back again in the future. That is the only price you would be required to pay. It’s quite cheap if you ask me. You get what you want and you just don’t need to come back here. You can put your past behind you. The past you want to forget which is tied to this place where your boyfriend was born where the two of you met.”

“You say you don’t know me or my name at that, but if that’s the case, how can you know so much about my circumstances?”

“Well, I am the devil after all. Wouldn’t it be more strange if the devil didn’t know of such matters?”

“The devil?”

“Yes, the devil. Right now, should you take up my offer, you are selling your soul to the devil. The price is to never return here. I will take that soul that contains your memories of this place together where you met him and feast upon it so you may forget all that haunts you. Souls are quite tasty to devilish fiends, you know.”

When I said that she actually looked a bit scared. Like she’d been convinced it was truly the devil she was speaking to.

It was at this moment I turned to face her.

When she saw the creepy black crying clown mask on my face for the first time, she instinctively took a step back.