"So you're sayin', I have done somethin' that bad now I can't move forward? I was... bad…" She sighed frustratingly as she continued, "that figures why I am so miserable... I mean I was."
All the efforts she has put in to stay calm, were gone with bubbles. No matter how hard she tried to stay calm, she just couldn't. Her voice sounded muffled as she talked further, "Just how bad I was? Couldya' tell me?"
"That's... something you have to figure out yourself."
Airi nodded in acknowledgement, "that's better I suppose, probably I won't be able to hear all those."
She kept quiet for a while to think about whatever she got to know by now. All of a sudden, as if she realized something, she sprung up on her feet, "Then how am I supposta' live through this? I have no memories from my life before. I ain't someone who can remember their previous lives."
"... well, whatever, that's your headache to handle. From now on, you are on your own, Good luck."
"Yes, thank you, yoroshiku ne... oy wait! What are you saying goodbye and all? What if I need any help?!" Airi flipped on him, being totally in a panic mode.
"I'm just a summon away, just so you know."
"And what am I supposta' call you? God? Angel? Kami-sama?! Shady spirit? Well... shady spirit sounds awfully good..."
"I am good with Angel." He clutched his temple with his fingers, it has started hurting by now.
Airi sneered with a grin, "Cheh, much cliché such boring. How 'bout I give ya' a name?"
"Okay... you wish, just let me go."
"Then, shady spirit…"
"DON'T YOU DARE!!!"
His shout startled Airi so much that she stopped whatever she was saying.
"O… okay, then Shinigami?" Airi thought about it a bit and suggested another.
"..."
"Ryuk?"
She once again stopped her suggestion session seeing thunderbolts crackled behind the angel. "Woah, dude, gonna ruin the house now?"
"You know I can shut you up forever right, you anime freak?" Angel gave his usual melancholic peaceful-looking smile at her, but now she very well distinguished it as so not peaceful, rather she could practically see some black horns on top of his head.
"You sure you are an angel? This smile you got is scary, you know? And if you could, I wouldn't have been here in the first place."
The crackles behind him got more intensified that her ears were deafening. She even couldn't hear her own words by the sound of it.
"Okay okay, calm down. Ryo then. Now go shoo... let the house survive." She feared that if she is any more sarcastic than this, this house might crumble into pieces.
"Fine, I better not get involved with you more than this otherwise it would be hard for me to keep sanity." Though his expression was different from his words as a pleased look was evident on his face.
"Well, until then."
And just like that. Ryo disappeared.
The only person in the room left was Airi.
Nothing changed in that room.
But Airi sure did.
In one day, her total existence was flipped over. She was in some place she had no idea about. And the more she thought what just happened to her, the more she felt helpless.
"Not good. I just let my fear, sadness slip out in front of him."
She looked around the unfamiliar surroundings, "This is where I gotta live right?"
"Now that I am actually dead, I miss mom...I miss dad...I said I am glad to be dead, but... it's…. sniff... no good... sniff"
Mumbles turned into sniffles, and soon that became wails as her helplessness rolled down her eyes.
------
Although Ryo left the room with Airi alone, he couldn't make himself leave her just yet.
No matter how he tried, he couldn't remove those eyes filled with tears from his head.
So he returned to the sides of the window just to make sure she was fine.
"No good... I just let my fear slip out in front of him…"
After those words were carried to his ears, he heard a soft sobbing sound coming from the room.
He looked through the window carefully, so that he wouldn't get caught sneaking into her.
Ah, there she was. Looking downwards at her hands well rested on her lap, tears rolling down her cheeks.
"I miss mom... I miss dad…. sniff… I want to... hic*... see them so bad... hic*"
He just stayed by the window and watched her crying.
"You should express whatever you feel, Airi. What benefit has it ever given you to suppress your inner feelings? Probably this life could have been better if you were honest with things…"
Airi was crying her heart out until she calmed herself down. And Ryo watched her all that time.
"May you resolve all of this, Airi Shin."
Wishing that, he went to his destination.
------
Airi calmed down after crying for a long time. By then, it was already past noon. Airi hadn't had anything to eat since yesterday, so she was feeling hungry.
When she realized that, her stomach rumbled loudly.
"Guess I should grab food first, I can't be dyin' here too after all."
She wiped her face with a towel hanging near, making sure she had no traces of tears on her face. Though the redness in her both eyes and puffiness she got was so obvious that no matter what, it would become clear to the people downstairs that she had been crying.
"Well, nothin' can be done then. Imma go have somethin' to eat."
She went out of the room and arrived at the dining room, climbing down the stairs. A bit away from the table was the living room, where the middle-aged couple from earlier were sitting on the sofa. The lady was peeling some sweet potatoes and giving them to the man sitting beside her. They were probably enjoying some evening show on television, and by the look of it, the television was sure quite of an old model.
"Just how much backward did I move?" she wondered to herself.
Of course it was way past lunchtime. So there's no way she was going to get any decent lunch right now. And she wouldn't like to bother those people who were peacefully enjoying their evening.
And of course, the main problem is, no matter how much stranger they are to her, to them, she was their daughter, who just acted kind of rude.
"Gash, I'm no good with people. Damnit!"
She never felt the need to talk to any other people apart from her parents, and being a socially awkward girl, she preferred it that way.
"Well, prolly I'll search up somethin' myself."
Come to think of it, those potatoes look tasty…
"Can I have those too?" she blurted out even before she thought about it.
And she did it... hunger is bad dang!
Hearing Airi's words, the middle-aged couple turned around and appeared to be shocked to see her.
"You... will eat these?" the lady's voice felt quite shaky as if she was being careful about whatever she was saying.
Airi thought maybe this made them awkward or something, and that thought made her flustered and a bit nervous. "If... that's okay with you…"
"Why not? Haha, come here kid. Have some with us." This time it was the man who spoke up, pointing her towards a chair nearby.
Airi slowly went towards the chair and sat on it.
Then the man started peeling potatoes to give her.
The lady hurriedly got up to rush towards the kitchen, "Would you like something else? Sorry, I have nothing prepared right now, but I am sure I can make something if you give me some time…"
"Oh no, please... I mean... umm... it's okay. I'm good with these. And it's already past lunchtime. So... just relax and... enjoy the show."
The lady slowly sat down on a chair, having a completely surprised look on her face.
Airi was happily eating those potatoes as she occasionally felt a pair of eyes looking at her instead of the television. She was all familiar with people looking at her, but for the first time the look from two strangers didn't feel uncomfortable at all.
Airi quickly finished her potatoes and after that she got up to go to her room. But she stopped on her tracks as she remembered something.
She turned back towards them.
"Erm... the potatoes were great... must be a good harvest…. um... you have a nice eye on veggies... as always."
She pondered for a little while before saying further, "and thanks for baking those, rock salt made them... extra tasty, as always."
After saying all those, she rushed to her room, without even looking back.
If she did, she could have seen an old parent with moisture in their eyes, as they were too happy to get this very simple yet earnest gratitude.
Airi climbed up the stairs and after entering the room, she shut the door closed behind her. She felt nervous to talk to someone for long without knowing them, but this wasn't the only fact that made her nervous.
"How the hell do I know that the man is good with groceries? How do I know the lady always uses rock salt on her baked potatoes? What's with the familiar feeling? Mom never used rock salt... Why did I find that literally normal?!"
"What was that oh-so-good feeling I had when they were looking at me with pleased eyes? What was the feeling I had when thanking them?!"
'It can't be just something you do to people outta politeness right?'
'It must be... Arne's memories.'
'I gotta find clues about everything of her life. Her memories, I need those. Otherwise I won't be able to sort these out. There's no way I can move around with nothing.'
Airi started to search through every single thing she could find in that huge room.
And soon, the room got messier as more things about her started to unfold.
"Hello people, dropping an extra paragraph because I got something to share with you.
It's me, NamCandy, author of 'Starting With The End'
I'm currently updating daily on Webnovel, under the same title, and my pen name is same as well.
I'm partaking in a competition, for which I would need more and more exposure ToT, loves from you and votes, reviews.
And the story is already way up ahead of this chapter. and I promise to give you a nice story to spend your time for ><
So please, drop by and show me love.
Dunno if I am allowed to say more, or post the link, but if anyone is interested to talk to me about the book, or where I am posting, feel free to message me on my discord
it's NamCandy#1413
I'll post my free chapters here for you to read, but as for the premium ones, please go to the Webnovel. onegai!
see ya then! <3
