My eyes snap open.
"Kaito. Kaito. Kaito."
My eyes absorb the information in front of me.
A girl.
Green.
A green-haired girl. Someone who's repeatedly poking my cheek as if I'm some kind of dead animal. Her face holds curiosity.
"Kaito. Kaito. Kaito."
"Mmphhgg… That's me. I'm Kaito." I say, my voice slightly thrown off due to the constant assault on my left cheek.
"Lily?" I ask.
"That's not me. I'm Kurosaki–"
I quickly sit slightly upwards, using my hands to push myself up. I'm now face to face with lily. The reason for this being that she was sitting on my torso.
"Lily. Where's Aza?"
I ask immediately, my eyes not leaving hers.
"I have no idea. She could be very well hiding for all I know."
Her eyes don't leave mine.
"How old is she? Ten?"
"Sometimes I don't know myself…"
I sigh.
"Okay, do you think you can get off me? I'd really appreciate that."
"I wouldn't. Your chest feels like a pair of large pillows. Actually, they might be F-cups. I personally think they'll give even Aza a run for her money."
"She doesn't even need money."
"It was a figure of speech."
"...Yes. Figure." She squeezes my pec.
I reel my head back. Then, I take a deep breath.
"Hahh.. C'mon, Lily! I've got to head back to the real world as soon as I can! I've just died, too!"
I yell, albeit in a surprisingly monotone voice.
Lily nods slowly, before arising from my chest. She pats down her back for a moment before revealing a tissue in her pocket. Using that, she also pats down her back. Then, she takes out a large tub of disinfecting produc—-
Am I some kind of viral sickness?
The items miraculously vanished, as if the sole purpose for the existence of those things were just for the previous joke.
"No."
I sigh again, getting to my feet.
"Why am I here, Lily? I know I'm here for a reason."
"Wow. Your eyes seem… much more different than before. I wonder how heavy the burden of emotions are on those that deal with them on a daily basis. "
"?"
"You haven't realized it? Ah, well, I'm not 'real'."
"What do you mean?"
"I am a construct made by Aza's imagination. I am a human created by a being that can only understand humans as a set of mathematical formulas."
We're in a field.
Wind blows past, causing grass to flutter in the wind. If anything, it resembles Lily's hair a little bit. The shade of green is what contributes to this heavily.
Hm. A lily. It's a flower that manages to maintain perfect symmetry, as well as possessing a smooth surface. In a way, it can be understood as a 'perfect' existence. Whether that has a negative connotation or not is subjective, but I choose to see it as both.
It does not hope for tomorrow, nor to return to the past. It simply exists, accepting the present.
I don't know, maybe I'm looking too deep into this.
Basically, my point is that Lily, in fact, resembles a Lily flower. This is mostly because I see her fake existence as… blank, like the colors on the flower, which mostly comprise white.
Though…
"Why don't you embody those qualities?"
She asks in my place.
Lily turns around.
"I do not know myself. Even Aza showed initial surprise at my newfound personality. But perhaps…"
Something catches my eye.
Lily's left hand is missing.
She looks up at the artificial sun, which shines back at her. The artificial grass flutters in the artificial wind. The artificial sky looms above her.
"Perhaps I truly want to exist, so I can know for myself. Whether it was fabricated or authentic."
I'm incapable of talking right now, at this moment.
Lily looks back down, her gaze returning to a standstill. Though, I can't really tell, given that her back is facing me. At this moment, she's outfitted with a butler's uniform, which I guess can be worn regardless of gender.
"..."
"Aza told me to relay this message to you:"
"My dear Kaito," She begins.
Lily's voice morphs, perfectly replicating Aza's. I tense up slightly at the sudden change.
"I will be gone for a long time. I've been called to a certain place. For the time being, you must remember your goal, and carry on as if my awesome self was still there."
Gone? I thought she said… Why would she already leave? Was whatever she said before just a way to mess with me? Where did she even go? Was she…?
No.
I'm looking too deep into this.
I just need to keep my tunnel vision for now. Aza is the only person who cares for me in this entire world, so she'll inevitably be there when I need her the most. That's how people who care about each other act.
And that's enough to keep me going.
My goal is to uproot Forctyr by the source, not linger around crying.
I smirk.
"You could at least say bye yourself…" I say as I place my hands on my waist.
"So, you're going to be here alone, Lily?"
The girl nods, before walking over to me.
"Don't worry, it won't be as lonely for me as you think. My perception of time is vastly different from yours."
She suddenly bites her lip. Her bangs fall in front of her face as well, obscuring her eyes.
"Can you do one thing?"
"?"
"I want to know how a true flower looks. Not a false imitation of one. I want to smell it, I want to hold it."
Smirking to stupendous levels, I stick my thumb out.
"Don't worry, next time, I've gotcha."
Lily smiles, before placing her hand on my forehead. Then, with a flick….
Darkness….