I had a dream. It wasn't vivid, but it was something I could almost grasp. I was in a beautiful place, surrounded by nothing but flowers, and before me stood the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. Her face didn't exist, yet it felt safe to assume she was pretty. But fantasies are just that. The moment you open your eyes, you're left with nothing but frustration. You close them again, hoping the dream will return, but it never does. Instead, it's always something random. Ironically, whenever I have a bad dream, it comes back the moment I fall asleep again. Sometimes I wonder if the world is just against me.
I got dressed for school and headed to the living room, only to find a familiar figure sitting on the couch. My faint smile quickly turned into a frown the moment I recognized her. I walked down the stairs and rested both hands on the couch, leaning forward as she watched TV. As expected, it was the same drama movie again, the same loser protagonist somehow ending up with the popular girl. Like that ever happens in real life.
"Alice, do you actually find this kind of thing interesting?" I asked, eyes fixed on the screen.
"Of course," she replied casually. "The struggle of a loser male protagonist trying to survive the hierarchical system of society is fun."
"So if a random loser asked you out, you'd say yes?"
She turned toward me, black eyes widening slightly. "If he has a car, why not?" She dug beside her and pulled out snacks as if the conversation meant nothing.
That was my sister, Alice. Unlike me and my dark hair, she was the complete opposite, white hair curved into a perfect bob, slanted eyes that always seemed to be observing everything, though never in the way people expected. Her figure was normal. She was my sister, so obviously I wasn't thinking anything weird. Back then, she was all over my business. We were practically inseparable until she left for college. Now we were together again.
No matter how many good traits she had, I couldn't ignore her flaws. She was nosy, annoying, rude, cocky, lazy, and treated me like a kid. The more I thought about it, the more irritated I got.
"Then answer this," I said, narrowing my gaze. "Would you date a serial killer if he was handsome and rich?"
She went quiet, rubbing her cheeks as if thinking hard. I already knew the answer. "Simple," she said, eyes lighting up as she pointed at me. "I can fix him."
"You watch too many romcoms."
"Is that bad?"
"Only if it affects you like this."
I walked into the kitchen and noticed she had prepared my lunch box. Maybe she wasn't as lazy as I remembered. I packed it and headed for the door, briefly glancing at her outfit. It was skimpy, but we were indoors, so I ignored it.
"Then I'll be"
"Yuu."
She stopped me before I could leave. When I turned around, her usual annoying expression softened. Her eyes held worry, and for a moment she struggled to speak. "Be careful at school," she finally said. "That place costs a lot. You're smart, so don't waste it."
It caught me off guard. I smiled faintly and stepped outside, heading into town for another stressful day. I probably wouldn't see Alice later anyway. She said she moved here for work, though she never explained what kind. She was rich, owned her own house, and when I once asked where the money came from, she just said the secret to a well paid job was a hard working staff. It didn't explain anything, but I accepted it. I had my own secrets too.
The streets were busier than yesterday, students and adults moving in every direction, cars passing by, kiosks opening. For a remote town, it felt crowded. My eyes stayed glued to my phone as I searched for games to download. My phone was terrible, but I wasn't about to complain too much. Still, when it lagged again, I nearly threw it to the ground before stopping myself. I could always ask Alice for a new one.
"Have you heard about the new game?" I overheard someone say nearby. I wore my slim blue headset today, my favorite color. I loved blue enough that I'd probably name my kid Mlue if I ever had one.
"You mean Phantom Eyes?" the other guy replied. "I'm not interested."
"It's peak, man."
That caught my attention. I searched it up and froze. The game looked insane, but my phone would never run it. Such was the simple life of Yuu.
When I reached school and passed through the gates, my powers weakened instantly. Just like yesterday. Yumiko was right. Whoever created this barrier was powerful. It kept weaker supernatural entities out, but stronger ones could still pass through. Even suppressed, I knew someone dangerous could walk in and cause chaos. Maybe the school was just confident enough to take that risk.
"What are you always talking about?" a soft voice asked.
I turned and froze. White hair, long and clean, warm grey eyes filled with innocence. "You're the girl from yesterday" I said.
"How was your first day?" she asked with a smile.
"It was fine. People here are weird."
"But you're weird too."
I shrugged. "Thanks."
She giggled and walked past me, and before she could leave, I asked for her name. "Emiru," she said, smiling again before waving goodbye.
High school was always like this. New people, studying, trying not to stand out too much. Popularity was a hassle, but being invisible was worse. I stayed in the middle. I wasn't charismatic, and an attractive face only got you so far. Power made things easier, but relying on it felt wrong. I'd abused it before and nearly killed my mom because of it. Maybe today, I'd actually try without it.
I entered the classroom, and my day began.