The bell rings out, signaling the beginning of the lunch period. Standing next to the door, I enter once I spot Mr. Arata leaving from the other door. But just like my luck would have it, I bump into none other than the school beauty.
"Oh—" I open my eyes in shock, but seeing my glaring classmates, I move out of the way. "Sorry, Sorry!" I repeat, moving to the side for her to pass and walking back to my seat, where my friend Minito smiles as if I had just experienced something godsent.
"How was it?" He nudges me.
"How was what?" I question, and confusion spreads like wildfire on my face.
"Her…you know what." He gestures to his chest. "You bumped into it."
"Ohh…" I finally caught on, realizing I did feel something. "It was ok, I guess." I fling myself on my desk dramatically. "I just don't get any satisfaction from a girl like her, you know?"
"What!" Minito shouts as if I had killed his cat, then grabs onto my shirt, shaking me up and down. "How could you not feel anything!"
"The only quality I like about her is her personality. As for looks, I like smaller girls more, with barely any breasts, and who fight a lot," I say honestly. "Like a cat."
Minito looked as though he was about to cry just from my words. "This can't be, you're no man but a… pedophile." He drops me, and I can't help but chuckle.
"I'm not, I just—" I say, sticking my hands into my pockets but feeling something like a paper in it, so, as any normal person would do, I pull it out and open it.
[Come to the rooftop, now.]
Huh? Who wrote this?
I look around to see if anyone's looking at me, but none is.
"What is it?" Minito spots me looking around and joins my side to see what's on the letter. "Do you know who gave it to you?"
"No." I answer truthfully, and immediately go to throw it away, but Minito stops me.
"Wait!" He says frantically. "It could be an admirer!" He says, a big smile playing on his face. "So you have to go because they might be waiting the whole day up there."
"Man, come on, the only admirer I have is the cleaning lady…" I cringe just at the thought of her staring at me while wiping the doors to the boys' bathroom.
"It can't be her, or can it?" Minito pauses, pondering. "There is a large possibility."
"See, I'm not going," I say, already tucking it back into my pockets. There was no way I was going to indulge an old woman in her young love fantasies. Especially a poor one.
"Dude, you have to go; it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity." He shakes me again, groaning. "You know how many people dream of dating an older woman."
"Yeah. Good-looking ones," I answer, frustration rising. "Milfs. Not whatever she is."
"If you do it, you'll get first game dibs for an entire month." He wagers, and I wouldn't lie, it's tempting. "And I'll pay for snacks for two days."
"Two days alone?"
"Take it or leave it." He stops, becoming serious.
I sigh. How can I reject such a good offer? "Alright, let's go, but you're coming out on the roof with me too."
"Deal." We both grasp hands in a shake.
Before I know it, I'm facing the door leading out to the rooftop. With a deep breath, I turn the knob, walking in and out into the windy embrace, my eyes glued to the floor.
I can't look.
"Souta… look now," Minito says, shock awfully apparent.
"Is she in something revealing?" I question, and he doesn't answer. "Dude!" I call out, and silence greets me again.
Impatient, my head flies up to see the same pale, white-skinned beauty of our year. Snow. What. The Fuck?
"Greetings, Souta." Her soft voice rings out through the haze of confusion and questions plaguing my mind. "I thought you'd come alone, but this is fine." She speaks again, walking towards us as her hair floats in the wind.
Glancing at Minito, he is just as shocked as I am.
"Say something…" He whispers.
How can I? I expected an old geezer, not someone like her.
"I have a secret I must confess." She says, swaying her way forward, hands behind her back. "I—"
"I'm good," I state blankly, face white as paper, with my hand up, completely crumbling the moment to dust.
"What!" Minito slaps me on my back. "You didn't even let her finish, dude!" He stepped forward to meet her. "Sorry, Miss Snow." He chuckles awkwardly, blushing. "He doesn't mean it at all."
"I do," I say. "She's not my type."
"He's lying!" Minito shouts, spinning to me for a second, sending a glare. "Snow—" He pauses as the sound of crying echoes through the space.
Minito panics, yet all I'm focused on is the sudden darkness enveloping the space, the shine of noon becoming darker. Another episode?
"Minito… We should go. I need to get my pills." I mutter, looking around.
"What was that?!" He shouts back, but it's already too late; the entire sky becomes black. "Huh? What's happening?"
"You can see it too?" I inquire, perplexed.
"Yes—" A sharp guttural sound fills the air, and my head snaps in his direction.
A shiver of pure terror crawled through my veins as I watched in horror as an ice-shaped sword pierced through his stomach and jutted out from his back, leaving Minito to crumple helplessly into the wielder's frame.
"You should have come alone," Snow repeats softly. "Then I wouldn't have to kill your friend."
My mind goes blank.
No screaming. No dramatic denial. Just a hollow ringing in my ears as Minito's weight collapses against her, his blood steaming where it spills onto the concrete rooftop. His fingers twitch weakly, clutching at her uniform like he's trying to anchor himself to reality.
"Minito—!" I stumble forward instinctively, but the moment I move, Snow's gaze snaps to me.
Don't.
Something in my head screams that single word.
I freeze, knees trembling, breath hitching painfully in my chest. The ice sword glints between us, pulsing faintly, as if responding to her emotions.
"Why…" My voice cracks. "Why him?"
Her eyes soften. Just a little. Enough to make my stomach churn.
"You're special, Souta," she says, tilting her head. "But he isn't. Collateral damage is unavoidable."
I swallow hard and force myself to look past her—to look at Minito.
His lips part weakly. "S-Souta…" he coughs, crimson staining his teeth. "Guess… I lost the bet, huh… I should have never praised this bitch…"
"Don't talk." I blurt out. I can't go to him. She's between us. "Hey—hey, look at me. You're gonna be fine. I'll get you help. An ambulance. A doctor. Someone. Anyone."
A lie.
I know it. He knows it. Still, he smiles.
"Snacks… still on me…" he mutters. "So if you want it, hurry and get out…"
My vision blurs.
"R…Right!" I look behind me at the door, then at Snow approaching, her sword dragging on the floor, creating a trail of ice.
"You aren't going anywhere." She says.
"I'm almost proud I didn't like you," I say through my trembling tone, inching my way back to the door. "And who in their right mind kills someone they think is special? You're supposed to be one of the smartest in our grade as well. Guess that was a lie."
The air shifts.
"You are correct." She grins. "You are special, but not to us." Her hand holding the sword pulsates with the bubbles as if it's coming alive as it morphs to a sleek, sickening black.
"Fuck… what are you?" I grimace.
"You won't be alive long enough to worry about what I am." She burst forward, and I snapped around, yanking the door open and descending the stairs as fast as my legs allowed me to.
I hope this is a dream!!!