2 Onigasaki Nozomu

Oni(鬼), a fictitious creature depicted in countless folklore and stories. The kanji that is used in this case can both be an ogre, a yōkai with a huge figure that has a horn or horns on their heads, or a demon. In this case, a devil also means the same thing. In any case, there is no denying that this particular character actually represents the falsehood of human perception. Born to fill the gap of what is not known.

...That's not what I was going to talk about, but it's fine...

My name is Onigasaki Nozomu(鬼ヶ崎・望夢). My given name written as 'Hope', and 'Dream'. Well, truthfully speaking, both of my parents' naming sense are bad. Why would you name your kid 'hopes and dreams' when our family name is Onigasaki? It's not like I'm bothered by this though. Or more like, I'm fine with it since it's my parents that named me. Yes, I'm not discontent in any way possible, but I'm just curious as to why name me so positively when our family name is quite scary.

Back to myself, as you can probably see, I'm an ordinary high-school boy in his adolescence. Though I said that, dear readers probably can't see me anyhow. So I'm going to introduce myself a bit more.

But of course, in a third-person view.

...

Along the concrete sidewalk near a junction, a very ordinary high-school boy in his teen unhurriedly walk and stopped just shy away from the road. In front of him stood a pedestrian light glowing in red, the same color as this young boy's eyes. Even though cross walks require at least a certain amount of caution, this young boy only stood there...eyes glued to the book in his hand. As cars moving by to reach their destination in the safest but fastest possible speed, his black hair that was slightly unkempt sway at the lightest movement of the wind. Perhaps due to the rushing wind, the young boy shuts his eyes in response. As if that was the signal, the pedestrian light turned green, and the young boy continued his walk to school.

...

Though I said I'm an ordinary high-school student, my agate eyes are distinct from normal Japanese. I do not know why my eyes turned crimson red. Both of my parents said not to worry about it though. In any case, it isn't something to be worried about, so it's fine. It's cool anyway.

That said, the glances of others filled with doubt and concern are a bit unsettling. I probably look like a weirdo that wore colored contacts for show.

'O..ni...'

H..Huh...For some reason, I'm getting a headache. Was I...that tired yesterday?

Eh...Yesterday?

Right...Yesterday was just a normal school day, explained in the last chapter...Yeah there's...nothing wrong with that...

But the headache became excruciatingly painful, to the point that I'd crouch down on the cold, solid sidewalk. The pain was so unbearable that I instinctively move my free hand and cover my head to somehow alleviate that sense of pain. Of course, this action is meaningless. It's just a natural response when humans are in pain.

'Oni..gasak-'

"Nozomu! Are you okay?!"

A person came to talk to me from behind. So he's here. I thought we wouldn't meet each other before reaching school.

"Oi! Nozomu! What happen?!"

His shout...is making the pain worse...Don't shou...

"Nozomu?! Nozomu! Oi! No...mu.."

...

As Nozomu's headache gave him a severe sense of pain, his consciousness slowly faded until he pass out. Before his body fall to the ground, the person that came to his rescue stopped the fall, carried Nozomu's bag over his shoulder, and lifts the lightweight high-school boy in a princess carry.

It's regretful, but the first princess carry of Onigasaki Nozomu isn't to a girl but from a guy.

No. This isn't a princess carry. Yes, it didn't count. Better yet, let's just hope the person in question isn't too self-conscious about it.

...

An unfamiliar roof, a distinct smell of disinfectant, the pure white bed sheets, and the not-so-comfortable pillow. So that guy brought me to the school's infirmary. I guess he carried me here? Must be tough...In any case, I'll have to properly thank him later.

More importantly, what time is it now?

As I was about to stand up from the metallic bed, the nurse in charge came inside.

"Oh? You're awake? I thought you'd be down for at least another hour or so"

"Uh...Sensei...What time is it now?"

I ignored her remark, and reluctantly asked. Perhaps noticed my impatience, she quickly check her wristwatch.

"If you hurry, you'll probably make it to the second period."

Hearing that, I swiftly snatch my bag that was lying down beside the bed, and ran off after bowing my head to the nurse slightly in gratitude.

"Ah wait! Don't run...in the hallway..."

Putting that parting word aside, I quickly ran in the direction of my next class. The hallway is completely empty, so my trip was quite smooth. A few minutes later, I finally reached my class. Without thinking, I accidentally swung the door open, creating a loud bang. Immediately, all eyes turn towards the source of the sudden noise.

"O-Onigasaki-kun..."

The face of the math teacher is filled with shock. So am I. But in this situation, I can't do anything anymore. Hence, while catching my breathe, I gave an apology for my tardiness. It took him awhile to come to his senses, but he quickly accepted my apology and told not to worry about it.

"But...Are you alright after running like that? I heard you had anemia because of a lack of sleep..."

Anemia? I'm sure I got proper sleep yesterday though...Yesterday...Yeah...In any case, I told him that I would be fine, and walk up to my seat.

...

The sound of the bell reverberate across the entire school, indicating that the period had ended. Hearing that, the students promptly get ready for the upcoming 15-minute break. However...

"What are you getting ready to leave for? We're not even done with today's lessons yet."

As if rehearsed before, the students groaned in discontent. They reluctantly unpacked some of their belongings, and continue to focus on the black board ahead.

...To think his lesson would take over our break...

The students dejectedly move out of the classroom just to encounter students of other classes that had just finished their break and are on their way to the next period. Of course, I'm one of the dejected ones. Missing a 15-minute break is a mental crisis for most high-school students. I shouldn't complain though, he's also skipping his break to teach us.

In any case, during the entire class, I can't help but question the ordeal that had happened right before coming to school. Why did I suddenly got an intense headache all of a sudden? I just can't brush it off lightly. Coupled with the sense of discomfort coming from my chest since morning, there's definitely something that I missed. But...What is it? No matter how much I think, I just can't wrap my head around it. Is it the cat? Was I allergic to cats? But that wouldn't be possible. I mean...C'mon...I'm also certain I had enough sleep yester..day...

This is it.

Yesterday. Whenever I thought of yesterday, something doesn't feel right. It's not like I can't remember what happened yesterday, and my memories aren't fuzzy either. It just...felt abnormal. There's definitely something wrong what I remember. Even though I'm certain I saved a cat, and was dead tired yesterday...

...

Why did the word 'dead' resonates with me so...unnaturally...

...

SLAP!

"Ow!"

I yelped as the sharp pain on my lower back course through every cell of my body. Our chemistry teacher, who's in charge of our third period, slapped me from behind.

"What are you standing there for, Onigasaki. 3rd period's about to start, you know?"

To my surprise, while I was occupied with my thoughts, I had already reached the chemistry lab. Perhaps because I listlessly stood in front of the door, she ended up needing to use some force. Though, personally, I think there are other methods...Right, I forgot she's just violent in nature.

"What's with that look? You just thought I'm violent, right?"

Erg...Busted.

With another slap on my upper torso, she pushes me to enter the class.