Akira Park and The Black Book (3)

Akira went back to his desk and wrote.

"May 9, 2021 Sunday 7:40 AM

"Yesterday afternoon I found a book only my brother could read the title of. The language it was written, why wasn't it similar to the Synopsis for me to easily comprehend? I speculate it to be somewhat magical. Ha! Have I been chosen to be some sort of a protagonist somewhere? I bet I'll be sent into another Western inspired fantasy world that barely shows—"

"—aneda!" a faint echo.

Akira scribbled over the words.

"What do I even want to write? I found this strange book covered in black, with an alien use of language from inside my brother's room. It summoned itself on my desk with the lamp lighting over it, this morning once I woke up. I knew for a fact I kept the book on the shelf last night, and turned off any lights before going to sleep. But I had this dream. It was dark for a long time."

"Aki!! Kaneda!! Breakfast is ready!" his mother's voice called downstairs.

"I'll finish writing some more afterwards," Akira thought. Rising from his desk, he gave the Book one last glower. His eyebrows wavering to obscurity.

That night, in his sleep. Akira's vision was shrouded in darkness. He moved his hands, then groped his arms around but he couldn't see anything, he couldn't take another step, he couldn't feel anything other than the nothingness. Another pair of his own eyes were watching his unknowing figure at a distance. Somewhere on a ground he couldn't see. When he saw himself turn to look a white light blared onto his face. Taking into view of what the light had shone over, there was the Black Book.

Akira opened his eyes. Clock ticking to 6:30 AM. He sat up for a minute and stared off across to the corner of his room. Where he placed the Black Book, his school bag lay open.

"Well," Akira started. "What a marvelous fucking sight that is."

He lifted his shoulders and slowly moved up from his bed, eyeing to that corner every now and then while trying to drink his water bottle. Briefly he went to the bathroom then washed his hands. He peered through the mirror and fixated on his eyes. The sober pool that was his iris was nothing compared to the dark abyssal hole that was his pupil, so small but dented inside of this shell of a human body. The boy put on his gakuran uniform, locking onto his skin a black rubber wrist watch from the drawer and, went toward his bag. Checking what was inside, the Black Book somehow fit. Akira fell silent.

"If you magically appear inside my bag when I leave the house I'm expecting that you plan on going to school with me." Akira left it on the desk with a slight glare. Pushing his water bottle into the bag before shutting the door closed.

Then he flinched. Turning towards his brother's closed door.

"I hope he was listening to music." Akira whimpered.

"I'm sorry, big brother." Akira whispered and bowed.

He scuttled towards the stairs and quickly raced down them, in quiet tiptoed steps, with the Black Book-less school bag he kept a little ways away from himself. Akira faced the kitchen and saw two bento bags labelled "Lunch:D" and two trays covering "Breakfast:)" that each had a couple of "For Kaneda" and "For Aki" notes at the table. He lit up for a bit and placed his baggage aside as he sat down to behold a breakfast bento.

"Thank you, Mom." he thought out loud.

He looked at his watch. 6:47 AM.

"Plenty of time." Akira beamed to himself. "Once I arrive in school I still have at least an hour to myself!"

He dug in and drank his heart out (with water). After brushing his teeth, 6:51 AM, Akira lifted his school bag with one hand. Then with two.

Heavier.

Akira whisked the zipper open to see—

Textbooks, notebooks, a keychain, a pencil case and his black covered water bottle.

Just his imagination.

"Though It's still too early for celebration." Akira thought, taking the key chain and tucking it inside his pants pocket.

Akira knocked on Kaneda's door.

"Big brother? I'm headed to school now."

Inside the room was faint shuffling, a little while after the door opened in front of him, Akira saw his elder brother's no longer sullen face, behind him was the room more organized and brighter than before.

"Goodmorning," Kaneda leaned on the door post. "Good luck with school, little brother." he poked at Akira's face with a stylus pen nonchalantly.

"Goodmorning, brother." Akira felt it on his cheek, a smile irking up. "Mom left breakfast for you, too. I already ate mine."

"Okiedoke." Kaneda took the pen with the other hand. "Ride safely, Aki." he patted his little brother's head, mimicking a wave of goodbye as both of them parted with a full smile at the last second.

Akira rolled out a bike with his bento bag in the basket, the school bag hanging from his shoulder then locked the house entrance door. He turned to the subtle glare of the rising sun behind him, inhaling the fresh air with his eyes closed. The rustling of leaves swept by, from potted plants in the front yard to the ones sitting by the wall gates, with the singing of birds that had nests in a neighbor's tree from across the street. He closed the gate and positioned his bike.

Akira felt his school bag. Opening it, the Black Book wasn't there.

His face remained indifferent. Akira placed it in the basket, leaving room for the lunch. At first he sauntered with the pedals, but his movements were stiff. The Black Book could just appear in his school wouldn't it? If it was truly magical and wanted to mess with him. Akira tramped onwards as he moved uphill, sweat trickling down his face. At the sloping fall, on the handles, Akira's hands only tightened.

There was barely anyone walking to school. Even if they did spot "this one kid", they wouldn't find it easy to look at his face. Long enough to recognize it, at least. Gliding passed teachers and students a good distance away, Akira slowed down near where he could park his bike. Not much people were around in sight. Not much people to bother him in mind. Akira outwardly smiled. But a part of him kept its indifferent frown within his thoughts. A dreadful feeling.

Class 2-A.

When he sat on his desk, slipping his lunch beneath it, and looked into his bag, Akira found the Black Book in front of him. The trees rustled outside the closed windows, her black hair caressed by the silent wind that couldn't reach him. Standing behind Akira, her strands brushed back to her shoulders. A hand touched Akira's seat. He turned around and closed the bag but no one was there for him to meet.