1 Chapter 1

(Note: This is a work of fiction. These places and people have been altered to fit the storyline.)

Matsuda Suzume was a simple girl. She wasn't a star athlete, nor did she excel in her studies. Despite this, she was very well-liked. She always had a smile on her face and a hop in her step. She put in a lot of effort into styling her hair, using just the right amount of makeup, and wearing fashionable clothes. She had dark brown eyes and short fluffy hair that she attempted to control with various hairsprays. Above her right eye was a small birthmark that added to her charm.

She attended a small college in a midsize bustling town at the foot of Mount Fuji. She was a business major who didn't have much sense with numbers, but she tried anyway. Suzume walked into the room laughing with a group of college kids of various ages. She had grown up in this town, so she was still familiar with some of the people. A girl walking next to her asked, "Where should we sit?"

Suzume grinned, "It's the first day. We need to choose somewhere nice."

"In the back?"

"Would I sit anywhere else?" Suzume let out a giggle as she led them to the back.

As she walked toward the open seats in the back, she passed by the front row. She glanced down at the student who was already seated with their notebook and writing utensils diligently placed out. Suzume felt her heart skip at the sight of the girl. She had long straight dark hair without a single strand out of place. She wore a simple button-up blouse with black slacks that enhanced her serious aura. Her face was perfectly sculpted without any need for makeup. Her charms were truly too tempting…

However, when the girl glanced up to look with her jet-black eyes, Suzume immediately felt crushed by the glare on her face. Suzume felt her smile falter at the sight of the unfriendly look. Before she could say anything, Suzume's eyes were drawn to the floor beneath her feet.

Under the girl was a black shadow slowly seeping out. A long-twisted arm rose from the dark spot and pulled the rest of the body with it. The twisted black creature had no eyes and only a mouth as it let out a ghostly clicking noise. Its hands cracked as it began to grope at her feet. The girl had no idea that such a creature lay at her feet. Instead, she was more concerned with Suzume who was staring at her feet with a strange expression.

Noticing the concerned and disgusted look by the other girl, Suzume cleared her throat and forced on a smile. "Good morning."

The other girl mumbled back uninterested, "…Morning."

What exactly was Matsuda Suzume? Well, even she didn't know. She had been adopted at a young age and couldn't remember where she had been before the police had found her. They had believed her to be a kidnapped child who was behind on her intellectual development. After attending a school for those impaired, she learned quickly and caught up to her peers her age. Even though her scores were still average, she was a gifted child. Whoever met her now could have never guessed the unusual life she had before.

Now, she was considered a normal individual by society's standards. She behaved as one would expect her to. She accumulated many friends and was well-loved by all who met her as a result. However, there was one thing that was different. She could see these strange creatures that no one else could. Even more strange, occasionally she would see the souls of unfulfilled humans wandering around. The lost spirits and creatures knew that she could see them, but they didn't pay her much attention. Thus, she decided that they were most likely harmless.

That was until they clung to a living human like the one at the girl's feet. Although Suzume wasn't sure what these creatures signified, she knew from her past experiences that misfortune befell anyone unlucky enough to attract them. The creatures seemed to desire dark thoughts. They were attracted to people who had far too many negative feelings. Then, it would attract misfortune causing more grief and negativity in the person it clung to. It embodied the self-fulfilling prophecy: If you expected bad things to happen, then only bad things could happen to you. The only time when it would leave and stop its torment was when the host died…

...Which was usually sooner rather than later.

Suzume sat down with her friends and whispered to one close by, "Who is that in the front row?"

Her friend smirked at her, "What's this? Someone actually caught the eye of the immovable Matsuda Suzume?"

Suzume rolled her eyes with a faint smile, "That's not it, Yuki. I'm just curious. I haven't seen her before."

Yuki shrugged, "I'm not sure either. I haven't seen her around before."

"Hmm…" Suzume hummed to herself as she sat and watched the girl in front of her. Her eyes were cast down once more to see the creature growing more and more attached.

The teacher entered the room and pulled out a book, "Alright, it is now 8:30. We will begin class. Since this is the first day, I'm going to call out names and I want you to raise your hand when your name is called."

Suzume sat up attentively after hearing this. Perfect! I can learn her name this way!! Suzume waited patiently with attentive eyes. Her friend next to her snickered at her obvious thoughts. The teacher went through names.

"….Hamada Emiko."

The diligent girl raised her hand, "Here."

Suzume's eyes shimmered as she memorized the name of her prey. The teacher continued, "Matsuda Suzume."

She raised her hand with a grin, "Here~"

The teacher smiled, "Ah, Suzume-chan. How are your grandparents doing?"

Suzume's voice was cheerful, "They are doing great. Grandmother has gotten into gardening lately. She grew too much cabbage and now we are stuck eating it for every meal. If Sensei wants, she can stop by to get some?"

She laughed, "I will make sure to do so."

Emiko turned her head slightly to look at Suzume. Suzume met her eyes and gave a wink. Emiko immediately turned her head away with a frown causing Suzume to deflate. Suzume felt Yuki pat her back to sympathize with her. Suzume turned back to look at Emiko's back with a despondent expression.

The creature at her feet seemed confused for a moment as it looked around. It considered pulling away but instead decided to stick to her once more. Suzume frowned at the creature and decided she should do the thing she does best.

Pestering.