Chapter 1
"...so this is where that woman lived..." I muttered while standing outside a small apartment in the Shibuya slums.
Because of the promise I made to the woman who took me in for the last 15 years of my life, I traveled to Japan in search of the woman who abandoned me in a Gangseo garbage dump when I was just a 7-month-old baby.
I honestly have no interest in finding out about her, but my mother was very insistent on this subject so I finally agreed when she was on her deathbed.
Also, it's possible that the woman who brought me into the world has some information about the mysterious power I've had for as long as I can remember.
With that in mind, I dedicated myself to researching the woman who brought me into the world after arriving in Japan with the help of man's best invention, in my opinion, the internet, I was able to find some information.
But to my bad luck, what I found was only news about the death of a woman, Akira Yamada, the same name that was embroidered on the blanket that covered me the day they abandoned me.
A case that was quickly ruled out because the evidence pointed to it being a suicide, anyway, after getting the information where my mother died, I went to the small apartment which had been abandoned since her death.
After kicking the door down I managed to enter the place
The place was a disaster, garbage everywhere accompanied by an unpleasant smell of putrefaction, while I was walking through the small apartment I managed to see several rats and other animals that love dirt walking from one side to the other
I ignored the trash can around me as my attention was drawn to a framed photograph pinned to the wall.
The photograph was of a beautiful woman with black hair and blue eyes lying on what appeared to be a hospital stretcher, in her arms she was holding a newborn baby while a beautiful smile adorned her face.
To one side of her was a man of Korean descent lovingly observing the woman and the baby.
You didn't need to be a genius to know who they were.
"... I guess they are my parents" — I murmured while looking at the blanket that covered the baby.
I took the blanket out of my backpack and compared it with the one in the photo, they were identical
I held the photo for a long time and it was as expected
I felt nothing when I saw the photograph of my mother, much less discover that the man who was one of the most famous gang members in Korea was possibly my father.
There was no joy at finally being able to find out who my real parents were, there was no sadness at finding out that they had both died, there was no hate towards them for having abandoned me, just nothing.
Although if there was something, disappointment
The question about my strange gift could never be answered
'I guess I'll never find out why I have that ability' — I thought with some disappointment.
I kept the photograph in my backpack and kept looking for something else that I could take with me as a memory of my parents.
After an hour of going through the disastrous apartment, a small golden glow among all the garbage on the floor caught my attention.
It was a small golden earring with engraved letters.
'A & G… I guess it was hers' — I thought as I held the earring in my hand.
I went back to search all over the place with the intention of recovering the other earring, after an hour I managed to find it next to some circular black glasses which I also kept
After another half hour of searching and not finding anything I decided it was time to leave, I was starting to get a little hungry
I took one last look at the small apartment before turning around and leaving this ghost town.
I stopped for a moment and directed my gaze to one of the abandoned houses in the neighborhood, I frowned when I didn't see anything
I was sure I had felt some killing intent coming from that direction, someone was watching me
I shook my head and decided to go on my way
*Ding*
My cell phone started ringing
I lifted the cover of my small cell phone and looked at who was calling, I smiled to see that it was Jake, my best friend.
["Hello old man, how are you doing in Japan?"] — I heard my friend's cheerful voice on the phone
"I guess good, I got some things that possibly belonged to my parents"
["Is that so?, I'm happy for you... well, I got some extra information, it seems you have an aunt, her name is Akiko Hanagaki, she is a widow and lives with her only son named Takemichi Hanagaki who is one year younger that you, I think they live in Shibuya, I will send you the exact address in a few minutes"]
"Oh!... so I have a cousin..." — I murmured with interest
["Yeah, you should visit him, you know, spend time with your family"]
" Nah !... it's not necessary, they have nothing to do with me, I'll be back tomorrow, I've already kept my promise with mom, it's not necessary that I stay here any longer"
["You should take a few days off, Japan is a good place to visit, I heard the girls are cute"]
"Uhm... I guess I'll take your advice... anyway, I'm going to hang up, I'm starving."
["I understand, take care old man, don't forget to bring me a souvenir"]
"Yes, yes... I'll talk to you later" — I said before hanging up.
I walked calmly through the streets of Shibuya looking for a good place to eat
After a few minutes I managed to find a ramen shop, I happily entered the small place and satiated my hunger.
After eating I went to the hotel where I was staying.
I took a good bath with hot water to relax, after finishing I dried my body and went to where I left my backpack.
I took out the glasses and the pair of earrings that I had found in Akira's apartment and began to clean them carefully.
I guess there's nothing wrong if I use them, even though I don't remember any of them and I don't have any feelings of love or affection, they are still my biological parents, so I decided to use the only thing left of them as a sign of respect.
"Yes... they don't look bad at all" - I murmured with a smile while looking at myself in the mirror of the room
I opened the cover of my cell phone to check the time and nodded when I saw that it was barely six in the afternoon.
I took my wallet and left the room while reading the messages that I had unread.
"July 4th, huh!... that idiot's birthday is coming up... what should I buy him... I guess some manga will suffice" — I muttered as I went down the stairs of the hotel
I leisurely walked through the lively streets of Shibuya
Although the sun was already setting, the whole place was very well lit by the bright signs of the nightlife centers that were beginning to open their doors.
The streets were full of workers finishing their long workdays, young students looking to have fun with their friends and anyone looking for a place to disconnect from their daily lives.
'I have to accept that Japanese girls are cute…' — I thought as I watched a group of girls my age pass by.
I smiled seeing the girls blush as I gave them a flirtatious smile and winked at them.
I have to thank my parents for giving me a great appearance, even in korea where handsome guys abound i am quite popular with girls and here in japan seems to be no exception
I pushed away my narcissistic thoughts and continued my way through downtown Shibuya, occasionally stopping at a stall or business and buying a snack or flirting with a girl that caught my eye.
I really thank mom for teaching me Japanese, I guess she did it with the intention that I would come to find my parents one day
'Eh?... that girl... for some reason she looks very familiar to me' — I thought doubtfully as I saw a blonde-haired girl standing outside a cosmetics store
The girl is of short stature and a fairly developed feminine figure for her age, wearing a school uniform, skirt above the knee, a light blue jacket wrapped around her waist, and baggy knee-high socks with brown shoes. .
I paid for the drink I was buying before seeing the girl and started walking towards her, something inside me told me that I knew that girl, but no matter how hard I tried I couldn't remember where I met her
"Eh? ..."
It was the only thing I could mutter as I was knocked to the ground without warning.
"I'm sorry" — the person responsible for throwing me on the ground apologized loudly
Dazed, I looked up only to see the back of a delinquent-looking blond boy walking away from the place.
I stayed on the ground for a few seconds without reacting, I still couldn't assimilate what had just happened
"My ability didn't activate... I... I couldn't see the future." — I murmured confused as I watched the figure of that young man walk away.
I quickly got up from the ground and tried to use my ability
Instantly the people around me began to duplicate themselves, an effect when I activated my ability.
'My ability is still there…so…why didn't it activate…this is weird …who the hell is that guy?' - I asked myself mentally while I watched his silhouette of the blonde disappear among the people
Then I realized that the blond was the only one who didn't have a double silhouette.
'... there is no double silhouette... he... can't be' — I thought incredulously
The memory of the guy I once knew in Korea came back to my mind.
'I must follow him! ...' — I thought as I came out of my trance
"Are you okay?"
The voice of a girl stopped me for a moment, to my surprise it was the blonde girl who had caught my attention earlier, in her hands were the glasses that I found in my biological mother's house
Being so shocked by what had just happened, I hadn't noticed that my glasses had gone flying when I hit the ground.
"Yes, thanks for asking" - I answered his question while giving him a kind smile
"This is yours" — the girl spoke as she handed me the glasses
I breathed a sigh of relief when I noticed that the glasses were intact.
"Thank you pretty girl, but I have to go..." — I said before running towards the direction where the bastard who threw me to the ground left, it would be troublesome if I lose sight of him
.
.
.
.
.
.
"Shit!" - I growled annoyed
I had run for more than ten minutes behind the boy, but bad luck for me I had to stop when a traffic light marked red blocking the way
That caused me to lose sight of him, in the end I ended up losing track of the boy after he arrived in front of a large section of apartments.
Frustrated, I walked around looking for it but got no results.
Wet from the soda and somewhat tired from running, I sat down on the sidewalk of the street
It was the second time something similar happened to me, my power did not activate even though one of the conditions for my ability to activate automatically was met.
"At least this time I didn't get smashed in the head with a bat" — I muttered as I remembered my encounter with that bastard or bitch in case it was a woman.
I could never find out who it was that managed to evade my ability as I was knocked unconscious by the blow
I let out a long sigh, I really wanted to know what made them so special that I couldn't use my ability on them, but again it seems I won't be able to find out.
'Stupid traffic light' — I cursed in my mind as I got up
Since I didn't find the blonde I decided to resign myself and go back to my hotel, but…
"As expected... I got lost" — I muttered with annoyance while looking everywhere.
Since I was running, I didn't notice where I came from, causing me to get lost when I tried to return, and worst of all, since it had already gotten dark, there was no one on the street so I could ask them the way back to my hotel.
I reached into my pants pocket to get out my phone only to find that my cell phone had dropped.
I felt how several veins began to stand out on my forehead due to the growing anger that began to invade me.
The image of the blond who threw me to the ground came to my mind making my anger grow, I blamed that bastard for everything that had happened to me in these last 15 minutes and if I saw him right now I wouldn't hesitate to give him a good beating.
I cursed the blond bastard with all my heart as I walked towards the park ahead hoping I'd run into someone.
I sighed with relief when I saw two silhouettes on the swings, something good was finally happening
I walked slowly towards the two boys, as I got closer I could recognize one of the two
It was about the blonde who threw me to the ground a few minutes ago.
To verify that it was really him, I activated my ability and the result was the same as the one from a few minutes ago, my ability did not work with the blond guy.
I looked at the boy next to him, seeing his somewhat blurry and double silhouette, a sign that showed that my ability did work on him.
'It really wasn't my imagination' — I thought as I walked stealthily towards the pair of boys
Since my ability didn't work on the blonde I decided to be cautious, I didn't want to get knocked out like it happened to me with the other guy who could evade my power
"It may sound crazy to you, but… this same day in 2017 I fell from the platform onto the train tracks… when I thought I was going to die, I went back to my high school days… exactly 12 years… What is that called?"
"Time Leap!!"
"If that is"
Hearing what they were talking about I stopped for a moment, their conversation had caught my attention a lot
'Jump in time… what the hell is he talking about' — I thought as I hid behind a tree to avoid being discovered.
"On the 4th of July twelve years from now... your sister is going to die" — the blonde spoke with a serious voice while looking at the boy who accompanies him
The boy swallowed at the shocking statement, but it only got worse with the blond's next lines.
"The same day... you will also die next to her" — added the blond, making the poor boy pale next to him.
The blond remained silent allowing his companion to assimilate what he had just heard.
"July 4, 2017, remember that day Naoto… And protect your sister!!" - declared the blonde with a serious and at the same time pleading voice while looking at the boy named Naoto
For a moment the park was awkwardly silent, the boy named Naoto looked down as he was lost in thought.
Seeing this, the blond scratched his head nervously, it seemed that he had regretted telling Naoto that shocking information.
"It was just a joke... there's no way someone would believe a story like that, but... I'm trusting you..." — the blonde said while smiling slightly
Naoto looked up, I raised an eyebrow at how his eyes shone with great determination, the boy had believed his absurd story.
The blond stood in front of Naoto while extending his hand, the boy nodded as he also extended his arm and shook hands with the blond.
"Huh...What the hell?" yelled the blonde as he let go of Naoto's hand and stepped back in confusion.
"Takemichi-kun?" — Naoto murmured, confused by the blonde's attitude.
"Uh… who the fuck are you and how do you know my name?" The blonde yelled as a ridiculous expression appeared on his face, I guess he was trying to look intimidating, but he failed miserably.
Naoto widened his eyes confused at the blonde's question, it seemed that he did not understand the sudden change in the blonde's attitude
I can't blame him, the blonde looked like a totally different person from the guy from a few seconds ago.
Seeing that Naoto didn't respond, Takemichi cursed out loud as he turned around with the intention of leaving the place.
"Hey idiot!... I finally found you" — I spoke out loud as I came out of hiding
My yell made both boys freak out.
I walked towards the blonde stopping right in front of him as I stared at him.
This seemed to scare him as his face instantly paled, I could even see him tremble a bit.
"W-what… who are you?" Takemichi asked with a shaky voice as he tried to sound rude.
"A few minutes ago you threw me to the ground, you soaked me with soda and ran away, also because of you I lost my cell phone, so I've come to beat you up" — I said while I grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and clenched my fist preparing a blow
"Although apparently someone beat me to it, you look like shit" — I said while looking at him carefully
Takemichi seemed quite hurt, his face was somewhat swollen, besides that his clothes were dirty and stained with blood, I was surprised that he could continue standing as if nothing had happened despite his injuries
"Eh?... I-I'm sorry, but I don't remember doing it...I don't even know what the hell I'm doing here..." Takemichi muttered under his breath as he avoided my gaze.
"S-excuse me sir"
"Huh?... What do you want kid" — I asked while turning to Naoto
"P-please, p-could you let go of Takemichi-kun" — the boy asked with a nervous voice as he stared at me
"Oh!... And what will you do if I refuse" — I asked with an arrogant tone as I let go of Takemichi and took Naoto by his shirt
The boy seemed scared to be lifted from the ground by me, but even so he did not look away, quite the opposite, he stared at me as he said with a trembling voice
"I'll kick your ass"
I raised an eyebrow in surprise at his words, despite his scared appearance I could feel that he was serious, the boy was really willing to fight me, even though I knew he had no chance of defeating me.
A good memory returned to my memory making me smile with nostalgia when remembering a boy just as idiot as Naoto
"Hahahaha, boy, he has balls, I like you" — I let go of Naoto while laughing, I really liked this boy
"You turned out to be braver than this asshole... huh... where the hell is the fucking blonde?" - I asked confused when I didn't see Takemichi anywhere.
"It ran away when you let it go" — Naoto replied with a disappointed tone
"Seriously... what a coward" — I muttered in surprise while shaking my head in disappointment.
Then I remembered why I was here
"...shit, that idiot ran away again..." — I said with annoyance while massaging my forehead, that blond turned out to be a real pain in the head
"Tch!...whatever, Naoto right?"
"Huh...yes...how do you know my name?" Naoto asked.
"I heard your talk" - I replied with a serious tone
Naoto nodded in understanding before widening her eyes in surprise, her face paling a bit as sweat broke out on her forehead.
"Wow... you're more perceptive than I imagined... Anyway, the answer to your question is yes..."
Naoto frowned at my answer.
"You believe him, right?"
Naoto nodded seriously.
"I figured it... I also believe the blond idiot"
My words surprised the boy again who looked at me in disbelief, I guess he couldn't believe that I also believed such a story
The truth is that... if I were a normal person I wouldn't believe such stupidity either, time travel?... that's ridiculous, after all, we're not in a movie or a manga for something like this to happen suddenly
But I'm not a normal person, after all I… I am able to see the future
A skill that for some reason I acquired when I was only four years old.
Which is why I believe in the possibility that Takemichi is not lying and really is a time traveler
That could be an explanation of why my ability doesn't work on him, Takemichi is special, he also has an ability that makes him immune to my ability.
It's just a guess, but it fits well
'Does that mean that the guy who knocked me out that time also has an ability?... It's a possibility...' — I reflected while massaging my head
"You... do you really believe what Takemichi-kun said?" Naoto asked.
"Yes... well, I just wanted to ask you Takemichi's full name and address... I have some things to settle with him"
"Why should I tell you" — Naoto muttered while looking at me suspiciously.
"Oh!... So it will be the hard way" — I said while narrowing my eyes in a threatening way
My action had the reaction I was looking for since Naoto turned pale again at my hostile attitude.
He immediately clenched both fists and made a funny fighting stance, his legs wouldn't stop shaking giving him a somewhat ridiculous appearance, it was funny to see
"Hahaha, you make quite funny faces, friend…" — I laughed again gracefully, confusing Naoto
"Don't worry, I won't hurt him, I promise"
Naoto looked at me confused for a few seconds, when I saw that he didn't answer anything, I assumed that I couldn't get the information from him, so I decided it was time to leave.
"Hanagaki Takemichi"
"Huh?"
"Hanagaki Takemichi... that's his name" — Naoto repeated with a nervous voice
"I see… do you know where he lives?" I asked again
Naoto shook his head.
"I understand... thanks, Naoto" — I thanked while raising my thumb, Naoto just nodded
"…well, it's time to go… I recommend you don't forget the date that guy gave you, and try not to tell anyone about what happened tonight, they might treat you like crazy"
Naoto nodded a couple of times, agreeing with my words.
"Well… we won't see you later, friend… take care" — I said as I turned around and walked the way I came.
'Hanagaki Takemichi, huh?... What a coincidence' — I thought while scratching my head.
I wasn't sure if the time traveler was the same Takemichi that Jake mentioned to me a few hours ago, it would really be a surprise if it was like that, anyway, I would find out tomorrow
I walked for a few minutes until I finally met an adult, after a little talk I managed to figure out the way back to my hotel
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
end of chapter