Whispers in the Winter Wind (Completed)

Yasushi Futakao was in his usual spot, staring out the window like it was just another normal day at high school.

His second year had just started, and even though everything seemed perfectly fine — he had friends, family, and even got along well with his teachers — Yasushi had this strange, empty feeling inside, almost like there was something missing, but he couldn't exactly figure out what it was that was making him feel this way.

He was sixteen, almost seventeen, and pretty average-looking: messy brown hair and kind of strange, deep purple eyes. He wasn't someone who stood out in a crowd, just another face in the hallways.

But he had this quiet feeling of unease, like he was missing something, leaving him feeling a little lost and disconnected from everyone else around him as if he wasn't quite on the same wavelength as his classmates.

"Yasushi, pay attention," his history teacher said, tapping him on the head with a textbook, trying to be funny but also clearly a little annoyed that Yasushi wasn't listening to the lesson.

Yasushi gave a weak smile and turned back to the teacher's boring lecture. "My bad," he mumbled, already losing interest as he tried to pay attention, which got him a few smirks and quiet laughs from the rest of the class.

Yasushi was born in Japan, or maybe it'd be more accurate to say he'd been brought back to life in this world, and he found himself living in a place that was familiar but also slightly different from what he remembered.

He was mentally around twenty-one, carrying the memories of something tragic that had happened to him, something you hear about in really sad stories all the time.

There was this night where he had too much to drink and was hanging out with some people, and that led to him getting hit by a train, trying to help some older lady who was in a rush; the impact split him in half right there on the tracks.

He was too drunk to even react, completely out of it from partying, and that's how he died, sprawled out on the train tracks like some character in a depressing story he never wanted to be a part of.

Yasushi sighed quietly, thinking about his new life and how he tried to stay under the radar to avoid drawing too much attention to himself.

He'd been careful not to do anything too crazy that might make people suspicious, deciding to play it cool instead. Winning the lottery not just once, but twice, had given him some money to work with, which he'd put away in a regular savings account.

This extra cash definitely made things easier for him, letting him avoid some of the worries that most people deal with every day.

But even with all this good luck, Yasushi's life still felt kind of boring and uneventful. He didn't have any of those crazy "cheats" you read about in novels, or any weird meetings with people from other worlds or anything.

His days were pretty much like everyone else's, making friends but not really getting too close to anyone, and definitely not getting into any relationships. His life was missing any big, exciting adventures or anything dramatic, just a normal, quiet way of living.

"Oh, and one more thing," the teacher said, suddenly changing things up in the middle of another boring day. "We're getting a new student tomorrow; you could say they're transferring here."

The class started whispering, a little excited about the news. Everyone was trying to guess who the new person might be. For a lot of them, it was a fun surprise, something to break up the usual boring lessons.

But Yasushi couldn't help feeling like it was all a little too predictable. Still, even though he was skeptical, there was a small part of him that was actually looking forward to meeting the new student, a feeling he couldn't completely ignore.

Since he'd been brought back to life, Yasushi had never met any transfer students or foreign exchange students, which reminded him of all the anime shows he used to watch. So, the idea of having someone new in class made him a little curious, just like everyone else, but he kept it to himself, like it was a special secret.

+-+

During lunch, with everyone banging trays and talking, Yasushi's friend — who was basically his best friend — came over to his desk, practically bouncing with excitement.

"Hey, Yasu! Can you believe we're getting a transfer student? This is gonna be awesome!" Furuya said, pulling up a chair next to Yasushi.

Yasushi nodded, holding his chopsticks over his lunchbox. "Yeah, Furuya, but it feels a little overblown, doesn't it? Seems like everyone's expecting some kind of celebrity instead of just a new classmate," he replied, taking a bite of his lunch while Furuya eagerly started on his sandwich.

Furuya laughed as he ate. "You're totally right, but think about it, Yasu. We've never had a transfer student before. It's just like in a novel, right? It'll make our normal school days a little more exciting." He was as enthusiastic as always, making even the most ordinary things seem fun.

Yasushi laughed a little at how excited Furuya was, smiling and shaking his head. "Well, we'll see soon enough. Do you have any idea if it's a girl or a guy?" he asked, looking over at his friend.

"I'm hoping it's a cute girl!" Furuya said, his eyes lighting up with excitement and a little bit of mischief.

Yasushi sighed, rolling his eyes but trying to be funny about it. "Of course. I'm sure most of the guys are thinking the same thing."

Furuya nodded like he was sharing some big secret. "Exactly! Who wouldn't want a cute girl in our class? But if it's just another guy, and he's one of those pretty boys, I might as well just give up..."

"Pretty boy? We don't really have those types walking around our school," Yasushi said, dismissing the idea.

"You're crazy! How can you not see guys like Jishiha, Kevin, and that European dude in the senior class, or even Tanaka in our year? They're like something out of a dream, with bodies that make all the girls go wild! It's just not right!" Furuya said, all his frustration coming out at once.

Someone else in the background agreed, "Exactly!"

Furuya turned to Yasushi, wanting him to back him up. "See?" he exclaimed, pointing like he was making a big point.

Yasushi stopped eating for a second, swallowing his food before he answered. "I don't really care about all that. Why is it such a big deal? Just ask them out or figure something out for yourself," he said, looking at his friend like he was nuts.

"Ha! Now you're the expert on love all of a sudden? You haven't even had a girlfriend!" Furuya shot back, poking his bread at Yasushi like he was accusing him of something.

Yasushi tilted his head, responding, "...but isn't giving advice about understanding people, not just about what you've personally gone through?" He looked at Furuya, thinking to himself, 'Even though I did have relationships back when I was alive before...'

Furuya stood up straight and puffed out his chest. "I'll have you know, I actually did date someone in middle school!" he announced, trying to sound confident.

Yasushi made a face and cut him off, "Yeah, for like four weeks before she dumped you because you were 'weird.' Come on, man, just forget about it and move on. She even said online that you still send her messages," he said, shaking his head at the ridiculousness of it all.

Furuya looked absolutely horrified, like someone in a painting screaming in terror. "People can actually see that?!" he yelled, so loud that everyone else in the classroom turned to look at them, wondering what was going on between the two friends.

Yasushi put his face in his hand and sighed. "Yeah, it's all over the internet. Facebook, Instagram, even Snapchat. Half the city probably knows," he said, sounding totally defeated.

Furuya went completely pale, unable to speak and looking totally freaked out. He couldn't even put his thoughts together, realizing he'd really messed up.

Suddenly, Furuya jumped up from his chair, sounding panicked. "I-I gotta go!" he stammered before quickly running out of the classroom.

Yasushi sighed again, shaking his head in disbelief. "...you're such an idiot," he mumbled to himself, going back to his lunch looking tired. He leaned back and stared out the window, deep in thought.

While he picked at his food, Yasushi's mind wandered to the new student who was coming soon. Even though he expected his life to stay boring, he couldn't help being a little curious, wondering if this new person would change anything in their normal classroom.

But deep down, he figured things would probably stay the same as always, accepting that his life would just keep going on in its usual, unremarkable way.