Ghost

Rei Asano and I stood on the rooftop of the school. Although the sky was overcast, with heavy gray clouds obscuring any hint of sunlight, there was no sign of rain or thunderstorms. The wind barely stirred, leaving the air dry and warm.

The faint voices of students reached us from below, filling the silent space.

Asano stood facing away from me, her school uniform blending into the gray background. She grabbed the mesh wall with one hand and looked down.

Her straight black hair fell down her back.

"Have you ever wondered why our bodies work in unusual ways? Why does the body believe the illusions of our minds?" she mused, her melodious voice fading into the distance.

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused by her sudden philosophical turn.

"For example, while lying in bed, imagine you are jumping off a roof. Your body reacts with fear, as if you were really going to jump."

Was she speaking from personal experience? Or was she rhetorically pondering?

"What's your point?" I asked, piqued with curiosity.

"And actually... isn't looking down from a height scarier than opening a door?"

Her conversation veered off topic unpredictably, leaving me struggling to follow.

"And also... Do you believe in ghosts?" She asked, not expecting an answer.

It felt like she was speaking into the void, addressing me and not me at the same time.

She didn't seem to be looking for my answers; she just wanted to share her thoughts. And I was willing to listen.

"Honestly, I don't know. Do you?" I asked, realizing her intent.

"I don't know…," her voice grew wistful, "but every time I approach the door, I feel like there's a ghost waiting for me on the other side."

There was a pause between us.

I tried to understand the meaning of her words, for I felt there was something more beneath the surface. But perhaps understanding wasn't necessary.

As she turned to me, fixing her hair, I met her indifferent gaze.

"Sorry if I sound strange," she apologized, breaking the silence.

I returned her gaze, feeling a strange kinship with her enigmatic nature. "Well, I find a certain charm in it," I admitted.

"Wait, so you agree that I'm weird?" she teased, pressing her fingers to her lips.

"Well, that's not exactly what I meant."

She chuckled strangely.

"Well, you're weirder than I thought. Maybe that's why we get along so well?"

Her eyes held secrets as she looked at me.

For some reason, her smile captivated me...

What was behind her inscrutable gaze? Her smile? I couldn't tell. But I wondered… If that artificial smile…

"Maybe," I replied with a slight grin.

***

As I stood in front of the apartment door, I replayed all that nonsense over and over in my head.

Why?

Every time I'm around him, I get a strange urge to talk about strange things. But he never judges me. On the contrary, he listens attentively, his eyes full of curiosity and something else I can't understand.

As I was thinking about this, I was standing in front of an ordinary door in an ordinary hallway of an ordinary apartment building. There were ordinary people living in the neighboring apartments, and the neighborhood was completely ordinary.

The hallway was bathed in warm sunlight that fell in a soft gradient across the floor and walls.

There was nothing threatening here, nothing frightening. But the key I clutched in my hand threatened to slip from my sweaty palm. An unusual heaviness gripped my chest, immobilizing me.

I trembled, unable to feel my own fingers.

I couldn't bring myself to open the door.

Why?

Because there was a ghost behind it, haunting me in the darkness of the night. I was afraid of its screams, its accusations ... I simply couldn't face it.

With trembling hands, I reached into my pocket and hid the key. Slowly, my heartbeat leveled off.

And again, as always, I turned away without opening the door.

I walked down the street, leaving the painfully familiar yet distant building behind.

***

It was a regular day at school.

I was sitting in the cafeteria with my friends, Hagiwara and Iwasaki. Hagiwara, who was in the same class as me and Iwasaki, had big, slightly naive eyes that were now looking at me with impatience.

Despite the noisy cafeteria, there was plenty of space between tables, allowing us to talk quietly without being overheard.

"Did you hear the story?" Hagiwara asked, her tone filled with excitement.

"About what?" I inquired.

"There are wild rumors of a ghost haunting the abandoned building."

An abandoned building? A ghost? It was the first time I had heard such rumors.

"The abandoned building? The one near the school?" I clarified.

"Yeah! So you've heard about it?"

"Not really… Where did you hear that from anyway?"

Maybe she was just telling me because I was the head of the Mystery Club. Well, it's not like we're interested in paranormal stuff.

Satisfied, she leaned toward me and spoke in a quiet tone, "A friend from another class said that one of their classmates claimed to have seen a ghostly figure outside the building at dusk. But when they went inside, the ghost disappeared. They are sure it was a ghost."

"Who went into the building? The student?"

"Yes, they wanted to follow the ghost, but the creepy atmosphere in the building made them leave," Hagiwara explained as her voice took on a mysterious tone. However, her attempt to sound ominous failed.

I pondered her words. I was sure it wasn't a ghost, but just a person.

Sensing my skepticism, Hagiwara insisted, "I'm telling you, it was a ghost! That building must be haunted."

I couldn't remember her ever being so fascinated by paranormal stuff. Since when?

"Maybe it's just a rumor, or maybe someone else was there," I suggested.

"I'm telling you, it was a ghost. It must live in that abandoned building!" she persisted.

"Oh my God, do you really believe that nonsense?" I asked incredulously.

"You're the head of the Mystery Club! I thought you'd be intrigued!" she replied, crossing her arms sulkily.

Her emotions were always transparent, easily understood through her facial expressions.

And why is she making that face? Gosh…

"Okay, okay... Thanks for letting me know," I said.

"Oh, really? That was helpful, right?" she brightened, rising from her seat.

This girl is so easy...

"Yeah, yeah..." I replied, trying to appease her.

"They say it had incredible speed!" she added, settling back into her seat.

"A ghost, huh," I muttered thoughtfully.

I glanced at Iwasaki, who had been silent all this time, and he immediately met my gaze. At that moment, I sensed that he was remembering our conversation on the rooftop. Although it was often difficult to decipher his thoughts, unlike Higawara's, I was sure that he was thinking about it.

No, it's not related at all, I tried to tell him with my eyes. 

We stared at each other for a few seconds until Higawara's voice brought me back to the present: "Hey! Don't flirt in front of me! Totally shameless!"

Flirt, huh? That wasn't my intention.

It wasn't the first time she had teased us.

I wasn't embarrassed by her comment, and judging by Iwasaki's calm demeanor, he didn't seem to be affected by it either. But maybe he had a knack for hiding his feelings. It was always difficult to understand him at times like this.

"Uh, but we weren't flirting?" I responded, turning to her.

"Sure, sure. You two were practically signaling your dirty thoughts to each other with those looks," she replied in a teasing tone.

What was she even talking about? Her imagination was running wild.

"No, it's not like that," I insisted.

Despite my protests, her expression remained skeptical, as if she doubted every word I said, despite its truth.

"Well let's change the subject... " I attempted, but she cut me off with a wry smirk.

"So are you two dating now?" she interjected.

Higawara really had some wild ideas about us.

Although I knew that Iwasaki was interested in me, I doubted that he would ever confess, and to be honest, I wasn't really into the whole romance thing.

"No, definitely not," I replied calmly.

But my tone and expression didn't convince her. "Still lying?" she asked.

I sighed, "No. If we were dating, I would tell you."

Doubt lingered in her eyes. "Really?" she asked.

"Of course..."

She looked at me for a moment before seeming to decide to believe my words.

"Why are you so interested in that anyway?" I decided to ask.

She hesitated, pressing her lips together for a moment before she finally spoke, "Well..." Her voice trailed off for a moment, as if she were weighing her words. "I was just a little jealous of your relationship..."

I was surprised by her response.

Seriously? I never would have guessed. I always thought she just enjoyed messing with us.

"Why?" I inquired.

She looked down briefly and met my eyes again, cupping her face with her hands. "Aah! I want to find a boyfriend! But lately, I've only been attracting assholes," she sighed in frustration.

I had no idea she was so hungry for romance.

"Why rush into a relationship?"

She gave me a slightly judgmental look. "You sound like my mom..."

"Sorry. But I mean, you're cute, you'll find someone."

Although I wasn't good at comforting others, my belief in her attractiveness was genuine.

Despite my clumsy attempt, she broke into a satisfied smile. "Really?" 

"Of course..."

"Hehehehe, I guess you're right, I am cute!"

It was always easy to lift her spirits.

However, what happened next caught me off guard. She turned to Iwasaki, who had been silent the whole time, and asked him, "Iwasaki, do you think so too?"

I almost choked on my food.

Huh? Why is she asking him?

"Uh... me?" I heard his confused voice beside me. I felt his gaze on me, seeking guidance.

Well, the answer was simple, if you think she's cute, say so. It's easy, isn't it?

"Well," I interjected, rising from my seat, "I have to go..."

I quickly moved away from the table, not wanting to interrupt their lovely flirtation.

But as soon as I was far away, I heard hurried footsteps behind me. "Hey!" Hagiwara's voice rang out.

I stopped, giving her a chance to speak, and felt her presence behind me as she leaned in and whispered in my ear, "Jealous?" Her words carried a teasing tone meant only for my ears. "You said you weren't going out... So..."

"Don't be silly. I'm not jealous. I just have to go," I replied calmly, keeping my composure. "I don't care who you flirt with."

She paused, considering my words, then stepped around me, a playful smile on her lips. "You're an idiot, you know?"

"What?"

She looked right at me, amusement dancing in her eyes. "I was just kidding to see how you'd react. I'm not flirting with him."

I sighed and made a nonchalant face. "Well, I don't know what conclusion you drew from my reaction, but you're wrong."