Fear and disappointment

It's a strange feeling I have. It's like I've missed my whole life and have been in some state of, um, acceleration? My son calls it a "timeskip".

But despite this strange feeling, I was satisfied. Aria was sitting next to me, slicing for me an apple. Even though she had lost her youthful beauty long ago, Aria was still beautiful.

- Here you go, honey.

Her voice wasn't as energetic as it had been 45 years ago. But still so beautiful and familiar to me. Unintentionally, I remembered my high school friends, as well as Haruto and Sakura.

A slight smile appeared on my face. These guys are real monsters; they already have five kids, and even more grandchildren. As expected, Haruto is a real monster.

Too bad we lost touch five years ago. They moved to the countryside. I don't remember very well the last time we met. Old age is no fun, eh?

I cringed again. Aria wasn't even paying attention, as if it were an everyday occurrence. Well, it was.

Ever since high school, my hand had felt a burning sensation from time to time, but the doctors didn't find anything wrong. So I didn't think too deeply about it.

... ... ...

My wife, Ryuto Aria, died. A great pain struck my heart, and tears came to my eyes. It was the biggest loss of my whole goddamn life.

Why did she die before I did? Eh, Aria...

...Two years have passed. The house was empty. I sat on the couch looking tired. I was already 87 years old.

I felt no joy in life. It was as if everything had lost its meaning. The children had long since grown up, and so had the grandchildren. Who's going to remember the old man? They have their own lives.

I felt a strange saltiness in my mouth. It reminded me of the first time Aria made me soup. It was so salty and tasteless, but the mere fact that she was trying for me made me happy.

Thinking back on it made me sad again. In that lonely house, it was as if I were alone.

Another year went by. I went out for a walk. It was getting stuffy to be in a quiet house. Strangely, the streets were empty.

I walked and walked, even visiting once-busy neighborhoods. There was no one there. I only saw strange marks on the asphalt that smelled like ink.

...After an hour of walking, I came home. My appearance was lost and my face was pale. A distinct feeling of uneasiness did not leave me.

Suddenly, the once bustling city was a completely quiet place. There was not even a hint of people. Not on the streets, not in the supermarkets. Where was everyone?

...Five years later. I was still looking for people and even went to the village where Haruto and Sakura had settled. But there was no one in the village either.

I went to my old friends' house and knocked, but no one opened the door. After apologizing, I unlocked the door and went inside, but no one was there.

As I entered the living room, I smelled a strong smell of ink. As I entered one of the bedroom-like rooms, I was stunned.

Two sets of clothes, male, and female, and a puddle of ink underneath them. I felt fear and strange thoughts enter my head. As I ran out of the house, I saw the world melt away around me. Literally.

The sky was like a liquid dripping on the floor. Like a fresh painting painted by an inept painter who had overdone it. Everything around me was losing its colors and melting.

Eventually, the whole world turned black. I looked around and trembled. My right arm began to melt away, and then my whole body. In the end, all that was left was my head, watching the black world.

Suddenly a book appeared in front of me. What was it? It was turned to the third page and there was text written. And at the end of the page, more and more words were appearing with a creaking sound, as if someone was writing a text.

I read slowly.

[Sakura and Haruto: A Spring Romance].

The text, which looked like the title of a book, was familiar to me with two names. My brain shut off, and I only read the contents.

I don't know how much time passed, but when I finished reading, I wasn't in black space, but in a room. And then my mind went blank", - the text suddenly stopped, and no new words appeared.

Adam blinked. He was standing in his room, and in front of him was a desk with a laptop. His eyes were blank and his face was pale. From time to time he twitched and wriggled.

In the end, he didn't come to his senses until the second day, when the phone rang.

Adam, with vacant eyes, answered the call, and a man's familiar voice rang out.

- God, Adam! At last, you've answered, I was worried something had happened to you. - Ronald sighed relieved. - Are you all right?

- Hai, sumimasen, ikutsu ka no youji o sumaseru hitsuyou ga arimashita. - Adam replied, then froze.

- What? - Ronald was taken aback, which caused Adam to correct himself.

- I had some business to take care of. Excuse me, can I call you back in an hour?

After getting a positive response from Ronald, Adam ended the conversation and slumped back in his chair. His eyes were blank and his head was buzzing. Suddenly Adam swung his arm and slammed his fist on the table, causing a great rumble.

- Damn! Damn, damn, damn!

Adam breathed heavily and his vision blurred. Tears welled up in his eyes, and his heart ached with resentment. Memories flowed into his head like a brook, mercilessly attacking his consciousness.

- Why did this happen? What the hell?! - Adam roared and clenched his fists tightly, making his knuckles turn white.

His feelings were confused. If you make a comparison, it's like when you dedicate yourself from a young age to writing, for example, and succeed, and then they tell you, "Sorry, bro, but that was a joke.

Adam sighed and felt disappointment, but most of all, fear. He felt that if it wasn't for luck, he would end up in this world and die there as well.

Looking at his phone, he did indeed see more than 70 missed calls from Ronald. Besides, it had been a whole month. And when Adam wanted to call Ronald back, he suddenly felt weak in his body and fell to the floor.

Severe pain came out of nowhere. Adam felt hunger and thirst and also experienced hallucinations. Looking at his hands, Adam saw that they had become thinner.

He did not eat or drink for a whole month, which caused a backlash from his body. Being in the story temporarily delayed the detrimental effects of such a prolonged "diet," and as soon as Adam came to his senses, all the shackles fell away.

And so, lying on the floor, Adam lost consciousness.

* - here Adam spoke in Japanese, and he said: "Yeah, I'm sorry, I had to take care of some business.