Chapter Twenty-Nine: Second Life (1st Encounter I)

Haibara's POV

I could smell the hospital antiseptic, hearing the noise of technology, feeling the cold air damping my skin.

Wait, hospital antiseptics???

My eyes fluttered open and quickly sat up, feeling the soft mattress. My sight scanned the entire area—or I may say, the entire room, whole white room.

"So, I am in a hospital, huh?" I muttered and smiled slightly.

I looked through the wide glass on my left side and my eyes widened as I recognized where I was.

"No... Don't you mean I am in--"

My words were cut off as I felt something moved to the right side of my leg. I turned to look at it and saw a woman, looks of age are in the late 20s. She is wearing an office coat and brown long hair.

Hmm... She looks like Mouri-san, huh?

The woman fidgeted, and I stilled, making sure I hold my breath. The woman's eyes slowly fluttering open, gazing to me when she turned her head towards me.

She stared at me and frowned. But then, her eyes widened and the next thing I knew, I was being hugged tightly by the woman while feeling the wetness of her tears down my back.

"Airika-chan! Airika-chan, thank goodness! You're awake!" the woman cried as she hugged me so tightly.

Airika? My head spins in confusion. What the hell does this woman saying?

She unwrapped her arms to me and smiled gleefully.

I frowned as I saw her eyes changed expression but her smile doesn't fade away.

I can't help myself but to ask bluntly, "Ki mi... dare? (Who are... you?)"

She stood up and took a step back, looking at me with a shocked face.

"A-Airiki-chan..." Her voice was trembling as her eyes formed a glass on its side. "... You don't... remember me?"

I glared at her. "You think I would ask if I know you?" I blurted blankly. "And so... Where am I?"

She gulped. "In the hospital," she replied.

"What happened before I got here?" I asked again.

"Y-You got hit by a car. W-We have it investigated."

'Liar,' a voice in my head said. It was a female voice, thin and a little bit of cute but with a hint of anger.

I scoffed. "I doubt that," I said and plopped my head down again. I put the quilt all over my head. "Call the doctor."

"H-Heh???" she asked, obviously feeling confused.

I glanced at her. "You said it, right? You'll call the doctor."

She looks at me with fear before turning his back and goes out of the room.

I sighed and sat back again, looking down as I hugged both of my knees—or was it?

I've been in this body for how many hours? Nope, it's days. I'm stuck for two days with just my soul power intact but I'm still conscious that time though until I felt that I could move this person's body.

'You're a new soul that will control my body, right?'

My eyes wandered to the room and my eyes widened as I saw a girl. Her hair flows down by her feet with a smile on her lips.

'You can see me, right? I'm not literally dead, I was just sharing half or maybe one-third of my soul jar to keep myself intact with you,' she said.

So she knew all of this is going to happen huh?

'Yes, I know and I'm aware of it,' I looked at her with curiosity. 'Gomene, I haven't introduced myself yet. Since you're me now, I might as well consider my profile background.' She raised her right hand and tilted her head slightly. 'Hi. My name's Ominuwara Airika, fifteen years old, first-year high school. The woman who is here a while ago is my older sister, Ominuwara Samiya. Don't believe what she's saying. The truth is—'

"She's the one who caused all of the accident, right?" I continued and she froze.

'H-How did you...'

I sighed. "Her movements were unexpectedly unstable when she came to greet your body—erm, what I mean is, our body and awkwardly hugged me. She stuttered when I told her that I doubt her and went silent as she closed the room's door."

'You're such a cautious woman...'

"Not at all. I just did what's right to throw her away from the room somehow."

"But how do you—"

"She is being already suspicious since the beginning. First, why is she in your room? Her breathing seems to be normal just seconds ago after this body wakes up with my soul on it. Second, she wakes up instantly when I just stared at her. You can't feel stares if you're unconscious through sleeping. Third, the way of talking. She is undoubtedly suspicious when I asked her and her replies were the truth but have suspicious holes on it."

"You looked like a detective, Miss..."

"Miyano Shiho or Ai Haibara... Call me to the name you are comfortable with."

"H-Hai. You looked like a detective, Haibara-san. Are you... somehow...?"

"No, I'm not a detective or police in my previous life. I was just a lucky woman who escaped to a dangerous life as a scientist trapped in a child's body. It's complicated, I know, but it's the truth," I said. "Our conversation will be finished here," I added as I hear footsteps coming. "Don't talk to me when they're here. Just talk when there's something suspicious or urgent needed."

Ominuwara Airika-san nodded and her soul faded into thin air. At the same time, the door of the room opened and the rushing footsteps of a doctor and a couple of support nurses halt around the bed.

I sighed and the doctor checked on me, asking me personal questions. I thank Airika-san for helping me filling up her personal information. We both have the same dominant hand so it is not really a problem for me.

After the doctor and the nurses told Airika's sister that I'm fine, they go out and we both—rather, we three were left in the room alone.

"A-Ahm, A-Airika-chan..."

"Ominuwara Samiya, right?" I cut her off making her eyes widened.

"E-Eh???"

I smirked while looking at her with doubtful eyes. "My older sister, right?"

Her face was in horror. Her hands were trembling. But then, she broke into an awkward laugh. "S-So, you know me? B-But before, you—"

"Turn down yourself to the police, Samiya nee-chan," I cut her off again making her froze.

Airika appeared on my side with a shocked face. "Woi, oi, Haibara-san. You're too straightforward!"

"W-What are you talking about, Airika-chan? Turn down to the police? Is this some kind of joke to you? Is your head bumped on something and you asked your own sister to turn down to the police? What is happening to you, Airika-chan?" she frantically asked.

"Airika-chan? Asked my own sister?" I scoffed. "Don't make me laugh. You are the one who made all of this, right?" Her eyes widened even more. I saw her took a step back. "Samiya nee-chan, if you aren't guilty, why are you shaking right now like you are seeing a ghost?"

"W-What is happening to you, A-Airika-chan? Don't accuse me of your accident. I wasn't—"

"You're there, aren't you, when I was bumped by that huge truck?"

She froze, eyes filled with horror. Her hands were literally shaking nonstop and her legs were like wet noodles. Her teeth gritted. She's cold in fear.

I am repeating what everything Airika said to me. About how her sister was there and pushed her in time when a truck was about to pass through.

"You told our parents that I walked to the pedestrian lane without me looking at the traffic lights, right?" I continued saying.

"H-How do you—"

"It was just a hunch so don't take it too seriously," I said while giving her a deadpan look.

"Oh..." She muttered while shoulders were lowered down.

Airika popped out again and looked at me in the eyes. "What are you doing, Haibara-san? You are scaring me!"

'I'm giving her the treatment she needs,' I told her via telepathy. 'I just gave her a crazy fact. Just a little.'

"You call that just a little, you idiot?!"

I sighed and put my body down the bed, covering myself with the white blanket.

"Why are you hiding from Samiya nee-chan?" Airika asked when she saw me frowning.

"I don't want to make your body looked suspicious to your sister, especially that I'm in much control with this body of yours now," I answered, whispering. "And also, I could not let myself be caught by your sister. You will look like a different person."

She grinned so suddenly. "Well, I'm really a weird person to them so don't worry, it's normal to act weird, and that action of yours... I am like that too."

"Huh? What do you mean by that?"

"I like some detective stories too so I tried to be a detective as a fun game," she answered.

"Detectives' job is not a game, Airika-san. I have one friend before who's a detective professional and three others that look like an apprentice of my detective geek friend. One is dead though."

"Oh..."

I looked at her. Her eyes were glistening with worry and sadness but there's no pity. I averted my gaze and smiled.

"Right," I muttered and turned around the other side of the bed, leaving Airika behind. "You don't look at me with pity. That's alright. It's fine with me."

Silence filled us. A comfortable silence, that is.

"W-Well, I-I'm going to go now. R-Rest well, A-Airika-chan," I heard Airika's sister said and heard the door opened and closed.

Once I assured that it is safe to not fake my sleep, I sat down to the bed and put my hands on my lap.

Airika appeared once more in front of me, sitting down on the bed while her body is lighting up.

"You are avoiding that someone will know that you are not me, aren't you?" Airika asked me, making me turn my head on her.

I smiled frankly at her and stared at the wall on the other side of the room.

"Ominuwara-san, I'm not avoiding the situation, I'm taking a huge gamble here," I replied at her.

"Huh?"

"I see that you may not have noticed but I am risking your body's life here, Ominuwara-san. Your sister finds out that I knew the whole accident and she's the cause of it. The only possible thing she will do is to kill this body or to tell lies again."

Her eyes widened in fear. "No... It can't be like that... "

"Yes. It could occur but I threatened her a little so rest assured that this body will be safe," I replied at her and give her a smile.

~~~

A month later, I-- or rather, the body of Airika that my soul was in brought back to her own home, or rather may I call it a 'palace'.

It is a huge mansion of the Ominuwara Family. As Airika explained, it was a heritage through generations on their family. It was started decades ago and since then, the mansion has been an heirloom for the family so it was a huge risk if it was being taken with no bloodline to their kind.

Ominuwara Samiya, the sister of Ominuwara Airika who owned this body, has been gone for a few weeks under the police investigation.

She turned herself down to the police a month ago, a week after I confronted her when I woke up to Airika's body. She tells the truth and was jailed in prison for how-could-I-should-know.

The two huge doors of the mansion opened with a loud creaking and light emerged between it. Airika's parents are gone on a trip for a business meeting with a special client, as what they informed me, or rather, us.

"Welcome back, Ominuwara Airika ojou-san," I heard the cheers of a maid as I stepped into the house.

I looked at my right side and saw a maid with a short haircut, brown hair bowing in 90 degrees and she's wearing a French maid dress.

"Da re kimi? (Who are you?)" I asked and she startled by my sudden question.

"A-Ahm... Airika ojou-san, don't you remember me?" she asked, stuttering in the process. A bead of sweat was starting to fall down her forehead.

I tilted my head and crossed my arms. "Da re... kimi? I repeated my question, now answer me."

"A-Ahm... Airika-kun," a teenage girl that was of the same age of Airika blocked my sight with her arms and smiled nervously at me. "She is your personal maid, you know. Tsukiyama Rin is her name."

"Tsukiyama-san, huh?" I looked over her shoulder and raised an eyebrow. "So... why do I need a personal assistant?"

"Geez, Airika-kun. You're being mean again. Is this the effect of your accident? Be nice, would you?" She pouted.

Tsukaima Mina, that's her name. Ominuwara Airika-san's best friend and at the same age as hers, first-year high school, second in the class.

"Tsukaima-san--"

"It's Mina," she said and put her hands on her waist as she raised an eyebrow at me. "Geez. I told you many times that my first name is Mina so please, call me that. I'm no stranger to you, I'm your best friend!"

I rolled my eyes playfully and smirked. "Hai, hai, Mina-san. Now, stop bickering at me. It is frustrating in the ears."

"Apologize first to Tsukiyama-san," Mina said as she pointed to Airika's personal maid.

I sighed heavily. 'Do I really need to apologize to your personal assistant, Ominuwara-san?'

"She's like my sister so treat her like one," she replied telepathically.

'Why?'

"You'll find out if you tried to be good to her," she replied again before disappearing.

I sighed again and looked up at Airika's maid. Tsukiyama Rin, that's her name. Well, it is not bad if I try what Airika advised me to do.

I started walking towards Tsukiyama-san and lowered down my head. "A-Ahm..." I could feel her gaze on me. Geez. This is really hard. "A-Ahm... G-Gomenasai, Rin n-nee-chan," I muttered.

Silence filled us as I said those words until I felt something touch my head. I looked up to see Tsukiyama-san-- No, rather Rin nee-chan smiling while tears formed to the side of her eyes.

"It's fine, Airika ojou-san," she said and turned her back on me, still smiling sweetly. "Follow me. I'll lead the way to your room so that you could rest from your trip," she said.