Welcome Back

"Mom?"

In the eerie silence of the mall, her face flickered like a ghostly apparition among the staff.

It was unmistakable—my mother's visage, distorted by the uniform she wore. Recognition struck my heart like a jolt of lightning; her haunting presence was a chilling echo from a tormented past.

Her image was seared into my memory, even during my grueling days at that wretched job.

The scar on my forehead, a constant reminder of her fury, throbbed as I recalled the day she hurled an ashtray at me. Blood streamed down my face, my vision blurred. I had fled with all my might to the nearest sports medicine center, desperate to escape her wrath. It was one of the most painful events etched in my mind.

To me, she was akin to a demon. Unable to unleash her anger on my father, she vented her frustrations on me.

When she died while I was in university, I felt no sorrow, no remorse—only relief mixed with a tinge of anger. I stared blankly at her photo frame, devoid of tears. That day was a blur, but I remembered the void where grief should have been.

But now, seeing her again, how should I feel?

Disgust should have been my immediate reaction to her reappearance in my life, or this twisted dream.

Yet, surprisingly, I felt no animosity.

If I had to describe my feelings now, it would be a desire to meet her.

It made no sense, but the moment I saw her, my legs moved on their own toward her shadowy figure.

"I want to see her."

This thought consumed me as I hurried down the escalator to the ground floor. My surroundings blurred into darkness, save for a single path illuminated towards the exit where she had disappeared.

I discarded my immediate predicament, related to the end of the year special exam and matters related to Haruka, Sakayanagi & Ayanokouji.

The mall had transformed into an ominous labyrinth. Shadows stretched long and menacing, and every step echoed unnaturally loud. I searched my immediate environment, but it was as if the entire place had been abandoned. The once bustling mall was now an empty, hollow shell.

Not a single soul in sight.

The path ahead was shrouded in darkness, save for a faint, flickering light that beckoned me forward. The air grew colder, each breath a misty plume.

The silence was deafening, pressing in on me from all sides. I felt an oppressive presence, an unseen force urging me onward.

As I reached the exit, I hesitated, my heart pounding in my chest. The figure of my mother stood just beyond the threshold, bathed in an ethereal glow. Her eyes met mine, and for a moment, time stood still.

What awaited me beyond that door? An answer, or a nightmare? I stepped forward, driven by an inexplicable need to confront the ghost of my past.

As I came out of the mall, she was indeed standing before my eyes, but facing in the opposite direction than me. 

I tried to approach her gradually, not making any sound.

But, she walked towards one of the light poles, and I hurriedly called out to her.

"W-Wait!"

My mind was already blank, and the desire to see her face was overwhelming enough to dispel any second thought of running away.

On my call, she stopped at that pole. Her figure became even more dazzling due to the light falling on her. 

Instead of looking at her pursuer, as if to provide a meaning to her appearance, she turned towards the night sky, filled with twinkling stars. 

Her face was a blur, maybe due to the intensity of light or my own fatigue, but that scene was as enchanting as the crescent shaped moon in the midst of countless stars.

I slowly approached her.

No, it was a reflex action. 

And, she also turned towards me at last, as I verified her identity again.

Then a surge of certain mixed emotions raced through my body, and I stared at her face, as if trying to etch that image of hers in my mind.

Her beauty was almost otherworldly, an ethereal glow softening the harsh lines of her once familiar features.

Her hair, cascading in gentle waves, framed her face with a delicate grace I had forgotten.

Her eyes, once filled with fury, now shimmered with an inexplicable gentleness, like twin pools reflecting the soft glow of the moon.

As she smiled, the harsh memories seemed to dissolve, replaced by an unexpected warmth.

Her smile was tender, her lips curving in a way that softened her entire demeanor.

It was a smile that spoke of a peace I had never seen in her before. The corners of her eyes crinkled slightly, giving her an almost serene expression, as if she had found some inner calm.

In that moment, her face was no longer a source of pain but a vision of fragile beauty.

The light played upon her features, casting gentle shadows that highlighted the grace of her movements. She seemed almost luminous, a vision from a dream, her presence both haunting and comforting.

I stood there, captivated, my heart aching with a mix of sorrow and longing.

Her beauty, her smile, held me in a trance, etching this new image of her into my memory—a mother transformed, a ghost of the past turned into a vision of unexpected tenderness.

"Mom." I called out to her. 

I don't know what type of face I am making right now, but some things were certain.

At long last, various drops of tears fell from eyes, as if I was regretting my behavior at her funeral.

I was crying, but I don't know why.

Wasn't my mother a figure to be hated from my point of view?

What is this overwhelming feeling of regret?!

Distorting my line of thoughts, she looked directly in my eyes.

Then, the words coming out of her mouth, breaking the night's serene silence, sent shivers down my spine. With that smiling face of hers, she gleefully greeted me with softness in her voice.

"Welcome back."

Thud!

Something fell on my head apparently. This was a familiar feeling.

It was just like back when I collapsed at the office chamber of that bitch. Suddenly everything was going upwards. The world turned upside down in the split of a second. Everything turned black around my field of view.

I have no idea of what's happening here, but it seemed like such a fleeting dream of this light novel world is over.

What would happen now?

Would I reincarnate in another fantasy world filled with magic and demons? Or would I return back to my original world? Or am I dead for real this time?

There was no consistency with things that took place, or maybe I failed to see any pattern at all.

But the only thing I felt of that encounter was a sense of relief. It was in a different sense than what I felt at my mother's funeral.

It was almost like I was forgiven for my acts.

My consciousness finally faded into nothingness.

***

"Doctor! Please come here for a second!"

Someone screamed.

Wait a second. I am still alive?

Did I reincarnate? I can't open my eyes though, nor can I feel my body at all, as if I was just a fragment of a certain consciousness.

I could hear things clearly though.

"Look at this!"

After the sound of a few people running reverberated in my ears, someone screamed again.

Considering someone called a doctor, I am definitely in a hospital. But why can't I open my eyes?

Could it be, I have reincarnated into the body of a new born baby?

"No change in vital signs. Was there anyone near the patient just now?"

"No. But, there were a few visitors just in the lobby."

"Okay. Keep an eye on him for the time being and if there is any other movements, call me immediately. And, inform Shinomiya-san right away."

"Understood. And what to do with the visitors, sir?"

"Just let them in."

"Yes, right away."

This was the conversation that reached my ears, and that confirmed something.

.

.

.

I am fucking back to this shitty life!!!

Why!?

Keeping aside my frustration on hearing that bitch, Shinomiya's name, it seems like I am in coma or something of the sort, as I can't move my body or open my eyes at all.

Then, that was a dream after all. 

Oh man, I was looking forward to that final special exam.

As I was assessing my situation, sound of more than one people approaching me, reached my ears again, and I recalled someone saying visitors for me were waiting in the lobby.

But.....

I don't remember anyone aside my colleagues at work. So, maybe a few people from my office came to visit me.

But, to my dismay, the voices I heard were totally unfamiliar to me.

No, it was more like I had forgotten those voices.

"Hey! You came all the way here and now you are chickening out?"

"S-Shut up!"

"Alright. Alright. Just come and say hello. Not like he can hear you though."

"..."

A conversation between a female and a male. Judging from that talk alone, I deduced that, the female one is feeling awkward to visit me. 

"Long time no see, Yuichi. Wait. Why is he crying?!"

"Ah, it was just a few seconds ago that he showed his first ever response after going into coma. That's why, the doctor has recommended to engage him in various conversations with any visitor who comes to see him."

"...Is there anyone taking care of him right now, like his relative?"

"No....., there is this lady, who visits him very often. She claims to be his superior at his workplace."

"Any other visitors?"

"Yes. Once, a few people, apparently colleagues from his workplace, came, but there were none after that instance except that lady."

"Okay. Well, it's not much of a gratitude, but....thank you for taking care of my friend."

"Ah, there's no need to. We are just doing our duty. Anyway, if something happens, you can call anyone from our staff."

....

"Hey, Yuichi. Do you remember us?"

"...Ichinose, do you still think that he remembers?"

"I didn't ask you, Kanzaki."

"Yeah. Yeah. You are one to talk."

.

.

.

Who the fuck are these people!?