(Winter is fast approaching. The lazy, sun-scorched neighborhood I originally returned to after four years has slowly turned into a sleepy village of overcast skies and falling snowflakes. Honestly, I prefer it this way. I’ve always loved the cold seasons. The girls like to spend their winter days wrapped in blankets and corny Christmas sweaters months before Christmas is even due to arrive. Yoko usually whips out her stash of Belgian cocoa powder and makes everyone hot chocolate topped with whipped cream and marshmallows. It seems the scars of our little Aika crisis have healed, for now.)

On that sleepy, overcast day of drifting snow and chilling wind, Osamu found himself in the cemetery again. He kept his hands stuffed in the pockets of his brown leather overcoat as the tail of his black puff tie fluttered in the wind. He stood before a gravestone bearing the name of Kenjo Ebihara, who only lived for seventeen years. Osamu had naught to say as he stared at the gravestone, his eyes fixated on the pitiable, seventeen year difference between the year Kenjo was born and the year he died.

“Hey.”

Osamu cocked his head to the left, momentarily startled by Isabella’s voice.

“Sorry! Didn’t mean to scare you.” Isabella said.

Osamu smiled and sighed. “It’s all right. I was drifting off. It’s my fault.”

Isabella stood next to him, sliding her hands into the pockets of her black hoodie, her long, blonde hair flailing in the wind.

“I would’ve visited him much sooner, but things got really chaotic as soon as I returned.” Osamu said, his smile gone.

“Don’t worry about it, sour face!” Isabella cheered, slapping Osamu on the back so hard he nearly tripped. “I’ve been taking care of his grave ever since his sisters moved away! You really think he’s sitting there mad that you didn’t come by sooner? Please, if anything, he’s trying to figure out a way to scam all the other people in the afterlife out of their money!”

“Hey! He never scammed anyone!” Osamu protested. “He was just…really convincing.”

Isabella nodded enthusiastically. “Sure, sure. I believe you. I totally believe you. I have absolutely no doubt about the veracity of your account of Kenjo’s money-making schemes.”

“Neither of us can really complain when he gave us a cut of the money he made off of our classmates. Well, as sparse as those cuts were…” Osamu groaned.

Isabella exploded into a fit of gut-pounding laughter. She laid a hand on Osamu’s shoulder just to stop herself from falling on the grass. Osamu, though amused by Isabella’s energy, was highly confused.

“Izzy…you’re not mad at me?”

“Huh? Why would I be mad at you?” Isabella asked, calming down.

“I left right after Kenjo passed away. On top of that, you had to find out that I…you know.”

Isabella stood up straight, interlocking her fingers with Osamu’s. Her other hand pinched her silver angel wing necklace, briefly drawing Osamu’s eyes towards it. He almost kicked himself for not remembering sooner, that the necklace was a gift from Kenjo to Isabella to celebrate the end of their ‘high school lives’. Little did Kenjo or anyone know that those words would become quite literal. Isabella’s expression had gone from energetic and giggly to deathly serious. Her emerald-green eyes stared daggers into Osamu’s very soul.

“I was mad. I admit that.” Isabella said. “How could I not be? The things you did and the timing you did them in were downright cruel, but I recognize that much of it wasn’t intentional. After you returned and we started hanging out again, the hatred went away. Plus, we always had Izanami to sort out any conflicts, and she’s quite good at what she does.”

Isabella’s eyes darted over to Kenjo’s gravestone as she sighed and released Osamu’s hand. “Look, when you returned, we were all possessed by a storm of emotions. We didn’t really think any of it through, we just acted on them. I can’t speak for the others, but when I ended up living with you in Yoko’s house, I was just glad you were okay. Yoko may be my rival and all, but I’m glad she gave you something to distract you from whatever darkness you had back then. I knew it would take a while before anyone was really comfortable talking about the events before your departure, or for you to visit Kenjo’s grave. So stop feeling guilty already. No one is mad at you for anything anymore. We’re all just glad you’re okay now. Just promise me one thing, all right?”

“What is it?” Osamu asked?

Isabella smiled, taking Osamu’s hand and placing it on her right breast. “Always remember that you are loved, and that you can always come home when you’re downtrodden.”

Osamu’s smile returned as Isabella’s expression lightened up again. Her green eyes sparkled with building tears as her blonde hair fluttered about like a tattered battle flag. Confirming his promise, Osamu lightly squeezed her right breast, sending the both of them into a giggle fit.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

“Come on, let’s get you home. Yoko’s making some really good pork ramen!” Isabella sang.

“That sounds great! I’m starving!” Osamu said, following Isabella out of the cemetery.

(From now on, I’ll do my best to be a better man. If someone needs to be saved, I want to be able to save them before it’s too late. If someone needs to talk, I want to listen to every word they have to say. I’ll try to understand my own heart better, so that I can understand everyone else’s.)

The two returned to the quiet streets of the clouded neighborhood, marching their way home through the light snowfall. On their way down the road, they bumped into Izanami, who was headed in the opposite direction.

“Hey Izanami! Where are you going?” Isabella asked.

“Oh, hey!” Izanami replied. “I’m heading back to my shrine real quick. I’m gonna grab some more of my clothes from there, since it’s getting colder. I’ll be back in a few minutes! Make sure you two help Yoko with the ramen while I’m gone!”

“Will do!” Osamu replied.

Izanami continued her march down the street, preferring to get a little exercise in instead of just teleporting there. She ascended the steps of her shrine, which was situated on a hill at the outskirts of the neighborhood. She almost effortless climbed hundreds of steps before crossing through her shrine’s torii gate and entering the main worship building, which was primarily white with red support beams and pillars outlining it.

The torii gate was decorated with zig-zag paper streamers fluttering in the wind, as well as an extraordinarily thick shimenawa rope. The shrine grounds were empty, but definitely not deserted. Izanami always took great care of her shrine, despite her hectic lifestyle.

Entering the building, Izanami was startled to find a young woman sleeping on her tatami mats, right next to the small, round tea table. The woman was dressed in a black yukata, her long, black hair stretching out across the mats like wicked tendrils of darkness.

She wore no socks or sandals, exposing her bare feet to Izanami. Her sheathed katana stood against the cupboard opposite of the table. Upon seeing the blade, Izanami instantly breathed a sigh a relief, as she now recognized the young woman in her home.

The woman woke up from her nap, sitting up on the tatami mats as she rubbed the sleep out of her scarlet eyes.

“Izanami? When did you get back?”

“I should be asking you the same question, Tsukiakari.” Izanami said, sauntering into one of the rooms and gathering her extra clothes. She quickly came out with a bag of kimonos, putting it down near the opened, sliding door entrance.

“Hey, you can still call be by my nickname, you know.” Tsukiakari pouted.

“My apologies, Gekko.” Izanami giggled. “How was Arashiyama?”

“Great! Thanks for recommending it! I camped out as long as I could before it got too cold up there. I came back here when it started to snow. Sorry that I just dropped in like this. You and the Shoku twins were already gone when I returned.”

“Don’t worry about it! As always, my home is your home.” Izanami assured.

“Where are those twins, anyway?”

“I don’t know. They like to go out and explore the world on their own, but they always come back here before long.” Izanami explained. “They’re in charge of maintaining the shrine grounds in my absence.”

“So you’re not staying here anymore? Where do you live now?” Tsukiakari asked.

“I don’t live far! I’m just down the road. I live with Osamu and his ex-girlfriends now!”

“Oh, that’s nice.” Tsukiakari said, the name Osamu ringing in her head until her eyes shot open. “Wait a minute, did you say Osamu?! He’s here?!”

“Huh? Yeah! He is! You should come by and see him! You guys haven’t talked since kindergarten.”

“No way! I can’t believe he’s here! Ah, I need to grow my hair out a bit more! I need it to be long and beautiful when I see him again! Man, I can’t believe he’s back! Why didn’t you say so sooner?”

“Hehehe. Sorry, I just came here to get some clothes and I was a bit surprised to see you.”

Tsukiakari stood and grabbed her sheathed blade, giving Izanami a bright smile. “Give me a bit of time to spruce myself up! I’ll be back in a few days to see him!”

Tsukiakari ran off into the shrine grounds, stopping as Izanami called out to her.

“Wait, Gekko! You’re not wearing any shoes!”

“Whoops! Toss me my sandals!”

Izanami looked around, spotting Tsukiakari’s pair of straw sandals by the door and throwing them to her. Tsukiakari responded with a wave goodbye.

“Thanks! See you soon!”

“See you! Be careful out there! Don’t go around telling everyone you’re a goddess!” Izanami shouted as Tsukiakari descended the steps.

“I won’t!”

Izanami sighed as she watched Tsukiakari’s disappear down the hill, her heart throbbing with love for the young goddess.

“So, Gekko’s back, too. I can’t wait for Osamu to see her again! What a lovely reunion that’ll be!”

Reaching the bottom of the steps, Tsukiakari ran in the opposite direction of Aika, who was returning home alongside one of her new friends. Aika’s friend stole a quick glance at Tsukiakari as she rushed past them, but Tsukiakari didn’t seem to notice her.

This friend was a girl with long, chestnut-brown hair, emerald-green eyes, and peachy, radiant skin. However, her right arm, leg, and eye were covered with gauze. Though no one could see what kind of wounds hid beneath the bandages, there were a few pale spots of skin on the right side of her face that were just barely covered.

Aika carried her guitar case on her back as her friend bombarded her with praise and endless compliments.

“Seriously, I don’t just say that to anyone! You’re seriously amazing at guitar and singing, Aika!” she exclaimed.

Aika laughed as she scratched the back of her head. “You’re gonna make me blush in public, Lucrezia.”

“So? Got any plans for this talent of yours? What do you want to do with it?”

Aika stopped, lifting her gaze up to the pallid sky as the wind tugged at her red scarf and black coat. In reality, it didn’t take her that long to think of what she wanted to do, but for fear of looking too enthusiastic about it, she pretended to require more time to work out her answer. She snapped her fingers, flashing a smile as her hair danced and twirled around her face. She brushed her hair to the side and answered.

“I think…I want to start a band!”

End of Day 61

End of Aika Crisis