“Same as always, huh?” said the cashier, showing her annoyed face as she started scanning the groceries.

I glance at her for a moment, then avert my eyes. “Can you stop giving me that ‘I’m tired of your monotone life’ look on your face?” I replied, staring at the discount list above the cashier desk. She sighed.

“Aruta, if your monotone life was good and healthy, I wouldn’t complain,” she said, her annoyance growing. She pointed at one of the goods she scanned. “For the past month, I keep seeing you buy these instant noodles. Is that all you eat?” she puts her hand on her hip.

I glance at the direction she’s pointing. “Mostly, yeah.” I answer flatly.

She sighed again. “I’m surprised you’re still alive,” she said, packing the goods into the plastic bag.

Oh right, my name is Aruta Kuroyuki. I’m just an ordinary person who thinks life is boring. I graduated high school six months ago and now work remotely from my apartment. For these six months, I haven’t really gone five miles away from my apartment, just staying there and barely having a life.

“Don’t worry, sometimes I also buy food outside.”

She raised her eyebrow. “Oh? What do you usually buy?”

“Pizzas.” I quickly answer, flatly

She stopped mid-action, one hand still holding a can of soup, and then stared at me. Her eyes widened in disbelief, her mouth slightly agape. “Seriously?”

“Yeah?”

“Gosh darn it, eat some rice and veggies!” she exclaimed, her frustration evident as she tossed the can into the bag with a bit more force than necessary.

“I know, I know. Fine,” I sighed. I mumbled. “Are you my mom—”

“What did you say?” she raised her tone, her eyes narrowing into a glare that could pierce steel.

“Eh, nothing,” I smiled wryly, trying to defuse her rising temper. “Rishia, what’s the total price?”

The scary cashier here is Rishia Ninomi, my former classmate in high school. She’s one of my few close friends. Right now, she’s studying at college and working part-time at this convenience store.

“Actually, wait here for a sec,” she said, turning on her heel and walking briskly into the food aisle. I watched her go, my curiosity piqued. She returned moments later with three packed onigiris and dropped them into the plastic bag.

“Hey, I’m not paying for those.”

“Well then, I will,” she said, handing me the plastic bag with a determined look on her face.

“Okay, just kidding. I’ll pay for that,” I said, pulling out my wallet.

“Good, the total is 63.9,” she replied, her voice softening a bit as she punched the numbers into the register.

I handed over the money, and she counted out the change with practiced efficiency. She slipped the receipt into the bag and handed it to me.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

I take the change and receipt, and turn around. “See ya.”

“See ya, and don’t forget to eat the rice,” she shouted after me, her tone a mixture of concern and exasperation, waving her hand in a dismissive yet affectionate manner. I chuckled and waved back, pushing the door open and stepping into the cool evening air.

image [https://i.imgur.com/YzalZp9.png]

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It's so quiet on the way home. Some houses already have their lights on, and stores are already closed. My apartment shouldn’t be too far from the convenience store, but it feels like I’ve been walking long enough.

“Man, it’s already this dark, huh?” I said, trying to break the lonely atmosphere. It was already 7:00 PM when I almost arrived at my apartment. Near the entrance, I saw a white cat meowing. It noticed my presence and came closer, meowing as if it was trying to tell me something.

“What’s up, kitty?” I crouched, trying to pet it, but it walked into the dark alley. Then it turned back and kept meowing, as if telling me to follow it. I looked around and then stared at the dark alley. It was rare to see a cat around here at this hour. I’d seen two or three cats around in the morning over the past six months, but never that white cat.

“Eh, what could go wrong?” I followed the cat into the dark alley. Maybe it was time to actually touch another living being after being cooped up in my apartment for too long.

The deeper I went, the chillier the air became. If this were a horror or thriller story, I’d be one of the dumb main characters. Jokes aside, the atmosphere grew more eerie with each step. Then I smelled something I really don’t want to smell in this situation.

“Blood,” I mumbled, looking around. Where did that cat go?

“Oh, you’ve gotta be kidding me.”

I kept walking slowly, hoping this was just a bad dream and praying to wake up soon.

“Or I could just turn back?” I said. It’s not like I have to go there anyway. Just as I was about to turn, I noticed something deeper in the alley. No, someone. They were lying against the wall, not moving an inch.

I gulped. “Hello? Anybody there?” I called out, but there was no answer. I built up my courage and walked towards them.

The closer I got, the clearer the silhouette became. I walked very slowly, tiptoeing at this point, and then got a clear view of…

A dead body.

image [https://i.imgur.com/KsFYKmD.png]

Great, a nice start to a murder mystery. I take a look at the body, while covering my mouth. Her hair is silver, there’s a few scratches on her arms. Her body is wounded badly, blood everywhere around her.

The body suddenly flinches “Agh…” There’s a voice coming out from the mouth, weakly. She’s alive!

I quickly approach her. “Hey! Are you okay?” I asked, my voice trembling with a mix of relief and panic. Of course not, you dumbass.

Her eyes fluttered open, unfocused and glazed with pain. Her breathing was shallow and ragged. She tried to speak, but only a weak, gurgling sound came out. I could see the desperation in her eyes.

“I’ll call an ambulance, hang in there!” I pulled out my phone, my hands shaking. Just then, she grabbed my sleeve with surprising strength.

“D-don’t…” she whispered, her voice barely audible.

“What?” I leaned closer, trying to hear her over the pounding of my own heart.

“Don’t… call anyone. Just… leave me… be.” Her grip on my sleeve loosened, and she coughed weakly, a thin trickle of blood escaping her lips.

“Like hell I would. What happened to you!?” I asked, my voice rising with urgency and confusion. Her eyes flickered with a hint of fear and resignation.

“Just… go away…” she stopped speaking, her consciousness fading again. Her head lolled to the side, and her breathing grew fainter. I scratched my head, panic and indecision warring within me. There was no way I’d leave her with these wounds, but I didn’t understand the situation enough to call an ambulance.

If I left her, she’d die, but she didn’t want a big group of people involved. While I didn’t know how to give medical help, I had something else that might work.

I clenched my fist, building up my courage. “Come on, make that happen again,” I prayed in my heart.

I faced my palm to her body, trying to remember how I did it a long time ago. I started to imagine her body, cells, and blood recovering and closing her wounds. My palm began to glow.

Her wounds started closing, the blood stopped flowing and slowly faded away. Her body began to heal.

Sorry, I lied. I’m not an ordinary person.