Ring! Ring! Ring!

On a chill morning, a ringing sound suddenly broke the silence in the apartment room. A figure sleeping on the sofa could be seen twitching from time to time, yet it was apparent the noise wasn't enough to wake them up. But as the clock keeps ticking, the ringing sounds quickly became louder. At which point, the sleeping figure finally lazily reached out its hand toward the vibrating object on the table right next to them, and with a touch, the ringing stopped.

"Mmm, it's morning already?" Yuuji mumbles while gently rubbing his drowsing eyes as he slowly straight up his body. He couldn't believe he could still fall asleep whilst there was a ghost occupying his bedroom. Thankfully, nothing strange happens to him. At least, he didn't notice nor feel anything unusual at first glance.

Like any other day, he gets up from the sofa and heads toward the bathroom. A quick fifteen-minute shower with mostly his awful singing, and then he was out wet in his bathrobe. Maybe he was unlucky today but he almost fell in the bathroom while soaking himself with soap.

It never happened before, so he simply shrugged his shoulders and blame today as his unlucky day.

Just as expected, the ghost was there when he walks into his bedroom to get his school wear. He sucked up a mouthful of cold breath and quietly inch closer toward the closet while praying in his heart that the ghost won't hear his footsteps. Like a secret agent, he tried his best to decrease the amount of noise he makes while browsing after his clothes in the closet. He breathe a relieved sigh the moment he was out and the ghost remained afloat in the same position.

While he was putting on an outfit, Yuuji pondered. If the ghost still didn't make any movement by the time he come back from school, he entertain the thought of sleeping back on his bed. But upon thinking deeper, he thought it was pretty silly considering that maybe it was the ghost ploy to make him underestimate it, and then surprise attack him while he was asleep with no way to fight back.

It will be wiser to sleep in the living room for a while until he figured out a solution, though, his back might ache along the way but it is what it is.

With a black backpack attach to his back that consists of only a few books and a pencil case, he exits his apartment room with a light step and a relaxed mind. If he remained there in his apartment any longer, he could tell his mind would become weary rapidly due to an extended period of vigilance. He's a normal person after all, rather, wouldn't it be strange if he didn't feel exhausted at all?

While observing the liveliest city under the morning sun with vehicles and people on the street moving on with their life like any other day, Yuuji suddenly became emotional at the sight. Just yesterday, he doesn't have any hope of living another day, almost departing to the afterlife with Death Reaper by his side, but by strange coincidence called 'miracle' at works, here he is.

Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

Suddenly, he heard a shriek and turned around only to see a speeding car heading straight toward him. Without any hesitation, he leaped forward and the car missed him by hair breath. Unlike the previous accident, the distance between the car and him was enough for him to avoid it. Of course, had he been any second later, he would have to experience another painful crash.

'What the...is it normal for there to be another collision accident just a day after I was supposed to die from one? Am I really that unlucky today?' Yuuji thought as the corner of his lips violently twitch. After the car passed over him, the driver was finally able to put the break to work before he could crash into the building.

The bystanders watching from the sideline breathe a relieved sigh upon discovering he was safe from harm. Some of the more hot-blooded people immediately ran toward the car wanting to berate the driver that almost ran over an innocent person with his risky driving. The few closer to Yuuji went up to him to check if he was truly safe as in their eyes, he was only an inch away from the speeding car. They still couldn't believe how he was able to make such a quick judgment as anyone in his position would've been paralyzed from the fear.

They may not know, but Yuuji knew. He had already experienced death once. Although death is lonely and something to be fearful of, that is not the case for him, at least the current him. The first time he was in the accident, he couldn't even think of avoiding the truck since it was no more a meter away from him. Even if he could move, he simply can't do so by any normal means, so it doesn't matter whether he was paralyzed by fear or not—he was doomed.

After brushing off the people that repeatedly told him to go to the hospital to get a checkup just in case, he feel as if the burden he didn't know existed dropped from his shoulders as he sighed. There's no way he's going back to the place where they look at him as if he's a legendary creature with their bloodshot eyes that seems to conceal some kind of secret intention within it. He understood that if they did some further research on him, perhaps they may be able to find a cure to cancer, or so he imagined.

After all, he himself didn't know how he was perfectly fine from the accident. Enough of that, he needs to think of a solution to his apartment problem real quick or else, he might have to move out. The apartment was such an ideal location, of course, it was mostly due to how cheap the rent is, but it is not a lie either that it is quite close to his school. Apart from that, there wasn't any other apartment that was open for rent anywhere near the same location.

He wish to remain, he didn't want to move out—it is so important that he had to repeat it twice.