December. 2100. Drunk. The streetlight was just bright enough to light this tiny road. In this quiet backstreet's corner, someone's blood painted stripes on the path red. Some teens were fighting here. I stepped in and attempted to stop them from getting even worse.

But my attempt failed.

When I realized that I beat three teen boys into pulp, it was too late. Their face looked badly hurt from my fists. Blood covered my shirt.

"Please, stop!" They begged me. One of them hugged my leg, crying.

"Don't fight again. Alright?" I told them. Teen boys ran away, covering their hurt faces with both hands.

I turned around, then started aimlessly walk the streets of Shinjuku. The town's colourful neons and bustling squares made me feel lonely. Alone, I wandered the streets for hours.

When I reached Kabukicho, I noticed many people were looking at me with suspicious eyes. Blood was all over my shirt. I went into a tiny backstreet and decided to hide there until the crowd disappeared.

I looked up at the sky. It was an almost full moon. Few hours might've passed. My head was throbbing from heavy drinking.

"Man from JGSDF beats teens into pulp, then ran away into Kabukicho."

If these teens tell police about it, then this exact headline will be used on the news the next day. I lost all my strength at that moment. My powerless body fell to the ground.

Sitting in the middle of this narrow alley; I could hear someone walking towards me on a naked foot.

Copyright free image [https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1591269140203-6f8486f0e95d?ixid=MXwxMjA3fDB8MHxwaG90by1wYWdlfHx8fGVufDB8fHw%3D&ixlib=rb-1.2.1&auto=format&fit=crop&w=967&q=80]

Woman. A mysterious woman.

A mysterious woman approached me. Even under this dark streetlight, she was brimming with whiteness; white hairs, white clothes and white nails. Her eyes, yet, gleam red in the gloom. That moment I could feel chill down my spines; my instinct was already telling me to run away.

She was covered in blood, emanating a gross smell of rotten flesh.

I lost my words. I stood up, barely so. My stiff body refused to move, and my throbbing head did not help with the situation.

But it was obvious.

She is dangerous; there is no doubt about it. Not human - she was built like a doll, perfect and with no flaws. Beautiful, too - but uncanny. A few minutes later, I was finally able to say something from my mouth. "Who... are... you...?"

A voice too quiet for hearing. But that was the best I could do right now. I used my body too much intoxicated.

I leaned my back toward the wall and breathe deep.

That moment I heard her talking; her voice was deep, serene and husky.

"Witch. I am Witch."

"Witch? Yeah... Sure. You just look like one." I replied. Coughing right after talking. I checked if there was any blood came through my throat; nothing, fortunately.

The encounter with her woke my body up, though. My headache is still there, but much better than earlier.

The shock of seeing a doll-like woman subsided just a bit. Speaking was still limited, however. Drunkenness is still strong, so I am quite unable to talk like normal right now. My twisted tongue is refusing to move.

"Whatever... So you have business with me?" I spoke.

"Why did you beat them?" The woman spoke. "They are not going to forget about it. You know that."

"The hell are you... talking about?" Just what is she asking me?

"Funny man. So drunken that you forgot about it already?" She spoke, then looked at my eyes with her clear red pupil. That just sent chills through my spine.

"Look... I have no idea who you are. What in the hell do you want from me?"

Wait.

"Oh,"

"Now you remembered." She spoke.

It started to snow.

"Yeah. I was drunk. And bit loose on the screws. I didn't do it on purpose. Also, kids who don't hesitate to use violence need to realize the consequences of using one." I spoke. It's getting dizzy here.

"Sure. They need to." She spoke, raising her hand to feel the snow. "But you humiliated them... Winter here is warm, isn't it?"

"What?" I replied.

"I followed you. From the moment when you left a strange-looking steel tube." She spoke. "I wonder if the war ended."

...Steel Tube? She must mean trains. "War? What war?" I said.

"You are a soldier, aren't you?" She spoke.

How did she know? Maybe she's a spy from other countries? But it doesn't make sense to send spies to someone low-ranking and common like myself.

"Surprised? Well, too bad. The way you used violence is just like how good soldiers use them. Controlled and precise." She spoke. She looked up at the sky, watching snows fall.

Snows began to accumulate. Now there was a few centimetres thick layer of snow.

She spoke. "I hope you would tell me more about this era. And yourself, too."

A dark yellow lamp lighted her. Beneath her, snow was coloured red from blood streaming down on her. The stench of rotten flesh stung my nose like crazy.

Finally, I could get my eyes to work properly.

Watching her slender figure standing in the middle of the snowing alley triggered something in my heart. She was crying. I could see tears.

Right now, I realized the source of that stench. Her skin was torn apart, leaking blood from exposed muscles.

My fear of her was gone already.

She had no emotions on her face. It was as if her heart was empty.

"... Sure," I said.