...

11 views

FAIRY GAME
Copyright © April 2020. All Rights Reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author's imagination and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living, or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

-----

"I'm home!" I said as I take off my shoes and dropped my bag.
"oh! Nobu, you're back, have you got your things packed yet?" mother replied as she give me a short smile and continued cutting the hair of her customer.
"nope. will just start packing" I stood up and went to give her a quick kiss on the cheeks before going on my room upstairs.
"h-hey, that's your son, Nobu?" the old man excitedly asked and I immediately turned around to look at him.
"Uncle?!" I exclaimed.
The old man laughed, "you've grown so fast, haven't seen you in a while", I gave him a smile
"you're right, they really grow up fast, don't they?" Mom respond as she look at me lovingly.
"Nobu, please don't forget important things you'll take with you, okay?" she added.
"I will" my response.
"I'm still glad, I get to be the last customer before your shop closes up" Uncle said to my Mom.
"well, it can't be helped, we'll be needing the money for my husband's hospitalization." I stood and stared at them for a bit as they chat and then continued stepping upstairs.

I found my brother cleaning his room. To hell did happen in his room and it looks like a dozen of people live there.
"Yuki!"
He was startled then threw a book on me, probably too in-the-zone. Haha.
"need help?" I offered while I stood and leaned on his door side.
"nah, I'm good. these things just wouldn't bear with me, they keep going on places not intended for them" he mumbles while he scratches his head.
I just chuckled and threw back his book. Lucky for him, he caught it briskly. I walked on my room and started packing my things.
I let out a sigh as I was done with my boxes. One last...
MY BOOKS. Definitely, the most important thing in my life. My books.
But... as I finished packing my books, I noticed something.. My heart raced too much that my eyes widened in nervousness.
"Yuki!!!" I exlaimed from the other room, not removing my eyes on my bookshelf.
"whaaaat" he lazily respond from his room as he peeked on my door
"my Fairy Game. my last volume of book is missing, did you borrow that?" my mind's troubled, I searched under the bed, on the sofa, the TV set, behind shelves.
"nah, just keep looking, I didn't get a hand of it" he plainly said then he returned to fixing his stuffs
"that's my favorite book" I can't even remember the story of that last volume.

I felt uneasy. Even just to recall the last volume. I needed to know.
I took my tablet from my table and searched online the summary of the Fairy Game last volume. I saw results, but all of them does not really give the ending.
(Of course, idiot!) I whispered to myself.
One result caught my attention. A blog. Probably not a summary, but I'd like to know what was written. It might be an insight, and thus, will give me the summary I needed for that last volume.

[ ... all stories I've read, they end up in happy ending. Isn't it what supposed to be? A happy ending for all? But this ending shocked me and I felt betrayed.. in a way. Or maybe life really just does not go the way as planned originally...]

Reading the blog, I finally remembered the ending of the story. It was a sad ending. I sat down on the edge of my bed and sighed in sadness of how things had turned up on Fairy Game.
"do you like to run all your life?" I remembered the conversation of the protagonists before the story ended. I feel depressed. I sighed again.

I reviewed details from the blog I read.
"Mira" the author's name.
I opened her profile by clicking her name below her post. She has lots of blogs from different stories. She's got email on her website and I got excited to directly inform her about my thoughts reading her blog.

[I was so thrilled replying to you from the blog you posted for Fairy Game. I, too, was shocked from the ending and I didn't expect that the flow of the story isn't as beautiful as it ends. You are a brilliant writer as your words described each moments fabulously as they should. I am so happy that I never expected all the things I'm only keeping on my head on the story that I couldn't put into words were all wonderfully expressed by you. -Nobu]
Sent!
Shit?! I was taken aback when I realized, I instictively put my name on the random email I sent. But I wrote it on Japanese alphabet, I wonder if she'd understood it anyway. I dropped my tablet on my bed together with my body as I hear a notification sound and I quickly sat back again.
[Yes, it was indeed a very sad ending and I didn't expect it to be so cliche. The boy protagonists spent the rest of the school year with his friends like the girl protagonist has not even happened in his life. I'm happy, too that you emailed me for what you feel about my blog. Thank you.]
...
We continued to exchange emails discussing deep things about the Fairy Game and all other books we've read. She is so smart and keen. I am so thrilled talking to her and it seems like I know her a lot more from her responses and wit.

[I was wondering if I could meet you one day? -Nobu]

-----
I slumped on the chair and leaned my cheek on the table for a pillow as I keep refreshing my email on my tablet to find nothing email received yet from Mira.
"hey, you look so depressed looking dumb in there, she hasn't replied yet?" my collegue ask while he put on the table his ordered food.
"it's been 5 days since I asked her out to meet in person, am I too fast?" I said lazily as I keep pressing the refresh button from my tablet.
"you know, there is a love rule on everything, you see?" he said with his hand gestures while looking at me in enthusiasm.
"don't start with me, you've got no girlfriend, come on." I said and glared at him then I fixed myself to seat.

Ting!

"There!!!"
"She replied!" we both exclaimed in excitement and looked at her email response.

[I'm sorry for not being able to reply immediately. I got nervous that you'd want to meet me. I'm worried on how I look, I'm worried on how I speak. Do you have a high pitch voice, or low voice?]

As I prepare myself to type my response, Dan here, my collegue held my arm and said his famous wise words - again. "Love has rules. First, timing. And your love lucky time for the day is ... 9 PM"
"9PM?"
"Yes, you do not want to be so obvious, and your right time is at 9PM tonight" he said with full will as he deeply stared at me and tried to squint his eyes.
I know this dummy is just tripping on me but there'd be no harm agreeing.

--
8:59:48
My hands on full preparation to type on my laptop as I nervously watched the clock to exactly arrive at 9PM. ...57... 58... 59... 9:00:00.

[You caught me with your mind and I think it's what all I had liked from you. I don't mind how you look nor how you present yourself nor how you speak. I actually have normal voice. When we're going to karaoke with my friends, I really try hard singing a high note.-Nobu]
Sent!
[I think it'll be okay to meet this Saturday.]

I almost jumped on my bed from excitement. Looking forward on Saturday.

-----

(Ahh. Why is it raining. This is so inconvenient.) I went to the bookstore as agreed on meeting place on time she said.

[I've arrived, I didn't expect the rain today.] I texted her as I approached the door of the bookstore.
[I've also arrived, I'm at the Fairy Game book section.]

And there she was, the girl behind the screen I've always communicated with. The girl with the smartest mind I have ever encountered. Looking at her from behind, her hair length is below her shoulders. She's wearing brown boots, blue skirt, white cardigan and brown scarf.
While she was scanning the book she's looking at, I walked near her as I noticed she's wearing earphones.

"Mira" I whispered at her back to avoid her from being surprised but she didn't respond. She might not have heard.

I bent down infront of her and looked at her, slowly. She's got a pretty face. Cute. Thin lips, nice nose, very expressive eyes. And she has bangs. I wonder why she's insecure on how she looks when I asked her to meet up.
I smiled.
She lifted her head and our eyes met.
"S-Shiro?" she asked.
"eh?"
Agggh! I got the wrong girl, she might not be Mira.
"U-hm, could you be Shiro? I'm Mira." she added.
"e-eh? Sh-Shiro?" I confusedly asked. She's Mira, but she's looking for Shiro?
"Sorry, your name must not be Shiro. I googled your signature from your email and it was translated as 'Shiro' so I thought you're name is Shiro. Isn't it?" God, she's so cute explaining herself. I chuckled.
"I'm sorry, my name is Nobu, but for you, whatever name you call me, it's okay, Shiro it is!" I said as I offered a handshake to her. "Nice to meet you, Miss Mira"
"B-but.."
"it's okay, Nobu and Shiro is spelled the same in Japanese alphabet so I don't blame you mistakenly calling me Shiro." I insist my handshake to her. She smiled and giggled that I almost forget, it's raining. I felt the warmth of the sun from her smile.
She shook my hands... and I died. Kidding.

"so, as a starter, we should go for lunch. I have a place to take you to."
She smiled and nodded on my invite and followed me behind.
The rain is really inconvenient. We did brought our own umbrellas but it can't be helped that we'll be showered and wet outside.
We entered the restaurant and I called the wait person for a table for two.
"u-uhm, sorry. please take me to a more quiet place" Mira interrupted. She should've told me earlier so we didn't danced on the rain. But..
"are you sure you don't like it here? they've got foo--"
"I really don't like noisy places like this" Mira said nervously looking down on her shoes.
"What's your decision, Sir?" the wait person wanted to hear a final answer from me before reserving a table for us.
"sorry for waiting, please disregard my request" I told the wait person, he immediately agreed politely and we left the place.

--
"what about here? is it okay here?" I took a peek on the inside and Mira looked at it, too.
There were still people around but the place is still peaceful.
"yes, it's okay here" she smiled

--
"since it's raining and there's no way we can go outside, do you want to watch a movie? " I asked as we got out of the restaurant.
She excitedly nodded and said she wanted to watch a western movie.
"don't you want our local movies?"
"if I'd like to watch a local movie, I do it at home. But I like western movies like actions, it's good to watch them on big screens and those with the captions in it" she's so excited that her smile is oh so consistent.
"okay, so we'll take western movie with captions then" I smiled back at her.

--
" there's no more western movies available for this hour, we'd be waiting for another 3 hours for it" I said as I am staring at the movie board, and I turned to her
" then how about any movies with captions?" her face worried
" there's no western movies with captions until the next 3 hours, there's one, but dubbed. is it okay?"
" no, I don't like dubbed. we'll take any movie so long as with captions" she insisted
" don't you think dubbed is way easier to watch?"
" no. I like those with captions"
" oh, so you're okay with any movie so long as with caption then.. " she nodded, hesitantly.

--
Staring at her while she watches the movie we picked, she doesn't seem so pleased. Maybe she really liked the Western Movie afterall..

--
We walked out of the cinema like nothing happened. Like we haven't seen anything. I didn't enjoy the movie either.
"so.. we call it a day then?" she broke the silence awkwardly
"y-yes. we'll call it a day" I responded and smiled slyly at her.
I sent her for the elevator going down directly on her terminal bus stop.
"actually I have to tell you someth--"
"the elevator has opened, you're good to go. nice to meet you, Mira"
"b-but.. --"
"bye, Mira" I said and wave my hand as she entered the elevator.

Teeet! Teeet! Teeet!

The elevator was overloaded and I am waiting for Mira to go out again.
"the elevator is loaded why isn't she going out? "
" shouldn't be the last one to get in be the one to give way? "
" hey, step out"

People inside the elevator are murmuring commotions but Mira stood still and the elevator's irritating alarm continued.
I pulled Mira out to stop people from reacting and so the elevator can serve them.
"I'm sorry for being rude" I told them all after pulling Mira out. She still seemed shocked.

"let's talk for a bit" I told her, grabbed her arms and took her somewhere we can be alone

" what is your problem?! you have to fix your attitude! you are so full of yourself! all you think about is you! you know the elevator is overloaded, would you think someone will go out for you?! don't expect too much from everyone that they will always be considering you! You write words beautifully but you differ on your words at all! If I had known that you're this selfish, I wouldn't have ever tried to even want to meet you! You're the worst!" I exclaimed in madness

*sobs* she's looking down her shoes while I heard her start to cry.
She raised her head up and looked at me.
"the elevator is full, isn't it?" she continued crying. I looked at her in curiosity
"I'm really sorry" she said in between sobs as she clasped her hands and bowed down.
Little did I notice the hearing aid that was on her ears the time she bowed and her hair exposed her ears.

She raised her head again.
"I'm sorry *sobs* if I turned out to be such an awful person *sobs* to you. I'm really sorry *sobs* for my rudeness. I didn't *sobs* tell you that I have *sobs* hearing impairment before we started *sobs* to meet because you might not want to see me anymore. *sobs* When we were able to email each other because of my blog, *sobs* I was so happy. *sobs* All the words and exchanges of mails *sobs* and messages, *sobs* I-I cherished them all. *sobs* Could it be, *sobs* even if you don't want to see me anymore, *sobs* could it still be possible, you message me with your insights on my blogs, still? *sobs*"

..and she cried louder.. and few more sobs, she's gone in front of me. She ran away but I stayed still. I was stucked, I can't feel my feet to chase her back.

I felt a pang on my chest. I felt a dull blade sawing my heart repeatedly and it pains me. It kills me. Everything that happened ... the restaurant.. the movie.. the elevator alarm.. my voice.. she asked about my voice pitch.. I couldn't move one bit. I just felt a tear rolling down my face in remorse. I'm the worst...

-----

Comment below for an interest of the story's Part 2: The Revenge Date! 😱. If not, I'm okay to end it here. Well, my readers' choice! 😘