Chapter 4: Our similarities

On the floor, I reached down to my feet, and in a sitting position, I tied my shoes, readying myself to go outside after dawdling around in the house for hours now. Enough time had passed now that I could do things without feeling a sense of dread in the back of my mind; a cloud of depression still hovering over me. There was something that I needed to do outside, hence I had to venture outside. Yet despite that, I still couldn't shake off yesterday's discovery. I had become immortal, a phenomenon that is so rare and bizarre, it baffles some of the most prestigious scientists and researchers. I could recall the discovery of it happening only two hundred years ago, an occurrence recent by no means. However, for me of all people to inherit this power, it felt nothing like a blessing but more of a curse that was pulling me away from the blissful ending I wanted, the desired of meeting my family in the afterlife. I snapped my eyes back open and tightening the shoelaces of my shoes, I opened the door before me and promptly locked it behind me right after; the click that ensued assuring me it was locked for certain.I took a step out of the shade and just as I did, I held my hand up above my head, shielding it from the bright and perilous sun that brought upon scorching heat that I found unbearable to deal with. That said, I still needed to go through with what I had set out for in mind, and with only one thing in mind, I began my way to the school compounds in search of it............It was late in the afternoon as indicated by the sun which was at its hottest hour while the flaming ball of fire hung up high in the partially clouded white and blue skies. It was hot and it didn't help I decided to wear thicker wear today. The perspiration that followed down the back of my neck turned the inner cloth of my clothing a grimy mess. Through crossroads and over pathways, I made the straight path I did every day to school, only this time, I wasn't heading there intending to attend my classes. I felt uncomfortable walking down the roads and passing by the children who were accompanied by their parents; the envy I felt toward them only made myself more sad.By the time I had made it to the school, it was already well past the afternoon and approaching evening when the sun started to make its way down the ninety-degree angle of the large expanse of the never-ending blue skies.Finally, it came into view, and passing through the front metal gates that were wide open for students to pass and go, I walked through and made a bee-line toward the side of the school compounds. I took a detour forth even though school had already ended an hour ago. Perhaps it was a precaution I wanted to take to not meet with my classmates; the thoughts in my mind already envisioning what they would look at me with if I passed by them.I recalled the pitying eyes of those who knew not of loss, the empty comforting they provided, and the consoling they did making the situation seem like something I could simply get over like any other day. They could never feel losing two of your most cherished family in such a short amount of time, they could never take in what amount of grief I had been through in the span of those few short weeks.Before long, I stood under the large shadow that was cast from the side of the building; the sun pointing in the opposite direction, forming an enormous rectangle shadow that covered almost the entire walkway of the side of the school.Without wasting a second longer, I approached the site I could recall very well. The white-tiled floors of the school grounds along with the trees on the other side of the school walls just barely peeked over for those passing by to see the woody branches.I scanned the floor, honing my eyes ahead to locate what I had lost but strangely, it wasn't there. I looked back and forth, left and right, and even under the crevices that the item I was searching for would not likely even fit through. It was missing.I panicked for a moment, concerned over the fact that my phone could have been stolen away or picked up never to be seen again. The idea of not being able to retrieve such an important thing to me, made the void in my heart that was previously mended start to reopen its stitched wounds. I took another look, thinking I may have just overlooked a place or missed a spot that my phone could have been just hiding over.I searched time and time again and before I knew it, ten minutes had passed and I didn't have the slightest clue left of where to look. The walkway where I stood had little places in which my phone could have slipped through.The panic that was being kept in check now started to intensify and as the palpitations of my heart started to accelerate, I then noticed someone approaching where I stood. The sounds of footsteps that were walking at a normal rate, neither fast nor slow, a simply regular pace that didn't have the slightest attention of arousing any particular attention. Yet despite that, I couldn't help but hesitate to turn around, fearing it might be someone I know seeing me in such a pathetic circumstance.I remained standing there for a moment, hoping whoever was passing by wouldn't bat an eye to see what I was up to. I remained silent and still and as I counted the seconds away from said person to leave, I was quickly taken off-guard as I heard a feminine voice speak into my left ear.Startled, I backed off wondering how she managed to get so close to me without even making a sound but as soon as I turned around to see who it could be, there I found Riku standing there while smiling; her left hand similarly hid behind her back and under her skirt while she waved to me with her right."Akiyama-senpai, what are you doing here? Were you perhaps looking for something? It looks like you've been searching for a while now..." She commented, noticing the sweat that was already accumulating on my skin and forehead."Ah- yeah, I'm searching for something I lost yesterday... Please don't mind me, I'll be heading away soon, I'm just about wrapping up anyways...""Please... be on your way then, Riku-san..." I replied, wanting to leave the situation as soon as possible even if I may not find what I came here looking for; my hand scratching the back of my head to look as nonchalant as possible."That something... Could it be this?" She said, holding a phone that was of the same model as mine minus a crack that was on the screen, presumably from the fall I sustained back then."Yes! That's my phone, when did you-" I exclaimed, slightly ecstatic that I was able to find my phone after all but before I could get another word in, the girl before me walked up straight into my personal space and pushed the phone toward me."There's....there's actually something been meaning to ask of you... Akiyama-senpai... You're an immortal, aren't you?" She said with a shy yet firm expression as if she had been preparing to say that for a while now.Immediately I was caught off guard, the very words that left her mouth shocking me for a moment, and standing there with my phone in hand, I didn't have the slightest clue of what to reply to what she told me. "Should I deny it? No... The fact that she had my phone probably meant she saw what happened that day... Yet, what could I even do to answer her..." I thought as a moment of silence passed between the two of us, turning the previous atmosphere into an awkward one."I- uh... I'm not-""I saw you yesterday... You were at the top of the school and though I watched you fall, you resurrected as if nothing had happened... Just like that... "You then walked away and afterward, I happened to be there to pick up your phone..." She said, her hair casting a shadow upon her face, covering the expression that would otherwise be open in plain sight."But! Don't worry... you don't need to worry about me knowing this... Because I'm also an immortal..." She said abruptly, blurting it out as if she had been meaning to say the words that were in her mind for a long while now.As if the words before me were of foreign land, they sounded into my ears and straight out as if they were just passing through a door. Incomprehensible but entirely understandable. Complex and brain-racking but just as blatantly in front of you as if it were begging you to take in it with no further questions.It took a second for me to process what she said but a second later, there I stood now stunned by what she said; my mind entirely shrouded in questions and inquiries of what action to take next."Y- You're an immortal? Then that means, you're in the same situation as I am..." I blurted out to her as the realization set into me immediately after I learned of it."That's right... It's actually been a couple of months since I've learned of this... And immediately after I saw you jump, I was glad I found someone just like me, someone I could relate with..." She said, nearing her distance between me as she smiled; a hand grabbing her right arm as she quickly confessed everything she had on the forefront. I felt relieved. The fact that there was someone else who was the same as I was, made me feel glad that I wasn't the only one who was met with this awful conundrum. Yet, the lingering feeling of the undeniable fact I was still immortal and couldn't die didn't escape my mind; the feeling of the fate I was plagued and cursed to deal with wrenching my heart a great deal."It's only been a day since you learned of it, haven't you... Yesterday, when I saw you jump, you learned it the hard way didn't you..." "I won't say anything about it further but, since we're both immortals, I hope you can rely on me when you find it too unbearable..." She said while smiling; the gratification on her face telling her she was glad she was able to speak with someone this freely."There's probably still a lot on your mind and still a lot of questions you want to ask but... Let's leave that for another date...I'm sure you still need the time to recuperate after all you've been through...""I guess I'll see you sometime later, stay safe Akiyama-senpai..." She said with an awkward smile, hurrying away as if she had something to do immediately right after; her quick escape reminding me of the kittens that ran away whenever I tried to approach them.Before a minute had even passed, there I was left alone, standing there silent once again and left only to my thoughts while the environmental noises of the swaying trees and blowing winds brought me back to the sight I saw at the top of the school building............I stepped into my neighbor's front patio, holding an empty lunchbox in my hand along with the neatly folded handkerchief that sat on the top of it. I felt the late evening breeze blow onto my face and walking straight toward her front door, I wondered if they would mind me approaching them at such a late time.

I passed by the flowers that lined the wall which separated out houses; the ceramic pots of soil that housed the wide array of small flowers gave me the impression she must've had a lot of free time on hand to indulge in these small hobbies.

I have never tried planting in my life and though the thought of nurturing and watching seeds grow into small pieces of colorful life was something I had always wanted to do, I hadn't had the time to try it out back then when I was still busy with school.That said, I had not come here to watch and smell the flowers, and nearing the distance between me and the door before me, I extended my free hand to knock on it.Yet before I could do so, the door gave way first and the person who walked through the door frame stood none other than my neighbor carrying a garbage bag, presumably bringing it for the next day's garbage disposal. "Oh? Is that you Eito-kun? What brings you here this late into the day?" She asked of me, not noticing the lunchbox I carried at first as her focus was entirely set on carrying the heavy bag."Well- I wanted to thank you for today's breakfast! It was really delicious, you really shouldn't have gone out of your way to make it..." I told her as I turned my head to the side, not wanting to face her directly while I held the thoroughly cleaned in front of her to return it."My- Thanks for complimenting my cooking, it really was just your everyday home-cooked meal. I'm sure you could recreate it for one-to-one on your first try if you attempted it...""I only cook for my husband and me out of convenience sake, heading all the way out can take quite some time when you have everything at home~" She said smiling as she received the box back and set it aside while she continued to talk."Aha, you shouldn't discredit yourself like that, it really is delicious..." I said as my eyebrows drooped suddenly upon recalling the cooking my mom made."...Would you like me to cook for you some other day as well? I'd be glad to cook for you, even if it's just one meal. With my children away, it's delightful to see someone other than my husband who eats my cooking sometimes..."Experimenting can be a hassle if you're the only one tasting it... How about it? You won't need to worry about pay either..." She said with a comforting smile, her expression reminding me of my mother's own; the sight almost made me tear up."That... That'd be great..." I said alas with a small smile, accepting the generosity she was willing to go out of her way to make; the short wave I gave her while I left saddened me but for a moment as I had hoped we'd be able to talk for a while longer.I stepped back into my abode, passing the empty kitchen that was now cleaned of the broken glassware and the utensils that were scattered about. The process of cleaning everything made me shed blood but with my now immortal body, the pain that would take days to heal subsided after only a mere few seconds.I passed through the living room and headed straight to my bed once again and without hesitating for even a moment, I fell onto my bed, exhausted of everything that transpired that morning."We're both immortal... What a coincidence..." I whispered only for myself to hear as I closed my eyes to think through what I would do next.The cracked phone was being held onto my left hand and upon feeling a sudden buzz along with the sounds of my phone's notification, I turned to my side and flipped on my phone; the somewhat eye-comforting blue light met my face while I looked through what I was sent."A message has been sent from..." It read, what following after being a number I knew not of.It was odd for me to get messaged by anyone who wasn't already well acquainted with me, much less from a number I knew not of. Hesitant, I hovered my thumb around the buttons of my phone, and contemplating my next decision for a moment, I ended up clicking into the message.What popped up after surprised me and what was shown before my very eyes was a text message from none other than Riku herself."How did she get my number?" I thought before I began reading."Dear Akiyama-senpai, Hi! It's me, Riku, I managed to get your number back when our homeroom teacher sent me to inform you to take your day off.""If you're reading this then, Happy Birthday! You're probably reading this at home and I thought this is the least I could do. That is all I have to say. I hope you can celebrate to your heart's content today. Your sincerest, Riku Kobayashi. I hope to see you soon..." The message read.The series of sentences and kind words were something I quite needed.I smiled and in my shadowy room with but the tiniest sliver of light aside from my phone coming from the small opening of the curtains in the window, I continued to stare at my phone; my smile still then combining with the flow of tears as memories flooded in without my permission...