Glancing at the clock on the wall, the nurse replied, “I’ll be back in about fifteen minutes.” Then she passed by me and left the room.
In the silent room, the electrocardiogram monitor beside the bed beeped rhythmically. This sound was the proof of the man’s life.
The boy didn’t even attempt to look at me and tried speaking to his grandfather once again.
“Um, let’s talk…” I began, but a sudden pain shot through my head.
In a classroom filled with lively children, I sat alone in a corner by the window, gazing outside. Images of memories, like a sandstorm, flashed through my mind, causing my fingers to tremble. A hollow, empty feeling overwhelmed me.
“Please… don’t ignore me…” A feeble voice escaped my lips.
Amid the bustling of the classroom, the view of the sky outside the window, and the voices of children from the schoolyard, I recalled something I had always thought about when sitting by that window seat.
Even though I exist here, I have nothing—no eyes, voice, or even a physical form. Yet, I’m here…
“…That’s unfair, isn’t it?”
Suddenly, I snapped back to reality upon hearing that voice. Before I realized it, the boy who had been facing his grandfather’s bed was now looking in my direction.
“Don’t cry,” the boy said, and I pressed my fingers against my eyes. I realized tears were streaming down my face.
“Ah… I’m sorry…”
“If you apologize, it only makes me feel more guilty.” The boy raised an eyebrow, wearing a troubled expression.
“Is this an illusion?”
While wiping away my tears, I hurriedly shook my head.
“Are you really a spirit?”
I nodded in confirmation.
“Are you possessing me? Are you here to curse and kill me?”
“No, never! Instead…”
What could I say to make him understand?
“…important.”
My murmured words seemed unexpectedly surprising to the boy, leaving him wide-eyed.
“Important… What does that mean?”
The boy’s expression revealed his confusion, as if he didn’t understand what I meant.
“The only one who can see me is you,” I said, bowing my head fervently. “Please, help me!”
“Huh? Help… you?” The boy seemed taken aback.
“I haven’t died yet. I want to return to my original body, but I can’t do it while remaining invisible to everyone.”
I slowly lifted my lowered head. “I have no memories, and I can’t return to my original body.”
Upon hearing my words, the boy made a face as if trying to remember something. “Come to think of it… You did say something like ‘temporarily.’ So, you’re like a wandering spirit?”
“They call me a half-spirit,” I replied. “The god call me that.”
“The god?”
I nodded. “I made a contract with him. In exchange for working for him, he’ll grant my wish.”
“Huh? And if you complete that job, you can come back to life?”
“Provided I don’t fail,” I replied.
“Because they can’t just bring you back normally?”
I nodded. “Exactly.”
“Huh? Is that really a god?” The boy seemed skeptical.
I recalled the listless “God of Matchmaking” I had encountered in that featureless white room—messy hair sticking out from a tilted black hat, an attitude of indifference, and a languid way of speaking.
Certainly, there was no sense of divine dignity about him. But…
“I have no choice but to believe. If I’m found by the Death God like this, I might die. I… I don’t want to die without even knowing who I am…”
I tightly gripped the skirt of my uniform.
“I made the contract… and the next thing I knew, I was in that house. Maybe… Maybe the god did it because he knew you would be able to see me.”
“No, I’ve never seen a spirit before,” the boy said, lowering his gaze. Then he added, “Except for now,” and pressed his head as if he were deep in thought.
“Sorry, but can’t you find someone else who can see you? I can’t believe something like this is real, and I can’t think of anything I can do,” the boy said firmly.
“But I didn’t ask you to do anything…?” I replied.
“Yeah, still, I don’t want to get involved,” the boy declared, his eyes icy cold. As I looked into those eyes, a chill ran through my body. My desperate plea had been dismissed, and I couldn’t find words to respond. It was all I could do to simply keep my gaze fixed on his cold eyes.
Silence filled the air but was subsequently broken by the sound of the hospital room door opening with a click. The nurse entered the room.
“Are you finished already? You can’t stay for too long when he’s in this condition…”
“Yes, I’ll be leaving now.”
The boy’s gaze shifted away from me.
“There’s someone here as a representative for your parents, talking with the doctor right now. I’ll guide them.”
“It’s all right… I’m going home. I’m tired.”
I watched as the boy moved away from the bed in the hospital room and headed toward the door. Was there any meaning to it all? To me being in that house? To the fact that the boy could see me…?
“Like flower petals…”
As the boy was about to leave through the door, I called out to him.
“If I connect the threads of people related to something like flower petals, I can come back to life!”
The boy flinched for a moment but didn’t turn around.
Nevertheless, I continued speaking, “Don’t you remember anything at all?”
“No, I don’t.”
Muttering quietly, the boy spoke without facing me.
“Huh? Did you say something?”
“No, it’s nothing,” the boy replied without looking back, and left without further interaction.
He opened the door to the hospital room and walked out.
I stood there, unable to do anything, simply staring at the door that was slowly closing.