"Why am I even asking? Of course you are Pacific! You're the only one I know who looks like that!"

"Sorry, I don't really know who you are..." I really don't. He's clearly from a different school, and someone who looks so bland and plain is someone that I'll eventually forget. He seems to be from another school, wearing that distinct blue-collared uniform.

"Huh? Ummm... This might help you recall..." He does some poses with his hands, like some sort of "ninja" or something.

He inhales deeply, then attempts to shout, "Y-you have a demon's eye," but fails so miserably that it resembles the sound an inflated balloon makes.

His face turns red, clearly embarrased more so that others nearby were laughing, "Ahahaha... I'll just do something different."

"No, it's a ruby from the sea..." I already knowing who I'm talking to. Yeah. Looking more closely, I remember that jet-black hair. What's different now is the burning expression that was always on his face. He seems more reserved now.

"You do remember, Aku-chan." That's right. It's him, the dark mage, the creep, and someone from my younger days, Hozumi. He used to live only a couple of blocks away with his mom, Miyuki-san. I haven't seen him since middle school.

"I moved with my Dad to this city because he said he didn't want to commute daily for his job. I went to a private school, Marumasu, at the east side of the river."

"I see. Marumasu is the top school on the east side."

"Yeah."

Silence ensues. Because all of our interactions was when we were kids, we've become unfamiliar with one another. I felt disappointed that he was the only friend I had. I don't know what to talk about with him. I don't even feel like talking to him. So I just continued to relax until we get out of here. I see him taking glimpses at me though. I don't care. I'll just keep waiting until something happens.

I felt a vibration in my pocket. The message comes from the Japanese Government again.

"The missile has passed over Japan. Be aware of possible future strikes. Thank you."

Everyone stands up to stretch and audibly sighs. Each person says different things.

"Finally! I thought we'd die."

"This is actually kind of fun!"

"Oh no, there's a quiz at math class!"

"I guess this is over, huh." said Hozumi.

"I'll get back to my class now, I'll see you soon!"

"Ok."

He walks away as he disappears into the meadows of blue fabric.

He said, "See you soon."

Kana and Hana approached while I was thinking about what he meant by "soon".

Kana closes her face to mine with this blantant smug and asked me,

"Who's the guy you're talking to, Hanasaki-san?"

"My childhood... friend."

I haven't used that word in a while. Friend. He's not really my friend though.

"Heeeehh. Is that all there is?"

"No, I haven't met him for years." Honestly, I don't really have any concern for him at all.

"Oh, I see. Too bad." It must be apparent with my expression as she answered with a little downcast at her tone.

"YES! She's heading this way! " said a boy excitedly as the domineering commander slowly comes over here.

"Sigh.. There's Kaji-san again..." said Kana.

"Why are we in the same truck as this pervert?" Kaji is the same guy that tried to hit on the commander earlier.

"Well! I'll help you with that, my dear!" a loud booming voice comes from behind Kana, making us flinch.

"It's the commander!" She slaps her back hard and pets her in the head.

"I'll deal with him."

"Boy!"

"Y-Yes?!" Kaji responds with a blend of excitement and fear.

"You'll seat beside me!"

"N-No! I'll stop joking- huh?"

"Do you want to or not?" She points toward the passeger's seat of the truck.

"Yes, Ma'am!"

He salutes and goes into the passenger's seat of the truck.

"You will all be returning to your school due to a confirmation that it is safe now. Classes will resume normally acording to your adminintration."

"OH COME ON!", groaned some students. She, then looks at us and gives a thumbs up before taking the wheel. We all ride on the back and Kana gives a quiet "Thank you, Miss Commander."

When we arrived back at our school campus, Kaji looked like a walking corpse, as if his soul was sucked out. What could be worse that what she said to him earlier today? I shuddered at the thought. As all the trucks leave the school grounds and we returned to our classes, the day became yet another boring one. Everyone was relieved when the bell finally rang.

Kana went towards me and asks, "Could you wait for Hana-chan with me? We ride the same train home, right?" I relcutantly agreed as she sat beside me.

"Hey, Hanasaki-san." She suddenly holds my hands tightly, looks down, inhales heavily, then looks up with a newfound confidence.

"Can we be friends?"

"Huh?"

"Umm..." I'm not sure that is something that you really ask for.

"Sure..." Wait why did I just say that? I immediately regreted it.

"Really?! Yay! You're always alone in class, that's why I'm really curious about you!" I'm aware of my image of being a "popular loner" but it's the first time I felt a sting.

"I promise! I won't disappoint you." Strangely, while saying that, I feel her slightly shaking.

"Yeah, thank you. Let's wait for Hana, okay?" And so, we waited. The room gradually empties until the two of us remain. Although we "agreed" to be friends, I'm sure that being silent for 30 minutes now isn't what friends are.

I wished that I wanted a normal, "everyday life." And I think it starts with something like this. I should have friends for a start. Yeah. Everything would be fine. Maybe... Maybe I should change. Yeah.

"Hahaha. You are really cute. Don't lie to yourself, accept your fate." I face the source of the voice but there's nothing. I know who that is though, as I see a silver feather on the desk.

"Hanasaki-san? What are you looking at?"

"It's nothing. I thought I heard something."

"Y-you heard something? Is it a voice?" Does she know? But he did say that no one else can hear or see him.

"It's a... barking dog."

"Phew... so you heard a dog, Hanasaki-san?" Why the sigh of relief?

"No, it might be just my imagination." She's also showing no signs of awareness of the feather there, so he must be telling the truth about his invisibility.

"That's correct." And there he shows himself at the front of the room, Raziel. He then points at the door, "By the way, your other friend is here." The door opens and indeed, Hana is there.

"I'm sorry I'm late! The student council president made me do some errands." She said, short of breath. It seems that she's part of the student council. It fits with her already responsible flair.

"Hana-chan! Hear this, Hanasaki-san and I became friends!"

"Wait, that quick?! And you don't call your friends with their last names!"

"Oh, yeah." Kana then asks me,

"Can I call you... Aku-chan?" W-w...

"Why Aku-chan?!" She said that so nonchalantly that it really took me unguarded. For some reason that word really gives me a boost of emotions.

"Sorry, I was actually listening to your conversation with that guy earlier..." She punches her head, sticks out her tongue, and says, "Teehee~"

"Sigh... Do what you want."

She does a triumphant pose, "YAY! Aku-chan~" If what I felt before was the first layer of hell, then I must be at the 1/2 of it right now.

"Then, I'll also call you Aku-chan too," said Hana.

"Okay then." It's established. To think that that would be my nickname once again.

"But..." Kana scratches her chin, "Why Aku-chan?"

"Well, that's a story for another day." I stand up and walk outside the room,

"Come on, the train's gonna arrive in a few minutes."

"You're right! Wait for us!!!"

".....and the thing is like that thing right?!~"

"Yeah yeah. And the thing goes skr..."

While the two are talking to themselves on the ride way home, I stood at the windows of the door and stared at the horizon. The train's path is beside the sea. I prefer looking at the setting sun rather than talking with them. It is only a matter of time before the train stops and we are ready to go home, coming to our separate homes with separate lives, with nothing to connect us but merely being same students on the same school that rides the same train--- which just shows how shallow our relationships are and will be. Is this friendship?

"Arriving at Marina, arriving at Marina." The mechanical whirling from below comes to a halt.

"Ahh! We've arrived!" She says running and spinning in the platform.

"Yes Kana. Yes we did." Hana follows and then called out to me.

"I'm really sorry for her. "

"Well... it's fine." I walk out of of the train then,

"...what are you doing here?" He is there. Hozumi. I actually had...

"...a hunch this would happen." seems that I said that outloud.

"Is it really that obvious from my face?"

"No, it's because you said something earlier. Figured you'd actually show up."

"Haha. Hey, can we talk at Windy's? It's not that far from here. You can bring them too."

"Sure, I don't mind." What a waste of time except for eating.

"Great, let's go."

He quickly left through the staircase and we followed him. The two are behind me, understandable as they are probably shy from a person the've just met.

"Isn't he the guy talking to her earlier?" He led us to the fast food restaurant nearby. We sat on a table in the middle of the establishment and waited for our orders. He sits on one side while the three of us on the other.

"Ummm, hello." says Kana very awkwardly.

"H-Hi?" It seems that the dark mage has fallen. What's that weak response supposed to mean?

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Hana Suzuki and that is Kana Aoyama, we're friends of Hanasaki-san who happens to study at the same school as us."

"I see, it's nice to meet you two. I'm Hozumi Hatano, an old friend of hers."

"Hana-chan! I told you it's not Hanasaki-san, but Aku-chan!"

"Huh? How did you know about that nickname?"

"Ah!"

Kana covers her mouth with her hands and lowers her head. "We actually heard you earlier at the bomb shelter..."

"Hahaha, I see. Doesn't she look like a demon?"

"HUH?! NO NO! She looks more of an angel rather than a demon, idiot! She's so popular at school because she's the smartest, fittest, and the most beautiful girl!"

Kana defended with all her might that it actually disturbed the other people here. I actually might be the most popular but not for good reasons at all. Those words of complement don't affect me, however, as I heard it countless of times from men trying to have a dick-measuring contest.

"SHHH!!! Kana-chan, be quiet!" scolded Hana.

"Hehe, sorry. What he just said is ridiculous."

"Oh no, I didn't mean it like that. Her eyes look like some anime characters, right?"

"I don't really watch-" said Kana, only to be interrupted by,

"Ohhh! You're right! She looks like XXXXX and XXXX!!!" Hana suddenly bursts into happiness.

"Yeah! And XXXX was doing XXXX and...." Hana and Hozumi blabbered about their common enthusiasm for a good few minutes until they realized that Kana and I were left out.

"Sorry Aku-chan, you really know I love these things."

"That's what your Mom thought you." He was just repressed. I was caught unguarded by Hana though, who is now looking below with a blushed face. Where did that refined image of hers go...

"Speaking of Mom. Nothing much has changed back then, huh." He looks afar with longing and adds, "I do miss living here at Marina."

"Is that why you insisted on eating here?" I said remembering eating here all the time with our moms.

"No, I'm waiting for my mom. I said we''ll meet up here."

"You're not going home?"

"Unfortunately, I have no time for that." He smiles with sadness in his eyes.

Just as he said that, our take-out orders finally arrived. I got a chicken meal and burger, pretty standard Windy's food. Except for Kana, who ordered a strawberry parfait. She was scolded again by Hana, who ordered a measly French fries. Hozumi didn't order anything yet, as he and his Mom would eat here later. As the time is almost for sleep, all of us said our goodbyes and left him alone. The time we spent back then... those were better times.

"Hey, don't you want to just go with me on the cliff again?"

Raziel appeared again before my eyes while the dog earlier is following him.

"Oh. This fellow seems to have taken a liking to me." He pets the dog and it tries to lick his face, only to fail and do it to the empty space.

"Anyways, doesn't the night breeze feel nice and comfortable enough to eat outside?" I don't know what he's nefarious plan he's planning, but it seems harmless.

"Maybe if there was a certain cliff that will allow you to do that..."

"You know what? I'll take your offer. I'll go to that damned cliff." I can't stand his goddamned insisting.

"Great. I just wanted you to feel nice. That's all."

I temporarily submit to his will and diverged into the road towards the beach. Again, I pass through the narrow alley and to that other road lit by the orange flourescent lights. Then, to the dark tunnel only lit by the moonlight. There he is, the old beggar, resting in such a damp place. I feel guilt while walking through here with this savory smell of fast food in my hands. It led me to do something I haven't planned in the first place. Really, this is only to fullfill my self-image and improve my standing in society once they learn of this.

"Mister, ummm Mister?" He opens his eyes and instead of being surprised, he made a half-smile. Please remind me on why I'm doing this again...

"Ahh... you're the girl that *cough* always goes through here." He coughs as he talks, mainly due to being cold without having any proper blankets.

"Here." I reach out to him my chicken meal and burger. I smell his shit odor as I do.

"H-huh?" He tears up and quickly says, "You don't need to do this."

"Yeah. I don't need to. I want to. And I'm going to do this more from now on." Sometimes I don't know the words coming out of my mouth.

"Why? I did nothing for you?"

"Greeting me everytime I pass through here is enough." I don't care at all about that.

He cries from joy and I hug him despite knowing he definitely bathes in a fucking landfill or something for food.

"You're so good, Aku-chan. What a nice way to lure him. I know what you think deep inside. Don't deny it." The angel shows up again.

"Wha? If you think I'm doing this for other purposes, then-" I 'telepathically' talk to him while hugging the man.

Why am I actually doing this? I felt like I just wanted to help, yeah?

"I'll be waiting... for you to do it."

Those were the final words of Raziel before he disappeared again.

Who knew that he would be eventually right.

I did it.