Restart | Akaashi Keiji

〚2〛

One second I couldn't breathe—I couldn't think. Couldn't open my eyes. I felt so heavy, like the universe was dragging me to hell.

The next second, I could open my eyes—I was in the middle of downtown Tokyo, I think? It looked familiar, yet something wasn't quite right. It looked like some buildings were out of place, something felt off. 

I whipped my head around, examining this 'Tokyo' that I am in. That big digital billboard was still here.

The words 'April 11 2012' were printed on the big screen.

2012?!

Why does it say 2012?

I frantically ran into a nearby newspaper booth, and there said the exact same thing, 'April 11 2012'. 

Sitting right next to the newspaper was a volleyball magazine. On the front cover was a boy with dark-olive hair and matching eyes. 

"Exclusive interview with Wakatoshi Ushijima—the number 1 ace in Miyagi prefecture" I read aloud.

That's a familiar name, where have I seen that before? Hmm... Volleyball?! I don't even watch volleyball though? How would I know this guy...

Suddenly it hit me—isn't all of this writing in Japanese? My Japanese wasn't even that great yet. How am I able to read their names, the text, flawlessly?

I felt an aching pain in my head, all I could see was white and my vision started to black out.

I managed to catch a glimpse of a man with messy dark hair preventing my fall, before I completely blacked out.

💫

<A/N: A little bit of repeat from the prologue, I'm sorry>

I suddenly felt calmness. It was peaceful. The sound of water, crashing from a waterfall, flowing down a river. 

'Wow' — that was the first word that came to my mind after opening my eyes.

It was green, left and right. There was a riverbank with water clear as crystal. The only thing I could hear was the sound of the water moving, the fountain pouring.

Where am I?

It looked like an oasis — it was quiet, bright, and it brought forth a sense of comfort. It was sunny, but it wasn't hot. It wasn't windy, but I wasn't sweating. There were no signs of other life.

Am I dead? Is this heaven?

"Sera. Welcome." A loud, endearing voice spoke.

"Where are you? Who are you? Where am I?" I replied, turning to look for the source of the voice.

"That's a lot of questions at once, isn't it?" A figure appeared from the grass fields, making his way towards me.

"I am what a higher being. What you humans call a deity, a god even. You are in the middle space between the living and the dead, where the gods reside." He continued.