Kyoukai No Kanata: After-Story

Chapter 007

Akihito yawns, waking up early in the morning for school isn't easy at all, especially in high school. Akihito's phone suddenly ring.

He answered, "Hello?"

"Akahito, you need to come here at the shop as soon as possible, I want you to know that Mirai isn't looking too well." Said Ayaka through the phone.

Akihito immediately ends the phonecall, he dash out of his apartment, and straight to Ayaka's shop without stopping. With the snow on the street, it would be harder to run, but he continues to run anyways. When Akihito got to the shop, he then sees Ai and Ayaka's frowning faces. He pant while waiting for them to show him where Mirai is.

"Where is she??" Akihito ask a moment later.

Ayaka walks toward a room and slide the door open. He follows her into the room she just open. "Mirai Kuriyama, she's," Ayaka paused.

Akihito just stand there watching Mirai sleeps peacefully in bed. "Why is Mirai still asleep? It's morning already." He said, looking all worried as he try to smile yet fails to stop thinking of what made her end up this way.

Ayaka looked like she have seen a ghost. Akihito turns toward her and shouted, asking why Mirai is asleep in bed. Ai stayed silence, giving him the same action.

Finally Ayaka speak, "Mirai Kuriyama collapsed in the middle of the street while it's still snowy outside. So I took her back here, but she hasn't waken up. Although, she does have a very huge fever."

Akihito's brows twist. "It's just—it's just a fever, right? I mean, people get sick in the winter sometimes."

Ayaka wasn't sure about his statement, instead she give him a frozen look. Ai immediately step up, "Akihito, what Aya is trying to say is that Mirai Kuriyama is getting really weak, if she stays like that for too long, she'll probably stop breathing."

Akihito's heart skipped. It's hard for him to maintain calmness, he wanted to know what really happened to Mirai when he left her with Amari Itsuki. Akihito then dash out of the shop to find her. He didn't bother to wait and think where she is, and so he made an educated guess, turning his back on the city and enters to shallow woods.

"AMARI ITSUKI!!" Akahito shouts so loud that the crows sitting in the trees flew away.

A large and black cat leaps toward him from the distance. It landed right in front of him, he covers his face with his arms, then slowly he opens his eyes. The giant cat growls at Akihito and smelling his scent.

"What are you?" Said the voice.

Akihito looked behind the giant cat, finding Amari standing in the distance with her glaring and gazing eyes at him. It was hard for him to breath by then, especially in the cold air in this kind of season. Amari's fingers are clutched as she stares at him.

"What do you mean?" Akihito questioned her question.

"If you're a half youmu, then what type of youmu is inside you? Beyond the Boundary, perhaps?" Amari guessed.

Akihito immediately shook his hands up. "No, no, I am not Beyond the Boundary." He lied. "I am, eh. Just a weak youmu. You know, humans can be stronger than some youmus, so as you can see, I have complete control."

"Very well then." Amari said. "And may I ask why you're here?"

"I wanted to ask if you hurt Mirai Kuriyama. Over night she's been very ill and very weak." Said Akihito with his eyes sharply gazing back at her.

Amari lift her head up gazing at the grey and cloudy sky. "I knew that. However, I am not the one who set her up like that. Just look at my power." Amari reach her hand toward Akahito and tries to manipulate her blood. "Without Mirai Kuriyama, my powers are just useless."

"What are you trying to tell me? You're not really from the Cursed Blood clan?" Akihito questioned.

Amari nodded as a response, then she turns away with her hand holding on her other forearm. "As a kid I've always admire the Cursed Blood clan. I've made up so many fantasized imagination about it. All of my classmates are just ordinary human just like me, thinking that I am just making a story up about youmus and Spirit World Warriors. Then one day, a boy came up to me and my friends. Telling us to believe in the real world. I convinced so many people to believe me. However, I couldn't convince a friendship. So my friends slowly slips away, and made newer and better friends. I stayed alone throughout elementary, and so Junior High came.

I thought I wasn't going to be lonely, but a boy who is from my previous school spread the rumor faster than a book does. Then I began to be deceived by the people I truly love and support. They told me my dream is fake. They even told me I was fake. The whole school bullied me, and every time when I told a teacher about my dream, they walked away pretending I wasn't there. Instead of enduring such harmful words from worthless human beings, I teamed up with a youmu. He told me I can become anything I wanted to be if I, Amari Itsuki, help destroy Beyond the Boundary."

"How did you get your powers then?" Akihito continued to wondered.

"My powers?" Amari smiles. "Like I said, I admire the Cursed Blood clan. So I chose to have this kind of powers, and that youmu granted me what I wanted. Although, he told me, before I truly own the power, I must keep Mirai Kuriyama alive."

"So you don't want her to know anything about yourself, because you made a promise with a youmu?" Akihito's brows twist.

"Indeed. Powers is what I seek only, no revenge." Amari slowly walks away.

"Wait!" He shouted.

She gazed back at him. "What is it?"

"Do you by any chance at least know who made Mirai like that?" Akihito took a deep breath. "Besides, you were with her after I left you two alone."

Amari gazed away once again. "I actually don't know too. Whether they're a youmu or a Spirit World Warrior, I have no clue of the cause. However, I can tell you one thing. Mirai Kuriyama will be eliminated if she continues to stay asleep for longer than three days."

Akihito stands there as Amari walks away from him. He don't know what to do next. He feels completely useless.