Rebellion of the Soul

Chapter 3: Money Game

I struggled to reach into my tight pocket, my hand squirming about as the man stared at me impatiently. In my other hand was the phone, still opened on the same message from earlier. My mind could not quite understand its meaning, or why anyone would send this text. Or even how they managed to receive my number...

I eventually pulled out a small pile of Yen notes and cast them in the general direction of the clearly displeased man. He thanked me for coming anyway, out of politeness, shaking his head as I wandered to the door. The scent of onions still hid in the corner of my breath, heightened by the chill of the air as it rushed in. The breath seemed to filter into my mind, reminding me that I really was back in reality.

It also reminded me that I needed some more mouthwash.

The faint image of a nearby supermarket crept into my brain. I made my way over to the map outside the station and confirmed my suspicions. Then, strangely, something caught my eye. A missing person poster hung from behind the wall. It seemed everyone who had passed it within the past few hours or perhaps even days hadn't paid any attention to it at all. It was as if this poster was the perfect trap for people like me, those who were never overly preoccupied, without any clear direction.

My eyes shifted across the map and to the almost blank face. Half of the poster was masterly concealed behind the billboard. Not wanting to make a fuss, I simply read the side that was visible to me.

According to the poster, a girl, only two years older than myself, had disappeared without trace roughly three months ago. As the left side of the poster was shielded, I could only clearly see the characters that spelled out her given name: Tsunade. Another factor, that would probably irk anyone who might be looking for her, was the fact that she had no distinguishing features. Her eyes were pale blue, her hair a simple black and set atop her shoulders. Perfectly straight. Her face didn't have any blemishes, and her skin almost pure white. But don't be fooled, this wasn't a drawing. The realness seemed to grasp you. This girl's very existence seemed to contradict but also completely sympathise with reality at the same time. Despite the fact that her name was hardly generic, it was nothing outrageous either.

I let out a mental grin, realising at that moment, the absurdity of my own name. Perhaps even in some way, the general absurdity of myself. It wasn't very often that the truth would seize me like that. Trying to not let this overly plague my thoughts. I turned to my right, in the direction of the supermarket.

My face turned directly into another. I felt the air between our noses almost brush. Usually, someone in this situation would have jumped back, or screamed. But I just stood there, motionless and unaware, letting the two centimetres of space between our faces remain in place.

From the angle I was looking, I couldn't quite tell who she was. Well, I could at least tell it was a female. From this thought, I even began to become uncertain of that fact as well. She seemed to be completely understanding of what I was thinking, not moving an inch in any direction. I felt her lips move before my eyes even caught sight of them.

"I had a feeling I would find you here..."

My ears pricked up, and the same time-freezing aura that she carried around with her settled on me once again. It was Musetsu Amami. I was nearly tempted to ignore her and go about my intended plan, but after noticing our proximity, and the feel of her calm breath, even I could not escape the potential awkwardness that it would bring if I were to leave now. I forced a word out of my lips, but before that could happen, she swept in herself

"I noticed that this poster seemed to interest you... Do you know this girl?"

I shook my head, slowly moving my face away from hers. She gave me a gentle nod, not quite comprehending my answer. There was a brief period of silence as she pivoted gracefully on the ball of her feet before she spoke again, still in the same inflexionless tone.