The Corpse of South Tserron

Chapter 7: Subtle Recollection Part 1

I opened my window and there stood the bright red Volkswagen Bus, the windows of the bus went down as a person showed out their head. A long black hair peeked out of the window and faced me. The black glasses threw me off but I already knew who the person was. I stuck half my body out the window as I blew a kiss towards the bus and said in a confident tone

"Hey Pia! Did you miss me?"

The person slowly removed the glasses, laughed in a deep demeanor, blew a kiss towards me, and spoke in a feminine voice

"Hey Jun! Did you miss me?"

I was surprised to see how long Raizen's hair grew. He perfectly mimicked Pia's voice and for a second, I blushed. I laughed it away as I yelled back to them

"Hey Rai! Go around the corner, you can park in front of the house just don't block the garage"

Raizen went back to his car and drove around the block while I faced Evelyn who gave me a distraught look. She then spoke in a panicked whisper

"What do I do now?"

I held her hand firmly and dragged her towards the staircase, she softly moaned in a shocked tone as she tried to match my pace. She was in a mix of emotions as she looked down. I then heard a transmission from her

"Jun, How do I act around them?"

I responded with the first thing that came to mind

"Let's just cross the bridge when we get there"

She held my left arm tightly while I firmly gripped the doorknob with my right hand. I could hear our friends' chatter from the other side but it seems like one voice was missing. I twisted the knob and opened the door as she let go and calmed her self down. I was met with puzzled looks while Evelyn stood by my side, there was an awkward pause in between just so both parties could take in how much we have matured.

Raizen used to have a clean-cut hair and a  beard but now, his long black hair flows behind him as his clean shaved face mirrors one of a woman's. He also didn't care much for fashion trends but here he is wearing a tropical button-up shirt with a plain white underneath and matching tropical shorts with blue loafers. I figured that Raizen couldn't have thought of a look on his own and he had to have some help from his girlfriend, Piatrice. She wore black shorts with a contrasting white shirt that embraces her figure pretty well. Her hair is similar to Raizen's now and I think that was her suggestion since she can style it to her heart's content.

Justin retained his simple charm by cleaning the beard and wearing a white long sleeve shirt matched with shorts and walking shoes. Anne caught my eye however, for how much she embraced the current fashion trend. She tucked her shirt into her ripped jeans while her flannel sways with the wind as she opted for shorter hair. Sensing the awkwardness, Raizen started to crack a joke

"Oya Oya Jun, You didn't tell me that you had a cute cousin. Is she single?"

Without missing a beat, Piatrice hit Raizen on the shoulder to the laughs of everyone. Raizen proceeded to follow up with

"What? I'm asking for Justin"

Piatrice crossed her arms and looked the other direction while Anne hugged her and Justin replying instantly

"Hey! Don't drag me into this, anyways, Jun is she single?"

Evelyn did not hesitate to respond to Justin's question, with a sassy tone she replied

"Why do you ask? As if I'd give you a chance"

She then pecked my cheeks and embraced me warmly. I then heard a transmission from her

"I was awake last night when you whispered. I felt all of it"

My face turned bright red as laughter erupted around us due to the cheeky exchanges we sent out. It has been 5 months since we talked like this and I was longing for the warmth each one of us gave. I led them all inside the house and assigned the rooms to each one, Anne's room is my sister's, Justin got the room next to Anne, and Piatrice shared the uncleaned room with Raizen.

I helped unload Justin and Anne's luggage while Piatrice, Raizen, and Evelyn cleaned the room parallel to mine. I carried the last suitcase to Justin's room and remembered that someone was missing. Before Justin could leave the room, I asked him

"Where's Wally?"

Justin gave me a puzzled look followed with a question

"He didn't tell you? Wally couldn't make it since uni for him started earlier than expected. That's what you get when you enroll in the University of North Tserron"

Even though the interactions were smooth, it felt like something was missing because no one stopped Justin from flirting with Evelyn. Then again, I'm the only person that knows Evelyn is reincarnated. It felt odd how Evelyn stood up for herself like that because even though she was outgoing, she didn't fire back quips at anyone.

I went upstairs to check on Piatrice and Raizen but was shocked to find Evelyn waiting by the corridor. She then gave me an awkward look and transmitted a message

"I wouldn't go there if I were you"

Classic Raizen, I laughed at her as she followed me into my room. As soon as the door closed, she gave a tired sigh. I approached her and asked if she was okay. She then asked in a serious tone

"Do you think they will believe me if I came out?"

She was so adamant in keeping her identity that I was convinced that she could pull it off but by the way she released the sigh, I could see the acting was taking a toll on her body. I wanted to make sure that it wouldn't come as a shock to everyone when she does come out so I replied in a calming tone

"We wouldn't want to shock them now would we? I think I should ask if they are over the incident before you can come out"

I don't know how much of an impact Evelyn's death left on them but I want to make sure that I wouldn't reopen scars. I was about to go downstairs to check on Justin and Anne when Evelyn held my hand and asked

"Were you shocked when I suddenly came back into your life?"