Yomiru sat in a narrow, damp, and quiet alley. The warm afternoon air slowly turned cold, carried by the wind blowing gently between the gaps in Tokyo's tall buildings.
She looked down, looking at the bag that originally belonged to this body—Ojitsu, that was the name written on the ID card she found. Her small hands reached for the contents of the bag one by one. There was a wallet, some bills, a bunch of house keys, and… a thin, glowing box.
A cellphone.
"What kind of thing is this?" she muttered softly, her brow furrowed in wonder.
She pressed a button on the side of the object and the screen lit up, displaying various colored icons. Yomiru's face reflected the light from the unfamiliar cellphone screen. She tapped randomly, the screen changing, but she didn't understand any of it.
"This… is like a communication crystal, but much more complicated." She tilted her head. "I don't understand…"
With a confused sigh, she put the cellphone back into her bag. Her eyes swept around the narrow, dirty, and dark alley, then looked down at her own body. She still couldn't get used to this physical form.
"It seems like this body is shrinking."
Her hands are small. Thin arms. Pale skin. Her hair is now silvery white, Straight, Almost shoulder length. Her eyes reflect a deep purple, a color that ordinary humans never have. Her body is… tiny. Too small for an adult woman. But her face is still beautiful. Too beautiful for a child. Everything… looks strange.
"I… have no gender. But this body is female. And still young…" Yomiru sighed.
The sound of small footsteps was heard.
At the mouth of the alley, a little girl stood. About seven years old. Her hair was long and black as night. Her round eyes stared at Yomiru with curiosity.
Yomiru raised an eyebrow. She was not a fan of children. Too innocent.
'What is a little child doing here alone? ' Yomiru thought.
But the child smiled. A warm smile that strangely made Yomiru not look away.
The little girl walked closer. With light steps and without fear, she approached Yomiru.
"What are you doing here?" she asked innocently, looking at Yomiru without suspicion.
"Ah… just resting," Yomiru replied in a lazy tone, her hand supporting her chin.
"Why are you resting here? This place is dirty. Come on, get out." The girl grabbed Yomiru's hand and pulled her along.
"He—hey! I'm a foreigner, you know?"
"But if you look at me… you don't look bad," the girl replied lightly.
Yomiru paused for a moment, letting the small hand hold hers. She didn't know why, but the touch was… warm. Not like magic. Not like destruction. Warm… like life.
"Gosh… where's your mother?" Yomiru asked.
"I don't have anyone… besides my older sister."
That answer stopped Yomiru in her tracks. She looked at the girl with an expression she had never recognized before—a mixture of pity, surprise, and faint sympathy. The little girl pulled her to a city park. They sat on an iron bench, the afternoon wind caressing their hair.
"What's your name?" Yomiru asked.
"Shizuka. But you can call me Shizu," she said while playing with her feet on the bench.
Yomiru smiled faintly. "My name is Yomiru."
"Nice name, sis!"
There was silence for a moment between them. Yomiru looked at the large sign in the distance that said "ARCADE". The building was full of lights, people coming and going. There was the sound of music and laughter from inside.
Yomiru was curious about what was inside there, it seemed fun. She thought about going in there.
"Hey, Shizu."
"Yes, sis?"
"Want to go with you?" Yomiru pointed towards the arcade.
Shizuka's eyes lit up. "I want to!!"
She immediately ran, pulling Yomiru's hand. They entered the place together.
Inside, Yomiru was stunned. The electronic sounds, colorful lights, and various game machines made her head a little dizzy. But Shizuka seemed very excited. She pointed to a game machine.
"Try playing this! It's fun."
Yomiru nodded, trying it. Her hands touched the buttons. Her movements were stiff at first, but over time her reflexes improved. In fact, she won.
"Hooray! Hahaha! Turns out this is fun, huh?"
"Great!"
Yomiru hadn't played like this for a long time, almost never. Whatever machine she was holding now, she was too engrossed in playing.
"Play. I'll pay for it." Yomiru said with a smile.
Shizuka immediately headed to another machine, playing enthusiastically. So did Yomiru. They were lost in the world of games for two hours, forgetting everything that had happened before.
When they came out, the sky had turned dark orange. The street lights were on.
"Haah… I feel more alive!" Yomiru said with sparkling eyes.
She turned to Shizuka who was licking ice cream with a satisfied face. "Hey, aren't you going home? Your sister will look for you later."
"My sister is at work. I'm scared to be alone at home."
Yomiru nodded. She turned her gaze to a nearby apartment building. They went inside, and with the key from Ojitsu's bag. They both walked around, going up and down the elevator to look for their apartment unit. And finally Yomiru found her apartment unit.
Yomiru opened the door, she let Shizuka enter first and then she followed.
"Shizuka, you can rest here. If you want to go home, I can take you there."
Shizuka nodded with a smile. They entered. The room was neat, simple, and warm. On a small table, there was a photo of Ojitsu and his family. Yomiru stared at the photo for a long time, feeling guilty. She closed the photo frame slowly.
This room was comfortable. For the first time, Yomiru felt like she was truly safe here.
"Big Sis Yomiru..." a soft voice called out to her.
"Yes?"
"I want to stay here. Is that okay?"
Yomiru was silent for a moment, then smiled. "That's okay. But you have to go home tomorrow, okay?"
"Yeay!" Shizuka exclaimed.
The night passed. Shizuka fell asleep on the bed, hugging a large pillow. While Yomiru fell asleep on the sofa, her eyes staring at the ceiling.
For the first time since Scarlet left… he didn't feel alone. He hoped he would find a friend who would never leave him again, someone who would always be by Yomiru's side.
---
In Another World…
The dark sky was roiled by flashes of red lightning. On top of a crystal tower, a girl with long pink hair screamed.
"I couldn't save Scarlet!!" she sobbed. Her body was shaking. Her clothes were like those of a child, as was her body, but her face was not entirely clear, only a faint light covering her true identity.
Someone behind her—a tall man in a black robe, holding a dragon bone-shaped magic staff.
"It's okay. It's destiny," he said calmly. "We have to find that destructive magic before the evil witch gets it."
"I'm sure… Scarlet released her to some world," the pink girl said, gripping the wing-shaped pendant around her neck tightly.
The man nodded. "Then… where?"
The girl stood with burning eyes.
"I'll look for her. I'll find Yomiru… and bring her home."