Prologue-
It was the day of our class trip — a volunteer program at a secluded village on the western edge of the country.It wasn't anything special. Just cleaning up, helping the locals, learning some "character-building."
The sun was hot. The air was heavy with mountain silence. I was chopping logs behind a shed when I heard them.
Voices. Laughing. Mocking.
They didn't know I was there.
Classmate A: "Hey, did you hear about that one awkward freak? What was her name again? The one who always screws up in class."
Classmate B: "You mean Aisaka Riku? God, she's such a joke. Always tripping during fencing practice. I don't think any of the teachers even bother with her anymore."
Classmate C: "Yeah. Heard the only reason she's still here is 'cause some famous fencing master recommended her. Can you believe it? The principal's too scared to expel her because of that."
Classmate A: "Tch. What a pathetic leech. Can't fight, can't pass, can't even stand straight without shaking. And yet she clings to that old man like some abandoned mutt. It's disgusting."
Classmate B: "Seriously. She's an embarrassment. Dead weight on this whole class."
Their voices trailed off with cruel laughter as they walked away. Probably slacking off from their chores.
I stayed hidden behind the shack, clutching the axe in my hands. I let the sting settle in my chest before breathing out.
My name is Aisaka Riku.And… what they said… is mostly true.
I always stumble during fencing class.I get the lowest scores in physical tests.Even though my written grades are decent, nobody cares.To them, I'm nothing but a failure.
And I'm… used to it. This humiliation. This numb, powerless life.But still… it doesn't make sense.
Because I do have power.I've felt it. I've used it.But whenever someone watches me... it's like I wake up from a dream.Like it was all in my head.Like I'm not allowed to be strong.
A curse?Self-consciousness?I don't even know anymore.
Riku: "...I should probably get back to work—"
Then it hit me.
A sharp, sudden image. A vision.
Vague. Twisted.Just a flash — but it stopped me cold.
Riku: "Huh…? What was I…? Oh. Right. The logs..."
I picked up the axe again and returned to chopping firewood.That's when it happened.
Children from the village were running around, playing hide-and-seek. Laughing, yelling—carefree.
One of them wasn't watching where she was going.
She ran straight into me.
Riku: "Oww…!"
Child A: "Ah! Sorry, miss! I didn't see you! Are you okay!?"
I held the axe tightly to make sure I didn't drop it or hurt her.
Riku: "I'm… fine. Are you alr—huh?"
There was blood on the axe.
Not mine.Not hers.
Then I looked up—
Her eyes were empty.Her hair — torn out in clumps.Blood. So much blood.Her face. Her tiny, lifeless face—
I froze.The axe trembled in my hand.My stomach twisted.
Riku: "What… is this...? Are you—"
Then everything vanished.Like a switch flipped.
She was standing there. Smiling. Alive.
Child A: "Miss? Are you alright?"
Child B: "Geez, you should be careful, miss. You could've hurt yourself with that axe."
Riku: "No... I'm fine. Just... stay away from here, okay? I'm still working."
Child A: "Ah! Okay! Sorry again!"
I watched them run off, still laughing. Still innocent.Untouched by the horror I saw.
...It happened again.Another vision. Another break in reality.
Every now and then… it comes back.The blood. The corpses. The hallucinations.
And the worst part is, my emotions twist with it.Anger, fear, sadness — all stronger, sharper. Unstable.
I don't know what's wrong with me.I don't know what I'm becoming.
All I know is… I'm broken.
A failure.
A ghost.