Aochi
My junior is sick.Staring at his pale face, eyes darting nervously right in front of me, the thought hits me again.
I’d always thought he was emotionally unstable, but now he’s seeing things. Hallucinations.He hasn’t been sleeping, either. He looks completely drained.
The three of us—Oze, Oomi, and I—are heading back to our hometown together.I hope he can get some rest during the trip.But I’ll need to be careful with what I say. The guy’s always been sensitive, and I don’t want to set him off.
“I saw that bird for the first time the same night you did.I was still at the office back then, though—”
♢♢♢
That day, I was the last one out of the office again.I remember two coworkers reeking of cigarettes passing by the smoking area, muttering something about “a bird,”but I brushed it off as just casual talk about some new place to eat.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
Normally, I never bother looking at the sky when I leave the building.In fact, I can’t even remember the last time I looked up at the sky—day or night.
But that night, a small group of people had stopped in front of the building and were staring upward.Their gaze pulled mine up too.
“…It’s pitch black.”
I didn’t even mean to say it out loud.But there it was—a scene that looked like a black river flowing through the night sky.
When I narrowed my eyes, I realized it was a massive flock of birds.
I breathed in the cold air.Strangely, it felt soothing.It felt like I was finally seeing the real sky—not the one warped by the city’s artificial lights.
With that calm feeling still lingering, I boarded the train.I found myself wishing I could still see the birds, even underground.
As soon as I reached my station, I ran up the stairs to the surface.
—I’m glad.They’re still flying.
I walked home slowly on purpose.The moon was beautiful.And so were the birds, gliding beneath it.They moved like flowing water—mesmerizing.
From here, they looked like one enormous creature—maybe a serpent, or a dragon.But what kind of face does each bird have, I wonder?
Would they ever fly low enough for me to see?If one landed on my balcony in the morning,that alone would make it a good day.
That night, I left the curtains wide open and turned off all the lights.I watched, quietly, until the long, long river of birds vanished into the dark.
Then, for the first time since I was a kid,I slept like a rock.