Aochi
"Why do birds comfort you so much, Aochi-san?"
Oomi asked in a voice that vibrated with forced calm—one that practically told me he wasn’t doing okay.Normally, I’d say something like, “What now? Did you see another corpse?”Maybe I’ve developed a bit of delicacy myself since we boarded this ship.So I pretended not to notice and answered.
"When I was a kid, a bird saved me.One that looked a lot like those flying out there now."
I answered honestly.Lying’s never been my strong suit. I’ve never managed to pull it off.
“What do you mean?”
Oze asked, deadpan.I wanted to throw it back at him—And why are you so obsessed with catching one?—but I swallowed it and kept going.
"I got lost and nearly died."
They both gave me a wait, what? kind of look.
"Wait, scratch that. I wasn’t just lost—it was more like I was stranded. Nearly a survival situation."
"Tell us."
If telling a story calmed Oomi down, I didn’t mind.Besides, we weren’t supposed to leave this room anyway.
I sat back down in my chair, and Oze followed suit.
"Alright. This was back when I was in the lower grades of elementary school—"
♢♢
There’s a mountain in our town that’s packed with tourists all year round.I grew up at the base of it—just over 300 meters tall.
It was the perfect playground for a kid like me.Sometimes I went up with friends, sometimes alone.People assumed I was outgoing and sociable, but the truth was, I preferred the mountain by myself.
I’d tell my parents I was going out with friends and sneak off alone.Looking back, I’m sure they saw through the lie.They always had that worried look when I left.
When I looked up through the narrow gaps in the canopy, I’d see shapes in the sky.A blue canvas framed by branches—I'd imagine animals in the spaces between.Birds, too, of course.
The bird that saved me wasn’t one of those bright, imaginary ones from my daydreams, though.
On the ground, I sometimes spotted foxes and rabbits.They’d stare at me with curious eyes but vanish the moment I stepped closer.I even wondered if they were real.
It happened on a clear winter day.The sun reflected off the snow so brightly, it felt like midsummer noon.
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Climbing the mountain in winter was strictly forbidden—by school, by my parents.But I never understood why.
To me, winter made the mountain more peaceful.Kinder.When I was with friends, it stayed quiet and cold.But alone, it would whisper to me, like it wanted to talk.I loved that about it.
Looking back, maybe something had possessed me that day.
By the time I noticed, the sky had turned half indigo.That had never happened before.The mountain always gave me a sign when it was time to go.
Suddenly, a wave of unease surged from my gut.I couldn’t sit still.
I was running before I even realized it.No one was chasing me, but I felt like I absolutely mustn’t look back.
I couldn’t believe how scared I felt—in this place I knew so well.I ran blindly, not even checking where I was going.
I slipped and fell over and over on snow and ice, but I didn’t feel any pain.
It was like seeing the dark gaze of an adult I used to trust—The familiar trees, snow, and sky twisted into something else, pressing down on me.
A chill swept down my spine. My feet left the ground.
I hadn’t noticed the slope—camouflaged by the packed, glittering snow.I tumbled down several meters, landing on my right side.
…Maybe it wasn’t that far. But it felt like falling forever.
Even now, I keep getting injuries on my right side.In middle school, I broke my right leg during a sports festival.Fractured my right arm in dodgeball.Even hit my head on the right side playing soccer.I honestly believe the snow that day cursed me.
When I hit the bottom, I sprang up like a wild animal.The surroundings were too strange to ignore.
Unless it was a hallucination, the snow was… wrong.
It was glowing red.Not from my blood.Not something explainable like that.
The snow itself was glowing.The red hue pulsed like a heartbeat—from within the snow.
That’s when I knew:The snow is alive.
I’d always felt something lurking beneath its cold touch.It had been waiting, watching for the right moment to drag me in—because I had noticed.
No way.I can’t let the snow take me.I stood up and ran with everything I had.
I don’t want to melt into this.
Normally, the distinct trees and rocks would guide me.But the snow hid everything, as if trying to erase my way home.
Where… am I?Wait—am I already inside the snow?
The thought crept in, and for a moment, I felt myself giving up.
That’s when I saw her.
A woman in a vivid red dress—brighter than the blood-red snow—walking calmly through the darkness.
What is she doing…?Wearing just a dress, alone in the frozen mountain after sunset?
The scene was too bizarre.I couldn’t tell what was real anymore.
She was about five meters ahead, gliding down the path.Almost like she wasn’t touching the snow.
“Wait—” I whispered, knowing she wouldn’t hear.Still, I followed.
The footing was terrible, and I’d twisted my ankle in the fall.Every step was painfully slow.
Was she trying to escape the snow too?
All I could tell was that she was slim, with long hair tied back.
Watching her descend without hesitation sparked something in me.She knows the way.Her back said, Follow me.
I chased her with everything I had.Somehow, she always kept the same distance.When I slowed down, she did too.When I sped up, she moved faster.
But she never once looked back.
“I’m going home.I’m going to eat my mom’s cooking again.”
That simple dream felt enormous.The moment I said it to myself, something sprouted inside me.Like a root anchoring me to life—strong enough to survive winter.
I ran, focused only on that red dress.
Then—She vanished.
She must’ve turned a corner.Panicked, I ran harder.
Crunching over the ice, I rounded the bend.
And there it was—The warm orange glow of the town’s streetlights.
The lights I had trusted to wait for me.My eyes welled up.
…Wait.Where did she go?
A single road stretched out in front of me.
To the right, a snow-covered clearing overlooked my town.To the left—just a steep, impossible mountain wall.
No path.No one could have gone that way.
Then—WHUMP!A loud flap of wings right by my ear.
I turned in surprise.
A giant black bird soared past, its wingtip nearly brushing my nose.
And its eyes—They were ringed with the same vivid redas the dress that woman had wornjust moments ago.