Oomi
“What did you see—?”
As I asked that, something hit me.
The ship was moving.
So quietly—so unbelievably quietly—that I hadn’t noticed until now.There was no going back.
“I saw a dead woman.”
“The one with the boy?”
Aochi-san asked, his expression serious.
“No, she was alone. …Wait, there’s one with a kid, too? You guys saw dead people as well?”
“Aochi-san didn’t see anything, but I did. Clearly, I mean… well, vaguely. If you ask me to describe them, I’d only be able to say it was a woman and a child…”
His face read, Well, which is it? But I ignored that and kept talking.
“It’s not my first time seeing the dead. I’ve seen them at work, many times. I just didn’t want people to think I was a weirdo, so I kept it to myself. But Aochi-san figured it out.”
Aochi-san gave a sheepish sigh.
“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, you know.”
“When… do they usually show up?”
Oze-san seemed to have decided I was some kind of ghost expert.
“Well… I think it’s when there’s resentment.”
The answer wasn’t surprising, but both of them looked visibly shaken.
In the world I sense from the dead, anger feels like the sun—resentment like a shadow.
Anger is a threat that rushes toward you. Resentment, though—it drags you down. Every time I feel one of them nearby, it’s like I’m in a plunging elevator, that sickening drop in your gut. It spreads through my whole body. I don’t know where I’m falling to, but I feel like I’m inches away from being swallowed by a shifting, unstable darkness. I’ve gotten too close to that edge before.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
The one who pulled me back to reality in those moments—was Aochi-san.
He’s so full of life that in his light, the shadowy dead can’t appear. When I was with him, I didn’t see them. I felt safe.
“So? What kind of ghost did you see? Did she say anything? A reason for the grudge or something?”
Aochi-san pressed him, and Oze-san replied with a wry smile.
“Don’t make it sound so easy. It was my first time, okay? I was too scared to even make a sound.”
I couldn’t help but think how easy life must be for someone like him.
Unlike ambitious Aochi-san, Oze-san was completely laid-back. I once overheard someone say to him, “I wish I could live like you.” He didn’t react much, just let it slide, but I remember his profile looking oddly sad and distant.
“What’s up? You’re zoning out. Tired from getting up early?”
Aochi-san’s voice snapped me back. I remembered why we’d come to the cafeteria in the first place.
“Let’s talk over breakfast. The bread was over there, right? Let’s go check.”
This was one time I couldn’t offer to get it for them. I didn’t know their preferences.Though I figured there probably weren’t that many options... but I was wrong. There were plenty.
“Whoa—there’s actually a lot to choose from.”
My favorite—salted bread—was there, so I snatched one up before either of the others could. Each bread was neatly wrapped in its own plastic bag.
Aochi-san, completely stone-faced, grabbed three plain butter rolls. Uh-oh. Maybe he’d wanted the salted bread too.
“Are you sure you don’t want the salted one?”
“I’ve always liked these,” he replied.
He gave me a look like Why would you even ask that?Whew—guess I was overthinking it.Then, right next to me, Oze-san picked up a sweet red bean and butter sandwich. That’s basically dessert! Way fancier than my modest salted bread.
“What’re you staring at me for?”
“I just didn’t take you for someone with a sweet tooth.”
I covered with a safe, neutral comment.
“I could live on sweets alone.”
He said it in a tone that made it impossible to tell if he was joking or serious.Skinny guy, but apparently runs on sugar.
Next to the bread shelf, there was a small transparent fridge filled with drink cartons—lots of choices there, too.
This time, I wanted to be a proper junior and get their drinks for them, so I asked, “What would you like?”They both spoke at the same time: “Milk” and “Coffee milk.”That confused me for a moment, but I grabbed those and a vegetable juice and headed toward a table by the window. The wood was smooth and shiny, beautifully reflecting Aochi-san and Oze-san’s faces.
I handed out the drinks and sat on a matching polished wooden chair.
"Not this one."
Oze-san swapped the milk in front of him for Aochi-san’s coffee milk.
“Sorry…”
Was that really my fault? I mean, who pairs red bean paste with coffee milk anyway?
“Oomi, have you always been able to see the dead?”
Oze-san asked calmly as he opened his bread bag.The morning light bathed the empty cafeteria. Just the three of us here—no need to whisper.
“I wouldn’t say always. There was… a moment where it started, I think.”
Their faces lit up with curiosity.
“You want to know, don’t you…?”
Even though I didn’t need to ask.Sure enough, both of them nodded with eager smiles.