The bell rings, signaling the end of the day at school. Students wearing uniforms of blue and black stand up as they get ready to leave. Conversations fill the classrooms, echoing through the school halls and into the whole school.
"Alright everyone, class dismissed." The teacher says with his old voice and his grizzled face, clearly expressing his years of teaching experience.
"Mm… finally, class is over!" A student wearing a boy's uniform says while stretching in his chair. His buzzcut betraying his kind demeanor.
"Hey Mich, do you have any plans later? Wanna go to the arcade?" The same student says to Mich.
Standing up from his chair. Mich who has black hair and standard features stretches, yawning as the orange light of the sunset fills the classroom. "I do, sorry about that Ben. It's my sisters birthday today." Mich says with a cheeky smile.
The student, Ben replies somewhat dissapointedly. "Well… alright then, tell your sister i said happy birthday."
"What the? Trying to hit on my sister?" Mich replies, his tone teasing.
"Bastard! Stop teasing me!" Ben replies, his loud voice reverberating in the almost empty classroom.
Another student standing at the door shouts. Wearing a girl's uniform, her black hair reaching her waist. "Mich! Ben! Get out, I'm closing the classroom.
Mich looks at her, and then Ben. "You heard Lisa, you better hurry up."
Ben replies with a sigh. "She was speaking to both of us, don't act like it's only me…"
Mich smiles at him, walking out of the classroom without responding. It was time to go home, Mom and Dad was waiting for him. The celebrations were about to start, and he wouldn't want to miss his sisters birthday.
Walking down the hall, Mich looks outside at the setting sun.
"It's getting late, i'll probably be home at night. Ugh! Why does this school have such bad schedules." Mich grumbles in his mind, a nasty look on his face.
Leaving the school halls and entering the stairwell to the ground floor, Mich couldn't help but salivate at the thought of the tasty food his mom must've cooked
"Oh... Hehe... This is gonna be tasty, I just know it. Beef... Lamb stew... Chicken wings..." Mich gulps, shaking his head as he leaves the school, crossing the school gates.
"No, no. That's too much meat, there has to be some vegetables in there." Looking around at the urban scenery, a small smile appears on Mich's face.
"A nice thing about this school, it's located near the popular city shops. I should get my sister a birthday gift." Mich's hand grabs his phone from the bag, searching for the nearest cafe.
*****
The street lights turn on simultaneously. Illuminating the darkening city streets with blue light. Mich stands in front of a comfy looking building. The people inside it chatting comfortably in the embrace of the mighty air conditioning.
Mich looks at the wooden signboard at the entrance. "Cura Cafe. What a nice name, care Cafe huh... It has pretty nice ratings too."
With a jingle, the glass door opens. The cool air embracing Mich's body as he enters. Standing there for a moment, breathing in the nice coffee smell. Mich finally walks to the counter were an employee waits.
Looking at the menu written in chalk on a small blackboard on top of the glass counter that showcases different pastries, Michs attitude suddenly plummets.
"Hello there, how many I help you?" The employee replies, her voice soft and somewhat cheerful.
"She must be having a nice day." With a sigh, Mich takes out his wallet. Taking a look inside the wallet he finds not a lot of cash. "Empty..."
Mich looks up from his wallet, his cheerful mood from the comfortable environment gone, replaced with acceptance and embarrassment. "I'll take one chocolate cupcake, to go."
"One chocolate cupcake. Will that be all?" The employee replies to Mich.
"Yes..." Mich says with a slight tone of regret.
"Alright then, while you wait for it to arrive, please take a seat anywhere." The employee replies cheerfully, understanding his reluctance. "He's broke, must be tough."
"Is she... making another batch for me? Oh my, I think I'm in love. What a nice lady." Mich thinks, his mood lifted by this nice employee's kindness.
After bowing profusely. Mich finally finds a seat near the the floor to ceiling windows. Looking outside at the darkening night and the neon lights opening in this bustling city.
"After this, i won't have any money anymore. I really need to get a part-time job again." Mich sighs as his thoughts wonder off, enjoying the comfortable environment inside Cura Cafe.
Time slowly passes, Mich finds himself in another conversation in his mind. Careful not to speak out loud in this public environment.
"I already know how my sister's gonna react to this! Hehe, she'll probably act like a tsundere. Hahaha, we've read too many novels i swear!" This train of thought gets interrupted by a call from the counter.
"Sir! Your order's ready." The nice employee calls out to Mich.
Standing up and getting his order, Mich leaves the cafe in a happy mood. A small smile on his face. "It's fresh and hot! Oh thank that kind lady."
*****
The orange setting sun illuminates the city, making it look absolutely majestic under this lighting. In a somwhat empty street near the suburbs, Mich looks at the red light, waiting for it to turn green so he can cross the road.
"I can't wait! I can't wait!" He thinks to himself, his mood great from the cafe experience. Now, he just has to go home.
The light eventually turns green, Mich takes a step forward on the illuminated yellow road. Thoughts of happiness and gluttony in his mind, as he looks left and right instinctively.
But unfortunately it is too late. Without him realizing it, a truck has appeared mere inches from him. The other pedestrians reacting to this scene with shock and fear apparent on their face.
A million thoughts flash on Mich's mind. His life flashing before his eyes as memories of his life floods back.
"Is this it? Truck-kun? I'm gonna die here? I mean… i'm getting flashbacks. No! I can't die yet, it's my sisters birthday today. My family must be waiting for me, i brought a cupcake too. My sister's probably getting agitated right now waiting for me. I'll be fi-."
BAM!
Mich's body flies through the air, hitting the pavement with a thud. The passersby stop at this scene, some recording, some frantically running or calling the ambulance.
Mich feels his numb body as he looks at the now fully yellow sky. The rest went by a blur.
Yellow and blue light streaks. The shaking of his body being carried on a stretcher. The resuscitation of the medical professionals. The beeping of the medical equipments. It all went by a blur.
"Ugh… where am i? Mom? Dad? Sis?" Mich thought, his thoughts unusually slow. He looks upon the scene outside the emergency room throughout the window, people bearing his resemblance, holding eachother as a doctor wearing a white mask and blue gloves tells the news. Bad news.
Mich saw his dad comforting his mom, her crying on his shoulders. His sisters eyes full of shock and horror, a tear streaming down her familiar face.
"I know it isn't time for witty remarks, but they should really cover that window. Or is it one way? I don't think they can see me." Mich thought, trying to maintain his mood, but the truth was… it definitely wasn't the time for witty remarks.
He can't feel anything in his body, he can't move anything. It's a miracle he can even think. But that's were the miracles end. Mich knows it, and he can only choose to accept it.
Internal bleeding, broken bones, paralized body. Mich, is gonna die.
Memories flash before his eyes for the last time as he feels deaths peaceful embrace, he can only regret that he didn't live his life to the fullest. That he couldn't attend his sisters birthday today. That he couldn't finish that series. That he couldn't speak to his parents for one last time. That he couldn't just say, i love you, for one last time.
His eyes gradually turn red, small streams of tears rolling down his cheeks. Not from pain, but from grief and sorrow, sadness. The last train of thought he had was…
"No… the gods must be playing a cruel joke on me. I'm not even an adult yet, i haven't seen a percentage of what this world can offer. I… i haven't done anything meaningful yet. Is… is this the end?"
It was, indeed, the end. Mich closed both his eyes for the last time. Stopping more tears from flowing down.
Suddenly, Mich heard weird noises. A baby crying, weird sounds… languages? And he can suddenly feel again, he can feel a mothers embrace.
Mich opened his tiny eyes. Looking at the world for the first time. This world anyways. The first thing he saw was a golden haired beautiful woman and a golden haired man. A little girl with the same hair eventually appeared in his sights too. All of them having faces of excitement and happiness, speaking weird languanges as a doctor checks the womans condition.
A thought then appeared in Mich's mind. A wild one.
"Truck-kun, weird language, people i don't know, this viewpoint… did i… just get reincarnated!? What the fu-"