by Ash Masters
*
The classroom was filled with students by the time Kioshi entered and of course no-one took notice of him as he shimmied between desks to his seat. Matsugane Aki watched him with interest, her chin perched delicately on her hand. She was alone without a trace of human contact to sustain her just like Kioshi, she could only assume. However, such was the way of High School; an arena that also served as a prison to the students – a fact that Aki was well aware of and if anyone had a hope of surviving they had to be both strong and resilient. In a world where many of the people rarely felt the warmth of happiness, things frequently went bad; students would get hurt and the teachers would do nothing as if instructed to do so by a higher authority. The order: let them fight it out until only the strong survived.
Society worked based on people knowing and understanding their roles while having the competency to follow instructions. The adults seemed to work in synchronisation and required no training. Teenagers however were innocent and impressionable. This was the time to weed out the weak and allow society’s nature to crush them. People like Aki and Kioshi were two of the many who struggled in this environment. Her free hand curled tightly into a shaky fist beneath the desk.
The students were talking in low voices around the room and Aki was listening to their conversations. She would never be a part of their talks unless she was invited to partake – which she never was. People... Aki thought. Morons...
‘Did you hear?’ Seito asked.
‘About the suicide? Yeah...’ Said Hido.
‘How sad. She was so young.’ Miyako commented.
‘Look at us... More and more of us and killing ourselves because we just can’t take it anymore.’ Hido’s eyes narrowed.
‘This can’t go on.’
‘But... What can we do? What can any of us do?’
Kioshi placed a hand to his mouth as he pondered what they had said.
‘“Eighteen year-old Hatsuo Seiya was found dead outside a department store in Zone Three after she jumped off the roof three stories high where on impact she suffered a fatal head injury. Her death makes her the third High School student to do so in this week alone. When questioned, students at her school failed to even acknowledge that the young girl even studied there at all.
“Records revealed however, that Seiya had been a student at the school for three years but a the lack of knowledge from her peers has lead many to assume she was one of the “Ghosts” as labelled by her age group.”’
‘Put the newspaper away, Seito.’ Miyako begged, grabbing the top roughly and dragging it down onto the desk.
‘I wouldn’t have thought that you’d be used to it by now Miyako.’
‘I am. It’s just...’
‘No-one gets used to death.’ Kioshi said thoughtlessly, his back to the group of students. He closed his eyes angrily in disbelief that he had spoken his mind.
Seito turned his head, ‘Mind your own business, Kioshi.’
‘Don’t be rude, Seito.’ Miyako nudged.
‘Who does he think he is coming into our conversation?’
‘But you can’t deny the truth. It’s getting too much.’ Hido said. ‘This is now the second to last week of High School.’
‘And everyone knows that after this week their lives are nearly over. No-one wants to end up like those machines walking the streets. We all want to retain whatever personality we have.’
‘But Japan will never change. Things are the way they are because the government wants it that way. They don’t want us to make a fuss, just get on with our lives.’ Miyako claimed. ‘I just don’t understand though, how does it happen? How will we end up simply... losing ourselves?’
‘I don’t know. It makes you think why they would make the world the way they have. I mean, doesn’t it make them miserable too?’
‘Look at all the adults, Hido,’ Seito pointed out. ‘All of them have been programmed to go about the tasks they’ve been given without any complaints. The only people who notices that anything is wrong are us. Teenagers. How does that work?’
‘But why? Why is it that the adults are mindless drones while we’re fine.’ Hido lightly drummed the desk he was sitting on.
‘Maybe it’s something that happens as we age?’ Miyako pitched.
‘In that case, why do the children seem so lost?’ Kioshi asked to himself but was overheard by the group who was silent for some time. Around them the class continued to have their own discussions.
‘Mind-Control.’ Hido speculated.
‘Don’t be an idiot, Hido.’ Seito scolded.
‘You have a better idea, Seito? What if people were being controlled be an evil force and well, the force is stretched to its limit? Adults would be the priority because they can work, children next because they’re the next generation and we’re just... in the middle.’
‘Idiot...’
‘I don’t want anyone else to die.’ Confided Miyako, her hands tightening on the hem of her skirt.
‘No-one does.’ Seito said with a sombre visage.
The door slide open and Ikuhara Kouji entered baring an expression that hinted at tiredness and frustration.
‘Hey, Kouji,’ Hido sighed, pulling out a chair. ‘You look tired.’
Kouji shot Hido a stern expression that said it all: “Ya think?” ‘Stuff’s been going on at the company and it’s been keeping me up that’s all. What are you all talking about?’
‘Hatuso Seiya.’ Miyako said.
‘Who?’
‘A girl jumped to her death in Zone Three.’
Kouji made a dismissive sound. ‘All these suicides have become too common for me to care.’ He shrugged.
‘You can’t mean that?’ Hido raised an eyebrow in outrage.
‘It’s a sad inevitability. If everyday you open up the newspaper or turn on the television only to read or hear about people killing themselves then it starts to become irrelevant. Be thankful that by the time you have to get a job you’ll have more of a chance.’ He stood up.
‘What if I were to die?’
The group continued on as if Aki hadn’t spoken. Aki didn’t let the silence deter though. ‘What if I went onto the roof and jumped off?’
Kouji pretended that the question hadn’t been asked, moving to his assigned seat.
‘What a jerk.’ Hido folded his arms in disgust. ‘Can you believe him?’
‘I don’t blame him for acting like he does, he has the mind of a business man.’
Kioshi turned back around so that he was facing the front of the class. ‘I can hear you.’ He turned his head so that he met Aki’s eyes. ‘I can hear you...’
‘It’s sad, isn’t it, Kioshi.’ Aki claimed. ‘Not just Hatsuo Seiya but... everything. It’s not a way to live.’ She smiled a small, fake smile.
‘No...’ Dreamily, Kioshi looked away from her to stare at his desk. ‘It’s not.’
Kioshi didn’t know what caused it but, he found himself attracted to the eerie girl beside him; short with pale skin and a head of untamed, chocolate-brown hair complementing a child-like face that looked scared with age. Her hair was short though it appeared that its length was more due to the breakage rather than cutting. In truth, Aki looked worn-out, rough and ill. Kioshi wondered if that’s what attracted her to him; she looked real – human. Whatever demons she had she allowed it to show. Aki was a petite girl as if she didn’t eat well however, Kioshi noticed that she had a set of large, perky breasts that jutted out, giving her a strange profile.
Kioshi was thrown out of his thoughts when his teacher Mr Tetsuo strode through the open door, a noticeably frustrated man who dressed formally with a pale-blue, long-sleeved shirt rolled up with the top two buttons left undone and tucked into well-ironed trousers with polished shoes. He was obviously tired as his lids were venturing on grey and stubble plagued his chin and around his mouth. Furthermore, creases on his face revealed a man who constantly had something on his mind – made
apparent from his frequently grumbleing.‘Alright!’ He announced, slamming a hand on his desk making all the students jump. Quickly, the ones out of their seats corrected themselves. ‘I’ve been instructed to have a group discussion over the death of this girl Hatsuo Seiya. If any of your cared to pay attention to the news, you might have heard that she killed herself in Zone Three.’
‘Why do we need to talk about her? A girl named Aika spat.
‘Because,’ Mr Tetsu snapped, ‘The headteacher believes that these reoccurring events are having a negative effect on you the students.’
‘I don’t really want to talk about it; it’s just so terrible. But,’ Miyako began, standing up. ‘We all have our problems but, surely it isn’t worth killing ourselves over? Right?’
‘We don’t know what bothers one another. It’s not our place to judge.’ Claimed Hido, resting the side of his head on his fist.
‘Seiya was a Ghost. Sadly... she was doomed. We all know that if you’re a Ghost then no-one cares for your presence. No-one cares if you’re dead or alive. That was Hatsuo Seiya – a girl with no worth to those around her.’ Seito explained.
‘You can’t all believe that!? Anyone?’ Miyako examined the room desperately but no-one looked her in the eye so downhearted, she sat down.
‘You guys actually care?’ Mr Tetsuo asked, astonished, folding his arms with interest. ‘Well I’ll be damned.’
‘What’s there to not believe?’ Miyako asked.
Mr Tetsu continued to have his arms folded. ‘I assumed all of you kids were the same; not caring about your friends, not caring if they were to suddenly disappear. But it seems that some of you have a conscious.’
‘That’s because it’s our fault.’ Kioshi said. He figured that while talking to the teacher the class would have no choice but to listen to him.
‘How is this our fault?’ A boy, Makado asked accusingly.
Kioshi inhaled slowly and then exhaled, placing a finger to his lips in a pondering manner. From the corner of his eye he glanced at Aki who was giving him the most attention out of everyone. ‘I can imagine what Seiya felt everyday; the pain caused by living. She would wake up every morning to the sound of her alarm clock but would lie in bed for a little while longer as she built up the courage to go in. Eventually she would get out of bed but, she had spent so much time suspended in her dread that by the time she would get into class she’d arrive exactly on time if not late. Seiya could have spent the whole day at home and no-one would have noticed however, like all students who are bullied at school but say nothing, she wanted to keep up appearances.
‘On particularly bad days she would vomit because the anxiety of heading into school would nauseate her so greatly and even if Seiya shared this anxiety with her parents they would insist that she was fine and more than capable of going in to school. She would obey like a good child and a good student.
‘The day is already off to a bad start for her. Seiya would be the sort of girl who would over-compensate during class and social situations for the sake of seeming normal and wanting to be accepted but this would cause her pain. In the end all of her struggles would be for nothing.’ Kioshi smiled a pitying smile. ‘She was a Ghost and we made her one. No-one looked at her, no-one asked about her. She came to school alone, endured alone and left alone. Yet now people only know of her because she jumped off the roof of her school and killed herself. And now sitting here you’re outraged when I say that it is our fault. You all think that this is a lie – that our peers can’t hurt this much but they do.’
A shiver ran down Miyako’s spine.
‘No, it was her fault.’ Accused Aika. ‘She shouldn’t have been the kind of girl she was, the kind of girl that people didn’t want to be friends with. If she was suffering so much then she should have changed. That’s how you survive in this world. But no, the girl killed herself. Selfish bitch!’
‘And what kind of girl would that be?’ Kioshi’s eye narrowed and he folded his arms. ‘A girl like you? A girl whose attitude would turn someone else into a Ghost?’
Mr Tetsuo eyed Kioshi with interest.
‘You say she’s a coward. Why.’
‘Because she wasn’t strong enough to keep up with the world, because she only thought about herself when she killed herself. What about her family?’ Aika argued, glaring at Kioshi with her one visible eye, the other covered by shoulder-length black hair.
‘Cowardice and bravery isn’t so clear-cut.’ Aki added.
‘Who asked you, freak?’ Aika spat.
Aki gave Aika a venomous face but continued. ‘From the parents’ side it is cowardly and selfish. If Seiya had continued to live she would have been in pain but at least her parents wouldn’t be effected. However, aren’t the parents being selfish for wanting their daughter to live when she doesn’t want to? Isn’t take control and making such a choice – coming face to face with her problem, brave?’
‘She wasn’t a saint, just a very sad girl.’ Aika mocked. ‘Society is messed up as it is. It would be worse if we’d have to acknowledge those who stir up some sort of negativity! To acknowledge those who make us feel bad. Wouldn’t that be selfish on her part?’ Aika stood, slamming her desk with her hands.
Aki closed her eyes and sighed, feeling exhausted. She had exerted herself more than she wanted.
‘What does that bullshit mean?’ Kouji didn’t respect Aika to even look at her. ‘She was probably just a girl that people didn’t like just because of the way she looked or the way she spoke. You say that people don’t want to acknowledge her when everyday people these people are being acknowledged by being beaten half to death.’
Kioshi’s eyes narrowed.
‘You’re a grown up,’ said Miyako. ‘Why is the world like this? It’s not right, it’s not...’ She didn’t know the right combination of words to do her thoughts justice.
‘Ghost or not, what do we have to live for?’ Makado asked. ‘Here we are coming here day in and day out, learning things only so we can go out and be like him.’ He pointed at Mr Tetsuo.
‘What’s wrong with me?’ Mr Tetsuo returned.
‘You’re one of them even if you don’t know it.’
Mr Tetsuo raised an eyebrow.
‘If only we could end this madness with Ghosts and bullying; it’s getting out of control. We’ve all experienced it at some point and we’re all sick of it.’ Miyako held herself close.
‘The bullying has nothing to do with it.’ Makado looked away, trying to look cool.
‘Maybe it’s because you’re a bully yourself?’
The class began to talk quietly in agreement with Kouji. ‘There doesn’t have to be anything wrong with a person to for them to be bullied. People are bullying other people just so they can feel better about themselves even if it’s a short-lived high.’
The class devolved into a depressed silence.
‘I had no idea... Mr Tetsuo bore the face of a man who had had a revelation then reached into his pocket and withdrew a pack of cigarettes, plucking one tiredly and placing it between his lips to light it. ‘You kids won’t know.’
‘Mr Tetsuo! Should you really be smoking in here?’ Miyako asked, surprised.
Mr Tetsuo blew a long trail of smoke, it’s colour matching the sky that he couldn’t see, blocked by the black windows. ‘My smoking, is a choice.’
Kioshi leaned in, intrigued. ‘You’re not like them... Are you?’
‘Don’t insult me.’ Mr Tetsuo folded his free arm under his other raised arm. ‘All of this nonsense, it’s about beliefs.’
‘What do you mean?’ Seito asked.
‘You kids have shown me something today... I didn’t know that there were people out there who cared. I thought the power of sentience was lost long ago... when Japan wasn’t as it is now. A time where the sky was blue, where this district was a glorious metropolis named Shibuya – a name taboo now in case the name sparks memories for the people. Shibuya was known as the �
�shopping district” once upon-a-time, it brought inspiration and awe. And Zone Three was once known as Akihabara – Electric Town and a haven for people with strong interests in anime and manga.
Deep lines formed on Mr Tetsuo’s face as he recalled the past. ‘Friends meant something and people made time for other people. You’d find groups on the streets talking, eating, making a fuss but you just don’t see that now. The diversity on the streets was something that every kid aspired to – the different fashions, it was something to behold. And the colours! The colours you saw! They would fill more than just your eyes, they filled your heart.’ His pack of cigarettes crumpled as his fist clenched and shook.
‘We as people harbour a long forgotten gift and that is being “Keys” to the world. Some of you here have a power dormant power inside you – however small, to access the power of the world and do remarkable things. Maybe some of you here are Keys but have been hiding it.
‘Come one, that’s far-fetched, Mr Tetsuo’ Said Aika.
Though making a disapproving sound, Mr Tetsuo smiled. ‘There’s no use explaining this to you kids. You somehow see sense in black buildings and permanently grey skies.’
‘How is this relevant to the present, Mr Tetsuo?’ Seito asked.
‘Because, in nineteen eighty eight one man changed everything; a Key with such unbelievable power that he single-handedly re-wrote Japan’s social conventions. His name was Yamamoto Akira; a corrupt politician. Everything here today is a reflection of his eternal desire: an efficient society with no room for emotions, only a focus on work to sustain the economy.’ Smoke shot harshly from his lips.
‘Why take our emotions?’ Miyako asks.
‘He didn’t take our emotions, he suppressed them. He did what he thought was necessary to keep our society moving in a productive direction. However, his suppression of ourselves brought Japan into a depression never seen before but one that was, in his eyes, needed to stop us destroying ourselves with trivialities. The minds of those “Deprived” are sustained by Yamamoto Akira yet I know that deep within them some trace of their humanity remains. In the end they lead their lives with this great sadness that they can’t put our finger on, never knowing the cause and as a result many who retain enough will kill themselves.’
‘If what you’re saying is true then how do you know?’
‘I was part of a group of youths who rebelled against Akira back in the day. Maybe that’s it. I don’t question it. We couldn’t stand by and let Akira destroy our way of life but in return, Akira wouldn’t stand by and let us destroy his vision. He thought he was making the perfect world – the world everyone needed but, what he failed to realize was that happiness is purely down to peoples’ interpretation. Akira suppression took our will and our power to make choices. As a result, we became easily manipulable and we also forgot how to use our abilities as Keys. No more wars, no more greed or chaos, only peace. “Paradise”.’
There’s that word again, Paradise. Kioshi thought. Could my mother’s illness have been something to do with another world? She tried so hard to teach me of values and things that I could never see. What if these things actually existed long ago? What if there is hope for us?
‘What about the rest of the world?’ Asked a student.
‘They don’t care.’ Mr Tetsuo said bitterly. ‘Sure what’s going on here is wrong but in the eyes of the world our economy is stable and we’re contributing to the rest of the world in a positive way. In the eyes of many Akira was a hero – a visionary and saviour. But nothing was wrong with our society in the first place. There are people who care or cared elsewhere but, protesters hardly make a splash in the grand scheme of things. All our news, our entertainment – everything is altered for us for the sake of our... artificial society.’ Mr Tetsuo spat at the word “artificial”.
‘I can’t accept this.’ Kioshi spoke. He looked around the room to find all eyes on him, a sight and feeling that he was unaccustomed to and if he were honest with himself, didn’t enjoy. There were too many stares, too many opinions and potential hatred aimed at him. Still, he continued. ‘I won’t accept this. Don’t we all have a right to be happy and live in a world that we want to live in? Don’t we have the right to feel the things we want to feel. Japan needs to rise and take back its freedom.’
‘You want us to go to war?’ Makado snorted. ‘Idiot.’
‘No, of course not. But, we can still fight to take back our future. Or are we all content with what we’re doomed to?’
The class felt differently, many of them shaking their heads with disapproval.
‘Surely Akira can’t still be alive?’ Aki asked, quietly.
‘It’s true, none of us have heard of him. He must be dead.’ Hido said.
‘No... If he were dead then the world he made would have gone with him.’ Seito explained.
‘So I was right. Mind-Control.’
‘Unbelievably...’
‘He must not be in the spotlight then. The government must be a face for the real person in charge.’ Miyako speculated.
The class fell silent.
‘You can’t all believe this!?’ Kouji added, standing.
All eyes turn to him.
‘Supernatural abilities? Society-shifting war – that we haven’t heard of? C’mon. All we have are the facts in front of us.’
‘Even if what Mr Tetsu said is false, Kioshi-san is right. We have to take the future into our hands. If Seiya’s death has told us anything it’s that enough is enough.’ Said Aki. ‘We can either wait and lose our independence or fight.’
Some of the class chuckled mockingly.
Mr Tetsu chuckled too though for a different reason. ‘I don’t know why I said any of this when there’s nothing you can do. You’re all alone and far too few. There’s no way you can restore Japan to what it was before. People before you fought to stop Akira, and all fell. But,’ He stubbed out his cigarette on his desk, creating a small spot on the worn wood. ‘You all have surprised me today. If you want me to teach you to realize your potential as Keys then I will. You may as well learn something actually useful instead of learning how to file taxes.’ He moved off of the desk, placing his hands on his hips. ‘So, who–’
The room filled with the sound of shattering glass and in the same moment the class gasped and Mr Tetsuo was thrown off his feet, crumpling onto the floor. Silence followed.
Just as the idea of a revolution developed in the hearts of the students, in an instant that dream took a bullet to the head.
LOVE