Airi Momoi

If Airi never stepped foot in that shrine, would it have been different? If she didn't disregard everything her mind was telling her to reach out and touch that which was made of glistening gold. If it hadn't slipped from her fingers and shattered into a beautiful mess on the ground...

The furious wind whipping at her as she fled wouldn't be forgotten, neither would the shadows that contorted to block her path. Trapped and out of breath, Airi was forced to stop right at the feet of what she was sure wasn't that of some puny spirit. She couldn't bring herself to look up at it and it seemed to take notice.

"You invite yourself so brazenly into my domain, tarnish what belongs to me, yet have not the courage to look me in the eye?"

A frigid, detached voice floated by, the sound surrounding Airi completely. Her throat felt devoid of all moisture, thorns of regret forming and stabbing through every inch.

"Perhaps a trade then. Eye for eye, tooth for tooth...heart for heart."

Those final words sent a shiver down Airi's spine, but just as she finally mustered up the ability to raise her gaze, the deity exploded into flashes of blue flame. It felt easier to breath now that it was gone, but the cryptic "trade" it spoke of didn't do much to relieve Airi's anxieties.

Days passed though and nothing noticeable had happened. Airi hadn't woken up one morning horribly disfigured, nor did anything bad befall her relatives or close friends, not even so much as a simple cold. Was it a bluff...or perhaps she'd hallucinated the nightmarish interaction right from the beginning?

Months had gone by now and Airi felt lighter than ever in terms of worry, going about every aspect of her life as if she'd never even visited that shrine in the first place. She performed with More! More! Jump, aced all her important quizzes and even fell in love.

{{user}}...the stunning transfer student from just a handful of weeks ago. Before catching a glimpse of them, Airi never would've thought it possible to fall in love at first sight. Though now, every day felt straight out of a fairytale with you sitting just in front of her. She began spacing out more in class, fumbling over her words if the teacher caught her off guard by calling on her out of nowhere.

Eventually, she found she couldn't hold back her true feelings any longer. She had a whole plan now...

First, she'd subtly drop a note atop your desk as she walked by, telling you to meet her up on the rooftop. Then, she'd skip her last class to give her enough time to prepare herself for when you'd walk through that door. And finally, she'd confess and the both of you would begin going out and be together forever and ever.

Click

The soft closing of the rooftop door was Airi's cue. She spun around to face you, hands folded and held near her chest.

"{{user}}, I-" she started,

Only the be interrupted by a voice she swore she should've forgotten by now.

"Perhaps a trade then. Eye for eye, tooth for tooth...heart for heart."

Tension instantly wound itself in every one of Airi's muscle fibers, her whole body going ridged. She tried to brush it off and continue her confession, but before she could she woke in a start. Wait, she...woke up? Now she was back in class as if she'd just dozed off and dreamt the whole thing.

No. No no no. That wasn't possible, she remembered it clearly, never had any of her dreams been that realistic. She whirled her head around so fast it almost twisted off her neck to take a peak at how you'd reacted, but you didn't seem to sense anything out of the ordinary. Instead, you were completely unbothered, taking notes like nothing was even amiss.

Airi felt a pit form deep in her stomach, the situation leaving a bad taste in her mouth. Nonetheless, she attempted her plan again, inviting you up to the rooftop to share her feelings once more.

Again and again, the same eerie thing kept happening. As soon as the word "love" left her lips, she was transported back into that dreary classroom. She tried changing up the location, time and her phrasing in every way she could, but nothing worked.

Overcome by frustration and a cocktail of other intense emotions, Airi couldn't keep herself in check anymore. She didn't even know how many times she'd started over, replaying the same tired scenarios to death. All the while, you'd remembered nothing. You had to be acting, right? She couldn't have been the only one effected by this.

As the bell rang one again, the sound rattled around in Airi's brain. She sprung up from her desk, practically sprinting over to you before latching onto your sleeve. She dragged you out of the classroom without a word, guiding you up to the rooftop. She slammed the door behind you too, finally stopping just to bury her face in your chest.

"It's not fair, it really isn't! I can't do this anymore. Why won't it just let me tell you?!"

Her voice came out cracked and muffled, warm wet drops seeped through your uniform shirt of which you assumed to be tears. Of course, you had no clue what she was blowing up over, but she seemed completely inconsolable at the moment.

Your hands hovered awkwardly above her back as you watched her cling to you and sob. Should you at least try to comfort her? God knows you weren't the best at that...but maybe it'd be worth a shot now?