Prologue 3

When I got to the second floor, I came to a room with a badge with the number "15" on the door. I'd been using it for a long time to remember my new name better. "Ichi-go" sounds just like "one-five." Although my father used to say that my name means "one who protects." I confess, I really like that name.

Standing in front of the bed that stood under the window, I looked at my reflection on the glass of the window. My most distinctive feature is my spiky red hair, which had caused me to be ridiculed for years. A rather tall, skinny teenager with peach skin and brown eyes.

"The old body…" I pulled on a weak smile, and then put the bag on the bed, "I hope Yuzu will bring me something later, because I don't want to go to bed hungry…" before I could finish, a strange black, sharp-winged butterfly flashed before my eyes.

'I've never seen one of those before. Where did it come from? The window was closed… had someone come into my room?'

After following the butterfly, my gaze moved from the window to the desk that stood by the bed. And then I fell into a stupor, my eyes wide open. Right out of the wall suddenly appeared a little girl in a black kimono and with a sword on her belt, which passed through the hard surface like a ghost and stood on my desk. Pale skin, purple eyes, and black hair, one strand of it falling over her face between her eyes.

She was looking somewhere to the side, as if listening and looking for something, completely ignoring me, pressed against the closet by the suddenness of what was happening. The girl did not look like a ghost. She is opaque, and yet her presence is clearly felt.

A thief, perhaps? Then how did she get through the wall? And even though she's not a ghost, I can't call her a living thing, either. And why is she ignoring me?

The girl, not noticing my excitement and countless questions, jumped down from the table, walked past me and stopped in the center of the room.

"Wh-who are you!?" I asked the expected question with a hint of excitement in my voice, and pointed my finger at the intruder.

And though I'm a simple man now, I won't give in without a fight! I am constantly bullied by bullies because of my hair, so I often have to participate in fights, and as a consequence, I am the strongest in school and even in the city, which means that a small and fragile-looking girl can not take me… although she has a sword… and she clearly knows how to use it…

'What does she want? Why did she invade this room? Has she come for us? But why? Does it have something to do with the rebirth?' Kurama was asking me questions, floating all kinds of theories, and thus building up my excitement more and more.

"Wh-who are you!?" again I asked the girl loudly, who seemed to look in my direction.

For a moment, I froze in place and swallowed nervously. Sweat ran down my forehead, and my heart was pounding like crazy. And then, the stranger finally opened her mouth, tentatively taking in air, and…

"He's close…" she said quietly to herself, completely ignoring my whole being.

And then I just couldn't take it anymore…

"He's close… IN YOUR ASS, STUPID!" I cried out loudly to the full house, not afraid my family or neighbors would hear me.

I pulled some sturdy metal fishing line out of my pocket and in the best ninja style, tied her up in a flash, hanging her from the ceiling.

Weak. Furthermore, I was worried about nothing.

"You think you can just ignore me like that, huh?! Scaring me like that, dattebayo…" turning on the light, I stood in front of the girl dangling above the floor and also tied with fishing line and, with my arms crossed over my chest, asked the stranger a threatening question, getting a better look at her – rather pretty – face. "I asked you a question, who are you!"

"W-what's going on?! Can you see me? No, I mean, let me go!" in utter bewilderment she first asked, and then, realizing her position, fluttered around demanding to be released.

She seemed to be so fixated on something that she didn't even notice me. But that doesn't give her the right to break into someone else's house!

"Explain yourself first and stop dodging. I've asked you again, what are you? You're not human, but you don't look like a ghost either… Tell me, dattebayo!" I demanded, taking out my kunai for greater effect.

"It's strange, I can't usually be seen by people…" she continued to ignore me, thinking of herself even in this position.

No, she's kidding me for sure!

"I said, stop ignoring me! And answer the question!" getting angry, I pulled on the end of the fishing line, which ended up getting tighter on her body.

"Ahhhh…!" she moaned in a rather sweet voice that gave me goosebumps.

Um… I wasn't expecting that…

"…What are you… "Masochist"?" I asked the masochistic pervert hanging from the ceiling in surprise.

"N-nothing of the sort, asshole! Let go of me now!" she denied with a red face, began to flutter harder, which made her twist on a fishing line as if on a merry-go-round.

Well, it's too late for excuses… but I don't really care about her "preferences" right now…

"Then answer the question!" I put my hand on my belt and yanked the fishing line once more.

"Ah!… O-okay, okay, I'll tell you…" with a blush on her cheeks, the girl surrendered, then calmed down and announced with a serious look on her face, "I'm Shinigami."