WARNING! This light novel contains some mentions of violent atrocities (some involving children). This is limited to violence, there is and will be no sexual content in this novel. If descriptions of acts of violence upsets you, I advise you not read this novel.
For the longest time, I’ve longed for the ability to leave this boring world. A world where everything has been discovered and the only things that haven’t been are beyond my comprehension to begin with. Absolutely boring.
Walking home from my mundane job, as I’ve done for the thousandth time, I listen to my usual playlist. As I walk, my favourite song starts playing as the summer’s gentle midnight breeze caresses my exposed face and arms. My eyes wander as I walk and I start to appreciate some common sights: The park I walk by every day is empty due to the late hour and looks almost ominous, yet it still offers some bittersweet nostalgia to when I was a child and once played here with my friends back in grade school. A smile begins creeping up on my normally expressionless face. “Sometimes things aren’t so bad”. I begin to think. As I walk along my usual route home, I decide to take a detour to visit my old school, inspired by my nostalgia. Walking up the path to my old school from a direction I would never have any reason to take when I attended it, I begin to wonder to myself what it might be like to be another person. A person who regularly walked this way to the same school I went to rather than the way I know. Where would someone like that be now?
The song ends and I’m left with dissatisfaction.
sigh
Back to it then. I pass the school and eventually begin walking along the route I’m all too familiar with, as the breeze gets colder and my opinion of my existence begins to trend downwards, I’m left with nothing to do but sigh listlessly and wait until I’m back home. This boring job, this boring world, this boring life. The negative emotions begin to boil over and tears start forming in the corners of my eyes.
“Damn it, such pointless self pity”. I mutter to myself as I stop walking to wipe away the tears and steel myself.
“Hello?”
A voice from behind me rings out.
Shocked, and surprised to hear someone, especially while in such a vulnerable state, I unwillingly jump and step away from the direction I heard the voice while turning around to see who it was.
It was a child, I think? She looked to be about 14 or 15 years old, but her eyes looked like they knew far more than her appearance would. Such a strange impression, I’ve never once had such a plentiful opinion about someone I just met. I caught myself staring at her as I drowned in thought about how strange it was that she could impress on me so deeply with only her eyes. Taking in her full body I am strangely enamoured by her, in the same way one might be enamoured with a parent or someone they look up to. Her presence made me feel immense shame and embarrassment for the tears I’d just shed, as if I’d accidentally exposed an unsightly part of myself to someone I wanted to impress, though I guess I have…
“Are you just gonna keep staring? Hellooooooo” The girl said, speaking as if nothing was particularly wrong.
“A-ah” I quickly clear my throat.
“Sorry, I was just thinking…” My eyes wander to the grass surrounding the path as my cheeks turn red from embarrassment after being called out for staring. I unconsciously start taking steps backwards, as I feel apprehensive about speaking to a lone young girl this late at night.
“Did you need anything? Are you lost or something?” I say, in an attempt to reveal to a non-present audience that I have no ill intent.
“No, no, there’s nothing I need. Although I’d like to play a game if you’re interested?” She said in an inviting tone, shuffling a pair of dice in her hand as a slight smirk started to show on her face.
“A game? I’m sorry I don’t think I should.” I start turning around as the thought crosses my mind: Is she just walking around with a pair of dice? What a weird kid…
A finger pokes the left of my mid torso causing me to once again jump away and turn to see the girl, staring at me with a childish smile.
“Come on, it’ll be fun! You won’t regret it I promise!” certainty flooding out of her voice as she shuffles the dice in her hand once more.
“I really shouldn’t… I’m sorry but this is just really suspicious.” I start sidestepping along the path as she puts on a pouting face, suiting her childish appearance.
“Boring.” She mutters while I walk away.
“Boring. That’s boring huh? Alright, fine then, what’s the game?” A switch flicked in me before I could even consider what I was saying.
“You’ll play then? Great! You just have to guess the number the dice will roll, and if you get it right, you get a prize!” She exclaimed.
“A prize?” I start considering the situation again, as the suspicion that was once warded off the word ‘boring’ begins taking control once again.
Noticing the apprehension growing on my face, she suddenly speaks out.
“Just pick a number!” She urges.
“Ok, fine, 1!” I chose that number to escape the situation, as she was holding two dice. There’s no way it could possibly be 1, so I can both satisfy this strange child’s whims and not be subject to the aftermath.
“Fine!” An annoyed look appears on her face as she throws the dice down on the pathway, our eyes following them as they roll, one landing in the grass and the other on the pavement. The dice landing on the pavement shows one dot, and as she crouches down to gather the second dice, she displays it to me with an impish smile.
There’s no dots on it.
How is that possible?
I saw the dice, they were regular dice, neither of them had any irregularities, so how is this one suddenly blank? Are they trick dice?
“You win! Are you ready for your prize?” She says, interrupting my rapid fire thoughts.
“What the hell is going on, what’s your aim here?” I say, bracing myself as I begin to panic at this strange situation unfolding against my will
“I’ll take that as a yes!” She says with a smile as everything around me begins to fade out and is replaced by emptiness.
