My Youth As A Sorcerer Sucks, Chapter 43

Chapter 43: Yumiko’s Lamentation 1.

—OoOoO—

Perfection never existed. Something ideal wasn’t real. If one sought perfection, it would be a lifelong journey without answers. Even if someone thought they had found it, it was only a mirage that could be explained through the limitations of human knowledge. You would only find another sky above you even if you reach that people so-called perfection. The process towards perfection was just an endless cycle.

Just like everything in this world, no human was born perfect. However, as long as they lived, humans would continue to develop into their best form. That was why human civilisation could be formed. But still, even the most incredible humans with all their intelligence wouldn’t be able to understand the concept of perfection.

Most humans were too greedy to pursue perfection to the point that they often forgot about simple human values. In fact, history recorded that humans could even survive extinction without perfection or without needing to mortgage their humanity to become perfect creatures. The most important basis for humans' continued development came from those imperfections.

Perfection was just a projection of the human brain to describe something that was far superior in every aspect than them. In other words, it wasn’t being perfect that humans should pursue, but never feeling intimidated by someone considered perfect was what they should become.

Miura Yumiko was just an ordinary girl who was very far from perfection. In terms of academics, she was nothing compared to the other students at her school. Even if talking about the beauty and charm that she had always been proud of, she had to settle for being second only to Yukinoshita Yukino.

However, what made Miura Yumiko respected wasn’t her beauty but the fearless determination and toughness that shone in her sharp eyes. She probably lost in everything to Yukinoshita Yukino. The girl might also cry if she had to argue with Yukinoshita Yukino. However, no matter how far apart they were or how strong that black-haired girl was, Yumiko would never be afraid of something called Yukinoshita Yukino.

"Ugh... even today, my head was dizzy when I woke up."

Yumiko blinked several times as her eyelids felt heavy. She covered her eyes using her right wrist while her lips curled. A small moan escaped her mouth as if the girl was holding back the pain in her head.

"What's wrong with me lately?" complained the girl.

It was hard for Yumiko to describe. It wasn’t like a typical headache. However, her brain felt like it was being flooded with information that she couldn't even be completely unfamiliar with. Not only that, she recently also felt like someone was watching over her, but she didn't find a single soul when she looked around. Those weird combinations were enough to make his mood immediately worse in the morning,

Despite all those problems, Yumiko still forced her body to get up from the bed.

“I can't possibly have vertigo, right? A body this young can't possibly get boomer disease, right?”

For the umpteenth time, the girl complained. She didn't even care about her tangled bed hair anymore.

Yumiko got out of bed. She just stood still for a while, adjusting her consciousness, before starting some stretches. Her eyes fell on her window curtains, and stared at them momentarily.

“I don't think I need to open it.”

After saying that, she left the room to go to the bathroom.

Yumiko's house was a standard Japanese house. It had two floors, with the master room on the first storey. To reach the bathroom, Yumiko needed to pass the dining table first. As she was on that table, she poured water through the kettle. However, her eyes caught a piece of paper tucked under the bowl wrapped in clear plastic to protect the food.

Without thinking, Yumiko took the paper and read it silently.

"Oh, Mom and Dad must go to work early, huh? Aren't they busier than usual lately?”

Understanding that the paper's contents weren’t an important message, Yumiko crumpled it while drinking a glass of water.

—OoOoO—

Yumiko always got annoyed whenever her parents left for work early. Even on weekdays, it was quite difficult for them to get together as a family. Taking overtime too often was a major factor. Of course, Yumiko couldn't express what was in her heart even though she felt lonely.

But this morning felt different. His parents' absence when she felt like she was being stalked by someone only made the situation worse. In fact, even now, she turned on all the lights in her house so she could feel more safe.

“Isn't the atmosphere in the bathroom heavier today? This isn't just my feeling, right?”

The bathroom was always a damp and cold place. The sensation and sound of your feet accidentally stepping in a puddle of water sometimes gave a strange feeling. The fragrant aroma of soap, shampoo and air freshener can also provide the illusion of calmness. At least, with all of that combined, Yumiko hoped that the unexplainable tension within her could be lifted a little.

However, all she felt was suffocating stale air.

“The water also feels colder today.”

Yumiko washed her face while holding back all that uneasiness. She slowly rubbed her palms over his face with water to remove any remaining foam. Yumiko tried to stay cool and positive with all the strangeness and tried acting as normal as possible. That was why she immediately straightened her body and faced the mirror after making sure her face was clean.

However, the girl froze in place, looking at her reflection in the mirror.

That was not her. The figure was a woman with pale skin and some green spots like rotten flesh. Her hair was long, tousled, and messy so that Yumiko couldn't see her whole face. However, the girl was sure that there were no eyeballs in those sockets, and the woman's mouth was gaping very wide. What made it look even more terrifying was the complete absence of teeth. Only the visible emptiness could swallow everything.

Yumiko froze for a moment, but she immediately turned around to see if something was wrong behind her, so her reflection in the mirror turned into a scary ghost. However, she found nothing.

Cold sweat was pouring down profusely, and her heart was racing very fast. Her chest was rising and falling with circulating air, fighting to get in and out.

Yumiko then turned back to the mirror, and this time, the reflection was what she saw.

'What was that?'

Her brain was still busy processing what she had just seen, but the uncontrolled adrenaline made it difficult to sort through the information. Unable to comprehend the situation, Yumiko turned around and simply left the bathroom while breathing heavily.

The strange figure in the mirror appeared again after the girl left. The figure was silent for a moment until she raised his right hand to touch the mirror. An effect like water ripples appeared when the pale hand filled with rotten flesh touched the mirror. The creature continued to push her hand until she penetrated and exited the mirror altogether.

“ThAt cUrsEd eNErgY, tHat nEGaTive EMotIOn… teSTe goOd….”

—OoOoO—

For women, makeup was like armour that would be used in war. Maybe each woman's level of makeup thickness was different, but at least all women agreed always to use foundation every time they go outside. However, this crazy morning forced Yumiko to leave early, so she didn't even have time to apply a single grain of powder to her face.

Luckily, Yumiko has bright and healthy skin, so not having makeup on her face didn't really matter. However, she was a little dissatisfied because her lips seemed pale.

“Whatever. I don’t care anymore. This is better than spending a long time alone at home."

Yumiko sighed and intended to leave her house. However, just as she closed her house’s fence and took three steps, Yumiko felt something stick to the sole of her shoe so hard that she almost fell.

Yumiko looked down and tried to pull her feet up, but her shoes remained stuck to the asphalt. The girl subconsciously frowned. Annoyed by this strangeness, he took off his shoes and intended to take them directly with his hands.

"What? My shoes are stuck to the asphalt? How could that be?" said Yumiko, who was trying to pull it. "Is the asphalt melting? But it doesn’t make sense. Even though it's about to enter summer, the temperature isn't that hot enough to melt asphalt, you know? Even now, the weather is quite cold."

Yumiko was pensive, thinking about what really happened. The girl frowned when her head suddenly felt dizzy. Information that she couldn't decipher seemed to flood hrt brain. Yumiko held her head in one hand, hoping that would ease the pain. Not sure if it worked, but the pain gradually started to subside.

A heavy sigh escaped Yumiko's mouth, accompanied by dripping sweat.

“What's wrong with me today? That's not a bad omen or something, right? I hope so.”

—OoOoO—

How could you realise small joys if you were bombarded with bad things almost every second? That was a good question, and the answer was you can't. Of course, big-mouthed motivators always say to focus on the small things that make you happy. However, that was easier said than done.

That also applied to Yumiko. She didn't understand what was happening to her, but bad things had battered her for the past few days, and this morning had been the worst. Even if nothing happened, her feelings couldn't feel better, ever. However, being in the school always made her heart feel lighter.

'I don't know why, but I felt like I entered a barrier that kept me safe.'

“Eh? A barrier? What I’m thinking? In the first place, where did that vocabulary suddenly pop into my head?”

Yumiko shook her head, throwing away the strange thoughts creeping into her brain for the last few days. She picked up her pace again to head to the class.

'If possible, I really want to just rest in the infirmary, but I don't want to look weak. Moreover, I've been absent since the morning.'

Yumiko sighed as she closed her eyes. Without realising it, she was in front of the classroom door. Without waiting any longer, the girl opened the door. However, an almost empty classroom was the sight she got.

'Hikio is sleeping on his seat again. If he weren't hanging out near the bicycle parking lot, he would definitely be sleeping in class. Doesn't that guy have anywhere else to go during his lunch break?'

A little surprised by the boy's behaviour she thought it was full of mystery, Yumiko ignored him and stared straight at the corner of the room near the window. There, two girls with big smiles and waves were waiting for her.

Yumiko reflexively returned the greeting with a smile that she tried to force.

“Yui, Hina.”

Without waiting for their reply, the girl walked towards her seat.

“How are you, Yumiko? You rushed to the infirmary as soon as class started."

"Yeah. Moreover, I heard from someone that you stopped by the convenience store on your way to school."

There was a clear look of worry on their faces.

"I don’t know. I mean, it's hard to explain, but I've been feeling strange lately. Like, something feels wrong on my body.”

Yumiko replied as she pulled out her chair and sat down with a languid expression.

"If you're not feeling well, wouldn't it be better if you just rest at home?" Yui asked.

Yumiko shook her head weakly.

“And being home alone? No, thanks.”

Yuigahama Yui and Ebina Hina looked at each other silently, their eyebrows raised. Yumiko, who saw it, didn't try to explain further and just sighed softly.

'If I tell them, will they believe it? No, forget that. Even I find it hard to believe it myself.'

An awkward atmosphere enveloped the three girls, making them feel uncomfortable. As a result, Yumiko looked around the class to find another object of conversation. Her search stopped when she saw a boy who was still asleep, as if indifferent to the state of the world. However, it was actually a sight she was used to seeing, but something bothered the girl when she stared at the boy's back.

"Hey, Yui. Lately, do you feel like Hikio seems a little different?”

"Hikki? Feel different? I don't understand what you mean," Yui replied, tilting her head.

“I’m not sure how to say, but hasn't he been looking scary or intimidating lately?”

“Hikigaya-kun always looks gloomy every day, but to say he's scary… isn't that a bit of an exaggeration?” Ebina replied.

Yumiko stared at the bespectacled girl for a moment, unsure what kind of answer she should give.

'Guess they won't be able to understand me. But somehow, it's like Hikio has an aura that makes me feel uncomfortable around him.'

"Maybe it's because Komachi-chan was suddenly hospitalised last week?"

Yui's words in a low tone attracted the blonde girl's attention to her.

“Komachi? Who?"

“His sister. Hikki has become a little more sensitive since then.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

Yumiko wasn't sure that was the reason. Maybe what Yui said was true, but Yumiko thought her discomfort stemmed from something else.

“By the way, Death Island is released today, right? Didn’t you say you wanted to watch it? How about today? After school, maybe?”

Ebina, who changed the conversation, got Yumiko and Yui's attention.

“Eh? Is it true? Is that really today?” Yui replied.

The girl then checked the information herself on her smartphone.

“How about it, Yumiko? Are we going? You said you couldn't wait to see Momoshiro Chiyoko's new film, right?” Ebina asked again to be sure.

The blonde girl seemed to be considering the offer. Her slender fingers played with the ends of her hair. A slight mumbling sound could also be heard from her mouth.

Yumiko hesitated a little. Death Island was a thriller movie. Plus, the main character was played by a young actress whose name was on the rise because of her genius. And it was all enhanced by Momoshiro Chiyoko's acting, who always appeared perfect when playing in the thriller, horror, and psychology genres.

'With my current condition, I don't think I'm mentally prepared to watch such a movie.'

Yumiko looked at them with mixed feelings. She wanted to refuse the invitation, but her heart felt reluctant because she rarely hung out with them recently.

“Come on, Yumiko. It’s been a month since the last time we watched a movie together, right? The boys also agreed to hang out together," said Ebina Hina.

Their persistence made Yumiko's heart melt. The girl sighed softly as she combed her hair back.

"Okay, I’m in. We'll go after school."

Even though her mouth said that, but her inner self was different.

‘Let’s just hope we don't make it, and the tickets will be sold out immediately.’

Hearing that reply, Yui and Ebina looked at each other with happy smiles clearly plastered on their faces. However, that expression changed to a questioning look when Yumiko showed a hesitant face. But the girls waited patiently for Yumiko to say it herself.

Meanwhile, Yumiko looked around, making sure no one would hear her. She leaned over to get closer to Yui and Ebina.

“But you have to help me to sit next to Hayato-kun, okay?”

Ebina unconsciously snorted softly and smiled sweetly at Yumiko.

“Sure, sure. We can do that.”

“Yeah, don’t worry. It's easy peasy, you know?”

Yui and Hina replied with cheerful smiles. They were happy since Yumiko agreed to join. But for the blonde girl, she didn't really hope something like an accident in romance comedy anime would come. She wouldn't be greedy and praying for now, so nothing wrong would happen.

—To Be Continued—

 Author Note: Hello, Aka Daka here. The plot finally advances and now it's a particular arc for Yumiko. The bad guys' plan to take advantage of Yumiko finally comes to fruition, and the impact begins to be seen.

I actually intended to make this chapter longer, but when I put together the story's outline, I knew that this chapter would take up more than 8k words if I included everything. So, I stopped at the part that I thought was appropriate. Apart from that, deadlines also catch me up. I got a project to manage an online game tournament event, Honor of King (a MOBA game), in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Even though the event practically finished last Sunday, there is still a lot of work to be done, considering that we, the committee, have to prepare everything for the next round of the EWC event, which will be held in Riyadh later.

Therefore, I will take a break from writing for a week and focus on events. I could have written bit by bit as usual while working on the work, but I didn't think I could maintain the quality. So, after a week, when the tide of my work has started to calm down, I can return to focusing on writing in my free time before going to bed.