Untouched

Chapter 3
Memories

"Sleep Yuzuru..." I could hear a soft voice say, "I'll be with you soon..." I could see somebody standing alone in the darkness... A girl with long, white hair, and golden eyes. Kanade... I thought, Kanade! But her image began to fade in the distance, until it fully disappeared...

Suddenly, I woke up, sitting up and looking around me. Rubbing my eyes, which were still dreary from sleep, I took out my cellphone to check the time. 6 o'clock exactly. I must have fell asleep here, I thought with a sigh. Suddenly, I remembered the voice. Looking around, I couldn't see anybody there besides me. Who's voice was that? I wondered, standing up and giving a stretch.

I decided to head back to the hotel, although by the time I got there the sun was already starting to rise. So, I instead decided to head over to somewhere to get some breakfast. Most of the places I had seen on my previous walk opened at about eight, so I didn't think I'd find anywhere that would actually be open. However, luckily enough, there was one place that was open: Mattekou Cafe.

Once I stepped inside, I was startled when Sekine suddenly popped out of seemingly nowhere saying, "Welcome to Mattekou Cafe!" I looked at her for a few moments, and she did the same. Sekine then pointed at me and said, "Oh, you're that guy from yesterday!" I nodded, feeling odd to be referred to as, 'That guy from yesterday'.

Sekine led me to my table, which was actually the same one I had been at before. Looking around, it was, once again, completely empty. "Is there much business here?" I asked, and Sekine looked around, then shrugged. "Sometimes, but not often." she answered. I then raised an eyebrow at her and asked, "And are you the only person working here?"

Sekine looked up in thought, and I sighed. I'd think she would the answer to that, I thought. She shook her head, and told me, "Nope, most of the people here are either cleaning and cooking over in the back." I nodded in understanding, then told her, "Can I get... Some coffee?" Sekine nodded, then retreated back to the kitchen. I sighed, not sure exactly when I got the liking for coffee.

After a few minutes, there was a crash! And the sound of breaking glass. "Iwasawa! What the hell was that for?" I could hear a deep voice growl from the kitchen. Leaning across the table, I peered through the doorway, and I could see a large-figured man towering above a girl, obviously displeased.

"I-I'm sorry." the girl said, although it didn't sound like she was. I could see a stain on the man's shirt, with what appeared to be coffee. "You can make it again, and you're going to go take it to the customer!" the man said, and Iwasawa glared at him for a few moments before walking off.

After a few moments, Sekine came to my table. "Sorry about that," she stated, "That was the owner, and he's, well..." she started to look for the right way to put it, when I could see the girl starting to make her way to my table, a cup in her hands.

Sekine turned to where I was looking, and she took a few steps back, letting Iwasawa come to me and set the cup in front of me. "Sorry..." she said, not even looking at me. For a few moments, I could sense a sort of familiarity about her, like I'd met her before. "Uh..." I began to say, and Iwasawa finally looked up at me, and my heart began to beat hard...

I had a sudden vision of the girl in front of me, on a stage, in the lone spotlight... An acoustic guitar was in her hands, and the look of depression and sadness was obvious in her eyes...What is this? I wondered as I watched the scene. To my surprise, she looked up, tears forming in her eyes... And she disappeared, leaving behind the acoustic guitar she had been playing...

I was snapped back to reality when I heard my name being said. "Otonashi?" I heard, and I was whipped back to the cafe, and I could see Iwasawa looking at me with surprise in her face. "Uh...Yes?" I said, and Iwasawa suddenly smiled slightly, which was a change from what I had seen earlier.

"Have we met before?" I asked, and Iwasawa nodded, then looked at me and tilted her head slightly. "You...Don't remember me?" she said, and I thought about it for a few moments. "I...Don't think so." I said, and she sighed, sitting down in the seat opposite of mine.

"It's just like when you got there for the first time..." Iwasawa muttered, and I raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" I asked, but she did a sort of wave as if dismissing the topic. "I guess I'll let you figure it out on your own time." she told me, grinning slightly.

I was going to ask her more questions, when a booming voice suddenly said, "What's taking so long girl?" Iwasawa glared over at the door to the kitchen, then she muttered, "I wish I didn't work here..." I looked over at the kitchen, then said, "Then why not quit?" She shrugged, and told me, "It's just part-time...Once I graduate, I'll move to the city, and let my music lead me on in life."

Those words felt familiar...And I suddenly had a vision of her and myself, speaking to one another...When did this happen? I wondered, and I snapped back to reality as Iwasawa stood up. "Well then," she said, "See you later, no-memory boy." As she passed me, she gave me a pat on the shoulder, and I turned and watched as she walked off.

"Well, hurry it up!" I heard the voice say again, and Iwasawa said irritatedly, "I know, I know." For a few moments, I was lost in thought, wondering how I could know that girl, without any memory of meeting her at all. "Um..." I heard, and, for the first time, I realized Sekine was still standing there.

"Oh, you're still there." I said, and she nodded. "What was that about?" Sekine asked me, and I shrugged, looking down at my coffee. Lots of odd things have happened lately, I thought, It's as if I've forgotten something very important...

I turned my head to look out the window, and I was surprised to see a familiar person standing across the street. It was the girl I had seen the day before, with the short, white hair, and the golden eyes. I suddenly remembered the image I had in my dream...

Standing up, I put some money on the table, and I made my way to the door. "Whats the matter?" I heard Sekine say as I left the Cafe. Once outside, I could see the girl walking away down the sidewalk. I tried to cross the street, when a car suddenly passed in front of me, honking. "Sorry." I said, as if they could hear me, as I made my way to the other side of the street.

Once there, I looked around, not seeing the girl anywhere. Where is she? I wondered, as I started to make my way down the sidewalk, hoping to run into her. After a few minutes of walking, I stopped, as a sudden memory washed over me...

I could see myself, and the girl, standing in the fading sunlight... "Even now, your heart is beating in my chest..." I heard the girl's familiar voice say, as she set a hand over her chest. "My one regret was being unable to say thank you to the person who saved me..." My eyes widened, as I couldn't believe the sight I was seeing. What is this? I thought, as memories started to slowly seep their way into me...

I started to see things... Somebody with a large halberd... Noda, I thought suddenly, remembering him. I then saw the girls on the stage, playing and singing to their heart's consent... Girls Dead Monster... I could see the rocky tunnels, with traps coming from every way, leading to a large factory... Guild...

All of these memories... I thought, Where are they coming from? Suddenly, I could remember the school in which nobody could die, and in which lived NPCs, which were soul-less people. This place, this Battlefront in which I had fought with many others...

The tears... The laughter...The Happiness... It all began to come back to me. Suddenly, I could recall the people I had spent time with...The people I had helped move on...

Yuri...

Hinata...

Naoi...

Yui...

TK...

Fujimaki...

Noda...

Irie...

Sekine...

Hisako...

Oyama...

Takeyama...

Shiina...

Matsushita 5th Dan...

and...

"Kanade..." I said, a tear forming in my eye. "KANADE!" I shouted as I began to run down the sidewalk, wanting nothing more than to find her... The one I had saved...

And the one that had given my life meaning...Thank you so much...Yuzuru...