Until my Final Breath (Shikimori's not just a Cutie fanfic)

Prologue

Prologue

"Come on guys! Let's do our best in this final high school year!"

"To reach our desired college!"

"To achieve our dream!"

"Let's do this, everyone!"

"Izumi, you seem to be a little exciting there..."

~0O0~

'Right now, the massive increase in industrial manufacturing has led to a serious issue of air pollution. Many environmental experts in Japan fear that this is one of the worst cases Japan has ever faced, which is unknown when it will be solved...'

Sometimes, when I'm alone with an empty mind, I ask myself, 'what would be the worst luck I could even get?'

Throughout my 17 years of living, I've been encountering bad luck after bad luck. Life was difficult for me back then. I've managed to get over some of them, and I've also gotten injured from some of them. Sometimes some people were affected by my bad luck aura, whether they were relevant or not. To put it simply, it was not easy to live a day, get used to the injuries, and even bear the responsibility that someone had just got affected.

High school years were easier for me though. The aura, let's just say it's still there. I've still had some injuries, big or small, of all sorts of sizes from my bad luck. However, I've managed to meet and make friends with some people who, I don't know how to say this, are willing to bear the bad luck with me? Inuzuka-kun, my best friend, he's always been there for me since day one. Nekozaki-san, she probably can team up with Inuzuka as the loudest of the bunch, but she is a good person with a big heart. Hachimitsu-san, she is the most introverted one, does not talk much, but deep inside I know she is very caring and willing to do anything for her friends.

And then, there is Shikimori-san. How can I describe her? The sun of my life, my spiritual support? Geez, I'm really in a loss for words. How about I just simply call her my girlfriend?

She has been there for me since the very start. She has the cute side of a girl, but also a cool side of a boy, which I find really interesting. She's always protected me from any possible bad luck, and sometimes, I have to reconsider if my role in our relationship is actually a boyfriend or not.

Together, they really are my best friends, who I want to stick with for the rest of my life, until the day I die, until death separates us... Or just put it simply, I want to be with them forever...

Forever... huh...

As I think of that word, my head becomes dizzier. The cold air from the air conditioner blows behind the scruff of my neck, gives me a little reality check, and sends me back from my thought. I'm in a hospital room, sitting on a hospital bed, with the beeping noise from the heart moderator and some background noise from the TV hanging on the wall. They are broadcasting some news that seems to be about pollution and its consequences. This should be something I've already used to, if I don't want to say that it is so familiar.

So why am I hating it so much...?

I look at the outside of the closed door, through the glass panel. I can see that my parents are discussing something with the doctor, and it's certainly not a good news at all. My mom is covering her mouth and lowering her face, and I can also see some tears forming from her eyes. She must be trying to hold her cry, with my dad rubbing her back, trying to calm her down. Deep inside, I really want to hop out of this bed, swiftly open the door and hug my mom, comfort her from any sadness she is bearing right now. However, for some reason, I can't even move my leg, feel like something is stopping me from getting out this room.