Secondhand Memories (Pioneer English Cell Phone Novel)

The New and the Old

Chapter 344

The New and the Old

Time was a ceaseless flow.

Christmas was gone. The new year passed.

The end of the school year was coming up.

All came and went without meaning to me.

The happiest times of my life were ruined.

Even Christmas had to be ruined.

Ever since that night, I never had a moment's rest.

The culprit could be anyone.

Did I trust anybody any more?

But it didn't matter, I had a purpose now.

Chapter 345

The New and the Old

I prayed at the shrine on New Years Eve for Aoi and I.
For hours on end I waited with my friends in the huge crowds.
The temple grounds were always full of people jammed tight against one another;
as if we were all desperate and starving in dire need of aid.
Pushing and pulling, boisterous and noisy. People, everywhere.

Our filthy hands and feet tainted the sacred grounds.

Despite the body heat, the midnight cold ate into my lungs and skin.

I was never superstitious but somehow I felt as if nobody else can help Aoi.
The doctors couldn't. My friends couldn't. Our families couldn't.
Worse of all, I couldn't.

Chapter 346

The New and the Old

I went through the motions and hoped for the best.
I hoped we were pleasing the gods.

God...did God even exist?

Was God listening?

I clamped my eyes shut
and wished with all my might
that something miraculous would take place.

Please...

But nothing happened.

Nothing ever does.

Chapter 347

The New and the Old

With my hands in my pocket I let myself be led through the crowds.
What little warmth I could scavenge in my pockets was not enough.
I was shivering against the cold, almost a burning feeling on my skin.

The crowds were pressing in on all sides, shifting ever so slightly as we made our way through.
It was like swimming through a sea of bodies and disembodied faces;
apparitions floating on the deep black of the night, glowing from the street lights.

We were nearly out of the crowds when there was a strange tingling sensation at the back of my head.
Like someone was watching me.

Chapter 348

The New and the Old

I spun around and peered through the crowd.
A multitude of faces greeted me, some making eye contact as my eyes combed the scene.
Was it just paranoia?
Maybe I was just tired.

"Seiji, what's wrong?" Airu appeared by my side.

"Oh, nothing." I gave her a quiet laugh.

She threw me a quick grin. "Let's go grab a snack, Seii-kun."

I stared behind us for another moment before smiling weakly.

It was probably nothing to worry about.