The atmosphere shifted around me, from the chaotic school grounds to the serene streets. I limped along, a wretched reminder of my earlier misfortune gnawing at my thoughts. The humiliating memory of my frantic scramble to zip up my trousers, resulting in my hands slamming hard against my groin, still sends shivers down my spine. The mere notion of such an embarrassing mishap potentially being spread throughout the school was enough to make me scoff at the idea of this year being ‘mine’. Far from it, really. Oh, the embarrassment I would face the next time I met Rei. The thought was almost unbearable. I shook my head, cursing my own carelessness.

Minutes later, I found myself on a quieter street, one that felt worlds away from the bustling school grounds. The low-lying shop buildings whispered tales of a former era, their facades weathered yet still holding a unique charm. Sparse traffic hummed in the distance, providing a soothing backdrop that contrasted starkly with the tumult of my thoughts. As I ambled along, a sleek black BMW glided to a stop beside me, its dark tinted windows impenetrable, like the secrets they might hold within.

Suspicion prickled at the back of my mind—was this the prelude to a kidnapping attempt? My eyes narrowed as I scrutinized the car, half expecting to see the doors flung open and men with dark sunglasses in black suits leaping out to grab me. But the doors remained closed, and no such individuals appeared. Shaking off the uneasy feeling, I continued walking, though not without casting a few wary glances back at the car.

Before long, I reached my destination—an old game shop sandwiched between a bakery and a used bookstore. The game shop was a relic from another time, its exterior boasting a faded sign that read “Komei’s Games” in peeling, gold-painted letters. The windows were cluttered with displays of vintage game consoles and posters from the eighties and nineties, a sentimental invitation to any passerby with an affinity for gaming’s golden age.

Inside, the shop exuded an air of organized chaos. Shelves were crammed with games spanning every console generation, from Atari cartridges to the latest PlayStation titles. The counter was a chaotic jumble of repair tools, disassembled controllers, and old consoles waiting to be brought back to life. The smell of solder and aging paper hung in the air, a comforting aroma to any gaming fan.

Behind the counter sat Komei-san, the shop’s proprietor. He was a stocky man with a graying beard and round spectacles perched precariously on the tip of his nose. He looked up from the newspaper he had been engrossed in as I entered.

“Yo, Komei-san,” I greeted him with a smile.

“Hey there, Kira-chan,” he greeted warmly, folding the paper and setting it aside. “Done with classes?”

“Yep,” I confirmed with a thumbs up, my smile widening. “If you need me, I’ll be at my spot.”

“Sure thing,” Komei-san nodded. But as I turned to head toward the back of the shop, he called out, “So, Kira-chan, is this year going to be your year?”

I started to respond, but suddenly, Rei’s playful voice echoed in my mind, chanting “Zipper-kun, Zipper-kun, Zipper-kun.” My body shivered involuntarily at the memory, and I hurriedly pressed my ears with my hands, trying to block out the sound ringing in my head. Without another word, I stomped toward the back of the shop, eager to escape the humiliation that still haunted me.

The rear of the shop had been my sanctuary since junior high. Amidst cluttered shelves and flickering fluorescent lights stood my refuge: a Time Crisis II arcade cabinet. The dual light guns mounted on the front seemed to beckon me, promising a few hours of blissful distraction from my current woes.

Fun fact about me: I’m also a gun enthusiast.

Here, in the dimly lit corner of Komei’s Games, I could immerse myself in the exhilaration of gaming, temporarily forgetting the embarrassment that loomed over my year.

Unlike Taiga and my other classmates, who loved RPGs, I preferred arcade games with gun controllers. It’s one of the reasons I wanted to become a keisatsukan, aside from chasing and frisking busty deri jō in Nakasu. The thought of taking down criminals who posed a threat to public safety and my own was exhilarating.

Komei-san watched me retreat, shaking his head in mild bemusement. “What’s with this kid?” he muttered to himself, curious about my sudden departure.

But I shrugged off his remark. My focus narrowed as I approached the waiting game. With a determined breath, I picked up the light gun and started the game, selecting VSSE agent Keith Martin as my avatar. I had already finished the game using my dominant right hand, but I’d been trying to complete it with my left hand for the past year, and it proved to be extremely difficult.

Less than two hours later, the triumphant sound of game completion filled the air, and I couldn’t contain a whoop of joy. I had done it! The countless hours of practice had paid off; I could now expertly handle two guns simultaneously, dual-wielding like a pro. The exhilaration of my success washed over me, temporarily erasing the sting of my recent embarrassment. I could already imagine the look of surprise on my classmates’ faces. Tomorrow, if they dared to tease me about my zipper mishap, I’d have something far more impressive to showcase.

With a contented smile, I bid farewell to the shopkeeper. “See you tomorrow, Komei-san!”

“Take care, Kira-chan,” he replied, a hint of pride in his eyes as he watched me leave. Stepping out of the cozy chaos of the game shop, I felt lighter, as though a great weight had been lifted from my shoulders.

As I strolled, the sun dipped lower in the sky, casting a warm golden hue over the city. The streets were quiet, save for the occasional passing car and distant chatter. Lost in thought, I approached a junction, when I noticed a mother and her young daughter stepping onto the crosswalk. The traffic light signaled green, and the intersection appeared clear.

But then, in a heart-stopping moment, the same sleek black BMW from earlier roared into view, speeding toward them like a race car on a runaway track. Time seemed to slow as my brain registered the imminent danger.

Without a second thought, I sprinted toward the lady and her daughter, my voice breaking the stillness of the evening. “Watch out!” I shouted, my feet pounding against the pavement and then onto the road. I reached them just in time, pushing them out of the car’s deadly path. They stumbled to safety, their wide eyes reflecting shock and gratitude.

For a brief second, relief washed over me. But it was short-lived. The car struck me with bone-crushing force, lifting me off my feet and hurling me through the air. Pain radiated through my body, but a surreal sense of detachment took over. As I soared, I couldn’t help but think, here I am, flying without wings.

Suspended in mid-air, I stared up at the expanse of the sky. The pain from the impact with the BMW was swiftly replaced by a bizarre, almost dreamlike vision. Enormous flowers began to bloom before my eyes, their vibrant petals unfurling as if in a slow, hypnotic dance, as if welcoming me. Each flower’s stigma bore an uncanny resemblance to peaches, their luscious forms calling for some deep, unspoken desire within me.

Yet, the expected collision with the ground never came. Instead, I found myself abruptly seated cross-legged in a bright, expansive room, devoid of windows or doors. The transition was so seamless, so sudden, that it left me transitorily disoriented.

My eyes widened in astonishment as I took in my surroundings. The room was bathed in an almost ethereal light, its vastness stretching out endlessly. I felt a peculiar mix of awe and confusion. “Peaches?” I muttered under my breath, puzzled by the sudden disappearance of the beautiful apparition.