Yumi Of Death

I don't know what happened. One minute I was stumbling through the park, the next I was waking up, staring at some twisted sky—or maybe it was just my vision going out of focus. I tried to push myself up, but my legs were too weak.

I couldn't even run away if I wanted to. Honestly, I wasn't athletic, just a sickly teenager who spent most of his time daydreaming about getting isekai'd and having a harem. Yeah, I know it sounds pathetic, but it's the truth.

But enough of that.

The point is, I wasn't in the right place at the right time. And as I tried to drag myself up, I was literally getting eaten by some... thing. A yokai. Yeah, that's right. I had just about enough of the world trying to kill me today.

I wasn't panicking, though. Honestly, I was more confused than anything. The yokai itself wasn't even scary—its appearance reminded me of some weird Pokémon. It had these big, gooey eyes, a round body, and its mouth was way too wide. There was something so oddly cute about it, I almost forgot I was about to be digested. Almost.

But then my heart started racing faster than a roller coaster. I felt a hand grab my wrist, yanking me out of the monster's maw like some kind of superhero. It was Yumi, of course. I don't even know how she moved so fast. I couldn't even blink before she hugged me close.

At that moment, I couldn't focus on anything but the sensation of her body against mine. And, yeah, for a second, I couldn't help but notice that her... *chest* was pressed right against me. I mean, who wouldn't? It was an accident, right? But her reactions were... kinda cute. Like, she wasn't bothered at all.

I should have said thanks. But before I could even get the words out, she slapped me—hard.

I swear, it hurt more than my dad's belt when I was younger.

"Why did you eat the other melon bread?" she snapped. Her voice was low and annoyed, but there was a hint of something else behind it—something that made me think this was more about the melon bread than it seemed.

Oh, the melon bread. The bread I ate for lunch—*that* was apparently an offering for the dead. And here I was, eating it without knowing anything about it.

I just said, "Sorry," feeling a bit dumb. What else could I say?

She just stared at me, her cheeks going red. I don't know if it was from embarrassment or frustration, but either way, it was cute in a weird way.

Then, without another word, she left me there—wet, soaking in some bizarre, sticky white saliva from the yokai. It was gross, but also kind of funny in hindsight. I was left standing there, confused, soaking wet, and completely lost in the mess that was my life.

I didn't even know how to feel about it anymore.