I'm Still Processing

That morning, a thin layer of mist still clung to the trees around the campsite.

The air smelled like damp soil and leftover campfire smoke.

Some of the students were busy packing up tents, while others just sat around, still half-asleep, sipping instant coffee.

By a small stream not far from the tents, a few freshwater fish lay in a bucket.

No one claimed to have caught them, but there were enough for everyone to have a little extra for lunch.

"Hey, who got these?" one student asked, pointing at the bucket.

"I thought it was you." his friend replied.

They looked around at each other.

No one knew for sure.

"The fish are super fresh. Must've been caught right before dawn." said the camp leader, frowning.

"I was up until midnight, and I swear there were no fish before that."

Thing is, Mizuki had caught them.

He was sitting a little ways off, head down, lacing his shoes. He didn't say a word. Didn't want to be associated with it.

Shunsei, sitting near the tents, just watched from afar. He knew Mizuki had done it, but he stayed quiet too.

At lunch, the group was livelier.

The exhaustion from the night before had worn off.

Usually, Shunsei and Mizuki were stuck together like glue, but today there was distance. Shunsei sat a little farther away, picking at his food. So Mizuki approach Shunsei first.

"Hey." Mizuki sat beside him.

"Mind if I sit here?"

"Yeah. It's fine." Shunsei said with a nod.

They ate in silence for a bit, until Shunsei spoke up.

"Mizuki... can I ask you something?" He said quietly, still staring at his plate.

"Sure." Mizuki replied, flashing a faint smile.

"The fire... What do you really remember? Be honest this time not like yesterday's answer."

Mizuki stopped chewing. Took a slow breath.

"Same as I said yesterday. It was dark. Hot. Then everything went blank. But..."

He paused like something was tugging at his memory.

"But what?" Shunsei asked.

Mizuki nodded slowly.

"In the memory... I saw something standing next to Mizuki. But... it wasn't human."

He continued.

"I don't know if it hurt him or not. It's just a memory. But creatures like that... they don't usually harm humans. Not directly."

Shunsei jumped in.

"Was it... smiling?"

Mizuki looked at him his expression shifted.

Surprised.

"Yeah. How'd you know?"

Shunsei hesitated.

"I saw something too. Through the window... where Mizuki was trapped. It was standing there. Smiling. And when I blinked, it's gone."

Mizuki went quiet.

"People say things like that are just myths." He said softly.

"But we exist."

"I don't fully understand everything either. But most of us, we're not as dangerous as you think. Humans label us as threats because of... morals."

Shunsei thought about that.

"Is it because you can... enter human bodies? Is that the moral part?"

Mizuki looked up at the sky.

"Yeah. Not all of us can do what I did, though. Usually, you'd just say someone's being haunted."

Shunsei leaned forward.

"Wait... you can see them, right? Am I being followed?"

Mizuki looked him in the eyes and smiled. But didn't answer.

Shunsei squinted, confused...

Then it hit him.

"Oh my god"

Mizuki let out a soft laugh and looked away.

"Relax. I'm not like those. If one's following you, it'd be 24. Even into the bathroom."

Shunsei stayed silent. He turned toward Mizuki, then lowered his gaze. Continuing his lunch.

That night, back at the dorm Shunsei stood outside the room.

Mizuki had just finished changing, towel drying his hair.

"Can we talk?" Shunsei said.

Mizuki paused.

"What's up?"

Shunsei scratched the back of his neck, restless.

"I need you to switch rooms."

Mizuki stepped closer, brows furrowed.

"Why?"

"I'm just... uncomfortable. At camp, you showed me something weird. Your hands... changed. I just need space."

Mizuki lowered his head.

"I'd never hurt you, Shunsei."

"I know. This isn't about that. It's about me. I just... I don't feel okay."

Mizuki stood still for a while.

Then nodded slowly.

"Okay. As long as I can still come by. I'll be the one to switch."

"Just for sleeping. Your stuff can stay. I already talked to Kaito."

Mizuki nodded again. His expression was a bit sulky.

That night, Mizuki swapped rooms with a guy named Kaito. Kaito had asked why to Shunsei.

"We're just having a dumb fight. He'll come back soon." Said Shunsei.

But truthfully, Shunsei wasn't sure if he'd ever be able to sleep in the same room with Mizuki again. Because for the past few nights, the dreams had started. Mizuki would appear, standing still, expressionless, silent, and every time Shunsei reached out, he vanished.

The next day, under a big tree near campus, Shunsei and Mizuki sat together. Notebooks open. Assignments scattered. But neither of them were really focused.

"Back then, whenever Mr. Naoya told a lame joke." Shunsei said, smiling faintly.

"The real Mizuki would laugh like crazy, then later complain it wasn't even funny."

Mizuki stayed quiet for a moment then smile.

"I can try harder to be more like him, if that makes you feel better."

"Don't be too hard on yourself," Shunsei replied quickly. And then instantly regretted it. He knew he was lying. Part of him did want the old Mizuki back. Even if it's the fake Mizuki. But another part, just wanted to respect the version sitting beside him, whatever he was.

A moment later, Mizuki offered him candy. Same brand, same flavor the old Mizuki used to carry around. Shunsei usually refused. He hated the taste.

"C'mon. This is so good. Just try it. You have to like it."

Shunsei smiled gently, staring at it.

"I missed this." He thought.

He took the candy and popped it in his mouth. Mizuki's eyes lit up with excitement.

"Well? How is it?"

"Hmm... Still bad."

Mizuki pouted, turned his face away.

"Tch. You've got weird taste."

Shunsei let out a quiet laugh. He savored the moment. Even though he knew.

This wasn't his Mizuki.

Later that afternoon, while they were walking back to the main building, a young man stood in the corridor. Wearing a sharp campus blazer, posture formal. But his eyes are sharp. Watchful. An agent. Though no one knew his identity.

The moment Mizuki passed him. The agent froze. Breath caught. Goosebumps. The energy was overwhelming.

"No. I've never felt anything like this. The last time I sensed something this strong... it was a Level 4. But this... This shouldn't even be possible."

He stood frozen for a few seconds, shocked.

By the time Mizuki and Shunsei were out of sight, he still hadn't moved. Couldn't even remember Mizuki's face. Like the memory had been erased.

He turned and rushed out of the campus, pulling out a phone with shaking fingers. He dialed a number meant only for high priority emergencies.

"We got something terrifying here."

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