Chapter 200: Bonus Chapter~
I was soaking up the warm sun rays, while also sensing the slight breeze moving my now gray hair, feeling quite at peace with myself, that was until this old grunt beside me decided to start reminiscing about the old days of our youth that were already long gone. It didn't strike my nerve however until he started to repeat his words, not only pitying me but also himself once again.
"I bet you would be so much happier if he was still watching over you."
"Takashi! Geez, we've been over this already, it's been thirty years since his death. Do you truly believe I would be weeping in sorrow for such a long time?"
"It's been that long already? Time sure flies us by... you sure you want to keep spending time with someone as old as me?" I rolled my eyes, it wasn't the first time he asked me this.
"Your old ass is only two years older than me."
"That would make you one hundredth four years old... you look way younger, nonetheless." He seemed surprised like this was the first time he heard this particular piece of news. At least his old bones still remembered his own age.
"Also if you recall I was living with Taiju up until recently before he also went and kicked the bucket." Takashi looked like he had no recollection of this at all.
"He moved in with me and refused to leave when Keisuke died... Don't tell me you're planning on dying soon... You keep forgetting things, and I'm seriously worried over here that I will be forced to show up to another funeral... I attended way too many over those past four decades. And I hate people questioning me about why I'm not crying. I may just start to smack other attendees with my cane."
"The same one that has a blade hidden inside?"
"No comment."
"Right won't you be able to retain your memories once you die... and will go back to your previous life? That's kind of sad in a way. You will remember all those people that you watched dying and perhaps will never get the chance to see them again." So what kind of conditions did he need to meet to recall this peculiar knowledge? But this was a good way to sour the mood even further.
"I do not wish to perceive it this way... such perspective is just ought to give you something to latch onto and be depressed about. I will just keep the good, beautiful, and happy memories in my heart that I made in this world. Because life moves on, I will simply make new friends along the way... sure I may feel sad for the first couple of weeks after returning, but I will stay strong." Takashi nodded and returned his gaze to the scenery we were enjoying previously.
"Anyway... I wish to die like a few seconds after you because I don't want to attend another sappy event. Someone ought to invite me to a wedding, I deserve to have some fun... I actually instructed my family to dance and sing at my funeral... I wanted to threaten them a little, but I'm aware I won't be able to hunt them in my ghost form if they refuse to comply." I mentioned sadly, Takashi just laughed at my silliness.
"Yeah I have nothing to worry about, you will always stay the same cheerful self no matter the circumstances." And after starting such heavy topics he decided to take a nap, and out of nowhere, he just passed out in mere seconds.
This very night I was pondering about what Takashi said to me and so I went to bed with a heavy heart. But when I woke up something didn't feel right. I was sitting in front of a computer screen when a pop-up window informed me.
"Mission accomplished! Thank you for participating." I looked around and then gazed down to take a quick peek at my hands. They were so smooth, with no wrinkles in sight.
"Wait I really came back?" I ran to the toilet and on my way there I quickly recognized the old apartment that I haven't seen for decades.
"Yes, it's certainly my old face that I'm seeing." But the shock suddenly turned into overwhelming sadness.
"Does it mean I'm dead?" Right on the day when I discussed it with Takashi? I curled up into a ball on the bathroom's tiled floor.
"Shit," I muttered under my breath realizing something crucial. The way i coped with people's deaths so far was by looking at the old trinkets that I received from them and gazing at the old photos, but now all of those items were gone. This also came so suddenly that I had no time to say goodbye to my remaining family. I just felt like crying. So I just sat on the cold floor letting it all out. After what felt like hours I finally stood up, washed my face, and concluded to go outside.
My initial plan was to head over to the grocery store and maybe buy some delicious snacks, but once I smelled some fresh coffee on my way there I decided to venture into the cafe and purchase a cup for myself. I only arrived here and I already found an obstacle, since you could only pay with a card, I couldn't for the love of me remember my pin.
"Thank god for the chip I can use for small purchases," I muttered to myself, realizing this was something I had to tackle first once returning back home. Once my order was made I took my hot beverage off the counter and went to take a seat. I took a few sips and looked around, that's when I noticed the most bizarre sight. This Asian guy dressed in a whole suit entered this simple establishment, not only was he wearing some high-end luxury accessories but he was carrying around a whole ass bouquet of flowers. He looked totally out of place.
I decided to not pay him any attention that was until I heard him mutter something in fluent Japanese. Sure seeing Asians in this country wasn't unheard of, but they usually didn't live in this part of the city. I rose my brow questioning whether the universe was playing a sick prank on me, considering I ventured outside to forget about everything and that's what I have to deal with? I sighed deeply and glanced in his direction, it seemed like he was searching for someone in this huge crowd. I took a few more sips, but then he happened to go past my table and dropped something on the way.
Rather than yelling out to catch his attention, I crouched down to pick up the item in question, but the manga book I held onto nearly slipped thru my fingers when I realized it had to be Tokyo Revengers of all the things.
"Are you serious?" I muttered under my breath but quickly realized how the guy was now squatting beside me, so I quickly handed it back to him. But once I gazed into his eyes a weird thought struck me, that I knew this guy. For some strange reason.
"Here you go." Without even thinking I spoke to him in fluent Japanese only to have my hand caught by him in the progress. What was even happening at this point?
"Michi?!" He yelled out as my mouth dropped to the ground. Who was this guy and how did he know my name from the previous world? It must have been someone I knew, right? But without even thinking the first name that arrived in my mind was.
"Tetta?" The guy in front of me looked even more stunned than I was, he put a hand on his face, while laughing to himself in astonishment.
"I can't believe you, it only took you only one glance to recognize me, while I was going around here mulling over in agony wondering who of those people in here could be you." Wait it was him? How? Why? What?
"What, surprised to see me? I thought you were serious when you said to try my luck in another lifetime, so here I am."
"Ehhhh?!"
"I said those words like ninety years ago... frankly I'm surprised I still remember telling you this."
"Ninety?!" He asked shocked.
"Oh, right you died at like seventy-something."
"Baji that guy was living this long as well? I thought he wouldn't make it for much longer considering how reckless he was."
"Oh no, I been a widow for thirty years now, he died nearly right after you... by trying to save a kitten that was stuck on a roof of a building... I warned his ass that it was slippery because it took place right after a hurricane passed our area, but he didn't listen. He saved the kitten but not himself."
"So you been single for whole thirty years?" Tetta asked but I shook my head.
"As soon my husband died, Taiju knocked on my door, telling me how all the other pests were gone so no one could come in between us at this age."
"But wasn't that guy also married?" Tetta wondered, yeah that was true.
"Oh his wife died as well... so... yeah."
"And you let him do that, with this kind of attitude?"
"I mean his temper did mellow down with age and he lived relatively long, so I had no complaints... I would have a problem however if he dared to leave me earlier than he did."
"I see... though I didn't come here just for gossip." He reached for something inside his pocket. I looked at him confused until he pulled out a box where he revealed a freaking ring inside.
"What the hell are you thinking?" I whispered in anger, astonished by his actions. We just met after thirty years and the first thing he tries to pull is a freaking proposal?
"Do you think I waited for one lifetime and twenty-seven years for only casual dating?" He rose his brow, I mean he did have somewhat of a point.
"But in here, are you serious?" I whispered trying to not gather the attention of other customers.
"I knew there was a possibility of you saying no, so I calculatingly attained a bargaining chip that could change your mind." He pulled out a cat carrier that I haven't noticed before. Inside was a small orange kitten, looking at me with suspicious yet clear eyes.
"Cupid?" I asked and it seemed to be responding to the name.
"Are you for real, how is any of this possible." However then I recalled something that occurred before this guy's death, so many weird scenarios were happening around Tetta at the time. It was clear as day he was doing missions from the systems, but he himself seemed to be blaming it on memory loss. This guy fooled us all with his acting, I couldn't believe it.
"You got the system?" I asked as he nodded his head.
"You're a clever little thing... since my young days I made a pact with it, the deal was simple if I give up for the time being it would grant me an opportunity to meet you in your previous life. So we could be alone just the two of us."
"Wait wait wait, you played nice all this time because the system promised you this?" I asked as he nodded his head.
"At first yes, but with time I realized that if I didn't change my ways you probably wouldn't want to date me anyway. Actually, I forgot about the deal until a doctor told me I had at best one year to live and that's when the system approached me again." And I thought we were suddenly creeping into a weird territory.
Despite his words, I found this encounter fascinating, so much so that I could feel my mouth lifting up creating somehow an odd smile, I had this huge urge to tease him. His demeanor quickly changed, however.
"Nevermind, I forgot what kind of creature you truly were, I must have been blinded by love, goodbye." He tried to freaking leave me so I grabbed his arm.
"Oh come on, since you already dipped your toes in this, it's better to see the end of it aren't I right?" I snatched the ring from him. I examined the jewelry carefully.
"So why is the stone yellow?" I questioned.
"I remembered how you told me to give you a stone that reminded you of my eye color. I thought gray would be too boring however so I decided to buy a stone that resembled your eyes instead... later I realized how this wouldn't probably be the case in this lifetime... but I thought it could represent our previous life and the secret within. Something only the two of us would be aware of ." I hit his shoulder playfully.
"And when did you become such a romantic."
"Is your answer yes then?"
"I mean, let's just give it a go, there is nothing to lose." He suddenly let out a sigh.
"Ohh~ were you so nervous when coming here?" He just sat down, pushed the flowers toward me, and drank my whole cup of coffee.
"Hey! I was drinking that!"
"That's what you get for trying to tease me." I pouted, but then I grabbed his arm.
"Does it mean you were already prepared to go to the next stage, like getting introduced to my parents?" He looked at me in horror.
"Do I have to?"
"I mean you were the one that started this, so you should proceed with the next steps as well."
"What if they don't like me?" I just shrugged my shoulders.
"Then they don't." Our relationship wasn't so good regardless, so I just saw it as a courtesy.
"Oh yeah sorry for assuming you would care about other people's opinions."
"Smart cookie, let's go then."
"Go where?" He asked me surprised.
"To my house, so I can tease the living life out of you."
"Maybe it was a mistake to come here."
"You want to say it again?" I glared in his direction letting him know there was still room for me to tell him no and send him his merry way.
"I said nothing." And I dragged my next victim or new fiance to my domain.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Swagnim
Swagnim Thank you for reaching this far ヽ(o＾▽＾o)ノ
If you are intrested to see more of Michi, not only do I plan to someday write an original story for her next shanenigans, but I'm also trying to make this story into a webtoon :D
Which I'm posting on the Webtoon webside, you can find it by typing " Would You Rather?! " or my account name " Swagnim "
Don't forget to follow me on instagram to check out my future drawings @swagnimart
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