Chapter 9: Who are you?
When I regained consciousness again, I found myself lying on a bed. It wasn’t like the foldable bed at home or the hospital bed; it resembled some kind of large antique-style bed. If I had been in a hospital after the accident at the family restaurant, I should have been lying in a hospital bed in a hospital room. However, even though I looked around with my blurred vision, I couldn’t see the typical surroundings of a hospital room. Instead, I saw a large room with an old-fashioned Western style, with a canopy bed. It didn’t look like any hospital room I’d ever seen.
In that state of confusion, I still felt like I was seeing something akin to a dream memory, so I decided to go back to sleep. In the moments of half-consciousness, I sometimes caught glimpses of a female figure or small moving objects in my hazy vision. But as I looked up, I could see the canopy of the bed, different from both my home and any hospital room, so I assumed I was still in a state of memory confusion and let my consciousness drift away again.
I drifted in and out of this drowsy state repeatedly, but intense thirst and hunger finally fully awakened me. I sat up abruptly and looked around, but the situation remained the same—I was still in the large, antique-style room with the canopy bed.
As I pondered what was happening, wondering if it was not just a dream or memory confusion, I noticed the side table beside the bed at the edge of my vision. On it, I saw a tray with a glass of water and a cloche covering something.
Suffering from hunger and thirst, I slid off the bed and reached for the glass on the side table, bringing it to my lips. Initially intending just to taste it, I found myself drinking eagerly, gulping down the entire glass. I had never found plain lukewarm water so delicious before; it seemed to quench my thirst like never before.
Next, hoping to satisfy my hunger, I removed the cloche and checked the contents. Inside was something like chilled porridge. I picked up the spoon and immediately began eating the porridge. As I tasted it, I realized it wasn’t made from rice, and the water wasn’t just plain water—it had some kind of broth. I voraciously devoured the porridge.
After finishing the porridge, I settled back onto the bed. Having forgotten myself in my hunger and thirst, now that they were satisfied, I calmed down and observed my situation.
My vision was clear, not hazy like in a dream, and I could hear the rustle of trees swaying in the wind outside. I could also discern the taste and aroma of the porridge broth. I felt the softness of the bed I was lying on. In other words, all my senses were functioning clearly.
As I raised my arms and looked at them, I realized something strange. If I remembered correctly from the incident at the family restaurant, I should have cuts from broken glass and burns from the explosion. But there were no such wounds on my arms. Moreover, I had been injured before the summer vacation, and my arms, which had been sunburned while wearing short sleeves, were now pale and thin, lacking any color. This situation left me bewildered once again. Had I slept for such a long time that my sunburn had faded to paleness and my cuts and burns had completely healed and disappeared?
However, if I had been in a coma for such a long time, I would likely have been connected to life support devices, but there were none. Still, my arms seemed thinner… no, they seemed to have shrunk?
To confirm my situation, I slid off the bed and stood on the floor with both feet. Indeed, my field of vision was lower. It was about a head lower than usual. Looking down, I could see my bare feet peeking out from the hem of my nightgown. My feet hadn’t been amputated.
I glanced around the room and noticed a full-length mirror in one corner. I hurried over to it to check my appearance. Standing in front of the mirror, I stopped and took slow steps toward it, examining myself with each step.
And as I looked at my reflection, I gasped in shock.
‘It’s not me!’
The image in the mirror was of a body resembling that of a middle schooler, about three years younger than my 17-year-old high school self. While the hair was the same long black hair, the facial features were not quite Japanese but more similar to those of someone from a Western background. And most strikingly different were the ruby-red eyes, like jewels embedded in the face.
No matter how much I blinked, opened my mouth, or moved my hands, the reflection in the mirror mimicked my actions perfectly. There was no doubt, this was my current appearance. I couldn’t understand why my appearance had changed like this. In my confusion, a voice came from behind me.
“Thank goodness, you’ve regained consciousness.”
The voice belonged to a little girl. I turned to the source of the voice and saw a faintly glowing object floating in the air. It took me a moment to recognize the object.
It had wings flapping like a dragonfly, larger than a small bird but smaller than a large one. Its body was shaped like that of a person, draped in leaves with green hair. I couldn’t immediately grasp the fact that such a being existed.
In the real world, I would have screamed immediately, but in my bewildered state, I was frozen in shock, unable to utter a word.
“I was so surprised when you used my branch to hang yourself. I can’t move my physical body, so I jumped into your mind as a spirit and managed to stop the hanging somehow…”
As I stood there in disbelief, the being continued to speak, revealing something even more astonishing.
It’s true that I remember feeling suffocated after everything went white in the family restaurant, and I recall the experience of untying the noose around my neck. But I had always thought of that as part of a near-death experience. I also remember something entering my mind during that near-death experience.
Being in a place I didn’t recognize, having a different appearance, attempting to hang myself, and now facing what looked like a fairy straight out of a storybook – all of it left me utterly bewildered. I couldn’t make sense of any of it.
“You still seem quite confused. It might be best to rest and calm down.”
The fairy-like being suggested, showing concern. Based on its actions and considerate words, it seemed to be a friendly presence. I decided to follow its advice and headed back to the bed to rest.
“Ah, it seems someone’s here… I better hide.”
The fairy said, then flew towards the window. I thought it might crash into the glass, but it passed right through, disappearing outside.
At the same time, I heard the door creak open. I turned to see a plump middle-aged woman in maid attire entering the room. When her gaze fell upon me standing in the center of the room, her eyes widened.
“R-Rachel-ojousama!!”
