I wrote this story in Japanese, and it was translated into English with the help of AI.
“W-whoa! I’m falling!”
‘You’re not falling, idiot.’
“Oh, right… I guess I’m not. But the ground feels kind of unstable.”
‘That’s because I’m the one keeping you suspended in midair.’
“So… so, this really is the sky? But I can’t see anything below me.”
‘We’re at quite a high altitude. Your eyes wouldn’t be able to see that far down.’
Just as the voice echoed inside my head—whose it was, I still didn’t know—my body suddenly started to fall.
I was facing downward. It was like I was lying face-down toward the ground. The wind was too strong to breathe properly. I couldn’t even speak. This must be what they call freefall, like in skydiving.
I-I might actually die like this. If I fall from this height, my body will be smashed to pieces. N-no, I don’t want that! I don’t want to die!!
Then something strange surged through me. The next moment, I was floating again. Unlike before, my body was still facing down, but I had completely stopped falling.
Just ahead of me, below, was a sea of clouds. Sunlight streamed down onto it, casting a divine glow. The sight was so breathtaking, I found myself momentarily entranced. Even in such a bizarre situation, I guess I’m tougher than I thought.
‘So, you stopped yourself after all.’
Again, that voice echoed directly in my head.
“That was your doing, wasn’t it? Dropping me out of nowhere—that’s just mean! Just take me back home already!”
I didn’t care if this was a dream—I just wanted it to end. If I could wake up, I’d stop slacking off with my studies. I wouldn’t bully anyone, even if I got annoyed. Yeah, I swear I’ll change. So just wake me up!
‘But you already know, don’t you? This isn’t a dream. I didn’t drop you. I merely stopped keeping you afloat. You’re the one who stopped floating.’
“I stopped myself? What are you saying? You mean… I’m floating on my own now?”
‘Exactly. And that’s why you’ll fall again. Because now you’ve become aware that you’re the one keeping yourself afloat.’
“What the—! You—”
Before I could finish, my body began falling again. The wind was even stronger, making it impossible to breathe. As soon as I opened my mouth slightly, it filled with rushing air.
‘Just as I said.’
I couldn’t even argue with the voice in my head.
My body plunged into the clouds. I couldn’t see anything. Dampness clung to me, wrapping around my body.
But it didn’t last long. I passed through the clouds, and suddenly the ground was rapidly approaching. I was still quite high up, but at this speed, it was clear I’d crash into the ground soon.
No, no, I don’t want to die like this!!
‘Wait!’
As the voice rang out, my body suddenly stopped again—this time about 100 meters above the ground. I was upright now, not face-down. The earth lay far below my feet.
“What the hell are you doing to me?! Dropping me, floating me—I’m not your toy!”
‘I only wanted to observe your reaction. It was exactly what I expected… and not quite.’
“Are you insane or something? I don’t get any of this!”
As I finished speaking, my body slowly descended. Then, my feet touched the ground.
There was nothing around me. Not a single blade of grass. Just barren earth stretching endlessly.
“Where… where the hell am I?”
‘You’re on the complete opposite side of where your home was. I may have been a little careless, but this will do.’
I looked around again. There really was nothing. No one. Just me. Still, maybe if I go further, I’ll find someone—or something.
“The opposite side of my house—what the hell does that even mean? You saying I’m on the other side of the planet?”
Grumbling, I started to walk. If the distance is too great, I might not make it. What the hell is going on…?
If this is the other side of Earth, then… somewhere in South America? I remember my teacher in junior high saying that… Uruguay, wasn’t it?
The sun was beginning to set. It would be night soon. I might not make it out of this place before dark.
A sense of unease rose within me.
“That voice… it’s not echoing in my head anymore. Why?”
Trying to shake off the fear, I began talking to myself. This dream… it just won’t end.
Suddenly, a strange sensation swept through me.
“Ah… ah… aaaaaaaaah…”
That feeling made me realize so many things. Things I shouldn’t know. And yet… I did.
I stopped walking, hung my head low, and began to scream.
“No… no!! That can’t be true. There’s no way. It has to be some kind of mistake!”
But deep down, I knew. It wasn’t a mistake. I didn’t know how I could understand it so clearly… but I did. I knew one thing for sure: this was all my doing.
“I… I… I— I destroyed it. I destroyed everything!!”
I kept shaking my head, unable to stop. I didn’t want to feel this. I didn’t want to know.
“That’s right, no, it’s not me. That voice—he did something to me. That’s why I started thinking this was real— that’s why— but… what now? What does it even mean? What’s happening?? What am I supposed to do now???”
“No, no no no no no no! That’s right—Momoka! She wasn’t there. She didn’t get caught in it. She… she wasn’t at home, so—”
My skin crawled. From what? Myself? This whole situation?
“Uwaaaaaaaah!”
I ran. I ran blindly. I didn’t know where to go, what to do. I just knew—I had to get out of here.
“Ugh!!”
There was a giant crack—or maybe it was a hole—in the ground. I fell into it. And finally, I lost consciousness.
To be continued.
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