THE 7TH

After a sharp and unbearable pain that struck my whole body, a sense of ease immediately came after. It felt as if I was immersed in a cold swamp stark naked.

As I tried to open my eyes out from the abrupt light that totally blinded my vision, I rubbed my whole face as if I was waking up in the morning. I was unreasonably optimistic enough to expect, at least, to find myself in the infirmary. Of course, some traces of pain was still fresh in my joints. So I had my hopes all high that I'd see a hot nurse attending me. However, I was busted flatly. When I gaped my weary eyes, I was neither in a room, nor somewhere I was familiar with. All I saw was darkness. It seemed like I was in a very deep cleft or pit that I couldn't gauge its extent. Oh, for a better picture, it came out like the scary "outer space" that I had always imagined while reading a few science magazines I had at home. I saw some shimmering dots like stars, and…

"What!? I-I'm floating…!?" I yelped in surprise as I looked beneath. I saw nothing else but the same outer-space-like view. "Where am I!?"

"…Mm…that hurts like heck!"

"Shiba…? You too!? What the heck really is happening to us?"

When I turned my back, I saw Shiba floating as well. He still wasn't conscious through and through so I tried to shake him up a little.

"Brother? What is happening…? Oh, yeah, the explosion. Are we dead? Sure we are. Non one would be able to withstand that explosion."

"That's what I'm thinking. I don't know what's going on, as well, but I think that's the case…"

"Brother, I think the portmanteau that we carried was a high-level explosive. And knowing from the fact itself that it was not caught in the checkpoints before boarding at the plane, then it must have been a newly invented one. Plus, I don't think I've known a bomb to be that advance…"

"Shiba, if you don't recognize the type, then it must not be from the underworld, right? We're all aware of all types circulating in the five organizations after all… In short…"

"Yeah, it's something exclusive to the government. The government must have wanted to eradicate us both…"

Everything dawned to us now that it was actually us who the government wanted to liquidate in the first place. This hypothesis was coupled by the fact that, upon Shiba's past knowledge, he had never heard of an organization called "The Hawks" before. The government of Japan warned the MAFIA, but not this one. Even Shinzo had been skeptical all along

"In other words, they succeeded in eliminating us, huh? Shiba, it seems that even in death, we are still companions… Howe relentless of you."

"Y-Yeah. If this darkness really is death, then I'm more worried about father.

Who would…"

"Don't worry, even in the next twenty years, father's medical expenses are already good as paid. After all, I've put all of my income in his account. He should be good, at least financially."

"Well, that's some positive news. Due to the tight surveillance from the organization in monetary transactions, I haven't thus far contributed in the treatment expenses. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it. What's done is done. I'm more worried about the passengers of that plane. Akutagawa-san… in the end, I'm still a coward. I haven't appeased your heart. I thought it was a perfect opportunity. I messed up!"

"Yeah, you two saw each other again… Too bad, Brother, you died not having able to make up with her…"

The two of us continued to talk more about other things…

... ...

As we calmed ourselves from the addling scenery that we caught on, a clear, AI-like, and majestic voice of a man suddenly ringed into our ears out of nowhere.

"I-I can't believe it…" Shiba mumbled silently. His yakuza-like behavior disappeared for a moment. "This is it. There's nothing we can do, right? We really messed up and died…"

"Seems like it…"

I acted calm and tried to absorb the words of the one claiming to be a "spokesman," but, in reality, I bore quite a myriad of emotions in my chest. I did not know what to retort on this obvious yet still shocking confirmation.

"Wait, how about the other passengers in the plane? Did they die as well…?" I tried to ask about the others special on her. "What of them…?"

"Yeah. Is it right to believe that no one survived?"

"What the heck is wrong with this moronic voice!?"

"Calm down, Shiba. Let us hear more what it has to say…"

"Y-Yes."

"Anyway, why are you a tad melancholic? We're dead anyway. Everything's be fine… I think we should focus of what'd be happening from now on…"

"…???…"

"H-Huh????"

"Wait, wait, wait! Hang on a second! Mr. Spokesman, you mean, we can go to another world??" Shiba became interested in this "reincarnation" thing. That was only natural. As far as I could remember, he was once a geek on novels in that genre. Maybe this could be a dream come true to him…

"Civilization…?"

"Please feed us further with more information…"

"Talking about souls, does that mean that we mightn't be humans by the time we go there???"

"Brother, this is getting absurd." I thought he liked it, but Shiba's temper seemed to be nearing its limit. "This is not even hilarious… This only exists in the turf of fiction and nowhere else! What the heck is happening here!?"

"Shiba, it's all good for me… We studied a lot when we were still there, maybe we could give ourselves a shot, couldn't we? Let's do it…"

"Jeez! Well, if it's a request from you, I think I'd just cooperate, then."