Chapter 1: Prologue

Deep underwater, where no light could reach me, static noises clouded my mind. As pockets of air bubbles left my mouth, flooding my lungs, a sharp burning pain from my chest made me wake up gasping for air.

"KUAAaahhh!.... Haah... Haah... Huh...?" Gripping the hem of my blanket tightly as beads of sweat start to fall from my face.

I looked around my surroundings, but, realizing I was in my usual messy, dimly-lit room, then I gently release it from my grip.

[What was that...] Sitting on my bed, perplexed, with my hand on my chest, As I could still feel the lingering pain with my breaths.

Putting back my hand down, I calmly relaxed my breathing but whenever I tried to think about it, it caused a migraine, not helping me find any answers.

"..."

Placing my bet not to worry about it anymore. I was about to go back to sleep, but the morning alarm from my phone made me change my mind.

????????????????????????——

"Tch..." Slightly irritated, I swiped my fingers to the right to turn it off whilst taking a glance at the date, which is July 1, 102.

Realizing it's a weekday, I unwillingly decided to prepare breakfast.

...

Going downstairs, yawning out the remaining drowsiness, I entered the kitchen and opened a can of Cornbeef from the kitchen drawer.

[... We might need to do some groceries later...] I thought to myself as seeing the vacant space inside the drawer.

With an additional chore for today, I lazily list some things we might need to buy as I placed the Cornbeef inside the rice cooker with 2 cups of tap water.

Making sure the rice cooker is plugged in, I closed the lid and pressed the cook button.

"That should do it... But the rice... Hmm... Microwaving it will do the trick..."

While waiting for the Cornbeef to cook, I opened our fridge and grabbed some leftover rice and butter. I smelled the rice and taste tested it first before mixing it with butter and putting it inside the microwave.

As I was preparing to make 'buttered rice', I heard footsteps from the staircase. It didn't take long as he appeared by the kitchen entrance.

"Yo, Masako... What's for breakfast?" He asked in tired deep husky voice. The person who asked was my roommate and my childhood friend.

The reason he was here was due to special circumstances. He just moved in last week since 'it' happened. However, I was truly grateful for his company when I needed it the most.

Without looking back, I took out the 'breakfast' from the rice cooker and seeing my dish, he gave a dry laugh as he knew what the taste will be as we just had this yesterday.

I know I'm a terrible cook so I wanted to play it safe with the rice cooker and microwave. Well, not like he's much any better.

[I could still remember the taste of coal...] The image of him almost burning the house came into mind.

Ding*

Hearing the microwave, I placed our breakfast on the table. Sitting in front of him, I could clearly see his reluctant expression as he took a spoonful of microwaved buttered rice with Cornbeef.

...

After a few bites he dips out and starts washing the dishes.

"Let's... order take-out next time..."

"Come on! It's not that bad!" I took a spoonful to taste it.

"I bet you put the whole bar of butter in that rice..."

"Hrmph—" As he mentioned it, I definitely taste the grease from my mouth.

[I shouldn't have put two bars...]

...

You are reading story Masako’s Life In An Abandoned World at novel35.com

With our breakfast out of the way, we both prepared to leave for school.

Being in college and soon to be working adults, I thought to myself about improving my household skills.

[Well, I don't want to drag him down, and it's best that I should forget about those memories so I could finally move forward.]

With the scent of dried grass and the gentle breeze under the warm morning sun. It had been so long since I went outside.

[I guess I should thank him for last night.] I unconsciously smiled which made him snicker.

"Heh."

"What?"

"Nothing. It's just I remember those old times we used to hang out together."

"What do you mean by that?"

"You really looked like a cute girl~"

"Hah?! Do you know how weird it is hearing you call me that!" I started punching him but with my nonexistent strength which really didn't do much.

"Calm down! I'm just messing with you bro! Haha~" He dodged some of my hits and ran ahead which made me chase after him.

"Oi!"

We ran and stopped by a pedestrian lane waiting for the light turn green. He didn't break a sweat but for me I was wheezing and gasping for air.

"Man~ Jogging from time to time isn't bad right~"

"Haah... Haahh... You sh*t!"

"Don't be like that~ I'll treat you lunch today. So let's hangout like we used to. It's been a long time, hasn't it? "

"Urgh fine..." Even though I complain about his teasing, I'm glad that we're going back to what we've used to.

After catching my breath, I drank a bottle of water from my school bag. As my friend was leaning from the telephone pole fiddling with his phone, the timer from the stop light was counting down from ten.

I called out to him after finishing the bottle and picked up our bags as the light turned green.

"So what's our first subject this morning?"

"For being top of the class you're pretty forgetful. Anyways, I think it was Biolog-"

Before I could finish my sentence, the timer reached to zero. ☼︎e♎︎︎ ◻︎ar⧫︎i♍︎︎l♏︎︎⬧︎︎ splashed to my face, unknowing what they were, I touched my cheeks resulting my fingers to be smeared in ♌︎l□︎o♎︎ . As my vision blurs over the road, a ♍︎ri❍︎s□︎n ❒︎♏︎d ⬧︎tr♏︎♋︎k streching to the corner of my eyes led me to see his ❍︎♋︎n♑︎le♎︎ ♌︎o♎︎y.

"M□︎◆︎z♏︎i..."

????︎♒︎◆︎■︎????⬧︎ □︎♐︎ ♐︎●︎♏︎⬧︎♒︎ ⬧︎♍︎♋︎⧫︎⧫︎♏︎❒︎♏︎♎︎????︎ ????︎●︎□︎□︎♎︎ ⬧︎⧫︎♋︎♓︎■︎⬧︎ ♏︎❖︎♏︎❒︎⍓︎⬥︎♒︎♏︎❒︎♏︎????︎ ✋︎ ♎︎□︎■︎????︎⧫︎ ????■︎□︎⬥︎ ⬥︎♒︎♋︎⧫︎ ⬥︎♋︎⬧︎ ♒︎♋︎◻︎◻︎♏︎■︎♓︎■︎♑︎ ♋︎■︎⍓︎❍︎□︎❒︎♏︎????︎ ✋︎■︎ ❍︎⍓︎ ♒︎♏︎♋︎♎︎ ♋︎ ❖︎□︎♓︎♍︎♏︎ ????♏︎◻︎⧫︎ ⬧︎♋︎⍓︎♓︎■︎♑︎ ????︎☜︎❒︎❒︎□︎❒︎✏︎????︎ ♋︎■︎♎︎ ♌︎♏︎♑︎♋︎■︎ ♍︎♋︎◆︎⬧︎♓︎■︎♑︎ ♏︎⌧︎♍︎❒︎◆︎♍︎♓︎♋︎⧫︎♓︎■︎♑︎ ◻︎♋︎♓︎■︎ ⧫︎♒︎♋︎⧫︎ ♎︎♓︎⬧︎⧫︎□︎❒︎⧫︎♏︎♎︎ ❍︎⍓︎ ❖︎♏︎❒︎⍓︎ ♌︎♏︎♓︎■︎♑︎????︎

✋︎ ♍︎♋︎❍︎♏︎ ❒︎◆︎■︎■︎♓︎■︎♑︎ ♋︎⧫︎ ♒︎♓︎❍︎ ⬥︎♓︎⧫︎♒︎ ⧫︎♏︎♋︎❒︎⬧︎ ♓︎■︎ ❍︎⍓︎ ♏︎⍓︎♏︎⬧︎????︎ ⬧︎♍︎❒︎♏︎♋︎❍︎♓︎■︎♑︎ □︎◆︎⧫︎ ♒︎♓︎⬧︎ ■︎♋︎❍︎♏︎ ♏︎❖︎♏︎■︎ ????■︎□︎⬥︎♓︎■︎♑︎ ♒︎♏︎????︎●︎●︎ ■︎♏︎❖︎♏︎❒︎ ❒︎♏︎⬧︎◻︎□︎■︎♎︎ ♋︎⬧︎ ♒︎♓︎⬧︎ ●︎♓︎♐︎♏︎●︎♏︎⬧︎⬧︎ ♌︎□︎♎︎⍓︎ ⬥︎♋︎⬧︎ ❍︎♋︎■︎♑︎●︎♏︎♎︎ ♋︎♍︎❒︎□︎⬧︎⬧︎ ⧫︎♒︎♏︎ ⬧︎♓︎♎︎♏︎⬥︎♋︎●︎????????︎ ????︎♏︎♐︎□︎❒︎♏︎ ✋︎ ♍︎□︎◆︎●︎♎︎ ⧫︎♒︎♓︎■︎???? ♋︎■︎⍓︎❍︎□︎❒︎♏︎????︎

[MAJOR MEMORY CORRUPTION DETECTED!]

[AUTO-CORRECTING EVENTS BEFORE UPLOADING...]

"Hurk—" I knelt down to the ground feeling nauseated.

In the distance I heard a worried voice coming near me.

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