[Age 11]

"Wow, Pets I love your haircut!" Jiro exclaimed in amazement. Butler Sun had cut Pets' hair into a cute pixie cut. "It really suits you," he added with a smile.
Pets looked at her reflection in the mirror and admired her new look with a satisfied smile, "You think so?" she asked and Jiro nodded. "Thanks," she smiled.

Butler Sun looked down at Pets talking to her imaginary friend. It had been 6 years now and Butler Sun knew that Pets had a hard time differentiating between imagination and reality when it came to Jiro. Pets still didn't have many friends and because of her sole dependence on Jiro, she lacked social skills that would have allowed her to mingle with other kids. He was afraid that Pets would grow up alone with no real interaction with other kids but that worry lessened when Sam came into the picture. Sam Lin became Pets' other friend who was just as close to her as Jiro was but it was still worrying that Jiro was more alive in her heart than ever. The Tseng Household thought Jiro would become a thing of the past for Pets by this age (as it was normal for kids to stop having imaginary friends by that age) but when that didn't happen in Pets' case it became quite troubling. They did try to get Pets to mix with other kids and make new friends but those friendships were fragile and were broken within a couple of days because Pets would end up turning to Jiro. Despite this, the Tseng Household could only quietly accept the guardian star that Jiro was around Pets and be happy for her.

Pets looked at Jiro through the mirror and noticed that his hair had gotten longer and was draping over his shoulders. Upon seeing this, she burst out into giggles, causing Butler Sun and Jiro's attention to turn to her. "What's wrong, Young Miss?" Butler Sun inquired.
"I think Jiro needs a haircut," she laughed, "he looks like a mop!" she continued to laugh, pointing at her best friend.
Jiro then looked at his reflection, "I like my hair!" he defended before Pets got up and pushed him down into her chair.
"Butler Sun, can you give Jiro a haircut too?" the young girl asked and the older man stared at her in slight confusion before smiling at her.
He picked up his pair of scissors and nodded, "Of course. Jiro, where are you?" he called out, causing Pets to giggle. "What is it?"
"Jiro's in the chair," Pets told him with a smile.

Butler Sun nodded with a small "Oh," before proceeding to use the scissors randomly in mid air - he didn't know where Jiro was; for all he knew, he could have been stabbing the child in the eyes with the scissors but there was no way for him to know. In his mind he just shrugged at this thought, 'Oh well.'

...

That evening, Pets and Jiro ran into Sam's living room that was decorated in blue and green balloons, screaming and laughing. "Happy Birthday Sam!" they both exclaimed, pulling out party poppers and showering the boy in colourful strings. Sam quickly crouched down to avoid being covered in all the streamers and confetti. He smiled when he stood back up.

"Happy Birthday, Sam!" Pets beamed, holding out a blue box that was secured with silver ribbon.
"Wow, thanks Pets!" he grinned, quickly tearing open the lid. His eyes sparkled when he saw what was inside, "The KO One Limited Edition playing cards!" he exclaimed, immediately pulling them out to have a closer look. "Thanks so much!" he smiled at her as they hugged briefly.
"Wait, I have a present too," Jiro spoke up.
Pets turned to him, "Oh yeah! Should I give it to him now?" she asked and Jiro nodded.
"I wonder what you got me, Jiro," Sam replied with a smile.

it appears that Sam could see Jiro too. "After being around him for so long, I can see him too now," he had said a few years back which not only made the three of them closer, but also made Pets forget even more that Jiro was not a real person.

Pets reached into her dark blue jacket and pulled out a small white box and handed it to Sam. "I hope you like it," Jiro hoped with a small smile. Sam gladly took the small box but he was more focused on Pets' jacket. "You're still wearing Jiro's jacket?" he asked blankly, "You've grown out of it already."
Pets looked down at the jacket and pouted, "No I haven't! It still fits me!" she replied.
"I think it's time to throw it out," Sam muttered in response, almost coldly.
"I'm going to keep it forever," Pets told him, "It's my most precious item," she added with a smile.
Sam scoffed, "You say it like you're in love with him."
"Really?" Pets inquired with a curious expression, "It's just important to me because Jiro's my best friend."

"Okay, whatever," Jiro interrupted with a grin, "Sam, open my present already!"
"Jiro's right," said Pets, "Hurry and see what he got you."
Sam nodded and then lifted the lid of the small box to see a shiny marble inside. Inside were several different coloured stones which created a rainbow when light passed through the glass. Sam picked up the small but beautiful gem like marble and inspected it with eyes glittering with fascination. "Since you love Zhong Wan Jun so much, I thought you'd look cool with it," Jiro explained, standing next to him.
Sam looked up and held it up in the light, "It really is cool," he told them as he slipped the marble into his pocket, "Thanks a lot, Jiro."

Suddenly the doorbell rang and Sam's mother's voice could be heard from the hallway. "Sam, your classmates are here!" she called out and Sam excitedly ran over to greet them, leaving Pets and Jiro alone.

"We won't get to spend much time with him tonight now," Pets muttered, sadly.
Jiro huffed and crossed his arms over his chest, "Why did he have to invite Sunnie and the rest of the class over? We're not even friends with them!" he grumbled in annoyance.
Pets released a sigh, "We aren't but Sam is," she pointed out, "It's his birthday party as well so he gets to choose who he invites."
"But his choice was so inconsiderate towards us," retorted Jiro, "Like come on, Sunnie Huang? Really? The bully?" he exclaimed in frustration.
"Ssh," Pets hissed as the other kids in their class rushed into the room, including Sunnie as her friends: Windie, Cloudie and Rainie.

Sunnie scrunched up her face in disgust upon seeing Pets, "Urgh, I can't believe Sam invited the animal," she spat before softening her face into a bright grin when Sam walked in. She hurried over to him and handed him a golden box, "Sammy, I got you a gold watch from the most expensive brand in the world!" she gushed, "Happy Birthday!"
Sam's face lit up in amazement, "Woah! That's so amazing!" he exclaimed, “You didn’t have to, Sunnie.”

“I wanted to, we’re friends!” Sunnie answered.

Pets looked away and at the box of cards she had gotten her friend that rested on the table. "My gift is so lame," she muttered.
"No it's not," Jiro denied, "Sam loves KO One and he was so excited when the cards first came out - how could your gift be lame?"
Sighing, Pets looked back at Sunnie, "I have money. I should have bought something more expensive," she continued making Jiro frown.
He then smiled warmly at her and held her hand, "It's the thought that counts," he said, "Money is worthless when it comes to family and friends."
Pets just showed him a small smile.

A while later, Sam's mother took all the kids out to their garden where they were going to have a barbecue and later have some fireworks when it got darker.

"Wow!" Pets exclaimed as she ate the pieces of meat on the stick, "Sam, it's so good!"
Sam smiled, "Who doesn't enjoy a barbecue?" he asked as he sat with her.
Pets laughed as she turned to look at Jiro who was fiddling around with the stick. She watched him poke his finger at the pieces and sniff it curiously like a dog. "I don't think Jiro does," she commented with a giggle. Upon hearing his name, Jiro turned to look at them both and then grinned sheepishly, "Here Pets, you have mine," he told her, passing her his food.
Pets shook her head, "No, you have it Jiro! It's your first time, right? You have to try it!" she urged.
Jiro bit his lip and stared at it, "I don't want to."
"Try it, Jiro! You might not get another chance," Sam encouraged.
Jiro squirmed, causing Pets to giggle. "I don't like it, it looks weird!" he retorted.
"Jiro, you're so picky!" she exclaimed.
"Right?" Sam agreed with a smile, "Stop being a baby."
 

Sam then turned his gaze to Pets who was giggling with Jiro. He watched her shove the barbecued food into his mouth and watched her almost knock him over. Sam listened to her laugh and looked at her eyes that didn't turn to him even once. A soft sigh escaped his lips and he turned his head away. His attention was averted when a firework burst into the sky, showering all the kids in colourful lights. The sky was illuminated with vibrant colours which fascinated them. The three friends then lay down on the grass to have a better view.

"Wow, it's so beautiful," Pets murmured with her eyes glued onto the night sky.
"It's so cool," Jiro replied, "It's like a massive abstract painting and the sky is the canvas."
Sam looked up at the sky again and listened to the screeching of the fireworks as they tore through the air before exploding. For some reason, he wasn't really interested in them.

"Sam, your mum always sets up a fireworks display when it's your birthday but I never get bored of them," Pets laughed.
"Then we'll do fireworks for your birthday too," Sam responded with his eyes still on the fireworks. His lips were curving into a small smile.
"And Jiro's too!" the girl added, eagerly.
Instantly, Sam's smile fell flat. "Does Jiro even have a birthday?" he spat in a low voice.
"Of course I do," Jiro replied, turning around so that he was facing Pets and Sam, "And I think doing fireworks on the three of our birthdays is a great idea! It can be our tradition!"

Pets gasped and immediately sat up. "We've always celebrated our birthdays together on my birthday! Why did you not tell me about your real birthday?!"
Jiro shrugged and smiled, "I forgot?"
"Then when's your birthday?" Sam grumbled quietly.
"August 24th," Jiro replied as he remained lying down.
"You're the same age as us, right?" Pets inquired which caused a chuckle to leave Jiro's mouth.
"I'm two years older than you," he answered her.
"What?!" Pets exclaimed in disbelief, "You never told me that!"
Again, Jiro shrugged.
"I forgot?" Jiro suggested with a cheeky smile.
"I wonder what else he didn't tell us," Sam spoke.
Pets began to ponder. "You're right," she said to Sam, "There's so much we don't know!"

Jiro yawned but kept on smiling, "What do you want to know then, Young Miss?"
"What was your life like before we met?" she asked, curiously.
Jiro fell silent and then sat up quietly. "Aren't I just a figment of your imagination?" he muttered, "I don't think I existed before you created me."
"But you gave me your jacket and you helped your friend when he fell off the monkey bars!" she retorted, "You did exist before we became friends!"
Jiro just smiled over a faint bitter laugh, "I'm just an imagination based off of that boy. I'm not really him, Pets."
"But you're more than just an imagination," Pets denied, feeling upset all of a sudden. "You're your own person! Imagining all of that by myself takes extreme effort, but you're just here naturally! And if Sam can see you too then you're not just a mere imagination," she continued.
"Then is he a ghost?" Sam joked, "A ghost that needs our help?"
Jiro grinned and lay back down, "I don't know," he laughed, "But all I know is that my purpose is to keep Pets company. I don't want her ever to be alone."
Pets felt her cheeks warm up, "Then you better not leave me, Jiro," she threatened, playfully.

"He won't, because if he hurts you, I'll be here to beat him up!" Sam laughed as he held up his fist.
Jiro released a playful scream and shot upwards. "Don't tell me you were my murderer in my past life!" he gasped, pretending to be shocked.
Pets giggled, "Then that makes sense as to why you're back! You're back to haunt Sam and seek revenge!" she added in amusement.
Sam just rolled his eyes and the three of then just laughed with each other.

"Hey guys, gather round!" Windie called out to everyone in the garden. As they all assembled, she continued, "We should tell ghost stories!"
"Ghost stories?" Pets repeated, "But it's not that late."
"You're just scared of ghost stories," Cloudie sneered at her.
"No I'm not!" Pets shot back.
"Then let's see if you get scared by my story then!" Windie dared before turning to all their other classmates, "Do you all dare to listen?"
Everyone responded positively and was eager to listen.
"Wait, where's Sunnie?" Sam asked just before Windie was about to start.
"I think she went to the bathroom," Rainie replied quietly and then Sam nodded.

"Can we start now?" Windie snapped and everyone nodded. "Do you all know the story about the boy who used to live here?" she asked.
Sam shook his head, "Since we moved in, we’ve never met the previous owners of this house. I heard it had been uninhabited for a few years before we came."
"Well the story goes that the family moved out because of the death of their only child a couple of years ago," she explained.
"Pets has always lived in this area, so she would be aware of any deaths around here!" a girl pointed out.
"Can you shut up about that animal?" Cloudie interrupted, "You're ruining the mood of the story!"
The girl who had spoken shrunk away behind her friend in fear.
"You don't have to be so mean!" Pets yelled at her before Jiro touched her shoulder.
"Don't start a fight now," he told her, "Let's listen to the story."

Windie ignored Pets and continued. "They had a son who died. Apparently, he was out with his friends on a rainy day and was crossing the road with his friend but because it was getting dark and this area lacks many street lights, when a car was heading towards them, the driver wasn't able to see them," she explained in a chilling voice, "And when he did see them, it was too late. The car crashed into them. The slippery and wet roads didn't help either. The driver lost control of the car and couldn't apply the brakes so the boy was completely trampled by the car."
Pets gasped in horror at the story.
"That's so sad..." someone commented.
"Did both boys survive?" another asked.

Windie looked at them solemnly, "Only one of them did. The one who survived was pushed out of the way so he is still living today somewhere out there. But his friend had no chance of surviving after that crash."

"That's terrible..." Pets muttered.
"How is this a ghost story?" Sam whispered to Pets and she shrugged and turned to Jiro. Unlike them, Jiro was immersed into the story, hooked like a curious cat.

"Ever since that day... the boy who died returned as a ghost and haunts this area," Windie continued in a low voice, "They say that he wanders around looking for someone to blame for his death. I heard that his parents used to see him in their house every time it rained and he would be covered in blood crying and wailing. They got to a point where they couldn't take it anymore so moved out."
"Don't you feel bad for his parents, Jiro?" Pets asked quietly, not turning to face him.
"I feel bad that I have to live here!" Sam replied jokingly, earning a small smile from Pets.
"Do you think there really is a ghost here, Jiro?" Pets asked, turning around this time. Her eyes widened when she realised that he was gone. "Jiro?" she called out in a hushed whisper, "Where are you?"
"Leave him, he'll come back," Sam told her and then the two continued to listen to Windie's story.

Suddenly, a lightning bolt ripped through the sky, illuminating the sky with a bright and blinding flash. The suddenness caused all the kids to jump in surprise and some of them to scream.

"It's the ghost!" A girl shrieked in fear.

As though it was true, the heavens opened, releasing a shower of water. Raindrops pelted down on all the kids and in a matter of seconds everyone was drenched.
"Come on kids, let's all hurry inside!" Sam's mother urged as she rushed everyone inside.
"Jiro?" Pets called out as she ran towards the door. She looked out in the darkness, not seeing her friend. "Jiro? Where are you?" she exclaimed before she felt a hand grab onto her own.
"Pets, worry about yourself first!" Sam told her, pulling her inside.

...

Jiro walked through Sam's house alone whilst everyone was still outside. Something inside him felt uneasy and it forced him away from the story telling circle. The house was empty and the lights were turned off, creating an eerie atmosphere. Suddenly, he heard footsteps down the hall, causing the hairs on the back of his neck to stand on end. "Why are you afraid?" Jiro asked himself, before responding to himself, "Because everyone is supposed to be outside?"

He then decided to follow the sound of the footsteps as he muttered to himself, "Where are you going, Jiro?" he asked himself, "You've never left Pet's side. Maybe she is imagining this..." he mumbled before shrugging. "Lets me go see who it is," he told himself and then hurried down the hallway.

"Sunnie?" he exclaimed, with his mouth open in surprise.

Sunnie was carrying a box as she left the house through the garage, quietly sneaking around. What was going on?

Suddenly, Jiro's eyes widened when he realised that the box she was running off with was Pets' birthday gift for Sam. Quickly, he ran after her. Sunnie opened the door that led to the back of Sam's house. At this point, it hard started raining heavily and a smirk found its way onto her lips. "What are you doing?!" Jiro barked at her, but as usual, no one could hear or see Jiro.
Sunnie opened the box and turned it upside down. The playing cards Pets had bought floated down into a large puddle of water. The cards were then attacked by thousands of stone like raindrops, destroying the cards completely.

Horror spread across Jiro's face and then he his heel to find Pets and Sam. As he left, Rainie came in to meet Sunnie.

...

"Have you seen Rainie?" Cloudie asked as she and the other kids dried off in Sam's living room.
Windie shrugged, "Maybe she's still outside."
Cloudie then rolled her eyes and continued to dry her hair.

Pets, who had been listening to them, turned around. "Your friend might be getting soaked to the skin outside but you're so carefree inside?" she questioned.
"That's none of your business, loony girl," Windie spat.
"I'm not loony!" Pets gritted her teeth.
"Yeah you are!" Lucia laughed, "You're the only one with an imaginary friend at this age!"
"Jiro's a real person!" Pets barked, angrily.
Joanne sighed, "I can't believe Sam is still friends with you," she then laughed too.
"Leave her alone," Sam came in before biting his lip. He inhaled before announcing, "Jiro's my friend too so if Pets is loony then I am too!"

Windie cringed, "Oh not you too, Sam!" she groaned, "What's wrong with you?"
"Obviously being around an animal will make you think you're one of them," Cloudie replied in disgust.

Sam exhaled before holding onto Pets' hand and leading her out of the room. "Let's look for Rainie," he said and she nodded. As soon as the two left the room, Jiro ran in through another door, panting.

"Pets?" he called out, looking around the room.

...

"Rainie?" Pets called out when she saw the girl come inside, dripping wet. In her hands were some of Sam's new playing cards.
Anger boiled inside Pets' heart, "What are you doing with those?!" she yelled, running up to her and slapping the cards out of her hands. The cards then returned to the puddle that they had just been rescued from.

Sam stood behind Pets at a distance, "Why would you do that, Rainie?" he muttered in surprise.
Pets cornered Rainie against the door with a sharp glare, "The whole ghost story thing was your plan, wasn't it?! You planned to ruin my present for Sam whilst we were all distracted!" she exclaimed, biting down on her quivering lip.
"N-No Pets... you've gotten it w-wrong!" Rainie stuttered out in her defence.
"Sure I have!" Pets barked in her face, "I'm sick and tired of the four of you making my life hell all the time! You went too far this time!"
"Pets, please believe me... It was Sunnie... I-I was just trying to-"
"Save it, Rainie!" Pets cut in, "I don't care who did it, you're all the same to me!"

"Pets, maybe you should hear her out?" Sam suggested but Pets shook her head. "They're all the same, why should I listen to her lies?!" she questioned.
"I'm not the same as them!" Rainie exclaimed unexpectedly. Her eyes were pooling with tears, "I'm not the same as them, Pets, please believe me! I didn't know anything about this! I was just trying to help you!"
Pets turned her back to her and crossed her arms, unwilling to listen to her explanation. "I don't believe you."

"She's telling the truth."

Pets attention then shifted to the entrance of the room where Jiro stood. "Jiro?" she spoke out.

"It wasn't her!" Jiro confirmed, running over to them. "Rainie has nothing to do with this!"

Pets' face then softened and she turned back around, "It... really wasn't you?" she asked in a mutter.
Rainie nodded quickly, "...What did Jiro say?" she asked slowly.
"You know about Jiro?!" Sam and Pets both exclaimed.
Rainie nodded, "Everyone in our class knows."
"But... you're not making a joke out of it..." Pets whispered, surprised at Rainie's bluntness.
"I believe he's there," Rainie admitted, "I've secretly looked at your drawings, Pets, and I truly think that he's there."

Pets gulped and blinked several times.

"You're not just messing around with us, right?" Sam inquired, "You and your friends have always bullied Pets."
The girl shook her head, "I've never bullied Pets. I just follow behind Sunnie because they're the only friends I have. However, I never thought it was right to bully Pets... actually... I've always wanted to be your friend Pets..." she trailed off.
Pets was taken aback and just started at the girl in front of her. "How can I believe you?" she asked her.
"I believe her," Jiro declared, making Pets glance over at him.
She sighed, "If Jiro believes you, then I do too," she then said with a smile.
"Then... we can be friends and I can hang out with you?" Rainie asked, excitedly.
Pets nodded only to be tackled with a hug by Rainie. Rainie jumped up an down, "Thank you so much Jiro! Thank you so much Pets!"

"So now we're a group of four," Sam commented as he put his hands into his pockets.
Pets nodded, "I think our future school days will be better now that there are more of us."
Jiro grinned and joined in the hug, "I can smell tomorrow! It smells great!" he exclaimed.
"Jiro, you can't smell tomorrow!" Pets laughed as she pulled Sam by his sleeve over to them. Now the four of them were in a group hug.

"Tomorrow's fragrance is really beautiful!" Rainie chimed, "It's really sunny and is filled with happiness!" she giggled.
"Not you too, Rainie!" Pets exclaimed.
"Don't you mean tomorrow is Rainie?" Sam laughed to himself at his bad pun.
"You're so negative, Sam Lin!" Pets pouted.
"No I'm serious," he chuckled, "The weather forecast said it will rain tomorrow!"

...

It was late at night and Sam sat on his bedroom floor in the darkness. His parents were asleep and all his friends had left. It was just him sitting alone in his room. The only light source was the beam of moonlight that leaked through a crack between the curtains. The bright light cast upon his face revealed the darkness in his face and his dark expression.

Between his two fingers was the colourful marble Jiro had gotten him. He glared at the marble, "Jiro, Jiro, Jiro... it's all about Jiro!" he spat angrily, "He isn't even real yet you obsess over him so much!" he hissed angrily. He looked down at the marble and laughed mockingly, "Really, Jiro got this for me? Are you sure you're not lying to yourself Pets?" he questioned, speaking to himself. "It doesn't matter because I don't give a damn about him!" he growled before throwing the marble against the wall with all the strength he could muster.

As soon as the marble made impact with the wall, it shattered into colourful shards of glass that rained down onto the floor like fallen stars.

"I hope you disappear like your stupid marble, Jiro."