“Rion-senpai! Good morning!”

“What are you doing after school?”

“If you’re free, do you want to come to karaoke with us?”

Ryouha watched as some 2nd years were talking to a short boy with slightly messy hair. She placed her hand on her cheek, seeing him smile cheekily.

“Sorry. I already promised a friend of mine we’d spend the day together.”

“Ah! Could it be Furuhata-san?”

“She’s my childhood friend, after all. I promised her we’d go to the amusement park; she’s been excited for it.”

“Eh~? I’m jealous.”

“Maybe next time, though,” Rion smiled, waving goodbye to them.

“Rion-kun’s too nice…” Ryouha said aloud, but her words were heard by no one.

Sakae Ebi High, 2nd year Kitagawa Ryouha, is a ghost.

How she died or why she remains tied to the school she went to, she doesn’t know. But the ghost girl has grown a liking to the 3rd year, Azuma Rion.

He was goofy and energetic, like the protagonist of a shounen manga. And he was talented piano player. He’s been confessed to several times, but he doesn’t have a girlfriend. For the longest time, there were rumors of him dating his childhood friend, Furuhata Nao, who he’s always with.

Or at least, that’s what Ryouha knows. She can’t talk to the boy or anyone else. She’s merely an observer. She watches and listens to him play his piano after school, and always sees him spending time with Nao and walking her home in the afternoon.

“If I were still alive, I wanna do that with Rion-kun… Nao-san has it so good.”

For whatever reason, Ryouha decided to take a nap. Of course, as a spirit, she doesn’t feel tired and doesn’t need a sleep. She just wants a nap, nothing else.

Sitting down in her empty desk, her presence invisible to those around her, she closed her eyes for a short nap.

Hours later…

Ryouha woke up, looking around to see the classroom was empty.

“Eh..? What time is it?!” She stood up, looking at the clock. It was already after 3; after school classes had started! “Oh no! Rion-kun’s already..!”

She quickly ran towards the door, only, to her surprise, it opened and someone walked in. She was about to run into her, when…

….

“...ow! Ow~ that hurt!” Ryouha winced, slowly getting up from the ground. But, then she realized something.

...wait…

Hurt?

I’m a ghost! Why did that hurt?

She looked around for the person she had just bumped into, but couldn’t find anyone else in sight.

Was it my imagination..? No, I’m definitely sure I ran into someone…

Someone… who..?

She closed her eyes and remembered the face of the person who entered the room.

“...Nao-san? Hm..?!” She looked around again, but couldn’t find Nao. “Nao-san? Na… ah… Huh? My voice…”

She then noticed the bag on the floor just nearby. A mirror had fallen out of one of the pockets. Slowly, she reached out and took a look at herself in the mirror.

What she saw was Nao’s face in the reflection.

“Eh?!” Ryouha jumped back, looking down at her own body. “Nao-san’s uniform… Nao-san’s hair… Eh? So I possessed Nao-san?!”

She slowly got up, staggering a bit before pacing around.

“W-what do I do? How did I..?” She picked up the mirror again and looked. “I’m in Nao’s body. I’m Nao-san now, so that means…”
 

Then, Ryouha remembered Rion’s words from that day.

“I promised her we’d go to the amusement park…”

“Her date with Rion-kun..!” Ryouha’s heart skipped a beat. A familiar feeling, but one she hadn’t experienced in a while due to lacking a living body. She nervously thought of what to do, tried to separate her spirit from the girl’s body, but to no avail.

If I can’t leave her body, then that means…

“Nao-chan?” Ryouha then heard a voice call out. She turned around and saw one of Nao’s classmates, Matsui Jurina. “There you are.”

“J-Jurina...san?”

Jurina raised a brow. “‘-san’?”

“Er, sorry! Jurina-chan, I meant!” She quickly replied, trying to act like Nao. Jurina just tilted her head, more confused. “...Jurina?”

Jurina nodded; that was correct.

“So? What did you forget?”

“...Eh?”

“You came in here saying you forgot something. What was it?”

“Uh, um…” Ryouha looked around before walking to the girl’s desk. She opened it up to hide her face. She looked inside, trying to find whatever it was Nao forgot.

“Hey, you dropped your bag,” Jurina then said.

“Ahh! Thanks!” Ryouha grabbed it, quickly looking around inside. “Cell phone, check. Homework, check. Hand mirror, check. What else is there..? Mou...”

“Could it be, you lost your tickets to the amusement park?”

“Eh?!” Ryouha looked up, seeing a grin from the girl.

“Didn’t you say you’d keep them in between your music sheets so you wouldn’t lose them?”

“My music..?” Ryouha pulled out the sheet music book from her bag. That’s right, Nao-san’s part of the brass music club…

She opened it up and saw the two tickets in between the pages.

“Ah, thank goodness… Nao-san, thank you for being so responsible.”

“You’re thanking yourself?” Jurina chuckled, flustering the ghost.

“A-ah, I’m thanking my ‘past’ self! Hehe.”

“Whatever. Have fun,” Jurina said with a pat on the girl’s back. “I’m off to track meet!”

“Thanks.”

After Jurina left, Ryouha gathered the girl’s things and left the classroom. Wondering where to find Rion, her first instinct was to look in the music room to see if he was playing piano.

She could already imagine the boy sitting at the piano playing. It was making her heart race, wondering how he’d react when he saw…

Ah… right.

I’m in Nao’s body.

It wouldn’t matter how he reacts. It’s not to me.

She walked into the music room, only to find the boy was not there.

“Eh..? Did he already leave?”

Ryouha ran out into the hall again, dashing down the stairs toward the exit. She then stopped, seeing the boy leaned up against the shoe lockers.

“Ah! Nao,” he waved with a kind smile. “There you are. You ready?”

“I… y-yeah,” Ryouha looked down, gripping onto Nao’s bag.

“Hm? What’s wrong?”

“I’m… just excited,” Ryouha smiled. How would Nao-san say it..? “I love spending time with Rion!”

She then wrapped her arms around his, surprising him.

“Eh?!”

“Let’s go! Today, you’re going to spoil Nao!”

Even if it’s not me… I want to enjoy this day to its fullest.

Nao-san, forgive me! I’ll be Rion-kun’s date today!

-------------------------

Ryouha’s first step outside of the school in a long time. And her first date with her beloved crush, Rion. And, of all places… the amusement park she always wanted to visit.

“Uwaa! Everything looks so much fun!”

“You’ve been here before, right?” Rion asked. “With Jurina and the others.”

“Ah… O-oh, right. I have. But, it’s different cuz I’m with Rion, now!”

“So, what do you wanna do?”

“Hmm…” Ryouha looked around, then seeing a roller coaster. She gave a mischievous grin. “Rion will do whatever Nao wants, right?”

“Uh… yeah?”

She then pointed at the roller coaster. Rion’s face grew pale.

“Eh?”

“Come on, I dare you! We’ll ride together, front seat!”

“N-Nao, what’s gotten into you today?!”

“Rion is gonna spoil me today! You’ll do whatever I want, right? So come on!” She took the boy’s hand, dragging him towards the ride.

“Hey, hold on! Nao!”

…

ZOOM!!!

“UWAAAAAAAAA!!!!”

“KYAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!”

I… regret my decision.
 

...

“Uwa… that was crazy fast.”

“Hehe, sorry,” Ryouha chuckled, only to receive an evil laugh from the boy. “Rion..?”

“I said I’d do whatever you want, but… you should be punished.”

“Huh?”

…

“UGGGHAAAA!!!”

“GYAAAH!!! GHOST!!!!” Ryouha clinged to the boy tightly as they ran through the haunted house.

“This is what you get for forcing me on that roller coaster!”

“I’m sorry! I’m really, really, deeply sorry!”

“GRUUUUEEH!!!”

“KYAAAAAAAAA!!!”

…

“Rion, you’re so mean!” Ryouha repeatedly pounded the boy’s shoulder. “I had no idea you could be so cruel!”

“Huh? Even after all the times I teased with you?”

Ryouha was scared… No wait, I can’t say that.

“Nao was scared…” she gave him puppy eyes, the boy taken aback.

“I… I was just kidding, Nao,” he quickly apologized. “I’m sorry. Were you really that scared?”

“Rion, you meanie…”

“I-I’m sorry! I… How can I make it up to you?”

Ryouha pouted, then.

“Ice cream!”

“...Huh? Come again?”

“Buy me ice cream. Then I’ll forgive you.”

Rion sighed out, patting the girl’s head. “You’re so hopeless…”

Rion-kun’s hand… is so warm.
 

…

After ice cream, the two went up to the ferris wheel. Ryouha stared in awe at the sight down below, giggling seeing everyone so tiny from up above.

“It’s nice, huh?” she then asked Rion, who seemed to be staring off into space.

“Ah… Oh, yeah! It is!”

She raised a brow, getting up from her seat and scooting beside the boy. She laid her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes.

“Oi… you must have a fever or something. You’re not like yourself at all, today.”

“I’m just happy being with you.”

“We’re always spending time together at school. What makes today so different?”

“Because…” Ryouha looked up, seeing his confused look. Of course she knew, Rion was seeing her as the girl she was possessing. Nothing more, nothing less.

But the happiness she was feeling right now was real. It didn’t matter who she was.

“I like just being around you… even if you don’t notice,” she whispered the last part. “I like you, Rion…”

The boy was silent. Ryouha just felt another pat on the head, making her heart warm.

If only we could stay like this…

Time, please stop. I want to savor this feeling.

------------------------

Ryouha held onto the pink teddy bear Rion had won “her” at a carnival game, the two of them walking down the street into the city.

“Hey, there’s a purikura!” the boy pointed out. “Nao, you want a picture?”

“Sure!” she smiled widely, following him into the booth.

“Hai! Say cheese~”

Click!

…

“Oooh, they turned out really well,” Rion smiled, Ryouha giggling at the pictures and silly faces they were making.

“Now we’ll always remember today!”

“Yeah. Today was a lot of fun.”

“Yeah! It was the best!” Ryouha giggled, still holding the bear.

She then wondered… when would this end? When would her spirit be lifted from the girl’s body?

Once that does happen, she thought, she’ll be back to being a spirit. And she’ll probably never go on another date with Rion like this.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

“Y-yeah…”

“I’ve been so busy with after school piano lessons, that this is the first time in a long while we’ve spent time together. So, I’m happy.”

“Me too…”

“But…”

Ryouha turned around, seeing Rion was suddenly leaning close to her.

Eh?! A kiss?!

She closed her eyes, waiting for impact…

“You aren’t Nao, are you?”

“...What?” Ryouha opened her eyes, seeing a smirk on the boy’s face. “What did you… just say?”

“You aren’t really Nao… I can tell.”

“W-why would you say tha--”

“The real Nao knows, I have keen sight. Especially, to those things invisible to others.”

W-what?! Rion-kun can see… spirits?

“Your aura is a little different. And plus, it’s easy to tell that you’re acting very unlike the Nao I know,” Rion chuckled. “So no need to hide it anymore. Tell me your real name.”

Ryouha clutched the bear, blushing a bit.

“It’s… Ryouha.”

“Ryouha-chan. Why did you possess my childhood friend? Could it be, you were jealous and wanted a date with me?”

“N-no! It was all by accident!”

Rion just chuckled again, making her pout.

“It’s true!”

“Sorry, sorry. But, whatever the reason, today was still fun. As long as you were happy and had fun today.”

“Aren’t you upset I got in the middle of your date with Nao-san?”

“I’ll find some way to make it up to her. I wonder how I’m going to explain this, though. I’ve never had a spirit possess my best friend before, hehe…”

Ryouha sighed. “I’m so relieved…”

“Eh?”

“Hmm, I wonder… I just feel like, a weight’s been lifted off me.”

“Mind if I ask a question?”

“What?”

“When you were still alive, did you ever go on a date?”

Ryouha shook her head.

“I always wanted to… I had a person I liked, but it ended up not working out.”

“Will you let me hear your story?”

Suddenly, with those words, something was unlocked. As if it were like any other conversation, Ryouha began telling him about the last thing she could remember of her crush.

My crush… my first love…

Miyazawa-sensei…

“I like you, Sae-sensei!”

“Ryouha-chan, you’re a nice kid. But, I’m sorry…”

A rejection… and regret mixed with her heartbreak.
 

Why did I confess..? I knew it was impossible..!

And then, suddenly…

“Sae-sensei!”

HONK HONK!!!

“Kya!” Ryouha held her head, her memories suddenly flowing back to her.

I saved Miyazawa-sensei… from dying in a car accident.

“I see… Is that why?”

“I-I… think so.”

Rion rubbed her back, comforting a ghost. Ryouha just started crying into his chest, clutching his jacket.

“Are you satisfied? Remembering what you did to save his life? And going on a date with me?”

“Satisfied..?”

“Does it lift your spirit?”

She looked up, seeing him smiling kindly.

“...Not yet.”

She then stood on her tiptoes, leaning forward and stealing a kiss on the boy’s lips.

Now I’m satisfied…

….

“Woah!” Rion caught Nao’s body as she collapsed in his arms. He grinned, looking up at the sky. “Guess that was your last wish, huh? Was it your first kiss… Ryouha-chan?”

“Hmm… Hm..?” Nao slowly stirred, looking around confused. “Huh..? Rion-kun..? Why are we outside..?”

“Welcome back.”

Nao furrowed her eyebrows. “Welcome back? Did I go somewhere?”

She then saw the pink bear in her arms, and the night sky above her. Rion just chuckled.

“Eh?! Ehh?! What time is it?! The amusement park?!”

“Sorry, Nao. There was a bit of an intruder on our date.”

“What are you talking about? What happened?!” Nao shook the boy’s shoulder.

“I’ll explain on the way home, come on.”

“Hey, wait~”

Ryouha’s spirit watched from above the Sakae Sunshine. She smiled seeing Rion teasing Nao whilst the girl clung to him for answers.

“Nao, you’re a lucky girl. Treasure him, okay?” she whispered with a smile before her body disappeared into starlight.

And yes, Rion-kun… That was my first kiss.