Hell and Angel

I was born into a family where my mother was a former stage actress and my father was a former singer.

As a result of their influence, our house was filled with various musical instruments and dramas and movies of all kinds. After I was born, my father switched to a regular job, and his hobbies seemed to become less of a priority.

Then, with the arrival of my little sister, life became even busier, and the time my parents spent with me grew shorter. Consequently, I found myself spending more time alone, tinkering with musical instruments and watching movies and dramas.

While I only dabbled with the instruments as a pastime, I became deeply immersed in movies and dramas.

Perhaps the reason I became so engrossed was that they required nothing else. With just one actor, any world could be portrayed. That freedom was just right for a solitary soul like mine.

And so, I began to imitate others, gradually becoming enamored with that world.

However, with my parents seeming busy, I didn’t dare to express my desire to pursue such interests.

Then came my sixth birthday.

Excited to see what presents I would receive, I eagerly opened the gift, only to find a brochure from a children’s modeling agency handed to me.

“Eh…”

“You’re interested in this kind of thing, right?”

“Yeah…”

Surely, that gift brought me more joy than any other.

From then on, I became even more immersed in acting.

With my innate talent and the effort I put in during my alone time, my acting skills surpassed those of other children by leaps and bounds.

After about a year of lessons, I received an offer to play the lead role in a certain movie.

However, it was a low-budget film with an unknown director and unknown actors, so it was hardly a glamorous debut.

Yet, that film later became known as a cult classic B-movie.

After the film’s release, it caught the attention of industry insiders who praised it highly, and I landed my next movie role.

Both my father and mother were delighted by this turn of events.

Then, on a certain day, something happened while I was out with my mother.

We were walking together at the Shibuya crossing, just like always, when it occurred.

“What do you want to eat today?” my mother asked with a smile.

“Hmm… I feel like having hamburg steak!”

“I see. Then, how about that restaurant over there…”

“I want the hamburg steak you make, Mom!”

“…I see. You’re such a good kid, Aoi,” my mother said, patting my head.

And then I let go of her hand and ran across the intersection.

“Be careful!”

“I’m fine, I’m fine!”

The traffic light was undoubtedly green.

After all, there were plenty of people walking around.

At that moment, a deafening sound and screams echoed from the side.

I glanced sideways and saw a medium-sized truck hurtling toward us at incredible speed.

I tried to move out of the way, but my body wouldn’t respond.

Though it should have been a split-second event, it seemed to unfold in slow motion.

It was like watching my life flash before my eyes.

But even in slow motion, the car was steadily approaching us.

I could see the driver’s face clearly.

His expression was something I’ll never forget.

It was an indescribably twisted and sinister smile.

With my mother’s voice shouting “Watch out!” my consciousness faded.

I don’t remember much after that.

The next thing I knew, I was lying in a hospital bed.

My mother died. Because of me.

After that, everything happened in the blink of an eye.

My father and my sisters resented me, and they hardly ever visited me in the hospital.

After I was discharged, my father remarried, and his new wife started abusing me. Gradually, even my sisters joined in the bullying.

I lost my room and ended up hiding in the attic, as if fleeing.

This was around the time I graduated from elementary school.

By the time I entered middle school, my sisters had begun to shine brightly. One became a track athlete, and the other became a singer.

On the contrary, I, who was mediocre at everything, seemed to irk them. Neglect only accelerated.

It was as if I had become invisible, ignored by everyone.

In that world where I couldn’t tell if I was alive or dead, an actual angel came to rescue me.