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Hi. My name is Yamato Maya, and I'm not quite like most people. How to explain it... I heal fast. Super fast. Any injury I suffer heals itself very quickly. Sometimes within seconds if it's just something small. I think I might be virtually indestructible, but I am not exactly eager to put that to the test. I hope that's understandable.My parents have told me I was a rather clumsy child. Always bumping into something, or falling over, or cutting myself. They make it sound like looking after me was a full-time job every day. I am sorry for all the trouble I caused them. Then one day I fell, and split my forehead open pretty bad. They rushed me to the bathroom to find something to stop the bleeding. But when they started cleaning off the blood, they found that the wound was gone. Not a single trace of it. The only evidence that it had been there in the first place was all the blood. I was around 2 years old.Since then every time I've gotten hurt, no matter how bad, it has fixed itself right away. Which in a sense is lucky, considering that my clumsiness didn't exactly go away. Though I would have preferred to not have the bad luck that causes me to get injured so much in the first place. It can't be just clumsiness. Maybe someone put a curse on me, considering accidents happen to me more frequently than I feel is fair. A lot of it is definitely not my fault.I have cut myself on all sorts of things. Gotten hit in the head. Broken bones. Been burned. Electrocuted. Impaled on a pipe (only through my leg, not the heart or anything). And since I started working with stage equipment, I also had my arm crushed when a speaker toppled, and my foot crushed when a piano dropped on it. Even lost a finger once, though I quickly stuck it back on. At least I've gotten pretty good at saying "I'm fine" and pretending nothing serious happened. Though it's sometimes a bit of a hard sell considering that although my body is healed, my clothes are not fixed, nor does any blood spilled magically go away. I suppose it's a silver lining that anything that gets hurt grows back a little stronger.What have I done to deserve all this misfortune? Maybe after I was cursed by an evil spirit, a good spirit came along and made me indestructible as a counter.Though I will accept the teeniest of responsibility for maybe being a little reckless at times. I know that if anything bad happens, it will just get fixed. I like to think I learn something every time. But most of it is not my fault, I swear.So why do I still need to wear glasses? I would very much like to know. My best guess is that anything that was present before I became this way does not get fixed. So I was probably born with poor vision. Another example of bad luck, I suppose.Also I'm not sure if I feel pain in the same way regular people do. It hurts. It definitely hurts. Electrocution is probably the worst. But it passes quickly. Like a sharp sting, and then it's gone.* * *"What do you think?" I ask."You look very stylish, Maya-san," Eve-san says in her usual cheerful tone.My ability does not extend to my hair, for which I am grateful. So I'm actually able to get it cut. I don't even want to imagine how long my hair would have been if it had just kept 'healing' ever since I was 2. That also means that if I accidentally burn some off or something, I have to wait for it to grow back normally, but I'm okay with that.So I took Chisato-san's recommendation to go to a hair stylist she knew, and got my hair tidied up a bit. It's already quite short, so it wasn't really so much of a cut. Some trimming, and thinning. And they used some weird shampoos and oils and stuff. I don't think my hair has ever smelled this nice. Or felt this smooth. I'm not sure if this sort of look suits me, but I know that being part of this band means I should look as nice as possible. I'm supposed to be an idol, after all."Huhehe. It feels a little strange, but I'm glad you think so," I tell her."Now we can go find a ribbon that will suit you," she says."Eh? Isn't that a bit sudden?" I ask."We should strike while the hair is hot," she says with determination, takes my hand, and drags me along.That isn't quite how the saying goes, but that's one of her charm points.* * *Wakamiya Eve is one of my bandmates. The band we're in is called Pastel*Palettes, and we're slightly unusual. See, we didn't really form the band of our own will, we were scouted and assembled by a talent agency as an 'idol band'. Or rather, the others were. I wasn't supposed to be part of it at all, I was just there to fill in as their drummer until they found someone proper. But Chisato-san said I'm actually cute, and could work as an idol. I'm still not entirely convinced of that. I'm not the tidiest person, I'm a big geek, I'm probably too buff, I have some vocal tics... not to mention my laugh. And... I'm worried my bad luck will cause misfortune for the others. But nonetheless I've been with the band ever since.Thankfully I'd say my luck feels like it has improved since joining. There have been fewer accidents and injuries. Even outside of band activities things have calmed down. I've started to feel almost... normal at times. I mean, aside from suddenly being an idol.Eve-san is our band's keyboard player. She used to be a model for the agency before getting scouted into the band, and it's obvious why she was chosen for modelling. She's very pretty, taller than average, and looks good in anything. And she has that 'foreigner' look that appeals to so many. You see, she's only half-Japanese. She grew up in Finland, and it's not too many years since she moved here. So she's slightly strange by our standards, but that's another of her charm points. She has a lot of those.I should probably also mention that Eve-san and I are a couple. I know, I find it hard to believe sometimes too, but she's much too sincere of a person for me to ever dare doubt her feelings. That would probably hurt her far more than me.We're keeping it sort of quiet though, as we're not sure what the talent agency would say if they found out. We haven't asked them about their policy specifically, but I know that it's a general rule in the idol business that idols shouldn't date. There are certain aspects of idol fandom that can react poorly to that. Unhealthy aspects, if you ask me, but most talent agencies don't want to deal with that sort of thing. Maybe our agency isn't like that. But I'm afraid to ask.So Eve-san and I have some rules. No pet-names, no cutesy honorifics, no public displays of affection, or where someone at work can see us. Nothing that could betray our image. Sure, I have sometimes imagined calling her 'Eve-chan', or just Eve, but it would be too out of character. Neither of us are like Aya-san or Chisato-san, for whom such behaviour is seen as normal.Though I was surprised at how quickly our bandmates found out. Especially Chisato-san, who sussed us out right away. She's helped us out a lot.Shirasagi Chisato is our band's bassist, and the only one of us who had any true claim to fame before joining Pastel*Palettes. She's been an actor ever since she was very young. She keeps stressing that it wasn't her choice, but we can't deny that she's very good at what she does. And always busy. Her name and face are known by enough people that I'd say she qualifies to be called a celebrity. She probably works the hardest out of any of us, even harder than Aya-san. She's just good at making it seem like she doesn't. For a long time she didn't let us get very close, but she has opened up to us a lot lately. I'm relieved, to be honest.Chisato-san can seem harsh, but I can't imagine her ever betraying any of us. It was with her advice that we came up with our set of rules. And she's said that she'll back us up if the talent agency finds out, or if we decide to tell them ourselves, but told us that the decision is up to us. That there are risks either way. She's not the type to sugarcoat things.* * *"Maya-chan, my amp is being weird, can you look at it?" Hina-san asks me."Huh? Weird how?" I ask."The shooby wooby is weaker than it usually is," she says.Ah yes, I should have expected an answer like that from Hina-san.Hikawa Hina is our guitarist. While in a sense the whole band is a collection of strange people, Hina-san might be the strangest. None of us really understand the curious words she uses, though I have sort of gotten a feeling for them. I think she means like... the flow, or something. Even if that's still a very vague thing.I think she is some sort of genius. Maybe that's why she has her own vocabulary. She can figure out just about anything within a day of picking it up, and has the highest grades in the school. If she wanted to, she could probably learn to play any of our instruments better than we can. But she seems quite content to play her guitar. At first she didn't seem to really care much for the band, or for us. I think she has some difficulty understanding other people, and reading social cues. But she has come a long way since those early days. We all have."Alright, I'll have a look at it," I tell her."Wa-hoo!" She bounces into the air. "Hey, can you make it bop a little extra while you're at it?""Er... I'll try..." I say, not having any clue how to do that.The others in the band tend to come to me if there are any technical issues with... anything. As I have a background in working backstage ever since I joined the drama club in middle school, I have developed quite an understanding for sound and lighting equipment. It's all really neat, you know? When I have the opportunity, I like taking stuff apart, and tinkering with it. The wiring on a soundboard is fascinating. Not that I'm a master of electronics or anything, but I know more than most.Told you I'm a big geek. And yes, my tinkering has resulted in accidents. How do you think I got electrocuted? Which has unfortunately happened more than once, though to different degrees of severity.It's also part of the reason I'm a bit buff. That sort of equipment is heavy. I also work out occasionally, though I try to not overdo it. Since I heal so quickly, I'm basically like a dragon ball character. Any gains I get take immediate effect, and I don't want it to show too much.* * *I chug from my water bottle. I'm not exactly immune to dehydration, after all."Good work, Maya-chan!" Aya-san comes up to me. "Looks like you have the choreography down now," she tells me."Huhehe..." I blush a little. "I still feel a little stiff, if I'm honest. Your movements looked very smooth, Aya-san. Have you been practising extra?" I ask."Uh... yes," she answers. She does that a lot.Maruyama Aya is our vocalist, and I'd say the most driven of us. She's had a goal from the very start, from long before the band was formed. We have all reached the point where we want Pastel*Palettes to succeed and go on, but Aya-san was determined from the very start. Even if she's had a few hard lessons, she doesn't give up. Not for long, at least. I suppose you could say she's also our driving force. Always the most insistent that we keep going. I think all of us can find something we admire about Aya-san. Even Chisato-san.And while I will never tell her this, I have found some comfort in meeting a fellow klutz. It's nice to feel like I'm not alone in that. At times she seems as clumsy as I feel I am. Though unless she also heals really fast, it doesn't seem like her accidents are as severe as mine can be. Good. I wouldn't wish that upon anyone. And maybe we're both doing better since forming this band."Maybe you want to join me this afternoon?" she suggests."Hm... maybe I should," I concede. I'm always nervous before we're about to perform a brand new song. With only Aya-san present, maybe I'd feel more relaxed. She's good at motivating people, and she's very non-threatening.With Eve-san I get kinda self-conscious about wanting to look good in front of her. That's probably silly, but I can't help it. She's just so wonderful, and I'm such a dork.* * *"Maya-san!" Someone calls out to me. A voice I know very well."Eve-san? What are you doing here?" I ask."The spirit of bushido says a samurai should always come to their ally's aid," she says, putting her hands on her hips to pose. It looks a little odd, but she's still cute.It's after school, though I stayed behind for club activities. Or perhaps post club activities would be more correct. I joined the drama club in high school as well, and we've been practising for a new show. Which includes making props, and the like. I figured I'd do some cleaning up on my own before heading home. Sometimes it's easier to get everything done right when it's just me."Huhehe, I appreciate it," I say. Easier or not, I'm not going to chase her away. She sent a text asking me what I was doing today, so I answered truthfully. Didn't imagine she'd actually show up. As she's still in her school's uniform, she must have come directly here after she got out.Only Hina-san and I go to Haneoka High. The other three go to Hanasakigawa. Though Hina-san and I aren't in the same class, so we hadn't interacted much before joining the band. Everyone was a stranger to me when I showed up."So, what can I do?" Eve-san asks.I hate to ask her to do anything, but I know she won't take no for an answer. "Could you take the broom, and sweep the stage?" There's a lot paper, sawdust, and other debris up there after our prop assembly."Aye aye!" she says, and gets to it. With vigour. She is really cute.I take the paint cans back to storage, and sort away all the crafting supplies. Between the two of us, we make good progress. Though I'll confess I assign Eve-san the simpler tasks. She doesn't know the place as well after all, like where stuff is meant to go.All that's left at the end are these shelves full of leftover materials, and props that didn't turn out quite right. Do I want to sort this now? I don't have to, but Eve-san helping out has gotten everything else done quicker than I expected, so I have some extra time. Some of the stuff is on the highest shelves though. Why does Kaoru-san have to be so tall? I'll need to get a ladder. Well, there should be a step ladder just on the other side of the stage."I'm done, Maya-san," Eve-san says, coming up behind me.At least that's sorted. Maybe I don't have to do this today. Maybe we can go somewhere, and spend a little time together instead. That sounds nice."What's all this?" she asks, stopping beside me."Oh, just leftovers and stuff that might be used in the future," I answer. Half of this could probably be thrown out without worry, though. But at least it's not as bad as our costume department. Those closets have needed to be cleaned out for a while, but no one wants to do it."Huh, neat. You really have a lot of stuff going on here," she says."Yup," I say, and smile at her. "Hey, I was thinking. Do you-" As I turn towards her, I bump into something. And I hear something start to creak. Oh no. I don't even look, I just react, and push Eve-san out of the way."Maya-s-" I hear her confused yelp before the sound of the shelves falling on top of me drowns out everything else.
Ow.
"Maya-san?! Maya-san?!"As everything else falls quiet, I hear Eve-san's panicked voice."I'm okay," I say, standing up from the rubble. Did all the shelves fall? What a time for my bad luck to kick in. Eve-san could have been hurt. At least it doesn't feel like anything needs to be pushed back into place."M-M-Maya-san..." Eve-san's voice is shaky, and she points a trembling hand towards me. Her face looks paler than usual."Huh?" I realise that she's pointing towards my waist, so I look down. Oh. There's a piece of wood stuck in my side. I didn't even notice, I thought the pain was just from everything crashing down on me. The wood being driven in didn't register as something separate.Damn it. I had taken off the uniform jacket, but it went right through my uniform shirt, and my undershirt. I like that shirt. I bought it just last week, too. I've learned how to get blood out of my clothes, but it's going to have a hole in it now. This sucks. Maybe I can patch it..."Y-you're h-h-hurt," Eve-san stammers. "We need to... w-we need to..."I look at her again, puzzled. We can just pull it out, and- oh. Oh, right. She doesn't know. Aside from my family, no one knows. I've never told anyone. Not even her.She puts a shaky hand into her pocket. "I-I have to... c-call a-an ambulance," she says, and manages to pull her phone out, thought she's trembling really badly."Eve-san, no!" I say so quickly I didn't even think it through.She manages to not drop the phone, but looks at me with wide, shocked eyes."Don't call anyone," I say."B-b-but you're hurt, y-you're b-bl-bleeding." She's so shaken. I've never had anyone see me get hurt like this. Been a while since I've even worried what it might be like. I'm not sure how to handle it, but I know she can't call anyone."I-I'll be fine, we just need to pull it out-""No! I heard, I-I read that... th-that will ma-make the bleeding worse," she says. I think she's hyperventilating. What do I do?"Eve-san, please. Please, I... I need you to trust me," I say. Though I can see in her eyes that she doesn't understand what I'm asking. "I promise you. I am 100% going to be okay. I just need to pull it out.""Maya-san, no!""Eve-san... just trust me. Please?" I beg her. "Please?" My pride is the least important thing here right now. I can see that she wavers. "Please just... there's a towel in my bag over there." We had gym today. "I just need to get it." I know from experience that letting blood spray freely isn't good in terms of cleanup. And this is probably quite the gouge. It's going to spray before it seals. I head towards the bag."D-don't move!" she yells.I freeze. And look at her again. "Please?" I ask again."I... I'll get it..." she says, and walks on shaky legs over to the bag.I sigh. And I was thinking earlier that my luck has improved lately. Now this. I dutifully don't move until she comes back with the towel."Thank you," I say, accepting it. "Now I just need to wrap it around-" She puts her hand on mine. I can tell she's still trembling as she shakes her head at me. "Please trust me, Eve-san. I'll explain afterwards." She reluctantly lets go. "And you might want to turn away..." This will probably not be pretty to look at.I wrap the towel around the wood, and press it against my side. I'm tempted to just pull it out quickly, but the spray might fly past the towel briefly. Pulling out slowly will probably make the least mess. And hurt more. With time my body would push it out on its own. It's probably already trying to. This isn't going to be fun regardless, so might as well just get it over with. I finally grab the piece of wood, and pull.
Oooowwwww.
The noise it makes as it finally pulls free is awful, but at least it's done. The towel is quite red though. Mum isn't going to be happy.Suddenly Eve-san's hands are on the towel too. "Wha-""W-we need to keep pressure on!" she says firmly."Eve-san, it's gone now," I say as calmly as I can."Eh?""It's gone now," I say again. I try to take the towel off, but she holds it down. "Please trust me. The wound is gone. I'm just going to show you.""B-but...""Please?" I can feel her hold ease, though she doesn't let go. In case she needs to push it back down, I suppose. I really should have told her about this earlier, but it kind of... slipped my mind, I suppose. I've never told anyone, so it didn't really occur to me that I should tell her either. It seems so obvious in hindsight, but...I lift the towel away, and run my fingers over where the wound was. As always, there not even a trace of it. Just nice, smooth skin. With some blood on it.Eve-san stares at it, and tentatively touches it herself. "It's... gone..." She looks at the bloody piece of wood, and then back at where it was stuck. "How?""I'll explain," I say. Like I promised. "You see, I'm not quite normal..."We sit down, and I try to explain everything as best I can in the circumstances. She's far more shaken than I am, and I'm not sure how to calm her down."S-so you're really okay?" she asks me after I'm done."Yeah, everything's back to normal now," I say. Well, normal for me, at least.Suddenly she hugs me really tight. "I-I was so worried!" I think she's crying. "Ha... how dare you scare me... l-like that?""Oof, Eve-san..." I didn't know she was this strong. "I-I didn't mean to. It was an accident. I would never do something like that on purpose." I try to sound reassuring, but I'm not sure if I'm doing a good job."A-and you've been lying... to me," she says. I think she's gone from scared to angry."What? No! I'm sorry I didn't tell you, b-but... I've never told anyone. It never occurred to me that I should start now. I'm sorry." Would she have even believed me if I had tried to tell her? Without seeing a demonstration, would anyone believe something so outlandish?She pauses, and loosens her hold on me. Then leans back to look at me. She's definitely crying. Ugh, that's the worst thing about all this. So far. And I don't have anything to offer to wipe her tears. Except the towel. Which doesn't feel appropriate."No one... knows?" she asks."Outside of my family, no. We agreed it was best to keep it secret, and... that just became habit. I honestly didn't intend to deceive you.""Oh..." She sniffles. Now she just seems tired. I guess I can't blame her. Seems like it was quite the shock."We should get you some tissues," I say. "And I'll buy you something from the vending machine. Anything you want." Even if it was an accident, I feel really bad about this."Okay," she says.I get up, then help her up. We get a pack of tissues from my bag, and head towards the vending machine down the hallway. I put on my jacket to hide the worst of the bloody mess just in case someone is around. I'll need to clean this up as best I can before heading home. Maybe change into my gym clothes. Better than looking like a character from a horror movie. Oh, and I need to clean the backstage area as well. I don't think there was a lot of blood that got onto the floor, but I'd best take care of it, nonetheless."I'm impressed you didn't pass out," I say to try to lighten the mood. It was a lot of blood after all, and I know a lot of people don't handle that very well. Not everyone is as used to it as me, which is honestly for the best."Bushido strengthens the mind," she tells me, and smiles just a little bit.I need to find some way to make this up to her. Whatever it takes. But one thing at a time. First off we need to get home.