Reincarnated Into A Dead Woman's Body In Another World-Chapter 140: Arc 3, - 50: Pick Yourself Up

Jotou stared to the top of Ferris wheel, finishing up the last puff of cotton candy on his cone. Two figures stepped out of the bottom passenger cars as Jotou tossed the conical paper into the trash.

"That took way too long between each shift," a black jacket and purple streaks at the ends of his spiky hair, Kaleb said walking out—his arm around Daiyu, a green streak in her hair.

"It was nice at the top," Daiyu moved away giving a light punch to Kaleb’s shoulder.

"Ferris wheels are always a scam," Jotou replied, watching them approach.

The three walked through the funfair, carnies shouting about the games as hundreds of people walked by. Decorated in rainbow lights across every edge—the night sky glimmered in stars and a crescent moon.

"Look, look," Daiyu pointed to Jotou’s feet.

"Huh, you’re right," Kaleb replied.

"What?" Jotou halted his steps and glanced down.

"The way you walk, duh," Daiyu pointed again.

"Oh, that," Jotou checked his shoes. "Yeah, I don’t walk ’normally’. I apparently use the front of my feet to push myself instead of lifting my entire heel to walk."

"Yup, and I’m telling you, Jotou could walk everywhere in heels with no discomfort. He’s done this since I’ve known him. If you scare him, he goes onto the balls of his feet like a cat."

"I’m not wearing heels, ever, in my life. Be gone with these ideas and stop filling his head with them," Jotou shooed his hand in her direction.

"You should probably go see a doctor about that," Kaleb replied.

Jotou shrugged, "I walk faster, it’s nice."

"Still can’t run for shit," Daiyu snickered.

"Not all of us are athletes," Jotou raised a brow.

"So, which ride next? We’re saving rollercoaster for last, right?" Kaleb checked the surroundings.

Daiyu stretched, "I’m gonna go find wherever the bathrooms are. I think they’re wayyy back there," Daiyu pointed back the way they came.

"We have to walk all the way back?" Jotou muttered, hiding his wrists and half his palms into the sleeves of his dark grey hoodie.

"Alright, let’s go then. It’s only ten, the fair’s up till past midnight; we’ll be fine," Kaleb checked his watch.

"Nah, I’ll run there. You two enjoy the stuff till I run back," Daiyu waved her hand.

"You’re not seriously gonna run all the way-" both Kaleb and Jotou synced. Though, they fell on deaf ears as Daiyu had already began jogging into a sprint the other way.

"Psychopath," Jotou uttered. ’Great, the third wheel’s been left alone with the other functioning wheel. I barely talk to Kaleb, I don’t know what to say to him.’

"Wanna go try some of these rigged games?" Kaleb eyed the multiple stalls.

"Sure. Though, I’m not any good at any of these games."

"You can take down the dragon boss solo, but you can’t throw a ball to knock over some cups?" Kaleb’s eyes glazed over.

"That’s a video game, this is real life."

"Come on, I’ll pay," Kaleb patted Jotou on the back, pushing him forward.

Jotou brought his arm back, baseball in hand. "Woosh!" "Crash!" He took out five cups out of the stack of ten. Jotou raised his brows, pleased with himself.

Kaleb swung his arm. "Woosh! Crash!" He threw the ball as it curved and hit three off. The other cups tipped, but managed to stay on the stack, "Oh come on."

The carny handed them their prizes. Kaleb held a little keychain of an off-brand cartoon character, "Wow, five dollars for a cheap keychain; you shouldn’t have."

The carny scoffed moving on with his other customers. Jotou giggled, causing Kaleb to smirk a little. Jotou held a tiny, blue plastic penguin, no bigger than his finger.

Jotou flipped it around as they walked, noticing a little switch to turn on a small orange LED light making up the beak of it. He shined it into Kaleb’s eye.

Kaleb winced, "Stop it," he waved his hand over the light. Jotou persisted, trying to get it right in his eyes. "I’m gonna shove this keychain up your eye, I swear."

"I’d like to see you try. I’m not scared of you," Jotou smirked, turning off the light.

"Jotou, careful," before Kaleb could warn, a man carrying a giant box bumped into Jotou. The box fell straight onto the tip of Jotou’s shoe.

"AGH!" Jotou winced—the box kicked off onto the floor.

"Sorry about that," the man quickly picked up the heavy box and strode away.

"I guess that’s karma," Kaleb replied. Jotou held his right foot, holding the tip of his shoe in pain as he groaned gritting his teeth. "Okay... let’s get you somewhere to sit down," Kaleb scanned for a bench.

Finding a bench in between the stalls, Jotou sat down and began taking off his shoe. "I’m gonna go get some ice, hang on," Kaleb walked off.

Jotou growled, putting his shoe aside then the sock. The front of his foot was beginning to bruise, "Ow... Why? Every time I’m having a little fun, you need to come ruin it?"

Jotou stared to the sky, rubbing his foot gently, "Why does life hate me so damn much?"

"I don’t think life cares about you," Kaleb returned, throwing a packet of ice. Jotou caught it; the cold immediately nipped at his fingers. Jotou’s nose wrinkled as he pressed it onto his foot.

"I know life doesn’t care about anything, it’s just been a lousy week."

"What happened?" Kaleb crossed his arms and leaned against the side of the stall.

"I couldn’t do any of the commissions I planned, my head was aching, my mom got sick which then got me sick and I still feel a little of it.

Another hell-damn argument with my parents. They really think they’ve done nothing wrong to me in my twenty-one years of life; they haven’t even apologized for the birthday incident," Jotou ranted.

Kaleb’s usual dead-eyed stare never really changed, "I think you’re being a little dramatic there buddy. That whole drunk dad incident happened weeks ago.

Don’t let it haunt you forever. It’s just a bunch of problems piling up to be overwhelming, that’s all."

"Yeah, I know," Jotou eased the pressure of the ice pack, "I’ll figure it out. Just stress piling up."

"You know, Daiyu talks a lot about you. She’s told me of all the, uh, abusive parents events."

"Yeah, Daiyu asked me; I told it was fine to say. You’re kinda part of the group now anyway," Jotou sighed.

"Yeah, I know all about your hatred for the education system. I think a business degree suits me more than boot camp. Military’s fine and all, but I don’t need that stress in my life."

"Both are just the same; brainwashing to a certain goal. To study, to work, to eat, sleep and die. Just a zombie roaming through life," Jotou faced Kaleb.

"Bit depressing; but everybody needs a goal in life. If you’re just going day by day, worrying about your commission schedule, being stuck with your parents, with nothing ever changing; that’d make you a zombie, as you put it, wouldn’t it?"

Jotou frowned, "It’s not that I don’t have a goal; it’s just every time something screws it up, I start questioning everything again. I want to be somebody, you know?

Leave my mark on the world before I finally die. Then I rethink everything and my art still can’t compare with an oversaturation of artists. It’s a bit of an unrealistic goal I guess."

"So, it’s just better for you to ignore said goal?"

"How do I put it? I want to get by the freaking day without problems before I start thinking that long-term."

"Well, then every day of the rest of your life is just gonna be another day to get by."

"I get it, I know I’m fragile."

"Eh, debatable. If everyone in the army was like you, nobody’d attempt suicide from the stress. The sergeant calls it weeding out the weaklings."

Jotou knitted his brows, "I’m sorry to hear that..."

"Don’t worry about it." Kaleb sighed, "It’s surprising. You’re mental stability’s questionable, you take emotions way too seriously, overthink mostly every conversation, you’re not strong and you’re willpower’s like glass being taped together."

Jotou’s eyes glazed over, "Gee, thanks. How much has Daiyu been telling you?"

"But you keep picking yourself up and move forward. No regrets, hell be damned. How do you do it?" Kaleb furrowed his brows.

Jotou pondered for a second. "Well, having regrets is stupid. What’s done is done, I have to live with that mistake. I just have to learn from it and try not to mess up again."

"And what happens when you do mess up again. When you didn’t learn from those mistakes? How have you not given up? What makes you keep coming back...?" a hint of true curiosity in Kaleb’s voice.

Jotou stared to the ground, then up to the sky filled with stars. "Because when I want to... give up on this pathetic life and end it... I realize, I also give everything up and I care for nothing anymore.

I start from square one. That just means, well, I can care about something absolutely new and pick up anything I left behind. I can now choose again what I care about and what I want to do with my life.... Kinda like a restart."

"It’s weird that those answers come from coming close to death," Kaleb chuckled, uncrossing his arms, "But good answer."

Jotou paused, squinting to Kaleb, "Those, questions you asked me. Why do I feel like they’re coming from someone who’s experienced it all themselves...?"

Kaleb smirked, "There you go overthinking again."

"I think I’m overthinking in the right direction here," Jotou had forgotten the pain that had numbed from the ice.

"Ugh! There you two are! What were you doing? Makin’ out?" Daiyu snickered.

"Jotou got his foot smashed by a box," Kaleb walked out.

"What? How the hell did that happen?" Daiyu furrowed her brows to Jotou.

"It’s fine now," Jotou put his sock back on, tossing the ice pack into the trash right beside him.

"Alright, let the games continue," Kaleb suggested as Daiyu skipped ahead to pick out a game, wiping sweat off her forehead.

Jotou walked next to Kaleb. "Did you have a crush on Daiyu?" Kaleb queried.

"Her? I would’ve ended myself much sooner if I fell for that psychopath," Jotou smiled.

"Hey, that’s my girlfriend you’re talking about," Kaleb bumped into Jotou.

"Yeah and that’s my best friend I’m talking about."

"I don’t know, when we first met I sensed some jealousy," Kaleb shrugged.

"... ...I may call her a psychopath, but Daiyu’s my longest friend and I’m her longest friend. When people get into relationships, all their friends start seeing them go missing.

Never had a crush on her. Just worried my friend would grow distant from me. Though, I’m glad I got to meet you."

"Why’s that?" Kaleb didn’t bat an eye.

"I’ve only known you for a short time, but I consider you my friend if you didn’t know," Jotou smiled.

"Hm, is that so?" Kaleb wrapped an arm around Jotou’s shoulders, swaying him along, "Thanks. It means a lot," Kaleb pushed Jotou out from his arm. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

"Yeah, yeah... Thanks for the ice," Jotou blushed.

"Thanks for the penguin," Kaleb grinned.

"Huh?"

Kaleb waved the little penguin in his hand, having swiped it off Jotou. He turned on the light and grabbed Jotou by the back of the head, attempting to shine the light in his eye.

"Stop it!" Jotou laughed, trying to fend off.

"This is what you get!" Kaleb chuckled along, trying to shine it. The two laughed along the path, finding Daiyu waving at them from one of the games.