---

After wishing for something from an unknown entity, Ryosuke looked as if he had shed some burdens, his eyes brimming with vitality that had long been dimmed by emotional turmoil. Every gesture radiated a joy stemming from unfettered movement, and the anxiety of being judged by those around him evaporated, allowing him to walk proudly with his chest out.

Indeed.

“You can do anything.”

He was free from fear.

“You are afraid of nothing.”

He felt invincible, believing he could achieve anything.

“You can focus on just one thing.”

His usual indecisiveness, which used to weigh him down like an anchor, morphed into a momentum that propelled him forward on a singular path.

“You can pour all your strength into what you’ve chosen.”

The world appeared different now.

“You can feel gratitude for everything.”

Rice, which usually tasted like chewing sand, now had a delightful stickiness and sweetness when it touched his tongue, and the pickles that had only been salty before burst with flavor.

He could savor the freshness of herbs that were not seasoned properly, and even a glass of cold water felt invigorating, awakening him with its refreshing chill.

“You can view the world beautifully.”

The shimmering light resembled twinkling fireflies, and the brightness of the room illuminated by the fluorescent light felt radiant as if bathed in sunlight. Even the warmth from the bulb seemed to echo the gentle caress of day’s sunshine, and the soft glow from the night light provided the same comfort as the moonlight.

Wrapped in that coziness, closing his eyes felt like the tender hug of his mother covering him with a thin blanket from his childhood, and his whole being was enveloped in a reassuring comfort, screaming that he was at peace, that he was in a state of tranquility.

“You are happy.”

His body and mind felt like they were floating.

“You can be even happier.”

The world twinkled all around him, and it felt as if fairies were dancing in his vicinity.

“You can be even more happy.”

With each step, it felt like he was walking on clouds, and with a gentle leap, time lingered as if he were floating gently down like feathers in the air. Looking into the mirror, his reflection seemed so lovely, and the clothes he would normally wear without a second thought felt incredibly soft and warm, nearly bringing him to tears.

Tears.

Tears started to flow.

Tears of overwhelming happiness.

So happy he could cry.

It felt as if tears would erupt.

“You are happy?”

I am happy.

Wishing had transformed the whole world, filling him with a sense that everything was affirming him.

A wish.

You granted my wish.

My mouth made a wish…

A wish…

A wish?

“What did I wish for?”

He couldn’t remember.

What could it have been?

“For happiness, you must speak the spell.”

But really, what does that matter?

What’s important is that he must recite the “magic spell.”

That’s how he achieves happiness.

“Please arrange a press conference.”

* * *

A soft comfort enveloped him on the leather sofa.

It felt as if an angel were cradling him in its embrace, and leaning back made him want to stay there for two or three days without moving.

As he pushed himself into the soft depths of the sofa and picked up the thin microfiber blanket that had fallen on the floor, he felt a ticklish sensation, as if he were stroking the feathers of an angel, and as he gently lifted it, he experienced a kind of ecstasy as the silky fabric danced in the air.

Bleep—

As the blanket and sofa held him snugly, the subtle sound of a small noise brushed against his ears.

Crisp.

Rustle.

A sound that was somewhat bothersome reached him.

“That’s the sound from the leather sofa.”

Even if it was made from high-quality leather, could it still be considered a sofa?

The firm and resilient leather creaked as he shifted, echoing in his ears.

Bleep—

The soft ringing in his ears.

A slight irritation reminiscent of music playing incorrectly.

“It’s the sound of household appliances nearing their expiration.”

Hearing that made him feel a bit melancholic.

Were those expensive, precious devices losing their vigor alongside their owner? Or did it feel like seeing a dog losing strength upon noticing its owner was defeated?

Either way, it was a sad affair.

“The sound isn’t worth dwelling on.”

Yet, even if he found it sad, sound is just sound.

There’s no need to be overly concerned about it.

“The day is coming to an end. You must recite the magic spell.”

What mattered most was that he needed to recite the spell for the sake of happiness.

Especially important was to recite this spell before falling asleep.

“Recite the magic spell.”

Before reciting the spell, he must create shimmering light and let it dance in the air like fairies, and he needs to feel the warmth melding his cold fingers with the warmth radiating from his hot smartphone.

“Recite the spell.”

As he began to feel sleepy, radiant light swirled in the air, dancing in every direction.

It would suddenly intensify or diminish, swirling and twisting as if dancing with the flow of a warm breeze, giving life to fairies emerging from the glowing light that fluttered about.

Watching this scene made him feel dazed.

It seemed that the mounting drowsiness overwhelmed him more and more.

“Please arrange a press conference.”

Thus, he hurriedly recited the spell and sought to sleep.

* * *

“Recite the spell.”

“Please arrange a press conference.”

…

…

“This is the magic spell. Reciting this spell will make you feel happy.”

“The remaining substances inside you will transform into beneficial elements, flowing through your veins.”

“Can you feel it? Do you feel your mood soaring high?”

“Together with the courage lingering in your heart, your body becomes sensitive.”

“It feels like you’re soaring through the skies, filled with an overwhelming sense of omnipotence.”

“A feeling that you can do anything fills you up.”

“You can achieve everything.”

“Recite the spell.”

“Please arrange a press conference.”

…

…

“ABRACADABRA.”

“Abra kedabra.”

“Recite the magic spell.”

“Please arrange a press conference.”

* * *

Ryosuke kept reciting the spell.

“Recite the magic spell.”

Listening to his heart and allowing whatever came to mind to flow out.

His heart directed him, obeying the commands of his brain.

He recited while watching the light from his smartphone blossom in the dark room, seeing the clusters of light ebb and flow like flickering flames before his eyes.

He spoke before sleep and before meals, and he continued to speak whenever he felt something was beautiful.

Happiness and the magic spell were the same thing.

Serenity, comfort, and the peace brimming in his heart were all due to reciting the magic spell.

The courage that surged up from his heart and coursed through his veins urged him to recite the magic spell.

To experience this feeling of floating as if he were not alive but soaring through clouds while receiving the warm rays of the sun, he had to recite the magic spell.

“Please arrange a press conference.”

[Damn it! Have you gone crazy? Is that all you can say?!]

Thus, whenever he recited the magic spell, a small sound emerged from his smartphone.

It wasn’t particularly a sound worth noticing, yet each time he heard it, it felt like broken words wedged into his mind.

It felt as if a connection to a line was abruptly severed, or as though the noodles that had been slurping well suddenly lost their strength and snapped.

In such moments, he quickly recited the spell again to shake off that feeling.

“Please arrange a press conference.”

[Did you have a stroke? Did you develop a brain disease? Why do you call me every night to say that crap?! Huh?!]

A sense of incongruity.

What should coherently connect was breaking apart, and things that should have formed in their rightful positions seemed shattered and scattered about.

Ryosuke only recalled such feelings when the sense of incongruity struck.

A memory from his childhood, playing with Lego bricks.

Though the price of Legos was never cheap, Ryosuke, being raised in an affluent household, played with them any time he wanted. However, as the Legos piled up, he began to lose track of which piece belonged to which set, leading him to create awkward constructions instead of following the designs on the packages.

Those concocted creations were not beautiful.

“Please arrange a press conference.”

[Damn it….]

At this point, he couldn’t even remember what those chaotic “finished products” he had once made looked like.

Just like the peculiar feelings he experienced each time he recited the magic spell.

Time spent in futile pursuits, enjoyed momentarily but never truly remembered, felt like leaving behind an empty seat as it was erased even from his subconscious.

“Please arrange a press conference.”

[Hey. For goodness’ sake, let’s not do this. We’re not that close. We’ve only eaten together a few times.]

“Try asking someone you’re closer to.”

“Recite the magic spell. You’re reciting it for happiness.”

“Please arrange a press conference.”

[What the hell! It doesn’t make sense…!]

“Please arrange a press conference.”

[What is wrong with you? Even when I change my number, you keep calling! What kind of systematic insanity is this? How did you become so messed up?!]

“Please arrange a press conference.”

[Damn it, I get it! Just stop! I’ll arrange the press conference, so stop calling me!]

Ryosuke stared blankly into space, accompanied only by the nagging sound akin to a buzzing mosquito in his ears.

In the ether, fairies swirled and danced, casting a fog over his mind.

[You idiot! Just die already! I’ll set it for tomorrow, so do whatever you want! And I arranged the press conference, so don’t ever call me again! Got it?!]

The fairies flitted about, slowly lulling Ryosuke’s eyelids down.

[If you call me again, I’ll kill you! Do you understand? Do you?!]

And so, Ryosuke did not resist the gently descending eyelids as they closed, collapsing like a puppet with its strings cut.

“The spell has been fulfilled.”

“Now, let’s strive to grant the wish.”

 

---