The Last Delivery

The neon lights of Tokyo flickered against the night as Takumi, an anime delivery man, pedaled through the city streets. It was just another evening, filled with packages and parcels, each one as mundane as the next. But tonight, something was different. The moon hung low in the sky, casting a pale, eerie glow over the city.

Takumi had been delivering to the same apartment building for months, and it had always seemed like an ordinary part of his job. However, tonight, as he approached the entrance, he noticed a faint, ghostly figure standing at the corner of the building. It was a woman, her eyes wide and her mouth agape, as if she were screaming. But her mouth was silent, and her eyes held a haunting emptiness.

Takumi's heart raced as he dismounted his bike. "Excuse me," he called out, his voice trembling. The figure turned, and Takumi saw that she wore a traditional Japanese kimono, her hair tied in a bun. Her eyes seemed to pierce through him, and he felt a chill run down his spine.

"Who are you?" Takumi demanded, stepping closer. The woman's gaze never left his, and for a moment, it felt like she was looking straight into his soul.

"I'm not a ghost," she replied, her voice echoing through the night. "I'm a delivery woman, like you. But I deliver to a world you can't see."

Takumi laughed, a nervous sound that carried through the silence. "Sure, I'll be the judge of that. Let's meet your boss."

The woman's eyes narrowed, and she began to walk away. Takumi followed, his heart pounding. The building was an old, creaky structure, and the halls seemed to stretch endlessly. He finally reached a door at the end of the hallway, its paint chipping away, revealing the metal beneath.

"Is this where you deliver?" Takumi asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

The woman nodded. "It's not a place. It's a world."

Takumi pushed the door open, and his eyes widened in shock. The room was filled with shelves, each one packed with boxes and packages. At the center of the room stood a small desk, and behind it was a figure, clad in a delivery uniform.

"This is your boss?" Takumi asked, his voice tinged with disbelief.

The figure turned, and Takumi saw that it was an anime character, the kind he saw on his deliveries every day. The character smiled, revealing sharp, white teeth.

"Yes, I am," the character said. "And I need your help."

Before Takumi could respond, the room began to spin, and he felt himself being pulled through the door. The next thing he knew, he was standing in a bustling cityscape, surrounded by figures that seemed to move in slow motion. They were all anime characters, their faces twisted in terror as they chased after a figure that looked eerily similar to Takumi.

Takumi ran, his heart pounding. He turned the corner and saw the woman from the apartment building standing before him, her eyes wide with fear. "Help me!" she shouted.

Takumi grabbed her arm and they ran together, the anime characters closing in. He turned back, and for a moment, he thought he saw his own reflection in the eyes of the figures chasing them. Then, the world around him began to blur, and he felt himself being pulled into the darkness.

When Takumi awoke, he was back in his room, his heart still racing. He looked around, and for a moment, he thought he saw the woman from the apartment building standing at the window. But she was gone, and the image was just a trick of the light.

Takumi got up and grabbed his bike, knowing that tonight's delivery would be different from any he had ever made before. As he pedaled through the city streets, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched, that the city itself was alive with secrets he couldn't uncover.

That night, as he reached the apartment building, he saw the figure again, standing at the corner. This time, when he approached, the woman's eyes seemed to glow with a faint light.

"You've been chosen," she whispered. "To deliver to the world you can't see."

Takumi took a deep breath, feeling the weight of the words settle on his shoulders. "What do I need to do?"

The woman smiled. "All you have to do is deliver the packages. But remember, some of them aren't meant for this world."

Takumi nodded, his mind racing. He had no idea what lay ahead, but he was determined to face it. As he mounted his bike and pedaled away, he knew that his life had changed forever. He was not just an anime delivery man; he was a delivery man to the ghostly world that lived just beyond the veil of reality.