“Listen up, if he gets a big share in that. N-no one knows what is going to become of that situation.” A man speaks up.
“Y-yes, I understand but those contracts should be!”
“If they make that share, this company would be–”
“Ok, yeah. Alright, I’ll just come down myself. So don’t do anything rash.”
A brief moment of silence overcomes the man before he starts moving around the room that he is in.
The man continues to rummage through his things before pulling out a document.
He opens the document flipping through the papers, seemingly trying to find something relating towards his situation on the phone.
“Phew…” The man sighs.
He places the document into a bag and lifts the bag onto his shoulders.
Leaving the room he walks down the hallway into a door that is decorated with many colorful things.
Skreek
The man opens the door to this room, before he can say something.
He takes time to look around.
Before he can open his mouth, the person looks up and speaks to him.
“Hey dad.” The person says with a monotone.
The man looks down for a movement before raising his head.
“Hey Okepilar… I’ll be leaving to head towards the radio tower. I have to discuss things down there.”
“Please don’t try to go out, It’ll probably be like that for a good few days. Stay safe…”
“Yeah dad… You too dad, stay safe out there.” Her tone slightly raised.
“Love you sweetie.”
The man closes the door before hurrying down the hall.
His footsteps fade into the distance as he heads down what seems like stairs that last forever.
With such a hurry he is in it seems to be affecting the girl in some way.
Okemia exhales through her teeth.
“This is really getting out of hand. Like, what am I supposed to do? Sit here and watch it all fall apart?”
Getting up she goes to her dresser picking up her orange hairpins, she adjusts them in her hair before closing her book that is filled to the brim with notes.
Walking out of her room, she looks around the hallway she’ll be stuck in for who knows how long.
She sighs before walking down the wide spiraling stairs.
“I can’t believe dad let that happen, like that was so uncalled for… why did my brother even come and take me like that?” Okemia sighs again in frustration.
As she walks down, she thinks that this whole thing is getting out of hand.
Her dad rambling about the company he owns and the fact that they’re having trouble with their contracts and deals.
She doesn’t know the full picture, but she can assume it has something to do with the company going bankrupt.
Reaching the bottom of the stairs she looks at the kitchen and living room.
“Not even some of the people who come and clean are here.”
“Dad really should just call them maids at that point.”
“But it’s so quiet without anyone here… And school started yesterday…”
Okemia mutters her way off into the kitchen.
Wondering if the family matter is important, it must be since her father and brother are scrambling around.
While her father is putting up inheritance as if there is going to be anything if they don’t find a way to secure themselves.
BRIRINGRING!
She reaches into her pocket for her phone.
“Hello this is Hyuganatsu, how can I help you?”
“Okemia! Are you okay?”
“Hotaru?!”
“… Yeah I am doing just good, no need to worry.”
“Are you sure? I mean what had happened yesterday was….”
“I know, I know.”
“It’s-”
“My family is having issues about ownership right now. So my brother was sent to get me, to be honest I don’t know why.”
Okemia takes a second to breathe.
“I don’t know why, like, he was supposed to be in Saitama like I said. But he suddenly came, I guess he was tracking my phone.”
“BUT! You don’t have to worry, I think I am going back to school on the final day. After all, I don’t think I’d be cooped up here, Hotaru…”
“Thank you, oh goodness, I really didn’t know what he was going to do to you! I didn’t even know if he was going to come after other people.”
Hotaru pauses on the phone, her voice seems rather ragged.
It’s like she’s on the verge of crying.
“I thought your brother was going to kill you or something, wait I’m sorry. Because of that situation I just thou–”
“Hey hey, it’s good, I’m fine for the most part. There was no way that was going to happen, I’m still here right? I’ll still be seeing you soon. So don’t cry for me Hotaru.”
She responds with a slight hesitation in her voice.
Sliding down on the wall she drops to the floor.
Hotaru had to witness her mom being assaulted along with Okemia being abducted by her brother.
Along with Masashi’s helplessness to stop the situation.
“I’ll be right back ok? Don’t worry a lot. Besides, we’ll still get to talk about the many bad movies there are to watch.”
“Y-yeah, but I’m so glad you’re ok? Oh- I’m sorry I can’t stay on long, my mom is calling me.”
“Hey. It’s ok go along, I’m still glad you called me.”
“Me too, I’m so so sorry for not being on longer. But…. I’ll catch you in the finals right?”
“Yeah, you too. Cya.”
“Heh, bye bye!”
She hangs up her phone.
Staring at the wall, tears fall from her face as she tries desperately to hold them back.
She feels so powerless in the situation.
She just hopes all of this family drama can be over, though there’s no telling what would happen.
And what could happen during this time.
Present day.
March 26th, undisclosed time.
“I can’t really stay here, I mean I know what my situation is but…”
“You shouldn’t worry Masashi, after I think I know how it feels to miss family.”
“Its more of a ‘I gotta be home when the sun sets’ Or my my Oba is gonna worry.”
“Uh yeah?”
“Stop saying it that way, it’s kinda weird.”
“What way? Am I not saying it correctly?”
“No its–”
“Nevermind, well when we reach the armory. I’ll set you up with whatever fits your taste.”
“I never used a blade or weapon, or anything like that… So I might not know how to fight with it, Ms. Suwarofusukī.”
Walking down the armory, Amaiaruheitō slides her ID card at the scanner.
SCUSSHHH
The door opens revealing a room with a large assortment of weapons hanging on the wall while being behind some sort of glass.
She chuckles.
“Just call me Amaiaruheitō, no need for the formalites.”
“Everything here is labeled, woah this is amazing” Masashi looks around intrigued at the many varieties of weapons.
Amaiaruheitō presses a button.
A large section of the wall opens up as a row of weapons flow out being held in place by different mechanisms.
“We got short blades, normal blades, long blades, Staffs, Knives” Amaiaruheitō sounds confident while explaining the different things they have.
“What about conventional weapons?” Masashi asks curiously.
“They’re over there, but at your age I don’t think I should be giving you that. Hell even normal weapons ain’t a joke to play around with.”
She leans.
“But I can let it slide a bit.” Amaiaruheitō whispers, looking slyly.
“Actually never mind, I’ll choose from one of the blades.”
Masashi scans each row, looking at the different options.
“That katana looks nice, but I don’t think it’ll be a good idea to carry around something like that just daily.”
“Hmmm…” Masashi eyes dart between each weapon.
That tanto would be a nice choice, though can I even reach anything with that?
I wonder if I can take more than one.
“You look lost, are ya?”
“A bit I guess.”
Between finding something that is concealable and something that is effective.
He finds it difficult to pick one.
“This one will work.”
He picks up one of the blades, it softly ejects out of its slot.
“You picked that? A Wakizashi?” Amaiaruheitō sounds a little disappointed.
“Uh, I guess I mean it’s longer than a tanto and I think it’s more concealable than a Katana.”
“Well whatever fits you fits you.” Amaiaruheitō shrugs her shoulders while walking off the platform.
“Have you confirmed it as your choice?”
“Yeah.”
“Alright then lets get going.”
“I’ll have to teach you how to swing a sword and not get your head lobbed off.”
Amaiaruheitō puts her hands on her waist as she swings her ID around to see if it can be scanned in that way.
BEEP
“Oh my!”
A few clashes and many trials and tribulations later.
TIING!
“You keep holding it up like that and you’re gonna–”
Amaiaruheitō swings her Katana downward with an incredible amount of force.
“S-shit! Don’t you think this is a little too much?!” Masashi struggles to block the strike.
“No duh, expect this in a fight with another person or even a Kara!”
She strikes at him again with the same crushing force.
“You have to be diligent, you have to expect these things.”
Masashi is pushed back.
Despite the intensity of her training and the way she would strike him.
She is right, there is no room for mistakes when fighting.
Thinking back to Masashi wonders about everything he has encountered right now.
The Karas he encounters, Okemia’s brother and even the Sovereign.
He wonders if everything has been going easy, he wonders if tapping into Fantazumu has helped him so far.
“Are you done pondering?
Or are you just gonna stay there and wonder what to do?
Masashi picks himself up and readies his sword.
“If I were to ponder then I’d be struck down, I don’t think I’ll be as good as this as you or someone with more experience.”
“But if this helps me fight in this world, just to survive till the next day. I’ll continue to take your strikes, as long as I learn to fight effectively I think I’ll get around.”
Hearing these words Amaiaruheitō pauses a bit with her frown, but a smile soon comes across her face.
Looking up at Masashi she feels satisfied with his answer.
“Alright then, I’m glad you’re starting to define your stance. Stay with that kid” Amaiaruheitō picks her sword off the ground readying the engaged Masashi.
Masashi takes a stance as well.
“Heh, you don’t even look that much older than me.”
“Quit talking!”
Amaiaruheitō blitzes towards Masashi at whirling speeds.
SLISSHING!
“How long are you gonna be on the defensive?!”
He starts to feel the pressure pushes him to make an offensive move.
Not just stay on defense, but to take swings so he doesn’t focus on one aspect of it.
Their blades clash and clash, Masashi slowly getting used to it but still struggling a good amount.
With each encounter, he feels like it’s a bit too much with what she is doing.
But he is glad she is doing this nonetheless.
SLISSHING!
“You’re actually starting to get on the offense aye?”
Her sword clashes with Masashi’s blade, pushing him back with each hit that connected.
Sparing for a total of more than an hour, Masashi seems to get the hang of sword fighting.
Despite his disadvantage of choosing a shorter sword, he appears to not be half bad.
“Alright, that is enough” Amaiaruheitō plants her sword into the ground.
“You’re not bad, but if you can’t go on the offensive there’s no use.”
“Really?! I mean I couldn’t hit you at all, and I was blocking decently.”
“I guess I should have brought it down to your level.” She sighs while walking towards Masashi.
“Im going to be real if this was a real fight, and you were my enemy I would have killed you in the first step you made.”
“That is how real things can get, don’t forget that”
Amaiaruheitō flicks Masashi on the head.
“Ow! What was the reason for that?!”
“Keep your senses up, can’t trust everything. Right?”
“Is that why we were using real blades?”
“Partially was my reason, I never was going to cut you in any way… But I just wanted to give you the feeling that you were in danger. Giving you the feeling I might cut you down.”
Amaiaruheitō walks out the room.
“If you are ready to go, Hashimoto is waiting outside for you, heh, well it looks like you won’t be late.”
“After all, that ‘Oba’ of yours is probably waiting for you” Amaiaruheitō mocks Masashi’s spelling.
“Hey, thanks.”
“Pft.”
“…”
Looking at his weapon, he really thinks if he could probably reach the power of Amaiaruheitō one day, he believes that this is one step closer to fighting effectively in this world.
“I guess gotta conceal this somehow? Where’s the sheath anyway…”
“Amaiaruheitō! Don’t you know where the sheath is?”
“Huh, where is she?”
Walking out the door he looks at his wakizashi, it feels heavier.
Almost like it’s overflowing with energy, he inspects it a little closer before it vanishes out of his hand.
“What the?!”
Click!
“Excuse me mam! Are you awake? Are you dead?!”
A boy pokes on at the strangers face as they lay in bed.
Having been covered up with bandages from their arms to even having some bandages reapplied.
It’s been quite a hard one.
“Koka! Stop bothering her while she sleeps” A woman speaks up
“I was checking to see if she was alive, I mean with her injuries-”
“Stop irritating her and go get me some water.”
“Alright, miss.”
The boy leaves the room and hurries downstairs.
“That boy can be something else.”
The woman takes time to attend to the sleeping person on the bed.
“Your wounds certainly have healed, but not fully. Even that hole at your side is looking better, but it hasn’t scarred over yet…”
“You’re barely conscious as is.”
The woman puts the back side of her hand across Shimizu’s forehead.
“Can you speak?!”
Shimizu shakes her head slightly in response.
Unable to fully open her eyes.
“Oh my, it’s been two days since. You’re doing well…”
“M-ms. Kusa, thank you.”
“It’s my pleasure, after all you helped save this place. Besides, it’s not the first time I helped you.”
Shimizu laughs a little dry.
“I’m sorry… But I can’t stay here. While all of you are nice and hospitable, I don’t belong here.”
“I can’t really seem to find my way home, I’d like to explore here. But I really can’t stay.”
Shimizu opens her eyes, she fondly touches Ms. Kusa.
“You kinda resemble my mom, I miss being in her presence right now.”
The woman caresses Shimizu’s flowing purple hair.
“You have a really rare hair color, you know?!”
“Haha, you can thank my father for that.”
“Well I can’t keep you here, since you don’t want to stay here. But please rest up for one more day.” The woman urges,
“Then I’ll help you with what I can…”
“T-thank you again!”
“But Ms. Kusa, when I say I am not from this place…. I say I am not from this world.”
“I could tell, I mean when I first found you. The clothes you had on were not from anywhere here.”
“In fact, it looked to me like you were some alien haha.”
Shimizu turns away looking distraught.
“The way I came here wasn’t even intentional, like I felt I was dragged into it.”
There was a good minute of silence.
“If it makes you feel better, there probably is a way you can travel back where you came from.”
Shimizu’s eyes open in excitement, while not fully open questions puzzle in her head regarding a way out.
“Haha hey now, I am not even sure myself. I know a little bit of something called veil.”
“Uh I think I saw it in use, maybe for a bit!” Shimizu speaks up.
“Well, It’s kinda like I read a small bit of it. It’s not like I know what exactly they are, I just have a small bit of knowledge about it.”
‘Hmm, I guess you’re better than me.
I have no idea what they are!
I just heard of them.”
“But!”
“I know they are used for transportation for the Hachio Chōjōdō.”
“What is that?”
“The Hachio Chōjōdō is the form of government we have here. They serve as a military organization as well, the scouting troops outfit you had on is a part of them.”
“Well where could I get access to a veil?”