I leaned against a light post with my hands in my pockets, my mind filled with many questions as I looked up at the afternoon sky. I couldn't get the idea of Nanako influencing Otsuki out of my head, but the signs couldn't be any more clear. Nanako had truly made it to the friend group.
Knowing this fact, I also had my father's locked chest in the attic in mind—my head filled with theories of what the final number of the code could be. With so many thoughts now in my head, a migraine was certainly foreseeable in my near future, one that would truly wreck me.
"Motosaki~!" Tsubami called out to me from the background.
As long as this wreck doesn't finish me off first.
"Motosaki! I know you hear me! Stop avoiding me as if you're too cool to notice YOUR Student Council President!" Tsubami called out to me once again, walking over toward me then pulled my ear. "Hello! Earth to Motosaki, the mothership is scheduled to bring you back home!"
"Can you stop that incessant yelling in my ear? Jesus, you're worse than Aisha when she's sleepy or hooked on a sugar rush," I groaned softly, smacking Tsubami's hand off my ear then crossed my arms.
"Well, maybe if you weren't ignoring me, I wouldn't have to be yelling now would I? Anyways, your performance earlier was pretty outstanding. You're better than I thought you'd be, but our work is not yet done," Tsubami said, walking forward then spun around to look at me with a smirk.
"Are you serious? You and Lotus have been dragging me around all day. I'm done with this until tomorrow," I grumbled, making a few steps past Tsubami before she caught me by the collar, causing me to gag.
"Ah, ah, ahhh~ I told you that you were going to be my greatest partner, and I am a woman of my word. You're not done just yet," Tsubami said, letting me go and turning around to look at me once more with another smile.
I coughed lightly and rubbed my throat, groaning softly and looked over at Tsubami with an annoyed expression. "What now? The girls are all out in Sengoku, having their weekend outing. I am by definition done for the day."
"Wow, the event has really changed you. The Old Motosaki I knew would've said something like 'Oh, where are we going Sister Tsubami~? Another adventu—'" Tsubami began then hissed as I kicked her shin, her head lowering with a soft, painful moan.
"I do not sound like that, and I for damn sure did not sound like a backup nun when I was younger. Sheesh, I already have to deal with one Emma, I don't need two Emmas around me," I scoffed, crossing my arms and looked away from Tsubami.
"You didn't have to kick me..." Tsubami huffed softly, kneeling down as she rubbed her shin.
As I looked away from Tsubami, I noticed a group of delinquents from The Hounds shoving another student down a back alley of the school with a group of girls giggling behind as they dragged Lotus with them. Immediately, my gaze hardened, my sight locking onto the Hounds.
Tsubami stood up and huffed softly, watching me walk off then looked in the direction I was headed. "Motosaki? Where are you going?"
'What are they doing to Ranmaru and Lotus? These guys just don't get enough with bullying? They already tried this with Emma,' I thought to myself, continuing my march toward the back area of the campus.
Tsubami followed behind me and looked around to make sure no one was watching as she slipped into the back alley behind me, the caution tape causing her to duck under it to enter through. As we walked through the alley, the sounds of laughter and gossip were faint but they seemed to echo through the tight corridors.
Reaching the end, I stopped walking and peered around the corner with a sneaking gaze, my eyes tracking multiple first and second years keeping watch over the area like scouts. I held my arm out, stopping Tsubami as if I already knew she was behind me then made hand gestures for her to get behind me.
Tsubami immediately recognized the militaristic sign language and slowly got behind me, her mind wondering what I was doing. She tilted her head to look at my eyes, noticing a calculate glint shining in my eyes as I began scouting the area myself.
"Oh come on! You're telling me the little shrine girl can't call upon the god of knowledge? What's all this shit you're writing in this dirty notebook?" Ara sneered, holding up Lotus's notebook up with two fingers with disgust.
"Stop this, Ara! Lotus has nothing to do with this! You came to me for Mr. Hoshido's test, why are you dragging—" Ranmaru began then grunted heavily as one of his upperclassmen slapped him across his face.
"Hey! Shut up! Did we give you permission to speak? Tch, Oi! You think because you're one of Naomi's lapdogs that you have immunity against us?" The upperclassman asked with a mocking laugh then kicked Ranmaru upon his chest, knocking him onto the ground.
"Hey! You're hurting him! Let me go! You're gonna be screwed when I tell Sister Tsubami about this!" Lotus protested, struggling to escape her classmates' hold upon her wrists.
Reiko flipped her hair and scoffed lightly at Lotus, glancing over at her with a sneer. "What? You're gonna pray to God for her to hear your cries? Sure, go ahead. Start praying. Matter fact, I'll join you! God! Send some help for your supposed children! O' God! Hear my prayers!"
Lotus's gaze darkened as she listened to Reiko's mocking prayer. "Stop that! God will not be mocked!"
"GoD wIlL nOT bE MoCkED, neh neh neh, won't you just shut up and give us the answers to Mr. Hoshido's exam? That's all we ask, or do we have to beat it out of you then take away your property?" Reiko asked, getting off the lone desk and walked over to Lotus and grabbed her chin aggressively.
"Your boyfriend, Motosaki...he isn't here to save you nor does he know where you are. You can't call for help, so if you know what's good for you...you'd just hand it over. Then, you can pray to your God to forgive us? Deal?" Reiko asked with a chuckle, shoving Lotus's face.
I stared at the scene with a quiet gaze, watching how rough they were treating Ranmaru and Lotus, my own blood boiling within my skin. I got off the wall and began walking onto the back campus, my eyes already mentally highlighting each of the first and second years who spotted me.
"Hey! Wait, it's him! How did you find us?" One freshman asked, pointing at me and rose his metal pole in his hand.
I stood in front of the Hounds, the numbers increasing by an entire class since the first time I ran into them. I slipped my hands into my pockets then scoffed at them, my gaze filled with disgust as my sight witnessed the lawlessness before me.
Tsubami stayed behind, watching me closely and rose an eyebrow. 'Is he serious? He's gonna take on The Hounds by himself? I know Mr. Izuna taught him a lot, but this is a bit much...'
"This guy things he's tough! Take him down!" A sophomore commanded, charging forward with a straight punch toward my face.
I swayed to the side to evade his attack then kicked his foot from under him before ducking under another attack. I countered the first freshman with a rib punch then grabbed his blazer and pushed him into the incoming crowd. I continued to walk forward, my eyes locking onto the unaware Satoshi.
Satoshi heard commotion behind him then turned around, my first connecting to his face before he could register me. He groaned as he hit the ground, his hand on his cheek as he watched me step over him as if he was nothing.
I began making my way toward the real leader of the kidnapping, my hand grabbing Reiko by her hair and yanking her away from Lotus. "Was Emma not enough..? Was putting her in debt not enough for you, now you targeted a Miko? You all truly are nothing but a pack of dogs."
Reiko stared at me in surprise, her mind racing with questions on how I found her and the secret hideout for the Hounds. 'Did...God really respond..?'
"I heard your annoying voice all the way at the entrance, saying a mocking prayer. It seems God did hear your prayers, and sent me," I said coldly, standing in between Reiko and Lotus.
Kenji looked up from his phone and hummed with a hint of excitement then got up from the ground, dusting himself off with a chuckle. "Well, well, the school's hotshot is here to save the day again. You know, I like you, bro. You're tough and that shit excites me."
I scoffed at Kenji, turning my gaze toward him and smirked while lowering my head to look at my feet. "Tough huh? No, I'm not tough. I just have my head screwed on straight on my shoulders. I don't understand what is really going on here...but it's gonna stop."
"Says who? You? Not even Tsubami can stop us! In fact she's scared of our leaders! Her, Otsuki, Emma, you name your little groupies, they are afraid of Kaido of the Black Hound! Now stand back!" Reiko yelled, using her leader's name to try to intimidate me.
I chuckled softly and exhaled softly. "You think I'm scared of some gang leader? In New America, there was a gang named the Syndicates that would steal your organs just for science. You don't scare me...not especially when I'm battling against a spirit of my own."
"Tch, you must really want to die? Hey, Mikah! Get him out of here," Kenji ordered, pointing at me with a commanding finger.
Mikah took his foot off Ranmaru and looked at me, smirking while he approached me and cracking his knuckles. "With pleasure!"
Mikah threw the first punch, but a parried his arm to the side then stepped back to avoid his sweep kick. I hopped backwards twice then kneeled down, helping Ranmaru onto his feet then pushed him forward. "Run! Go call for help!"
Ranmaru hesitated as he stumbled forward, looking back at me as I fought against Mikah then grunted as he ran off with a few members of the Hound chasing him. Tsubami watched as Ranmaru ran past her then grunted as the foot soldiers charged behind him like a stampede, not noticing her while she was kneeled down.
Mikah managed to land a clean right hook upon my face, staggering me then delivered a gut blow that sent me upon one knee while his friends cheered in the background. "Look at that. The great Motosaki Izuna is failing to beat me? You beat the Hounds the first time, was it all a fluke?"
Lotus looked at me with worry in her gaze then noticed my sly smirk while I was kneeling on one knee. 'What is he planning? Why is he smiling?'
I quickly rose up with a sloppy, telegraphed uppercut which Mikah easily dodged and countered with a slap across my face. I stumbled backwards and held my hands up in a cowardly defense position, looking at Mikah through the opening in my arms.
"Seriously? You just ran through an entire crowd and now you can't fight? And you beat the Hounds on your own? You're an interesting one!" Mikah taunted, throwing a straight punch through the opening in my guard.
Immediately, I caught his fist with a 12 to 6 catch then grabbed his wrist, twirling him around into a back armbar. He tried to elbow me to escape, but I twirled him around again then ducked under his haymaker. I struck his stomach with an elbow then followed with a hopping back kick.
While he rose back up, I rushed behind him and struck the back of his knee, forcing him to kneel down then delivered a clean right hook to his jaw. The Hounds gasped as Mikah fell onto the ground out cold while I rose onto my feet.
I shook my hand and looked at my knuckles, huffing softly. "Another rockhead...but that's settled."
"This guy...he beat Mikah as well? Just who is he? I'm out of here!" One freshman said in a scared tone, turning away to run off then froze as she noticed Mr. Hoshido walking onto the back campus.
"You won't be going anywhere. First you bully Emma in Ms. Mori's class, now you target Lotus. Wisdom is currently chasing you all, and each of you are running too fast for her to catch up," Mr. Hoshido said, his gaze shifting over to me with an intrigued expression.
I slipped my hands into my pockets, my gaze meeting Mr. Hoshido's gaze as he pushed up his glasses, the lens glare covering his analytical eyes. "Mr. Izuna. I'll take it from here. You two, let Lotus go."
The students immediately let go of Lotus and she immediately ran over to me and held my arm for protection. I began leading Lotus away from the group then stopped at Reiko and Satoshi, shooting then a calm stare.
"You Hounds should find a new profession...and stop messing with me and my friends. You wouldn't want to know what my friends would do to you when influenced. Take this as a warning call, the tale is different now," I said, bumping my shoulder into Reiko and Satoshi as I pushed through then with Lotus.
Satoshi grabbed my arm, stopping me and looking down at the ground. "And you don't know who you're messing with. I don't know what your cryptic message could possibly mean, but if you think hiding behind Tsubami will save you then you're mistaken."
"I'm not hiding behind anyone. I have no one to hide behind anymore, nothing to hide anymore. If you think Kaido will intimidate me, just remember...A Titan can only stand so tall. Your nest can only be built so far in the stars before it all comes crashing down," I said, snatching my arm away from Satoshi and walked away from him without another word.
Satoshi felt a slight chill crawl down his back as he processed to my words, his mind scrambling to decode the meaning of my words. "What is he talking about..? Who does he think he really is..?"
It was almost as if he was so close, yet so far from understanding me, but failed to reach the mark again. Reiko also tried to understand me, but her mind was already set with her current perspective of me, only seeing me as a person who was handed the world for nothing, but failed to realize my world was only starting to be built again.
Around something they could not understand.
---------------------------
I sat in the student council room with Lotus, Tsubami sitting in front of us with a soft sigh as she pulled her chair forward. She looked at me first, noticing my gaze fixated out the window, lost in my own thoughts. She glanced over at Lotus, watching as she rubbed her wrists and arms.
"Silence huh? Hey, you don't need to feel any form of shame. You did the right thing and I will see that they receive proper punishment," Tsubami began, her voice the first to fill the room.
"Hmph...I am not worried about those clowns nor am I worried about that impounded dog they call Kaido. My focus is on the girls and the Tomodachi. What am I going to do?" I said, keeping my gaze focused on the skies outside the window.
"What do you mean?" Lotus asked, glancing over at me with light confusion.
"I mean how am I gonna date all five women without seeming performative or even alerting Nanako of our plans? She's already influenced two girls, Aisha and Otsuki. She seems to be working through the people I am close with," I said, looking at Tsubami with a thoughtful expression.
"Is that so? You're very close with Emma and seeing the theorized pattern, Emma might be next. I have a feeling she's only testing out each girl...seeing what limits she can push before you notice," Tsubami said, looking down at her phone and exhaled softly.
"I hear we are talking about the Tomodachi," A familiar gruff tone sounded at the doorway, each of us looking over to see Mr. Hoshido standing at the door.
I immediately stood up, gulping lightly and fixing my appearance. "Mr. Hoshido, you know of The Tomodachi?"
"Erik was a good friend of mine and I do also work at the SPA on the weekends, the Supernatural Phenomenon Association I mean. We've been investigating Nanako for years since Erik and Mikoto's death," Mr. Hoshido answered, walking inside and closing the door behind himself.
"Do you happen to know...what my mother was like before the curse?" I asked, sitting back down in my seat.
Mr. Hoshido pushed his glasses up, his eyes locking onto mine then he smiled at me. "Mikoto Izuna was one of the most popular young women back in our high school days. She was a noblewoman, one of the most influential in New Japan."
"She was always kind, gentle, and very discerning. However, that began to blur when Nanako possessed her. One thing I know after closely observing Nanako, there are three things that will irritate Nanako and cause her to level up: Not paying enough attention to her and exorcizing her without fully appeasing her," Mr. Hoshido said, walking over to me and placed his hand upon my shoulder.
"What..?" I asked, looking up at Mr. Hoshido in confusion.
"Number three, being separated from you for too long. I've been watching you closely, and you've made better progress than Erik...but Nanako is still a spirit despite how well you keep her at bay intentionally or not. She is still a restless and vengeful spirit," Mr. Hoshido warned, patting my shoulder then walked over to Tsubami.
Tsubami leaned back in her seat with her hands resting behind her head, a cool smile forming on her lips. "I'm sure Motosaki already knows this, but we might need more practice for him to actually see Nanako. After all, Mr. Erik was running off vibes only, so he was at a disadvantage."
"How will he see Nanako? I mean, to be honest..." Lotus began, glancing over at me with a worried expression. "The veil over his eyes is rather thick."
"C'mon...at least I'm trying to get back right. Have a little more faith in me," I said with a soft groan, lowering my head and exhaling softly.
Tsubami chuckled softly at the two of us then sat up straight. "He doesn't need to see her, that's what we are here for. He just needs to see her. You know, see the influence. He already saw it with Otsuki."
Mr. Hoshido pushed up his glasses then looked down at his watch. "He does seem to have a naturally gifted emotional sense. The spiritual sense is the issue...Nanako has a naturally calming aura to her so..."
I glanced up after Mr. Hoshido's explanation, glimpse of visions of Aisha and Otsuki playing in my head. "You are right about that...it's the calmness that unnerves me. When they become still, they become watchful and observant. But each person has a different type of calm to them."
"That will be our lead then. If I am correct and Emma is next, you should 100% ask Emma out on a date!" Tsubami said, clapping her hands together and standing up with a bright smile.
I shook my head and lowered my head again, trying to imagine what a date with Emma would even be like. Even then, with Nanako's influence, I'm almost sure with as much wisdom I have now, she's becoming more aggressive. I mean, Emma is a trademark tsundere and that's the issue.
"Alright, I'll ask her out... Y'all pray for me..." I said softly, sitting up straight in my seat and pulled my phone from my pocket to text Emma.
[Me: Yoooo (¬_¬)]
[Pipsqueak (Emma): Ugh, what do YOU want, Baka?]
[Me: Already aggressive? Yeesh. Do you wanna go out?]
[Pipsqueak (Emma): ...]
[Pipsqueak (Emma): what..? (o////o)]
[Me: Do]
[Me: You]
[Me: Want]
[Pipsqueak (Emma): OH MY GOD, Just sent the entire message!!!!!]
[Me: To]
[Me: Go]
[Me: Out? (@^^)/~~~]
[Pipsqueak (Emma): You're so annoying! What makes you think I like you enough to even spend alone time with you?]
[Pipsqueak (Emma): Where are we going..? (;一_一)]
I chuckled softly at Emma's message and looked up at Lotus and Tsubami who stood over me. "I got her."
"Nice! Step one complete!" Lotus cheered, hopping up in the air with a giggle.
Tsubami looked up at Mr. Hoshido then tapped her wrist, giving him a head nod. He nodded back and slipped his hands into his pocket, walking off with a smirk on his lips then he pat Tsubami's shoulder as be walked out the room.
I stood up from my seat as well, already planning my next steps based off what I already knew about Emma and looked over at Tsubami. "Alright, wish me luck. I'm just gonna go in straight through the door."
"Ouuu shiiii, who is this guy feeling like all of a sudden?" Tsubami chuckled, crossing her arms as she watched me leave the room as well then looked outside the window. "Alright...time to guess where he's going with Emma.."
-------------------------------
I drove into Fujioka and parked the car upon the side of the road before getting out. Looking around, Fujioka was a peaceful neighborhood with the residents strolling around and enjoying community with one another. I smiled lightly and began my stroll down the sidewalk.
Looking down at my phone, I read Emma's address then glanced up to find the corresponding home. While wandering around, the sounds of giggling grew closer behind me and I looked back to see a group of middle schoolers darting around a corner.
'What in the world..?' I asked myself, moving my eyebrow up and down then sighed softly.
"Hey, Natsuki...that guy is your big sister's friend right?" One girl asked, holding Natsuki's arm with a gossiping smile.
"Is that her boyfriend?" Another one of Natsuki's friends asked, peeking around the corner at me with a smirk.
"I think it's him. I've only seen two pictures of him on her Instagram, so I'm not too sure," Natsuki answered, peeking around the corner as well.
As I continued down the road, Natsuki and her friends followed behind me like little investigators, each of their steps matching up behind mine. I continued to glanced behind me, sensing someone following my tracks then began to speed up my pace.
"Hey, he's speeding up! Miku, Natsuki, let's catch up!" Natsuki's friend called out, pointing at me before running after me.
I heard the girl's voice then grunted as I began running through the crowd, slipping through each person and apologizing to the ones I pushed over. "What the hell..? Why are they chasing me?"
Natsuki continued to chase after me, noticing me slip into a crowd of people and followed suit. Once she exited the crowd, she looked around and noticed I was gone and rose an eyebrow. "Huh..? How did he disappear so fast?"
"Natsukiii!!" Sully called out, grunting as she tripped over her own feet and crashed into Natsuki.
Their friend followed behind and looked around with a pant, sucking in her teeth and stomped her foot on the ground. "Mou! Ugh, where did that guy go? Now we can't even ask him if he's Emma's boyfriend.."
I adjusted a black baseball cap over my head and tied my blazer around my waist as I slipped out of the crowd casually, glancing around and noticed Natsuki and her friends searching around for me. "What is their problem..?"
I sighed softly and shook my head then looked down at my phone and from the corner of my eye, a white rabbit began hopping by. I looked at the white rabbit and noticed a golden shimmer upon his fur when the sunlight hit against him. I watched where he was hopping to, noticing him hopping toward a nearby house before disappearing as a car drove by.
"Whoa..! What the heck..?" I asked in shock, glancing around to see if anyone else saw what I did, but noticed no one else was paying attention.
I began approaching where the rabbit was last seen and began walking toward the fence of the house. I kneeled down to see if the rabbit left any traces, but none. It was an astonishing sight, one I couldn't wrap my brain around as I placed my hand upon the ground.
"You know, Mother Nature can't hear you like that, goofy!" Emma called out from behind me, smacking my head with a rolled up magazine.
I groaned and held my hands over my head, looking back and noticing Emma standing behind me then glared at her. "What the heck was that for?!"
"Why are you at my house? Did I tell you I was ready yet? Sheesh, it's like you're excited to see me or something," Emma scoffed, looking away with a blush on her face.
'Okay, now I know Nanako is influencing her...but why the hell is Nanako aggressive too?!' I hissed mentally, rubbing the small knot on my head to ease the throbbing pain of my head.
I stood up and turned around to face Emma, my eyes falling upon her avoidant gaze. I reached over and grabbed her chin for her to look at me. "You can't keep avoiding me forever. I'm already here..."
"So? I'm still not ready yet, so it looks like you're gonna be standing out here!" Emma said with a light huff, pushing my hand away then walked off to her porch.
"Oii, Emma! You can't just walk away from me!" I said with a chuckle, following her to her front porch.
Ms. Chisaka looked up from her knitting, noticing an embarrassed Emma hurrying inside the house then looked over to see me. She smiled at me and placed down her knitting equipment. "Ahh, you must be Motosaki? Emma talks about you so much!"
I looked at Emma's mother and smiled at her, giving her a respectful bow as I took her hand for a generous greeting. "Yes, I am Motosaki Izuna. It's so nice to meet you as well. You've raised a fine young woman."
"Oh stop, you flatter me! I only do my best as a suburban mother," Ms. Chisaka replied and laughed, fanning herself with light embarrassment. "Oh! Would you like to come in?"
"If you don't mind," I replied with a smile, bowing to Emma's mother as I entered into her home.
Natsuki and her friends panted as they finally made it to the Chisaka Residency, the three of them looking tired as they watched Ms. Chisaka welcome me inside. They looked at each other in shock, all of them gasping and hurrying inside the house.
Natsuki quickly kicked off her shoes then hurried into the home, sliding across the floors to make it to the living room and threw open the sliding doors. "Ha! I knew it! I knew Emma had a boyfriend!"
I choked on the tea Ms. Chisaka offered me and pat my chest with my hand, thinking to myself, 'Her WHAT?!'
"Mr. Izuna..!" Ms. Chisaka gasped, gently patting my back with worry then looked over at her youngest daughter. "Natsuki! Don't frighten the guest like that!"
"But Mama! That guy is Emma's boyfriend! Why didn't she tell me she found a boyfriend?" Natsuki huffed, walking into the living room and bounced around me to inspect me. "Hmmmm..."
I watched Natsuki then glanced over to the entrance of the living room to see her two friends watching me as well. "Don't you kids have homework..?"
"It's Friday, smarty-pants! We don't get homework so HA! What do you know about my Oneesan? Do you know she likes anime? Manga? Do you know she plays video games? Hmm??" Natsuki interrogated, pressing her finger against my forehead.
She's just a child Motosaki. Calm down.
I know, Motosaki.
"Natsuki, enough..!" Ms. Chisaka fussed, gently pulling her daughter away from me with an awkward laugh. "I'm sorry about her, she's just really protective over her sister.."
I smiled at the two of them, letting out a soft exhale and fixed my hair. "I know, and I admire that. You don't have to worry, Natsuki-chan~! I know your sister is interested in a lot of cute things."
"Hmph! Do you know how many boys say that? Like seriously, they only want her because she's really easy when she likes someone! What do you really know about her?" Natsuki asked, puffing her cheek at me and crossed her arms.
"Her favorite animals are birds, monkeys, dolphins, and cats," I said with confidence, moving my eyebrow up and down.
"Oh...what? How the heck do you know that? She always says her favorite animal is a rabbit. You have to be lying," Natsuki said, yet her voice sounded unconvinced of her own words.
"Maybe that's one of them, but I can promise you, if birds can fly, she'll like 'em. If monkeys can climb, she'll enjoy 'em. If kids can play, she knows it's a joyful day," I said, chuckling to myself as I remembered her entire poem.
Ms. Chisaka giggled and looked over at me with interest. "You'd be correct with that. Her favorite location to go to is the zoo and that's where she finds her best days at...other than an anime themed mall."
'Alright, I know Emma's favorite location...but choosing it would be too obvious. Let's just stick with my first plan for now,' I thought to myself, laughing along with Ms. Chisaka.
Emma soon came walking downstairs in a cute pink jacket with a koala bear design on the back, a white graphic tee, and blue jeans, ready to get the date over with. She heard the sounds of conversation coming from the living room then began walking toward the area, a gasp filling her lungs as she noticed me talking with her mother, her sister, and her friends.
"H-H-Hey! What are you doing in my home?!" Emma asked in a flustered tone, marching over toward me and pinching my ear then dragged me off the couch.
"Ouch! Hey— You'll pulling too hard..!" I grunted, stumbling behind Emma as she dragged me outside the house.
"Oh, you two have fun!" Ms. Chisaka giggled, waving at the two of us.
"Yeah, and bring her back at a reasonable time!" Natsuki called out afterwards.
Emma continued to drag me until we reached her lawn then she shoved me forward, crossing her arms and staring at me with a frown. "Ugh, I can't believe you..! Entering my home like that?"
"Ugh, it's not like I broke in or something. Your mother literally invited me inside you dunce!" I said, flicking Emma's forehead.
Emma gasped and held her forehead, her blush becoming deeper then she flicked my forehead back. "Hey! Who do you think you are?"
I grunted as she struck my forehead as well, my hand placed over where she hit and scoffed at her. "I'm your date, so start acting like it," I fired back, pushing her head back with my finger.
Emma stumbled backwards and looked up at me with a glare then charged at me. I laughed at her and began running off quickly with an angry firecracker chasing after me at her top speed. Emma let out a yell as she chased me down the street, a few passerbys moving aside as we raced down the road.
Reaching a bridge, I finally stopped running and panted with my hands upon my knees. "Oh man, I haven't ran like that in so long."
"Motosakiii!!!" Emma yelled out, still chasing after me with heavy pants then began slowing down, leaning over with her hand upon her chest. "Wait...until I...catch my breath..."
I chuckled softly at Emma and stood up straight, looking at her with a smile and walked over to her. "As if you're gonna catch your breath like that. Here, stand up straight like this."
Emma froze as I held her shoulders and straightened her up, her eyes following my hands as I took hers and held them over her head in a respiratory position. "I can catch my breath better like this..?"
"It's the preferred method as it helps expand your diaphragm and your lungs as you take in deep breaths," I explained, looking back at the beautiful river beneath the white arching bridge.
Emma watched as I walked over to the bridge and followed behind, being sure to stay clear of the cyclists passing by. She stood beside me at the rails of the bridge and looked down at the water. "Did something catch your eye?"
"Yeah, the beauty of the water. It's so calm, the waves crashing peacefully. It's one of my favorite sounds, especially when I'm playing a game with water effects. Oh man, it's the best," I said with a chuckle, looking down at the waves below.
"What games do you play where it's just majority water sounds?" Emma asked, looking over at me confused.
"A lot. Deep Explorers, Explorers of the Seas, Abzu. There are a lot of games with water. Ohhh, I get it, you only play the cute games like Dachi Life and Moe Gacha," I chuckled, glancing over at Emma with a teasing smirk.
Emma rolled her eyes at me and turned her head away from me. "Hmph! Dachi Life and Moe Gacha are perfect games for a girl like me! You wouldn't understand since you're a military kid so you probably only play shooters like Intel Dogs and Warfare."
I laughed softly at Emma and looked back down at the river below. "Yeah, I do play a lot of first person shooters, but I also enjoy cute games. You know what, it's Friday. Let's spend the entire rest of the day together."
"Huh?!" Emma asked, looking over at me quickly in bewilderment.
"Yeah, I know a great place we can go to. Somewhere that'll allow you to enjoy your favorite interests. We're going to Tokyo," I said, getting off the rails and clapped my hands together.
"What?! Why would I go there with you? Ugh! What makes you think I wanna spend the rest of my day with you? It's not like I..." Emma began, feeling her heart go doki-doki for the first time in forever.
Where have I heard this line from somewhere..?
"It's not like I actually like being around you or anything! Ugh! If you're paying for it, I don't care! I'm just in it for me!" Emma scoffed, walking off with a red face.
I chuckled softly at her and closed my eyes. "The train station is the other way, Em!"
Emma looked back, becoming more embarrassed then groaned as she pivoted the other way at a faster pace. I laughed to myself and began following behind her, almost enjoying this side of Emma more as she was more open than before.
-----------------------------
The bullet train stopped at Shinjuku City, Tokyo and the conductor's voice sounded on the speaker to tell us that we had made it to the bustling city. Emma and I got up from our seats and began making our way out of the train with everyone else then began making our way out of the station.
From the beautiful neon city lights to the noisy chatter of people within the streets and the high sitting skyscrapers, Shinjuku City was a bustling city of entertainment districts and beautiful greens. In this big crowd, I knew Emma could get swept away easily, so I gentle wrapped my arm around her to keep her close.
Emma blushed as I pulled her close to me, but she didn't protest and only walked closer to me as we began making our way through the city. "Where are we going?"
"Somewhere I know you'd really enjoy. I've been doing some research when I was getting ready for our outing together, and I think this would be the best place for us," I said, leading Emma through the sea of people around us.
We continued our way forward and crossed a bridge that sat over the lower section of Shinjuku to make it to the other side where our destination rested. Making it to the large building adorned with colorful lights, Emma gasped softly as she read the large neon sign on the side of the building.
We had made it to a Manga Kissa, Moe Customa, a more niche net cafe which rested in the middle of a busy entertainment district. Walking inside, I took Emma through the registration process, getting us both membership cards and paying for the 12 hour premium package which allowed us to stay overnight with all amenities included.
Emma held my hand tightly as I guided her through the dimly lit hallways, reaching a door with the room number 503 and opened it. "Whoa...this is a large room..!"
I chuckled softly at her reaction and let her enter first before walking in behind her. Inside the room was a large PC area with a comfortable office chair at the long desk with a king sized bed on the other side of the room. I took off my shoes before stepping completely in the room and looked around.
"Here is where we'll spend our date at. A no judgement zone where you can just be you. We have unlimited food, drinks, internet, manga, games, everything you can think of," I said, looking over at Emma with a smile.
Emma looked at me in disbelief, the light in her eyes twinkling with a mix of thanks and confusion. "You spent all this money on us?"
"I mean, it was only about $50 in USD, so it's nothing to me," I said with a light chuckle.
"Oh right, Military Child. You people tend to be rich, so it must be nice," Emma said sarcastically, rolling her eyes at me but couldn't hide her grateful smile.
"How about we order some drinks and whatnot then get this all started?" I asked, sitting down in the office seat and leaned over to turn on the PC.
Emma looked around for a place for her to sit, but there was only one seat so she decided to walk around my seat and sat down on my lap. "Hmph, I'm not sitting on the floor..."
I chuckled softly and scooted closer to the desk as the PC finally booted up, one arm wrapping around her waist to keep her steady on my lap while my other arm rested on the desk to work the mouse. "Alright, suit yourself."
Emma and I began browsing through Moe Customa's menu to look over their food and snack options. We went back and forth over what to order, Emma even smacking my hand away from the mouse and selecting the items while I just simply laughed.
Once our order was placed, Emma wanted to play a few online games on the computer while we waited for our order to arrive. While she did that, I decided to get up from the seat and leave the room for a bit to go to the manga library to pick a few manga she wanted to read while we stayed the night.
After picking the desired manga, I returned to the room and entered then sat down on the bed with a soft grunt. "Okay, let's see what you're talking about. They only had the first three volumes of Final Lament and Reborn as a Dark Queen."
Emma glanced back from her games from my comment and paused her game; She stood up from her seat and walked over to me and leaned over as I opened one of the first books I picked up. "Really? They didn't have anything else? No Mazzaroth Saga?"
"Unless you wanna read August's story starting from 3 August from The Chronicles, I think it's best we start from the beginning with Final Lament: Origin," I said with a chuckle, looking up from my book at Emma with a smile.
Emma sucked her teeth and sighed, crawling up beside me and picked up the first volume of Reborn as a Dark Queen. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to start from the beginning."
Emma and I silently read our respective mangas, Emma sprawled out on her stomach on one end of the bed while I slouched on my end, one leg hanging off the mattress. A knock on the door momentarily broke our concentration, but Emma waved her had at me to get the door.
I softly groaned as I left the comfort of the bed to get the door, opening it and looking up then froze, my expression immediately becoming dull as I noticed Mr. Hoshido standing at my room door with a bag of food in hand. He looked at me with a mask over his mouth, holding the delivery order in his hand.
"Special delivery for Mr. Izuna and Ms. Chisaka. Take it while it's ho—" Mr. Hoshido began then paused as I face palmed.
"Why are you here..? No don't even tell me, Tsubami and Lotus are here as well? How did you all even find us?" I asked, looking up at Mr. Hoshido with light exasperation.
"Tsubami made some fine deductions on where you'd be. Well, Lotus followed a cloud so there's her reasoning as well," Mr. Hoshido said, handing over the delivery to me. "Be sure to remain vigilant and keep her at bay."
"Yeah, yeah, I got this, just go already..!" I said, pushing Mr. Hoshido back then quickly closed the door.
Emma looked over at me, raising an eyebrow and wondered why I was suddenly embarrassed. "What happened? Did that delivery guy do something to our food?"
"No, it was just someone I recognized. It took me by surprise is all, but the food is here," I said, turning around and giving Emma a smile while holding our bag up.
Emma sat up straight on the bed as I walked toward it and sat down, placing the food between us. Deciding we wanted to watch something while we ate, I got up and walked toward the computer to put on one of Emma's favorite anime, her excitement growing through the roof.
Together, the two of us ate our ordered food and enjoyed bingeing an entire series together, each laugh being followed by a shush from one of us due to the slightly thin walls. The air in the room was calm, but a pleasant form of calm as if everything just for tonight was safe.
Soon, we began to grow tired and ended up laying down, the sound of a random anime playing in the background as we rested for the night. I watched over Emma with a calm expression, her face buried in her phone as she texted her friends.
"Motosaki..?" Emma began, breaking the soft silence and looking up at me to meet my eyes.
"Mhm..?" I answered softly, lifting myself upon my elbow with a soft exhale.
Emma stared into my eyes, her gaze lingering for longer than her usual amount. I stared back at Emma, feeling the same unnerving calmness welling inside of me but no fear entered my heart this time. I reached over to Emma and gently brushed some strands of her hair from her cheek, my fingers bringing her hair behind her ear.
"What's wrong..?" I asked my voice barely above a whisper, my hand coming to rest upon my side.
Emma slowly sat up and looked down at me, her hand coming up to her heart as she felt it racing slightly faster. "It's just...it's the first time someone has actually seen me.."
"What do you mean? I've been seeing you before, idiot.." I said with a soft chuckle, gently stroking Emma's chin playfully.
Emma giggled softly and pushed my hand away, a blush forming on her cheeks as she looked away from me for a moment at the computer monitor. "No...I mean it's the first time anyone has actually wanted to share my hobbies like this. It's like I want to hit you for making me feel like this, but a part of me doesn't want to..."
I stared at Emma with a smile, reaching over to her and placing my hand atop of hers. "I'm guessing no one could really see you before..? Don't the girls share your hobbies?"
"In books yeah...but not like this. Even before...I was always the invisible one before my friends came into the picture. Now...it feels amazing to have someone like me for me..." Emma said softly, her hand moving to hold mine as she looked over at me.
I smiled at her and watched as she laid back down on her side facing me, her eyes locking onto mine tiredly. As her eyes slowly closed, I looked past her and noticed a second shadow behind me, the silhouette gently having her arms wrapped around me and gently kissing my cheek.
The silhouette disappeared as the headlights of a car drove by the window and momentarily lit up our room. I smirked to myself and looked over at the PC after hearing a scene on the anime stutter and glitch.
"You found me..." The anime girl repeated on the screen as the scene before returning to normal.
I looked over at Emma once again, gently rubbing her head with gentle care. 'I suppose...I did find you, Nanako...'