Day Before
End to the Ordinary
At Mid-August
The summer, so as the school vacation, was almost over.
People visiting Tokyo have begun traveling back home.
It feels as if there were fewer people about in Shibuya…
"Hey, what do you think about that guy?"
"Are those headphones? So cute!"
"Stop it you guys, he might be able to hear us."
In the midst of the busy street of Shibuya, in front of 901, three girls were happily chatting among themselves as they walk pass a boy.
The blue-haired boy, with his cat-ear shaped headphones, was standing in one place waiting for someone.
He's eyes are also blue and wears a black top with a red jeans.
He took out his phone and checked the time.
It was few minutes past 14:00.
"Hey! Kazuya!"
A boy carrying a laptop (of course in his brown bag) runs up to the blue-haired boy.
The boy has a white beanie and wears a blue-hoodie and a grey coloured jeans.
"Atsurou… Aren't you a bit too early for the end of the meeting?" Kazuya joked.
"Com'on, give me a break. It's hot and Naoya is not even here."
"Hmm… It's weird for him to be late."
"Ha ha. It's also strange for Naoya to call us out like this." Atsurou laughed and continued, "Well, it's a good chance for me to get him to check on some programs I've stumped on."
Atsurou then picked up his phone as he received a message.
"Oh, it's Sodeko."
"Huh? Yuzu? She's coming?"
"I told her about our meeting with Naoya yesterday, she said she will join us."
"Hey, guys. What's up?" That was a girl's voice.
The boys looked to the source of the voice and saw an orange-haired girl running up to them. She has her hair tied up in a pony-tail and wears a pink bandana. Her top was also pink and she also wears a blue skirt.
"Oh, it's Sodeko."
"Stop calling me Sodeko!" Yuzu roared at Atsurou, "Thanks to that everyone in the class calls me that."
"But look, the kanji for both "Sodeko" and "Yuzu" looks similar, right?" Atsurou explained it while smirking.
"Well, Yuzu. Just calm down." Kazuya tried to cool Yuzu down before she explodes and changes the topic, "Naoya still hasn't shown up yet, should we try calling him."
"Hmm? Naoya? I just saw him a moment ago." Yuzu made a remark, "He said that he had some urgent business and will not come here today."
Kazuya was speechless and could do nothing but sigh.
Atsurou was even more depressed.
"Eh~ all that walking in this hot day was all for nothing…"
"Ah." Yuzu said as she took out three devices that look like DS, "Before he left he told me to give you guys these."
"A COMP?"
"COMP?"
"You don't know, Sodeko?"
"It's just a gaming device which stands for "COMmunication Player"," Kazuya pointed at few people whom hold similar device, "It could also be used for sending E-mails and browse internet."
"To make things simple," Atsurou took the blue COMP and open the lid, "It's like a cell phone."
"Strange, why did he give us these?" Kazuya questioned.
"I don't know, but he did say 'You'll all need theses, don't lose them.'" Yuzu seemed puzzled, "Just like always, Naoya is mysteries as ever."
"Yuzu, did you mention about meeting us today when you met Naoya?"
"No, why?"
"…Nothing, he must have known it by chance."
Naoya called to meet Kazuya and Atsurou.
Yuzu is only here because Atsurou told her and no one here has a way to communicate with Naoya.
How did he know that Yuzu is coming to 901?
"Hey guys, have you seen this menu before?" Atsurou was surprised to see what the COMP is showing him.
"Hmm… I've never seen this before." Kazuya opened up the black COMP, "Did Naoya made this?"
"Is that even possible?"
"Com'on, Sodeko. Don't you know Naoya is a famous programmer?" Atsurou was still fiddling with the COMP, "Hmm? I can't open this folder."
"Looks like it's protected." Kazuya tried it as well.
Atsurou suddenly took out his laptop and a few cables from his bag.
He then connects the laptop with the COMP and started typing.
"Hey, what is he doing in the middle of the street!?"
"He's just going to hack open that folder."
"Don't say it so causally!" Yuzu turned to Atsurou, "Won't Naoya be angry at you if you do that?"
"No worries, Sodeko." He continued tapping his keyboard, "He's like a teacher to me."
"Ah. Thank you."
"Nah, it was my mistake."
After he bumped into a young girl in miko outfit, Zan is currently picking up the small things the girl was holding a moment ago.
The things were mostly charms and talisman that could be seen in any shrine where people visit for good luck or fortune.
But the strange thing was… these charms were decorated with cute writings (or maybe drawings) and it seems like they were written in pink pen or some sort.
"Don't you feel hot in that attire?" Zan couldn't help but ask.
"Of course not, it's part of my work." The girl politely replied as she picked up the last charm and slid it into her small bag.
(Work… I thought she is just a cosplayer… maybe she works for a shrine maiden themed café in Akihabara.)
"That's all of it, thank you." The girl bowed to the black-haired boy, "Take care"
"As I said it was my mistake…" Zan scratched the back of his hair to shake off this embarrass feeling.
It wasn't strange to see cosplayers or people who wears strange outfit nowadays, especially in Akihabara. But to see someone like that in Shibuya is something new to Zan. Normally a cosplayer will only change into their costumes when they are in Akihabara and changes back into their normal attire when they are in other area.
People here in Shibuya cares about their attire and trends but unlike others Zan would just wear clothes that will increase his own comfort. Like the black hoodie and grey cargo pants he's wearing now.
(God… I must be crazy to wear these on a hot day like this…)
Seems like it turned out to be a bad choice.
Well, hewas just here hanging around Shibuya to waste some time before going to buy a new game in Akihabara.
"Aw~ to walk around doing nothing on such a hot day…" Zan complained and continued to walk, "Hm?"
He then noticed three youngsters in front of 901 playing with COMPs.
Of course he wasn't interested in the COMPs but the owners were the ones that made him notice, especially the cat-ear shaped headphones.
"Yo, people." Zan went ahead and greeted them.
"Oh, Zan." Kazuya greeted him casually, "Rare to see you here."
"I do go to other places other than Akihabara you know."
People don't greet strangers on the street, because it's weird if that really happens. Therefore these four youngsters already knew each other and they are all in their second years of the same high school.
"What's Atsurou trying to hack here?" Zan could see Atsurou tapping his laptop rapidly.
"Just some programs Naoya made." Yuzu made the explanation simple.
"Naoya? That cousin of Kazuya's?"
Yuzu nodded.
"He was also the one who gave us these COMPs," Atsurou finally said something, "Here you go."
Atsurou handed the black COMP to Kazuya and pink one to Yuzu.
"I manage to crack the protection to the e-mail folder so we could receive messages."
"There are quite some folders that are locked away…" Zan got closer to Atsurou in order to see the strange menu on the COMP, "Why did he give you guys a COMP that has its functions all locked up?"
"Not like I know, hm?" Atsurou opened the folder he just cracked, "I just received a message."
"I also got one."
"Oh! Let me see your love letter, Sodeko!"
"Why does it have to be that!?" Yuzu shouted while trying to push Atsurou away, "Stop it! Mind some privacy, you idiot!"
Kazuya was silent this whole time after receiving the COMP Atsurou passed on to him.
"What's wrong? You also got a love message?" Zan joked as he asked Kazuya.
Kazuya passed his COMP to Zan.
Zan was also surprised by the message Kazuya received.
010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101
Good Morning.
Here is today's news.
At around 16:00, a man will be killed in a Shibuya-ku Aoyama apartment. The wounds on the corpse are consistent with an attack by a large carnivorous beast.
At 19:00, a large explosion will occur in Minato-ku Aoyama.
The cause is unknown.
At 21:00, a blackout will affect the entire Tokyo metropolitan area.
Have a nice day.
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"A Laplace Mail from 'The Observer'… what's that?" Kazuya shook his head in response to Zan's question.
"Eeek! What is this?"
"It says today's news… but it's not even three yet. Will someone really die at four?"
It seems like both Yuzu and Atsurou also got the same message on their COMP.
Kazuya went silent again so Zan decided to leave him and cool down the other two because he knew Kazuya went into his thinking state.
"Maybe it's just a prank; I mean what kind of news tells something before it even happened."
"YA! It has to be! Naoya must have sent this because you were tinkering with his program!" Yuzu complained to Atsurou.
"You think so?" Kazuya spoke.
"Huh?"
"Do you really think that a person like Naoya would really pull a prank like this?"
"I agree with Kazuya," Atsurou seemed serious, "Naoya wouldn't do something like this, there must be some reason."
"Then what kind of reason does he have?" Yuzu can't help but to ask, she looked scared.
"Like hell I know. Well, I will just try to crack all the other folders to see if there's any information about this mail." Atsurou then begun packing up his stuff and walked away, "You guys just go kill some time somewhere, I will give you a call when I'm done."
"Hey! Wai-"
Before Yuzu could stop him, Atsurou has already disappeared in the crowd.
She sighed and turned to the boys.
"So, what should we do now before that idiot is done playing with that thing?"
Of course their answer was to hang around until Atsurou phones them, but the question was where they should go.
Before any of them made a choice, Zan suddenly walked away from the other two.
"Where you going?" Yuzu caught up to Zan and asked.
"Of course I'm going to Akihabara to buy some new games." Zan answered her with a smirk and whispered to her so Kazuya couldn't hear it, "I just made a good chance for you, good luck."
"Wh- What do you mean!?"
Yuzu blushed and tried to hit Zan with her handbag, but he managed to escape and headed to his destination.
"You two seems to get along quite well." Kazuya laughed.
"Just how did you arrive to that conclusion?"
"Ahaha, just calm down." Kazuya pat Yuzu on her head, "Let's go and kill some time together while we wait for the other two."
Yuzu couldn't help but nod as she lowers her head.
Akihabara… a district in Tokyo which provides major sale for electronic, computer, anime, games and otaku goods.
It's the place which was known as Otaku Heaven by many.
Even though school vacation was almost over, the street was still lively with all those stores opened and with all the cosplayers walking around.
Zan was walking through the crowd of other otaku-looking people while carrying a paper bag, with a game inside, and with the other hand he was eating fried tofu from a packet he just bought a while ago.
His backpack is filled with junk food and some goods he won in a gaming competition held in some stores.
(Three portable chargers (man powered) for COMPs… they may be useless to me but they will be great help for those three.)
Zan smiled as he thinks about it while turning into an alleyway to avoid the crowd that's getting unbearable.
*Ding*
The light sound made by a small bell echoed in Zan's ear.
He turned back and saw there was no one behind him so he continued walking out of the alleyway.
*Ding*
The same sound rang in his ear again.
He turned back and there was no one again.
After a small pause he decided to look down.
"A fox? What's it doing here in town?" Zan questioned himself and noticed a bell necklace on the white fox, "A lost pet!?"
The small white fox paid no attention to Zan reaction but instead was approaching him cautiously while staring at the fried tofu with its yellow eyes.
Zan noticed its stare and slowly kneels down while holding his fried tofu towards the fox.
The fox was surprised by his action and jumped back…
(Well, it's hard for animal to understand people's intention.)
Before Zan stands up again, the fox suddenly leaped forward and snatched the tofu from his hand.
The fox disappeared into the crowd leaving the dumb-folded Zan and the echo of the bell.
His mind was blink until he received a message from the Dolly Fan Club on his phone.
"It's almost four…" Zan muttered to himself as he continues on his way out of the alleyway.
He recalled the mail that he saw in Kazuya's COMP, 'a man will be killed in a Shibuya-ku Aoyama apartment'.
"Since Atsurou is still busy, might as well just go t-"
"Curiosity kills the cat."
Chill ran down Zan's back as soon as he heard that cold voice from the alleyway.
He turned back for the third time and saw a small person (just a kid) covered in a dark-purple robe.
Zan could not see that person's face but he could move, like his foot was stuck to the ground.
"…"
Zan wanted to say something but it's like his lips were sewed together.
He could only stare at the person and likewise the person was staring at him.
He had this strange feeling while staring at this person.
He could not hear anything and could not feel anything around him.
It felt like they were the only ones in this world, the surrounding people were all gone.
It feels so unreal…
The moment felt like eternity but as soon as Zan blinked his eyes the person wasn't there.
The cheerful sounds surrounding Akibahara started to ring around Zan.
Everything was back to normal.
(What was that just now?)
Zan could feel cold sweat running down his face.
It was like hallucination yet, at the same time, it felt so real.
(I have to check that out!)
With his determination set, Zan went on the express train to Aoyama.
(Something big is going to happen and I will regret if I don't see this!)
There weren't many people here in Aoyama's residential area because it's still too early for dinner.
Zan looked at his cell phone; the time now is about 6min past four.
He was walking at the back of each apartment since the housewives, who had just returned from the market, are happily chatting in the front which made him uncomfortable.
"Have you heard about Takemura's wife?"
"Yes, yes! I heard about her that she mistaken salt with sugar and gave Takemura a salty coffee."
"Ahahaha!"
Zan could still hear those useless chatter from the housewives even though he at the back.
The happy chatter really destroyed the tension Zan had just felt 20min ago in Akihabara.
There are lots of apartments in Aoyama so it's hard pinpoint which room in these apartments will have that incident.
Also it's already past four and the housewives were chatting happily.
(Sigh… it's just another ordinary day.)
Zan gave up and started to back track his way to the station.
*Clack*
He looked down and picked up the object he just kicked.
(A COMP? From where?)
There wasn't anything on the ground while Zan was searching for the apartment and it was virtually impossible to miss something as catchy as a white-coloured COMP.
The COMP was decorated with some irregular red pattern.
(A limited edition…?)
"Human, hand that over."
A deep voice came from behind Zan.
(Geez, just how many times did I get approached from behind today?)
Zan looked back and saw a big man (about 2m tall) and he was really built up.
(A body builder?)
The man had long black hair and wears a yellow tight suit which exposed most part of his body.
(A pervert?)
He had green skin and carries a big butcher knife dripping red liquid.
(A cosplayer? A butcher?)
"T- This is yours?" Zan couldn't deduce what kind of person this man was but he just felt uneasy around him.
"I SAID HAND IT OVER!"
The big man raised his butcher knife in the air and swings it down.
The attack missed as Zan was caught off guard and awkwardly fell onto his bottom.
"THE HECK YOU DOING? Attacking a person for a COMP!?" Is what Zan would normally say in response to things similar to what the big man did.
But Zan couldn't say it as soon as he saw the knife digging itself into the ground where he stood.
The knife was the real deal, so as the person in front of him as well as his intent to kill.
(R..!) He tries to get up, his legs are shaking.
(…N!) His heart was beating,.
(…U…!) He was scared.
(RUN!)
Zan began running towards Aoyama Cemetery at full speed, he had this feeling that he shouldn't run to a place where there are other people.
(why? Why? WHY!?)
Why does he feel like that when there was a need for help?
Why does he feel that bad things will happen if other people see this pervert behind him?
(This uneasy feeling…)
Zan ran through the Cemetery and entered the forest as the pervert chasing him and shouting.
(It's the same as the one I experienced some time ago…)
Zan doesn't know how far he had ran but he's stamina was depleted and he could not hear any footsteps from behind him.
Did he lose the pervert?
He looked back and saw no one behind.
(This uneasy feeling isn't going away; it's the same as the kid in Akihabara.)
A shadow covered his whole body and this made him looked up.
That's when he realized his pursuer had jumped up.
(These guys are…)
The figure of the pervert becomes bigger as he descends from the sky.
Holding his knife high and shouting "GIVE IT BACK TO ME! MY FREEDOM!"
(NOT HUMAN!)
Yuzu and Kazuya were walking down the street of Omotesando.
The lining of the shops gives this place a calming atmosphere.
"We could've gone to the movies or karaoke," Yuzu was happily giving suggestions as she walks alongside Kazuya, "But Atsurou wouldn't be able to call us."
"Well, as long as we are in a place with good reception it won't be a problem."
"Ya! Walking down here seems like a good idea." Yuzu points at the shops, "The stores around here are really fashionable."
"Don't you think so, Kazuya?"
"If you are talking about style…" Kazuya gave it some thought, "I would say that Omotesando feels more like Aoyama."
"Aoyama…" Yuzu suddenly became worried.
Kazuya noticed the strange expression Yuzu has and looked at the time on his phone.
The time now is a few minutes before forty-past-four.
"Don't worry, Yuzu." Kazuya decided to calm her down, "The e-mail from the COMP might just be some prank."
"Ya, you are right." Yuzu smiled a little in relief.
At that moment, several police cars zoom down the street, sirens wailing.
They are heading to the direction of Aoyama.
Yuzu's expression turned pale.
"Doesn't' Naoya live in Aoyama?" Yuzu couldn't see Kazuya's reaction from her position, "Hey, Kazuya…?"
"Let's go Yuzu." Kazuya grabbed her hand and started walking fast.
"W-Where?"
"To Aoyama."
This was the first time Yuzu see this usually calm Kazuya rushing like this.
This means Kazuya was really worried.
For some reason Kazuya got this uneasy feeling when thinking about the incident that the mail said and the police cars.
He got this feeling that Naoya is somehow involved.
Both Yuzu and Kazuya arrived at Aoyama residential area.
Aoyama was full of people but it does not have the cheerful chatter like before.
The atmosphere around the area was full of worry and fear.
These people were standing in front of an apartment which was roped off by the police.
"Kazuya, isn't this apartment where Naoya lives in?"
"Naoya…"
"Oh, are you guys looking for me?"
The two were approached by a man with a familiar voice.
The man has a long white hair and wears a dark green robe.
"Naoya, you are safe!" Yuzu was glad to see this person in front of her.
"Because of that e-mail you sent, I was worried." Kazuya gave Naoya an unpleasant expression but his voice shows signs of relief.
"…E-mail?" Naoya gave it some thought, "Oh, yes… That!"
Naoya made sure that no one was listening before he continues.
"Sorry… I didn't mean to scare you," Naoya looked at the entrance to his apartment, "The man who lived next to me was savagely eaten."
"Savagely eaten?" Yuzu's face turned pale as she took a step back, "I- It can't be… Naoya, you!?"
The incident that the e-mail said came true.
Yuzu got the e-mail before the incident and there was one possibility for this.
The e-mail was a warning for a murder!
"Kazuya," Naoya was still calm as he fixed his gaze on Kazuya, "What do you think about the email?"
"I really don't want to admit it but…" Kazuya paused a bit as he had trouble believing what he was about to say, "It is as if… the e-mail predicts."
"Eh? What are you saying Kazuya?" Yuzu was surprised by this answer.
"Heh, your predictions never cease to amaze me." Naoya was smiling in please instead, "No wonder you are my cousin."
"Where are you going?"
"We weren't meant to meet like this… Go find Atsurou, because…" Naoya suddenly started to walk away from them, "It will start soon."
"What wil-"
"Naoya! Why did you give Yuzu the COMPs?" Kazuya interrupted Yuzu, "You shouldn't have known that Yuzu is coming for our meeting today."
"…"
Naoya did not answer but just smiled as he continued walking leaving the two confused people behind.
"It's probably just a coincident."
Atsurou was still tapping on his laptop as the other two approached him with the news about the incident that happened in Aoyama.
Yuzu and Kazuya found Atsurou by Miyashita Park.
It's around six and the sun is setting so there weren't many people around the park at this time.
"I mean who would believe in this 'predict the future' stuff."
"But a person really did die."
"Com'on, Yuzu." Atsurou stopped tapping and looked up to the worried Yuzu, "How would you know if the e-mail really can predict."
"What if the other incidents were to hap-"
"Stop!" Atsurou interrupted her to stop her from panicking, "We still need to look into the COMPs before we could make any assumptions."
"You said that you need our COMPs in order to crack the program, right?" Kazuya took out his COMP and so did Yuzu.
"Ya, these COMPs are monitoring each other so I won't be able to crack one alone." Atsurou returned to typing on his laptop.
"Hmm?" Yuzu noticed Kazuya is looking around for something, "What is it you looking for, Kazuya?"
"Where is Zan? I thought you gave him a call."
"I did." Atsurou handed his phone to Kazuya, "But he didn't pick up."
Kazuya saw the call logs on the phone were filled with failed calls due to the other person not picking up his phone.
He sighed and returned the phone to Atsurou.
"Maybe he just went home to play the game he bought today, that stupid otaku." Yuzu smiled a bit as she joked.
"Ahaha, that's has to be it." Atsurou was relieved when the tension around her was gone, "I actually wanted show him this…"
It seems like he was on the last process in cracking the program on the COMP.
Yuzu got her head closer to the laptop to see the results but they didn't pay attention why Kazuya was all silent throughout their conversation.
Kazuya was staring at a familiar person in green robe who was also looking at him… no, at them.
Naoya was smiling but it's a kind of smile which Kazuya never seen.
Kazuya felt uneasy as no one else except the four of them can be seen in this park.
It's like they were isolated.
"Well, here goes!"
Kazuya's attention was drawn by Atsurou's suddenly shout and as he turn his way to where Naoya was.
"He's not there…"
He stood there for a moment until he saw a flash from his own COMP.
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Peaceful days are over…
Let's Survive!
010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101
And another flash of light forced Kazuya to close his eyes.
"Human, were you the one who summoned me?" A deep voice was directed at Kazuya and he was surprised by what he saw.
"Who ar-" Before Kazuya could finish his question, the dog-like-human swung his club at Kazuya which missed as he fell to the side.
"If you wish to make a contract with me, Kobold the Demon of War," Kobold picked his club up and places it on his shoulder, "THEN FIGHT ME!"
"Uwaah! What is this!?" Atsurou shouted in surprise as he dodged an attack, "Did monsters just come out of the COMP?"
"Kazuya! Help me!"
Kazuya saw Atsurou and Yuzu was attacked by a flexible dragon looking creature and a fairy.
Atsurou was pinned down by the claws of the creature and Yuzu was hit by a lightning-like attack which caused her to fall on the ground.
He has to go and help them… but how?
What can a human as powerless as him be able to save others if his life was also in danger?
No… both his childhood friends were in danger!
Doesn't matter what happens to him, he will have to go and save them.
Human, I have heard your courage.
A deep voice echoed in Kazuya's mind.
Hmm? Who am I?
What a silly question… Don't you realize that we are the same entity?
He doesn't care about those but he has to move to save his friends…
His legs are shaking.
Hahaha! Fear not human.
Just remember who you really are.
Just remember that you are a "Bel".
Remember my name…
Kazuya started to move his legs.
"Is now the best time to worry about your friends?"
Kobold swung his club again as Kazuya was about to get up and hits him on the head.
Kazuya's blood splatters over the club, the floor and his face.
Kobold smiled.
"Kazuya!" Atsurou and Yuzu shouted as they witness that scene.
"…Why?" To Kobold was surprised as Kazuya was still standing there.
"ve…" Kazuya said something with his head down.
"Huh?" Kobold took a step back with his club.
"I said MOVE!" Kazuya shouted at Kobold with a furious face.
Kobold gritted his teeth and held his club up.
"How dare a lowly human com-"
"YOU ARE IN THE WAY!"
Before Kobold could finish, Kazuya took a step forward and delivered his right fist straight into Kobold's face.
"Argh!" The blow turned Kobold into an orb of light and was absorbed into the Black COMP.
"W-What!?" Both the other creatures were astonished to see such thing.
Kazuya wasted no time and dashed towards the creatures.
By the time they could react, Kazuya was already in front of the dragon-like creature.
The creature slashes at Kazuya with its right claw and was stopped by Kazuya's left.
Kazuya then reaches for the creature's head with his right hand.
"Wait! Are you really huma-" The creature's head was heavily smashed onto the ground.
"THAT'S A LIE!" The fairy tries to fly away after seeing both her companions killed by one single human who was looking at her with blood all over his face, "THEY TOLD ME HUMAN WERE JUST FOOD NOT A BEAST!"
"AGI!" Kazuya shouted as he pointed his right palm towards the fairy.
"NOOOOOOOO!" The fairy screamed as she was burnt to crisp and turned into an orb of light.
Yuzu and Atsurou got up but they are just staring at Kazuya and not moving.
Everything that happened until now was so unreal that they don't know how to react.
The boy, with his face covered in blood, slowly turned his head to them and smiled.
"Are you guys alright?" Kazuya falls to the ground.
"KAZUYA!"
"You are not kidding me, right?" Atsurou's face turned pale.
Yuzu and Atsurou hurriedly ran up to the boy on the ground.
"Haa… Haa…"
Zan was running through the woods as he applied pressure with his right hand on his left shoulder.
On a closer look one would see a huge cut wound on his shoulder and blood was streaming down his hand.
He would've received a more fatal wound earlier if he didn't use his game box to redirect the knife that was swung at him from above.
The game was cut in half, which was expected, but the knife should've went through the game and cleave through Zan's body as well.
Was it coincident?
Zan doesn't care about it right now because he has to run.
He doesn't know how far and how long he had run for, but he knows he time is almost up.
Even though the pursuer was playing with its prey but sooner or later he will catch up to Zan.
The sun begins to set.
Zan's sight was becoming blurry and his strength was leaving him because he had lost too much blood during his run.
He suddenly tripped over a tree root and caused him to fall down.
He tried to get up but couldn't as he had lost all the strength and courage to do so.
(Why me? Why is this happening to me?)
He manages to get himself to a tree and laid his back against it.
(This is the worst… to be chased by this pervert!)
He saw the shadow of his pursuer coming closer to him.
The fate of the prey has been decided.
(Why is he trying to kill me? For the COMP?)
The pursuer was standing in front of Zan.
Zan thought of the person he met in Akihabara.
'Curiosity kills the cat'.
(Ya… You were totally right…)
The pursuer raised his butcher knife high in the air.
(I totally regret coming here… but I would've regretted if I just go home though… Ahaha… what am I thinking now… so tiring.)
The pursuer swung his knife down towards Zan.
(Damn… Am I really going to die here? LIKE THIS?)
Zan's eyes began to close.
He then saw the color of white and red flashed in front of him before he lost his conscious.
"Atsurou! What did you do?" Yuzu is holding Kazuya in her hands; tears could be seen in her eyes. "What were those creatures just now? How did they climb out the COMPs?"
"I- I DON'T KNOW! I REALLY DON'T!" Atsurou panicked which cost him some time before taking out his phone, "Just what the hell happened?!"
"Atsurou! Kazuya's blood is not stopping!" Yuzu took out more tissues from her bag and pressed them against the wound on Kazuya's head.
"Hold on, Yuzu!" Atsurou started to dial on his phone, "I'm calling the ambulance."
"Kazuya, Kazuya, Kazuya!" Tears were streaming down Yuzu's face as she repeated Kazuya's name countless times.
"Damn it!? Just what the hell is really going on?!" Atsurou started scratching his head violently until he felt his hand was pulled by another.
"Kazuya!" Both of them were relieved to see Kazuya was conscious.
"*cough* Atsurou… what is the time now?" Kazuya ended the question with few more coughs.
"It's seven!" Atsurou confirmed the time from his phone, "Why would you even care? We need to get you to the hosp-"
Suddenly a loud snapping sound and bright light came from the direction of the forest by Aoyama.
The explosion interrupted Atsurou and caught the attention of the trio.
"Just what the hell is that?" Yuzu was in shock and don't know how to respond.
"The explosion at seven…" Kazuya tried to explain the matter by forcing his voice.
"The explosion…? Ah!" Atsurou finally understand what Kazuya was trying to convey, "The "Laplace Mail"! The explosion that will happen in Aoyama at seven!"
"Huh? So the prediction was true!?" Yuzu couldn't believe what she is experiencing now.
Everything that has happened until now was all too unreal to them…
"Damn it! WHY?" Atsurou violently cursed his phone, "Why is there no reception?"
"Eh?" Yuzu also checked her phone, "What should we do? We can't call the ambulance like this!"
"Hey! You three!"
The voice caught the attention of the trio.
The owner of the voice was a man dressed in an orange robe.
"It's dangerous around here! Leave this area immediat-"
Before the man could finish, his head suddenly flew away from his body and landed on the ground next to Yuzu.
Blood are oozing out of the headless body and the neck of the head.
Its eyes were wide opened and bloodshot could be seen.
The head are in the position as if it is staring at Yuzu, it has a shocked expression.
"KYAAAAAAA!" Yuzu let out a scream as if she was the one who was killed and fainted.
Atsurou was astonished as he sees the culprit.
The murderer was a huge man wearing white clothing…
No, to be more accurate the man has white furs covering his whole body.
It's another monster!
But Atsurou couldn't do anything but stare at that monster.
This monster was also staring at them and its killing intent is all over the area.
Atsurou could feel that the pressure that made it hard for him to breathe…
Yes, he could feel fear.
Like a prey which was found by its predator.
"RUN! TAKE YUZU AND RUN! ATSUROU!" He did not respond to Kazuya's voice.
"Damn it!" Kazuya then grabbed on to his COMP and called out, "GET RID OF THAT BEAST! KOBOLD!"
A loud howl was made as Kobold jumped out of the COMP into the clear starry sky.
The howl managed to break Atsurou from the pressure he experienced.
Before he could react to seeing Kobold, it dashed towards the giant monster holding its club high in the air.
"I am the War Demon!" Kobold swings his club at the monster, "I WILL CRUSH ANYTHING BEFORE MY MASTER!"
The white monster simply gave it an angry look and holds its hand towards Kobold.
Then, Kobold shattered into million pieces of ice shard.
The monster turned its attention to Kazuya.
"Human! WAS THAT ATTACK DIRECTED AT ME!?" He holds his hands towards Kazuya.
"Kazuya!" Atsurou moved in front of Kazuya.
"IDIOT! What are you doing!?"
"Maharagi!"
"UAAAAHHHH! THAT WOMAN SHE'S HERE!"
The word was like chanting a spell, the monster was engulfed in flame.
"Give up, Wendigo." A girl with shoulder length purple and in orange robe, with some flower decoration on her head, came out of nowhere, "There is no escape."
"AHHHH! I WILL REMEMBER THIS! " Wendigo started running, "I WILL KILL ALL OF YOU, HUMAN!"
"… So it was too shallow… I need to chase him down."
The girl was about to walk in Wendigo's direction but stops as she turn towards the trio.
She couldn't ignore the injuries they have.
"Prayer." The girl swung her hand as if she was chanting a spell.
"Huh? My wounds are …"
"Recovering…?" Kazuya got up as he drops the COMP and holds fainted Yuzu in his hands.
"Those COMPs…" The girl noticed the black device that was in Kazuya's hand, "Where did you get them from?"
"Naoya, I mean, a person we know gave them to us!" Atsurou was also holding his COMP, "But monsters just came out from them!"
"Naoya… I see…"
"Ugh…" Yuzu woke up and got up quickly, "KAZUYA! ATSUROU! A MAN WAS KILLED BY A MONSTER!"
"Yuzu, calm down…" Kazuya tried to comfort her, "That monster ran away."
"Ya, this girl saved us." Atsurou pointed at the girl in orange robe.
"My name is Kuzuryu Amane." Amane bowed as she introduces herself, "I am the priestess of Shomonkai."
Seeing Amane introduced herself the trio's mind immediately reacted on its own.
"I'm Kihara Atsurou." "I'm Minegeshi Kazuya." "I'm Tanigawa Yuzu."
The three also bowed in response of to Amane, "Thank you for saving us."
"Nice to meet you." Amane bowed once again before she turns around, "I need to chase Wendigo before he hurt more people."
"Please head home straight away." Amane added, "This is for your own safety."
"Wait!"
Kazuya tried to stop her because he still has loads of questions to ask.
Suddenly, the lights in the park were gone.
To be exact, the lights in Tokyo were all out.
It seems like Tokyo was swallowed by darkness.
"Hii! What's going on?" Yuzu was startled.
"The power outage at nine…" Atsurou looked in Kazuya's direction and Kazuya gave him a nod in agreement.
"I would like you to spend a night here." Amane bowed as she made the request, "I have made a barrier which will repel any demons."
"A barrier!? Spend a night here!?" Atsurou wasn't happy to the request, "What is really going on?"
"As I have said," Amane said in her always cold voice, "With all those demons wandering around, it is not safe."
"Demons. Demons. Demons!" Atsurou was about to snap, "Are those monsters demons? Why are they even wandering around? How did they come out of the COMP?"
"…" Amane showed no signs of answering Atsurou as she continued to walk.
"Hey!" Atsurou was about to chase after her but was stopped by Kazuya.
"Kuzuryu-san!" Kazuya called out to Amane, "I have one last question."
"Just call me Amane." Amane stopped to listen to Kazuya.
"You were fighting against the demon, right?"
Amane nodded.
"How were you able to do that?" That was the second question Kazuya asked but he didn't realize it.
"…" Amane didn't seem to care and pointed towards the COMP Kazuya was holding.
"The COMP?"
Amane nodded again, "But I will recommend you to leave this city after dawn since you are not familiar with fighting demons."
"How you use your COMP is all up to you." Amane added as she walks away, "… be prepared as a trial will be bestowed upon all human."
The trio could only stand there as Amane's figure disappeared into the darkness.
The starry night, in the park, Kazuya and Atsurou were simply sitting and staring into the city which has been engulfed by darkness.
Yuzu was sleeping on Atsurou bag.
"It must have been tiring for Yuzu, huh." Kazuya smiled as he looked at Yuzu.
"Ahaha, same goes for me." Atsurou also smiled, "I'm totally beat after all these demon stuff."
"Speaking about demons, did you check the COMP?"
"Ya…" Atsurou took out his COMP and opened it to show Kazuya, "There are two things which allow us to fight against demons."
Kazuya moved his head so he could see the COMP clearly, "Demon Summoning Program and the Harmonizer?"
"Yep." Atsurou put his COMP back into his pocket, "One which allows us to summon demons and the other to allow increase our damage towards demons and at the same time lessen the damage we take from demons."
"Amane or rather I think the whole Shomonkai already knows how to use these to fight demons." Kazuya looked back into the city once more.
"Shomonkai… topics on the net always talks about their outrageous clothing."
"Ahaha, it's just like cosplay."
"Hahaha! I can't deny that."
"Hey, Atsurou. Do you think that COMP was used to fight demons way before today?"
"I'm also considering about that, there have been rumors of hunting vampires in Tokyo recently."
"The first incident from the Laplace mail may have been a result of a demon."
"I think the probability is high."
"…" "…"
The more things they talk about the atmosphere gets heavier.
They reach the point where they can't continue discussing about demons anymore.
Both of them have so many things in their mind but couldn't bring them out.
"Kazuya. Thank you for saving Yuzu and me today." Atsurou bowed down, "If wouldn't for you we would've been…"
"Haa… Why are you being all formal all of the sudden?" Kazuya sighed to Atsurou's action.
"What do you mean? We were like a burd-"
Atsurou was interrupted by Kazuya again, "What are you talking about? We are all friends and you even risked your life to protect me." Kazuya also bowed down to Atsurou, "Thank you for trying to protect me."
"Kazuya…" Atsurou was about to tear up and pulled down his beanie to cover his eyes.
"Both of you are not a burden, because I need the both Yuzu and you."
"Ahaha, if you didn't mention Yuzu there…" Atsurou regained his cheerful smile, "It would've been like you are confessing to me."
"Huh? I was trying to say all those cool lines and yet you just destroy all those coolness with this lame joke."
Kazuya went to grab Atsurou neck and rub his fist repetitively against Atsurou's head.
The two were laughing cheerfully as if nothing was out of ordinary today.
There was also a school trip in the second semester they are looking forward to which was an exciting thing to think about.
By tomorrow, they will all be able to head home… days in the future is always full of hope.
"Do you think we should go tell Zan about what happened today?"
"Of course." Atsurou look up to the starry sky, "I want to see how disappointed he will be when he noticed he missed this incident big time."
"Ahaha, let's make sure he will regret for his over-gaming."
In an unknown room, Naoya was sitting in front of a laptop while being surround by many others.
The room was dark and the only source of light was from the laptops.
"Are you ready to face the trial, Kazuya?" Naoya smiled to himself as he asked a question which could not be heard by anyone.
"Kukuku, aren't you a sadist?" A man, in grey suit and his dark hair was combed towards the right, was hiding in the corner of this dark room, "To let your cousin experience this without knowing anything?"
"You don't understand anything, Gigolo…" Naoya looked at him, "Why do you think he is my cousin?"
"Kukuku, I don't really care as long as you make all these amusing."
"Then have you "done it" yet?"
"Ah! The "Sinners"?" Gigolo smiled, "There were a few failures but I managed to get five of them together."
"I see…" Naoya turned back to his laptop, "Then it's about time for it to begin."
"Kukuku, to think of adding 'them' to this trial… You really are interesting, Naoya."
On the building of 901 in Shibuya, two people were looking down into the street which was covered by darkness.
There are some light from cars and other electronic device people use.
The boy with white short hair was looking down on those light.
"Look at this, Evny." He pointed at the people, "These lowlifes can't even organize their action just because they lost their source of light."
"Sigh…" Envy, a boy with shoulder length black hair, looked at the boy in front of him, "What is there to look at? They are not even worth watching."
"Jeez… people…" A boy with spiky blonde hair and wears piercing appeared out of no where, "Don't forget who you originally were."
"Ah… Greed." The white hair boy turned towards Greed, "Were you able to tame the beasts?"
"Haa… lucky I was able to." He dropped his shoulders to show how tiring the task was, "Only if those idiots weren't eaten by their own demons."
"BWAHAHAHAHA! WHAT A BUNCH OF IDIOTS! WORTHLESS!" Envy was holding his stomach as he laughed out really loud, "Don't you think so, Pride?"
Pride turned his attention to the street again, he smiled in satisfaction.
"With this… we will just need another person before we begin our hunt." Pride stretched his hand out as if he could grab all the people on the street and crush them. "Our hunt for all the unjust in this ugly world."
"This is us! THE SINNERS!"
Author's note:
Hi, everyone. Thanks for taking your time to read this fanfic.
As you can see this is my first time writing a fanfic so I apologize if I wasn't able to describe something properly and for my grammar (I'm not that good in English after all). I also have trouble in trying to express the excitement or maybe fear I experienced when I first played Devil Survivor…
Well, Devil Survivor game was out long ago so writing a devil survivor fanfic isn't going to be interesting anymore. But I always had some idea to add on to the story that I couldn't get rid of from my head so I decided to write it down and share.
Well, I hope you enjoyed reading this and wait patiently for the next release.
P.S (I don't know when I will be finished though. (-.-") hahaha…)
Edit 2015/07/03 - Fixed some noticable grammar and add a few lines