11:26 AM

BGM: The Student Council

I sit at my living room table, tapping away at my laptop. Lines of nearly indecipherable words and numbers string together, nearly filling the entire screen. Of course, indecipherable to most. I'm one of the few that knows this programming language and one of the few to use it for something other than hacking.

Takehito "Hey, Isuka! Have you seen my leftover fruit salad?"

Isuka "I think it's in the door of the refrigerator."

My name is Yukimura Isuka. I'm a member of the local computer store's technical support team. Female hackers are considered rare, but I don't really consider myself a hacker in the first place. Due to a heart condition, I've been home schooled by my brother Takehito, since middle school. It's a rare birth defect that gave me heart valves smaller than the average human girl. I was told I also have a slight case of arrhythmia, but since it's never bothered me, no medicine was prescribed for it. It's hardly life threatening unless I suffer trauma to the chest area or overwork myself. But my father figured that was reason enough to pull me out of my school during 6th grade.

I notice Takehito setting a bowl of sliced apples on the table behind my laptop.

Takehito "By the way, Imouto. Do you know why there seems to be only half of my fruit salad left?"

Oh, he's saying "Imouto" instead of my name, I'm in trouble.

I pause from my coding frenzy and look up at him through my large round glasses.

Isuka "Just be blunt. What are you trying to ask me?"

Takehito "I'll get straight to the point, then. Did you eat half of my fruit?"

Isuka "Yes."

He sighs. This is a normal occurrence for us.

Takehito "This is the fourth time this week. Could you at least let me know when you're eating my food so that I can make more?"

Isuka "Haaaaiiii."

I turn my attention back to my work.

Takehito "Honestly, you never change, do you?"

Isuka "What are you talking about? I haven't stopped growing yet."

Takehito "That's not what I meant. I meant that you're still wearing that silly thing. You still act pretty much the same as well."

I touch my head, and sure enough, I'm still wearing my visor. Come to think of it, that's why everyone calls me a hacker. It's a black visor that has "HACK FOR JUSTICE" written on it in green capital letters. It contrasts strongly with my shoulder length silver hair that's done up in a ponytail on the left side of my head.

Isuka "Are you saying that I should change?"

Takehito "If you worked on reporting the supplies situation more often, that would be nice. I just now found out that we're out of milk."

Isuka "Oh my."

He stands up and grabs his coat and keyring.

Takehito "I'm going to go shopping. Is there anything we'll need?"

Isuka "We need more cereal as well. We're also out of basil.

Takehito "Cereal, basil, and milk. Got it. I'll be back in a few minutes. Don't forget to put on some clothes before you answer the door."

I look down and remember that I'm only wearing panties and a loose tee. I guess it would be problematic to answer the door in this attire.

Isuka "Ja matane."

Takehito walks out the door whilst spinning he keyring. Moments later, I hear his bike's engine start, followed by the sound of it pulling out of the driveway, then dead silence.

I stand up slowly and walk into my room. I put on a pair of track shorts and a green T-shirt. I walk back into my living room and continue my work. It takes a few more minutes, then I'm done. I transfer the files onto a flash drive and toss it into my work backpack.

Isuka "Maybe I should work extra hours today?"

It's my day off from tech support, but I don't really have anything to do. I make up my mind and grab my cellphone, opening the text menu and tapping away at the screen.

Y Isuka - M Yuu

11:34 AM Hey, Yuu. You need a hand at the desk? I don't have any plans today.

That would be great. There's a pretty long line today, and Misaki had to bail. 11:34 AM

11:34 AM It's getting towards lunchtime. I'll grab a quick bite and switch places with you until you eat lunch.

Thanks, Isuka. You're a lifesaver. I'll eat fast so that we can both work. ^_^ 11:35 AM

Well, I guess that's that. I heave a deep sigh at my own stupid sense of duty and walk to the bathroom for a shower.

11:45 AM

BGM: Ease

After a quick shower, I put on my work uniform and write a note to Takehito before I jump onto my bicycle. It's not a motorcycle, no. But it has twenty-one gears and powerful breaks, so it should get me to my destination both fast and safe.

After a while, I see the department store that I work at. It's only about a mile from my neighborhood, so it's not all that long of a drive. A quick peek at my watch tells me that it's 11:50 now. Right on time.

I chain my bike outside the employee entrance and clock in.

I walk over to the tech support desk. Sure enough there are at least twenty people lined up at Yuu's work area.

Yuu "Ahh! Isuka! Perfect timing."

Isuka "Go ahead and eat, I want to talk about the project when we're done."

Yuu "Understood. I'll see you in about ten minutes."

Isuka "Now then, what seems to be the problem?"

Customer "Umm, I think I might have a some spyware on this PC."

The man carries the large desktop to my work area. I plug it into the power strip underneath my desk and hook up the spare monitor. I turn it on and have him enter the password.

Isuka "Huh. This looks like a pretty nasty one. The easiest thing to do would be to restore from a backup, but this little bugger is keeping me from accessing the start menu."

I go to my work computer and make a backup of my flash drive's contents before plugging it into the customer's PC and clicking "autoplay". I open the menu and input a few commands into the program. After about five minutes, it's located and removed the malicious files.

Customer "Arigatou. I'm sure that they don't pay you enough for your work here, so take this."

He hands me a five-thousand yen banknote. I thank him for his tip, and pocket it.

Isuka "Right, only nineteen to go..."

12:00 PM

True to his word, Yuu only took a few minutes to eat and come back to the workplace. In fact, he came back sooner than I expected.

Isuka "Fast! That was fast!"

Yuu "I said I would only take ten minutes..."

Isuka "Nevermind that, take half of the line."

I'm in full working gear, I'm in the zone. I've cleaned up three cases of adware, two blue screens and a spyware so far. I'm on a roll, and there's nothing that can stop me. I'm running my hands across the keyboard like a pair of spiders as I unplug the seventh PC I've fixed today.

Finally, the last person in line walks up. He's a middle-aged man wearing a tailored suit walks up to the desk.

Old man "Yukimura Isuka."

I falter for a moment. This guy looks like a shady businessman. Just hearing his voice triggers my sixth sense. I give him a once-over, and immediately know why he's here. It's a no-brainer.

Isuka "Yes, that's me. Is there something I can help you with?"

Old man "You're well know in this area as a "tech mage" of sorts. I have a job for you. One that pays good money."

Isuka "No."

I turn him down bluntly and rudely. I'm well known in this area as "The Hacker Mage". I've mastered every well-known programming language as well as a few lesser-known ones. This isn't the first time well dressed older man came with a job offer. I have a few online acquaintances who have been in prison for cyber-crime before. They all told me the same thing: avoid well-dressed businessmen. It's become something of a motto for me.

"Hackers and suits don't mix outside of the internet."

Of course, I'm not really a hacker, so I don't really have anything to be afraid of as long as I stay away from people like him.

Old man "But miss, you're the most talented person I've seen. You're wasting your skills on this jo-"

BGM: Off

Wham!

I slam my fist on the counter and glare at him.

Isuka "No means no. Don't ask me again."

Old man "B-but miss..."

Ichika "Excuse me, what seems to be the problem here?"

The manager pops up out of nowhere. She must have a sixth sense for when her workers are being poached.

The old man sighs and mumbles a half-hearted apology before walking out the door. After the man is out of earshot, my boss turns to face me.

Ichika "Today's your day off, isn't it? Why aren't you at home with your family?"

Isuka "My dad's at work and my brother is shopping. I don't have much to do."

Ichika "Oh well, it looks like you're out of customers, so you two can take a break. Nice work, guys."

14:30

BGM: Air Guitar

Isuka "Uwaaa... it's hardly any different here than at home, now. Boring."

Yuu "You looked like you burned through a lot of energy earlier. Take this."

He hands me a cold sports drink. I thank him and pop it open. I take a sip and roll up the sleeves on my work shirt.

Isuka "I finished my Anti-virus program this morning. The interface needs a bit of TLC, so I'll be depending on you for that."

Yuu grabs the flash drive and plugs it into his work PC.

Yuu "How's this?"

After a few minutes, he turns the screen towards me. I lean in to take a closer look.

Isuka "That's a lot more friendly to the eyes. I approve. Now, we sit on it and wait for the boss's verdict."

Yuu "How about a game in the meantime?"

Isuka "You do know that you aren't supposed to have games on the work computers, right?"

Yuu "On the BATTLEMECH arcade machines, not on the computers. You that I'm not that carefree."

Isuka "You're on. I call Naisho II."

Yuu "I guess that means I get Schraider."

15:30

BGM: Afternoon

After about another hour of fooling around the workplace, the boss lets us go home early since there's not much business today. I grab my things and hop on my bike. I say goodbye to Yuu and begin to pedal my way back home.

I reach my home safe and sound. Takehito's motorcycle is parked in the driveway, meaning he's back home as well. I walk in the front door.

Isuka "Ta-dai-ma."

Takehito "How was work?"

Isuka "Erratic. It was real fast at first, but it quickly got quiet, so the manager told us we could clock out for the day."

I walk into the kitchen and pour myself a cold glass of milk.

Takehito "You know, you tend to clear out the lines there fair quickly. Why don't you get a more prestigious job like Dad's?"

Isuka "Because I like my job. I get decent pay, and I'm well known and liked by everyone in the area."

Takehito "Still. Shouldn't you be thinking about the future?"

Isuka "Of course. If I can't fine a suitable boyfriend, I'll just visit a matchmaker. I've saved up a decent amount of cash, so I'll buy a medium-sized house a short ways from here."

I sit down at the living room table after changing back into casual attire and open up my laptop. After entering a forty digit password, I open up my browser and visit my favorite blog.

Takehito "Wow... I guess you really do have things planned out. I thought you would end up as a NEET or something."

Isuka "What are you talking about? I know university level programming, algebra, geometry, and physics. I've only used those for programming, but I could always use them for something else."

Takehito "I stand corrected. There's no way in hell you would learn that stuff from me, though."

Isuka "I took online classes."

Takehito "I see. I guess you have changed after all."

Isuka "What makes you say that?"

Takehito "You used to be really non-committal about school. I'm glad you took the time to learn that stuff."

Isuka "You used to be a real tight-ass about schoolwork. You've mellowed out a bit, though."

Takehito "I'm not exactly thrilled to hear that from you."

I laugh at him and continue to browse the site in order to fight off my boredom.

Takehito "Oh, man! I forgot something important at the store!"

Isuka "That's your own fault. If you want to go get it though, go ahead."

Takehito "Sorry. Goodbye."

Isuka "Have a safe trip 'Onii-chan'."

He walks out the door in a hurry. I hear his bike pull out of the driveway for the second time today.

BGM: Off

Something about that was odd, but whatever. I stand up and walk into the kitchen. I open up the cabinet next the fridge where we keep the cereal, and pull out a box of corn flakes.

Isuka "He didn't forget the basil, did he?"

After I fix myself a bowl of cornflakes complete with raisins, and check the spice rack. There's nothing missing. The basil is here, and he even got more cinnamon while he was out. We have plenty of food in the fridge, and nothing was missing from the cabinet either. What would he need at the store?

The realization hits me when I hear the door break down.

"Sorry. Goodbye."

Now I realize why those words struck me as odd. I can hear people running through the house now, followed by the clicks of firearms being loaded outside.

Officer "Hands up."

I turn around slowly and see a man dressed in full body armor. That's not the worst part. He's pointing an assault rifle at me.

BGM: Cold Iron

Officer "Hands up. Now."

But I can't. I try to raise my arms, but a blinding pain runs along them when I try.

If he pulls that trigger, a 5.56mm bullet will pierce my body at a velocity of 920 meters per second. If the first shot doesn't kill me, the aftershock will.

That's when I finally notice that my heart is beating incredibly fast. Faster than it should be.

Arrhythmia.

The beating in my chest stops.

I fall backwards into the fridge, attempting to clutch at my chest. I can hear shouting, but my sense of hearing quickly cuts out. This is followed shortly by my consciousness fading to black.

After a what seems like forever, I feel my heart kick back into gear.

I'm lying on the floor on my side. I feel like I've run a marathon in under ten seconds. I try to move my arm, but I'm so tired, I can barely do more than flop it around like a fish out of water.

BGM Caged Heart

Officer "We need a medic here!"

I feel a cold finger on my neck. Probably checking my pulse. I can feel myself being lifted onto a stretcher. After they ensure that I'm tied down, they wheel me outside. With tremendous effort, I turn my head to see several police vehicles outside of my house.

Isuka "What... is going on?"

Nurse "What the hell, detective? You were supposed to arrest them, not shoot them!"

Officer "I didn't shoot her. She flopped onto the floor while grabbing at her tits."

I feel someone turn my head skyward. A light shines in my right eye.

Nurse "Well, thank the lord she seems to be alright."

Officer "Are you sure she's the one we're looking for? She doesn't look like much."

Nurse "I'm worried about other things at the moment, thank you. Go join the search team and make yourself useful."

The officer from before spits out a foul word and leaves.

Nurse "You don't seem to be seriously injured. Do you have a heart condition of some type?"

Isuka "Yes. I have small heart valves and a mild case of arrhythmia."

Nurse "That sounds like an unhealthy combination. How do you stay fit?"

Isuka "I do yoga. You can drop the small talk now. Tell me what's happening."

Nurse "Straight to the point, huh? Well, a certain law-enforcing organization wants you to help them track down some unsavory cyber-criminals. They don't want to take no for an answer, so they'll probably threaten you with a life sentence for obstructing justice or some crap like that unless you help them. I don't really know the way these shady organizations work, nor do I want to."

Isuka "I see. I'll talk to them later. I don't feel like negotiating right now."

Nurse "You mean you're the hacker?"

Isuka "Not hacker. Programmer. I make anti-virus software."

Nurse "How old are you?"

Isuka "Sixteen. I'm turning Seventeen next month."

Nurse "Let's see... Yukimura Isuka?"

Isuka "Yes, that's me. What about you?"

Nurse "Hmm. Well, you can just call me nurse. That's what most people do."

I look up at his nametag that's pinned onto his police vest. The most I can make out is his given name.

Isuka "Is it alright if I just call you Sakuya?"

Sakuya "That's fine, too."

He whistles, pulls out a stethoscope and shuts the doors in the ambulance. He tells the driver to go, and I feel the vehicle begin to move. He fiddles with the recliner on the stretcher until I'm sitting in an upright position.

Sakuya "That's amazing. Especially with how young you are, and being a girl to boot. Skill like yours is incredibly rare. Could you lift your shirt for my please?"

Isuka "Well, my dad works for an internet security company. He taught me most of the common programming languages there are. I taught myself the rest."

I speak while lifting my shirt up.

Sakuya "Uhh, pardon the intrusion, but shouldn't you be wearing a bra at your age?"

I look down. I guess I wasn't wearing one after all.

Isuka "They aren't very big, so a bra isn't really necessary."

He presses the stethoscope just over my heart and nods.

Sakuya "You appear to be stable. I would recommend seeing a doctor afterwords and getting medication. Is this the first time you've had an attack?"

Isuka "This is the first time my arrhythmia has caused me any trouble. I try to take it easy."

Sakuya "That's good. Get some rest. You're going to need it."

I nod at him as he puts away his stethoscope and lays the stretcher back down. I'm absolutely exhausted, so sleep takes me in a manner of minutes.

As my consciousness dims, I think to myself.

They were looking for Takehito, weren't they?

Writer, here. Just wanted to let you know that I'm sorry for being a lazy butt and not releasing this a week ago.

A whole ton a crap has happened, and at some point, I just hit a stroke of bad luck. Every time I got into the zone while writing Kuroki's storyline, I ended up getting interrupted by one thing or another. Whenever I DID manage to get enough time alone, I just couldn't get into the zone.

So, I'm sorry.

I'll try to upload the next chapter of To Lose Something soon.

Until then, why don't you guys try to find the hidden message I hid inside the cover art? Send me a PM if you find it, and I'll give you a little surprise in the next TLS Chapter!