Chapter 33
- Ki-kun?
Ruki jumped on the spot and, from the frost-covered rosemary bush he had absently lingered on, turned his gaze to the one who had called him, wide-eyed.
- Livestock... - he just muttered.
They stared at each other for a few seconds without saying a word, her at first surprised and then restless, him at first thoughtfully and then bitter.
- You heard everything yesterday, right...? At the hospital.
The vampire's eyes widened more, baffled that the half-witch had noticed his presence the day before; thus she also knew that he had heard everything until Shuu's arrival and that he was consequently aware of that possibility. The two felt even more uncomfortable; suddenly, the smiling Glass Lady left the house, breathing deeply the morning fresh and clean air, and then released a sigh of annoyance and look at them, getting closer.
- I suppose you just got bad news, Mum...? - her daughter asked, tilting her head worried; the woman nodded, placing her fingers under her chin and looking at them.
- Karl told me that some demons are probably planning an attack to create a turmoil in the Demon World, but also here - she explained, letting out another sigh and adding that situation was even more tiring than Izanami's process; she looked at Mary, gently, and caressed her cheek - My lavender flower, be careful during my absence. I'm afraid unhappy events will soon occur...
The Glass Lady turned her eyes to Ruki:
- I hope you don't mind if I ask you to protect Mary, Ruki-kun. And this favour concerns, possibly, everyone. Help each other.
The vampire initially fell silent, apparently absorbed in some thought, and then bow his head respectfully, making the girl widen her eyes out of surprise mixed with shock.
- Of course, Glass Lady.
The woman smiled and bid farewell, leaving and walking along the path to the forest.
Silence fell again, as they both exchanged glances full of emotions: she was glaring at him as to reproach him, while he resolute; after all, it was his duty to protect her both as Izanami, and thus to loyal to Karlheinz's plan, and as well as the girl he loved.
If he couldn't have her, he would have given his life to save her.
Azusa, Kou and Ruki were taken by Mark back to the city; Yuuma had remained with Mr Flyer, who had suggested to spend the morning with him in the garden, helping him carry out some cleaning and maintenance work: obviously, the giant had accepted.
At first, perhaps because they were both awkward, the wizard had only given some instructions (and observed intensely that hamster-like spirit wandering around expelling little evil beings) and the vampire had asked questions of curiosity and to verify he had correctly performed the assigned tasks; little by little, they had begun to exchange some details about their life, the man curious to know about his bond with the three adoptive brothers, the other interested about his family and how he had met the Glass Lady.
Mr Flyer had perceived that Yuuma's questions were particularly focused on that subject because of his past; certainly the giant had an idea of what a family felt like thanks to his brothers, but certainly he felt deep in his soul memories longing to resurface, aware of those times when he grew up with parents and unknown brothers.
- Hah? Chubby had been once stuck with her hair at the gate for three hours?
- Yeah. Since that day she has always kept her hair no longer than the base of the neck. If I had come home earlier... - the man sighed, rubbing his forehead.
In the meanwhile Yuuma was snickering as he filled a bag with dead leaves and twigs, while Freckle was pursuing another evil spirit, trying to look more aggressive.
- That's no good!
Ari was walking back and forth agitatedly, brushing his hair with his hand angrily; Elena was nibbling on her thumbnail, frustrated by the umpteenth failure of the dozens of experiments they had been trying since five in the morning, in that private hospital lab.
- We won't be able to replace the lung in time... - the woman murmured, trying to suppress the strong nervous crisis that was about to assail her.
- How long has she got left? - he asked, watching her anxious and tormented eyes.
- It's a matter of days... but, as the Glass Lady told us, if any hardship was to happen, the probable stress that Mary-chan would suffer could worsen her condition... two days...
Elena dropped into her chair, resting her elbows on her thighs and hiding her face in her hands, beginning to tremble and sob, discouraged.
The man stared at her, clenching his fists: the unbearable impotence, the desire to console the woman he loved and the urgency to save his pupil, he didn't know which of these would have led him to mental exhaustion first.
Anna was boiling with irritation and her patience was growing thin; moreover, the more that annoying presence behind was teasing her, the less she was focusing on the Physics test.
Damn Claire, she roared in his head, thinking it would have been convenient if it had been legal to bring weapons into the school; she would certainly use her katana to amputate her "friend"'s hands and put an end to that annoying poking on her back.
- Annaaa~ I don't know the answer to question fifteen~! - the whispered redhead in a very low voice, this time using her pen to touch her shoulder.
Instead of copulating with that pervert, you could have studied!, the blonde witch thought with a throbbing nerve on her forehead, almost breaking her ballpoint pen in half.
In the meantime, after answering all the questions quickly, Finn reread her answers with a satisfied look and, as always, stood up to trot towards the teacher's desk and deliver her test sheet; certainly her senpai would have been very proud of her and her results!
In a classroom downstairs, meanwhile, the history lesson went on slow and soporific to the students of the tenth class; Isa, despite trying to listen carefully and take notes, had many dates spinning in her eyes, and her poor ears were smoking because of all the merciless historical facts following one after the other; she envied Michaela-chan and Lucy-chan, Anna-senpai's younger sisters, since they still were in sixth and ninth grade!
How much she missed those happy years, where everything seemed simpler...
- Since when are you allowed to join inspection patrols, Theo? – Mary asked, as she cautiously descended the steep hill to the sea that bathed the island at the west; the half-witch was wearing the uniform with the yellow band, the old uniform she had left in her closet more than a year ago and she had personalized herself, keeping the trousers and shirt the same and modifying the overcoat to use as a cape.
- Since they started dealing more and more often with malfunctioning devices~ - Theo hummed, spreading his arms to inhale the sea's pure air, enjoying the smell of salt and the icy breeze giving him those familiar goosebumps - Cho-hime, it seems that there are people doing it on purpose...
She paused for a moment, pulling out her binoculars and looking into the ocean in the distance and turning around to inspect the visible part of the Japanese coast; when she shifted the tool from her eyes, these had become dark silver and her eyebrows were frowning in an spiteful grimace.
- Foul traitors, in short - she hissed, grinding her teeth.
- Mh... - the green eyes of her friend lost themselves in the sky, smiling full of bitterness, but also of anger.
Anger towards the one whom everyone had trusted, but should never have had.
They heard Angela, the eldest of the five blonde sisters, call them from some cliffs forward and shout:
- Morten-kun sent a message from the general headquarters...!
The boy giggled nervously, murmuring that it promised nothing good, but hail and lightning; Mary sighed, and added that, from what Mark was telling her telepathically, they could have even expected a great flood.
The air itself is afraid. The voices of the clouds are anxious.
You're fuming because they interrupted your sweet moment with Ellen-senpai, be honest.
Somewhere, Mark was curling up his lips, sulking and red like a tomato, as Anna's second older sister received more radio communications, her face very serious and worried.
Martha pointed at different types of desserts for Kanato, eager to taste all the delicacies put on display by the bakery where she had taken him to keep him quiet, due to Ayato's persistent vexations, reprimanded by a Yui who was gaining more and more power over of him (thanks to the female tactics used by women to control their mates), and Laito's, who had at last turned his attention to Ryan to talk about their... experiences.
Noticing her brothers' disgraceful behaviour, Reiji had remained aloof with Lily, with whom he had decided to exchange a few words about the doubt that had arisen since he had met those two sisters; it almost seemed she had been expecting it, since she had interrupted him by apologizing even before he could begin to speak.
- I'm aware of what you want to ask me; well, my mother was a pureblood vampire, of low rank, while our father is that man you know as Richter... your uncle, if I'm not mistaken - Lily gave him an intense knowing look from behind her crescent spectacles, careful to keep her voice low so that Martha wouldn't hear, as it was a very sensitive topic for her.
Reiji smiled, pleased.
- As I thought... I wouldn't like to be indiscreet, but I'm puzzled. I thought our uncle had madly - he involuntarily used a sarcastic tone - lost his head for... another woman.
Lily was silent for a second.
- Perhaps he had urges to satisfy... - she hissed, barely holding back the hatred leaking from those words.
The vampire looked at her thoughtfully, before calling the triplets who were about to argue with the pastry shop assistant.
Blissfully lying on a bench, totally oblivious to the frost and the passers-by's confused glances, Shuu was sleeping, listening to classic music and enjoying the cool breeze kissing his cheeks, imagining them warmer and thus he mentally thought of Mary's lips...
Aneki, I'm always afraid to hear Shuu-san's thoughts by mistake.
Ah, I feel you, Aniki.
Subaru was walking along the narrow streets of a small district, observing through the windows the inside of antique shops, inns where small groups of friends were playing chess or resting from the first shift of work, chatting about anything; he would have never openly admitted it, but he felt a bit envious of those young people, so cheerful... and even if in some moments two people were fighting almost physically, they would reconcile and try to talk about it together, embarrassed, or perhaps still annoyed.
Surely, the atmosphere was very different from the one he had always perceived among his "family"; those four Mukami were more like a family...
- Suuubaru-kuuun~!
The albino accelerated his pace, ignoring that voice announcing the arrival of his damnation; a couple of meters behind him, Kou snorted, stopping his pace.
- Ugh, why does he always run away...! – he muttered, as Ruki murmured that the youngest son of the Sakamaki family wasn't entirely wrong to react that way.
- Kou... why don't you... follow him...? - Azusa suggested to his brother who immediately jumped on the spot and began chasing the albino cheerfully and enthusiastically, giving him the most bizarre nicknames that could think of and receiving insults in return.
The Mukami oldest brother brushed his hair back, exasperated, and looked at Azusa with stern eyes:
- You did it on purpose, right.
- Hehe... if Subaru-san gets angry... he can take it out on me... hehe... - Azusa chuckled, satisfied with his brilliant plan; after all, Finn wasn't with him, so he had to find other ways to feel pain.
Ruki rubbed his forehead, sighing again, and thought about how to avoid Subaru's anger because of Kou; approaching the two who had stopped to fight, the first angry and the second sulky, he tried to calm them down, but was immediately interrupted.
A sudden roar shook the whole city.
The glass was quaking, blackbirds and sparrows rose in fear; students got up after a few seconds of stiff confusion, looking out the windows at the outside for the possible source of that sound; most of the adults had serious expressions, aware of what awaited them.
Yuuma looked confused at Mr Flyer murmuring something incomprehensible and standing up to turn his eyes to the sky.
Subaru and Kou looked around, muttering what the hell was going on, as Ruki frowned and Azusa nibbled on his finger.
Shuu had miraculously sat up, getting a bad feeling.
Lily, Martha and Reiji immediately perceived the anomaly in the air; Yui, anxious, and the triplets were puzzled by the city inhabitants, most of them mumbling restlessly.
Ryan had suddenly disappeared, apologizing that he had a job to do.
Ari and Elena had come out of the hospital in a rush to quickly find out what was happening and reflect on what to do, cornered by time and the situation.
Anna was repeating agitated that that sound wasn't anything good, and Claire had gone out of class to reach Isa, whom she had heard screaming two floors lower; Finn silently sat at her desk, turning the bracelet Morten had given her in her hands.
Her classmates had surrounded her, worried and trying to comfort her; but the girl was sobbing uncontrollably and her choked voice tried to say something; Claire pushed her way through the students and crouched next to her friend, squeezing her shoulders.
- Isa? Isa! What's going on?! - she asked her, taking her face streaked with tears in her hands, trying not to be affected by the despair shown in her amber eyes.
- The .. school... - the girl asserted between a sob and the other- she...
The half-demon stiffened, and then stood up and approached the window among the embittered and frightened eyes of the other students; her eyes widened, incredulous.
- The old school... it's completely... - Theo whispered, bewildered.
- Destroyed - Angela concluded, squeezing the sword's handle.
Mary stared blankly at the ghost of the remains left of the old school building.
At that moment, however, nothing existed.
It has all suddenly collapsed... I hear their voices... and her...
Rose.
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