Asada Shino softly muttered under her breath something along the lines of, "I'm late. I'm late!" Over and over again across the moderately busy streets near outer-Tokyo.
Since it was late afternoon -she checked her smartphone and discovered it was precisely 18:35. Shino had to rush to throw on something decent for her tutoring session she'd planned with her several-doors-down-from-her-apartment neighbor, Reggie.
A good thing she had prepared ahead of time regarding her choice of clothing.
Since a lot of her money went into the bare necessities -and Gun Gale Online. For the occasion. All Shino had was her thin blue jacket and matching skirt, a light green wool sweater underneath (nearly the color she wore as Sinon), and a pair of long, above the knee-high, socks.
Usually, she would've added her worn but still warm black scarf she always used. But, for the moment, it was with someone else. And, upon crossing a busy road at the crosswalk with the green stick-figure passing her through. Spotting her library when passing a corner, did her face light up when she found Reggie in his brown jacket and hat trudging from the opposite side of the street. The scarf Shino gave him firmly around his neck.
Here I go. Asada waved, "Reggie-san, I'm over here!" She called out. Making her way -when only a few cars passed by- safely across the street to him.
"Asada?" He sounded surprised. "That's weird. We happened to show up at almost the same time. How about that?"
"I guess we did?" Shino answered promptly, bowing politely when she met up with him. Reggie did the same -a little sounder now than his last few attempts. Which was an improvement in such a short time. She asked, "Were you coming back from somewhere around the city?"
"Not exactly," Reggie pointed out, though with a small level of hesitancy. He went on just as Shino was about to ask, "There were some things my...employer wanted to be checked out and completed half an hour ago." He coughed. "And also because I got a little lost." He admitted without shame. "Yourself?"
She buckled; now, it was her turn. Picking her words with care, she said, "A little of the same. However, it was with making sure my school work was fresh in my mind for today." That was partially true; she did a review before logging onto GGO for the Qualifiers.
But most of her hours spent today were on the game. Especially, what went on back there. She recalled from her last match and after it. Though she didn't tell him about that. It wasn't his burden, either.
"I get it," Reggie tipped his hat to her, showing as much. Which got a smile out of her.
Making their way past the gates to the local library -the reddish-orange in the sky not wholly enveloped by darkness. Those feelings Shino had pounded out of her chest, once again. She didn't have quite an idea what her body was up to. But, she had to admit, other than Shinkawa, her experience with boys was small and far in-between. Let alone in that way.
Though she still wondered why so much with Reggie?
Looking at the corner of her eye (behind her oval lenses). The black muffler snugly holding his equally as whitened face from the cold -though stopping him sneezing since she gave it to him this morning. Made her remember a story -or was it a poem?- written about a woman back in feudal Japan, giving her husband a scarf for the cold. That way, wherever he was, despite being away from home -she was always spiritually right there with him until he came back to her. Shino didn't know if the story went that way, but it was the closest thing she had to go off on: maybe why she did what she did earlier today. And how she felt every time they interacted since Wednesday.
She hardly noticed, too, when Reggie gave her a look. "Asada, why are you staring at me like that? Is there something on my face?"
"Eh?" She blinked and stepped back, waving her arms frantically. "ī-īe, it's nothing! I just was lost in..thought." Asada felt her cheeks turn pink and hot all of a sudden.
Reggie gave her another mixed regard as if a giant question mark loomed over his head instead. I am an idiot! An idiot! Shino felt her features and glasses glow further.
Luckily the library, adorned with many cherry blossoms around it, came into view. "Oh, look at that! There's the library," Shino changed the subject just as quickly. "S-So, do you think we should go over English or Math together?" She asked, still walking speedily to the building. Hardly noticing -until she stopped and turned back around- to find Reggie staring at the blossoms intently. Too intently, in fact. "What's the matter?" She asked him, not sure if there was something in them. "Reggie-san?" He didn't say anything for the moment.
It took her calling him again until he snapped out of it. "Uh, sorry," He apologized and rubbed his head like a sore. "Think I just got lost in thought, too," he replied back, uncertain.
"It's no trouble." Asada clearly saw, too, -so was she- but didn't call him out on it. A bit relieved, actually.
As Shino remembered it as often as she came here, the library itself was very well kept and immaculate in the atmosphere and style. Mirroring what the nearby universities had in mind. Books and reading sectors and other luxuries were counted off in nice areas for study time or homework.
Several students from Shino's school went and were around here. The black uniforms, white collars, and red ties stuck out even under their coats or jackets. Needless to say, detouring up a few flights of stairs. The two teens set up shop by a table tucked near a corner by an open window overlooking the building's back with the rest of Tokyo serving as a backdrop.
Deciding to work on mathematics first. Shino -who would work on the concepts she struggled with (Trigonometric ratios and basic Quadratic equations, mostly)- would pass her work to Reggie, who would check them to make sure they were right or not. Then pass them back and repeat the process until there were no more questions. Easy enough.
Going through several of the problems, she and Reggie had picked fifteen minutes in. The glasses teen decided to pass the time by asking, "Are schools in the United States hard, by any chance?" out of the blue.
"Depends where you're standing," The brown-eyed teen answered, checking her work when she passed it back to him. "Usually, there's a lot, and I mean a lot. But, I reckoned a long time ago I could do 'em well enough without losing much sleep. So, no, not really." He nodded, passing back her paper, "Good job. What about in Japan?" He returned, sounding like he knew the answer already.
Shino dryly chuckled on that one. "They're not fun, I can tell you that." When was it ever? She sighed, "The entry exams to move out were stressful enough, and I had just barely passed when I got into my school." The memory haunting her along with her finals next week. Such joy.
"Entry exams?" Reggie echoed, not sure if he heard that correctly. When she nodded back, he whistled ruefully, "I think you guys have us beat by a mile then." Reggie commented with sympathy.
"You get used to it," Shino shrugged and didn't know how else to put it.
"Amen," Nodding in similar sprites, Reggie then asked another question of his own, "You grew up around here?"
"Uun," She shook her head, while writing another problem down, "I lived most of my life further west inside Japan. My hometown wasn't too crazy but, not at all quiet at many times, either." Which held more truth than most.
"Wakarimasu," He replied, cordially. "Back when I was little, my father was stationed off Japan's island of Okinawa when he was a U.S. Marine. A lot of other times, he'd let the rest of our family into Japan itself, and we spent so much time here that I -more or less- picked the language up like a sponge." Reggie squeezed his fist up as if he had one right in his hands.
Looking up from her paper, Shino cocked her head enough that her bangs sway slightly. "At least that explains why you're Japanese is slow and sluggish."
Reggie bent his hat to her. "You say the kindest things, you know that?" Which they both snickered at. Reaching into his jacket, he pulled out a small chocolate bar. Snapping off a piece, he held it out to her. "Want one? I know it isn't much -but hey?- thanks for letting me borrow your scarf. I really mean it, Asada. Thank you kindly." He tugged at the muffler in question around his neck. Even though she hadn't actually said, it was only temporary.
Still, she smiled, "I'd love one." and, from how sweet it was, she knew it wasn't from around here. Which made Asada's heart race further for the small gift he returned to her. She wasn't sure if he was doing this all on purpose or not.
But when she caught him looking at her and they both instinctively looked away -that painted that as not being the entire case. The two of them continued relatively off towards English then after.
An hour later, they were back outside and on the not so busy streets of Japan's central city. The sky was darker than the red and orange creeping out of the horizon. Her fellow teen asking, "Still more confident now?" as they crossed a more quiet street, passing a local convenience store. The wind did not bother him one bit.
"Hai, very much, so," Asada Shino admitted with her hands behind her back. "Arigatō -for putting up with me, that is." She played lightly.
"Hey, it's my pleasure," Reggie replied, so nonchalantly that she turned and gave him a hard stare. Then admittedly as well, he lifted his shoulders up, "though...you could have done it without me?"
"Th-That's not true!" Asada gave him another look. Reggie's face occupied, with a thin smile.
"No, doubt," he replied without rancor.
Shino crossed her arms and huffed away in a different direction. Americans are so weird, she thought without much rancor either -much.
Moving a part of her black hair from the cold breeze blowing it between her eyes behind her ear, Asada couldn't help looking at Reggie again. The same way as before. It's not like he wasn't much to look out for -no, not at all. For his brownish hair underneath his hat, lean build, and pale delicate face with, somewhat, sharp dark brown eyes (on top of him only being a few inches taller than her for an American)...he is pretty handsome. She thought. For a second, thinking hard about giving him her first name and, hopefully, learning his as well.
If we are really friends, why not do that? That way, it won't be strange if I...I... Asada held the side of her jacket and was about to get his attention when someone behind them laughed. They both turned, and Shino's heart and fist tighten differently, too. "Guess that tip we got about you being by the library was true, eh, Asada-san?" Endou remarked, twirling a sweet with her two goons beside her.
Shino felt her jaw drop and gasped. "Why are you here, Endou-san? Do you truly have nothing better for you in life than tormenting me every chance you get!" She shouted in anger. Not entirely because of what they all did to her since she moved out here. Or from this week, either.
But because they had to bring this up in front of Reggie, too.
Endou must've picked that up knowing her. "Look who became confident all of a sudden?" She whipped her hair back, laughing more, then eyed out Reggie from head to toe. "Does he know, by the way? You know, about you?"
Asada winced and felt whatever color she had drained completely. "Y-You wouldn't dare."
"Asada, what is she talking about?" Reggie asked, now looking back at her in a way that shot through her. Or at least that's what it felt like like to her.
She drew back. Returning to Endou, "Please, don't say anything! I swear I'll give you whatever you want, just please don't say anything anymore. Please!" she pleaded.
Endou shook her head. "Too late for that, girl," And turned to Reggie, who was now scowling at her.
His face dropped the first few seconds in. Endou explained the paraphrase version of what Shino did as a little girl. And...how she shot and killed a man that not only robbed the mail center she stopped by with her mother, but how the assailant attacked them too during the process.
The whole time, Asada felt numb and paralyzed.
Staring blankly towards the sidewalk, she stood on. She felt and saw a teardrop or two fall between her shoes. Feeling her head and the world spinning around her, Not like this. She repeated several times. Knowing full well Reggie was looking at her right now. What did he think and what he was going to say drummed into her mind again and again.
Deciding not to stay. Shino turned around and ran back home. The bitter sting of tears burling her eyes. Hearing her name in the distance. Was someone calling her?
No. Whoever it was, she judged it was just her imagination. And kept on going faster this time.
. . .
Reggie McKnight, for lack of better words, felt pretty unfazed.
And, seeing how much of an offhand fiasco Gun Gale's Bullet of Bullets' Qualifiers turned out -despite him being one of three amongst his block to enter the Battle Royale tomorrow. That said something when this nagging brunette told him about what Asada did when she was ten-years-old.
Which wasn't much.
Even if everything up until this point turned out perfect and Reggie possibly didn't believe another goddamn player was shot and "killed" ingame. He doubted he'd feel any indifference towards the Japanese girl.
What he thought or meant didn't matter, in the slightest. Because one second Asada was right beside him, blanked-face. The next? Hightailing it back in the direction of their apartment complexes. "Asada!" Reggie shouted out, seeing her figure in the distance. Getting smaller and smaller.
When he tried to run after her, the bully girl behind him -Endou?- laughed and wrapped an arm around his. "Uwa, what's the rush, handsome? Don't bother worrying about her," She assured with a toothy grin and batting her fake eyelashes at him. She pressed her tight chest against him, "I bet that murderer never did anything like this, hm?" She purred, thinking what she told him was enough to not pursue.
The deafening glare he fired at her was enough to freeze her and her friends stone white. Breaking her hold with a violent jerk, Reggie raced as quickly as he could to catch up with Asada.
Their apartments weren't that far away. Maybe around ten or fifteen minutes if you moved at a reasonable snail's pace. That didn't mean the cap-wearing teen didn't struggle to catch up with her when he spotted her dashing around a corner a few minutes in -in could've been seconds.
"Jesus!" His shoulder was starting to strain from all that running and Asada's ridiculous speed - making him believe if she was a sprinter for Track and Field, too.
Turning the corner, as well -although less precise. Reggie was able to turn the right-hand side across the street (luckily no cars near this time) and caught a glimpse of her running up the steps to their apartments. Punching the code to her room, opening it, then promptly slamming it behind her right as Reggie finished climbing them up, too.
He ran up to the door. "Asada?" He called out. When that didn't work, Reggie tried banging on the door, "Asada, please come out!"
"Go away." She whimpered in a low, almost lifeless voice. "Chōdai, I don't-" He heard her begin to sob through the door, "I don't want to hurt you, too."
He winced. "Asada, listen. Whatever happened that long ago doesn't mean you should feel ashamed of it. You were only protecting yourself and your mom. And that man," Reggie paused, "unfortunately paid for acting the way he did."
Got what was coming to him. Was what he wanted to say. However, Reggie wasn't entirely sure what actually went down in that post office that many years ago to say what was what. All this information was thrown into his face right away. And anything that went out of his mouth sounded just as unsure.
For all he knew, that pompous girl with her two friends could've been pulling rabbits out of their hats and claiming elephants instead. Maybe just experiencing all that was enough reason as it was for Asada alone.
Biting his tongue, he tried his best, "In the end, you did the right thing. If you didn't intervene, who knows what could've happened?" Reggie put it mildly.
"You don't understand!" Asada practically shouted, causing him to move away from her front door as if she was about to swing it across his face. Asada continued but lost steam from remembering who she was pointing her grieve to, "You don't understand. None of that matters. Don't you get it?" Her muffled voice seeing no use explaining but she did anyways, "It doesn't matter if what I did was right or was wrong...all that matters is I killed someone. And no matter how long ago it was. No matter how much good I try to do now, I get treated the same way. Like garbage! Here and...and in another place." He heard her fall -maybe to her knees- crying again.
Reggie felt his shoulders lower from that one. "I-" He tried opening his mouth -hoping more words would somehow come out and try to articulate a response to everything she just said. Telling her she was wrong, and that wasn't true. But all that came out was another unsure noise.
Shino heard as much. "Just go...Reggie-san. You don't have to pretend anymore. I...I understand."
He stood there mutely, looking at the door, questioning what to do next. Part of him wanted to stay and try again to get her to come out. Another...
Another tiny part of him wanted to do what she said and leave. At least that way, when he had to rotate back to the other side of the world. He wouldn't feel as bad when his job here (as uncertain as it was) was finally over after catching those Coffin members and slapping them silly. He was going to leave regardless. So why not cut the strings now when he could?
And why don't I bite my tongue off while I'm at it? Reggie thought with resentment for even entertaining such a stupid thought. Seeing how only one person was going to benefit from it.
No, he couldn't do that no matter how tempting the idea sounded. At least, not like this.
Refusing to leave. Reggie walked up against the door one more time and, gently, layed a fist against the wooden-frame of it. With a heavy inhale and a louder sigh, he said, "Asada, I'm not going to pretend how you feel." He began, "There are things I've done and...I reckoned that I'm no way proud of. And I wish to God every day that I could've done something different."
Reggie couldn't tell if he heard a small shuffle inside the room. Or whether Asada was listening or not, he couldn't tell.
He went on, his back against the frame now, "That might not be the same from whatever happened when you were little, too. And I don't know enough to say something about it. But, I" Reggie paused, "...I didn't see you any different then. Not even now. And whether that means something or not, I just wanted you to know that."
Silence filled the air for what could've been two minutes. Maybe more.
"Asada, are you still there?" He asked, turning his left ear her way. He got no response after a minute or two -not exactly expecting one. He sighed. Got off his incline position and stuck his hands into his pockets, and started to leave.
Then a small click! followed by the sound of a chain, rattle came off behind him. Reggie turned and heard the door's lock crack and creak open one inch at a time. When she was sure Reggie was still there, Asada opened the door all the way. Stepping out into the darkening sky.
If it wasn't for the ever so tiny hint of light over the horizon, Reggie probably wouldn't have seen so clearly the state Asada was in. Which was a mess, to put it kindly.
She held her hands together near her chest, looking deep into his eyes. "Did- Did you actually mean what you said?"
Reggie looked back sternly, "E e," he returned, honest to God to his statement. "I think so." Had he not been in an upright position when he said that -Reginald might've absorbed the 105 shell Asada punched into his stomach when she slammed into him. Holding him tightly enough to let out a gasp.
"Oh, Reggie-san." She repeated each time her face dug into his chest. Hugging him. Reggie quite literally was unsure what to do at this moment. His own ghostly face turned bright, nearly the color of his avatar's blood-red eyes when she nabbed him like a bear trap.
He hardly recalled when his breathing picked up nor his heart going off as fast as a minigun. He tried to return the gesture as best he could. However, not nearly as earnest as she did.
When they finally pulled back, she smiled with tears -both dried and new- running down her face. "Arigatōgozaimashita!" her voice holding back whatever emotion remained, "So very, very much."
"E e," Reggie timidly repeated. "Sure thing."
Looking at her now -despite how banged up and messy her hair and clothes were- McKnight still felt his heart steady in its beats, and his breathing slowed down, now. Then he felt his face inch closer to hers. Asada actually looked pretty taken back -at first- before she started doing the same. Her eyes closing before his did.
Then, like two planes dogfighting somewhere off a distant battlefield until they both broke off to avoid a frontal collision -Reggie's eyes spurted up and he pulled the mental throttle to avoid said collision. Realizing just what the hell he was going to do. Asada blinked.
"Er-well," Reggie straightened himself, "let's get you inside before one of us catches a cold. Okay, Asada?" He gave her a crooked smile. Wanting to kick himself while he was at it.
"Sure." Asada sounded and looked disappointed. Which didn't mean the trip back wasn't awkward.
Returning to his temporary stay a minute later, Reggie closed the door behind himself and slapped a hand against his temple. "Why the hell did I try to kiss her?" He thought, knowing as clear as day (it was night now) the reason why.
But, none of this was what was supposed to happen. Not when he got to Japan almost a week ago. Not when he took this job. None of it. And yet he nearly sealed that terrible deal a few minutes ago -not even aware of it until he stopped himself.
A call from his boss came a few minutes later. "Reggie-kun, I need to see you first chance tomorrow morning." Mr. Seijirou ordered, sounding more suddenly to the point than his cheery good nature self.
Reggie glowered, already knowing why. "Is it about what happened today, sir?"
The line went quiet. After a couple more seconds passed by, the Japanese bureaucrat answered, "Yes. But that's all I know thus far. The details from your message about that player's disconnecting are still being processed as we speak."
"Okay," Reggie nodded. "Is there anything else?" There was bound to be. The Black Swordsman had run by him when inviting him over to his house two days ago that the Death Gun rumor to Gun Gale's player population was still just that - a rumor
Even if Reggie McKnight knew full well that wasn't a sure thing. And how maybe something was going to happen for the...Death Gunners to do. It would've been risky, and he had told his employer what Kirigaya had said. And he ate it all up. Now someone -Garrett, the player DISCONNECT- had just kicked the bucket thanks to that.
There was another pause over the line -and a faint sigh to go with it- until Mr. Seijirou just said, resignedly, "Get here on time, and I'll explain what I can." And hung up.
"Yes, si-" Reggie realized and turned off his phone. Looking around his quiet apartment room, one word summed up the whole deal, "Shit."
-Author's Note: Thank you all for reading this final entry to the BoB Qualifiers round section. Now that we are getting into the Final arc, the Battle Royale for the Bullet of Bullets (a good one, I might add). Leave a review on what you thought and favorite/follow the story for more updates! Happy Halloween and have a good day, kind sirs (or ma'ams)!