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oOoOoOoOo
It was strange being the only person being the odd one out. The one who stuck out. The person who could seem to be the only one who can see everyone's own status screens. He could peek over one of their shoulders while they were browsing through their 'status magic', and skim through all of their information without a care. And they couldn't do anything about it.
None of the other 'Cardinal Heroes' could see each other's status screens but their own.
So why was he the only one with this ability?
(Is it because he was special? He hoped so.)
It was like having the administrator access to someone's smartphone. And there wasn't much that the others could do about it. Besides the obvious solution of walking out of the room when checking their status. Which Ren seems determined to be committing. Unwilling to give the others the upper hand.
Though it was hilarious when everytime they came up with a new revelation from their research into their status magic, Ren would walk out of the room before coming back after several minutes. And his increasingly furrowed eyebrows and dark expression showed that Ren didn't enjoy having to leave the room every time he had to check his status. Motoyasu could've quipped that it was concerning how frequent and long his bathroom breaks are. But he had a good feeling that Ren wouldn't take the joke too well.
"You know, I'm not going to do anything to you just because I can see other people's status, you know?" Motoyasu finally spoke up as Ren started to walk out of the room for the fourth time, probably to try and test out his SP bar. Because they were recently wondering what kind of skills said bar would use. It would probably be some sort of Special final attack-esque skills from his guesstimate.
Ren stopped at the door, turning around to give him a sharp look. As though he couldn't believe his words and assumed the worst of him. Which kinda pissed him off for some odd reason. He knew he made a bad impression on the kid, but he didn't expect he would act hostile to him because of that.
(Why is he getting irritated by some immature teenager anyways?)
"And how should I know that?" Ren retorted, turning around to lean against the door with crossed arms. "How should I know that you aren't going to use all this information against me? How should I know that you are going against your words, the next time that we are going to meet on the battlefield? How should I know that? Just because you said so?"
'This kid.' Motoyasu thought to himself darkly. There was an unfamiliar anger swelling up from in his chest, something about his defensive tone just ticked him off. Itsuki looked up, staring at the two pointedly, warning them but he was ignored.
"Well… yeah?" He replied, managing to stop himself from uttering a sarcastic 'Duh.' with a helpless shrug. "Besides, what makes you so sure that we're going to be enemies?"
"Because this is Brave Star Online." Ren answered as though that was the only reason why.
Motoyasu could only raise an eyebrow in response. Brave Star Online? Sounds like a generic RPG title. He glanced around to check and saw that the others had similar expressions echoing himself. He quirked a smile, feeling uncharacteristically smug.
"So? What is that? Some trashy RPG?" He flippantly asked, checking his nails to express his disinterest in the topic. And that was what broke the camel's back. Ren exploded.
"RPG? Just some trashy RPG? It is the RPG. It's one of the highest rated RPG games in the world. It's unironically been rated 10/10 from every game critic ever! It's Brave Star Online, how come you all haven't heard of it?" Ren gesticulated with flailing arms and wide eyes.
The break of Ren's stoic character into an angry and defensive nerd made the whole scene look comical to his eyes. As the burning anger in his head slowly subsided.
Naofumi scratched the side of his nose. "Yeah… doesn't ring a bell. Is that a new American game?"
Ren almost choked from his words as Itsuki stifled his laughter.
"Holy shit. You guys are idiots." Ren declared. And with a flick on his wrist, he gestured to a status screen that only Ren and Motoyasu could see. "We're literally playing Brave Star Online right now."
Silence ensured.
"Are we supposed to be looking at something?" Itsuki wondered out loud, lips twitching.
That was the tipping point. Itsuki couldn't contain his laughter anymore, wheezing. Motoyasu following suit with soft chuckles escaping from his lips. Ren's face flushed from embarrassment, the tips of his ears turning a scarlet red. He huffed, turning around to brood in a corner.
Motoyasu could only help but feel smug about his victory. Cheering over the fact that he one-upped an edgy teenager.
(Wait, that actually didn't sound good now that he's thinking about it.)
A frown crossed his lips. He was about to introspect himself further when Naofumi spoke up with furrowed eyebrows.
"Ren, what do you mean when you say that we are playing a video game?" He gently asked, aware of Ren's hurt pride that he spoke with a coaxing tone.
Ren glanced up, confusion blazing in his expressive blue eyes.
"Because… we are? Aren't we?" He replied yet doubt crept up in his words, unsure on how to take this whole situation now that he was thinking about it. Why is he so sure that this is Brave Star Online?
And if it were, wouldn't he be using his original high-ranked premium account instead of starting all over from scratch?
(And where was the exit button now that he's thinking about it?)
Ren shook his head. Nevermind all that.
"Are you sure about that?"
"Yeah, why wouldn't I be? This is a game. Why wouldn't there be status screens and interfaces?" Ren explained confidently to a confused Naofumi.
"But then why is it all… in real life?" He asked, gesturing to the multitude of tabs of status screens and other interfaces in front of him only Motoyasu and himself could see. "You know? Couldn't it all be on a computer?"
"Computer? Don't you mean console? Computers can't run the complex mechanics of an RPG like Dimension Wave." Itsuki interrupted, raising an eyebrow. And if possible, Naofumi looked even more distressed by his words.
"W-wha - Console?" The Shielder asked, Motoyasu echoing the same sentiment.
"Computers? Consoles? Why are you guys talking about those vintages? It's a VRMMO." Ren said, pinching the bridge of nose from frustration. He stared at each of them. Yet all of them looked as befuddled as him.
"I'm not sure if Virtual Reality is a thing for MMOs, Ren." Motoyasu sighed, lazily draping himself over one of the plush red chairs. "First Person Shooters? Yeah, there's a market for that. But RPG's are too complex for that kinda technology. Emerald Online did have one of the most complicated weapon stats systems in the world."
"I'm not sure what time period you're living in. But VRMMOs are the only thing being produced by the hundreds each year. PC and console games are practically obsolete." He argued, tapping the side of his head. "Why would you use a controller or mouse when you can simulate it with your NERVE-chip."
"NERVE-chip? That sounds too sci-fi, even for me." Motoyasu snorted, raising himself up to leer at him. "I know you're probably new to all of this like us. But you don't have to lie about it."
Ren's face darkened, "Are you accusing me of being a liar?" He thinly said, indignated of the thought of being considered a liar. He stood up to loom over the blond, daring him to refute his question.
The friendly air around Motoyasu chilled. A scowl flashing across his face. A battle stormed across his mind whenever to engage or not; his pride was at stake. He wanted to put this impudent teen down in his place.
He didn't like this upstart kid. He didn't like him from the start, Motoyasu felt like Ren had some sort of vendetta against him just because of how he acted from the beginning.
(Which wasn't his fault. Who could blame him when said someone had the biggest revelation that they died in the first place! Would Ren have acted better in his place? Probably not.)
Yet a chilling fear held him back, an unfamiliar emotion that thrummed through his back. His body stiffening yet made no motion to stand up, to challenge, and to posture; an deep-rooted anxiety infested his limbs. So he stayed seated, deigning to lean back against the side of the armchair in a flamboyant manner. It would've been funny if not for the aloof look on his face.
Until a long sigh issued from across the room. Breaking the thick tension of the room so bluntly, that in the corner of his eye, he could see Naofumi almost face planted into the pillows. Itsuki walked over, his arms crossed with a no nonsense attitude on his face to back up his disappointment.
"Both of you should stop fighting. If you are going to act like little kids, then do it outside." He tutted, clicking his tongue in disapproval like a squawking mother hen.
Ren sneered at the comparison but he backed off. Leaning against the wall like those typical loner anime protagonists that Motoyasu would mock.
(Anime protagonist? When did he watch those types of trashy shows?)
Motoyasu sighed, scratching the side of his head. Mussing up his hair in his stress, letting several strands from his ponytail hang free.
"Itsuki's right." Naofumi agreed. "We shouldn't be fighting like this. We're supposed to be heroes summoned to save the world, right?"
A silence ensured.
"We're supposed to be heroes." He reiterated, staring at the guilty-looking blond and then the stoic swordsman. "We shouldn't be fighting like this when there's a bigger enemy outside." His green eyes shined, it was almost awe-inspiring in his faith to live up to being a hero.
Naofumi's sparkling eyes and Itsuki's disappointing look made his heart clench. There was something heavy in chest, grasping and crawling at his organs. Begging to climb all the way up and suffocate his senses. A familiar panic. An unfamiliar anxiety.
"... I'm sorry."
But Ren stared at him impassively. Yet his eyes betrayed his emotions, filled with a hurt scorn that blazed in his eyes. He didn't want to accept his apology. He didn't like him. He didn't want to be in the same room as him.
"Fine… I-"
Goddammit.
He fucked up.
He went too far. He knows that he gets too emotional. But he should've at least known to tone it down when facing a teenager who's just impulsive and unaware.
"Are you okay?"
He should've known that his blunders would fuck up his friendship with the other heroes. And staring at Itsuki, it looked like he would've shared Ren's opinion if not for his cautious disposition.
Motoyasu lamented for his old life back when things weren't so complicated. When the apparent ending of the world is evident by his favorite MMORPG. When he didn't die.
"I think something's wrong with him - "
His heart pounded in his chest. He felt like he couldn't breathe the longer Ren stared at him, seeing the blue in his eyes narrow in. His hands shaked at his sides, fingers twitching, wanting to do something. Wanting to do something more than hold the spear in his hands.
"Motoyasu Kitamura!"
He didn't realize when he got up from the chair.
There was something choked up in his throat. Something blocking it, clogging it because what breaths he could say to apologize, to kneel over and beg for mercy. To beg, to plead, to apologize and all those platitudes died when his face was snapped over to the side by a strong slap.
"Snap out of it." Ren's thin yet sharp voice whispered.
Motoyasu held his bruised cheek, shocked. Because he didn't expect that he would get slapped. He didn't expect that he would get slapped at all for some reason.
Because nobody would slap him like that.
(Right?)
He glanced up and realized that he was being surrounded by the other heroes, a few having concern or disinterest in their gaze. Motoyasu glanced down, feeling so many things. A lot of things that he swore that he never felt before.
Like the unfamiliar bridging panic that tinted the edges of his mind, grasping for his attention. One that he realized that he knew that he shouldn't be feeling. Because why would he feel so panicked, so concerned and anxious over how someone who he didn't like would feel about him.
Why would he?
Right...?
"I… I'm sorry." He repeated, the words felt soggy and wet on his dry tongue. It felt fake. No, he's supposed to say it another way. With more feeling. He glanced up to Ren whose scowl faded the longer he looked at him, Ren flinched for some reason. Before turning back to stare at him, with a glint of curiosity in his eyes.
"I-I'm sorry." He repeated again, wishing that his voice didn't stutter when he said it.
Ren turned his head away, pausing to give another stare before glancing back away. As though he debated whether to glare his eyes off at the troubled blond.
"Forget about it. It's pointless."
If the awkward tension from before could've suffocated the room, then this current pressure would've crushed everyone into dust.
Motoyasu, of all people, knew that this was his cue to leave. He wished he didn't act up like that. Like a weirdo.
Just like Ren said, he better forget it. It's better to just sleep it off. All this Emerald Online and 'Isekai' stuff is getting into his head.
He walked away from the others, not even bothering to brush up on his hygiene. Kicking off his shoes, he climbed under the covers. Pulling the soft sheets over his head and stared into the darkness.
Motoyasu was hyper aware of the others in the room. Feeling their presence like static electricity dancing off of his skin. It was awkward. And he knew the others would also feel the same. Even if he wasn't visible there in the room, he was still there. They knew he was still listening to the conversation so their voices lowered, almost whispering so that he couldn't hear unless he strained his ears.
And so he laid there in bed, with too many thoughts in his head and too many feelings in his heart. Motoyasu felt wary. He felt tired from everything, from the realization that he would never wake up back in his own bed. And the fact that he would be burdened to save a world unfamiliar to him with a bunch of other heroes, who think lowly of him.
He felt tired of himself going through breakdown after breakdown. Like a mental nutcase.
Which is weird because he never had an instance like this, where he would stop and question everything about himself. Where he has this weird ever present feeling of panic that would activate just because someone looked at him too long. Where he had these weird thoughts in his head that didn't feel like him now that he's thinking about it.
Maybe that summoning did something more than give him a Spear and a status screen. Maybe it changed something in him that he's afraid to guess the answer to.
With all these thoughts in his head, Motoyasu fell into a fitful sleep. Snoozing away as Naofumi realizes his unfortunate future as the Shield Hero and the change of status quo between all four cardinal heroes.
oOoOoOoOo
"Curious?" A soft, giggling female voice asked.
Motoyasu blinked his eyes, realizing that he was staring too long at the glass of red bubble tea.
"Excuse me?" He asked. A moment of disconrnation hit him, a sudden thought that he didn't know where he was for a sharp second.
A cafe?
Anxiety bubbled up in his chest as his hands started shaking, gripping the cup.
A small and slender hand touched his own. The gentle and ginger touch made him shiver but the warmth radiating outwards made him calm down. The teen focused on how small her hand was compared to his. It was weird. Morbidly fascinating in how his hand could've enveloped hers if he wanted to.
(Why were his hands so big?)
"It's okay. You're okay." Her melodic voice coaxed the anxious male. "You didn't actually lose your phone."
His phone? He distantly thought. Didn't he already lose it when he got trans-
The girl took her hand away. The fading warm feeling made him alarmed that he reached forward. Trying to chase the escaping warm feeling that grounded him that he knocked over his drink. The tea splashed over his clothes.
"Shit!" He cursed before covering his mouth, red coloring his cheeks. He can't cuss in front of a girl, what was he thinking?
Motoyasu quickly stood up. The chair screeched sharply as he started to brush off the boba pearls from his wet jeans. Until a napkin held by the girl started wiping down, helping him in getting off the worst of the milk tea off of his clothes.
"Silly, you're so silly." The gentle girl helplessly said, smiling with a tender expression. Who is she? He didn't know her. And she was too close for comfort.
Girls weren't supposed to do this. They can't do this. They weren't supposed to be so shameless. Especially when she's brushing too close to his crotch.
He swiped her napkin away, flusteredly chattering away to combat the embarrassment fluttering in his stomach.
"I'm so sorry but I can take care of this on my own. You don't have to worry -"
The girl gave out a long sigh, ignoring his words. She took out another napkin from the table to wipe at his face. He stopped, face red as she dabbed the cloth onto his fac. Having to lean up to her tippy toes to reach his height. This whole scene would be heartwarming to an outsider if it weren't for the fact that he didn't know her.
He knew her. But he also didn't. It was like her name was at the top of his tongue but his mind couldn't scrounge up any answers. A face familiar that him that he would see in a classroom. But not intimate enough to list off her name right off the bat.
(Maybe he knew her name but he didn't want to.)
"You don't have to be so embarrassed, sweetie." She comforted him, seemingly familiar with him to use pet names.
She took back the napkin and folded into a square. Tucking it back into her pocket, uncaring that it was wet in the first place. It was weird in how she took her time folding it, as though she was savoring the moment.
She grinned, her bright green eyes staring up at him.
He took the time to observe this strange 'friend?' of his. She was a beautiful girl. Youthful and charming, seemingly to be a few years younger than him that it instantly made him uncomfortable.
(Where did he know her from?)
She had long, wavy mixed blond-brown hair that hugged her face and a cute dimple that blossomed in the corner of her cheeks as the sun glanced on her cheeks. Red lights occasionally painted her face, giving her a healthy and warm look. She wasn't bad on the eyes, in fact the opposite. In which she positively glowed with the flashing lights. He knew that she would be a heartbreaker when she fully matured. That he wouldn't mind chasing her on the streets for her phone number.
"Do I know you?" He asked. And with that, the docile air that emitted from the girl, died when her lips tightened to a sharp frown.
"Don't you remember me?" She asked, taking a step forward which he flinched at. He took a step back in response, a move that made her frown grow deeper. She looked unhappy when he moved away, an expression of hurt mirroring in her eyes as red lights flashed onto her face.
He squinted his eyes, the red strobe lights from the cafe were making it hard to see her correctly. (Wait, why are there strobe lights? This isn't a nightclub…)
Remember her? Why would he? She seemed… familiar…
(Ikuyo? She had brown hair.)
Wait, wasn't he supposed to be someplace else?
His head pounded, ringing like a sharp siren.
"I-I… I'm sorry." Motoyasu apologized, aware of his surroundings and how the cafe was suddenly so quiet yet so loud. He glanced up and realized that all the lights were flickering. Flickering because there were red sirens, soundless sirens, flashing across from the house across from them.
What the hell?
"Darling?"
Why was there an ambulance there?
At that house…
With those familiar flower printed curtains and… wind chimes…
Isn't… isn't that his house?
His eyes widened.
"I have to go. I have to go now. I'm so, so sorry Ikuyo!" He apologized. The teen grabbed his bag and raced out of the cafe with clumsy and frantic steps.
The young adult couldn't care about road safety as he ran across the street, giving no heed to the sharp screeches of braking cars and loud honks from irritated drivers. Not when there was something going on at his house.
Not when there's a possibility of one of his family members dying.
A montage of worst case scenarios flew through his head just in time to see a wrapped up gurney being carted out from the door. His breath hitched as he spied a bloody arm dangling from the side.
A terrible premonition set in.
Isn't that... how they wrap up dead people? Isn't that how they covered up corpses? But there was an arm dangling out so that means they aren't dead. So why aren't they in a hurry to cart them to the ambulance?
Screams and sobbing rang in his ears but they weren't coming from his mouth. And he couldn't care which of his family members was being hysterical. As long as he could confirm the identity of… his loved one.
'Not my parents, not my parents, not my parents.' Were the chants echoing in his head.
He pushed his way through. Uncaring of how a few medical professionals tried their best to dissuade him away from the area. But many of them were preoccupied in subduing the hysterical and bloodsoaked teen off to the side, that they lost interest when it was shown that he wasn't listening after the first few warnings.
Heart pounding in his ears, he leaned over the stretcher. Hands shaking as he grabbed the edge of the white, bloodstained sheet.
The chants reached a crescendo as he ripped the sheet off, only to see -
Momiji?
The world went silent. Everything went still with that revelation.
His hands shaked, his knees buckled, threatening to make him collapse on the ground. As his mind kept repeating the image of Momiji's whitened and still face. A kind and gentle face that always had a trace of a smile touching her lips, even in death. It was a horrifying sight. One that made his stomach churn.
Momiji… died?
But… wasn't she animatedly talking to him just a couple of hours ago?
But why was she dead?
Why was she dead?
Then why… then why was he talking to Ikuyo without a care in the world? Why was he in that cafe when Momiji died at his own house?
Tears ran down his face, wettening his cheeks. His chest heaved. He gasped. Grieving for the death of a girl that he knew so well.
She was 19 years old. And she died at his own home.
The stretcher left his view as he stared at the ground with dead eyes. A wave of emotions fell over him, making the world seem distant and out of focus. Like he was sitting in a corner of a room that stretched so far and wide, staring at a door far away that was a speck in his vision. A door where Momiji's dead body was carried out of.
A petite hand gripped his shoulder, and brown hair filled his vision as Ikuyo nuzzled in the crook of his neck. He didn't realize when the girl managed to get so close to him. But he didn't care. His eyes stared distantly, unfocused and hazy as reality seemed so close yet so far away.
He wanted to sink in the waves, never to return to reality again.
"Oh darling…" Ikuyo sighed in his ear, leaning back to stare at his cloudy eyes. He watched as another covered stretcher was carted out of the house, a bloodied arm dangling from the side.
'Great. Another dead body.' He thought. 'I wonder who was this victim this time.'
Ikuyo frowned at his wandering eyes, grabbing his chin and forcing the blond to focus on her. But he didn't, opting to keep staring at the stretcher. The other hysterical girl from before managed to escape the harsh grips from the paramedics, Sobbing as she raced to the side of the 2nd stretcher.
"I don't like it when you say another girl's name." Ikuyo whispered, the dark edge in her voice making him shiver from instinct.
The other brown haired girl ripped off the sheet and gave out an ear-piercing shriek. She collapsed on her knees and started wailing. Uncaring as she was forcibly pulled off from the stretcher, revealing the face of the other victim.
A familiar face.
"I hate it when you look at other people than me." Her cold voice haunted his ears, contrasting her warm, honeyed touch.
A familiar body.
And Motoyasu stared with wide eyes. Ripped out of his hazy thoughts by the familiar sight of a face. A face that always stared back at him in the mirror. A handsome, bloodied face with elegant features, staring straight at him with dull, dead red eyes.
That's… me?
"Motoyasu, you've been such a bad, bad boy." Not-Ikuyo's voice murmured.
oOoOoOoOo
Motoyasu gasped. Eyes snapping open as he shot straight up from the bed. His heart pounded in his ears, sweat pouring down from his head as the remnants of sleepiness disappeared in his panic.
His chest heaved up and down as he stared at his hands, hands that clenched the Legendary Spear in his hands tightly.
What was that dream?
Why did he dream that? Why did he dreamt of his death from an outsider's perspective?
And who was that girl?
(He knew her. He obviously knew her. But he didn't want to know her.)
The musings in his head kept rambling into questions with unfinished answers. Ones that he wanted to know that he would've stayed the whole night up. Motoyasu wanted to stay the whole night up. Until the smell of ozone filled his nose, a second long warning as a sudden burst of pain arced up through his arms.
A cry of pain burst out, one that he stifled by biting his lips. Fear of waking up the inhabitants of the room as he threw the spear out of his hands.
The long spear clattered, making a racket as it rolled away from him. Said spear that has traces of electricity dancing around the tip, the source of his pain. He rubbed his hands together, the flesh tender and smoking.
Did his own spear just shock him?
The man winced as he tried his best to sooth his wounds. Blowing onto the reddened flesh in hopes to relieve the pain. But his hands only spasmed in response, sometimes not responding to his commands.
Fuck, Motoyasu didn't want to wake up to this. Making a fool of himself on the first day, suffering from a weird nightmare, and now his spear decided to shock him for no reason.
This was turning out to be a great afterlife.
His spear innocently stared back at him, the vivid ruby glinting mischievously at him with no trace of static electricity.
Was he seeing things?
Motoyasu dared to guess otherwise. He reached out a hand towards his weapon until an arc of lightning jumped out. He flinched.
What the fuck?
Motoyasu took a step back. And the electricity that wrapped around his spear soon dissipated, leaving behind an innocuous weapon.
The Spear that he tried his best to get rid of earlier, is now rejecting him.
Why?
Is this happening to the others?
He glanced towards the other heroes, his eyes adjusting slowly under the cloud of darkness. But only seeing their snoozing forms attached to their legendary weapons.
Ren looked like he was on the verge of stabbing himself with his own sword from the way that he hugged it close to his face. As though he was embracing a pillow. And Motoyasu didn't have to mention Itsuki who had the most terrible sleeping posture out of them. The aforementioned teen rolled out of his sheets, his body leaning against the side of the bed, head first towards the ground. Somehow, Itsuki managed to get the drawstring of his bow tangled within his legs. It was a surprise that his bow hadn't already snapped from the abuse. While Naofumi… well he was drooling but there was nothing to be said about him compared to the others. You really can't hurt yourself with a shield in bed.
But they didn't seem to be having trouble with their weapons.
He took a step forward. And his Spear buzzed aggressively in response, electricity dancing around.
So why was his spear acting out?
This was crazy. This day, that nightmare, and now his supposed destined Spear?
That's it. He needed to take a walk. He could think about this later when he has a clearer head.
And so the proclaimed Spear(less) Hero walked out of the room without his trusty Spear at his side. Deigning to roam the quiet halls of Castle Melromarc in a lost trance.
It was guaranteed that he would bump into a few patrolling soldiers. But none of them stopped him, only giving a long glance at his modern clothing and face before continuing on their way. Every time they stopped to stare at him, he felt the hairs of his neck raise. As though he was committing a crime for wandering the dark halls at night.
That's crazy, he's the Spear Hero. (The Hero they summoned to save the world.)
He can walk wherever he wants to, whenever he wants.
Yet only with their silent permission from the guards only let him feel at ease to wander the halls, only giving a warning if he's straying close to a forbidden area.
Then his surroundings gave way to the clear night sky. As his wanderings led him to the Royal Gardens.
It was a break-taking place. Even under the shroud of the night sky, the darkness couldn't hide away its beauty. The dim moonlight and sparkling lights illuminated the roses entrenched within the garden. Roses that seemed endless, blooming from the bushes, to the walls, and even in the cracks of the walls. As though it was a weed, an elegant and enchanting weed nonetheless. There were a few other flowers that he didn't recognize but they only added to embellish these stark red roses.
He took a moment to take in the view. The light chimes from hidden wind chimes whistled in the night breeze. The crickets and cicadas chirping to create a tranquil ambience of nature. An ideal night that wrapped around his mind, wrestling down his nerves that haunted his back. Until Motoyasu could finally take a deep breath and feel like himself.
With a step, the Spearless Hero explored the gardens. Ogling at the sights and sometimes pricking his finger onto a few roses if his wandering hands got too bored. It wasn't until he heard snippets of a fierce conversation going on that Motoyasu panicked.
He hid behind a hedge bush. Crouched over and holding himself up with his hands against the rough stone pavement. The teen hoped his bright red flannel wouldn't let him get found out. He lifted his head to spy, just in time to see an extravagant large purple cape billow away.
'Is that the King?' was his first thought.
He lifted his head to confirm that, yes that was the King and he was leaving. His eyes watching the ends of his cape disappear around the corner with booming footsteps.
Motoyasu didn't know what got into his head to have him act like some sort of spy, eavesdropping for some secrets and scandals to dethrone the King. But he was disappointed that he popped up at the end of this mysterious rendezvous.
Unlucky…
So… Who was he talking to in the gardens? Especially this late at night?
He turned his head and saw a top tier goddess.
If there was a chance that he could rate any of the girls that he met in his life according to appearance, this girl would be an instant 11/10. She was a fairy amongst roses. With silky smooth vibrant red hair that outshone the red roses around her. And twinkling sharp green eyes that had a cat-like curiosity in them. As though she has found a new type of prey to play around with and - She's looking straight at him.
His ears rang.
"I was wondering when you would notice, Sir Hero." She teased, eyes crinkling at the sight of his shocked and silly expression.
The 'Hero' flushed his cheeks. The blond realized what an embarrassing position that he was in, talking to this beautiful lady. Motoyasu shot straight up, a laugh escaping him as he dusted off his clothes and combed through his hair, making sure that no brambles or thorns were entangled within the strands.
"Beautiful night, we're having." He grinned as the red head giggled at his conversation starter.
"The stars are shining upon us. You are… the great Hero of the Spear, correct?" She asked, smiling. The scene would've looked charming if not for the fact that he suddenly developed tinnitus. The buzzing sound in his ears increased with each step the lady took towards him. "I'm not wrong, aren't I?"
Motoyasu squinted at her, trying to rehearse her words in his head. It was hard to hear with this obnoxious sound he's hearing. Though she's asking if he was… the hero right?
"How did you know?" He replied, assuming that she was inquiring about his identity as a hero. "Do I look that noble?" He teased before looking down at his plain, modern clothes.
Well… no. But his face was still charming!
"You do, Sir Spear Hero." She replied with a giggle, before giving a graceful bow towards him. "My name is Myne Sophia, at your service."
A screech of white noise ruptured his ears, the man flinched as the pain traveled through his skull. Killing him, murdering him, it was too much. His hands came up to cover his ears but it died down as quickly as it appeared.
Motoyasu was shaken.
"Sir Spear Hero?" Myne - a screech - asked, concerned.
"Motoyasu Kitamura, Motoyasu Kita - llows. My name is Willows Kitamura." He hissed out in a quick breath, a hand resting to cover his ear.
"Willows?" Her distant voice asked but he couldn't hear. He couldn't hear. He can't hear with this painful white noise ringing in his head, that won't shut up.
He took a step back and the noise started to dial down. Another step and its strength weakened. But Myne took a step forward in concern and it screamed.
"Don't come any closer!" He blurted out, hurrying until he was quite a distance away from the girl. "A headache… I have a headache."
Myne's expression twisted but the pain pounding in his skull distorted his vision so that everything looked blurry in his eyes. The light-headedness in his skull cleared up. Yet the white noise in his ears remained, constant without increasing or decreasing with strength if the girl didn't step any closer. It was at a manageable level that irritated him but won't cause him agonizing pain. And he preferred to keep it that way.
"Sir… Motoyasu?" Myne questioned, hesitant. Looking at him with worrying eyes that peered into him, as though she wanted to come closer to comfort him but was unable to. "Are you okay?"
He gave a shaky nod.
Whatever questions that he wanted to ask, disappeared from the ringing in his head. He wasn't concerned about why this girl had close connections with the King and what they were discussing in the garden. But it wasn't any of his business. Motoyasu just wanted to sleep at this point, it was a tiring day. And if he had to face another nightmare, so be it.
"Yeah, just tired." Motoyasu gave a fake yawn to express his exhaustion, even stretching his arm out to exaggerate.
He looked up to the bright moon and squinted.
"And it's getting pretty late. Isn't it 5am or something?" He added, to prove his point. Though Myne looked at him with an amused expression, her eyes flickering to a red-tinted status screen that popped up in front of her.
"It's half a quarter past 2." She corrected him, almost yelling from the distance between the two. "What are you doing, wandering the Gardens at this time?"
'I could say the same to you, you - .' Was his irritated thought in response but he cut it off his insult with furrowed eyebrows. His eyes flashed.
Why does he dislike her?
"Just taking a stroll around. Admiring the sights, smelling the roses before I head back to bed." He replied instead. "And what do you know? It's really late. So I'm going to head back to my bed."
She raised her eyebrows, leaning her head close as though she wanted to walk towards him which he flinched at. He took another step back in response. Her eyes darkened yet she upheld an upbeat smile that made his heart confused. As though it couldn't decide between beating hard from excitement or dropping dead in disgust.
"I wish you a good rest, Sir Motoyasu." She said, turning around to gaze at the moon.
He nodded his head in acknowledgement. He turned around to leave the Gardens but Myne's next words made him stop.
"You have strange eyes. Beautiful eyes, but strange nonetheless."
Motoyasu swiveled his head but only saw Myne's back. He bit his lip, wondering what did Myne mean by that. That he had weird eyes? Blue eyes weren't that rare, last time he checked. The blond wanted to ask, inquire what did Myne mean by having strange eyes. But the ringing - the pain - the noise in his head told him otherwise.
So Motoyasu headed back with an uneasy mood, walking away with heavy steps and a tired conscience.
Wondering if things are really what they seem.
oOoOoOoOo
Author's Note: regret, so much regret, all of the regret. all i have is regret. gret-re. Spagtett-re. Spaghetti. :O
I'm definitely eating Italian after publishing this chapter.
Sorry, this chapter took some time to publish. I recently had surgery and recovery sucks. Take care of yourselves my dudes!
Also I listened to Crystal Dolphin on repeat as I wrote this chapter. I'm not sure how important this tidbit of info is but it's still info.
Onto the reviews!
alv1
nice start
Thank you! I really appreciate the comment, I wasn't really sure if it was good since it's
basically rehashing canon at that point but like what can you do? Since the most
significant part starts at the very beginning ig lmao
Carismastic
The small details in the interactions between the characters and the smooth flowing text makes this story one of the better written fics I've read in this fandom already, nice job!
:O
Ahhhh! When I got that comment, my heart did a skip, a beat, and a dance! I'm flattered
that you like my style of writing! It's really rough and I acknowledge that I really need an
editor to help out because proofreading my writing 50 or so times can do so much for
me. But I wholeheartedly appreciate that you like my style!
iluvfairytale
Honestly, making Naofumi blush would be an addictive hobby.
It really is! Naofumi is such a cute character pre-Canon. And such a bean in Reprise.
Though his thoughts were pretty funky in the summoning (LN) but that's because of how
he was antagonized. But a kind hand can do a lot to change his mood and make him
such a sweetheart. But we'll see how long that can last. And if that can last, really. :P
Lord Arta
Well done. Motoyasu's/OC's confusion, the pureness of Naofumi, and the other two's... existing... I love it all. I also enjoy the minor details. Honestly, I can't wait for the next chapter.
Ahhh! Thank you very much! Oh my god! I'm excited that you loved all these
details that I wasn't sure if I was being too excessive with them to be honest. I've been
reading a lot of slice of life and romance novels that it's really funky and to be fair, this story does deal with introspection stuff. Or attempting to so I'm trying to focus on the minor stuff, lol. Though I'm trying to work on characterization so I'm not sure how well that goes but I'm glad that you enjoy it all! And don't worry! Chapter 3 will hopefully be out later, and probably maybe won't take much time compared to this one. But we'll see if any unexpected events pop up because oboi, chapter 3 is gonna be pretty big.
Weirpellet
i like it more please
I gotchu you!
Guest
Amazing so far. Look forward to where this goes.
Thank you! And I'm also looking forward to writing this, trying to make sure it's not a
rehash and basically relying on the stations of canon but eh. :P Though don't worry, I got
an outline prepared for the next couple of chapters and some notes! So we'll see!
Thank you for reading! Make sure to leave a comment if you can for any thoughts or criticism! I encourage anything!
And also I'm looking for an editor/proof-reader/beta-reader so if you're interested, please climb into my DMs. :D