I'm drowning in hatred.
Jealousy, horrific sense of justice, hypocrisy, malice and evil creeps into my soul. Directly into my soul. I accept them all...
In order to get strength.
I need power.
Power to break them all.
I'd gladly sell my soul to the devil just to get power.
Everything. Everything is falling apart in my body. My past self is slowly breaking. Letting my new, wicked soul take over.
I don't need a damn axe.
I need something more crushing. Much more grandiose.
Perhaps...
a Hammer.
A hammer to crush those who defy me. Who stands in my way.
Change, my soul.
Change, into impurity.
Blackness. Bloom into my weapon.
"RAAAAAAGGHHH!" I scream, releasing all my rage, into this damn insect.
"Don't lose control!" A girl screams, I don't bother identifying her, though. All I need is to crush the one in my path with my hammer. "Please... don't give in... Kano!" Ugh, shut up. You're ruining my momentum. Crush, crush, crush. This damn monster won't even die. What a fucking joke. "Kano... It's already dead... Even if I need to use force to stop you... Then I will." Hm? Something is coming up behind me at a very fast spee-
*SLASH!*
Huh? Something grazed my cheek... This woman... You have a backbone now, huh? Accept the fact that I'm different than before. "This isn't like you at all, Kano! You might be a little bad-mouthed and sometimes burst into a reckless spree, you won't even do this!" I am NOT that boy from before... I shall prove it... using your own death. The old me wouldn't do this. Too bad, woman, I'm new.
I closed the distance between me and the girl, causing the girl flinch, I didn't waste a single second and bring the hammer right through her side, knocking her back quite a distance.
"Gu—" She coughs out blood, but who cares? I quickly catch up to the girl and brang my hammer down to her body... Grow, my hammer. My hammer increased in size tenfold and crushed her body.
Guess that's it.
Hm... This feeling...
This isn't right. I'm beginning to become some edgy jerk. This is wrong...
"Useless, irrevelant thoughts. My goal is to only kill those who blocks my path." I brushed off those thoughts and faced the still-alive monster.
"Die." Grow, my hammer... tenfold.
Slam. Slam. Slam.
Grow, my hammer, tenfold.
Slam. Slam. Slam.
GROW, GODDAMNIT!
SLAM SLAM SLAM
I jumped up in the air and lifted up my heavy hammer.
Charging right to the monster, with the speed increasing my power, I violated the already-dead monster.
Not even one single dust remained.
I obliberated it.
Nothing is in my way anymore.
But... What to do next?
I can't remember.
My feelings... Only my anger remained.
I can't control myself anymore. It's better to let my feelings do all the work, even if I get some casualities along the way. I feel regret, that's for sure, but that's why I am human. Therefore, this is normal. We kill to survive. Is this the way to live? Is this my true personality? To care not for others, but just for his own self-satisfaction? What...
I-I don't know anymo-
*SLAP!*
A feeling of a striking palm towards my right cheek interrupted my thoughts.
"You lost sight of yourself, Kano. You drowned yourself in power. Look, look where it gets you. Not a single thing remains of the monster... Just like yourself. There is no "yourself" for you anymore. Rage? Anger? What a pitiful excuse. You just want to use that power. Look at that monster once again. You did a number on it, showing off your so-called skills. That's why, Kano, I've been telling you... Don't lose sight of yourself..." Akemi condemnly said, tears slightly forming in her eyes.
"N-No... I did all because of pure hatred! That's no excuse and you know it! That's why I lost control of myself and tried to kill you—" I tried to answer back, but Akemi's gaze pierced me. She looked like she knew everything.
"Yet... I wasn't killed. Was that a way for you to show that your big ol' hammer of yours can do anything? Bravo, you now have my interest, but that wasn't anything special. Because the weapon did all the work."
"B-But..." I tried to think of another thing to say. Yet, her words were right. I was just using my power to get a sense of pride. Even if that's true...
"No more. Let's save the woman you wanted to save." Akemi turned her back on me and walked towards the cage where Mayu was locked up.
I followed behind her, leaving only silence as we did what we need to do. We saved Mayu, but I couldn't feel anything about that, I was overwhelmed by what Akemi said... Drowned myself in power, huh? Is that also the reason why I hated Mayu? I have seemingly showed off my power by the means of bullying Mayu...
Ah, goddamn, now the regret is overflowing...
The cage was already unlocked by Akemi, who just swung her rapier to break the lock. She's amazing, that's for sure.
I carried Mayu. She was peacefully sleeping, unaware of the horrors around her...
Damn. I really, really hate myself.
"Y'know." Akemi suddenly said, made me surprised.
"There's no need to hate yourself. That's what humans feel, I guess." She said, while blushing. I bet she also realized how embarrassing this whole thing was.
"Hyah!" Wha?!
She slapped her own cheeks with a loud sound, afterwards, she stumbled for a bit because of the loud impact of slapping of her own cheeks.
"H-hey, you alright?" I said, leaning over her back, I saw her face was really red. Due to slapping her own cheeks, I guess.
"Don't talk to me." She instantly said, rejected, huh?
"ALLLLLLLRIIIIIGGGHHTTTT!" God, my ears hurt now. What caused her mood to get 180 all of the sudden? I can't understand her at all...
"Today, marks the day... That you'll be my partner!"
"Who said you can decide that on your own?!" Whhaaaaaaa-? Why do I need to do such troublesome thing?
"You have a power, you know, power to SAVE the world! Besides, you did enjoy fighting Greeds, right?" Well, she's not wrong...
"But, can I really do this?" I might lose control of myself again...
She slowly turned around and faced me, she inched closer and closer...
"Listen, I'm going to be your partner. So whatever things you do, I'll be there with you, to correct your mistakes and slap you outta your crazy mind." With a very short distance between us, she poked my cheek. "And, you'll be my partner, whatever things I do, you'll be there with me, to correct my mistakes and punch me outta my crazy mind!" Punch is an overstatement but... "Sure, I'll punch ya outta your crazy mind when that happens!" I said, while pushing her away from me.
"Hahaha! Did you seriously say that?!" She held her stomach and laughed at me... "Well, technically, YOU were the one that forced me to say that embarrassing thing!"
"Hey, I didn't say anything about you needing to say that!" Ugh...
"Hah... Well, let's get outta here, then..." We noticed a blue door near to us, I guess that's the exit.
"Alrighty, let's go back!" She happily shouted, and we go through the blue door...
"And, we're here!" That was fast... There was a blinding white light and it instantly vanished as we stepped foot to the outside...
"See ya tomorrow!" She said, running to the direction to the main gate.
"Ah, yeah..." I just noticed it's already nighttime, I guess I should bring Mayu back to her house... Time to think of a plan to get unnoticed by her grandparents. Another thing to do before this day ends... Hah...
I walked along the night streets of Sennyu Monzencho, while suddenly Mayu moved around my back. "Finally awake, huh?" I said, while carrying her.
"What... happened?" She weakly said. I guess she doesn't remember the events of Eclipse... "Well, you got lost, I had to find you in a really large maze, you know." Technically, that's the truth.
"Huh... Weird, I can't remember that... Must be because I suddenly fainted...?"
I still silently walked along the streets while carrying Mayu on my back.
It was awkward.
But I knew I had to break this silence.
""Hey."" Oh.
"You go first." I said, allowing her to say what she wants to say but...
"Well... You go first, instead. Mine's not that important." She allowed me to say my piece.
"Alright, then. Let me cut to the chase then, I'm sorry. I treated you so badly even though I knew the truth. I just wanted... someone to take my anger on. And I know that ain't really nice... But still... I'm sorry."
"It's alright." She said.
...
"That's all?"
"Well, we are friends, right? Besides, it's natural for you to act that way. I was actually waiting for you to apologize." Damn, this woman...
"Heh, you really are a special one, you endured my selfishness and abuse, while waiting for me to apologize to boot! Man, still, I'm really sorry." She tapped on my back, signalling that she can go home on her own.
"By the way, I wanted to thank you... Thank you for carrying me back here. I can go alone from here. I must have been pretty heavy, huh?" She said, bowing her head.
"Nah, you're pretty light. Doesn't really bother me."
"Oh... Um... Thanks..." She turned around, blushing. Though, I don't know the reason why.
"Also, Kano, have anyone told you that you've changed? I don't remember you being this kind and humble before."
"H-huh? Even I can be kind, y'know... Anyway, nah, you're the first one who told me that." I hung my head down, no one saw me being this kind before, huh? I guess the Eclipse thingy changed my mindset...
"Hehe, I'm the first one... Alright, see you tomorrow, Kano." She waved at me, and gone back home.
Been a long time since I felt this happy. Gotta thank Akemi for that. Wait...
What did Akemi say again? 'See ya tomorrow'?
Pretty sure we can't see eachother tomorrow without any place to meet up... Guess she'll just show up at my school, she wears the same uniform from my school, though I haven't really seen her roaming around the campus.
Anyway, time to go home~
I was just a normal high school student.
It was a very... fun series of moments of my life.
She was my source of hatred.
She was the cause of them all.
No.
Everything are from the past.
Now, I am a not so very normal high school student, heck, make it abnormal, I mean, I fight monsters that threaten the world's peace!
Now is the start of a new journey, not for fun, but for the world.
Now is the time to man up and correct my mistakes.
Now... is the start of my double life of being a savior, and a high school student.
"Hello, I'm Akemi Ichihara, my hobby is... playing the guitar, I guess? Anyway~ Nice to meet you, everyone~ " She made a peace sign and bowed down in front of us.
On the board, is written Akemi Ichihara in kanji. Akemi Ichihara is bowing down on the front of the class. Akemi Ichihara introduced herself. Seriously?
A transfer student... Seriously?
The same class as mine... Seriously?
This got to be a set-up.
Aaaand now is the start where I will get bugged by Akemi, every single day.
A/N: Sorry for the delay, everyone~ been busy this past month, couldn't really find the time to work on this! But now... Christmas break is coming... THUS, I can fully devote on this series once more!
Merry Padoru in advance~
Thanks for reading, stay tuned~