Chapter 12: Ace of Swords
Sometime after dinner, Rainy rested on his couch under her thick layers of blankets. Nanami sat beside her to watch a show about… He didn't know.
He didn't notice when she fell asleep or when the programming had turned to infomercials. Sometime along the night, he'd gotten lost in thought and didn't come back until his alarm rang in his pocket.
Another cloudy day.
He didn't follow through with his plans to make breakfast. Instead, he locked himself in his room and curled up on his reading sofa.
Seventeen hours.
Seventeen hours until the opening of the Ethereal Gates.
Nanami had always thought of death as a faraway concept. He would die of old age after leading a mediocre life, and that was that. But tomorrow, he had the opportunity to face an early death yet again. It wasn't as scary the second time. If anything, he found it reassuring.
He already survived once. If he were to weather this next bout with death… Maybe there was something to the idea of him just taking leaps of faith…
His thumb hovered over the green call button. Nanami took a deep breath and pressed it.
His soul leaped into the unknown.
The ringing echoed through the empty room. His brown eyes found comfort in focusing on a single point on the smooth white ceiling. It was better than reading his mother's name on the screen.
"Kento?"
The sound of her voice barely surpassed that of his beating heart.
He could tell her about Airi. How they had gone on a few dates, and they fit so well.
He wouldn't quit his job and instead use his savings account as a foundation to give their children a better future. Children, not one; he would give his child a sibling.
"I'm going back to sorcery."
"Kento, are you out of your mind?"
Possibly.
"Are you suffering from exhaustion?"
Definitely.
"Time and time again, we have told you not to push yourself."
His entire life.
"Do just enough to keep the job. Praise isn't necessary- "
He didn't seek praise.
"You just don't need to be the worst."
But he felt like the worst.
"I'm not happy, mother."
She sucked her teeth.
Nanami heard his father repeat the word 'happy' as if it was a foreign concept.
"Happy?" No, he decided it was offensive.
"You can't pay the bills with happiness, Kento. That's stupid."
But he could. He had enough money to be stupid and frivolous. He could focus on the career that made him feel valuable to the world.
"Don't call us asking for financial assistance when your little pursuit of happiness leads to financial ruin." It was his father.
"I won't."
At the moment, he had no plans of calling them again.
If he died, it was his choice. But if he lived… If he lived, he would continue to make decisions for himself.
Author's Note: Thank you for reading!