AN: This chapter was posted 9/10/18. This is a pretty early update for me, which is strange because my life got very busy in the last few weeks. Please look for another note at the end, but for now, enjoy!
Six Years Ago:
I didn't know the man's name, just that he was stone faced and twice my size. I'd been sparring with him for weeks now, unable to win. The last few times, I'd gotten close, but one mistake and he'd end the fight, and make me regret it.
Sweat dripped from a strand of my hair as I panted, waiting for the next move. The man tensed.
I sprang back, avoiding the roundhouse kick by inches. As his foot returned to the floor, I'd thought I had a moment to get some room, but he moved with his momentum. He snapped out a front kick that slammed into the center my chest.
The air rushed out of my lungs in a huff. I coughed as I landed, but rolled back to my feet. My entire chest burned, and the effort of pulling air back into my lungs ate up my focus.
In the corner of my vision, Adrian and some medical staff observed us from beyond the practice mat. Adrian was here to see how my combat training was going, and the medical staff were here in case me or my opponent got injured.
I forced myself to ignore the pain as the man was already moving again. He was going to kick. I could see it in the set of his hips.
When he front kicked again, I pivoted, letting the strike miss me by inches. When his foot was level with my chin, I lunged.
I seized his boot and shoved it up and away with all my might. It threw him off balance, and he fell to the floor with enough impact I could feel the vibrations in my feet.
He was halfway back up when I elbowed him in the nose. Instead of recoiling in pain, he raised a fist to punch me.
I knocked his arm aside by the wrist, seizing it and using it as leverage to slam my knee into his face.
There was a crunch, and he dropped to the floor. I stared at him through raised hands, panting. He raised a hand in a dazed, half-conscious way before it dropped to his stomach. After three seconds of motionlessness, I'd won.
"Well done," Adrian said, grinning as the medical staff moved to help my opponent. I hated the little spark of pride that bloomed at his praise. My hate for him wasn't diminishing. But another emotion was starting to catch hold, and it terrified me. I glared at him as I stepped off the mat and sat down.
He handed me a water bottle. I snatched it away and drained it within seconds.
Looking over his handheld screen, he glanced at me. "Take a five-minute break. After that, you'll spar against me."
Fear extinguished the brief moment of pride. Images of Adrian, standing in my house with a single drop of my parent's blood on his check, holding my brother with one arm and a knife in the other hand, ran through my head.
Adrian smirked. "Relax. We're going to spar, not actually fight. I just want a clearer view of your progress."
"Oh," I said, not at all reassured.
The next five minutes passed far too quickly. The medical staff woke my fallen opponent and guded him from the room. I wanted them to come back, though I wasn't sure why. None of them had shown me any warmth, but I wanted someone else in the room with Adrian and I.
I clasped my hands together to hide their shaking.
"Get up. We're starting." Adrian took off his jacket, throwing it to the side before moving to the center of the mat.
I obeyed, my legs weak and my stomach hollow. A few feet away from Adrian, I set my stance, holding my hands closer to my face than usual. I should hold them out farther, if Adrian wanted me to demonstrate my abilities, but my arms refused to adjust.
Adrian set his own stance, his expression empty. "Begin."
His eyes flashed red as his System activated, and he moved.
I raised my arm to block the punch after it struck my right cheek and he'd kicked me aside. My back hit the ground and I gasped, shoving myself into a crouch.
But Adrian stepped back, his expression still unreadable. "Get up."
My check throbbed, but I got up and set my stance again.
"Begi—" Adrian cut himself off as I lunged. I was taking a chance. This wasn't really disobeying him, but it could still piss him off. But in the past Adrian had applauded strategy, and I was really hoping he'd feel that way about a surprise attack.
I landed a hit to his stomach, but before I could snatch my hand back, he seized my wrist. He pulled me closer and slammed his knee into my stomach.
It wasn't his full strength, otherwise I would've felt a rib snap, but pain wrapped my entire torso as I wrenched my hand away and pushed off him.
"Good try," he said, smirking. He clenched his fist and swung a hook.
I ducked, striking him in the ribs as I rose. This time I pulled my arm back before he could grab it. I shifted my weight to get away, but he knocked me aside with a backhand to the head. I kept my footing, adrenaline masking most of my pains now, and kicked the back of Adrian's knee. It buckled, but he righted himself instantly.
He swung at me with an elbow and I jumped back. I raised my leg to deliver a roundhouse kick, and in a blink he'd kicked the leg bearing my weight and sent me to the floor.
I rolled away before pushing myself back to my feet. Adrian greeted me with a jab. I slapped his hand away, side stepping closer on the outside of his arm. I raised my hand and jabbed at his eyes, functioning more on instinct than thought now.
He snatched my wrist when it was inches away and gripped my elbow with the other, using my own momentum to swing me down and into an arm lock. He put on just enough pressure to let me know he could have broken my arm, before letting me up.
I spun on him, trying to land an uppercut to his chin.
He kicked my legs out from under me and when I hit the ground this time, I knew I wasn't getting back up. But the fight wasn't over until he said it was.
I tried to get to my feet, but I fell to my hands and knees, panting. I braced to push myself up again, time felt like it was grinding to a stop. Adrian's foot slammed into my stomach, spinning me onto my back.
Against my instincts, I squeezed my eyes shut in pain, trying to get my breath back and get up.
"We're done," Adrian said.
I let my head drop back onto the mat in relief. When I opened my eyes, Adrian held out his hand. Too tired to spite him, I accepted his help up. His smirk ignited my irritation. That last kick was just to be sure I was really out of adrenaline. Jerk.
He ruffled my hair. "You did well."
I ducked away from his hand, glaring at him. "You obviously won."
"I knew you'd lose," he said. "I just wanted to see how badly. But you did well. Go see the medical staff and you can have the rest of the day off. Take your brother to the gardens or something. I'll send someone to escort you, when you're ready."
I waited for more conditions, but he was silent. I nodded and left the room as fast as I could. My head and stomach throbbed with pain, and all I really wanted right now was to see my brother.
Present:
The oni swarmed across the alley all round us, crawling up the walls and slinking around the dumpsters, always edging closer.
The first oni to get too close burst into ribbons of shadow as my bullet hit it between the eyes. The second met the same end. But the third one was too close.
I was used to fighting people. When you pointed a gun at them they'd duck and run, or fire back. Sometimes they froze. If they ran, sometimes they'd get away. But most of the time, they were too slow, and I fired before they could. Rarely, the runners got away, because I'd be busy with the bigger threats first. When they did, I was caught between relief, and something like distant disappointment that they'd abandon they're comrades.
But these oni just kept running at me, uncaring of the gun in my hands. I stumbled back, crushing the instinct to call on The System. Trying to use the thing now would flood my senses, and leave me exposed to attack. The oni ducked under my line of fire and lunged for my side. I dropped my weight and angled my elbow down. I aimed for the head, missed, and landed the hit on its shoulder. It snarled, a sound high and broken with crackles. While it was off balance, I stepped back and delivered a front kick to its chest. It stumbled back, giving me the room I wanted. I shot it in the head and seeing it burst into wisps, turned to deal with the rest.
After a few more shots, I fell into a rhythm of sweeping from the left of the alley, to the right, and back again.
Kurogane, who hadn't moved from his relaxed stance, grumbled and rubbed his ear. "That thing's obnoxious."
I resisted the urge to glare at him, keeping my eyes on the dark figures skittering around me. "I'll get a silencer tomorrow."
"And you," Kurogane said, looking to syaoran, "You're kicking all the time. Because of your eye?"
"Yes," Syaoran said, his voice straining as he side-kicked an oni. "My lack of depth perception throws off my punches. With kicks, that isn't as much of a problem."
"You taught yourself?"
"No." He front-kicked one of the monsters away before running into an ax kick at it. "I had a teacher when I was young."
I used a second of reprieve to glare at Kurogane. "Are you going to help?" He hadn't even moved since the fight started. An oni ran up the wall, kicked off, and leapt at my head. I ducked away, slower than I would have liked, barely dodging its claws. I stood upright and shot it point blank in the back of the head.
Kurogane snorted and swung his sword off his shoulder. Three shadows dropped from the rooftops, falling towards him, claws out. Kurogane smirked, spun, and sliced through all of them in one swing.
I shot the last two shadows on my side of the alley. When nothing else appeared, I lowered my gun. "This side is clear."
I heard the impact of one of Syaoran's kicks before he spoke. "Clear here, too."
"Aww," said a high voice, coming from above. "You got them all."
I looked up in time to see a girl, a dog, and a man step off the roof. I flinched when they landed, but they seemed fine.
"Hi!" the girl said, giving us a casual salute. On her hip gleamed a holstered revolver. She had chin-length black hair, a sunny smile, and a shirt and skirt that could have been some kind of uniform. "I'm Yuzuriha Nekoi, fourteen years old and an oni hunter!"
"I'm Shiyu Kusanagi," the man next to her said. He had a scar over his left eye, short black hair, a cape, and a general military presentation. His cloak hung over something on his hip, a knife or gun maybe.
Yuzuriha approached me. "That was some great aim!"
I blinked. "Thanks?" She was only a few years younger than me, but it was weird to see a kid as an oni hunter. And one that complimented me on my aim. There must have been some kind of age restriction on oni hunting, right?
"You're really good." She tilted her head. "But aren't you part of the new group here?"
Kurogane raised an eyebrow. "How would you know?"
"Well," she snickered, "Sorry, but your names are pretty memorable."
"Names?" Syaoran and Kurogane asked together.
I sighed, bracing for Kurogane's inevitable reaction. He was going to find out eventually. I turned to them. "Fai signed us up, but he couldn't read or write in this language." Kurogane's eyes narrowed. "So he drew pictures instead."
"Let me guess," Yuzuriha said, pointing to me. "Rabbit?"
I nodded.
She pointed to Syaoran. "Little puppy!"
I nodded again as Syaoran sputtered and blushed.
By the time she pointed to Kurogane, his face was already turning red, but not out of embarrassment. "Big puppy!"
"Yes," I sighed.
"I'm gonna kill him," Kurogane said, his voice suddenly flat. He spun on his heels and marched back down the alley towards the café.
I glanced at Syaoran. "Think he'll really do it?"
Syaoran gave me a nervous smile before we started after him. Apparently, Kurogane was done oni hunting for the night. And I'd been too slow earlier to feel confident hunting any on my own.
"Where are you going?" Yuzuriha asked.
"Back to our café, I think," Syaoran said.
"Oh, a café!" She turned to her companion. "Shiyu, we should go!"
They followed us back to the café, out group hanging several feet back from the fuming man with the sword. Every once in a while his grip on the sword twitched and he muttered under his breath. I watched his every move, wondering if he was as angry as he appeared. Most of the people I'd been around had been through serious military training, and didn't show anger on a whim. If they let their emotions show this much, they were either in extreme circumstances, or crazy.
When we reached the front yard, Kurogane ran the last few steps and slammed the door open. "You rat!" he bellowed.
Sakura, who sat on the floor next to Fai, jumped, knocking a paint brush she was holding onto her chin. Fai, however, calmly looked up from the sign he was painting. "Welcome home."
"You gave us weird names!" Kurogane said, stomping closer to loom over Fai.
Fai shrugged. "I couldn't write. And besides, Big Puppy is a great name."
Kurogane silently drew his sword.
On the way back, I'd been fairly certain Kurogane wouldn't actually hurt Fai. I was less sure now. I moved to a seat in the counter, removing myself from the potential radius of violence. Kurogane was stronger than me. If I'd had The System and some distance, I'd probably be able to get away, at least. But as I was now, I didn't have a chance against him.
Syaoran sat in the chair next to me. I flashed him a glance before returning my attention the the angry man with a sword.
"I don't think he's really that mad," Syaoran said, giving me a reassuring smile.
I raised an eyebrow. "He looks pissed to me."
Fai lifted the sign he'd been painting, the face of a black cat, like the one's he'd drawn. "I was thinking about calling the café The Cat's Eye."
Kurogane swiped his sword at Fai's head, but the man took a quick step out of the way, barely flashing him a glance.
Syaoran rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, he's not really trying, right? I think it's more posturing than real anger."
Syaoran could be right. Kurogane's swings were exaggerated, and I'd seen him move faster than that in the Hanshin Republic. I didn't really get the point though, if that was the case.
Shiyu, Yuzuriha, and their dog stepped into the café. "This place is so cute," Yuzuriha said.
Shiyu took a deep breath. "And something smells really good."
"That's a new recipe we're experimenting with," Fai said, bending backwards to avoid another slash of Kurogane's sword. "Would you like to try some?"
"Yes, please," they said in unison.
A moment later, Fai set out two dishes of a chocolate cake very similar to the ones Yuuko sent. Each cake sat in the center of a small plate. Fai placed a fork next to each plate.
"This is delicious," Yuzuriha said after taking a bite of her cake.
Shiyu took a bite as well. "We'll have to let the other oni hunters know about this place."
Kurogane had calmed and stopped attempting to decapitate Fai, so I sat myself at the bar. I swiveled on my chair to face Yuzuriha and Shiyu. "How did you know about us? You mentioned our names stood out?" Kurogane flinched from his position leaning against the counter.
"Oh, all new oni hunters are posted," Yuzuriha said.
"Posted where?" We'd only been here a little over twenty-four hours. The fact she knew about us and could pick us out after that short a time was very suspicious. She would need some serious resources, and motivation, to look for us specifically.
Yuzuriha waved a hand. "Around. Usually at the bars, or clubs specifically for oni hunters. Oh, thank you," she said as Sakura handed her a teacup and saucer. "You guys must be really new, if you don't know that."
Sakura nodded. "We arrived just yesterday."
"Awesome! And you already have partners." Her eyes flicked over Kurogane, Syaoran, and I, confusion crossing her expression. "But I thought you could only form groups of two. Is there a new trio option?"
I shook my head. "I have a temporary license. I was just out with them tonight to get the hang of things."
Her eyes lit up. "So you're looking for a partner. There are some clubs a few blocks away from here that are good for meeting other oni hunters. You could try there."
"Hmm." I wasn't looking forward to finding a partner. I had to do it, so letting myself get put off by it was ridiculous. But finding someone was getting more complicated than I'd expected. What was I supposed to do at these places? Walk in and announce to everyone I was looking for a partner?
I grimaced. "There's no way to be a solo oni hunter?" I asked Yuzuriha.
She gave me a sympathetic smile. "Nope. City hall is pretty serious about the oni hunter's safety. Most oni are manageable, but every once in a while, a really strong on shows up."
"Say," Fai said, "how often do oni attack homes and businesses? We had one visit us last night and it was a bit of a mess. The woman at city hall mentioned a ranking system. Would you mind explaining it to us?"
"Sure thing," she said. "In descending strength, there are seven ranks: I, Ro, Ha, Ni, Ho, He, and To. And within each of those ranks run a scale of decreasing power from one to five."
"So I-1 would be the strongest?" Syaoran asked.
"Exactly," she said. "Every oni hunter's dream is to defeat an I-1."
Fai propped his hands on his hips. "So the Ha-5 we defeated was a little above average."
Shiyu set down his fork with a frown. "That's strange. Usually only rank Ro and higher attack houses."
Something about this didn't feel right. Mostly Shiyu's comment, but I wasn't sure why. A ranking system made sense, I supposed, but between that and the comment Emma made about Outo keeping track of all oni, it just seemed off.
The dog had been pacing beneath the counter by its masters when it stopped, fur ruffling along its back. It sniffed the air and sat down, its nose pointed to the café doors. Yuzuriha and Shiyu looked at it and jumped to their feet. "Some oni appeared nearby."
"It can smell them?" I asked.
"Yep," Yuzuriha patted the dog on the head. "She's an amazing tracker."
"Thank you for the cake," Shiyu told Fai. "What do we owe you?"
Fai waved a hand. "It's on the house if you promise to tell everyone about us."
Shiyu nodded. "We'll be sure to get you some business then."
As they left the shop Yuzuriha spun to wave a cheerful goodbye. "See you guys later!" Then they were gone.
Fai leaned against the counter. "Looks like we might have a couple of regulars, huh, Big Puppy?"
There was a hiss as Kurogane drew his sword. I took in the look on Kurogane's face, and decided, posturing or not, to silently left the bar.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
The café was empty and dark now, the moonlight shining on the bar. I sat at the counter, loading my magazines. I was alone in the store front. Fai had vanished into the kitchen, I didn't know where Kurogane had wandered to, and Sakura had gone to find Syaoran.
I had just slid the last round into the magazine, when a sound caught between a snap and the ringing of a bell echoed through the whole building.
I fumbled the magazine, caught it, and slid it back into my gun. The ringing was fading away as I slide off my chair and crept toward the stairs, where the sound had come from.
Gun up, I ended up in the back rooms. I met Fai and Kurogane in the hall and lowered my weapon. "What was that?"
Fai actually looked solemn as he waved us away from the doorway to Syaoran's room. "Nothing to be concerned about."
I frowned, holding my ground as he moved to step past me. "Tell me what that was, or I'll go find out myself." I didn't want to leave anything unknown here. This world was too strange, and without The System, I refused to let this go. If it came from inside the house I was going to sleep in, I wanted to know what that sound was.
Fai sighed, gesturing to the shop front. "I'll explain over here."
We left the hall and rounded the corner before Fai stopped and glanced back. "I believe what we heard was Sakura and Syaoran's price activating."
I frowned. Syaoran had already paid, hadn't he? Sakura's memories of him were gone.
Kurogane crossed his arms. "I thought the price was already paid?"
"It is," Fai said, "but it leaves gaps in Sakura's memory where she should remember Syaoran. I'd imagine that those memories seem. . . warped. If she's noticed the pattern, she could figure out Syaoran should be there."
That hadn't occurred to me. It would be easy to tell Sakura about Syaoran then, and even if she couldn't see Syaoran in her memories, she could know he was there.
Fai continued. "But doing that would negate the price paid. And a price paid cannot be reclaimed. So if she does figure that out, which I believe she just did, she'll fall asleep and forget again."
"So what was that sound?" I asked.
"An effect of the spell, most likely."
That was a terrible, and unfair price. Sakura hadn't even agreed to the terms. I'd witnessed it, she'd been asleep. Syaoran made the best decision for the situation; it wasn't his fault. But it wasn't just Sakura's stolen memories. She had a lifelong medical condition now. Anytime she figured the price out, which would happen if Syaoran stayed with her, she would fall asleep. She could be swimming, at the stove, in a dangerous part of town. This would threaten her for her entire life.
But I was surprise it hadn't happened more often. She'd been with Syaoran for a while know, and had probably tried finding something from her few memories to ground her in her strange new environment. She must have considered Syaoran to be the missing piece in her memories. He was far too obvious in his affection. So maybe Sakura had subconsciously steered herself away from those thoughts as long as possible, some part of her sensing the danger.
I looked up to see Fai and Kurogane giving me a strange look before glancing at each other. "What?" I asked.
Fai's odd look vanished beneath a smile. "Oh, nothing. Will you be going back out tonight?"
"No," I said, turning away. "I'm going to bed." I didn't feel like dealing with more monsters tonight, and I'd done enough for one day.
0000000000000
When I woke, I was surprised to feel a beam of light burning into my eyes. I blinked away sleep as I rose, squinting at the window. I didn't usually sleep in. And I didn't usually fall asleep as quickly as I had last night, or sleep without dreaming.
After shaking off the last wisps of drowsiness, I got dressed and went down stairs. Fai paused in cleaning the counter to wave. "Good morning Alice-san."
"Morning. What time is it?"
"About nine o'clock," he said.
I winced. How had I slept in so late?
"Here," Fai said. "It's a drink that popular here. Most people drink it in the morning." He poured a steaming brown liquid into a mug. "I followed the instructions in the book, but when I tried it, it seemed too bitter."
I picked it up and took a sniff. "Coffee?" I took a sip. It was coffee, and I was relieved enough to see it that I didn't mind it was black. None of the worlds we'd visited so far had coffee, and I hadn't realized I missed the drink.
"Oh, you know it?" Fai asked.
"Yeah, I had at least a cup most days. Back in my world."
"Well, how is it? I'd like to sell it here."
"It's good," I took another sip. "It should be bitter. Some people will want cream and sugar with it. Otherwise its fine."
Sakura thundered down the stairs, adjusted her headband as she descended. "G-good morning."
She came to a stop next to me. "Sorry I slept in."
Fai waved away her worry. "That's all right. If you're still feeling tired you could try this." He turned away to pour another mug of coffee. "It's supposed to wake you up. Alice-san says it's good."
Sakura took a sip, but a second later her mouth twisted into a grimace.
"You may want to add some sugar," I said. "I don't like it black either." I turned to Fai. "Where are Syaoran and Kurogane?"
Fai gave me an apologetic shrug. "They left to get the money for the oni hunting you did last night and to get some intel."
I could try to catch up with them at city hall, but it might be a better use of my time to find a partner today. I only had six days left, and I didn't think finding someone I could work with would be easy. Even the idea of wandering into one of the Oni hunter cafés or bars and trying to find a partner among strangers was . . . distressing.
I finished off the mug of coffee in one big gulp. "Thanks," I told Fai before heading for the door.
"Where are you going?" Sakura asked.
"To find a partner."
"Please wait a moment," Sakura said as I opened the door. I turned to her as she crossed the room. She stopped in front of me, her hands twisting in her skirt. "I'd like to talk to you for a moment, please."
I wasn't sure what she wanted from me. The only substantial interaction we'd ever had was during our search of the castle in Jade. Even then, I didn't think there was anything to talk about. "Okay," I said, closing the door and giving her my attention.
She took a deep breath. "I want to . . . Syaoran-kun is trying to get my memories back, and I feel useless. I don't remember much of the last few worlds. Just fragments of time. But I remember the danger. I want to help, but if I'm going to I need to learn how."
I crossed my arms. "What, specifically, are you requesting?"
"Please," she scrunched her eyes shut and bowed, "teach me how to fight."
I uncrossed my arms and ran a hand through my hair. When Sakura rose, she stared at me with hopeful eyes. My first instinct was to tell her no. She had no experience fighting, due to her loss of memories or otherwise. But Nathaniel had told me teaching someone was the best way to learn something, and with The System gone, I was going to have to relearn many of my techniques. If I agreed, Sakura could fill the space of Oni hunting partner and student. "Let me think about it. I'll give you an answer tonight."
Sakura smiled. It was warm, but her nervousness made it a little wobbly. "Okay."
"Alice-san," Fai said, "if you have the time, would you mind helping us get ready for opening tonight?"
I didn't have anything else that needed to get done right now. The Oni wouldn't be out until dark, and I didn't want to go interview strangers looking for a partner if there was a chance of Sakura fitting the role. I nodded. "What should I do?"
Fai plucked a slip of paper of the counter. "Would you mind going with Sakura-chan to pick up these things from the store?"
"I can do that." He handed me a money card, and a pen and paper. Because we couldn't read each other's writing, he recited what he needed while I wrote it down. "Where is the store?" I asked when he was finished. Fai showed me the map, circling the store and our café.
"Are you ready to go?" I asked Sakura.
"Yes," she scanned the floor, "just let me find my sandals."
Sakura and I left for the store a minute later. The store was close, but we had to cross a busy street full of honking cars before we got there. It was a smaller shop, set into a brick building with a glass storefront.
The moment I opened the door, I realized I was going grocery shopping. The strangeness of what should have been a mundane task was almost funny.
As the shop door swung open, a bell hung on the door jingled. Inside people pursued shelves of colorful boxes and cans. I realized I couldn't read the signs and didn't know how the aisles were organized. I turned to Sakura. "Do you have any idea where this stuff is?"
She shook her head. "Sorry."
"Let's start with the obvious then." Eggs and milk couldn't be too hard to find, but the boxed and bagged items could be a pain. A woman walked by with a basket of groceries on her arm, and seeing a stack of other baskets by the door, I took one for us.
"Are stores like this in your world?" Sakura asked as we reached the refrigerated area.
I shrugged. "Bigger, I think." I'd been pretty little that last time I'd been in one, so my memory would be skewed. I paused at the shelf of egg cartons, luckily as obvious as I'd hoped. But why were there so many different kinds? They were just eggs. What was the difference? I checked the list for more information, but I'd only written down "five cartons of eggs." I sighed and took five of the most basic looking cartons.
"Milk next, right?" Sakura asked. She pointed back down the aisle. "I think I saw some over there."
We continued to wander through the store, picking up what we recognized and asking an employee for what we didn't. At one point, I'd nearly activated The System to try to weight a sack of flour, but caught myself.
"Any idea which of these is twenty pounds?" I asked Sakura.
She glanced over the different sized bags, then pointed to the largest. "That one, I'm pretty sure."
I nodded and left to get a cart to put them in. I'd have to carry them back to the café, I realized. I could do it, but it'd be annoying.
Sakura had just joined me with the yeast she'd gone to find, when something scratched at the back of my mind. Something was off. I looked past Sakura and around the store, trying to place what was wrong.
A couple examined a can of tomatoes down the aisle, a man with brown hair was paying at the register, and a tired looking employee was stocking a display. No one was acting strangely, but I got the distinct feeling something was missing.
"Sakura," I said, "have you been to a place like this before? I feel like something's off."
She blinked before looking around. "I haven't really. I barely remember the market in Koryo, and even that was pretty different. I can't say I see anything weird here."
I nodded. I was probably just letting the new setting and issues with The System put me off. I shoved the feeling away. "I think we have everything. Let's go."
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Back at the café, Fai quickly put us to work in the kitchen. He'd found a cookbook that used pictures instead of writing for instructions and colored coded measuring cups to go with it. It seemed the citizens of Outo country spoke a myriad of languages, so things like that weren't too hard to find.
"Alice-san, could you make the coffee please?" Fai asked.
I showed Fai how to brew coffee, which had taken some trial and error due to the older tech of this world. Then for the next few hours, Sakura and I helped Fai prepare to open. I set up the tables with white tablecloths and polished silverware. Sakura helped bake some scones in the kitchen. We ended up having plenty of time due to Fai deciding to open later. Oni hunters were a bit nocturnal here, so opening later would be the best hours for oni hunters to come by.
"Fai-san," Sakura said, turning from a recipe she'd been working on, "could you help me please? I'm not sure about these next instructions."
Fai joined her, leaving me to stare at the kitchen. I'd pretty much guessed how to make the coffee. Nathaniel and I had a kitchen spider that did most of our cooking. I'd rarely made my own cup of coffee.
I decided I could wash dishes. It didn't take any expertise, so I could do it just fine. I rolled up my sleeves. It was a mindless cycle of scrubbing, rinsing, and setting things on the drying rack. Occasionally I picked up the dirty kitchenware Fai and Sakura had finished with.
Everything was fine until I set down the last plate on the drying rack. The moment it touched the rack, the world jumped.
I didn't move, or feel the sensation of it, but the world around me jerked to the right for just a second, the colors washed out, before snapping back into place. When it did, my hand was empty. The plate I'd just cleaned sat on the counter next to the sink, smeared with batter.
For several seconds, I didn't move, trying to rationalize what had happened. I remembered cleaning the dish, the heat of the water and soap. But now it was as if I'd never picked it up.
I glanced over my shoulder to see Fai and Sakura chatting away as they worked. It had to have been The System. It was the only explanation I could think of for what must have been a hallucination. I snatched up the plate, cleaned it again, and set it on the drying rack. This time, it was real.
Quietly, I left the kitchen, escaping Fai and Sakura's notice.
The moonlight shined against the hardwood of the café floor as I crossed it to the counter and sat down. The System must be malfunctioning worse than I'd thought. I rolled my wrists, tilted my head, tapped my fingers against the counter, but everything felt normal.
There must be something wrong with my brain. It had been a hallucination. I didn't know enough about the brain to understand what could be going wrong. Even if I did, there was nothing short of surgery that would fix it.
This could kill me. It was fine now, but it would probably escalate. I couldn't go to a doctor. They would have to know about The System to help me and I couldn't trust anyone with that knowledge. They'd want to use it, or feel like they needed to inform some authority and then people would start snatching away control of my life.
A drop hit the counter, and with a spark of pain I realized I'd bit my lip to the point of bleeding. I wiped away the drop and the blood on my lip. Fear and frustration were useless now. I took a breath and crushed them beneath resolve. If there was the potential that this could kill me, then I needed to make arrangements.
I stepped down from the stool and returned to the kitchen.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
After the sun went down, and Syaoran and Kurogane returned, Fai declared the café prepared. Sakura and I had sat down in the open doorway to rest, our feet hanging off the porch. There was about an hour until we planned to open, so we were taking a break.
"Thank you two for all the hard work," Fai said, offering us two steaming mugs.
Sakura accepted hers with both hands. "Thank you!"
I nodded and accepted mine, slightly disappointed to find tea and not coffee. Fai disappeared back into the café, leaving Sakura and I. She swung her feet and rubbed a thumb across her mug, glancing at me from the corner of her eye. After a while, I sighed, looking back into the café to make sure we had some privacy. Seeing the shop empty, I turned to Sakura. "I'll teach you, but I have some conditions. And a price."
Sakura perked up. "What are they?"
I set down my mug down and clasped my hands together. "I don't think I'd be a good teacher. So if I do this, don't expect me to be perfect. And with The System not working, there are things I'll have to relearn as we go."
"I understand," Sakura said, her gaze flicking to her feet. "I understand it's hard to relearn things you should already know."
I nodded. Of course she would. "And I'll do this if you promise me something." I gripped my hands tighter. "If I die, for any reason, before I find Nathaniel, I want you to find him and keep him safe." I held up a hand when she opened her mouth, giving her a cold look. "It's more complicated than that. There's someone who would want to hurt Nathaniel, likely even if I was dead." Adrian wouldn't let Nathaniel grow up into a potential threat if he had the chance to kill him. "He's strong, and he'll kill whoever he has to. Agreeing to do this would be dangerous. I'd be training you to help yourself, but also protect my brother."
After a moment she met my stare with a determined one of her own. "I'll do it. I may not learn very quickly. It feels like there are so many things I can't do, but I promise to give it my all. And I promise to take care of your brother."
Sakura wasn't the best choice for this. She wasn't experienced, and too naïve. But I knew she was kind. If the worst did happen, Nathaniel would have someone to find him, look after him, and tell him what had happened.
I held out a hand. "Then we'll start tomorrow."
"Right. Thank you so much." She shook my hand, her grip firm.
"Tonight I'll sign you up to be my oni hunting partner. That way we can make some money and get you some real combat practice, but we'll start with the weakest oni, and only after I think you're ready."
"Okay," she said. Her smile had a nervous slant to it, but the light in her eyes said she was excited anyway.
Footsteps in the café behind us had Sakura and I turning to see who it was. Syaoran stood there in a café uniform, adjusting the bowtie. "What do you think?" he asked.
"Let me help you," Sakura said, rising to straighten his tie.
I checked the clock on the wall, seeing it was about time to open. "Where's Fai and Kurogane?"
"They left," Syaoran said.
"What?" I snapped. Fai was the one who'd planned all this. I had no idea how to run a cafe, and Sakura was suffering from serious memory loss, and Syaoran had been gone all day. How were we supposed to run this?
Syaoran gave me a sheepish smile. "They left about twenty minutes ago. Fai seemed to think we'd do fine."
I blinked at the café. "I've never done anything like this before." I'd washed the dishes, but that didn't require keeping customers happy, or managing money.
"I think we can handle it," he said. "It can't be that hard."
A moment after he said that, the door to the café slid open. In sauntered a teenage boy with shaggy hair, a confident grin, and a huge sword on his back. Behind him walked a woman in a long silk dress, her footsteps quiet despite her high heels.
"Hello," the woman said. "Is this The Cat's Eye?"
Customers. Shit.
Sakura stepped past Syaoran and me with a nod. "Welcome." She smiled. "Would you like a table for two?"
"Yes, please."
Sakura guided them to one of the nearest tables. I tried to think of something to do. We were supposed to get their order, but that was probably Sakura's job, right? Before I could come up with something, the boy's gaze fell on Syaoran and his grin widened. "Are you Little Puppy?"
Syoaran blushed. "Y-yes."
The boy set his stance, facing Syaoran. "I'm Ryuuo." He reached up to the hilt of his sword and I flinched, a part of me thinking I must be misunderstanding his intentions. But a bigger, angrier part snarled that of course he was going for his weapon.
"I heard you're pretty strong," Ryuuo said. In the next second he'd unsheathed his sword and swung the blade in a wide arc.
Syaoran leapt back, launching himself up and away as the blade cut through a table and two chairs. Splinters flew across the room, bouncing off my raised arms.
"Syaoran-kun!" Sakura gasped as he landed on the counter, glaring at his assailant.
Ryuuo smirked, his sword leveled at Syaoran. "I guess—"
Bang!
Smoke trailed from the barrel of my gun as I glared down it at the punk. He froze, his bangs falling back into place from the burst of air.
"Get out," I snarled, "or I'll shoot you in the leg and drag you out." I wasn't sure how far customer service was supposed to go, but if Fai and Kurogane left us in charge, I was drawing the line at destruction of property and assault of staff. I'd spent time and effort setting up that table and cleaning the shop that he'd just destroyed.
His confident smile wavered. "You—"
"I don't want to hear you talk. Get out, now, then ask for forgiveness." He had the advantage. I had a gun, but without The System, if he got close enough I wouldn't be able to defend myself.
He hesitated, glancing from me to Syaoran, to his friend. She gave him an unsympathetic look. When he glanced back to me, still not moving, I marched toward him, my gun aimed for his ankle. I had no intention of getting close enough for him to disarm me, but I wanted to put some pressure on him.
I took two steps before he was skittering towards the door. He was at the door when another figure entered.
"Ryuuo," Shiyu sighed. He looked to me. "What did he do?" Yuzuriha and her dog entered behind him, glowering at the mess.
"Attacked him," I thumbed over my shoulder to Syaoran as he hopped off the counter, "and broke a table and some chairs."
Shiyu gripped Ryuuo by the shoulders and spun him to face me. "If you'd be so nice to give him a second chance, I'm sure he'd be happy to clean up, pay for the damages, and give you an apology."
If it was just Ryuuo, I'd still kick him out. But now his partner, and Shiyu and Yuzuriha, made three customers that might be pissed off. I turned to Syaoran. "What do you think?"
He offered Ryuuo a smile. "I don't mind giving him another chance."
I turned to Ryuuo. "Fine. Leave your sword by the door." I pointed to a closet by the kitchen. "There's a broom in there. Get it. Sweep the floor."
"Yes, ma'am." He shuffled to the closet, his shoulders hunched.
"I'm sorry about him," his partner said. "I'm Souma."
"Al—Rabbit," I said, remembering my newest alias.
"Nice to meet you."
After reseating everyone at the counter, Syaoran and Sakura served the food and drinks. I monitored Ryuuo as he returned from the clostet with the broom and got to work. Every once in a while he'd flash me a nervous look.
"Alice-san," Syaoran said, "I'm not sure how to use this coffee machine. Could you come help?"
"Sure." As I stepped behind the counter, I glanced back to see Ryuuo sweeping the last of the splinters into the dustpan.
"I'll get the coffee if you help Ryuuo get the new table and chairs," I told Syaoran, pulling out the basket from the top of coffee machine.
"All right."
I focused on the food and drinks, letting Sakura and Syaoran handle the conversation. I prepped the food and took away dirty dishes. The few times I tuned into the discussions, the topics were varied. Yuzuriha and Sakura spoke of a new kind of oni that had appeared and was supposed to be very strong. It was good to know that something dangerous might be around, but I intended to kill oni to make money, not for fun. The more money I had, the more bullets I could stock up on. And I intended to buy as many as possible, considering the next world might not have anything compatible with my gun.
Syaoran and Ryuuo's conversation was significantly less interesting. Ryuuo mentioned his desire to fight in order to get strong. It sounded to me like he was bored and wasn't taking this seriously, solidifying my dislike for him.
I scooped the last of the dirty plates off the counter as the oni hunters prepared to leave. I tried to step around the dog laying on the floor, when it shot up, nearly tripping me as I wobbled to regain my balance, once again stopping myself from turning on The System.
Outside, something rattled the windows to the café. All four hunters jumped to their feet. "Oni!" Yuzuriha cried as they all ran for the door. I checked my pocket for my spare magazine and, finding it, followed. If there were oni outside, it wouldn't hurt to make some money, and make sure they didn't damage the shop. Syaoran and I exited the café, him running into the fight and I raising my gun with both hands. When The System was operational, I could afford to shoot one-handed, but not now.
The oni swam through the air, their forms humanoid. But they twisted and lurched in too fluid motions. Their faces were like masks, two simple holes for eyes and a slashed smile.
More gunfire rang out as Yuzuriha wielded a revolver, and Shiyu tore into the oni with silver claws. Souma hurled little crescent-shaped blades that slashed through the oni before returning to her, while Ryuuo swung his sword.
Syaoran kicked aside on dark shape. He was the only unarmed combatant.
I fired on the oni at the edges of the fight, letting the fighters with close range weapons deal with the nearby enemies.
Sakura pulled herself to a stop against the doorway behind me. "Syaoran!"
"Stay inside," I said, firing a shot at a shadow slipping around the ring of fighters. It writhed and faded away.
"But— "
"New condition," I said, keeping my eyes on the fight, "Do as I tell you." She wanted to help. I could understand that. But hurling herself into a fight like this was the opposite of helpful. "If you want to help, make sure nothing gets inside."
It was mostly to keep her busy. The oni seemed fixated on the hunters, but it would be stupid to assume so. She hesitated, her eyes following Syaoran as he spun kicks into the oni. He took out two, but three more closed in around him before he could reset his stance.
I fired, taking out two, and stopped as he recovered and prepared to strike the third.
"Okay," Sakura said, disappearing inside. A moment later a cacophony of bangs and clicks started as she began shutting and locking doors and windows.
"Clear out!" Ryuuo yelled, pointing his sword at an oni larger than the others. Souma and Yuzuriha immediately moved away from the thing.
"Kai-Ryu-Ha!" he hollered, vertically slicing at the oni. He should have been too far away, but as he swung, the blade lit up. An arc of blue and green light flew from the blade, churning in the air before cracking across the oni. The monster pulled apart around the strike, before swirling back into form.
"That's not right," Yuzuriha said. "I-4 oni can't change form!"
Ryuo blinked, surprise holding him in place a second too long. The arm of the oni swung down toward his head. I adjusted my aim, but I wasn't going to be in time.
Syaoran lunged between them, raising the metal flower card in his hand. The blow landed right on the card, cracking it and rattling Syaoran, but the metal held.
As soon as the creature raised its arm, it spun, whipping its arm into Syaoran and Ryuuo, tossing them aside. I fire twice at its head. The oni snapped back but regained its stance and looked at me with the same blank smile. I pulled the trigger, and in the same instant it hurled an arm at me. The limb stretched across the yard, farther than it should have gone. In an instant the inky appendage wrapped around my gun and hands like wire. With a snap, I was wrenched off the porch and hurled into the dirt. I couldn't roll onto my shoulder, but I was able to take some of the impact with my elbows. Both my hands were trapped.
Swinging my legs up under me, I pinned the thing's arm beneath my knee and pointed my gun down at the limb. But the grip had curled around the slide, locking it in place and preventing the gun from firing. I wrestled to get an arm loose, keeping the thing immobilized and pulling my hands up. I still had my knives. If I could get a hand free I could cut myself loose.
Wriggling, I wrenched a hand out of it grip. I scrambled for my knife, barely freeing it before I was jerked from the ground. The knife tumbled away.
The world spun around me in a blur before another impact, on my back this time, knocked the wind out of me. I dragged in a breath and clawed at the cold appendage around my wrist. It tightened around my arm again, and I braced to be thrown again.
There was a snap and suddenly the hold went limp. The oni hissed and hunched over its cut limb, the severed section curled around my arm dissolving away.
Syaoran glared at the oni and held out his free hand to me, my knife in his other. "Are you alright?"
Shiyu stepped up behind the oni. He lunged, slashing through the oni with both claws, and tearing it into inky ribbons.
"Fine," I choked, accepting Syaoran's help up. I'd definitely had the wind knocked out of me, and my back and elbows hurt. I was bruised and scraped, but I felt surprisingly okay. Although that could be the adrenaline. "Thanks."
He nodded, and held out my knife handle first.
I nodded to the oni. "Keep it. You should have a weapon for this."
With the worst of the oni gone, I wracked my slide in case of a jam, and shoot the nearest monster in the face. It staggered back, snarled and dissolved away. The remaining oni fell quickly against everyone's attacks.
As the last creature crumbled into the grass, I sighed and holstered my gun. Rings of red coiled around my hands and wrists: the beginnings of bruises. My shirt was covered in grass stains and mud. I ran a hand through my hair, brushing away blades of grass and dirt. I definitely ached, and my hands and back would bruise, but it wasn't a serious pain. The adrenaline should be wearing off now, so I'd gotten lucky.
Sakura ran out of the café and directly to Syaoran. "Are you okay?" Her hand fluttered over his shoulder and chest, unsure of how to help.
He smiled. "I'm fine. Thank you, princess."
Well, he said that now, but he was probably going to want some ice for his ribs in a minute. I certainly wanted some for my hands.
The oni hunters said their goodbyes and we returned to the café. After locking the door behind us, I went directly to the kitchen freezer. After a quick check of the freezer shelves, I confirmed we didn't have any ice packs. And since there were no plastic bags, I ended up taking a couple of hand towels and wrapping ice in them.
I returned to the shop front where Syaoran sat at one of the tables. Sakura sat next to him, riffling through a first aid kit.
"Here," I said, hefting one of my makeshift ice packs. Syaoran met my eyes as I tossed it to him.
"Thank you," he said, and pressed the ice pack to his side.
I held mine with both hands and sat down at one of the counter stools. "You locked everything up?" I asked Sakura.
She nodded. "Nothing got in."
"You still want me to teach you? After seeing those?" I nodded to the window. This was her first time seeing them. If she was scared, I wanted to know now.
"Yes." He determined gaze hadn't changed at all.
"Teach you?" Syaoran asked, glancing from me to Sakura. He probably wouldn't like this. He was extremely protective of Sakura. I didn't know if that protectiveness would extend to controlling, but even if it didn't, he'd be worried.
Sakura nodded. "I asked Alice-san to train me, and she said yes."
Syaoran's grip tighten on his ice pack as he fought to keep the concern off his face. He was mostly successful, relaxing his shoulders and forcing a calm smile. But the wrinkle between his eyebrows remained. I'd known Syaoran would find out eventually, and that he wouldn't like it. I wasn't sure what I'd expected from him. Anger maybe, if he had the mindset that Sakura was his to defend, and definitely worry. The worry was there, but the anger wasn't, which was a relief.
"That's kind of her," Syaoran said, glancing from Sakura to me, then back to her. He scratched the back of his neck. "But are you sure? I—sorry, it's just . . . you're still not feeling well and . . . "
Sakura seemed to understand his concern and gave him a warm smile. "Alice-san said we'll be careful. I want to help more. I want to be able take care of myself." Her smile faded as her gaze fell to Syaoran's side.
"Syaoran," I said, "I know better than to agree to something I can't handle. I will plan anything we do as if Sakura will pass out. If she doesn't, great, if she does, we'll be ready." I gave Sakura a hard look. "And you will tell me if you feel like you might pass out. If I'm unprepared, we could both get hurt."
"Right," she said.
Syaoran sat back, and the crease between his eyebrows relaxed. That had gone better than I'd expected. Syaoran was still worried, but that was understandable. He cared for her, and no matter what precautions we took, this was going to have some degree of danger.
The front door slid open with a bang, and in stepped Kurogane. He had a seething look on his face, and a beat-up looking Fai over his shoulder. Fai twisted to face us and waved. "We're home."
Kurogane paused, his eyes flicking over Syaoran and me, lingering on the dirt, grass stains, and ice packs. "Seriously? What happened here?"
"Oni." They didn't look great either. Kurogane looked fine, but Fai's clothes were torn and dirty. "What happened to you?"
Kurogane snorted. "Oni." He dropped Fai into one of the chairs next to me. Fai's left shoe was missing and his ankle was swollen. Probably a sprain.
Syaoran rose, taking the first aid kit with him. "Fai-san, I can bind your ankle."
"Ah, thank you Syaoran-kun."
"Where did you go?" I asked.
"A bar," Fai said. I silently amended the level of responsibility I expected from him. "And we brought home gifts!" Fai hobbled from his seat to a package Kurogane left on the couch. He whipped aside the cloth to reveal three sparkling bottles. "I got them at the bar. Who wants to celebrate our opening night?"
Moments later the bottles were popped and glasses poured. Fai slipped everyone a glass, including me, before I could decline. Even Mokona got some.
Elpedite had alcohol, of course, but I'd never had any. The only recreational drug I'd been allowed was caffeine, as it had acceptably low health risks. Even so, I wasn't interested in trying something that would alter my mental state right now. So I set my glass down on the counter and left it there.
No one else seemed to have any reservations. As they drank, Sakura, Fai, and Mokona got progressive louder and happier until they were a mess of giggles. And an occasional meow, of all things. Syaoran seemed to handle it fairly well, but retreated to join Kurogane on the front step of the shop once the drunk trio got too intense.
I'd never actually seen someone drunk, and watching the descent happen in front of me made me even less interested in my own glass.
"Rabbit," Sakura hiccuped, "you should try some, meow." She slumped against the counter next to me, watching me expectantly.
"I'll pass," I said.
"No fun," She said, before bursting into laughter.
I sighed and turned to Fai. "Why did you go to a bar anyway?"
Fai raised his glass and pointed to it.
"Ah," I said, grimacing.
Fai sat back. "There was a singer lady there. She was pretty."
"Meow?" Sakura said, sitting on the floor next to Fai, ready to hear the story. I twisted my stool away from them and rested my elbows on the counter. Behind me the cacophony of meows and laughter continued, occasionally broken up with discussion of the bar and the café.
The ice in my drink clinked, settling. I'd agreed to teach Sakura, but I was realizing I didn't know how to. It had been so long since I'd started training. Most of my memories were fuzzy, fused with surgeries, sparring matches, sleepless nights, and panic over raising my baby brother.
I wanted to draw on those memories, but at the same time, something about that way had been wrong. Not its effectiveness—I learned to fight well and quickly—but the method. There were things I knew were wrong to put a child, or anyone, through, but some things were gray. When she was ready to spar, would landing a real hit on her be wrong? What kind of hits?
I glared at the alcohol and drummed my fingers against the counter. How could I do this, and know it wasn't wrong? There must be a way. This wasn't a question I could use Adrian's logic to solve, because it wasn't the kind of question he'd ever ask.
So what would Nathaniel say?
Nathaniel. I could imagine I was training him in Sakura's place. Whatever I wouldn't do with Nathaniel, I wouldn't do with Sakura. It wouldn't be a perfect solution, but it might give me time to find better standards.
So with that in mind, I'd start with safe and basic stuff. Stances and how to move, basic punches and kicks, then more advanced holds and throws before finally graduating to weapons and oni hunting. Oni hunting might be able to come earlier if Sakura showed enough responsibility. But those decisions could wait.
I sighed, moving my weight off my elbows against the counter.
A crash behind me jolted me out of my thoughts. Syaoran stood over a chair he'd knocked over, a ladle in his hands as he wound up to hit another chair. He stumbled as Kurogane plucked the ladle from his grip. He glared at Syaoran. "You are completely drunk."
Fai, Sakura, and Mokona, who'd all moved to the couch, broke into a chorus of laughter and snorts. Kurogane stomped over to them. "Not another drop, any of you." He snatched the glasses from their hands. "All of you go to bed now!" When his demand was met with meows, he ran a hand down his face.
After several minutes of yelling and the confiscation of several glasses, Kurogane managed to herd the four of them upstairs. A few muffled shouts and the slamming of doors drifted down from the second floor. When Kurogane returned, irritated scowl still in place, his eyes fell on me.
"Figures you'd be the one that can handle alcohol," he said, eyeing my glass.
"I didn't drink any."
He quirked an eyebrow. "Don't like the taste?"
I pointed upstairs. "I'd prefer to avoid becoming a mess." With The System malfunctioning and the weird things happening, I wasn't going to voluntarily lose control of myself.
He snorted. "Doubt you'd be that kind of drunk."
I shrugged and rose, taking my glass and handing it to him.
"So you're going to train the princess?"
Syaoran must have mentioned it to Kurogane when they were drinking. I wasn't sure why Kurogane cared though. "Yeah."
"Why?" his voice sharpened. "Doesn't seem like something you'd do just cause she asked."
"I need practice, and a partner," I said. Both were true, but telling him about the agreement Sakura and I had would lead to more questions.
"So? Why not some other oni hunter from this world?"
I sighed. Apparently more questions were coming anyway. I'd be better to be clear. It wasn't a secret, just a deal that he would probably hear about eventually. Avoiding the question would now would just make Kurogane difficult and suspicious. "I made a deal with her. I'll teach her, and she'll find and take care of Nathaniel in the case I can't."
He was silent for a few moments, his eyes sharp. Kurogane was a warrior—that had been obvious from the beginning—but it was becoming increasingly more obvious that his observation skills were almost as sharp as Adrian's. Between that and Fai's lying smile, I was getting more and more wary of the both of them. "What makes you think that's necessary?"
"The System is broken," I said, "which could lead to complications that can't be fix." I turned away and headed for the door. "I'm going to city hall. I'll be back within an hour." I didn't bother to look back as I shut the door behind me.
Outside the air weighed heavy with humidity, and crickets chirped in the grass. I couldn't really resent Kurogane for asking about Sakura and I; his suspicion was justifiable. But he brought up topics I'd rather not think about. The System was broken, and probably causing damage, but there was nothing I could do beyond preparing for the worst. I'd done that. There had never been any point worry about things I couldn't change. I turned right and set off for city hall.
AN: Thanks for reading! Please let me know with a review if you have any theories, or what your thoughts are on Alice teaching Sakura, with a review. A review really makes my day. See you later!