Life 2. Childhood Friends, Childhood Memories

Part 1

We are currently walking around a forest, whose landscape is really troublesome to walk over. The reason I said "we" instead of "I" is because I'm not alone.

"I didn't remember it was this hard to walk around here."

"That's probably because we were a lot shorter last we walked around here, Akai-kun."

Yes, my two childhood friends, Akai and Tenshi-kun, are also with me. It's nice to spend time with the rest of the Phenex peerage, but being with my 2 childhood friends at the same time is something I haven't been able to do in months.

"Yeah, last time we came here was when Akai graduated from middle school. It's only natural for everything around us to feel small."

Now that I think about it, that day was 3 years ago. Even crazier, right now we're doing the exact same thing we did back then, going to fish. It brings back me so many memories.

"That time we did pretty stupid things, right?"

"Those kids had different hair colours despite being brothers…"

"I wouldn't have guessed that that witch was there because of that."

"Well, at least Sahariel-sama was happy of the results."

Tenshi-kun and Akai seem to have remembered the exact same day I remembered. I remember it like it was yesterday…

Part 2

Around 3 years ago, when Akai graduated from middle school, we met in front of the forest at the outskirts of Okoma.

"Are you sure it's safe to enter here?"

"Sure, why wouldn't it be, Tenshi?"

"I told you that you should call me Tenshi-kun."

"I don't like using honorifics."

"God wouldn't like hearing that."

"I'm a member of Grigori; I don't care about what your God says."

"Guys, stop."

Akai was pretty much the voice of reason between us, probably because he was the oldest one.

"Rito, call Tenshi-kun the way he wants; Tenshi-kun, don't use God as a way to convince Rito of anything, it won't work."

"Fine, Tenshi-kun."

"Thanks, Rito, God bless you."

Tenshi-kun was a little bit less "love and comprehension" before he became an Angel.

"Whatever, if we want to go fishing, we have to go through the forest, so move on."

We walked around that forest, and it was way easier than it is now. It was equally filled with branches though.

After walking for around 10 minutes (which are an eternity in the mind of a middle schooler), we found a metre tall old woman wearing a witch hat and a purple furred coat.

"Should we help her? She looks lost."

"Tenshi-kun, she is only one metre tall and wearing a witch hat, this isn't going to end well."

"Come one guys, don't you want to have a little adventure before finishing?"

Looking back, it was pretty stupid to say that. Akai ended up blaming me of everything that happened next for the rest of our vacations.

"Hey, obaa-chan, do you need help?"

The old woman turned around and looked at us. Her eyes were totally black, but had star-like spots all over them. That should have been our first sign something bad was going to happen.

"Oh, it's another group of kids. Mmm, how old are you?"

The fact she said "another" should have been our second sign something bad was going to happen.

"All of us are 14. Why do you ask that?"

"Oh, for nothing."

It was true all of us were 14; Akai's fifteenth birthday was like a week ahead at that time.

"Can get a little bit closer?"

We were like, super scared at that time. But we got close anyway. We truly were stupid.

"You felt for it; do it!"

And like it wasn't obvious, something bad happened. We were hit by purple lightning from all directions. Our bodies ached from feeling that.

What happened next would you ask? Well, it shrunk us. No, really. We were around the size of bugs, because the grass hovered over us.

"Guys, I have a really bad feeling about this."

"Come one, what's the worst that could- what is this feeling?!"

"I feel it too, but what's causing this?!"

What we felt was the floor trembling, and after looking around, we saw him. It was a blue haired kid, 10 years old at max, which came running towards us.

"Run!"

Akai yelled us to run, but it was futile, as we were so small that the distance we ran at full speed was just like taking a few steps to him.

And with just that, he took us into a jar.

Part 3

On the present, we continued walking until we finally arrived at the house of that witch.

"This place looks smaller."

"Well, the only time we saw the outsides of this house was when we were captured by that witch and her grandsons, so it makes sense."

Akai is right; I never looked at this place from the outside while being normal sized, so it doesn't make sense to say it looks smaller than I remember.

"By the way, did Ham's [Sacred Gear] remind you of that day?"

"Yeah, the first time I was shrunk by it, I couldn't stop thinking about what happened that day."

"Wasn't the first time you were affected by it when you helped Mint to dethrone his brother?"

"Yes, exactly that time."

Mint's brother, Lavender, served as the Fairy King for some time, and it was said he was a cruel ruler. Well, he was allied with the Seven Sins, so it's only logical he was evil.

"Just what happened to his brother?"

"I don't know actually."

After being defeated by us, Envy took Lavender away. What she did to him afterwards is a mystery to us.

"It's clear Mint-san has a pretty interesting family."

"Nah, his sister isn't the big deal."

Ginger, Mint's sister, is the current Fairy Queen. She, however, isn't a warrior, so she gave Mint the symbol of power that only the Fairy King can have, [King's Spear].

"Talking of siblings, do you remember what happened that day after we were taken here?"

"Yes, Akai-kun."

"Totally."

Yeah, continuing with that story…

Part 4

Once we were taken into this house by the blue haired kid, he threw us into his bedroom's carpet. It was extremely flurry, so it was impossible to see the others. The only place we could look at was up, and the sky was filled by the titanic kid who took us there.

The witch appeared, alongside two kids, one was orange haired and the other one was green haired, who looked slightly younger than the first one we saw, but were taller than her.

"Well, now that your new toys are here, why don't you play with them?"

"Thanks for teaching us to get them, grandma!"

At that time I realized this weird looking woman was their grandmother, and that she taught them to use magic.

After the witch left, the green kid lifted his foot right over me. At that point I noticed he wanted to step on me. I activated [Number VII: The Chariot] to run as fast I could.

By the time his foot came to the floor, I ended between his big toe and second toe. Of course I started yelling.

"Tenshi-kun! Akai! Someone help me!"

That ended up being a good idea, as Akai appeared from the shadows and attacked the kid using his fishing rod. I think it was futile, but it felt good anyway.

"We need to get out of here, fast!"

Akai said that before taking me into the shadows. I ended up reappearing behind those kids, and Tenshi-kun was there.

"Let's go!"

We started running while Akai used his communicator to call someone at Grigori.

The kids turned around by the time were out of the room, but they were able to catch up with us extremely fast.

However, before they could do us anything, a magic circle appeared, whith Sahariel-sama appearing out of it.

"Oh, so you three were shrunk down. Well, this is a perfect opportunity to try my size-shifting beam!"

Sahariel-sama was apparently working on a size-shifting beam at the time, so he used it to return us to our regular size.

"Am I the only one who wants to teach these kids a lesson?"

"No, let's do it!"

"Feel divine punishment!"

The three of us had fighting training, me less than those two, so we were able to kick those kids' ass in no time. Apparently, they only knew one spell.

About the witch, Sahariel-sama ended up taking care of her… by offering her a working place at Grigori. Sometimes, these Cadres are really self-seeking.

Anyway, he teleported us to the place we wanted to fish in, and at the end, I ended up being blamed for almost getting stomped all summer.

Part 5

"Finally, we reached the coast on feet."

"It was harder than I taught."

"Thanks God we're here."

We have different reactions after reaching the coast, but at the end, what is friendship if we agree on everything with our friends?

At the end, we finally could fish after all these memories we had on the way.

"So what are your plans for the rest of this week?"

Akai is the one to ask that. Well, about plans, I have some.

"I'm going to a pool party tomorrow; Lucifer-sama organized it after all."

"I know, I have to go too…"

Well, maybe I chose the wrong plan to begin with.

"Then, can I tell you about this Friday? I have to go to the hot waters with the inheritors of the Divine Beasts."

"Me too."

I tend to forget Akai and I live together. Oh, then I can say something only the Phenex peerage knows about.

"This Thursday, the Phenex peerage will go to the United States to visit Jin's family and get some Familiars."

Yeah, since last time we went there we couldn't get our Familiars, Jin proposed us to go back and do that.

"That's nice, that day I will go with the rest of Silverage's peerage to spend the day with Kurama and Okita."

Sigh, I want to meet that Okita…

"What about you, Tenshi-kun?"

"I'll spend the next few days with the rest Sachiel's [Brave Saint]; the four of us are going to train at Heaven."

"And when are you going to get freed?"

"Friday night."

"So neither you nor Rito have plans for this Saturday? Ok, what about repeating this that day?"

Oh, so this again? That sounds like a wonderful idea! Of course it was Akai's!

"I'll love to."

"Yes, I agree."

"Sigh, is nice to be together again."

After that, we stayed quite for a whole minute. It was extremely awkward. However, once the minutes finished, Tenshi-kun spoke.

"… Do you remember that time we were attacked by a Tengu and things got complicated?"

"I remember that. I wouldn't have expected that was the mystery behind the sausage."

"That fat guy really liked milk…"

After Akai muttered that, I started remembering that day of our middle school days…