"I'll slice open your innards, you piece of shit!" I yelled.
Raising my weapon, I dashed towards the enemy and swung it across its abdomen. Blood spurted out and my foe fell to the ground with a grunt. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to kill him and he rose back up, angrier than ever.
I smirked. "Looks like this is going to be more fun than I expected."
My opponent was fast, but I was faster. Faking a swipe to the left, I swiveled around and rammed my blade deep into his side. A laugh escaped from my throat as I easily side-stepped his last ditch effort to hit me. Truly pathetic. Will weaklings like this be all I will get to fight?
As if to answer my question, a swarm of the dead guy's minions came and surrounded us. Bulky and tall, they appeared to be very strong but lacked both speed and intellect. Simpletons like this would be easy to strategize against, though it would require a fair bit of stamina on my end to keep up with so many.
"Watch out, Len!" Rin cried.
It seems I underestimated their swiftness. I quickly ducked out of the way from a punch and beat the attacker back with a small throwing knife. I would have to be more careful, as I only had a few of them left in my bag.
I dashed back to stood in front of Rin. "Stay behind me, it would be bad if one of them hit you."
To my surprise, Rin grinned. "Oh don't worry; I can handle opponents like this easily."
"Eh?" I asked.
With a wide ranged flame wall spell, Rin damaged all the minotaurs at once and knocked their HP down sizably. Impressive. So this is the capability of the mage class. However, the only drawback was the cool down time. As the monsters started crowding around us again, it would be up to me to finish the job.
I charged, swinging my longsword in a circular fashion. Three down, three to go. One of the minotaurs jabbed me with a sharp horn, dealing over 150 hit points in damage. This was bad, I would have to find a way to attack without being attacked.
Unfortunately, it seems that I shall have to use up the last of my throwing knives. Oh well, those were technically designed for the rogue class anyways. I would be better off spending my gold on fighter class items.
In a triple-hit combo, I successfully defeated them. The dropped items were fantastic this time. An ultra-rare blade of awe, 500 gold pieces, Hermes' sandals, and a crystal rune staff.
Unable to contain my excitement, I shouted. "Yes!"
"Enjoying the video game? I told you modern technology was awesome." Rin teased.
Upon her insistence, I had agreed to buy a console and a couple popular games. I suppose it wouldn't be too bad to be a bit more connected to the world. Now that I have her by my side, I no longer need to commit heavy crimes and stay untraceable. I can simply enjoy her constant company instead.
"Now let's try out all this new equipment and go shopping at the bazaar. I think we should buy a dragon egg with this money." I said.
Rin shook her head. "I need to work on my homework. School is starting soon and I'm nowhere near done with all the assignments Kiyoteru-sensei gave us."
I groaned. The only reason I went to a dreadful high school was to make sure Rin was mine and mine alone. Now that I have eliminated the teal-haired twins, school feels unnecessary.
"Forget it. I'll have us both withdrawn. We can study under my personal tutor instead." I offered.
"Absolutely not!" She shrieked. "I spent countless hours studying to get into that school. Do you know how prestigious my high school is? It was a miracle that I passed the entrance exams AND got a tuition exemption. There's no way I'm dropping out so soon."
Huh. I had no idea that filthy, jail-like concoction was actually desirable to her. Well if my princess wishes it so, then I suppose I will have to go along. This might be a good chance to investigate that pink-haired girl I often saw. Just what is her relationship with Rin? Do I need to eliminate her as well?
On the plus side, it's been a while since I've seen my little doll dressed up in her uniform. The innocent yet tantalizing outfit is probably the only thing schools these days do right.
After another week at juvenile detention, I was released as an emancipated minor. Sounds great, but I imagine it's just so the government no longer has to look after me. If it weren't for Miku and Mikuo, I would have returned to living on the streets, most likely as a beggar without money from the government. I'm grateful to them, even if their motive for sheltering me is purely dependent on a shared interest on bringing back Rin.
"Stay in the basement while our parents are home. They go to work before us so it should be safe for you to go to school through the front door." Mikuo explained.
"Thank you so much. I don't know how to repay you." I confessed.
Miku scoffed. "Don't get the wrong idea or anything. You're just here to deal with Len and work for us. Your servitude and cooperation is the price for our generosity."
"Of course." I replied.
I'm well aware that I'm nothing more than a tolerated presence to them, that I'm out the door the second this is all over. It doesn't matter, as long as I can keep living and see Rin again. It doesn't matter how I'm used or treated along the way. If it's for her, I will gladly endure anything.
Besides, my current situation is far better than I could have hoped for. The Hatsune's basement isn't exactly the epitome of luxury, but it's clean and comfortable enough to live in. Mostly used for storage, stacks of cardboard boxes fill the room. Other than a single lightbulb hanging from the ceiling and a small window opposite the creaky stairs, a medium sized area of concrete floor is all I have. A bit dusty, but perfectly acceptable.
Sitting quietly in the corner, I observe the twins and quickly figure out what's going on in their minds. It's a bit of a talent of mine, reading people. I'm able to see beyond the masks and appearances that people put on and understand their true nature. All I have to do is watch.
Mikuo isn't a bad person, but he's on the self-serving side and rather fickle in his interests. He expresses a certain degree of loyalty to those he is close to, and can be very quick to jump to conclusions about people he isn't. For now, he believes that he may have feelings for Rin, and thus has his sights set on rescuing her. Though, I believe his main motive has to do with his wounded pride from losing to Len. I can rely on his assistance for the time being, but I must be careful not to push him too much, as he can easily turn his back on people who betray him.
His sister Miku, on the other hand, is surprisingly resilient. At first glance, she is vain, shallow, condescending, and callous towards others. A typical popular high school girl who gets egotistic from being worshipped by everyone else. However, I can tell there's more to her than that. Despite her nastiness, Miku is unwavering in her determination to save Rin. She's incredibly emotionally involved, far exceeding the concern of a mere friend. Rin appears to be genuinely valuable to her.
Although haughty and demanding, it was Miku who angrily tossed my cardboard box into a dumpster and dragged me to her house.
"Here." She curtly snapped, throwing a futon and blanket at me. She also held a plastic bag filled with food from a convenience store, which she placed on the stairs.
"Thank you...I really mean it." I responded.
To this, she glared at me and grumbled. "S-Shut up! This is for my sake, so that I don't look like some kind of slave owner. I don't care about you at all!"
Her personality is definitely interesting. Miku seems to be someone who doesn't like showing her true feelings. She constantly rants about her hatred for Len, but I can tell she's just worried about Rin. School seems to just be a place for her to socialize and gain reputation, but every night she diligently studies and finishes all her homework neatly. She's dishonest to the people around her, perhaps out of insecurity or embarrassment. In any case, I don't have to worry about her too much.
School is going to be a challenge. I was able to enroll on a scholarship for children with "hardships", but the school's attitude towards me is sure to change once they see me. I'm fine with bullying. I've been through far worse than petty tricks played by high schoolers. My main concern is approaching Rin and finding a way to talk to her away from Len.
The prospect of seeing her again warms me, and I'm able to sleep peacefully for the first time in years. I pull the blanket around my body and inhale. It's freshly washed and smells faintly of fabric softener. Upon closer inspection, all the food in the plastic bag is nutritiously balanced as well. It reminds me of the bentos and laundered clothes Rin used to bring me. I smile to myself.
Wait for me, Rin. I'm coming to you.
