Chapter 2

This is really a different day for me, beside the pain I got yesterday. The wounds exactly made me difficult to do all my activities. Hiruma Yoichi is one of my classmates, but from his gestures, it looked like nothing ever happened yesterday. Maybe for him, yesterday's incident's not a great thing to tell or even to remember.

I knew about Hiruma quite well. I'm not surprised that he didn't say anything about the incident and didn't show that he cared about my condition at all. Still, deep inside my heart his behavior made me a little upset.

Hiruma only cared about American football, the Deimon Devil Bats… the one that I really like. I admired all the players. I give them all my support. I have been watching them since my first year of high school, when there were only Hiruma and Kurita in that club. If only I was free to join any club in the first year of high school, I would definitely join them as manager, or even as a cleaning service…

Okay, don't get me wrong. Maybe I'm fanatic or what. And maybe, joining them is my biggest dream, and when I met Hiruma by an accident yesterday, I felt like I'm closer to my dream.

But that's still a dream for me. First thing first, I have to be strong to protect myself. I can't always be a burden to everyone by my weakness. Last night, when there's no one in my house was not a coincident. My parents now working in the foreign country and my brother had gone with them. I chose to stay and continue my study here, wishing that I can be free to join any club I want.

Now the chance has come. I never thought that it is dangerous to live alone in my house until last night. At least I never dreamed that I'll be fighting with gangsters or what.

The only way that crossed my head to make me stronger is Hiruma. I don't know why I choose him. I'm sure I can learned many kinds of martial arts myself by joining martial art club, but I thought they will not teach me the same definition of 'strong' I'll get from Hiruma. And what I held tight in my heart is his words. Now after I saw him last night I felt like I admired him more than before.

I didn't tell Aya about my thought. I can't take another 'crazy' word from her. I doubted she'll understand at the first place. So, I'll try my way alone.

***

After school finished, Hiruma was practicing American football with the Deimon Devil Bats. I watched them practicing and I felt happy. This is the first time I watched them this close. Football is so interesting that I feel I can watch them the entire day.

They were practicing until the sun sets and I still watched them. After a while, I spotted Hiruma took his rifles and bag, going home.

I followed Hiruma, taking some distance from him. Not too far and not too close, so that I can still kept following him but not made him realize that I was there. I'm still collecting my courage to call him.

He turned right… uh-oh… I must fasten my pace.

***

"Uwaah…!" I shouted when I saw a mouth of gun pointing at me.

"Why are you following me!? Are you some sort of stalker!?" Hiruma shouted at me, still keeping his gun in front of my face.

I gulped. "S-Sorry, I-I just want to talk to you…"

"What is it about?!"

"I-I… umm…," I stuttered. His eyes looked straight back at me. At first, I felt so intimidated under his gaze. But there's no way I would give up. I've made up my mind.

"…Please…" I started, "…Please make me stronger!"

Hiruma didn't say a word (just like the last time he brought me to my house). He looked at me strangely then he walked away, leaving me behind.

"Wait! Please wait! I'm serious!" I shouted, almost pleading at his back and I barely ran to catch him because my wounds prevented me on doing so.

I can finally catch up to him and stopped in front of him. I looked straight to his eyes with determined face.

"I'm serious. Please listen to me; I want to be stronger to protect myself. I don't want to be a burden to anyone anymore," I said.

Hiruma looked at me. I knew that he was thinking about my words.

"Don't you understand that you are a girl?" he said, raising one of his blond eyebrows and emphasizing the word 'you'. Aw…

I nodded. "I understand, and because I understand that, I ask you."

"Don't you listen to what I said yesterday?"

"Yes, I listen to it clearly. But your words made me think. What if you didn't take that way and you never found me? What if in other time, I face the same trouble as yesterday and no one can save me?" I explained.

"That is," Hiruma started, sounding a bit hesitant, "exactly not my problem," Hiruma simply said walked again. Leave me behind… again.

What he said was true, again…

I don't know what I want and I don't know what I was thinking.

I cannot ask him anymore…

I stood there in silence, watching his back leaved me.

"*sigh… I know that I'm crazy enough to ask for the devil's help," I said softly.

Aya would laugh as loud as she can if she knew about this.

"Ten-chan, there's someone that looks like you…"

"Who?"

"That boy with spiky blonde hair!"

"Hiruma Yoichi? Impossible!"

"Why? Look, you have the same blonde hair, same pointed ears… Maybe you're lack of grins and you never like the idea to harm anybody, you're too kind."

I smiled. I remembered that time when I first realized my similarities with Hiruma Yoichi.

And now I realize our big difference…

He is strong while I am full of weaknesses…

You are a fairy…

That's not Fairy's destiny to become a devil…

Or even loving a devil…

I sighed once more. Then I went home these heavy feelings in my mind.