I walk out of the barbershop, pushing the glass door with a big smile on my face and showing the world of my new look. Gone with the long, revolting, disheveled hair, it is now shorter, textured, combed stylishly to the side. I thanked the man sincerely; he provided me with the most fulfilling service of my life; he even surpassed, if not exceeded, my expectations! Spoke fluent English, as well.I was concerned that he might be unable to comprehend what I was saying. It would be tiresome if I used a translator app, considering it might get lost in translation and probably ended with us scratching both of our heads.
The best part is, it only costed me 17 Yuans (I gave the lovely man 5 Yuan as a tip). I've read that the standard price for the barbershop here is actually 20 to 35 Yuans. For that, this shop has my token of appreciation. Will I step in this place again if I want to get another trim? Oh, certainly.
Some locals see me with suspicious eyes, looking at me indifferently as if I wasn't supposed to be here. Although, I keep my head up and smile and nod to them.
My heart still feels like it's being gripped by many hands. Just like the old days. And just like in the old days, I try to ignore everything.
Along the way to Sheng Yu Xie Chang St., I decided to spend my time on the bus learning the basics of Shenzhou language - generally called "Mandarin" - primarily, polite greetings and goodbyes. Truth be told, this language is hard, as there are four different tones to differentiate the words. So yeah, baby steps. There's "Cantonese" as well, but people don't use that here a lot.
It hasn't rained yet, thankfully. But the skies are getting darker and the wind is taking its speed, a musky scent permeates the air as I breathe, and I fasten my pace. I decide to take a shortcut on the downtown alleyway right next to me, saving me a moment of walking to the bus stop.
A gush of wind shuffling the rubbish around as I walk pass them. Empty bottles and the cardboard as I glance to the side. It's really not surprising there are, or were, homeless people living around here.
Then, I stop my pace when a large man comes out of the corners in front of me and is approaching me. His face is cold, devoid of emotion.
Trying to keep my wit about, I turn my heels and walk out of the pathway I took in a hurry. However, two other strangers are slowly making their way towards me. The permanent smirks on their faces emitted those reeky auras around them.
I've been cornered. I've got nowhere to go. I stand here, clutching my umbrella's handle tight, backing up to the wall as I glance side to side and they finally stop a few meters, invading my personal space. Not the worse case of scenario that I feared from what I experienced for years back in Finland. Although, a slight sense of regret is weighting my shoulders down as I shouldn't have taken this route.
Play it cool. Unless they have the mind of unreasonable barbarians, I should give up all my stuff and the money, including my new gifted bag and its contents. Sucks, but it's the least thing I can do. Running away or fighting back would be stupid. Not when there's this hunk of a guy staring down at me like a vermin.
I just hope they won't be able to read my scuffed journal...
"Your bag." One curly-haired man speaks up with a beckoning gesture and a broken English, "Give us."
The other guy with his nose up wearing a beanie says out loud with their complicated, native language. I'm pretty sure he told me to go die or something. I just heard "死", which means "death", right?
"Okay, okay." I cautiously remove my jacket. The satchel is covered by it, so gotta take the thick jacket off first. "Easy now."
"What you doin' ah?"
I halt and frown a bit, "What, relax, just giving you my bag."
"赶快啊!/Hurry up!" The beanie guy spits and grabs my hood. My whole body goes on alert, and I reflexively swat his hand out of frantic.
"Don't touch me!"
"I said what you doin'!?" The curly man says once again, and I have the urge to roll my eyes.
"Listen, I'm trying to give all of my possessions to you, kind sirs. So if you please-"
"你想死吗!?/You want to die!?" Beanie shoves me away to the big guy, and he wraps around my neck with just one arm.
Everything escalates because of a simple misunderstanding. Had these men learned patience, I would be getting away without bruises. Why do almost every problems in my life have to end with violence?
As I try to struggle to escape from his grip, Curly charge towards me with his raging fist ready to punch the living hell out of me. My other hand is still gripping the umbrella, and I use it by quickly aiming the tip at him and push the button, the umbrella folds out and the panel hits the man as he stumble backwards with a grunt.
While my short plan was working, the arm around my neck doubles its strength, trying to choke me. Immediately, I swing the back of my knuckle behind on his face. One hit wasn't quite effective, but the grip has loosen and he's grunting in agony. I elbow the guy to his nose, causing him to retreat back, and I've finally escaped from his clutches.
But before I could run away, someone grabs the edge of the umbrella panel and pulls me forward. My hand slips away from the hanlde, and the umbrella is thrown to the side. The beanie guy then swings his balling knuckles to my cheek.
Worse, he hit me on the left side that was about to fully heal.
My body recoils as my back hits the brick wall. I groan in pain, holding my left cheek. Stings, my face almost became numb from the punch. The curly man, who has recovered, pulls a thing out of his pocket while saying something gibberish. Then he pushes his thumb on the white edge of the black item - a small blade folds out of life.
He charges me with a nasty-looking grin on his face. There is no way out of this. These lowlives have cut my way of escape - struggling is futile.
The man thrusts his pocket knife, and from the glimpse before I shut my eyes, it seems like he's aiming straight to my heart. What I can do is hoping the pain would subside quicker and I wish someone would find me.
And they're probably just gonna walk over my dead body...
"Gragh!?"
"-什么鬼!?/What the hell!?"
My eyes snap open to find Curly clutching the back of his hand, his knife on the ground, and... a plastic-wrapped baguette?
Their gazes are drawn to the left, and I follow them. A blue figure approaches us with calm but hasty steps. The strong breeze makes their long hair sway, and the closer they get to them, I notice they're gripping a white plastic grocery bag with a green umbrella on her right hand and the lens of their glasses somewhat glints.
But there is no light source, and I'm pretty sure the sun is setting now, plus the dark skies above, so how does that even...
My thoughts were interrupted as the loud, beanie guy shouts, in an attempt to scare them away. To no avail. The mysterious figure quickens their pace at an inhuman speed. And the next thing I witness: Beanie is sent flying to the big guy. The latter manages to catch him effortlessly.
I turn my gaze at the stretched arm and the attacker's palm, and then at the man's fac- No, wait, scratch that, it's a girl wearing a blue Shenzhou outfit, that I don't know the name of, and sporting a glasses with red frames. Hair tied into a long ponytail behind her.
Curly hurriedly backs away to his other companions as she straightens her posture.
"Please hold these." The savior lifts her grocery bag with her umbrella to my level while her blue eyes are still fixating on the scumbags.
"Uh..." I carefully accept them with both of my hands.
Curly breaks out of his stupor and makes the first move; he charges and recklessly swings a right hook, which the Shenzhou lady deflects the attack with a sweep of her left forearm. She then, in a quick succession, moves her right leg to the front and counters the man with a palm strike to the jaw.
I swear I heard an ugly, cracking sound.
Curly shouts in retaliation. The lady, on the other hand, does not spare him a time to process as she grabs him by the head and waist, flips his body around quickly, and hits his spine with another palm strike.
Her motions were calm and clear as water. Her attacks were ferocious and unforgiving like fire.
Curly has his body thrown towards the dashing Beanie, hitting him and their bodies fall down. Ignoring them groaning on the ground, she walks towards the big guy. His nose is bleeding, the result of my blow from earlier, and he's sweating at the sight of the shorter woman. With an expression that is all-too familiar for me.
Dread.
I'm not sure what she did to frighten him to death. With a yell, his feet scamper back out to the path he used to make his entrance, leaving his friends behind.
"大-大宝! 别丢下我们啊!/Da Bao! Don't leave us behind!"
In a panic, the other men scramble to get back on their feet and chase after the large guy. In a desperate attempt to get past the lady, they even have to hug the wall on their backs. Curly has his hand on his jaw the entire time and seemingly about to faint at any moment.
After their lowly figures are out of the alley, she walks to me. Somehow my heart skips a beat, but I manage to keep my face straight. It's just like the time I was being questioned by Marie.
"Are you injured?"
Ah, she can speak English, thank goodness at that. Though she sounded stoic, there's a hint of solemn care in her voice.
"N-No," I shake my head. "I'm fine, miss."
"...There's a cut." She points her own right cheek. Great, is that what I think it is?
As my fingertip touches my left cheek, I hiss from the burning sensation. Sure enough, there's blood on my finger. Bastard tore my skin.
Suddenly, another burning sensation running on my face once again.
"Hey, what-"
"Be still."
The lady's fingers, delicate as it is, place a plaster she got from her pocket on my wound. Attentive...gentle. I inhale the air after she steps away.
"That should help." She says before looking at my left chest, "The jacket...Where did you get that?"
Her face remains sharp, a tinge of small alert as she furrows her brows like I'm some kind of an imposter. I blink. Is she one of the many Schicksal's staffs?
"Oh, um, someone gave it to me back at St. Freya."
"Who?"
"Miss Himeko Murata."
Hearing that name, her expression turns a bit softer, and her posture has slacken. She adjusts her glasses with a whisper, "I see."
"She took me in after some circumstances. So uh, yeah, she's my guardian of sort."
There's literally no point in lying about this. From the looks of it, she knows about Himeko well enough - that'd mean she has to be one of St. Freya's personnel. Could be her colleague, if anything.
Before I can ask her about that, she suddenly speaks up.
"A little advice: Never go to the alleyways after four PM. They usually target individuals they deem harmless."
Okay, but why does that has to have a specific time-gate?
I nod, "I understand, miss, um-"
"-Fu Hua." The lady then lifts her hand.
"Hi, my name is Kilo." I lightly shake her hand, but she raises her brows and doesn't even grip my hand back, maybe she's confused because of my missing surname - like always.
"It's just Kilo." I put up a smile, ignoring her stare.
"I... didn't mean for a handshake. May I please have them back?"
Oh...
"A-Apologies." I quickly let go of her hand, giving her, her plastic grocery bag and umbrella with a small laugh.
She accepts them gratefully and walks towards the fallen baguette. "You shouldn't dwell here for long, and rain's going to pour down soon."
I watch her picking the long bread up, stuffing it on her bag, making her way out.
"Miss Fu Hua!" I say, and she turns around to me. "Uh, 谢谢!/Thanks!"
God, I hope that sounded right...
My slight anxiety washes away as I can see her tiny smile.
"没问题/No problem."
After that exchange, her figure goes away as I stare at her back. Well, at the very least her stoic altitude isn't as bad as Bronya's. She's... quite nice, as well, if her actions weren't obvious enough.
I follow her advice. First, I need to head back to pick up my umbrell- Ah, goddamit, I hope it's not broken.
I take it up off the ground and swirl it carefully by the handle to see if there's any damage. I attempt to open and close and open it again, and relief washes my worry away as it did just that. I am glad it's still functional.
Almost coincidentally, a droplet hits my head. I immediately raises the pink umbrella over my frame and skedaddle to the bus stop.
By the time I am out of the alley, the rain drops down like dozens of bullets from the heavens above. I begin to jog and carefully trying to not accidentally hit the folks around my way.
After a minute, I finally arrive at the bus stop. I close my wet umbrella and sit on the wooden bench under the rudimentary shelter. I check my phone to see the time - it's already 04:28 PM.
I scowl. I am 14 minutes late for the bus. I would have gotten here early if not for those pesky scums.
I quickly check the internet for the schedule... I have to wait for half an hour for another ride.
Perfect!
I pocket my phone and lean back to the glass behind me with a heavy sigh. I've no earbuds to listen to any of my favorite tracks. What I can do now is staring at the wet road, vehicles driving by, the rain and the pitter-patter it makes. The sound is too chaotic and all over the place, it's not even relaxing...
Man, I'm longing to hear Billy Joel's voice right now.
I should consider taking a taxi. I don't know how much the fare is gonna be though.
"等等等等! 我的胃受不了了 - 哎哟哦哦!/Stop, stop, stop, stop! My stomach can't take much more of this!"
"We're almost there, Pao! It's okay!"
I take a side glance at the approaching men in the midst of the rain. One man with a brown short, spiky hair, dressed sharply in a blue business suit, carries both an umbrella and a sickly-looking man over his shoulder. The latter dresses casually like me and has an expensive camera dangling around his neck.
I decide to scoot myself a further away to opposite edge of the bench.
"啊, 多谢, 多谢!/Thank you so much!" The business man says to me, and I give him a smile and a nod. They finally settle down on the wooden bench.
His Mandarin was a bit choppy; I heard him speaking a distinct English a moment ago, too. Curiosity crosses my mind as I take another glance at the sharp dressed man.
"Right. We should stay here until rain goes out, then we're gonna go to the doctor... somewhere."
Ah, a foreigner. Possibly an American from the dull accent he has.
His friend is holding his own stomach, his forehead is sweating bullets as if his life is about to be taken away at any time.
"Hey... " The sharp dressed man notices my gaze. "Hey, you're not a Shenzhou citizen, are you?"
My eyes flick at him with a friendly smile, "No, sir. I came from Finland."
"Oh-haha, great! It's really nice to meet a fellow outsider around these parts." He then gestures for a handshake. "Name's Frank. Frank Eastberg from the United States of America."
And, I was right.
"Hi, I'm Kilo." I shake his rough hand. "Pleasure to meet you, mister."
"Just Kilo?"
"Yes, sir." I nod, trying to keep my face up.
"Well, met a lot of weird names on my life, son. Yours isn't that surprising, to say the least." He chuckles.
My lips fell down for a split second. There's a slight dubious reason from the remark that irked me. But I ignore it, and I let out a small laugh that comes out rather forced.
"Why did you come all the way here from America, mister Frank?"
"Please, call me Frank. I'm actually a journalist scouring around the globe, covering all sorts of things and posting them on the internet." He says, "With my photographer, Hao Pao! But uh, yeah..."
He jerks his thumb on his friend. "My partner's a wuss. One dip in the spicy sauce and he's gone kaput."
"Yes, I can see that."
"Mrgh, blame the clerk..." Pao says with a grain of Shenzhou accent in his tone.
"Not my fault if you got a diarrhea. Deadline's frickin' tomorrow, too."
Pao groans, "Day after tomorrow..."
"Two days!"
Frank shakes his head, turning to me again. "Kid, what brings you here in this city?"
"Well, I-"
"-Wait, hold on." He gaze at my jacket. "No way, you're from that Freya school?"
"St. Freya Academy, yes."
"Right, right." He scratches his chin. "You one of the students?"
"Ah, I'm actually on an internship. I know someone there and asked them for it. Now I work on the library, sir."
"An internship?" His eyes widen, and I only nod. "To a teenager?"
"Got good grades on my paper and they asked me for some opportunities, and I took it."
"Well, shit, if you're from... this could work."
I raise a brow as he quickly takes his partner's camera.
"Frank, what the hell..."
Ignoring Pao's moaning, he looks at me with a big grin on his face.
"Say, uh, I know we just met, but do you want another temporary job, kid?"
The way holds the digital compact camera backwards and its brown straps around his other hand, I'm certain he wants me to take a picture. Well, several pictures, probably.
Though, I have something in mind.
"That depends, sir." I cross my arms. "What do you want me to do?"
"It's easy, just shoot photos of the buildings in there. Find something that can maybe jolts you - or people - up. They know you better, so it's easy to gain access, right?"
"Okay... but what do I get in return?"
I'm not going to allow him to treat me like a fool simply because I'm younger.
"Huh... " His mouth agapes before he grins again. "Money, of course! Six hundred Yuans."
Now that's a gold mine for me. I can't help but smirk inwardly.
"Consider it done, sir."
Frank enthusiastically hands me the camera, which I gradually accept with my two hands and sling around my neck.
"Here's my contact." He gives me a fancy business card from his inner suit pocket. "Call me when you're done."
I take the card, rubbing the soft texture and reading the details to myself.
The Millawette. I've actually encountered his website during my study in the library. Pretty interesting topics they wrote. I might have to check them up more later.
As I shove the card into my pocket, almost coincidentally, the bus has finally arrived.
"Well uh, my bus is here." I get up while taking my umbrella. "Have a nice evening, good sirs."
"Catch you later, kid!" Frank does a corny salute. "Don't forget the photos!"
I give them a thumb up. I think Pao's soul has left his body, he's staring blankly at the road now. I enter the bus, it doesn't take me a while to find an empty window seat. As the transport starts accelerating, I distract myself by opening the cover lens of the camera, examining the black device, and then turning it on. A moment later and the LCD screen pops alive. I don't tweak the settings that would change the filter or anything, leaving it as it is.
Let's see - let's do a little test. Left hand on the tubular lens and right hand gripping the camera, with my point finger on the shutter button, just like a normal photographer.
I push the button and a flash sprays from the camera. Aaand, snap.
The screen captures my result: The bus's floor. I think I'm already getting the hang of it. I mean, it's no big deal, it's just a camera.
After that, I lean back, trying to find a sense of relaxation among these dripping, boring weather.
By the time I arrive in front of St. Freya's gate, the rain has stopped. It took me around 20 minutes to get back here. I can be a little at ease knowing I'm already home.
First things first: Photo hunts. Frank mentioned I should take all the places that people may find interesting.
Well... all of them look fascinating to me - minus the 5th Squad residence - I guess I'll take pictures of them, then.
Starting with this gate in front of me.
I take a step further back to get a better view of it. Careful not to slip from one of those wet puddles. Once I get a good spot, as the large gate fits the frame of the screen, I take a shot at it.
Voila - Behold my art!
Or, uh, almost-but-not-quite dark image of the gate. I need to rush before nightfall; I don't think Frank and his friend would appreciate photos taken under the moonlight.
Sooner I'll be done, the sooner I'll get to taste sweet, sweet Mei's dinner.
I make my way to the square, snaps a frame of the landmark, and head towards the parterre. I am lucky there's no students, teachers or staffs around, perhaps they had gone home, settling in for some nice food and bath. Saving me some good times from being asked around A-to-Z.
Once I've gotten the garden down, I jog my way all across this remote island to get to the library.
It's a little tiring taking these pictures up while setting down this umbrella and taking it up, again and again...
Should I even enter the library to get the interior ima- Nah, no, screw that. I don't want to see that weird librarian, Mrs. Wang for the second time today.
"Next up is..." I whisper as my eyes have drawn into the old, abandoned building I witnessed earlier.
Well, I should take this too, I guess. Frank wants something to "jolt" people up, so this dark place can do the job, for sure.
After finding a good spot as I step on the grass, I level the camera to my head, looking at the LCD screen and...
I see someone strolling around the building from one window to another on the 2nd floor. The figure's image is small, yet I can see their long, pink hair swaying gracefully with each steps she take.
I quickly bring the digital camera down, step a bit closer and squints my eyes at the spot where they were at. Only to find nothing.
Nothing...
Is the camera malfunctioning? I'm just hallucinating? God, did the concussion on my head mess with my perceptions?
I rub my eyes and look at the windows, again, searching for something that probably isn't there in the first place.
I shake my head, sighing as I get back to the original position and I immediately take the shot after I got the lens to automatically focusing itself. I stare at the image for a bit longer...
"Alright, no, this is a waste of time..."
I have a few more left to shot and I better get going. Next up is the dormitory.
I move away from the eerie edifice behind me, sparing one final glimpse, and proceed to my next destination.
"-Exam is drawing closer, and closer, and closer!"
My eyes widen at two students wearing casual attires walking on the pavement. I quickly rush and crouch behind the bushes.
"Geez, calm down, everything's gonna be just fine."
"You say that - I mean - Yeah, of course, Brenda, it's just a test. Nothing to worry about blablabla."
"Fan out your worries. Quit being so melodramatic about anything."
"Oh, "fan out your worries", she said."
I slowly rise up after they're out of sight, gone somewhere else.
Right. This is going to be difficult with the students, probably, roaming around the dorm. What if they find me outside taking pictures and all through the windows. Jeeesus Christ, I'm acting like a total creep.
You know what, to save my own dignity and to prevent a likely terrible experience, I'm heading straight to the Cathedral, snap the photo, and call it a day.
I hop over the bushes, jogging to the Holy structure. Moments later after I arrived, I decide to take a position from which I can see the Cathedral diagonally and snap.
There we go. All done. Eh, except for the girl's dorm and 5th's house. While on my way back to home, I check the gallery of the camera, clicking the button on the side of the screen to switch the images, making sure I've taken all of them.
No blurs, the lightings aren't that smooth but it doesn't look bad. Besides, I'm not a professional at this. But I think I did a decent job.
"Hm?"
When I saw a modest, Shenzhou-style building on the corner of my eyes, I stop my track. The curved roof, sliding paper doors, and wooden elements - with the carving of a Shenzhou dragon statue holding a pearl staring down at me - add to the overall aesthetic. This one sticks out the most among all of the classic structures in the area. Though, it's no surprise that it's tucked away due to its small size.
What intrigues me more, however, is the distant sound of an object being smacked numerous times.
Curiosity has gotten the best of me. And so, I slowly make my way on the stone trail toward it. Ascending on the wooden steps as it creaks, I go behind the wall near the entrance, sliding the door slightly, and peeking through the small gap.
In a vast room with padded surfaces, I find a familiar Shenzhou lady, who is now wearing a black tank-top crop sports and pants, striking a punching bag that is hanging on a chain supported by a metal beam.
Each fist she throws, a thunderous noise can be heard across the room. Fu Hua's movements, like before, are calm, yet deadly. Every damage she has done on the robust bag caused the ground to tremble around her.
"HA!"
Then, she lands a side punch - The strong impact manages to push some of the sands flying out, tearing the threads behind the bag in the process. As the sands stream out, she retracts her fist and straightens her stance, softly inhaling with her nose and exhaling out of her mouth with a gesture of both palms.
"Come out." She suddenly says as she turns her head to the entrance. "I know you're hiding there."
I immediately pull my head away from the door gap and sticking the wall behind me like a gecko. My eyes repeatedly flick to the door and the outside.
How... can she know I'm here? Unless she's bluffing. Maybe, I don't know. Either way, I'm trapped. Running away is a bad idea, she will catch up to me before I can take a single step. Have you seen how she sent the thugs flying so easily?
We already met before, anyways. Why should I be scared for? If she asks why I'm acting like a peeping Tom with a camera, just throw her the reasons like I always do.
I suck the air from my nostril to calm my nerves. After I'm ready, I slide the door open fully and revealing myself.
"Hi..." I wave a hand with a benign smile. "We meet again."
"It's you." She eases her glare, and I notice she's not wearing her glasses anymore. "What were you doing, peeking around like a pervert?"
Ouchie.
"Sorry, I wasn't meant to interrupt you. Just... fascinated by your skills." I laugh.
"And that?"
I look down at the camera where she's staring at. I lift the device to show her, "Oh, this? I'm just taking pictures around the academy. Miss Himeko asked me, saying I should help the students with photographs while getting to know the place better. Wait 'till you see the board in your school."
"She didn't tell us about this."
"She just told me to do it - like a couple of minutes ago."
"..."
Fu Hua's stare remains impassive, and I have a hunch she's not buying it. She turns around, unhooks the destroyed punching bag and carries it to the side easily with insane strength.
I'm just going to assume she's a Valkyrie. I guess everyone here are one except me now.
"Are you a teacher? Miss?" I step in, gazing around as Fu Hua places the cylindrical thing right beside a cage box where many training equipment resides.
"No." She moves to one of the benches where she puts her belongings. "I am actually a student here. Also, a class monitor."
A student? Seriously, with all her wise looks and all?
I blink and quickly changing the subject, "You train a lot here?"
"I do. This is a training ground I requested for myself. The other one's near the auditorium."
"So, your own personal dojo, then."
"You can say that." She says while wiping away the sweats with her towel.
"It's quite hard to find this place if you're not venturing around more. Didn't notice it the first time I got here."
"It's never meant to be seen by anyone in the first place." She says, "Hence this small area is surrounded by a couple of administrative buildings... but wide enough for me to do my daily training."
You like to be unnoticed. A place where you can seek solitude, mayhaps?
"Oh, I get it." I nod acknowledgingly. "Passersby would think this place as some sort of decorations and leaving it be."
After she drank a fresh water from her plastic bottle, she puts on a white jacket and staring at me with those sharp eyes.
"But not you." She says - almost like a threat. But I keep smiling, staying calm about it.
"Well... I was interested, I guess."
Once again, her face remains cold, examining my body language and my face, but later she finds nothing out of me as she zips her jacket up to her neck and takes her bag.
However, an idea pops in my head-
"Uh, miss." I promptly stop her course.
"Just call me Fu Hua... We are of the same age, no?"
Something tells me we're not, but okay then. It's an easy thing I can get used to.
"Fu Hua, it is." I grin. "I uhh, can I ask something?"
She raises a brow, "What is it?"
"Can you... please teach me some martial arts?"
Fu Hua's distant looking face is hard to read. If I could indulge her to train me to fight, I would not be worried about getting jumped by random thugs and or it will help me get away easily when things go south.
Unless said thugs have a gun or a giant weapon of mass destruction, then I'm screwed.
"No." She zips her duffel bag.
"What?"
Although I already expected it, the straight rejection still hurts like a bullet through the heart.
"P-Please, you have to help me." I say with a pleading, with a tiny bit of miserable, tone.
"Go find someone else to help you."
With that, she carries her bag and walks away. But I didn't intend to just stand here and take that response. I move in front of her, blocking her path.
"Wa-Wait, wait a second! It's sudden, I know, but I-I need you to teach me."
"Like I suggested, please go find someone else."
"What if that "someone else" scams me? I've... had that experience before."
I'm obviously lying. I need to give everything I have. She's a tough nut to crack, for sure. Yet I cannot let this opportunity slip away.
"O-Okay, uh," I rub my hands together. "What if you let me do you a favor? I could provide you with something-"
"Why?"
"Huh?"
"Why do you want to learn how to fight?"
Why... why. I stare down lightly at the shorter woman.
"Because..." I wet my dried lips. "Miss Himeko saved my life from a Honkai."
The moment I said that, her face twitches, looking up in an interest.
"I thought I was gonna die, but I didn't. My friends, they-... didn't make it." I bite my lips, trying to look downcast. "I...I could have done something, you know. But, I'm still here, standing li-like a moron. Like always."
My eyes begin to water as I quickly point my plaster, "And now this..."
Her face starts to show an emotion - a bitter look - the one where people show sympathy. She still doesn't take any actions, however. And I intend to push it further.
"It... It doesn't matter, I guess." I wipe my flowing tears away. "I-I'll try to find another person. Thank you, Fu Hua."
With that, I head to the entrance with falter steps.
"...Wait."
Yes.
I stop and turn around, a hopeful look on my face as she crosses her arms, face stern.
"I will teach you."
YES! I immediately grin at that.
"Only the half of it." She says with a hard tone. "You will learn the basics of how to defend yourself."
Well, that's better than nothing.
"O-Oh, okay then, when do we start?" I ask, and I can't contain the excitement leaking from my voice.
"Tomorrow-" She walks out of the dojo and I follow beside her. "After school. Four PM. We'll meet here."
"Splendid." I nod eagerly as we reach the crossroads. "So, I'll see you tomorrow, then. Have a nice evening, Fu Hua."
She gives a small smile. "Be seeing you, Kilo."
I stare at her back as she makes her way to the dorm.
"Be seeing you..." I whisper. Huh, that's a good line. Maybe I can use that, too.
No matter, I've got what I already wanted - someone willing enough to teach me how to defend myself. With this, I won't be hurt by anyone, anymore...
Right?
I frown - a series of memories rush from the back of my head. Shrugging it away, I walk back to the opposite way to the 5th's house. I check my phone to see the time. And it's 05:57 PM, already. My heart sinks at that, and I sprint to the house.
Don't worry, they're still waiting. Himeko did tell me to come back before six. I mean, I have 3 minutes left - Ah, Christ, they've probably started without me.
Once I reach the front door, I take a moment to catch my breath and maintain my hair to the side to make it seem like I wasn't being chased by a horse. But before I knock on the door, I remember the camera. I inwardly groan at the thought of being asked by the group, and I don't want to come out with another faux for tonight.
So I take the camera off my neck, turn it off, unzips my bag and put it... inside. Fortunately, the bag has a lot of free space and the camera can fit; but unfortunately, the size is too big that the side of the device is sticking the bag out.
The lump of my bag makes me squirm. It's best if I just leave it unzipped. Otherwise, I would break the materials even further. I take off the tight jacket, hanging it around my satchel bag. Clean and well-hidden. There's no need to be concerned, anymore.
As I sigh, I finally knock the door with a peculiar rhythm. I wait for a few seconds, and the door swings open.
"I'm back." I smile at Himeko. Suddenly, her frown turns into a surprise and a mild concern.
"My goodness, what happen to your face?" She says while holding the door, allowing me to enter.
"I... Well, it's a long story." I take off the wet shoes, placing them and the umbrella aside.
As I head to the living-dining room, I immediately see Mei and the others enjoying- Well, was enjoying their food until I showed up. Seems like they heard the commotion, those worried looks of theirs - minus Bronya who is still eating - say a lot of things.
After I greet everyone nicely, I hang my bag on the wall, with the jacket covering it still.
"No, you can definitely tell me that right now." Himeko requests as she walks in.
Do I really have to say it...?
"It's a cat." I say simply. The redhead lifts her eyebrow, and from the corner of my eyes, Kiana somehow perks up at that.
"What?"
"A cat was stuck on the tree and I helped her down... and then I got clawed on the face." I gesture at my left cheek at them.
Good god, this is the third time in a row today that I have lied to others. I just hope it won't bite me in the ass later.
Kiana swallows her food and looks at me ridiculously. "Cats wouldn't do that."
"You clearly haven't met stray cats."
"I met a lot of them." She frowns. "And they are all really nice after you help them with, I don't know, something."
My brows furrow for a split second.
"Yeah, well, besides the cat was looking ferocious by the time I let her down." I point it out. "It's like she's going to maul me - which she did."
"No way. The last time I rescued a white cat a week ago, he literally thanked me, uh, meowed me and even rubbed his cute, little face on my hand!" She gushes around beside Mei who lightly scolds her again for table manners.
And, I have the urge to pinch the bridge of my nose.
Please, for the love of Christ, Kiana Kaslana, just play along.
Before I can say anything, Himeko places a hand on my shoulder.
"Alright, time out, the both of you." She pats my back. "C'mon, champ - dinner time."
She returns to her half-eaten food and I reluctantly follow, sparing a small glance at the Kaslana. Then, I notice Mei's standing up and I quickly understand what she's about to do.
"Wait Mei, no, no, no!" I exclaim while raising my hand, alerting everyone as they stare at me.
She abruptly stops. "Eh, w-what is it?"
I pace to the kitchen. "Please allow me to get my own."
"Kilo, i-it's fine. I can help."
"Oh, no," I shake my head and smiling at her sincerely. "I don't want to trouble you."
An uncertainty crosses her face for a moment before nodding at me with a slight smile and sits back down.
I appreciate her thoughts. I really do.
After I take a good amount of rice on my plate, grabbing the stainless steel utensils, I take a seat beside Bronya, again. I look around the various foods lying on the table.
Let's see what do we have. Fried chicken, sweet potatoes and broccoli with carrots. They all look breathtaking. And certainly the smells are divine, blessed with Mei's gracious touch.
I slowly munch my food, taking my time to savor the taste.
However, good things must come to an end, I suppose. As we finish our food, I gradually help piling the dishes with Mei and Kiana, but the latter decides to hand them to me and storms to the living room and turning the TV on afterwards. I look down at the bowls on top of the plates before giving her back a look.
"Oh um," Mei whispers before I can open the dishwasher. "It's broken. Bronya said the spray arms aren't able to move, apparently."
"Really?"
I mean, really, Bronya?
"Yup. Mei and Kiana had to do the morning dishes." Himeko groans as she takes out a pack of beverages out of the fridge and slumps back to her seat. "Gosh, that marks the fourth time now this month. Four. Times. Might as well place it on the world record."
She then pulls the tab on her can as it fizzes and instantly slugging the alcohol down.
I carefully set the dirty dishes in one of the sinks. "Guess we clean it the old-fashioned way, then. I'll help you with it."
"I'll help too!" Kiana suddenly shows up and shuffles between us. When did she...how did she get here so fast?
"Kiana, I don't think three people can fit." Mei gently protests.
"Mm, then lemme share a sink with you, Mei!"
Stubborn one, aren't you...
"Yeah..." They turn at me. "I think we should do this together. I mean, six hands are better than four."
I deliberately shut my eyes. That was a horrible idiom.
Instead of laughing at my poor joke, Mei nods at my words and Kiana just lightly shrugs, and we begin our work together. Here we are, standing side-by-side as we rinse these dirty dishes and wipe them clean. From time to time, I take a peek at them - chatting, jestering around to some topics.
If it weren't for this white haired girl between us, I would have gone into a small conversation and I probably get to know Mei better.
I inwardly shake my head and release a sigh at the possibility that could happen. Next time, perhaps.
"What's up?"
"Huh-wha?"
I whip my head at Kiana, staring at me with a familiar look.
"You were haaaa like a grumpy, old man." She imitates me. "Are you alright?"
That came out as if she's mocking me or something.
"Just...wondering." I set the clean bowl to the side. "About the cat."
She grumbles, "Cats are nice."
Well, I much prefer canines, thank you very much.
"You prolly have done something that made her upset." She says with a matter-of-fact tone while wiping a spoon.
I lift my brow, "Are you saying that I did something wrong?"
"Eh, maybe." She purses her lips. "They wouldn't get agitated easily if they weren't in sorta danger."
I have picked the wrooong reasoning on this one.
"She... probably just didn't like me, then."
"Probably..."
Kiana gives me a sidelong glance that goes unnoticed by the others. But I did. That look tells me a lot of things, and one of them are disbelief.
...No, I just don't know. I cannot read her at all. There's like this some sort of mystifying feeling when I was talking with her. I do not like it one bit. Is it our first terrible encounter that made me feel this way? Or Is it because of that white hair that reminds me of them?
Preposterous.
I quicken my work, trying to shake off this horrendous atmosphere away that is trying to linger around me.
"Aah~~ " Himeko moans, rather loudly, behind us. When I glance over my shoulder to see her, I gawk at the amount of empty cans on the table.
Two, three, five...Six beers she has taken this evening.
"Good lord..." I mutter, focusing back as I scrub the final plate.
Mei nod, "She's always like this."
"Seriously?"
"Auntie has some serious drinking issues." Kiana scoffs.
"I can hear you talkin'!" Himeko yells. "It's not an issue; it's love for friggin' alcohol!"
"And there she goes..."
I shouldn't be surprised at how the redhead went almost gung-ho about running out of drinks yesterday.
"Lively." I open the cabinet above me and place the dry plates and bowls onto the respective racks. "That's all of them."
"Uh-huh, job well done!" Kiana grins ear-to-ear. "Onto the TV I go, now!"
"You girls..." Himeko groans as she empties another can. "Need I remind you girls about the upcoming exam?"
"Grk!" The Kaslana stops her thunderous steps. "We-We still have time!"
"In two weeks, sugar." Himeko replies with a smirk.
"Hah! Two weeks are still long. Nothing to worry about."
"Mhm, mhm. I can already see the future..."
Himeko opens another can leaving Kiana puzzled as she rolls her eyes and scratches her head.
"We should study a little bit." Mei takes a towel, walks to the table and cleans it up.
"Mmm." The white haired girl crosses her arms. "But I don't wanna..."
"It's for your own good."
"...Fine." Her shoulders go limp as if it's being dragged to the floor. "But, um, after I watch the show, okay?"
Mei is about to say something, but she closes her lips, nodding with a sweet smile.
"Sure."
"Yippee!"
As I watch the conversation unfolded itself as I lean on the counter, Kiana runs to the couch. Only to find Bronya sitting there the whole time - and another bickering starts. Which Himeko shakes her head at the ensues, going back to her drink.
"You're not gonna join them?" She suddenly asks while glancing to me.
"Hm?" I blink. "Oh, well, as much as I would like to. I gotta head up and take a bath, first."
"Suit yourself then."
I smile at her reply and make my way to the stairs. But I hastily stop once I pass the wooden frame, walking backwards to my hanging bag and jacket. I have made a quick decision to bring them up with me.
"That belongs to Kiana, by the way." Himeko mentions while pointing at the outerwear.
"Oh..." No wonder it's small - and tight.
"You can just leave it." She suggests, but my eyes hastily looking back and forth.
No, no, no - Everything has gone wrong. Extremely wrong. I have to come up with another excuse, else they'll suspect the camera in my bag.
"Uh, I'll take it upstairs."
She raises a brow after sipping her beer, her face is showing wild confusion. "Why?"
Because I love this jacket? Because I hate it, I want to burn it? Rack up your brain of yours, Kilo, you nitwit!
" 'Cause it got hit by the rain a little, you know, it's become dirty and greasy with my sweat." I nod sagely. "That's why I'll clean it up and make it brand new."
Kill me.
"Um, you can just put it in the washing machine. Let me take you to it." Mei voices her help but I instantly raise my hands - politely reject her offer with a smile.
"Oh, I already know where it is. And, please, It's my responsibility to do so. I mean, I certainly borrowed her stuff, it's the right thing to pay her back."
I let out a laugh. They both staring at me as long as I could count.
"Suuuure..." Himeko slowly nods.
"Excellent - I'll be going up now."
"I didn't mean..."
Too late, Himeko. I am already gone like a wind as I rush to the 2nd floor.
"Yeah...washing...stupid." I shake my head.
My heavy steps echo through the hallway. I suspect the machine is at the room at the end of it, and I head to it. I push the handle and swings the door open. The first thing I see a total darkness - The hallway lights don't help illuminating the room and no windows whatsoever.
I pat the side of the wall. The switch shouldn't be at the end of this room. Else, it would be a moronic design from an incompetent fool.
I feel a lump, a smooth texture. It doesn't take me a while as I immediately find the switch and presses it.
"Let there be light..."
A three-by-three room. The white washing machine is on the opposite corner of the room, an aluminum rack with a couple of cleaning tools on the side. I walk in towards the machine, opening it up and place the outerwear in.
"Cometh the dark." I turn off the light, close the door and head to my room.
I lock my room's door just for a safety purposes as I take out the camera and places it on my desk. I sit down on my chair, taking the phone and Frank's contact card out. There's no need for me to turn the light on, I'll be out to the bathroom in a minute.
I dial in the numbers and leave the device on the table as it's reaching out to the receiver. I check the condition of my bag by rubbing it in and out. No apparent damage as I can see and feel. That's a relief.
I place the bag to the side. Afterwards, I switch the digital camera on, and begin to shuffle through the images once again. Before I can do that, however, Frank finally picks up the call.
"Hello, this is Frank Eastberg, the most renowned journalist, speaking."
Most renowned journalist...?
I roll my eyes and pick up my phone, "Hi, Mister Frank. It's me, Kilo."
"OH, Kilo! Evening, son. Did you get them? "
"Yeah." I check the pictures with my other hand. "I got them all."
"Ahaha, niceee! "
There's the gate, the library, square, garden-
"So, how do we mee-..."
I stop talking when I stare at the image of the abandoned building. Uneasiness creeping through my skin, thoughts dwelling into my mind when I see the windows. Of that pink silhouette.
"Kid...? Hey, you there? "
I snap back to reality, "Oh...Sorry, uh, when and where can we meet tomorrow?"
"We'll be waiting at Wan Ah's at lunch. Do you know where Wan Ah's is, right? Their noodles are top tier! "
I have the trusty internet to check that place and guide me around, so I don't need to ask about it.
"Sounds great." I make my voice an excited teenager. "I'll see you there then, Mister Frank."
"Arrivederci, my dear boy! "
Arri-what?
As he hangs up, my face scrunches and I stare at the screen. That was clearly not Estonian. Could be Italian, but I'm not sure.
Speaking of trusty internet, I feel intrigued - immediately searching for the word in my phone.
Oh, it is Italian. That's very charming.
I set down my phone and rub my face. Doing a little stretches to relax my tension-
All of a sudden, I hear a knocking on my door and my heart skips a beat. Please don't tell me that's Himeko.
I quickly gear my brain up. Definitely no more throwing excuses to someone's face for today, I am horrendously tired of it. Now where can I hide this camera? There's no gap under the bed - out of the question. The wardrobe would be a good spot-
Yeah, that's it!
"Uhh, in a second!" I deliberately shout while snatching the camera, quickly moving to the wardrobe and stores it.
There we go - I don't need to worry about it anymore...for now.
I shake my head as I head to the door, unlocks it and swings it open.
"Ah, hello."
I widen my eyes. Instead of the redheaded, drunk teacher. I find myself staring at the Japanese teenager - Mei Raiden - standing in front of my room with her nicest smile.
"Hi... Mei." I resist the urge to gulp. No, not in front of her.
"I'm sorry to disturb you." I can see her biting her lower lip a bit.
I quickly shake my head, "No, it's not a problem, really. I was just rela-relaxing for a moment."
"O-Oh, my apologies."
She looks to the side, somehow my heart feels like it's crushed.
"Really, it's fine!" I put up a hand to reassure her accompanied by a smile. "I was just about to take a bath, anyways."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah." I say. "I mean, wouldn't want me being a skunk around the house now, would I?"
I lightly jest. She lets out a soft giggle while hiding her mouth with her palm. A strange, womanly-like manner. Nevermind that, Mei Raiden just laughed at my little humor.
"Ahaha. We-Well uhh," I softly cough. "What is it, Mei? Anything I can do to help?"
"Ah, no. I'm just telling you that there's some apples downstairs." She says. "I already cut them for everyone so um, if you want to, you can head down."
The way she speaks like a gentle lady, the way that her hesitancy shows when she's talking to me as I look at her pair of indigo eyes-
Jesus, Mary and Joseph. I... I need to breathe. Why does everything feel so hot right now? Right, I haven't turned on the air conditioner. And why or how am I hearing Robert Palmer's song somewhere...?
"I understand." I smile warmly at her. "Thank you for telling me, Mei."
"You're welcome." She responds with a small smile. "See you downstairs, Kilo."
"Yeah. See you..."
She walks her way to the stairs. As I tilt my head to peek from my door frame, I watch as her dark purple hair flows like waves on her back. When she's turned to the staircases, I quickly throw my head back and shut the door before our eyes can meet yet again.
I suck an air through my mouth, placing both of my hands on the door.
"Okay...okay..."
Calm down - Bath, first. And then go down. And then having me some juicy apples. And then have a nice talk, like you usually do, with everyone: Himeko, Bronya and obviously with Mei.
"Okay...okay! "
A newfound energy channels through my whole body. Grinning, I push myself from the door and grab my supplies and head into the bathroom as quickly as possible.
I'll think about a way to deliver the camera tomorrow morning.
I am feeling so good!