Warm, final words: "I'll be counting on you to keep her safe!"
The identity of the one who spoke them had been forgotten, but those words were imprinted on the soul– a mission of great importance.
The mission began after meeting Her.
But who tasked it? Where did this obligation come from?
And why did it hurt whenever "that" name came up?
"Fuck me…" For the first time in months, Suzumiya hadn't approached the office to be reprimanded, but it was still the last place a delinquent like her wanted to be, second only to her classroom. A silver plaque on the door reading "Counselor Ayumi" reflected the annoyance in Suzumiya's violet eyes, and she raked a hand through her hair, exposing triple-pierced ears. Tempting as it was to pretend she'd been absent, a quick check of the attendance sheet would reveal the truth and an even longer lecture would ensue. "Might as well get this shit done," Suzumiya muttered, resigned.
"Then you're finally going to come in?"
"If you knew I was here the whole time, shoulda just said something," she grumbled, frowning her way into the office. The scents of coffee and ink suffocated the musty room, like a fart in an elevator. Suzumiya wanted out.
"Good evening." A thin woman dressed professionally in a brown suit sat beside a heap of papers while clicking away at her keyboard. She spared Suzumiya a cursory glance. "Have a seat. I'm sure you don't want to spend more time here than necessary."
"Got that right." Suzumiya handed the guidance counselor the sheet of paper she'd been crumpling in her hands and plopped down in a chair. Now the persistent nagging could finally end.
"...Is this all?" Counselor Ayumi asked after staring at the paper for a solid minute.
"Woulda written more if I had anything else. Somethin' I did wrong?" There wasn't much on there requiring profound consideration, which was probably the issue. It wasn't her fault she didn't have an entire grocery list– some people enjoyed a more simple, straightforward approach to life.
"Then you have given up on your dreams." Her business-like voice punctuated every word. She shot her a look. "Is that right?"
"Things change," Suzumiya replied with a carefree shrug. "Dunno what else to say, I just don't care about it anymore. Got stale."
"Ms. Naomi." Counselor Ayumi shut off her computer screen and shoved aside her mountain of documents. There were no identifiable emotions on her face, which made reading her impossible. Snow-colored eyes gazed deep into hers, more analytical than understanding. "Regardless of how you may act or the image you want to maintain, I don't think you're stupid."
Suzumiya decided to let that comment slide in the name of remaining cordial. But it was a moot point; there was no need to tell her what she already knew. "Gonna vomit a lecture? I'm done here and can walk right out."
Ayumi shook her head. "No. Lecturing you is pointless, I am aware of that. It would be a waste of your time and my own."
At least we're learning how things work around here. Suzumiya kept the snide remark to herself but didn't withhold a smirk. School life wouldn't be so aggravating if the other teachers gave up hope on her like Ayumi did. "Then what is it?"
"Are you satisfied knowing you're going nowhere, on a crash course for failure?"
A blunt, precise inquiry, a conclusion deduced from all the evidence compiled over her time at this shitty school. Suzumiya Naomi was a ne'er-do-well and an embarrassment of a student, which she herself was already well aware of. The smirk on her lips fell off as she made to leave the counselor's office. "Not your issue. Something happens, I'll figure it out. Always have."
"Very well, you may be excused. And please, knock next time you need something."
"Won't be paying you any visits the conventional way, but I'll keep that in mind." Suzumiya stuffed her hands in her pockets and headed out the door. Her footfalls echoed, growing louder and louder… Oh, she was stomping. "Fucking pathetic," Suzumiya ridiculed herself for letting Ayumi get under her skin with that last comment.
"So I think I got a shot with Yumi. She's been giving me the come-hither eyes since the fair and– eek!"
Suzumiya frowned at the two boys who scrambled to get out of her way. She continued on without sparing them a glance to her classroom, catching some of the conversation they resumed. Rumors spread like wildfire but the way some students exasperated her character to be some hyper-cliche paragon of evil left her exhausted. Killing for money, leader of a crime syndicate, government's most wanted… At least the last one sounded kind of badass.
Bzzt! Her phone vibrated with a message from Riko.
"You done yet?"
"Just wrapped up, about to get my things. Don't tell me you're still on the grounds."
A quick reply: "Duh. I was hanging out with the crew."
"Where are you? I'll come meet you." Suzumiya jogged up a floor to her classroom, gathered her things, and hoofed it to the meet-up spot. Halfway there, her hopes that they had gone home early shattered and a pit formed in her stomach. Drums, trombones, flutes, and saxophones harmonized to create a catchy song. To her it sounded like nails on a chalkboard, nauseating-induced nostalgia, one of the many reasons Suzumiya bolted out the doors in front of the majority of her peers.
"Yo, Suzumiya, hello?" A scampish voice pierced her thoughts, and she glanced down into a pair of amber eyes peering up at her from beneath ginger bangs. How long had she been standing there, out of it? "You home?"
"Ready to go? Had enough of this place for today." Suzumiya played her dazed spell off with her usual swagger and headed for the gates with her friend in tow. "What were you guys doing? Thought we weren't fighting anyone today."
Riko scoffed. "You should've heard what those idiots had to say, talking hot about wanting to finish those Fuyuki punks off."
Suzumiya had enough on her plate; she didn't need them kicking up unnecessary trouble. "Did they go home?"
"If by that you mean did they book it to the arcade, yes. By the way, what'd the counselor have to bug you about?"
"My plans for the future." Suzumiya shrugged, receiving a disinterested "ah" from her friend. "Forgot to turn that in a couple weeks back and they've been harping on it ever since. At least now they can shut up and get off my case."
"I just put a bunch of random shit that sounded good and handed it in. Got my first A," Riko proudly proclaimed, tossing her side ponytail to exaggerate the greatness of that simple feat.
"Maybe I should've done that." Oversight aside, Suzumiya was curious: what were Riko's plans for the future, what'd she have in mind? Knowing her it was probably nothing, but she still pondered the subject all the way to the train station where they split off for the day. Several students from school recognized her and immediately scattered like a flock of birds. Her train arrived sooner rather than later. I should be able to make it! I can't wait! Stepping onto the train and finding a seat, Suzumiya's jovial mood soured as a rather vexing dilemma approached her.
"Suzumiya Naomi." Cigarette smoke wafted off the brunette student. His black, buttoned down, old-fashioned uniform told her which school he attended, and in turn, the group to which he belonged.
"Fuyuki need something from me? As you can see, I'm tired," Suzumiya said.
"Won't take long, promise."
"That right?" The train screeched to a halt at the next stop. Passengers filed out of the car and even more stepped in as the Fuyuki goon stood waiting patiently for her all the while. Sighing, not willing to get into any scraps on the train, Suzumiya begrudgingly followed him off. Two other students stalked after her. They didn't seem that tough, though one boy wearing some old bruises glared at her particularly hard. She was led away from the hustle and bustle into an alley removed from any possible witnesses.
"Sorry about the sudden request. Lemme introduce myself. Name's Kouto Ashigami, leader of the Fuyuki group. Y'know, the guys you and your pals shoved into the pavement last month when I was away."
As if you'd have made a difference. For someone claiming to be their head honcho, he didn't seem too broken up about the situation. Suzumiya scoffed. "Don't tell me you want payback. Horoscope say you'd have good fortune or what? If so, it's lying."
"Think you're fucking funny?" one of the delinquents at her six snarled. He was really giving her the third degree.
Kouto put a disarming hand out. "Easy bud, no need to get all heated over nothing. Gotta work on the way you treat women."
"That bitch ain't no fucking woman," he spat.
"The rack and ass says otherwise, my friend," Kouto crudely corrected. "Sorry about him. He's not in the best mood after meeting the girl who dug her knuckles into his solar plexus."
Suzumiya raised a brow at the boy in question. That did explain why he seemed so hostile toward her, but he wasn't ringing any bells. Either his face truly was that forgettable, or it spoke to the amount of people she'd pummeled over the years. "And you're conscious? Not used to that."
"My buddies are still feelin' it. Heard you were a fucking monster in human skin but I wasn't expecting the scary superstar delinquent of Osawa to be some cute blonde chick." Kouto rubbed his chin and nodded in approval. "Developed in all the right places and can kick some serious ass? Definitely checking all my boxes."
"Goodie," she groaned. "There a point, sleazeball? Or did you just pull me off the train to hit on me?"
"How about you leave those Osawa losers and join us?"
"An invite? You gotta be kidding."
But the guy was dead serious. "We'll be getting bigger and bigger, and there's no point sticking with gutter trash who just ride your coattails all day. After you thrashed a good chunk of my guys, we're running a little low, but you alone would make up that deficit. Whaddaya say? Put the past behind us?"
"So that brat Irina can stalk me? No thank you."
Kouto's confident smirk wavered. "What does that runt have to do with any of this?"
"Your reaction speaks for itself. I already knew that pipsqueak sucked you into her fold before we even laid our hands on you. She's the only one who gives a shit about diplomacy, trying to gather her troops. Hate to say it, but you don't come off as the type smart enough to think before you punch." Suzumiya tossed her bag aside like training weights. In an instant, the atmosphere around her shifted dramatically, her violet eyes turning sharp as daggers. "I got better things to do than waste time replaying some B-movie script. For making me miss my appointment, I'm gonna kick your asses twice as hard. So I'd pick that pipe back up," she advised the seething individual behind her who'd been itching to take a swing at her since the station.
"Guess that's that." Kouto cracked his knuckles and grinned toothily. "We kick your ass, we'll be famous. Shit, might even be called a hero."
"Then you're shit outta luck." Suzumiya caught the sound behind her and ducked the swinging pipe ready to take her head off. Maneuverability was low; three of them, one of her, all sides blocked off. Good thing the moron who swung couldn't control himself. She rebounded faster than her attacker and delivered a jaw-breaking uppercut that swept the punk off his feet right into dreamland. Obviously that didn't dissuade his friend from jumping into the action with a slow and sloppy haymaker that Suzumiya sidestepped. She elbowed him in the nose bridge and delivered a haymaker of her own that laid the delinquent flat on his ass.
"I hope downing those idiots doesn't fill your head with ideas!" Kouto charged low and opened up with a straight punch. Suzumiya weaved backward to just barely escape his arm span and threw a right cross. It surprised her when he ducked and backed off, reevaluating the situation. This was one of the rare instances where Suzumiya encountered someone who could fight instead of flailing around hoping to hit something. Kouto rushed back in, swinging faster than before, mixing up his hooks and crosses with fakes. He was light on his feet, and from the look of it had dabbled in boxing, but he was nothing compared to her. Scoring a decisive blow while he was far too engrossed in himself wasn't too difficult; a single punch to the gut, her fist buried in his diaphragm, was all it took.
"Haven't heard the phrase 'heroes never win', have you?" Suzumiya ripped her fist out as if it were a knife and the once cocky delinquent crumpled to his knees clutching his stomach.
"H-holy…!" He attempted to rise but pain blooming in his gut, notably his ribs, kept Kouto hunched. One fucking hit and I'm down?! Absolute disbelief. A brick, a truck– no, a tank round blew through his stomach just now, not a fist!
"Damn, think I missed a few. Those lower ribs are pretty hard to reach y'know."
Kouto struggled to look up, his face paling. Those cold, deadly violet eyes didn't belong to some cute high school girl– those were the eyes of a demon. His cockiness faded, he sweated from every pore. She looked massive in comparison to him. He tried to open his mouth but was still in the middle of catching his breath. Suzumiya gripped his collar and hoisted the boy up to eye-level, forcing him to look at her.
"Tell that bitch Irina not to fuck with me. If I see you again, I'll shove my foot so far up your ass you'll taste my shoelaces, got me?" Suzumiya cracked her head against his and dropped the unconscious hotshot like a bag of trash. She exhaled, picked up her bookbag, and decided to walk the rest of the way home. It would take thirty minutes, but Suzumiya didn't feel like waiting for another train. Her attitude soured over missing her appointment, she regretted not kicking their asses harder and had a mind to turn back to check if they were still unconscious in that alleyway to rectify that.
"Welcome home, Jitterbug!" a languid voice bellowed from the living room when she got home. Suzumiya poked her head in and found her mother strewn across the sofa, her long black hair draped over the couch like a curtain.
"One of those days?" Suzumiya asked sarcastically, eying the keg of beer at her feet.
"Don't start bitching now, you just got home. Can't your mom crack open a cold one after a hard day at work?"
Liquor went down like water for her mother so explaining the difference between one and a dozen was admittedly pointless. She was still in her work uniform so it didn't seem like she'd bothered to head upstairs before having a couple too many. "I'll be in my room."
"You don't want anything to eat?"
"Not hungry." Too annoyed. Suzumiya jogged up to her room and tossed her bag at the foot of her bed. Exhaustion hit hard as she collapsed onto the mattress with a long, deep, heavy sigh. She glanced over at what used to be a great source of passion and entertainment leaning against the wall, underutilized: her guitar. "Then you have given up on your dreams," Ayumi's voice echoed in her mind. Suzumiya picked it up as if under some compulsion, holding the instrument gingerly in her arms like a baby; it used to be, anyway. "I just know there's no damn point." Suzumiya voiced her thoughts and plucked a string. "Out of tune, huh?"
Bzzt! Riko texted: "Got home alright?"
Suzumiya debated mentioning her encounter with the Fuyuki punks and decided to explain what happened: "Yeah. Some douchebags decided to gang up on me, those Fuyuki guys. Kicked their asses so we're all good." Suzumiya finished with a thumbs up emoji and sent.
"I wish I was there!" Suzumiya could practically hear the excitement in Riko's voice. "What move did you use? The tornado diver, devil's armbar, thousand years of death?!"
"What are these fucking names, especially that last one…" Riko had created a fighting game encyclopedia move list for techniques she apparently possessed. Suzumiya never cared to dig into it but wondered where she got it from. "Took care of 'em easy. And… all of them I guess."
"Now I really wish I was there!" Riko sent some angry boxing GIF to accentuate her frustration. "Looks like these assholes're gonna have to think twice before fucking with us! By the way, did you run into that guy again?"
"Not on the way home, no."
"Was he in today? Coulda sworn I saw him hangin' out with that one kid he always talks too."
"He was in class, but must've left earlier than me. I still think you're overreacting."
"You're the one who said you thought he was a bit suspicious, with him watchin' you a lot and stuff. I've run into him once myself and there's definitely something up with him. I think he might be our rat, and so does everyone else."
"That doesn't say much." Those rowdy morons were good for fighting and fighting only; using their heads for anything but was a waste of time. "I'll keep my eyes open like always, but I'd rather not think it's a classmate."
"If it's not, great. The sooner we get this done, though, the sooner we can get them to spill on Irina. We'll have every single prefecture before we graduate if this keeps up!"
"Graduate, huh." Suzumiya's thumbs froze on her keyboard. She responded with a simple "Yeah" then shut her phone off. Refocusing her attention back on her guitar, Suzumiya stared wistfully at it. How pathetic; she was at a total loss. "There's gotta be somethin' more than this…" She plucked the string again, getting the same off-key note as before.
What is this? Noel could finally hear herself think. It felt like she was trudging through mud. Her hazy mind cleared and the scene before her gradually vanished until an old, decrypt hallway surrounded her. "I was… what?"
"You managed to return. Good. Less hassle for me," came the apathetic words of Rachel standing right beside her. One thing still was missing, or in this case, two.
"I hope… Ragna and Kyo are alright." Getting separated in the unknown territory of their enemy did not bode well for them. They all knew navigation wasn't going to be a cakewalk if the intended purpose of this place was to remain hidden from any prying eyes. Adding to Noel's stress was the fact that Rachel just wasn't a good conversationalist. Hopefully she only imagined her fidgeting, though she doubted Rachel cared about that kind of thing so long as their objective was reached. It honestly made it more nerve-wracking…
"For that fool's sake, pray he and the boy are together. Else he may never escape from this place," Rachel remarked.
"I'm sure…" Noel couldn't finish her sentence. Navigating without a proper guide would be challenging since Ragna lacked the same innate keen sense she possessed. "I'm sure he'll be just fine!"
"If the Observer does not get a hold of him."
A morbid outcome to be sure. Rachel's dire warning prior to their infiltration echoed in her mind: "Remain conscious of 'yourself', lest you lose all that you are." Terrifying to say the least that an Observer possessed the power to overwrite their memories. This Fractured World, this false reality, would be considered "normal" for them and any attempt to return to their world would prove impossible, a permanent integration under the watchful puppeteer. Just thinking about it made her skin crawl. As if fighting against these monsters wasn't enough… "Are these visions caused by the Observer? I don't think so, right?"
"No. We are merely approaching the epicenter and these memories are flooding in from the Boundary."
So they are more than just illusions and tricks. "Do they belong to the Observer?" Experiencing them produced the same melancholic sensation Noel felt before diving in. She couldn't make sense of how this was the Observer's desire, but while certainly not its intended purpose, it made things easier for her. The way forward was becoming so much clearer.
"Possibly. I would not rely on it too much, they are merely residual memories. The only reason we are able to experience them is because we have gotten close enough to the epicenter of this world," Rachel explained.
"And it's where the Cauldron is, right?" Noel placed a hand over her chest, a wistful look in her eyes. "I wonder… who that Suzumiya person was."
"Are you going to stand there much longer?" Rachel called from a few feet away, having already started off. "Idling for long is not in our best interest. I fear what that buffoon might do if he arrives at the Observer first."
"R-right!" Noel caught up to her, the memories flashing through her mind. She rubbed her arms, suddenly feeling cold.
An intimate restaurant in the afternoon, a quarter of its capacity filled. The calm atmosphere served as the perfect place to study. Sitting by a window were two teenage boys, one of whom appeared far more dead than the other. Ai Ohara drummed his fingers on his arms, waiting for his friend to snap out of his funk. He had jet black hair and dark eyes, wearing a white Osawa High School uniform shirt and black slacks. "C'mon, it isn't that complicated."
"Easy for you to say." Across from him sat Hando Takimine, a boy with brown hair and matching eyes. His cheek pressed against the window as he groaned, "This shit's too hard. Math just doesn't resonate with me."
Ai pointed to the equation he finished explaining. "Just plug the numbers into the formula."
"You make it look so easy." Hando twirled his pencil and glared daggers at the equation. He requested tutelage in hopes of passing his make-up exams, seemingly to no avail. "There has to be a cheat or trick to this…" He gazed at his friend for salvation but found nothing except disdain.
"If you actually studied and concentrated in class, it wouldn't be an issue."
Ai's apathetic response made him wince. "Damn, that's cold… All that preparation and fun at the school fair just consumed all my thinking juices!"
"Sure." Ai sipped his soda to wet his throat. What he said wasn't a lie or an attempt for Hando to learn things the "easy way". There existed many methodologies for achieving the desired result that some considered easier or simpler; not everyone processed information the same way. Ai had tried several alternate methods of problem-solving and came up dry with Hando. Some of the methods only confused him further and worsened the issue.
"Oh well, guess that's the end of the line for me." Hando shrugged with a "not-my problem" attitude and slurped a mouthful of his soda, which, judging by his scrunched expression, had become water at this point. Studying wasn't his thing; he took pride in the fact he managed to squeeze by for so long with passing marks. "Be a friend and get held back with me?"
He really means that. The grin Hando flashed conveyed his seriousness. Ai reacted by tossing a fry in his mouth. Hando was a good-looking guy popular with girls, but he lacked the brains to apply himself to anything other than concocting schemes to shirk responsibilities. "You're not getting left behind," Ai said, "stop being a drama queen and focus. Let's take it from the top."
"What a fuckin' day!"
A cacophony of swearing and cackling barreled in through the front door, the comforting ambience of the family restaurant ruined by the octet of delinquents. They wore Osawa High School uniforms with aesthetic alterations dancing on the edge of acceptable attire. Ai shot Hando an accusing look, as if his baleful groan summoned the horde of troublemakers. "Happy?"
"Don't look at me!" Hando exclaimed. He glanced at them, then leaned in to whisper, "Maybe we should go."
"Ignore them," Ai sighed. Out of all the places they could have gone, they chose this restaurant. Didn't they have a parking lot to stink up or an alleyway to loiter in? I hate delinquents.
"Suzumiya sent those jokers packing!" Riko, the one girl among the group of degenerate boys, bounced on her toes. She was absolutely beside herself after getting to watch Suzumiya decimate another legion of losers trying to take them out to boost their reputation for defeating the Suzumiya Naomi.
"As if those fucking pussies had any chance!" The most defining attribute of the boy who shared in Riko's enthusiasm was his daunting height.
"What a pain…" Even though Ai was the one who said to ignore them, that proved impossible now as the gang took their spots by some tables behind them, being rowdy. Other customers who had been enjoying their meals and the serenity of the restaurant quietly paid their tabs and slipped out. Ai and Hando wouldn't be far behind them.
"You guys don't gotta go cuz of us, y'know," the crude voice of Riko, who made up sixty percent of the noise, called over to them. "We'll tone it down for you nerds, so get back to studying or whatever you were doing," she chuckled.
"We were just leaving," Ai replied curtly.
"We said you don't hafta." A burly guy sitting across from Riko who quite frankly looked far too old to be in their grade narrowed his eyes at them, as if offended by what he said.
This is getting annoying. Giving people like them any kind of attention, no matter how slight, only ended poorly. Ai had reflexively acknowledged them and it was far too late to feign deafness like Hando had done. "And I said we were just leaving. More room for you guys, so why the hell do you care?"
"Son of a…" Hando rubbed his temples. Him kicking Ai wasn't direct enough for him to cut it out. He shrunk down as Riko walked over with two other guys to their table. One of them had piercings up the wazoo while the other had an elaborate tattoo on the side of his face traveling down his neck.
Nothing memorable and certainly nothing to be scared of.
"The fuck's your problem?" the one with the piercings sneered, getting in Ai's face, his eyes wide and wild. "We were being respectful, y'know. Got something against us, you little shit?"
"Respectful?" Ai coughed a laugh. Then, he matched and surpassed the glare thrown his way. "Coming into a quiet restaurant, making a bunch of noise, and disturbing the customers into leaving isn't being respectful, it's being a dick."
A vein popped out in his forehead. "Oh yeah?"
Nothing pissed Ai off more than some street thugs who flaunted themselves because they believed they were hot shit and could do whatever they wanted. They weren't special, just some punks who'd taken their rebellious phase a little too seriously. Complete jokes when compared to the real thing. What was he supposed to be scared of? I really hate delinquents. Ai meant that from the bottom of his heart. To him, they were the lowest of the low on the social ladder.
"Got a mouth on you, dont'cha?" Riko's face contorted in annoyance. Now it was her turn to get in his face, big brown eyes staring into his. "Wait a fucking second, I know you. You're the—"
"The hell're you doin', Riko?" a commanding voice cut in. Entering the scene was a girl with long blonde hair and piercing violet eyes sporting the same female uniform as Riko. All the snickering from the band of delinquents ceased and the air went still as their leader arrived.
"Suzumiya, there you are! What took you so long?" Riko questioned.
She nonchalantly pointed outside. "Vending machine was broken and it took my yen. Thankfully some uppity jackass was more than happy to let me borrow his head to fix it. So, what's going on here?"
"Nothing you need to worry about. Was just giving this cocky dork a little scare, remind him to be respectful to others."
"That right?" Piercing violet eyes turned on Ai.
The hell…? For the first time since his engagement with this group did Ai feel any sense of warning. The glare lasted a moment but felt like an eternity, the real thing. She could give my dad a run for his money. Ai maintained his front, but under her chilling gaze, it might not last much longer. It was a good thing she switched targets.
"I hope you're tellin' me the fucking truth here, Riko. Something tells me you dumbasses started shit and not the other way around."
"W-what?! No!" Riko vehemently denied. Sweat beaded down her face as that terrifying gaze shown only to her opponents were now locked dead on her. All the bravado and confidence vanished from the rowdy girl; she looked like a kicked puppy.
"I could hear you idiots from outside. Comin' into a quiet restaurant, making up a shit ton of fucking noise, and bothering the customers into leaving isn't respectful, it's being a bunch of tools. For fuck's sake…" Suzumiya's shoulders slouched and she heaved an annoyed sigh. "How many times do I gotta say it? Stop screwing with ordinary people. They got no beef with us and we got none with them."
"But he's–!"
"My fucking classmate." Suzumiya stepped up to Riko, the height difference small but somehow daunting now, like a giant to an ant. "We don't know anything. Most importantly, it's my fucking business, so I'll handle it."
Riko's head hung. "Y-you're… right. But it was this lug's stupid ass idea!"
"Me?!" The pierced lug in question gasped at being thrown under the bus like that.
"Like I give a shit!" The excuse didn't net any points and only made Suzumiya angrier. "Think it matters whose dumbass idea it was? Stop bothering normal people, it makes me look bad." She looked side-long at the pair of boys. "You were on your way, weren't you?"
"Yes we were!" Hando shot out of his seat, packed all their materials away, and dragged Ai out of the restaurant in under five seconds before they could remain the center of attention any longer. Once they'd reached far enough from the restaurant, Hando crushed Ai's face between his palms and forced their gazes to meet. His eyes were bloodshot, and not from lack of sleep. "Are you trying to get us both killed?!"
"Sorry," was all Ai could muster.
"Jeez, man." His sincere tone reduced Hando's anxiety. It never ceased to surprise him that beneath the calm and apathetic facade Ai wore lay a combative spirit. In a way, it was amusing to see. "Look, I get it. They rub me the wrong way, too. For you, a thousand times as much. But come on… you're supposed to be the smart one. If Naomi didn't save us, those guys would've turned you into paste."
"Yeah… that was unexpected." Ai never foresaw the day when a delinquent would show up and play superhero. Well, he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.
"On the subject, how does she know you? Pretty sure she doesn't attend or pay attention enough in class to remember anyone, let alone your boring ass face." Hando smirked and playfully punched him in the side. "Holding out on me? Something going on between you two?"
"Shut up…"
Hando blinked. "Wait, for real? Is something actually going on between you two?"
"No, asshole," Ai grimaced.
"Phew!" Hando wiped his forehead dramatically. "Scared me for a second there. Wouldn't blame you, though. First time I saw Naomi, it was love at first sight. I mean, who wouldn't fall for her?"
"Me," Ai answered.
"Yeah but that's because you haven't matured enough, some parts still aren't in working order." Ai rolled his eyes at the insinuation. "Would've gone for Naomi if it wasn't for all that baggage. I guess that doesn't stop a few guys from thinking about it. Still, hard no. That's coming from me, so you know it's too dangerous!"
"Must be, since anything with a heartbeat works for you," Ai jibed.
Hando's expression fell. "That just ain't right, man. Well, if it's not that, must be your reputation as a delinquent hater."
"That makes more sense." A reputation that left him alone for the duration of his first and second years of high school, the one kid who wasn't afraid to tell a punk off. Only during the first week of this semester had he made a friend in Hando, who had transferred in from another school and handpicked Ai as the "brainiac" of class to cozy up to. He conveyed every generic pretty boy hotshot trope, but Ai soon discovered the cover of the book did not entirely define its contents. "Personally could do without it."
"Not with that attitude. Oh well, I guess that makes you, you. About time I head to work myself!"
"Then it's been going good between you and her?" Hando donned a big, dorky grin and showed Ai his phone screen. The background was a photo of him and a fair-skinned girl smiling cheek to cheek. She was a junior visiting the school fair that Osawa hosted last week. Ai hadn't even met the girl but felt like he knew everything about her thanks to Hando's incessant rambling.
"Fantastic! Love of my damn life. Which means I don't have any more time to waste on you." Hando spun on his heel and took off, throwing him a wave as he disappeared into the crowd.
"Lucky him, I guess." Ai made a pit stop at a convenience store on the way to the train station for dinner. A thought to walk home crossed his mind but that was a thirty-minute trek he lacked the energy for. The run-in with those delinquents exhausted him more than he thought, their encounter replaying in an endless loop all the way to the station. The strength in those violet irises had left an imprint in his mind. Suzumiya, huh? Out of all of her crew, Suzumiya felt like the real deal; however, despite being the leader of said delinquent gang, she was… tame?
"Now boarding…"
"Shit!" Ai swiftly took out his train pass and raced for the closing doors. He practically threw himself in and breathed a sigh of relief, managing to make it. Unfortunately, in his haste, he pushed someone aside and nearly knocked them down. Right when Ai opened his mouth to apologize for his rudeness, familiar violet eyes shut him up.
Of course she had to be the one he bumped into.
Her sharp eyes made his blood run cold. Ai supposed it was a blessing that none of her cronies were around, but he knew for a fact that she didn't need any of them to put his ass into the concrete. The best thing to attempt here was to smooth things over and hope everything ended peacefully. "You're… not hurt, are you?" he asked.
Suzumiya straightened herself. "I'm fine."
"Good. Uh, sorry about that. I was in a rush. A bad excuse, I know, but I didn't mean to bulldoze you like that."
"Nah, it's all good," she finally replied after a brief silence. "I was blockin' the doors, anyway. Should've moved aside." With that, Suzumiya strode to the far corner of the train car and took out her phone.
That was easy. Ai put a hand over his rapidly beating heart and exhaled. Now he was thankful for her bad attendance; this tension was far too much for him to handle on a daily basis. Twice in one day he'd run into her only for the situation to diffuse calmly, sparing a good chunk of his lifespan. Ai leaned against the doors and closed his eyes, waiting for his stop to finally arrive so he could just throw himself into bed and call it a day. However, when his stop came, so did hers.
We get off at the same station, really? Ai glanced at Suzumiya, whose eyes hadn't left her phone for the entire train ride. Although her friends not being here was a comfort to Ai, the likelihood they rode the train this way wasn't out of the question and he might not get so lucky next time something like this occurred. Unknown to Ai, his stares did not go unnoticed.
"Could he really be…?" Suzumiya kept him in her peripheral view as she walked off. "Guess we'll see."
"This is such a pain in the ass!" Sitting atop a case of boxes was a petite girl with wild, shoulder-length black hair. She chewed on a fingernail in contemplation regarding the news an underling brought. "That makes eight so far. The hell does that bitch think she's playin' at?"
"Making us look like fools." Relaxed on a withered stool was a stylish girl with blue hair who appeared far more interested in attending to her nails than this emergency meeting, which she was. She'd rather be home right now, giving herself a pedicure instead of suffocating in a worn out shed talking strategy.
"Anytime you wanna give some insightful comments instead of working on your nails, Shiori."
"Any comment I would give you would go completely ignored. I mean, look at you," she laughed,
A tick mark. "The fuck does that mean?!"
"Your sense of fashion, Irina." She scrutinized her leader's choice of outfit, which consisted of a trench coat decorated with a bunch of corny buttons that screamed "rebel" like "fuck the rules" or "die!" over her white and blue navy school uniform. Her hair remained wild to hit that rebel motif and Shiori just shook her head at the methodology behind the aesthetic. Perhaps it fit the one who ruled with an iron fist over more than fifty percent of the delinquent gangs across all prefectures, but Shiori only saw wasted potential. "A cute girl like you wasting her assets, however small, with subpar fashion sense. Smaaaaall," she repeated with a mocking grin.
"I get it, I'm a munchkin! You don't have to emphasize it so much just because you were born privileged, you stupid bitch!" Irina directed her rage toward the massive sweater puppies Shiori was happy to flaunt. Her explosion went ignored as Shiori took out a small mirror and fiddled with her bangs. Oh, how Irina wanted to smash it…
"Watch for wrinkles with all that frowning."
"Back to the matter at hand!" Irina cleared her throat and restrained her urge to shove Shiori through the wall like a battering ram. "No matter how many groups we crush, we'll lose our standing and everyone we've sucked in if this one dumb bitch and her brigade are enough to pick us off."
"Kinda their faults for picking fights with her, dont'cha think?" said the muscle on the team, Miyazaki Gojo. Her deep voice rocked the creaky wooden walls. Standing tall enough to be forced to crouch a little, her white and navy blue school uniform snugly outlined all of her muscles to the point of tearing. She had already accelerated that process by ripping off the sleeves to reveal biceps that made men feel inadequate. "Everyone keeps saying that if they take her out, they'll get respect or power or girls or whatever. Fighting Suzumiya does sound fun, dont'cha think? Haha!"
"Not to me. I only ever fight people weaker than me. All that effort confronting an 'equal' sounds like a drag," Shiori said, taking out a complete make-up kit. Where was she even keeping that?
"It's fun having someone to keep pace with you! Better than some punk who goes down after just a couple punches, dont'cha think?" Miyazaki thought she was making a solid point but Shiori clearly didn't resonate with it.
"I'm not a muscle head and I hate anything that makes me sweat, so no, I don't." Shiori delicately painted her nails, smiling while she worked, to the annoyance of their leader. "We can't tell them not to fight, and we can't fight ourselves. Fight and we lose, stop them from fighting and they leave. We just have to wait for the intel to come back, even if it takes a while. But I know how you hate waiting, Iri sweetie."
Irina harrumphed. "Irina. I'm the fucking leader here, treat me with damn respect!" Growling at being ignored once again for stupid nail polish, Irina considered her friend's words. Shiori wasn't wrong; Irina understood that taking on the Oni of Osawa in a head-to-head fight would only usher in massive casualties. The win-to-loss ratio was far too high, and the probability of defeat wasn't off the table. They needed an edge, something to use, an Achilles heel.
"I'm sure he can handle it. Been able to keep an eye on her this whole time without coming back in a body bag. We just gotta be patient, dont'cha think?" Miyazaki never was on-board with the spy idea. A head-to-head fight, no tricks, bare-knuckle brawling was her cup of tea. Her ideals clashed with Irina, but it wasn't like they got in each other's way.
Irina grumbled and folded her arms in thought. "I was thinking about taking the gang out to gather more troops from smaller groups, but it might set the opposite example. Ugh, this is frustrating…"
"Using your head isn't hiding, you know. Just because those knuckle-dragging morons and floozies want to go in guns blazing doesn't mean you should. I actually think taking in more troops is a good idea." Shiori stashed her make-up and gave Irina her full attention. "Sure, some will think you're cowardly, but it's just strategy. Keep the fear up on other upstart groups who have any funny ideas, and give everyone a way to let off some steam."
"Hey, that was pretty smart! Sometimes I forget you're not dumb like me. You should speak up more, dont'cha think?" Miyazaki offered a hearty grin and Shiroi just rolled her eyes.
"I'm just calling it like I see. Besides, I've gotta do my hair and forgot my blow-dryer so let's hurry this up."
"And here I thought you brought all that shit with you," Irina muttered. Her phone vibrated with a special ringtone, indicating this was a little bug. Reading the message sent curved her lips into a mischievous grin. "Interesting… She's been without her groupies more, eh?" Pinning down Suzumiya's location proved challenging for Irina. Oftentimes she spent her entire evenings among a throng of idiots and proved adept at sneaking away. "Keeping an eye on her just got easier. That made my night!"
"Meeting adjourned?" Shiori hoped. Receiving the okay, she got up and did a full body stretch. "Seriously, these meetings should be done on the phone so I don't have to come all the way out here."
"It sets the mood, quit complaining! What kind of self-respecting gang plans over texts?!" Irina spat. "Besides, you spend so much damn time making yourself look like a Barbie that you never pick up the phone to talk. So I can't trust that."
Shiori waved her complaints off. "Whateeever. You're just overdramatic. Need to dial it back on all that anime."
"That's like telling you to dial it back on those cosmetics, dont'cha think?" Miyazaki chuckled.
"It's not that bad," Irina defended.
Shiori glared then. "And what's that supposed to mean? Taking care of yourself is bad now?"
"There's taking care of yourself, and then there's dressing a fucking doll. If you don't get it, you're the latter," Irina grinned.
"I got it, thank you. I hope Minami dies."
"Huh?!" Irina gasped at the world-crushing wish Shiori uttered as she left. "If he dies, your ass is grass! Get back here, you normie bitch!" Irina shouted as she dashed after her.
Miyazaki didn't understand what they were talking about and just followed them.
"Everyone, I want to congratulate you on your wonderful contributions that made the Osawa fair another success. Do keep in mind that now that it's out of the way, midterm preparations will continue."
Grouching, grumbling, and groans permeated the classroom as the teacher reminded them of the tests ahead. One of the biggest whiners was the dying animal sitting in front of Ai who would sadly complain to him later about how doomed he was. The only other person not buckling to their knees was the renowned delinquent whose attendance these past couple days left everyone pondering if nuclear winter was incoming. She stared wistfully out the window, either not caring about what the teacher said or given up on passing. Probably both.
The bell rang and everyone started filing out for gym class. Ai shouldered his satchel and walked a dispirited Hando out of the classroom. However…
"What're you lookin' at?" Riko's expression turned hostile at the sight of Ai, who'd been standing by the door for a few minutes waiting for her and Suzumiya to step out of the way.
"Can you move now?" he asked as politely as he could, though anyone with a working pair of ears could hear the irritation in his voice.
"My bad," Suzumiya spoke up before Riko could go in for a retort, stepping aside.
"It's fine." Ai continued past with Hando rushing to cling to his side.
"Tch. I'm gonna enjoy clockin' 'im when the time comes," Riko said, slamming her fist into her palm. "Where does that asshole get off?"
Suzumiya silently observed Ai vanish down the hallway with his brooding friend. She was attending more classes in order to ascertain his behavior but couldn't really pin him down. The way he watched her in class didn't reek of malicious intent, at least nothing that appeared to be. But why was he watching her so damn much? "C'mon, let's get some food before the stalls clear out," Suzumiya suggested, and the two girls made their way to the cafeteria. Sadly, a lot of the good items were sold out and they had to settle for their third and fourth options. Taking them and a juice box each, they sat on the staircase.
"They sell out so fuckin' fast… Hey, think we can convince a student to hand over their goods in a trade?" Riko mischievously grinned.
"Don't even think about it. And I hope you're not doing that scummy shit behind my back, Riko."
"I'm not! Just a joke," she laughed.
"Better be." Suzumiya ripped the wrapper of her bread and took a big bite. "Yep… the store's melon pan still sucks," she grumbled and washed it down with apple juice.
"You sure you don't want to hustle some better grub?" Riko jested but would if she asked. But that wouldn't be Suzumiya.
"Posi– ugh… Positive." Suzumiya wasn't about to stain her honor for a piece of bread. Still, it tasted like ash in her mouth. They couldn't add anything to make it better? "Some anpan would be nice," she said wistfully.
"Anpan fuckin' sucks."
"And that's where you shut the fuck up for the rest of this lunch period." Suzumiya spotted a poster on the wall and her expression turned sullen. It was an advertisement for the Osawa school fair someone had forgotten to take down. A couple lingered nearby and it was just such a slap in the face. "It was probably fun as hell…"
"Hehe! That's when I– oh."
Clambering footsteps stopped behind the two delinquents. Color drained from their faces once Riko and Suzumiya made eye contact, the former engaging first. "Got somethin' you want from us?"
"N-nope! Nothing! Come on, babe, this way!"
Riko watched the couple scamper away. Some of their whispers reached her ears and she just scoffed. "The hell did they think we were gonna do to 'em?"
"Not like you pitched the idea of mugging someone not even two minutes ago," Suzumiya commented.
"That was a joke, I said!"
"Obviously ain't for anyone who manages to hear." Not like she cared. Presenting another reason to be wary wouldn't make a difference with the other ten or twenty excuses peers already had to keep their distance. "Still haven't really gotten a good sense of who Ai is."
Riko's mood soured and she took a mean munch of her bread. "I swear, that guy pisses me off, actin' all devil-may-care when we approach him. Think he's hot shit, does he?"
Suzumiya shrugged. "Might be."
"Oh c'mon! Dude's a total nobody. Probably just a front cuz he knows the school'll have his back over ours no matter what."
"Could be." But she highly doubted it. The way he conducted himself wasn't some kind of act, or that he was waiting for a masked hero in tights to swoop in and save his ass when it was crunch time.
"Hey, everything alright? Been actin' weird lately. Like you're down about somethin'."
"It's nothing." Suzumiya remained flippant and finished her snack. In a cosmic twist of fate, another poster advertising the Osawa school festival hung on the wall in front of her. She knew this was all her fault; there wasn't anything she could do and accepted these were the consequences of her life choices. Still, the sour taste in her mouth wouldn't go away and it wasn't the melon bread. It was like someone was mocking her.
"Oh yeah. Been meanin' to ask but what's got you in such a rush to go home these past couple weeks?"
"Family shit. No big deal." Suzumiya wanted to cut the conversation there but Riko pressed the issue.
"I mean, does it have anything to do with Irina's crew?"
Suzumiya had a mind to pin it on delinquent drama but that would only get Riko involved, which would in turn get everyone else involved. Should I just tell her? She contemplated the matter and decided against it. There was no way she could "I've just been trying to lay low, y'know? Gotta throw them off me somehow. Can't do that if I'm always with you guys."
"Wouldn't it make more sense to stay with us for more eyes and ears, that way we can fish them out easier? Maybe even bait them to show us where the rest are hiding?"
Why the fuck are you suddenly using your brain, for fuck sake! The bell couldn't have rung at a better time. Suzumiya left Riko to contemplate as she got through the remainder of her day. With no other engagements and ordering her crew not to start any stupid-ass fights, Suzumiya bolted for the train station. She rode it a couple stops in the opposite direction from her usual home route and arrived at her destination in less than ten minutes.
"Hey, Suzumiya! Welcome back!" A gruff, burly man with gelled brown hair strutted up to her. The fairly intimidating, elaborate tattoo on the right side of his face going down his neck sat in stark contrast with his welcoming smile and the pup cradled comfortably in his arms. Obe was written on his name tag. "Feeding time's already come and gone."
Her eyes bulged. "What?! Why the fuck was it so early?! I know I'm not too late!"
"Had to give them their grub a little early this time. Stepped out for a few and didn't want them to go without their meal. There's always tomorrow, don't look so downcast."
"It's just one day… one day." Suzumiya repeated this mantra to herself until she finally calmed herself. She came here on a mission, after all. "Need the usual, old man. Ran out."
"Got it packed up on the counter for you." Obe escorted her to the counter where a bag full of her wanted items sat, and she beamed.
"Thanks again!" Suzumiya forked over the money and left the pet shop, elated. A part of her didn't want to wait for the train and just book it. Doing that would run the risk of encountering some delinquents who wanted to try taking her down a peg and Suzumiya couldn't waste more time with any wannabes today. She jumped off the second the doors opened at her usual stop and hot-footed out the station. Childlike joy colored her face as the object of her jovial mood poked its black furry head out of his box in the alley it called home.
"Merrr!" the tiny kitten chirruped, pleased to see her.
"Yo, Kuro. Hope I didn't take long." Suzumiya stooped and the alley cat snuggled into her palm. "Can smell it, can't ya? Little rascal… Tryna butter me up so I stop yapping and hand over the goods already, huh? Heh, you'd make one hell of a swindler." She reached into her shopping bag and took out a can of cat food. The kitten's golden irises sparkled at the sight and it practically vaulted out its box to dig in once she opened it. Suzumiya watched the kitten gobble up his grub with a great big smile on her face, one she never showed anyone. It was an expression that surprised even her the first time she discovered this little guy. "You're so freakin' cute! I'd bring you home if my old hag wasn't allergic to cats."
"Meow!" Kuro rubbed against Suzumiya's arm and she stroked him lovingly. It purred and relaxed under her touch, rolling over so she could play with his stomach.
"I guess here's my present! You know me so well by now, dont'cha! Coochie Coochie Coo!" Suzumiya gleefully indulged in her favorite afternoon delight. The alleyway filled with her laughter and Kuro's purring. The time she spent with Kuro was like medicine bundled in an adorable package, allaying all her worries and troubles.
Again, it all feels so… vivid. White bleached Kyo's vision. The afternoon setting melted away into a dark, murky corridor. A transition he and Ragna had become familiar with since stepping into this place, the belly of the beast so to speak. Something about seeing these visions while trekking under a cemetery felt fitting, and every time they faded, Kyo was left wanting. "They all feel so familiar, but why? I've never met them before… at least I think I haven't. But I knew all their names. Is this by the Observer? Mr. Ai is there too, but… ugh, this is so confusing. Is her name just a coincidence?" Kyo grumbled, running his mind ragged trying to piece together what these visions meant. "Hey, Ragna, are you—"
"Ugh, finally! That felt way longer than the last couple," Ragna grumped.
Looks like he's fine still. They needed to be mindful of the mind games the Observer could pull on them at anytime. From what he observed so far, unlike Noel and Rachel, Ragna didn't seem capable of sensing what they could. And it wasn't like Kyo could explain any of it– it was just gut instinct. Nevertheless, he seemed none the worse for wear, and they continued without issue.
"I swear to god this is getting so fucking annoying. Is this the Observer's way of screwing with us or something? Trying to mess with our memories and junk?" Ragna asked.
"I'm not sure… Maybe if Rachel was with us, she might have an idea."
"One of her long-winded ramblings, I'm sure. Feel bad thinking Noel's most likely stuck with her, but being with her means that she'll probably be okay." Ragna grimaced at giving her any sort of credit, but it was better than the possibility of being completely isolated. "Can you still sense that 'desire'? Nothing screwed on that end, right?"
"I can. It's getting stronger so we're definitely getting closer." To be frank, it was pretty dizzying. Even before he entered, the sensation emanating from this place left him woozy. There was so much mixed in, it all felt so rabid. It worried him dearly that Emy was held at the center of all this. "I'm definitely giving that bastard a piece of my mind when I see him!"
"That was the plan after all, kid. Don't tell me you're that impressionable?" he joked.
Kyo blushed; he knew Ragna meant Suzumiya. "N-no! That's not it at all."
"I'm messing with you. Just try not to emulate her whole rule-breaking routine," he advised.
Shock alighted his countenance. "Aren't you a delinquent? The way you two act is so similar."
"I don't think skipping a day of class every now and again would classify me as one. Besides, a pain in the ass who keeps nagging and dragging me to school every morning makes cutting impossible."
Ragna's annoyance was clear as day, but so was the slight smile he sported. "Is it Noel?" Kyo questioned.
"She doesn't even know where I live. Only met her a few days ago anyway," Ragna replied.
"Is it Rach—"
"Don't even go there." Ragna would rather die than let her into his home. "Someone else. Her name's Celica and she's a real piece of fucking work. Never gets off my damn case…"
Kyo's expression turned judgmental. "That's not cool, you know."
"What isn't?"
"Noel, Rachel, this Celica person– you can't three-time them like this," he reprimanded.
"Woah, WOAH! Time the hell out– what kind of person do you think I am? I ain't datin' anyone or any of them." He was happily single, thank you very much. Ragna couldn't imagine where this kid got the idea he was three-timing anyone.
Kyo crossed his arms and nodded like he understood everything. "No wonder you and Rachel have such a thorny relationship, and why Noel is so awkward any time you all interact. Got caught fooling around and stuff. I knew I wasn't off base the second I saw you three fighting those Nightmares for the first time."
"No… you're way off base."
"I've seen things like this in a bunch of anime and manga I've read and watched."
"You're not listening…" Ragna tuned him out as he went on and on about how cheating was bad and that there was no justifying the action. As if he needed to hear it from a kid, but it was good he had it ironed into him. Actually… from the way Kyo was going on and on it sounded less like it was taught and more like he experienced it. Not to mention how engrossed in these visions he appeared to be. Rachel mentioned something along the line of things around them being more important than they might believe at first, and while it was clear that Ai would get some kind of rise out of him, it was the girl and also the cat he seemed to be transfixed most on. Is shit like that what you mean, Rabbit? He seriously couldn't wrap his head around all this crap…
"I mean, if they all like you and are cool with the situation, then I guess it wouldn't be cheating…"
"...You're still not listening." May the Observer take him now before his head imploded. Coming into view and certainly not setting off any mysterious vibes was a door. "No way but forward, I guess." He shrugged despite the possible danger ahead.
"Are you sure?" Kyo spoke up as the voice of reason.
"You're all super sensitive, right? If shit hits the fan, you can get us out of that jam."
That was a big if, but Kyo agreed that there were no other ways forward. It was a straight line coming here, barring the interruptions. "Maybe we can find the others here."
"All the more reason." Turning the knob and stepping through, the two were puzzled not to find anything remotely dangerous waiting for them. Rather, they were perplexed by the only thing in the room being a large coffin. Generally speaking, given where they were, it shouldn't be all that shocking, but this was the first one they'd encountered. No immediate threat presented itself but they remained guarded. "Ominous," Ragna muttered.
"Do we open it?" Kyo wondered.
"The one queasy about opening a door is all gung-ho about cracking a coffin open?"
Kyo shot him a grin. "What's one more reckless decision?"
"I think there's a difference between a door and a freakin' coffin, but I'm with you." There were no other pathways in this room aside the door the entered from. It screamed trap but a lack of choices and a time crunch forced their hand.
"Alright! Time to see what's behind coffin number one!" Kyo pushed the top off and peered into the coffin. "Oh."
"Oh?" Ragna wasn't expecting that. He strode over and peeked in. "Found some…thing?" He blinked. "Oh. Yeah, that makes sense."
"A dead person!" Noel shrieked away from the coffin Rachel so nonchalantly pried open.
"A corpse, yes." Not an unfamiliar corpse, either– they'd both seen her before in a memory. Irina was her name if Rachel recalled correctly. Lifeless as could be, but her body showed no signs of decomposition.
"Is she… moving?" Noel poked the girl's head.
"Not at the moment, no."
"Okay, that's good." Noel blinked, her relieved smile turning to panic as she processed the words. "Wait, 'not at the moment'?" Her skin went paler than Rachel's. Noel's head turned like a rusty cog at the rustle of movement within the coffin where a dead person laid. Then, pink eyes found her emerald ones.
Rachel would describe the sound assaulting her eardrums after their silent stare down akin to two banshees wailing bloody murder at each other.
So THIS update took a while just due to having a lot on my plate these last couple months. Squeezed some writing in between and here it is. I've already gotten the next chapter half written so HOPEFULLY it won't take ages to come through, yeah?
Giving my thanks to Wild Blue Sonder again for beta-reading this! See ya next chapter!