Qian nodded slowly and the dark-haired boy placed a finger under his chin pensively. Before he could respond, a loud buzzing noise erupted from his pants and he pulled out his cell phone, reading whatever was on the screen. He sighed once more, tucking the device in his back pocket before regarding Qian with a concerned gaze.
"Sorry Miss, honestly, the less you know, the better." He muttered, before turning to the other two, who appeared to be in some sort of headlock/choking contest. "Alright guys. It looks like this one's like the others and not disappearing after we've killed it, so I let Ijichi-san and Ieiri-sensei know. They're on their way to collect the body. We should get out of here and give them the floor."
"Okayyyy…" Both of them obeyed sarcastically. The girl gruffly released the pink-haired boy with a huff and began sauntering away. She glanced at Qian curiously but the dark-haired boy shook his head, so she turned away with a shrug.
"W-wait!" Qian took a step forward but ended up tripping over a stray piece of rubble. Her glasses flew off her face and clattered onto the crumbled floor.
"I wanna get Splendid Sushi!" The brown-haired girl chirped as she skipped over the rubble.
The pink-haired boy immediately perked up, scrambling to his feet and sprinting after her. "Ahhh me too me too! Fushiguro, let's go before she leaves us behind again!"
Before she could utter another word, they were out of sight. She sighed dejectedly as she searched for her glasses. The less I know…the better…? She bit her cheek in anger. They had no idea…no idea what she's been through to reach this point.
"Sorry, Hayato-kun…I failed you again." She muttered to herself solemnly. Unwanted memories began to resurface and she gritted her teeth in frustration.
Who were they anyways? Some sort of task force to take care of these things? Where were the police? Once she felt the frames, she released a breath of relief upon inspecting the glass and seeing nothing broken.
As she placed her glasses back on her face, she regarded the creature warily as a risky idea pieced itself together. She still had access to the lab in her school, where there's an imaging microscope. If she could get a sample, maybe she can analyze it herself and hopefully get some idea of what in the world these things were.
She shakily grabbed the butter knife with one hand and bent down on one knee to poke the skin cautiously. It didn't move.
"O-okay it'll be just like anatomy class…" She whispered to herself. Swallowing thickly, she pressed the blade harder into the creature's scaly skin.
"Ah, I wouldn't do that if I were you."
She fell forward in shock and looked behind her to see a young woman standing a few paces away, her hands tucked in the pockets of her lab coat. Her tired eyes regarded the girl with piqued curiosity.
"O-oh goodness, Miss!?" A weasely looking man stood next to her, eyes wide with worry. "What in the world are you doing?"
"I-I'm so sorry!" Qian placed both knees down and bent her head in shame. How long had they been standing behind her? "I…I've been seeing these things all my life and I…I just had to know!"
The woman cocked her head to the side, studying her intently. "Know what?"
"W-what these things are…why they're hurting people…" She answered meekly.
"Why not just run?" The woman interjected. "These things are fucking terrifying and, well," she gestured to the mangled remains of the waitress nearby, "you can see what they're capable of."
"I did…all my life." She whispered dejectedly, shamefully remembering how much of a coward she was. There was a tense silence, before she gulped and looked up at the pair, eyes shining with resolution. "But it's time I face the truth, and get some answers."
More silence filled the air and she bent her head back down, embarrassed at her ncharacteristic outburst.
"Oooh ho! You're one interesting one!" The woman gave a boisterous laugh as she placed her hands on her hips. "Alright, what's your name kid?"
"Q-Qian Tomioka?" The teen answered, slightly regretting giving a stranger her name.
"Qian huh? Cool name." She extended her hand. "Name's Shoko Ieiri. How would you like a job?"
"S-Shoko-san!" The man beside her reprimanded. "You can't just bring someone in like that! Look at her uniform, she's not even old enough to-"
She shrugged and waved her hand dismissively in front of him. "Oh hush, and this man here is
Kiyotaka Ijichi. Also known as, a pain in my ass."
"N-Nice to meet you Ieiri-san, Ijichi-san. And actually, today was my graduation…" Qian corrected softly. The offer echoed in her mind and her ears perked with curiosity. "W-What kind of job?"
"A cool one." Shoko boasted, crossing her arms with a cheeky grin. "I'm the doctor at Jujutsu High and I could use an assistant."
"J-Jujutsu what?" The girl responded in confusion, but the woman already walked past her.
"Yo, Ijichi, grab the body and let's get out of here before the cops show up!" She called over her shoulder.
"A-Alright!" The feeble man bent down and grunted as he lifted the remains of the creature over his shoulder.
"And you," She pointed at the girl who still remained on her knees. "If you want the truth, come with me!"
Qian could only stare at their retreating figures as her thoughts raced in her mind, filling her with hesitation and doubt. Should she go with them? She didn't even know these people, what if they were doing something illegal? They were able to see what she saw at least…but still…
And what about her? Sure she had an opportunity at her brother's company…but is that all she was going to do again? Run away and keep pretending none of this was real, none of this was happening?
"You can't keep being scared to take a leap of faith!" Miyano's words echoed in her head.
Memories of the burning inferno appeared in her mind once more: flashes of the blaze, the screams resonating in the air, the ear-piercing roar of the initial explosion…
How she stood frozen, staring at her best friend's house as it burst into flames, feeling nothing but regret and self-blame.
Her brother grabbing her and dragging her away, yelling at her that it wasn't her fault but…
A leap of faith. Like the one she should've taken to help her best friend before he was gone. But it was too late, she was too much of a coward.
And as if fate punished her, she started to see these things the day after the incident. And did she do anything? No. All she did was run, and run, and run.
Until that day. She thought back to him. The man who saved her life and forced open her eyes.
She gripped her skirt tightly with newfound determination. Hayato, I'm sorry I failed you before but... She shook her head vigorously to erase her doubts. Clenching her jaw tightly, Qian pushed herself off her knees.
She was too late for her best friend in the past; that was a fact and nothing could change it. But this time…things will be different. She climbed to her feet, pulled her bag out from the rubble, and rushed after them.
"W-Wait, I'm coming!"