Chapter Five: A Peculiar Phone Call
Knock, Knock…!
Minato's eyes opened slowly, blinking away the crust of sleep as he turned toward the door of his apartment. Who was at the door…?
"Delivery…!" a voice called.
The sun was still up, though it had reached its midday zenith now. Why was he taking a nap in the first place…? That wasn't something he ever did, normally. Usually he was studying around this time…
Oh… Right… All of… that… happened…
"Coming…!" he called, shaking off his worries and pushing himself off the couch, padding over to the door a moment later.
A large box, big enough to be an end-table, almost, was shoved into his arms immediately, weighing him down quite a bit with its awkward bulk as the delivery man started filling out paperwork.
"Express delivery," the man explained tersely, his eyes not leaving the sheet he was already almost finished with marking up. "Straight from MBI."
With that said, the man slapped the sheet onto the box, gave a polite bow, then walked away before Minato could so much as breathe a word of protest.
"...Why is MBI sending me a package…?" he muttered, shifting so that he could set the box down next to the door.
He went to pull the tape off, curious as to the contents, and let the door close from its own weight—
"Ah, Sahashi…!"
A clog stuck through the crack of his door, keeping it from shutting fully, before a hand joined it and opened it all the way. Soon after, Minato's landlord stepped through the aperture and glanced around.
"Great timing! I was just looking for you, actually," the middle-aged man declared.
That… didn't bode well.
"Rent's due," the man went on casually, leaning against the doorframe.
Shit…! I forgot about that because of all the cramming…!
"Err… Right, sorry," Minato mumbled, looking away from the man awkwardly. "I'll get it to you as soon as I can…"
His landlord snorted at that.
"It's a bit late for that, kid," he replied. "You're more than two-weeks overdue, and you didn't give me a warning or anything ahead of time. Clearly, you've got money if you're getting special deliveries from MBI, so this is just negligence on your part."
Minato winced at that.
Technically, the man wasn't wrong. His mother gave him a monthly stipend, which was just enough for rent, utilities, and food, but he was the one in charge of actually using it effectively.
"I'm not sure I really want you around if you're this irresponsible," the man went on. "Lord knows I've got tons of other students trying to apply for University that would take your place if I gave you the boot."
Okay, this was really not good. Minato needed to—
"But," the man countered, much to Minato's relief. "You've otherwise been a pretty great tennant. You're quiet, don't damage anything, and are usually on time with your payments."
That was, thankfully, very much true. Minato had done his best to follow the rules here.
"Heck, you still haven't broken my other big rule and tried to sneak anyone else in here! Insurance only covers one occupant, and it's illegal for too many people to live in places of certain sizes nowadays. A bunch of stupid kids try to get around that to save some money for their sweethearts though, and it causes me all sorts of trouble…"
Did that mean…?
"I've not heard anything about you being that kind of idiot, so I'll give you until the end of tomorrow to get me the money instead of just kicking you out now," the man explained.
Minato's eyes lit up as he nodded eagerly.
Thank god…! I'm not getting evict—
"Minato-sama…!" A voice called through the bathroom door. "Who's that out there…?! Is it a friend of yours…?!"
Freezing in place, Minato felt his heart drop into his stomach.
"Kid…" his landlord said slowly. "Who's that…?"
"Uh… She's just a friend that's visiting…!" he said hurriedly.
The bathroom door burst open, and Musubi hopped out eagerly, bare skin trailing water droplets and steam while her wet hair dangled behind her. Both Minato and the landlord's eyes bulged at the sight…
…And then Akitsu stepped out after her, just as naked but moving at a far more sedate pace, sparing the middle-aged stranger a brief glance before devoting all of her attention to Minato.
"Ah… Ashikabi-sama…"
Slowly, the landlord and Minato turned to face each other—a furious but controlled look on the former's face and a nervous and sheepish one on the latter's.
"So… Uh… About that extension…?"
"I want you and your kinky friends out by the end of the week..."
"R-right…" Minato mumbled, looking down. "S-sorry…"
With that—
SLAM…!
—the irate man left the apartment, stomping off to wherever he was headed before and mumbling irate curses about 'the younger generation and their weird S&M-play.' Minato simply buried his head in his hands and let out a groan…
How can this possibly get any worse…?
"Ooh…! The professor sent us some clothes, Akitsu-san…!" Musubi declared, excitedly tearing into the cardboard box that was nearby.
Turning to the side, Minato saw what the girl was holding: extra sets of the incredibly… interesting… Miko outfit that Musubi liked to wear, looking brand new and lacking the battle-damage her old one had gained earlier today… And then there was white and black kimono that was clearly intended for Akitsu. It would have been fine, perfectly normal traditional clothes even…
…Except for the chains that extended off the bust area.
"...Someone is out to get me… That has to be it…!" Minato grumbled, returning to cradling his head in his hands while he desperately hoped the two young women would put something on so he could stop feeling like a pervert for just being in their presence.
Brrrrriiiinnnggg…!
Minato leaped to his feet, rushed over to where his phone was, and flipped it open forcefully. Eye twitching with overwhelming irritation, he growled.
"What…?!"
"Hello! You've been accepted into—"
Ending the call, he slapped his phone shut and threw it across the room, straight into the couch cushions, and stared up at the ceiling—counting down from ten to try and cool his temper. Unfortunately, after the day he'd had, it didn't work.
A freaking telemarketer…?! Are you kidding me? On top of everything else?! Is today just 'bully Minato' day for fate, or something?
"Was that the Professor…?" Musubi asked cheerily.
Daring to look down, he was very happy to see she was mostly dressed, putting the finishing touches on knotting the ties that kept her outfit together. Akitsu was in much the same situation, although the amount of cleavage she was showing off was enough that he wondered if she was actually done or not.
…Sadly for his sanity, the position of the chains above that forbidden land implied that this was how her outfit was meant to be worn.
Bzzt…!
Startled, Minato turned to face the TV, which had just winked on of its own accord.
"How rude…!"
On the screen was, without doubt, the most eccentric-looking man Minato had seen outside of fiction. His white hair was spiked wildly, glasses flashing like he was some cartoon genius, and he was wearing an oversized lab coat that had a supervillain collar. Oh, and of course Minato couldn't forget the fact that there was a dramatic spotlight shining on the man as well, showing off his pearly-white grin.
"Is that any way to treat the poor CEO that's taken time out of his incredibly busy day to tell you about what you've gotten yourself into…?"
Minato simply gaped at the man.
"Now, I know you must be rather surprised to be chatting with me of all people, but don't let that get in the way of this wonderful occasion—!"
"Uh… Who are you…?" Minato interrupted in bewilderment. "How are you on my TV…?!"
The stranger stopped mid-word, freezing in place for a moment—
"Mou…" he pouted, slumping in place dramatically as crocodile tears brimmed at the corners of his eyes. "You don't remember me…?"
"...Should I?"
The man twisted to look away from the camera, his comical pout still fully in place.
"Are you hearing this…?! He doesn't even know who I am…!"
Minato blinked at the absurdity.
"I blame you for this…!" the man went on dramatically, only to dodge a clipboard that was tossed his way in response. "Haha… Still as feisty as ever…!
"Um… I'm sorry I don't know who you are, but… Why're you talking to me…?" Minato interjected.
The stranger whipped back to face the camera, a marvelous grin back in place as he pushed his glasses up with a finger. It was something straight out of a cartoon, especially when the glow of his glasses intensified at the same time as his gesture.
"I am Hiroto Minaka, CEO of Mid Bio Informatics…!" he declared, spreading his arms wide like he was speaking to a massive crowd.
"Wait, MBI…? You're the CEO of MBI?!"
"No, he's the Professor, Minato-sama…!" Musubi interjected.
"Ah… Yes…" Akitsu confirmed.
Oh my god.
Struggling to process the fact that he was talking with one of the richest men on the planet, and the single most powerful man in Japan, Minato was completely unprepared for what came next.
"Exactly…! Far more important than some trifling company is the fact that I am the 'Professor…!' The Game Master to an event that will decide the fate of humanity…!"
"The Sekirei Plan…"
The dark-haired young man's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as he connected the dots.
"You're the one in charge of… of all of this craziness…?!" he exclaimed. "You're why I nearly died today?! You're insane!"
The man smirked.
"Yes…! Praise me more!"
Minato… wasn't really sure how to continue his tirade in the face of a response like that.
"Now, any other questions for your genius host, or may I move on to my explanation? I prepared a speech for this, you know! I'd love to be able to actually use it!"
Raising a hand to interject, Minato's jaw worked up and down… and then he lowered the limb as he realized he actually didn't have anything to ask. Nothing that this man could answer, at least. A crazy scientist wasn't going to have answers to the whispers…
"Wonderful…!" Minaka cackled. "Now, to begin…! Long ago, in a distant past, I AKU, the shape—"
A clipboard smacked into his face, cutting the man off. Slowly, almost cartoonishly, it slid down his skin before finally losing the last of its friction and falling to the ground.
"...Do you have to ruin my fun all the time?" he whined.
Presumably, his assistant gave some kind of response, but Minato couldn't hear it for whatever reason. Maybe they had given him some kind of rude gesture instead…? The eccentric CEO absolutely seemed like the type of guy to earn that kind of treatment.
"F-i-i-i-n-e…! I'll be boring about it, then…!" he declared.
Returning his gaze to the camera, Minaka adjusted his glasses again before continuing.
"Now, where was I…?" he started. "Ah, right! You're now a part of the Sekirei Plan, a mysterious and secret tournament where the rules are for you to discover and the answers are yours to seek!"
That… sounded ominous.
"It's so much more fun if you have to figure out the little things yourself, isn't it? Don't worry, everyone gets a run down of the basics!"
…Or maybe not.
"You, Minato, are an 'Ashikabi,'" Minaka explained. "You're a human, chosen by fate, to lead a flock of 'Sekirei'—a race of people that fell from the stars—to the Land of the Gods…! It is there that the fate of humanity will be decided by the last remaining Ashikabi…!"
Frowning in consternation, Minato held his chin in his hand in a 'thinking' pose. He wasn't sure he believed the man's implication that the two human-looking girls behind him were aliens, though it would certainly explain the superpowers, but the rest…?
"...This just sounds like a bad movie plot. Are you ripping off the Hunger Games…?" he asked.
"THE HUNGER GAMES RIPPED OFF 'BATTLE ROYALE!' IT'S A CHEAP PIECE OF FICTION FOR HORNY TEENAGERS THAT DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT GOOD—"
Another clipboard nailed him in the face.
…How many clipboards does his assistant have…?
"A-hem…" Minaka went on casually, like he hadn't just started to rant about the lacking quality of children's media with all the fervor of a religious advocate. "Anyway, as an Ashikabi, you're expected to gather as many Sekirei as you can get your hands on and fight and fight with all the others until you're the winner! Make sure normal people don't find out, though! You'll be in big trouble if that happens…"
Wait a minute…
"When you say 'gather Sekirei…'" Minato trailed off, ignoring the 'secrecy' bit for the moment. "Does that mean 'winging' them…?"
The man gave him a thumbs up, grinning widely as his face scrunched up in an overly-exaggerated wink that his glasses partially obscured with their shine.
"C-o-o-o-r-r-e-c-t-!" he exclaimed. "Don't worry, most of them don't mind sharing…!"
Minato's eyes widened a bit at the implications of that.
"Wait, you don't mean—"
"Of course we wouldn't…!" Musubi exclaimed giddily. "I want every Sekirei to find their destined one, no matter who it is!"
"...As long as it's still warm… it's okay…" Akitsu added quietly.
That… There was no way they meant… No, this wasn't—
"See?" Minaka laughed. "I'm sure a young man your age has read a harem manga or two…! Welcome to your 'Daily Life with Wagtails!'"
Oh.
They weren't kidding.
"...Wow," Minato mumbled. "My life really is turning into a terrible anime… First the church, then getting attacked in the park and evicted, and now this…"
"Evicted…?" Minaka chimed in, his interest seemingly piqued.
"Er… Yeah…? My landlord wasn't happy to see these two naked in my apartment, acting like… well…"
"Ah, yes, Sekirei tend to have interesting boundaries with regards to their Ashikabi. I imagine that didn't go over well with the classic overly-strict landlord trope," the man nodded in sage affirmation. "Do you regret it, though? Meeting them?"
Minato recoiled at that, an instinctual chill going down his spine.
"No…!" he exclaimed hurriedly, the word spilling out of his mouth before he could even try and understand the feelings he had buried within his chest. "No, of course not…!"
Almost immediately after he finished speaking, he felt two soft presences leaning against him. Musubi and Akitsu had both grabbed one of his hands, hugging it to themselves possessively as they glared at the Professor. It was cute in Musubi's case, like a puppy trying to look scary even though it theoretically could bite you, while Akitsu's barely narrowed eyes were utterly frigid.
"Wonderful…!" Minaka grinned. "It would be a tragedy if you dropped out so soon…!"
Minato glowered at the man balefully.
"Aw, don't look at me like that! It was an important question…!" the dramatic scientist pouted.
The glares continued.
"Fine! As a token of good faith, I'll give you a little hint to solve your housing problem!" he went on.
Immediately, Minato perked up at that, the two Sekirei only letting up their glares after a few more moments of staring.
"There's a place in the North side of this wonderful city of mine," Minaka explained, "It's called 'Izumo Inn,' and they won't ask too many questions if you ask to stay there. An old friend of mine runs the place, you see… Though he doesn't know about the Sekirei Plan. Keep it that way, would you?"
Well, that was unexpectedly helpful from the crazy entrepreneur that had gotten Minato into this entire situation in the first place.
"I… Thanks…?"
As was, unfortunately, becoming a theme with Minaka, Minato wasn't quite sure how to respond to the unexpected bout of helpfulness.
"Of course…! I am nothing if not a magnanimous man!" he laughed.
Pausing, he looked off camera, clearly expecting something.
"Aw… I didn't warrant a clipboard that time…?"
Bzzt…!
With that, the TV winked off suddenly, the connection cut entirely, leaving Minato to stand there and stare at the blank screen.
"Well that just happened…" Minato muttered.
Breathing out softly, he let his eyes drift shut. After all of the things that had happened today, it would be comforting to hear the familiar tones of the whispers.
"̷̘̑E̵͙̅y̸̻̍ę̶̀s̵̲̔…̵̧́ ̶̡̓S̷̠͌ȩ̸̐ë̷̢́k̷̪̒ ̸͔̒t̶͕̚h̴͍̚e̵̻̓ ̸̜͆E̶̘͊y̷̺͐ë̵̱́s̶̞͘…̷̤̈ ̵͠ͅȎ̸̳h̸͇̓,̸̫̈ ̴̬̆G̸͚̓r̷͈̕e̸̥͆a̸̮̿t̸̲́ ̵͉͐Ḣ̷͎ǔ̴͖n̵̗̊t̷̞͆e̷̜͝r̶͉͊,̵̢̈ ̴͙͑w̶̺͐e̴͉̓ ̸̣͝s̸̯͛h̵͍̍á̸͈l̴̪͑l̵̛͔ ̵̳͒t̷̛̜r̶̹̓é̴̹a̵̩̒d̵̛̰ ̴̺̊ṭ̵͌h̸̺̃e̵̪̓ ̷̺̿p̵̛̬a̸̞͂t̶̰͐h̴̼͝ ̴̜͑ó̴͕f̵̼̈́ ̴̭̋s̷̫̓t̵̼̆a̴̳͋ṟ̷͝s̶̥̊ ̶̹͌w̶̛͇i̵̘͊t̵̛̺h̶̺͑ ̴͖̆o̶̢̊ǔ̴̦r̶̹͐ ̷̘͛Ȇ̵̙y̶̜̋e̶̥͝s̴͕̒…̶̞̂!̴͕̌"̴͍͛
"Ashikabi-sama…?" Akitsu asked softly. "...Why do you listen so closely…?"
Opening his eyes, Minato was greeted by two faces, inches from his own. Akitsu's was as blank as ever, though he could narrowly feel a bit of concern from her, while Musubi simply looked confused.
"'Listen…?'" Musubi repeated. "What're you listening to, Minato-sama…?"
Panicking briefly, he looked away and rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.
"Er… Nothing important," he lied.
Minato didn't want to share the things he always heard. The last time he'd done that… Well… It had ended with many doctor visits and endless looks of pity and concern from his family.
"I was just thinking about what to do now."
Not that he had that many options. He needed to find a new place to stay as soon as possible so he could start moving his stuff. It'd need to be bigger than he was used to with these two following him around, as well.
"We can start looking for a new place to stay right now, if you two are up to it," he stated. "I was thinking we could start with that 'Izumo' place the Professor mentioned…"
Izumo Inn, the Same Day…
"So…" Takehito trailed off.
The atmosphere of the room was… Rather overwhelming.
Homura and Uzume sat across from him, practically daring him to speak with their eyes, while Matsu kept sending him glares every few moments as her fingers danced across a data pad in her hand. Karasuba was still passed out, her limp body resting beneath a few blankets off to the side of the room, while Miya…
"I am… rather upset with you, Takehito."
…Miya wasn't happy with him.
"Ow…!" he winced, not happy with how roughly she'd ripped off a piece of his tattered, blood-matted, clothing.
In all his panic over Karasuba, well, dying… he'd kind of forgotten the fact that he bore almost as many injuries as she did—barring anything quite so serious as what she'd endured. It had been so easy to ignore at the time, the pain a distant sensation at worst, and the bleeding was surprisingly little in spite of how big some of the gashes were.
Honestly, it was a mystery how he hadn't passed out from blood loss himself… but he wasn't going to question his good fortune.
"This entire time, I thought most of the blood belonged to… that creature… Your wounds looked superficial at a glance," she went on irately, "But no, of course you were merely working through the pain; ignoring your own injuries for the sake of… her."
He would have thought that the miracle of winging Miya would have staved off her temper a bit, but, unfortunately…
"Ow…!" he grumbled, the last remains of his vest falling away.
…It seemed that it had only worked for a little while.
Maybe it was the fact that their beautiful moment of snuggling together had been interrupted by him suddenly coughing up blood on her…?
Yeah… That was probably it.
"You know, you don't need to be quite that rough…"
The glare she gave him, particularly the genuine spark of fear for his safety, silenced his protests quite handily and left him feeling like he was the one at fault here. Honestly, that was probably true, but he didn't have to like it…!
"Okay, I get it… Just let me get the rest, okay…? It's really not bad enough that you need to undress me," he replied.
The woman let out a little 'hmph' that sounded adorable to him.
"No commentary, Matsu…?" he joked, trying to lighten the mood a little as he started to unbutton his shirt.
Usually she would have at least given a lewd giggle at a statement like the one he'd made.
"Matsu has nothing to say to a philanderer that would cheat on Miya-tan…"
…Oh.
Well, there went his attempt to lighten the mood.
"R-right…" he trailed off awkwardly.
There wasn't much he could do to deny the statement. Trying to explain that it wasn't intentional, not his decision, wasn't really a helpful argument here. He could have easily turned away from Karasuba's kiss and denied her the opportunity. She still would have passed out…
…But he hadn't, and he didn't know why.
Pushing his internal confusion aside, he pulled off the remainder of his shirt, wincing slightly at how it clung to his bloodied body wetly. It tugged at his wounds and had probably re-opened several of—
"Holy shit…" Uzume gasped.
What?
"What happened…?" Homura goggled.
What are they talking about…? I know there's some cuts, but—
"Takehito… Who did this to you…?" Miya growled, a sound so wildly out of character for her that it felt like a slap in the face.
"What are you guys talking about…?" he replied, utterly bewildered.
Looking down at himself, he cataloged his injuries.
A multitude of cuts and gashes marred his skin, quite similarly to Karasuba… Several of the larger ones were bleeding again, while most had scabbed over already. Of course, there were also the pale markings scattered across his skin. Scars from jagged cuts and claws, messy starbursts that resembled bullet holes, and a whole host of things that had melded together until they were no longer identifiable.
Really, he didn't see what all the fuss was about. This was perfectly normal!
He'd gotten them from when…
When he…
When…
He felt himself begin to twitch as he reached for the memories, his breaths coming short and fast as his heart rate climbed with every second—
"—akehito..! Takehito…!"
Miya was there, hands on his cheeks and panic in her eyes.
"Wha…? Miya…? What's wrong…?"
As soon as he replied her shoulders slumped in relief, and though it wasn't visible he could feel her arms trembling. What… What happened…? It was almost like—
No… No… Don't question it. Everything's fine… Miya's here, so everything's fine.
"You were always like this…" he heard her whisper. "You never worried about yourself until it was too late…"
Miya's comment about the past brought Takehito's mind to a completely different topic… One that he leaped onto eagerly, almost desperate to shift the subject. Specifically, the fact that Homura and Uzume were much older than he remembered.
Had they been aged up through MBI's technology or something? If so, why? What was going on that would require that…?
"I've… I've been meaning to ask… W-What happened after—"
Brrriiiinnngg…!
The sound of a telephone ringing cut him off, the noise echoing throughout the thin walls of Izumo easily and earning everyone's attention. Homura, Uzume, and Matsu all shared a look, while Miya pointedly ignored the sound and started disinfecting Takehito's injuries.
"Do you think it's… him?" Uzume asked in a hushed whisper.
"It's… probably a safe bet," Homura agreed.
"...Miya-tan…? Should Matsu let… well…"
Takehito winced when Miya inadvertently tightened a strip of gauze around his arm far tighter than one normally would, agitating the wounds she was covering.
"You know what I think of that man, Matsu…" she replied, her voice raw and quiet "...However, I believe I may need to make an exception this time. I want answers, and if he can give them to me, then I will tolerate him for now."
Matsu licked her lips nervously and gave a nod.
"A-alright… I'm patching him through," she said, pointing a small device at the wall as she kept stealing glances in Miya's direction.
"...Excellent. I have some questions for that man."
Projected from Matsu's small data pad was a blank screen—filling the traditional wall opposite everyone in the room. Suddenly, the white screen disappeared, replaced with a live feed of—
"Ah! There we are…!" A familiar voice exclaimed. "I was wondering when you would answer my call! It's rather rude to keep a man waiting, you know!"
Hiroto stood there, looking as ridiculous as ever, much to Takehito's amusement, though he'd clearly gotten some improvements to his personal style during the time Takehito was in a coma. His coat was more over the top, and those glasses had to be something he designed just to make him look like an anime character.
Honestly, the fact he'd managed to grow his hair that long in a few months was somehow the most impressive bit given how hopeless the man was with organics. Maybe he'd used extensions?
Nah, Takehito couldn't imagine him bothering with something that mundane.
"Minaka…" Miya began quietly. "I am not in the mood for your games right now. I have a single question for you… and your answer will decide the fate of MBI and your little 'game.'"
Takehito sucked in a breath, shocked by how assertive his wife was being. He'd known she was upset, but…
"Miya…!" he gasped. "I know you don't like where he's taking the S-Plan—I don't either—but we agreed to step back and watch…!"
The woman turned to face him, her lips trembling as she met his gaze.
"Takehito… That's…"
Letting out a shaky breath, she regathered her focus and ignored him, turning back to Minaka with a scowl.
"Have you ever harmed or sought to harm my husband, my Ashikabi, through any of your actions or machinations…?"
…What?!
Takehito would be among the first to admit that Minaka was crazy, but he wasn't that kind of crazy! There was no way he would ever do something like that!
"Miya! I'm hurt! How could you ever think I would do something like that to my best friend?!" Minaka exclaimed, miming a wound to his heart and dramatically swooning. "I would sooner die than do such a thing!"
The purple-haired woman simply stared down the image of the man, eyes narrowed as she analyzed his response. The whole room seemed to hold its breath while she contemplated her decision, and then…
"Hmph…" she said, finally. "...Make sure to keep it that way."
Turning away from the projection, she went back to dressing Takehito's wounds, which had ceased to bleed at this point, thankfully. Even luckier, they'd ceased to bleed because of clotting, not because he was about to collapse from deprivation.
"Well, now that the 'angry spouse' routine is over," Minaka declared flippantly. "I'm sure you have some questions, old friend! Go ahead! Ask away!"
Giving Miya a concerned glance confirmed that she had seemingly decided she was no longer a part of the conversation. The woman refused to so much as glance in Minaka's direction while she focused on Takehito's remaining injuries.
"I…" the man trailed off as he turned back to Minaka. "I'm not sure where to start, Hiroto…"
He did not miss how the Sekirei in the room all seemed to glower a bit when he used the man's first name out of habit. It… It didn't make any sense…! Why were they all so angry…?
What could the man have possibly done in the weeks or months that Takehito had been out of commission?!
"Are you sure?" Minaka teased. "You seem to have a few mysteries in your lap right now already! You were always just as curious as I was, old friend, so I'm surprised you haven't made a list yet!"
Takehito blinked, not failing to notice how the man, like so many other people, had referred to him in the past tense like that.
"I guess that's as good a place to start as any," he began.
"Why does everyone keep acting like I was dead…?"
Out of the corner of his eye, Takehito saw Miya bite her lip hard enough that he almost feared she would draw blood.
"Why, that's because you were, Takehito!"
It took a long few seconds for that to sink in.
"...What?" he whispered, voice sounding as small as he felt at that moment.
"Y-you didn't know…?" Uzume interjected.
He shook his head slowly, still trying to process.
"You… You've been dead for almost a decade, Takehito…" Homura added.
With that, it all clicked into place.
"...What…?" Karasuba's words echoed in his mind. "No… You're dead."
Miya's reaction to his presence, the fact that Izumo looked complete instead of being still under construction, and that Uzume and Homura were adults now…
It all made sense, now.
"...oh."
What does one say to that?! How was he supposed to feel about it?! This… This was insane! He had to be dreaming, having a Nightmare—
"̶̘͛S̵̩͗ȯ̴͇m̸̨͝e̴̹͋b̴̢̚o̶̟͑ḍ̷́y̵̼̕ ̵̱̍h̶̩͋è̶̮ĺ̶̖p̴̯̉ ̸̖̎m̵͚̂ȩ̷̑.̵̱̔.̷̛̱.̷̰̋ ̷̲͌Î̵̦'̴̳̐v̵̠̑e̸̠̓ ̶̹̍h̶̝͐a̸̭̔d̵͓͐ ̸͎̑e̶͔͝n̶͚̔o̴̼̕u̶̼̔g̸̖͌h̷̠̏ ̸̹̈o̵̟͂f̴̫͒ ̸̱̆t̶͙́ḩ̵͆i̸̬͂s̴͍̒ ̷̫̍d̵̙̒r̸̘͊e̷͈̊á̷̰m̷͍͊…̶̤̕"̶̰̏
Takehito flinched at the interruption.
What… What was—N̴o̷.̴ No, it was nothing…
"Unfortunate as that all may be," Minaka cut in.
Takehito blinked dully, attention back on the man as his thoughts faded into the back of his mind.
"Your untimely passing does appear to have had some benefit!"
Miya's head whipped to face the projector, the snarl on her face proving she had, in fact, been paying more attention than she was pretending.
"How dare—"
"You're an Ashikabi now, Takehito!" Minaka interrupted, grinning widely. "Welcome to the club, old friend! I'd send you cookies to honor your admittance, but I fear your lovely wife wouldn't appreciate them."
Biting her tongue, Miya glowered at the man for a few moments before returning to her prior activity. Though she may have refused to admit it aloud, Takehito knew that she agreed with Minaka, as much as she seemingly hated that fact.
"Right…" He began. "...And why is that, exactly? You know as well as I do that it's just… not possible. You're either born with the potential, or you're not. Something like this doesn't happen, Hiroto."
The man pushed his glasses up dramatically, beaming like a loon as his glasses lit up in accordance with the gesture.
"Who knows?!" he laughed. "My best guess is it's a side effect of the Jinki terminating you as if you were a Sekirei. The energy involved likely wasn't made to interact with pure humans, so it made the adjustments required to force it."
"Wait, you said I was dead, not in a coma, Hiroto…" Takehito countered.
"Ah, to-may-to, to-mah-to, friend… You didn't have a pulse until this morning, even though your body wasn't decaying, so I think conventional terms don't quite fit here," the man replied.
Wonderful. On top of being out of commission for a decade, now he was a medical mystery, too.
"...Right. Of course. Why not…?" he muttered, throwing his hands in the air in exasperation.
"If you can keep your wife from murdering me at the thought of it, I'd be quite happy to give you a checkup," Minaka offered casually.
Instantly, something in him recoiled at the thought, a shiver traveling down his spine at the mere thought of getting examined. Glancing at Miya, Takehito was relieved to see she didn't like the idea any more than he did.
"We'll… think about it," he declared, politely sidestepping the issue.
"Hmm… Well, the offer stands…" the man hummed. "However…!"
He pointed his finger at the sky eagerly to punctuate the exclamation.
"If you have no other questions, I should really get back to my mischievous scheming before Takami gets off the lunch break I made her take…"
Takehito smiled in spite of himself at that reminder. It was good to hear Takami was still around to keep Minaka in check. They made such a good pair.
I wonder if they ever tied the knot…? It's been a… long time… after all. Heck, maybe they even had kids!
Pausing for a moment, he barely kept himself from laughing at the thought.
Pfft…! Yeah, right!
"I… no… I can't think of anything else right now, Hiroto," Takehito said, finally. He just wanted this all to be done and over with so he could have some time with Miya. Further questions could wait. "Thank you for the call, but—"
A snort echoed through the room, cutting him off easily.
"Really, Ashikabi-san…?"
Karasuba was awake, somehow.
Laying there on her side, uncaring of her partial nudity, she had propped up her head almost casually—her silvery gray gaze boring into Takehito's form. Per usual, the woman's eyes were lidded, but the predatory smirk she wore seemed reserved for him.
"I can't believe you forgot the most important question…!" she teased.
Takehito rested a hand on Miya's thigh to keep her from moving. The grinding of her teeth was actually audible at this point, and he much preferred Izumo to remain standing. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her open her mouth to speak—
"How did you almost kill me?"
Author's Note:
Welcome back to another chapter of my maddened ramblings…! First time we're getting some mixed perspectives, and the twin plots are showing the first signs of interacting. Fun, isn't it?
Now, some of you may have been confused by that extra tidbit at the end of the last chapter… Don't worry about it. It wasn't supposed to be there and it should be resolved now.
Anyway, I'm back to shilling for the Emerald Library. I actually have a chat of my own now thanks to everyone who finds my work interesting enough to follow. Feel free to join the server if you'd like to have a chat about any of my projects, on hiatus or not, or if you'd just like to yell at me about another update. I'm sure I could use the reminder.
Here's the scary link:
𝖉𝖎𝖘𝖈𝖔𝔯𝔡.gg/elibrary
That's it for me today…! I'll see you all within a month. (￢‿￢ )
***Crrshhkt!***
***Crrshhkt!***
Can't—
***Crrshhkt!***
Can't con—
***Crrshhkt!***
Can't connec—
***Crrshhkt!***
***Crrshhkt!***
Miljaar!
***Crrshhkt!***