Chapter 11
Mindless Routine


"God, I missed this…"

The sun was steadily rising high above, preparing to send its rays of lights to the city below. Not a single cloud was present for the moment, leaving the immense blue void to be the sole artwork in the sky. Flocks of birds marked said background with their wings, heading to unknown horizons.

Despite the cacophony down there, New York managed to look peaceful and tranquil. The buildings radiated warm colors as their shadows stretched in the streets. The endless sea of cars and people were loud, and somehow, the quiet atmosphere did not crack under the pressure of the noise.

Standing up, hands on the rail of my balcony, I inhaled a large dose of fresh morning oxygen. Spring could rival Fall with how inconsistent its temperature could be, yet it could also provide some really comfortable weather at times. Summer was still the best season of all if you asked me, but I could appreciate today for being...soothing.

I closed my eyes as I let the wind caress my skin, a small smile slowly fading in on my face. I have found heaven, and I will protect it no matter what.

A place just for me-

"Hunter! Where are you?! You need to tell this small fry that you can't just eat eggs with the shell!"

"What do you mean?! We used to do it all the time in Atlantis, don't chicken eat the shell of thei-"

"Did you just call me a chicken?!"

...I have failed. I have failed to protect this harmonious place, and I must pay for my sins.

I sighed with despair distinct in my voice, opening the screen door of the balcony to enter the chaotic environment that has become my apartment. One morning with the word normal on it, that's all I ask! Yet, fate prefers to always scribble and doodle catastrophe on my calendar.

My eyes scanned the place to see where they are, finding them in the kitchen battling over a carton of eggs. Kiara, being taller and probably stronger, is simply pulling on the item while Gura is biting her arm and attacking her with...the spatula? As entertaining as this could be, I advanced toward them and quickly snatched the precious object they were fighting for before anything could happen; their momentum completely halted from my nimble attack.

"Alright, before you two start to go nuts like headless chickens, tell me what's going on?" I inquired with a blank stare as I backed away from the two, their glare tenacious and scary...for someone else. I'm their caretaker, and after two weeks of living with them, I think it'll take more than the stinky eye to make me run in fear.

"Once again, I'm not a chicken! Besides, Gura wants to eat eggs with the damn shell!" The phoenix immediately jumped on first blood, throwing her argument at me as she crossed her arms. I simply turned my head to the direction of the Atlantian, who was...childishly imitating Kiara's frustrated position. Once her eyes met my general direction, I raised an eyebrow in hopes of getting a proper answer.

"All I'm saying is that in Atlantis, we eat the shell with any eggs! Makes us stronger! Don't know why she's going full cuckoo about this." The shark replied with a tinge of sassy irritation, almost like a teenager talking back to her parents for not coming home at the right time.

"Oh my god, stop with the chicken thing! Do I really have to repeat myself?I'm a phoenix! Fire. Bird!" The ex-manager of KFP yelled back, her left eye twitching with what I would describe as pure annoyance. It was one emotion I could relate to in the moment as I felt another sigh begging to be left out from my lungs.

"...what started all this?" I moaned out in complete disbelief at no one in particular, putting the carton of eggs back in the fridge. This was my life now. Having to hear two mythical beings fight over eating eggs with or without shells. The normal lifestyle I wanted was so far away now...

Maybe in a month or two in the future, I'll get to hear a vampire and a werewolf having a battle of the wits over boneless pizza. It sounds absolutely ridiculous...but at this point, I don't wanna tempt my streak of bad luck any further than I already did.

I directed my sight at the two bickering Myth, one threatening to burn the entire place down while the other was showing her prowess at the mastery of the blade- sorry, the spatula. I couldn't help but frown at the situation as a whole.

Two weeks of them living under the same roof had shown me what happens when you mix fire and water in the same environment. The answer is steam...or constant argument about the dumbest of things you could imagine. It's not like they hated each other - there wasn't even a tinge of dislike between the two. They slept in the same bed and even shared a lot of laughs and good moments.

However, the two of them could not agree on anything, and when I say anything, I mean it. Time to decide what movie to pick? Argument: The movie! Oh, what will we eat tonight? A good portion of arguments! Even something as dumb as who gets the fluffy pillow, it turns into a literal pillow fight. Ever watched two Myths fight for a pillow? Spoiler alert: it's not what people imagine.

Some of these fights would be hilarious to witness, but most of the time, it would end up with my home getting torned apart and a massive headache.

It's not like every moment was spent at each other's throat though, they had their fair amount of good ones that did signify their friendship to each other. Both were tasked to be under my care by Cover Corp, and just that alone was enough to make them bond. Their incredible lifespan also committed to that friendship, the two of them having tons of experience to share with each other.

If I had to compare their relationship; I would say Kiara is the older sister that gets annoyed with her little sister being a brat, but overall, the two care about one another. They hadn't known each other for too long, but the shark and phoenix both had the same charismatic trait of being able to be friends with everyone they talk to.

In conclusion, it was one hell of a mixed bag.

"What? Too chicken to fight me?"

"Again with the chicken insul- You're doing this on purpose are you? You totally are!"

I shook my head in dismay as I approached the bickering women, interposing myself between the two with the strictest of expression I could manage on my face. If these two were loud enough to rip me out of my head, the neighbors would definitely tear me to shred.

"Alright, you two need to stop with this nonsense." I began dryly, making sure that I was the sole occupant of their attention. "I don't know how this started, and frankly, I lost interest in knowing how. I'll take care of cooking breakfast."

"But the shell is-" The shark girl tried to continue building her defense, but if I had the misfortune of letting her do it, I would suffer this onslaught for the rest of the day.

"We don't eat shells here, Shrimp. Can actually be harmful for humans." I countered immediately as I picked up the utensil in her hand, receiving a pout as a reply. The phoenix beside her sneered at her defeated opponent, a victorious smugness oozing out of her as she prepared a remark. Too bad I wasn't the type to play favoritism with Myths. "If you open that beak, Kiara, you'll only get bird seed for breakfast."

"Wha- Screw you! Like hell you're going to-" Unfortunately, I had forgotten that Kiara was very stubborn, and directly challenging her was not a good idea. A surge of exasperation crashed into my brain as I slammed the pan and spatula on the kitchen counter, a loud clang resonating inside the apartment.

"Okay! If you two eat breakfast without pissing me off for the next 10 minutes, I'll bring you anywhere you wanna go, got it?!" I yelled off to the Myths with ire spiking my words, staring at the kitchen counter with intense focus.

I expected them to grumble, agree and leave, or at worst, blow up at me like a bomb. I sometimes forget that I'm dealing with beings that could easily turn my entire skeleton to dust; so being condescending and patronizing them wasn't my smartest move of the day, nor the month period. Of course, I knew they wouldn't kill me over something like this...but a mad Myth wasn't something I was ready to deal with.

"Anywhere? Do you mean it?" I heard Gura ask with a higher pitch instead, as if she was testing the waters. I turned around with clear confusion being displayed on my face, until it swiftly morphed into crushing realization as soon as I saw their smug expression.

"Oooh, I wanna take it back now…" I moaned in despair, my body losing all of it's previous fire. These girls had duped me into bringing them somewhere today...and I had just finished running straight into their trap...face first.

"Aah! You said it, too late, no take back!" The older (?) one interjected, singing her words with a taunting melody. "Now, make us that breakfast and then let's go have some fun!"

As I stared at the two doing a victory cheer while walking toward the couch - going as far as to high five each other with both hands - I couldn't help but think back to my "sister" metaphor of earlier.

The crazy part wasn't that they planned to act like they were arguing just to get me to agree to their plan. The actual insane part was that they were actually arguing until they somehow decided to play it off like it was one grand magic trick.

Scary and creepy, they were. Terrified, I was.

"This day can't get any worse…" I muttered as I cracked an egg to the side, gently laying down the yolk in the sizzling pan. Instead of getting comfortable and frying, it responded by piercing itself and oozing it's content all over the pan. "...I jinxed myself, didn't I?"


"If I had the power to strangle fate to death, God I would do it so many times…"

Passerbys eyed me in curiosity, confusion, and some going as far as to glare at me for looking out of place. I couldn't blame them. Having someone mumbling death threats to themselves as they tried to set the clothing store on fire with their mind wasn't the most logical sight to see in the mall.

Despite being a week day, the mall was bustling with life, footsteps and murmur travelling the halls with primal intent. It was teeming with all kinds of lifestyles, like the workers, to the teenagers skipping school. I could even see a few kids running between the adults, screaming at each other carelessly with innocence.

Of all the places to go, they had to choose here. The mall was the one place I would and could never enjoy. The fact that the gigantic building was a beacon of social life was not my direct problem with it; I actually had no problem with public places due to me having to get used to normal living. The real trouble was with it's pace: It was too freaking fast!

Everyone was moving with a purpose, like their life depended on it. It felt as if a catastrophe happened in the place, and everyone had to perform a crucial duty or else the planet would explode. Even if no one was running, their walk cycle spelt swift, quick, and to the damn point. One purchase after the other, store after the next, there was no break whatsoever to this crazy train. I could not fit in there, no matter how hard I tried.

Which is what was currently resulting in my pissed off attitude as I impatiently tapped one foot, my brows furrowing even more than usual. I could've paid for any restaurant, any attraction, anything, yet fate kept bringing me to places I despised.

My anger suddenly dissipated when I caught a glimpse of the two Myths laughing in the store, handing each other articles of clothes that would match well with each other. Maybe I was being a tad too grumpy. These two did spend two whole weeks inside an apartment - my apartment, to be more precise - which mustn't have been too pleasant.

We did get out for some walks and to grab a bite at some restaurants...but that wasn't enough, especially for a social creature like Kiara. Gura could stay at home and play games; but staring at the shark in the store, I couldn't help but notice her eyes sparkle with joy…

"I've been a shitty caretaker, huh…" I mumbled, an additional sigh with disappointment latched on it coming out. Being a caretaker wasn't simply feeding them and sometimes taking them out on walks, they weren't pets! They had goals, intentions, thoughts and emotions, everything that would make a person...a person. Somehow, I had forgotten that.

Was I even fit for the job? Being a caretaker sounded so simple, but clearly it wasn't considering I had messed up already. I had chosen to be one due to the circumstances, yet looking back on it, I never thought about the consequences and if I was worthy of caring for someone else, let alone Myths.

What if I messed up again? What if it was on a grander scale? What if they got mad at me? What if one of them wanted to leave because of me? What if one of them got hurt because of me?

What if one of them die-

"Shopping done!"

I blinked a few times before I even realized that the Shrimp was standing in front of me with her bag full of new attires, beaming at me a razor-sharp grin. A peek behind her told me that the fire based myth just got done paying for said attires, currently approaching us with an easy smile.

"T-that's good. Hope you got something you like this time." I squeaked out as I inhaled a deep breath through my nose, scratching the top of my head in a stressful manner. This habit of mine to lose myself in my own thought process was scary, downright terrifying. I had managed to reach self-deprecation lines of thinking in such a short span of time…

"No worries on that front, I gave her some tips on how to look as beautiful as me." Kiara flaunted clear sarcasm hinted at in her tone as she walked toward us, even going as far as to flip her hair.

"Yeah, thanks for that. Last time we went to a store, it got awkward pretty fast." I laughed off uneasily as I shifted sight to Gura, who chuckled with the same energy as me.

"Yeah, well, this time, I have more than two outfits!" The Atlantian exclaimed with pride, showcasing her bags one more time with clear happiness displayed in her face.

I, on the other hand, felt a jab of...something. Maybe disappointment, guilt, or even jealousy. I had no idea, but that sentence kept running in my head with endless abandon, taunting me with every single syllable.

"Yeah…" I exhaled out unconsciously, switching my gaze to avoid this...feeling from pooling up. The negative aura welling inside of me seemed to alert the two in front of me, looking at each other with uncertainty.

"H-hey, wanna go look something for ya?"

"Yeah, the red hoodie, black jeans combo is not very fashionable, you know?"

Just like that, I had ruined the good mood. Because of my self-imposed pity party, they were trying to cheer me up. They were good people...but all that did was increase the offense on my psyche. If I didn't feel guilty before, this changed the maybe to a definite yes.

I shouldn't be around them right now.

"Nah, I'm good, I'm not a fashion guy anyway. I-I forgot that I wanted to buy something, you two have some fun, but don't cause any trouble." I replied with haste, almost throwing up the words before darting in a random direction, ignoring the two of them yelling at me to wait up.

My head rang with a barrage of insults; all directed toward me, as I increased the speed in my legs. I didn't know where I was going, but I was making sure that I was as far away from the two of them. Everything was a blur as my limbs dragged me to safety, my mind continuing it's ravenous attack.

I couldn't be in their presence, knowing damn well that I hadn't been the caretaker that I promised to be. The intense guilt I was feeling was too much for me to handle, my own emotions too suffocating to even manage.

I just had to get away from these two.

I just had to run away from what I felt.

I just had to run!

I...

Before I knew it, everything slowed down around me. I examined my surroundings before quickly catching on that I had ended up in the nearest book store in the mall. While I was having a mental breakdown, I had subconsciously decided to surround me with books...a literal comfort zone.

"Smooth Hunter...smooth." I whispered with a depressing chuckle, my steps guiding me toward a random bookshelf close to me. As I mindlessly picked up a book; not even bothering to read the title, I couldn't help but think back at my...well, I didn't even know what happened.

One thought after the other came rushing in, and suddenly, I had a complete crash of my system. It was like I had triggered an avalanche just by looking at the two having fun. Before I even knew it, I had managed to sink in a pool of bleak and gloomy thought processes. Did I have some unknown bipolarity?

No, I knew exactly what happened. Ever since Kiara entered the building, I had even less time to process my endless musing of Myths and my new status as a caretaker. It wasn't her fault, it was a simple matter of her and Gura simply being a lot to handle. I am supposed to be a caretaker after all, and well, there's not exactly a time to take a break. Therefore, any lingering reflection and pondering went to the back of my cranium for the time being.

However, I'm not perfect. Despite my capability of blending in the crowd, my head was bloated with contemplation, useful or not. I am a person that deals with these things in my inner space, but when that inner space is not visited regularly, it soon invades my outer space. I'm not exactly an emotional person, but when my means of coping with certain things are being taken away, adapting becomes an arduous task.

"This blows…" I muttered with an even longer sigh, flipping a page of the book in my hands by pure habit. Even when stressed, my brain demanded more stories to devour. Never change, Me.

"Well, if you find this book unpleasant, I can offer you an alternative reading material."

My head turned to my right by reflex, preparing myself to refuse their offer politely. Instead, I had to hold back a groan of irritation from coming out of my mouth, my eyes narrowing at the person standing at my side. I would ask how she found me...if it wasn't so damn obvious.

"Aren't I glad to see you here, Enma." I replied to the manager of Cover Corp, who was reading a light novel about boy's love like it was no one's business. Well, it certainly wasn't my business, nor did I want it to be.

"Save the passive aggressiveness for someone else, and instead tell me why you aren't answering your phone." She lightly scolded me as she turned the page carefully, her sight never leaving the item in her hand. This time, I did let out a groan directed at her inquiry.

"Forgot it at home." I tried, not putting a single effort into that blatant lie.

"I'm supposed to contact you how?"

"Don't know, use some of that Myth voodoo magic you've got back at Cover Corp. You did find me after all." I sneered as I shoved the book back on the shelf in front of me, making sure to sound condescending on purpose. My intentions were rewarded with a slight frown in her face, her hand flipping to the next part of her book more forcefully.

"Quite rude today. I'll have you know, hiding in a library is not exactly the smartest move, considering you have quite the active hobby for literature." She threw back at me with her usual cold demeanor that I expected.

"Irony, meet hindsight. How's the read on my file by the way?"

"Not very interesting. Were you trying to avoid me?" For the first time in the discussion, The katana user's gaze was directed at me. Her crimson eyes held curiosity and a pinch of mysteriousness that usually painted them, analysing mine with intense focus.

"Sue me, I've been busy taking care of two Myths inside of my small apartment, and there's also the small tiny little detail that I don't like talking to people who have threatened me before." I shrugged as I spouted my reasoning, preparing to leave the little corridor of bookshelves.

Even if I was trying to rile her up for no discernable reasons, what I had said was still the truth. Her threatening me two weeks ago still trotted in my head, and would still linger in there for a while. I had jumped the gun too swiftly on Enma, thinking that she would tone down the aggressivity since I was part of Cover Corp. Unfortunately, I had made the wrong guess...and wasn't sure if I wanted to be around her.

"Speaking of those Myths, I don't see them with you. Did you leave them unsupervised-" She attempted to interrogate me again, ignoring the remark on her. I spun around with annoyance clear to read on my face, staring directly at the woman in front of me. The mental shakedown I had suffered earlier was still having an effect with my emotions, and her endless interrogation was starting to get to me.

"They're adults! For the love of god, they're older than you and I. I think they can take care of themselves just fine considering I wasn't their caretaker before! Now, Enough with the pointless questioning and just tell me what you want already!" I raised my voice as loud as I could, careful to not bother anyone inside the bookstore - I was angry, but not enough to be a bother to the workers.

Enma directly looked into my eyes, her face staying as cold and neutral as it usually was. Obviously, she wouldn't be taken aback by something as simple as a show of anger. However, something inside her pupils flickered, something I couldn't discern quite well under the stress I was spellbound to. After the longest seconds of my life, she closed the book she was reading and sighed, crossing her arms.

"I'm gonna ignore this uncharacteristic childish outburst, I'm here on more important business.." She answered with a pitch that indicated relinquishment, taking out a blue folder brimming with document papers out of her bag. "I wanted to let you know you've got another assignment."

"Appreciated…" I mumbled with exhaustion hinted at in my voice, grasping the assignment delicately in my hands. I wasn't going to add any more sarcastic insults when she was willing to spare me further queries. "So, what's this about?"

"I already told you."

"No, what's this, as in what's the assignment?" I repeated myself while rolling my eyes.

"You'll have someone helping you out for this, you'll encounter them very soon. As for the rest, just read the document. After all, you enjoy literature." Enma replied with a tone of finality, concluding the conversation as she grabbed a few books and left the store. I couldn't help staring at her walking away from the place, my arms dropping to my side.

Truly, an enigma. Somehow managed to find me inside a giant mall, that is inside a giant city, only to give me papers and then disappear with a bunch of books about boy's love…

Did she even pay for those books?

"Right there! See? I told you we'd find him in a library!"

"Doesn't change the fact that your first guess of him being at the museum at the fossil exhibition was completely wrong."

Before I could even get started on the folder in my hand; Gura and Kiara also had managed to find me inside this mall, heading my way while arguing like they usually would. I hadn't even had time to recompose myself due to the surprise visit of Enma, so it was safe to say that I wasn't exactly ready to banter with them yet.

Then again, when was I ever ready for any of this mess?

"Really? A museum?" I interrupted their little fight as I approached them, looking at the shark girl with a deadpan expression. A chuckle from the phoenix and a pouty glare from the Atlantian was my response. "You're all done with your shopping?"

"Not yet. We still gotta buy some shoes, for Gura, me and you, because believe me, these won't tough out much longer." Kiara shook her head as she pointed at my tattered sneakers with her hand, the two of them grinning at me.

I was ready to refuse and simply let them do their own shopping, returning to my humble apartment to waste away the day thinking and reading...but as I let my eyes roam the ground, I couldn't help but take a look at my ruined wear on my feet. It has been a few years since I bought a new pair of shoes…

Change has always been a complicated concept in my life. I wanted a routine, a plan, and a repeated way of living my tranquil life. Change wrecked any of these ideas and brought unpredictability instead, something I am not fond of. Adapting was simply more strenuous.

However, looking at my torned up shoes did tell me that my tranquil lifestyle was over. Whether I liked it or not, change would be part of my routine now, and I would have to get used to it. Otherwise, I would stay a mediocre caretaker…

I wouldn't be able to take care of them properly...

"Yeah...I might need a new pair." I agreed with a small smirk, shrugging with some awkwardness in my movement. The two Myths instantly lit up like lightbulbs, beaming at me as they joined my side. I simply chuckled, taking the lead as we all walked toward the right store.

Part of me knew that I wasn't going to instantly succeed at this approach to this new mentality. Knowing me, I'm sure I was going to overthink it and stumble through it a whole lot. The important part was that I was going to try to be better. I wasn't just going to settle for being a mediocre caretaker, I would be the best one I could be.

"So, what's this little blue folder about?" Gura curiously piqued, eyeing the carton document in my hand with great interest.

"Nothing you have to worry about." I casually dismissed it, ruffling her hair - to her dismay. I wasn't exactly lying, Enma only told me that someone would contact me soon. Never told me when so for now, it wasn't important...right?

"Why do you look so grumpy all of a sudden?" Kiara asked with a confused expression, staring at me with slight worry dancing in her eyes.

"I have a feeling I just jinxed myself...again."