Chapter 2 - Over Think
"Alright, one more and I'm done for the night,"
Adam was looking down at the map displayed on his newly bought phone.
Catching sight of a tight corner both digitally and physically, the black-haired teen immaculately swerved, the wheels of his bike screeching as the rubber skidded viciously against the asphalt road. On the back of his bike was a large delivery box with [ HOMU_EATS ] plastered on all sides of it. The famous yellow rabbit-looking figure winked with a thumbs-up behind the sign.
Two months had passed since his unwilling and all too sudden dive back in time, but he made the most of the four weeks until now. His money problem was sold with one simple solution which took nearly a day to find. If it existed back…forward?...during his time then the chances of it existing a decade prior were high, and what is it?
Arc City's Black Market.
Located all around several points throughout the technological city from the poorer, rougher districts all the way up to the rich cyberpunk areas, with small landmarks recognizable to only those within the circle, and the secret marks' locations passed only through word of mouth, and sometimes on invisible ink on notes.
Adam had only known of the areas due to a variety of strange happenings the last time he was in Arc City back when he was still in the Schicksal Prep Academy, it was a day that he and Lyle swore to never bring up ever again for the sanity of their mental health.
Thus, Adam only spent less than an hour there before leaving. The PixVolt he had on him had been sold surprisingly better than he originally thought. The dealer was more than happy to take it off his hands for enough money to get him a round trip to Nagazora and back to Arc City. The next item he sold off was the Crystallum he collected from the corpses of the Sky People. He had drained the Honkai energy from the red crystals into the Labor of Olympus just in case before selling the colorless shining rocks, passing them off as normal crystals. They didn't fetch as high of a price as the PixVolt console, but…
Money is money.
And using that money, Adam bought a one-way plane ticket straight to Nagazora the following day. The Labor of Olympus was stored in a long case that he had also purchased explaining to airport security that it was simply a cosplay item. Thankfully Honkai sensors weren't a thing in the airports of 2013, unlike Adam's native timeline, and arriving in Nagazora wasn't particularly difficult.
Adam came to a screeching stop on his bike as he arrived outside a large modern house. He hopped off the vehicle, took a plastic bag from the container on the back, and pressed the doorbell.
A middle-aged woman walked out and Adam handed the bag over with a rehearsed smile.
"Thank you for choosing HOMU_EATS we hope to see you next…," the woman closed the door behind her, "...time,"
Adam shrugged and returned to his bike, it wasn't the first time this had happened and if he was being honest, he preferred it this way. The customer gets food, the company gets money, he gets paid, and everyone is happy, it couldn't be simpler than that.
The next thing he knew, he was racing through the nocturnal streets of Nagazora, the street lights flashed by his peripheral vision as the wind ruffled his hair back and the chill brushed along his cheeks. Soon the lights began to multiply as did the vehicles rushing by him, signifying that he had made it back to the main city.
The bike came to a screeching stop in front of the HOMU_EATS Nagazora branch. Adam jumped off, pulled the box from the tail of the bike, and pushed open the door to the inside. The dimmed lights greeted him first before a man with glasses in his thirties waved at him from the counter.
"Yo, Adam, how was the run tonight?" he greeted with a toothy grin.
"The usual, Hiro-san," replied the black-haired teen as he placed the empty box onto the counter.
The man named Hiro rested his arms across the counter with a sigh, "Yet another uneventful night, huh?"
"Uneventful is good, means everything is still normal," Adam responded, opening the app on his phone to clock out for the night.
Hiro shrugged with his slumped shoulders, "I know, but, for a city as advanced as Nagazora, it does get kinda boring. But hey, maybe it's just because I've been a local for thirty years and I feel like I've seen it all but…sometimes, I just wish something will happen y'know, anything honestly,"
Adam froze at his words but quickly shook them off as he finished the process on his phone before slipping it back into his pocket.
"Well, don't wish too hard, it'll raise your expectations too high, and then when reality comes, you'll be left completely disappointed," the teen replied.
"Heh, I'll keep that in mind," said Hiro.
"Anyway, I need to get going,"
"Sure, see you tomorrow afternoon then?"
Adam nodded, "Until tomorrow afternoon,"
The black-haired boy paused when he reached the door and looked back.
"Hey Hiro-san," he called.
"Hm?" the man looked up from putting away the container that had been placed on the counter.
"Have you ever considered going on holiday?" he asked, "Like around wintertime. To North America or Europe, or Coral maybe?"
Hiro laughed, "I wish, the company doesn't pay me enough for me to leave the Far East,"
Adam's eyes flicked to the floor, "Oh, that…that sucks,"
"I know right," the older man then smirked, "Why? You lookin' to go overseas sometime?"
"Well…,"
Hiro's eyes widened, "Oh right, shit man, sorry I forgot. This is technically overseas for an international student like you isn't it?"
Adam's lips curved up into a small smile, "Yeah, anyway. It's always good to go out and see the world. It's never too late, no matter how old you are,"
"Hey!"
"You get what I mean,"
With that Adam closed the door behind him, letting out a long pent-up sigh. He stared up at the night sky as he walked over to his bike. There were only a few sparkles amongst the dark vastness above, the light of Nagazora city drowning out most of the stellar sky.
'...It's been two months since that day,'
Kicking up the brake, Adam pedaled down the streets back to the quieter, suburban district of Nagazora.
The ugly truth was that after two whole months had passed, not a single bit of progress had been made.
The unrelenting resolve from his mental declaration to 'Save the Future!' all those weeks ago had simmered down almost completely.
It was a heat-of-the-moment thing.
The moment he first stepped into Nagazora, that determination was instantly sprayed by a large cloud of mist, slowly but surely bringing it down the path of extinguishment. Adam's plan up until that point was nothing more than a bunch of different points jotted down in a cheap notebook, with no coherent lines connecting together. If one were to look at that specific page, they would think that he had been trying to draw the inside of an ant nest purely from memory and imagination.
There were notes going from: [ Stop Squad Leader Mei from being Herrscher ] and [ Delay/Prevent Otto from re-awakening of the Herrscher of the Void ] to some more…personal ones such as [ Will Overseer (principal?) Theresa pay me in this timeline? ]
But there was also the most haunting and biggest question of them all which Adam avoided like the plague. Only this plague was seemingly residing in his shadow. Accompanying him at all times.
'Should he…?'
'Should he prevent the Herrschers?'
'Should he warn the organizations about the future events?'
'Should he do anything at all?'
Of course with some knowledge and tech from the future, making changes wouldn't be too painstakingly difficult, however, in this short amount of time, Adam had grown far more hesitant than he ever thought he would. Often he would recall the lecture he had sat through back during the first term at St Freya, where the renowned Anti-Entropy scientist, Lieserl Einstein went on and on for six hours straight with no break on the concept of parallel worlds and the butterfly effect. Adam would never admit it, but everything after the first two hours flew over his head. By no means was he unintelligent he was always in the top three of his class. He just studied and remembered what he thought as the important things all filtered out the rest. Thankfully there weren't any assessments or exams as it was just a guest lecture.
All he got from that lecture was that even the smallest change in a complex system could lead to something large, chaotic, unpredictable, and completely uncontrollable.
The creeping paranoia from that thought would often crawl into the front of his conscience every so often at the most random and sometimes worst moments, like…
'Shit…what if me being here cancels me out, and I don't exist anymore which means I can't come back in time to be here to think that I'm here so then I can't technically be here, at this time if I cancel myself out,'
…now.
'Wait does that work? Wait…What if just with me being in the past Squad Leader Mei becomes a guy and becomes Squad Leader Makoto or something. If I make a left turn now, is it possible that Otto succeeds tomorrow? Do I even matter?'
Adam slapped the sides of his face and quickly shook the mentally draining thoughts away. The thought of doing anything as minuscule as sneezing at the wrong hour could become a catalyst that will lead to the Final Herrscher awakening a year early clenched at his heart, mind, and soul. He would never admit it, but right now it was a concealed fear disguised as an excuse to not proceed any further with the initial plan to lessen the future's losses. The anxiety of waking up on the wrong side of bed knowing that he is an anomaly that could potentially end the world if he just so happened to hit the snooze button that day, weighed on his shoulders at every waking hour as if the earth's gravity had multiplied tenfold.
"I need water," he mumbled.
Doing his best to push those thoughts to the very back of his mind, he changed his course, Adam sped along the empty street to the closest convenience store. Thanks to his delivery job, in the past eight weeks the teen had just about remembered nearly most of the layout of Nagazora's streets and by taking a shortcut, it didn't take long for him to get there.
As he came to a slow stop, he noticed an expensive-looking car parked right out the entrance. Its expertly polished, black shine reflected the moon's glow perfectly, to the point where Adam could even see the craters of the mirrored lunar sphere glimmering on the car's roof. For his curiosity's sake, he took several glances at the car as he passed by on the way to the convenience store's door and noticed that the windows were incredibly tinted, to the point that from a distance, it even looked like a window-less vehicle.
"Must be someone important," he said to himself, walking through the automated doors, "...or rich,"
The cashier who had been stockpiling a shelf quickly bowed a wordless greeting to him and the teen mimicked the action before proceeding to the drink aisle.
Shuffling through that aisle slowly, his fingers drummed along the bottle caps, while he hummed a quiet tune to himself. Finally, Adam clamped his hand down on a bottle of iced black tea, flipping it out of the shelf and twice in the air before catching it.
As he walked over to the clerk who had returned to her station, he saw an older man in a suit, looking to be in his fifties, wearing glasses with combed graying hair and a mustache-beard combo. An aura of professionalism radiated from the man and the teen deduced that this was most likely the owner of the expensive-looking car outside. Which was the reason why Adam did find it a bit strange to see someone of such a class inside a quaint little mart like this, in the snacks section with a laser-focus stare locked onto the colorful choices. But hey, who was he to judge. Even he would admit being downright weird sometimes, and he knew several people who would agree with him without hesitation.
He swiftly paid for the drink and left the store.
When he was just about to open it up, a rowdy chorus of laughter and insults reached his ears. Adam looked up and saw a gang of delinquents, made up of older teenagers and young adults strutting around the empty parking lot. They were a common sight in this part of the city so he paid it no mind and headed for his bike.
"Ayo, check this thing out!" one of them, who was wearing a pair of shades, shouted.
Adam's attention was drawn to the gang again just as he mounted his man-powered vehicle.
"Yoooo, this one of those rich people cars bro,"
"Damn it's shiny,"
"Bruh, these windows are so dark, can't see shit,"
"Must cost like a million or something,"
"Be a shame if something happened to it," a bandana-wearing delinquent chuckled, taking the gum out of his mouth and rubbing it onto the side of the car. The rest of the gang laughed loudly at the gesture.
"Oi fuck the rich people though," another sneered, pulling out a knife from underneath his shirt and beginning to carve what looked to be his name on the side of the car.
"Hahaaa, yeah! Hey, when they come out let's teach 'em a lesson,"
"Fuck yeah,"
"Let's do it,"
A delinquent with amateur dyed hair smirked and knelt, also with a knife in hand, and was about to slash the tires.
"Hey!"
A yell slashed through the group's enjoyment and they halted, with their amusement disturbed they turned their heads in the direction of the voice.
Sharpened, golden eyes glared back. Adam stood several feet away from them, his unopened bottle of tea still in one hand.
"What do you think you're doing?!"
The delinquents quickly rose to their feet, scoffing and scowling at the teen.
"What do ya mean what we're doin'? What the fuck you think you're doing?!"
"Mind your own business!"
"Talk to us when your balls have dropped!"
"Fuck off kid!"
Adam snorted and folded his arms, looking at the gang of delinquents with an expression of mockery, "Next time you might want to be a bit quieter in alerting the entire street to your plans of vandalizing someone else's car,"
"The fuck you know?" the bandanna-wearing one snarled.
"Look," the teen pinched the bridge of his nose, "It's almost midnight, I'm tired, I wanna go home, and I really don't want to deal with you guys. So how about you leave now, or I'm calling the police. I hear it's five years if you get caught,"
Upon hearing the word 'police' the delinquents instantly sprung into action, surrounding Adam.
"The fuck you say?" the one with dyed hair snarled, stepping directly in front of the teen. The other members pulled weapons out, knives and brass knuckles that were hidden within their attire.
"How 'bout this. My boys won't hesitate y'know. You get the fuck out of here before we beat you into a pulp and feed you to the dogs. I'm giving you ten seconds. Ten…Nine…Eight…"
Adam sighed and muttered, "I don't want any trouble,"
The delinquent smirked and continued counting, "Seven…,"
The black-haired male looked past the delinquent leader's shoulder and saw that despite their actions, the car still looked rather unscathed despite the silver underneath the peeled black paint being more evident.
"Three…Two…One…Time's up," the leader announced and cracked his knuckles, "Wrong choice kid,"
Adam simply responded with a shrug.
The punch came down fast, a flashing blur to the eyes of any ordinary person.
A loud smack rang through the empty parking lot and the delinquent leader smirked, for as long as he could remember his punches were always a guaranteed one-hit-ko.
But there was always a first time for everything.
The man's face grew into one of utter disbelief, as did his crew.
Adam hadn't moved an inch aside from lifting one hand to casually catch the attack. A nonchalant expression was etched on his features but his lips were slightly tinged with mockery.
"Oh sorry, were you going for a fist bump, we can try again if you want?" he smiled, keeping his grip around the fist.
"I-!...Wh-Wha? H-How the?" the leader sputtered.
"No? Oh then, were you perhaps trying to punch me? Because it kinda looked like that too" the black-haired teen continued, the taunting grin growing wider by the second.
It was true that he didn't want to deal with this, but it had been a long night after all. However, the adrenaline that had been pent up for two months had crashed through the barriers. It was the longest he had gone without combat of any sort. During his time at Schicksal Prep Academy and St Freya, half the day was nothing but combat classes, even before all of that, back during his days in the orphanage, he would fight with the other children on a daily basis for a whole manner of things from 'Who stole the lollipop?' to 'Revenge for scaring away Timmy's birds'. Adam had always had good control over the urge to fight, like breathing it had been natural, to the point where he had never even known that this would become a problem. But his body was not accustomed to this long hiatus of action having never experienced something similar before, and the moment his blood pumped three seconds faster, the moment his brain recognized the danger in the weapons the gang was holding, the moment he heard popping of the nitrogen bubbles in the leader's knuckles, the moment he watched the punch coming for his head, and the moment his body went into automatically defended itself.
All walls came down.
Adam snorted and stared at the gang leader with judging eyes, "Hey, you know that now it counts as self-defense right?"
"G-Get him!" the man yelled. His lackeys roared a battle cry in return before rushing towards Adam.
The black-haired teen released his grip around the fist.
"My turn,"
In the split second he had let go of the delinquent leader's hand, Adam drew back his fist and slid into a wide stance. In an instant he struck, digging his fist into the stomach of the leader who in response coughed up saliva and blood. The man shot back from the force of the strike and crashed into the expensive car that they had vandalized only moments ago, forcing a dent into its side. His head dropped down, unconscious, as drool leaked from his mouth.
"Boss!" the crew cried out in unison.
"You'll pay for that, bastard!"
"Get him!"
"Kill him!"
Adam straightened himself, smirked, and looked at the remaining crew members.
"I don't have all night so," he beckoned them with a simple gesture of his hand, "Why don't you all come at me at once,"
The gang cried out in rage and charged, determined to get revenge on their fallen leader and to teach him a lesson he'll never forget.
The first gang member came from his left, swinging down with a hammer, Adam simply leaned back to dodge and countered swiftly with a backhanded smack to the face. The gang member staggered back in pain, dropping his hammer and body to the ground.
A second and third rushed in at the same time, both wielding knives. Adam pivoted around and from around his back tossed his bottle of ice tea into the air just as they got into striking distance.
The second delinquent knife was thrust straight forward aiming for the throat. Adam took a step forward, parrying his hand into the man's wrist, pushing the knife away. In the blink of an eye, the teen latched onto the wrist and pulled the delinquent toward him, greeting him with a chop to the throat. The older male dropped instantly heaving desperate breaths.
Adam wasted no time as he moved to the one that had accompanied the fallen thug. Lashing out a kick to the head. The gang member quickly moved his arms up to block, but no contact came. The dreaded anticipation overflowed when he realized what had happened. That kick was a feint, and with a sharp twist of his hips, Adam rerouted his kick straight down behind the man's knee.
A crack was heard as the delinquent dropped his knee onto the rocky asphalt, and before he could react to the pain. The black-haired teen rammed his knee into his face, knocking him unconscious before the rest of his body hit the ground.
"GRRAAH!"
A burly cry came out from behind.
A large gang member was charging toward him, with a large wrench in hand. The behavior reminded Adam of the [ Chariot ] variant of the Sky People, but unlike the alien, this human wouldn't even last three seconds.
Adam shifted his feet to face the charging man side-on.
As if on cue, the bottle of ice tea dropped back into his hand.
When the large delinquent got close, Adam dropped down to the ground, squeezing his muscles and controlling his momentum as he struck out with one leg, effectively sweeping the man off his feet. In the same movement, the teen had casually twisted open the cap of his drink.
Adam watched as the large man collided face-first to the ground as he took an unconcerned sip of tea.
The black-haired fighter saw and heard the fifth delinquent coming in for a sucker punch reinforced with a pair of brass knuckles. In a single untraceable movement, he spun around and speared an elbow into the delinquent's abdomen, all the while twisting the bottle cap tightly back on.
Adam turned to face the final delinquent. The scrawny man was staring at him with wide frightened eyes, his knees quivered violently as if they were about to give out underneath his shaking body. The screwdriver in his trembling hands dropped to the ground as he raised his hands in defeat. He tried to say something but Adam couldn't hear it clearly due to the chattering of the delinquent's teeth.
Suddenly, Adam disappeared, with only a small cloud of dust being the only evidence that he was ever there. Before he reappeared in front of the last delinquent and pressed the bottom of his ice tea to his throat.
"You have a minute to get you and your friends out of her—,"
"YES SIR!" the delinquent screamed and shot over to the collapsed males. Piling them up and despite the lack of muscle on his body, dragged them by the legs surprisingly quickly down the lamp-lit streets of suburban Nagazora.
Adam rolled his neck and stretched his arms, only stopping after feeling the comfortable release of a soothing pop.
"That was nice," he said to no one in particular, "Still feel kinda stiff though,"
His eyebrows furrowed as a thought popped into his mind, 'Did I hold back enough? It's been a while so…shit I couldn't have killed any of them, right? Nah there's no way, Master Fu Hua taught me better than that,'
Waving that thought away, Adam looked back at the damaged car behind him, the clear human-sized dent stuck out like a sore thumb. The teen grimaced at the sight. His mind fought over his next course of action, should he make a run for it now or be a responsible person and admit to causing the damage. In an ironic twist, Adam had stopped the delinquents from further damaging the car by dealing the most evident piece of damage by far.
He slowly inched towards the car. The two choices swirled in his mind and his face paled as he estimated the amount it would take to repair it, absent-mindedly counting it with his fingers.
'The average cost of a luxury car is probably somewhere around 60-70,000 in American Dollars, I make 6000 in Nagazora Yen a day, six days a week so that's 36,000 in Yen which is around… only 278 USD,'
Nervous sweat rolled down Adam's forehead.
'But that doesn't even take my rent and other living costs into consideration. Let's see, if I subtract here, then multiply that, wait what if I start working overtime, then it'll be, add here and divide… Ah…,'
Adam dropped to his knees in front of the dent he caused in the shiny black car. Despair and panic drenched his body as he could only stare blankly, mouth agape at the inwardly bent, piece of expensive metal.
"...I'm screwed,"
"Are you?"
Amber eyes stretched to the limit and the teen's head slowly raised to meet the purple gaze of a handsome, professionally dressed man with dark purple hair tied back in a low ponytail. The incredibly tinted window had been rolled down.
A few seconds passed in silence with only the cicada's singing filling the car park. For the first time in a long while, Adam's brain decided to shut off and the only sound he could produce was a strange high-pitched screech.
'There was someone in there… The entire time!?'
"U-Um…," the teen tried to form words in his mouth, "Ahahaha…... I can explain?"
Unfortunately, that was the best one he had.
"What happened here!?" a second voice erupted from the side.
Adam turned his head ever so slightly to see who it was.
Standing there was the old man he briefly saw inside the convenience store with two plastic bags filled with snacks in his hands. They dropped to the ground as the old man's hands ran through and messed up his neatly combed gray hair. His small brown eyes flickered repeatedly between the damaged car and Adam.
From the window of the car, the purple-haired man stuck his head out the window.
"Oh? Takayuki," he greeted, "You're back,"
"Raiden-sama!" cried Takayuki who was still in a state of shock, "What happened?!"
'Raiden…Raiden…Raiden…'
Adam's mind started to connect the dots.
'Like Raiden Mei? Schiksal S-Rank Valkyrie and Leader of Squad 3 Raiden Mei? Former Herrscher of Thunder Raiden Mei?'
It felt like an anvil had fallen onto his head when the teen finally realized who the person in front of him was.
'Wait since now it's thirteen years ago… Squad Leader is still…what, sixteen? And Raiden isn't exactly a widespread family name,'
And for the second time that night, the color drained from his face.
'So… then… this must be her father! ME Corp CEO, Raiden Ryoma!'
"Ah…shit,"
It took a minute for everything to slightly calm down.
Now, Adam was standing at attention as Ryoma inspected the damage to the luxury vehicle. Takayuki, who he now deduced as the man's head butler, glared at Adam, fuming to the point the boy thought that steam could start puffing out of his nose. Luckily, the CEO at the very least didn't look too bothered walking around the car, tracing the damages with his fingers. Then again why would he be worried, can't he just buy ten replacements all with custom paint jobs and license plates and premium leather seats that can spout out secret storage spaces and drink holders? …Rich people sure are different.
It took a little willpower for Adam to stop thinking about money but he got there.
In the future, as far as he knew, Ryoma was eventually freed from prison and hidden by Anti-Entropy but had died fighting during the events of the Final Impact. Thus Adam had never seen him before aside from the two photos placed in Mei's office. Mei had never brought him up that much either, the only time being when he had asked who the man that resembled her in the photos was. It looked to be a touchy topic that she didn't want to delve into, perhaps to keep her memories of her father pure from the corruptive thoughts of his conviction and death.
The black-haired teen didn't know the exact details of the money fraud incident but he did know that it was the catalyst of the Nagazora Eruption and awakening of the Third Herrscher. Something that he planned to prevent or at the very least delay. That plan was put on the back seat for a while now, but looking Raiden Ryoma in the eye, the first sparks of resolve's reignition were formed. This opportunity was too good to pass by, it was as if fate itself was watching and giving him a slight push. After two months of wandering a fog-infested path, the road had become a bit clearer, and the path was finally visible.
Raiden Ryoma's near future was the key to everything at stake.
But before all that, isn't vandalism a crime? He won't be able to do anything if he gets thrown into jail and stuck in financial debt for years on end.
Adam's amber-gold gaze followed Ryoma as he circled the car one more time before he returned to his position in front of the luxurious, black vehicle.
The teen took this chance, he slapped his palms together and bowed his head.
"I am so sorry for what I did to your car,"
"You better be, boy," Takayuki hissed, "Do you even know what model this is? How valuable it is? You better be able to pay for the destruction you've caused to, Raiden-sama's prized—!"
"Easy Takayuki," Ryoma waved his hand and the butler immediately quietened, dipping his head respectfully before backing up.
The purple-haired CEO folded his arms and leaned against the car, "You don't need to bow anymore,"
Adam carefully straightened himself, slowly letting his arms fall to his side.
"May I ask for your name?"
"I-It's Adam, sir,"
"It's Raiden-sama to you," the butler growled but received a side-eye from Ryoma, causing him to flinch and shuffle back even more, "M-My apologies Raiden-sama, I'll get back in the car,"
The CEO waited for the door to slam shut before continuing his talk with the teen.
"And surname?"
"I don't have one sir, I grew up in an orphanage," replied Adam.
"Oh? Where exactly?"
"A village in Shenzhou,"
"So you're originally from Shenzhou I take it?"
Adam nodded, "Yes I am,"
Ryoma unfolded his arms and slid them down into his pockets, "And how old are you?"
"Sixteen, sir,"
The purple-haired male scrutinized Adam. The teen adverted his gaze but occasionally glanced at the older man, many thoughts were brewing inside the CEO's mind, which was made evident in his sharp electric-purple eyes.
'Ugh, this feels like the enrollment interview,' Adam groaned inwardly, and awkwardly looked around the desolate parking lot, 'I think I see now where Squad Leader gets that scary side of her. Although, she always does it while doing that deceptively kind smile which…honestly makes it worse,'
"Well," Ryoma pushed himself off the car, startling the black-haired teen, "It's late so I imagine that you want to get home as soon as possible,"
He reached into his suit's pocket and pulled out a small white and purple card along with a pen. Ryoma turned the card around and used his palm as a surface while scribbling something down onto the card. Once he was done, he pocketed the pen and handed Adam the card. The younger male hesitantly took it.
There was no way he could've written the total amount of damages he had to pay on it…right? Adam bit his lip and decided to get it over with quickly, he snapped his head down to see the numbers, bracing himself for the number of zeros.
A small wave of relief washed over Adam when he saw the content written on it. It wasn't the price, instead, it was…an address. The teen read over it several more times before he raised his head, confused.
Ryoma took note of his bewildered expression and a small amused smile graced his lips as he explained, "It's not appropriate to discuss such things in public. Come to this place in the afternoon at three tomorrow, we'll talk properly then,"
"Right," was all Adam could respond with.
"Until then, good night Adam-kun,"
"Yeah, good night, sir,"
The teen watched as Ryoma disappeared behind the car's door. The noise of a revving engine filled the car park before the car reversed and drove away.
Adam's eyes lingered for a bit longer on the vehicle as it went down the street, only looking away when it turned a corner and was out of sight.
He was now alone under the streetlights with nothing but the moths to keep him company.
…
…
…
"...What just happened?"
…
…
…
White.
Gray.
Those were the first things Adam saw when he opened his eyes.
He remained still, lying on his back and staring up at the gray sky dotted with large billows of smooth white clouds.
In his hands, he could feel something cool and soft.
Adam sat up and glanced down at the strands of grass poking through the slips between his fingers. However, the grass wasn't in a color he had seen before. Like everything around him, they were drenched to the tip with the color of pure snow. The entire field was, stretching on and on, far beyond the horizon.
He also took note that he was still wearing the white t-shirt and black shorts he put on before going to sleep that night.
Wordlessly the teen stood up.
The pale grass caressed his feet, gently tickling them as he moved forward.
There was no wind and yet the clouds were moving.
There was no sun and yet there was light.
There was no mist and yet the grass retained moisture.
In the far distance, Adam spotted something small and red.
He narrowed his eyes just to be sure.
Instinctively he began to move towards it.
It was deafeningly quiet.
His steps made no sound and neither did his breaths.
Through the silence, he couldn't even hear the beating how his heart pulsating in his ears.
It was as if he were a spirit gliding in tranquility, alone, along the plane of purgatory between life and death, awaiting his turn for judgment and reincarnation, fulfilling every mortal's role in the cycle of samsara.
Adam remained in the peaceful silence, there were no thoughts of his current location and situation that came to his head. He found it strange. Not once did he question it. Simply going along with whatever his body wanted. Or perhaps what this realm ordered.
And so he walked.
Right foot. Left foot.
Not once did he leave the unseeable path.
Continuing on the straight line.
Towards the red.
Accompanied by white and gray.
Hours felt like minutes.
Seconds felt like hours.
Eventually, the red object on the horizon got closer and closer.
Until he could see it.
A slender gray-green stem stood perfectly upright.
From that umbel bloomed numerous slim, iridescent scarlet petals, each one as wavy and curved as the next, bending and weaving with the one next to it, frozen in an intricate dance of vermillion.
Delicate, narrow stalks of red with gold tips sprouted and stretched out from beneath the petals. They curved up gently and surrounded the petals as if they had become erected barriers tasked with protecting their core. It also resembled the rippling of water when a pebble is dropped into a calm lake, with the moment of impact being halted in time. The petals being the pebble and the stalks being the splash.
Adam recognized the flower.
It was a poisonous flower that held many titles and meanings, legends, and myths.
Lycoris Radiata.
Higanbana.
Bi An Hua.
Or the more commonly known name.
Red Spider Lily.
A flower that is said to be the bridge between life and death. Its scarlet beauty was to attract the lost souls of the world and guide them safely to the next stage. Blooming only on the week of the Autumn Equinox when everything around it starts to wither and die. Almost as if it had absorbed the essence of the living nearby to come to life itself.
Adam knelt on one leg before the lily.
Unconsciously, a hand moved up towards it.
As he did so, the wind returned. He could feel the soft breeze kissing his cheeks and rustling the grass. He could hear the quiet whistling of the gale, and with the wind came the whispers.
They were inaudible at first.
But as his hand got closer and closer to the spider lily.
They became clearer and clearer.
He knew not who or where the voices came from.
Only that they were bridging the line of familiarity and unknown.
[ I want to be a scholar when I graduate. ]
[ Oh, she's my younger cousin, hehe, cute right? ]
[ Come on, you can finish your work later, we're supposed to go watch the fireworks with everyone. ]
[ I don't want to be a hero. ]
[ No…it…can't be…everything is…gone… ]
[ What makes humans so special? ]
[ If I have to destroy the world to stop you, then so be it. ]
[ …In another world…without…the Honkai…perhaps…we…]
Adam's fingertip grazed the blood-red petals.
A startled gasp escaped his lips as a sudden flash of blinding light burst from the spider lily, engulfing everything around them into an endless, colorless, void.
Then came the final whisper.
…
…
…
[ Now the Game has just been Reset ]
*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP *BEEP*
From under the covers, a hand shot out and slapped at the phone in an attempt to turn off the alarm.
After a minute he couldn't take the noise anymore and Adam ripped the quilt off his body now wide awake. He snatched up his phone and silenced the alarm.
The color red had been lingering in the back of his mind before fizzling out completely.
He groaned and ran a hand through his messy black hair. His sore eyes accompanied underneath by dark bags were fixated on the screen displaying the time.
[ 10:45 AM ]
Adam scratched the back of his head as he stared at the time.
"...I really gotta stop working night shifts," he grumbled before reluctantly getting off his futon.
As he trudged out of his room, he glimpsed the hard, black case leaning against the wall in the corner. Inside contained the Labor of Olympus, receiving a well-earned break from battle.
"We'll be back in business soon, my friend," Adam told his weapon before quietly adding, "Not that I'm excited about it,"
Walking into the bathroom, he looked at his reflection and more so his neck.
The vibrant purple-pink veins were unchanged from their position two months ago. Despite having the Moon Ring on him at all times, it was always a good idea to check. Especially with the device's ailing condition. Adam had thought about fixing it, but he was by no means an engineer, and he didn't want to take the chance of accidentally making the Moon Ring even worse. After all, it looked to be shattered and dysfunctional but the unaltered marks on his neck proved otherwise. Normally he would keep it hidden underneath the sleeves of his shirt, but if it bulged out too suspiciously, Adam hid it by wrapping a bandanna or another piece of cloth around it as if it were a fashion statement. The markings on his neck were usually small enough to keep covered, with either high-collared shirts, turtlenecks, hoodies, or something simple like adhesive bandages to hide them in plain sight.
After washing up and eating cup noodles for breakfast, there was still a couple of hours before he was to meet Raiden Ryoma at the address and Adam returned to his room.
He crouched down and lifted his futon, revealing a small notebook hidden underneath. If he was being honest, he didn't think he would be seeing it again so soon. Adam picked it up before heading out of his bedroom.
The apartment wasn't anything out of the ordinary. A basic residential area was large enough for a single person. One bathroom in the corner, a kitchen connected to the small living room, and finally a bedroom on the other side. It was decorated rather basically too, there were only the necessities such as a couch, table, and TV to avoid suspicion if the landlady ever came and did a checkup.
Living alone wasn't something strange to Adam either. Being the first and only male student in St. Freya, he had a dorm that was larger than his current apartment all to himself. Even then, interior design and decoration weren't at the top of his priority list…if it even made the list.
The black-haired teen sat down on the couch and pulled the table closer. After placing the notebook on the table he began to skim through it which didn't take that long as he had only filled out a quarter of the book. With each page, the pressure of being in the past and the suffocating anxiety of the butterfly effect became more and more evident. The first few pages were detailed to the brim, filled with neat notes, diagrams, and charts. However the second half…there were unfinished, sloppily written sentences, random written rambling, and drawings all over the pages.
Adam stopped on the most recent addition that was written last month…if he remembered correctly.
In the middle of the page, circled multiple times until bold, he wrote:
[ I WANT TO GO HOME ]
The teen traced his thumb around those words. A melancholic look on his face as he did so.
He didn't know if he still felt that way, having accepted his fate of being stranded in time or perhaps in a different universe and was now trying to survive. Not as a member of Schicksal, but as a normal person. It was an option that he had considered and had been favoring for the past month. Being nothing but a background character, living peacefully in the shadows. If he didn't interfere nothing would change would it? History could go on as is and there would be no chance of unexpected eruptions appearing the day after. Perhaps doing the minimal would cancel out the butterfly effect.
But another part of him was pushing back against those thoughts. The side of him that was proud of being Raiden Mei's student, of being a member of Squad 3, and even a bit proud of being the first male student of St. Freya. That side would repeatedly tell him that it was his duty as a Schicksal Knight to protect humanity against the Honkai no matter when and where.
Sometimes it felt as if his thoughts were tearing him apart, a silent war happening within his conscience.
If he had learned anything, it was that those Light Novels he had read about a time-traveling or universe-traveling protagonist were nothing but fantasy, there was no added supernatural powerup, no increase in intelligence, no girls with larger than normal breasts thirsting over him at first sight. But that's the beauty of fiction isn't it, to separate a reader from the harsh revelations of reality.
As far as he could tell, there wasn't a single good thing about being in the past. Where simply breathing could potentially bring about an early extinction.
He was an upcoming Schiscksal Knight and student of. He's defeated legions of Sky People, waves of Honkai Beasts, and even shares the joint victory over the Void Archives and Lucheni. But before that, Adam was still a sixteen-year-old boy hailing from a small village in the mountains.
Being so suddenly sucked and stranded in the past would deteriorate even a trained Valkyrie's mental health much less a trainee who was still a minor.
However…after the brief meeting with Raiden Ryoma and a night's sleep.
There was a flame.
A spark that was unknowingly being reignited.
Adam wasn't an avid procrastinator, but before he knew it, the time to meet Raiden Ryoma was already upon him.
After taking a taxi, the teen stepped out and his jaw immediately dropped.
His wide golden eyes looked down at the card, reading it over and over again for reinsurance.
"This…This is the place?" he murmured.
Standing tall and proud in front of him, was the largest mansion he had ever seen. The building was a perfect hybrid between ultramodern and traditional Far Eastern design. Curved triangular rooves with a muted purple color, were met with smooth walls, neon lights, and modern patterns. From a distance, Adam estimated about fifty rooms on the first floor…and the mansion had three floors. The plot of land the mansion was built on was nearly triple the size with the giant residential building being directly in the middle. Lush green grass, neatly trimmed hedges, artistically-styled trees, and purple flowers were professionally and perfectly spread across the area. He could hear the running of water coming from within the grounds and even saw the tip of what looked to be a pagoda or a shrine poking out from behind a row of trees. From his spot standing at the towering front gates, Adam also saw a second set of gates along the road to get to the manor, most definitely for security's sake.
"Rich people really are different,"
Then the next issue arrived.
Now that he was outside the manor, Adam didn't know what to do next as Ryoma hadn't given any further instructions. He scratched his head as he wondered if he should knock on the gates, search for a doorbell, or perhaps just wait until he sends someone for him. He didn't know how the world of the rich humans of Nagazora worked…or any rich person anywhere for that matter.
Then Adam spotted several security cameras attached to the walls and waved at them with the card in hand.
Suddenly the gates opened with a loud rumble.
"Guess I just go in?"
Instantly his nose was assaulted by the scent of the lavender planted along the private road leading up to the second gate.
And waiting for him at that gate was the scowling face of Takayuki.
"Good afternoon," greeted Adam with a short, polite bow
Takayuki's brows remained angled as he glared at the teen, "You're late,"
"Sorry, I just didn't know what to do at the front gates, I couldn't find a doorbell," explained Adam, sounding as peaceful as possible. The last thing he wanted was to anger anyone affiliated with the Raiden Family.
"Hmph," Takayuki's eyes flicked towards the gate before coming back to Adam, "They're under maintenance. Anyway! Follow me and keep up. I don't want to organize a search party if you get lost,"
"Yes sir," Adam nodded and trailed after the butler.
As he was led into the manor itself, Adam's gaze never rested. Flickering from left to right as he took in the luxurious building. Each piece of wood and pattern on the wall was intricately carved and designed. Every decoration looked to cost in the high ten thousands. The tiles on the floor were reflective and polished that they shone underneath the silver and gold chandeliers. Purple flowers once again made their appearance, making exquisite vases their home indoors. Adam even saw groups of maids and butlers walking around inside the manor, attending to their daily positions.
Soon, after traversing to the middle floor and through a long hallway. They stopped in front of a large double door, that was no doubt made from some type of expensive wood.
Takayuki knocked on the door.
The CEO's voice came from the other side, "Who is it?"
"Raiden-sama, you're guest has arrived,"
"Oh yes, please come in,"
The butler pushed open the doors and gestured for the teen to enter first.
Adam deduced that the room was Raiden Ryoma's study after seeing the rows of tall bookshelves, and the giant curved desk by the ceiling-high windows.
"Leave us Takayuki,"
"Yes, Raiden-sama," the butler dipped his head before closing the doors behind him, and the clacking of his heeled shoes faded as he got further and further away from the study.
The teen took the initiative and bowed a greeting to the older male, "Good afternoon, Raiden-san,"
"Good afternoon, Adam-kun," Ryoma stepped around from behind his desk and toward a tray of tea placed on the other side of his large desk, "I hope that getting here wasn't difficult, I know Takayuki can be a bit stern sometimes but that's just the way he is,"
"No, he didn't really say anything or do anything," replied Adam, "...and I got here by taxi,"
Ryoma gave an amused chuckle, "If I'd known where you live, I could've organized some transport,"
'That would've saved me a bit of money. I need every bit of it if I'm going to… PAY FOR THE DAMAGE I DID TO YOUR CAR!'
Adam scratched the back of his neck, "Ah, it's nothing, I don't want to be too much of a burden,"
Ryoma simply looked at him before turning his attention to the teapot, pouring out two cups.
"Are you okay with Far Eastern tea, Adam-kun? I know that there's a difference in taste between ours and the Shenzhou kind,"
"As long as the health benefits remain, I'm fine with either," the teen honestly replied.
The purple-haired man smiled as he placed the teapot back onto the tray, "That's the first time I've heard an answer like that,"
When he turned around Ryoma handed a steaming teacup to Adam who took it politely with both hands, the older male then gestured to the leather seat by his desk, "Please take a seat, Adam-kun,"
"Yes sir,"
The teen made his way over to the chair as the CEO walked around his desk to his seat with his teacup in hand.
There was a moment of silence as the two males blew and sipped on their tea.
Adam's golden eyes briefly rose above the rim of the cup to observe Ryoma. The purple-haired man was peacefully enjoying the hot beverage with his eyelids shut. The bitter, medicinal scent drifted throughout the room, filling out every edge with the smell of matcha.
'Is this way of easing me into the conversation? So I don't freak out over how much I need to compensate?' Adam wondered, he felt a bead of sweat roll down the side of his face again as he thought of the money.
The black-haired teen then mimicked the older man's actions and quietly consumed the tea, allowing the taste of steamed leaves to spread across his tongue. Occasionally he would glance back at the CEO who hadn't moved at all. The steam emitted from the two cups seemed like it was erecting a barrier between them.
The silence was broken as Ryoma placed his now empty teacup back on the tray.
"Adam-kun,"
'Oh shit it's starting,'
Flattening out his inward panic Adam answered, "Yes, sir?"
"You know why I've invited you here today, don't you?"
The Massive Electric CEO was sitting upright with his arms propped up on his elbows and fingers entwined in front of his chin. With the setting sunlight pouring through the windows behind him and shadowing the man's body, there was an imposing aura seeping off of him as his seemingly glowing electric-purple eyes locked onto Adam. The teen felt as though that Ryoma was three times his actual height, leering down at him from above.
Mei did this once during his first term at the renowned Valkyrie school when he accidentally and nearly blew up a classroom. It was intimidating, to say the least, and now he knew where she got it from.
Nevertheless, he swallowed some saliva and replied, "To compensate for the damages I did to your car,"
"That's correct,"
The boy winced at his immediate answer.
"Why are you in Nagazora, Adam-kun?"
The boy's eyes widened and he felt his mouth go dry.
This was a question he had been expecting but it was too sudden and too early into the talk that he couldn't ensure a safe lie. Previously when people had asked, he had always said that he was an Exchange Student or International Student and they would just nod in understanding and leave it at that. That was for normal people. Raiden Ryoma was not normal. Putting aside the fact that he was affiliated with Anti-Entropy, there was also the fact that he was the CEO of arguably the largest and most influential electronic tech company in the Eastern half of the globe and perhaps even the whole world. Being in such a high-ranking position gave him enough resources that he would be able to search and break through Adam's lie in less than fifteen minutes.
He had to play smart.
How he answers the question could dictate how he'll spend his time in Nagazora until the inevitable Eruption occurs.
Adam knew that Ryoma knew two things about him. One: he is an orphan with no family name. Two: He's from a small village in Shenzhou. Both were truths and Adam was sure that the village, at this point in time, was still remote enough to be ignored by the rich so even if he had mentioned the name, there wasn't a very high chance that the CEO would know. Still, it wasn't a chance he was going to take, especially if there was a chance that his potential younger self was there at this moment.
"I'm a runaway, sir,"
This answer got Ryoma to raise his eyebrows.
"A runaway?" he echoed, "I thought you said you are an orphan,"
Adam nodded and began to 'clarify', "That's true, I attended a special…institute for people like me. But as you know Shenzhou is the most populated country in the world, the competition is crazy tough even for the people with more privileged lives much less an orphan. So I decided to come to Nagazora to seek new opportunities,"
"And you didn't tell anyone about your departure," concluded Ryoma.
"That's right sir,"
The CEO stared at Adam for what felt like the longest time, before releasing a sigh through his nose and closing his eyes again in contemplation.
Adam held his breath, he wasn't sure if his story worked but it looked like it was.
Then his amber-gold eyes met with the man's electric-purple ones once more.
"If that's the case, then…," Raiden Ryoma lowered his hands to the table.
Adam gulped.
"...How would you like to work for me, Adam-kun?"
…
The teen blinked.
…
Twice.
…
'Huh? What?'
Adam's eyebrows furrowed at the unpredicted request, he opened his mouth but no words came out.
"Um…Wh….You….Huh…I…,"
Ryoma gently smirked at his reaction, amused by it.
"I'm not a tyrant Adam-kun. Yes, you did damage my property but that was done by accident while you were protecting it from that gang of delinquents, correct?"
"Y-Yeah?"
"I don't view the damage as your fault, but the law states that the one who deals the damage must compensate for it. However, knowing that you're a runaway student from overseas, I'm ninety-nine percent sure that you don't have any sort of funding to pay me back. So I'm willing to compromise," explained Ryoma, "If you work for me and earn half of the money needed to buy a new car, then our debt will be settled,"
"So," the CEO leaned forward with his chin on his hands, "How about it, Adam-kun?"
Adam pondered on the idea for a moment.
A door laced with diamonds and gold had just opened. This was an opportunity he wasn't going to get twice. Working under Raiden Ryoma would put him in a position much closer to altering the future if he decided on doing so. That die was still being cast, and the black-haired teen still wasn't completely sure if he was going to go through with it but still, having a foot in that door would make it simpler if he decides to go down that route.
Besides, it's not like his delivery job was paying much anyway. It was barely meeting the living requirements, surviving on instant ramen four days of the week and he was already a month behind on rent. Surely being employed by a CEO of a giant tech company came with living benefits, wouldn't it?
"Mmmmm," the boy hummed, an intense gaze was fixated on the desk in front of him, with his thoughts swirling like a storm inside his golden irises.
"May I ask what this job entails?" Adam finally asked.
Ryoma's eyes quickly flicked towards the door, making sure that none of his butlers or maids or perhaps even his daughter would accidentally intrude. Then his sight moved down to a framed picture placed on the side of the desk.
It was a photo taken thirteen years ago, a photo of him, his, wife, and a two-year-old Mei in her arms. The three of them were smiling happily in a field of purple flowers.
Then he moved his eyeline back towards Adam, scrutinizing him one last time as the teen patiently awaited his answer.
Finally, Ryoma spoke.
"I need a bodyguard for my daughter,"
"...Eh?!"
The older man's words came as a complete shock to the teen, causing him to spring off his seat when they registered in his mind.
"I'm not going to repeat myself more than twice Adam-kun, so be sure to listen closely this time. I'm hiring you to become my daughter, Raiden Mei's personal bodyguard,"
"I heard you the first time, sir, but why me? I'm a runaway stranger you met in a convenience store car park less than twenty-four hours ago. Surely there are better people for this, people who've been trained in institutes for several years and handpicked by you,"
Ryoma leaned back in his seat, "I'm handpicking you right now, aren't I?"
"But—,"
The CEO raised his hand and Adam halted.
"Allow me time to explain," the older man said, and the teen pursed his lips as he settled back into his seat.
"I'm unsure if you keep up with the news in Nagazora but recently there's been a series of disappearances in students all over the city. The police were on the case but whoever is doing it has covered their tracks well. Too well, to the point that the police were forced to shelf the investigation as there wasn't enough evidence and leads to continue it, and their conclusion to tell to the public was that the missing students became too pressured and decided to run away, to escape their what they felt was a burdensome life," said Ryoma, "I believe that the culprit is still at large, do you know why?"
"...Because the next school semester hasn't begun yet?"
"Bingo. They're not making their move during the holidays, only during the school term, and that starts up again the day after tomorrow. Do you see where I'm going?"
Adam nodded.
"My daughter is currently a second-year high school student attending Chiba Academy, two of the disappearances were also students of Chiba. While the possibility is low, it's never zero," Ryoma paused and glanced at another photo, this time it was an elementary-school-aged Mei standing next to her father, both were donned in kendo gear, "...Which is why I'm not going to take any chances,"
'Not again,' the purple-haired man added in his mind.
"I understand your decision for a personal bodyguard sir, but you still haven't explained why you've selected me," said Adam.
"The reasoning is simpler than you may think," revealed Ryoma, "You're sixteen, that's ripe high school age. I can tell you're smarter than you look. I've also seen you fight, I've seen many fights on the path to my position, and you're better than most if not all of the security I've hired in the past,"
'There's more to this isn't there?' thought Adam as the Massive Electric CEO continued.
"You're also a runaway from Shenzhou in need of money, opportunity, and a more legal method of staying in the country, no?"
Adam remained silent.
"If you accept this job, I'll provide for all three,"
This caught the black-haired boy's attention and he found himself leaning forward with wide eyes. The glimmering job offer was starting to look a lot more acceptable.
"As my daughter's bodyguard you'll be by her side nearly all the time when she's outside of the manor, this naturally includes school as well which means that I'll be enrolling you into Chiba Academy for the new semester. This automatically makes you a proper international student in Nagazora. Chiba Academy is also an elite school so a graduation certificate from there would open the doors to many opportunities for your future whether that be university or work. All this while being paid weekly,"
'That's…that's…..such a good offer!' Adam leaned back on the chair with his eyebrows raised in surprise, crossing his arms in deep thought, and bouncing his feet, 'I'll never get a chance like this again. Paid to go to school and essentially hang out with a younger version of Squad Leader Mei…and it's a weekly payment too, a proper paycheck, not like that weird Schicksal Allowance the Overseer gives out…..I…I…'
Adam shot to his feet and slammed a hand on the desk.
"I'll take it!" he declared loudly.
"Splendid," Ryoma grinned, entertained by the boy's reaction and satisfied with his answer, "Now you might want to sit back down, we have a lot of details to go over,"
"Right,"
"Well before we do anything else, do you have any questions?"
"What's the pay rate?"
After an hour of sorting through information for the Chiba Academy enrollment, Nagazora bank account registration, and other processes, Adam was finally able to leave. Of course, he was careful the entire time, not giving away too much about himself, and with a couple of easy-to-remember half-truths in there, it was just enough for the system to accept.
Adam had also set a mental reminder to call the delivery place to tell them that he was quitting.
A maid was escorting him off the premise as he gazed up at the four-thirty, autumn sky. It was washed in a warm orange glow, the sun setting just behind the tall city skyline casting a large forest of shadows down one side of Nagazora.
As they were approaching the front gates, he saw a short limo driving slowly into the complex, kicking up grains of sand and gravel as it drove up towards the manor. Instinctively, he and the maid shuffled to the side of the private road.
When it passed by, Adam took a curious glance at it.
And he felt his breath catch in his throat.
Her elbow rested gracefully on the window that had been rolled down completely.
Her dark purple hair fluttered elegantly as the breeze blew by.
Her amethyst eyes, long eyelashes, and milky-white skin were just as he remembered.
Even more than ten years in the future, her appearance had barely changed.
The beautiful, all-too-familiar face glanced back at him.
Gold met purple as their eyes locked.
Even though he hadn't caused a Time Fracture, to Adam it still felt as if time had slowed.
It was only when the limo continued did it flow back to normal.
His gaze lingered on the luxury car until it disappeared behind the second set of gates.
"Squad Leader Mei," he whispered.
"Adam-san," the maid's voice cut through his trance, "This way please,"
The teen looked back, offering his apologies, and caught up to the maid.
As the gates closed behind him.
Before he left.
The young warrior from the future looked back one more time.
Chapter 2 - Over Think
I'll be honest, there was supposed to be something else at the very end of this chapter but seeing as its already hit 10,000 words I've decided to move it to the next one.
So, Adam is about to begin his new job as Mei's bodyguard. I felt that this was a good route since I didn't want to the do the old "Adam enrolls by himself into Chiba Academy and meets Mei"...which I'm not gonna lie, was the first option I considered.
We also see multiple times that Adam is unsure whether he's going to go forward with the future change plan. Being pulled into the past so suddenly is most likely more traumatizing than anything and he came to realize that during the two-month time-skip between then and now.
There's also Adam's dream of the Spider Lily. Not gonna say anything about this cuz more will be revealed in the future.
I also threw in a Genshin reference in there but it's such a minor character I doubt anyone noticed so I'll reveal it here. It was Kujou Takayuki, who in Teyvat is the head of the Tenryou Commission serving under the Raiden Shogun, and in this he's the head butler serving under Raiden Ryoma. (This doesn't mean Kujou Sara is going to make an appearance tho).
And yes, I did name the first two chapters of this fic after the OP and ED of LINK CLICK.
Finally, I just want thank all the people who followed, favorited, and reviewed. I'm honestly surprised and I did not expect so much support for this. But that motivates me to continue creating more chapters.
Anyway, that's all for Chapter 2. If you enjoyed please leave a follow, fav, and/or review. If you have any questions or theories please feel free to ask and I will do my best to reply to them.
Until Next Time!