After hanging his cloak and hoodie on the wooden pegs, Hitori walked across the table in the drawing hall and reached out for a magic phone that was hanging down the wall. Hitori punched his father's number.
No answer. He tried his mother's cell, no answer. The message was: No signal available. Where the heck would the signal not be available? The magic net has spread to the corners of Japan-- and the whole world.
Hitori placed the phone back and jumped into the sofa. He waited for Kamiya to show up, and he did, from the kitchen.
"We will eat outside today," Kamiya said, rubbing his hands dry. "It is okay to spend a few thousand yen here and there once."
"Yeah," Hitori replied.
Hitori and Kamiya had already taken their lunch at the mall, and then they came back home. Kamiya had canceled the plans for today so they had plenty of time in their hands before Christmas eve.
"What are you thinking about, Hitori?" Kamiya jumped beside Hitori. "Nothing much will change if we do not log in for one day."
"Not that." Hitori turned to Kamiya. "I tried to contact my parents but... no reply."
"Again." Kamiya sighed. Kamiya pressed his hands on his knees. "I think, Hitori, this is the time you should file a missing report for your parents."
"No, Kamiya, they are safe---"
"And a murder report for Kiku-san." Kamiya somehow managed to say it.
Hitori clenched his fists and glared at Kamiya. "Oh, I will find that bastard myself." Hitori jerked off the sofa.
Kamiya's heart gradually regained its normal beating speed after Hitori left. Kamiya let out a deep sigh to release the tension. 'Even if you find him, you would need help to finish him before he kills you.'
Hitori sleeping in his room when Kamiya knocked on the door. Hitori rubbed his eyes and sat at the corner of his bed.
"Hitori?"
"Hm."
"I am leaving," Kamiya said, which snapped Hitori out of the dizziness, "for the hospital. Meet me in front of the city hospital in a minute."
Hitori jumped off his bed and ran towards the door. "Kamiya!"
Hitori appeared in the drawing hall and saw his house's door close behind Kamiya. Hitori dropped his head and walked to the sofa, keeping his shoulders wide.
Hitori sat idly for the next few minutes before getting ready for leaving. It did not take him long to put on his navy blue shirt, open the top two buttons, then wear his black hoodie under the black cloak.
Hitori locked the door and took a Mage bus to the city hospital. The city hospital was not limited to Mages or Scientists, it was open to everyone. And due to that reason, it was a private hospital owned by a mage and a scientist-- settled in the middle of the Tokyo city.
Right after the apocalypse, only one hundred Km square area was in human's hands, not a big chunk of a hundred Km square but small parts of the city. Then the scientists developed their part of the city, Mages built their part of the city.
Humans still could not conquer the whole six hundred Km square area of Tokyo, they were left with only four hundred Km square. Then the city was equally divided between Scientists and Mages-- both not allowed to enter the other part of the city.
So that everybody could access it, the city hospital was in the middle of the divisor boundary. It itself was a boundary for the people with an entry on both sides but exit on only one.
The bus pulled over and Hitori stepped on the snow-covered land. A fifty feet tall building stood behind him, with a never-ending length. Hitori could see the walls as long as the foggy night allowed him to see.
Hitori crossed the road. Not many people were present near the hospital today, but the staff inside sure was throwing an awesome celebration in the hospital.
Hitori walked towards the entrance, he was admiring the building-- this was his first time here, Kiku always took care of him at home if he was ever sick-- when his shoulder bumped into someone.
The person's purple color hair flew past Hitori's shoulder but he did not notice it. "Sorry," he said, instinctively.
Hitori was about to walk inside when suddenly a gun cocked behind him and he snapped out of his daze. "Stop right there."
Hitori pulled his lips. 'Kuzu.' he thought as he raised his hands near his head.
"Turn around, and do not try anything." Hitori turned around, his eyes covered under his hoodie. "I have got a gun, so stay put."
"I can see that."
"Oh, can you? Then pull down your hoodie before I pull the trigger." Although it was a female's voice, Hitori was sure she was sent by Kuzu. Hitori grabbed his hoodie's corners before throwing it back.
He lifted his eyes and stared into the pair of same deep blue eyes. But when the lady looked into Hitori's eyes, she recognized him in an instant.
Her jaw fell open, and the gun near her stomach started trembling. "H-Hi-Hitori-san?"
Hitori dropped his arms without caring before pulling his hood. "Do you always pull guns at people for mistakenly numbing shoulders into you?"
The girl quickly tugged her gun inside and covered it under a white coat, then adjusted her long coat.
"I-it is not that." She sighed. "I am relieved it is you and not some Kuzu's man. It has been hard since the battle-- I am afraid he might..." Reon lifted her head.
"Do you always carry your gun with you, Reon-san?" Hitori asked.
"It is my elder brother's, I borrowed from him-- told him I felt I am being stalked. Can not let him know that one of the Science big shots is behind my life."
"And are you?" Hitori asked.
"What?" Reon bobbed her head. Her straight purple hair bounced with her head.
"Being stalked by someone?" Reon was sure Kuzu would dig everything about her and come to her at any point but right now, no, she was safe.
"I said I feel like I am being talked. I do not know for sure."
"So you are carrying a gun because you feel someone is spying on you." Hitori declared.
"As if you do not carry your wand with you everywhere you go."
Hitori sighed, he looked down at the snow and kicked some with his toes. "One day, when I skipped the trials for the second year-end expedition, I walked up a bridge under a sunny morning and looked down at the river."
Reon moved her finger down her ear and pushed back the strange of her hair. Then she adjusted her hat before pulling her muffler closer to her long neck.
"I held my eleven inches wand, clenched tightly in my fist." Reon nodded, gesturing to Hitori that she was listening. "I never liked throwing magic spells from my wand." Reon nodded again. Continue telling, she meant. "Then I threw my wand with all of my strength into the river."
Reon gasped as she turned to Hitori. Her eyes were wide and her face was a big frown. What the hell would you do that for? She thought.
Hitori looked at her, a slight smile on his face. "I waited and watched my wand as it fell into the river and vanished. Then I raced to the Vr-cade, logged in, and started playing."
Reon's jaw twitched. She was debating whether she should say something or not. Then Hitori turned to her and said:
"So no. I do not carry a wand everywhere I go, I have none." That left Reon silent for a while. She wanted to ask the reason but she knew Hitori would spin her off-course with words.
"I-I carry mine for protection. How will you use magic if you do not have your wand?" Reon asked.
Hitori threw her a glance before pulling out his hands from the pocket. Hitori took a few steps away from Reon. Then pulled his hands in front of him.
Ice crept from the ground and formed a miniature ice mountain. Reon looked at the three-foot-tall ice mountain before she frowned at Hitori. He nodded with a smile.
Hitori threw his right hand forward and melted the ice with the flame. He splashed water on the fire before he turned to Reon.
Hitori raised his hand and a pillar rose from the ground. Reon took a step back, the pillar turned into a seat. Hitori gestured for her to take a seat.
He glanced back before sitting on his snow-covered seat. "These elements are enough for me to protect myself," He said.
Hitori glanced down at the snow. Reon took a step with hesitation. She glanced around to make sure no one watched her when she sat.
Hitori lifted his eyes off the snow and asked, "Not celebrating the eve with your brother?"
Reon hesitated but shook her short purple hair. "We did it earlier, so I could see you."
"Me?" Hitori lifted his brows. "Just a lean guy, you see."
"Who is not putting much effort in dressing," Reon remarked.
"Who do I have to impress?"
"You are meeting two ladies tonight."
"Oh, I do not need to impress anyone." Hitori smiled.
"Right. You have that... your." Reon gestured around her neck, "locket girl?" Hitori flashed her a glance.
She was grinning, Hitori could not come up with a comeback for this statement. He made sure his locket was not popping out.
"Yeah. But she is far, far, far... away." Reon's smile faded. She felt as if she touched something she was not supposed to.
So after a second, she changed the topic and said: "Y-you look the same as you look in the game."
"And you," Hitori turned to her, "Totally different. Short hair, blue eyes. Totally different."
Reon turned her head. "When is this Kamiya coming?"
"Oh, he looks the same." Hitori nodded to himself.
After waiting for three minutes, Kamiya exited the hospital and waved his wand to Hitori. "Hey, Hitori!" Hitori waved back to him.
He threw back the earth seats into the ground and stood straight.
"I told Akemi-nee-chan that my friends are coming. It took her time to accept the fact but now she is ready." Kamiya glanced behind Hitori.
Hitori turned his head to Reon standing behind him. She had a half-smile pulled on. She was nervous because Kamiya's build was different than Hitori's by quite a lot.
It looked like Hitori was the one who was recently being bullied and not Kamiya, he was more fit than Hitori. But from their faces, they both looked slightly muscular, not much.
"Ah, meet her. She is---"
"Oh, I know." Kamiya raised his hand and gestured around his neck. "Your locket girl, right?"
Hitori frowned in disgust. What is this guy talking about?
"You should have told me you were bringing her. And, maybe, you should have introduced us first. Not that I have a problem with her coming with you."
Kamiya shook his hands. Hitori sighed. "She is not---"
"She is cute though, nice catch, Hitori." Kamiya punched his elbow.
"W-what are you talking about? I am not his---" Kamiya interrupted Reon.
"I am Kamiya Jigoku, Hitori's friend, and gaming partner. Nice to meet you." Kamiya bowed in respect.
"N-No, Kamiya---" Hitori tried to explain himself.
"Ah, but... where is Reon-san? I told her to be on time. We will be late for dinner at this rate."
Reon's smile dropped. She folded her arms and stared at Kamiya, then glanced at Hitori.
"We will wait for Reon-san for a few minutes. Maybe her plan is to celebrate with her family. I would have contacted her, the thing is our phones do not match the frequency with their signals."
Hitori sighed and decided to wait till Kamiya was calm. "She actually celebrated the even with her family early so she could be here with us."
"Oh? How do you know, did she text you yesterday?" Kamiya thought Hitori and Reon might have a private talk about Christmas planning.
"No. She told me in person."
"Person? You two met yesterday?! When? I was with you all day---"
"No. Actually, we met a few minutes ago." Reon jumped forward and pushed Hitori. "And had a talk."
Kamiya's mouth dropped, and the joy disappeared from his eyes. "Oh… h-hello, Reon-san."
The source of this c𝓸ntent is fr𝒆e(w)𝒆bnovel