From the Tokyo Times (Scientist Edition):
On the first of February 2053, the mages in Tokyo were supposed to go on their year-end conquest.
No one knows if it was a coincidence. Or a deliberate attempt by the mage students to seek in the Science prefecture.
The next day, the academy guards reported a huge pathway in the back of the academy. They reported it to the head scientists. The police, on further inspection, reported the fence had been cut in the middle, that sprung open a way huge enough for two trucks to drive in side by side.
Amazingly, they passed through the uncleared Forest of Doom without encountering a deadly monster and cut the fence without getting caught by the security cameras.
The citizens of the Science Prefecture, Tokyo, are currently in a life-threatening situation. We do not know what the mages plan on doing by entering our side. A terrorist attack? Or use their curses to kill us? We do not know.
We suggest people stay inside their houses and do not talk with any strangers. With these mages on loose, it is like having a serial killer(s) on loose.
After the news went viral on the fourth of February, the scientists were terrified, some were angry (was this the beginning of a war?) and the mages were uncertain about the acquisition.
No word from the minister (Atama-sensei, yes.) and no word from the criminal intelligence about any terrorists escaping the Prison Dungeon. With no proof, the mages refused to admit it was mages who invaded the science prefecture.
The Tokyo Times (Wizard Edition) had a different story to tell:
A reply to the acquisition cast by the Scientist Edition of this news.
We wizards are not savages who would turn sixteen and seventeen-year-olds into terrorists to humans. We find it absurd to call our students 'terrorists' and 'serial killers' without any proof.
The fact that their side of the forest is uncleared clearly displays that they think we are savages who would blow bombs and fire curses all around, that is why they kept the forest full of monsters, without caring about monster invasion.
The security cameras could not catch the mages entering the prefecture. What if the cameras were deliberately turned off while the scientists cut the fence AND enter the forest to kill students but failed?
Even if mages with loose screws did cut their fence and entered the other side, I want to ask the scientists– what were your guards doing? Where were the dangerous science traps? What happened to the cameras?
You are at the fault, we hold no responsibility if mages had entered your city. But if your men have entered our forest and the city… the wizards will not stay quiet.
Hitori spent the rest of the days sleeping, reading books, and watching anime to get over Kamiya's death. He never met Reon since then, he met Akemi twice or thrice, and her reaction was the same:
She showed softness for Hitori. She acted as if she hated him, but her hate was turning neutral with every meeting. She realized it was not easy to hate Hitori.
Hitori tried to find the locket girl, she searched his name, and stalked the profiles he thought were hers, but no luck. He was scared, then thought it was the worst time to fall in love– or to awaken his love.
Days passed and Hitori wasted time. He never got out of the room, he did only for food and water. He bothered to put his card in the slot and log in to the game but never fight anyone anymore. He even let the monsters kill him.
There was only one thing on his mind after Kamiya's death– Kamiya's killer. He would clench his jaw, push himself out of the bed, tighten his fists, and punch the bed till his knuckles gave up or he was out of breath.
He did control himself from throwing spells and curses all over the house. Like mirror reflects light, metal reflects bullets, he never knew what thing in his room would reflect a curse.
When his anger breakdown would stop, he would experience a mental and emotional breakdown. Spending minutes crying alone.
Eya and Kakashi visited him a few times in the last two weeks, but he never let them enter the house. They did not try either, they thought he needed time.
But after two weeks, he had more than enough time spent in misery and anger– he had laid a seed for vengeance in his mind, and now the seed was growing into a tree, tucking its roots deep into Hitori's heart.
It was the evening of twenty-eight February, and Kakashi and Eya were standing in front of Hitori's house.
They knocked. Received no reply, of course. Eya shook her head and opened the door. They walked inside, the lamps were out, and the kitchen was the darkest room of all.
Kakashi flicked his fingers and lightened the hall's lamps, followed by the lamps across the kitchen.
"Is he sleeping?" Kakashi asked.
"Is not that what he has been doing for the last two weeks? Sleeping, punching, shouting, yelling at the walls, then sleeping again."
Kakashi advanced towards Hitori's room. He cast a spell, the door clicked open. And suddenly a wand appeared under Kakashi's nose.
Kakashi raised his hands and Eya took a step back, reaching for her wand. "Where is Kamiya's body?" he asked.
Kakashi opened his mouth to say, "It is safe—"
Eya stomped on his foot. "A monster took him. Come on, we are the Originals."
Hitori glanced with his blue eyes at Eya. He lowered his wand. "Do not enter the house without informing me first, anyone might come in…"
He walked inside the room, threw his wand on the table, then threw himself on the bed's corner. And sighed.
Kakashi dropped his hands and walked inside. Eya lightened the lamps. Hitori let out a small groan. He sprung his hands to cover his eyes from the light. "T-The light will kill me…"
Eya frowned. "You are not a vampire, are you, by any chance?"
Hitori blinked a few times. It took him a minute to adjust his eyes to the sudden brightness. He blinked again, then splashed water on his face– he summoned it.
The water fell on the bed, on Hitori's laps, and on the floor. Kakashi jumped away from him. "God!" He looked at Hitori in disgust. "What has happened to you?"
Hitori let out a refreshed moan. "Shit," he said, lifted his head and looked at Kakashi, "shit happened to me," he completed.
His wet bangs fell over his eyes, dripping water drop by drop on the floor, a drop or two flowing down his cheeks. And a strangely cold, but wide smile on his face.
From the corner of the room came a high-pitched shriek. "Hitori-san!" Eya shouted.
They turned their eyes to the corner of the room and found Eya looking down at the table in the corner.
Hitori's smile fell, fear climbed on his face, and he jumped off the bed.
Eya turned with a paper rolled in the shape of a cigarette, it was half burned with the tip black. Ash fell off the tip and floated in the air as Eya raised it in anger.
"What the heck is this? You got to explain me!" She was startled when she found Hitori jumping suddenly in front of her.
"Give me that—"
Eya raised her hand (which would not have helped much if levitation was not used) and threw the cigarette over her head. From the other side, Kakashi cast levitation and pulled the piece of rolled paper to him.
"Smoking? Were you fucking smoking?" he asked. "Surprise me, you brought a girl in the house, too, did not you?"
Hitori stopped near the table. Eya opened her mouth and stared at Kakashi, he had said something he should not have. Hitori lifted his hand… slowly.
In an instant, he grabbed the wand on the table and swung it at Kakashi. A beam erupted from his wand and attacked the roll of paper, throwing it against the wall.
"I am a Gynophobic," he said. Hitori was looking down at the floor.
Kakashi was left stunned– surprised for real– Hitori cast Bakuhatsu without saying it and aimed for the paper without looking.
Hitori kept his wand on the table and went out of the room. Eya moved her eyes from Hitori to Kakashi and shook her head, then pursed her lips. She jumped out of the room and Kakashi followed her.
Hitori went to the kitchen and took out a can of coffee. He took a gulp and said, "It has no tobacco or any kind of drug inside."
Eya looked at Kakashi. He summoned another half-smoked roll from his room. He grabbed it and took a sniff.
He frowned, then grabbed the roll by one end and pulled it open. Nothing but the remaining ash floated to the floor.
Kakashi looked at Eya and shook his head. "There is nothing in it."
She let out a sigh of relief. "You still should not inhale the smoke."
"Be grateful I'm smoking only the smoke, it gives me the needed vibe– prevents me from grabbing the real roll filled with tobacco."
Hitori crushed the coffee can and threw it in the bin by the door. He walked to the dining table and took a seat.
"What are you here for?" he asked.
Kakashi pulled a chair and threw the roll into the dust bin as he sat. Eya slid over a chair, pulled her wand, and kept it on the table.
Eya took a deep breath before saying, "You should come to the year-end feast. It will help you, we are going to be there, Atama-sensei will be there, Senso-sensei will be there… Akemi will be there, too."
"And? What else?" he asked.
"What do you want?"
"Food. Enough food and different kinds of food."
"It is a feast after all…" Kakashi sighed and looked out of the kitchen sliding door.
"You will like it then," Eya said. "And award ceremony for students who—"
Hitori got up from the table. "I do not care about that, I will be busy eating." He pushed the chair in and walked out of the kitchen.
Eya looked at him as he walked across the hall and entered his room. Eya got up, too, followed by Kakashi.
"Is he acting a little too rude?" Kakashi asked.
Eya shook her head, looking at the floor. "He is still in pain. Kamiya stayed with him for two months, at least give him one another week."
They left the house, locked the door from outside, and teleported to the Vr-cade.
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