08 / 07 / 2018, 07:22 - Tuesday, Residence of Shirakami.
As Akane goes downstairs, after carefully donning his clothes from the eventful night, the smells of food waft through as he walks towards the living room.
Akane stepped into the living room, scanning the scene out of habit. Mother sat at the table, apron still over her suit, nibbling while checking her phone. Ayato and Irina were already eating side by side, while Father lounged on the sofa with coffee, listening to the news on the TV.
Before Akane could sit, Ayato grinned. "Well, the sleeping princess wakes at last."
"Careful, Aka-nii," Irina chimed in, eyes sparkling. "If you keep sleeping in, maybe the seven dwarves will kiss you awake instead of Aya-nii."
Akane snapped his head toward them, making an exaggerated face. "Seven dwarves? Really? Don't you mean a prince? What are you reading, Irina-chan?"
Irina froze, realization dawning, then flushed red. Ayato blinked at her, then burst out laughing.
Smug, Akane finally turned his attention to the table, miso, rolled omelette, onigiri… and dim sum? He frowned. What's with the cross-country menu? From a Japanese breakfast and then suddenly moving to Chinese? Did I forget something crucial before this?
"Don't overthink it," Mother said dryly, not looking up. "Your father wanted Chinese this morning."
The three of them were each preoccupied with trivial things that somehow managed to fill their minds.
The mother who watched their banter from the side sighed as she interjected to the others that is still silent.
"Ayato, Irina, you two should go back to your room and prepare, yes? Aren't the three of you afraid of being late? "
"Or…do the three of you prefer to stand outside the class all day? Admiring an ant that is passing by your feet?" said Mother from the side, as she looked at the time on her phone and then at the two of them.
The three of them snap back and then, suddenly realizing the reality that they will be late, with a surprised and hurried expression, the two of Irina and Ayato quickly left their seat and ran back to each of their own room, forgetting to put their dishes in the sink..
Akane also hurried back to take his share of food, steamed rice, miso soup, and some dim sum for a taste. He gobbled up food, munching nonstop as he actually also afraid to be late.
And then he finished it fast, also rushing back to his room.
He stuffs the prepared school book at the desk, along with some comics and a novel.
Back downstairs, he spots Ayato and Irina already at the door, tying up their shoes after saying goodbye.
"Hurry up, Akane, or we will be late.", as Ayato stood up, already done with his shoes at the front door that has been opened by Irina.
"Wait for me!", as Akane bolted through, but the voice of his Mother held him back, "Hey, don't forget your lunch!".
Mother follows them, walking briskly towards the front door, as she carries the three lunchboxes.
"Hey, be calmer! Panicking will not solve anything, you know!" Mother puffed her cheeks in annoyance, while the three of them hurried away.
Father's soft chuckle drifted from the sofa, eyes following the morning scramble with quiet amusement.
After taking the three boxes, Akane also ran through the door and closed it gently, avoiding enraging his mother further.
In the junction at the front, Irina and Ayato waited for him, and as Akane stopped beside them, he gave the lunchboxes. They'd forgotten their own lunches too, and seemed both surprised and relieved.
Then the three of them briskly walk together…
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08 / 07 / 2018, 08:17 - Tuesday, Nakagawa.
The three of them stepped out into the crisp morning air. Along the streets, some small shops are prepping their shops or simply wait for customers, a café at the side of the road already busies itself as people spend time with their breakfast.
The ringing of the bikes of the delivery guy and then the hum of cars that passed away, add a little touch of ordinariness to this morning.
"Hey, Aka-nii, look at that!" Irina pointed at a bakery window, where a loaf of bread glistened with butter. "Can we get one later?"
"Later," Akane replied, while keeping his eyes on the side of the road, slightly squinting his eyes, as he enjoys the morning breeze and the blend of natural scenery.
The narrow side streets that branched off the main road were quieter, lined with tightly packed houses, some with potted plants or laundry fluttering on balconies.
As they reached a busier intersection, a group of middle schoolers hurried past, their chatter clashing with the distant honk of a delivery van and the crisp ring of a bicycle bell.
"Are we going to make it on time?" Irina asked, tugging at his sleeve. Her sky-blue eyes flickered with worry, while the morning breeze played with her white hair, making it glisten under the sunlight.
"We'll be fine," he muttered, though his steps quickened all the same. Ayato and Irina noticed and matched his pace without a word.
Halfway to school, Akane's gaze caught a familiar figure. A girl stood by the street corner, a black hair slightly tousled by the wind, red crimson eyes fixed subtly in their direction.
She waved lightly, and though he didn't reply, he could feel her attention as she quickly averted her gaze to another direction.
Akane captured that short moment clearly; the town's noise seemed to fade for a brief instant.
That gaze again isn't it? I don't quite understand… what's wrong with her? What with that strange gaze? As Akane ponders, but decides not to delve into it.
"Hey, look who's here," Ayato said, pointing. "Chitori-chan!"
Chitori smiled, and the siblings exchanged quick greetings, their pace slowing just enough to pass a few words, then resuming their hurried march as the school's larger buildings loomed ahead. The main road opened into the school's vicinity, the bicycle racks already crowded, students streaming in from every direction.
Akane's eyes scanned the crowd, noting familiar faces and the morning routine of the town blending with the school's energy.
But a faint unease seems to tug his heart, an echo of those golden streams of light clinging to his mind. Shaking his head slightly, for now, he decided to act normally and throw it into the corner of his mind.
---
08 / 07 / 2018, 08:22 - Tuesday, Nakagawa First Elementary School.
As Akane opened the classroom door, a bustling crowd and various hints of voices hit him like he'd stepped into a lively marketplace. The classroom buzzed with life. Chairs scraped against the floor as students jostled to their seats, calling greetings and teasing each other.
Did you finish your homework?' 'No way, there's homework?!' Laughter erupted from a nearby desk, blending with chatter from other groups.
From another corner, a small group whispered excitedly: 'Have you read the newest chapter?' 'He's so cool, isn't he? Masked Knight is invincible!' 'Hahaha, right!'
After a brief pause to adjust to the chaos, he walked toward his desk, ignoring the shenanigans around him.
His seat was second-to-last, near the window. He set his backpack aside, placed his schoolbook on the desk, and, with nothing else to do, stared out at the sky.
Propping his chin with his hands, unaffected by the hustle and bustle. Rustling papers, pencil tapping, a pencil case rolling off a desk, white whiteboard, and a hurried pedestrian outside.
Same constant, that offers nothing new, different topics, but the same routine and pattern, boring.
Even counting ants passing by might seem more interesting than all this routine.
Interacting with them can be quite tiring, huh, as he moves his gaze away to the side, watching the antics of his classmate.
Still, I don't dislike being a kid myself, but to be swarmed by these boring routines all over and over again is just a hassle. Why does Father let me go to school again? Ahh, to make friends, isn't it… which is really not necessary though.
Lost in thought, Akane barely noticed a boy approaching his desk, lean, handsome, with dark short hair. This was Mikami Asakura, a cool side-character friend who shared some of Akane's interests.
"It's quite early to start this whole contemplation routine, you know? You should be as lively as others, Akane. Cheer up! There is nothing wrong with going along in the play." Said Asakura, smiling, as he carelessly grabbed Akane's shoulder and repeatedly swatted it forward and backward.
Strangely, Asakura seemed to resonate with Akane, matching his pace and energy effortlessly. Though he says he reads a lot a books and has the same hobby as Akane, this cold guy can smile like that with Akane.
The nearby girl who sees their interaction, 'tsked' with jealousy as they also want to talk with Asakura, but was warded off by him.
"Stop it, Asakura. Or, you'll break my shoulder, huh?", as Akane tossed away Asakura's hand that was still on his shoulder. "Also, thinking is just a basic nature of humans; contemplation is just dedicating your energy towards thinking rather than meaningless interaction, mark this."
"Oh, oh, here we go again! The greatest mind of all time, with his remark!" Asakura clapped his hands in satisfaction.
"You shouldn't lecture me for making friends, as you ward off classmates you know."
"Hah, you know it's tiring to get swarmed by girls and boys, Akane. Being popular isn't a perk, it's a hassle." As he gestured, waving his hand.
Strangely feeling resonated, Akane sighed and held Asakura's shoulder, "You got it right, you got it right… I feel you, bro.", as they sighed together.
Then the door of the classroom snapped open in sync with the ringing bells marking the first period.
"Well, we'll continue later, Akane!" Asakura quickly walked towards his desk like the others, a headless chicken.
Well, I've changed my mind, to have the same-minded people, although a little can be enjoyable too.
Clouds drifted lazily across the sky, but they couldn't hide the rising sun and its warm light.
For a moment, he thought; Today too, life still felt beautiful.
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08 / 07 / 2018, ??:?? - Tuesday, ????????????.
In the depths of the cosmos, a planet drifted through a sea of flowing nebulae. Its surface was cracked and scarred, fissures spouting ash and smoke like the planet itself was bleeding. Cities lay scattered across the land, hollow shells of what once was. Silence stretched across the planet, broken only by the faint hiss of wind across desolate streets or the distant scuttle of insects that refused to die.
Towers and skyscrapers had fallen, and streets gaped open with deep chasms. Bridges hung in fractured arcs. Vehicles lay overturned and rusted, remnants of a civilization advanced beyond comprehension, now vanished. Some streets were still littered with signs of life, a single tenacious creature skittered across rubble, or a mutated insect paused on a cracked window ledge, adapting, surviving. But the pulse of the city was gone.
Amid the ruins, one city in particular drew attention. Its heart was a tangle of collapsed buildings and shattered glass, streets choked with debris. The air was thick with dust, and the sunlight filtered weakly through the nebula-dimmed sky. A faint hum, almost imperceptible, carried through the streets, the remnant of circuitry still alive, sparks jumping across broken machines.
Inside one crumbling house, a figure rested like a statue. Seated and unmoving, it wore a colossal suit of armor, half exoskeleton, half knightly plate, from no era known to this universe. A jagged diagonal gash ran from shoulder to left stomach, seams glowing faintly with silver and black light. Despite the injuries, the figure seemed untouched by the decay around it, as if the ruin of the world did not touch its purpose.
---
At the same time, in an unknown place, a realm of vitality stretched endlessly. Towering trees rose from valleys and mountains, a stark contrast to the cracked, dying world elsewhere. The air exuded serenity, yet it was shrouded in eternal night. Still, the darkness did not dampen the will to live; countless glittering lights, like eyes, fought back against the shadows.
Beasts unlike any on Earth roamed here. Two-faced mammoths with steel-like hides. Baboons with four arms but no eyes. Faceless slimes. Ageless trees and plants that hung inverted from the sky. A thousand other strange creatures, each thriving in this otherworldly night.
In the heart of the largest forest, an existence lay curled on the ground, covered by a simple gown. Its whitish-magenta hair spilled around its head and back like a halo of muted light.
The creatures surrounding it were still. Breathless. Silent. The scene was beautiful yet unsettling, as if the life here paused for this one presence. Darkness pressed in from all sides, a hole in the sea of light, leaving only the dead trees as silent witnesses.
---
"…"
Then, a sound. The faintest rustle of metal, a tremor, like an ancient engine straining to restart.
The helm creaked upward, but the body did not yet obey. Fingers twitched, broken machinery struggling to remember purpose.
Perhaps it should have abandoned its purpose entirely. Nothing mattered here: life, death, destiny. Around it, the city shuddered, gray shadows rolling in sync with the knight's slow awakening.
---
A small breath escaped from those rosy lips, a fragile denial of the death surrounding it.
One breath… two… until…
gasp
Its eyes slowly opened. Around it, the creatures lying still began to corrode, leaving only bones. The wind carried away the smell of decay, scattering the remnants into the shadows.
It propped itself up, tentative at first. The dead forms around it shimmered into existence again, translucent at first, then solidified, indistinguishable from life. The creatures offered their hands, guiding it upright, and the dim light of the forest, or what passed for it, stirred once more.
Yet, everything remained strangely false, deceiving, as if life itself were playing a game in this darkened realm.
---