Haruki smiled brightly, thrilled that they had listened to him, feeling more confident. He stepped toward the girl, extending his hand in a friendly gesture, introducing himself.
"I'm Haruki, and this is my friend Noroi."
Noroi crossed his arms over his chest and turned his gaze away from them in response to Haruki introducing the girl. Meanwhile, the corners of the girl's lips lifted into a smile as she clasped Haruki's hand in a firm handshake, so strong it nearly crushed his hand in her tight grip. She replied to his introduction by saying.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Yamika."
A strained squeak escaped Haruki from the force of her grip, and he quickly pulled his hand back as soon as the handshake ended. He held his injured hand with the other, trying to ease the throbbing pain, before letting out a nervous laugh and saying.
"You've got quite the grip… Yami."
Yamika furrowed her brows in confusion, glancing around as if trying to find the person he was speaking to. But she saw no one else, only the four of them. Her hand rose to her head, scratching it slightly in puzzlement, before she turned her gaze back to Haruki and asked.
"Who's Yami? Is she here with us?"
"You're Yami."
Haruki answered her question simply, without a second thought. But Yamika did not like his answer. A frown returned to her lips, and her brows knitted together. She pulled the axe from her back and raised it high, her voice rising in irritation.
"I am Yamika, the name my father gave me and I will accept no other!"
"But Yami suits you more."
Yamika narrowed her eyes as she slowly lowered her axe in response to Haruki's simple words. She thought for a moment before turning back to him and asking.
"Do you really think so?"
Haruki nodded eagerly, a wide and bright smile spreading across his face. Yamika hesitated for a moment, then spoke in a low voice after a brief pause.
"Well… if you think so."
Haruki stepped a little closer to her, placing his hand on the wolf fur draped over her shoulders, gazing at her with a confident smile as if he were a man of great knowledge.
"Yami… it has a beautiful ring to it, and it also means mystery."
Something lit up in Yamika's mind upon hearing the meaning of the name, and Haruki's convincing words only fed her vanity. Her confusion shifted into clear arrogance, and she nodded in approval.
"Mystery… yes, it suits me. Well done, Himroy!"
She then slammed the palm of her hand against Haruki's back with force, making him stumble and crash to the ground once again, his features trembling in pain.
"It's Haruki."
Yamika waved her hand in the air dismissively, as if to say, "Whatever," before stepping toward Noroi once again. She pointed at Mini, who was still hovering beside him, ready for any act of betrayal.
Yet, Yamika made no sudden moves. Instead, curiosity slipped across her features, shaping her expression into one of inquiry as she asked.
"What is this creature?"
One of Noroi's eyebrows rose in puzzlement at her question, and he remained silent for a few moments before replying calmly.
"It's a robot… a metal device powered by electricity."
Haruki and Noroi exchanged a quick glance before turning their focus back to Yamika, who showed no sign of understanding the word. Instead, she began tapping on Mini's screen with curiosity, as if testing its sturdiness.
Haruki suddenly gasped when a strange realization flashed in his mind. His hand flew to his mouth to stifle a cry, but his voice slipped out in a whisper to Noroi.
"She must be a ghoul disguised as a human… that explains her strength!"
Noroi lifted his hand slightly and smacked the back of Haruki's head with clear boredom, his expression radiating annoyance at this fool.
A faint groan escaped Haruki as his hand shot up to rub the sore spot, his face showing a hurt expression.
"Ouch… why?"
Noroi replied flatly, as if stating a truth everyone already knew.
"Because you're an idiot."
He then shifted his gaze back to Yamika, who at that moment was holding poor Mini tightly in both hands, shaking him up and down violently as though he were a toy.
Swiftly, Noroi reached out and pulled the robot from her iron grip, giving her a stern look that didn't waver in the slightest before uttering just one word.
"Stop."
Haruki studied Mini for a moment, taking in its build before throwing out a casual remark.
"By the way, Noroi, how do you even own a robot? You must've been rich before coming here!"
Noroi's brow furrowed at his words. He turned fully toward the other boy, glanced at Mini in his arms, then shook his head as he looked back at Haruki.
"No, I wasn't rich. But… who doesn't own a robot in the twenty-second century?"
Haruki gasped, his voice pitching higher under the weight of shock.
"The twenty-second?! When did the twenty-first end?!"
The same astonishment flickered across Noroi's features, while Yamika shifted her gaze between the two of them, studying each reaction in turn, until she broke the silence that had swallowed the air.
"Aren't we in the ninth…?"
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Thank you for reading! If this moment touched you even a little , please consider adding it to your library.💐