"Hey, Mom… yeah. Just letting you know I'll be home late."
Hideo held the phone, glancing back. Momo squirmed on the grass in denial after hearing Okarun's real name.
"Yeah, yeah... don't worry, I'm with... hmm... a couple of friends. I'll see you later." He hung up, and turned around to notice the other two walking toward him.
"B-but that's my name!" Ken whined, almost like a kid.
"No! You can't say it, or a worse curse will fall upon you!" Momo threatened, still using her powers to suppress the yōkai inside the boy.
Momo sighed, choosing to get the matter over with. "Let's just forget about it." Then she turned to look at Hideo.
"You're in Okarun's class, aren't you? Although it seems even he doesn't know your name."
"Right…" Hideo hesitated for a moment. "Yamato Hideo. Just Hideo is fine."
Okarun stepped forward, his voice low.
"Sorry, Yamato… that stupid bet dragged you into this." He lowered his head, clutching his glasses. "I really am sorry."
"That doesn't matter now!" Momo cut in with some annoyance, nudging him with her foot. "You wouldn't even think of going there alone!"
Hideo hesitated for a moment, then sighed. "It's okay. Honestly, I didn't expect any of this today either... and neither did you. I guess we just need to be more cautious."
"Exactly." Momo gave him a firm look. "The three of us are in too deep for you to try to handle it alone, whether we like it or not."
"Sorry..." Okarun repeated.
"And stop apologizing so much!" Momo retorted, exasperated.
The system screen flickered in front of him. It seemed he was the only one who noticed it; it served to confirm it was only visible to him.
[Effective connection with the protagonists!]
[You have obtained: +3 plot influence points.]
Hideo watched them. He didn't know if he had done the right thing by following this path, but at least he didn't mind the idea of staying with them a little longer.
°°°
It was thanks to Hideo's phone—and the convenient card inside—that the return trip was easier. As he remembered, in canon, they should have returned on foot; now they were saving some time.
"You have alien powers?!" Okarun shouted from next to Hideo, holding and focusing his glasses while looking at him excitedly.
"Hey, keep your voice down," Momo scolded, crossing her arms. "Do you want the whole subway to hear?"
Hideo was suspicious. Recounting everything that had happened in a single day was difficult, even for himself. He looked at his right arm, his burnt jacket exposing the skin that had previously been transformed into a living flame he himself had summoned.
"It's the first time this has happened to me... When I saw the ghost, my body reacted on its own. I didn't know how to do it, but... it felt natural."
Okarun glowed with excitement.
"A human-alien hybrid! Maybe you were kidnapped and had your memory altered! Or maybe you have extraterrestrial relatives! Maybe you woke them up because of a high-stress situation like that!"
"I don't think I can define it right now..." Hideo looked away. Deep down, he was thinking about that boy's desire for an alien friend. Would he be the right choice for that? He wasn't entirely convinced.
Getting off the subway, I walked to Momo's house.
The horizon was beginning to clear.
"It's almost dawn..." Momo said gravely.
"What does that matter now?" Okarun asked.
"It matters a lot. Ghosts only appear at night. If we want TurboGranny to manifest, we have to wait."
Momo sighed and looked at them both. "Since you have no other choice and can't go home like that... you can stay at mine until nightfall."
"S-sure..." Ken agreed, looking so disheveled he looked more like a ghost than a victim of one.
"If she insists..." Hideo added.
"My grandmother is strict with men," he paused before entering and explained, "so be careful, okay?"
"And why are you saying that now?" Okarun protested.
Before entering, Hideo noticed the paper taped to the entrance: a talisman. He remembered something as he looked at the piece of paper; he remembered it as a barrier against evil entities.
As he brushed it with his right hand, a flame erupted in his palm, soon covering his entire arm.
Shit.
He tried to contain the fire by unconsciously activating his ability to contain flames, but it only intensified it...
"What the hell?!" Momo yelled, reacting immediately. With her psychic hands, she dragged him toward the narrow river that ran behind him... dragging Okarun along with him in the process.
"W-it's so cold!" Ken shrieked, soaked. The night's chill wasn't exactly helping.
"Hey, are you all right?" Momo turned toward the entrance, assessing the situation. "Sorry! There was a barrier there!"
After wriggling around as best they could, they both shivered back. Momo removed the barrier before letting them through.
"There. I'm trying to get through now."
"If you're going to soak us again, let me know first..." Hideo muttered.
"Don't be whiny and come in."
Hideo took a step toward. This time it didn't burn, neither he nor Ken. He breathed a sigh of relief.
Just before entering, Hideo turned to Momo, pointing behind him.
"Hey... shouldn't we put the barrier back up?"
She thought for a second, still laughing at Okarun's messy hairdo. "Right! If my grandma sees anything moving, she'll kill me."
"W-Wouldn't that thing affect us if you put it back up?" Okarun asked with slight concern.
He placed the talisman back where it was before, right at the entrance.
"It shouldn't. It's just a barrier. It'll just prevent you from crossing it."
"I'll be careful then," Okarun replied.
[Cautious enough!]
[You have obtained: +2 plot influence points.]
At least Hideo made sure to postpone the next fight for a bit.
The house was a traditional Japanese building. Upon entering, the wooden staircase on the right welcomed them into a sober and quiet home.
"Hhmm... Looks like my grandmother isn't home." Momo climbed the steps. "I'll get you some clothes, but I only have my own things."
Hideo shook his head and took off his charred jacket, leaving behind a white T-shirt.
"No need, I'm fine like this."
"As you wish. Okarun, come this way."
"Excuse me for intruding..." Ken said, following her awkwardly.
With them out of sight, Hideo sank to the floor, staring up at the dark-beamed ceiling.
"I don't want any more worries for now..."
Trying to calm himself, the memory of the system returned to his mind.
He remembered it was giving him points for some reason; perhaps his actions had been more influential than he realized.
"System...?" he muttered.
The screen floated before his eyes. For the first time, he summoned it voluntarily with a whisper.
[Name: Yamato Hideo]
[Abilities (1/5): D-Rank – 10% Pyronite DNA]
[Passive Skills (1/5): D-Rank – Spiritual Sense]
[Contracts: – ]
[Plot Influence Points: 13]
I hadn't even stopped to think how those points were supposed to be used.
"That…"
[NOTE: Points are awarded based on your level of influence in the main story. The more changes you cause, the harder it is to predict events. Act wisely!]
[Points Shop:
15 P – Dan Da Dan Vol. 2
30 P – Zanpakutō (Bleach)
55 P – X-Gun (Gantz)
More options are unlocked as progress is made.]
"I see…" he thought. That explained why he only got the first volume of the manga. If he wanted more, he'd have to get even more involved. "So... what about skills?"
[NOTE: Any skill can be obtained under the right conditions. Manual learning is possible. Granted skills do not guarantee compatibility.]
"I guess that's good to know..." He closed his eyes for a moment, letting the interface disappear. From above came the voices of the other two arguing on the stairs.
"It's my fault for worrying about you, Four-Eyes!" Momo yelled.
"You call that worry?! You're monstrously insensitive!" Okarun retorted, who was somehow trying to escape her.
Hideo smiled wearily. And then, raising his voice, he interrupted them:
"Excuse me... Momo."
They both stopped to look at him.
"I'd like to learn about ki."