Chapter 9: Airi Chika.
Returning to the present.
Himura was struggling, tears of frustration in his eyes. He clenched his fist tightly, determined.
"You're a piece of work, Haruki. Just you wait, there will be a day I'll make you regret this."
Haruki continued to smile, but silently since it was night. His expression was very irritating.
Kazuka was sitting on a tall tree far from Aiko's house, gazing at the flute in his hand, remembering his grandfather, his face filled with sadness.
The image of his grandfather warmly stroking his head appeared.
Suddenly, tears welled up and spilled from his eyes. He quickly wiped them away. "Since Grandpa passed away, I've always felt an uneasy feeling inside."
"Remember to be careful of the outside world, my grandson. It holds many wonders, but it's also very dangerous."
"One day, this world will reveal the truth to you."
"What truth, Grandpa?"
"Haha, it will appear soon. I hope you will remember us then."
"Remember? Remember what? How could I forget everyone?"
Kazuka turned the flute to its back, revealing a hand-shaped carving. Something was etched there: Akuma. A deeply carved word.
Kazuka brought the flute to his mouth and blew into it. Its sound was unlike ordinary flutes; sometimes it sounded like screams, sometimes like a child crying. But after a while, he adjusted its melody, though those sounds were still faintly recognizable.
The next morning.
Kazuka was walking back to Aiko's house, lost in thought. "I wonder if I thanked them yesterday. What if they thought I was rude and won't teach me how to use energy anymore?"
Kazuka held his head and ran quickly toward Aiko's house. Running inside, he saw Kuroha pulling down her shirt at the shoulder for Aiko to tattoo.
"My tattoos aren't beautiful, but they should cover the burn marks, right?"
"They're fine, you don't have to do this. You've helped us so much already."
Tsuyu was sitting nearby, holding the ink for Aiko. Since the tattooing was done manually with a needle, it was difficult, slow, and especially painful.
Kazuka walked in, looking confused. "Huh, Aiko, what are you doing?"
"I'm tattooing them."
"Huh? Why are you tattooing them?"
"To cover the scars."
"Ah, I see. Oh, hey, Kuroha and Tsuyu."
The two looked at Kazuka, puzzled. "Thank you for helping me find my flute."
Kuroha was still lying down, her face contorted in pain. "You don't have to thank me, Kazuka."
Tsuyu added, "That's right, you don't have to. We were partly helped because of your flute."
Kazuka's expression turned eager, his hands clasped in front of his chest, his eyes anticipating something. "But hey, Kuroha, when are you going to teach me about energy? I'm so excited."
The three people sitting there froze in surprise. Aiko shook her head. "So, this was your real purpose, wasn't it, Kazuka?"
Kazuka scratched his head and laughed. "Haha, I... I didn't mean that. I just came to thank them, but then the thought suddenly popped into my head. Don't misunderstand me."
Aiko's face was speechless. Kuroha spoke up, looking at Kazuka. "Tomorrow, I'll help you, okay? It doesn't look like I can right now."
Kazuka excitedly jumped up and ran outside. "I'm going to find something to eat. See you tomorrow!"
Aiko shouted out the door, "There's still food in the kitchen, Kazuka, go down there."
Aiko turned back and sighed. "Sigh, I hope she succeeds in teaching him tomorrow. He wants to travel everywhere, so the boy probably understands he needs to become stronger."
Scene change.
Takeshi was carrying a bag, holding a stick, and panting tiredly as he climbed a mountain.
"Damn... Damn it, this cursed mountain is too high. I need to cross this damned mountain to reach the city of Kavi."
Takeshi shielded his eyes from the sun and looked ahead. In front of him was a large white city.
It was a city, not the village Takeshi was in before, which was just surrounded by walls and called a city.
At night, he planned to sleep on the ground but remembered sleeping in a tree with Kazuka, so he climbed up a tree, found a sturdy branch, and lay down.
"This is indeed the second time I've slept in a tree, but I like it."
A bloody scene flashed through his mind. Takeshi was walking through a village covered in blood, his body smeared with blood. He saw a silhouette standing in the distance.
He woke up startled, covered in sweat, his face clearly panicked. "What... What the hell was that? Was it a dream? That was lucky."
Takeshi sighed in relief and lay back down. "Well, I'll go back to sleep. I still have a long way to go to reach the city tomorrow."
The next morning. Takeshi walked through a forest, going deeper inside, his mood still cheerful. But his face turned panicked as he looked ahead.
It was a girl lying on the ground, her entire body covered in blood. Takeshi narrowed his eyes and realized it was a person. He ran closer.
"It's a person, is it a person?"
Takeshi lifted the girl's head. "Hey, are you okay? Hey?"
A girl in red clothes, probably Takeshi's age. Her hair was a slightly dark pink, and her eyes were red. There was still blood on her mouth and face.
The girl suddenly opened her eyes, looked at Takeshi in panic. Then she stood up and jumped away, summoning a red orb and aiming it at Takeshi.
"Who... Who are you? What do you want?"
Takeshi was puzzled and quickly waved his hands. "Hey, hey, I'm sorry, you misunderstand. I don't mean anything. I just saw you lying there and wanted to help you. I don't mean to harm you."
"I don't even have a weapon on me, so how could I harm you?"
Although he didn't know what the orb was, his instinct told him it was very dangerous.
The girl calmed down a bit and dissipated the orb, and Takeshi let out a sigh of relief. Her voice was soft and stammered. "So... so that's it?"
"Of course. I sincerely wanted to help you just now."
"Is that so? Then what is your name?"
Takeshi pointed a finger at his own face. "Me? My name is Takeshi Rin, 15 years old."
"And... And I am Airi Chika."
Takeshi asked first, surprising Airi. "Hey, why are you lying here? Why is your body covered in so much blood? Are you injured somewhere?"
Airi shook her head, waving her hands continuously. "I'm fine."
"So where are you from?"
Airi looked down, her eyes reluctant to speak. "I... I came from a very far place. I don't remember where my home is."
"So, do you have parents?"
Airi thought of the image of her parents. They were like shadows, flashing a malicious smile.
"I don't have parents."
Takeshi looked surprised. She was like him, without a family and wandering around.
"So, where are you planning to go?"
Airi flinched, pointing at herself. "Me? I... I don't know where I should go right now."
Takeshi made an offer, with a hopeful look in his eyes. "So, do you want to come with me?"
Airi looked puzzled. "Come with you? Where to?"
"I'm currently heading to the city of Kavi. I'm looking for a type of flower there. Do you want to come with me?"
"Huh? Come with you to find a flower? But what for?"
"Don't tell me he's looking for a flower to increase the capacity of the energy inside his body."
"Actually, I have a younger sister. She really wanted to see the Luna flower, but she's no longer with me. I want to pick that flower to plant on her grave."
Airi was surprised by what Takeshi said. She felt a better impression of the boy and found him interesting, offering a small smile.
"Alright, I'd like to come with you."
Along the way, Takeshi kept glancing at Airi, thinking about something. She also noticed this and looked back at him.
"Hey, your clothes have too much blood on them, and your hair too. How about I go ahead into the city and buy you a set of clothes? I don't have much money, so I'll buy a normal set, it might look quite bad on you."
Airi looked at her clothes, then brought a strand of hair in front of her eyes and looked at Takeshi, who was staring straight ahead. "Yes, alright, thank you."
A moment later, they arrived near the city gate. Takeshi and Airi hid behind the trees, looking at the guards from a distance.
"You wait here for me, okay? I'll be back in a little while."
Takeshi ran off quickly. Then he saw people riding carriages approaching the city. He sneaked, gliding past everyone without being noticed, then hid beneath the carriage and rode into the city.
Airi was surprised to see this. "Huh? He doesn't have an emblem? And he still dared to invite me to go with him? Is he an idiot?"
When it got dark, Airi was dozing off at the base of the tree when Takeshi gently shook her awake.
"Hey, Airi, hey, wake up. Wake up, put on the clothes, and let's go inside."
Airi slowly opened her eyes and realized it was Takeshi. Her face looked sulky, her cheeks puffed out, looking very cute.
"Hey? You left me here alone all day? I'm a girl, what if some bad guy came?"
Takeshi scratched his head and laughed. He lowered his head as if he was remorseful. "I'm sorry, but it was too crowded inside. I went deep inside to find clothes for you."
"That place is so big, are you saying there's only one shop selling clothes?"
"Ah, sorry, I was looking for the cheapest one."
Airi took the clothes, her face more annoyed than before. "Are you making me wear these rags?"
"Huh? Why call them rags? Those are the clothes I bought for you."
Airi suddenly remembered the image of Takeshi from when they first met until now. She reconsidered and was no longer angry.
"Hmph. Fine, I'll wear them. Don't come near me, I'm going over there to change."
"Hurry up, Airi, the guards are about to change shifts."
"I know, I know. You don't have an emblem, and you dare to invite me into the city. You're bold. If we get caught, I'll kill you."
After saying that, Airi walked straight into the dark forest. A moment later, she came out wearing clothes that weren't too noticeable, much like most commoners. As Airi walked next to Takeshi, he grabbed her hand and ran very fast. Airi blushed and stammered awkwardly.
"Hey?... Hey? What... What are you doing? Let go of my hand, why are you holding my hand? Are you a pervert?"