Road Trip

As we got out of the car, I realized just how normal their house was. It wasn’t a house that money was poured into, nor was it a run-down hideout; it was like any modern two-story house you could find in most areas. However, the sounds I was hearing from inside were not.

I turned to Takeda, but he seemed to be on the phone talking to someone. However, I couldn’t make out what he was saying over the ruckus inside. So instead of bothering him about it, I just followed Yukimura inside after she unlocked the door.

When we stepped inside, Yukimura immediately said, “I’m home.” As her whisper of a voice filled the house, the noise stopped. Coincidentally, that was also when Rentarou said, “Hey, Yukimura.”

Yukimura didn’t say anything after that; she only shuffled her way back to her room, and once her door closed, the ruckus began again. It was laughter.

Rentarou was laughing his heart and soul out as he watched some sort of comedy show; at least, that’s what it sounded like. I couldn’t tell from the sound of the television as his voice masked it well; the only way to know was to step closer. So I did.

Upon closer inspection, I could see his sister, Hinako, sitting with him on the couch. She shrank herself into a corner of it, but from this side, I could also see a smile on her face. However, something I didn’t see was Rentarou staring at me as I looked at Hinako.

“What are you gawking at my sister for? Huh? Answer!”

Rentarou had already risen from the couch, but even as he stood, he made sure not to obstruct Hinako’s view of the television.

“I wasn’t gawk—”

Rentarou cut me off before I could finish, cracking his knuckles.

“Actually, why aren’t you dead? I thought that trial was supposed to get you executed!”

“Apparently, I have a week left. If I can’t control the K-word inside me, then I’ll be executed.”

“Maybe. Or maybe they wanted me to do the honors of executing you.”

I looked back for Takeda to support my story, but he wasn’t there. He must’ve still been on the phone.

“Takeda can’t save you now!”

When I heard those words, my attention refocused on Rentarou, and this time I could see it. At first, I thought he was simply stretching his limbs, but when I saw the way he threw a punch toward me, I could tell that wasn’t it. Instead, his arm and fist exponentially expanded over the course of a few seconds—but those few seconds were all I needed. I quickly dodged out of the way, narrowly avoiding his enlarged fist.

“Slippery, eh? That’s not gonna save you!” Rentarou said this as he directed his fist downward toward me. I could’ve dodged again, but if I did, his fist would slam down into the floor, breaking it. This time, I had to face it head-on.

I extended my arms outward, both to block and to prevent the enlarged fist from colliding with the wooden living room floor. When my hands made contact with his arm, I could feel the difference in strength. He was stronger.

Rentarou continued to push down. I began to feel my muscles burn.

“Oh, what’s this? Is a Kishin really this weak?”

I saw Hinako poke her head out from behind the couch as he mentioned that word. There was a concerned expression on her face, expecting me to be suffering in pain, but I wasn’t. In fact, I felt strong.

C’mon, body, you can do this much at the very least!

I mustered up my strength, and though it was a struggle, I managed to push his fist off me. It wasn’t just that—Rentarou also began to stagger. I started to pick myself up off the floor, and when I did, he shouted.

“This isn’t over!” Rentarou raised his leg like he was about to kick in the confined space. However, before he could expand his leg, someone else shouted over him. It was Hinako.

“Ozeki Rentarou! If you don’t stop shouting, kicking, and punching, not only are you gonna destroy the TV, you’re gonna destroy the entire house!” When those words left her tiny face, she was gasping for air, all the while Rentarou and I were stunned into silence.

The silence lasted a few seconds longer, until the sound of hands clasping together was heard. It was Rentarou, and he was asking for forgiveness.

“Sorry, Hinako… I wasn’t paying attention. Don’t be mad, okay?”

Hinako’s faintly grumpy mouth said, “It’s fine.” And upon the sight of Rentarou sighing in relief, I couldn’t tell what was funnier: Hinako getting mad or Rentarou apologizing immediately after. So I burst into laughter. My laughter cut through Rentarou’s apology, and he fixed his eyes on me once more.

“Just because I’m not gonna expand doesn’t mean I’m not gonna beat you to a pulp!”

Rentarou curled his fists once more, about to swing down, until the sound of a closing door was heard.

Takeda was about to say something else, but when he saw me on the ground and Rentarou about to swing, the only thing he asked was, “Am I interrupting something?”

“Nope, not at all,” I said this while Rentarou first lowered to his side, and the only thing I gave him in return was a cheeky smile.

“Good, because I got good news. We’re going on a road trip.”

“Road trip?” Rentarou’s eyes lit up at the mere mention of it. “Where to?”

“We’re going to Shiga Kogen for a week.”

“Shiga Kogen! That’s the place with the snow monkey hot springs, isn’t it?”

Takeda didn’t respond to that; he only gave Rentarou a nod.

“Hell yeah.” He did a fist pump before taking Hinako’s hand and racing toward their room.

“C’mon, Hinako, we gotta go pack!”

“W-w-wait, brother.”

“Nope, no time to wait. We gota go pack!” Rentarou nearly disappeared before he stuck his head out from the corner of the stairs. “Wait, when are we leaving?” Takeda only answered with tonight, before Rentarou slipped back up the stairs with great haste.

“And Shin…” Takeda’s attention was now placed on me, and when it was, I gulped. “Go tell Suki that she needs to pack and that we’re leaving tonight.”

“Okay.” I turned my back to Takeda as I heard him walk away; the only thing I was facing was Yukimura’s door. Immediately, I raised my hand to knock, but I hesitated.

My palms were sweaty, my arm was slightly bruised from the fight, and I could feel my face burn as it flushed.

Yasura Shin, this is no time to hesitate. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Man up!

Those were the words I thought to myself before I knocked on her door. There was no immediate response, so I just blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

“Takeda says we’re going to Shiga Kogen tonight, and we won’t be coming back for a week, so you should probably pack. And…Also…Thank you for earlier…For being there.”

There, I said it. However, my words were only met with silence. Ah, I must be bothering her, with all this Kishin drama she never asked to be a part of. I faced away from the door, starting to walk away. However, after three steps, I heard something. It was faint but still audible; it was Yukimura.

“Ok, I will.”

She talked to me. I felt my smile widen when she responded, and my initially downcast eyes looked up—taking in the scope of the house before I went to pack. However, there was one issue with that: this wasn’t my house.

None of my stuff is here!

I marched toward Takeda’s room, knocking on it promptly. When I did, he answered immediately. “What’s wrong, Shin?”

“How am I supposed to pack my things?”

“Oh…” He stared at me with a blank expression, almost as if it were something he never considered. “Just write me a list of everything you want from your house, and I’ll get it for you.”

My eyes met his as he gave me a thumbs-up following his words. “No need, I can just get it myself.”

“No. You can’t.”

“Why not, Takeda?” I questioned him with newfound confusion. I understand that driving costs gas, but if it were that much of a hassle, I could carry my stuff here.

“That’s because you can’t go back to the life you were living before. Your school. Your house. Your friends. You can’t go back to any of it. At least for the time being.”

When those words left his mouth, that was when I began to realize it. I’m not a normal person.
Almost as if he were reading my mind, Takeda continued. “You’re a threat to everyone in Japan until you come to learn how to control the K-word within you. That’s why we’re going to Shiga Kogen, to help you learn how to control it there. But until then, until the next trial, you have to remain separate from the normal world.”

But I didn’t even get to say goodbye to Haruto or Kaito. Before I could speak up, Takeda patted me on my head.

“It’s not permanent. It’s only temporary…Also, do you have your phone on you?”

I nodded. “Yeah, why?”

“Can I see it for just a moment?”

“Sure.” However, when I passed him my phone, he snapped it in two.

“Why did you do that!” I gripped onto the collar of his suit, demanding an explanation.

“No contact with the world means no social media, too.”

“But my games…I put so much effort into them.” My grip on his suit loosened as I scrunched down to the floor.

“It’s only for a week. After this ordeal, I’ll make sure to buy you a new one.”

My eyes were slightly teary as I looked up at him. “Promise?”

“I promise…So make that list, fast. We’ve got a long drive ahead of us.”