It's an Inside Day

“Kei! Keisuke!”

I rapped my hand over his door again. Why did today of all days have to be one of his inside days.

“Keisuke, I know you’re awake in there! I need to drop off these groceries, before my evaluation!”

I knocked a little more, and set the groceries down on the dirt path outside of my brother’s house. It was really an old converted workshop, but it was what my brother now called home. There was a little balcony outside his window, with some flags I had hung, and a little pulley system with a cup holder to the side that came down to the front door. It wasn’t without charm.

“Why don’t you just open the door? With your essence it’d be super easy.”

That was my friend Meika always in a rush, but today I couldn’t really argue with her, we did have somewhere to be.

“And why does he have to live out here in the middle of nowhere, it takes forever to get here, surely there has to be some apartments closer to you and your mom.”

She was complaining but Gunji Meika would’ve traveled twice this distance for me if she had too. This tall moody girl, constantly playing with that purple streak in her hair was my best friend. I could count on her for company on everything from errands to monster hunts. She was seated on a crate in front, trying to convince one of the alley cats to come over for some pets.

“He did for a few weeks after he retired, but he kept getting bothered by people wanting him to join their hunting parties. Even though he quit, his file is still available to the public and S class Essences are pretty rare.”

That made sense to her, people were constantly bothering us. I started knocking with two hands, drumming out a fun little rhythm that I knew the door would enjoy. It was such a lovely day; the type when we were kids Keisuke would’ve made me go to the park with him. He hadn’t been to a park or outside for the last five years though.

“And trust me if he doesn’t open the door, it’s one of his inside days where he doesn’t want to talk or see anyone. You don’t want to go in there. It’ll be smelly and messy, and he’ll be snippy and petty.”

Meika hadn’t been here before, even though we were best friends and hunting partners. This was one place I never brought her. My brother was kind of a sensitive spot for me. She knew I didn’t like to talk about him or my dad very often. Besides her, he’s my best friend. I dreamed about the two of us hunting monsters together, but right after I got my hunting license, our dad went missing and Keisuke shut himself inside soon after. Eventually moving here to the outskirts of the city.

“Sounds like my mom on an average day. Oh there’s a note on the ground.”

Meika pointed to my shoe, but didn’t move from her crate as she had finally convinced the kitty to come get some pets.

“He’s so weird, he can get downstairs to leave me a note but not enough to let me in. He left the kitchen window open.”

I hold up the dusty sticky note to Meika, some bad hand writing with two words on it. Picking up my groceries, I round the corner to the where the kitchen is and open the window a little more. Mostly cup ramen and a box of my mom’s baked goods, plus a few bananas, I placed it on the counter inside the window before sliding it shut again. It was a routine I had done only a couple of times, usually he would at least greet me at the door to grab the groceries before turning me away. Maybe because I had Meika with me, he didn’t feel like chatting. Or it could be he didn’t want to talk about my rank up evaluation.

Meika and I had our monster hunter evaluation today, to go from gold rank to platinum rank hunters. We would be able to go after Grand rank monsters on our own and handle Elite monster in a hunting party. Keisuke used to work for the Magic and Monster association, or as everyone called it MaMA. As a researcher and hunter, he explored all things involving magical essence. Now it wasn’t really something we talked about. When I come to visit, we would play video-games and talk music and food. If I really needed help, I could prod some of his old expertise out of him.

I rounded the corner back to where Meika was, now alternating between petting two alley cats.

“Alright mission accomplished partner, let’s get out of the place.”

I made regular visits, but this part of town still wasn’t a place I wanted to hang out in. Further away from the city center and main roads, there was more likely to be rogue monsters, and stupid guys that liked to catcall girls. Though Meika and I had handled cat-callers ourselves before, the police would rather we not use our magical essence on civilians. Anyone was free to use their magic for themselves or their business, but when hunter ranked mages like ourselves got involved it can get messy, both physically and legally. Monsters weren’t really a problem, most were low rank and benign, living peacefully alongside animals and humans, but just like humans some chose to cause trouble.

Meika got up and set the little black kitty from her lap onto the ground.

“Why don’t you just pull that guy out of his house once in a while.”

I stared at her, making that face we both make when the other is being dumb. Rolling my eyes up into the top of my head and dropping my lower lip.

“You don’t think I’ve tried. Don’t think I wouldn’t manhandle a man, I’ve tried. I’ve tried! I tried once when he first moved out here and didn’t really go great.”

The memory from four years ago was funny now.

-

Fifteen year old me pulling the twenty-eight year old Keisuke by the hood of his sweatshirt, with his arms crossed and his legs dragging on the ground down the alley towards the convenience store at the end of the street.

“Rei.”

“Kei.”

“Rei.”

“Keisuke.”

“You know this is pointless right, I’m just going to get up and walk home when you let me go.”

My older brother pensively looked up at me from his place on the ground. His eyes shining in the sunlight, his essence had made them slowly turn into a multicolored rainbow, and in the light they were gorgeous. Now from his days inside they were a muted pastel, like a shirt washed too many times.

“I’m happy inside my house, I just got it all set up how I wanted.”

I let him go at the end of the alley, outside the convenience store that had just opened up.

“Come on, we’ll just go in and get some snacks, and if you talk to the cashier, I’ll pay for everything.”

He looked at me with a dull look, slowly stood up, dusting off his pants and fixing his stretched out hood. Stared at me a little longer, like he wanted to say something, and then turned to walk back home.

-

“I haven’t dragged him out since, and as far as I know that was last time he left the house.”

“You’re a better sister than I would ever be. I don’t think I’d visit him again after that.”

“I don’t think so, you just talk a big game. He’s really a good guy, he’s just going through something. We have fun when he does let me in.”

As we turned to leave, I hear the upstairs window slide open. We both turn to look as a pale hand reaches out tossing a folder out. It floats on the wind a little bit before landing at my feet. It’s got three words printed on it, Local Monsters Analysis, with the sis part in big swirly letters. I held it up and waved it in Meika’s face.

“See this is the brother I know. You’ll be glad we came now. THANK YOU!”

The pale hand reaches out the window once again, and gives us a little half-hearted wave away. The window then shuts close again.

“He’s still a weirdo.”

But Meika is also smiling as she says it, my brother’s analysis is never wrong and more in depth than anything you can find online. He’s been our secret weapon to advancing so quickly. Nineteen-year-old gold rank hunters aren’t exactly rare, but there aren’t that many. As we walk down the alley way, we pass the convenience store I had once dragged Keisuke too.

“Hey Rei! Good luck today!”

The store owner came out to greet us, as she had probably seen us walk up the alley. Not many regular customers around here. She was a lovely lady in her early forties who had treated me like a niece ever since that day Keisuke walked away. Her long pink fluffy hair, and cheerful demeanor had made these gloomy trips an easier task.

“Have some snow cones on the house, New flavor Guava Sparkle!”

Her nails matched her hair today, and her dress was much too cute for work at a corner store.

“Thanks Hiyori! You’re the best! We’re not worried. We just hope the others in our group don’t weigh us down.”

Meika grumbled about lazy men and accepted a snow cone. Having a taste, we confirmed that that guava did sparkle.

“Hehe, I’m glad you like it. Nice to see Rei with a friend! Those are my special recipe. Should I bring one to Keisuke.”

I took mine and shook my head. Even though Hiyori was probably the only non-family member Keisuke talks to now. There wasn’t anything she could do to get him to leave the house either. I gave her my best smile.

“No, it’s an inside day.”