Chapter 12: The Other Side

Irina had been standing stock still at the college gates, engrossed in her thoughts as Kuro walked off. Other students passed by her, all wondering why she hadn’t moved from that spot.

Her phone rang, successfully pulling her back to the current moment.

Osamu’s voice came from the other end of the call. “I believe your first day went well?”

“Yes, it did,” she answered. “But I have encountered a small—”

“Just meet Shun, he’ll handle it. I’ll ask him for the details of today later, so rest easy.”

The call ended. Irina looked to the left, then to the right, before she sighed with her head tilted up to the sky. She straightened her back, squared her shoulders, and began to head towards the Shinjuku branch of Belova Industries.

During her walk, she attempted to shake off a “fuzzy” sensation in her heart. She tried several times, but it refused to leave her. This was the worst time for such sentiments.

Her footsteps were firm on the ground as she approached the lumbering skyscraper. Walking over to the reception again, she exchanged a brief chat with Yui before getting into the elevator.

Shun had informed her the last time she was here that she should be ready to travel down to Ground Zero by herself at the “normal” speed.

The usual set of buttons were present. To reveal the alternate set that led to the lower floors, she would have to undo the spell, Conceal. It was a fairly low-tiered spell, one that even Shun—a Stage I—could manage.

It just happened to be the same spell she used to hide the mark on the left side of her neck. She swiped her hand downward over the buttons, and the new set appeared.

Irina was also given some rather cryptic advice by Shun.

“Once you hit the button, brace yourself.”

As his words echoed in her mind, she scoffed. A part of her was gravely curious on what this elevator had in store. But the other part of her just wanted to prove that his worry was misplaced.

Her index finger reached for the button to Ground Zero…

● ● ●

She pushed the button.

What followed didn’t impress her.

The elevator could have been said to have “dropped”, and was descending through a free fall—at least in the beginning.

She could feel its velocity slowly increasing. Irina deduced that it would take no more than ten seconds to get to the bottom. That was far from the reality.

Her skin tingled. Her heart rate sped up.

It was as if she was experiencing a thrill from a primal battle.

The magic flowing within her stirred violently.

She panted, as the elevator seemed to speed up even more. The sensation only heightened.

How was it so fulfilling and yet…so twisted at the same time…?

BOOM…

After a loud noise befitting the impact of the “drop”, the doors dinged open. And Irina walked out holding a hand to her head.

“Five seconds.”

She snapped her head to Shun who muttered from a desk he leaned on, while holding a stopwatch.

“How was the ride down?” he asked in a chirpy tone. “Exhilarating, am I right?”

“That was...” Irina tried to find the words as she attempted to straighten out her hair.

“That was the M.A.S. working overtime! It stimulates your magic in direct proportion to how fast it descends or ascends! Pretty ingenious, if I do say so myself.”

But Irina had not forgotten the faint, sickening emotions that passed through her on her way down. It felt…“wrong”, somehow.

“I almost forgot! How did the Obscure-Band work out?”

Irina grabbed her left wrist lightly, thinking on the item Shun was referring to.

He had instructed her the past evening, to keep it on until the plan—he had so graciously narrated in “extreme” detail, involving sneaking her in unnoticed— was almost completed.

The Obscure-Band was a tool he had devised to hide auras. One of his most brilliant creations—never commissioned, and deemed “too dangerous.”

It could suppress auras for about five minutes. A minute or less for those above Stage IV.

The wristband crumbles to ashes once it’s served its purpose. And it did just that the moment Irina stepped into that lecture hall.

Although, she had no way of confirming whether it worked or not.

“I did exactly as you instructed, so I think it worked.”

Irina believed in Shun’s dependability, but she got to see a new side of him. The side that was not afraid to break a few rules, like he did with the prohibited Obscure-Band.

She then remembered sensing a subtle presence of magic, possibly a Demon’s. It had been so brief, that she chalked it up to her imagination. Maybe the experience with the Demon King, had left a small mark on her psyche.

● ● ●

Irina was on the move again, this time to an address Shun gave her.

He had arranged a place for her during her stay in Tokyo, writing the exact spot in the Shinjuku prefecture on a piece of paper—in remarkably neat handwriting.

She felt no need to use magic to get there, so she had settled on strolling over. She could enjoy the city much longer that way.

Her face showed wariness, and for a good reason, too.

She arrived at the spot indicated in Shun’s note.

A high-rise.

She shook her head and mumbled.

After Shun had ascertained that the day was a success, he dismissed her. He told her that they would start working on raising her Stage at a later date. But after he said so, as Osamu had predicted earlier, Shun informed her that he had since prepared a place for her to stay.

And that it was a place befitting for The Hero, who was also the daughter of the owners of Belova Industries, as well.

Irina protested, claiming she did not need a fancy place. Just a space with the basic necessities would be enough.

Shun bluntly refused…

…now here she was, staring at the very top of the elaborate structure lined with neon lights.

Where she was to go next—the penthouse.

The splendid doors pulled inwards before she could even get close. Doormen at either side stood tall with practiced stoutness. They waited until she had fully crossed and gone a distance.

Irina needed to meet no one further—Shun had handled all of the paperwork, and all the staff were well informed of her arrival. Another sigh from her at the thought of all the special treatment.

She got to the…elevator…right next to the stairs.

She picked the stairs for “obvious” reasons.

A flight of stairs spanning fifty-eight floors later, and she was at the door leading into the penthouse.

There was another doorman positioned there, stiff as a board. He looked more like a decoration than a person.

She greeted him casually, and a smooth, “good evening, Lady Irina,” came from under his black and red work hat with a strap going around and under his chin.

The door was not locked so she simply opened it.

Never before had she seen such a “poofy” bed before. It resembled a wide and fluffy semi-circle of pink cotton candy, with equally fluffy pillows scattered across.

Irina was nearing the limit of her tolerance. Shun pushed it quite far—long had it gone over the edge…

But…

“At least the view is nice…”

She walked over the long glass panes that sealed off the balcony, and presented a stunning view of the night life of the city.

Specs of moving light on the roads, and neon signs on top of buildings all served their purpose of illuminating the beautiful landscape down below.

Irina tossed her bag onto a weird bean-like cushion at the edge of the room. It landed inaudibly due to the sheer softness of the thing.

Then she took a running stance—aiming right at the center of that bed.

She began her sprint, leaping part way, high above the ground, nearly brushing the ceiling. A jump that would make any high-jumper green with envy.

POOF!

Irina sunk into the middle of it, almost disappearing. She resurfaced, grabbing one of the square fluffy pillows and stared deeply into it.

At the time, she was like an office worker letting off steam after a long day of work.

Her mind began to wander to the words that “he” spoke.

“Cool, nice to meet you. I’m Kuro Kurosu.”

Her cheeks flushed an awfully deep red.

She buried her face into the fluffy pillow, cutting off her oxygen supply.

Irina began to roll back and forth, incomprehensible—frustrated—sounds leaking out from her. She finally freed herself, mumbling, “Kuro Kurosu…”

His face popped up in her mind—she repeated the process again…

She could not understand it. Why would she…? How could she…?

For eighteen years, she had never once felt like this. It was all so sudden. She was sure it was not “that.”

More suitors than she could count had approached her, not a single one caught her interest. She could not banish this thing gnawing at her heart.

“No. There is no time for time for this…”

She repeated that sentence to herself countless times like a mantra, till she fell asleep.

Meanwhile, in a humble 1K apartment, Kuro Kurosu played Caverns & Wyverns with Hisashi until daybreak…