18

   We walked out of the elevator and into the hallway. There was nobody else around, so the party really must have been on the floor above us.

   To follow the plan, we were first going to split into two groups. I would be with Takenaka, and Mitsuki with Maekawa-sensei. The plan was founded on these two teams in order to make our way through the building quickly and quietly. It was important that we’d make our way with the least amount of fighting, but in the end we were prepared to hold our ground and fight to the end.

   Takenaka and I bid farewell to Mitsuki and Maekawa-sensei and started on our way toward the hall opposite of them.

   “Seiji-kun! Wait! I need to tell you something!”

   I turned around and saw Mitsuki running toward me. Of all the times she could've told me whatever was on her mind, she chose now. That means that it was probably not that important, or she just remembered something important. MItsuki isnt the forgetful type, although she plays dumb sometimes, so I highly doubt she actually forgot something important enough to bring up in a situation like this.

   “Huh? What is it?”

   “Seiji-kun! Stay safe out there, please! Be careful! Please!”

   She spoke with a certain tone lined with desperation in her voice.

   “Mitsuki, thank you, but you should worry about yourself more.”

   “Seiji-kun! You can't always talk like that! I-I… if you try to sacrifice yourself tonight, I’ll kill you!”

   “Good one Mitsuki, but I'm leaving it all out on the floor for this one. I don't even know what to expect tonight.”

   “J-just don’t do anything stupid…”

   “Right back at ya. We should get going now. See ya, Mitsuki.” I said.

   She left me with a smile and we went our separate ways.

   The thought occurred to me that I may never see her again. She was someone that had looked out for me for a longer time than most. Someone that actually stuck with me when it all went wrong.

   Before I met her, before I really met her, she just seemed to be another presence in the background. But after I got to know her, I realized she was a good person, not perfect-- far from it, but still a good person. I realized that there was a lot I didn't know about her despite being in the same class. Fortunately enough for me, I had the perfect opportunity to get to know her better. That opportunity was the night my brother went missing. The same night Mitsuki and Senise rescued me. I remember it all so clearly. The night that kicked off my supernatural delinquency.

   A bright light flashed over my eyes. My eyes were closed the whole time, but whoever or whatever this light was, was really persistent in shining it directly into my eyes. Sometimes opening up my eyelids and quickly blinding me, and other times just shining it on my face. I was awake, but I had no bearings on where I actually was at that moment.

   The last thing I remember is my mother collapsed on the floor crying, and then I stormed out the house and wandered the streets at night.

   I cautiously opened my eyes one at a time and took in my surroundings. I didn't lift my head up to look around, I just scanned my surroundings with my eyes.

   What kind of indoor garage sale is this place?

   Some rustling and movement behind me snapped my eyes shut. I had no idea where I was or how I got here, but it wasn't foolish to rule out the possibility of kidnapping.

   The next day’s newspaper headline was clear as day. Itd read something like: 17 Year Old Kid, Seiji Yoshino, Kidnapped!

   It had a good ring to it. There was nothing like taking advantage of my minor status and being labeled as a kidnapping victim. There's a lot of pity and sadness in that phrase, right?

   Kidnapped.

   My heart goes out to those victims. BUt anyway, if I found myself in this same situation when I'm of legal age, there's no way I'd be reported as a kidnapping victim. They'd probably use some gross term like “missing person”. Talk about heartlessness. Missing person? What does that even tell you about the situation at all? Missing person could mean any number of things. It could be me going on a walk downtown and getting distracted by the beauty of the street and failing to come home before curfew. Bam, my mother calls the police and now I’m a missing person. But that's not tear jerking at all! I want to be kidnapped! I want to jerk your tears, jerk your heart, jerk your whole being to sympathize for me and pray that little Seiji makes his way home.

   That may have crossed the line a bit, but it's clear that I'm the victim here.

   Back to the reality of the situation I was in, shuffling footsteps approached me from behind. I held my breath in anticipation for whatever was destined to happen.

   A shadowy figure leaned over me, but I couldn't make out any physical details because my eyes were still firmly shut. I felt something tickle my neck, and then felt something else brush against my lips.

   A-a kiss?

   I opened my eyes in shock and saw a beautiful silver haired female shamelessly laying one on me. Right on the lips.

   My first kiss… I-I might just fall in love with her.

   Nope. That would be the wrong thing to do in this situation. First kiss or not, even my thickheaded self knew that falling in love with your captor was a big red flag. I’m not Swedish, but I did know a thing or two about the world we live in, and that’s just not right.

   My eyes were still wide open in shock. The woman's eyes were closed the entire time, but as she pulled away from my face, she opened them and looked at me. Looked at me right in my wide open eyes. I’m sure that if you looked up “eye contact” in the dictionary, a picture of this moment would be there.

   Horror sketched across her face in a heartbeat,

   Her face turned to a deep red flush.

   I saw something flying at me from the corner of my eye, but I was powerless to react to its speed.

   “EEEK!”

   Slap.

   Ah. She slapped me in the face.

   The woman scampered back away from me, as if I was some terribly horrendous horrifying human. She kind of looked familiar in a way.

   “Do I know you from somewhere?” I asked while massaging my face. “You kind of remind me of someone I know, but she wouldn't do something like that. Or would she? I don't really know her that well… Say, are you Miyamoto-san?”

   She denied me with a vigorous shake of her head. Something told me she was lying but I couldn't put my finger on it. Was it the embarrassed reaction? Maybe because she still hasn't spoken yet?

   At that moment, a man entered the room.

   “Oh! Miya-chan, you finally woke him up! What'd you have to do to him, kiss him? Ha. No answer? Okay.”

   He spoke to “Miya-chan” first and then turned to me.

   “Hmm, Seiji-kun, right? How ya feeling, okay?”

   “You know my name.”

   “Of course! Miya-chan told me. You two are in the same class at school, right? Don’t you recognize her, okay?”

   “It is Miyamoto-san!” I gasped.

   “Right! I call her Miya-chan for short, but that’s her, okay!”

   This man seemed awfully cheerful. I hoped it wasn’t contagious because I think it would absolutely exhaust me.

   “W-who are you?” I asked him.

   “Me? I’m Maekawa. Italo Maekawa. The pleasure is mine, okay?”

   That was the day I got wrapped up in all this. I started going to Occult Club Inc. every day after school because they told me too. I went because I wanted a place of safety and security. I didn tunderstand why I felt like that at the time, but now it all makes sense why I steadily relied on them for my emotional needs.

   That was all more or less a month ago. Everything that happened after directly led up to Takenaka and I running down the hallways in a massive skyscraper. Everything happened so that this moment right now could come to pass.

   “O Seiji-san, stop! Shh, quiet and careful now.”

   Takenaka stopped running and whispered to me to get behind him. I obeyed and we carefully poked our heads around the corner for some quick surveillance.

   “It's all going to plan, isn't it, Takenaka?” I asked.

   “Yes, so it seems.”

   The first part of the plan was to separate into two groups. One group taking the right wing of the building and the other taking the left. Takenaka and I were on the right wing, and we were now faced with the next part.

   Maekawa-sensei described a security team stationed in front of the corresponding stairways, and they were right where he had said they’d be. There were about ten swordsmen from Thermo Corp. waiting and watching in front of the targeted stairway that would give us access to the top floor. All we needed to do was take them out without giving them the opportunity to call reinforcements or notify the executive officer.

   “Takenaka, do we make the first move here?”

   “O Seiji-san, it’d be wise for us to surprise them, yes.”

   “Alright, let’s go on the count of three.”

   I pulled out my sword from my Inverse Rift and prepared myself for the frist battle.

   “One…”

   “Two…”

   “Three!”

   We sprung out from behind the corner and started the attack.

   “Reaper’s Paradise: Hell’s Ambition!”

   “Blessing of the Godly Saint: Righteous Castigation!”

   The defending swordsmen were surprised at first by our sudden onslaught of attacks, but quickly recovered and then countered.

   Steel clashed against steel, ringing out all through the halls.

   Spectra energy was everywhere, like a dense fog surrounding us.

   They were skilled in swordplay, but I was able to overwhelm them with brute strength and potent spectra energy.

   On my own I had taken out three of the swordsmen fairly quickly and without much trouble.