Chapter 2 Rest

Hiyaru woke up in his hideout with a long yawn. He stretched his arms above his head, then immediately regretted moving too much. The previous day had taken more out of him than he wanted to admit.

“Man, I’m beat. Pulling those bullets out was pure pain,” he yawned again.

He looked down at his hands and flexed his fingers. His right hand had finally regenerated, which was good. The rest of his body still reminded him of the previous night.

“Oh at least my right hand is back, but it is still quite literally a pain in the ass, not to mentio—”

His eyes drifted towards the clock.

He froze.

“Wait… What time is it now?!”

Hiyaru stared at the clock, hoping he read it wrong. He didn’t though, even if he sprinted all the way to school, he would still arrive thirty minutes late.

“No no no no!”

He jumped out of bed and grabbed a protein bar. He shoved it into his mouth while pulling on his school clothes. In his rush, he stubbed his toe against the corner of the table and then stepped straight onto a Lego brick.

“OUCHHHHHH!”

He screamed and fell to the floor. The impact made him swallow the protein bar in one go, leaving him choking and fighting back tears.

“I hathe my lifphe. I really needh to clean this phlace uph…” he mumbled with his full mouth.

After a moment of suffering, Hiyaru managed to get back on his feet. He finished putting on his clothes, grabbed his bag, and rushed out of the hideout.

“I hope I can make it on time!”

He sprinted towards the bus stop, but the bus doors closed just as he arrived. He then watched the vehicle pull away without him.

Hiyaru bent over, trying to catch his breath. Then he sighed.

“Really? This just keeps getting better and better...”

By the time Hiyaru reached school, the lesson had already begun. He hurried into the classroom, drawing the attention of everyone inside.

“Sorry, teach, for the hold up! I was, umm…helping an old grandma cross the street.”

The room was quiet. Then a few classmates started laughing.

Their homeroom teacher's name was Kazuto Shinrei. He let out a heavy sigh.

“Ahh, so it’s the seventh grandmother this month…and the fifth grandpa, Hiyaru-kun. You really need to work on your excuses, you know,” the teacher replied while smiling.

“Hiyaru?”

Kazuto stared at him.

“Oh did you even forget your own name now?”

He bowed quickly, his face turning red.

“My bad, teach! Won’t happen again!”

He hurried to his seat before the teacher could say anything else.

Kyoko Amehara, the classmate sitting in front of him, turned around. Her usual cheerful smile was already on her face. She was slim, of average height. Her hair was long to her shoulders of orange color but fading into red at the end. Her eye color was between hazel and orange eyes, she was easily one of the most popular girls at school. Though almost nobody in class knew that behind that cute and put together look, she was secretly a huge geek.

“Awhh, Hiyaru, slacking off again?”

“No, no, you gotta believe me! That grandma even begged me to help her home with her bags and everything. Am I not a hero, hmm?”

Kyoko laughed.

“Hehe, if you say so, but heroes don’t lie. Just make sure to pay attention, school would be so boring without you Hiyaru. If you’re late too often, I might just fall asleep in class!”

Hiyaru leaned back in his chair with a smirk.

“And look who’d be slacking off then, huh?”

“Hey, I work hard to be the top student here! It’s not easy, you know. That was me trying to give you a compliment, by the way.” Kyoko pouted.

“Sorry, I was just teasing.” Hiyaru chuckled softly.

Kyoko shook her head, while still smiling. They then turned their attention back to the lesson.

At least until the class ended.

The bell rang and students began packing their things. Hiyaru offered to walk Kyoko out as they left the classroom.

He hesitated for a moment, trying to find the right words.

“Hey, Kyoko…would you, umm, maybe want to get some ice cream today? They opened a new shop nearby, and it’s supposed to be pretty popular,” he said while scratching the back of his head and looking away.

Kyoko’s eyes lit up.

“Really? That sounds amazing! Do you think they’ll have a smurf flavor?”

“Umm, you have a unique taste, but they should have almost every flavor. So don’t worry about it.” Hiyaru grinned.

Her excitement faded slightly as she remembered something.

“Ahh, but I’m so sorry! I already have plans today. What about tomorrow?”

Hiyaru nodded quickly.

“Tomorrow works.”

“I'll look forward to it, then!” Kyoko replied with a cheerful nod.

“Yeah…me too.”

“Oh and don't forget today will be that interview with AAC and even Rivery should make an appearance as well!” she clenched her hands excitedly.

“Eh AAC, like the vitamin brand or?” he tilted his head confused.

Kyoko stared at him.

“You forgot, didn't you?”

“Ehmm no not at all?”

She sighed.

“They are the Anti Ability Corps and keep us safe against those dangerous people. And they use their abilities for good just like heroes would. More importantly, Rivery is the coolest one! You know, she controls water, and–”

That was the beginning of a long explanation.

Kyoko continued talking with so much enthusiasm that Hiyaru wondered whether she planned to explain the entire history of the Anti Ability Corps before they reached the school gates.

I forgot how long she can yap about this stuff…

“Anyway they are just amazing. Omg it is already this late, gotta run…”

Hiyaru gave her a small wave.

“See ya, Kyoko.”

“Bai~” she waved her hand with a warm smile as she hurried off, leaving Hiyaru alone.

Once Kyoko was out of sight, Hiyaru put a finger to his comm device.

“Neki, you in?”

“Finally. I was waiting for you to check in. Listen, our client set a meeting for two days from now. He’ll send us the address where you’ll exchange the vial. I’ll give you the full details later, but at least we’re getting paid something after that disaster.”

“Got it. So…I’ve got today free, right?”

There was a suspicious pause.

“Yeah? You’re gonna play games all day, aren’t you?” Neki asked.

“Huh? No, no. What makes you think that? Anyway…bad signal, Neki. Can’t hear you. Hey, Nekii? Neki?!”

Hiyaru abruptly ended the call.

Back at her end, Neki stared at the disconnected comm and sighed.

“He's 100% gonna play games all day. I wanted to go out with him somewhere finally after that mission…”

She let out another heavy sigh.

Meanwhile, Hiyaru grinned to himself.

“I’m definitely gonna play all day. But first, I should grab something for dinner.”

He put away his comm and headed towards a nearby pizzeria.

After picking up his food, Hiyaru noticed the ice cream shop he had mentioned to Kyoko earlier. He had not planned to visit it, but curiosity got the better of him.

Maybe I can try some in advance and then recommend some flavor to her.

Inside, a tall man stood at the counter. He wore a dark suit and sunglasses, and his muscular build made him look like someone who spent more time fighting than talking. There was something intimidating about him, even though he was doing nothing more than ordering ice cream.

Hiyaru glanced at him.

Damn that man is ripped, looks like he is about to shoot someone or guard the president.

The man spoke calmly to the employee.

“One strawberry, please. It’s my daughter’s favorite.”

“Sure thing, sir. Coming right up. Your daughter must be pretty lucky to have such a thoughtful father.”

The man chuckled softly.

“You humble me, madam. But, quite the opposite…I’d be lost without that girl.”

For a brief moment, his expression softened. The stern look returned soon afterwards, and he accepted the strawberry ice cream from the employee.

He thanked the employee politely and left a tip before heading towards the door.

Hiyaru watched him leave with a small smile.

I guess you should never judge a book by its cover. That guy seemed so intimidating, but he’s just a kind father. I wonder what it is like to actually have parents and not be alone your whole life, not like I even remember my whole life… Well anyway…

His smile faded as he remembered he had no childhood memories at all—nothing before he was nine, except for his name and age. He had been living all alone ever since on the streets. Soon after he pushed the thought aside and approached the counter to buy his own ice cream.

With his food and yellow melon ice cream in hand, Hiyaru left the shop and made his way towards his hideout.