Interlude 1 | Tool

“Hyaaah!” I shouted as I ran up to Lumi with knife in hand. I swung the knife when I got close enough but before it could reach her, she had already parried my attack with her own sword.

I swung my knife a couple more times before I lost my grip and the tip of her crystal blade was pointed at my neck with just a few centimeters between them. After a few seconds, I raise my hands in defeat. “I lost.” I said.

“Of course, you did, after all there’s no way you can win against me as you are now. Without my nanomachines or your ability, you’re just a regular human.”

“I know that.”

“So, why did you suddenly just ask to duel me all of a sudden? And on the rooftop of all places.” She asked as she put down her sword and dematerialized it.

“Well…, I thought I could gain confidence if I dueled you but it looks like it's not happening.”

“Hmm… let me repeat again. The second condition to using your abilities is to will it, yes? But is that really it?”

“What do you mean?”

“Is “willing it " the actual condition or is it just what we’ve thought it is?”

“Meaning to say?”

“I’m saying that willing to use your ability might just be part of it.”

“I see, then there’s another thing I need?”

“I’m not sure since this is my first time helping someone who has a natural connection but probably.”

“What could it be?”

“Who knows…”

“Can I duel you again? We’ve only fought once, so I just want to make sure.”

“That’s fine, it’d be better if we explored all possible options before they attack again.” She said as she materialized her sword once more and took a fighting stance.”

***

After a few rounds, I eventually got tired and was breathing heavily. “One more.”

“Nope…, you should probably take a break right now. We can continue again later.”

“Alright…” I replied as I collapsed to the ground, exhausted. “That reminds me, what time is it?”

“Umm… probably afternoon? I don’t know.” She replied.

“We haven’t had lunch…”

“Now that you mention it, I’ve been getting hungry since earlier.”

“Sorry, I kept asking you for rounds without even noticing the time.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Give me a few seconds to catch my breath then let’s head back to eat lunch.”

“Do you want to eat lunch here?”

“Eh? Ah, sure…”

“Great, then I’ll be back in half an hour so, just stay there and rest.”

“Okay…?”

After that exchange, she turned back and walked towards the rooftop exit. I quickly glanced at her for a bit as she left the rooftop and then closed my eyes to rest.

I’m tired…

Why in the first place did I think this was a good idea? Sure, I could’ve probably gotten the thing they call self-confidence if I had actually managed to land a hit on her but no, it’s not working out at all when this idea first came to mind.

At least we both figured out that just trying to imagine and will it, is not enough. But then begs the questions, what else do I need to do? There’s still this unknown variable that I need to solve for.

Ugh… I never thought I’d use the words I learned from math class here.

Anyways, I know I’m lacking in plenty of areas, and it’s something that hasn’t crossed both mine and Lumi’s minds.

“…” I sighed.

I guess it’s not as easy as they make it look in social media.

***

“Delicious!” I said as I swallowed it.

“Right!? I was amazed too when I tasted it when I was cooking it.” She responded.

After nearly an hour passed when she left me out on the rooftop, she came back along with a pot of chicken curry and rice.

“The pancakes that you made yesterday were good too. You’re a good cook.” I honestly praised her as I kept moving my spoon, unable to stop because of how good it is.

“That’s not at all true… I just followed a recipe, that's all.” She responded.

“That doesn’t matter, if you can follow a recipe and it tastes this good, you’re still the one who cooked it in the end.” I explained.

“Then… I’ll accept your praise.” She replied as she let out a bright smile.

I wish I had these kinds of moments every day. This lunch scene that’s been happening is something I’ve only seen in fiction. I didn’t think I’d get to experience such a heartwarming scene like this.

I’m jealous of all the people who can just steadily move forward in life without too much trouble.

My normal life has already come to an end so, once this is all over, I’m going to vanish. I don’t want to cause anymore trouble for people, I’d be better off dead.

That’s what I’ve decided. So, I’m going to enjoy these precious moments that I’ll get.

Sitting here on the rooftop, eating lunch with a kind girl like Lumi while feeling the afternoon breeze.

It’s a dream come true.

Back at my house, I would eat lunch and dinner with my family but unlike the precious feeling I’m getting right now, it just hurts me on the inside when I eat with them.

I didn’t like that so, when I had the chance to eat alone, I’d take it without a single moment to waste. This feels refreshing because I haven’t wronged Lumi yet in any way and I’d like to keep it that way until the end of our contract.

“By the way, did you know? I found a strange tool in the kitchen cabinet.” Lumi said as we were eating.

“A strange tool?” I repeated.

“It was shaped like a box and had many holes in it.” She explained as she put down her spoon and described the shape with her hands.

I was slightly dumbfounded at what she was describing.

“You mean a grater?”

“A grater?”

“That’s the thing you were describing. It’s mainly used to grate cheese and other ingredients into something like a grain of rice.”

“Ah… so that’s what it was for.” Her expression lit up like a dog who finally learned how to use the toilet.

“Yeah… how do you not know what tools are in your kitchen? You do live here.”

“Well… they came with the apartment or so I was told by the landlord.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard anything like that before, the closest thing I’ve heard to that is houses that come with home appliances.”

“Huh…”

After that the conversation went silent as we continued on eating.

Tools huh…

For some reason, that particular word is sticking out to me.

Tool… an item that I can use. Why am I pandering about this? The concept of tools is not new to me, yet hearing it for the first time in a while…

I put down my spoon and pulled out the phone I received from Lumi. Just before the both of us went up here on the rooftop, I quickly set up the phone to my personal preferences.

I booted up the web browser app and typed my question on the text bar. “Is something wrong?” Lumi asked after noticing what I’m doing.

“No, I was just checking something out.” I replied.

“I see.” She added that she continued eating as if nothing had happened. After quickly glancing at Lumi, I looked back on my phone screen to see the search results.

“A device or implement, especially held in the hand, used to carry out a particular function…” I read as I quietly muttered it.

After looking at several meanings of the world tool listed in the search results. I put the phone back in my pocket and carried on eating.

***

“Then, I’m going to go back to the apartment to clean the dishes. Are you going to stay here?” Lumi asked as she carried both the empty pot and plates.

“Yeah, there’s something I need to think about…”

“Sure.”

“Oh, and one more thing. Can you bring up some of your blood when you’re done? There’s something I want to try that might just work.”

“No problem. Then see you later.” She said then a few seconds later she had disappeared from the rooftop after exiting through the door.

I turned around and walked towards the fence, absorbing the scenery of the peaceful residential area.

I don’t know why it’s been bugging me so much but there’s just something about the word tool. It’s just a gut feeling but… it might be related to my ability.

Tools are something to be used to carry out a purpose. If I think about it, it sounds similar to what abilities actually are.

If an ability is something directly related to a person, then a tool is something that’s not related at all.

After all, it’s just a tool, you don’t have any particular connection to it. It’s just something you can use.

From what I’ve heard, Lumi’s connection to this thing called the 2nd dimension is just artificial, man-made and can only be used through uttering voice commands to a device that’s inside her body.

If I’m right in the direction where I’m thinking. Then… just maybe, if I can consider the ability to control and shape blood to my will as a tool instead of an ability that only I can use. I might just be able to circumvent the second condition.

Separation of the ability from the person.

I turn my gaze on my bandaged left hand. Tool… it’s only just a tool. If I think of it like that…

In the next moment, a sudden sharp pain erupted from my left hand. “Ah! Ah….” I uttered as I felt the pain and put my right hand over my left.

I stood there, unmoving for a couple minutes until the pain had vanished. I put away my right hand from my left to see what had happened.

I was surprised…

Blood was leaking through the bandage from the already closed wound. “Does this mean I succeeded?”

There’s no other reason for blood to suddenly leak like that. I know that the wound was already closed and was just keeping the bandage wrapped on it just to be sure. I could be wrong but other than me thinking too far ahead that it’s already been closed while in actuality it was still open.

I made it move.

I’m the one who made it move.

This isn’t the first time, I controlled blood for a really short amount of time like yesterday and the day before that. There’s also that day I met Lumi, but I don’t know the reason why my ability acted like that.

Let’s try it again…

Experimenting with my own blood is dangerous but I can’t wait. I want to solve this right now. I thought as I intensely gazed on my left hand.

A moment later it happened again… I felt the sharp pain once again but this time instead of the blood moving just for a second to leak through the bandage.

It broke through the bandage and formed a small red wall on my hand. “Ohh…” I was amazed. I had figured it out in less than a day. “I actually did it…”

Let’s try closing the wound… I thought as a second later, the red wall deformed and the blood was seemingly being sucked back into the wound and after a few seconds, it had all gone back inside.

The wound is still there but the blood wasn’t leaking at all. “I should probably go down and wrap it in new bandages.” I muttered as I turned back and started heading for the rooftop exit.

I didn’t notice this until later but I was grinning.

With this… I can help her even more! I don’t have to worry about being a burden anymore.

I can become a good person…