Kinett's Spiral

Hideki's curiosity was killing him. If magic really did exist in this world, he wanted to learn all about it. 

Fuka laid out the food on the wooden dining table in the back of their house. Their small kitchen was hidden down a short hallway, dimly lit by lanterns on the wall. She opened one of the drawers and took out a metal tool in the shape of a spiral. 

She used it to cut out the shape from a melon. It was a soft green color. Clear juice spilled out of the fruit as soon as it was cut. She wound the cookie together with the melon and cracked it in half, handing him one of the halves.

"We can go outside after this and you'll see what I mean," she smiled. They both took a bite of the cookie-like dessert at the same time. It was slightly crunchy and combined with the melon it had an overwhelmingly sweet taste.

"I don't feel any different," he said after he finished eating the whole thing. 

"It doesn't affect your physical state, just the eyesight when there is a lack of light," Fuka explained. "Are you ready to go test it?"

"Heck yeah!" Hideki pumped his fist into the air and wrapped his arm around Fuka's shoulder like he did with other girls when he wanted to make them swoon. They walked outside together and he was immediately stunned.

It wasn't dark outside anymore, or at least it didn't appear to be, however it wasn't day either. It appeared to be somewhere in between the two. The air around them had a slightly blue tint to it, almost like he was watching the world through a colored lens. 

"W-woah..." he was amazed how a simple cookie could create such a large effect on one's vision. "Fuka, is this magic?"

The green haired girl covered her mouth with her hand daintily, lightly giggling at his question. "Magic? There's no such thing Hideki."

"Huuuuh!? What do you mean? This is totally magic," he frowned, putting his hands on his hips defiantly. 

"Are you from a different planet?" she smiled cutely, her eyes shining under the light of the stars. Thanks to the effects of the cookie he could see her face perfectly, even amidst the darkest night. "This is just a rule of science, one which someone figured out how to harness."

"Well, well, well, I've never heard of such a thing," he smirked, enjoying her simple laughter over his stupidity. He figured that might be what she was into, so he decided to play out his dumb side in this situation to woo her.

"Some animals in nature have the ability to see in the dark. It must have been hard...but Kinett figured out how to use that ability, which led to this!" she put her hands around her eyes like she was looking at him through binoculars.

He shook his head, unable to believe the wacky laws of science which ruled the world he was forced to live in now. He was mostly disappointed that magic wasn't real. He hoped that since he was going to be living in a new unfamiliar world, that it would at least be interesting. 

He took a long look around the area to soak in the feeling of night vision, and noticed the blurred figure of a man walking towards them. His stride was slow and weak, and he was stumbling around like a drunkard.

"W-who the hell is that?" Hideki quickly took to protecting Fuka. If some crazy homeless guy was going to attack them, he would protect Fuka with his life. Realizing that this could be his ticket out of the world, he wasn't about to lose that opportunity.

"Hideki, what's wrong?" she asked fearfully, sensing that something was wrong.

"Shhh, let me protect you," he didn't need to explain. If that man attacked them, and Hideki successfully managed to fend him off, he would be granted his final wish; leaving the world to face his final death.

His heart was pounding fast, and thoughts were racing through his head. He didn't think it would happen this quickly, but he was already excited. He was finally going to do something useful, and save the girl he loved!

As the shadowy man neared them, his appearance became more clear and Hideki squinted to make out the details. He wasn't as tall as he appeared to be when he was further away, and his stumble was more pathetic than it was scary.

"Aoya...?" 

The brown haired boy walked towards them, hiccuping and dragging a backpack against the concrete behind him. 

Hideki immediately ran to him, putting Aoya's arm over his shoulder so he could help him walk quicker. "What happened to you? Why are you walking outside in the dark? Were you waiting for me to come find your dumb ass?" Hideki immediately started questioning the guy, angrily pounding his questions into the drunkard's head.

Fuka rushed over to the boys, helping Hideki bring his drunk friend into her house. 

With Aoya now laid out on the living room floor, they had a choice to make. There was no way he could explain himself to Fuka's parents in this state, since he was so drunk that he couldn't form coherent sentences. They would either have to leave him outside or convince her parents to let him stay there- which would be hard. 

"Is he okay?" Fuka said, biting her fingernail nervously. Aoya looked completely trashed, his hair was ruffled and knotty and his clothes were covered in stains and dirt. There was no saying how long he had been wandering around looking for Hideki.

"He can sleep outside with me tonight. Don't worry about us, I'll watch him," he finally decided. He had to take the job upon himself since there was no other choice. Neither of them could stay in Fuka's house because of her dad. He didn't want to be sleeping so close to Aoya again, but he didn't have a choice.

"But you'll be cold...do you want a blanket?" Fuka held his hands in hers and he felt his face becoming warm. Her eyes looked up at him innocently, filled with a loving concern for him. 

"Oh? Are you worrying about a handsome guy like me?" he smirked, taking control of their hand holding and wrapping his arm around her back to pull her closer to him. This was where he would execute his final, most impactful move; the loving embrace!

There's no way she can resist me if I do this. Fuka will fall head over heels for me, and then she will let me save her!

"A-ah...Hideki..." Fuka blushed a deep red, her eyes widening as his hand slowly ran down her back to rest near her bottom. He looked her straight in the eyes, activating his most seductive gaze. 

"I'd love for you to stay with me tonight, but that would be naughty, wouldn't it? A blanket would be enough for me, since I'm such a simple guy," he laughed richly. "I'm so lucky to have such a kind girl like you worrying about me."

"Hideki! I would do this for anyone. Sleeping outside must be so cold and uncomfortable...If it's a friend, I need to do whatever I can to help them get the sleep they need."

"I would do this for anyone."

"If it's a friend..."

I'm just...a friend? She would do this...for anyone?

Hideki's mouth was agape, and he let go of her, standing like a frail stone statue that would crumble if touched. His will to seduce had completely evaporated. 

Fuka left the room to grab some blankets for him and Aoya. He crossed his arms angrily once he gained his composure. He wasn't particularly mad that she had called him a friend, and he knew he couldn't force her to like him- but he couldn't understand why his tactics weren't working.

None of the girls in this world were falling for him, and that was what angered him most. In his previous life he had no trouble making girls fall in love with him. It was so easy that he could do it without putting in any effort. This world was different though...

Like it was trying to force him to work ten times harder than he should have to, it frustrated him more than anything. If he couldn't have the comfort of his own home, he would at least like to have the comfort of holding a cute girl in his arms and having her tell him how great he is. 

When Fuka returned with the blankets, he'd come up with a new source of inspiration.

"What's that look on your face for?" she tilted her head curiously. He was grinning brightly, his eyes practically sparkling. He slowly raised his arm to point at her, tilting his head back dramatically.

"Tomorrow, we're going to go see those shooting stars. I'm going to make your dreams come true, Fuka."

His green haired angel dropped the blankets where she stood, her eyes widening at his bold declaration. He had no way to make this dream come true, but he was going to summon every ounce of power that he could muster in the world that did everything to fight against him.