Nox couldn't believe what she was hearing. The person who was responsible for saving her sister's life and helping guide her towards her new life stood before her and his goal in life was to make the entire world smile. Nox had heard of dreaming big but this dream was massive. Hitsu was aware of Nox's shocked reaction but he didn't seem to care, his smile remained bright.
"You want to make the entire world smile?" Nox asked needing confirmation she heard him right.
"Yep," Hitsu responded casually, "That's what I'm going to do."
"How are you going to do that?" Nox asked.
Hitsu stopped for a moment before he answered.
"I have no idea," he said happily.
Nox was dumbfounded. She sat in silent confusion wondering if this was all a big joke, a prank Hitsu and Takeshi had planned. Maybe this dream wasn't real, maybe this guild wasn't real, maybe the world wasn't real. Nothing made sense but yet Hitsu seemed so casual.
"I know what you're thinking," Hitsu said suddenly snapping Nox from her thoughts. "It's crazy isn't it, some impossible dream a dumb kid would think of." Hitsu was no longer smiling, instead, he looked to the floor with a saddened expression. "Who in their right mind would fight for something like that? Something so impossible it's meaningless."
"Hey, don't say that," Nox interjected. It was clear now this was no joke, Hitsu really did want to make the world smile.
"Alright, I won't," Hitsu said happily as his sadness vanished.
"Huh?" Nox said caught off guard by Hitsu's sudden change in mood.
"I won't because I know it's crazy. I accepted that fact a long time ago. But I still want my dream to come true," Hitsu said firmly. "Smiling makes everything better, even when things are terrible a smile can help even if it's just a little bit. So just imagine if everyone, every person across the world, was smiling at the same time. Even if it is just for a moment, that moment would be peaceful, it would be happy, it would be the best moment for everyone. I know it seems impossible, but it's not, it's improbable, but that means it can still happen. The moment is what I fight for, and it's gonna stay what I fight for. If I'm crazy for having a dream like that then I don't want to be sane. I'm gonna make the whole world smile and nobodies gonna stop me."
Nox stared at Hitsu in disbelief, but this it wasn't confused disbelief, it was amazed disbelief.
"Jeez," Nox said, "your determination is impressive. I wish I could be like you."
"You already are," Hitsu responded.
"What do you mean?"
"You haven't given up on your dream, have you? Your goal to make your family proud, you are still fighting for that. As long as you don't give up on your dream you'll be just like me because I'm not giving up on mine."
Nox couldn't help but smile, the hope from the bot before her was infectious.
"Well Hitsu," Nox said as she stood from the bed she was sitting on, "as long as we are both Future Veins a have no choice but to help you achieve that dream of yours."
"And I'll help you achieve yours," Hitsu responded.
"Two dreams, two very different people, that's what we were. More different? More alike? Which one would we become? At the time I had no idea, but to be fair how could I? Because that moment was just the start, the start of a future that no one could predict."
...
Light crept through the open window and into Nox's tired eyes. She blinked slowly as she tried to force herself awake. Nox rolled over and turned her back to the bright light. After a moment she realized she was in the girl's room at the Future Veins guild. Her brain took a moment to comprehend this fact, she wasn't used to living in her new home yet. After a mental countdown, Nox forced herself to sit up. Her second day as a Future Vein was about to begin.
Nox grabbed her phone and checked the time, it read 7:14 a.m. Nox tiredly rose from her bed and changed from her pajamas into some casual clothes. Nox didn't know what to expect from this place but yet she readied herself. After she was dressed and ready Nox made her way out of the girl's room. In the hallway, she noted that the boy's room door was open and it's two occupants were absent. She quickly found them as she walked down the stairs to the first floor.
Juno lay lazily on the windowsill as she enjoyed the morning sun. The smell of food cooking filled the air but the kitchen seemed empty. Takeshi sat at his chair at the dining table. In one hand he held some sort of paperwork which he read intently, in his other hand was a coffee mug. His eyes left the paper for a moment as he saw Nox enter.
"Mornin," he said as his eyes went back to his paper.
"Good morning," Nox responded with a yawn. She stopped when she realized Takeshi's choice of beverage. "Is that really coffee?" she asked suspiciously.
"Of course it is," Takeshi answered, "What else would it be."
Nox wasn't satisfied with that answer as she continued to study Takeshi.
"Coffee and some liqueur," Takeshi said after a tense silence.
"That makes more sense," Nox responded. She looked over to the kitchen and realized it wasn't empty after all. Multiple pans sat on burners with different breakfast items cooking inside of them. The food was present but a cook was not.
"Hey," Nox said, "who's cooking?"
Suddenly, Hitsu's head emerged from below the opening in the wall.
"I am," he answered.
"You can cook?" Nox asked surprised.
"Of course he can," Takeshi answered, "I sure as hell can't."
Takeshi rose from his seat and walked over to the opening in the wall. Without a word, Hitsu held out a brown paper bag that Takeshi grabbed from his hand without slowing his pace.
"I'm heading out on a mission," Takeshi said to Nox, "I'll be back in a few days. In the meantime, Hitsu is gonna show you how things work around here."
"What's making you head out so soon?" Hitsu asked, "You only got back yesterday."
"You know jobs are slow right now," Takeshi answered as he made his way towards the front door, "so when an urgent one like this one comes up I can't wait around."
Takeshi picked up a large black bag from against the wall which he slung over his shoulder. He opened the door before he stopped to continue his conversation.
"Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone."
"Yes sir," Hitsu responded.
With that, Takeshi walked out the door and closed it behind him.
"Jeez," Hitsu said, "I didn't think he'd leave so soon."
"Is it really okay that he just left?" Nox asked.
"Of course it is," Hitsu assured, "If I don't have a job I'm here alone most of the time. Besides, it's not like anything major is gonna happen.
"Yeah," Nox said, "I guess you're right. Nothing is gonna happen...
...
...
...
"...Right?"
...
End of Episode 25