"Then…"
"If I'm not really dead…
"How did I end up inside the Gate?"
Arashi are puzzled with all the things that been happening in just one day.
He tried to stay calm but the feeling of betrayal and lie making his blood boil
"Can you calm down first?" Says Rikka
Arashi just turned toward Rikka with an unsatisfied face
"Look, there is always an explanation toward any problem alright."
"So let me explain…" said Rikka trying to calm Arashi down
Arashi though piss, tried to calm down and hear Rikka explanation
"As you've realized, we're not dead…"
"Well, not technically…" said Rikka explaining the situation toward Arashi
"What do you mean by that?" Ask Arashi confused
"Well…"
"As we've known, the time where we "supposedly" died…"
"The Gate appeared…"
As Rikka explained the situation toward Arashi, she starts to reminiscing the past event on how she was supposed to be "dead"
At that dark cold night, Rikka was out hunting for the orphanage she works for…
But unfortunately, that night luck wasn't on Rikka side as she encountered a pack of hungry wolves aiming to hunt anything they found.
Instead of running away, Rikka tried to fence herself against the pack wolves by killing all of it with her wooden bow
Unfortunately, she loses the fight as it was impossible to fight the wolves in the dark snowing forest.
Her body got ravage violently by the pack of wolves that it almost left nothing else to be found instead of bones
Powerless and weak, at her very last moment the only thing Rikka could think at that time was the kids at the orphanage…
At this time, they might be wondering what had happened to Rikka with their empty stomach
Thought Rikka
"Sorry…" said Rikka as her last word
Just then Rikka found herself inside a wide white space of nothingness
And in there where she first met
Shinka…
"The day I died, I found myself inside the Gate and made an agreement toward Shinka."
"And then a few months after being his servants…"
A reminisce from Rikka past where she accidentally made contact with a human
What's more the human she made contact with is the kid from her orphanage
After her "death", Rikka always came back to the orphanage to see the kids well
She always watched them from afar, afraid to gets to close
Afraid that they might be scared to see her new self now…
One day, she braved herself to watch from a closer view. And that's when she learned about the truth
Hearing that shocks Arashi a bit, but he stays silent and listen to Rikka story
"When I realized that kids can see me…one of our superior…"
"My mentor…" Rikka chuckled a bit
"She drags me from there and explained everything to me…"
"At that time, I only could listen and accept the truth about what had happened to me…"
Rikka then starts to look down feeling down…
"From that day, I've never gone to the orphanage anymore…"
"I don't want them to know the older sister they once idolize before has become a soulless monster…" said Rikka while letting out a bit sigh.
A few seconds fly away without any of them letting out their voice or says anything
"Sorry…"
Then Arashi who had been silent from before suddenly spoke
"I shouldn't start panicking and pushing you like that…" Said Arashi
He then bowed his head down trying to seek for Rikka forgiveness
"I'm really sorry…"
Rikka who didn't know what to do when Arashi suddenly just started bowing rub her necks a few times
"Well, if you are really sorry then I guess I'm can forgive you."
By hearing that Arashi hurriedly turn his head up but it suddenly got stopped by Rikka
"But with a condition." Said Rikka while showing up one of her fingers on Arashi face
"C-condition?"
Rikka slightly smiles while walking away from Arashi and continued walking straight
Arashi then hurriedly followed her from behind as he still curious on what possibly Rikka condition be
"Can you cook?" Rikka asked out of sudden
Arashi is a bit shocked by Rikka question but he didn't question even more
"Well, I've had some experience before…" Said Arashi not confident
"I see…" said Rikka while tapping on her finger
"Then, can you cook me something when we get home from the mission?" Ask Rikka smiling
This change of weather, shocks Arashi a bit as he could never imagine a strict and fierce girl like Rikka could smile softly that it almost gave Arashi butterflies in his stomach
"That would be my condition to forgive you today…" said Rikka adding more
Arashi just smile a bit adding confidence in himself
"I understood, I'll see what I can do."
The both of them then chuckles a bit at each other
For some reason Arashi felt a bit comfort in his heart, as he would never thoughts that after he died, he would find other things that could makes him happy…
"By the way Ma'am…"
"Just call me Rikka…" said Rikka playfully
Arashi just nodded indicating that he understands
"Then…Rikka…"
"What?"
Arashi is a bit shy to ask this question but he tried his best to utter his question
"Um- may I ask how old are you?" Ask Arashi boldly
Rikka is a bit flustered by the question but she tried to answered the question
"If I remember, I'm still 17 by the time I was alive…"
"Why do you ask?" Ask Rikka curious
After hearing that answer, Arashi was left in disbelief that he stopped a bit to check if what he just heard is real
"Wh-what's wrong?" Ask Rikka as she found that Arashi is being weird
"Nothing…"
"It just that I didn't thoughts that you are actually younger than me…" Said Arashi smiling awkwardly while rubbing his neck
That answered then left Rikka to froze in place as she would never expect her junior in rank is actually older than her
"You're what!!!!!!" Shout Rikka as she is still in disbelief