"Hey, Pig."
"Yes?" Shinji asks while leaning against a wall with his arms crossed, lighting a cigar.
The three entered the elevator in Sekihara mansion for about five minutes by now and still haven't reached their destination.
Instead of going up, they were going underground for some reason. She couldn't take the silence and being out of the loop any longer. Aika wanted answers and she wanted it now.
"I just realized their name sounds familiar. What is the deal with the Sekihara's? What are we even doing here in the first place?"
"…The Sekihara family is one of the most influential figures in the city. Mrs. Sekihara being one of the most prolific diplomats in the country and cunning businesswoman behind the curtains. They have connections and wealth that goes beyond what even we, of the Tsunaboshi have. That doesn't mean they corrupted per se but they don't have as much blood on their hands. Mrs. Sekihara knows many creative ways to skirt over the law and legal loopholes. The mayor himself probably can't take a dump without consulting her first..."
(That's an oddly specific analogy Nya…)
"…They are also one of your father best clients. What they lack in muscle or numbers. The Sekihara compensate by hiring us for stuff. But's that probably not why you remember the Sekihara's though." Shinji shrugs.
"Hm? What do you mean?"
"Back at St. Marise Middle School. You and Setsuna frequently competed for the top three spots in the exams scores."
"So? I don't see what that has to do with anything."
"Whenever you and her grew complacent or couldn't study properly for even a day due to being busy with anything else. Someone would go and snipe the first place from you two every single time without fail. See what I'm getting at?"
"Ah! That student name was…"
"Sekihara Sei. Genius or prodigy doesn't even begin to describe that kid. Even if you disregarded the Sekihara name, his frequent truancy and tendency to do the bare minimum of effort for pretty much anything. I honestly think that boy has the smarts to rule over the country if he gained to some drive towards some goal or started to trust people a bit more. This fact alongside him being a Sekihara, forced me, who tutored him since he was a little kid and St. Marise school staff to step away and turn blind eye at him countless times in the past."
"No wonder that name rubbed me the wrong way! What does this have to do with us and Arcadia then?"
"That's what I'm here to find out! I can only assume or connect a few dots here and there but nothing very concrete as to what Sei has to do with all this dangerous demon business! Which reminds me! There's something important that I would like to ask of you Ai-Chan!"
"I have a bad feeling. It better not be something stupid again…"
"Bwahaha! Give your lovable uncle a break! I'm actually serious for a change!"
"I doubt it, but fine! What do you want?!"
"Please keep yourself quiet when we get there and let me do the talking. I would like to figure out how all of us ended up here, deal with Sei myself and see if he can be reasoned with, before coming to a decision. Even if we haven't seen other in so long. I still consider is one of my dearest pupils. I saw that boy grow around the same time I started babysitting you."
"Huh?! Who cares about that shit?! If he really is possessed by Sloth and became a demon, all the more reason to kill-"
"Aika!" Shinji snapped. He responded with a stern and thunderous voice.
"!" Aika was overwhelmed by her uncle reaction and shrank beneath him.
"You are not the only one who gets scary when angered. Adults are way more capable of that you can ever imagine. I'll show you truthful that statement is if you don't drop that train of thought right now and finish that sentence…"
"…" The elevator stopped at the same time as the intensity on the air grew around Aika, leaving her uncomfortable.
"Fine! But you better don't make me regret it!"
"I won't! Besides, we can't afford to defy the Sekihara's anyway. They are the sole reason why your father managed to make so many peaceful 'agreements' with others…let's just say business competitors. The only ones we usually have to worry about giving any trouble are cocky newblood youngsters forming gangs and newcomers from other cities getting in your father's way. I would prefer if we could keep it that way." The door opens with the ring of a bell and Shinji exits to the large and dark hallway that is now revealed in front of them.
"You still have answers regarding our family to answer me too! You bastard! Why does Father have to clean after your shit-Gasp!"
"Aika/Ai!"
Soon as she stepped her foot outside the elevator. Aika's skin suddenly went pale and she fell on her knees, struggling to breathe. Her uncle and pet quickly rushed to her side.
Nyamo straightened her tail out as it began to twitch while she sniffed around.
"There's a thick, twisted and dense layer of mana permeating the air nya! Since Ai is now a regular human girl and still isn't attuned to magic like she normally is, it might be affecting her body too negatively! It might even be venomous! We have to do something about this miasma nya!"
"Kittypaws!" Immediately in response to her explanation, Shinji looks deep in Nyamo's eyes and she nodded back in response.
"Got it, Sensei! Magical Girl Transform!" She suddenly turns into light and envelops Shinji. Triggering the usual transformation sequence.
Soon as it done, Shinji points his heart-shaped wand at his niece and recites a spell.
"Oh, Mother Nature! Please bless my kin in your soothing embrace and dispel their malaise! Healing Spring!" A green magic circle surged around Aika as a dim light began to envelop her body. The scent of verdant fresh grass and aroma of wild flowers purified the air. Aika's breathing stabilized as her pain and discomfort started to dissipate almost instantly.
"Phew! Looks like this will be enough for now! I was worried for a second there!" Shinji breathes a sigh of relief.
Once they were sure of Aika's safety. The pair undid their transformation and separated their bodies.
"No kidding Sensei! When did you learned a healing spell like this one nya? They aren't that easy to cast and takes a huge toll on the user's body ya know? This definitely wasn't on the Beginners Grimoire!"
"Bwahahaha! I just copied what I've seen from the RPG I was playing yesterday! I actually wanted to name it Esun*! But figured it would bring too much trouble for us later down the line…" He leans over and reaches his hand towards his niece.
"Tsk!" Aika brushes away her uncle's hand and slowly stands up on her own.
"Can we get going now?! Shit!" Embarrassed with what just happened with her and annoyed for having Shinji saving her skin once again. Aika kicks the wall in frustration and moves ahead of them like nothing happened as they quickly try to follow her pace…
***
After ten minutes walking down the secluded hallway in silence. The group stumbles into a door with sign written 'Go away!' The repeated sound of keyboard tapping and mouse clicks furiously can be heard even from outside.
"Before we walk in. Don't forget it you two! Let me handle the talking!"
"Aye-aye Sensei!"
"Grr…" Aika wasn't particularly happy with it but decided to respect her uncle's demand and nodded in resignation as she grumbled.
"All right! Here we go!" In the twist of a doorknob, Shinji brazenly barges inside as if he owned the place (Reminder. An automatic response he developed unconsciously after invading Agnicia's privacy or workspace countless times).
"How's it going Sei?! I see your little paradise hasn't changed since last time I came- Woah!"
Soon as them stepped inside, they realized it was a room even darker than the hallway behind them.
Shinji tripped over the bulky high tension wires and surprised by the sights in front of him. His face got stabbed with the numerous amount of nuts, bolts, toolboxes and all sorts of engineering tools scattered all over the floor. The scent of oil and something metallic loomed over the room.
There's posters of various cute anime girls and idols, which covered over 80% of the room's vicinity, including the ceiling.
Alongside the paraphernalia, a large amount of dirty clothes, boxes, bags of takeout food, plastic bottles and crumpled tissues scattered all over floor. Not too different from how Shinji's apartment look like during the weekends, albeit at least seven times the size when taking the room large interior size into account.
The only source of brightness in the room was the dim light of a giant monitor and the shadowy figure sitting in a tall chair, his back facing the three even after the door was opened.
A gigantic and metallic bookcase with glass doors could be seen next to him under the dim lighting. A massive collection of anime figures, enamel pins, weapon replicas (which looked incredibly realistic…). Finally, stacks of manga and blue-ray DVDs that seemed to stretch to no end as since the darkness didn't allow them to see where the bookshelves ended.
"Why the hell are you here Sensei?! You better not be expecting to convince me and drag my ass back outside!"
"Now now! You're not supposed to greet an old friend who you haven't seen in a while in that one. Let's start things over! What's up Sei?"
The chair rotates and reveals a young boy. Shorter than Shinji and overweight. Not only that, he had a pair of fangs instead of his molars, sharp set of ears and his skin was green, making him resemble a goblin.
"Did you lost weight?"
"Haha. Very funny. Did you lose more hair Baldie? Your forehead is so shiny down here that I thought it was a lightbulb for a second."
"Baldie?! Lightbulb?!" As if stabbed in the chest, Shinji reeled backwards and held his chest as if having a cardiac arrest.
"I'm apologize for my baldness…" Shinji huddles over a dark corner of the room hugging his knees. Looking very depressed as he drew circles in the floor with his finger.
"Nya! You big meanie! Sensei is incredibly sensitive about his hair!"
"I'm sorry for my hairless existence…"
(Here I thought we were going to do something meaningful here…) Aika thought to say it out loud but still kept the promise to her uncle and remained shut.
"Don't care! If that's all fuck off and let me go back to play Nitro Heart Plus!" Sei ignores the group and turns his chair back to his screen.
Hearing that caused Shinji to immediately recover, to lean on Sei's shoulder and stare at the screen together.
"Isn't this the gacha game of cars and bikes anthropomorphized into cute girls that was supposed to release next month?! How did you managed to get your hands on this?!"
The glittering in Shinji's eyes caused Sei to crack a smile.
"Who do you think I am Sensei? The company behind the game's development is one of my mother subsidiaries. All it took was a phone call and I got to playtest the game and its servers all by myself. I already got my hands the full roster, including the seasonal and events that are supposed to release later down the line. Any specific unit in your mind?"
"The Bentley sisters obviously!"
"Heh! Figures you would choose the maids twins! Behold!" The cursor on the screen goes party and reveals a pair of ladies wearing in some sort futuristic armor having a valedictorian maid as its motif. Both of start talking at the same time text appeared on the screen.
"It-It's not like I want you to ride me or anything! St-Stupid! But...guess I wouldn't refused it if you asked for it...stupid...." One of them pouts her cheeks, flails her arms around and then fidgets as she says that last part.
"Oh my Master! Your ties is crooked again. Geez! What you do without me? Fufufu!" The one with a more mature vibe and seductive allure gets her face closer to the screen before whispering:
"By the way...my trunk size seems to have increased again. Would you like to check it for yourself later t-o-n-i-g-h-t? Ufufuf!"
"Uwoooo! The Tsundere and teasing elder sister type contrasts so good! My wallet is already screaming in agony and the game hasn't even come out yet! Maybe I could save up some money by foraging the forest for supplies like my old man tends to do…"
"Ahem!" Aika forcefully coughs to interject herself.
"Ops! Guess I got a bit carried away! My bad!" Shinji then reaches for his pocket and gets a cig. He was about to lit it but stopped before reaching for the lighter's switch. His face was serious as it could get.
"I forgot to ask! Do you mind if I take one Sei?"
"That never stopped you before so I don't see why it would matter now."
"Thanks." Curtly as he could, Shinji breathes in a long drag and exhales the smoke in the shape of a bra.
"Remember a few years ago when we had that talk and I promised to take you out for a soaphouse once you matured and became a proper and responsible adult? What do you say to come back to school with me and fulfill that goal? I will make sure you have the best time of your life by the time you graduate!"
Shinji extends his hand towards Sei with a daring smile.
(I don't how a responsible adult would go to one of those. Let alone suggest anything like that to a student…)
"Sensei…"
Sei reaches for the hand in front of him but hesitates at the last second. He ponders for a moment and sits back in his chair.
"That offer would be nice…if you weren't too late. I'm resolute in never going back to that hell. Why go through all that suffering again when I already have my future set up because of my family name graduating or not? Dad tried so hard and became overambitious while trying to impress Mom and look where that got him after screwing up royally. A sad and pathetic husk of a man that nobody remembers. Having nothing to his name other than disappointment. I'm content with being average and not become like someone like him…" Sei turns his eyes towards Nyamo.
(Guess we have more in common than I thought...) Aika thought to herself while burning a hole through Shinji's back with her eyes.
"Besides, I was warned not get close to none of you or Arcadia. I only allowed you in to see what you because I was curious about what you wanted after the last two years Sensei. If that is all, you can leave now."
"Wait a second! Who told you about us?!" Aika stepped in and shouted.
"This annoying voice in my head. It all started a few months ago. I was facing the worst moments of my life. Crying alone in a bathroom stall back St. Marise. Then it got dark all of a sudden, a voice came from that darkness and asked me…"
{I can feel your suffering. Say, do you want power? Enough power to decide your own path, indulge in your own desires and take everything you so choose?}
{Hell no! Why bother getting anything you want while having that sort of power? That only ends up having people relying on you all the damn time, carrying all the expectations they laid it out for you on their own and then, abandon you when cannot hold their delusional beliefs! I prefer to take things slow and rely on someone else instead! I have the money to get whatever I want on a silver platter anyways! Games, food, women, trust, friends…all that can be bought with me being laid back as I want and none of the hassle of actually dealing with them!}
{I see…Heh. We really are alike…}
{Wait! What are you-GWAHH!!}
"Last thing I remember was something trying to enter my body and I lost consciousness! I woke up by nighttime with my body looking this! I skipped class from that day forward and haven't left this room ever since! There's no way anyone can see me like this! Last thing I need is be on the news as a freak, have our family name tarnished and lose the last semblance of future that I still have!"
"Guess that explains your appearance…" Shinji strokes his chin while planning what else he could say…
"…Can you still hear that voice inside your head nya?"
…until Nyamo was the first to step in and asked, her face unusually serious.
"Kinda. It was way louder when I first transformed into this. But it's incredibly faint nowadays…"
"…Do you mind if I take a quick look at your face nya?
"…Go ahead cat." Sei was a bit cautious but allowed Nyamo to get closer since she showed him no hostility.
A gem suddenly surfaced on Nyamo's forehead and she touched Sei's forehead with her own. The gem began to glow brightly while Sei's whole body wfas completely darkened under her light. So black that he could literally disappears in this large room and nobody ever find again if he so wanted.
"But this is impossible..." Once she stepped way, Nyamo was shocked and had no idea what to say.
"A rush of scrambled memories filled static flood into my brain every now and then. Every time I close my eyes or try to sleep, I keep recalling experiences doesn't seem like to belong to me. As if I didn't had enough problems to worry about."
"You too?" Nyamo murmured to herself.
"Sei. I am only leaving once I can convince you to come with me. You might have the fortune and connections a man can only dream of. But, that won't amount to anything if you always avoid committing any mistakes. Without that, you won't you be an adult, no matter how you try it. Trust me. I experienced that sort of stuff firsthand. Picture it like this. There is a lot of college chicks who can loves a nerdy guy who can show off some manliness every now and then! Bwahaha!"
(What is this conversation is coming into…) Aika couldn't help but facepalm.
"Not happening Sensei. Besides, there is absolutely no way 3D women can ever amount to beat 2D anyway. I'm more than fine with attaining for what I have on my screen only. There's the door, now leave me alone." Sei shrugs as he tries to reach for keyboard again…
"That is the most pathetic thing I have ever-"
"WHAT?‼" Shinji roared so loud that the underground practically shook before his cigar fell out of his mouth. He slams Sei hard against the wall while holding by the collar and looks him deeply in the eyes.
"ThtsI don't remember raising a pathetic excuse of a boy like you! What happened to the kid who could say 'Flat chests are the best!' or 'Imagine eating sushi on top of the flatboard princess Listea body in real life!' without any ounce of shame?!"
(Ew! Gross! No wonder he was under the Pig's tutelage…)
"That kid hasn't gone anywhere Sensei. He just learned that reality sucks and better have nothing than something shitty that will never amount to fraction of the 'fake' to begin with."
"Don't fuck with me you brat! Talk shit about yourself all you want but do NOT insult the real thing just because you can't put the effort! That's the last straw! Think you know everything about life without experiencing any of it yourself and have the guts to decide that's better all on your own?! Fine!" Shinji lets go of him and points his finger at himself instead as he slides his other arm around his niece, pulling her close to him.
"How about a gentleman's bet then?! We will personally show you how much better the real thing and have you rock your butt out of that chair in amazement by the end of next week! The loser has to do whatever the winner has to say!"
"HUH?! We?! Don't go deciding things on your own and get me involv-! Gwah!" Just like with his reprimand earlier in the elevator. Shinji looked imposing that Aika cowered beneath his figure and failed to fire back at her uncle like she normally would. But what caused her to freeze on the spot was for a completely different reason..
(Did his eyes…went red for a moment there?)
Aika recalled the night when her uncle gained her powers, escorted her back home by bike and they stumbled into her father subordinate with the scorpion tattoo in front of her house. The same unsettling feeling from back then resurfaced and she didn't knew how react or respond. Her words were stuck in her throat.
"Your loss! Once I win, you two will be become my servants for life and buy supplies for me anytime I want or run out of food! Including shielding me from that burdensome Arcadia and vouch for me whenever my mother decides to nag me with my grades or attendance too!"
"Bring it on kiddo! I know everything that would make a pubescent boy like you tick! I will make you eat those words and get your ass in class even if it's the last thing I do! I'm putting my pride as a man in stake here!"
…and just like that, a reckless promise was made and a deadline by next Saturday was set. Nobody in the room could ever imagine what came out of it, even in their wildest dreams once next weekend came around…