The early afternoon took the center stage for gleaming the whole Neo Tokyo. Akarui Household was no different than other houses that were being beamed by the yellowish warmful light. Inside the house, Hatoshi, Chisato, Sasaki, and Hirata, all took their seats on the wooden chairs.
On the wooden diner table, there were four white rice bowls with a variety of condiments and side dishes for each of the consumers. Starting from Hatoshi that got a roasted chicken, the oyster sauce poured on his white rice, and Chisato that desirably ate her fried fish with broccoli and mayonnaise sauce.
Sasaki who had his rice bowl being poured by a lot of wasabi with the side dish he chose was minced meat and Hirata in boredom ate her fried shrimp, accompanied by cheese sauce poured over on her dish. They smoothly ate the food and could feel the tastiness of their rice bowl especially Hatoshi who chewed the chicken with joyfull closed eyes.
However, Chisato revealed a concerned stare with her nephew that seemingly spread a happy atmosphere. The housewife took another bite for her meal as she continuously gazed towards Hatoshi.
"Hatoshi, are you okay?" She asked after she finished swallowing her food, "You had been often staying at Yuna's house for the past two weeks."
Hatoshi swallowed both of his food and saliva at the same time in shocknes shivered his spine. Nonetheless, The schoolboy sighed in relief at throwing away yesterday's burden and stressful thoughts.
"To be honest, Aunt Chisato, my...internship with the president's daughter was declined," Hatoshi said in an unnerving tone. "Because she already found someone else that is more capable than me."
"Is that all your problem? Chisato asked while preparing advice, "If so, I understand rejection can be hard, but that's how life is."
"It's true Hatoshi." Sasaki joined in a cheerful tone, "Take an example of me, before I became a somewhat successful fish seller, I got a lot of job rejection that made me want to end my life, yes I am not joking about that part.
"But, the thing is you have to try and try until you succeed," Sasaki added with a smirk.
Hatoshi slowly formed a smile after encouraging words from his step-parents went inside his mind. Moreover, he took another chewing and locked his stare towards his uncle that will soon continue his stories.
"It's fine for you to confide the problem and stress towards somebody that is close to you." Sasaki continued in a relaxed tone.
"I see." Hatoshi understood the point of his step-parents, "So, it's fine for me to express my stress to either Yuna or you all."
"It's fine and it's a good way for us to understand your problem too." Chisato joined the conversation in a caring demeanor.
Hatoshi didn't give any single words, instead, he chose to gratefully smile towards his stepfamily. However, the schoolboy mind said otherwise since his real stressful problem wasn't the fake internship in the first place.
"I didn't really want to tell them that I am a superhero right now because they probably had a trauma due to my parent dead in Superhero activity" Hatoshi bickered in conflicting demeanor within his mind, "But someday I would tell them, I knew lying to a family was not a good way."
As Hatoshi clenched his fist unbeknownst towards his friend and bit his lips in struggle, Hirata took notice and emphatically furrowed towards her cousin. Furthermore, a cheering smile outshone her moody expression.
"Hey Hatoshi, let's talk about superheroes, shall we?" Hirata asked in cheerful.
"I..guess so," Hatoshi replied, slowly grasping a relief atmosphere that washed away some of his stressful thoughts.
"Since Neo Tokyo recently had many heroes appear, which did you think better, Zero or the new hero, Sparror?"
Hatoshi gave a brief pause of gladness and at the same time, fell in confusion for picking the two tough choices as he rubbed his cheeks. While Sasaki firmly nodded before he closed his eyes with a smirk accompanying him.
"To be honest, I am not really sure." Hatoshi said in an addled demeanor, "How about you, Hirata?"
"Of course, I am going to say, Zero." Hirata surely answered, "He was more experienced, efficient, and he goddamn saved your life."
"So you could have more fun time with Yuna." Hirata added in a taunting tone
A cherry-red blushing face boiled through Hatoshi face as and sheepishly giggled. Nonetheless, the schoolboy swiftly got out of embracement when he sighed in relief. His mind started to recall back the compilations of the moment when he used his identity Sparor, assembled a cast of heroes for the alliance.
Starting from Chemistra when he was in her secret base, Zero in the valley where he fought the observant bots, and the recent one, Blue Winter who he met inside the meditation room. An idea for the answer dropped within his head before he eagerly wanted to tell the answer alongside a single confident smile.
"Well, for me, I didn't really like judging who was the better hero," Hatoshi answered in a confident voice.
"What did you mean by that?" Hirata asked by dropping her jaw in disbelief.
"I would rather have them fight as one like a Superhero team because it makes them equally strong and complete each other's flaws.
Sasaki chuckled in acceptance and Hirata raised her eyebrows towards her cousin's explanation. Moreover, The bushy-haired man turned to his daughter who was still stuck in confusion with encouraging eyes.
"What Hatoshi said was true." Sasaki tried to convince his daughter in a relaxing manner, "Take Raytom for example. He is one of the powerful heroes that ever exist, but he fought alongside Delta X because he knows his power alone will not be enough to save the world.
"Wait, you mean Raytom joined Delta X due to somebody else found his weakness?" Hirata countered.
"Very correct, Hirata."
"But, still, Raytom could avoid his weakness himself, remember."
"Unfortunately it's not very effective."
Chisato glanced at her dear husband in blissfulness who was excitedly countering with Hirata about Raytom as the main topic. While Hatoshi smiled in calm acceptance before he took another enjoyable bite of his lunch with the ongoing argument.
"Although today will be a rough day since I am going to convince Blue Winter to join my temporary alliance." Hatoshi commented within his mind before gladness appeared, "At least, my lunch had a topic about the Superhero team which was great."
One hour passed, Blue Winter meditated in tranquility by breathing in the warming air. A warm air originated from the candles in front of him, Soon the air flowed through inside his lung, creating a brief peaceful atmosphere.
However, it was short-lived as Blue Winter opened his eyes and transported a sorrowful purplish realm where the ground was literally made of by a merging wind. Furthermore, The Shaolin Warrior surveyed the surroundings who he currently found empty as a dead town.
All of sudden, a familiar old man's voice uttered Blue Winter's name in a hoarse voice that forced him to turn around. The Shaolin Warrior met a naked old man with spears planted all over his back and bloody mud covering his chest. His skin was dark brown like a corpse that had been staying in for a very long time.
"Father, I indeed failed you." Blue Winter's said in a sympathetic tone, "But, I am now quite confident to bring back my old self again."
"You…..should….remember…..the….Xan….Xiang...Tragedy, son." Blue Winter's father spoke in a distorted raspy voice.
"I understood and I didn't want you to torment me anymore."
Blue Winter bravely clenched his fist with a blizzard covered his knuckle, persuaded his father's corpse to be shocked in anger. Hence, the corpse gritted his teeth before a swarm of crimson waves went up from the purplish ground.
His father's corpse was completely washed away by the wave and replaced by a living frozen people that line up from any available direction with some of its body were decapitated or missing limbs or just only had a head. All the living frozen corpses shared a petrifying, red flaming eye of wrath that gazed upon the unfazed Shaolin Warrior. A horrific distorted voice jumbled together into one, struck through Blue Winter ear with words were like:
"Remember...us."
"We....are…...all.....the....frozen…...victims."
"You…..the....one.....massacred.....my…...family….."
"You…..are…...monsters...always…..be…..a…...monster."
A regretful tear dropped by even his face remained placid as if the shout was like a rough wind in the desert that spread dust potentially letting a hurtful teardrop. Every direction wasn't saved from the tormenting corpse voices,
Nonetheless, Blue Winter decided to dry his tears with his frozen knuckle. Moreover, The Shaolin sighed in relief before prepared himself to give a single counter towards the frozen corpses that were teasing, insulting, and yelling at him.
"Please, I wanted you all to have your own peace, rather than tormenting somebody who tried to change his way" Blue Winter firmly said.
Afterward, Blue Winter with no precaution walked through the frozen corpse like a ghost. Each of the corpses who The Shaolin passed scattered into a million bloody ashes and a calm came face was strongly held by him. A million ashes decided to merge into one human-size silhouette of a spiky long hair man that intercepts Blue Winter's forward movement.
"Chi Long". Blue Winter uttered in a chilling voice.
The translucent figure was wiped away and revealed a jet black spiky long hair man and scally yellow eyes similar to a reptile. His half-naked body was also covered by blazing orange, scaly skin that was as thick as crocodile skin and only wore only a long red pant with lower parts being torn off.
"My naivety and mistrust let you destroyed Xan Xiang." Blue Winter spoke in a firm tone, "However, it's time for me to move forward….from you."
A single freezing step eradicated Chi Long's silhouette into a hundred or thousand of red sparkles that flew above safely. The Shaolin Warrior continuously moved forward with his leg started to be consumed by a swarm of ice.
Then, the icy swarm went up bit by bit until his waist was consumed and continuously spread whole his body. Furthermore, Blue Winter kept moving forward to the endless trail. The burden of the horrific past still haunted him until this day, but The Shaolin Warrior kept his resilience steady as he continued to walk till a blinding white light shone the whole space.
Thus, Blue Winter raised up from the meditation as the presence of Mistress Foreseen was in fact, behind him after he had a short tour inside the sorrowful realm. She glanced with a mixture of gladness, yet concerns at the same time towards her fellow Shaolin friend.
Blue Winter's half-naked human skin was completely consumed by the iceberg-like skin that was as blue as the ocean. A bullet shape spike popped on every available spot of his spine and his long hand was solidly frozen like a sculpture. Freezing clawed hands and feet emerged when the swarms tributed their existence.
"Good Morning Blue Winter." Mistress Foreseen greeted with a respectful bow before she brought news, "Your guest, Sparror had awaited your presence."
He turned around and Mistress Foreseen was met with a surprise of her new friend's appearance from the front side. His face was covered by a solid icy mask that resembled an emotionless stare.
Moreover, Blue Winter possessed icy mountain-shaped shoulders, a cold blue light that enlightened through his frozen eyes and freezing air that he omitted from the whole icy shell body. Therefore, The Shaolin Warrior was indeed ready to face his opponent that might be restoring his old self, Sparror and he enthusiastically couldn't wait to happen.
"Sure and I am ready to fight him." He said chillingly with a coldish echoing voice.
…
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