"Ophelia! Hurry up, it's already five! Mr Katori's outside!"
Ophelia skipped into the hallway, clad in one of Nero's old shirts. She was trying to put on her socks and shoes at the same time. "Coming!"
Half-hopping, half-running, she made it to the car, pulled open the door, and slipped into the passenger's seat.
"Hey, Dad," Ophelia gasped, short of breath. "Are you gonna tell us who's waiting for us at home?"
"Hey, Ophelia," said Mr Katori, a solemn look on his face. It was easy to see the resemblance between him and his daughter; they both had the same bronze hair, almond shaped eyes, and high cheekbones. Where Ophelia was slender, however, Mr Katori was built like an oil drum - he was a huge man, almost two metres tall, and looking at him scrunched up at the driver's seat was always a funny sight to Nero. "I'm not gonna tell you anything. You'll find out once you get home."
"Let me guess - Petheholm University wants to veto Nero's application?"
"I'm not saying anything. How was work?"
"If they're rejecting Nero, I don't want to go too."
"Don't be ridiculous," said Nero. "You want to sell ice cream forever?"
"They're not gonna reject you if it means I'm not going as well," said Ophelia confidently. "Headmaster Killian told me that he personally wrote in to Pentheholm to get me accepted."
Mr Katori cleared his throat, and Ophelia fell silent. The air of tension weighed heavily on everyone in the car, helped along by the sombre evening glow.
It took a full hour to reach Pentheholm City from Obin. In the entire time it took to get there, not a single word was exchanged by anyone in the car.
Something was definitely bugging Mr Katori. Nero knew from game nights that Mr Katori could maintain a good poker face, but an hour-long commitment to silence was out of the ordinary.
What could it be? Was it something related to school? Did one of Ophelia's old suitors snap and break into her room? Or did their jewellery suffer a financial loss?
"I heard that there's been a lot of strange happenings in Obin recently," said Mr Katori suddenly. "Did anyone cause you any trouble, Nero?"
"Some esper tried to mess with him today," piped up Ophelia. "But that happens every other day. I've never seen him in Obin before, though."
"Neither have I, and I know almost every esper in town," continued Nero. "But it's not a big deal."
"What happened?" asked Mr Katori.
Nero saw Ophelia's mouth open, and he quickly interjected before she had the chance to say anything. "I caught him trying to steal ice-cream from the box, and he got upset. But it's fine - he only blew a bit of sand at me."
"He got caught stealing, and he was upset? Did you call the enforcers?"
"No, it's only a small matter."
"Small matter or not, we shouldn't let espers walk over us like that," said Mr Katori, frowning. "What if he seriously hurts someone else?"
There was truth to what Mr Katori was saying. Had the situation been reversed and Ophelia been the one who was attacked, Nero would've encouraged her to call the police too. However, people had a tendency to downplay injustice done to themselves, and Nero was no exception.
His phone buzzed. ('That's not what happened and you know it') - Ophelia.
('Your dad wouldn't let you continue selling ice-cream if he knew the truth.')
('Oh, so it's in the interests of your business?')
('You know it's not just that.')
('Yeah, how else will you end work at 3 without me? (; ')
Nero glanced over at the rearview mirror to see Ophelia flash him a quick wink. He stuck out his tongue in response.
"Always remember this, Nero - you too, Ophelia," said Mr Katori. They were now on the outskirts of Pentheholm, its sleek silver buildings and office towers visible even from a distance. "Don't ever hesitate to do the right thing. You're not just helping yourself; you're helping everyone who might be a victim someday."
"I understand," muttered the two teens.
Pentheholm was rapidly coming into view. Unlike the coastal city of Obin, which consisted mostly of low-rise, brick-and-mortar buildings, Pentheholm seemed to kiss the sky.
True to its moniker as the City of Sunbeams, Pentheholm's skyline was filled with brilliant streaks of light at any hour of the day. From the virtual fireworks and laser shows to the reflections of dozens of gleaming glass towers, it was a wonder that the stars were still visible at night.
Even from where they were, holographic advertisements were already popping up. Tiny hordes of translucent locusts were forming words in the air, marketing for a pest control company. Digital gold bars littered the roadsides, encouraging people to store their money in a safer bank. Nero loved looking at these advertisements - the only thing they had in Obin were common old posters.
Mr Katori, on the other hand, didn't quite share Nero's enthusiasm. He often complained that they were huge distractions to drivers, and took away from the scenery.
After one long, angry rant about the time a hologram had almost made him crash into a tree, they finally reached Ophelia's home, a three-storey bungalow with a swimming pool thrice the size of Nero's house. An unfamiliar, expensive-looking car was parked outside.
"Mom!" shouted Ophelia. "We're home!"
"Is Nero with you?" came Mrs Katori's voice. "Please tell me you brought him."
"Duh," said Ophelia, pulling off her shoes. "Of course I brought him. What did you wanna tell us? And who belongs to that car outside?"
Ophelia yanked open the front door and strided in, with Nero following closely behind her.
As always, the Katori house was a sight to behold. Mrs Katori was a big fan of the zen life, and decorated her home as such. Woodwork dominated the decor; from the beige floorboards and sliding partitions to the spiral staircase, the entire house was a feast for termites.
Mrs Katori sat on a sofa in the middle of two bamboo shrubs, a clock above her reading half-past-seven. Opposite her was an older man in a deep blue suit.
Nero frowned, and he felt Ophelia tense up beside him. Something wasn't right.