"Mr. Haishi, what is this place called again?"
Currently, the commander, Haishi, is seated at a three-person table with Sona and Toshiro. They all resided in a local restaurant called the "Okunai Furaipan." This all happened shortly after Haishi had suggested that he could take both of the siblings for a tour around the village.
Haishi swallowed the remains of his meal, pushing his bowl to the side. "We're in Okunai Furaipan. This was one of the first eateries established in Buraun."
"I wish we could've been served food like this in our old home…" Sona said in a near whisper, her bright brown eyes locked on the food placed before her hungrily.
Toshiro concurred, nodding slightly while munching on a fried shrimp. "Ms. Rosaline was good at cooking meals, but she was always too preoccupied with the church to visit us—Father barely gave her any free time!"
The commander frowned at the siblings' conversation.
'I should really get them to a therapist.'
"Being locked up underneath the church without much company wasn't all that great, either," Sona added, making Haishi sweatdrop.
'I'll schedule some therapy sessions next week…'
As the siblings continued to eat, converse about traumatizing experiences in a way too casual way, and enjoy their time away from the barracks, Haishi rubbed his head, feeling the stinging from within his skull. The headache just won't die down!
Haishi steered his head to the side, looking through the restaurant's front window. Multiple villagers were happily strolling through the pathways of Buraun, stopping at concession stands that were stationed on either side of the paths, or potentially heading to their jobs. It was still early in the morning, after all.
Suddenly, as the commander was gazing out the window tiredly, he noticed a tuft of white hair. At that moment, Haishi perked up slightly, narrowing his eyes in concentration as he followed the white hair due to the owner being hidden behind people also walking down the same path.
Haishi's eyes steeled. "Nozomu."
"Who?"
The commander's concentration on Nozomu faltered slightly after hearing Toshiro speak up with confusion. Haishi sighed, he had spoken out loud on accident.
Haishi locked eyes with Toshiro and said, "Someone I need to talk to—come on, you've eaten enough; I only have so much cash on me." Haishi then stood up from their table, guiding the siblings away from their food and prompting them to complain.
Eventually, after quickly paying for their food, the three made it out the front doors of Okunai Furaipan. Haishi scanned the crowd of people inhabiting the pathway they stood on, looking for the same white-colored hair.
After a few moments of looking, Haishi spotted the white hair at the end of the path, making the commander give chase, keeping the siblings right next to him the entire way.
'I need to have a word with you, Nozomu."
XXX
Kaminari Nozomu yawned, placing a hand over his mouth. He hated waking up early, but he had no choice. Every day, Nozomu quietly pleads to be able to retire.
From the earliest hours of the day until an hour before Tanjo arrives home from the academy, Kaminari Nozomu leaves the house and traverses through Buraun to make it to work. Around the time Nozomu had managed to secure a house, he quickly needed to find a job. So, at present, the white-haired man had taken up an occupation full of transportation—hauling village materials to predetermined places.
The job was quite fitting, considering Nozomu's strength. Or so the middle-aged man assumed.
"Nozomu!"
Said person halted in their tracks, turning around to acknowledge the owner of the voice that had abruptly called out to him. Nozomu's eyes widened slightly upon noticing a specific person stepping toward him.
"Chief? What are you doing here?" Nozomu questioned, facing Haishi completely.
Haishi, along with the siblings, stopped meters away from Nozomu. However, it appeared that it was only Haishi who wanted to speak. "Where did you run off to after returning home from Ryakudatsu?"
Nozomu's monotonous expression was retained. "I had 'returned' to my house."
"Because of your sudden leave, I had to prevent a squad of warriors from going after you. Your little stunt in Ryakudatsu sparked curiosity in the aiding warriors that had come with us, as well as the people of the village itself." Haishi revealed, his tone not being any kinder than Nozomu's.
Nozomu just wanted to go home already. "A child had been kidnapped, I was only trying to return them back to his family."
"Don't pull the hero card on me, Nozomu! Prior to that, you strayed away from your group, got drunk in a bar, and then later engaged in a massive battle without alerting any of us!" Haishi rebutted, making the siblings' eyes widen.
Sona took a hasty step toward Nozomu. "You were the one who chased after Mizuki! The cool lightning guy!"
"How did you get lightning all around you, mister!?" Toshiro made his presence known, adorning the same eager expression as his sister.
Nozomu took a step back, looking at the children beneath him. "... A weird childhood."
That response made the siblings nearly topple over.
Nozomu's attention then returned to Haishi, who was gazing at the man silently. Truth be told, Nozomu had no idea of what to say to the chief of Buraun's military. But after being told that a group of warriors could've been potentially dispatched to his house, it sounded like a hassle he didn't want to deal with.
"Damn it all…" Nozomu grumbled, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I have a brat, and he was one of the students that we were assigned to guard throughout the entirety of the trip. I was skeptical about the safety of Ryakudatsu, as well as the trip as a whole, so I did some persuading. If you couldn't already tell, I have some experience as a warrior."
Haishi's mouth gaped slightly, mostly due to confusion. "You managed to sneak into our ranks just to watch over your kid?"
"Without me, the chances of you all dying before reaching Ryakudatsu would've increased. Consider it a contribution to the village academy and to the warriors of Buraun—I had still done my job." Nozomu declared, proceeding to walk past Haishi and the siblings.
Finally, Nozomu could go home, hoping that Haishi would merely forget about the situation. He seemingly had it handled, anyway. But the next few words that came out of the commander's mouth made Nozomu freeze.
"You're a Tansu Beasts' vessel, aren't you? Being the chief, I'm well aware of Reberu Manabu's power—but your lightning ability is in the same discrepancy as her manipulation of solid objects." Haishi stood still, not turning to observe the white-haired man's reaction.
Nozomu didn't respond, making the two of them sit in silence for what felt like forever. Why did stuff like this have to happen? All Nozomu wanted to do was live out his life and forget about his past.
"You don't have to answer, but sooner or later, your secret will be known. Principal Manabu was forced to be under militant supervision once she was found out. You'll end up the exact same way." Haishi informed, looking down at the siblings to occupy his eyes as he spoke.
Nozomu replied in a gruff tone, "Then why aren't you turning me in, Chief?"
This time, Haishi turned to face Nozomu.
"Because—I'm merely enjoying my day off with these kids."
With those words, Haishi walked off, ushering the siblings to follow him, leaving Nozomu stuck in his thoughts.
XXX
Haishi might know! What will happen to Nozomu? Who knows!? That's why you have to stay tuned to find out more!
Have a Great Day!
Peace - Cr1ticalz_