About six hours after Dan and Laura had finished their mission, the CCC was called by a bystander. A big team of twenty four cleaners. The CCC doesn't just clean up the corpses of beasts but to confirm the victims and fix minor damages. A total of nine bodies were found. One at the entrance and eight found within the houses.
Feeling incredibly suspicious and worried, Kai went to Clouden himself. He asked around about what happened. They all had the same response, big beast starts rampaging the complex. Apparently, the one who reported the initial sighting of the beast was dead.
"After she made the call, the beast just started... Started killing people!"
"..."
"Since the two that came were late, I tried calling the police. I thought they'd arrive sooner and get me out of here. But I couldn't turn on my phone. I went to the lineland phone but it wasn't on either. I tried other people's, but none of them were on."
"It may be possible for the beast to cause an electromagnetic pulse that fries electronics."
"But that would make the beast a maniacal type. But it's not, not from the anatomy of it. It looked like it had strong vocal chords that can charge with mana. Raw mana release, not spells. A sorcerer?"
Then it occurred to him, something he was surprised he didn't think of earlier. "Where're the two sorcerers sent here now?"
"I... I... Don't kn-"
A bright white flash, red blood splatter, severed head, all in an instant. Blood covered Kai's light grey samue and his face. He was surprised, he couldn't see it coming. The girl Kai was talking to was beheaded.
"Talking about me, were we?" In front of Kai, holding Dan and Laura like trash bags.
"Who the fuck are you?" Kai asks
"Watashinonamaeha Shujin desu." (My name's Shujin) Shujin replied
"Hikiwatase, imasugu!" (Hand them back, now!) Kai ordered angrily
Shujin then lets go of the two. Kai was hesitant, very few, near to none, could move faster than Kai could track. But what worries Kai isn't that Shujin was allegedly faster than him, but rather the fact that Shujin doesn't have the wavelength to pull it off. Shujin's wavelength was extremely quiet for someone who could move faster than the blink of an eye.
"Nani ga hoshī no?" (What the fuck do you want?) Kai asks
"Hikisaku. This entire country and everyone who's living in it blissfully. And I'll have the world be my audience." (To rip and tear...)
"..." Kai was speechless. He stayed quiet to try and find an opening to take out Shujin in one strike. He couldn't do it, not when Dan and Laura are so close to Shujin.
"Be seeing you, sorcerer." Shujin flashed into white light, and disappeared from sight. No where to be found. Kai clenched his fists, pissed off. He remembers what's important and attends to his two students. He brought them back to the school's infirmary. The doctors checked them out and the two weren't hurt. Sam and Nate visited Dan. Kai was there most of the time with Laura. He had to leave for some family business.
Dan woke up at 00.33. He felt dizzy for a bit then he recovered quickly. He sees that he hasn't changed clothes, though he did lose his jacket. He figured to go back to sleep, but he was wide awake. And he was hungry. He got up and out of the infirmary. His body was aching, then it occured to him that he was thrown through mulitple houses.
"Maybe I should go back to bed." He says as he walks away from the infirmary. Knowing there are probably no food to eat in the canteen, he decided to go outside of the school and look for food. At midnight. They were walking on the sidewalk, street lit only by street lamps scattered pretty far away from each other. No vehicles passes, no light from stores or any kind of building. Just street lamps.
"Hungry and determined, are we?"
"Do you get hungry, Jon?"
"I'm literally an astral projection."
"Just saying. Since you're always in me."
"Uhhh... Weird way to put it, but fair."
"What's your favorite food, Jon?"
"Why the small talk?"
"Just answer it will ya?"
"Umm... If I had to pick... Salmon. Raw."
"So you're like a grizzly bear?"
"..."
"You go next to a river and just catch fishes with your mouth?"
"..."
"I'm kidding."
"Alright then, what's yours?"
"Curry udon I guess."
"You figure there's a Japanese resto open at midnight?"
"Probably not. Not here anyway."
"Oh, look right."
Dan looks right and sees an open 24/7 diner. It was empty, but at least it's opened. Dan pats his pockets and felt his wallet in his left pocket. He crosses the street and entered the diner. A gentle bell rang as he opened the door. He looks around and it was empty and quite, very clean, brightly lit up. He walks slowly to the back, sneaking almost. He hears constant wood tapping. He walks a bit faster now and figured the sound was coming from a family eating booth. A C-shaped sofa with a tall back, tall enough to cover a person's full torso.
He walks past the booth and saw none other than his partner.
"Oh, hi, Laura."
Laura jumps, her face turns red, and she looks at Dan.
"Oh, hi."
"How long have you been here?"
"Uh... N-n-not long."
"Have you ordered anything yet?" Dan said as he sits across the table from her.
"N-n-no."
"What do you want? My treat." Dan asks.
"Huh? Uhh... No..."
"No, I'm serious. I'll treat." He said smiling
"..."
"Waffles or pancakes?
"F-former."
"Anything to drink?"
"J-just water."
"Okay."
Dan pushes a button on the table and the waitress came.
"What would you like to order?" The waitress aak
"2 waffles, water, and two vanilla milkshakes."
"Coming right up." The waitress then left to the kitchen.
"The other milkshake's for you. Unless you're lactose intolerant. Are you?"
She shakes her head gently.
"How's your shoulder?"
She pats where the wound would be, she doesn't remember when it was healed.
"It's fine."
"No longer hurts?"
"Yeah, it doesn't."
"That's good to hear.
"..."
"Laura, I wanna say I'm uh... I'm uh... Sorry."
"..."
"I was knocked out half the battle and you had to cover for me."
"I got stabbed, too."
"Yeah, and it's my fault. I should've been there to help you a lot more."
"And it's because of you I'm still alive, Dan."
"Hmph."
The waffles and milkshakes arrived and were served on the table. "Thanks." The two said. Dan grabbed his milkshake and raised his glass.
"Well... To us screwing up and almost dying on our first official mission."
Laura smiled, she grabbed her milkshake glass, and toasts with Dan. Then the two drinks their milkshakes first. And they started eating their waffles. Halfway through her waffle, she noticed that Dan looked a bit sad. And worried.
She had the urge to ask what was wrong, but she was scared. She avoided eye contact and continued on eating her waffle. She finished first, she noticed that Dan only had a quarter left. He had his fork through it and swirls it around on the plate. He seemed to have lost his apatite. Laura breathes deep, calms herself. She formulates words in her head.
"A-are you okay, Dan?"
"Yeah, all good."
The silence after was painful. It was obvious that she wouldn't believe him.
"Maybe not." He claimed
"Why?"
"Isn't it such a dick move to just leave someone behind? Especially if you were supposed to stay?" Him referring to his father
Laura looks down. She clenched her fists. She felt angry. She felt scared. She looks at Dan. Her eyes watered. She tried to compose herself. Dan was weirded out by it. He scratches the back of his head. Laura stands up and leaves.
"Was it something I said?" Dan mumbled
Dan sat there for a moment. Repeating the moment he asked the question. Rereading it word by word. He catches her walking from at corner of his eye. He turned his head to the window. He was perplexed. He didn't know what to do.
"Go after her you idiot!" Jon yelled in his head
Dan then stood up, left a thirty Acka bill on the table—Their bill was 20 Acka—and ran toward the entrance. "Thank you." He said as he open the door and ran out. He chased after Laura. He gently taps her shoulder as he finally reaches her.
"Hey, why'd you leave?" Dan ask
From behind, it was clear that she was crying. Though very quiet. She kept slowly walking away from him.
"Laura, was it something I said?" He asked, confused
"..."
"If it was, I'm sorry." He apologized
"..."
"I'm sorry. I think I said something that hurt you, if I did I didn't mean it. I mean, I still don't know you."
"It wasn't. Something resurfaced, that's all." She sobbed
"I know we barely know each other, but I'd really like to get to know you better." Dan said optimistically
She turns around and looks at Dan right in his eyes. She wipes off the tears of her face and made a little smile. "I'd like to know you better too."