That night I dreamed of a wedding. I was an invisible ghost standing a little apart from the crowd surrounding the newlyweds. And it hurt me. It hurts to look at Svetka in the arms of Andrew MacLeod. But the understanding that it was necessary, that it would be better for everyone, forced me to keep my face. Although I really wanted to grimace. And there was also a sense of calm. I knew he would take care of her. Yes. Pain and calm. Funny cocktail.
But then a familiar dog carcass seeped between the legs of the crowd, and slowly, jerkily, as if hardly realizing what he was seeing, Brand came up to me. My God, did I really cross a certain line in the number of people killed that you punished me so cruelly. No, nonsense. There have been worse personalities.
Squatting down in front of the dog that stopped next to me, I tried to tousle his head, as I had done thousands of times in that life. And I couldn't. Something kept me from doing it. The hand froze just a few centimeters from his muzzle and did not want to go down in any way. But Brand, probably the most loyal being to me in both worlds, reached out and rubbed himself against my frozen hand. God, I can't even feel him. Even so… Brand, you're my shaggy friend… Don't, Brand, don't cry, I'm alive. And you're alive. Let everything change a little, but we have to live, despite everything. Hold on, baby, don't be discouraged, don't leave my family. Believe me, they really need you. And I... I need to know that everything is fine… you understand me, don't you? You've always understood me…
I'll find it. I will lay down my life, my soul, centuries, but I will find the creature that is why I am in such a position. And when I find it... and that's when I'll think. But I swear, someone will really regret having arranged all this. And I don't care about his motives.
I came out of a dream, as if from under a column of water, on the last remnants of air in my lungs. And the first thing I did was start to mute the "yaks". On the machine. A habit I've developed in the last month. Then the doorbell rang, another one. The tire. Only she won't be satisfied with one, the very first one that woke me up. It's like I'm going to rush downstairs to open the door after ten. Naive. Getting out of bed and putting on my pants, I wandered down to the first floor to open the door under the incessant calls. Without stopping muttering like a mantra: "Finish school, just three years — and graduation, eighteen years — and a new home, finish school ...".
—Good morning, Mizuki," I greeted this restless woman with a heavy sigh. I must admit, she managed to surprise me. I was already sinning on the Tire.
— Hi, Shinji! Did I wake you up?
No, she's mocking me. And it was also her "Shinji" that suddenly hurt her soul.
I'm the only one here. It's probably worse only if all of humanity suddenly dies out. I didn't even expect such feelings from my cynical nature. Forget it, Max. I will never forget my name and will always be Maxim Koshchei Rudov. And nothing will change that. And this whole life... is just another mask.
Sighing again, he stood aside, letting her into the house.
—I hope you have something serious," I said to her back.
To which she pulled her head into her shoulders. And after standing like that for a couple of moments, she turned around sharply, showing me a determined look on her face.
— Take me as a student!
— What?!
— Teach me to fight!
— Are you crazy?
— Train me in hand-to-hand combat!
— The exit is there, — I waved my hand towards the door. And, passing by her, went towards the kitchen.
— Well, Si-inzi-i-I.
—Go to hell, Mizuki. You have a whole clan for that.
— Well, pozha-alu-uysta-a-a-a.
— Yes, your grandfather is a Virtuoso, why are you bothering me?
— I'm not asking you to teach me techniques, only hand-to-hand combat. Without bahir. Pzha-a-alsta-a-a.
"Even so, I can't be better than your grandfather and father.
— There is no teacher from my grandfather, but my father... and what about my father? He taught me from the beginning, so what? You came and won. Well, please, please, please.
—You're delusional, Mizuki. Akeno-san is an excellent, knowledgeable teacher…
"So I'm not arguing," she didn't let me finish. — But what if you're better? He will teach me techniques, and you will teach hand-to-hand combat. Well, please...
— Enough! Quietly. Quietly… Don't you see, I'm making coffee.
— Well, please, please, please, please…
— Leave me alone, Mizuki. Run around the clan. I am more than sure that you will have a decent melee. And I'm telling you for the hundredth time, my knowledge is not designed to be used together with Bahir. You're going to retrain later.
— Please, please, please…
Here Mizuki is an asshole, I had no idea that she was capable of such terror. Her harassment accompanied me all the time while I was getting ready for school, and then on the way there. Even when I was taking a shower, I could hear her "please". Yes, I will start flinching so soon after hearing this word!
But here are the school gates. She's finally going to leave me alone.
— ...please…
— Hi, Raydon! How glad I am to see you, my friend.
— Eh? Me too," he replied cautiously, squinting at the quiet girl.
— Okay, what's standing here, let's go to class already. Come on, Mizuki, don't be late for class.
— And what happened? — the guy asked when the girl disappeared from our eyes.
— You won't believe it, she's been asking for a student all morning. She. To me! Well, it's not nonsense. I took out the whole brain.
— Oh! And…
"I don't know what came over her.
— I see. But that's not really what I'm talking about.
— And about what?
"If you don't want to take her as an apprentice... maybe you'll take me?"
— I'll kill you, tailed, with your stupid jokes.
Today, for the first time since I have been studying at the Dakisyuro, I was called to the blackboard. In the usual silence of the classroom for the middle of the lesson, in which the rustling of clothes, the tapping of a pencil on the desk and the quiet creaking of someone's chair could barely be heard, I went to the blackboard. I decided to give a quick example and returned to my seat. What did you expect? Volcanic eruptions? An extraordinary situation? Ha! I have junior and middle school behind me, do you think I have never been called to the blackboard? What could have happened here? The regular situation. The only interesting thing is that it happened for the first time in high school.
Teijo, who met us at the big break, without even saying hello, began to pester:
— Shinji, teach me hand-to-hand. Well, what should you do? At least two or three, well, four dozen lessons.
Asshole. Raydon is a bastard. And when did you just manage to tell spotted about it?
Rice at lunch was present only in the bento from Kagami. Aneko quickly saw through the situation. Why did you just get involved in this argument? I don't understand at all why they are arranging all this. Are they pret, or what, an extra bento to do? I can't believe they care about me. It was Kagami, a great woman, who always took care of my food. And where are they going? Selfless love? Three times "ha"! Oh, I don't understand these women.
— Well, Shinji? Sheena asked when I finished with her bento.
—How what?" As always. Delicious.
— You ... — she reached out to me with her hand, making a couple of grasping movements. — I'll remember that for you, little one.
What is "this"? Tell me—what?! No, I don't understand them.
Aneko didn't say anything during the whole lunch. She kept only a half-smile on her lips. I didn't share it with Raydon and Teijo this time. I ate everything myself. They'll know how to make fun of me, assholes.
After lunch, as always, we went to the courtyard to get some fresh air. And already at the exit, through the windows, we saw a crowd of students watching something not far from the building. Well, bread... there was no bread, it is not common in Japan, well, at least there will be a spectacle, I hope.
The crowd wasn't too dense, just a bunch of people surrounding something. As it turned out, the people watched the beating, there is no other way to say. A little girl, in the sense of being small, was sitting astride some guy and methodically hammering him into the asphalt. And judging by the cloud of dust that escaped from under him with each blow of the girl, as well as the absence of blood on the guy's face, he was holding the "armor of the spirit". I held it with the last of my strength. Sluggish attempts to defend themselves failed with every blow of this petty fury, on whose face a vindictive and extremely bitchy smile played.
But now the handle, resting on the guy's chest and pressing him to the ground, clenched into a fist, raking clothes, and a small, but such a killer fist finally caressed the face not covered by the "armor". That's it, out. To be honest, I thought for a moment that she wouldn't hold back and would now kill the poor guy, but no, it seems that they didn't even break his nose, knocking him out quite competently.
After striking a couple more blows, letting the boy bleed, the girl turned her gaze to the people gathered around her. Looking at the faces with defiance and mockery, she seemed to be looking for someone who would give her an excuse to repeat the beating again. And then her gaze rested on me.
—The beast is a woman,— Teijo whispered.
"To be honest, Sin," Raydon said, "I'm in shock.
Aketi Toremazu. A sweet little girl who freezes in my presence. And sometimes she fainted. I didn't recognize her at first. And now I was standing, looking at this psychotic person and thinking about how great was the danger of being in this guy's place? Not in the sense that I will be beaten, but that I will be attacked. Now, in any case, her sister's surprise is understandable. Yes, she was probably in shock, like Raydon now.
Toremazu, by the way, froze after she saw me. While I was lazily thinking about my own, her expression changed from bitchy-cheeky to surprised, then to scared, and in the end just froze like a wax mask. Slowly getting up from the guy, she walked with a wooden gait somewhere in the direction of the club building. It is noteworthy that the way was given to her without words, and no one thought to approach her defeated opponent. Does everyone really care so much about him that no one wanted to just be curious about his condition? And friends, comrades, acquaintances? There are even two teachers standing, not digging. And after all, they did not stop the beating, they stood, like everyone else, watching. Who is this guy anyway?
—Let's go and see what happened to her victim," I said to my companions.
— Why? Raydon was surprised.
— Now someone from the medical corps will come and pick him up. What can we do to help there? Teijo added. — There are teachers standing there, they will take care of everything.
— Why the fuck didn't they stop this beating at all? I asked the question.