It was strange to see her like that, so worried. I stood aside, watching as her relief became evident. Kiyo blushed slightly.
"Thank you for saving him, Kiyo," Minata said, her voice somewhat trembling. "I know you did a lot by getting involved in this fight, but I have to ask you for one more thing."
Kiyo raised an eyebrow, clearly curious, though a bit hesitant.
"And what is that?" he asked with a soft smile.
Minata turned toward me, and I immediately knew what she was going to say. I felt it in my chest, like a soft but inevitable blow.
"Kiyo, I need you to train Kirata. I don't want him to keep getting hurt, and I know that with you, he'll learn to defend himself."
Kiyo shot me a quick, uncomfortable glance, aware of the difficult position she was putting him in.
"Minata, I don't think that's my responsibility..." he began to say, but she interrupted him with a smile, the one she knew disarmed him.
"Kiyo," her tone was almost affectionate, "I know it's not your job, but you're the only one who can help him. I'm not asking you to do it for him..." her eyes locked onto his. "Do it for me."
Kiyo sighed deeply. He knew Minata was manipulating him, but he also knew he couldn't refuse. After a few seconds of silence, he nodded in resignation.
"Alright, I'll do it," he finally said, though there was a certain frustration in his tone. "But let's be clear, Kirata, this training won't be easy."
Minata smiled with satisfaction, knowing she had won.
"Thank you, Kiyo. I knew I could count on you," she said, giving him a gentle pat on the arm before turning to me. "And you, listen to everything he teaches you. It's for your own good."
I nodded, still surprised by what had just happened. Even so, I couldn't ignore the strange black marks that had appeared on my hands since I touched the sword.
"It's strange that you can hold that sword without burning yourself. What do those marks mean?"
"I don't know, these marks appeared all of a sudden."
Kiyo studied my hands in silence, his expression growing more serious.
"Do you know why they're after you?"
I shook my head, lacking clear answers.
I turned my head to where Natsuku's body had fallen, but to my surprise, it was no longer there. There wasn't a trace of him. Only the sword remained, lying on the ground as if nothing had happened. I approached it a little more, still trying to process what I was seeing. Had he escaped? How was it possible that he had disappeared without a trace? Suddenly, something strange occurred. Before our astonished eyes, the blade began to change. Slowly, as if the metal were dissolving into the air, the sword started to transform. In a matter of seconds, it became a small, glowing gem. The light it emitted illuminated our faces.
I observed the gem in silence. It was impressive, almost hypnotic. The sparkles inside it seemed to dance, as if they contained some hidden power. For a moment, it seemed to me that this little stone held all the essence and strength of the sword. But gradually, the glow began to fade, leaving in my hands a simple stone. It almost seemed like it had all been an illusion.
"What the hell just happened?" I murmured, still unable to fully understand it.
Before Kiyo could respond, the sound of sirens filled the air. My body tensed immediately. The red and blue lights of police cars lit up the area as they approached quickly. I had no idea how we were going to explain all of this.
The officers didn't take long to surround us. The situation grew much tenser when one of them, a man with an athletic build and a stern gaze, approached. He seemed to be someone important. His presence commanded respect; his dark hair, neatly styled, and his tailored suit denoted professionalism. The trench coat he wore gave him a classic detective air.
Morgan approached us, carefully observing Kiyo's wounds. Wasting no time, he began interrogating us with a voice full of authority.
"What happened here?" he asked bluntly.
We tried to explain what had happened. We talked about the sword, Natsuku, the strange transformation that had occurred right before our eyes, and the portal. However, as we spoke, I saw his face harden more and more. Detective Morgan didn't believe a word of what we were saying. He crossed his arms, frowning.
"I can't take these stories of magical swords and portals appearing out of nowhere seriously," he said, with a firm tone that made it clear he was skeptical. "I need concrete evidence, something real. What really happened here?"
I looked at Kiyo, searching for some kind of answer, but he also seemed to be thinking about how to get out of this situation. Then, an idea crossed my mind. It was risky, but I didn't see any other way out. I took advantage of the detective's disbelief and, with a sigh, decided to improvise.
"I'm sorry, detective," I said, trying to sound convincing. "I think we got carried away. It didn't happen like we told you at first. Actually, some thugs showed up in the park and attacked Kiyo. We had to defend ourselves, nothing more."
Morgan looked at us with suspicion, though his expression seemed to soften a bit. Clearly, he still didn't fully believe us, but at least he wasn't rejecting the story outright.
"Thugs, huh?" he repeated.
Detective Morgan evaluated the situation in silence, listening to what I had said. After a few seconds that felt like an eternity, he nodded, making a decision. Without saying much, he called for an ambulance so Kiyo could receive the attention he clearly needed. Apparently, whichever version he believed, he understood that Kiyo was genuinely injured and needed to be treated as soon as possible.
While we waited for the ambulance, Morgan approached Minata and me. Seeing that our injuries weren't as serious, he decided to let us go home. But before we could move, he pulled out his phone and said he had to call my mother to inform her of what had happened and warn her about the possible consequences if I got involved in public fights again.
I watched him dial my mother's contact number. I felt a knot in my stomach when I heard her worried voice on the other end of the line. The detective, always serious but with a calm tone, introduced himself and explained what had happened with me.
"Mrs. Yamamoto, this is Detective Morgan. I'm calling to inform you that your son Kirata was involved in an altercation in a public area. Fortunately, he wasn't seriously hurt, but I thought it was important for you to know about the situation," I heard him say.