There was a knock on his door, and Ariyama sat up from his table. He had just finished eating breakfast, and had done nearly two hours of sword training and mana detection training before that. At first, he'd worried about involving himself with the secret world, but he was finding that doing so had made him feel more motivated to training, harder and harder each day.
By this point, he was getting more proficient with handling the rusted mess that was his Enchanted Tool, as well as his mana detection skills. Though, it wasn't like mana detection could help him in a fight, like the one he and Matsune had with the mysterious hooded man the week before.
But all things considered, he didn't think he performed too badly. Going hit for hit with Matsune against that hooded jerk felt good, for sure.
Ariyama was never really violent, but after that night…
Be it attacking Kajima and his gang for talking about his family's wealth – which was the last thing he wanted to think about right now– or even back when he'd beaten up Jack after saving Kazura from that arrow trap in the Shrine. Thinking back, Ariyama did feel bad. He didn't like Jack one bit – hated him, even – but he never wanted him to die, especially in such a gruesome way that he did. thr same with Yasami.
Ariyama knew they were assholes, but they were all young, after all, and had so much time to change. Takemichi and Yaranagi, on the other hand? Ariyama still wasn't sure why he'd survived and they hadn't. It haunted him, made him feel sick, made him feel like heading into another Shrine and never coming back out.
Another knock at his door broke Ariyama from his reverie, and he straightened up before heading to the door down the hallway. Twisting the handle, he opened the door as Matsune stood outside.
The cold winter air blew into the hallway, goosebumps shooting up Ariyama's arms and back of his neck.
He hadn't seen Matsune since that night. She had said that she needed to report their significant progress in the mission directly to the Pilgrims' Society, to some guy she called Mr Clarke. Since then, Ariyama hadn't gone to school. He didn't feel the need to, since he wasn't going to get anywhere without Matsune by his side. Although, it did make him feel for Odomura. After all, she was delighted that he'd come back after the incident, but now it had been eight days since he'd seen her.
It felt as if he was leading her on, getting her hopes up by appearing out of nowhere, then disappearing again for ages.
But no, he hadn't intended on her even seeing him in the first place. It was his carelessness that had exposed him to her. But now that Matsune was finally back, all her injuries healed fully, perhaps it was time to restart their efforts.
But Matsune's face told another story.
With a red scarf wrapped tightly around her neck and covering the lower half of her face against the cold gale, Matsune's eyes were dark with anxiousness.
"Matsune? Is everything… OK?"
Matsune gestured, and Ariyama took a step to the side to let her dart into the warm interior of his house. Shutting the door behind him, Ariyama looked over at Matsune as she turned to face him and took a seat at the table.
"Ariyama-kun… I'm afraid there's been a problem."
Concern building in his chest, Ariyama cautiously approached the table, sitting down opposite Matsune.
"What kind of problem? It's not going to affect the mission, right?"
"I'm afraid that's exactly that it's going to do."
Ariyama raised an eyebrow. If that was the case, this 'problem' must've been something seriously important.
"Well, what is it?"
Matsune pinched the bridge of her nose, sighing with exasperation. After a moment, she locked eyes with Ariyama.
"Listen, Ariyama-kun. When I went to the Society's headquarters to brief them on our progress, as well as getting healed of my wounds, the higher-ups told me something very important. They assigned me to a separate case, joined with the rest of the people in my division."
"And what's this case on?"
"I'm going to get you to join the Society, no matter what. But while you're basically a regular person, details like that are confidential."
"Ah, I see. Well, can I ask how long it'll take you?"
Matsune shifted in her seat.
"From what I can surmise, at least two weeks."
Ariyama nearly knocked his chair over and got to his feet. His face hung slack with disbelief.
"Two… Two weeks? But if we wait that long, chances are…"
"...that hooded man will finish whatever he's doing and move on. Yes, I'm aware."
Ariyama tried to calm the nerves that shook his body.
"So, what's the plan, then? Do you have to go on this mission?"
"The one you and I are on currently is essentially a solo mission, one low-profile enough to be handled by one person. If my new mission requires my entire division, I'm afraid that takes precedence."
The pounding in Ariyama's heart didn't cease, even as he tried to find a more comfortable position on his seat.
"OK then. So, while you're gone, what am I gonna do?"
At his query, Matsune didn't mask her sigh, cupping her chin in her palm, looking at him with a mix of apprehension and worry.
"I've given this a lot of thought, and I've finally come to a decision. Ariyama-kun, in only two weeks, I think you've proven yourself to be an excellent learner and great at adapting to new things."
She was right, in a way. It had only been about a month and a half since the Shrine incident, but Ariyama often wasn't even thinking about what'd happened. At least, not as frequently as most people probably would. Did that mean there was something wrong with him, then?
"I… appreciate that, Matsune."
"You're welcome. So, because of that, I've decided to leave this case – for the time-being, at least – in your hands."
The revelation shocked Ariyama, and he fumbled with his words for a good few seconds before finally forming a coherent sentence.
"Are you serious? But with you gone, how am I supposed to go on? You're the one who came up with all the plans so far, anyway. Need I remind you that I may be a fast learner, but still a newbie at all this. Plus, that hooded man? I'll probably have to fight him again, right? Sure, my sword skills are probably better than most, but I haven't got a chance in hell at capturing that guy. After all, both you and I working in tandem couldn't stop him."
His little tirade over, Ariyama got his breath back as he watched Matsune smile softly at him, like she always did whole comforting him.
"I have faith, Ariyama-kun."
"Wuh? What do you mean by 'faith'?"
Matsune's smile only grew, as she got to her feet.
"I'm saying I have faith that you'll persevere."
"I… Thank you, I guess. But no offense, but I don't think wishful thinking will help me in doing this solo."
"Oh, you misunderstand, Ariyama-kun. I don't mean that I'm hoping you'll succeed. I know you will. I just know."
As she walked past him, she patted him encouragingly on the shoulder.
"I have your number, so I'll send you all the data I've collected. I know it'll be overwhelming at first, having to pick up where I left off, but because of everything you've seen and survived through, I'm sure you'll be just fine. Good luck."
And with that, without even a proper goodbye, Matsune left through the front door.