Part 1 - The girl
We were following the shark girl for a while, Asuna started to record with her phone the whole route we took, until she turned into a shop, and we lost sight of her.
-But how did she disappear like that, a few seconds ago she was in front of us? - Aki said confused.
-Maybe she noticed that we were following her, and somehow managed to slip through the crowd. - I said as intrigued as Aki.
-Or maybe that girl is an experiment, and the suit is just an oddity to hide herself. - Asuna said excitedly.
-Asuna, if it turns out you're right, I'll go get more questions.
-Just kidding this time....
At our swords we heard a growl, unfriendly.
I turned around on the spot, and Shark Girl was now standing in front of me.
But... she was by that tent... at what moment she appeared at our backs.
She didn't look the most pleasant towards us.
-Why go on? - she said, baring her teeth.
I think we all froze when we saw that all her teeth ended in points as if she was a shark.
-Sorry, we didn't mean to upset you, we were just curious, we won't keep bothering you.
Asuna and Aki joined me in the apology.
-You woman... don't smell anything... What being?
This girl looked about our age, if it wasn't for those unsettling teeth she would have a very sweet face, her hair was now dyed a light blue, but the hair on the inside was a pale red, I also noticed that now that I looked at her more closely she had a mole near her lip.
She could see Akari, which was making my hair stand on end because she looked so hostile towards her.
-I don't know what you're talking about... shark girl.
Shark girl spat on the ground.
-I hate name... not name calling.
-Sorry I didn't mean to offend you like that, what do I call you? - Aki said nervously.
-Don't have to say name... you strangers, you smell just like bad people.
-Bad people, of what....
The shark girl moved to grab Aki, I immediately stepped in and grabbed her hand so she wouldn't do it, but the moment I touched her, it hurt so much that I had to let go on the spot, it was as if several small knives had cut my palm in several parts, I was bleeding, but it wasn't serious, although it was a lot of blood.
Asuna screamed as soon as she saw the blood gushing from my hand.
-Fuck, I moved and put myself between Aki and the shark girl.
Although now she was looking at me without clearing an eye, but it wasn't me, she was looking carefully at the hand I hurt by touching it, when I noticed I moved it to the right, and she followed it with her eyes.
-I don't want to hurt... I go... I don't want to go back...
The strange girl left immediately, at a great speed, one that was not normal for an ordinary human.
-Hika, are you alright, your hand?
-Don't worry honey, I'm fine, the one that matters now is Asuna, my hand is fine believe me.
I approached Asuna, hiding my right hand, so she wouldn't see the blood anymore.
She was holding her head, not even looking at us.
-I didn't, I didn't want to do it... mum... I didn't...
I hugged Asuna, trying to hide my hand as much as I could.
-It's going to be fine, nothing happened to me, it was just a little scratch, don't worry, nothing happened bunny.
Asuna looked me in the eyes, apparently my words or the hug had the desired effect, she was calming down, she started to breathe as she taught me, slowly.
People looked at us strangely, after all Asuna had shouted in the middle of a shopping centre, there was no lack of the typical comments of wanting to draw attention, or how rude we were for shouting, things that were being said to the people accompanying us.
-I didn't want to... Hikaru, is your hand alright? - Asuna said while still shivering a bit.
-Hikaru said, 'Yeah, it's alright, the cut was superficial, but I don't understand how touching it hurt me... it's probably an experiment... but what do you know about her, Asuna?
-What?...because of what I said, no, no seriously this time it was a coincidence, I had no idea about her.
I looked at Asuna with some distrust.
-I'm going to believe you this once... What are you doing here?
-I rub your hand, even if you can't feel it.
I kissed him a little at a distance in gratitude.
-Hikaru, you know it's not that I'm complaining, but could you stop hugging me, I want to walk to get rid of my anxiety.
-Yes of course... I still don't understand how he hurt my hand.
-Shark girl, shark teeth, maybe your skin is the same as a shark's skin.
-Could you explain it better, I don't understand what you're saying?
-Shark skin is made up of small scales shaped like teeth, which are not visible to the eye, so when you touch them, they can cut your skin, but not as exaggerated as what just happened when you touched that girl, besides you didn't notice the tail, it wasn't part of the disguise, it moved with her, I think she is something of a shark, or so I think, besides she could see me without any problems.
-The more I see this kind of weirdness the less I understand it all.
I understand how you feel Hikaru, that's my bread and butter... by the way Asuna, how come you can watch movies with bloody scenes, but when you see blood in real life, this happens to you?
Asuna looked at Akari with an unfriendly face.
-Fiction and reality are different things, Akari, I know very well that when I watch a movie with fake blood, that's very different from reality.
He was right about that.
Part 2 - The other brother.
We let what happened at the cinema go, we only told Emi about it, but at Akari's request, she asked us to relax this weekend, she didn't want to deal with anything else about her personal issue of not having a body.
So with Emi's help we did things that Aki would like to do, we watched hairdressing, Aki taught Emi some makeup stuff which she's not usually interested in, plus Kaede when she saw her alone watching makeup stuff she jumped in, and Aki, who couldn't interact so Kaede wouldn't know she was there, let herself be, but at least she recovered some faith in Kaede's work, because apparently Aki ended up learning a couple of things from her, thanks to Aki writing to Emi, who let herself be made up by Kaede, which Emi accepted very reluctantly.
One thing I noticed about the gift that the girls gave me these days is that on the collar there was an embroidered print of a ghost, near the zip there was a print of a silhouette of a naked woman and another print of a little ghost inside the coat where the heart is, representing Aki, Emi and Asuna, a gesture that made me appreciate the jacket much more than I already did.
Monday had arrived, it was early, and again I was finding it hard to get up, I was getting up more and more tired, because Aki absorbs part of my energy, but she didn't know it and I didn't plan to tell her. I took a shower as I always do, from time to time Aki accompanied me to the shower, a moment that I was grateful more than anything, I was glad that she was more thrown so to speak with me.
I was about to leave with Aki and Emi, she had to go to work.
I took out some toast and put some jam on it to eat it on the way, I was late because I got carried away in the shower with Aki.
-I was late because I let myself get carried away in the shower with Aki,' said Camila who was watching TV. - Said Camila who was watching TV almost like she did every day at this time.
I'm sorry, I like to sleep a lot, but I'll try to give myself time to eat breakfast. - I lied to Camila.
The door of the house opened.
-That would be a novelty, that you took the time to do things right, Hikaru.
My stuffy brother Sou had arrived quite early at the house, dressed as if he still had to work as a butler, in his black suit and white shirt, with his typical gloves.
-We don't see each other for a while and the first thing you do is come to bother me, I guess you've always been like that Sou.
-You know me, brat.
Sou came up to me, and gave me a fist bump with a smile on his face.
Camila ran to hug her son that she hadn't seen for a long time, he accepted the hug calmly, while waving to his mother.
Emi completely passed him by.
-Hikaru, we are late, let's go. -Said Emi hurrying us.
Sou looked at Emi, and ignored her, they always get along badly.
I looked at Aki for us to leave but she was as if she was seeing a ghost, she was shivering sharply, while she saw Sou, I approached her slowly and I spoke as low as I could so no one would hear me.
-Aki, don't tell me that he...
Aki looked at me scared.
-It's not that Hika... his white gloves made me remember how I died...
-Let's talk about it on the way, follow me sweetheart.
Emi had noticed that something strange had happened.