The next day at school, I greeted Mei with a casual, "Hello, Mei," and sat down beside her. My tone quickly shifted to a serious one. "Mei, what was all that yesterday?"
We were sitting on the edge of the school rooftop, a place where students usually came to relax or enjoy some quiet time. The city skyline stretched out before us, the morning sun casting a warm glow over the buildings. Mei looked at me with an innocent expression, her eyes wide and genuinely confused.
"I don't understand what you're talking about."
"What? The fight from last night. The girl who looked like you—the doppelganger."
"Eh? What are you talking about?" Mei's confusion seemed genuine, but I was still firm in my resolve to uncover the truth.
"I'm talking about your twin sister," I said, hoping to jog her memory or get a reaction.
Mei made a small, playful "hehe" sound and then sighed. "Well, alright, I will tell you."
"Okay," I responded, leaning in slightly, my curiosity piqued.
Mei said, "Mmm..."
"You gotta answer, I'm curious," I insisted, feeling a mix of frustration and anticipation.
After being a little more hesitant, she said, "Alright, alright, I'll answer your questions, all of them."
I nodded, giving her space to explain.
Mei continued, "She was here to visit me when she found a kaiju lurking in the shadows. So she took a detour to defeat the kaiju, and after it was defeated, you showed up out of the blue. So she thought you were a recruit of the fallen kaiju, and since you're not a human, you emit a kaiju-like aura and also have low-mid tier kaiju-like strength and speed. So she went all out to kill you."
"Wait, if I am not a human anymore, what can I be called?" I asked, trying to wrap my head around this new revelation.
Mei replied, "Well, you are a demi-human, just like celestians."
"Okay," I said, processing the information. "How did you know I was in danger?"
"Yeah, it was because of the explosion from earlier. The moment I heard it, I knew it was you," Mei replied.
"Why?" I asked, my curiosity deepening.
"Because no normal demonic arts user can cause an explosion at that scale by just intermixing mist and lightning," Mei explained.
"Lightning? Wait, so that spark I saw was lightning?" I asked, surprised.
"Yes, that's the demonic arts level 4: Lightning," Mei replied.
"What? Level 4? I can barely manage level 2. How can that—" I stammered, shocked by my own power.
"To be honest, I myself am surprised that you skipped two levels unmastered and reached level 4. You surely are full of surprises," Mei said with a hint of admiration.
I replied with a "hehe" and then asked, "So did you talk it out with your sister last night?"
"Yeah, I explained everything that was going on," Mei replied.
"But I heard sounds of clashes," I said, still confused.
"Oh, that. We were fighting as we were talking. That's the way we talk things out," Mei explained casually.
"Oh, okay. Your sister was strong, just like you. I hope I don't cross her sooner," I said, still a bit shaken from the encounter.
"Oh, don't worry. She is a nice person," Mei reassured me.
"I hope so..." I replied, still uncertain.
Mei continued, "She even told me to make you meet her."
"What!? Okay, okay, but please be near me when that happens," I said, panicking a bit.
"You sure are scared," Mei giggled.
"Stop it," I said, but she continued to giggle.
During the next interval, we were talking about random things when Kaito joined us. The school hallway was bustling with students heading to their next classes, and the hum of conversations filled the air. Kaito walked up to us with a big grin on his face.
"Hello guys, what are you doing?" he asked, his voice cheerful.
"Well, nothing much," Mei replied, smiling.
"What about you?" I asked, curious about his news.
"I have news for the two of you. Remember those rumors?" Kaito said with excitement.
"About what?" Mei asked, her curiosity matching mine.
"About Takashi and Yumi. They really are dating," Kaito revealed, his eyes sparkling.
"What? Really? Good for him," I said, trying to mask my disappointment with a smile.
"So did you ask him about it?" Mei inquired, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, no," Kaito admitted, scratching the back of his head.
"Then how are you so sure?" Mei pressed, leaning forward.
"Look around, over there," Kaito pointed out, subtly nodding towards the courtyard.
"Where? What? That's Takashi and Yumi," I said, spotting them sitting together on a bench, talking and laughing.
"I didn't notice that," Mei remarked, her eyes narrowing slightly.
"Don't make it obvious that you're looking at them," Kaito cautioned, lowering his voice.
"Okay," Mei and I replied in unison, quickly averting our gazes.
"Now, is there any need for evidence?" Kaito asked, crossing his arms with a smug look.
"Well, I think you're right," I conceded, nodding.
"No," Mei disagreed, shaking her head.
"Heh?" Kaito looked confused.
"They could just be friends hanging out together," Mei suggested, her tone matter-of-fact.
"What makes you think that?" Kaito asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It could be like us. Me and Izumi," Mei explained, glancing at me.
"Wait, I thought you two were lovers and are dating," Kaito said, baffled.
"What—" My face turned red. "Why would you say that?"
"Why you ask? It seems obvious," Kaito replied, shrugging.
"Erm... well, anyways, you should still go and ask," Mei said, trying to change the subject.
"Alright, alright. I'll ask him at lunch break today," Kaito agreed, nodding.
"Good," Mei replied with a satisfied smile.
As the bell rang, signaling the end of the interval, we gathered our things and headed to our next class, the mystery of last night's encounter still lingering in my mind.
At lunch break, I went to sit beside Mei, as always. To be honest, it's my favorite part of being in school. I was lost in thought when Mei's voice pulled me back to reality.
"Do you think Kaito went to Takashi?" she asked, her eyes scanning the crowded cafeteria.
I looked around, noticing Kaito's absence. "Well, Kaito doesn't seem to be here, so I think he did go to ask."
Mei nodded, a hint of curiosity in her eyes. "Hope so. By the way, I haven't taken you to Celestia, have I?"
"Mmm... no," I replied, wondering where this was going.
"Good," she said, a small smile playing on her lips.
"Why?" I asked, intrigued by her tone.
"This summer, there will be an opening of a great amusement park in a place in the Cruser Domain. We can go there together. Just the two of us," Mei said, her voice carrying a hint of excitement.
For some reason, hearing 'just the two of us' made me feel as if she said that on purpose. I felt a slight flutter in my chest. "Erm... mmm... OK, that's going to be fun."
"Let's have our lunch for now," Mei said, her eyes twinkling.
I nodded, and we began to unpack our lunches. The cafeteria was buzzing with chatter and laughter. The sunlight streamed through the large windows, casting a warm glow over the tables. As we ate, the sounds of clinking cutlery and rustling paper filled the air, creating a comforting background noise.
For a moment, we ate in comfortable silence, each lost in our own thoughts.
On the roof of the school, Takashi and Yumi were having lunch together when Kaito entered and asked, "Mmm... excuse me, Yumi-san, I want to have a talk with Takashi."
Yumi looked at Kaito and nodded. "Hmm, okay."
Kaito said to Takashi, "Dude, can we have a talk over there?" He pointed towards a corner, and Takashi agreed.
Kaito asked, "Bro, can I ask you a question? I've been wanting to ask it for a long time."
Takashi replied, "Well sure, why not... I already can think what you're going to ask."
Kaito looked confused. "Hah?"
Takashi continued, "No, Yumi and I are not dating. We are just friends."
Kaito replied, "Oh, is that so...?"
"But I intend to propose to her, but unfortunately, I haven't mustered the courage yet," Takashi said. "I was going to tell you anyway."
Kaito said, "Really? So you weren't trying to hide it?"
Takashi replied, "Hide it? Why would I do that? Why would I hide such an important thing from my friend?"
Kaito's face grew pleasing. Takashi said, "It's just that I had a lot on my mind, so I wasn't able to tell you."
Kaito replied, "Oh, I see. So you're not patched up yet, huh? Well, I'll help you out, and I'm pretty sure Izumi and Mei would as well."
Takashi said, "Wait, really? Thanks, man, you're a lifesaver."
Takashi returned to Yumi, and Kaito headed downstairs to tell us about the report.
Kaito entered the classroom and reached us. "Guys, I finally found out what was going on."
Mei replied, "So what did he say?"
Kaito told us everything Takashi had said. I replied, "Oh, I see... I think we could indeed come up with a plan to aid him."
Mei said, "Hmm, you're right."
I asked both of them, "What is the best spot for a proposal for high schoolers?"
Mei added, "A place where one can show their qualities for impression."
Kaito added, "A place where both the couple are in one room."
I added, "A room which is also suitable for a group."
And all three of us echoed, "And that is... Karaoke!"
I said, "Hehe, you can thank me later."
Kaito nodded. Mei said, "Let's tell him about the plan. What about tomorrow?"
Kaito replied, "Alright, I'll inform Takashi." And soon, the lunch break was over and so was the school. Everything seemed to flow away like a breeze. And it was once again the time of the day. It's hunting time!
I waited on the rooftop for Mei. Today was the day I had to fight the kaiju myself. After all, I was continuously on a losing streak. Soon, Mei arrived, and we flew through the skies once again. After a while, we landed on the roof of a baseball stadium. Mei, before anybody could notice, weaved her time-pause barrier.
"Now being spotted is out of the way, so let's find this kaiju," Mei said.
"How are we going to handle this? There are a lot of people here," I replied.
"Consider it as training in power control and crowd control," Mei responded.
"Okay," I agreed. "Spirit Arts: Wide Scan." Mei looked around for a moment.
"I can spot it. It's probably one of the spectators," she said, pointing towards a person. "It's a low mid-tier kaiju. I'll lure it out on the field, and you'll fight it, alright?"
"Okay," I replied.
Mei descended to the stands and pinpointed the kaiju among the crowd. She fired a blue beam towards it, which the kaiju dodged, becoming aggroed on Mei. It started going after her. Swiftly, Mei flew over the stadium towards the field while the kaiju violently followed her. The kaiju didn't seem to have much intelligence, driven purely by aggression.
I watched from above, ready to jump in as soon as Mei lured it out to the open field. As the kaiju charged at her, Mei skillfully weaved through the air, leading it away from the spectators and towards the center of the stadium. The roar of the kaiju was drowned out by the barrier, ensuring no one noticed the unfolding chaos.
The tension built as Mei finally landed on the field, the kaiju in hot pursuit. She turned back towards me and nodded, signaling that it was my turn to engage. I leaped down, landing between Mei and the kaiju. The ground trembled slightly under my feet as I steadied myself for the fight.
The kaiju, a grotesque creature with scales and claws, bared its teeth and lunged at me. I dodged its initial attack and prepared myself for the battle ahead.
I called upon my energy. "Demonic Arts Level 4: Lightning!" I tried to use it, but unlike last time, there were no signs of the power being utilized. "Demonic Arts Level 4: Lightning!" Still, nothing happened.
"Wait, what is going on?" I muttered in frustration.
Distracted, I didn't react in time as the kaiju lunged at me, its massive form colliding with mine. The impact wasn't critical, but it still sent me sprawling backward.
"What are you doing?" Mei shouted from the sidelines.
"I can't use my lightning powers!" I replied, panic edging into my voice.
"Just call it again and again," Mei urged.
I nodded, attempting to calm myself. "Demonic Arts Level 2: Water." Water started gushing through my fist. With renewed determination, I dashed towards the kaiju and struck it with a powerful punch. The kaiju was knocked back, its claws digging into the ground to prevent it from flying away from the impact, leaving deep gouges in the stadium turf.
Enraged, the kaiju roared and leaped at me, its fist glowing with a dark energy. I dodged, but the kaiju's punch moved the air itself, creating a powerful shockwave. The ground around us trembled and cracked from the force of our blows.
I focused, gathering a tremendous amount of energy. This time, instead of sparks, sparkles in the form of little stars emerged from my fist. Mei whispered to herself, "Well, that's the way to go. Demonic Arts Level 3: Sparkle."
The sparkles intertwined with the water flowing from my fist. I glared at the kaiju and lunged towards it. The kaiju, undeterred, lunged back. We exchanged blows, its massive fists crashing against my parries. I narrowly dodged a swipe aimed at my head, countering with a punch to its midsection that sent it staggering.
The kaiju roared and unleashed a flurry of strikes. I managed to parry some, but a glancing blow caught my shoulder, numbing my arm. I gritted my teeth, refusing to back down. The kaiju wound up for a powerful overhead strike, and I saw my opening.
With a surge of energy, the sparkles around my fist formed into a drill-like formation. As the kaiju's fist descended, I thrust my own fist forward. The sparkle drill pierced through the kaiju's hand, driving straight into its head. The creature's roar turned into a gurgle as it collapsed, defeated.
I stood there, panting, as the kaiju's body dissolved into dark mist. The stadium was left in silence, the ground scarred from our battle. I looked over at Mei, who was smiling approvingly.
"You did it," she said, her voice filled with pride.
"Yeah," I replied, still catching my breath. "But I couldn't have done it without your guidance."
She nodded. "Let's get out of here before anyone notices."
As we dispelled the barrier and flew back into the sky, I couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment. I had faced the kaiju and emerged victorious, but I knew there were still many challenges ahead.
To be continued…