Lisa slowly opened her eyes and observed her surroundings. She could hear the sound of a choir practicing, their melodious voices filling the air. She turned to her left and saw two figures talking in hushed tones.
"Did anyone see your wings?" the tall figure asked worriedly.
"No, I used the cloaking spell," the other figure replied with relief.
"When did you use it?" the tall figure asked frantically.
Hiraku rubbed his head in an anxious manner.
"Um, I was already in flight," he said with a sad expression.
The tall figure placed his left hand on his forehead, as if nursing a recurring headache.
"Did she see you flying?" the tall figure asked.
"No, she didn't," Hiraku said defensively.
"If she did, I'll have to erase her memory of you."
"She didn't see me fly!" Hiraku retorted.
"Hmm," the tall figure murmured.
The girl had been pretending to be asleep for the past thirty minutes, but she had listened to every bit of their conversation.
"Where am I?" she asked suddenly.
"You're awake. How are you feeling?" Hiraku asked calmly.
"Like my head is on fire," she replied.
The two men exchanged relieved looks. Hiraku's face brimmed with gladness.
She took a quick glance at her arms and legs and realized there wasn't a single scratch on her. She remembered being injured on her left leg when the evil creature tried to kill her, but now there was no pain. She looked at Hiraku and smiled.
"Thank you," she said in her usual quirky tone.
"Sure, um, anytime," Hiraku replied, placing his left hand on the back of his neck.
"Boy your face is turning all red" The tall man said in a mocking manner and be laughed heartily.
"Zack!,"Hiraku retorted in a tone of embarrassment,he quickly thought of something else to say
"ummh, where do you live? I'll take you home"
"Okay" She said and slowly stood up. She felt most of her strength has been recovered.
"Ey,your mom is here"Zack said as he closed the door,
"You better get going boy" Zack turned to the girl,"as for you little girl aren't you forgetting something " He had a flustered look plastered on his face. "You haven't told any of us your name"
"Oh,I'm sorry"she replied anxiously,"my name is Lisa. Lisa Daiya it's a pleasure to meet you" She bowed her head In a respectful posture.
"No need to be too polite,you can call me Zack,and that little rascal is Hiraku"
She looked at Hiraku and was about to make a bow but was interrupted with a gentle grasp of her right hand
"No need,we'll get going"He said calmly.
Her gaze fell short on their hands been locked together.
"Say hi to blue for me" Zack responded with a faint smile.
"I will,bye Zack" Hiraku said as he and Lisa went steadily to the direction of his mom who stood outside the church.
*
"Who is this beauty?" Mrs. Akane asked with a soft smile.
"Um, she's a friend," Hiraku responded quickly, a hint of shyness in his voice.
"Oh, a friend," she replied, eyeing her son in an observant manner. Her gaze fell on the two hands still warmly holding each other. Lisa noticed her staring and quickly withdrew her hand in embarrassment.
"I'm Lisa. Nice to meet you, ma'am," Lisa said with a nervous bow.
"She's cute," Mrs. Akane retorted with a beaming smile.
"Um, Mom, can we get going? I have to drop her off," Hiraku said in a hushed tone, silently hoping his mother wouldn't display her overly eccentric behavior.
"Okay, Bunny Bear, let's go," she said humorously.
"Mom!" Hiraku exclaimed, his face turning red as he rubbed the back of his neck. He glanced at Lisa, who was trying hard not to chuckle. Who calls their seventeen-year-old son Bunny Bear?
"Um, Lisa, would you mind accompanying us to visit my youngest son?" Mrs. Akane asked, her tone laced with worry.
"I don't mind, ma'am," Lisa replied quickly.
"Okay, dear," Mrs. Akane said with a look of relief.
As they walked some distance, they eventually arrived at a cemetery.
**
Hiraku and Lisa walked silently across the street. Hiraku kept checking his watch at intervals. "7:45 PM," he noted to himself.
"Umm, your mom is very nice," Lisa said in a calm tone.
"Yeah, um, she is," Hiraku replied hesitantly, as though something else was on his mind.
She wanted to ask more about his younger brother, who had passed away early, but she felt it wasn't the right time to bring it up. Besides, she wasn't very good with words.
"We're here," Lisa broke the silence as she stepped in front of the gate to her house.
"Um, your uniform," Hiraku said, glancing at her school uniform ."We attend the same school."
She nodded in acknowledgment.
"I'll see you tomorrow," she replied with a faint smile.
Every time she smiled, even though it was weak, Hiraku couldn't shake the feeling that she needed to be protected.
"Demon," he muttered with a glint of warning, his eyes fixed on the forked road ahead.
"What are you talking about?" she asked, her voice filled with anticipation. Her eyes darted in the direction he was looking. An uneasy feeling began building within her, and though her eyes held a look of terror, her face became steady and bold.
"Lisa, I'll be heading off now," he said hurriedly. Before she could respond, he dashed toward the left side of the road, running toward the eerie presence that seemed to be calling him.
Hiraku continued running, the pebble-like object he called the Third Eye guiding his spirit closer to the source of the evil aura. However, he couldn't help but worry about a familiar aura closing in from behind. Unable to pay attention to anything else, he focused on the path ahead.
He spotted a wall up ahead and channelled his spiritual power to leap over it. Upon landing on the ground, he was shocked to see a woman holding an axe. Looking closer, he noticed a little girl, who appeared to be around 10 or 12 years old, tied to a withered tree.Hiraku deduced that the woman clutching the axe firmly was likely the girl's mother or guardian.