Chapter Four: Surprise Title: Chronicles of Time
“Where is this place?” She shivered as the heavy winds blew past her. “It’s freezing, and I’m in my nightwear!”
“Is it that cold?” Yuu glanced at her, and snapped his fingers. A heat shield covered them, and warmth spread through her body; she sighed in relief. “That better?”
“Should’ve done that earlier,” she said, “anyway, let’s talk.”
“What is bothering you?”
“So...my parents locked you up in that box, didn’t they?” She asked him. “Answer truthfully and don’t prevaricate.”
“Yeah, they did. I asked for it.” Yuu said without a care in the world.
She gave him a bewildered look. “You asked them to lock you up? How crazy is that?”
“Hmm...now that I think of it, I don’t think I was in the right mind at that time. It’s so blurry.” Everytime he tried to recall what happened, a sharp pain would run through his head which would make him give up.
“Do you..perhaps not really remember?” She asked him carefully.
“All I remember is something about a daughter being my fiancee, and someone casting a spell.”
‘Hold on. If he doesn’t remember it clearly, maybe there’s a possibility that I’m not engaged with him?’ She smiled widely. ‘And wait–could my parents also be magicians? Does that mean that I can use magic too?’
“Why are you smiling like a fool?” He raised an eyebrow and she wiped her goofy grin off her face.
“N-nothing.”
“Anyways, why couldn’t you sleep?”
She laid down on the soft grass below her and sighed. “Something was bothering me and–hey! You aren’t even listening!”
He closed his palm and the flash of red light disappeared. “What? No–I am listening. Go on.”
She shot him a are-you-sure? look. “Well...I was thinking about–”
“Yes, yes. The story that I told, got it.” Yuu waved his hand airily and took a seat beside her. “It felt familiar right? Maybe...something that you’ve forgotten?”
“Yes! That’s what I was thinking!” She brightened up, relieved that Yuu understood how she felt. “It’s as if–”
“I don’t think that you should poke into this anymore.” Yuu cut her off sharply. “It might just be your imagination.”
“Huh?” She blinked, confused, and stood up. “No–what are you doing?”
A small warm light danced around the tip of his finger and she backed away slowly.
“Hold still,” he said, approaching her. Now they were both on their feet. “I shouldn’t have told you the story in the first place. Just what was I thinking?”
“Don’t get any closer! I-I’ll hit you!” She shouted threateningly, stumbling away from him. He continued to inch closer with the small golden light still floating on his fingertip. He directed it towards her and it drifted around her, then it was absorbed into her body. She touched her face after a while, expecting for an aftereffect, but was left astonished. “...nothing happened?”
“Of course nothing happened! Did you think that I was planning to wipe your memory or something?” Yuu snorted at her. “Gee, it was only a joke.”
She gaped at him. “T-then what was that golden light for?”
“Oh, that? People used it as a magic trick in the old times. It lifts many spirits, and it can be used to heal wounds; but those idiots just used it for parties.”
“And why did you use it on me? I didn’t need healing.”
“Party trick,” Yuu admitted, “it was just to scare you.”
“And you called them idiots.” Natsumi rolled her eyes. “Aren’t you doing the same thing?”
“...am not!” He said indignantly. “I’m using it to scare you, not bring you joy! That’s two different things, get it right.”
“You’re still using it for entertainment though, aren’t you?” Natsumi said. “For your entertainment.”
“Well, you’re not wrong.” Yuu shrugged, not denying it anymore. “It was fun seeing your horrified reaction.”
He earned a hit on his arm for that comment. “It was not fun! You scared me! It was not…”
His arm reached out and caught her swiftly as her body leaned back lifelessly. Her eyes twitched and she groaned.
“Did you fail...to...mention something?” She breathed. Fatigue consumed her to the point where she was too lazy to move.
“Yeah, that spell also makes people sleepy.” He grinned and plopped her down on the soft grass. “That’s why festivals always end early–because the people get tired out easily. It’s how the government gets people to go rest quickly, and save money on power. It’s also the reason why there tends to be people wasting away on the ground the next day after a celebration. I also made sure that you won’t remember this when you wake up. You're welcome.”
“You..bas...tard…” Her eyes closed reluctantly, and her voice wouldn’t come out. He swept his hands over her eyes to check if she really fell asleep then sighed lightly.
“Sorry, but you have to get some shut eye.” He said gently, caressing her hair then lifted her up carefully as if she was the most precious thing in the world. “Let’s go home now, dear.”
***
“What’s up with you?” Himari asked with a muffled voice with a piece of freshly buttered toast in her mouth.
“O’hw d’wo noh,” Natsumi tried to reply but her answer was unclear.
“I can’t understand you; it's amazing how I can speak clearly with a toast in my mouth but you can’t.” Himari jeered at her best friend.
Natsumi gave her a glare and drooped the toast into her hands. “I said that I don’t know. My face is all sparkly, and it's as if I just came out of a makeup commercial.”
“You think that Yuu did something?”
“Speaking of Yuu,” Sora cleared his throat, “don’t you think that leaving him alone is a bit too negligent of you two? You don’t know what he’ll do so, I think that he should also attend school with us as well.”
“So...in other words, you want to keep an eye on him at all times?” Natsumi said slowly.
“I think that he’s a good guy.” Himari piped up, and stopped them from walking any further by extending her arm as the light turned red. “He cooks, cleans, and basically does everything, so I think that he can just stay at home. It’s nice to wake up with a tasty and hot breakfast waiting for us at the table. Compared to before, it’s way better than eating cold bread every morning.”
“And, he even cooks lunch for us.” Natsumi added. They started to walk again, and munched on their breakfast concomitantly.
“That’s why he should attend school with us.” Sora said. “He’s always stuck at home, taking care of us. What is he? A housewife? I thought that he was a cool guy, but he’s like a mother. I was surprised when I saw him cleaning.”
“Who would’ve thought that Yuu would have such a hobby?” Himari shrugged, biting into her toast. They continued their way to school, nodding hello to people.
“H-hey! It’s the Aikawa’s!” People pointed at them, murmuring. They lumped Natsumi into the same family as Sora and Himari because they were always together. The famous group of three which many admire. Little did they know that the three weren't as godly as they may look.
“I’m full,” Himari announced, dusting the bread crumbs off her hands. They changed their shoes in front of their lockers, still receiving many stares from spectators. “We’ll be heading off to our class!”
“Right,” Sora waved goodbye to them as they went the opposite direction. Since he was a second year, his classes were in the other building.
“Hey, Natsumi, I heard that there’s going to be a new student arriving today.” Himari said, leaning against her chair.
“Really? Maybe it's just gossip.” Natsumi gulped down some water. “If not, I really hope that he isn’t someone weird. That'll be just great, honestly.”
“I hope he’s handsome,” Himari said dreamily.
“If you want handsome people, then there’s plenty of eye-catching boys in the basketball club.” She rolled her eyes with sarcasm. “They may be annoying, but they do have good looks.”
Himari nodded with agreement. “Very true...but I do have an eye on–”
“Good morning class,” the loud authoritative tone made silence wash upon them, and everyone was seated. Yuzihara sensei, their homeroom teacher, stepped inside carrying an abnormal amount of pressure upon them, “Today–as some of us may know through rumors–we have a new student who will be joining us in this late semester. Come in.”
He casually stepped inside with a polite smile which made it seem like he was a whole different person from her memories. His shining red eyes gave away the fact that he felt amused by this situation. Her mind went blank and her pencil fell from her hands.
“Nice to meet you all,” he began. All attention was directed at him. Stares bore into his skin, but he shook it off like nothing. “I’m Yuu Kaneko, age fifteen. I hope we’ll all get along.”
Whispers passed through the room and many girls let out excited shrieks. Natsumi’s eyebrows twitched, and she smiled bitterly.
‘This guy...he’s always up to something.’ She groaned exasperatedly inwardly. Being with Yuu was just like being with a storm who’s ready to appear and blast her concentration away any moment - along with her peaceful life. She could feel her carefree days crumbling away because of a single person who barged into her life.
“...so, that’ll be all. You can be seated next to...Izanami-san–right behind her.”
She blinked, startled by the sudden mention of her name. “Eh…?”
“Izanami-san. It would be very helpful if you could indicate where you are.” Yuzihara sensei raised her voice and glanced at Natsumi with expectation.
“A-ah! O-over here!” She raised one of her hands high, the other fidgeting with the hem of her skirt. “...K-Kaneko…kun.”
It felt weird calling him by his last name, and whatever excuses he’ll say when she corners him later - it’ll be hard to not doubt the veracity in his words.
‘What else is he planning behind my back?’
Yuu walked to her and her hand slipped back underneath the desk. A brisk smirk appeared on his face as he passed by, then he took a seat behind her.
***
“So, why are you here?” She went straight to the point, slamming her hand on his desk to show how serious she was. “Shouldn’t you be at home?”
“Well...I thought that I should explore the outside world,” he replied nonchalantly, eyeing at her hand that twitched with annoyance. “And plus, you can’t prevent me from doing that. I want to do what I want freely, you know?”
“Yeah, but I don’t get why you have to go to school to explore!” She hissed, scowling at him. For some reason, it amused him even more to see her fiery reaction. “You should’ve told me!”
“Do I have to give you a notice of everything I’m doing?”
“Anything sneaky–yeah!”
“Well, what was your reason for joining school either way–besides exploring.” Himari butted in, adjusting her chair in front of Yuu’s desk and plopped down comfortably.
“For fun,” his eyes flicked towards Natsumi then back after confirming that she was still not in a good mood.
“Why didn’t you tell us before, though?”
“I wanted to keep it a secret,” he said shortly, putting his face on his hands and leaning forward. “You should stop frowning. It makes you look old.”
Natsumi brushed her frown away with a sigh, and rolled her eyes as he sniggered a little at her. She took out her bento and opened up the lid with amazement. Her mood shifted instantly. “Wow! You really went all out today, didn’t you?”
The scent wafting from the box made her smile, and the brilliant colors complimented the dish. Her mixed up emotions melted away.
“Whoa!” Himari lifted the lid of her lunch. “It’s...amazing...no–it looks exquisite!”
“Enjoy,” Yuu gestured to them with a prideful grin. “It’s delicious.”
They savored every bite as they dug in, munching slowly. It felt as if they were eating food for the rich that could only be seen in television and commercials for luxurious restaurants.
“It tastes heavenly! And–did you not bring lunch for yourself?” Natsumi tilted her head at his empty hands, realizing that he was staring at them eating while he had nothing. “Here!” She stuffed a piece of meat into his mouth without a warning.
“Wuh ah ooh doin’?” He tried to speak. After realizing that he couldn’t even speak properly, he chewed silently.
She smiled then paused, sensing that something wasn’t right.
“...why is everyone staring?” She whispered, looking at both of them for an answer.
“Because you two look like a couple,” Himari answered, snickering at her friend’s vacant expression. “Can’t you see?”
“Wha–?” Natsumi looked at Yuu, then at her chopsticks in his mouth as a sly grin spread across his face.
“Oh my, I never thought that you were so innocent and thickheaded.”
“Hey! Innocent was enough, but thickheaded?” Natsumi snorted. “Who was the one who couldn’t read the mood when we first met, huh?”
The crowd murmured, and they were left with an awkward atmosphere.
***
“Eh?” Sora exclaimed, jumping back when he caught sight of Yuu. “What is he doing here?”
“He–”
Before Himari could say anymore, Yuu interjected, “–is a new student who decided to attend school like any teenager should.”
Natsumi’s brows shot upwards. “Really? A normal teenager, sure; but you’re not. You’re this almighty wizard that can exterminate the whole human species along with the planet if you wanted to.”
“Thanks,” Yuu said, blushing a little.
“...that wasn’t supposed to be a compliment, you know?”
“By the way, my mom fawns over you too much, Yuu.” Himari shuddered. “I bet that she’ll take you in as her new son if you ask.”
“Yeah, did you enchant her or something?” Natsumi looked at him skeptically.
“I guess I am just that attractive,” Yuu gloated, resting his arm on her head.
“That...hurts!” She grunted, pushing him off. “Let’s head home, and stop being all affectionate!” She turned to Yuu. “You really like to tease me, don’t you?”
“What do you mean?” He said, blinking his eyes purely. “I would never mess with people for my own amusement.”
She scowled.
The sound of ringing made his feet pause, and he turned back.
“What’s wrong?”
“...nothing, I just thought that I heard something.” He said.
“Did you guys hear anything?” Natsumi turned to the siblings. They shook their heads. “Maybe your ears are just getting old, grandpa. You must be very old now.” She sneered.
“I am, but I’m still young and healthy inside,” Yuu snapped back.
“Well, sorry to hear that,” Natsumi clicked her tongue in disappointment.
“Let’s hurry, I’m starving!” whined Himari, jogging in place.
“Got it!”
***
He quickly hid himself when he felt eyes in his direction.
‘Was I too loud?’ He pondered. He peeked through a small crack to find that his target had moved on, then he sighed in relief. ‘That dirty scum. I must exterminate him before he attempts something on master.’
He closed his eyes and vanished into thin air.