The café was brilliantly quiet for an afternoon rush hour. Just the sight of it had pleased the two employees, especially Mirai Senshin. Pulling at his collar, the white dress shirt he wore contrasted his tan skin exceptionally, even when he had rolled up the sleeves above his elbows.
Breaking the serenity, the door swung open and the bell chimed with the arrival of a new customer. Spinning his head around, Mirai took in the familiar sight of dyed blonde hair and a spray tan. Suppressing a sigh, he waited until she had sat down until approaching her with a pen and a notepad.
“Afternoon,” he greeted with a distanced gaze, “can I get you anything?” Keeping his tone neutral, he dug his heels into the wooden floorboards, anchoring himself preemptively.
Sliding her sunglasses down the rim of her nose, the woman smiled up at the waiter. “Just the usual, Mister Track Star,” she teased with a flash of her canines.
Resisting the urge to roll his eyes at the nickname, he jotted something down on his notepad. “A mocha cappuccino with extra whip, got it,” he drawled out.
Without another glance at the young woman, he swept behind the counter and ripped off the page of his notepad to slide it into the kitchen. Hearing the freezer open, albeit muffled, he slipped the pad and pen into his pocket and leaned forward on the counter. It was only a moment of silence before he began scrolling on his phone, dismissing the noise from the passing cars and the small number of customers.
Unfortunately, his moment of peace ended after a few minutes.
“Mirai!” Hearing the call of his name, the young man whipped around to the source and laid his eyes on a chilled drink resting in front of him. “Put down your phone! Sheesh!” The chef scolded from the kitchen.
Shaking his head at the notion, he dropped his phone into his back pocket and grabbed the frappuccino. Delivering the cold drink to its customer, he fled back to his spot behind the counter.
“You know, for being one of the school’s big reps, you’re really just some plain old kid sometimes,” the young woman commented, sipping her drink. “Kinda makes all the rep you built up vanish, like that,” she snapped her fingers.
Rolling his eyes, Mirai drummed his hands along the wooden countertop. “Katelyn, you of all people know that my reputation means nothing to me.”
“Right, right,” she waved off, “grades are more important than what hormonal teenagers think about you.” The sentence slipped off her tongue with practiced ease, a trait that sparked a glint in Mirai’s eyes. “Pretty lame catchphrase.”
“But completely accurate,” he retorts with a smirk. “But that still leaves your appearance here a mystery.”
Giving him another glint of her teeth, the young woman took on a half-lidded gaze. “Is it wrong for a little bee to swarm around the sweetest flower she can find?” She said, mustering the sultriest voice she could.
“It is when the flower is surrounded by sweeter ones,” drawled Mirai with his eyes retreating to the sanctuary that was his phone. “I’m sure a pretty, little wasp can find something she likes better than my wilting petals.”
Eyes bulging at the response, the tanned woman stood up from her seat and slammed her hands on the table. “And here I was! Trying to be nice to you!” She exclaimed with sudden ferocity. “Learn to respect your betters, nerd!”
Slipping his hand into his pocket, Mirai’s smirk widened. “Katelyn, allow me to remind you that this establishment reserves the right to refuse service to anyone.” Pausing for a moment, he stood up straight. “And, more importantly, it is inappropriate for a customer or employee to flirt with the other in any way. All that complies with company policy which is right here,” tapping a finger down on the counter brought the woman’s gaze on the plaque nailed on under the wooden surface.
“Killjoy,” she muttered before turning her back to him.
“Don’t forget to pay,” he teased in a sing-song voice as she slammed a pair of coins and bills on the table. Without a moment to spare, she stomped out of the café.
A pleased smile snaked its way up to Mirai’s lips. Making his way around to the table, he scooped up the cash into his apron pouch and carried the unfinished cappuccino back into the kitchen. Giving a knowing look to the chef, both smiled and went back to work. Or, in the blue-eyed teen’s case, wait at the counter while scrolling through his home page.
Moments later, the bell chimed again along with the clicking of heels. “Katelyn didn’t seem pleased today,” a voice rang out, pleasing to the ear for the few occupants of the building. Except for one.
“Mother, is there something you need this early in the afternoon?” Mirai asked, setting down his phone and standing up straight.
“Actually, quite a few things,” the woman answered while folding up her sunglasses. “First, play along with customers until we can have some fun in the courtroom. You know, might as well make the trouble worth a bit more.”
“I will consider it,” he said with a narrowed gaze at the elder Senshin.
“Second, your cousin is coming to stay until school starts back up.” Looking at the still-narrow gaze of her son, the mother suppressed a smirk. “So, clean her old room—I don’t care if you have to throw away her old junk—and get dinner started for three.”
“I take it your husband and his sons will remain at the school for the same extra-curricular activities as last year?” He asked with only a slight hint of concern.
“Good Lord, call him dad or something,” she scolded jokingly. “But, yeah, Leo’s got some training to be an animal handler or something coming up, so he won’t be back for a few more months. The twins are pulling pranks and still working with their club, but Nova’s planning on studying with his tutors for a while longer.”
“If all goes well, I believe the twins will find a prank suitable for either of us,” Mirai added. “Perhaps buying extra groceries would be a wise plan of action.”
Flicking her hair out of the way, the elder Senshin gave him a pointed look. “If you’re so paranoid, maybe we can get you to talk like a normal human being. Then you might not get kidnapped again.”
Wincing at the mention of the event, Mirai untied his apron, “I was not aware that my speech patterns made my connection to you ever more apparent.”
“You know, if your grades weren’t as good as your comebacks, I wouldn’t be putting up with all this crap,” she chided before grabbing the apron in his hands. “Now, go try your hand at sushi, Astral’s orders.”
Smirking at the command, Mirai grabbed his phone and gave his goodbye to the chef. Leaving in the blink of an eye, he began running home.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
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With a duffle bag slung across her shoulder, a black-haired girl walked down a street to a cozy two-story home. Eyeing the white coat of paint of the building, she thought she could see someone through the window. Squinting her beaming blue eyes, she saw a familiar set of black and white clothes shifting through habitual movements.
Grinning off her worries, the young woman speed walked to the door and rapped her knuckles against the wood three times. “Yo, Mimi, unlock the door!” She shouted and heard a sharp yelp of pain right after. “You good in there?”
A muffled grunt and a few minutes later, the door was cracked open. “Astral, would it kill you to be any quieter?” Mirai muttered, sending the older girl a glare.
“Hey, can’t be that bad. Plus, you heal fast anyway, so you’ll be fine,” she shot back before pushing into the house. “So, what’s cooking?” She asked, shrugging off the glare sent her way.
Rolling his eyes at her attitude, Mirai strolled back into the kitchen and kept an eye on Astral and her stuffed bag. Grabbing his kitchen knife, he went back to chopping up fish and setting the fresh strips on a rack. Then, he moved on and grabbed the basket filled with rice, keeping in mind that he had yet to answer Astral’s question. Though she made no move to probe an answer out of him, the young man kept on his toes, both figuratively and literally.
Eventually, he began putting together the rice and fish on one platter, making sure to stack the fish on the rice and nothing else. Moving on with his work, he pulled out a few sheets of seaweed and began rolling up maki.
Obviously, the silence annoyed the young woman. So, she sauntered over to the stairs, until she stopped at the first step. “Did you do anything to my room?” She yelled across the first floor, though there were no walls between the two.
Glancing up from his work, the blue-eyed man chopped up six more maki rolls. “I put your old clothes and some stuff you outgrew into boxes,” he calmly answered. Then, he remembered a discovery he made earlier. “Have no worry, I left your collection in that false compartment of yours.”
“Mimi!” She shouted, nearly throwing her duffle bag against the wall in pure anger.
“Yes?” Speaking innocently, he began arranging another platter of food.
“Stop poking your nose into other people’s stuff! It’s annoying!” Stomping her way up the stairs, Astral made it blatantly clear that she was searching every nook and cranny of her room if the thumps were anything to go by.
Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Mirai withheld a snort as he finished the sushi platters. “The Attuned certainly have interesting tastes,” he mumbled with a curiosity lingering in his sapphire eyes.
With his duty done, the young man set aside the food and stepped over to a glass-sealed shelf. Opening it, Mirai slipped out a dusty book and wiped off the years of dust coating the cover.
“Hercules,” he read, “I suppose this will be suitable.” Closing up the cabinet, he retreated to the leather cushions of the couch. In mere moments, he flipped open the book and zoned out of everything but the book.
Even half an hour later, the sight of a silent Mirai was disturbing for Astral, who had found her collection and moved most of her old stuff back to her room. At the very least, she had not needed to worry about bothering the younger Senshin. Although, she was quite tempted to poke his side or his collar, especially when his shirt appeared loose on him.
Resisting her playful urges, the young woman went back upstairs. From there, she retrieved a vial and blade from her belongings, both of which she hid in another room.
Finished with her self-employed task, she bounded down the stairs and jumped onto the couch. Feeling the small shockwave ripple across the cushions, Mirai closed his book with his fingers between the pages. Taking a glance around the room, he picked up a strip of silk to use as a bookmark.
“Have you grown bored already?” He asked while walking over to the sealed bookcase.
“Well, duh,” said Astral, confirming the obvious. “You and Aunt Nikki are cool and all, but in Japan, I could practice all sorts of spells. Now, I’m tired and stuck with you, so I can’t even do the simple stuff,” she groaned as Mirai’s book was slipped between the covers of other books.
Turning back to face his cousin, the young man unbuttoned his shirt and tugged on a chain. At the end of an orb glowing like a rainbow was wrapped in wisp-shaped metal, each wisp snaking around the edges. Putting the amulet over his button-up, Mirai looked Astral in the eye.
“Feel free to practice magic with your usual privacy precautions.” He spoke softly, keeping his words barely audible for her. “This amulet will mask detection charms when you are near me, but keep in mind, when I stop using my Transference spell and the amulet loses this coloration, you must stop.”
“Fine with me, dear ol’ cousin of mine!” After giving him a mocking salute, Astral pounced on him and wrapped her arms around his neck. “And since you’re a Catalyst, I can pretty much have as much fun as I want, right?” She whispered into his ear.
“Within reason,” he warned in a husky voice. “Though I would appreciate learning more about your spellwork, you will also be responsible for fixing everything.”
“Darn it!” She exclaimed as she jumped back and plopped onto the couch. “And here I thought your disability would actually be cool for once!”
Smirking at her blight, Mirai buttoned his shirt back up and returned to his own seat.
“Can’t I just leave a few spells on ya? Won’t hurt your pretty little head, I promise.”
Instantly, his smirk dropped. “The last time you had made that promise, I recall you forced my hair to grow out and began calling me, Mimi.”
“Harmless fun! You know I won’t hurt you! We’re family!” She added with an all-too-happy expression.
“Fine,” he conceded. Immediately, his hair dropped down to his waist with only a short incantation. “This will be more trouble than it is worth,” he mumbled before his shirt was drenched with a conjured splash of water.
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Hours later, all of the spells cast on were reversed, some with more relief than others. Especially that one which forced Mirai’s hair to grow down to his waist. Now, he ruffled his hair after his shower, relieved that the locks only tickled the tops of his ears instead of his lower back.
Within the comfort of his room, the blue-eyed teen sat on the edge of his bed. Gazing over his room, he spotted nothing out of the ordinary. The same desk was backed into the corner. His closet showed no signs of being tampered with. Along with his bed, which appeared untouched since he had gotten out of it in the morning.
“Good, sleeping will be relatively normal tonight,” he muttered, still musing over his thoughts. “Perhaps the divine entities do more than sleep.” Keeping those thoughts barely above a whisper, he shuffled with his blanket until he was stuffed in his bed with his clasped behind his head. Looking up at the blank ceiling, he whispered, “I wonder how the Heath family are doing? Each must be quite busy to stay away from home for most of the summer.”
Letting those thoughts rest on the surface of his mind, Mirai closed his eyes and relaxed into his soft mattress, feeling like a feather on a cloud. Before long, he succumbed to his drowsiness.
Meanwhile, Astral brushed her short hair away from her ear and kept the sensor against the door. Once she heard the light snores of her cousin, she slithered through the door. Recognizing the pitch-black room, illuminated only by the light reflected against the moon, she crept up to the bed and pulled out three items from her pocket.
First, a golden feather that was the length of her entire forearm. The second was a crystal vial, filled up until the stopper ended just millimeters from the scarlet liquid held within. Her last object was a small blade, barely matching the length from her middle finger and the base of her wrist.
Taking the feather and vial, she popped off the stopper and dipped the quill into it. Pulling it out, the golden coloration of the feather was now dripping with crimson, yet heating up. Without a moment to spare, the young woman threw off Mirai’s blankets and laid the feather on his chest.
“Bathed in the blood of a grandmaster, allow the mighty phoenix to rejoice in your rebirth.”
In the blink of an eye, the feather was gone. All that was left was the crimson stain on Mirai’s shirt.
Smiling at the disappearance, Astral brought up the blade to her cousin’s wrist and swiped. With a wave of her hand and a pink glow, she whispered, “Somnus.”
There was a slight pause in the snores, but then it continued, all while blood ebbed from Mirai’s wrist. Once a wave of relief washed over her, the short-haired woman continued.
Lifting her cousin’s wrist, she turned the inside downward and held her vial under it. After ten drops had traveled down to the glass, she turned his wrist back and laid his arm down on his bed. Using all the speed awarded to her, Astral let the vial’s contents crawl into Mirai’s mouth. Forcing out the last few drops, she shut his mouth and gripped the handle of her blade.
“I think I’m in the clear,” she whispered, turning toward the door.
“Young lady.” Standing in the doorway to Mirai’s room, Nikki crossed her arms under her bosom and glared at her niece with a wrinkled nose. “Explain yourself.”