Karaoke booth. In a place that was meant for singing loudly, regardless of actually good or not, for once the room was in total silence.
Jun and a blue haired girl sat on the left-hand side of the U-shaped sofa, while Asa and Saki occupied the right-hand side. Takumi was positioned at the bottom of the U, essentially the deepest part of the room.
Sitting across from him was the one person Takumi didn’t want to meet. There was no seat there, however, as normally that would be where the monitor for the karaoke machine was. Instead, what she used as a chair was a human being who was on all four.
♤♠♤♠♤
Turning back time for a bit, it was a few days after the Tanabata incident.
When looking at Takumi and Jun, Saki felt like there was a rift between them. They weren’t openly ignoring each other or something like that, but oftentimes, Jun would steer away from Takumi, and Takumi would just stay silent without saying anything.
Unable to watch this further, Saki stood up from her desk and approached the two of them.
“Let’s go karaoke!”
Perhaps not expecting that Saki would invite them out of nowhere, Takumi and Jun looked surprised for a bit. The first to open his mouth was Jun.
“What is it, Saki-chan? Are we having another Buddy-Buddy plan?”
“Yes!”
“O-oh.”
Jun seemed shocked when Saki answered him with such a gusto. Saki then turned to Asa, who was reading a novel on his phone.
“Let’s go, Asa-chan!”
“…I guess I’m part of the package now, huh.”
Asa sighed.
And with that, the four of them went to karaoke afterschool on an abrupt decision. It was the same karaoke place as the one they went to before.
The moment everyone sat down, Jun picked up the phone and started ordering food and drinks.
“Wait, Jun, why did you order gyudon? Actually, you can order gyudon here?”
“Yeah. I told you, I want to eat meat!”
Jun answered Asa’s question. Right after that, there was a knock on the door.
“Oh, is that our order? That’s quite fast.”
Being the nearest to the door, Jun stood up to open the door. However, the people beyond the door weren't who Jun had expected.
“Would you let me pass through, Mister Tada?”
It was a woman wearing a sharp, black suit and oversized sunglasses despite it being inside a karaoke building. Her hair was long and straight, and it was lustrous black with few strands of gray. She spoke with a smile, and yet Jun couldn’t feel warmth from her.
Behind her were three men in uniform black suits, and a girl with blue hair and white dress who seemed to be a bit nervous to be there.
“It’s Omega business,” added the woman with black hair.
“O-oh, okay.”
Intimidated, Jun followed what she said and opened the door wide, revealing her figure. Upon seeing her, Takumi stood up in shock.
“Hello, Mister Kurogane. Long time no see.”
“…Isabella-san.”
Isabella. Isabella H. Grey, the woman who recruited Takumi into joining Omega Battle.
“You seem surprised I know your location, Mister Kurogane. However, we can’t have a conversation when I’m standing around like this. Would you mind giving me permission to enter this room?”
“…yeah, please enter.”
“Thank you.”
Isabella had been weirdly standing outside the room, and only stepped inside after Takumi gave her the permission.
Once she was inside, she scanned the room then opened her mouth again.
“Hm, given that I am the most important character, it’s only natural that I sit at the head of the table. You, become my chair.”
When she said so, one of her men walked over and got down on all four for her to sit on without saying anything, while the other two silently guarded the door. Naturally, that sight drew a bewildered look from everyone in the room, including Takumi.
Once she was seated unreservedly, Isabelle crossed her leg then turned her gaze to the blue haired girl.
“What’s wrong, Miss Aoisaka? Come sit down. I won’t bite.”
For a moment, long canines were exposed in Isabella’s mouth when she said that.
Being called out, the blue haired girl — Manami meekly took a seat next to Jun.
“You too, Mister Kurogane.”
Being told to, Takumi plopped his waist back down. And now, the story returned to the beginning.
In the midst of the silence, Isabella opened his mouth.
“Mister Kurogane and Miss Aoisaka already know who I am, but for the rest of you, let me introduce myself. My name is Isabella H. Grey. I am a considerably high ranking person within Omega Corporation.”
Isabella introduced herself. Before anyone could say anything, she spoke up again.
“And then, this airheaded girl is Miss Aoisaka Manami. She is an up-and-rising Omega Fighter. Mister Kurogane, you fought her in a mock battle, and Miss Saki, you recognize her as Momo’s debut partner.”
“Eh, is that so after all?!”
Saki let out a shocked but excited voice.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Aoisaka Manami, 19 years old! I heard you guys are Momocchi’s juniors. Momocchi and I are childhood friends, but I got hospitalized right after our debut. Right now my dream is to chase after Momocchi!”
“‘Nice to meet you?’ Even though this isn’t the first time you meet any of them?”
“U-ugh…”
Manami spiritedly introduced herself, even raising her hand in the air, but when pointed out by Isabella, she shrunk down.
“Now, let’s get to the topic. Mister Kurogane, I believe congratulations are in order. In just two months and five battles, you’ve reached the Third Step. This rate of growth is unheard of in this World Line. You may feel proud of yourself.”
“Haa…”
“You’ve also defeated Daniel Mitchell. In terms of video games, I suppose it would be like defeating the boss monster of the first chapter. From now on, you will fight against Fighters as strong, if not stronger than Daniel Mitchell. This is far from the conclusion of this story, in fact, this is just the beginning.”
Isabella let those words hang in the air for a while. Seeing that she didn’t say anything further, Jun opened his mouth.
If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
“By Third Step—”
“Can you not speak in the middle of my speech, Mister Tada? I am letting the words I said sink in, it is an important part of the conversation.”
“O-okay…”
Jun clammed up and shrunk down.
“Now, as any good video games do, you will meet a character who gives you exposition as to what to expect for the next chapters in the story. That character is me. You may ask me anything.”
Isabella let her words hang in the air again. After she shot Jun down, everyone was reluctant to say anything. However, Isabella stayed silent no matter how long they waited.
As the silence was getting unbearable, Saki raised her hand.
“Wh-what awaits Takumi-kun in the future?”
“A tournament. In Summer, Omega will be holding a tournament amongst Fighters. And not just any tournament, a Global Tournament, where the best Fighters from every country duke it out with everything they’ve got. Mister Kurogane, you and your team will be participating in it as my personal dark horse in the race.”
“B-but, I’m—”
Jun was about to say something, but when Isabella turned her gaze to him, he clammed up.
“It will be a massive event, being streamed live across every platform on the internet, with expected viewership in the tens of millions. It will surely become a global phenomenon. —You may ask me a question now.”
Saying so, Isabella waited for someone to speak up again. This time, it was Asa.
“Why…a tournament?”
“In light of recent events, there will be heavier regulations surrounding EXP zones and psychic powers, and eventually, EXP zones might be completely closed off and Omega Battles as a whole might cease to exist. In that case, we decided to go out with a bang, and there’s nothing flashier than a world-spanning tournament between the strongest people in the world.”
“Next question,” added Isabella. Manami raised her hand.
“Is it going to be a team battle?”
“Not in the preliminaries, but it is a team battle in the main competition. It will be a three Fighters team. Miss Aoisaka, you and Mister Kurogane will be put in the same team once you pass the preliminaries.”
“Who’s the third Fighter?”
Asked Saki impatiently with her hands raised, before she realized Isabella didn’t say it was okay to ask questions. Isabella silently turned her gaze towards Saki. Her silence only made cold sweat run down Saki’s back.
And when Isabella opened her mouth—
“That will be you, Miss Kobayashi.”
The words were far from what was expected.
“Eh, me?! B-but I’m not a Fighter, you know! Besides, my eidetic isn’t suited for Battle and—”
“You seem to have a question, Mister Kurogane.”
Saki was shocked and started to talk on and on, but Isabella didn’t mind her and continued. Being pointed out by Isabella from across the table, Takumi opened his mouth.
“…why me?”
“It’s a personal grudge, Mister Kurogane. Not towards you, but towards your father, Mister Kurogane Isamu. Back when Omega Corporation was an organization simply known as The Foundation, Mister Isamu stole something of ours, and to this day, we still cannot find it. I believe you are the key to finding that stolen Artifact.”
At that answer, everyone’s eyes turned to Takumi. Takumi, however, seemed like he had no idea what Isabella was talking about.
“My dad is not a thief.”
“You know your father less than you think you do.”
Takumi stood up from his seat, but before he could do anything, Isabella’ next words completely killed the anger in him.
“It wasn’t a suicide.”
“—what?”
“Your father. Mister Isamu didn’t take the coward’s way out, but that’s all I can say for now. If you wish to know more, participate in the tournament. You can start digging Omega’s dirty secrets from the inside.”
As she said that, there was, for a moment, a remorseful look on Isabella’s face.
That was when a knock was heard on the door. When one of the men in black opened the door, it was the server who brought them the food and drink that Jun had ordered earlier.
When the server looked at the situation inside, he looked understandably shocked. As if making that her cue, Isabella stood up from her human seat.
“That is everything I will say for now. I’m quite a busy woman, I can’t be here for too long. Miss Manami, feel free to stay and mingle with your new teammates.”
Spoke Isabella as she walked to the door, but her steps stopped when Saki called out.
“Wait, what about Jun-kun? He’s part of our team too.”
“Mister Tada will answer that question himself, isn’t that right?”
Jun stayed silent when Isabella called him. He was looking down at his hands on his knees, his expression looked a bit bitter.
“This is your one and only youth. Knowing when to give up and where to focus your life on is also important. Live a life without regret, youngsters.”
Saying that as her parting words, Isabella and her three men in black left the room.
As if to replace them, the server entered with a tray of drinks, a serving of french fries, and a big bowl of gyudon. After laying these items on the table, he said “please enjoy them,” then made a hasty exit.
The atmosphere in the karaoke room after that was of dead silence.
After a while, Manami opened her mouth, “That was a lot to take in, huh.”
“It is,” Saki responded neutrally.
And then, the conversation died again.
“Before we start packing it out,” Jun spoke up, drawing the attention of the other four. “I guess it’s only natural to start with me.”
After taking a sharp inhale, Jun began his story.
“I already talked about this with Takumi before, but the truth is, I’ve found what I want to do. Both when seeing the filming of Eagle Reader and seeing the back stage of the Stage Play, I realized I want to be part of that world. That is why…once the Inter-High is over, I’m thinking of quitting the soccer club and joining the theater club.”
“I think that’s great. You have my support.”
“Yeah. It fits you, Jun.”
“Thanks, Saki-chan, Asa-chan.”
Jun smiled at Saki’s and Asa’s supportive words, but his smile soon faded.
“But lately, I’ve been waking up in the middle of the night drenched in cold sweat. I can’t remember what dream I had, but I felt like my hands were…”
Jun looked at both of his hands. Everyone here was there on the scene, so they knew that Jun had his hands severed by Daniel that night, perhaps that event had become a bit of a trauma.
Saki then recalled Momo’s words, of how scary experiences were poison for the mind.
“Takumi, Saki-chan, I’m sorry. I know, I’ve said all those big words before but, I think I…I don’t want to be involved with psychic powers anymore. —I’m stepping away from the team.”
“Jun…”
“Jun-kun…”
Takumi and Saki looked at Jun. It was a painful sight to see the guy who always fooled around looked so hurt. Saki opened her mouth, but closed it again, not knowing what to say. Instead, the one who spoke up was Takumi.
“I thought you already stepped away? You told me about this before.”
“…ueh?”
Jun let out a stupid sound, not expecting those words from Takumi after he expressed his desire to quit the team. Saki also looked confused. Asa, however, let out a sigh as if she knew this would happen.
“Wh-when did I tell you I was going to quit?”
“Before the midterm exams, you told me you were torn between Inter-High with Nowara-senpai and Omega with me.”
“Y-yeah, but that was Inter-High…”
“And I told you to do what you want, and I don’t mind if you don’t choose me.”
“…What’s with that sentence that sounds like a resentful girlfriend who found out her lover is two-timing her”
“Right?! I said that too!”
Asa couldn’t help but insert a retort, and Jun backed her up. All at once, the atmosphere in the karaoke room turned from gloomy to cheerful.
As they were chatting about some television drama, Takumi called out to Jun.
“Jun.”
“Hm?”
“Thanks, for everything. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have come this far.”
“Don’t mention it. We’re pals, aren’t we?”
Jun made a toothy grin, and Takumi responded with a smile as well.
“Geez, they didn’t even ask Saki’s opinion. …wait, why are you crying?!”
Asa commented, but she was shocked when Manami, who sat across the table from her, was crying rivers and even biting on a handkerchief.
“sob…sob…I mhean…id’s such a wondahful fwendship…! I kan’t help budh cry…!”
Spoke Manami between her sobs, her words were barely audible.
“Cry or speak, please pick just one!”
“Huaaah…!”
“Please don’t answer with your crying!”
Retorted Asa. Looking at that, Saki could only let out a bitter laugh.
While Asa was giving Manami the console of the karaoke machine for her to pick a song, Saki turned to Takumi.
“Takumi-kun, are you going to participate in the tournament?”
“…I don’t know. But if what Isabella-san said about my father is true, then I must know the truth. What about you, Saki?”
“I also don’t know. Isabella…san? Said I’m the team’s third Fighter, but my eidetic is a memory based power. I don’t know how I can stand against other Fighters.”
“I see.”
As she saw Manami stand up with the mic, Saki opened her mouth again.
“…but, I’d be lying if I said I’m not excited. I’ve also fantasized about becoming an Omega Fighter a lot, after all. That is why, I think I’m going to give it a try and see how far I can go.”
Saki balled her fist, eyes fiery.
With that, Takumi, Saki, and Jun had decided their future path. The end of the chapter came with the promise for the next one.
“Momocchi and I used to be so chummy too, you know! But then she suddenly grew cold on me! This song is a representation of our friendship! Please listen to this!”
Manami spoke to the mic. When the first few beats entered their ears, the faces of Saki, Jun, and Asa turned sour.
“I have a Pen! I have an Apple!”
And so, Manami sang away.
♤♠♤♠♤
The sky blackened and the ocean raged. In the middle of the extreme sea storm, there was one building that stood tall on a tiny island. The island had no beach, only cliffsides surrounding it.
Deep, deep under the island, battle hardened men and women carrying rifles were guarding the transportation process of one particular prisoner. His body was large, thus there was no straight jacket that could properly fit him, resulting in him being restrained with chains instead.
The man was shoved into a room, and the metal door was promptly closed behind him. And yet, there was a smile on his lips.
“These chains can’t keep me forever.”
Daniel laughed in his cells.