There was a knock on his door, and Ariyama sat up from his table. He had just finished eating breakfast, and had done nearly two hours of sword training and mana detection training before that. At first, he'd worried about involving himself with the secret world, but he was finding that doing so had made him feel more motivated to training, harder and harder each day.
By this point, he was getting more proficient with handling the rusted mess that was his Enchanted Tool, as well as his mana detection skills. Though, it wasn't like mana detection could help him in a fight, like the one he and Matsune had with the mysterious hooded man the week before.
But all things considered, he didn't think he performed too badly. Going hit for hit with Matsune against that hooded jerk felt good, for sure.
Ariyama was never really violent, but after that night…
Be it attacking Kajima and his gang for talking about his family's wealth – which was the last thing he wanted to think about right now– or even back when he'd beaten up Jack after saving Kazura from that arrow trap in the Shrine. Thinking back, Ariyama did feel bad. He didn't like Jack one bit – hated him, even – but he never wanted him to die, especially in such a gruesome way that he did. thr same with Yasami.
Ariyama knew they were assholes, but they were all young, after all, and had so much time to change. Takemichi and Yaranagi, on the other hand? Ariyama still wasn't sure why he'd survived and they hadn't. It haunted him, made him feel sick, made him feel like heading into another Shrine and never coming back out.
Another knock at his door broke Ariyama from his reverie, and he straightened up before heading to the door down the hallway. Twisting the handle, he opened the door as Matsune stood outside.
The cold winter air blew into the hallway, goosebumps shooting up Ariyama's arms and back of his neck.
He hadn't seen Matsune since that night. She had said that she needed to report their significant progress in the mission directly to the Pilgrims’ Society, to some guy she called Mr Clarke. Since then, Ariyama hadn't gone to school. He didn't feel the need to, since he wasn't going to get anywhere without Matsune by his side. Although, it did make him feel for Odomura. After all, she was delighted that he'd come back after the incident, but now it had been eight days since he'd seen her.
It felt as if he was leading her on, getting her hopes up by appearing out of nowhere, then disappearing again for ages.
But no, he hadn't intended on her even seeing him in the first place. It was his carelessness that had exposed him to her. But now that Matsune was finally back, all her injuries healed fully, perhaps it was time to restart their efforts.
But Matsune's face told another story.
With a red scarf wrapped tightly around her neck and covering the lower half of her face against the cold gale, Matsune's eyes were dark with anxiousness.
“Matsune? Is everything… OK?”
Matsune gestured, and Ariyama took a step to the side to let her dart into the warm interior of his house. Shutting the door behind him, Ariyama looked over at Matsune as she turned to face him and took a seat at the table.
“Ariyama-kun… I'm afraid there's been a problem.”
Concern building in his chest, Ariyama cautiously approached the table, sitting down opposite Matsune.
“What kind of problem? It's not going to affect the mission, right?”
“I'm afraid that's exactly that it's going to do.”
Ariyama raised an eyebrow. If that was the case, this ‘problem’ must've been something seriously important.
“Well, what is it?”
Matsune pinched the bridge of her nose, sighing with exasperation. After a moment, she locked eyes with Ariyama.
“Listen, Ariyama-kun. When I went to the Society's headquarters to brief them on our progress, as well as getting healed of my wounds, the higher-ups told me something very important. They assigned me to a separate case, joined with the rest of the people in my division.”
“And what's this case on?”
“I'm going to get you to join the Society, no matter what. But while you're basically a regular person, details like that are confidential.”
“Ah, I see. Well, can I ask how long it'll take you?”
Matsune shifted in her seat.
“From what I can surmise, at least two weeks.”
Ariyama nearly knocked his chair over and got to his feet. His face hung slack with disbelief.
“Two… Two weeks? But if we wait that long, chances are…”
“...that hooded man will finish whatever he's doing and move on. Yes, I'm aware.”
Ariyama tried to calm the nerves that shook his body.
“So, what's the plan, then? Do you have to go on this mission?”
“The one you and I are on currently is essentially a solo mission, one low-profile enough to be handled by one person. If my new mission requires my entire division, I'm afraid that takes precedence.”
The pounding in Ariyama’s heart didn't cease, even as he tried to find a more comfortable position on his seat.
“OK then. So, while you're gone, what am I gonna do?”
At his query, Matsune didn't mask her sigh, cupping her chin in her palm, looking at him with a mix of apprehension and worry.
“I've given this a lot of thought, and I've finally come to a decision. Ariyama-kun, in only two weeks, I think you've proven yourself to be an excellent learner and great at adapting to new things.”
She was right, in a way. It had only been about a month and a half since the Shrine incident, but Ariyama often wasn't even thinking about what'd happened. At least, not as frequently as most people probably would. Did that mean there was something wrong with him, then?
“I… appreciate that, Matsune.”
“You're welcome. So, because of that, I've decided to leave this case – for the time-being, at least – in your hands.”
The revelation shocked Ariyama, and he fumbled with his words for a good few seconds before finally forming a coherent sentence.
“Are you serious? But with you gone, how am I supposed to go on? You're the one who came up with all the plans so far, anyway. Need I remind you that I may be a fast learner, but still a newbie at all this. Plus, that hooded man? I'll probably have to fight him again, right? Sure, my sword skills are probably better than most, but I haven't got a chance in hell at capturing that guy. After all, both you and I working in tandem couldn't stop him.”
His little tirade over, Ariyama got his breath back as he watched Matsune smile softly at him, like she always did whole comforting him.
“I have faith, Ariyama-kun.”
“Wuh? What do you mean by ‘faith’?”
Matsune's smile only grew, as she got to her feet.
“I'm saying I have faith that you'll persevere.”
“I… Thank you, I guess. But no offense, but I don't think wishful thinking will help me in doing this solo.”
“Oh, you misunderstand, Ariyama-kun. I don't mean that I'm hoping you'll succeed. I know you will. I just know.”
As she walked past him, she patted him encouragingly on the shoulder.
“I have your number, so I'll send you all the data I've collected. I know it'll be overwhelming at first, having to pick up where I left off, but because of everything you've seen and survived through, I'm sure you'll be just fine. Good luck.”
And with that, without even a proper goodbye, Matsune left through the front door.
Ariyama couldn't believe he was thinking this, but Matsune Sasya could turn out to be one odd girl when she wanted.
Ariyama decided to spend the rest of the day sorting through all the info Matsune had received. It was a lot, as she had warned, but he came up with a relatively decent plan by the same evening.
The following morning, Ariyama stood outside the gates to his school, letting himself be swarmed by the crowds of students. As he and Matsune had done, he made his way swiftly towards the backroom, shutting the door behind him.
There, he replayed his plan in his head as he shifted through all the notes he'd collected. He had a plan, a full and proper plan.
First things first, he needed a clear head. And the one way to do that was to finally confront those two.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Matsuragi Kento and Kazura Machi.
He just needed them to know he was there, to know he was OK, before he could lock in to completing the mission left for him to bear the weight of.
It was unfair to them, as well, to not let them know he was safe. So Ariyama would fix all that and talk to them once again, for the first time in over a month.
As he blended in with the crowd, Ariyama weaved his way through corridor after corridor, surprised at how easy it was to be lost in a sea of people wearing the exact same blue-white-and-black uniforms.
He was practically invisible.
Or so he thought.
He felt a bump on his shoulder, and turned around, only to come face to face with Matsuragi.
Not Matsuragi Kento, he realized, but his older brother, Jouji. Up close, he really did look like his younger sibling, with a few major differences.
For one, this Matsuragi didn't wear glasses, and his teal hair was longer and tied back in a high man bun. Light stubble also coated his jaw, while Matsuragi Kento always remained clean shaven.
“Oh, yo, you're Kento's friend, yeah?”
Even the way he talked was like an opposite to his brother.
“Uh, yeah, that's me. Ariyama Saato.”
“You kidding? I've heard of you. Everyone has, son of Ariyama Gotou.”
Dammit. That bastard's name was literally the last thing Ariyama needed to hear right now.
“Uh huh, you're right. I suppose everyone does know me. Hey, I was also in on Matsune Sasya's plan when you gave her that info on that hooded guy.”
At that, Matsuragi-senpai's eyes widened.
“Seriously? I see you've involved yourself in some strange things, kid. But hey, as long as Kento isn't dragged into it, I'm chill.”
“Uh, yeah, about your brother, actually. I haven't talked to him in nearly two months, so I was wondering where he was so I could reconnect with him again finally.”
“Hm, that sounds harmless. Sure, I can tell you where Kento's ran off to. Last time I checked, he was heading to attend some cybercrime presentation at the hall with the stage. So go on now, go check up on him. The presentation should be over around now, actually.
Ariyama nodded as he walked into the torrent of students around him.
“Thanks for the help, dude.”
Sure enough, Jouji wasn't lying as Ariyama saw Matsuragi Kento exiting the hall alone, face stuck in some small book with a boring cover.
Just as Ariyama took a step forward to meet up with Matsuragi, he caught a glimpse of dark skin and blonde hair, as he turned back.
Wait, was that.. .
No way that was Kazura Machi.
Panic scratched at his throat, forming a huge lump. No, this wasn't what was supposed to happen. If Kazura saw him, then his plan would be thrown off–
“Ariyama?”
The voice from Ariyama's right made him jump a little. He looked back and saw Matsuragi Kento gazing at him, just an arm's breadth away.
God, what was going on? One moment, Ariyama was swearing he saw Kazura in the crowd of students, and now the moment he took his eyes off Matsuragi, the guy ended up right next to him.
What really surprised Ariyama, however, was what Matsuragi said to him. He knew he wasn't exactly one to throw his arms around someone and bawl his eyes out in happiness, but Ariyama expected him to at least show that he was worried.
Instead, Matsuragi just nodded at him, and spoke with a small smile, which was almost inconceivable.
“Good to see you're OK, Ariyama.”
And after that, Matsuragi Kento turned his back and was enveloped in the crowd of students.
Huh?
Wait, was that really it? Not even a pat on the back or a kiss on the cheek–
OK, wait, no, that last one wouldn't happen even if Hell froze over. The idea of Matsuragi showing that kind of affection to anyone seemed so foreign it was scary.
Everything that had just happened was really weird, but at least it made plenty of time for Ariyama to focus on the primary objective for the day: Confronting Kazura Machi.
As he looked back down the hallway, he squared his shoulders. He was sure. He was sure it was Kazura that he'd seen amongst the crowd. She did always stand out like that.
The problem was, Kazura didn't have any siblings Ariyama could rely on to tell him her location. It was only pure chance he had run into Masturagi Jouji, after all.
So, now it was up to solely him to finish this. He was worried about what Kazura would say, but no matter what happened, having that sorted out would allow him to focus on the plot with the hooded man. Hell, he'd probably be able to go on another search around the school grounds later the same day.
With that, he headed to find Kazura.
The journey took him nearly a whole hour. He was cursing under his breath at how big he was realizing the school truly was, when he suddenly saw her again.
Dark skin, blonde hair in a bob cut with one side pulled back with a pink hair clip. She was talking with some girls Ariyama didn't recognise. Then, as she looked to her side, her blue eyes met his ebony ones.
Ariyama's throat closed and he felt dread weight down on his chest.
As Kazura caught his gaze, her face shifted continuously. She went from confused, then disbelieved, then aghast, then a hint of relief, before the anger set in.
Ariyama could almost feel the aura of fury wafting over to him with Kazura as the source. She spoke a few quick words to the other girls, then came trudging over to Ariyama, shoulders shaking and teeth gritted. She was pretty small, even for a girl her age, so she was only eye-level with Ariyama's chest. Still, she was intimidating beyond belief when she wanted to be. Ariyama's face burned with embarrassment as Kazura stopped in front of him and glared up at him. Before he knew what was happening, she sent a slap flying for his cheek. Flinching as the memories of that fight against the hooded man came flooding back, Ariyama reached out reflexively and caught Kazura's wrist just before her palm hit him.
This one made her angrier and she struggled to remove her hand from his grip. Clearly, his training was making him stronger.
“Hey, listen, Machi. If you wanna slap me, at least do it over there.”
He nodded to an empty space behind a row of lockers, and begrudgingly, Kazura brought her hand to her side and stomped over to the clear space.
The moment Ariyama caught up with her, Kazura turned back to him and slapped him sharply. Ariyama winced with the pain flaring in his cheek and took a defensive step back.
“Ow.”
“That's only half of what I wanna do to you, jerk!.”
Ariyama looked down with worry twisting in his gut. He blinked, feeling hurt wash through him as he scanned Kazura's red face.
“Listen, Machi, I'm sorry I didn't talk to you in so long–”
Machi held up her hand, shaking her head angrily.
“No, I don't wanna hear it, Saato. Ever since… Ever since I heard about what happened to everyone… What happened to Yasuke-kun…”
Her voice broke and she clasped her hand over mouth, fighting back angry tears.
“You jerk. You JERK! I know you were suffering, but I was so… Dammit, I was so damn worried about you. Hell, I was even worried about Matsune, and I usually hate that popular bitch. But… why didn't you talk to me?”
Ariyama's heart cracked as he watched Machi shiver with fury and sadness. He'd never seen her be so serious and genuinely sad. Usually, when she was upset, it was played off as a joke.
“Machi, I–”
“Shut up! Just shut up, Saato-kun. I didn't even know if…”
Kazura shifted her weight onto each foot, left and right.
“I didn't even know if you were alive. I tried going to your house every day for the first two weeks – so did Kento-kun and Odomura-chan – but when your mom let us in, you wouldn't even respond to us when we knocked on your door or called your name…”
With shaking hands, Ariyama took hold of Kazura's small shoulders.
“Listen to me, Machi. I'm… so sorry I didn't talk to you sooner. Honestly, I spent almost a whole month just locked in my room doing nothing. I felt so, so guilty. Like, I was thinking, ‘Why did I survive? Why not any of the others? Why only Matsune and I?’ What was the reason that fate decided to take away my best friend from me, but leave me alive to suffer?”
Really, Ariyama only wondered why he alone survived. It was obvious that Matsune survived through her skills with her Enchanted Tool. And while technically, the same applied to him, why was it that he was the one who even reached the sword first?
Ariyama couldn't stop the tears brimming in his eyes and then leak down his cheeks, as he recalled those horrible events. His voice shook even more than his hands.
“I… didn't think I deserved to survive. To be honest, I still don't. If I could, I would swap my life for Yasuke's, or even Takemichi's. The guilt I feel for their deaths makes me feel almost responsible too.”
Once again, another lie. He knew he was responsible, since he was the one who discovered the Shrine Gate, and was the only one who knew what to do to open 8t. If he hadn't done so, the group would've likely headed home and no one would've died.
He did it because he wanted his ‘big moment’, so people would like him for reasons other than his wealth, but ended up getting four people killed.
Kazura looked up at him with tears in her own eyes now. Sniffling, she reached up and held his arms with her hands.
“No… Saato-kun, listen, please. I'm… God, I was so damn worried about you. I knew you'd feel this way, even though I wished you wouldn't. Saato-kun, you can't blame yourself for what happened. I know I probably can't help you, not now, but this is how I feel. And I… even I feel a bit guilty too.”
Ariyama stared down at her with wide eyes.
“What? How could you feel guilty? You weren't even there when it happen–”
“That's just it! I wasn't there! I can't lie and say I'm not grateful I didn't have to witness that horror that you saw, but I wish I had at least been there. Maybe… I could have helped in some way. And if not, at least I could've tried.”
As Kazura began crying again, Ariyama looked at her with pity, a hole swelling in his stomach. She couldn't have done anything, but the fact she had said she would've tried made him a mix of happy and horrified.
He moved into her and pressed her slight body into his chest, wrapping his arms protectively around her shoulders. Shuddering with even more tears, Kazura wrapped her own arms around him, planting her face into his chest. Sobbing, she muttered into the fabric of his school shirt.
“Saato-kun… I was so worried about you. I'm so glad you're OK. Please, don't ever scare me like that again, got it?”
She was still trying to act tough, even with a red face and tears staining her cheeks? Just one of the ways Kazura Machi was so endearing.
Once Kazura had quietened down a bit, Ariyama pulled back just enough to hold her at arm's length and look meaningfully into her pale blue eyes, which were red from her dried tears.
Ariyama managed a small smile, and tapped her cheek playfully with his knuckles.
“Hey, it's OK, alright? Plus, it helps that you look cute when you cry.”
Kazura averted her eyes, the redness of her face from her anger changing to the red of a small blush.
“Quit it with the flattery, dude. Just shut up and let me be happy you're OK.”
That made Ariyama chuckle softly, and he let her go. As she rubbed her eyes again, she looked up at him defiantly.
“Just to let you know, I'm not apologizing for the slap. That felt damn good. In the moment, at least.”
“And what about at this moment?”
Kazura adjusted her untucked shirt, shrugging her shoulders.
“Eh, I dunno. Every guy needs a smack once in a while.”
Ariyama raised a brow at Kazura's cheerful smile.
“Machi, that's kind of a bad mentality to have.”
“Oh well. You're still a jerk, so for today, I'm gonna ignore you outright.”
Ariyama sighed and shook his head good-naturedly.
“OK, sure. Whatever you want, I guess.”
Kazura paused for a moment.
“You know… I did hear some talks that you actually were seen around the school yesterday. What were you doing?”
Ariyama nearly dropped dead right there.
Was she serious? Crap, there probably were others who just happened to notice him while he was surveying Odomura.
“I was… doing a thing.”
“Alrighty. And do you wanna make up to me about the ghosting?”
“Absolutely.”
Kazura's grin was like the shine of the sun.
“Awesome. Then, I'm tagging along with you while you do that ‘thing’.”