The jungles of Yuglaovia weren’t a place for man to be trespassing, but he didn’t know fear. Stories of the man eating plants that grew out of the trees and hung like vines didn’t even make an impression on him. Wild beasts that hadn’t been seen by the eyes of humans for thousands or millions of years were only further enticement for him. As for the ancient ruins where the rumored Yugla people were said to still inhabit due to their god granting them immortality to protect it from anyone that dared to plunder the riches, they were simply an adventure waiting to happen.

However, even all that being said he still had to deal with getting there first. The jungle air and normal plants stood in their way before any of the real dangers would even begin. It was a deep jungle and there was still time before the risks were going to appear. At least that is what everyone thought.

He remained alert, but his companions were too relaxed. They were warned to be ready for anything and never let their guard down, but their confidence was their undoing. The man carrying their supplies disappeared first and no one even knew until the native aiding them called their attention to it. Unfortunately, they were too late and the native was gone to a trap that left him bleeding out from dozens of holes.

He was angry and saddened by the loss of two people already, but there was the hint of excitement tempting him on the edge of his tongue like a sweet perfume. The woman explorer looking for her first adventure and historical find was the next to fall to quicksand. He lunged for her trying to save her before she was completely out of reach of him. The others grabbed onto his legs keeping him from sinking in as well.

She tried to reach for him, but only continued to sink deeper as she struggled more. “Yuki!” she shouted to him as her hands were just out of reach of his.

Chapter 23 – The Watcher

“I’ll save you, Sarah!” Yuki shouted standing up from his chair in his Japanese History class.

Ms. Kuniyoshi broke her chalk on the blackboard as Yuki disrupted her class. She turned around immediately, flinging the jagged end at Yuki like an arrow hitting him square in the forehead stunning him. Staggered by the surprising accuracy, he dropped into his chair, head knocked against the desk behind him. “How many times do I have to tell you to stop sleeping in class, Mr. Hayashi!” The other students in the class continued to laugh at him for his daydreaming.

The unfortunate soul with a dazed Yuki head on their desk was Ayumi. Panicked and muttering soft words to not get in trouble, she flailed around trying to prop him back up. His weight however proved too much for her fumbling hands and kept banging his head against the desk. “I-I-I’m so-sorry, Yuki!”

The entertainment for the morning ended and lunch had come. Yuki rubbed his forehead absentmindedly as he stood up. Everyone started to grab up their lunches before going to the roof again.

Hiroshi grabbed Yuki by the back of the neck with his arm slung over him as they went into the hall. “So who’s Sarah?” A playful grin drew up on his lips.

“What are you talking about?”

“Who were you dreaming about in class? Some beautiful babe, huh?”

“W-What… Wait! Hiroshi, it’s not-“

“Yuki’s not like you.” Saki popped in like a ghost from a horror movie staring at the two. Hiroshi turned a little pale and squeezed on Yuki reflexively as Saki’s presence threatened him.

Across the classroom, Katsumi stared on at the troublemakers clique. “Can you believe him? He acts like a clown in class and looks like nothing happened now.” She stood next to Yumi as they prepared to find a place for lunch.

“Yeah, nothing but trouble since the first day.” Kaede finished getting her boxed lunch so they could walk out. Along with Katsumi, they nudged Yumi outside.

Yumi shyly looked between her two friends trying to think of what she was going to say. A month in the new school still left her anxious and worried about everyone else. The only thing that calmed her nerves was her two friends. “He’s not a bad person…” Repeated words, but she had nothing else.

They made it halfway down the hall to the stairs. Katsumi took the steps down first. “But he’s always causing trouble in class and sleeping.”

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

“And there’s all those guy’s out for revenge. It can’t be for no reason. He might seem nice, but look at those around him. They get caught up in all of the chaos too”

“I guess one good thing is that he’s caused so much attention, no one’s talking about junior high.”

“Y-yeah…” Her mind flashed brief memories of junior high rocketing up her stress. Yumi clenched tightly to her lunch. As she made it down to the second floor, her nerves calmed.

Unfortunately, that didn’t last for long as whispers and chat in the halls reawakened her old memories. A few groups hung around the halls when they became still as a familiar second year boy walked through. The quiet clambering of voices exchanged between the groups was an all too familiar sight for Yumi.

They stopped abruptly at the stairs, alerted to Yumi. He briskly approached her. “...brother…” Her heart raced as her anxiety mounted. She shrank between her friends.

Kaede immediately reached out a free hand to Yumi. She could see Yumi shaking quietly. “President Yori Mizuno! Going to lunch? We can get out of your way.”

He raised his hand, declining her. “No, you’re no trouble. I just wanted to speak to Yumi for a moment.” The moment he spoke several more eyes drew over to him with great interest. Yori, a second year, stood nearly a head taller than his sister, when she wasn’t shrinking away the distance was much less. A dark earthy warm tone filled his hair with a bit of shine matching well with his bright tan color eyes. Fit and handsome, the eyes watched for many reasons.

His sister nodded quietly to him. She glanced up softly. “Y-yes?”

“Were you free today for lunch?”

“Lunch?” His sister darted between her friends. “W-well…I-I…”

Yori then noticed the lunches already in the three girls' hands. “I’m sorry for interrupting you. Go spend time with your friends, Yumi.”

“Yes…brother…”

He smiled politely to the girls and continued on past them. His wake left many staring for a little longer, clear they tried to figure out what the Student Council President was doing. But the interest quickly disappeared, relieving them of the burden.

“Yori…” Yumi stared at the ground confused by her brother’s sudden appearance. ‘He had something he wanted to talk about… But what?’

Katsumi leaned in providing a supportive hand seeing how rattled she became. “How are you feeling, Yumi?” A slow comforting hand gave Yumi reassurance. She nodded back to Katsumi. They hurried off down the stairs.

Lunch for Yuki was never boring when Hiroshi and Saki were around him. He had a pleasant smile painted on his face not looking like he had a care in the world. The truth was he was distracted again with daydreams and slowly eating his food. He stared at the clouds that slowly moved through the sky, picturing what they could be in his mind. They started out simple, animals like a rabbit or a dog or a dragon, but quickly changed into a spaceship and giant robot.

Ayumi watched quietly, maintaining an innocent aloof smile. Underneath the placid expression, her eyes focused tightly on Yuki. After the training and encounter with the recent assassin, risks mounted for her. Her job became different than planned. The mission started to escape her grasps.

She started to become familiar with that wandering gaze of Yuki’s. It immediately put her on the defense. ‘He’s not concentrating… the idiot!’ Ayumi was quick to expand her field out to blend in with the roof and remove it from sight of everyone when it changed into skeleton warrior. The physical image that he summoned changed so fast that she was not able to react to it in time to keep it under control.

“Hey you hear something?” Tatsuya asked, looking over to Hiroshi. He held his food that he was about to eat to look around. However, there was, naturally, nothing for him to find but the normal roof with a fence around the perimeter.

“Huh? What you talking about?”

Ayumi jumped up in surprise, sending her mostly empty container flying through the air landing on Yuki’s face. Yuki fell back stunned. He slammed his head into the ground, roughly dazing him. She immediately jumped up in a panic over the mess. “Y-y-yuki! I’m so-so-so sorry!”

Ayumi dropped over to his side, picking him up and shaking him to hopefully get through to him. She darted her eyes around to his friends that were pulled in by her act. Glancing through them to the background, Yuki’s Illusion Field disappeared. ‘It’s all gone now and they don’t seem to have seen anything.’

While she was getting Yuki back to normal, her eye caught someone in the distance looking at them. ‘Did they see something?’ Carefully watching them, she considered her options. They looked away, returning to their own business. Safe, she hoped.

“Ayumi? What’s going on? Why? Why am I all sticky?” Yuki glanced around at his hands and clothes, seeing bits of food around. He started to piece things together a little. It all happened in a blur.

“I’m so sorry! I-I-I didn’t mean to spill my lunch on you. Are…are you feeling okay?” A bit of a nod from him, she walked back to her spot. Before she sat down, she noticed down by the gate some standing looking around.

“Ayumi?”

“Huh?” She turned away to Hiroshi, but glanced back to see the stranger gone. Her mind immediately started calculating scenarios. ‘Disappeared… Who were they?’ Something for the back of her mind, they wanted her attention. “W-what did you say?”

“Never mind, joke’s already ruined.”

“For the best you didn’t hear it. Don’t need to listen to his crass humor.”

“Just a little teasing between friends, Saki.”

“I didn’t mind it!”

“That’s because you don’t mind anything.”

“That’s a little hyperbolic.” Yuki finished picking the food off of him and returned the ruined lunch box to Ayumi. Sniffing the air, he realized he still had some leftovers on his face. Wiping it down, he recognized it, though it felt a little different. “Oh your soy’s got a funny taste to it!”

Hiroshi grinned to himself hearing the comment, but knew better than to say anything. On the opposite side, Saki shook her head and sighed. It would be a long day for a few of them.

Afternoon drew a cool breeze and soft warmth of sunlight painting with orange highlights. Distant murmurs of students leaving filled around them. It gave all the right energy for him to have a good day. The rare alignment of the stars finally happened.

Momo didn’t have work early and Saki didn’t have practice. His friends were all free. The rare opportunity for him to spend time with everyone together. Saki and Ayumi stuck to his left with Hiroshi, Tatsuya and Kazuhiro opposite. A great walking away from the sun poster art burned into his mind.

No assassin (fingers crossed), not much homework and a couple of hours free to be teenagers, he couldn’t ask for more. So he beamed ear to ear, with not even the stress of superpowers on his mind (not a good thing). A moment to destress, he needed it after the week he had already.

As they walked out of the school gate they were all stopped by a shout towards Yuki. “Yuki, I challenge you!” the voice said, but no one had any time to react as a fist already flew through the air towards Yuki’s face in a flash. Ayumi and Saki caught it a moment before knowing that Yuki was going to be flattened in an instant by the sudden attacker.

“Yuki!” they both shouted.