At school, Akio stood under a tree near the entrance of the school, checking his phone and looking around. "She said she was going to be here..." Akio thought to himself and looked up to see her running. Nishiyama came running around the corner saying "Sorry i'm late!!" as she stopped to catch her breath. Nishiyama is a girl the same height as Akio, with a slim fit build, having snow white hair and blue eyes.
"Well hurry up, I'm not going to stand around forever Nishiyama." Akio said as he began to walk towards the school building. She then looked and said "Wait for me!" as she began to run but slipped and fell down, hitting her knee onto the concrete floor.
"Ow!" Nishiyama shouted at people and Akio looked back, to see her sitting up holding her knee. Akio looked around to see if people were going to do anything about it as he saw no one doing anything about it. Nishiyama looked at Akio as he walked over and kneeled down, showing his back at her saying "get on". Nishiyama looked surprised as she laid onto his back, with her chest squeezed up onto his back.
Akio was a little flustered but got past the flusteredness and helped her up with a piggy back ride. "Ow ow ow.." Nishiyama said repeatedly, as her knee was bleeding, "You're going to be okay Nishiyama." Akio said front up as she looked at him and said "You're... more humble today Hayashi" as Akio turned his head to look at her confused.
"I'm always humble, it's just..." as Nishiyama looked at him confused, asking "Just what?". He stayed silent for a bit and replied "We're almost there", dropping that conversation entirely and arriving at the nurses office.
Akio sets Nishiyama down onto her feet as her bleeding knee gave out for a second, Akio caught her and said "maybe it's best if I carry you in there" with Nishiyama shaking her head saying "I'm strong, you don't have to worry" as she took her bag from him and limped into the nurses office.
"Sheesh, she's more confident than usual" Akio thought to himself and smiled a little, before feeling a tense pain on his forearm. "What was that!" Akio thought to himself, holding his forearm before moving up his sleeve, seeing the kanji move begin to move up to his hand.
Akio moved his sleeve back down and saw that the Kanji began to glow, shining a white light and setting up a barrier. "Man, you're unprepared" A voice said from behind as Akio turned around, seeing the same person that saved him. "You're the same person from the alleyway." Akio said to the Dragon masked person, as they said "here, you'll need a mask" as they handed a mask to him.
Akio grabbed the mask as he said "Wait, can I at least get a name?" as the Masked person said "It's Tani" as they explained to Akio "There's a Tier 3 around this area, get your mask on and come outside with your Shinwateki" as Tani rushed outside.
"My what?" Akio said as Tani was long gone, Akio looked down at his mask as his mask was a half broken oni mask. Akio puts on the one strap it has as Akio ran outside and looked for Tani.
"Tani!" Akio shouted out as Tani smacked his head from behind saying "Don't shout our names out-loud!" as Tani suggested to him "Just call us by our Kanji, Mine is Ryujin" as she showed her kanji on her hand saying Ryujin
"Tani!" Akio shouted out as Tani smacked his head from behind saying "Don't shout our names out-loud!" as Tani suggested to him "Just call us by our Kanji, Mine is Ryujin" as she showed her kanji on her hand saying Ryujin.
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Tani then opened her hand with her kanji on it, seeing a Shinogi Zukuri Katana materialize as they grip the katana. Tani asked Akio "Have you seen the demon?" Akio then replied, "What Demon?!?!" as the Demon made itself known by walking out from behind a tree.
"A Shinigami... I guess those damn spirits are getting desperate..." as Akio shouted "What are you talking about!" As Akio then noticed, the kanji on his hand changed to Shinigami. "Is this person really a shinigami... he doesn't seem like one... unlike the dragon over here.." the Demon said as the demon can feel Ryujin's tense presence.
The demon then added on "I don't want to have my fun ruined either way..." as the Demon bolted towards Akio, Akio's fear gets the better of him of what happened last time, making him tense up and freeze in place. "Shinigami!" Tani shouted out, knocking them both out of the way as the demon crashed into the school building.
Akio begins to hyperventilate a bit as Tani smacks him, saying "Snap out of it!" as they look up and drop Akio, rushing towards the demon and swinging their sword. Tani began swinging as the Demon dodged the swings commenting "All bark, no bite.. dragon" as the Demon swung a punch, hitting Tani on the face and sending them flying into a wall. Akio got up just in time to see the demon suck the soul out of the nurse, Akio realized the part of the building they were at as Akio shouted "Nishiyama!" as he rushed towards the building.
"Ah ah ah.., I wouldn't do that if I were you, Shinigami.." the demon said, getting out of the destroyed part of the building and holding Nishiyama by the neck. Akio was forced to stay where he was as the demon threw out Tani, bruised and beaten with her weapon shattered in half.
"I want you to know this shinigami..." The demon said harshly, dropping Nishiyama down but dragging her by the collar, walking towards Akio and towering over him. "Everyone you love and respect will die before you can even call yourself a man.." the demon said mockingly, the demon then added on "How about this, give me your best shot before you die by my hands.." dropping Nishiyama to the ground and opening his arms.
Akio stood there shivering in fear thinking to himself "Everyone....?" as the Demon begins to smile. "It's getting to the shinigami, once his guard is down i can eat and gain the soul of a shinigami" Akio begins to enter a mental crisis as Akio thinks to himself "Everyone...I love and Respect..." gripping his hand into a fist.
Akio thinks to himself "If that's true... Then I might as well go out in a bang.." as Akio clenches his fist hard, twisting his body and releasing that tension onto his fist, throwing a straight punch onto the demon's face.
The Demon began to chuckle and then laugh, Akio was speechless, as the Demon turned to him, saying "Is that all you got..?". Akio's face was in terror, as Akio felt a cut onto his body, coughing out blood.
The demon had used the sharp end of Tani's sword to slash at Akio's chest at a close range. An arrow then strikes into the demon's shoulder, making the demon stumble back before a needle pierces through an acupuncture spot. "Shinigami snap out of it" a voice said as two other masked personnels make themselves known as they placed a piece of paper onto the vessel's face and the demon comes back out.
One of them pulls out a dagger and cuts the released demon in half, sending it back to hell. Akio looks at them as he falls onto his knees, both of the masked people looked at him, as Akio said "Thank you..." crying beneath his mask. "What a waste for a shinigami.." One of them said as the other scolded them saying "He's still new, you shouldn't be talking like that.." as the one making the harsh statement carried Tani away.
The other one, wearing a Smiley face with the bottom part being broken off says to Akio "When you're Physically, Mentally and Spiritually stable, come to the udon shop downtown and near 42nd Kobayashi Street" as they stood up and left. Akio's mask then vanished as Akio forced himself to get up and walk to Nishiyamas unconscious body. Akio's tears ran down his face as he carried her on his back, Akio's body began moving on its own as Akio was carrying Nishiyama to his apartment.
Akio and Nishiyama reached Akio's apartment, where Kazuki would hear a doorbell ring then a drop onto the floor. Akio remained conscious slightly as he heard his brother shouting his name, ringing in his ear before blacking out.