Unfortunately, like the bankrupt heroes they are, Kurayama and Hinotori had to take public transportation to the mission's location, which was a very snowy Japanese farm right next to a mountain that was far from the city.
After Kurayama and Hinotori reached their destination, they walked on foot through a snowy path towards the farm. The only one there was an old man wearing a snow jacket waiting for the two to arrive.
"Are you the heroes?" The farmer asked in a very irritated tone.
"Yeah." Nonchalantly replied Kurayama.
The farmer clicked his tongue and frowned before he started ranting "The fuck is up with that answer?! And why the hell did you take so long?! And why are there only two of you?! I asked the HGA two weeks ago to send me a group of heroes, but they ended up sending me two fucking rookies after two weeks of waiting! God fucking dammit!" The farmer ended his rant after raising his fists in the air in anger.
This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
'What the fuck?' Kurayama thought to himself. After being greeted like that, Kurayama was ready to either leave the farm and go back to his apartment or kill the farmer. Luckily, he took a deep breath and answered in a calm voice.
"So, how do we help?" Kurayama calmly asked the farmer.
"You already know what to do, just go to that god damn forest and kill them damn foxes. If you do so, bring them to me." The farmer said while pointing at the forest.
"Understood. We will report back when we finish." Replied Kurayama.
"Just get going already," The farmer angrily shouted before turning around and walking towards his house "Fucking rookies." He whispered to himself in a voice loud enough for Kurayama to hear.
'One more time and I'll kill him.' Kurayama thought to himself before he walked towards the forest with Hinotori following him.
Kurayama and Hinotori spent two hours roaming the forest while searching for these "Foxes." They encountered every kind of animal except for these so-called foxes. They even encountered a bear at one point, which they were lucky enough to escape from because he was sleeping.
Three hours went by as Kurayama and Hinotori started searching the forest, still not having a single clue on who stole the farmer's livestock. All kinds of animals were in the woods, even bears, but the man always insisted that a fox was the reason for it. He was thus making the hero duo search the forest for one last time.
"Kurayama?" Hinotori said while shivering from the cold weather and snow.
"What?" Kurayama replied with slight irritation.
"I'm freezing." Hinotori quietly stated.
Kurayama turned around and glared at Hinotori. "What the fuck man?! Didn't you say you were going to be fine without a jacket?!" He asked with a voice filled with anger and irritation.
"Yes, but it's too cold. My flames can't come out." Replied Hinotori.
Kurayama narrowed his eyes and tilted his head "Your weakness is coldness?" He asked in a confused voice.
"I didn't know either, I think it's my lack of experience with it. It's freezing!" Hinotori replied while on the verge of tears from the extreme cold.
"Okay, fine. Hold on a second," Kurayama said as he removed his leather jacket and gave it to Hinotori "Be careful with that, it's costly." He said.
"Thank you, but-...don't you feel cold?" Hinotori asked as he wore Kurayama's leather jacket.
"Snow can't defeat me, it will take much colder weather to even barely affect me." Said Kurayama "Let's get going, we need to finish roaming the forest for one last time and go back to that shitty farmer." He said before gritting his teeth.
"Alright." Said Hinotori as he nodded at Kurayama.
Kurayama and Hinotori kept roaming the forest with absolutely no clues or leads on who's the livestock thief. It was getting dark and the two were ready to give up on the mission and just leave. Suddenly, they stumbled upon a wooden cabin, far away from the farm. It was poorly built and looked like it could cave in at any moment.
"Woah! Look at the-" Hinotori impulsively said before Kurayama silenced him.
"Yeah, I know, I see it too. It looks poorly made and inhabitable." Whispered Kurayama while observing the wooden cabin before he pulled out his phone and gave it to Hinotori "Take this and hide behind this tree. If anything happens, call the HGA and run to safety, immediately." He ordered Hinotori.
"But-" Hinotori objected before he got immediately interrupted.
"Just trust me. If you try to do anything, you'll just make the situation more complicated." Said Kurayama with eyes filled with concern for his friend.
"O-...Okay." Hinotori replied after taking a deep breath.
"Good." Said Kurayama as he crouched down then slowly and silently walked towards the cabin. Upon reaching it, Kurayama walked towards the door and tried to peak through the window. Just to get jumpscared by the face of a black-haired woman wearing all white staring at him from the other side of the window.
Suddenly, a strong gust of wind came from inside of the cabin, destroying the door and sending Kurayama flying towards a tree before crashing on it. He grabbed his chest and started coughing from the sudden attack that knocked the air out of his lungs. A woman with black hair and white nightgown walked out of the cabin extending her arm towards Kurayama as if she was aiming it at him.
"Do you think I'm deaf? I heard your footsteps when you were walking towards my cabin. Who are you? And what are you doing here?" The woman asked in a calm but threatening voice.
Kurayama stood up as he kept coughing while holding his chest. He stared at the woman while observing her facial features. Kurayama was in utter shock.
"Y-...you're-...subject#3?" Kurayama barely finished the sentence before the woman's eyes turned red while a ball of air formed on her palm. The ball of air shot out like an air cannon which caused a gust of wind so powerful to hit Kurayama and smash him on two trees before he hit the third one and fell.
"Who are you and How did you know that? You have 10 seconds to explain before I kill you and your partner who is hiding behind that tree."
"Stop!" Hinotori yelled as he walked out from behind the tree while raising his arms in the air, "I'm subject#2 and he's subject#1. We are both previous subjects of Lab 5. We are not hostile, so please don't do anything." He said after mustering up an enormous amount of courage while his body was still shaking from fear.
"I don't remember any of you. Show me some proof or I will kill you both." The woman replied in a chilling voice after changing her aim from Kurayama towards Hinotori.
"H-h-h-how can we prove it?" Hinotori asked in a panicked voice.
"I don't know. If you don't show me proof in the next 10 seconds, you will die", the woman said as she aimed her arm at Hinotori and started to charge up another ball of air. Hinotori looked stressed and confused.
"10...9...8...7...6...5-" Before the woman could finish counting, Kurayama punched the woman in her stomach and sent her flying towards the cabin while he was covered in a dark mist.
He walked towards her and saw that she was unconscious. Dark mist emerged from him covering only his arms. "Dark energy: Dark Whip." He said as a dark whip came out of his left arm and used it to restrain the woman.
"Hinotori, make a snowball." Said Kurayama as he extended his arm towards Hinotori.
"..."
"Just do it."
Hinotori didn't say anything as he grabbed snow from the ground and started making a snowball. He gave the snowball to Kurayama and took a couple of steps back. Kurayama grabbed the snowball and smacked it the woman with it, making her conscious again.
"Oi, calm down and take a deep breath, we're not here to hurt you." Said Kurayama as he looked at the woman.
The woman glared at the two with a malicious look in her eyes. She took a deep breath then sighed before she talked "Do you seriously think that I'm going to trust you?" She asked as she raised her eyebrow.
"I don't care whether you trust us or not. That's your choice, and you will face its consequences on your own." Kurayama stated.
The woman was silent, analyzing her situation, and thinking of all the possible outcomes. She took another deep breath "I guess I have no choice because I'm in a tough situation. Fine, I will stay calm, but you have to answer some questions." The woman said.
"Alright. What do you want to know?"
"Is it true? What you said about being previous Lab 5 subjects?" She asked.
"I hate to admit it, but yes. I'm subject#1 and he's subject#2." Stated Kurayama as he pointed at himself then at Hinotori.
"What about subject#4 and #5?"
"I don't know and I don't care." Nonchalantly replied Kurayama.
"How can I know that what you're saying is true?"
"Don't you have any memories, at least those of the escape?"
"I don't remember anyone from that hellscape except for the one who saved me. Even so, I only remember him as some kind of shadowy figure."
"Do you still remember how that shadowy figure looked like?"
"Not really, the image is blurry in my mind."
Kurayama retracted his dark whips, took a deep breath, and started concentrating until a dark mist completely enveloped his body.
The woman was utterly shocked as she looked at the familiar dark figure. Her lips trembled as she tried to hold back the waterfall of tears that were about to burst out.
"T-T-That-...that doesn't prove a-a-anything." She said, trying to hold back the ocean of tears.
"Your expression doesn't look the same as before. Are you sure you're not convinced?"
"I don't really know. Can I really trust you?" She said as tears raced down her cheeks while her lips trembled.
"You don't have to worry about anything, wind girl. You are no longer alone or in the lab." Said Kurayama as he placed his hand on her head in a gentle way that can make the wildest of monsters become as wholesome as an angel.
Kurayama mentally improved. His encounter with Hinotori made him mentally stable and a better human being, but his encounter with this woman, unlocked an ancient emotion in him that he didn't know existed anymore. The tears of this woman re-awakened his kindness, something that not even Kurayama knew he had.
The woman went from crying to sobbing. The emotional pain that she endured for the last three months, the pain of knowing that there's no one you can trust, it all disappeared with that gentle touch and those reassuring words.
After a few minutes, the three were sitting down on the floor as an awkward silence filled the wooden cabin, making the situation very uncomfortable.
"I-um-...I am sorry, for what I did." The woman said in a soft and apologetic voice after lowering her head.
"Not gonna lie, what you did was very shitty, but it's somewhat our fault that we just tried to sneak into your cabin like some bunch of kidnappers. Anyways, before our trust issues kick in again, I suppose we should get to know each other better." Kurayama casually said.
"Yes, of course. My name is Hayate Kayano." The woman said as she introduced herself.
"N-Nice to meet you, I am Hinotori Hisaki." Spoke Hinotori.
"Kurayama Ishigami." Replied Kurayama.
"Nice to meet you, you two." Replied Hayate as she nodded.
An awkward silence filled the cabin again.
"B-By the way, how did you live for three months?" Hinototri asked in curiosity.
"Well, I had to steal some chickens and other livestock from nearby farmers, just so I don't starve to death."
Kurayama and Hinotori stared at Hayate and released a deep and annoyed sigh.
"What's going on?" Hayate asked in discomfort.
"Well, we are both heroes who received a job request from a farmer. He said that a bunch of foxes kept eating his livestock, but it turned out that it was you all along." Kurayama shrugged.
"Well, not completely," Hinotori stated, "Because she is a little foxy if you know what I'm saying." He said before a smug formed on his face as he kept poking Kurayama with his elbow.
"One more joke like that, and you're going to get evicted from my apartment." Kurayama coldly stated.
"Am I-...Am I going to be arrested?" Hayate asked the two while fidgeting her fingers.
Kurayama placed his fist under his chin and kept thinking, "Well, completing the job means that I'll get more money. But I rather stick it to that annoying farmer and get some self-satisfaction as I tell him to go fuck himself while insisting that there are no foxes in the forest."
"..." x2
"In short, no. You're not going to get arrested today." Said Kurayama.
"Thank you, thank you very much." Said Hayate after bowing her head.
"S-So-...Hayate. What are you planning to do now?" Hinotori curiously asked.
"I-...I don't know. I have nowhere to go, and I don't have anyone. I have nothing." She said while staring at the ground with a sad look.
An awkward silence filled the cabin again.
"Would you like to become a hero?" Kurayama asked after releasing an annoyed sigh.
"Can I?" She asked as she looked a little excited.
"Depend on you, do you want to take the test?"
"Of course. But-...I don't think they can let someone like me take the test. Someone with no home or even clothes to wear." She said as her excitement vanished.
"You can have all of those," Kurayama said before he smirked and looked at Hayate "But 75% of your monthly income as a hero will be mine. How about that?" He said as he scratched his chin while smirking.
Hayate's eyes widened in shock before she jumped towards Kurayama and hugged him very tightly, almost squeezing him to death. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you." She said on repeat as she hugged Kurayama tighter.
"I'm-...dying." He struggled to say.
"Sorry! I'm so sorry." Hayate said as she released Kurayama from the bear hug before wiping a tear from her eye. "Thank you so much, Kurayama. Please take good care of me." She said as she bowed her head.
Kurayama was a little flustered but gave a quick smile to Hayate before he regained his calmness, "Anyways, let's get going before night falls." He stated before looking at Hinotori, who had a wide smile on his face.
"What's so funny? Kurayama asked.
"That was the first time that I saw you genuinely smile. I hope it's not the last because it really warmed my heart and made me happy." Hinotori said after chuckling.
Kurayama smiled back at the two. "Anyways, we seriously need to get going or we'll have to walk back all the way." Said Kurayama in a serious voice.
Kurayama and Hinotori walked back towards the farm to report to the farmer, while Hyatae took another route out of the forest.
As the two met up with the farmer again, Kurayama started ranting about the farmer's behavior and intensely criticized him. The latter couldn't do anything as he was shocked by this sudden outburst. Kurayama finished talking and went to meet up with Hayate again, he was very satisfied after snapping on that farmer.
The three met up again and took a bus back to the city and continued walking towards the apartment on foot.
"Wow! So, this is our apartment?!" Hayate exclaimed as she entered the apartment.
"No, this is my apartment, you two are just temporary guests until you earn enough money to buy your own." Casually stated Kurayama.
"Alright. Enough with all the boring discussions. It's dinner time!" Said Hinotori as he wore his apron and started cooking.
Hayate stared at him with a look of awe before approaching him, "Can-...can I help?" She asked with an excited look on her face.
"Can you?" Hinotori asked in wonder.
"Of course." She happily replied.
"Well then, welcome to the kitchen, secondary chef." Said Hinotori as he gave Hayate a spare apron that he had. Hinotori started teaching Hayate and showing her what to do, she was still a beginner so she was messing up a lot but they would just laugh it off every time. Kurayama observed the two chefs and subconsciously smiled from relief and joy.
The dinner didn't come out as good as the one that Hinotori used to cook. Kurayama really wanted to rant about how bad the rice tasted, but he couldn't ruin the mood that the two had. Him seeing Hayate and Hinotori laughing with each other, completely forgetting everything that has happened to them, subconsciously made Kurayama smile from joy.
"Man, today was amazing." Said Hinotori.
"You say that because you're not the one that got smashed into a bunch of trees and caught a cold." Kurayama ranted before sneezing.
"I deeply apologize for that." Said Hayate in a genuinely apologetic voice, which the two casually laughed off.
"Anyways, goodnight you two." Spoke Hinotori as he walked towards his room while stretching.
Kurayama did the same as he stood up and stretched a little bit before walking towards his room.
Kurayama entered his bedroom and lied down on his bed, tired and exhausted from today, but he was very happy with everything that has happened thus far. He lied down and started thinking of everything that has happened for the last four days, how he mentally improved, how his mind became clearer, and how the ghost of the past that was haunting him was finally exorcised.
As Kurayama was slowly drifting to the sleep world, he heard a gentle knocking on the door that interrupted his sacred sleeping time. He sat up on the bed with and frowned before he answered in an irritated voice, "What?!" He said.
Suddenly, the door was gently opened by Hayate as she came in with a shy look plastered on her face.
"I-I'm sorry for the disturbance." She shyly said while fidgeting her fingers.
"What do you want?" He asked, struggling to stay awake.
"C-...Can I sleep with you-...tonight?" She asked in a mixture of sadness and embarrassment.
"..." Kurayama just gave her a look that said 'Seriously?' before he took a deep breath and answered, "Not gonna lie, I love your offer. But if your this desperate to lower the rent, you could have just told me so." He said in a casual voice.
Hayate was very embarrassed and took a few minutes before mustering up the courage to clear the misunderstanding "T-T-T-...That's not what I meant.
"...Eh?"
"I just wanted to sleep next to you. I am still paranoid and afraid to sleep alone." She asked as her embarrassment turned into sadness.
"...Let me do a quick check." Kurayama said as he stood up from his bed and checked if Hayate had any poison, knife, or anything that she could use to kill him.
"W-W-What are you doing?" She asked in a flustered voice.
"Just checking if you have anything you can kill me with it. You're all clear. Choose where you want to sleep." He said.
Hayate looked around the room in search of a good place, before she walked over to Kurayama's bed and lied down on it as she covered herself with the blanket.
"Just know that this raises the price of your rent to 85% of your monthly salary." He stated as he lied down on the bed and covered himself with the same blanket.
A few minutes, passed by as the two were lying on the bed, trying to get some sleep.
"Thank you for everything, Ishigami." Said Hayate as sin a soft and gentle voice.
"No problem-...Kayano." He subconsciously replied after smiling, right before he peacefully drifted to sleep.