Monday Summer Quarter 2016 Week 4
I got off work and drove over to Felicity’s house. She was already waiting for me, a gym bag slung over her left shoulder, at the front gate.
“Let’s go!” Felicity shouted.
“Please explain first.” I refused to unlock the passenger door for her.
“No time for that! We have to get going or else he’ll be gone soon!” Felicity banged on my window.
“Tell me what is going on!” I stepped on my gas pedal.
“Darryl is at the gym helping out Yuka’s boyfriend. It’s my chance,” Felicity explained.
“Who told you all of this first?” I continued to refuse her entry into my car.
“Yuka. I saw her the other day and you know how things are. So let’s go already!” Felicity slapped the roof of my car.
“Fine. I need to ask Darryl something anyways. Don’t do anything weird, okay?” I sighed.
She clambered in and clapped her hands together in thanks. Fifteen minutes later, I pulled into the underground parking lot and used Felicity’s pass to park for free.
“Yuki, I’m going on ahead!” Felicity dashed off.
By the time I entered the changing room, Felicity was already gone. I checked the regiment Tess assigned and searched for the proper equipment. Arriving near the weights, I saw Ichaival, Champ, and Bartholomew.
“Yuki!” Felicity suddenly appeared beside me and grabbed my arm.
“Did you already talk to Ichaival already?”I pried her arm off.
“Of course not! I was waiting for you,” Felicity answered.
“You left before me! What have you been doing this entire time?” I was confused by her actions.
Bartholomew noticed us and walked over. He glanced at Felicity before speaking to me.
“You work out here too, Tomo?” Bartholomew crossed his arms.
“My friend, Felicity, brought me here,” I revealed.
“You look familiar.” Bartholomew stared at Felicity.
“You want to talk to Yuki alone, don’t you? I’ll get out of your way.” Felicity dashed off.
Bartholomew wore a gray tank top with a chibi flexing cat. He led me over to a bench area and we sat down to chat.
“How much she does know?” Bartholomew asked.
“Just the basics,” I answered.
“You tagging along just to be nice?” Bartholomew watched Ichaival help Champ up to his feet.
“Something like that. How are things for you guys?” I stretched my legs.
While Bartholomew updated me his group, I observed Champ and Ichaival. Yuka’s boyfriend collapsed to the ground and Ichaival hoisted him up again.
“You know, you’re pretty well built, Bartholomew. Do you do a sport?” I asked him.
“Just football and rugby. A little lacrosse just to mix it up,” Bartholomew replied.
“All contact sports. Pretty different from Lionel,” I remarked.
“He hasn’t answered any of my messages or phone calls. I’m worried about what he’s up to,” Bartholomew revealed.
“I’m sure he’s fine. You talk to Tess?” I asked.
“Yeah but he’s my bro, you know?” Bartholomew nodded.
Champ limped towards the changing room and Ichaival jogged over to us. Felicity was nowhere in sight.
“You work out here too, Yuki?” Ichaival questioned.
“Sort of, I’ll explain later. I gotta talk to you about something,” I replied.
“Is it Shigetzu?” Ichaival asked.
“No. Have you talked to Lionel lately?” I inquired.
“Nah. Just hang out with Champ and Bartholomew since I kinda have to because of Tess and all. Cool to have people around to train with and teach though.” Ichaival shook his head.
“Finally gotten over that fight?” I bought a drink from a nearby vending machine.
“Yeah, I get why he was acting like that,” Ichaival confirmed.
“I have a message to pass along. Lilith’s planning a surprise birthday party for Lionel. Here’s the invite for Bartholomew and you.” I handed him the invitations.
“That’s really random, Yuki. No one does paper invites anymore these days. Hey, thought I saw Felicity. Is that the reason you’re here?” Ichaival brought up.
“Pretty much. She’s your problem now,” I said.
“Hang on, what do you mean?” Ichaival stared at me.
I remained silent and left. After working out for an hour, I decided to head home. Probably should grab Felicity. Where was she?
“My back.” Champ groaned, passing by me.
“Champ, have you seen Felicity?” I asked.
“Near the sauna. Tess is a bully, working us this hard,” Champ complained.
When I arrived, Felicity was alone. She waved at me, a huge smile on her face.
“Yuki, you done?” she chirped.
“Yeah. Already talked to Ichaival?” I replied.
“Of course but something more amazing happened. Today has been a great day!” Felicity skipped ahead of me.
Thursday Summer Quarter 2016 Week 4
I headed to bed and picked up one of Mirei’s bookmarks. I should check out another one especially with the upgrade Tess performed on my grimoire. Flipping through the changelog Tess provided, I discovered a new feature.
With the update, I could establish a link connection. Someone could view mind dives and other activities alongside me. Worth checking out another day.
Short 1
I saw a familiar trophy case. Ichizen’s room?
“Ichizen, you in there?” I heard a familiar voice.
I saw myself, a strange sight but not as weird as my other experiences so far.
“Ichizen, why do you always disappear whenever I need to find you? You better not be hiding from me!” she shouted.
Yuki stormed over to the closet and yanked the doors open. Of course Ichizen would find a way to make me angry. Some things never changed.
The view of Ichizen’s room faded, soon replaced with one of the…. training facility? Ichizen swung a sword, but it suddenly flew out of his hand, and landed on the ground next to his feet.
Tess, wearing a gray T-shirt and shorts, fired off chains at Ichizen. He retrieved his weapon and fended off the incoming attack. He missed one chain and fell flat on his face. Tess crossed her arms, giving a small sigh.
“Would you like to continue or take a break?” Tess walked over to Ichizen.
“I want another crack at it but I’ve hit my limit. How long’s the break?” Ichizen questioned.
“Ten minutes,” Tess responded.
“That’s not enough time!” Ichizen complained.
Tess ignored him. Ichizen sat down and wiped away the sweat pouring from his forehead. He glanced up at the ceiling, a pensive look on his face.
“Beat down by Tess again? Let’s spar once she’s done trashing you.” Lionel sat down next to Ichizen.
“Man, it’s not like that. Tess is just so strong, not to mention beautiful, you know? I still haven’t beat her once yet!” Ichizen grinned.
“No one in their right mind trains with Tess everyday. You’re a maniac but that’s how you roll. Still, gotta admire your courage.” Lionel shook his head, amazed by Ichizen’s idiocy.
“What can I say? I’m just so eager to improve my powers. Wonder if Yuki noticed I’m not home yet. I made a promise with her to do something,” Ichizen continued smiling.
“I’m here to deliver it to you!”
Yuki burst through the entrance. Lionel ran away, distancing himself from the volatile situation.
“Yuki, how ya doin? Hang on, hang on! I swear I’ll make it up to you later!” Ichizen pleaded with her.
Yuki grabbed Ichizen’s T-shirt. Ichizen, as usual, maintained a calm composure. Before she could do anything, someone arrived to defuse the situation.
“Yuki, calm down! You don’t need to hurt him!” Jen walked in, carrying her archery equipment.
Yuki glared at Ichizen but released him. Jen separated the two with a sigh of relief. I actually wanted to punch Ichizen now despite not being involved.
“Lionel! Help me!” Jen shouted.
Lionel shook his head and exited. Probably a wise choice. Jen sighed, holding Yuki back from attacking Ichizen.
“What the hell is going on?”
Zhuyu, hands in his pocket, stared at the three of them. Jen explained the situation, having trouble containing Yuki. The zero vector user responded with an unsympathetic look.
“It’d be rude of me to interrupt. I’ll be up in the broadcast room watching. Ichizen, you’re on break, right? Just wait until Tess gets back. That’s the bare minimum if you’re serious about training,” Zhuyu decided.
“Long, just help her out!” Ichaival arrived.
Zhuyu shot his friend a cold look and walked away. He climbed the stairs to the broadcast room with incredible speed, never once looking back.
“Ichizen, how long do you have left?” Ichaival assisted Jen.
“Two more minutes. Thanks a ton. I’ll make it up to you by working out with you sometime!” Ichizen clapped his hands together as thanks.
“Don’t think so little of me!” Yuki shouted.
An artificial dimension suddenly formed. Jen mouthed something to Ichaival. Yuki sent Jen flying with one light touch. Telekinesis? Ichaival snapped his fingers, transporting Ichizen away from Yuki.
“Darryl, are you really helping that idiot out right now? If you bring him back right now, I won’t hurt you. Don’t make me hurt you. Because I really am not in the mood for that right now!” Yuki pointed at the false archer.
She melted the false archer’s knives with a stream of fire. Jen fired off an arrow but Yuki caught it mid-air. The archer clutched her right arm in pain. When Yuki crushed the arrow, Jen’s bow string snapped. What kind of power was that?
“Yuki, uh, let’s be rational here. It wouldn’t be good for you to unleash your wrath on me. I mean, Tess will be back really soon and you know….,” Ichizen’s voice faltered.
She fired off a powerful blast of magic, ten times greater than anything I could manage with my current powers. The entire area was engulfed in a bright light. When my vision returned, Ichizen cowered on the ground unharmed.
“Yuki, this is the tenth time I’ve caught you in such a state. If you continue such reckless actions, I will have no choice but to seal your powers for a temporary amount of time.” Tess stood in front of my childhood friend.
Yuki hung her head down and left, accompanied by Jen and Ichaival. Ichizen heaved a sigh of relief and clapped his hands in prayer.
“I will not overlook your involvement in this matter. As punishment, you will run twenty laps and immediately resume training without rest.” Tess crossed her arms and disciplined Ichizen.
“Understood!” Ichizen saluted the Gatekeeper.
Short 2
I was now in the student lounge. Ichizen rested his head on a textbook, eyes half open. Jacque sat next to him, typing on his laptop.
“Oh s***, what time is it?” Ichizen looked at the artist with a worried look.
“Almost 3. You had something to do?” Jacque glanced down at his taskbar.
“Pretty sure I just slept through class.” Ichizen gave a sheepish smile.
“Damn, that sucks. Are you going to try and make it?” Jacque asked.
“Nah, class ended two minutes ago. Guess I’m heading home. Hold on, Yuki’s in that class! She’ll help me out!” Ichizen clapped his hands together with a huge grin.
“Is she going to though?” Jacque responded with a skeptical look.
“’Course. Wait, probably not. I actually owe her. Like a lot,” Ichizen realized.
Jacque didn’t respond and continued typing. Yuki stormed in a few minutes later.
“Yuki, sorry about skipping out on class. I had this terrible stomachache and was in the bathroom forever. Man, it was so bad, you wouldn’t believe it. I just couldn’t go to class after that. Jacque, my buddy, you’ll back me up?” Ichizen glanced at the artist.
“Jacque, don’t even speak. I already know he’s lying. It’s best if I take care of this outside of school.” Yuki pointed at Jacque.
Jacque nodded. Good job, me. Ichizen’s grin transformed into a nervous smile. Yuki grabbed Ichizen and dragged him outside.
The scene transitioned to a garage. A ping pong table, covered in a thin layer of dust, was in the middle of the room. A beat up sofa was close to it. Two exposed light bulbs dangled from the ceiling.
“I don’t understand this.” Zhuyu shook his head.
“S***’s easy, what’s wrong with you?” Jin grinned, tapping a blank piece of paper.
“Why are you all here?” Ichaival sighed.
“Best place to hang out. Come on, look at this scenery. A film was done here! That’s impressive. Also, I need help from you guys. Yuki’s pretty angry,” Ichizen declared.
“Why not Jin’s place? So much better than mine. And it’s super cramped in here!” Ichaival complained.
“What’s that booming noise?” Kuan entered through a door near a workshop table filled with tools and random scraps.
“My dad’s music, it’s the stuff he plays when hanging out with my uncles. This is why we shouldn’t be here!” Ichaival pointed out.
“This is the best! I can’t believe I’m in the place where you guys filmed your senior project. Hey, so you know how to do this math problem?” Ichizen pointed at his piece of paper.
“Long?” Ichaival glanced over at his friend.
“I’m not the expert here. I get average marks in math.” Zhuyu shook his head.
“Jin, we’re friends, right? I know you can help me out!” Ichizen begged.
“Sure. Just do it like this.” Kisai wrote down two lines of work.
“What?” Ichizen stared at the two lines with confusion.
“That’s how you do it.” Kisai responded with a matter of fact look.
Ichaival put his head in his hand, not satisfied with the situation. Kuan took out his phone and propped it up using a nearby small piece of wood. Zhuyu jotted down words for an essay outline.
“Oh, I get it! I didn’t know you could get an answer doing that! That’s why you’re the best, Jin!” Ichizen held his hand up for a high five.
“Better fuckin’ praise me. Anyways, you think I’m some kind of scum that will just touch hands with anyone. Ichizen, you know better than that. Put that damn hand down and get back to work,” Kisai barked, an arrogant and haughty expression on his face.
Kisai was definitely an ass and a terrible person to hang out with. Kuan ignored everyone, watching a drama on his phone.
“Hey Jin, what time is it?” Ichaival asked.
“Almost 10,” Kisai replied, pulling his sleeve up to reveal an expensive watch.
“You guys should leave by 12,” Ichaival suggested.
“That’s not enough time! Make it 1. I can finish by then. Jin, what about this one?” Ichizen questioned, pointing at another question.
“The first one was free. You have to pay for the rest.” Kisai held his hand out.
“Fine, fine. Here you go.” Ichizen pulled out a small bag and dropped it into the man’s hand.
“Thanks. Now I don’t have to pay for tokens to play that basketball game at the arcade. This one, super easy. Just one line of work. Figure it out,” Kisai wrote down the solution.
This was a really strange dynamic. Kisai was much more grounded in the real world. He was very delusional here but everyone went along with it. What other weird things was I going to see?
Short 3
The garage vanished and I was back in the training facility. Zhuyu dual-wielded daggers, swinging them at Ichizen. Ichizen fired magic pulses which the man struck with his weapon.
“Nice!” Ichizen shouted.
Ichizen swung his fist at Zhuyu’s face but the man parried with his blades. Ichizen retracted his right hand, blood dripping from his knuckles. Despite the damage, he retained his usual goofy smile. Zhuyu’s eyes sharpened at the sight of blood and he slashed the air with his weapon.
“I keep forgetting you can do that.” Ichizen clutched his right hand in pain.
“Just stop already, you’ll bleed out,” I heard my voice.
Yuki grabbed Ichizen, tending to his bleeding hand. Zhuyu’s walked over, checking up on him as well. She stared at Ichizen with a worried expression.
“I might have gone a little overboard. Still working on controlling it,” Zhuyu apologized.
He brought over a medical kit and took out a roll of medical tape and pieces of gauze. The artificial dimension vanished but blood continued flowing out of the multiple small cuts on Ichizen’s hand. Zhuyu handed the medical supplies over over to Yuki.
“Man, you’re crazy for someone who is usually a support. Got to give you props, man!” Ichizen complimented Zhuyu.
“It’s nothing. I still need to get better.” Zhuyu shook his head.
“I hope you’ll remain as a support selfishly. You’re the best we have. I guess Jen could do it but she’s too valuable as a ranged asset.” Yuki agreed with Ichizen’s assessment.
Zhuyu flashed a thin smile and left the practice facility. His role was similar to the actual zero vector user. Did Kyoi exist in this world? I hadn’t seen or hear anyone mention her.
Short 4
“Hey, Ichizen, can you help me out?” I heard an unknown voice.
Back to the university. An unknown girl held out a book to Ichizen, a pleading look on her face. The sky was tinged a light orange.
“Of course, I’m always ready to help out someone in need!” Ichizen nodded.
“Great, can I come over today? It’ll be easier if you give me feedback in real time,” the girl requested.
“Sure. You know, I’ve been in a few classes with you but I’ve never asked where you live,” Ichizen questioned.
“I actually live pretty close to you,” she replied.
“Huh, have I ever told you where I live?” Ichizen glanced at her in confusion.
I didn’t have any pretext for this conversation but maybe she saw him go home before? There was always the possibility she was just playing him. Ichizen was gullible enough to fall for such tactics. In his room, Ichizen and the girl compared notes. She asked him about a section of the book. Ichizen reached down into his bag. The girl grabbed a nearby pen, uncapping it, revealing a syringe tip.
“Yumi, what did you think about….?” She stabbed him with the needle.
No surprises there. She unzipped her backpack, pulling out a pair of handcuffs. The girl also uncurled a bundle of rope, tying up his legs. There really wasn’t a need for this. Maybe I just underestimated Ichizen, but he posed no threat even with his powers.
“Time to deliver the goods,” she declared, calling someone on her phone.
A well-dressed man stepped out of a portal, tapping the floor with his ornate walking cane. He wore a monocle over his left eye, a golden chain hanging from it. The visitor removed his monocle, inspecting Ichizen. He prodded Ichizen in the face and stomach.
“Well done. The payment is in the usual location,” he said, placing his white gloved hand on Ichizen’s forehead.
A woman burst through his room window, jabbing an electric prod into the well-dressed man’s back. He convulsed and collapsed to the floor. Manami? The girl aimed a kick at Ichizen’s cousin, but Manami grabbed her leg, and slammed her to the ground. Manami stabbed her weapon downward and shocked the girl.
“Wake up, Ichizen!”
Ichizen awakened with a jolt and stared at her in confusion. He realized his predicament and still grinned despite the situation.
“Uh, look, I know we’ve known each other since we were kids. I just don’t think this is the right time for all of this. I mean, it’s cool if you think of me like this, but….,” Ichizen said.
“Shut up, Ichi! You were dumb enough to let her trick you. How many times have I warned you about this already? You’re lucky Tess realized something was wrong,” Manami cut him off.
Tess appeared, hauling the man and girl away. She nodded at Manami before leaving. Never expected Manami to be such a badass. Guess things balanced out.
END
Enough of that for now. Ichizen as a hero was not inspiring. Plus, seeing him again like that, it felt off. My mind dives concerning him felt natural. Mirei’s were too exaggerated. Damn it, I thought I was fine, but this hit me harder than expected. I slumped down on my desk, letting my emotions out.
