Chapter Text
How would one describe a hollow?
There were many words to describe the spherical-looking dimension of abnormality, and all of them would be accurate. Horrific in appearance and form, an incomprehensible force that ripped apart what made an organism living, twisted beyond recognition. They were apocalyptic level disasters which led to injuries, corruption, and even death.
Those with high levels of ether aptitude were best fitted for investigating the hollows, often scouted by the HIA. It’s not to say that those with high levels of ether aptitude should be given the necessity of entering the hollows, but it was highly advertised. Besides, those with low levels of ether aptitude had the means to support themselves and enter the hollows, so it’d certainly look bad for those with high levels to simply not extend a helping hand themselves.
Whether or not it was only one’s “duty” to research a hollow or not, Asaba Harumasa was a man who wasn’t too… involved, he would say? Sure, he understood that he was an executive officer within HAND’s Hollow Special Operations Unit, Section 6, but the supposed selflessness of extending a helping hand in the research and extermination of hollows and ethereals were second to his own priority.
His priority lay in living his own life to the fullest, which also meant understanding each and every single thing that involved himself. That included his master, the illegal work of experimentation of children, the continued development for a cure for Ether Aptitude Regression Syndrome, and many more. One might say that he already fulfilled part of that list of goals, knowing what happened to his master, but that doesn’t mean that he was devoid of testing himself to fulfill the rest of his goals.
Still, by his own chief’s standards, he was one of the few people who fought for justice, even when trapped under the corpos’ hands. Harumasa wasn’t confident in himself, but if Chief Miyabi believed he was just, then he supposed he’ll trust her judgment.
Now then, since I’m heading over, would the kids want me to bring something from the vintage store or not… will they call me an old man?
A sigh escaped his lips as he walked down the streets of Lumina Square. Looking around, he found what he was looking for: a small, vintage styled store that was just at the nick of the alleyway from the left. It was not the most luxurious nor the biggest looking store. In fact, the place itself would’ve been invisible if it weren’t for the flickering sign that said the store name, “Vintage Echoes”, on the inconspicuous, almost rusty door.
Harumasa grinned slightly. “Bingo~”
Honestly, given how Wise and Belle are always good when it comes to recommending movies, I’m not surprised they have a catalogue of smaller shops to go to.
Especially in a place so grand and luminous as Lumina Square. Harumasa would’ve expected vintage and retro like things to stay put in Reverb Arena, but hey, the archer was pleasantly surprised.
He headed inside, the scent of earthy and sweet notes filling his lungs. There was a hint of citrus that tried to cover up the smell of time, but Harumasa honestly found the smell nostalgic in its own right. The history of all the items that combined to create one complex scent, wood and faint floral deepening his interest already.
His eyes scanned around the rather messy assortment of goods, all until he reached where the counter was. That place was riddled with all sorts of objects and trinkets, and it made it hard for him to spot the cashier behind the counter and the little bangboo that acted as her helper.
Harumasa noticed that, besides all the messy objects laying throughout the counter, he saw the one oddity: the teamilk drink that he noted was definitely taro-flavored. He curiously saw how the drink was half-empty, most of the boba pearls gone, and he smiled a bit amusingly as he waved over at the half-sleepy, yawning cashier who only noticed him a second after he spoke, “Hey, did I come in at the wrong time?”
“Mm? You’re… a customer?” The cashier rubbed her tired eyes. It took a few seconds before she finished, blinking a couple of times as she looked up at Harumasa, meeting his curious golden yellow eyes. Her face flushed immediately after realization hit her. “O-Oh, you’re a customer! I’m so sorry! I-I wasn’t sleeping for too long, was I?!”
The bangboo made a cheery laugh, pumping its little arms to the air. “Ehe-na ehe-na~ Ehe-na! (Don’t worry~ The customer came only a few seconds earlier!)”
“Yup, the little one’s right.” Harumasa laughed. “Don’t worry about a thing, I tend to slack off as well~”
The woman bowed her head down in apology, face still flushed as she scurried around for professionalism. She quickly forced her body upright, standing straight as she looked at the man. “S-So, erm, are you here for anything specific? How can I help you, Mister?”
Harumasa laughed a bit more, scratching the back of his head. “Weeeeell, I don’t have anything specific I’m looking for, just looking for any good ideas for gifts. I just feel like surprising some friends of mine.”
“Oh! Then you could certainly find a lot here,” she replied, smiling widely. “If you want, my bangboo here could help too.”
“Ehe-na ehe-na! (I can definitely help!)” the bangboo cried out, its rabbit-like ears perking up immediately at the idea of assistance. “Ehe-na ehe-na ehe-na? (What kind of gift are you looking for?)”
“It’s just a gift to surprise them with, nothing too specific,” Harumasa said, crossing his arms. He looked around the area, scanning the place. There were a multitude of items, all in different assortments and types. There were some books, some vinyl records, some toys, etc. Harumasa swore that this place was a treasure trove of its own, wondering if he would find anything that would specifically cater to him. “Maybe something close to, like, a basket? I might put flowers or some smaller gifts in it.”
“Ehe-na! (Got it!)” The bangboo bounced off from the counter, waddling quickly down the crowded shop. Harumasa followed the bangboo curiously, seeing its stubby arms reaching for the assortment of pots, baskets, and pottery around. “Ehe-ne, ehe-na ehe-na! (Sir, please check these out!)”
Harumasa nodded his head, humming curiously as he took a look at the assortment. There were multiple pots, pans, baskets, and containers. Some seemed to be coated in silver, others painted tackily and some in extravagance. He curiously looked through each one, his eyes honing in on a rather large, white pot.
“Oh! That one’s a good choice, sir,” the cashier from the front said, peering out from her spot. She carefully, slowly moved her way to the bangboo and archer, holding her half-empty boba drink and taking a sip. “We got that all the way from Waifei Peninsula in the past after hearing that some really well-known craftsmen in the past made it. As, um, you can tell, it’s made out of porcelume. It’s very ether-resistant!”
Harumasa examined the pot itself, fingers brushing through the intricacies of the design and patterns. He saw a couple of dents and scratches that told him of its old age, and he hummed a little, intrigued. “Sure, I’ll bite.”
He took the pot in his hands, walking it over to the cashier who happily took the item and brought it to the counter. Harumasa hummed a bit more as he began to make his way back to the front, though his eyes lingered on the items around. It was by then that he slowly stopped at a rather intricate, delicate looking folding fan. One that was yellow and blue, marked with the designs of waves and ice.
Fondly, he thought of a certain chief.
Aha, she probably wouldn’t think much of it though. Still…
He thought to himself for a moment, taking hold of the fan. He played with it, testing it with a quick swipe of the hand. He saw it unfold, then folded it again. A warm smile went to his face, and he turned to look at the cashier who curiously eyed him. “I’ll take this too.”
“Oh, of course!”
After purchasing the two items, Harumasa was pleased with himself. He hummed a small tune as he walked down the street, stopping when he saw Dew Gardening Shop along the way. A grin went to his face as he walked inside, waving his hand over at Orchidea who was currently managing a bouquet.
“Ah, Harumasa.” The woman smiled fondly at the man. “Are you here to place an order?”
“Yup, you know it~” He grinned, gently placing down his newly bought pot. “Just a couple of blue and yellow flowers, something to symbolize the playfulness of life and the longevity of life itself. I’m planning to bring it to my friends for fun.”
“Is that so?” Orchidea chuckled lightly, nodding her head. She finished tending to the bouquet, passing it along to a customer who was inside. She watched as the man thanked her happily and left, then turned to meet Harumasa’s gaze. “Would you want any decorations?”
“Sure, surprise me.”
Harumasa waited patiently as Orchidea went to work, amused when he saw her carefully angling each flower. He recognized the flowers easily, noting them as sunflowers and blue evolvulus respectively, all with the addition of some peonies; furthermore, continuing to watch the woman with her work, he nodded curiously at the addition of the decorations. There were decorations of what he could only assume were caramel-styled items as well as stars and biscuit-styled items.
Overall, they were playful and Harumasa found himself completely satisfied as Orchidea finished. He smiled widely as he took the pot of flowers, paying her with the swipe of his card and heading out.
Making his way to the sanatorium where the kids were took a while, admittedly, but Harumasa had always enjoyed the ride. He heaved in a breath, at ease as he looked outside the window from the metro.
It was peaceful. A sense of belonging filled his lungs as he looked outside, watching as Lumina Square escaped his sight and a different scenery filled his vision instead. He felt peaceful whenever he traversed around New Eridu, and this was one of those days.
Despite his work as an executive officer, specifically as an officer from the renowned Section 6, Harumasa found the laidback and grounded lifestyle of an everyday civilian to be more fulfilling. Maybe it was because of how life was, especially considering how horribly chaotic everything was outside of an everyday life, but Harumasa always appreciated the slower, casual lifestyle one could lead. It was something of a luxury, and he wished he could be so luxurious in living the high of being a mere tourist of life; he preferred that over the constant worry of his illness kicking in, of the looming threat of death coming to innocent lives and to his loved ones.
Though, luckily, Harumasa hasn’t seen much when it came to death—personally, at least. He was still an executive officer, of course, but he was fortunate that Miyabi was his chief. He was fortunate that Yanagi was Deputy Chief, and he was fortunate that Soukaku was so strong and cheerful to bring the mood up. He honestly wasn’t sure how long he’d be living if he stayed in HAND, in HSO without being around his team.
After all, joining HAND and becoming an executive officer was just to fulfill some kind of purpose in finding Master… and that’s already been done.
He heaved in a sigh, his mind wandering until his stop came. He stood up and got off, humming a little as he walked straight to his destination.
Unsurprisingly, it was routine for him. He greeted the doctors and nurses who smiled his way, and he made small conversation with the caretakers who were around. Carrying his pot of flowers, folding fan in one of his pockets, he traversed down that familiar path. Turning corners, going through doors and moving around busy workers, he stopped once he was in the sight of a door.
He grinned, moving to open the handle.
Of course, Tsubaki, Kana, and Ryosuke were inside. It looked like Ryosuke was in the middle of a conversation with the two of them before all of them turned to face Harumasa, joy and excitement immediately coming to their faces as they all approached him within seconds of his appearance.
“Ah, Harumasa!” Kana smiled brightly at him, clasping her hands together. “What brings you here? What’s the flowers for?”
“It’s for you all,” he said, passing the potted flowers along to Kana who took them carefully in her hands. He watched as she passed them to Tsubaki who immediately moved to place the flowers over a desk first. “Just thought I’d come here to say hi, that’s all. Wanted to check up on you all, so here I am~”
“It’s kinda boring here though, isn’t it?” Tsubaki asked, looking curiously at the man. “If you wanted to hang out with us, we should’ve just gone to Port Elpis or something.”
Ryosuke nodded. “I could honestly go anywhere and I’d be fine with it.”
“It’s fine.” Harumasa shook his head. “I just wanted to surprise you guys with the flowers, that’s why I’m here. Don’t worry about the specifics~”
He was genuine when he spoke. Catching up with the children was something he enjoyed doing, especially when all of them looked up to him. He was unsurprised when they mentioned his work and their wish to follow in his footsteps, the man grinning amusingly when he saw Ryosuke mention how cool Miyabi was because he agreed, 100% agreed in fact— yeah, she’s always cool. Stunning, even .
The enthusiasm from the kids were something he admired, and he laughed at their jokes. He continued to chat with the group, all until he saw Kana nervously pointing them all to the TV playing in the corner above.
“Breaking news! A few prisoners have escaped from the prison located in Lumina Square. Public Security officers are working to catch the escapees, but please be on the lookout for any of these people…”
Harumasa looked up, frowning when he saw a couple of pictures. There wasn’t anybody that he noticed or recognized, at least, not until his eyes honed in on the last photo of a man to the right.
And it was clear that the kids recognized who it was too. Kana was nervously exhaling, all the while Tsubaki went to comfort her. Ryosuke was the one who spoke out first, clenching his fists. “How did he escape?”
Kirishima. Harumasa pursed his lips, his stomach churning in unease. He knew, he really hoped he knew, that PubSec would be able to catch the suspects. It was strange to think that Kirishima would manage to escape, and Harumasa wondered quietly if the damn doctor would try anything against him or the kids—especially the kids. Harumasa shifted his focus to them, frowning.
“He doesn’t know you guys are under me, don’t worry,” Harumasa said, trying to soothe their nerves. “It’ll be fine. I’m sure they’ll catch him. My friends from PubSec are good at their job.”
He hoped so, at least. Harumasa knew Seth was most likely devastated from the news, and he had a feeling Seth was more than outraged that Kirishima, the man who spoke so horribly about those with EARS as mere experiments, had escaped.
His phone buzzed. He reached for his pocket, checking the number. Heart skipped a beat, mind fluttering. He picked up.
“Miyabi?”
“Harumasa,” she began, her voice as clear as can be—the archer considered himself crazy for noticing how her voice was the tiniest bit concerned in tone. “Have you seen the news?”
Harumasa pursed his lips. He eyed the kids, seeing Ryosuke and Tsubaki talking amongst themselves as Kana’s eyes stayed glued to the screen. “I did. I’m surprised you saw it too.”
“I was watching with my father.”
And you decided to call me this quickly? Harumasa felt touched, but knew better than to say it. He smiled happily, fondly in fact. “I’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”
“That’s good to hear,” she said. Harumasa may be crazy, but he swore he could hear her smile. “Please let me know if you need any help though. I’m sure Yanagi and Soukaku are worried about you too.”
“Did they even see the news though?”
“Probably, or they’ll see it later. Yanagi’s the one who’s on top of things.”
Harumasa laughed. “She is. I’ll be fine though, so don’t worry about it.”
“I’m glad to hear it, but please let me know if you ever need any help, okay?”
“Yeah, I know.” He sighed a little, though he was way too fond of Miyabi to be seriously frustrated. He adored that she cared so much about him, especially mere seconds after the news broke out that Kirishima had escaped. She truly did care, and he felt way too happy over that fact. “I’ll talk to you later. Bye.”
He knew he was grinning like a complete dork right now, for Kana and the others were staring at him as though he was a fool. “Yes?”
“That was Miss Miyabi, wasn’t it?” Ryosuke asked, though it felt more like a statement than not. “You certainly look like you like her.”
“Huh? You’re speaking complete nonsense.”
“Ryosuke’s right,” Tsubaki said, deadpan in her expression as she looked at the archer. “You’re smiling so much right now that I’m worried you’re hurting your cheekbones at this rate…”
Ryosuke laughed. “You’re even blushing!”
“I am?” Harumasa brought a hand to his face, feeling his cheek. As Ryosuke said, the warmth on his cheeks were a clear indicator that he was blushing. Harumasa quickly cleared his throat, shaking his head. “You three shouldn’t tease a frail man like me… Though, I’m happy you don’t seem to be too bothered by the news anymore.”
“I-It’ll be fine… He shouldn’t know we’re here anyways,” Kana said, more to convince herself than anything else. She nervously fiddled with her hands, heaving in a breath. “I just wonder how he escaped…”
“Let’s not think about it too much, alright?” Harumasa ruffled Kana’s hair with a small smile. “He’ll get caught soon enough. I bet you he’ll be back in jail in no time, probably even by the next day.”
“Sure… Right.” Ryosuke clenched his fists. “You’re definitely right.”
“Exactly!” The officer nodded. He looked at the group now and dusted off his clothes. “I think I’ll head back now. I just wanted to drop off the flowers for you guys, so now I should get back and feed my cat… she’s probably gonna kill me if I don’t go now.”
“O-Oh, you should bring her here one day,” Kana said, smiling brightly. “I’d love to see her.”
“I’ll do that. See you~”
“Bye bye!”
Harumasa hummed happily as he made his way out, making sure to say goodbye to the workers as well. He wondered whether he should buy something while on the way home, but he figured he had tons of leftovers in the fridge—his poor cat needed him more than newly bought food did, after all.
Coming back where he came from, taking the metro back to Lumina Square before he made his way further down towards where his apartment was, he was pleased with how the night sky looked. It was clear with stars twinkling at him, and he hummed as he saw the moon shining down his way. He continued to walk, reaching his apartment and walking to his door.
He wondered if his landlord was awake. Actually, he wondered if any of his neighbors were awake. They most likely were, but Harumasa never exactly spoke to them either—a bit ironic considering how extroverted he portrayed himself to the public, but it is what it is. He sighed. He felt the folding fan in his pocket, thinking to himself as he stayed outside his door.
Would Miyabi even like this? Why did I even decide to buy it for her if I don’t even know…
Those damn kids really made himself self-conscious. Obviously, he wasn’t actually blaming them, but he found himself worried. Miyabi was way too kind, way too sweet for him. He wondered if, somehow, the woman would like him. Romantically, he meant.
If it’s that obvious that the kids are calling me a doofus, then I’m really lucky Miyabi doesn’t realize yet.
He heaved another sigh before he reached for his keys. He opened and unlocked the door easily, though when he pushed it open and walked inside, he found himself slightly confused when he heard his cat meowing loudly at him.
Harumasa closed the door behind him and approached his little cat, then eyed the evidence of scratches and messed up items on the ground. He frowned slightly. For a moment, he wondered if his cat had played a game with an imaginary ghost. Some of his pills were on the ground, sadly, and some papers were also sprawled on the ground.
There was a slight change in the air. A cool breeze, in fact. Harumasa quietly looked over to his window, seeing that it was slightly ajar.
“Mrow!”
Harumasa looked back at his cat. He saw her hissing with her tail perked up. Immediately, Harumasa was alerted and turned around—
—a hand clamped over his mouth.
“Mmphk!” Harumasa’s yell was muffled as he was pulled back. He swung his fist back, but it was too late as his attack whiffed. Whoever the assailant was, they easily took hold of his hands and forced them behind him, keeping Harumasa unfortunately restrained and close to them.
“Don’t move,” the assailant said, low and steady. Harumasa saw that his assailant was covered with a mask, their voice unrecognizable due to what was most likely a voice changer. “If you do, I’ll make sure I kill everyone in the building here, including your cat.”
Harumasa narrowed his gaze. He stayed quiet for a moment, his eyes looking towards his cat who meowed loudly and hissed. Harumasa heaved in a breath as he was dragged backwards, closer to the front of the door and further from the cat who hissed louder in response.
“Asaba Harumasa, executive officer of Section 6.”
Harumasa surveyed his room. He felt metal against the back of his head. A gun, most likely. His heartbeat throbbed, stomach churning. Multiple questions went to his head, even as his assailant continued to speak.
He felt his assailant tapping against his hands with a finger. Harumasa frowned slightly, almost ready to attack, but then his mind shifted. The tapping felt unnatural, intentional. It was by then that the archer focused on the assailant’s body type, body language, the slight familiarity to the voice, and the familiar signal he always used with the person.
Harumasa steadied. He quickly scanned the area, listening to the assailant as they continued, slowly.
“You messed with the wrong person, Harumasa,” they said, finger on the trigger. Their grip on the man’s hands loosened slightly. “So you’re coming with us.”
Taking it as his cue, Harumasa elbowed the assailant and quickly knocked the gun out. He pushed the person against the door and reached for the weapon now, all at the same time avoiding a direct hit to his chest. He rolled back as the assailant pursued, Harumasa quickly scanning them before he practically ripped through the enemy’s jacket, tackling them down and drawing the gun.
Harumasa breathed heavily, on top of them. He saw the assailant breathing heavily through the mask, and Harumasa kept the gun pointed at them—
—quickly, he pointed it to the side and fired, letting the sound reverberate through the room. At the same time, he crushed the chip that he ripped from the enemy’s jacket, sighing afterwards as he practically groaned.
“Fucking hell, what did you get yourself into?” Harumasa cried out, a mixture of disbelief and annoyance on his face.
“Ugh… finally, thanks.” The masked assailant took off their mask, Harumasa taking in the familiar sight of Lighter. The man heaved in a breath of relief, sighing before he quickly stood up and grabbed Harumasa by the shoulder. “We should get going. I’ll explain on the way. People are gonna check.”
“Yeah, you better explain-!”
There was no time to waste. Harumasa quickly called an apology to his cat who meowed confusingly now, running out of the door with Lighter and throwing the spare helmet over his head as Lighter sped off.
It was only when they reached a discrete, far away spot with nobody around that they stopped. Lighter cracked his head, rolling it around. He looked over at Harumasa who awkwardly toyed with the gun he held, then sighed as he crossed his arms.
“You saw the news about that doctor, right?”
“Yeah?” Harumasa stared at Lighter before his face fell. “Oh my god.”
“Yeah.” Lighter sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Sorry man, but I think he’s trying to get rid of you.”
Harumasa clicked his tongue, furrowing his brows. He kicked lightly at the ground. “Dammit, that makes sense, but how…?”
“He, or whoever it was, was looking for a hit man. I heard about it from my peers and I knew immediately it was him since we’ve worked on your case before,” Lighter said, frowning, “so when I saw the post about getting rid of someone with EARS and it being from a certain doctor, I took it so I could get info and make sure you don’t, y’know, die because you didn’t know.”
“Well… thanks.” Harumasa sighed. “He actually made sure you were chipped and everything too… it’s only been recently since he’s been out of prison.”
“I don’t know much since I’ve only gotten info from a broker, but it’s kinda obvious the doctor’s loaded with some kind of underground business or syndicate. As to why he’s getting rid of you… I’m not sure. Probably related to you busting his whole gig before.”
“No kidding.”
Lighter sighed. “I’m not sure if they’ll be convinced that you killed me or anything, but I made sure to tell Caesar and the others in case they need to cover for us.”
Harumasa crossed his arms. He was silent, heaving in a breath. It was fortunate that it was Lighter who took on the role, but that also meant…
“Lighter, they know I live there.”
“… they do.”
Shit, no way. Harumasa’s heart throbbed erratically. His stomach churned. Immediately, he wondered who knew. He wondered if anybody was watching him—how long they had been watching him. His mind wandered to Kana and the others—were they actually okay? Were they fine? Had Kirishima found them already?
His phone rang once more. Harumasa quickly reached for his phone, looking at the caller ID. It was someone who was using a burner phone, that was obvious. His mind wandered once more. He looked at Lighter who eyed him worriedly. He quickly turned around and answered.
“Yes?”
“Harumasa,” a familiar, chillingly familiar voice began. The archer felt his stomach drop, “I see you’ve managed to escape the assassination attempt.”
“You… Why are you doing this?”
“Isn’t it obvious? I need to get rid of the person who’s put me in this mess to begin with.” Kirishima’s voice lost its faux kindness and flair. He was completely, utterly malicious in how he spoke to Harumasa. “It would’ve been easy if you had just died, but I suppose we can figure something else out instead. Maybe you can still be useful if you insist on living.”
“Kirishima, what are you talking about?”
“Harumasa, you’re too kind. Naive. I know you’ve been taking care of my kids.”
Kana, Tsubaki, Ryosuke. Harumasa’s face paled.
“How about you come meet me? I want you to join me in investigating something. You can even help.”
No. Harumasa forced himself to steady. He gripped his phone tightly, ignoring the concern that grew on Lighter’s face. “What do you want?”
“You are authorized to enter Iremia Hollow, correct? I want you to join me there.”
“Why Iremia?”
“Ah ah, you don’t get to decide. It’s a matter of whether or not you’re willing to risk the kids’ lives. You could ask your friends to help you, sure, but…” There was a chuckle behind the line. “I know you won’t try something so silly. You don’t know what I can and can’t do, after all.”
Harumasa was quiet, not even daring to say a word as the call disconnected. He pursed his lips. His vision felt blurry. He was unfocused, breathing shakily.
“Hey…” Lighter hesitantly called out to the man. “I’m sure it must’ve been the doc, but I think you should tell the others about this. Caesar and the others already know, and if we get your team to help too, then-”
“No, don’t.” Harumasa looked at Lighter. “I’ll… beg you once. Don’t tell anyone what you just heard. I’m handling this alone.”
“Ha-”
Harumasa quickly dashed off, ignoring Lighter.
“Harumasa!”
I can’t let anyone know this.
He looked up at the night sky. It was clear, and the stars continued to twinkle. Oh, how it felt so mockingly so.
I can’t risk anyone’s life.
Not in Iremia of all places.