Chapter Text
‘Things will be different this time. I won’t let anyone die,’ I thought to myself.
I don’t have a choice, I have to go back and find a better ending… at least that’s what I keep telling myself. Is it right to leave everyone else behind? It shouldn’t really matter, once I arrive to the past they’ll cease to exist, right?
But that’s only if Tsubasa is wrong. The Undying Flames Boy told me I should search for a new ending, but does that mean I would be rewriting time, or merely creating a new story? A parallel universe… I spent one-hundred days with these people, with my friends… is such a risk really worth it?
‘I have no choice. Nozomi… No, Karua… I can’t bear to live without her. I’m doing this for her, for Hiruko and Ima! I won’t let Eito ruin everything! I’ll make sure everyone gets to live a better life!’
With that my mind was made up. I had already told everyone about my decision and they wished me luck as they flew to the Artificial Satellite in the sky. Now I’m the only one left on this desolate Earth. It won’t be easy nor will it be simple, but it must be done.
All it took was a single stab to the heart. Time itself warped around me; the air transformed into bright colors of blue, white, and green. Before I knew it my eyes had closed from the sensation of traveling back. I fell asleep as the world itself traveled further back in time.
I didn’t know it at the time, but Tsubasa was wrong…
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Things happened so fast that it was impossible to keep up. All I knew was that I succeeded. I went back in time, all the way to the night of day two. I couldn’t remember what was so important about today until I met The Undying Flames boy again. Tonight is the night where it all started to fall apart.
By the time I could even gather my thoughts, Eito was already lying at my feet defeated. The traitor is bloody and beaten; he hadn’t expected me to be so strong, and how could he? Despite his rush of power it seemed he didn’t have the experience to win. It is his first time using his power, while it seemed like I had already mastered mine.
The way I moved with each sword strike felt almost unnatural, like I have fought this battle a thousand times. Each swing was lighter than the last and each blow I landed on Eito hit its mark. It must be a result of the Hemoanima I obtained from absorbing his power just before coming back in time.
“How? Even with all my sudden power…” Eito choked out from his position on the floor. His voice is harsh and broken like it’s taking all of his strength just to move his mouth.
“Whew, you really saved me there Sumino,” Sirei said, pretending to wipe off fake sweat from his forehead. “But how did you know Aotsuki was turning traitor?”
“Yes… That’s something I want to… know too…” Eito said. “Was it mere… coincidence?”
Suddenly I felt the boy made of Undying Flames appear beside me. “I think I could explain Sirei.”
“Wah?!” Sirei said. “Y-You’re…! I didn’t know you could make an avatar…”
“It’s a long story.”
I held up a hand, softly telling the boy not to say another word. I don’t know why I did that, my arm moved on instinct, like my body is subconsciously helping me. “That’s something for me to know and you to wonder Eito,” I said, keeping my eyes locked on him.
“Hmm…” Sirei turned to the boy looking for answers, but nothing ever came. So he looked at me instead, and got the same result. “Well, I guess you can tell me about it after you’ve executed this traitor. *Nyouh!*” His eyes flashed red and a loud beep echoed from the commanding officer’s body. “I just erased Aotsuki’s genetic date from the Revive-o-matic, so feel free to kill him, he won’t be coming back.”
“Kill him…?” I paused, taken aback by his suggestion. Eito had to be stopped, it was the only way to ensure a better future but… does that mean taking his life? Taking a fellow human’s life? Does he really deserve that?
“What? Are you saying we spare him? There is no way we can allow a traitor like him to live any longer!”
“But…”
“Heheheh…” Eito laughed. “I agree with Sirei… Kill me now… It’s better than being forced to live with you disgusting, ugly, fifthly humans!” When Eito yelled he began to cough harshly, blood spraying from his mouth onto his chest. If I don’t make up my mind soon, then his injuries might kill him instead.
“Eito…” The sword shook in my hand as I agonized over this choice. I know very well how evil Eito is, and that there is nothing I could do or say to get him to change. The fire in Eito’s eyes hasn’t faded, not even now.
But he hasn’t actually done anything yet…
“Do it Sumino! That’s an order!” Sirei commanded.
“…No.”
“Eh?!”
“Eito is a monster, there’s no denying that, but I refuse to be like him. I won’t kill him because of my anger, or my hatred, or even for revenge. I’m not after power, I just want a happy ending…”
Eito’s eyes widened at that. “Revenge? Happy ending? Just what are you talking about Takumi?”
“B-But! Sumino, you can’t just…” Sirei pauses mid-sentence when he meets my eyes again. I stared at him confident and unwavering. As if looking for support he turned to the flaming boy, only to see him facing me with a proud smile. “Ugh… If you really think this is the best choice then I’ll trust you. I do owe you for saving my life.” As he said this a trio of drones fell from the sky and surrounded the injured Eito. “But where should we put him? We can’t exactly send him back to his room, can we?”
“The courtyard,” I answered without hesitation. “Just use one of the cages to keep him contained.”
“So you even know about that… Alright then! It’s off to prison with you Aotsuki!”
Eito didn’t say a word when he was forced along by the drones. He was too lost in his own mind to say anything snarky.
“And Sumino! Stay here, I’ll be back in a few minutes! We need to talk.”
The talk went exactly as I had expected it to. Sirei wouldn’t let me go until I told him everything: what had happened in my future, everything Eito did, how much we had to sacrifice just to fail, and how I had come back to fix things. I was afraid Sirei wouldn’t believe me, but the second I brought up what was in the defense room and the Exodus Project he became silent. In the end we decided to stop there for the day. With all that had happened Sirei needed time to think about the next steps, and I needed some sleep.
I made my way back to the roof of the academy seeing the familiar sight of all of our rooms lined up together. I smiled, knowing inside of each one is one of my friends sleeping safely. With Eito gone there’s no internal threats anymore.
My eyes got drawn to the glowing names of each person, it started with Hiruko, then Takemaru, Shouma, Tsubasa, Gaku… but when I went further down the line I noticed the empty nameplates of my other friends. That will be one of the first things I do, go and get the students from Second-to-last defense academy. She’s waiting for me there.
Well, not waiting for me per say, but you get the point…
They’re beyond the giant wall of fire. Those purple flames flickering in the distance illuminating the night sky… It looks strange. They’re so bright I felt like I would go blind by just staring at them, and now that I look at it, the flames are crawling higher into the sky than I remember.
Just then a warm sensation pulsed through my blood. I turned around to see floating flames gathering together to form the avatar of a familiar friend. The Undying Flames boy smiled at me in surprise when he saw me staring right at him.
“You don’t look surprised to see me. Although, it hasn’t been too long since we last talked,” he said.
“You have a special way of announcing your presence,” I said giving him a smile of my own.
“Do I? I’ll take your word for it. I’m here because I want to talk to you about something important, but first I want to thank you.”
“Thanks? For what?”
“For saving Sirei. He’s someone important to me.”
I felt my finger move to scratch my cheek on habit. The gratitude filled smile of the boy was almost as blinding as the flames he’s made out of. “Yeah, of course. I couldn’t just let him die, that’s how everything fell apart last time. Besides, I have a feeling we’re going to need him.”
“Is that really what it is?” I noticed the boy had adopted a serious, inquisitive expression. His sudden change is filling me with unease, it’s like I’m staring at someone who looks more confused than sure of himself. “On to the real reason I wanted to talk to you. Don’t you think I look brighter than usual?”
“Yeah… I do.”
“And look at the wall of fire…” The boy floated over to the edge of the roof and stared off into the distance. “You said you’ve come from the future, and you proved it with your knowledge of Eito’s betrayal and my existence. So I assume you already know of the walls true nature.”
I joined the boy, deciding to stare off into the distance over the edge of the roof. “They’re apart of your power. Without you there wouldn’t be a wall to begin with.”
The boy chuckled. “Right. The flames are a result of my Hemoanima, or should I call it Cryptoglobin?”
“Either one is fine. They’re essentially the same thing anyways.”
“I think the moment you came back from the future sparked a development in my power. I feel stronger than ever before, normally forming my avatar would take a tremendous amount of focus and strength, but now I feel like I can do it with ease. I initially thought you were the reason for this, but seeing your fight with Eito has me doubting it.”
I could only stare at the boy as he took the time to gather his next words. I couldn’t bring myself to add anything to the conversation, I was too curious about what he’s referring too.
“Not only do I feel stronger, but you look stronger as well. Almost like the Takumi from yesterday is nothing but a memory. You give off this pressure of a powerful being.”
“I sure don’t feel that way.” I looked at my hands as if they would tell me if anything was different.
‘But I know what he means. Eito was stronger, much stronger than he was after he absorbed all that Hemoanima.’
“You fought like an experienced warrior, someone who has seen combat his whole life. Did your one-hundred days really push you that far? Or have you been fighting since before you first came here?”
“Neither… My one-hundred days was tough for sure, but not tough enough to make me a master.”
“Then it must be a side effect from your time travel. Perhaps you kept all the power you gained when you came back and it’s somehow affecting everyone else. It’s not out of the question if its Hemoanima we’re talking about.”
“I-I really don’t know.”
The boy noticed when I slouched down in exhaustion. “I see.”
“I really wish I could give you an answer.”
“Don’t beat yourself up about it Takumi. I’m sure the answer is right in front of us even if we can’t see it. However, we should continue talking about this another time. You look like you need some rest.” I watched the boy disappear into thin air without so much as another word.
He is right. The exhaustion of time travel and my battle with Eito had finally caught up to me. It was way harder than I thought it would be.
I wanted to think more on what the boy was trying to say, but I couldn’t reel my mind back from exhaustion. Still it seemed strange to me that the boy suddenly grew so much stronger, was it really a result of his ability? Or was he really imagining things?
I could believe if it was a small power boost, but Eito’s jump seemed impossible. I stole the power from him when I killed him; he shouldn’t have been that strong.
Ah… I don’t know…
Either way it was a problem for future Takumi. So without a second thought I went back to my room and let the realm of sleep claim me for the night.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
*Ding Dong Bing Bong*
“Up and at ‘em, troops! Time to rise and shine! Get ready for your 3rd day of active service here at Last Defense Academy! Before you all go down and chow down on breakfast I would like you all to come to the war room for a special announcement! Attendance is mandatory, I’ll see you there soldiers!”
I woke up to the sound of the morning announcement. I can’t believe I’m hearing it again. But unlike the first time there was an extra bit added. Is this what Sirei was going to tell us last time on day three? He was trying to get permission from his superiors to tell us more about our purpose and the war effort. It doesn’t matter to me though, I already know everything.
‘I guess I should head over then… after I wash my face… and shower… and brush my teeth… and-’
“Good morning Mr. Sumino!” Ima said when I exited my room. “Today is a fine morning isn’t it?! My Sister Dearest looks extra dazzling today!”
“You look just as good Brother Dearest!” Kako yelled with the same amount of enthusiasm as her twin.
I scratched my cheek in embarrassment, their smiles were not what I expected to see first thing in the morning. “You two are in a good mood,” I said.
“How could we not be? I feel so rejuvenated!” Ima sighed delightfully. “I can’t wait to use this energy to show the world how amazing my Sister Dearest is! Don’t you agree Mr. Sumino?”
“Brother Dearest, you’re embarrassing me…” Kako blushed.
I just stood there and watched as the twins entered the building. They’re really energetic, maybe it’s because of the news they’ll be hearing today. Finally knowing what they’re fighting for is bound to do wonders for everyone’s moral, so I’m happy for them.
It’s nice seeing Ima in his real body again, and not just as a replacement of Sirei. He looked so happy too… so did Kako…
I’d suddenly remembered the face Kako made when the Supreme Commander killed her brother. I don’t ever want to see that look in her eye ever again; I don’t want any of my friends to lose someone they care about. This is why I came back, to do things over again.
“Yo! My man Takumi! What’s with the big frown?” A pair of strong hands grabbed me by the shoulders and squeezed them tight. Too tight. “Isn’t the sky beautiful in the mornin’?! And we’re getting more info from Sirei?! Today is a good day don’t you think?! Let’s see that smile!”
“T-Takemaru you’re squeezing my shoulders too hard…”
“I’m just so excited! It’s on days like this where you have to give it your all! No guts no glory!”
“Ah…” I felt myself shrink under the immense strength of the biker. “P-Please Takemaru…”
“I’ll be goin’ on ahead Takumi, see you there!” Takemaru finally let go of his shoulders giving an immediate sense of relief to my muscles.
‘He didn’t even acknowledge my plea…’
Today was already off to a strong start; everyone is so energetic. Everyone’s smiles and cheers are burned into my mind. And while the giant smiles are weird to see so early in the morning, I’m just happy to see them all.
So with the stiffness still present in my shoulders I took off to the War Room, secretly excited to see everyone together again.
Everyone was all smiles when I entered the room. Most of them were talking among themselves with open excitement. A few even went out of their way to say hi to me, something I didn’t expect to see so soon. We should all still be at the awkward acquaintances stage…
“Takumi! What’s up man!” Gaku waved from the corner of the room.
“Hey Takumi! Isn’t it a wonderful morning today?” Tsubasa said, letting out a happy sigh.
“It really is! I can’t believe an insect like me feels so good!” Shouma stifled a giggle from exiting his mouth.
‘Even Shouma’s excited? I don’t remember the news being that important to them before.’
“Relax everyone, Sirei hasn’t given us the news yet, remember?” Hiruko said, trying to be the voice of reason, but even she had a small smirk on her face.
I couldn’t believe my eyes. Not only was Hiruko alive again, but she also has a happy smile on. Something is definitely up. Everyone is acting so different.
“Ugh! This happy atmosphere is pissing me off!” Darumi complained.
‘At least Darumi is still the same.’
“But I guess I can’t be too mad, I got a full eight hours of sleep for once. So I don’t really care!”
‘No not Darumi too! Wait, why am I thinking this is a bad thing?’
“What’s wrong Takumi? Not feeling the atmosphere today?” Hiruko asked as she walked towards me.
“I’m just surprised to see everyone with smiles, even you Hiruko.”
“Am I not allowed to smile?” Hiruko’s face suddenly became dark with anger. She crossed her arms and looked down on my now trembling figure.
“N-No I meant-”
“I’m only teasing. Don’t take everything so seriously,” Hiruko lightly laughed.
“Yeah… Sorry.” Hearing Hiruko laugh brought a smile to my face. I don’t know why any of this happening, but I’m not going to question it. Going against the flow of things has never been my style anyways.
But it’s strangely nice seeing her again. I didn’t get to spend that much time with her my first go around. I’ll make sure that’s not the case this time.
“My! My! Everyone is in such a good mood today.” Sirei popped out from behind the main War Room desk with a proud smile. “I’m glad this fine morning has brought us even closer together.”
“Good morning Sirei!” Tsubasa exclaimed with a wave.
“Good morning Kawana! It really is just smiles all around! I wish this could last forever, but unfortunately we are at war, and with war comes bad news…” Sirei threw his smile away for a serious expression. “Bad news I must share with you all…”
Everyone else froze in place at that. Their smiles all turned into neutral expressions, their faces only worsening with his upcoming words.
“It turns out there was a breach in security during the planning phase of this operation. There was a traitor in our midst this whole time.”
“T-Traitor?” Gaku said, his face turning pale.
“What do you mean, traitor?” Tsubasa asked, her face more curious than confused.
“Last night, an attempt was made on my life,” Sirei said, his face devoid of any emotion. “They wanted to ruin the whole mission by taking out your commanding officer. The absurdity! If you can’t believe me then just ask my knight in shining armor, Sumino. He saved my life after all!”
“Takumi?” Takemaru looked to me with a glance that was asking if it was true. He was the only one in the room who wasn’t in complete shock over the news, other than me of course.
I let out a deep sigh as the attention got put onto me. “It is true Takemaru. Last night in the gym-” I proceeded to tell everyone the whole story. I explained how Eito tricked Sirei into meeting with him in the gym late at night to show him how to use his infuser. Sirei was excited to hear that Eito wanted to fight; he would never expect Eito to try to kill him with his class weapon. Luckily I had shown up just in time to stop him, and now the traitor is imprisoned in the courtyard.
Understandably many of them had doubts, but once I had explained Eito’s reliance upon the Revive-o-matic everything else fell into place. So I assumed…
“How did you know Eito would attack Sirei?” Hiruko stared at me with an intense look.
The question caught me off guard. I didn’t expect everyone to look at me with so much suspicion, Eito is the bad guy here, not me. “I-I…” I struggled to answer the question with confidence; if I didn’t give them a convincing story then it discredits Sirei’s as well. I can’t risk breaking everyone’s trust in me. If they end up believing Eito over me, then…
I don’t even want to think about it!
But do I tell them the truth? Should I openly admit I’m a time traveler? No one would believe me. I know I would have trouble believing someone else if they told me the same thing. At least without proper evidence, but what evidence could I provide? All I have is my word. Normally that would be enough, but that’s when they knew me, right now I’m a stranger…
“Well?”
“I was having trouble sleeping last night… so I went for a late night walk and ended up stumbling onto them at the gym. I thought Eito sounded suspicious, he had this evil look in his eyes that I couldn’t just ignore. I grabbed my infuser and barely made it in time to stop him from delivering the final blow.”
In the end I came up with a lie they would believe. Already Gaku, Tsubasa, and Shouma were buying the story, however the others were skeptical- no, they all look like they trust me… Huh?!
“Alright, I believe you,” Hiruko said.
“R-Really?”
“Are you saying I shouldn’t believe you?”
“N-No, I mean-”
Hiruko smiled. “I’m teasing you again.”
‘How does she keep getting me with that…’
“As long as my Sister Dearest is safe, I don’t really care how it happened. I’m just happy the traitor won’t be able to hurt her,” Ima said, putting his hands behind his head without a care in the world.
Kako said nothing in response to that. She merely kept her head down in deep thought.
“Well it seems like everyone believes you Sumino! All’s well it ends well!”
“Hold it!” Takemaru held up a hand. “You’re telling me Eito is still alive? If what you’re saying is true shouldn’t we get rid of the bastard before something goes wrong?”
“T-Takemaru?!” I was taken aback by this. Someone like Hiruko suggesting this makes sense, but Takemaru? The punk with a heart of gold; the same guy who goes out of his way for children and the elderly; the same guy who would fight for his friends without a second thought…
“It’s just a gut feeling I have man! I don’t want to do something like that but if we don’t then something bad is going to happen. It always does…”
“What do you mean it always does?” Kako said, speaking up for the first time. Her curiosity has become too much for her to hold in.
“Uh…” Takemaru’s face dropped at the question. “I… don’t know…”
“You don’t know?” Hiruko raised an eyebrow.
“Suggesting we kill him is a big thing dude! You can’t just not know your reasoning as to why,” Gaku said.
“Well, I don’t! Alright?!” Takemaru exploded with rage, his hands curling up into a fist ready to pummel Gaku. Then as quickly as his rage came, it left, leaving him deflated. “Ah… sorry man. I didn’t mean to get so heated. But I swear it’s a real feeling like… ah you know what, forget it. All of this is giving me a killer headache.”
I looked at Takemaru in concern. “Are you alright?”
“You can punch me if it makes you feel better!” Shouma said, with a little too much enthusiasm.
“Shouma please, no one’s going to punch you.”
“I’m fine man, the commander probably hit me harder than I thought. Give me a few hours and I’ll be good as new!” Takemaru said.
“Takemaru’s craziness aside, I think he brings up an interesting proposition. Can we really trust those bars to hold Eito?” Hiruko asked Sirei.
“Those bars are built with power dampeners, even if Aotsuki had his infuser he wouldn’t be able to use his class armor. As long as he is in that cage there is nothing he can do,” Sirei said.
Hiruko gave a simple nod in response, and chose to say no more of it.
“So that’s that then…” Takemaru fidgeted with the back of his head.
The rest of the group silently stood there taking all of this in. It must be a shock to hear one of us had been planning to betray us from the beginning. The good mood from before had suddenly vanished, replaced by a cold, unsettling silence.
“Was that the end of the announcement?” Hiruko was the first to break said silence holding the group down. It isn’t surprising to see how well put together she is. Not an ounce of doubt or fear emanates from the her. I guess she’s the same as ever.
“Actually there is one last thing…” Sirei regained everyone’s attention with a wave of his hands. “I would like to designate Takumi Sumino as team leader! He has clearly shown us he can lead and has a heart that yearns to save humanity!”
‘Me? Team leader? Is it because of my knowledge of the future?’
I met Sirei’s eyes and realized the robot was thinking the same thing. With this the one-hundred days would go smoothly. But the issue would be if the rest of the team accepted me as their new leader. The last time we had one it was more of a dictatorship than a leadership. I looked around at each one of them expecting to see some resistance or doubt. Instead all I saw was a deep rooted respect in each of their eyes.
Why? In the span of two days I seemed to have earned each and every one of their admiration… but last time it took weeks. We only came together out of necessity, not because of genuine affection. It wasn’t until the end that we became true friends, almost family.
All I’ve done is steel myself to fight some invaders and stop Eito. Nothing too noteworthy, yet they’re all looking at me like it’s the correct choice. What is going on?
“I have no complaints,” Hiruko said with a smirk.
“Ugh, I guess I don’t either… Takumi seems like he’d make a good leader,” Gaku said.
“Takumi will do great for sure! I just know it!” Shouma smiled brightly in support.
“Mr. Sumino is clearly the perfect person to throw random jobs at!” Ima stuck out his tongue with a mock smile.
I felt touched by all of their support. Already it’s seeming like coming back was the right choice.
Except everything seemed to be lining up into place too well… While outwardly I was thanking them and promising to do my best, inwardly I felt like something was wrong. The sudden change in their personalities is so out of place… has the future already changed? Was defeating Eito already enough to bring them together…?
“Great! Oh, and one last, last thing,” Sirei said catching us before we left. “I decided to unlock all of the rooms in the academy, but the courtyard is off limits until further notice! I don’t need any of you listening to any of Aotsuki’s lies. Okay, that’s all for today. Dismissed!”
“Cool! Man am I hungry today!” Gaku put his hands behind his head and started walking towards the exit before anyone had even processed Sirei’s words.
“Wait!” Tsubasa yelled. “Weren’t you going to tell us why we’re fighting this war in the first place? Have you gotten word back from the higher ups?”
Gaku turned around and pointed at Sirei. “That’s right! You almost conned us!”
“No, he almost conned you,” Takemaru said with a sneer.
Sirei sighed and pulled out a cane to support him. He looked at each and every one of us, choosing his next words carefully. “I wanted to tell you all today, but I haven’t gotten word back yet. Everyone seemed to be in such a good mood, but the news about Aotsuki brought your moods down, I didn’t want to ruin it even further by explaining this.”
“Really? They’ve said nothing?” Ima asked, narrowing his eyes at him.
“These things take time Mr. Tsukumo. I promise you all, the second I get confirmation I’ll tell you everything, but until then my lips are sealed.”
Sirei is hiding something, we all knew he was. There’s a look in his eyes that screams he is lying, but none of us dared to call him out on it. We all simply nodded and left him alone in the war room.
Afterwards we all left to the cafeteria to eat breakfast. I assumed things would be quiet like it was on my first go at day three, with the news of Eito’s betrayal and the lack of news of our purpose. It won’t be easy simply hearing it all and moving on like nothing happened. As team leader I feel like the responsibility to cheer everyone up falls on me now. I should give them all some words of encouragement!
At least I assumed they needed some… but by the time I had gotten my food…
“Hmm, this mayonnaise with jelly combo is great,” Kako said her mouth covered with food.
“Add some apple slices to it and the texture change is too good to ignore,” Ima agreed his mouth also covered with food.
“You two have hella weird eatin’ habits, you know that?” Takemaru said.
Tsubasa waved her hand dismissively from the other side of the table. “While I agree, I think we should let them have their fun.”
“If you can call that fun…” Gaku said, trying his best to focus on his own food instead of the science experiment the twins have made. “What are you eating bro?” He turned to me.
“Just some eggs and bacon,” I said to him as I sat down.
“Ah, mixing in the poor and rich people food together.”
“Huh? What’s wrong with eggs and bacon?”
Gaku side eyed me while taking a bite of his oatmeal. “Nothing man… Nothing…”
‘I’m starting to think there is something wrong…’
Ignoring Gaku I looked to the other side of the table seeing everybody else happily chatting together. Takemaru is currently trying to convince Shouma to join him for a workout, throwing his ‘No guts, no glory!’ tagline at him, and surprisingly, it’s working.
Ima and Kako are trying to get Tsubasa to try out their new ketchup and ranch apple slices; an upgrade to their previous work, or so they call it. It’s a combination I wouldn’t feed to my worst enemy… wait, did she actually accept it? No, Tsubasa don’t…!
“I can’t believe it,” Tsubasa said, her face emotionless. Any second now she’s going to start puking…“It’s so good!” She smiled brightly a red hue spread across her face.
Or not…
“I knew you’d like it!” Kako said, equally as happy. “Here Darumi, you should try some too!”
Darumi slightly backed off at the suggestion. “I’m all for digesting poison and all, but even I’m against trying that…”
“Ah, come on,” Kako pleaded. Unknowingly to her Ima was currently giving Darumi a death glare, daring her to reject his sister again. “I promise it’s great.”
Darumi looked to the slice and then to Ima, then the slice, then back to Ima, she kept doing this until she became so dizzy her eyes turned into swirls. “Why not?!” In a burst of passion she grabbed the slice and swallowed it in one go.
‘Oh boy, they got Darumi too…’
“Hey! It’s not bad! Give me more!” Darumi stood up reaching her hand over the table.
“No! Give me more instead!” Tsubasa stood up and bumped shoulders with Darumi trying to get to the slices first.
“Ladies relax! There is more than enough of my sisters cooking to go around!” Ima said, a look of worry on his face.
“Everyone really is in a good mood today,” I said, turning back to Gaku. “I never imagined Tsubasa and Darumi would try out Kako and Ima’s food.”
“Me neither! I would rather die than eat something like that. Not even that surge of power from last night could give me the courage. Ugh, just thinking about it is giving me shivers…”
I paused, my bacon inches away from my mouth. “Surge of power?”
“Hm? Didn’t you feel it? In the middle of the night I suddenly felt like my body was on fire.”
“Are you okay?! That doesn’t sound normal…”
Gaku laughed off my worried words. “Relax dude! I’ve never felt better in my whole life! At first I was scared; I thought I ate some rotten meat on accident or something.”
“How do you accidentally eat rotten meat?”
“Can I finish my story?”
“Sorry…”
“As I was saying… after a few minutes went by I suddenly felt this rush of power. Like something straight out of a dream! It was like I could do anything!”
I put my hand over my mouth, a bad habit of mine whenever I get lost in thought. “How does this relate to everyone’s good mood?”
Gaku just stared at me in annoyance.
“Sorry. Please continue.”
“I’m only kidding bro! I’m not mad!” Gaku laughed at my guilty expression. “I went around asking if anyone else felt the same way, and it turns out we all did. Around the same time too! Freaky, huh?”
“So to summarize. You all felt a rush of power last night, at the same time, and that feeling transferred to this morning?”
“Pretty much! I mean don’t you see these new muscles of mine?!” He flexed, but there was no visible difference to his body.
“Hmm…”
‘Is it a coincidence this happened the night I came back? If it was because of me then it explains Eito’s freakish power in the gym… Could something as simple as time travel really change things so much? I say that like time travel’s actually simple…’
“I take it you didn’t feel the rush last night Takumi?”
“Wah!” I screamed, seeing Hiruko sitting a few seats away with a cup of steaming coffee in hand. “H-Hiruko? When did you get here?”
“I’ve been here, listening to you two talk the whole time. You should pay more attention to your surroundings.”
I scratched my cheek with a loose smile. “Yeah… but you’re right. I never felt any rush of power last night. I guess I was too focused on other things…”
“Like Eito?”
I nodded.
“D-Don’t bring that guy up! You’ll ruin my breakfast…” Gaku ate half of his oatmeal in one go, supposedly to deal with his anxiety. “But I have to ask, are you sure you didn’t feel it? You look like a new man to me,” Gaku said, pointing at me with his spoon.
“You do look a bit different, yes,” Hiruko said, agreeing with him. “It’s not your body language or anything, merely the aura around you.”
“The aura around me?”
‘Now that I think about it, didn’t the boy made out of Undying Flames say the same thing? That I give off this immense pressure?’
“Don’t let it go to your head though! With these new muscles of mine I bet I’ll be taking your place as team captain in no time!” Gaku smiled.
“If you become team captain then I’m resigning off the team…” Hiruko said, taking a light sip of her drink with a badly hidden smile.
“Hey!”
“Does that mean you’re going to be fighting with us Gaku?” I asked him.
“Psh! If you could even call it a fight! With me there those invaders will be running for the hills in no time!”
“Don’t count me out either!” Tsubasa said from the other side of the table. “Together, we’ll send those invaders packing in no time!”
“You too Tsubasa?!” I had to consciously stop my mouth from dropping.
“And me! With this new found power I’m going to finally stand out on my own!” Kako smiled so brightly I had to look away from it.
“I guess that means I’ll be fighting too…” Ima said, wiping his hands clean with a purple handkerchief. “Anything to protect my Sister Dearest.”
Shouma took that moment to stand from his seat. “Y-Yeah! And I’ll be giving it my all to protect you guys! If you can stand me fighting on the battlefield with you at least… don’t be afraid to hit me if I get in your way!”
“W-What about the lack of news? I thought you all didn’t want to fight if you didn’t know why?” I asked, seeing multiple pairs of eyes flick towards me.
“Only Eito wanted that. Well I thought he did, but I guess it was all a lie…” Takemaru grunted.
“While I would like to know what we’re fighting for, I don’t really see the purpose. I don’t know why but I feel a lot closer with all of you. I want to fight to keep you all safe, you know?” Gaku said, not looking any of us in the eye despite the sincerity in his words.
“Hearing you say that has me feeling embarrassed for you…” Tsubasa said.
“Hey! I’m trying to be genuine here! It’s how I honestly feel!”
“I for once agree with Mr. Maruko. None of you are as important as my dear sister, but none of you are unimportant either,” Ima said.
“Wow Ima, I never expected you of all people to say that,” I said.
“Don’t think too much on it Mr. Sumino. It’s simply the good mood of the morning affecting my judgment.”
“What my brother means to say is that you’re right Takumi,” Kako said, translating for Ima. “And I agree with him. You all are my friends and I want to do everything I can to protect you! So if that means fighting then I’ll do just that!”
“Ah geez! All of this positivity is frying my brain!” Darumi said, her skin turning paler than usual, but that might not be the positivity that’s doing it. I think she had one too many apple slices…
“Yeah! And all the smoke from her brain is getting in my eyes!” Takemaru looked away, tears streaming down his face.
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Everyone is coming together so soon. No infighting, no gifts, no persuasion. They’re doing this out of their own free will. Barely anything has happened and yet so much has changed.
I don’t know the reason but I don’t really care. With this our team’s firepower has grown! Those first few battles will be a breeze now!
If only things were like this the first time, then we wouldn’t have had to suffer so much… No, that was then and this is now. I don’t have time for regrets; I need to focus on keeping this spirit alive. With everyone working together there is no way things don’t go right.
But despite my excitement I had a deep worry in my heart, like whatever was about to happen won’t go the way I think it will. That doesn’t make sense though, things can’t change without me doing anything, and with no one knowing I’m a time traveler it means events will pretty much stay on track. I have nothing to worry about.
“All of this positivity is hypin’ me the hell up!” Takemaru yelled from his seat. “What say we bring out some dessert to celebrate?!”
Suddenly a white blur zoomed past me and onto the table. Sirei stood on the edge staring at each one of us with a sense of pride. “I agree Yakushiji!” he said. “I never expected all of you to be so willing to fight so fast, whatever happened must be a stroke of luck, or even fate. So let’s celebrate this occasion with a cheer and then some dessert! Who’s with me?!”
“Yeah!” Most of us screamed together in unison. Despite not feeling the power rush last night I found myself drawn into the excitement with everyone. I felt as if this is turning point for everything coming at us.
“Special Defense Unit~!”
“Fight!”
“Special Defense Unit~!”
“Fight!”
“Special Defense Unit-”
We kept the cheer going a few more times before we got tired of it. Hiruko and Darumi were the only ones who didn’t join in with the rest of us, the former because it’s not her style and the latter because the apple slices have taken their tole. It’s only a matter of time until they get Tsubasa too…
We practically spent the rest of the day together in the cafeteria, telling jokes and stories until the nighttime announcement rang. I got so lost in it that I forgot to think about my plans for the rest of my friends, the ones who aren’t here to celebrate with us. Nozomi told me about the battle that happened on day ten, where Moko sacrificed herself to save Nigou and everyone else.
But I can’t exactly leave now, not with the upcoming battle on day seven. I’ll have to be quick during the time in between, it’s the only way to save them.
I only remembered this when I closed the door to my room, but anything related to it would have to be tomorrows problem. I’ll make some time to talk to Sirei about it…
That’s when I felt the familiar burning sensation of my sudden visitor. I saw the flames form his avatar by my door with a bright light. Just like yesterday night he looks healthy and strong, it’s like this form of his is the real deal, not some mirage made out of magical flames.
“Once again you’re not surprised to see me,” The Undying Flames boy said, laughing lightly to himself.
I smiled at him. “I already told you that you have a special way of announcing your presence. What are you doing here? N-Not that I’m upset that you’re here… it’s just this form of yours takes up a lot of power, right?”
“Don’t you remember what I said last night? Normally you would be correct, but ever since you traveled back this form barely drains me at all. Although I can still barely fuel the missiles in the defense room. So it seems we’ll still be here for another ninety-seven days at least.”
“Does that mean you’re just here to talk then?” I asked, taking a seat on my bed.
“Yes, I wanted to continue our talk from last night.”
“I’m all ears.”
The boy walked to the middle of my room, well, more like floated. His legs made walking motions but his feet never touched the ground nor did his knees bend when he took another step. I wonder if he does that on accident…
“Did your friends tell you about their power boosts last night? How they suddenly felt like they could do anything?”
I nodded.
“Normally I would be happy about this, all of the extra power means you won’t be losing much strength despite being a member down.”
I resisted the urge to sigh at that. The image of Eito standing in the cage in the courtyard flashed through my mind.
“But what’s strange to me is that the same thing happened to me. It means my theory was wrong…” The boy saw my confused look and elaborated. “You know how you can absorb another being’s Cryptoglobin? It’s not strange to think you and your friends would have absorbed some in your first one-hundred days, after all you absorbed mine before. I thought that was the source of everyone’s sudden strength. When you came back in time their Hemoanima must have reacted to yours and powered up as a result, except it worked on me too…”
“Why is that a problem? I’m not sure if I’m following.”
“As you know, my real body is actually one of a baby. It should be impossible for me to absorb anyone’s Hemoanima. So if the power everyone received was because of their boosted blood from the future, why have I been boosted too?”
“I…” I found myself at a lost for words. I didn’t think too deeply into the power boost everyone felt last night. I thought it was luck or a result of my altercations with time, but he brings up a great point. Perhaps this goes way deeper than I initially thought. “Let’s say you are correct, and that there is another reason you powered up too. I don’t see why that’s a problem, if anything we’ve just received a powerful ally!”
“Or you’ve just made a powerful enemy even worse…” The boy said, looking down in thought.
“You lost me again. Do you think this ‘boost’ affects not only us, but the enemy too?”
“Hmm… I don’t know… Without knowing the source of the boost it’s impossible to tell whether or not it would. It’s just a random theory of mine. For all we know the Cryptoglobin in my blood sensed a power equal to its own and got stimulated; what worries me though is the enemy might be the same away. An enemy that’s strong enough to be stimulated by your immense power would be no joke. They’d be as strong if not stronger than me… But it’s not that important, even if they did get stronger you have all become powerful enough to take any of them on without a problem, I’m sure.” He smiled at me reassuringly.
“Yeah we are! And with you not even the Supreme Commander will be able to stop us!” I found myself standing up from the bed in excitement. It’s actually happening! With the strength everyone has gained no one will have to die this time. We’ll all make it to the end and escape back to the TRC, to our families!
‘Although, one of my family is here on Earth with us, probably sleeping in a room just like this right now.’
“You keep saying that like I am a part of the team,” the boy said, all confused.
“Don’t you want to be?”
“What?”
“Right before I came back you told me how you wanted to be friends with all of us! You said you wanted to talk, laugh, argue, and fight just like normal friends would. At first I thought it would be hard for you to be involved, with the fact your avatar takes so much energy to maintain. But with your new boost there’s no problem.”
“D-Do you really think so…?” The boy took in every word that left my mouth in awe. It’s like he hadn’t even considered the possibility of joining us, even after he became stronger.
“Sirei must have been ecstatic to hear about your new strength too. With this news there’s no way he’ll be able to argue against you, there isn’t a reason you can’t join us anymore! I just know it! So how about it? I can introduce you to everyone as soon as possible.”
“A-Are you sure? It looked like you are trying to keep your time traveling a secret from them. If you tell them about me then it could very well change the future even more than it already has been.”
I waved off his concerns with a laugh. “I don’t mind telling them that you’re in the defense room. They have a right to know after all, and my gut’s telling me that if we do then things are just going to get even better. But let’s say it doesn’t, then at least you finally get to live normally and interact with all of us out in the open. I would take that trade any day of the week!”
The boy stared at me in shock. “You would really do that for me?”
“Of course! We’re friends aren’t we?”
“Ha…. Hahahaha!” The boy laughed out loud, his flames burning bright to reflect his joy. “We still have to get this through Sirei, but if you really think it will work then I won’t say no. I would love to officially be friends with everyone.”
I know in my heart that this is the right decision. There isn’t a reason not to let him meet with the others; it will surely boost everyone’s spirits if we do. We’re already at an all time high, but who says we can’t go even higher?
Although, despite this good news I feel like something is off. I can’t explain why, but everything about this is wrong. Everyone was so accepting of the news of Eito’s betrayal, of my promotion to team leader, of the sudden power boost. They’re all so trusting… Yet when I talk to the flaming boy it feels normal, like they’re supposed to be this trusting. Him included.
Honestly, none of this is a bad thing. Even if I can’t explain why all of this is happening I’m happy things are working out.
So why am I suddenly so worried about it?
“But if we are friends, then I want to share with you my gut feeling…” His tone immediately changed to a serious one regaining my attention. He looked like he was getting ready to give me the worst news of my whole life. “I’m not sure what it’s related to, but you need to prepare for something soon. Because if you don’t then you’re going to be caught up in a storm you won’t be able to break away from, not alone at least.”
I merely blinked, feeling my excitement vanish completely. Whatever he was talking about it, he clearly believes it. “It’s hard to prepare for something when you don’t know what it is,” I said.
“I know… I’m sorry for bringing it up…”
“No!” I quickly said when his head dropped in shame. “Don’t be! You must be telling me this for a good reason, but whatever this ‘something’ is, I know that I’ll find a way through it. I didn’t come back in time just to give up after all.”
“Wow… You really are an inspiration Takumi…” The boy stared at me in wonder.
I blushed at the sincerity in his tone. “I wouldn’t go that far…”
“Well I think I’ve taken up enough of your time tonight. I’ll let you get to bed now; have a goodnight.” With that the boy vanished into thin air, but not before giving me one last grateful smile.
‘Talk about an eventful day three…’
There is something that’s bothering me about what the boy said tonight. I can believe that our absorption of the commander’s Hemoanima made us stronger and somehow it has carried over through time, as far fetched as it sounds. It’s a solid theory…
But I find myself stuck trying to figure out why he would suddenly get stronger too. Am I really as strong as he is?
Ah, I don’t know! I’m so tired I can barely think. We’ll figure it out eventually, but for now I have more pressing matters, like getting Nozomi and convincing Sirei to let our fire friend join the team.
Tomorrow’s going to be just as exhausting as today, isn’t it?