"Yo."
Tsiene looked up at me. "I knew you'd come. Aren't you scared I'll hurt you again?"
I hesitantly took a seat next to her on the fountain's edge, my legs facing outward. "You won't hurt me unless I say your name again."
Bright noon sunlight fell directly into my eyes. I had to skip class to find answers.
'Your understanding of how I work is wrong. I won't make you disappear unless you utter my name. However, I can still hurt you all I want." She replied.
"Let's not get riled up then." I cleared my throat. "W-what happens when you make people disappear? I'm guessing they don't die…?"
"Get to the point." She snarked, her voice still somehow monotonous.
"I need your help finding a way into The Sanctuary."
Tsiene's expression shifts to suspicion. "Aren't you friends with those…Catalysers? Wouldn't you know?"
"I don't. But I'd like to know."
Her eyes widened. "There's no merit for me if I showed you the way." Tsiene scoffed.
"I…couldn't think of a way to compensate you. Maybe I could help you with anything you're struggling with?" I shifted nervously.
For an instant, I noticed a strange gleam in her eyes. She cleared her throat. "Meet me at Nyankuro café tomorrow at 10 in the morning. Don't be late." She got up and speed blitzed away.
"Wait—!" I lose sight of which way she went. 'At least give me some information…was I supposed to think of this as a date?' I shook the thought away. 'Overthinking again…I'll know once I get there.' I stretch my body. 'For now, I'll consider a date.'
After lunch, I managed to stay out of the teacher's sight and joined the classes.
-----
Everyone rushed out of class as the final bell rang.
"Yo, Yuuhi~" Leon and Kusuo greeted me with a grin while I was packing my bag. They cornered me.
"You feelin' guilty about yesterday?" Kusuo pat my back.
I rub the back of my head. "Sorry about…you know, abandoning you."
Leon pulled out his phone. "We took revenge, you're forgiven now." On the screen was a picture of me sleeping, hugging my pillow and sucking on my thumb.
With a single glance, I jumped up, but Kusuo held me back. "Delete that!" I felt my face redden with embarrassment.
"Nope!" Leon swung his hand away, his grin still as wide. He adjusted his glasses. "This was for abandoning us and getting special treatment from those sanctuary assholes." He sat down in the seat next to mine.
As I calmed down, Kusuo let go of me. "Now, tell us what you were hiding before." They stared at me expectantly.
Taking a deep sigh, I started to explain. "Ever since I could remember, I had a mysterious ability to boost my strength at will for a limited time...I created the word 'Discharge' as a mental switch for it, and I never tried to figure out anything about its origin." I gulped. 'I guess what's happening now is the result of that'
Kusuo placed his hand on my shoulder again. "And you never thought to tell us about this?' Their faces darkened.
"If I did, I felt like it would have changed…you know, the dynamic we have." Looking down, I avoid meeting their eyes.
Leon and Kusuo glanced at each other.
"Pfft—" They couldn't hold back any longer. Both burst out laughing. "You're really good at overthinking stuff." Kusuo clutched his abdomen, trying to control himself.
"We're aware of why you are the way you are." Leon leaned back in his seat.
"We would change regardless. You shouldn't worry about things that are inevitable." Kusuo smiled.
I felt my worry wash away.
"Can I also ask you guys a question?"
"Go ahead." They nodded.
"Why'd you guys forgive me so easily?"
Leon sighed. "It was partially our fault that the gremlins even showed up, so I didn't think we should dwell on it for too long."
'They're not aware Tsiene showed up because of me, or even the fact that they played into the principal's plan…'
A moving cloud blocks the piercing sunlight, casting shade over the classroom.
"Whatever, let's go to the café you work at." Kusuo stated excitedly.
"I'll go alone." I replied, "You're trying to come along to set yourself up with the manager."
"Tch~ I was gonna come along to help you apologise for not clocking in yesterday." He whistled.
Leon got up from the seat. "I've got to attend a student council meeting. I guess we can't hang out today." He shrugged.
The three of us go our separate ways after leaving the classroom.
-----
After I was done with my part-time job, I came home tired. However, instead of going to sleep, I decided to test and experiment with my ability. To make sure I didn't lose track of anything, I noted them in my diary.
A few facts were that when activated, a golden aura envelops my body, and after prolonged use, the aura dimmed. The dimming of the aura didn't affect the potency of the strength boost.
At maximum potency, I could create craters with a punch and carry cars, although there's not much change in my speed, which didn't make any sense.
I healed and recovered stamina faster when my ability is active, but once it ends, extreme fatigue takes over my body, depending on how much I used it.
'[The root of the primordial is missing within his soul…but if so, what's occupying it?] [Perhaps…the combination of a principle born from matter's reluctance to perish and a theoretical definition of God, you hold the rumoured 'Perspective']'
Those were the words of Alice, the higher gremlin that accompanied Tsiene when they attacked us.
"Perspective…" I sighed. I didn't understand any of her words. Maybe I could ask Tsiene tomorrow.
After experimenting a bit more, I fell asleep by midnight.
-----
Tsiene entered the café.
She looked a lot different from yesterday, now clad in a simple white dress with purple polka dots; her hair was now black and tied up, and she was wearing a pair of red-framed glasses. "Why are you dressed like that?" she questioned, pointing at me, her voice as monotonous as ever.
"It's my uniform." I adjusted my bowtie, clad in a waiter's outfit, maintaining my neutral expression.
Her eyes narrowed, brows furrowing. "…"
She sat down at one of the window-side tables, and I took the seat opposite to her.
"In a few minutes, the target will arrive. He'll sit at the table beside us. Keep an eye out." Tsiene said, placing her purse on the table.
"Eh?"
"What?" She looked at me.
"I just thought…you know, this was something different, like a date." I replied.
"…" She stared at me disapprovingly, "It would have counted as one if you weren't the waiter."
'Seriously?!' I facepalmed in my mind. "N-No matter. You were saying?"
"Help me with this mission, and I might tell you about the entrance to the sanctuary." She folded her arms.
"Fine…" I doubt anyone would actually show up. The summer festival that's happening on the other side of the town has left the café deserted for the past week. And the main attraction of the café— The cats— were all at the vet for regular checkups today.
"Why do you want to go to the sanctuary so badly, anyway?" Tsiene asked.
"That's…" I clutched my head. 'Why did I want to go to the Sanctuary anyway?' My head shifted. 'Ah. Must've been to meet Amari and get some answers from her. But what kind of answers?'
"…No goal?" She questioned. "That's not good. Sanctuary isn't for people without ambition."
"You seem to know a lot about it." My eyes locked onto hers. "What kind of place is it?"
"The Sanctuary is basically a huge space station that resides above the clouds. The Sanctuary Network acts as the entry and exit to Earth, kind of like airports for aliens." Tsiene explained.
'…? That would mean…'
"So, aliens are currently living among humans as immigrants?" I asked, my brows raised.
"It's been that way for centuries. The only difference is that humans have built the Sanctuary net in the atmosphere to make a profit from the immigration." She scoffed. "Well, I guess it's reasonable considering most of us are here to take over the planet."
A bead of sweat formed on my forehead. "And you haven't been able to do it…for centuries?"
"Humanity's greed far surpasses any aliens' or myths' sins." She stated.
Swallowing my reply, I switched the topic. "I wanted to ask, what exactly is the 'Perspective' Alice was talking about?"
Tsiene shrugged. "I don't know. The Elders never involve me in any kind of meetings, nor do they tell me anything beyond what I need to know about my mission." Her eyes flickered. "Perhaps, it's connected to the Written World Theory?"
"Written World Theory." Another term I'm not familiar with.
She glanced outside and turned to me. "Look alert. Get back to your job, don't wanna seem suspicious."
The door opened with a chime as a middle-aged couple walked in. They wore simple office outfits; the woman wore a pencil skirt, and the man wore a formal suit.
I jolted up and greeted them with a smile. "Welcome to Nyankuro Café! A table for two?"
I heard a 'pfft' from behind me but chose to ignore it.
Tsiene's face looked emotionless as usual.
'Must've been imagining things.'
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