Hitotsu, Satoria o Aita

The One, The Enlightened

-Hikari: Okay, calm down! When was the last time any of you two saw Raiden?

-Miyuki: Now that you mention it.... I don't think Raiden came to the school at all...

-Akihito: I haven't seen him either....

-Hikari: We need to search for him.

-Miyuki: But.. We can't leave Michi like that! Someone needs to protect him. You go looking for him and I will stay here to look after Michi.

The two of them surprised again by Miyuki's confident speech, agreed to the plan.

-Akihito: Ok Miyuki. We will leave now, ok?

-Miyuki: It's fine. Really, it is. I could never abandon him.

-Hikari: We know Miyuki. You really care for him. Not that you don't care for the rest of us but you know...

-Akihito: I don't think it is the right time to discuss these events. We have priorities. Come Hikari. Miyuki, we will return soon!

-Miyuki: Bye...

Miyuki waved at them whilst shedding a tear. She is carefully watching over him and also tries to wake him by mildly slapping him. Michiaki seems unresponsive from the slapping. There is nothing she can do so she continues to watch over him. Meanwhile, Hikari and Akihito decided to follow the road which they took to come to school. They finally reached the spot where they met the old lady. Akihito goes inside a small passage that leads to the back of the grocery store. To his surprise, he finds Raiden, and in front of him is someone with a very big hood.

-Akihito: Raiden!

Akihito calls out for Raiden. The moment he does, the person turns around to look at Akihito then turns back to Raiden. He tells something to Raiden then snaps his fingers. With that movement, he disappears.

-Raiden: What took you so long! I thought I was gonna die in here!

-Akihito: I am really sorry, Raiden! Your brother collapsed and he had to take care of him.

-Raiden: Of course he gets taken care of first. My perfect brother.

-Akihito: Don't make me remind you of what you did. You are really lucky that he still speaks to you!

Raiden looks at Akihito with an expression that is a mix of annoyance and sadness.

-Raiden: ...

-Akihito: Come on! Let's get you back. We need to enter the school.

-Raiden: FIne..

Raiden not being able to make even one step collapses.

-Akihito: Raiden! Not you too! Hikari! In here! Quick, I need help!

-Hikari: What happened? Did you find him?

-Akihito: Well, look for yourself! The brothers share the same fate.

-Hikari: What happened this time? Did you find him like this?

He then explains everything to Hikari.

-Hikari: What? Are you high? Did you eat anything rotten?

-Akihito: I swear! This is what happened!

-Hikari: Then how are you so calm? What you described to me was terrifying and really strange!

-Akihito: I really don't know....

-Hikari: Why didn't you ask him what happened? We could have easily learned something!

-Akihito: I was waiting for him to calm down, alright? I didn't know that he would collapse! Stop blaming me now and help me carry him back to school!

While Hikari and Akihito were struggling to fix the situation, Miyuki accidentally fell asleep.

Michiaki suddenly wakes up. He tries to get up but realises that Miyuki has rest on top of him. He gently tries to move her as to not wake her up but the inevitable happens.

-Miyuki: Hm.....?

Miyuki still half asleep realized what she had done. She gets up extremely fast and hides behind the corner in embarrassment.

-Miyuki: I-.. I a-.. I am really sorry, Michi....

Michiaki laughs it off and approaches Miyuki.

-Michiaki: Come on now! You didn't do anything bad! You just fell asleep! Truth be told, I should also thank you. Thank you for protecting me and staying beside me.

Miyuki becomes more embarrassed than before. She slowly comes out the corner and tries to speak with her head glued to the ground.

-Miyuki: You have nothing to thank me for.... I have only caused trouble.....

-Michiaki: Don't ever say that! Now, come here and tell me where the others are.

Miyuki explains to him what happened.

-Michiaki: Interesting... This situation is getting unnecessarily problematic. However, I have something more important to speak to you about, Miyuki.

Miyuki waits silently for Michiaki to start speaking. Michiaki leans into her right ear.

-Michiaki: This is a really big secret, so please don't tell anybody about it. This will stay between us, ok?

Miyuki nods in agreement.

-Michiaki: So.....

Michiaki says something to Miyuki. Miyuki starts getting really anxious. Midway through, she is clearly in shock. After a few seconds, she starts crying. Michiaki finally finishes. Miyuki quickly hugs him. She starts crying on his chest uncontrollably.

-Miyuki: I don't want to believe you... How.. Why... I can't process it.....

Michiaki pats her on the head.

-Michiaki: Don't worry, Miyuki. The pieces will eventually come together. I still have a large portion missing, but I am sure we will find it together. All of us. The truth will prevail.

The dark shadow appears again. This time some pieces of clothing can be seen. It wears a plain black t-shirt and black pants. It's shoes are black and white.

-???: Yes... Plan activated. Everything will come back together. There is still hope.... Right, Akira?

A yellow cat lures from the shadow figure.

-Akira: Let's hope that this time it will work. The one to save us. The one to save everybody... Here's to you, The Enlightened.

CHAPTER END