Chapter-4: Reality [Subaru POV]

I dropped Hanako at her place and returned home relieved that everything went fine without any troubles, except those small fries I encountered on my way.

I stood in front of my room, numbered 3. Here we are, home sweet home. Beautiful, ain't she? Heh, obviously not.

The room I rented was just affordable and comfy enough to make my stay hospitable. A separate kitchen with an attached bathroom. In layman's terms, it's an all-in-one.

I took out my jacket and felt a sudden surge of pain. Woah! I forgot that I was stabbed in the arm while protecting Mika. That runt got me in some serious pickle. Oh well, the past is past... No use blaming her now.

There was a soft thud on the floor, and oh! It's that file from the room back then. I almost forgot about it. That room was one piece of work; it almost received a one-way ticket to the afterlife. Right, I bet you did not know what happened back there. Allow me....

• Warehouse, a few hours ago...

"No way.... What is this place?" I thought as I looked around the room. It was well cleaned, with the computers still running and certain intriguing equipment that really seemed interesting. Not to mention, there was some porno playing on the PC, which I smashed to pieces, feigning annoyance.

It looked like it had been in use recently. There was some paperwork recording the raids and whatever money was gathered from the stores that were under the mafia's protection racket scheme. That's just sick...

Well, there is nothing useful in here, but a picture is worth ten thousand words. There has to be some sort of switch or trigger to see something hidden beyond the wall or something.

I looked around and spotted a wooden, well-polished cabinet with a portrait of a middle-aged couple flashing a cruel smile with a child in their midst.

Wow, had this portrait been made public, I would be totally confident that this thing would win the 'best crazy smile of all time' award.

I removed the portrait, and BINGO! Uhh... In front of me was a Yin and Yang puzzle.

For crying out loud, give me a break, man! I am not in the mood for some serious brain-storming right now!

Hmm. If it is a puzzle lock, surely there must be something important. Why not take the chance when I have it?

So, the Yin and Yang. The basic principle of every branch of martial arts is also the very foundation of Ninjutsu itself. Solving this could be a little nerve-wracking.

But something felt wrong. The Yin and Yang were the symbols supposedly known by the Shinobis and ninjas alike. Then, what is this symbol doing here?

I analysed the puzzle and was astonished. This setup was done by an experienced entity. But who could it possibly be? The more I thought about it, the more it disturbed me. What if this lock was set up by a veteran jinshin? No, no, that's impossible.

There were three symbols: the biggest one in the center, followed by the same symbol on either side. Hmph. Pretty smart, are we?

I placed my ear partly in the cabinet and fiddled with both locks, rotating both clockwise and anti-clockwise simultaneously. It took me quite a while to decipher the code.

"The Yin with Yang on the left and the Yang pointing on the right..."

CLICK! Aw right! That's my cue.

That was easy. No traps, knives, or guns sprang out to turn me into a bloody mess. No poison gas. Let's get this over with; we don't have all day to keep them waiting.

I opened the locker and found a well-camouflaged file leaning against a couple of books.

I instinctively reached out to take it, and my hand touched a thin thread or threads. Hold on. Did I say threads? Uh-oh...

"SHIT!"

I jumped off the floor and took refuge as I hung from the ceiling. Where there should have been a floor, there was none. pure high-voltage wiring and EMF's flashing blue electricity.

That was a close call. Had I not jumped in time, I would already be on my way to see my ancestors right now. Everywhere I saw was only blue electricity, and that's a huge warning sign signalling immediate death.

Suddenly, the brick I was holding on to sank. Wait... What?!

Right in front of me, the wall in front rotated until it revealed three cross-bows with the arrows at the ready.

"What the hell?! I did not expect this to go crazy. Oh no, if I do not move, those three are going to come straight at me."

If I jumped, that would mean death. Argh! Why is life so cruel at times like these? What should I do? It's not like I can stop time.

Oh crap. Here they come.

I raised my good arm defensively to guard myself from the whistling arrows, and

SHLICK-

"GAH!! This just got batshit crazy! I am surrounded by life-taking traps from all sides! If this goes on, my death will only be a matter of time. Think, Subaru, think!"

The EMF's are mostly run on heavily powered batteries or a direct source of current. By the looks of it, this seems to be connected in a parallel series.

Come to think of it,. When I was on my way here with Mika, I saw a few malfunctioning street lamps and, not to mention, a bulb in the warehouse. There were many more that could be used for enough visible energy. Then why?

Could it be that the majority of the current is being transferred to this room? If that is the case, such a source could not be far away.

The higher the level of voltage, the greater the distance traveled, the greater the resistance faced in the circuit. If that's the case, it shouldn't be far away... It must be

"Above me!" I yelled in triumph.

I looked above and saw the current magnitude reading and gasped in horror. It was 5 MeVs! What on earth was this guy thinking? Whew....Thank goodness I didn't touch the ground.

I pulled out the arrows and struck at the fuse box, breaking it. Below me, the horrendous blue glow faded, and that's when I set my foot down.

Normally, for destroying government amenities, you get a jail term or a hefty penalty. However, since I am from the Iwasaki Yu, I am exempt from such liabilities because of our clan's extraordinary services to the nation since ancient times.

My breathing was heavy. "Forget that I said that this was easy. I am never underestimating my surroundings again."

With that last statement, I left the warehouse.

This is what happened back there. Pretty freaky, right?

Oh, I almost forgot the file. Just what is inside it earned it the qualification to have heavy and dangerous security.

I opened the file slowly and carefully and began to read it's contents. It was pretty old, ten years prior now. Hold on! If I say ten years from now... Then this file dates back to the same night of Iwasaki Yu's massacre?!

I read the date: December 21, 2009.

Status: Highly Classified

Subject: Mission Extermination (Iwasaki Yu).

Casualties: forty thousand to sixty thousand.

Region of Operation: Osaka, Town of Raden.

Survivors: None

Status: Success

I was just shocked, unable to comprehend what I was seeing. From the looks of it, the massacre was not on a whim; it had already been planned months ago.

But to take down an enormous figure in one single night could not be possible without the aid of mercenaries.

The problem I was having trouble understanding was: Which clan or organisation could possibly go this far?

We, the Raikiri, would rather die for our honour than betray our own kinsmen. So far... So far, I have my suspicions about one person concerning this matter, but more on this later.

This is just a part of the puzzle where I have only gathered a fragment; the rest remains to be solved. But the question that arises here is: From where could I possibly gather the remaining leads?

"Ah... Whatever. Let's leave it at that for now. First things first, let's have these wounds treated. I don't want to make it worse."

I began to take out the first-aid kit and begin dressing the wound. Just looking at it made me uncomfortable. It turned into a sickly shade of blue. Oh man...

I applied the antiseptic to the gash and cut my arms. I winced, just so you know it burns like hell well... Not to mention that I am starting to feel bone tired.

"All done! Uhh...  maybe, I said as I looked at the messed-up floor.

I sighed. Now I have to clean up my room. What a pain in the ass. I finish one thing, then the other trouble pops out.

However, this isn't my major concern right now. I have a few trivial matters to attend to.

After a few subsequent days, It will be my first day of school, which I look forward to eagerly [kind of with mixed feelings.]

You see, I plan on enrolling at Mitsushiba High School for my first year. I've been saving money to afford a good education because I can't expect any help from my family, and I am sure you know the reason as well.

I found out about Mitsushiba when I was looking for the best schools in the locality. There was a list of schools I found out about, and I saw that Mitsushiba had quite the reviews from the students as well as the parents sending their children for studies, so I decided to transfer to Mitsushiba in the coming one or two days.

Part of the reason I chose Mitsushiba is because the school is neither too far nor too near, just at an optimum distance from Subaru city.

Just thinking about school made my head hurt. Hey, it's not that I don't want to go; it's just that I have never been in such a mixed environment, and that makes me a little bit too self-conscious about my surroundings. Oh well, so be it.

I... I am just afraid that I won't be accepted here either. I have had really bad experiences since I was a kid.

People in this world, no matter who they are, have both positive and negative qualities. It is indeed a reality. Where there is positivity, there is negativity.

So are the yin and yang. If the happy people around me were the leaves bathing in the sun, then I am the root that grows in the dark.

Hey, When you are going for education, why worry about other things anyway? I shrugged.

As for why I am feeling uncomfortable attending school, I think I'll save this story for some other time.

I yawned as I let myself hit the bed. What a troublesome day! I must feel proud that I defied my fate and escaped death, but all I feel is an empty void inside me, missing something crucial.

Reality shows us important lessons that people shut themselves to. But in my case, I can do nothing but embrace the fact that I won't ever be anyone's first choice. I am just like a broken glass; no matter how much you pour into me, I will always be empty.

After a deep thought, I fell asleep in a matter of seconds. I was pretty much enjoying my sleep until I heard a knock.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

I grumbled, "Just who the hell is out there at this time of the night?"

"Open up, sleepy head!" said a feminine voice.

Holy shit! Please don't be...

I opened the door, and there stood a friendly face that looked at me with a beautiful smile, the very one that I was never tired of looking at.

She looked at Subaru and gasped, "Oh my God..."

Standing in front of Subaru was none other than his friend and colleague, Maki Sakisaki.