REMPAK: The Destruction

Part 17: The Sea of the Eastern District Without the Sea, Airi Comes!

"You're embarrassed, huh?"

Airi moaning. His heart paled at Jizo's words that mocked him. The girl bent her hands over the table, hiding the face in between.

The people who had been looking at him, were already busy with their books. Jizo pricks his arm, calling Airi's name playfully.

"Here, it's okay."

"Nobody cares even if you're dancing zumba right now."

Airi frowned. Jizo, who had just been that was clearly so ridiculed. However, the girl did not deny that some of her mistakes have become more sensitive lately.

He lost all the self-control he had trained for years. Jizo can always tear down his quiet life.

"Stop back. Okay, okay, I'm not gonna talk about your friend anymore." Jizo still hasn't given up. He persuaded Airi to raise his head. He was sure, Jizo would break that one as well.

"Will I tell you what that was about? Eastern District? I know a lot about that."

Just try it, Jizo. Airi does not believe in any form of your seriousness.

"Hey, I'm serious" Jizo said as he whispered in his ear. Airi shuddered, she immediately got up and looked at the man sharply.

Jizo chuckled, before his eyes glared towards the window before him.

"The Eastern District has many seas. There were waves everywhere. The smell of salt was everywhere in the city. There are ancient buildings that are still functioning, often crowded during the workday."

The man started to tell stories. Airi was still denial, she opened her book without caring about what Jizo would tell her. However, his ears were fixed silently. Damn, why would Jizo start with an attention-grabbing sentence.

"The "small alleys numbered nearly hundreds. But, everything was heading in one direction: the great pier of the Eastern District. Ships, fishermen, fish, goods, trucks, iron-wire, taxes, to diamonds. The dock has it all."

Hm, like what his father often said about his work there. Airi was still bulldozing the page containing the calculus formula in her eyes.

"Slifted a little, a food market can be found. The best are curry seasoning shells belonging to red-tented stalls. If the tent is green, yellow, or rainbow, it doesn't taste like curry, it's probably just shellfish boiled in salt and sauce."

Jizo's heavy voice reached the ears of the girl. He was like a food expert who gave a professional appraisal. Indeed, what can curry shells taste like? More than his father's chicken soup?

"Cold banana. Beach with strong winds, also abrasion resistant plants. There are houses that are close together, there are houses that are far apart. But, the Eastern District deserves to be a place to go home."

Airi stunned. Sadly, his father wanted to move there. Those adult males must have taken everything into account beside their distance. Royo would have wanted him to live in a more comfortable place than a polluted city like here.

"If you are a little brave, explore in the dark. There are small performances of local singers, theater, to comedic entertainment. Everything is worth enjoying."

The girl finally turned to Jizo to find him smilingly staring at the orange fibers outside with nostalgia.

He raised an eyebrow for a moment, remembering something. Jizo's eyes whistled with Airi. The man suddenly became serious.

"The only thing that needs to be avoided from the Eastern District is the smell of its gunpowder. In any corner of the city, if there's a smell of gunpowder, hot iron, or a fire-warmer, keep going home."

There's no smile. A real warning. But, it was only a moment until a small smile re-emerged on Jizo's face.

"However, again, the Eastern District is a much more pleasant city than people have ever told."

"Why ask? You're going there?"

Airi did not reply, she just muttered origin. In fact, everything Jizo said was well recorded in Airi's head. The girl seemed to see for herself the world the man was telling her about.

He did not expect Jizo to describe it so detailed and complete. Airi had heard about theater, but not with singers, comedy groups, curry shells, or docks as complete as that.

Jizo spoke as if the man had lived there. Regardless of whether or not the information from Jizo is valid, Airi chooses to make it a guide for the girl's short holiday tour a few days later.

Not the Northeast District, just the Eastern District.

Alone, to his father. No friends, no alternating tickets.

Here Airi is now. The same bus terminal.

Since her academic exam season was over with satisfactory results, Airi finally decided to just leave and accept her father's offer. There's nothing to lose from that. Airi is just being human, taking a break for her busy life.

Airi pulled the neck of her suitcase, penetrating the horde of people at the bus terminal. Deja Vu's feelings bulldozed him for a moment.

Uh, the girl even had to hold her chest because her heart was uncomfortable. He took in as deep a breath as he could, plunging the air into his chest so that he could control the uncomfortable moving heartbeat. Worse, his stomach was now nauseous.

Airi ran hurriedly to the public toilet. He spewed out his rice breakfast just like that and ended up limp.

"Mkkhhh..."

Airi leaned against the bathroom door. His eyes twitched for a while before he was finally able to master his body that reacted incorrectly.

He will go recreation, pay miss with his father, but why now his body feels bad too.

Drrrrttt drrrrrttt

Airi blinked in surprise, still holding the toilet door, she reached into the cell phone in her pocket.

"You're leaving today, aren't you?"

That's a message from his father.

"Of course," type Airi in return for her.

Aware Airi, your father is waiting. His mind is pushing itself. Airi felt she had no time for the traumatic drama.

"I have to get on the bus immediately" Airi said after washing her face in the sink.

—

Eastern District

The Corvus Territory

Kido Prefecture

The well-built man with a sharp eye beam moved the chess piece two steps forward. His opponent, a young man with pudding hair dyed in several parts snorted for a moment reading his superior strategy.

"You must be kidding me, sir."

"I like jokes, Arba," he replied in a pompous tone. He laughed with his heavy voice. The man called Master instantly lost his will.

"Arba," called out to him with the rest of the laughter.

"Yes, sir." The Arba replied. Eating one pawn with insolence. Not fearing a single bit of his decision.

"What about the kid? Is it not time to go home? I heard the long holiday has come."

Arba with the netra pastel stared back at his Master. "He's on his way. I sent Saka to pick him up."

"really?"

"You're not worried they're gonna get hit?" The adult pulled back his black horse pawn. Giving Arba the way to advance without trepidation.

"You met him a few weeks ago, didn't you? Is there a change?"

Arba is not flinching. The man just wasted a tired breath.

"He's the same."

"Haha! Sure thing!" The Master is back.

"If he turns out to be a good boy, it'll be even stranger."

"You must stop tolerating it too much, sir." Arba was just giving advice. Because, the young man alone can shudder in horror if he remembers all the chaos that people cause.