The Crisis World XX

Chap. 14: The Beginning of a New Story

Tiik…

Spots of rain began to pour down over Kyoto this afternoon. Seen people who are walking on the body of Jalan—, especially people who do not carry umbrellas, running small so as not to be exposed to rain water. Likewise in this place, children who are playing enter their homes.

"Kids! Quick in! It's starting to rain!" shouted a purple-haired young lady in the style of a ponytail.

After being warned, the children then walked into a fairly large building. A building that has a funny picture on its front wall. A cheerful place suitable for children. "Himawari Orphanage" so the writing in front of him.

About five children between the ages of 5 and 12 were standing inside the entrance of the orphanage. They were drying their hair with a towel because of the rain. One of the smallest of them was helped to dry his hair by the adult woman.

"Thank you, aunt" he said.

The woman returned her thanks with a gentle, friendly smile.

"Bath straight away, huh? Otherwise, you'll have a fever" said the woman.

"Uuhh .. I don't want a fever!"

"We too!"

The whining of the little boy was suddenly followed by the other children who had all finished drying their hair.

"Then take a shower! The fever monster will attack you, you see."

The boy then nodded and ran, followed by another child who cheerfully ran to the bathroom. The woman just smiled at the cute behavior of the children.

Chequek…

Suddenly the sound of an open doorknob caught the woman's attention, she saw someone come inside drenched.

"I'm home" he said.

"Ara .. Herlin-chan! You're rained! Here let me dry your head" he said.

The woman had prepared with a towel in her hand—which she had worn before to the little boy earlier, to dry Herlin's head.

"I'm fine. Thank you, Yuuki-san."

He seemed to not care about himself who had been soaked by the heavy rain outside. But even so, he still took the towel that Yuuki-san had previously held and then put it on his head before he finally went inside.

**

*Night of Day*

The rain had stopped since then and left only a large puddle of water in the courtyard of the building. While the orphanage children who have finished bathing and are neat, some of them are running in the hallway—although there are also those who sit quietly at the dining table waiting for food to come.

Meanwhile in the kitchen, Yuuki-san is heating their food tonight, which is porridge. After it was ripe and ready to be served, he then moved the porridge to the table and divided it into eight small bowls that he had prepared. Then go to the dining room while carrying the porridge earlier.

"Wait for me!"

"Please chase me if you can!"

A little girl ran past Yuuki-san who was holding a tray full of porridge bowls. He was chasing a boy bigger than him for about three years.

"Don't run around the hallway!" yuuki-san.

After arriving at the dining room, the children were seen ready and had been sitting in their seats waiting for food to be served. Yuuki-san then put about seven bowls of porridge on the table.

"Less one? Ah…!"

"Good meal!" Shouted all the children in the dining room and immediately ate the porridge greedily.

While Yuuki-san went from the dining room to a room while carrying a tray on top of which was a bowl of porridge.

'The 'Herlin' poem' written on the doorstep of the room. Yuuki-san then knocks on the door to check if there is anyone inside.

Tok.Tok…

"Please come in."

Yuuki-san then opened the door carefully, one hand she used to hold the tray while the other to hold the doorknob.

As Yuuki-san walked inside, a girl was sitting on her bed looking at the night sky that she could see through the glass window. The girl was wearing a plain white T-shirt and long sleeping pants.

"Herlin-chan, I put your food on the table, huh?"

Yuuki-san then placed the bowl of porridge on the table that was right beside her bed.

"Thank you, Yuuki-san," Herlin said without looking at her.

Yuuki-san silently briefly noticed Herlin's behavior and then she started to open the conversation.

"By the way, what about the new kid?"

Yuuki-san started the conversation by asking the person who had just joined this Black Rain organization. He seemed to know what Herlin was thinking. Herlin who noticed Yuuki-san's question then looked towards her.

"Why suddenly ask like that?"

"I've never seen you skip dinner before. So I knew something must have happened" he said with a smile.

"That's a shame, Yuuki-san." said Herlin flatly.

Yuuki-san just smiled hearing the answer from him. After a quiet pause between their conversations, Herlin looked out the window and spoke.

"I think, it seems like he's a stubborn person."

"Hard-headed? Don't tell me—" his words were cut off by Herlin's answer.

"Yes, I accept it. I don't know what was on my mind at the time. And tomorrow we'll meet at Oita-san's cafe."

"Tomorrow? Is it to get to know each other better?" ask Yuuki-san.

"I feel that way. Because something like 'getting to know each other more deeply' is definitely useful for us going forward" said Herlin.

Yuuki-san again smiled with a flat answer given by Herlin. He then approached Herlin. Herlin realizes that Yuuki-san is approaching him, and then looks towards Yuuki-san.

"Yuuki-san?"

"You've grown, huh? Fight."

After kissing her cheek, Yuuki-san then walks out of Herlin's room.

"Good night Herlin-chan, make sure to eat the porridge until it runs out huh."

As Yuuki-san walked out of the room, Herlin only saw her coming out while holding her right cheek. After that, he walked towards the table to eat the porridge that Yuuki-san gave him.

"Good meal."

After his meal ran out, he headed straight to the bed to go to sleep immediately. While lying down, Herlin looked up at the ceiling of her room and had a chance to think something about what Yuuki-san said earlier.

"Fight, huh?"

**

*Night at the Hospital*

I've been with my mother for two days in the hospital room, and for the next week I won't go to school. I've already applied for an absenteeism to the school, so it seems like there won't be any problems going on.

"Oi Cecilia, are you there?" call me.

"I'm always here, what's up?"

"How do you think the guy named Ririsaka is?"

I don't know if I can trust him or not. Because I think I should be careful with someone like him.

"Let's know, I can't judge him right now. But he said 'maybe we can be familiar', right? I think for now it's a wise decision to make him an ally, given the weapons he's got" he replied.

The weapons he had, yes. Come to think of it, such a weapon was truly sinister. An invisible weapon that can suddenly split you in two.

"But it was strange ... how could he attack her in an invisible form? Is there really something like that?" Cecilia muttered.

Right also .. Cecilia never said that 'they' can only attack in visible form. Or maybe Cecilia was wrong.

"Don't blame me, you idiot!" Suddenly Cecilia shouted inside my head.

"I don't blame you, it could be a new kind, right? And also stop yelling in my head, it sucks to know."

"Hopefully so. Oh yeah, you have business tomorrow, right? You better take a break now. That weak body of yours seems to have reached its limit."

"Did you ask me to fight nights like this?" my many.

I still don't know what the purpose is to get into my body, but his words really suck. She's like an old granny who likes to nag.

"Then I'll go to sleep now. Don't bother me tonight, will you?"

"Yes, yeah, it's fast sleeping."

**

*The next day*

I was getting ready to leave the hospital for a while. Before I left, I said goodbye to my mother.

"I'll go first, Mom."

I then walked towards the cafe where the two of us would meet. After a while on the bus and on foot, I finally arrived in front of the cafe.

I have visited this cafe several times. But every time I come here, it feels like nothing normal happens to me here.

Now it seems like it's still too early for the cafe to open, right? But he told me to come here in the morning. Did he let me wait on purpose? The cafe itself has just opened.

As I was thinking in front of the cafe suddenly someone called me from behind.

"What are you doing?"

The voice ... I looked back and all I saw was a girl with blonde hair and her black Hoodie—Ririsaka-san.

"Ririsaka-san?" my many.

"What are you doing up ahead? Come on in,"

After speaking like that, he immediately walked ahead of me. But before he entered the door, he looked up at me and said something.

"And don't call me that either."

I didn't really understand what he had just said, but I followed him straight into the Cafe. In it we have been welcomed by women who work in this Cafe and always welcome every guest who comes.

"Welcome, Herlin-chan. Please sit there."

He pointed towards the two seats that were near the window. We both went there and sat there. It also provides us with water. After that, he left and went back to work.

"She is Aiza Yuuki-san" he said starting the conversation while looking at Aiza-san.

"A friendly woman, isn't she?"

"Yes, that's how it is" I said.

Somehow the words 'unlike you' were words that I thought of when he called the word 'friendly woman'.

"So like I said before at the time. My name is Ririsaka Herlin, you can call me Herlin. I'm about 16."

"I'm Satou Iraya, just call me Iraya, and I'm the same age as you, 16."

"So Iraya, it will be easier to work together if you know each other. Therefore, before we must know the strength of each of us," he explained.

"Yes, I think so too."

After that, our conversation began. A conversation that will define our cooperation in the future.

Seriate