Chapter 3: Peace diamond (Parts 3-4)

Chapter 3 Part 3

A ray of light enters my room, signaling the arrival of a new day.

For some reason, I feel energized. I head downstairs to the kitchen—Seji-sensei is already there. Kibō and Chie are already having breakfast. Since it's early, I decide to join them for a meal.

— Good morning.

— You're up early today. Are you that excited?

I take a seat as Seji-sensei serves me two pupusas as usual.

— It's not that I'm excited. We've found the diamond bearer, and I feel responsible for guiding her onto the right path.

— Hmm, quite an excuse...

To be honest, I'm not sure why I'm doing this. I've never been empathetic. Could it be that the diamond has changed me in that way?

— Listen, Rasec, this diamond matter is quite complex. I suggest we gather everyone and discuss this more thoroughly.

— I understand your point, Seji-sensei, but I feel responsible for what happened to that girl. If I had understood her and been there for her when she needed someone, she wouldn't have suffered so much. We can gather everyone whenever, but this is more personal.

Those words truly came from the heart.

— I see... Well then.

Seji-sensei seems to have grasped what I meant and continues preparing the pupusa dough. Kibō and Chie have stayed quiet throughout breakfast but have listened to our conversation.

As I was about to leave, Kibō asks me:

— Do you want me to come with you?

I reply seriously:

— I'll be fine.

Just as I'm leaving, Seji-sensei says to me:

— If you get in trouble with the police for being with a girl, don't come looking for me.

— I'm sixteen!

With that, I finally leave the house. Seji-sensei and Kibō start talking among themselves.

— Since he got that diamond, he's been acting differently, almost like a leader. Did something happen to him?

— I couldn't tell you. I've only known him for a few days.

With my good memory, I navigate perfectly to the girl's house, now holding the chocolates in my hands, standing in front of her door. 

Wait, if one of her parents sees a boy with chocolates in hand, could they misunderstand?

I start to worry.

Damn it, I hadn't realized! It's too late to turn back now!

Nervous sweat starts to bead on my forehead. I hope no one thinks wrongly of this.

While trying to hide the box of chocolates, someone opens the door.

— Welcome—! Ah!

It was Yasuragi! I jump at him and quickly shut the door.

— Why did you open the door?! Someone could have seen you!

Yasuragi, clearly terrified, responds:

— Uh, well, her dad is out shopping, and her mom is at work, plus...

Yasuragi stands and sweetly shouts at me:

— Everyone already knows us; there's no need to hide!

— Oh, right... I'm sorry.

I get up from the floor, realizing I've once again entered someone's home uninvited...

— Meow!

A small black cat approaches and meows.

— Is that the panther?

— Her name is Nyakoshi. Seems like she likes you!

...This tiny thing almost killed me...

Nyakoshi rubs against my leg while purring softly.

— Well, uh, can I go see the girl?

— She's upstairs; her room has a black door, but she's still asleep.

— Got it. Since neither of her parents is home, I suppose I'll come back later.

Yasuragi stands in front of me and says:

— Come on, don't be shy; go see her if you want!

I don't think it's right, but since I'm here, I should at least wait for her parents in case they come and explain what happened.

— Alright, excuse me...

With small nudges, Yasuragi leads me to the girl's room.

— Go on in!

— I hope nothing happens to me for entering a girl's room without permission...

I open the door and see a rather unique room.

Her room is quite interesting, adorned with posters of rock and metal bands, shelves full of plush toys, another filled with games, and a smaller one with a few manga volumes. I find the girl sleeping on the bed.

— Watch her for a moment, Uraseku; I think I'll take a break.

Yasuragi leaves.

There are many musical instruments, mostly electric guitars.

— Well, I suppose I could stay for a bit...

Seeing all these musical instruments piques my curiosity about her.

Meanwhile, at the pupusería,

Miru-chan arrives happily with Ai.

— Good morning, Seji-sama!

— Oh, welcome, Miru-chan!

— Is Uraseku-senpai around?

— I'm sorry, but he's gone out for something.

— I see...

Miru-chan's expression falls.

Kibō enters and says:

— Oh, you suddenly look sad.

Miru-chan smiles again.

— Well, while I wait for him to return, could I help you with something?

— Huh? Well, I could use some help, but are you sure about working in a place like this? Also, I don't know when Rasec will be back.

— Yes, I'll do my best!

Chie enters.

— Let her be, Se... *hic* ji!

— Well, you stop that sake?

Miru-chan and Ai smile brightly.

Back in the girl's room—

I pick up one of her acoustic guitars, tune it, and softly play a song.

It's a love song called "Make the Universe Ours" by a Salvadoran musical group; it was one of the first songs I learned to play.

The sweet sound of the guitar strings makes the melody more beautiful than ever.

Inevitably, I start singing softly.

As I near the end of the song, I hear a slight sound; I turn to see the girl slowly waking up, her eyes gently opening as she looks at me playing the melody on the guitar.

— You play guitar? — The girl asks with sleepy eyes.

— Oh, you're awake! How are you feeling?

I place the guitar on a stand and focus all my attention on her.

— Very calm...

— I'm glad to hear that.

She smiles shyly; it seems she doesn't mind that I entered her room.

I can really tell the girl is quite calm; I suppose this mission was truly accomplished.

— I'm Rasec Zaid, — I tell the girl.

— Your name is Zaid?

I remembered that in Japan, names are different.

— Uh, no, where I'm from, names come before surnames, and I practically have two names and two surnames.

— Which country are you from?

— I'm from El Salvador.

— Huh?

The girl seems a bit confused, but I guess she'll get used to it over time. She also seems a bit shy; I suppose it's because I'm in her room without permission.

— I'm Rasec Nerfe Zaid Sador, pleasure to meet you...

— Nekoyash

iki. I'm Sumire Nekoyashiki, pleasure to meet you.

She says while still half-asleep.

Nekoyashiki? Does her surname mean "cat mansion" in Spanish?

An awkward silence fills the room... I look for a way to start a conversation, and if that doesn't work, I think I'll leave.

I look around and remember the music theme; she seems to be into rock and metal, and I can see she likes certain games, novels, and manga.

— Well, um... I see you like this kind of music. Can you play any songs by those bands?

— Oh, yes, I can play all their songs on my guitar! — she responds cheerfully, suddenly filled with energy.

I can see her very happy after what happened. Perhaps it's true that children need to be scolded with force... but what am I saying!?

— My teacher taught me all these songs at the bar where my parents work! You play very well; we should play together someday!

— W-well, when I have time, I'll come visit so we can play together.

— In what language were you singing? It wasn't Japanese, Chinese, or English.

— Uh, well, it's Spanish; that's the language spoken where I come from, hahaha.

Now I'm the one feeling a bit shy...

— By the way... — Sumire says very seriously. "Thank you for saving my life, and I'm sorry for putting yours at risk.

She lowers her gaze sadly.

— Don't worry about that; I'm glad you're okay! I guess we'll be closer now because of the diamonds and music.

— Yes, you're very kind, you know!

She lifts her gaze again and beams a bright smile.

Now that I remember, I brought her some chocolates; I should give them to her.

— I'm not sure if you'll like these... — I say as I take out the chocolates. — But I brought you some chocolates, Neko-chan.

She blushes and instead of reaching out to take the chocolates, she throws herself at me and hugs me, leaving me surprised.

Blushing and with a soft voice, she says:

— You're very sweet, no one has cared so much about me before. Thank you very much, Urasek-kun.

— Oh!

I blush as well; I can't do anything but feel her warm and sincere embrace.

I feel like she's on the verge of tears.

The hug doesn't last long as we hear someone knocking on the door downstairs.

— I'm home, Yasuragi, says someone downstairs with a deep, masculine voice.

— Welcome home, Nekoyashiki-san!

— Oh, it's dad... Sumire says.

I worry again.

Oh, no, it's her father! What do I do!?

An idea comes to mind to get out of this, but it's very risky and... oh well, I'll do it.

— Well, Neko-chan, if something happens to me, remember I was going to die anyway!

With that said, I open the window, take a leap, and jump out. I run as fast as I can without looking back.

— Urasek-kun! — Sumire calls from afar.

Upon hearing the shout, Sumire's father enters her room.

— Sumire! Is something wrong? Are you okay?

— Uh, well...

Before she can say anything, her father embraces her.

— Phew! I'm glad you're okay! — Her father says while hilariously crying.

Sumire sheds a tear and hugs her father tightly.

Meanwhile, I keep running and head straight to the pupusería, wondering how I'm only slightly injured after that second-floor jump.

—I'm almost at the pupusería! — I exclaim tiredly.

I traverse almost half the town but finally reach my destination.

Chapter 3 Part 4

Still running, I finally spot the pupusería and don't hesitate to enter, breathing heavily.

— Whew, that was close! Uh...

The establishment is a mess; there are many broken alcohol bottles, and the floor is very wet. I see Seji-sensei chasing Chie, Miru-chan cleaning up, and Ai throwing water on the floor.

The few customers present are startled by what they're witnessing.

— Give me that sake! — Seji-sensei shouts while chasing Chie.

— No! — Chie shouts back, tilting the bottle up.

— Seji-sama, please be careful; don't slip! — Miru-chan warns Seji-sensei as he runs across the wet floor.

Ai is gleefully running around with a bucket of water, splashing it everywhere.

— Hey, Racasec is here. — Kibō announces as he emerges from the shop's bathroom.

Everyone stops what they're doing and turns to look at me.

I'm dumbfounded, my face a mix of confusion and annoyance. I don't know what to say at this moment!

— Welcome, senpai!

— What's all this chaos about?!

I exclaim loudly.

— I love water! — Ai declares as she continues splashing.

— And I love sake. — Chie adds as she lies down on the floor.

Seji-sensei, with his tired face, tells me:

— These two are the troublemakers.

Despite being a bit exhausted from the sprint from the girl's house, I decide to help clean up the mess.

— Phew, let's clean up this mess; I'll help.

Time passes; I spend the rest of the day cleaning up the place. Around eight hours have passed, and it's five in the afternoon, but we finally finish cleaning.

At this moment, we're polishing the iron and the tables.

— I need a bathroom break! — Ai shouts from her seat.

— Wait until we get home. — Miru-chan replies.

We've finally finished polishing all the tables; once again, I can see my reflection in that iron that hadn't been cleaned in a long time, and the tables are spotless again.

Seji-sensei has finished cleaning the walls; he approaches Miru-chan and says:

— Well, thank you very much for your help, Miru-chan. — Seji-sensei offers her money and says: — Here's a small token of my gratitude.

Why is he offering payment?

— Hey, he's never paid me! — I tell Seji-sensei.

Miru-chan responds to Seji-sensei:

— It's okay; I don't need payment! I just wanted to help.

— I've been working here for a long time, and he's never paid me!

Seji-sensei turns to me and says:

— You live with me, you don't need payment since I provide you with food and shelter!

While Seji-sensei mutters curses, Kibō interrupts our discussion to ask me a question.

— Hey, what happened with the girl?

— Oh, right, she woke up. — Everyone is surprised. — She's feeling quite cheerful, energetic, and strong; her diamond has returned to normal, and for now, I don't think we're in danger of her turning again.

— That's good to know, I suppose it would be a good time to talk about the diamonds with everyone we've identified. — Kibō says seriously.

— Let's not rush into decisions, for now, it would be best to let her rest. By the way, her name is Sumire Nekoyashiki.

Kibō, deep in thought, says:

— If Sumire was that powerful, imagine how the others will be.

Kibō leaves us pondering, if there's someone with a diamond that forces them to do evil things and they're the best at it, it could bring us a lot of trouble.

Chie gets up from the floor, it seems she was listening to our conversation.

— Before we gather to discuss this topic, we must find our other brother or sister.

I think we still have things to do, we still have to find the last diamond bearer.

Chapter 3 Final Part

— For some reason... I feel like it's close...

Ai seems to sense that someone is approaching. Could it be another diamond bearer? It's the only thing they detect, so I don't think it could be anything else.

— I feel it too. — Kibō says.

— Me too... — Chie adds.

The spirits of the diamonds become serious.

A few seconds later, someone forcefully opens the door of the pupusería.

In an attempt to act tough, I respond just as the person enters:

— So you possess a diam... aaah!

This can't be; it's Hiroki!

Very seriously, he loudly says to us:

— You! We need to talk about them. — Hiroki declares.

— Hello, siblings... — the spirit accompanying him exclaims with a deep voice.

Of all the people in the world, why did it have to be him?