54 Nicholas

"What are you doing?" Hector asks looking down at Chiharu. "Shut your mouth and listen to me!" Chiharu snapped at him, "Alright, Missy, first you drags me into the alleyway, and snapped at me. Tell me the real reasons, or I'll leave." Hector said getting annoyed at her behavior. "Stop calling me Missy!" Chiharu yelled, as she take a deep sigh. "Just to make sure, you're a Shirogane?" She asks staring up at him.

"Yes I am, didn't I make it clear already when I introduced myself?" Hector said crossing his arms, "Cause she's an idiot." Arkus snickered making fun of her. "I'm not an idiot!!" Chiharu snapped, "Psh, she pissed off." Arkus clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes, "Yeah, I know. Stop pissing her off, I don't want her to shouts anymore." Hector openly make fun of Chiharu in front of her.

"I can hear you!!" Chiharu yelled pissed off, "Alright, there she goes." Arkus said before turns around to face the wall. "Ugh! I can't believe a Shirogane is this disrespectful!" Chiharu groans clutching her head in frustration. "Hey, make it quick, I'm busy." Hector said getting tired of her.

Chiharu was about to opens her mouth to speaks, as Hector interrupted her. "Oh! Can we trade information? After you're done with yours, tell me the location of Dr. Nicholas!" Hector said his face full of hopes. Chiharu snapped once again, "I was about to speak!...Eh? What was the name?" She asks cooling down a bit, "Dr. Nicholas, you know where he is?" Hector asks his eyes gleaming.

"I do know, he's my father. But what do you want with him?" Chiharu asks looking at him suspiciously, "Really?! You're his daughter?! Amazing!" Hector beamed with happiness, as Chiharu face palmed at the positive energy Hector emitted. "Tell me about him!" Hector said holding both of her shoulder and leaning his face close to hers. Chiharu blushes slightly at how close their face are, she shut her eyes and punch his face. "Too close!" She yelled, as Hector falls to his back, "What the hell?" He mutters holding his reddening nose.

"I didn't see any police…" Ashley slumps to the bench, "Me too." Zeolite said standing in front of her. Ashley hung her head low, before a chaotic idea appeared in her head. "Zeolite!" She beamed looking up at him. "What?" He asked as he looked down at her. "Let's cause some chaos here until the police come to get us!"

"Sir! Did you know where Dr. Nicholas's operation is?" Theresa asks a shop owner, "Kid…why are you looking for him?" The shop owner asks looking concerns at her. Theresa pulled Celine to her side, "My friend here, used too much mana and caused her to get risks getting blind. The doctor in my hometown said you should go asks a higher class doctor, and he suggested that we should meet Dr. Nicholas to treat her eyes." Theresa said explaining a bit to the shop owner, as the shop owner rub their his forehead.

"Let me tell you a bit about Dr. Nicholas." He said offering the two to take a seats in his living room that is connected to his shop.

"Listen, here is the reasons I called you here." Chiharu said before clearing her throat and take a deep breath, as Hector sits down on a crate, looking up like a child that looks forward to the story they're gonna tells.

"First, did you know the 5 Pillars?" Chiharu asks looking down at him, Hector tilted his head in confusion, "The what?" Chiharu sighs, "I thought so…"

"The 5 Pillars is the one that keep this world balances, the 5 Pillars is born after we, humans prayed to God for safety, and peace from those wicked creatures. The God listened to what they prayed for, and was born the 5 Pillars. Years to years, the Pillars gave their responsible to their ancestor, and was born, another generation. Until now, we are at the edge of the 6th generation." Chiharu takes another deep breath to refill her lung capacities.

"Wait, wait. Can we do this at a cleaner place? Like your house or something?" Hector said interrupting her. Chiharu realizes where they are, "You're right…Let's take this in my house." Chiharu said walking away, "Uhh, I'm busy searching for Dr. Nicholas." Hector said trying to stop her to drags him once again. "Just follow me! You won't regret it!" Chiharu said looking back at him before continuing her walk.

Hector and Arkus looks at each other, as both of them shrugs at the same time.

"Wahahaha!! I'm gonna take over this city!!" Ashley laughs loudly as she stood on the craters she stacked into the air, as citizens look at her, like they have seen a crazy person. "Stop relaxing! Can't you hear what I says? I will take over this city!" Ashley repeated at the citizens, as they ignores her and continue with their business.

Zeolite sighs and slammed a card onto the floor as a flare shoot up the air, enough for the whole city to knows. He look up at Ashley, calling her to go down, "Ash! Go down! I've already used a flare!"

"Nah bro! I want to see up from here!" Ashley grins looking down at him as he sighs, "really?" He mumbled, and sit on the bench.

"Dr. Nicholas is a person you wouldn't want to meet. He's…weird, unexplainable, and mysterious. He always wears mask and thick clothes everywhere he go, even in the summer!" The shop owner blabs. "If that's all…then I have no reasons to judge him if I didn't even meet him face to face, isn't it? Never judge a book by its cover." Theresa said smiling warmly at him.

The shop owner stays quiet, "Now, now, did you know where his destination is?" Theresa asks once again. The shop owner sighs and tells her the destination. "The house on the hill near the guild."

Hector stares at an old house, that looks really unfit to live in it. "This…is your house?" He ask looking at Chiharu who is standing proud. "Yes! You'll be surprise when we got in!" Chiharu said her eyes shows confident. "Really?" Arkus asks his face looks unimpressed. "Yeah! What are you waiting for? Get in!" Chiharu said getting behind them and push Hector's back. "H-Hey!"

Chiharu open the door and push them in, after they got in, she closed the door and got beside him. "C'mon, c'mon! tell me what's your thoughts in my house!" She said excitedly wanting to hear their thoughts. "It's…like a garbage." Arkus and Hector said at the same time, "Ohoho! Yes I know- What?!" Chiharu eyes opened wide staring at her house, to see a big garbage painting. "Father!!! GET THIS SH**TY PAINTING AWAY FROM HERE!" She shouts tugging the big painting harshly, revealing a bigger room than the outside.

"How?!" Hector and Arkus shouts in unison. "Hohohoho! That's the kind reaction I wanted to hear!" Chiharu chuckled smugly. "What ya bunch doin' here?" A hoarse, throaty voice asks from distance. "Dad!" Chiharu cheerfully called and went to hug him as he dodge to the side. "Care to explain why'd you let that hedgehog and fat fox doing here?" Her father asks looking down at Hector.

"Hedgehog?" Hector blinks in disbelief, "Fat fox?!" Arkus snapped. "Yeah, why?" The masked man asks with his hands inside his pocket, while leaning onto the wall. "What did you say old man?!"Arkus rampages as Hector tries to cover his mouth. "Uhh…you shouldn't called him fat fox sir…" Hector said still trying to muffled rampaging Arkus.

"Dad! Be nice!" Chiharu said scolding him, "His name Hector Shirogane!" She said introducing them. "Shirogane?" He asks getting interest. "Yes! Be nice!" Chiharu said.

The masked man walked in front of Hector, staring down at him through his mask. "Ya know James Shirogane?" He asked, "He's…my father…why?" Hector asks staring back at him. Without saying a word, the masked man put his right hand on Hector's head, ruffling it. "I'm sorry for your father death." He said simply before retracting his hand and turn around walking away.

"Wait!" Hector called, as the masked man stops on his track. "Are you Nicholas?" He asked remembering that familiar mask back in his childhood. "The one and only." Nicholas turns around at him and grins behind his mask pointing to himself proudly.

Nicholas is a man in his early 40. Messy brown hair that ends on his lower neck, his eyes is covered by his mask, but green color can be seen of you stares at him for a long time. He wears tank top, and some shorts, well, he was too lazy to put some proper clothes. And the mask he's wearing is a gas mask that connect with a black glass that covered his eyes.

"Can you help us with our friend? Please!" Hector said bowing vigorously. "Hmm…" Nicholas thinks for a while. "What cases?" He asked.