Chapter 2: Oh No...

Video games, they were the subject of my affection. However, I was currently trapped in a situation that didn't really allow me to preach about them, at least not if it meant life or death by the hands of an anime trope. The woman beside me gazed intensely with her bright blue eyes, sparkling as they looked at my figure.

"I-I said that power felt like a cheat… That you almost feel like a video game character…"

"Me? But there are others here who are stronger than me. Like that girl over there."

Her ears twitched playfully as she pointed at Cora whose face darkened as countless eyes fell on her figure. I would need to deliver my gratitude to her someday. I mean she saved me from the embarrassment of having my injured body served to me on a silver platter. This time, she became my loving aegis for embarrassment.

As for me, I could only look on before looking back to the fox girl

"So, why did you approach me? I really am no one special compared to these guys."

However, she shook her head.

"You really like video games. Not only that, I feel something crazy inside of you. Although it's mostly locked up so I really could not tell what it is."

Me, a person who likes video games is considered unique? And just what was up with that power thingy? Was I born with an alien parasite or something? Perhaps mom never told me that Santa was secretly my father!

"Liking video games was a norm from where I live, and what power are you talking about? I got shanked just one evening ago and the only thing that saved me was the lady you served to the masses."

I then took a glance at Cora who looked back with a pout.

Sorry… I really am.

Hearing my reaction, the walking anime trope headed to Cora and with both hands on her hips, she stared at her as the former exchanged glances.

"Is it fine if I take your friend to Xion? You understand it too, don't you?"

Am I just a thing to be passed around? What happened to my personal preference?

Cora frowned as she looked at the fox girl’s eyes., unflinching despite the outgoing and slightly arrogant nature of the woman she had been conversing with.

“And why must you take him? Miss Shan, prized student of Principal Xion.”

When Cora said this to the fox girl, the entire crows started to break into a roar of murmurs. Whatever fun that they had in the battle from earlier had been replaced with an air of mystery. As for myself, I really did not care. I stared at the doorway, seeing two white banded men carrying the injured bird man from earlier.

My peace mattered not though, since the fox girl pranced closer to me, before holding my hand. She looked at the audience and the stands with a smile. With her chest puffed out, Shan, the perfect extrovert that she is, decided to drag me into this.

“Wasn’t he a person requested to be met by the Principal himself? Then I believe that no one other than me should be more than fitting to take him there!”

The fox exclaimed, her arms spanning wide as she invoked the crowd to cheer. Leonidas would be proud of her feats. Cora on the other hand withdrew, lowering her head to hide her face from the onlookers who eyed her.

The crowd was soon riled up, with cheers of Shan’s name echoing through the training area, the fox girl placed her hands on her hips one last time. Her chin was raised, accompanied by a smirk decorating her face.

Cora, having left without any other alternatives, clicked her tongue as she nodded in compliance.

"Sure, Pyre has to be debriefed anyway…”

C-Cora?! Were you really fine with this woman taking me somewhere?! Why do I feel like this decision might be the death of me? Without hearing what I had to say, the fox lady walked back to where I was, playfully tugging at the sleeves of my shirt.

I had to stand up. I just had to prolong my life. So long Cora and Adria, until the next life, may you two be blessed with love and prosperity.

With that, the fox girl and I walked outside, pushing the doorway to reveal the hallway from earlier. Soon after we exited, the doors closed unceremoniously with a soft click.

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"So, what sort of games do you play?"

I feel like vomiting right about now. I couldn't tell her I play visual novels with girls in it!

"Do you like romance games with anime girls in them?"

"W-What? No…! I am a hardcore gamer who plays FPS games. Not those sweet games that are meant for casuals!"

The fox girl's ears drooped as she looked to the ground.

"I see… then it's just me I guess? Maybe people really don't like Visual Novels…"

Hold up, did I hear that correctly? Visual Novels?! With a smile, I decided to carry on with the topic she brought up.

"Have you played them? Specifically what titles?"

"Cat-herine's Café, Summer Love, and Romancing Simulator to name a few, although I personally think you wouldn't like them since they are story heavy and less action based."

And to that I held her sleeve. She looked at me with furrowed brows but instead of outright saying it, I held her shoulders as I faced her.

"I like those titles. All of them."

And from that information, the fox let out a loud shriek. Thank god the walls were made out of solid steel otherwise her voice would have echoed through the building. Both of those would be bad, she gets humiliated, I get branded or assaulted. Let's not rule out the option that shows that literally no one knows me, apart from those three I guess.

"You do?! But I thought you normally played shooting games?"

"Can't I enjoy other things in secret?"

I rolled my eyes at her question in hopes that she would shake it off but to no avail. The two of us ended up having a discussion on who is "best girl" until we reached the building’s center. There was a huge hallway in the middle, reaching far into the building. However what caught my eyes was the number of people that came from the said hallway. They were out and about carrying boxes that contained different goods, heading to what seemed to be the building’s main exit and entry point.

There were food, toys, clothes and other supplies, each carried by a different volunteer who each wore a different slew of colored bands. There were also some pretty creative ways of carrying the items. One such example would be someone using the floor as a literal moving conveyor belt, with the tiles moving along, passing the boxes through some weird sort of power. Another one placed her items in some sort of raft before generating a wave that continuously pushed the vehicle along.

It was beautiful, or at least that’s what I thought when I passed through those halls.

“They deliver these items to charity and other stuff, mostly brand new, coming from their own income from the outside world…”

Shan let out a soft giggle as she looked at the different people who moved the boxes along.

Charity huh? Where do they get their allowances?

“I see, where does this facility get their allowances?”

Shan cocked her head to the side as her lips curved into a wry smile.

“W-Well, it would be hard to break it to you, but their funding comes from a huge conglomeration of businesses founded by Xion himself. He and countless other oddities from all the globe provide the money to run this institution.”

A man let out a yell as he barreled towards Shan with a massive box in his hands. In a display of skill, the fox girl nimbly trotted out of the way before swiping her hand in the air. What followed that was a gust of wind that kept the items afloat, free from any damage. It also allowed the guy to recover his footing.

“This institution, well in case you haven’t noticed its something akin to a school for oddities such as ourselves, but the Principal usually refers to them as Epico. You will find out more about them soon enough though.”

Shan continued, smiling at the guy who thanked him in the background once she finished talking. She then set the box on the floor, allowing the man to retrieve the items and carry them over to where he had to go.

I on the other hand had my jaw hanging thanks to the lady’s skill. The way she delivered herself, the manner in which she served as an aide to all, and the fact that she kind of broke my shell…

Yeah, I guess this much was good, huh? If only I wasn’t overcome by homesickness, it would have been nice to stay here.

“You… well you’re really skilled aren’t you? Can you teach me more about your technique?”

The fox girl let out a soft nervous chuckle, recoiling when she heard my response.

“I am afraid not… Epico like us boast different abilities, and while I can sense that power of yours, I could not decipher what it really is on my own. Come to think of it, have you ever used your power? What came from it?”

It was my turn to reply with a dry chuckle.

“I just arrived here, heck I was never even told about the reason for my kidnapping.”

Shan just shook her head, groaning a bit as we headed deeper into the hall. There were noticeably less people as we went deeper and so I believed that we were close to our location.

Silence took over us in the last minutes of walking we spent. The two of us finally arrived in front of a huge solid wooden door, about six feet in height and about five feet wide. Stopping in front of the massive thing felt pressuring, almost as if it was lacquered with duty and honor from whoever owned it. I mean, my legs can't even stop shaking!

The fox just looked at me with a cheeky smile though.

"Impressive isn't it? This is Xion’s office, my training area."

"It's massive and I am sure that the person in it might be as terrifying as their precedence goes."

However, the fox lady laughed, almost yipping in the process.

"No! Xion is a gentle giant you know?!"

She held her sides as she continued letting out a loud laugh. As for myself, I just pushed the door and with only one palm, the door swung open.

Eh? Was I really this strong?

"Oh right, I forgot to tell you that the door has magic on it so it doesn't really require much effort to push."

And here I thought I was a protagonist for doing that. A sigh escaped my lips as I opened the door properly revealing a large garden-like room with a single gigantic wishing fountain in the middle. Countless flowers were strewn all over the area and a single paved path lead to the center.

"This is Xion's lair, otherwise called the Principal's office?"

“I-I see… am entire garden for himself huh?

Hearing my response, the fox girl's ears twitched to the left and right as if something clicked in her head.

“Precisely, but that’s not all. This is merely the surface of what Xion is hiding.”

The two of us walked to the center, close to humongous fountain that towered overhead. Shan slowly walked towards it, and with a simple brush of her finger, the water from the fountain parted revealing a hollow space in its center.

There was a cavernous stairwell leading below with slabs limestone acting as the stairs. The two of us began our descent as lights slowly turned on below us as we went deeper into the hole. We were probably headed to the ninth circle of hell, if I base it off my sins at least.

"This is amazing though… It feels like I am witnessing a secret. Are you sure I wouldn't get killed for this?"

Shan took a long pause, freezing in place for a few moments before she began walking again.

“I… Well let’s just say he has some special things in mind for you, if you do end up in here alone.”

Huh… So I was going to be killed or something close to it. Great, I at least got to spend time with an adorable lady though

Carrying on with a sweaty face and trembling legs, the two of us made our way further down until we reached a long white marbled hallway at the bottom. A few lights flickered on as soon as we set foot on the hallway and by the end of it were two steel doors. Engraved on it were the pictures of two dragons. Together, they formed some sort of unique circle around a small orange sphere that resembled Earth that served as the handles of the structure.

"Here we are. Xion should be inside."

Shan leaned by the side of the doorway before shooting me a smirk.

“Now, open it for me will you?

"You want me to push that?"

The fox girl glanced at me, her lips curving into a cat-like smile. She raised her brows repeatedly, as if toying with me

"Chicken? I pushed this all the time you know? How about you show me that gentlemanly charm from the games you played?"

"Who said I self-projected! Anyway, why don't you give it a push, Miss?"

She shrugged and shook her head.

"Weren’t you a gentleman? In that case, you should be opening it for me."

Rolling my eyes, I just let out a sigh, bent my back and placed my hands on both doors. With a groan, I pushed against its surface which seemed to make it move ever so slightly.

"POP OUT… YOU. STUPID. METALLIC. WALL!"

Clenching my teeth, I kept on pushing until my arms gave way. The door seems to have moved a few centimeters off the doorway, but no more. Just how strong was that damn fox? Heaving a breath, I allowed myself to collapse to the floor, using my arms as support while sweat dripped from my face.

“Is that all you got? Why don’t you try using your powers?”

I clicked my tongue in annoyance before looking at Shan with my brows knit in a frown.

“I don’t know what kind of one hit wonder genius you are, don’t force me to… That… power… isn’t something I have… control over. Not yet at least.”

“And now you’re breathing heavily from just a push? My, what sort of life did you live before?”

She carried on, pacing in front of me before bending down so that she can look at me with a prideful grin.

Who the heck was she? She wasn’t the lady I was with before… I grit my teeth before responding.

“I lived a life where these types of dorrs never existed. I also wasn’t requested by an anime girl to push the equivalent of a boulder carved as an entryway.

The old smirk resurfaced on the fox's face.

"Spicy, then I take you can open this before Xion notices?"

Eh?

"Shouldn't you be opening it though Miss Fox?"

"I don't want to. Can you make me?"

And just like that, this jerk fell out of favor from me. She could have been cute but nope, she had to act like this!

"Fine… If that's what you bloody want you piece of…"

I stood up once more. Placing my hands on the door, I pushed with a loud spirited yell, a burst of flames erupted from my hands. The door moved an inch… then a meter. With a loud roar, the door opened with a heavy creak. The room the door guarded soon revealed itself to be a gigantic lounge.

It was a spacious area with tons of books that lined its walls, a huge fireplace that smoldered brightly as it lit the room, a carpet on the middle, two chairs that lay close to the fireplace, and a table with some teapots on it.

Two people sat inside, one lady that looked exactly like the fox girl beside me and a man with soft brown hair and jade colored eyes. He wore a tuxedo, but despite his composed appearance, his eyes widened when he saw the face of the person beside me.

"Who are you!? And what are you doing here?!

The man stood up, clenching his fists before they were engulfed in a green flame.

"Hello Xion, it has been awhile since we met."

She… No, he… What even were they?! What was that deep voice!

"Wyzen… What are you doing here? I believe we had a talk before this."

The fox girl that was with me morphed into a tall man who wore a jet black tuxedo, a blood red tie that complimented his hair and a killer smile embellished on his mouth. He walked closer to the man who flinched when he was in arm's reach of him, but instead of attacking, the man patted him on the head.

The weird man who was apparently named Wyzen, giggled softly as he ruffled his opponent's hair

"Look at you, acting all tough when you clearly don't want to fight me. Tell you what, wear those big boy pants in a few more years when we face each other… then maybe, just maybe, I might find you scary."

The man's jade eyes burned with fury, his hands clenched and ready to engage. However, when Wyzen spoke, he dropped his threats and let out a sigh.

"What do YOU want here?"

"Is it bad for a man to take care of his own children? They're here, you know? I lent them to you ages ago…

Xion's eyes widened like saucers and almost instantly he took a step back.

At this point, I was shaking, my legs almost buckling from the immense pressure that oozed from the tuxedo man.

"No… Not them! Why should they be here?! Did we not talk about preserving our peace for a decade?!"

However Wyzen simply cackled.

"Oh but they were peaceful? Did anyone die yet? Was anyone harmed? They simply enjoyed the quiet school life and I merely did a business trip."

"Then how did you get inside the metal seal?!"

A cold shudder ran through my body as a drop of sweat rolled down that Xion's cheek.

"Oh a strong man helped me out. That little subject of yours may be the person I would want to consume, him or that succulent fox."

He shot a sidelong smile at me before licking his lips. However, a green colored barrier suddenly emerged in front of me.

"Hands off, that man is my new student!"

Wyzen just sighed and with a turn of his heels, the man walked out, his leather shoes echoing against the faint marble floors.

"Oh right… What was your name again? Young man who loves his video games?"

Wyzen took a pause, looking me in the eye with his bright orange irises.

"Pyre… Pyre Benitez."

When he heard my answer, Wyzen simply gave a smile before vanishing into thin air, leaving behind one final message…

"You got good taste and a really kind heart, don't abandon that."

Now all that was left to solve was one angry dude whose nose puffed out smoke, and a timid fox woman who backed off into the fireplace.

What should I do next?