About Them

We arrived at the place, La Grande Giroflée's Cafe. Since we were nearby, I figured to check the place out and try its food. I've been here only for the drink, so I am rather curious about the food.

We found a spot and took a seat by the window. Me and Airi sat side by side, Calvin alone.

A waiter came to us for our orders. I ordered an omelet with a cake as a dessert and a coke, Airi wanted a pie with warm milk, and Calvin settled for a fried rice with steak on the side and avocado juice, a bit heavy for breakfast, but I'm not a judge of that.

While waiting, we get to know ourselves better before getting into business.

"Why do you guys want my ability?" Calvin inquired. He doesn't seem to want to use his powers for evil.

"Someone wants me dead no matter what. He is bound by a contract that, if I'm not dead, his family will die," I explained shortly without omitting more details. He must've understood what I'm trying to say.

"Why don't you kill the employer that wants you dead, null the contract and kill the people that threatened his family? You two are more capable," he comprehended my words in a different direction.

"No, you misunderstood. The universe is vast and it has everything we thought impossible. The guy that has to kill Ryuta is involved with a mysterious force. In exchange for his power, the mysterious force provided him with a list of people he had to kill. He chose Ryuta," she explained.

"Why didn't you kill him?" Calvin asked, "You can't possibly ask for his help after what he wanted to do with you, right? Let's say he is reborn with a new destiny. There is no guarantee he will help you." He analyzed the situation. He believed extinguish his life was easier than asking for his help and this person had no obligation to assist Ryuta.

As they were conversing, the waiter put their drinks on the table and walked away.

"You don't have to worry about the rest." I smiled. He understood what I meant and didn't probe further.

"I currently don't want anything." He shifted his eyes to the window and rested his chin on his palm. His mind wandered a bit.

"I see that you're bullied by members of Corrosive Order earlier. If you wish, we can assist you," offered Airi. She knew the boy had a bad relationship with the Corrosive Order. She knew them and what they were currently doing.

However, what they were doing should be different as this world timeline had other supernatural forces like cultivation. She saw no reason for them to not take advantage of it.

"No need." He moved his head to the left and right.

"Are you sure? The Corrosive Order is more than meets the eye. I'm not going to ask why an organization like them is interested in you, but your family is in danger," she warned solemnly. The air changed to heavy.

"What do you mean?" He grew anxious.

"On the surface, Corrosive Order takes a different identity. They're a company involved in computer science and worked together with other companies for new tech.

"But it is getting interesting if you dig deeper, a lot of politicians funded the company. Why would politicians fund a tech company? I doubt they did so for the better future of Japanese tech. Most of these politicians are old people, remnants of WWII, hate modern technology and are still using old ones."

Calvin's eyes widened in surprise. What she said matched the information he gained from his investigation.

He pinched his chin a bit and asked, "Why did you know a lot about Corrosive Order and who do you work for?"

"Is it important?" She shrugged her shoulders, leaning against the back of the chair.

"It is. I would work for you if you tell me, and no lies too." He looked around. After confirming no one was looking at him. He opened his mouth, put his hand into it until the elbows were swallowed. Then, he pulled his arm out with a card. He put it on the table.

We watched with wide eyes upon this scene. It came out of nowhere and was as interesting as watching a magic show.

"Put your blood on it. Everytime you tell a lie, that card will turn into a curse creature and sucked your lifeforce without really touching you," he informed.

Understanding the assignment, Airi bit her thumb and let blood flowed down, falling on the card. The blood faded away as the card absorbed her blood. Her little cut recovered in an instant.

"I worked with a guy wearing an ugly top hat and he assign me missions. I can't tell you more than that." she replied to his question and turned her attention to the card. Nothing happened.

"A guy wearing a top hat? Is his face concealed in darkness?" Calvin asked as if confirming something.

"Yeah, how'd you know? It can't be that you worked for him too." She paused and realized, "You worked for him, didn't you? Well, this makes things easier. I know your boss, he helped me at desperate times. We can help you.

"If he sent you to investigate them, something terrible will happen in the future. The world is at risk."

The card didn't move again. It caused me to ponder if the card was real or not. Maybe it's a bluff to scare us? But it absorbed her blood.

Calvin stared at the card, the latter remained still. He looked up to meet Airi's eyes.

"Okay, in exchange for my ability, you will help me. First, I want to know how my family can be safe from them?"

"Can I get a pen and paper?" She requested. Just as the same with the card, he pulled out pen and paper from his body. I'm not going to ask why his body is capable of storing things.

She drew a six star pentagram with complicated words and symbols. She stopped after finishing one.

While she was drawing, he grabbed the card and fold it to turn off the curse.

"How many family members do you have?" She asked without shifting her head from the paper.

"Three."

She drew the same thing two more times on different pages at an unbelievable speed. She rip the pages, imbued her magic on it. The pages exude a faint glow. When it finished, she gave them to him, and he accepted them gratefully.

"These are protective talismans. It will automatically activate if it senses malicious intent coming at your family. I can only provide you with physical protection, I'm not sure about other things. You can ask your boss for help," she suggested.

The Corrosive Order had some influence on all companies in Japan. They might cause his father some trouble in his company. For example, harass him harshly, charge him with things he didn't do and throw him into prison.

"I will take your suggestions and thank you for these." He bowed gratefully. He put them into his mouth, storing it in his body.

She smiled and leaned her body forward, reaching out her hand for a handshake. He didn't get used to this so he shook her hand a bit late.

"A pleasure working with you," she spoke. After a short while, they released their handshake. Now everything had been settled, the atmosphere returned to normal.

Just as I was about to say anything, the waiter came with our food. I nodded at him and said thank you. We ate while talking between mouthfuls. It was a relaxing and joyful moment.

A few minutes later, we emptied our plates and stuffed them. Their food turned out to be good. I might return.

"What is your plan for today, Calvin?" I asked as I stacked the empty plates to make the waiter's job easier.

"I'm planning to rest." He had been investigating the Corrosive Order since yesterday and hadn't got any sleep. Despite that, however, his body looked fine and showed no signs of exhaustion. Which make him weird.

"Okay, sorry for taking your time." I softly nodded after hearing his words. He responded with a kind smile and went to the cashier.

The cashier pointed her finger at me and said something. I could guess what she was saying. He nodded and went in my way.

"Thank you for the food," he bowed.

"No worries." After which, we exchanged contacts and he left after saying thank you three times.

"What a good kid," she remarked and shifted her head from the door to me. "What's next? Grinding materials for better gear?"

"I'm planning to give the potion to Shino first," I replied. "Are you coming with me?"

"Of course! Why wouldn't I?" She got up from her seat and I followed suit. We paid for our food and left the cafe. After leaving, we encountered unexpected people by the front door.

It caught me by surprise. I honestly never expect them to walk together. I never thought it was possible, in the first place.

"Ryuta?" She looked at me, confused.

I shifted my head to the person next to her, Ren. She saw my gaze and explained, "I had a business with him and on the way, we met."

"Why is he outside the cafe?" I asked the question that has been bugging me.

"Because he can. Just because he's an NPC, doesn't mean he is stuck in one place. He's not those NPCs from video games. He has free will and is not different from us. You're being rude, you know?" Her words contain a bit of discontent.

"I didn't mean to. Sorry, Ren." I looked at him and apologized.

"I don't mind. Speaking of which, it's a surprise to see you here. Do you live around here?" Ren wondered.

"No, we're here for something and decided to drop by since this is the only place I know to eat." I glanced at Shino.