New Dawn Chapter: 35

[🎉 New year special, you all getting an extra chapter just because I feel like it ✨️🎉]

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Tysone forgot how mentally exhausting sitting on a desk all day long could be. He took a deep, long breath, as the students began to file out of the class and out of the building. He had been discreetly glancing at the students as they rushed past him, wondering if he'd catch sight of some intruders. Special characters tended to be more aesthetically pleasing. Silver hair, for example. Or blond hair and red eyes. 

Anything that wasn't Japanese in a way. In fact, Nami was a prime suspect, but he couldn't recall a character like her in any of the anime he's seen. Chika and Aiko looked quite unremarkable. 

That being said, it wasn't like they were unattractive. No, it just seemed to him that, as he looked over their heads and shoulders at the other faces in the hallways, they appeared more like normal people rather than anime characters.

Not a bad thing, of course.

It meant he'd probably have an easier time, or that's what he'd like to believe anyway.

Regardless, Tysone was so hungry that he could eat a whole cow. Maybe two or three of them, if they were smaller. He decided to drop by a cafe on the way. 

The moment he stood before the entrance, he felt a sense of deja vu wash over him.

He glanced at the sign.

MONTECARLO SS.

There was a pang of familiarity somehow, as if this place were somehow connected to something, somewhere, some time, someone. He couldn't recall exactly why the place seemed so familiar to him, though. Perhaps he'd passed it once or twice in the past?

Still, he shook his head. Odd, normal, but odd.

He walked in.

The inside was cozy, homey. Wooden furniture. Small. Secluded. Not too popular. In fact, it was mostly empty besides for a student.

A TV was perched on a high shelf, the news channel droning on.

Tysone looked at the headlines. Explosion at President Aranami Hideo's Manor.

'Now, what is this?'

It felt so oddly... familiar. A puzzle that he just couldn't put his finger on. He felt that he'd seen the news headline somewhere else, and it was just an eerie feeling that was keeping him glued there.

Something was wrong, very, very wrong. It wasn't the type of thing he'd forget in a hurry.

"Ah, welcome." A middle-aged man behind the counter greeted him warmly.

Tysone was snapped out of his reverie and greeted back. "Hello." He sat down.

The man smiled, and the corners of his eyes crinkled with genuine warmth. "Welcome to Montecarlo. What can I get you?"

A menu was handed to Tysone.

He opened it, quickly glanced at one of the selections and indicated the image with his finger; he still had trouble pronouncing some stuff, but he was getting there. "And a bottle of iced tea, please." Tysone added.

"Coming right up!"

Meanwhile, Tysone couldn't help but take a second glance at the teenager sitting behind him. Messy hair. Droopy eyes. A gloomy aura.

The kid flipped his phone open. Read a message. Popped a pill of some kind into his mouth and promptly walked out. "Sorry, something came up. I've got to go."

The man merely waved his hand in understanding. 

Tysone narrowed his eyes. 'Now, where have I seen this before?' He sighed. A mild headache set in. He shifted his gaze back to the TV. 

Maybe he'd find more clues there? 

His focus was short-lived, for a loud, bubbly voice spoke up. A cute, brown-haired girl appeared out of nowhere. She was dressed in a yellow maid outfit, or something borne from that idea.

"Sorry for the wait, I'll get everything ready now, Arashi-kun." The entrance was so ridiculous that for a moment a field of flowers materialized around her. 

Naturally, she had Tysone's attention. 

However, the guy in question was nowhere to be seen, and the girl's exuberance immediately wilted. She turned towards the guy who got Tysone's order. "Dad, where's Arashi-kun?"

"Oh, he left. Said something came up."

"Whaaat?!"

"Excuse me." Tysone spoke up, softly. Both of them turned towards him, a little surprised. "I couldn't help but notice that guy's uniform. It's quite familiar. Which school is he from?"

"Oh, Arashi-kun goes to Mochizuki Academy!" The girl smiled, pointing at herself. "Same as me!"

"Ohh, that's interesting." Tysone nodded.

"You must be going to university." The girl's father chimed in, good-naturedly. "You look older."

"That, I am." Tysone said. "I'm Tysone, by the way. Nice to meet you."

"Ah, I'm Hinako Kominato!" The girl, Hinako, then pointed to the older man. "That's my dad. Nice to meet you as well."

As they talked, Tysone observed them closely. They looked unremarkable. Your average, happy family. But that other guy, Arashi.

'Arashi. Arashi. Arashi...' Tysone recalled the guy's features. The pill he took. The expression he made. 'And this scene... it's so familiar.'

It wasn't instant like when he met Mai for the first time, but only because Mai's scene was much more impactful. It was hard to forget. This scene, however, was pretty ordinary, but familiar.

…

Needless to say, Tysone could hardly focus on anything else throughout the rest of the day. The fact that he couldn't remember irked him. He had watched so many anime that the protagonists' names blended into one another. Arashi... Arashi... which Arashi? Which anime?

Was he a side character or a protagonist? Maybe he could be a villain...?

Tysone groaned. This was becoming a pain. All he wanted to do was to get back home and finish up on some business-related stuff.

But no...

He couldn't. He wouldn't be able to rest until he figured out this variable. What if it was an important anime that could, potentially, interfere with him in the future? 

Tysone clenched his fists, got up from his desk, and walked out. 

It didn't matter where he went, he just needed to clear his head. It had been a constant pain in the ass knowing that the likelihood of meeting characters that weren't from the anime he knew was pretty high. And even worse, the fact that they could pose a huge problem later on down the line.

That Arashi... his character would certainly show up later, but when? Where? Tysone was not a fan of not being prepared. Not after working so hard to survive the upcoming apocalypse.

He zipped up his leather jacket. The night breeze was more chilly than usual. He walked and walked until he was in a secluded corner of town. Tysone's mind continued to churn and churn. He didn't know how far he had gone until he reached the outskirts of town.

He knew he had gone far when abandoned commercial buildings sprawled in front of him. Was this the infamous west block of Tokonosu? The buildings were close-knit and wore down. The lighting was dim, and it was by pure chance and universe guidance that Tysone found himself there.

It was silent and deserted.

Until Tysone got close enough. 

Gunshots rang out like fireworks. It wasn't the sound of a mere Glock being fired. It sounded like an entire military platoon had marched inside the building. There was something off in the way it sounded. Too many bullets were being used.

"..."

He paused, listening. Briefly. Then, the sound of footsteps. And then, the sounds of a scuffle. Fists hit flesh. Grunts and shouts. More gunshots, louder, sharper than the others.

Someone fell down. Someone's back hit the pavement.

Screams of pain. The stench of blood.

"Yeah..." Tysone nodded. "I shouldn't be here." In fact, he immediately turned around, ready to get the fuck out of there. He had just walked in on a damn warzone, unaware, and worst of all, unarmed. 

That was until the loud, chopping sound of helicopter blades tore through the air. A beam of light pointed at the top of the building. 

That fucking thing came out of nowhere. 

Tysone's heart sped up as his muscles tensed. He ran off as fast as he could. He got far from the site, but still within enough range to see and hear the roaring of a missile blasting into the helicopter, mangling it into a fireball of debris and smoke.

"Fuck..." He muttered, backing away and finding his back against the wall of a nearby building.

Tysone stared as the smoking husk of the helicopter came crashing down. The sounds of the blast still echoed in his ears. 'Damn, this is no time to stand here in a daze like an idiot!' He bolted out of there, right on time as well, because an explosion rang out. 

A wave of flames, metal, and smoke blasted all around.

Tysone immediately hid behind the wall of another building, well within its shadow. 

And when he peeked out to see what the hell was going on, he saw some of the buildings collapsing like a house of cards. There was no way this was a demolition site—it'd have been obvious if that was the case. 

A fire broke out.

Smoke and flames spread out at a rapid pace.

Tysone felt the heat prickle his skin. 

And that was after a goddamn motorcycle burst out of the flames like some movie shit and sped through the streets like a maniac, its headlight momentarily flashing into Tysone's retina.

A flash of silver hair. A helmet-covered face. Red leather jacket. 

"You've got to be kidding me…"

Author Note: More chapters on P@treon.com/LordCampione.