Chapter 12: Must Protect Kaede

When Kaede woke up, he found himself in a room with only candles as the source of light. In front of him were two men with funny masks on their heads. But what frightened him most was the sword and machete with them.

"Who are you? Speak to us, child," a voice of an elderly man spoke to him.

"W-who are you?" Kaede asked them, turning around his head, trying to find the voice's owner. For a teenager who is still confused, being on that spot made him scared the hell out of him.

Why was he tired? Did he do something awful?

"We are the Elders, leaders, and the head of Ryōshi High. Which are you now? The human or the Dybbuk?"

"I am me! I am human, and I don't know what you are talking about," he said. "Let me go, please," he said, begging.

"I'm sorry, child. You are here to be executed. You entered our school, and yet you have a dybbuk in you. That is against the law. You shall be executed against your will. Proceed on executing him," another voice said, and Kaede saw the two masked men walking forth at him.

One of them raised the machete he was holding and was about to swing it at Kaede, aiming his neck.

Kaede suddenly woke up, sweating.

"Finally, you woke up," a smiling Shoma greeted him early in the morning.

"W-where am I?" Kaede asked him. "Am I dead?"

"Silly, you're alive. I saved you before they could even touch one piece of your hair," Shoma told him after preparing Kaede's breakfast.

Shoma hated the idea of what if he arriving late. What if the elders executed Kaede before he came? The rope that was used to tie Kaede was a rope that Keirei made for executing Dybbuk. However, Shoman is not yet sure what exactly is inside Kaede. He is not guaranteed safe. He almost wanted to punch Hiro in the face when he reported the incident to the elders, even if he told him that he should keep it a secret first.

Minami told him to look for his younger brother. And he promised that he will.

Kaede looked out the window. Unsure of what he wanted to do now. He is scared, and he does not deny it.

"Do you want to eat your breakfast?" Shoma asked the boy.

Kaede heaved a sigh.

"I'll wash my face first, Sensei," Kaede said and walked out of bed.

After breakfast, Kaede decided to play some soccer outside; he met Hiro and Asahi.

"Hi," Hiro greeted him, but Kaede ran inside his room, where Shoma was having a coffee.

"Sensei, Hiro-sensei is looking for you," he said.

"Okay," Shoma said before stretching up. "He and I need to talk. So, go and play."

"I've lost interest," Kaede said before taking off his soccer shoes. "I don't want to talk to see or to talk to them," he added before he wrapped himself in his favorite blanket.

Shoma sighed. Kaede should start to warm again at Asahi. They need to work together, but he understands why Kaede doesn't like to see them. It was his near-death experience, but Kaede needs to grow up. Shoma touched Kaede's shoulder only to pull his hand away from him.

"What the-," he said to himself. When his hand touched Kaede's shoulder, he faced the hooded figure as if it were trying to warn him.

"Please, sensei, I want to be alone. Go and talk to Hiro-sensei," Kaede told him while he was back at him.

"Okay," he said. Shoma looked at him one last time before exiting his room and meeting Hiro and Asahi outside.

"How is he?" Hiro asked him.

"Traumatized," he said plainly. "Thanks for asking," he added, walking on the path that would lead to his room.

"It wasn't an intention. That kid has this murderous look at Asahi when he closes his Realm. Whatever controlled him that time, I felt like he wanted to kill my student," he answered, following suit.

"That's not the point. You always end his life. I told you to keep it. And you are a Grade S teacher. You could have sealed him temporarily," Shoma answered him sourly.

"He destroyed it. I barely held him," Hiro said.

Those words made Shoman stop on his track.

"What?"

"I said he destroyed my level two seal. That's why I needed one of the higher-ups to stop him. Look, I'm sorry. If anything, I'd like to ask him for an apology and to explain to him why he almost ended up in execution."

"Give him some time. The kid is still mourning. Let's give him space."

Is Asahi just listening to them thinking about how a first-year student killed an almost perfect dybbuk?

"That kid is not ordinary," Hiro said when they reached Shoma's house.

"I know," Shoma answered before unlocking the door of his room.

"Freshman should still be unable to create a realm, but that kid, he created one, and that is a higher grade than most third years' can do. It was a black flame. I never saw something like that and couldn't gather information about it. It wasn't even listed in the documents that were kept in the library. I presume that it is a new kind of Realm. And there is one thing I admit disturbs me," he said.

Shama looked at him.

"What?"

"His Realm, I cannot look inside. My eyes couldn't get through it, even Asahi's," he answered.

"Here," Shoma threw a card on the table. It was a plain black card that was familiar to Hiro.

"W-where did you get this? I thought this was only a legend?" his eyes widened. No one has access to the restricted part of the library. Even the elders didn't know that this legendary library existed. If they knew about this, they should have this card to enter it because that library was created by one of three ancient Keirei who once bonded with a shaman. And whatever was inside that library must be the important documents that had been left after the fire.

"Minami gave that to me two days before her death," Shoman answered him. "She accidentally found that card when investigating this Dybbuk infesting nest. That card's existence is unknown to the Elders. I leave that to you. At least make up for the thing you did to Kaede. Minami told me at night, there is this cat like Keirei roaming around noon. She saw it one time when she was out in the library researching something. She accidentally touches it and asks her to show the black card. Try if you can find something," Shama told him. "I can't let my eyes off him; who knows who is watching over him," Shoma said.

"I got it, okay? Meanwhile, make Asahi his partner for now so that he can keep an eye on him," Hiro said before standing up. "I'll see what I can do," he said before looking at Asahi. "I leave the rest to you. Take this," he added and threw his card at Asahi. "Buy him everything he wants. Tell him it's my way to ask for an apology."

Shoma smirked at him.

"Let's see if Kaede will bite that," he said when Asahi caught his debit card.

"No one can say no to money, idiot," he said before leaving.