“We are bringing the hottest news about portals, adventurers, and the events happening in Japan. Another report of a portal being defeated by an unknown individual flashed on the screen. The portal that appeared from Shibuya, Japan, was recently found conquered by a mysterious man wielding a gun in his hand. Although this image provided by the internet may be fake, the Crimson Guild believes that there is some truth in it. Furthermore, the Crimson Guild’s leader, Sato Akai, will be the one to deliver the news to us right now. He is our special guest for today who will disclose whatever information the Crimson Guild has collected. Please be reminded that Akai will use a voice modifier and a black screen to conceal his identity from the public. His voice will be clear for everyone to hear, so don’t worry about a single thing! The news station welcomes you, Sato Akai, the founder, director, and the leader of the Crimson Guild!”
“Mister Nakamura! Over here!” the doctor called out for my name.I, who didn’t want to disrespect such a noble man, came to him and gave the physician a nod.“Hello, doctor! It’s nice to see you here! I’ve already paid in advance for the hospital bills. If there’s still anything that I need to pay for or do, please inform me. I’ll do whatever I can.”The doctor did what he could to shove the one who paid for reservations for our room at the last minute. I owed him a lot for it. If it weren’t for him pulling the strings, maybe Hina’s parents would be lying on the streets until now.“Don’t mention it, Nakamura. It’s my job. And you can call me Maruki. I am Doctor Takeshi Maruki. But you can
The mask concealed my face. It even hid my emotions and the tears that flowed from my eyes. If I pulled this trigger, Doctor Maruki would die with my own hands. And I would have claimed the life of a person, which I refused to do.I vowed to protect Hina at all costs, even if it meant killing someone. But how could I do it? This person in front of me also had a life of his own. He had already saved millions of people. People will point their fingers at me and call me a murderer if I kill him now. And they will never be wrong about it. Compared to a professional doctor working inside the hospital, nobody would trust a stranger.In spite of everything, Doctor Maruki never lost his smile. This time around, it was a genuine beam, as if he cared about me and my well-being. Even though Doctor Maruki had a gun pointed at him, he never panicked or fought back. He knew
The place didn’t change. A garden filled with spider lilies, roses, sunflowers, and the regular grass filled the lawn. Thankfully, the portals didn’t reach Sara Tanaka’s and Midori’s house. There were still people roaming around the streets, wearing their corporate attire and carrying their suitcases in their hands. However, something was different. Usually, Midori’s mother was always outside, watering the plants and catering to their needs. But Miss Tanaka wasn’t there in her usual spot. I tried gazing at the house’s interior through the window, but the glass-covered itself with stains as if someone had never cleaned it. The light was also turned off when it should’ve been on. When my feet touched the rag, the carpet looked like it wasn’t washed for days. And the roof that covered the house had spider webs all over the place and a bird’s nest that had been swatted yet. Nevertheless, I walked forward
“I was in the middle of my job when someone called me out. My coworker told me that the school was calling for me. And then people gathered inside the office - in front of the TV. The news said that a portal appeared out of nowhere. I didn’t know what it was and wanted to mind my own business. But when I heard about Midori’s school, I panicked. I didn’t know what to do. They told me that my son had died from the portal. I was in denial. I refused to believe it. Of course. How could I, right? Midori’s my son. And I wouldn’t let anything happen to him. But when I went to the school, I saw his corpse. I almost couldn’t recognise my son. I asked a lot of people in the place about what happened, but they told me the same thing. ‘The portal did this to the students,’ they said. Until then, I couldn’t get over the death of my son. Even now,” Mrs. Tanaka muttered, and flashed me a faint smile. “I thought that taking my life would end my suffering. It will, but
“Everything written in this journal may have included research from the internet. But mostly… it came from me.”{Portals appeared long ago. The scientist didn’t specifically mark the time. But from what I have discovered, Egyptians were the first ones to tell that tale. It’s always them.}{Portals act like pocket dimensions, dungeons, prisons, an infinite space isolated from our own timeline and reality, and a place where matter could exist and be created. The government might say that portals are mysterious places formed from another universe or galaxy. But I believe that there is someone who could conjure them. Isn’t it cool if my guesses are correct? But, at the same time, it’s terrifying if I put it that way.}I flipped to the next page to read the texts. Midori had a lot of time writing this information for me. As it had turned out, these details about portals made it clearer for me to understand.{P
As I exited Midori’s room, Mrs. Tanaka greeted me in the dining room as she mopped the entire area. Mrs. Tanaka lowered her head and aplogised to me that she hadn’t touched the room and became an entire mess when I came to visit. But after a few seconds, the topic trailed off as Midori’s mother blamed me for not telling her I would come and visit the house. It was insane. But instead of pointing that out, I just laughed the conversation out and helped her clean the house.Mothers. Everyone should love them for who they are.When we finished cleaning the rooms, Mrs. Tanaka offered me a meal to thank me for everything I did. While we were doing our chores, Mrs. Tanaka was also preparing a dish that was both Midori and my favourite. It was curry and a burger - a classic and a cheap dish, which I describe as a decent meal.
“Where did all the food come from?” Hina asked, as she poked at the bento box and opened its lid. She whiffed the scent of spices from the lunch box, nearly eating it with her nose alone. As the aroma sank inside in her mind, vibrant colours emerged from Hina’s eyes. “It really is curry. But it doesn’t look like you bought it from a convenience store. Well, I doubt that could happen. Nobody can cook curry this perfect, not unless it’s…” A moment of silence enveloped inside the hospital room as Hina recognised the origin of this curry. As soon as she realised it, Hina gingerly glanced in my direction and hopelessly reached her hands on top of my shoulder. But before she could even rest her palm, I caught her arm and, instead, gave her a warm hug. Hina didn’t expect this to happen. I didn't either. Hina widen
Hina’s Perspective_____________________“Let their little sisters be a heavy weight for the family?”“No.”“Watching you risk yourself, while your sister worries about you everyday?”“Well, if you put it like that. I…”“Aoi…”I didn’t know what had happened to them. When I said those words, it felt as if I was cursing them out to Aoi. He was my brother. And he will always be my brother. But I had no clue if I deserved everything he had given to me. Aoi saved me and showed me the path that I should’ve taken years ago. Well I… I just conti