Shot of Silence

Chapter 4: New Reality

"Right, so I can't seem to remember what's so important this time around that you hit me on the head with a dictionary. What's today's occasion, Hen-hen?"

Musashi Henko, as indicated by the name he had written on the paper earlier, was now affectionately referred to as Hen-hen by Heath. This nickname perfectly captured his caring and nurturing nature, akin to that of a mother hen, always attentive and protective of those around him. It was a fitting moniker for someone who had been a constant presence in his counterpart's life, looking out for him like family.

In a way, Henko was more than just a friend or cousin. Through the maternal line, he had a distant familial connection with Heath, making their bond even stronger. They had shared countless memories and experiences, growing up together from a very young age. This long history of companionship had forged a deep understanding and closeness between them.

Hearing this, Heath wasn't surprised anymore that he and his parallel self were practically brothers at this point.

"You're going to teach again after taking a break following... well, your fallout?" Heath trailed off, realizing that this could be a sensitive topic. But it was easy to slip back into joking around after a long while.

Heath smiled, a bit of bitterness underlying it, but a smile nonetheless. "It's okay. I'm sure she's relieved to be free from her suffering."

"Uh, well, that's not what I meant, but... ahem." Henko stopped himself before potentially reopening a barely healing wound, yet he still forced a smile, his facial expression clearly strained.

Slightly curious but not prying, Heath decided it was better to leave the last sentence unanswered, assuming that the blond was once again referring to his mother, Nana's death. 

Henko had revealed that in this parallel universe, Heath's mother was not a victim of illness but was actually murdered. The revelation alone was disturbing, but when Heath's mind processed the information, a chilling premonition of a darker truth than a simple robbery washed over him. The pieces of the puzzle began to connect in his mind, hinting at a more sinister and complex web of events.

According to Henko, she was a modest woman, hardly leading a luxurious life, making the notion of her being a random target of a robbery seem absurd. Moreover, the authorities failed to uncover any evidence suggesting that her murder was anything other than a robbery.

‘This desperation seemed to be the start of his downfall,’ he thought, contemplating the worst-case scenario that his parallel self must have endured.

Desperate for funds to seek out the truth, he resorted to selling his belongings and pawning his and his mother's house to a wealthy neighbor. Though the neighbor allowed him to stay there, his parallel self couldn't find peace in a place where his mother had met her untimely end.

Heath couldn't help but feel sympathy for the unfortunate individual. After all, he had experienced his own share of family troubles. 

The poor guy’s own family had rejected him due to his status as a bastard son.

Surprisingly, the previous King consort wasn’t his biological father in this world. According to Henko, the older man had genuinely cared for Heath and had been a loving husband to Nana, his mother. However, one day he mysteriously vanished without a trace, leaving behind a void in their lives.

Heath couldn't shake off the feeling that there might be some ‘funny business’ behind the old man’s disappearance as well, but for now, he could only rely on Henko as his ally. However, the blond had his own financial responsibilities to attend to, which limited his ability to help.

Now, onto the topic at hand.

"Teaching? But I thought I was dismissed or something," He voiced his suspicion, relying on his sharp intuition—a magical trait passed down through his ancestors, namely Enhanced Insight, that still seemed to work remarkably well, even in this unfamiliar world.

"Uh, not exactly. I believe Sanao-san mentioned a potential transfer to the special class," Henko replied cautiously.

'Definitely something fishy,' he thought, though he acknowledged his lack of familiarity with the person in question.

'Well, no matter. After surviving his Mentor from Hell’s intense tutoring, dealing with a bunch of kids should be a piece of cake.'

Heath pondered for a moment, sensing his cousin's curious gaze.

"What?" he raised an eyebrow, prompting for an explanation.

"I forgot that our physiques don't match. And since you burned your suits along with your old clothes—I'm still wondering, why on earth did you do that?"

Heath sweatdropped.

Though he had no clear memories of it, there was a faint image lingering in the depths of his mind regarding that event. It was a snapshot of a time when Heath was engulfed in a haze of alcohol and drowning in his own sorrows. "I was a drunken, depressed mess," he confessed, his voice tinged with a feigned mix of self-awareness and resignation. "What did you expect from me in that state?"

"Yeah, I shouldn't have taken you to the bar that day," Henko groaned.

"Well, do you have any decent spare outfit, at least?" Heath inquired back.

"I do, but they'd be too big for you. Besides, we only have about half an hour before we need to leave."

"I see, so going to the store isn't an option," the brunet hummed.

"And we're completely broke." Henko chided

"Right, that too."

A moment of silence hung between them before they burst into laughter.

"Well, I guess there's no other choice then." Heath stood up, stretching his body slightly.

"What? You're planning to meet the chairman in that hideous sweater of yours?" the blond cringed, feigning disgust.

"Of course not, dumbass." Heath rolled his eyes, then grinned mischievously. "I'm going to ruin one of your formal wear~!" he declared obnoxiously and soon followed it up with another chirp before the other could even comment. "Don't worry, I'll pay you back soon enough. Just show me the sacrificial lamb, okay~?"

As he can only stand there taken a back, Henko finally realized that wasn't all that prepared to have Heath's chaoticness return on full blast as he had previously thought.