“That would be great!” Gabrielle burst, her joyfulness almost overpowering. She grabbed a startled Selene’s hands. With her eyes sparkling like gemstones, she leaned forward, causing Selene to lean back. “If you end up falling in love with Alex, then it means we can love Alex together!”
“Uh… I’m not sure love works that way.”
While Selene seemed unsure, Nyx nodded several times. When two or more people loved the same person, it was not a bad idea for everyone to get married. King Lucifer had three wives, from what she understood, and one of her previous employers, a woman named Nivan, had ten husbands. She might not understand marriage, but the idea of several people marrying one person was very logical.
Gabrielle just laughed. “What are you talking about? Of course it does. And now we really do need to do some shopping! We both need to get a dress that will impress Alex! Ah! And we should get some dresses for Nyx, too! Maybe she can wear a cute dress to impress Alex as well.”
“I have no desire to impress a monkey like him,” Nyx said in the same bland voice that she always used.
Gabrielle shrugged. “That’s okay. Even if you don’t want to impress him, you should still have some more clothes to wear than just that one leather outfit. Now, let’s go!”
Dragging a still confused Selene and a silent Nyx behind her, Gabrielle walked into the first clothing store they came across. She then proceeded to the racks and grabbed everything she thought would look cute.
Being dragged alongside Nyx, Selene smiled. “She’s like a little kid in a candy store.”
Not one to speak unless either being directly spoken to or having something important to say, Nyx kept silent and merely observed Gabrielle.
While Gabrielle rushed around, grabbing clothes off the racks, someone walked up to them.
“Excuse me,” a young woman with long flaxen hair and amber eyes interrupted them. She was staring at Gabrielle. “Is that you, Gabrielle?”
“Ah!” Gabrielle gasped in surprise. “It’s Kiri-Kiri! Hello!”
“Don’t call me that!” “Kiri-Kiri” reacted instinctively, and then she paused. “I can’t believe I’m running into you here. I figured you and Alex would be getting into trouble, blowing stuff up around Mars City.”
Gabrielle laughed joyfully. “Not today. Alex has some business to attend to, so I decided to spend the day with Selene and Nyx.”
“Hello, Kazekiri,” Selene greeted politely.
Kazekiri’s eyes narrowed as she turned to Selene, and Nyx thought she could sense the bad blood between them. “Hello, Selene. It’s been awhile. I still haven’t forgotten what you and your friends did to me.”
Selene’s exasperated sigh filled the air. “Are you still going on about that? I’ve already apologized several times. I didn’t even know what my friends were doing until they’d already done it.”
Crossing her arms, Kazekiri’s stern gaze gained several levels of hardness. “I fail to see how that makes any difference. It doesn’t change the fact that you were an accomplice to their petty bullying, even if it was only by association and not doing anything when you should have put a stop to them.”
Selene frowned at the other woman, who glared right back. Gabrielle looked back and forth before breaking the tension as only she could. “Do you two know each other?”
“I suppose you could say we have a shared history,” Kazekiri said.
“In that case you should join us.”
“Huh?”
“Eh?”
Kazekiri and Selene turned to look at Gabrielle. The alien princess was all smiles as she grabbed their hands and began dragging them both behind her. “Come on. Selene and I were looking for dresses to impress Alex with. I’m sure we can find one for you, too.”
“I-I-impress—why would I want to impress that destructive idiot, that walking natural disaster?!” Kazekiri asked, her face spontaneously combusting. “I-I don’t even like him!”
Selene shook her head at the other woman. “I see you still enjoy playing the denial card. I heard from Ryoko that she saw you and Alex coming out of a pet shop together several weeks ago.”
“Really?” Gabrielle asked. Nyx wondered about the strange look on the princess’ face.
Kazekiri tried to scowl, but her face was so red that she didn’t succeed. “S-shut up. It’s—he and I have never been close! Ever! And besides, I-I already have a boyfriend.”
Gabrielle and Selene stared at Kazekiri, who gazed back with wide eyes and both hands clamped over her mouth, as if she couldn’t believe what she’d just said.
“You… have a boyfriend?” Selene asked. She looked like she’d been broadsided by a shuttle.
The one called Kazekiri blushed bright red but continued bravely on. “T-that’s right. I have a boyfriend who I l-love very much.”
“Who?” Selene asked.
Kazekiri tried to unsuccessfully hide in her shirt. “T-that’s none of your business.”
Before Selene could retort, a handsome young man with black hair walked up to them. He wore a fashionable jacket and pants, and his shoes squeaked against the floor.
“There you are, Kazekiri,” he said, smiling down at her. “Man, it took forever to find you… and who are these three lovely ladies? Friends of yours?”
“No way…” Selene murmured, shocked. “Is this… your boyfriend?”
The young man laughed. “Boyfriend? Nah, I’m her older brother. The name’s Keiichi. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Oh… so you’re not her boyfriend. I see. Since you’re her brother, does this mean you know her boyfriend?” Selene asked.
Gabrielle watched the scene silently. She didn’t seem to understand what was going on. Meanwhile, Nyx observed Kazekiri, who was giving her older sibling a pleading look.
“We’ve met a few times,” Keiichi said smoothly.
Selene looked even more shocked. She seemed incredibly surprised to know that Kazekiri was actually dating someone, though Nyx didn’t know why. This girl was quite pretty. Surely such a beautiful woman would have no trouble getting a boyfriend.
“In that case, congratulations. I hadn’t realized you were dating anyone,” Selene said.
“Well, I am,” Kazekiri replied hotly. “Not that it’s any of your business.”
Keiichi laughed disarmingly. “Now, now, little sis, let’s not get into a catfight today, okay? I forgot to bring my camera.” He dodged a swipe from a blushing Kazekiri. “Anyway, Kazekiri and I still have some errands to run, so if you’ll excuse us, we’ll be on our way.”
Selene still seemed to be in shock. “Oh, yeah. Sure.”
“Bye, bye, Kiri-Kiri!” Gabrielle waved.
“Don’t call me that!” Kazekiri shouted as she left the store.
“So how do you and Kiri-Kiri know each other?” Gabrielle asked her friend.
“Kazekiri? She goes to the same school as me. We’ve even shared classes together. She was actually in the same class as me and Alex back before he graduated.”
“So, you and Kiri-Kiri and Alex all went to the same school and everything?”
“Yes.”
“That sounds so nice.” Gabrielle’s smile was just a tad wistful. “It must have been wonderful going to school with your friends like that. I’m beginning to wish I had met Alex earlier. Maybe then I could have also gone to school with all of you.”
“If you say so.” Selene shrugged.
These people are interesting, Nyx thought, remaining ever silent.
5
Keiichi and Kazekiri left the store, walking off in a seemingly random direction.
“It looks like you got into some trouble back there, little sis, but don’t worry. Big Brother’s got your back.” Keiichi gave his sister a thumbs up. “Though it would probably just be easier if you asked that boy you’ve been doodling about in your diary recently to take you out on a date.”
“You read my diary?!” Kazekiri fumed. “You idiot! Don’t you know that you’re not supposed to read yo
ur sister’s diary?!”
Keiichi laughed her off as a familiar figure wandered into Kazekiri’s field of vision, a boy with raven hair, silver bangs, and blue eyes. She froze as her older brother spoke.
“It’s my prerogative as your older brother to peek into your private life. Now, then, what was that boy’s name again… A… A-something…?”
“A-Alex?!” Kazekiri squeaked.
“That’s right!” Keiichi snapped his fingers. “It was Alex.”
“What about me?” Alex asked as he stopped next to Kazekiri and her brother.
“What are you doing here?” Kazekiri crossed her arms and tried to give him a stern glare. Unfortunately, she was flustered. Her heart hammered in her chest at the sight of Alex, who merely stared at her with a curious smile.
“I was just wandering around,” Alex admitted. “I met up with someone at the police station, and since I knew that no one else would be home, I decided to wander around Mars City some after I finished my meeting.”
“I see.” She tapped her foot on the ground and glared some more. “And why are you carrying what looks like a weapon over your shoulder?”
Alex looked at the large sheathed katana resting against his shoulder. Then he looked back at Kazekiri. “Oh, this? I brought it to the police department because I wanted to test it on some disposable dummies. Don’t worry,” he added when her glare hardened, “I received Karen’s permission.”
“That’s Commander Karen. Show her proper respect.”
Alex shook his head. “She’s not my commander anymore, so I don’t call her that.”
“You could’ve fooled me,” Kazekiri huffed. “So, what did you destroy this time?”
“N-nothing. What makes you think I destroyed something?”
“…”
As Kazekiri continued staring him down, Alex was forced to look away. “All right, so, maybe I caused a little damage to a wall, but I swear to Mars it was only a nick. It’s not like the wall blew up or anything… this time.”
Kazekiri held her stare for a few more seconds before sighing. “I cannot say anything about your reckless behavior and destructive inventions right now. However, I would like to advise you on being cautious when using those inventions of yours. You have already caused enough property damage to last a lifetime.”
“T-that’s kinda harsh, Kiri-Kiri.”
“Stop addressing me with such familiarity!” a blushing Kazekiri shouted.
“Ah, young love,” Keiichi swooned.
“Huh?” Alex raised an eyebrow.
“Brother!” Kazekiri shouted at Keiichi, who just laughed.
“It’s nice to meet you, Alex. Well, we still have some errands to run, though considering how late it’s become, I’m not sure we’ll be able to accomplish them all if we stick together. Say, would you mind lending a hand?” Keiichi asked of Alex.
“You shouldn’t ask someone you just met to help out of the blue like that,” Kazekiri tried to say.
Alex shrugged. “Sure, I don’t mind helping out.”
“Huh?” Startled, Kazekiri stared at Alex. She was sure that her mouth was hanging open.
“Thank you.” Keiichi clapped his hands together. “I was a little worried. Some of the tasks we have requires two people. Anyway, here is the list of tasks for you guys to do. Now then, I am off to meet my girlfriend.”
“Okay,” Alex said, taking the list from Keiichi. “Bye—wait…” he trailed off as a laughing Keiichi ran off. Slowly, his eyes turned toward a scowling Kazekiri. “Is it just me, or did your brother just trick me into helping you, while he ran off to see his girlfriend?”
“My brother is so irresponsible, especially when it comes to his girlfriend. He’ll even ditch work to spend time with her if he can.” Kazekiri pressed a hand to her forehead and sighed. “I’m really sorry about that, Alex.”
Alex just grinned. “Naw, it’s fine. I don’t mind helping out a friend, Kiri-Kiri.”
Kazekiri frowned, but there was no heat in it. “Didn’t I just tell you not to address me with such familiarity?”
“Anyway,” Alex continued, pretending that he hadn’t heard her. “Try not to be too hard on your brother. Once you find that special someone, you’ll understand why he’s acting like that.”
Kazekiri looked insulted for some reason. “What makes you think I haven’t already found that special someone?”
“You already have someone you like?” Alex smiled apologetically. “I’m sorry. I hadn’t realized you already had someone like that in your life.”
Kazekiri didn’t quite succeed at hiding the redness in her cheeks. “W-whatever. It’s not like you could have known. I try not to let others know about my personal life. Anyway, why don’t you give me that list? My brother tricked you into doing this, and I wouldn’t feel right forcing you to help me.”
Alex pulled the list away when she reached for it. “What are you talking about? I already said that I don’t mind lending a hand. It’s not like I have anything else that needs to get done today.”
“W-well, if you’re sure,” an uncertain Kazekiri said, poking her index fingers together. She didn’t understand why, but she felt bashful for some reason, like she was both pleased and embarrassed at the same time. Her chest was fluttering. “I suppose someone has to keep you out of trouble.”
“It’s not like I try to get myself in trouble on purpose, you know.” Alex pouted as they began walking to the first destination on their list. “It’s just that one thing often leads to another and I end up causing a few problems, but I never purposely go out of my way to cause trouble.”
“I am aware of that,” Kazekiri admitted. “However, that makes it worse. And whenever trouble does happen, you always act so recklessly. You rush into whatever trouble you find headfirst, when you should be taking a step back to assess the situation. Honestly, you’re a smart man, Alex, so why are you always acting like that?”
“I don’t really know, to be honest.” Alex smiled and looked up at the towering skyscrapers that were surrounding them on either side. “I guess, maybe it’s because of my old man. I grew up hearing all kinds of stories about how my dad was a big hero, how he saved a bunch of people, and how he was always putting others first. I want to be like that, someone who protects others, so I’m always pushing myself to emulate him.”
Kazekiri thoughtfully chewed her thumbnail. “I have heard that your father was well-known among the police as a great hero who was admired and respected by his comrades. I guess I never considered what that meant for you. It must be difficult to have such large shoes to fill.”
“I think you’re misunderstanding something.” Alex shook his head and corrected her. “I’m not doing this because I want people to look at me in the same light as they do my dad. I don’t even care about filling his shoes. I just want to protect people like he did. I don’t like it when innocent people get hurt for selfish reasons. That’s why I want to be like him.”
“I think I understand.” Kazekiri tried to ignore the strange fluttering in her heart. “You like helping people, and because your father was always helping others, you admire and want to be like him.”
They were nearing their destination now, having taken several escalators and walkways. They could have taken a teleport pad, but that would have been wasteful, especially since their first destination was so close. Kazekiri checked the map again. It looked like they weren’t even five minutes walking distance.
Alex thought about that for a few seconds, and then slowly nodded. “Yeah, that sounds about right. I’ve never been able to really put it into words before, not like that, but you’ve hit the mark with laser precision.”
“It’s really admirable of you to want to help others,” Kazekiri admitted, right before her stern expression came back. “But if you really do want to help others, then you should think about not being so reckless. The way you constantly jump into every problem that comes your way tends to cause more trouble for others than if you had done nothing.
”
Appearing properly chastised, Alex nodded. “You’re right. I’m sorry about that.”
“W-whatever, I’m only telling you this because it’s true, not because I wanted to help you or anything.”
“I know.” Alex smiled at the girl. “Still, thank you.”
Kazekiri looked away. Why did her face feel so warm? Dang it! He was making her feel strange again!
“Ah… you’re welcome.”
Because she wanted to distract herself, Kazekiri looked back down at the map, which was projected above her IDband as a holographic, 3-dimensional image. It was a basic map. A small blip on the map showed her location.
She then observed the area they were in. It was another catwalk, but this one had several buildings lining either side instead of being open. None of them were skyscrapers, though. All of them were small and modest, with none of them going over two stories in height. Several familiar signs dotted the area which, according to the map, let her know that she was heading in the right direction.
“So, what made you decide to become an officer?” Alex asked, only to pause when he saw the look on her face. It must have been darker than she expected because he bit his lip. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. I was just curious.”
Kazekiri was currently a part-time officer at the Police Station. She attended primary at Atreyu Academy, and then went to the Police Station for a four-hour shift five days a week. If she did this until graduation, she’d be able to attend the Police Academy with a full scholarship.
“It’s fine. I guess it would be alright if I told you.” Kazekiri took a deep breath, and then slowly released it. “My parents aren’t… what I would call reliable. My dad is, well, he’s not the best person in the world, and my mom won’t be winning any mother of the year awards, either.”
“They’re not… they don’t hurt you, do they?”
“I don’t live with them anymore. In any case, my mom was never abusive,” Kazekiri said slowly. “It was more like she was a non-entity. She was just sort of there. She drank a lot, and she partied, and when she got home, she and dad would fight. My dad was… he was…”
A Most Unlikely Hero, Vol 4 Page 9