Chap. 9 - Foundation [3]

I arrived home. "How is it, Miyu? Isn't this house cozy?"

Miyu gave a thumbs up with a smile.

First, I bathed Miyu. After finishing, I replaced her eye bandage.

Her eyes were closed, showing off her long eyelashes and radiant white face.

The fabric I used was special to me.

After that, I brushed her soft hair and added a bit of perfume.

A smile appeared on her face, enhancing her beauty.

Perhaps, if people knew how beautiful and cute she looked when taken care of, many would want her.

"Miyu, what do you want to eat?"

Miyu looked shy. "I don't want to trouble you, Sis. I'm used to not eating, so—"

"We're family, Miyu. Family helps each other," I interrupted gently.

Miyu seemed to understand and fell silent, reflecting.

"T-then, I'll have whatever you have," she said confidently.

"Alright then," I went to get some food. "How about Hōtō?"

"Hōtō?" Miyu looked puzzled.

"It's my family's favorite dish. Since you're family too, you should try it."

We ate Hōtō together while sharing stories. Miyu herself didn't remember much of her past.

It was because she was often beaten by people, causing her frequent memory loss.

"I was often beaten too, but in a different way," I said.

We shared stories until night, and her smile made me feel at ease.

It seemed like she had been alone all this time. How long had she kept such stories to herself?

We decided to sleep. The day felt hot, but the night was very cold. Miyu hugged me tightly because she was so cold.

[At the Karaoke Place]

The place looked chaotic, with many people passed out everywhere.

Besides that, five silhouettes were lounging around.

"Have you seen today's news? They aired a student fight and gave it an amazing title," one of them said mockingly.

"You're right, it's hilarious," another one chimed in.

...

"Even the boss has never been on TV, this is unforgivable," another commented seriously.

One silhouette was sitting with his feet up on the table, adding a mysterious impression to their presence.

[The Next Day]

Morning came. I woke up and realized Miyu was gone. As I went out to look for her, I was surprised to see my house clean and fragrant. Something unusual was happening.

Turns out it was Miyu's doing. She was cleaning the kitchen. I approached her, "So you're the one cleaning the house? Isn't it too early?"

Miyu smiled, "Family helps each other, right? I can't cook, so I cleaned the house."

I gently patted Miyu's head. "Family does it together," I said.

We went to school together, I brought Miyu along. Everyone was shocked and looked at me.

Seeing Hayden walking around looking sleepy, I approached him and patted his back.

"Surprising to see you're not sleeping on the roof again."

Hayden was silent. Not only Hayden, everyone else was also silent, looking like statues.

"Are you all okay?"

Suddenly, Hayden grabbed my shoulder. "You're the one who's not okay," he said urgently.

Everything turned chaotic, they ran to find shelter. "Tomoe arrived early!"

"We're doomed," they said.

They really acted as if the world was ending.

Hayden embraced me, "Come on, it's just a joke." He glanced at Miyu. "By the way, who's the girl you brought?"

"She's my sister."

"Your sister? I didn't know you had a sister," Hayden looked confused. "Anyway, there's something I want to show you."

Hayden said he had an acquaintance currently in the gym. I followed him, of course with Miyu.

When we entered, we saw two kids playing basketball. Their movements were so synchronized, they looked like one person with two bodies.

"I've brought him," said Hayden.

The two kids ran towards me, circling me. "Amazing, this is a species that can defeat one of the Six Demon Kings," they said in awe.

Seeing them approach me, Miyu suddenly got angry. She got down and hugged me tightly from the front, as if protecting me.

They were both surprised, "Who's this little girl?"

"She's my sister, Miyu."

"A sister of a rare species, she must not be human either?" they asked simultaneously.

"So, why were you looking for me?"

"Before that, our names are Chikoa and Chiko."

"They're informants about the other Six Demon Kings," said Hayden.

I was confused, "Why are you telling me?"

Why would Hayden tell me? This is quite useful information. And why did he go to the trouble of finding these informants? It's not like Hayden.

"Don't you want to be the Throne Filler? I'll help you achieve that," Hayden said, folding his arms. "The first step is to defeat the Six Demon Kings."

Hayden's words gave me chills. It made me happy to have a friend who would go on this journey with me.

"Oh, by the way, what should we call you? Leader? Chief? Boss? Or—" Chikoa and Chiko asked.

"Just call him Mr. Cool," Hayden cut in.

"Call me that, and be ready for a punch."

[TO BE CONTINUED]