"So, we’re going to reset everything?" Hotaru pouted to Jotou. "You better tell us everything again," she smiled.
Jotou could swear she saw a quick wink from the redhead. ’Is she mocking for having to tell my embarrassing monts again or is it about my working theory? Either way...’
"I wouldn’t dream of doing anything else. Thank you..." Jotou turned to all three of them, feeling her heart sink.
"Hey, this isn’t goodbye. You’ll see again and I’ll see you," Hotaru picked up the slumping blonde.
"Yeah! You can do it all again Jotou! If anyone can, it’s you!" Asobi cheered.
A small smirk grew on Jotou, "I just hoped that this would be it. But I accepted it wasn’t gonna be easy a while ago. I hate that I have to do this," she shut her eyes, realizing as she did that, the tears welling up in her eyes were about to overflow.
"Hey, hey," Hotaru pulled her into a hug, wary of the sword she held. She patted her back, "Co on, next ti, okay?"
Jotou nodded the best she could, "Okay."
Asobi walked forward, "You’ll be okay Jotou. Please tell all the tricks I can do again. I looked forward to showing them to you, but this chance has slipped by," she joined in the hug.
They turned to the brunette who glared at the whole scene. "You realize we have little ti and we’re all gonna be back together without even realizing, right? Co on, let’s go."
Jotou snickered, "Keep being arrogant and keep being smug detective. I’m getting better at deciphering your words."
Fuko leered further before taking a deep breath, "Since only you’ll rember anyway," she blinked forward, grabbing together the other three into a hug, as much as her arms could fit them all.
"I really, really appreciate all of you and couldn’t be happier that I found all of you. Thank you for everything," Fuko hid her face in the clothes of the other three.
"Aww, ko," Asobi patted her head.
"That’s the sweetest thing you’ve ever said. I appreciate you too Fuko," Hotaru ruffled her hair, "Maybe you shouldn’t hide all your emotions all the ti."
"Piss off," Fuko’s nose wrinkled, "The entire point is none of you are gonna rember this, including ; Jotou already knows how I feel."
Hotaru laughed, her tail wagging behind her.
"Wouldn’t it be funny if we didn’t reset this ti?" Jotou shifted her eyes away.
Fuko’s eyes bubbled, "Don’t, you, dare, not reset this..."
"I’m not scared of you detective."
"Out of curiosity, what did she tell you Jotou?" Hotaru grinned.
"Ooo! Ooo! I wanna know too!"
"Wouldn’t you all like to know. Shut it Jotou," Fuko glared, "You’re lucky I controlled myself from screaming right now."
"The bare minimum—I’m proud of you," Jotou shook her head, "Co on, we got a town to save and new mories to make."
_
The corpses of soldiers were being packed away into body bags, the enemy soldiers took their breathers and looted through the resources left behind.
Muskets around their shoulders, so with black powder still lingering at the mouth of. Blood seeped into the sand if it were not already solid.
Sand stuck to fallen bodies; there were smiling faces from victory whilst so mourned the losses of their comrades. "Don’t lose concentration Sobi," Jotou whispered.
"I won’t," Asobi shook her head, holding her wand up like a candle with both hands as an umbrella of invisibility shielded them walking forward.
"Keep moving, I’ll clear the footsteps behind us," Fuko shuffled her feet to cover their tracks. They moved cautiously, tucking in their shoulders and eyes in a swivel.
Heartbeats ran like trains, sounds of breathing controlled by agape mouths. Jotou pointed a little, "Frye’s all the way in that tent."
"That’s a long walk," Hotaru squinted.
"Thanks Captain Obvious," Fuko shuffled the sand.
"Not now ko; Asobi, one step at a ti," Jotou hushed.
"Got it."
Taking the path of least people, they made their way past the blown up covers—barricades were being taken down. ’So, if we’re not here, Hartamat doesn’t win. How did an extra two hundred people even join in?’
The tent that Jotou rembered was in sight. ’BLAST!’ Every gunshot from a rifle from here rang in her head. Jotou cald her breath and took a glance around.
A few soldiers were making their ways about, but none were going in or out of this tent; so carried bottles of champagne whilst others pushed what little prisoners they had into other tents.
Amongst the prisoners, Jotou spotted brown hair, broad shoulders and tanned skin with a light beard. First Lieutenant Cayson Knox bruised by the eye and neck, being pushed in.
Jotou shook her head; the coast was clear for them to pull up the flaps of the tent. ’I’ll see you all again. I’m sorry this couldn’t be the one.’
Jotou leaned past Asobi’s shoulder while she still held the wand up. Her fingers gingerly grabbed the tent entrance and peeked inside as Asobi’s invisible do extended into the interior.
A rifle leaning on a table—two figures. Brown leathers, tallic pauldron on his left shoulder—tanned skin and spiky black hair and a black goatee to match.
It was set with tables and various lab equipnt. "So," Lieutenant Frye pulled out a golden egg from his belt and placed it on the table, "Five tis," he uttered the number visualized in a little white box at the side of it.
An old man in a lab coat, slouched with bits of grey hair atop his head—large goggles looked to the golden egg, made out of so sort of polished tal. Small white rings were indented into the egg, humming at the tip with energy.
"That’s all it took!?"
"You madman, five tis is plenty enough."
The professor sneered in response.
"Intel I left behind told us we were dealing with the Thundering Blade. I wonder why she didn’t show up this ti. We must have executed the perfect plan after all these tries. We should still be cautious of her.
Not to ntion, the illusionist who apparently destroyed us all the fourth ti. Now that we have the proper outco, how do we turn it off?" Frye checked the egg—two buttons like bolts on either side of the number.
’That’s the device that’s doing all the ti shenanigans? That’s it?’ "Let’s go in, one by one," Jotou mid with her finger, only moving her lips with no voice; the others nodded.
Slowly, they shifted the tent flaps while Frye faced the professor; Asobi brought her invisibility through. "That’s the exciting part; we don’t!"
"What!? Why would you make this device without an off switch!?"
The professor hit himself in the head, "Because it can’t be used again! It records and reverts; it reverts as many tis as it needs. The only way to turn it off is to destroy it."
"This thing can’t be reused? How many have you made!?"
"Only this one! We’ll just make more. The idea’s all up here," the professor pointed to his head.
"That’s the damn problem... The fate of this operation is in that ss," Frye shook his head, "Alright, experint success, we’ll move on to invade Hartamat. Let’s destroy this quickly then. Wait..."
Frye furrowed his brows and looked behind him. There seed to be nothing, but an odd feeling made him, unnerved. He walked ahead for his rifle.
"Now!" Jotou had unsheathed her sword as she lunged it into Frye’s throat, crimson spurting out like confetti as Jotou shoved it till it hit so bone.
Fuko covered in shadow blinked forward with her dagger as she appeared behind the professor and—"Stab!"—into his back as the professor let out an old grunt.
"Jotou!" Hotaru yelled.
"Hehehehee... HAHA!" the professor clicked the left button as the white rings at the tip of the egg resonated. "Beep!"
"Well, that works!" Jotou yelled as the professor frowned to the comnt. "I’ll see you all again!"
"Bye Jotou!" Asobi waved.
"Good luck!" Hotaru wished.
"Stay safe idiot!" as Fuko’s words hit her ears the white flash took over her vision.
Reviews
All reviews (0)