Chapter CXXII: The Visitation, Part 2
As Kota and Akiko are in the midst of playing ForkNight, the doorbell rings.
Ding dong.
Both immediately glance toward the entrance. Kota begins setting down his controller.
"I'll get it."
Akiko quickly points at the television.
"No."
"What?" (Kota)
"You stay there." (Akiko)
"Huh?" (Kota)
She smirks mischievously.
"You are currently the biggest noob in ForkNight history." (A)
"That's rude." (K)
"It is accurate." (A)
"Yeah but kinda rude." (K)
Akiko sticks her tongue out playfully.
"I'll get the door."
Kota folds his arms dramatically.
"Fine." (K)
"Practice building ramps." (A)
"I'm trying, my Ai" (K)
"You built a staircase into a tree." (A)
"Hey, no fair, that tree had tactical importance." (K)
Akiko laughs while walking toward the entrance. As she reaches the door, she unlocks it and pulls it open. She then freezes completely. The smile instantly disappears from her face.
Outside stands a blonde boy, and beside him stands a blonde girl. Both are wearing casual clothes and both looking directly at her. For one horrible second, her heart nearly stops. The memories immediately return. The black hoodies, Tengen and Hanako, the fear, and everything.
Inside the living room, Kota notices her sudden silence.
"Akiko?"
There's no answer. Concerned, he walks toward the entrance. The moment he sees the pair standing outside, he freezes too. The atmosphere changes instantly. The room becomes dangerously and perilously silent. Both of the blonde girl and boy blink, while Kota and Akiko stare. Nobody moves nor breathes.
Then, the blonde boy suddenly sighs.
"Guys."
Still nobody responds, the boy reaches upward. He grabs his hair, and pulls. The blonde wig comes off. Bright red hair immediately appears underneath, it's Asahi
"Bros, relax."
The tension instantly evaporates.
"What the heck, Man?!" Kota shouts.
Akiko nearly falls backward.
"YOU ALMOST GAVE US A HEART ATTACK!"
Asahi begins laughing uncontrollably. Beside him, the blonde girl, who is shorter than him, also removes her wig. Black hair appears, and it's Natsuki, completely expressionless as usual. Kota points dramatically.
"Bro!"
Asahi wipes tears from his eyes.
"It worked!" (Asahi)
"It wasn't supposed to work!" (Natsuki)
"It absolutely worked!" (Kota)
Akiko places a hand over her chest.
"My soul almost left my body, and transported to the backrooms."
Natsuki nods calmly.
"Good disguise then." (Natsuki)
"NO!" (both Akiko and Kota)
Several seconds later, everyone finally enters the house. The wigs are placed on the table. Asahi looks ridiculously proud of himself. Kota points accusingly.
"You planned this." (Kota)
"Maybe." (Asahi)
"Natsuki helped?" (Akiko)
Natsuki shrugs.
"Asahi asked." (Natsuki)
"And you agreed?" (Akiko)
"I've already bought the wigs." (Asahi)
"Fair enough." (Natsuki)
Eventually, the laughter settles. Asahi leans forward.
"We weren't only here for the prank." (Asahi)
"I knew it." (Akiko)
The red-haired student grins.
"Mr. Amane wanted us to check on you."
Akiko nods.
"That's fair."
"And besides," Natsuki adds, "Mr. Amane already positioned several CCTV cameras throughout your neighborhood."
Kota looks surprised.
"He did?"
Natsuki nods.
"Quietly, very quietly. The city is helping."
Relief appears on both Kota's and Akiko's faces. That alone makes them feel safer. However, Akiko remains thoughtful.
"There might still be a problem."
Everyone looks toward her.
"What?"
Akiko lowers her voice.
"I think there might be a spy inside the school."
Silence follows, and Asahi folds his arms.
"A student?"
Akiko slowly shakes her head.
"No."
Natsuki immediately understands.
"Maybe a teacher or staff member."
Akiko nods. The possibility hangs heavily in the room. Nobody dismisses it. After everything they have already discovered, nothing seems impossible anymore. Fortunately, Asahi suddenly claps his hands.
"Anyways!"
The sudden change of subject catches everyone off guard.
"What?"
The red-haired student kneels beside his backpack. Then he dramatically pulls out a white game console. It is sleek, modern, shiny, and accompanied by a strange remote-like controller. Asahi raises it proudly.
"My fellow weebs, behold!"
Kota blinks.
"What is that?"
"That's a Ree." (Akiko)
The room becomes silent.
"The what?" (Kota)
"The Ree." (Asahi)
Natsuki nods.
"The Ree."
Kota looks at Akiko, and Akiko looks at Kota. Yet Akiko understands but Kota doesn't. Kota knows what a Ree is, but doesn't know how it is played or installed on a television. Asahi places the device onto the television stand.
"Today."
He points dramatically.
"You shall experience greatness."
Kota immediately looks worried.
"Will it destroy the TV?" (Kota)
"No." (Asahi)
"Will there be discrepancies?" (K)
"No." (A)
"Will it explode?" (K)
"No." (A)
"Are you sure?" (K)
"Probably." (A)
"PROBABLY?" (K)
Natsuki sighs.
"Don't worry."
He kneels beside the television.
"Asahi actually knows what he's doing."
Akiko raises an eyebrow.
"Are you really sure? Bro, he busted my controller thinking the HDMI was a USB port"
"It was rectangular, anyone could have been fooled." (Asahi)
Natsuki continues.
"The Ree came from Tokyo. Asahi's uncle owns a technology shop there."
Asahi nods proudly.
"And according to him, your television model is perfect for it."
Kota remains suspicious, but eventually allows the installation. The setup process begins with cables, adapters, updates, and configuration screens. Finally, a few technical adjustments. Several minutes later, the console successfully boots. The screen lights up and colorful music fills the room. Asahi raises both hands triumphantly.
"It lives."
The others cheer, even Kota looks impressed. Soon, they begin exploring the game library. The first selection appears with Ree Sports. Asahi immediately grins.
"Oh, this is happening."
The first event, is Bowling. The digital bowling alley appears. The players create avatars. This immediately becomes a disaster. Asahi creates a heroic version of himself. Natsuki creates an almost identical copy of himself. Akiko creates an adorable avatar. Kota accidentally gives his avatar enormous eyebrows.
Everyone laughs.
"Why does your character look angry?" (Akiko)
"Seriously bro, I don't know how to change it!" (Kota)
"LMAO, your character looks like the red bird from Slingshots" (Natsuki)
The match begins. Asahi throws first, and it's a strike.
"Let's go!"
Natsuki throws, another strike. Akiko throws, strike again. The room applauds. Then it's Kota's turn. He swings dramatically, but as he is about to get the momentum and angle, the ball immediately flies backward, straight into the audience section. The game somehow registers it. The room explodes into laughter.
"HOW?!" (Kota)
"I DON'T KNOW! LMAO" (Asahi)
Even Natsuki starts laughing, which is rare enough to be documented scientifically.
The next game is tennis, and the competition becomes fierce. Akiko and Natsuki team up, while Asahi and Kota form the opposing team.
Within minutes, Akiko is dominating and Natsuki is terrifyingly consistent. Meanwhile, Kota keeps swinging too early or rather late, and otherwise absolutely nothing.
"Kota!" (Asahi)
"I'm trying!" (Kota)
"You missed the ball!" (Asahi)
"I was predicting the future!" (Kota)
"Wrong future, Typhoon!" (Asahi)
The room shakes with laughter.
Then comes boxing. The moment Asahi selects it, everyone knows disaster is inevitable. The match begins. Kota versus Asahi. The digital crowd cheers. The avatars enter the ring. For thirty seconds, the battle is surprisingly balanced. Then Asahi accidentally swings too enthusiastically, and his controller slips and flies upward. It eventually lands directly on a sofa cushion. The room erupts, and Asahi collapses laughing.
"My weapon betrayed me!"
"Skill issue," Natsuki says.
"Traitor."
Hours pass going through the Ree Sports menu from Bowling, Golf, Tennis, Boxing, Swordplay, Mini-games, Challenges, and Competitions. The living room fills with laughter.
Inside the kitchen, Hatsune and Kota's mother occasionally peek toward the chaos. The sounds are impossible to ignore.
"What happened this time?" Hatsune asks.
A loud scream emerges from the living room, followed by cheering then more screaming. Kota's mother laughs.
"I'm not sure."
Another burst of laughter follows.
"They seem happy."
Hatsune smiles.
"That's what matters."
Back in the living room, Akiko glances toward the screen. Then toward Asahi.
"Are you sure this won't be tracked?"
Asahi nods immediately.
"Of course."
He points proudly.
"Mr. Amane upgraded your digital security."
Natsuki nods.
"Multiple firewalls."
"Monitoring systems."
"Encrypted routing."
Akiko visibly relaxes.
"Good."
That means she can enjoy the afternoon without constantly looking over her shoulder. And so they continue playing for not just an hour, but for several hours. For the first time since returning from Sendai, the four friends simply enjoy being together. No investigations, no suspects, and no conspiracies. Just games, laughter, friendship and an entire afternoon of chaos.
Eventually, sunlight begins turning golden outside the windows. The day slowly moves toward evening. At last, Asahi stands.
"Aight, we should get going."
Natsuki nods. Akiko rises as well.
"So should we."
Hatsune emerges from the kitchen. The guests gather their belongings.
At the doorway, Akiko pulls the hood of her jacket over her head. The disguise is subtle, but necessary. Nobody wants to take chances anymore. Kota notices.
"You look like you're about to join a secret organization."
Akiko grins.
"Maybe I already did." (A)
"That's not reassuring." (K)
"It wasn't supposed to be." (A)
The front door opens. The afternoon breeze enters the house. Asahi adjusts his backpack, Natsuki gives a small wave, and Hatsune smiles warmly. Kota and his mother stand by the entrance.
"Stay safe," Kota's mother says.
"We will," Hatsune replies.
Kota nods toward Akiko.
"You too."
She smiles.
"You too."
Then, with one final wave, the group heads down the street beneath the golden afternoon sky. Kota watches until they disappear around the corner. Only then does he close the door.
For now, everything feels peaceful. But Monday is coming and with it their return to Shinomiya High School, or so it is.
7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuXLqLsV826
and then Add to home screen.