Chapter 8: Camping (Ch. 21-23)
I wake up early as usual. As I prepare for school, my mind begins to wander about yesterday's events, particularly my encounter with the mysterious Code.
During our short interaction, I wasn't even able to obtain her name. And, for whatever reason, I haven't heard from Juno ever since she informed me of the Code's presence.
Suspicious. The timing of her going silent and the appearance of the Code coincide a bit too well. I hope she's safe if something has really occurred. As I am right now, I can't exactly do anything about it even if I were to find out what's going on. My enhanced body, senses, and abilities give me an edge, yes, but only against an average ability user, not whatever the hell Codes are. At least, not yet.
With such thoughts swirling inside my head, I finish preparing myself and head to school, not forgetting to inform the security guards to remain vigilant on my way there.
Upon arriving at school, I expect to hear quite a bit of discussion regarding the past two days' events. For instance, I'm pretty sure that I wasn't the only one who witnessed the van and the beam of energy that disintegrated matter.
In fact, I better hope that someone hasn't my act of catching up with the van on camera, since that's one surefire way to have your head targeted.
Anyway, in contrast to my expectations, the students speak of different matters altogether. There is no mention of a van or a superhuman capable of catching up to it, as if it hadn't occurred in the first place.
This is odd. While I'm glad about it, there is unmistakably something off about this. My guess is that the government or some other organization intervened to prevent leaks about the incident. The reason for my assumption is that usually, information about something like this would spread like wildfire while getting mixed up with all sorts of exaggerations.
If the government has interfered, that works in my favor. There is nothing to be gained from publicity at all. However, if it's an organization, then that's a different story altogether...
------
I'm currently seated in my class, having a casual conversation with Joijiro. My interest in our conversation wanes as I notice a group of girls approaching Nao, who is sitting in her seat, fidgeting with her camera.
The girls' expressions suggest that they aren't here with kind intentions, which is proven the next moment as they roughly pull Nao up from her seat.
I watch with interest as they drag her out of the class without Nao even so much bothering to resist.
"Where are they taking her?" I ask Joijiro, to which he decides not to respond.
"Asshole," I mutter as I get up from my seat and follow after them.
The group drags Nao all the way back to one side of the building that's bereft of students. One of the girls suddenly pushes her against the wall before raising her arm and using the back of her hand to strike Nao's face while exclaiming, "This one is for Rikka!"
I see. Thinking back to my first encounter with Nao and Joijiro, I can guess what's going on. Still, that was then. Right now, I have a favorable impression of this slightly eccentric girl. Nao Tomori… I don't like this.
Before she can hit Nao again, my body moves almost instinctively as I make use of my enhanced body to dash toward them, only to come to an abrupt stop right beside the girl. In their eyes, I probably just appeared out of nowhere, greatly startling them. Without saying anything, I prepare to slap the girl, but before I can do that, I feel an odd sensation well up inside my body as the girl suddenly gets cast a few meters away.
"Huh?" I utter out of confusion.
Did I do that? How?
"What…?" One of the other girls utters, also confused. The rest let out a shriek.
The girls then proceed to stare at me with fear apparent on their faces, while Nao just has a curious expression.
Shit, I have no idea what's going on. Still, I can't let them know that.
"Hey, you lot," I say in a menacing tone, "Grab your friend and fuck off right now. Should you dare to speak of what happened here, you won't be let off so 'peacefully' next time, got it?"
My threat seems to be effective, as the other girls appear to be petrified. The "leader" on the other hand, is on the ground, groaning in pain. It doesn't take her long to get back up on her feet, however, after which she proceeds to glare at me while saying, "You lowlife. I bet this b×tch has used her body to-"
Once again, I feel the odd sensation from earlier inside me, but this time, I almost instinctively know how to… control it.
Panic suddenly becomes in the girl's eyes as she suddenly shuts up, shortly followed by her body slowly floating up. She has her hands around her neck as if someone is lifting her by the throat, and she's trying to pry their hand away.
I am doing this. I have no idea how, but I'm sure that's the case. It could be related to my Code, but I don't recall any of the Effects described to do this. Perhaps, Light Manipulation? It could also be a new Effect altogether.
Now then, what should I do? Should I just get rid of them to prevent any future troubles? Before things can escalate any further, I feel a hand on my shoulder. Even without looking, I know whose hand it is and the intent it carries.
Releasing a small sigh, I will for the girl to be let go, and that's exactly what happens as her body drops to the ground. On the ground, she coughs while gasping for air. It really does seem like someone just lifted her by the neck…
"Go, NOW!" I order in a threatening tone.
The girls immediately pull themselves together, as they help their "leader" up and rush away.
"Why did you do that?" Nao asks once they're no longer in sight.
Not how, but why?
"Why didn't you fight back?" I respond with a question of my own.
"That's for me to decide," she says in a calm tone.
"Then why are you nagging about what I do?" I retort.
Nao doesn't say anything as she only stares into my eyes before abruptly reaching into her skirt and pulling her phone out. She takes a glance at the phone screen before turning to face me and saying, "Our friend is here."
Ah, the soaked fellow. This should be interesting…
------
After the usual proceedings, we finally set off to 'hunt' another ability user. This time, the ability in question is Flight. Now, if that isn't an awesome ability to have, I don't know what is. Still, as convenient as it would be to have that ability, it's also equally problematic, since it's difficult to make use of discreetly. My notions are affirmed as Nao pulls out a newspaper about an unknown flying figure spotted in the sky. The newspaper has some wild claims such as aliens or a secret government project.
After we study the news report a little, we figure out the location the picture was taken, as well as noting some minor details that could prove useful when the time comes. Then, come up with a plan to lure the guy out. The plan is a rather straightforward one: We go out to camp. The location where he was found flying was near a forest, hence the decision. As to why we are camping, it's that the most probable reason the ability user was spotted near the forest was that he was there practicing his ability. From that, one can assume that he would rather do it without witnesses around. Basically, we camp there until he's irritated enough to approach us. Well, it could also lead to him practicing somewhere else, but Nao and the others seem to be sure he won't do that.
Their reasoning is that since he's practicing with the ability, it can't have been that long since he 'awakened' it. As someone who has just gained a literal superpower, he probably won't have much patience. But yeah, I don't see how that won't end up with him practicing in the middle of nowhere.
Anyway, this doesn't really matter to me much. Whether he gets caught or not is irrelevant to me.
"We will be camping for a few days, at least," Nao states.
"I can't do that," I say, "Ayumi can't be left alone at home for a few days."
"Isn't she old enough to take care of herself?" Joijiro asks as he adjusts his glasses.
"No, and even she was, I wouldn't leave her alone," I say in a firm tone.
To this, Nao raises one brow as she seems to have caught up on something.
"Why do you say that?"
"It's not safe."
"You seem to be confident that something will happen if you leave her for too long."
She's a sharp lass, alright.
"That's right."
"Hm… Then why not just bring her with us?"
I take a moment to consider her suggestion before ultimately agreeing.
"Anyway, since we will be staying for days, we need supplies," Nao explains, "We can go pick your sister up. On the way is a store where we can buy the needed supplies."
And so, one store trip later, our group head to my residence.
Upon arriving, I tell the others to wait outside before I go inside. I then use my senses to locate Ayumi, only to find her sitting on a sofa, watching TV with great interest.
"Ayumi, I'm home," I announce as I approach her.
"Brother Yu! Welcome back!"
I give her a quick hug before saying, "Ayumi, I will be out camping with some of my friends. Would you like to join us?"
"Camping?" she repeats with widened eyes.
It takes her only a moment before she erratically rises from her seat and begins to prepare herself.
In the meantime, I head out to join the rest.
------
We're finally here. This ability user we're after this time sure knows where to practice using his ability. This area is quite a distance away from the city, so it's way less likely to be caught. If his ability wasn't something as conspicuous as flight, then he most likely wouldn't have been caught.
And so, after walking a short distance, climbing up a small cliff, making our way across a stream, and going through a dense forest, we eventually arrive at the spot the ability user was seen.
Wasting no time, Joijiro and I directly begin setting up two tents we've brought, while the girls lay down the things in bags we've brought along. Aside from that, they had to lay down a fainted Ayumi (she saw Yusarin).
Once Joijiro and I are done, we attend to a barbecue grill set up by the girls.
"Ah, we forgot to bring a lighter," Joijiro says with a troubled look on his face.
Before anyone can say a word, Misa takes over Yusa's body, sighs, and casually ignites the grill.
"How convenient," Nao comments.
Exactly my thoughts.
Still, can Misa take over Yusa's body whenever she wants to? It does seem that way judging from what just happened. And by extension, would that mean she sees everything Yusa does and is done to her?
Misa appears to be annoyed by Nao's remark as she says, "I'm only doing this once since it's her first time camping. And, don't treat me like a lighter!"
We all understand who she's referring to. She must've been quite the overprotective sister when she was alive.
"Yusarin can use magic?!" A sharp voice suddenly causes our ears to ring.
I look toward the source of the voice, only to find Ayumi with amazement apparent in her eyes.
"Crap," I hear Misa mutter.
"It's alright, she has already seen Nao use 'magic', right?" I say with a smirk.
"That's right," Nao immediately affirms before she moves closer to Ayumi and continues to say, "Everyone in this group can use magic."
"Brother Yuu too?!" Ayumi exclaims excitedly as she stares at me.
Nao doesn't say anything to that.
Oh well, I guess I'll humor my little sister a bit.
I take a moment to remember the sensation I had when I lifted that girl earlier today as I focus my sight on the barbecue grill. A few seconds later, the grill begins to slowly float up.
To this, everyone has vastly different reactions. Misa is staring curiously and Ayumi is jumping in excitement. As for Nao and Joijiro, they're frowning.
Yeah, yeah, you guys should already be aware I've got some other powers since the… incident. Why make this face now?
Anyway, after the excitement dies down, Ayumi sticks with Misa, while the rest of us begin preparing food.
------
It's nighttime and everyone is busy doing something. I take a look beside me and see Joijiro along with Yusa playing on a mini gaming device. I think it was called a PSP or something.
"Yusarin's in a pinch," whines Yusa in a pitiable tone.
"It'll be alright. Leave this to-" before he can finish his sentence, Joijiro is kicked in the face by Misa who has now taken over Yusa's body while shouting, "Stay out of this!"
So fiery. I like her.
Misa then proceeds to press the buttons on the gaming device at terrific speed while yelling, "ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA…"
This chick sure is something else.
Oh, right. Where is Nao? I don't see her around. I attempt to sense her but get nothing. I expand my senses, hoping to detect her, which I do as I find her sitting on a rock at the edge of a cliff, staring at the starry sky while listening to music.
Realizing that this is a good chance to get some time alone with her, I get up and walk over to where she is.
Once I am close enough, she takes the headphones off and asks, "Is something wrong?"
I don't reply. Not because I feel guilty about something or because I want to come up with an excuse of sorts. It's just that I'm in a trance.
Under the starry sky, I observe her properly and realize just how beautiful she is. There is this feeling that's growing inside me, but it quickly goes away the moment I focus on it.
I release a sigh before moving over and sitting beside Nao on the rock.
A sweet smell invades my nose which I can tell is her natural scent and a bit of perfume. I wasn't sure of it before, but it appears that I'm attracted to Nao.
This girl… She never puts on any makeup, yet she is so appealing.
Coming back to my senses, I inquire, "What are you listening to?"
She grabs her small music player and shows me the screen while saying, "It's a song by a band called Zhiend."
"Never heard of them."
"It's a band that my brother loved," she continues, her expression unchanged.
Before the mood gets gloomy, I ask her, "May I listen to it?"
She agrees and hands me the media player as well as the headphones. I put them on and listen with interest. The next moment, however, I'm hit with a sense of familiarity. Deja vu? No, this feels different…
Shaking those thoughts off, I focus on the song. The soothing voice of a female that seems to be in her twenties sings a slow and calming song, giving off a lonely vibe. It feels as if I'm in a world all alone, surrounded by a vast space.
"How is it?" Nao's voice brings me back to my senses.
I think for a moment about what to say and decide to go with, "It's strange. In a good way, though. It's as if I'm in some kind of vast space."
The next moment, excitement covers Nao's face as she laughs and lightly punches my arm saying,
"Owoh! You get it!"
She then says, "That's right. The music that Zhiend makes is vast and downright lonely."
She tells me that she believes that the reason for this is that the vocalist who's also the composer of the band is completely blind.
I take a good look at her face, as she stares off into the distance with resolve visible in her eyes as she says, "You know, my dream is to film a Zhiend music video one day."
Nao then begins to lightly swing sideways as she hums a song.
Once again, I'm captivated by her. I subconsciously reach out to her face, but before my hand can reach it, Nao suddenly stops moving.
"Say, don't you think it's about time you told us?"
Stunned by her question, my arm is frozen as I ponder over what she means.
"That day, when you chased the guy you said could use our powers. What happened after that?"
I deliberate over whether I should tell her or not. But then again, how does one go about explaining that they're not from a world and have powers beyond it? Even then, is it worth it to tell her? I've barely gotten to know her, yes, but we've built a close bond during this short period.
After a short while, I decide that now isn't the time.
"I'm sorry, but not yet," I say.
"We're already aware of it, you know?"
"Aware of what exactly?" I inquire.
"Your power," she responds.
Of course, you'd be aware. I've quite literally used them in front of you multiple times, with you catching one instance of it on camera.
"Yeah, you know about my powers, but do you know where they're from?" I say nonchalantly.
"You think we don't?"
"Enlighten me."
"You plundered those abilities," she states with sheer confidence.
"Huh?"
What the heck is she talking about?
Seeing my confused look, Nao herself seems to get confused as she furrows her brows.
"They're not?" she asks after a few seconds.
"Nope. Did you assume that just because I have shown multiple powers?"
From the memories prior to my arrival, I can only recall being able to use the useless five-second possession ability. No stealing abilities or whatnot. Still, they should be able to tell that, since they got the soaked fellow who tells them the ability, no? Unless… I really do have such an ability. How the heck do I use it if that's actually the case, because that sounds broken.
"You…" Nao utters even more confused.
"Just drop the subject Nao," I say while shaking my head, "When the time comes, I'll tell you all everything."
Perhaps she understands that I have no intention to share my secrets, Nao releases a sigh before saying, "Let's go back, it's starting to get late."
Agreeing with her, we get up and wordlessly make our way back to where we set the camp.
When we finally get there, we notice Joijiro and Misa still playing with the PSPs, while Ayumi is right beside Misa, hyping her up.
After a while, they turn the PSPs off and the three of them approach us.
"We will do night watch in pairs," Nao announces, "First off, the guys sleep for four hours. After that, we sleep and the guys take our place. This doesn't apply to Ayumi."
"But I want to night watch," Ayumi complains.
"That won't do," I say, "You need proper sleep, or you won't be able to fully enjoy tomorrow."
Convinced by my reasoning, Ayumi nods her head.
Misa moves to a seat and starts playing a game on the PSP, while Joijiro directly goes into our tent to rest.
"Let's go, Ayumi," I say as I pat her head.
"Wait," Nao interjects, "Have this."
Saying that, she hands me her music player along with the headphones still attached to it.
"You can keep it," she states.
"Alright, thank you," I say with a smile, which appears to stun Nao a little.
What, do I really smile so little? Hm… I guess I only do so when Ayumi is involved.
"Stay safe and vigilant," I say to the now mildly blushing Nao before grabbing Ayumi's hand and dragging her with me to the tent.
Inside, I notice that Joijiro is already fast asleep. Taking the spot beside him, I pull Ayumi into my embrace as I set down the music player beside us. I then put one headphone on and the other one on Ayumi before selecting a song with an interesting title.
Ayumi snuggles closer and makes herself comfortable as we gradually fall asleep.
------
Huh? What's going on?
I… am eating rice. My body is moving on its own; I have no control over it whatsoever.
While my vision is fixed, as if it's a TV screen, I can "look around". Upon doing so, I see Ayumi sitting across from me, eating dinner merrily. I look around further and realize that it's the old house we used to live in.
Then, I notice the presence of someone that shouldn't be here. A gray-haired guy. From what I can tell, he is older than Ayumi and… 'me'. As in, older than Yuu Otosaka.
The guy in question is unrecognizable. His face is plagued with a hazy gray shade, but I have a feeling that if I focus hard enough I will be able to discern it.
Before I can attempt doing so, however, the scenery changes.
I find myself somewhere entirely different. Not only that, but this time, I have control over my body.
Examining my surroundings, I immediately deduce that this location is our school grounds. What catches my attention most is that a part of the school building has been reduced to rubble.
My curiosity gets the best of me as I slowly approach the ruble.
The closer I get, I feel a certain sensation inside of me grow. It's a rather uncomfortable one.
Once I am practically at the center of the rubble, the sensation becomes overwhelmingly strong.
Soon, something catches my attention: An arm.
A small bloody arm extending from underneath a giant part of what was previously the school wall.
The sensation gets worse as if warning me to stop. Then, a certain notion passes through my mind.
No way… right?
I carefully reach out to the large debris and lift it with relative ease.
Underneath it, lays the mangled body of someone I am all too familiar with.
Her skull has been bashed in, one eye has popped out, and half of her body has been flattened, but I recognize her. And as I do, I feel a multitude of emotions invade me. Wrath, sorrow, and confusion.
"AYUM-"
------
"AYUMI!"
"Stop, stop, it's… me."
It takes me a moment to come to my senses.
Right now, I am in a tent. My arm is extended, and I am holding Joijiro by the neck. Oh, shit.
I let him go, causing him to lie down and cough incessantly.
Looking around, I notice a tearful Ayumi hugging Nao, who is staring at me.
"What happened?" she says after a short while, Joijiro still coughing.
"A dream," I respond, "An unpleasant one."
In response to this, Nao furrows her brows before she suddenly asks, "Do you remember the dream?"
"Yeah. I'd rather not talk about it right now," I respond as I cast a meaningful glance at Ayumi.
Speaking of which, why is she crying? Don't tell me… I harmed her!?
"Did I do something to Ayumi?!" I exclaim uneasily.
"No," Nao responds immediately, "She just saw a dream too."
Ayumi as well?! Don't tell me her dream was getting crushed. That would be awful.
I quickly move closer to them and hug Ayumi. Since she's hugging Nao, it ends up with the two of them being embraced by me.
------
So bored…
We have been keeping watch for a while now, but nothing remarkable has occurred. Not like I was expecting something to happen anyway.
Joijiro and I haven't exchanged a word since what happened earlier, and I'm guessing it will remain that way until we're done with the night watch.
I take this chance to think about the incident. I don't know why I saw that dream or what it meant, but I'm sure it has a meaning of sorts. Ever since I 'woke up', I have experienced supernatural events continuously. So, it would only make sense for my dreams to be abnormal too.
This is exactly what bothers me. What if the dream comes true? What if Ayumi dies? Earlier, it can be considered a miracle that I didn't kill Joijiro by crushing his neck, considering my strength.
As I contemplate such possibilities, some energy bursts out in the direction of the forest, which I find familiar for some reason. Alarmed, I look in the direction it came from and focus my eyes as much as I can.
Nothing. I don't see a thing. Joijiro doesn't seem to have noticed anything as he continues to game on his PSP.
"I think I heard something," I say to Joijiro in a calm tone, "I will go check it out, while you stay here and keep guard. Don't do anything unnecessary while I'm away."
As soon as he replies with "roger", I immediately dash into the forest and approach the spot I felt the energy emanating from.
Upon noticing something, I instantly come to a stop and take a look.
What? Is this real or am I hallucinating?
Close to me, an unconscious naked girl that seems to be around eight years old is lying on the soil.
Yeah, this screams trouble.
I take a look around to see if random men dressed in black will appear out of nowhere before I slowly approach the little girl.
The girl is of short stature and has pale-blonde hair. I take a look at her body, and once I'm sure that there aren't any signs of revolting acts being done to her, I release a sigh of pure relief.
Focusing on my hearing, I hear her rhythmic breathing along with her heartbeats. I move closer and crouch down beside her, before gently nudging her and saying, "Hey, wake up."
She doesn't react at first, but after I repeat so a couple of times, her eyelids twitch slightly before she opens them.
In the beginning, the girl takes a look at the surroundings. She then turns my way, smiles, and says, "I've arrived, Father."
Father? As far as my memories are concerned, Yuu Otosaka hasn't had intercourse with anyone, and even if he did, the math wouldn't check out. (Unless he had early puberty or something.)
But, no. This girl… From the way she said that I am almost certain she is related to me—Victor.
The girl then lifts herself from the ground, gets on her feet, and then looks down at her body through her blue eyes.
She raises her left arm and snaps her fingers. All of a sudden, a bright red light covers her body. The moment the light goes away, she's no longer naked.
And that confirms my assumption.
The girl now has a luxurious-looking black and red dress that seems to be made of silk and covers nearly her whole body. Underneath the dress, she's wearing white stockings, and on top are black platform shoes. The frilly dress combined with the black and red Victorian day cap she has on her head make her look extremely charming, despite her age.
(https://imgur.com/a/XmmU3Y8) (A/N:- Her appearance is based on Shinku from Rozen Maiden, but the franchise won't be a part of this story.)
"I apologize for taking so long, Father," the girl says in a relaxed tone.
Seriously, at this point, I feel like someone is messing with me deliberately…
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Exalted_Felix
Exalted_Felix Yeah, I think I will be making Re:Do the much darker and more realistic/detailed version of ToD.
Screw them plotholes.
Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
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