章節 17: Chapter 17: Zhi
The bed was so soft and fluffy, the blanket and pillow have the fragrance of a summer detergent. It's comfortable, moreover, the kids are here with Mizu. Their cheerful voices calling her name every morning, waking her up like a loud alarm clock. These light steps, cute giggles, and soft whispers belonged to the youngest sibling Riko and Itsuki. Planning to jump over her, a seems ritual every morning that they'd find enjoyable, which she loves too.
But when she opened her eyes, the kids are gone and Kuro was standing far from her, at the opposite side of the steep vast cliff.
“Kuro?” she called with a sad voice. Don't misunderstand, she was happy to see him, yet, her insides are throbbing. Without a response, she showered him with questions,
“Kuro! Where are you right now and others?! Are you alright?.... Say something!” still she didn't receive a response, and she can't clearly see his face.
After a minute, a voice of a girl emerge, and a young lady with fresh blood all over her hand appeared at her side. It's obviously not hers. “Is knowing the truth hurts? Or being lied was?”
This was taken Mizu back of the bizarre question. Suddenly, a Shiro of 5 years ago appeared at Kuro's side having the same shadowy face as him.
Mizu didn't answer.
This formed a smirk at this stranger's face. “Oh, then let me answer it for you. Both were. Either of the two can hurt you deeply. Especially this person is very important to you. Whether if he had a reason, you've already been hurt as he lied to you. You can't even choose between being mortified or happy seeing him here. But I know.” she laughs maniacally.
“You. Are just afraid... As you already have assumptions of Shiro's relation to what has happened to you--! ”
“Stop!!!” Mizu shouts horrifyingly.
“Why denying it? I'm already telling what you truly felt.”
“Shut up. Who the hell are you?!”
“Me? I am you! A part of you that you can't accept. A warning honey~You will lose those two too and people around you if you remain a weakling.” the young lady laughs devilishly without stopping.
Just then Mizu felt a suffocating feeling of being pressed by a ton of stone. It hurts.
"Mi~~ zu! Hey, if you won't get up. I will kiss you~!" a soft naughty voice echoed to her ears.
With the outrageous threat, Mizu abruptly wakes up and caught the lips that coming nearer. "Hurts, it hurts," Zhi cried holding her wrist, begging to stop. "chu--rry" he adorably apologizes with eyes shows regrets.
"Don't do it next time, your face is so close and you're too heavy." Mizu sharply said making Zhi instantly stand up. 'Mizu is scary, especially when waking up. This might be the real reason why others don't want to disturb her sleep.'
Sitting up, holding her head liked there's a headache, Mizu asked, "Why are you here?" after realizing what happened a while ago was just a dream, she sighs with relief but also disappointment. The smell of detergent was belonged here, to her new bed. It was all a dream.
Noticing how heavy her sigh was, how to trouble she look, Zhi seated beside her and let Mizu leaned on his shoulder, with his gentle voice he stated, "I come here thinking you were suffering in your nightmares again, as you keep mentioning your friends' name. Mizu, I know, you will see them again."
Mizu paused a moment, her eyes gleam a little bit knowing Zhi was worried and before she answered solemnly, ".. yeah...". Looking around Mizu doesn't see anyone other than them. "Where's everyone?", she asked.
"They went to their daily training. You were sleeping well before you start mumbling your friend's name when they've decided not to wake you up. It was a rare sight to see you sleeping well. I'm here to accompany you to our exclusive training ground. This biggest room and the area we're about to train was thanks to you for winning your game. A privilege to the team that has a complete member. This room and the training place were ten times more awesome than before." Zhi's pair of eyes are sparkling every time he mentioned the training area. He was obviously excited to see it, and he can't stop talking.
"Anyway, how's your wound?" he suddenly asked.
"Ah, the pain is still there. But thankfully, I can still move my arms and fingers." Mizu replied while exercising her grip.
"Your wounds might heal after 3 days. Don't overdo it. For now, watch me train."
While the two of them strolling in the hallway, Zhi explained the areas in the middle floor;
TRUCE AREA -- where fighting was prohibited. Where all sorts of players from all houses are allowed to watch matches being aired. Bringing weapons here is not allowed unless you are top 5 teams in the whole arena or the top 10 players. It has a sub-area, the MEDICAL ROOM -- where the wounded was brought to be healed. The only players that have a chance to survive and those not, can't even reach this small room.
CAFETERIA -- an area where players eat. It has a different menu every day. The players can request what dish to take even if not on the menu, into the chef personnel, as long as the player has a sponsor. Sponsors are those elites that are fond of the player. They invest and get the interest when the players win their fight. Though it will depend on how many points the sponsor gives to the chosen player. These areas were divided into 4, corresponding to the 4 Houses in the place.
TRAINING AREA -- like cafeteria, it was also divided into four for different houses to train separately. In each housetraining area, the place is scheduled on what hour the team will train, however, those players using the exclusive training ground are free to use it whenever they want.
PLAYERS ROOM -- it was also divided into four big areas, from North, East, West, and South. Obviously were players rest. Each team has their room with a complete set of the bathroom and other necessary needs, but television or other gadgets for entertainment and communication are can't be found. The rooms only differ from smallest to largest and how comfy the bed was.
The layout of the place is like a circle, where areas are surrounding the core called the arena. To open the door, players used their identification card as a key also called “key cards”. Their's no windows or stairs, there are only two elevators in the place, one for the players coming from the lower floor, or those who have access to the upper floor, and one leading to the war zone. And players don't know where the personnel rest or came from. Like an NPC character, they are only obliged to do their task. Questioning can't get the players anywhere.
"Woah, ooh, Woah!" Zhi shouts in mesmerized when they'd entered the exclusive training place. The place has 5 rooms, each for the players. The two have already occupied, one for Haruto training alone using his scimitar sword against artificial-human- enemies, and the monitored already showed how many did he kill a hundred. Akane and Himari were dueling, showing the results of their fight, a draw with 10 wins each. This was all showed on the big screen above the door of the training room that has been occupied.
"We should catch up Mizu! I mean me, for now." Zhi was clearly fired up seeing the other doing well on their training. Opening room 3, Zhi halted before getting in staring intently at Mizu's card. "It's that how 'White Crow' was written in the English alphabet? It begins and ends in 'doubleyou?'"
Mizu was perplexed by his sudden question. He eyed the card full of interest. "Zhi, you... Don't know how to read and write?"
Zhi just nonchalantly answered while both of them entered the room, "Yeah, but I know how to write and spell my name. I never went to school, not once in my life. But! Haru is teaching me sometimes! I can now recognize letters or characters, though barely. Ah, don't tell Akane or even Himari. I don't want to be teased by that red hair, and Haru doesn't want them to know he was teaching me. Thankfully, we have different rooms for genders on this floor. He can teach me a lot of things."
Mizu looked at him dumbfounded, it reminded her of their situation in the slums where she and others wish to learn in school too, and the days were her adoptive mom teaching them. "I didn't know Haruto has this soft side too."
Grasping her hand together, Zhi earnestly blurted, with eyes full of admiration, "Yeah! I was also surprised when he told me that he will teach me out of the blue. He always carries this air of indifference but truthfully he also cared for everyone. He just a tsundere, a shy type! But we two can't just stop bawling! I envy his height, coolness, and beauty. He was so manly and smart. Why does God gifted that rude boy with so much talent and height, HEIGHT?! Damn, now I remember him calling me dumbass every time. How dare that HANDSOME BRAT!"
Mizu doesn't know if he was complimenting Haruto or ridiculing him. But either way it was just shows how close this two were even if they'd argue every day.
"But Haru is a great tutor, even if were trap in this place. I want to learn." Zhi muttered, fidgetting with his two pointing fingers, poking each other.
Zhi has a lovely character, even if this place is hopeless, he can't stop smiling and hoping. He radiates like a sun, Mizu smiled, Zhi reminds her of the kids in the slum, "If you don't mind, I can also teach you."
With this phrase, Zhi becomes brighter even more, "Really?! REALLY?!"
"Mn."
"THANK YOU MIZU!" he gratefully shouts while hugging Mizu.
When Zhi entered the sensor area, his expression change to sober along with his atmosphere while holding his bow and arrow as if the jolly-one vanish. Scanning his key card, the wide and empty room automatically changes according to the quest he will undergo. From easy to the difficulty level. From the target not moving to the dancing one. His targets were artificial-human-enemies -- high-tech round machines, forming a holographic human body and look exactly like a living being. Zhi will win if he can kill all his enemies by destroying its cores corresponding to human's vital area, and he will automatically lose when he was been hit by his targets, even just a scratch, and if Mizu the teammate he was protecting will be wounded.
After an hour, the result, Zhi won without any damage and wound on Mizu. He pants drastically after clearing the quest, and winning can make the skills level rise also.
"How was it?" Zhi asked wanting to be praised. His countenance turned back to his normal cheerful self.
"You're awesome!" Mizu said proudly. Aiming to the critical point of the target, the constant firing of arrows, the great concentration he has will make everyone awe while watching him. He's so beautiful indeed, and terrifying to be an enemy. He can kill in instant, and even though it was just an artificial human, he killed them without hesitation.
Zhi giggled pleasantly, "That man said is true!"
Clenching her palm tightly, Mizu can't wait to train also. Watching Zhi's training and everyone fired her up, she knows she's weak, fighting just one enemy made her body like this. But Zhi who fights plenty managed to wipe them without damage to himself. "I'm still weak. If I fight Riku I will squash like an ant. No, in the next fight I might die. That girl was right."
Zhi suddenly pinched her cheek that's forming a grimace. And his sudden remarks hit Mizu deeply, "Mizu, just be yourself. Killing a person wasn't easy. Just focus to protect yourself.”
“Then why was it look easy to you?!” She looks serious asking this.
“Eh? Maybe because of experience? I'm older than you anyway... And... ” his voice suddenly turned low. “I've already killed people from the past. Even before coming here... My parents sold me to perverts so I've been a push to a corner and have no choice... Hehehe.” Zhi was saying this with an awkward laugh as if a joke. But Mizu read him well. Before she could say anything, Haruto speaks up.
“Who dared to assault you?!”
[BKY: Sorry for the hiatus. Thanks for the read.]
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