16:02 21st April 2042

Shinjuku, Tokyo

 

The sky on the horizon started to turn bright orange as it is about to be twilight in Shinjuku. To many, it is a common phenomenon that happens almost every day. But for Kenichi, today's shade of the sky seems darker than any other day.

 

He is currently walking on his way home, to an old-styled rental apartment at the edge of the block. He was not in a hurry, nor he had any other plans for the rest of the evening and so he took his time to take a stroll the vicinity. As he walked by a certain bakery he often visits, the baker noticed him and was about to go and greet him, but she stopped midway. She became somewhat worried but at the same time afraid of him.

 

Kenichi Hiyano was a tall young man. He had just reached 17 years of age but his height had already reached over 183 centimetres. His physique was on the thin side of the body mass index and was known to be a kind, gentle as well as cheerful boy, all around the neighbourhood. However, he himself right now is anything but. His tall and broad back slouch forward, his sharp eye staring downwards, but the worst of all, the mellowness of his face that he was once known as was replaced by a face you would recognize from a middle-aged man in a traffic, going home, from his minimum-wage workplace on a late Tuesday night.

 

A curious child sitting on the table nearest to the entrance took a quick glance at Kenichi's face. Almost immediately, the child broke down into tears, calling for his mother who was paying for the food at the cashier. By the time she returned to calm down her terrified child, Kenichi already walked pass the bookstore next to the bakery. 

 

As he continues to walk down the same lane back home, he came to an abrupt stop in front of a certain convenience store. A very alluring smell enters his nostril, causing his empty stomach to growl, like a wild dog caged away from its prey. He reached for his back pocket for his phone to open up his online balance account. He currently has ¥3660 in total. He could certainly buy a full-course meal if he were to spend the entirety of it, was it not his only money left for the rest of the month.  He has to spend wisely. 

 

As he enters the store and then without loitering around, he headed straight towards the premade food aisle. Luckily for him, there was still one Yakisoba filled-bread left on the shelf. He grabbed it immediately and head towards the drink cabinet and finds the cheapest water he could find. The Yakisoba filled-bread was ¥200 and the water was ¥150, in total they cost ¥350. He will definitely survive this month. He would make it. 

 

"We would make it."

 

He accidentally said what he had in mind, he didn't want to but this little accident put a smile on his face.

 

He grabbed both the bread and the water bottle and head to the cashier. 

 

"Hey, Ken"

 

"Hey, Senpai"

 

Kenichi greets the man behind the counter. His name was Shin Matsumoto, he graduated from the same high school that Kenichi currently studies in, thus Kenichi respected him as a senior, but Shin was also Kenichi's closest friend.

 

"How are you holding up to these days?"

 

"...Well, I am trying"

 

"I can see that, now this would all be ¥350"

 

Kenichi reaches for his phone to pay for his food, but was interrupted by Shin.

 

"Hey, uh... the online bank machine reader broke, so we are only accepting cash"

 

Ken pauses. He is now screwed because he didn't have cash on him, at all. With a worried look, he sends his senpai a gaze that literally meant 'can you put it on tabs?'.

 

Shin sighs.

 

"I'll pay you this one, just don't forget to transfer it to me, alright?"

 

"You are a lifesaver, Senpai"

 

Shin prep the food in a plastic bag and was about to hand it to Kenichi. Shin whispered to Ken in a subtle manner.

 

"So...are you joining tonight?"

 

"..."

 

Kenichi knew what Shin was talking about but he was divided. This morning he was told the worst news that he had prayed to not be the truth for months, and it is still weighing on him, on the other hand, he had previously made a promised with the entire group that they will join in for the tonight's event. He also made an additional promise to one 'other' person a similar promise. 

 

"...Yeah, I will. She will join as well"

 

"She as well? In that case, you can't be making this frown around her tonight, my dude"

 

"Yeah, thanks"

 

"At midnight, we will be waiting at the green zone called 'The Quail's Nest', alright?"

 

"Noted, thanks for the payment again, Senpai"

 

"No worries"

 

Kenichi now felt slightly better, after his talk with his respected senior. He is now determined on his course of action tonight.

 

~

 

Kenichi arrived at his front door. He places his phone on top of the door handle and the machine made an "Approved!" -like noise, then the door unlocked before him. He stepped inside and closed the door. The light on the ceiling light itself up as it senses movement at the entrance. 

 

"I'm home."

 

As expected, nobody replied back to him. In fact, it would have been scary if someone did actually replied back to him. He places the food and the water bottle on the table at the center of the room. Then he focuses on his phone.

 

17:00

 

He had just arrived home on the clock. He now planned that he would eat first, then take a long shower and then have a 5 hours-long sleep. That way he would have enough rest before joining into the event with Shin.

 

He lied down onto the tatami floor and stare at the ceiling. Many, many things happened today. He had experienced all kinds of emotion within a single hour this morning. He had feared, He had cried, he had yelled, he had loved. Perhaps he had done even more so, but he didn't remember. It all happened in a single moment and so it was pretty much hazy for him.

 

He turned his head toward a certain box he hid, underneath the table.

 

He dragged it out and hold it up towards the ceiling.

 

The box itself was heavy, but also very tough.

 

The most eye-catching detail on the box was that there is a circle engraved on to the side of the box in golden color. It is very clear to him that the circle was designed to look like a magic circle from video games. At the centre of the circle, a message was written there:

 

"May you begin your magical and powerful journey with this"  –Novidia.

 

The corner of Kenichi's lips went slightly upward.