“Where did Shiro go?! Go and find him Lil Salomon!”  After defeating the remaining little devils I realize I have no idea where Shiro is so I turned to Salomon hoping he could find Shiro.  “Sure thing! Leave it to me. . .Hm? I can’t get a reading on his location. . . Uh-oh. . . He must’ve closed the App. At this rate, we’ll lose him!” I started to bite on my lip nervously trying to figure out what I should do next when I heard footsteps approaching from behind me.

 

  Turning around quickly I saw the knife wielding male from earlier giving me an annoyed look.  “Wow, you’re even more useless than I thought. . .” Salomon let out a startled shout and went behind me.  “Gah! Not this guy again!”  I ignore Salomon panic and eye the male carefully waiting for him to make any sudden movement.

 

  “I heard the whole thing. So that teacher’s pet is the culprit, huh? Shoulda stabbed him when I had the chance. Normally I’m all for giving rookie hunters a taste of their own medicine, ‘long as they’re from some other guild. . . But when you mess with my people, you gotta pay the piper. Friends or not, you’d better stay out of this if you know what’s good for you.”  I flinch under his glare but I glare right back at him not looking away from him.

 

 “He didn’t do anything wrong. I’m sure there is a good reason for what happened.”  The male just shook his head at me defending Shiro. “Oh? He said it himself. He confessed his guilt.”  Ignoring his mocking tone I stood by defending Shiro. “I. . . believe in him. He didn’t do anything wrong.” 

 

  “Damn, you’re annoying! I can’t stand you goody-two-shoes types!”  He clicked his tongue annoyed with me and broke eye contact with me making me relax my shoulders that I didn’t know was tense.  “Can’t say I didn’t warn you. Call it a newbie charity. Later losers. . . and watch your backs.” With those last words he disappeared in a mist that appeared out of nowhere.  

 

  I dropped into a crouching position when he was gone exhausted. The little devil I had a pact with was rubbing his tiny arm on my back trying to help me relax.  Salomon crossed his arms letting out a loud hmph! Looking in the direction the male disappears in.  “He’s really got that delinquent act down, huh. I bet he’d knife anyone who got too close.”  

 

  Then all of a sudden Salomon got a panicked expression and looked at my phone in concern. “Oh, this is bad! Master! Your battery! Your phone is almost out of juice!”  Looking at my phone I realize it was at one percent. “Don’t worry Lil’ Salomon. You’ll always live on in my heart.” I put a hand over my heart as I looked at Salomon with a sincere expression .  

 

  “Oh. . . it’s not like I actually live inside your phone, you know? So I won’t die or anything if the batteries run out. Hehe. But there is the slight problem that you won’t be able to use the App, so we won’t be able to track down Shiro. . .  Ack! It’s about to die! Sigh. . . Well, see you lat-”  My phone finally died and Salomon disappeared in a light along with the little devil that was comforting me. 

 

  “R.I.P. Lil’ Salomon.”  Bowing my head for the death of my phone I finally got up from my crouching position.  “Well, now I can’t get a hold of Ryota, either. . .” Seeing the sky getting darker a frown formed on my face.  ‘This would have been better if I actually had Shiro with me.’  Feeling my thoughts getting negative I slapped myself in order to cheer me up. “No use feeling depressed! I should head back to the dorm for now.”  Nodding to myself I started to walk back to the dorm.

 

  After walking for a while I finally got back to the school and I saw a figure waiting in front of the gate.  “You’re late, Masato! Very late! It’s well past curfew! What were you doing out so late?! And how did you get so banged up? Come to think of it, you looked just as bad yesterday! What have you been up to?!”  Looking down at myself after Mr. Triton mentions my appearance I realize even though the App healed my injuries I still look pretty messy.

 

  I was rubbing behind my head sheepishly listening to Mr. Triton lectures me avoiding eye contact with him. “While we’re at it, Ryota Yakushimaru Isn't back either. If he’s now with you, where is he? To think, there’s still a murderer on the loose. . . Does no one care about their own well-being?!” Shaking his head while sighing deeply he put a hand on my shoulder patting it lightly.

 

  “In any case, I’ll save the lecture for now. You’d better hurry back to the dorm, but don’t think you’re getting off easy! You’ll be hearing from me later!” Taking his hand off my shoulder he pushed me on my back lightly urging me to start going to the dorm.  

 

  Walking to the dorm I was deep in thought when I heard a familiar voice call out to me.  “You are back late, Masato. Well? Are you starting to get used to the school?” Looking at Mr. Mononobe who was walking towards me I gave him an exhausted smile.  

 

  “School is fine but my phone is dead and I have no charger on me either.”  Mr. Mononobe rubs under his chin in understanding. “Well, I suppose since you only came here with the clothes on your back you wouldn’t have a charger. All right, come with me.”  Motioning for me to follow him he started to walk in the opposite direction of the dorm. I follow after him quickly trying to make myself not look that messy anymore while following him.  

 

  We made it to a room where he went and got a charger for me to use for my phone. “Here’s a charger you can use. . . My very own, in fact.  Oh dear. It looks like the battery is completely spent. You won’t be able to turn it on right away. Sit down and make yourself at home. Let me get you some tea. . . Oh, and how about some biscuits?”  Motioning for me to sit at a little table in the room I nod my head in thanks towards him leaving my phone to charge on the ground and went to the table to sit near it.

 

  Feeling tired from running around in the town I rest my head on the table waiting for Mr. Mononobe to bring over the items he mentioned.  When my eyes were about to drift shut I heard him coming back over and sitting near the table placing items on it. Lifting up my head while rubbing at my eyes I accepted the tea and biscuits he gave to me while mumbling a quick Thank you to him.

 

  “Now then. . . Since we finally have some time to sit and chat, is there anything on your mind?” Sitting at the little table with me Mr. Mononobe drank the tea he shared out for himself while looking at me with friendly eyes that caused me to feel the urge just to tell him everything.

 

  “I. . . I appreciate the fact you’re taking care of me. Though I wonder how you being my legal guardian works.”  Avoiding his eyes I just mumbled that out while eating the biscuits that were given to me.   

 

  Even with me avoiding eye contact he still gave me a smile full of understanding. “Ah. Straight to the point. I like that. Now then, let me explain the story behind the legal guardian thing. Ryota told me a little about you. You have amnesia, right?”

 

  Nodding my head at the question Mr. Mononobe hums quietly to himself.  “Well, I became your guardian because someone asked me about it.”

 

  Hearing that someone asked him to become my guardian my head perk up at that and I look at Mr. Mononobe with eyes filled with curiosity but he only shakes his head at me.  “I can’t tell you who. Well, to be honest, I don’t know either.”

 

  “Oh. . . You don’t. . .?”  Hearing that he didn’t know who asked him to become my guardian caused me to lower my head in disappointment while Mr. Mononobe gave me a smile that made me feel a little better.

 

  “You don’t seem to be following. . . Looks like you’re lacking some general information about this world. There are many Transients in Tokyo right now. Legally speaking, you’re also a Transient. Everyone who shows up here out of nowhere, like you, is defined as a Transient. Tokyo is sealed off, you see. . . There’s no way to get into Tokyo from the outside, except through a Gate. Which means that you. . . “  Mr. Mononobe rubs a hand under his chin in thought for a second looking serious but shakes his head getting rid of the thought. 

 

  “ No, I shouldn’t pry. Allow me to continue. As for the reason why all the Transients are designated as foreign exchange students, and why they are assigned to schools without exception. . . It’s fairly obvious, when you think about it. It’s so human can keep them under surveillance. The legal guardians of all Transients are chosen from among the humans of this world.”  After hearing what Mr. Mononobe said I felt kind of disappointed that it is normal for Transients to get assigned legal guardians. ‘Well there goes that lead. . .’ 

 

  “Among those you’ve met, Mr. Inuzuka is in the same situation. As are Mr. Triton and Mr. Jinn. As a general rule, all Transients in Tokyo must have a legal guardian who is human. Any expenses are covered by the national or local government, or else by patrons or organizations that remain anonymous. I received orders from above, along with the documentation you need to sign to accept me as your legal guardian. That’s all.”  Mr. Mononobe nodded his head as his drank more tea as he told me how he became my guardian.

 

  “I hoped if I learned the origin of those orders, it might help jog your memory, but it turned out to be confidential.” Hearing that I felt a mixture of emotions. ‘So him being assigned my guardian was due to someone who knew about me but the fact it is confidential make me feel like my situation is way more difficult than I know’ 

  “Am I. . . a burden?”  I was gripping the tea cup in my hand tightly so that my knuckles turned white but I was too nervous to care about that as I waited to hear what he would say. ‘If me being here will be a burden I would feel so guilty. . .’

 

  “Hm. . .? I’ve never thought of it like that.”  Mr. Mononobe raised an eyebrow at me as he lit a new cigarette. “Transient first appeared when I was young, when I didn’t have a path in life. The ethereal light of the Gates appeared so suddenly, and when Transients started showing up, everything was thrown into chaos. Some prophecy or other claimed the apocalypse was just around the corner, so people were trumpeting the end of the world.”  Mr. Mononobe blew out smoke from his cigarette with a distance look in his eyes that made me hold back the cough that was going to come out.

 

  “It was then. . . that I met a particular Transient. I was afraid. I wanted to run away, and yet, that Transient. . . That Transient was just lost. It took me by surprise. Even a Transient, a being I thought was beyond human comprehension. . . could look so very, very lost.”  A look appeared in his eyes that I felt I could understand yet at the same time couldn’t.

 

“A few years later, it was ordained that Tokyo would coexist with other worlds. That’s how I became a teacher. I wanted to help Transients like the one I had met. But once I became a teacher, I found that I wanted to be there for all of my students. So no, I’d never consider you to be a burden. That is the honest truth.”  I could feel my heart grow warm at how genuine he sounded and gave him an embarrassed smile that he chuckled at.  

 

“ I have a duty to protect my students, both in an official capacity, and from a personal standpoint. . . So don’t go doing anything dangerous, okay? I say that as your teacher.  As long as you keep that in mind. . . you should live your life to the fullest. Us adults will foot the bill.” I nod my head in understanding but I couldn’t help but furrow my eyebrows together.

 

  “That Transient you saw, what happened to them?”  I was really curious if he met that Transient again but all Mr.Mononobe did was shrug his shoulders at my question with a smile. “Beats me. We haven’t met since. Hopefully they’re doing well.”

 

  His phone rang in the room causing him to look over to check on it. “Hm? Hold on, I’m getting a phone call.”  He got up to go and answer his phone outside the room. I crawl on my knees to get close to where he was to hear what was happening.

 

  I could hear what he was saying on the phone but not what the other person was saying. “Yes? Oh, hello officer. The forensics are back on that body part? Sure. I understand. I’ll be right there. . . Of course.”  As Mr.Mononobe ended the call I quickly went back to my seat and quickly stuffed the last biscuit on my plate in my mouth.

 

  Smiling at me struggling to swallow the whole biscuit he grabbed a coat that was laying in the room.  “Sorry, Masato. I have some business to take care of. I wanted to talk with you more, but we’ve got plenty of time. We’ll save the rest for later. You can stay here until your phone is charged. Just put the key in the mailbox when you leave.”  Messing up my already messy hair Mr. Mononobe left with a smile on his face.  

 

  I was in the room for a while and finished the tea that had gotten warm. My phone turned back on soon showing that it was fully charged.  I put away all of the dirty dishes and left the room making sure to put the key in the mailbox after I locked the room door.

 

  As I was walking in the hallway of the school I ran into Ryota who ran toward me with a worried look in his eyes. “Oh, Masato! Thank goodness! I couldn’t get a hold of you, so I was starting to worry! Shiro. . . still isn’t back. . .”  Ryota gave me a frown and I noticed that he looked really sweaty and kind of dirty. Feeling a bit of guilt for causing him I messed around with my hair with a little frown on my face.

 

  “Sorry for that. My phone ended up dying and shutting down.”  I lower my head toward Ryota in apology but he just waves his hand at that. “It's fine, that type of thing can happen to anyone. I’m just glad you’re okay.”

 

  Feeling glad that he wasn’t mad I smiled at him but stopped once I remember the phone call Mr.Mononobe had with the police.  “Oh yeah, while I was using the charger Mr.Mononobe gave me he got a called from the police concerning the murder case.” 

 

  “The police called him about the murder case. . . I see”  Ryota had a serious look on his face as he nodded his head but it quickly disappeared once he heard my stomach growl.  I blush at the bad moment my stomach decided to growl. ‘I’m still hungry.  The biscuits weren’t enough to make up for the fact I was running around all day.’  

 

  “Hey, you haven’t eaten dinner, have you? I bought some corn dogs at the convenience store. Let’s eat while we fill each other in on what we’ve been up to!”  Just noticing a bag in Ryota we went to find somewhere to sit.

 

  Once we found a place Ryota handed me a corndog and I began to tell him what I learned regarding the situation with Shiro and how it was connected with the murder that was mentioned this morning.  

 

  “So, you’re saying. . . Shiro went to the convenience store last night. . . He somehow registered for that App and summoned familiars by using a Sacred Artifact. . . Once he was registered, he became searchable within the App. . . He caught the eye of some hoodlums and fell prey to their rookie hunting. . . But his familiars went berserk, turned the tables, and totally busted those guys up. . . Which freaked him out and caused him to scram. Then, the next day. . . One of the guys involved was found ripped apart, and that’s the murder case we heard about. . . So the buddies of those guys are after revenge, and come looking for him. . . But they got crushed, again. . . which is when you found Shiro. . . before he ran off somewhere else.”  Ryota ends up summarizing what I just told him which sounds a lot more complex once you heard it from someone else.

 

  “I mean basically, yeah.”  I had the stick of the corndog in my mouth now resting my arms on my knees that was holding my head up. “Think you could have packed in a few more details? Jeez, that was like a full course menu of facts.”  Ryota looked at me shocked at how nonchalantly I said everything.

 

  “So you’re telling me that Shiro is the one behind the murder? I don’t believe it. . . But I could believe that he’s painted himself into a corner. He does tend to do that. . . And if you consider the evidence you presented. . . he does seem like the prime suspect.” I frowned at what Ryota said but didn’t deny what he was saying. After all Shiro did seem like the prime suspect in the murder.

 

  “If his familiars were out of control, it’s not his fault, though. . . So, putting that aside, there are Sacred Artifact wielders and Transient users. . . The App creates a Battle Zone. . . And App users who are members of guilds go around hunting rookies. . .? How can a simple social media app do all that?” Ryota grew quiet after that and his expression slowly changed as if he just realized something.

 

  “Huh. . .? Hold on. Something doesn’t add up.”  As soon as he said that I just remember something Salomon told me early in the day.  ‘Didn’t I tell you? People can’t be killed. It’s just a game. Once the game is closed, the result of whatever went on in the Battle Zone won’t be carried over into reality. If the App shuts down properly, any physical ramifications will revert to the state before the gameplay has begun. In other words, wounds heal, and those who died are revived. Even objects that are broken will return to normal, except in some rare cases. But, well, it’s just as painful as dying for real. Even after the battle is over, the memory of the experience will remain, so it can be extremely traumatizing.’  

 

  Also what Shiro told me after his familiars went all crazy on the rookie hunters. ‘I freaked out and fled the scene. . . but I couldn’t get the sight of that bloodbath out of my head. . . I’d hoped everything would go back to normal once I got home and closed the App. I turned my phone off and went to bed, believing it was a nightmare and nothing more. . .’

 

  “I knew it.” Shiro couldn’t have killed anyone!  Ryota nodded his head understanding where my thoughts were going. “Once the App shuts down, everything is supposed to be restored, right? We know Shiro closed the App at least once after that, and everything was returned to how it was before the game started. . . And yet, the victim of that incident wasn’t. . . The body was still torn apart. . . Does that mean the murder wasn’t instigated by the demons Shire summoned, after all? That settles it! He had nothing to do with it! We have to find him and break the news!”  Ryota quickly stood up with a determined look in his eyes and I stood up with him nodding in agreement.

 

  “Shiro’s actually pretty fragile, you know? All it takes is unwittingly breaking a few rules and he falls into depression. On average, he’s down for three days. The record is two months. If he’s convinced he killed someone, he’ll be out of commission for years! But first. . . we have to get around the teachers. We can’t exactly tell them the truth. . .” Ryota had a hand under his chin as he tried to figure out how to get around the teacher without telling them anything.

 

  “Sneaking out is just as problematic. Lots of students have been breaking curfew lately, so Mr.Triton beefed up security. . . Some student tried to sneak out earlier and he used his trident on them! Then he tied them up with a strange rope made of water or something. Even if we manage to get past Mr.Triton, there’s still Mr.Jinn. . . Argh. . .”  Ryota was quiet for a while before he let out a sigh.

 

  “Listen, Masato. . . I wanna help Shiro, just like you do, but. . . When I first met you, I was completely useless, like a parsley on a plate. That’s why. . . I have to ask you to take care of him.”  Having him look at me with such a serious expression I could help but nod my head at him.

 

 “ I promise I will help Shiro, no matter what it takes. But. . . As my reward, let's take a bath together!”  My face grew hot as I looked at Ryota seriously who ended up taking a step back in surprise at my request.

 

  “Huh? Like, at the dorm?! Just the two of us? That’s way too embarrassing!”  Ryota avoided looking at me directly for a while before a smile appeared on his face.  “You have a good heart, Masato.” When he told me that with such a sincere smile I felt guilty for asking for a bath as a reward but not that guilty. I still want a bath together as a reward.

  “Okay, here’s the plan. . .”  Ryota got close to me and started to whisper in my ear what his plan was and I got a shocked expression on my face due to how extreme the plan was.  We both looked at each other and Ryota nodded his head at me with a serious look which caused me to put a hand on his shoulder with a serious expression.

 

  “Your sacrifice will not be in vain. I promise you Ryota. Now let's go and find Moritaka for the plan to begin.”  Ryota just nodded at me and texted Moritaka asking where he was. ‘Sorry for using you like this Moritaka. I will give you a bunch of tummy rubs as an apology.’ 

 

  After learning where he was Ryota told me to go and wait for him at the school entrance.  Nodding my head at him I walked to the school entrance to wait for him to bring over Moritaka.  After a while I could hear voices coming over to me.

 

  “What is going on, Master Ryota? Where are you taking me?!”  Moritaka was confused as Ryota kept pushing him toward where I was at.  “Sorry! We’re short. . . pawed. . . here. We need all the helping hands. . . er, paws. . . we can get!”  Ryota kept pushing him until they were finally near me.

 

  I smiled at him once he finally reached him causing him to nod his head towards me before looking at Ryota again.  “Then explain to me what’s going on! If I don’t know what you. . . Ah! Mr.Triton!”  Moritaka stopped what he was going to say once he noticed Mr.Triton coming over.

 

  “What’s all the commotion? Yakushimaru?! Inuzuka?!”  Me and Ryota look at each other quickly before Ryota opens his mouth about to start the plan.  “Mr.Triton. . . Moritaka said that there’s something he wanted to consult you about. . .” Once Ryota said that Moritaka's eyes grew wide in shock and I looked away when he looked at me.

 

  “What?! A consultation?! With me?! What is it? What do you need to discuss? I will meet your expectations with love deeper than the ocean!” Mr.Triton looked toward Moritaka, smiling at him with an intense aura surrounding him.

 

  “What?! No! I. . . I don’t even know what’s going on. . .!” Moritaka was waving his hand in front of him desperately trying to deny what Ryota just said.  “No matter! Pour all of your troubles out into my burly bosom!” Mr.Triton wasn’t listening to what Moritaka was saying to him but his attention was drawn to Ryota who waved his hand in front of him quickly.

 

  “No Mr.Triton! Not in front of all these people! He must speak with you in private, away from eavesdropping students. . . You know, about puberty stuff!”  As soon as he said puberty both Moritaka and Mr.Triton eyes grew wide in surprise. 

 

  “Forgive me! I’m being insensitive! Let’s go to the RA room right away!”  Mr.Triton grabbed Moritaka by his arm and started to pull him toward the RA room in the school ignoring his struggling.  

 

  “Ryota! Explain yourself! What is going on?!”  Moritaka's voice grew quieter as he went further into the school. “Sorry, Inuzuka. I’ll treat you to a T-bone later!”  Ryota quickly claps his hand together in front of him in apology towards the retreating figure of Moritaka who was still struggling to escape from Mr.Triton hold.

 

  “Now, it’s a tough burden to bear, but I have to do my part too. . .”  Ryota had a frown on his face as he walked in the direction of the school where he knew Mr.Jinn was and I shook my head at his sacrifice for this plan.

 

After a while I got a text from Ryota telling me that Mr.Jinn was distracted so looking around the entrance of the school quickly making sure no one was coming near it I quickly left trying not to let tears fall as I think of the experience Moritaka and Ryota were currently going through. 

 

  Once I was far away from school I contacted Salomon who came out my phone in a cute pose.  “Ta-dah! I’m back in the game! Your adorable familiar, Lil’ Salomon, is fully charged and ready to go!”  

 

  “Heading out on the town this late at night? Naughty, naughty!” Salomon shook a finger in front of him but cried out when I flick his forehead.  “You know what to do. I need you to find Shiro.” 

 

  Salomon gave me two thumbs up at my request.  “Find that player, huh? I read you loud and clear! Now that we’ve run into him once, I can find him again for sure. Leave it to me! As long as his phone is still on, that is. . .”  Salomon quickly tried to locate Shiro and was quiet for a while before letting out a happy ah ha! once he got something.

 

  “Wow! It’s on, all right! I know exactly where he is, Master! Let’s move!”  Salomon started to fly in a direction quickly and I followed after him making sure to keep an eye out for any of Shiro familiars. 

 

  After walking for a while a bunch of Shiro familiars appeared in front of us and they looked more aggressive than usual with a dark aura surrounding them.  “Look at all these enemies! They’re multiplying like rabbits! M-Master! Are you really going ahead with this?” Salomon looked at me with tears in his eyes and I let out a sigh raising a hand to pet Salomon head to calm him down.

 

  “I promise Ryota that I would bring Shiro back. Also if we get through this I will pet your belly when we get back.”  Smiling at Salomon he just huffed and crossed his arms looking away from me. “My belly? That won’t cover it. . . You’d better stroke my head, too! L-Let’s do this! I’m all riled up! I’d dive into an ocean of blood for you!”  Salomon quickly look at the group of closing in familiars and glare at them.

 

  “I’m a Level 3 Battering Ram, baby! Raaaaaaaaarrrrgggghhhh!” Salomon charged towards the group of familiar who were shunned at the sudden attack from Salomon and I just shook my head at his reckless behavior then quickly summoned my sword to make sure Salomon doesn’t get hurt.