OOO

"Alone we are Strong, Together we are Stronger" - Unknown

OOO

(Third pov)

Everyone present looked at the two people sitting in the middle of another room, Shouri was setting up the board while Masamune with a smile on his face, and Soyo with a serious demeanor looked into each other's eyes.

Shouri hummed to indicate it was done and then quietly left to sit on Ayaka's lap who patted her while looking at the match that is about to begin.

"You can go first, your handicaps are as follows... I will only defend in this match, I also won't use the Queens" Masamune said with a calm smile to Soyo...

Yet that didn't make her feel better or relieved... It simply intensified her contained fury, she felt humiliated but she didn't object, merely because she has seen how monstrous Masamune is in this game...

"And... The match won't stop until I willingly make you surrender... Afterall... I am playing this game for you... Not to simply win" Masamune stated with a warm wide smile as he looked deeply into Soyo's surprised eyes.

Indeed it surprised Soyo as it washed away the grievance she childishly held against him.

That statement from him related to her previous title truly caused her heart to feel pain as it came from someone who could be considered the Greatest Shogi player of all time besides shouri as Shogi was her passion and also escape from reality.

But also most importantly because it came from someone she already had considered to be close to her. So it affected her more than she let on, It vaguely is similar to when someone's loving mother said something hurtful to them.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have impulsively accepted that match before, She was widely renowned for her ability to remain calm at all times, so now that she can think properly, she realized how dangerously close they have gotten...

Which only made her feel more firm to defeat Masamune, She didn't wish to be anyone close to her in her struggling mission, after all she was vaguely aware of how dangerous this mess was... They might even be 'erased' due to her.

The match soon began, as it slowly intensified yet it had a serene calmness to it, Soyo's Playstyle was smooth and elegant as if everything was well calculated and was all according to her plan, which fits her personality well as she is a careful crafty person.

Yet she quickly let out a sigh when she realized she couldn't even capture a piece even though Masamune wasn't playing offensive... Truly he is formidable but it only made her feel excited as she started to enjoy the game and forget about her initial thoughts.

The match soon intensified as Soyo was fully absorbed into playing it...

But she along with everyone in the room suddenly was left stunned when shouri started playing music from her pad as Masamune hummed and slowly sang a song known on earth known as Hope...

[Inserts One piece opening 20, hope]

"My heart Throbs at the thought of you!" Masamune slowly started as his voice loudly echoed through the room.

They were awestruck by his adorable unfiltered voice mixed with the music, the game slowed down, as everyone listened to it, Especially Soyo... Whose hand trembled as she heard it.

"... As long as you wished, we will brandish our unchanging bond..."Masamune sang as he changed the lyrics to fit the situation, tailored made for Soyo, as he knew it would touch her heart...

"... Remember the Joy of letting our True feelings fly at each other, unfiltered, unchanged..." Masamune alluringly sang as he Peered deeply into Soyo's eyes, who bit her lower lips... As she tried not to be affected by this song...

"... For feel the pain from how we laughed so much it dried our tears..." Masamune softly sang as he slowly indicated Soyo's hand to make the next move as it had stopped was trembling.

"Your cherished Voice that hasn't reached me... crushes my helpless heart..." He sang sorrowfully a tone that carried his deep emotions.

Soyo trembled as she heard it, she wanted to comfort him, she wanted to say that's not true... Yet she selfishly convinced herself, this was for their own good...

"But... I will keep believing in the light that still covers this world, even if it's not visible..." With a hopeful yet with deep meaning behind it, he sang.

But soon the tone of the song shifted as " Why did you give up on us so easily?..." Masamune sang with a sorrowful tone as if he is pained...

That caused Soyo's heart to crumble up as she desperately wanted to shout Nooo... I didn't... You... just don't understand...' yet.. she remained tight-lipped yet... Her stubbornness to not bring them into this mess.

As if Masamune knew what she was thinking, he followed it with" So, Why do you want to be alone?..." in a regretful tone as if he felt hurt.

Which caused Soyo to waver even more as tears started dropping from her eyes, as she finally shouted "... I don't... I Don't Want to lose people close to me again!!..., so... please Just... Stop-" Before she could finish she felt a warm hug from behind her.

Which shocked her but she didn't reject it as she simply sobbed as she felt the hug.

After some time Masamune sang "Say... What kind of silly future did you plan for? One where you cause us sadness by leaving?" While still hugging her, in a sweet tone as if scolding her.

That made her mind go haywire as she asked herself... Did she truly want to leave them? She quietly answered "Noo.... I want... To stay with you... And have fun..." With a broken voice that contained her true desires.

"Then... if you foolishly vanish who will fulfill your dream? That you told us about?..." Masamune in a solt tone asked as the music slowly calmed down as if it was all planned.

Soyo's teary eyes widened as she realized that... If she dies due to her mission... She wouldn't be able to fulfill her promise to her parents... The dream to become The greatest Shogi player to ever exist and... To live a fulfilled life with her family...

Masamune patted her head and wiped her tears when he felt she understood.

He then walked back to his sit while he sang " My heart Throbs at the thought of you!" With a loud shout right when the music suddenly intensified as if it was timed.

Soyo deeply looked at Masamune's back as he walked back slowly.

"Then Remember the Joy of letting our True feelings fly at each other, unfiltered, unchanged!" Masamune sang with a warm smile as he sat down.

"So don't ever lose hope! don't ever think of leaving us behind!" as he sang loudly to convey it to Soyo and everyone else.

Soyo kept staring at Masamune with unknown emotions.

"Just close your eyes and listen carefully..." he slowed his singing, as everyone turned more attentive.

He loudly continued "Let's look for your answers together, for the road even if it's dark, we can brighten it up together..." While spreading his hand towards Soyo as if to indicate to take it and don't be afraid.

A smile slowly blossomed on Soyo's face she nodded as she slowly wiped the remaining tears as she said "... Sigh I am sorry...for being selfish... I will let everyone here know ... after I close the restaurant and for now... I humbly resign... You successfully managed to steal my heart, Masa-chan~ so take responsibility~" with a hearty laugh as she teased Masamune.

That made everyone laugh, and Masamune just scratched his head, unsure of how to answer that...

Soon he stood up with Soyo as everyone gathered around them

Ayaka hugged Soyo tightly as she said " Don't be sad~, after all we could be considered family already after this!" As she declared with a bright smile, which caused Soyo to smile as well.

Ayaka then patted Masamune with a proud smile as she said Myy Masa-chan~ can sing, hm hm, he is so talented, I am sure he will sing a song for his dear mom, right~" Ayaka Politely requested to Masamune as he chuckled as if he is in danger before he could reply he also heard.
 

"Masa-chan~, Did you write that son,g, especially for Soyo-chan? Muuu~ I feel jealous~, you should write one for your dear lovely aunt Tsugiko as well~" Tsugiko teasingly asked as well... Which made him sweat drop but alas it wasn't the end.

"UmU~, Maybe you could even do a concert in the future, I am very sure everyone will love it! Your voice was so adorable! I wanna hear you sing again..." Souka excitedly told Him with sparkling eyes.

"Hmmm, we could plan a concert if you wanted one, Masa-Sama, Just let me know, and  I will handle it... And you could perhaps sing a song for me as payment... No, I will do it for free as long as I get to hear you sing" Hasumi said more to herself than anyone.

"We-Well, as expected of my rival!... Maybe... If I ask politely he will sing for me..." Yumeko at first exclaimed and then mumbled the last part to herself but everyone heard it clearly.

"Nii... Sing for me every night until I sleep" Shouri shamelessly asked her elder brother, who just patted her head with a dry chuckle as he realized how much trouble he is in

He imagined himself being dehydrated from singing too much which caused him to shiver a bit...

Soon the room was empty or so it seemed, As Then a chuckled was heard from a corner of the room when an old voice said "... So that's what he meant by Connecting Via Music... Interesting... Don't you think so as well Kondou-boy?" Samuel then directed to Kondou who was calmly sipping tea as he looked deeply at where Masamune left.

"... Indeed..." Kondou politely answered without revealing his thoughts, which caused Samuel to grumble about kids being quiet these days as he ate his steak.

OOO

(Soyo pov)

I jumped onto my bed after taking a shower and I buried my face into my pillows then I started remembering everything that happened all day... Which made me feel both extremely happy and content today...

I already told them about my past and my mission... And surprisingly or maybe not... They were worried for my safety and even tried to make me rethink it, I was touched by them but also I knew I couldn't stop now... I must go on for my parents...

But I felt very warm and happy Masa-chan agreed with me..., He even encouraged me and said he will help, which made me feel deeply touched...

Although we were soon baffled when Masa-chan revealed some of his future plans to us... Even I started to worry for him instead, well except for his family as for some reason they just had proud expressions as if they already expected those sentences from him...

That did make me laugh a lot, That Family is crazy...  Soon Jabami's also at first reluctant but also got influenced by the Hayashi family and joined especially Yumeko-chan who felt proud and even declared a grander dream for herself.
 

Which I understand and resonate with... it made me feel even closer to them as if an invisible barrier was removed, I felt more relief and less burdened, I felt I had a place to return to...

I scrolled through my pad as I looked at the pictures and videos we took today afterward, a smile unknowingly formed on my face as I looked at a video where Masa-chan was singing songs with everyone else, as I looked more and more, my mind slowly felt absorbed until I noticed, I was mostly looking at Masa-chan's pictures and videos...

Especially the ones with me and him in it... Immediately that made me feel flustered as I felt embarrassed by my behavior, I scolded myself for this inappropriate behavior... Saying to myself he is just a kid... But my mind also reasoned, he is also the most mature and smart... Even more than adults... I quickly got rid of my embarrassing thoughts.

As I remembered after everyone started leaving, Masa-chan wanted to talk to me alone, which at first made my heart skip a bit and fasten up but I was disappointed... Well I mean luckily he just wanted to help me with my mission.

But it did shock me to my core and changed my worldview of whom I met... I still felt shiver...

(Flashback point)

Later Masamune introduced Soyo to, two very surprising people that made her feel baffled, The legendary Grandmaster Samuel and Kondou the eternal Ryou...

People who are basically at the very top of Their respective games... What made Soyo feel even more surprised was, they were inside the restaurant along with them the whole time yet she didn't notice...

Or from what Masamune revealed to her... And she alarmingly learned... The TrueRulerss of Europe and Asia... That seemed to stun Soyo even more... she thought Masamune was joking with her, but alas when Masamune stated he was serious... It scared her deeply...

Especially considering She thought she had a solid information-gathering network set up yet she didn't remember anything other than Their public identity... Truly frightening.

It made her extremely worried and... scared as she was suspicious they might be using Masamune and they were just about to be 'Erased'.

Getting 'Erased'... It's an urban legend widely popular on the internet... Soyo also didn't believe in it until She was able to witness it... As everyone related to her Completely vanished... All information related to them, everyone who knew her family, everything... As if they never existed, to begin with...

Luckily Ayaka was there to save her, as She utilized her Connections to grant her safety..., It Left a deep scar in her heart, and she still had nightmares of it even now.

Thus she tried to escape along with Masamune yet she couldn't when a bullet was fired near the floor she stood at... She froze as she watch Masamune lightly scold Kondou.

"...I apologize... Masa-Sama... I simply thought she was trying to take you hostage and escape... My cautious nature made me act instinctively" Kondou lightly bowed and apologized to Masamune when he realized he made a mistake.

"... Sigh... Apologize to her, also If I trust someone, then simply assume I have already verified and confirmed they are trustworthy" Masamune told Kondou while waving his hand.

"Hai... Soyo-dono, I apologize for my behavior, Please forgive me" Kondou simply bowed to the stunned Soyo and apologized.

 Samuel shook his head at this nonetheless attitude, Truly worthy of a Pragmatic Person...

Soyo didn't say anything as she simply moved in front of Masamune,she still didn't trust them so she wanted to protect Masamune even if it costs her life...

"Soyo-chan, Don't worry about them, they are trustworthy, and we have a cooperative relationship, Hmmm you still seem worried, here let me introduce you to why," Masamune said to Soyo and then held her hand as some sort of hue spread from his hand to her.

Then Soyo was stunned as she was slowly able to see different states of hue to everyone present even her... She was mesmerized.

As She heard Masamune explain "What you are seeing is basically soul energy that is constantly leaving every living person's body, Think of it like water slowly flowing out of a jug of water, when it is empty it means their Material Life has ended" With a calm smile.

She waved her hand around as the hues moved along with them after some time she inquired with her eyes for Masamune to explain more.

 " You see, we could use Soul energy as a way to form contracts or Promises with other beings who have soul energy and they are bounded to me via this soul energy, although they had to use a medium such as a tattoo to remain connected to me" Which he did but remained as vague and obscure as possible, simply stating a general explanation.

She looked at Samuel and Kondou who just nodded and showed their tattoo, which looked like an Upside Down V with one of its edges having a hanging small U.

"Now, that everyone is on the same level of understanding, Let's commence the plans and let's help Soyo-chan" Masamune said with a smile.

And thus the first of many meetings to decide the fate of many took place...

(Flashback end)

I shook my head as I looked at the Tattoo above my heart... Which immediately made me blush at my bold request to where I wanted mine...

"It's  because I wanted to hide it properly..." I mumbled an excuse yet I quickly remembered the sound that came out of my mouth...

 I put my head deeper into my pillow... Due to embarrassment as my heart quickened up

OOO

(Third pov)

After a few weeks, as Ayaka was leaving from her work, after she greeted the receptionists, one of the receptionists from last time who panicked quickly called out "U-Umm Ayaka-sama pleas- Please wait..." When she saw Ayaka turn to her, she quickly left the receptionist's desk and came in front of Ayaka

She bowed and said " A-as thank you for accepting me for this job; Plea-Please if you have time, I would kindly request yo-you to attend My son's first birthday party as the guest of honor! I-If you don't want to... It's alright as we-well if-" in a nervous tone as she offered a formal letter made out of paper...

"Hmmm I will think about it after talking with my kids, I will let you know tomorrow" Ayaka Politely said, as she felt touched since Paper was considered Luxury at times like this, as it costs a lot... At least to employee families.

Even then she would have probably not even considered this but... It was her son who recommended this Woman to work here, so she wanted to ask him first...

"Than-Thank you, Please take your time!" The receptionist replied as she bowed deeply

As Ayaka turned around to leave she remembered her son telling her to find out what the woman's son would be so she turned around and asked "By the way, I forgot to ask what the name of your kid is?"

"Ha-i! My son's name is Satoru Suzuki" the receptionist hurriedly answered as she bowed once again

Ayaka nodded " I will contact you, don't worry" As she finally left the building with Hasumi,

 Unaware of the significance what that name held both in the future world of Yggdrasil... and to her son...

Thus it was set in stone... The very first meeting between two Supreme beings of Nazarick, albeit both of them still being kids...

OOO

Word count: 3175 Words

Added the last bit at the end, so released the chapter late, mostly for Overlord fans... Anyways hopefully this chapter smoothened out the previous chapter, at least to me it does, what do you think?

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