Chapter 一六: The Challenge
Hikaru drank pretty much all the soda left in his glass in one gulp after Yuki went to dance with Graid and the customers of the Octohorn Ring. The spiky-haired teenager then looked at the white-haired beauty as she mixed with the crowd for a moment before returning his attention to the empty glass, his rival noticing that.
(Seiren) ‘It’s good that’s not booze, Summerbolt, or you’d be totally wasted right now.’
(Hikaru) ‘What’s it matter to you?’
(Seiren) ‘I just thought you didn’t want to embarrass yourself in front of Yuki.’
(Hikaru) ‘She’s family now. I can embarrass myself all I want in front of her.’
(Seiren) ‘She’s my family, too, so I want to see her happy. And she wouldn’t be happy seeing you like this.’
(Hikaru) ‘Go and join her on the dance floor in my stead, then. And make her happy.’ – he looked at his rival with a mocking grin before continuing – ‘We both know she’ll see through your happy act if you do that, though. Yuki’s already proven she’s really perceptive when it comes to us.’
Seiren drank what was left of his orange-colored non-alcoholic drink in one gulp then, raising his empty glass with a sad smile.
(Seiren) ‘Cheers to our baby doll’s perceptiveness.’
Hikaru could feel it now. The two of them were at it again. Trying to get in a fight with the other to avoid the pain – the same old routine.
Maybe because he was looking at Miss Iceflame while thinking about this, the young Summerbolt decided it was time to change things a little. And he thought he might as well take the first step on that path of change.
Beating around the bush wasn’t going to be of any use, so he got straight to the point, already trying to mentally prepare himself for his attempt’s failure.
(Hikaru) ‘What happened on that day is not your fault, you know. If anything, you saved your brother’s life.’
The golden-haired pervert was very shocked to hear this, right after looking away from his rvial and at his left arm. Seiren then ran a hand over the sleeve he had covered most of that arm with, narrowing his eyes.
(Seiren) ‘And I learned what happens when I go too far with my powers. I promised myself that day to never go beyond the limit of my deva again. Every time I use it too much, I make the same promise, and every time I know it’s a lie.
But I keep doing it, hoping one day I’ll stop.’ – a deep sigh left his chest – ‘I did it again when we saved Yuki and it made me realize that maybe I’ll never stop. Because I don’t really want to.’
Hikaru was the one left very surprised by the young Blackscale’s words now. Instead of a refusal, he had got a confession he had not been expecting at all.
(Seiren) ‘If these devas are good for anything, it’s to protect the people you care about. With a chip limiting your output, you can’t even do that. And if you can’t use your deva for the one thing it’s useful for, why have it at all? It makes it useless.’ – he paused with even more pain and guilt in his eyes – ‘It makes you useless. That’s why I never let myself forget what today means – that I have to learn to use my deva better with the output I have now, no matter what I want.’ – unexpectedly for the young Summerbolt, Seiren turned his eyes to him then – ‘Things are different with you, though. You’ve never hurt anyone. You just got screwed-up cuz your dad wasn’t around.’
It was only logical the pervert was going to strike a nerve as Hikaru had done, but realizing the focus of the conversation had shifted to him was still something he was painfully unprepared for.
The door he had opened swung both ways, though. So now it was his turn.
(Hikaru) ‘I do feel his absence every day, but it’s something more than that.
No matter how much they try to hide it like Graid is doing now, I can see everyone else from my family is still scarred by his death and misses him a lot more than me.
I’m all that’s left of my father, so I feel like it’s my responsibility to make up for him not being here. To lead and protect our family like he would.’ – saying that made him think of something, searching for Yuki in the crowd with his eyes to find she and Graid had moved away from the others, had stopped dancing and were talking – ‘A family that has one more member now.
Having fits of anger and jumping in fights without thinking is easy, but being a pillar to support my family like my father … that’s something I’m not sure I’ll be able to do. And it’s why I feel guilty.’
Looking back at Seiren, Hikaru realized he was smiling softly – something he had perhaps never seen him do. Or at least not when looking at his rival.
(Seiren) ‘You need to stop racking your brain so much, genius. If you keep it up, your head will blow up before we can settle things between us.’
Hikaru gave a smile of the same type as the young Blackscale’s as a response to that while the Daroid-clad Graid appeared between the duo, looking ever so madly happy.
(Graid) ‘You two having a good time?’
They nodded, after which he reached and took his glass from inside the main ring to go through all the customers and toast with everyone.
His uncle’s intervention had distracted the spiky-haired teenager from the dark thoughts he had been dwelling on, which was a relief. Whether Graid had overheard what the rivals were talking about and had decided to step in right then on purpose, though, was not clear.
(Hikaru) ‘Looks like Graid’s going to perform his ritual of having a toast with everyone. I thought he’d stopped doing that, but maybe he’s making a special exception for tonight. Which makes sense.’
(Seiren) ‘I think anything that helps him not to think about the anniversary is good …’ – the young Blackscale suddenly paused to his rival’s confusion, what he said right after perfectly explaining that pause – ‘… but maybe we should be focusing on Yuki and her suitor right now.’
As Hikaru turned around on his seat, Seiren pointed at the white-haired beauty and the young man next to her that seemed a couple of years older, had a drunken confident smirk on his face and was trying to hug her.
(Hikaru) ‘I can’t make out what they’re saying from here. Let’s move a bit closer.’
Seiren nodded to the young Summerbolt’s suggestion, both of them getting off their stools to move in between the other dancing customers and come just close enough to be able to hear what the man next to Yuki was saying, but without taking the risk of him seeing them.
(The Customer) ‘I saw the moves you’ve got, girl. Very nice.
But then you suddenly turned all sad and quiet.’ – he finally hugged and pulled her closer to himself, Hikaru guessing she could even feel his breath on her shoulder now – ‘Maybe I can help cheer you up. And you can show me those moves again. And others, too.’
Yuki narrowed her eyes, looking annoyed.
(Yuki) ‘Were you just waiting for Graid to go away, so you could come and annoy me?’
(The Customer) ‘Is it that obvious?’ – he let out a small chuckle, brimming with as much confidence as Hikaru was with anger and disgust – ‘Sorry. I didn’t know you like being hit on in more subtle ways.’
(Yuki) ‘I don’t like being hit on at all.’
The drunken customer then came so close, he almost smashed his face in hers, Miss Iceflame clenching her fists in response to that.
(The Customer) ‘Come on, baby girl. Why don’t we …’
Before the man could finish that sentence, he was struck by a bolt.
A bolt sent as a gift by Hikaru who had teleported next to Yuki right after as he wasn’t able to stop himself from intervening despite knowing she could handle herself.
(Hikaru) ‘Why don’t you back off and die?!!’
The bolt threw the customer at the nearby white crystal horn, smashing it to bits along with the pedestal it was placed on and the ring around the pedestal, which aggravated the people having fun there.
Meanwhile, the man attacked by the young Summerbolt got back on his feet, turning out he had a group of four more boys and three girls with him who up until that point had gathered around the yellow crystal horn. After what had happened, they had moved away from that horn to stand by their friend’s side.
(The Customer) ‘You’ll be paying for that! Or did you think I came here all alone?!’
No more than a second later that whole group was blown up in Seiren’s bright red fireworks as he landed next to Yuki and Hikaru, looking just as angry as the mad genius.
(Seiren) ‘These two are not alone either, you bastards!!’
Coming out of the smoke following the fireworks, one of the offender’s friends covered their body with organic needles similar to those of a hedgehog but with electric-green tips, shotting hundreds of them towards the trio as a counterattack. A quickly propped-up ice wall blocked the needles, Yuki, who the wall was courtesy of, having become furious as well.
(Yuki) ‘You know, I was about to apologize for Hikaru overreacting, but I’ve changed my mind!! I guess we’ll have to throw you off the premises by force!!!’
The trio and their opponents jumped at each other after Miss Iceflame’s ice wall came down, the group of people that had gathered around the now destroyed white crystal horn also joining the fray.
Graid intervened then, darting between the fighting parties with his Daroid and pushing them away from each other with his Reloid to become the focus of attention for the guests who had all stopped dancing. His angry roars were directed toward Yuki, Hikaru and Seiren instead of the customers they were about to fight against, however.
(Graid) ‘Don’t start beating them up before they’ve paid their tab, damn it! That’s rule number one around here!!’
The trio and their opponents didn’t seem to care about Graid’s comment, so they went around him to get back at each other’s throats, when that happened, a ball of a gold-like metal with spikes on it hitting Hikaru’s uncle on the jaw by accident. Octohorn Ring’s bartender exploded in his two energy compounds moments later, looking even more enraged than his nephew had perhaps ever seen him and attacking some of the customers who wasted no time to fight back.
(Graid) ‘I take that back!! That’s rule number two!! RULE NUMBER ONE IS TO NEVER MESS WITH THE BARTENDER!!!!’
Certain people had focused solely on defending against the attacks coming from multiple assailants while others simply ran away from the bar in panic, the active participants in the brawl also taking up different approaches to the situation.
Some relied on their devas to attack, as well as heal because there were a couple of healers visiting the Octohorn Ring at the time. Others used their fists, kicks, heads and other parts of their bodies for fighting.
And then there were those who made use of the objects around them as offensive tools. The arsenal one could choose from was various: stools, glasses, bottles, the small hammers each customer was provided with to break off some crystals from the horns to put in their drink, as well as the horns and pedestals themselves.
Overall, things livened up from that point onward, but for the worse. By the time Yuki, Hikaru, Seiren and Graid had emerged victorious, the whole beach bar and the area around it had been destroyed.
At least the damage the combatants had done to each other had been healed by the time the police arrived on the scene and no one made serious complaints, so the Octohorn Ring’s owner got off with only a warning.
As for the customers themselves, whoever had stayed until after the police’s departure went away soon enough without paying for their drinks of any of the damage, of course. And thus only the four hot heads who had come to the bar first on that night remained amid the rubble.
The realization of what had happened seemed to be sinking in for the bartender, Yuki going to him with a guilty look on her face while Hikaru and Seiren looked at each other and then at all the destruction they had caused with rather satisfied mugs.
This whole brawl had been just what they had needed to let off some steam, so the night had actually turned out better than expected for the duo.
(Yuki) ‘I’m so sorry, Graid!! It’s all my fault! I should’ve stopped this before things got out of hand, but …’
Hearing the white-haired beauty behind him quickly made the mad genius turn to her to offer some consulation. Though while doing that, he couldn’t help sounding a bit angry.
(Hikaru) ‘It’s that sick freak’s fault for putting his hands on you, Yu! Don’t blame yourself for this for a second!!’
Graid appeared behind the young Summerbolt and Blackscale with a burst of scarlet energy then, grabbing both by the necks with a lethally condemning expression his nephew was a bit afraid to look at.
(Graid) ‘I don’t blame Yuki, but you two sure as hell are guilty! It’s great you’re feeling better now, but I didn’t want that to cost me my bar, damn brats!!’
(Seiren) ‘Hey, man, you made things worse when you joined the fight, so I think it’s really your …’
Even more veins protruded on Graid’s face as he focused his gaze filled with madness on the golden-haired teenager. Seiren hadn’t spent much time with Hikaru’s uncle up to that point and due to the man’s generally sunny disposition he clearly wasn’t aware how dangerous it was to provoke him.
(Graid) ‘Saya was right. You are a very annoying one, Blackscale.’ – Graid’s wrath reached the next level then, roaring as loud as humanly possible at the rivals who were now joined by Yuki – ‘Let’s see if you’ll still be talking back after you’re done fixing the damage done to this place!!!’
‘It would be nice if someone could finally shut Seiren up.’
Two silhouettes, one of which had said that, were coming down the stairs leading from the seaside street to the beach next to the remains of the bar’s main ring, by the time they got to the quartet, their full appearance being revealed.
They looked around Yuki, Hikaru and Seiren’s age, one being quite wiry in terms of physique and the other being very muscular. The wiry one had medium-length hair that mixed a scarlet and electric violet color, most of which was brushed back into place except for a few strands, harlequin-green eyes that were more rounded than normal and pale skin. His companion had a darker skin tone, savoy blue eyes and hair that was a little longer, yellow-ochre in color with some strands sticking out and a combed down fringe. Although the shape of that one’s eyes was normal, he had another distinctive facial trait – a short horizontal scar on his left cheek and a longer vertical one starting at the left end of his upper lip and reaching his chin.
Both were wearing clothes suited for sports – a dark-purple undervest with a red streak down the middle and harlequin-green sweatpants for the skinnier one and a close-fitting blue T-shirt and yellow sweatpants that had a carmine waistband and tapered ends for the more muscular one.
In terms of expressions, the wiry member of the duo had an annoyingly mocking smile on his face, the other one looked extremely serious, Yuki and Graid – confused, and Hikaru and Seiren – angry.
(Graid) ‘Are you customers from tonight? If you would like to be reimbursed …’
(Hikaru) ‘They’re not customers, uncle. These two are Hock and Gorudora, members of Ulura’s class and Sunbird’s biggest bullies along with her.’
(Seiren) ‘What the hell are you doing here?’
(Gorudora) ‘We were sent to find you. By Ulura.’
Yuki became serious as well when she heard that, stepping forward to stand between the duos Hikaru-Seiren and Hock-Gorudora.
(Yuki) ‘If she has a problem with anyone, it should only be with me. Hikaru, Seiren and everyone else from my class had nothing to do with our fight.’
Hock clicked his tongue with an ever so mocking smile in response to Miss Iceflame’s words.
(Hock) ‘No, no, new girl. You don’t get it. People in school are starting to think you and your class are the new masters of Sunbird after what happened.’
(Hikaru) ‘We didn’t ask for that.’
(Gorudora) ‘Doesn’t matter. The consequences are what’s important. And you will now have to face them.’ – he and Hock stepped even closer to Yuki, which in turn made Hikaru and Seiren come forward as well – ‘We need to take our title back from you. With something bigger than a brawl like the one you had here.’
(Hock) ‘So as representatives of Martian Class No. 3 we challenge you to a Class Battle!’
