Heroes of the Past Volume 1 Chapter 4-1

Monday Autumn Quarter 2015 Week 5

For once, Ichizen looked serious. I was over at his house, watching him type an essay. I had free time to kill so I decided to hang out at his house. Besides, I also wanted to talk to him about the entire situation.

“Have you changed your mind?” I questioned him.

“Huh? Oh, I get it. You want me to take a cla.s.s with you, right? Alright, Yuki, what will be easy enough for me so I’ll still have time to do my own thing?” he responded, giving me a grin.

“You know that’s not what I’m talking about. Somehow I don’t think Felicity is telling us everything. You really want to go through with something like this with someone like her leading the way?” I clarified.

Ichizen didn’t say anything for a few seconds. The only sound in the room was his fingers. .h.i.tting the keyboard. I sighed, knowing full well once Ichizen committed to something, he wouldn’t back down.

“Of course. What else would we have if we can’t even trust her. Yuki, trust me on this, it’s gonna be good. Aren’t you even a little excited if even a small piece of her blog turns out to be true?” Ichizen finally said.

No, Ichizen, it is not exciting at all. To put so much faith in someone we didn’t even know, that was crazy. Although, it was the norm for someone like him.

“You can’t deny what you saw, Yuki. I know you’re trying to forget it but that night, you saw everything with your own eyes. I’ve known you for a long time, Yuki, and right now, you’re just hoping everything was just a bad dream,” Ichizen stared at me after saying his piece.

d.a.m.n it, I couldn’t deny I had those thoughts. I didn’t like to admit it but Ichizen had a point. Even if Felicity’s blog lacked any substance to it, I still saw something unexplainable. Maybe going further with this could give closure.

I gauged Ichizen’s expression. Yep, that same stubborn and determined expression I had seen so many times over the years. I sighed, finally noticing something different about him. Not personality wise but something he was wearing.

“When did you get that hoodie?” I asked.

“Finally noticed it, huh? It’s pretty sweet, right? I especially think that this is the best part!” Ichizen said with pride, pointing at a logo on his hoodie.

The logo was a smiley face with its tongue sticking out. One of its eyes was a ‘X’ and the other, the Chinese character for death. That really did fit Ichizen’s personality. His lax att.i.tude and fun seeking ways. Pretty appropriate.

“You didn’t answer my question,” I pointed out.

“A few weeks ago. It was a gift from someone,” Ichizen replied.

“Not going to tell me who?” I pressed Ichizen.

“Not feeling it, Yuki. Does it matter? You never care about stuff like that,” Ichizen grinned.

“Guess it doesn’t matter too much. Just surprised since you always like to open up your big mouth and tell me all the details,” I admitted.

“You know me too well, Yuki. Do you really have no homework to do? Aren’t you here just to procrastinate and end up having to do it last minute?” Ichizen resumed his typing.

“That describes you more than me. I already got most of my a.s.signments done. The only thing I have is a quiz on Wednesday but I’ve done a lot of studying for it. Aren’t you the one who’s always saying that you need to take breaks?” I sighed once more.

“You staying over for dinner today? I heard from Mom that we’re having duck tonight,” Ichizen glanced over at his outline for the essay he was writing.

“No, I’ll think I’ll just head home. Hey, Ichizen, just think about it, okay? I know that I sound really pushy right now but I just don’t have a good feeling about all of this,” I said standing up, preparing to leave.

“Shame that you’re not staying. Yeah, I’ll try to keep whatever you say in mind. While playing games later of course. Wonder if Bruno wants to proofread my essay?” Ichizen nodded.

Walking home, I reread the strange message we both received. It couldn’t be a coincidence that we both got the same message. If it was a deliberate scam, it made sense to target Ichizen only.

But why me? It was probably easy enough to get my number if someone got into Ichizen’s phone. But to target me specifically, someone had to have prior information on Ichizen already. Who could it be?

Wednesday Autumn Quarter 2015 Week 5

I finished writing down my answers on the paper and handed it to the TA. He accepted it and continued watching the cla.s.s. I returned to my seat and packed up my stuff. Still ten minutes before cla.s.s normally ended. Not too bad at all, perhaps my luck finally was changing.

Walking out of the cla.s.s with the left strap of my backpack on my shoulder, I checked my phone for any new messages. A flashing yellow envelope was in the left upper corner of my screen. Hmm, Felicity found something important.

Arriving at the library, I searched for Felicity. My phone vibrated and I checked the text. I walked up the stairs and headed toward the section containing the study rooms. I looked around and located Felicity near a study room door. She waved and I walked over.

“Felicity, you found something?” I asked, hoping for something good.

“Yeah but I think I’ll have to get Tess’ help for this one. Let’s go in,” Felicity replied, pointing to the door.

I nodded and followed her inside. In the study room, I saw the familiar table all these rooms contained. It spanned ten feet with enough seats for six people. A thirty inch television screen located in the back allowed video access from various electronic devices.

Tess sat near the back. Today, her hairpins weren’t in the shape of a star. Instead, six black hairpins were arranged in the shape of a crescent. I stared at them for a few seconds, once again impressed by her dedication.

“Fel, what was the favor you requested of me?” Tess asked, placing a thick stack of papers down onto the table.

“Tess, I want you to help me with homework later on. But that’s not the favor I wanted. Could you come with me and Yuki to our old high school?” she asked.

Tess gave Felicity a blank stare. I waited for her response, unsure if she would actually agree or not. Personally, I probably wouldn’t if I were in her position. She was studying and with midterms coming up, it would be understandable.

“I do have some available time today. I will accompany you,” Tess agreed.

“Yes! Thank you so much. I promise that I will make it worth your time. I know that what we find there will really help Yuki and Ichizen out,” Felicity exclaimed, excitement oozing from her face.

“Ichizen’s waiting for us near the entrance,” I announced, checking my texts.

“Perfect. Tess here can drive us!” Felicity revealed.

I nodded, surprised to hear we would get a ride there. How should I put it? Tess did not appear to be the type of person who drove based on my initial observations of her. The three of us exited the library and headed toward the front entrance. I spotted Ichizen first.

“Ichizen!” I called out.

He waved his right hand in the air, beckoning for me to come over. I shook my head at Felicity and Tess, unsure of what he wanted. I walked over to him and sighed.

“Yuki! You’re here and with two beautiful women too!” he greeted.

I slapped Ichizen on the back of his head. He grimaced but showed me his cell phone. I peered down at the screen, seeing a message.

“You must be kidding me. The picture of the map actually changed?” I asked.

“Yeah, this was a big discovery. I just got out of my English cla.s.s and planned to catch up on two days of missed reading and suddenly got this message. I’m surprised that you haven’t gotten one yet,” he answered.

“Wait, send the map over to me,” I requested.

Ichizen nodded and a few seconds later, I checked the map on my phone. I returned to Felicity and Tess, showing them the starred location on it.

“Does this look familiar to you guys?” I asked.

“Ah, you already planned a route out to the high school?” Tess asked, inspecting the picture.

So it was the high school they went to. Okay, things were just way too convenient now. Either someone was spying on us or it was really a coincidence. No way were things this well set up. There was surveillance going on. I could be paranoid, but I could think of no other reason.

“Your high school, huh?” I answered, feigning a surprised reaction.

“I am taken aback you located it so fast. Are you ready to head out?” Tess nodded, looking over at Ichizen.

“Uh, yeah, we’re good. Sorry, I’m just going to talk to Ichizen for a second,” I said, walking back over.

“Yuki! The path of heroism is clear! We must travel to this place and obtain it! I mean, it’s not going to be easy of course,” Ichizen proclaimed.

“Dumba.s.s, of course it’s not easy. Let’s go!” I said.

“Wait a minute! Did you just agree with me? Does that mean you believe in this message?” Ichizen probed, pure happiness shining from his face.

I ignored him. Turning my gaze back to the two woman, I saw them speaking with two people. I recognized one as Zhuyu and did not know the other one.

He wore black jeans and a thin, black rain jacket. However, the most striking feature was his height. He stood taller than Zhuyu, Felicity, and even Tess. I estimated Tess to be around 5’ 10’’, but on one glance alone, this man stood maybe 6’ 2’’. His skin was darker in tone than everyone else, maybe indicative of frequent activities outside in the sun. His hair was medium in length, not too short.

“Yuki! Are you ready to go now?”  Felicity asked.

“Yeah, I’m ready,” I replied, nodding my head.

“Alright, let’s get going then. Oh wait, I guess Tess isn’t done talking yet. Oh well, we can wait,” Felicity said.

“Really? You think something is going on there again?” I heard Zhuyu ask.

“It would be prudent of me to confirm the situation is indeed stable. Besides, Fel will be in my debt, an advantageous situation for me,” Tess nodded.

“Good luck then. Oh, Jin said he would text you later about something. I kinda forgot so be on the lookout for that,” Zhuyu said and then departed.

The tall man followed him and they headed in the direction of the student lounge. I was curious about who the taller man was but didn’t pry further. I expected Ichizen to ask and right on cue, he opened his mouth.

“So, uh, who was that tall lookin dude you were talking to?” Ichizen asked with an innocent smile on his face.

“Oh, that was Shan Shigetzu. He’s an uppercla.s.sman here in the bioengineering department. He’s a friend of Long’s but Ichaival knows him the best,” Tess replied, a hint of monotone creeping into her voice.

“If he’s your uppercla.s.sman then he’s two years ahead of us! d.a.m.n, that is awesome. You guys really do know all the cool people,” Ichizen remarked, impressed.

“Way to figure out that hard math,” I retorted.

“Hey, guess that was fun. You guys met someone new today. Well, not really. It’s more like an indirect meeting but it still counts, right? Alright, I’m all hyped up to go back to our high school. I just know something good is buried there!” Felicity shouted, raising her right arm in the air with exuberance.

Ichizen mimicked her actions and the two high fived. I sighed yet again and we headed toward the parking lot. As we took the elevator down, I glanced over at Tess.

Unlike Felicity, her face lacked noticeable excitement. It wasn’t serious like Zhuyu’s or humorous like Jin’s. No, her expression was more cryptic and harder for me to decipher. It made me curious how she became friends with Felicity. Although, I could envision a similar situation to the one in how I met Yuka.

Tess stopped at a sleek, red four door car. She paused and then pulled out her set of keys. She pressed a b.u.t.ton and I heard the doors unlocking.

“Fel, before we go, I want to make sure that you really are sure about this,” Tess said in a serious tone.

Despite the shock and a bit of jealousy from the sight of her car, I immediately noticed the shift in Tess’ voice. The level of seriousness present in her voice was on par with a parent making sure their child chose the correct college. I glanced over at Ichizen and despite his dumbfounded expression; I could tell he sensed the change as well.

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“Of course, Tess, why wouldn’t I? It’s a great chance to visit our old teachers and help out these two here!” Felicity replied with no hesitation.

d.a.m.n, it was hard to tell if Felicity was masking something. Her high level of energy and cheerfulness disguised any other possible emotion she was displaying. I was concerned about why Tess bothered asking such a question.

Hmm, was it possible she knew something even Felicity didn’t know? If so, then she knew more than she let on. I guess I would find out once we arrived at the high school.

Once inside the back of the car, I felt the soft leather of the headrest and the comfortable fur covering of the seats. I almost fell asleep because the sensation mirrored that of a bed. Ichizen just sat there, a stunned expression on his face. For once, he was quiet, and I was glad.

Tess glanced at her rearview mirror and with no wasted movements backed out. I could tell from the smooth movement of her car that Tess was no novice. She had experience and was quite skilled. As we drove along the roads, Felicity turned around to check up on us.

“Impressed by Tess even more? She really is an amazing person!” Felicity praised.

“Your praise falls on deaf ears. Tomo, what exactly about the rumors intrigues you?” Tess asked, exiting out of the parking lot.

“I’m not that interested. It’s more like Ichizen dragging me along,” I replied.

“I see. Time of arrival is an estimated ten minutes,” Tess said, asking no further questions.

Although Tess said nothing more, I knew Felicity would want to continue the conversation. She just was that kind of person. I looked over at Ichizen who stared out the window in silence. It was very eerie for Ichizen not to speak. In that respect, Ichizen and Felicity were very similar. They both spoke way too much. It was unbearable at times.

“Yuki, let’s play a guessing game. Since Tess here is driving and this is the first time you’ve been in a car of a person….What do you say?” Felicity suggested.

“Let’s do it!” Ichizen replied.

I didn’t hear the middle part of Felicity’s statement. Her talking was grating at the moment. But whatever, I would play along for now. Felicity listed names of the people we met so far. She also added Shan and Tess to the mix as well. I still didn’t know what the goal of her game was.

“Oh, oh, let me go first!” Ichizen requested.

“Go ahead, I’m not even sure,” I said.

“I will go Tess, you, Shan, Zhuyu, Kisai and finally Ichaival from best to last!” Ichizen listed and waited for Felicity’s response.

“Your turn now, Yuki,” Felicity said.

“I would go Tess, Zhuyu, Shan, Ichaival, Kisai and you last,” I randomly listed the names, having no idea what was going on.

“I am humbled you a.s.signed me to last place….Tess is by far the best driver I know. Ichizen actually got the second one right…He’s an average driver but Jin actually comes in third….but Ichaival is still learning how to drive so he doesn’t count,” Felicity revealed, a sly smile as she said the last part.

From the bits and pieces of her long explanation, the intent of her game finally made sense to me. I nodded, surprised to find her little game enjoyable. It certainly clashed with the images of the people I met.

I guess Jin’s laidback and rather lazy expression was no indicator of his skills. Although I was a bit surprised to hear Zhuyu’s driving skills were just average. Based on his serious disposition, I thought he might drive with the same intensity as his facial expression. As I contemplated these views in my head, ten minutes finally pa.s.sed.

“We’re here,” Tess announced.

All four of us stepped out of the car. I looked around, unfamiliar with the location. I heard of the school before but never actually saw it in person. I saw neighborhood houses nearby and tree stumps lining the gra.s.sy area.

Ichizen took out his phone and started snapping pictures. I stared at him but ignored his behavior like always. Well, I couldn’t really blame him. If it made him happy, he should do it.

“There’s a lot of cut down trees around here,” I observed.

“Yeah, it’s been like that for awhile. There’s a rumor at our school that for every student who doesn’t graduate, they cut down a tree until they do. If they drop out, they cut down the number of trees equal to the years they took. I don’t know who came up with it,” Felicity revealed.

“Such a preposterous rumor but sometimes the most outlandish claims turn out to have some basis to them,” Tess added, staring up at the sky.

As we approached the main entrance of the school, I searched around for a sign but found nothing. Tess noticed my perplexed expression and tapped Felicity’s shoulder. Felicity noticed my eyes wander around and finally understood.

“Oh, the school sign is covered by the drooping tree branches. It’s been like that since we were freshman. You would think since they cut down so many trees around here, they could take care of that,” Felicity explained.

I nodded and found it hard to believe talented students like Zhuyu or Kisai attended school here. The school appeared decrepit. I noticed the cracks appearing on the bricks and among the letters spelling out the name of the school on the arch over the doors, three were missing. Walking up the steps, I almost fell as a piece of it crumbled underneath my foot.

What had I gotten myself into? Just at that moment, I felt my phone vibrate and heard Ichizen’s phone as well. Things were heading in a direction I did not desire.