Chapter 27 - Hidden Clues

If the first thing he encountered was finding an Anomaly, probably he had to become an Anomaly sorcerer. It was his instinct too that told him to go to school.

Yup, the first thing in his mind after waking up was to go to school. So he went back to his small apartment a few blocks away from where he woke up to change his clothes. 

It was also lucky that the police didn't come to him and ask him why he's half-naked.

He couldn't answer their questions otherwise.

Anyway, regarding why he went to school, he found it strange. 

Why school? A place where students were forced to memorize instead of learning? A place where youth reached its peak and only happened once? 

Maybe the Anomaly foul in his body guided him there? Probably.

Just as his mind was wandering, he passed three people of the same color in different shapes who were sitting beneath a street light.

He heard a glimpse of what they were talking about and it was nothing peculiar. Only dumb jokes and topics.

After he passed them, he reached into his pant's right pocket. He grabbed what appeared to be a direction to where the branch was on a small paper.

The map was drawn by hand. Although bad, it was readable and understandable.

Even though following it carefully. He often got lost and ended up in shady places.

For instance, he ended up in a place where yakuza members hang out. It was a place where the shade of buildings lowered the brightness considerably.

Some adults were heavily drunk as they walked on the narrow street.

He almost got himself killed by those members just by being spotted!

Fortunately, he dashed out of that place.

"Eeek! I'm sorry!"

After that, he got lost at certain locations. Train station, an amusement park, a cinema, a restaurant and last but not least the street where he woke up. He stood in the middle of the street as people walked past him.

He was stressed about the fact he couldn't follow a simple map!

He rubbed his eyes in a frustrated manner, am I this bad following a map? He was about to cry. 

Later, feeling dejected, weak, and hopeless. He unknowingly walked into an alleyway that was vacant of humans. The air was biting and dead silence, he could hear the crowd noises coming from the distance, dimmed.

As he realized his location, he looked around in confusion. His eyes were wary and his heart rate increased as he panicked.

Many thoughts overflowed into his mind. They were possibilities of what may happen should he stay here any longer.

Perhaps he would meet a dangerous serial killer or probably be involved with something that ordinary people shouldn't?

He turned his head around and before he could do it completely, he heard a weak yell of a man asking for help.

.

.

.

"That's what I can tell you and it's all true! After I heard his words, I approached him and saw he's dying."

"Then how does that explain your clothes covered in blood?" A man asked calmly. If Asahi indeed found the man dying, why would the man's blood be splashed onto his school uniform?

"That's because the guy who killed him dealt the final blow! Have you not seen it yourself? The corpse?"

As Asahi approached the corpse, he was in close proximity with him. Abruptly afterward, the man's heart was pulled out by a kunai bound with a chain that pierced his chest.

No, to be precise. The kunai coiled around the heart like a small snake on a fruit.

Blood gushed out vigorously as it soaked Asahi. By the time the man let out his last breath, Asahi was petrified as he was taken control by fear and uncertainty.

Should he move, he was going to be the next victim and if he stayed still, the result would be the same too…

"Sir."

As his mind recalled the event, a woman pushed the door in and called out a guy who interrogated Asahi. 

He had white hair extended to the sky and wore a serious expression. Wrinkles could be seen around his cheek and below his eyes slightly creased.

The man turned his body to the source and the woman closed her mouth to his ears, the man lent her his ear.

The woman's mouth moved as she whispered something.

The man nodded once in a while, understanding the woman's words.

After a short, few minutes. He diverted his attention to Asahi.

"You're free to go." The man reached his hand to the door handle and opened it.

Asahi heaved a sigh of relief. The whole experience was terrifying as it could be.

Especially when he saw someone get killed in front of his eyes.

Just as he walked out of the interrogation room, "sigh, it seems seeing someone dying is going to be part of my norm from today onwards."

It was indeed something he couldn't accept easily. Even as we spoke, his legs were still shivering and his heart was still beating hastily. 

This beating made him recall what happened when he saw the person who let him free in that alleyway.

After that person took the man's heart, his death, cold gaze prying on him. 

His eyes were red and his hair was bright yellow.

The heart he just snatched mysteriously grew brightly, a red glow to be exact. 

The glow illuminated the killer's face.

Asahi was shocked just by how young the person was. Probably around his age, slightly older if not.

But that wasn't the part he found important. At the time, those red eyes pierced his soul, and as of now.

He still felt the feeling. Once in a while, he looked behind him and found nothing except a person walking past him.

A sense of relief soon calmed his heart.

Then, just as he wanted to turn his gaze forward. 

His body bumped at something and he reflexively closed his eyes as his steps stopped.

Shortly thereafter, someone touched his shoulder and he quickly took a few steps backward. In the process, he stumbled to the ground and his buttocks landed there with a heavy thud.

"Ouch, that hurts." He groaned in pain as he rubbed his back. The pain spread there.

After which, he looked up as to wondering who he bumped at, he hoped it wasn't a person who was arrogant and annoying.

He opened his eyelids and saw a man with a faint line of beard around his mouth.

His facial features can be considered good-looking.

As their eyes met, the man extended his hand. Asahi raised his hand to accept his offer of help but soon the man pulled it back.

"What are you doing? I'm not trying to help you. I'm asking you for your money."

"...huh?" Asahi was confused. He stared at the man with a dumb look.

Money? Did my past self owe him? How much exactly? Is he from a yakuza around here? Would I be dead should I could not pay him?

"I helped you out of that interrogation room, what? You think everything's free? You are also the one who dragged me into this, pay an extra fee." The person said as he extended his right palm again.

Asahi got up before saying anything. As he about to.

"As usual, you really like to bully the young huh?" A familiar voice found its way into Asahi's ears. Asahi turned around as he smiled after seeing the person who just said that.

"Narukami-san!" His eyes brimmed with joy.

Narukami walked in his way with Ryu on his right side and Aya on his left.

"Yo, Asahi. You get released already? How's the interrogation room?" He said in a teasing manner.

"It's the worst, Narukami-san. They wouldn't believe in anything I have said." Asahi felt tired. Shouldn't Narukami be worried or something? 

"Figures." Narukami stopped before Asahi.

"Shinra, could you not say that? People might have misunderstood your words ." The person warned Narukami with such a flat tone and the latter chuckled.

"Good evening, Z-san," Ryu greeted with a smile as he lifted his right hand slightly.

The person whose name was Z nodded before looking at Aya and the latter quickly introduced herself. 

"Nice to meet you, my name is Kuroda Aya. I am Narukami's sex slave."

"Oi, don't say something that will make people misunderstand!" Narukami simply can't stay calm when a girl blurted something so misleading.