"I'm going out!"
Mizuki announces, grabbing the front doorknob of the Kitahara household.
It's the weekend so she's in casual clothing, a modest long skirt with a baggy trucker jacket. And not forgetting her trusty cyan scarf. The girl got plans.
But before she can step outside the house,
"Oh you're going somewhere Mii chan?"
Keiki stops her,
"Then, can you stop by Dr. Yamanaka's house along the way?"
"E-eh? But-"
Though hesitant, she still inquires.
"How far is it?"
"It shouldn't be that far from here,"
The young father explains as he rummages through the kitchen cabinet.
"Should be right before the river crossing"
"Ehh that's already too faaar!"
Keiki returns with the package.
"It's not that far. I'll have you know, back in my days-"
"Fine fine, I'll deliver it"
She surrenders.
"Okay... then I'm goin-"
"Hold it right there"
Fuuka enters the scene, and approaches her daughter,
"Let me see that, Mii chan"
She inspects the supposed gift Keiki Mizuki with. Thumbs stroking her chin, Fuuka mulls over it.
"Wait here for a minute, Mii chan"
"What is it noooow?"
She throws her head back in disgruntlement.
Later that morning,
Away from the Kitahara household, breaking the peaceful morning of the Hokubu Residence,
"NGGHH!"
is the groaning of a young girl.
"I get that we're.."
Mizuki pauses to catch her breath.
"-trying to be polite and all but-"
Weighing down both her arm is a couple of wooden boxes, wrapped in fine opaque fabric.
"Do we really have to give ALL of these!"
Lashing out towards the sky. To nobody.
Until a soft chuckle audibly greets her ear. A passing elder notices the maiden's lone tantrum, entertained as he moves along.
Mizuki freezes.
And then reacts,
'WAAHH I've been seen?!'
No sound escapes her mouth but the exaggerated contortion of her body more than explains what is going through her head.
'Jeez! This is all their fault!'
The cardboard edge leaves a shallow impression on her palm whenever she switches hands every now and then.
'If not for this, I'd be sinking in Mori chan's soft belly right now'
Every now and then, she rebalances it against her hip and flexes one arm while shifting the weight to the other.
'no point complaining now... I've carried it this far'
She looks down to the cargo slowing her walk.
'it's not like I can just leave this out on the streets either'
"Alright! I'll get rid of you as fast as I can and go straight to Mori chan!"
Meanwhile in said location,
The soft hint of sunshine amidst northern clouds cast a lone shadow in the middle of the empty plain. A lone young man stands basking under the cold sun.
In his hands, a blackened mammalian finger wrapped in bandages.
"It stays physical as long as I keep Reichi running in it, huh"
Seeing the severed finger in his hand, he reminisces the events of yesterday
{As Nekomori regain its footing and pounces his way, Daisuke sidesteps and cuts off the end of the bat's wing and fingers. The creature lands behind him with some missing extremities.
Unflinching, It leaps back towards him.
As Daisuke evades the next charge, his eyes caught something on the ground.
'the parts I just cut-'
Observing while blocking Nekomori's advances,
'it turns into Reichi and dissipates into the ground...'
Studying the phenomenon before him as the owner of that phenomenon persists its attack.
A playful attack.
The skilled Bounty Hunter cuts off another finger and hurls the giant beast behind him, gaining some distance between them.
"I'm borrowing this"
The finger goes straight into his pocket this time.
"As I thought, you-"
Daisuke calmly notes,
"Don't possess any sense of self-preservation"
Before Nekomori can take another step towards him, its hind leg falls behind and left wing completely slides away from its side. And yet still, the brutalized beast approaches him.
Seeing the beast unable to keep going, he pulls back the prize he claimed earlier. The severed finger.
'this time... it's still in one piece..'}
Back in the present day, Daisuke holds up the severed finger up to the sky,
"What exactly are you...?"
Away from that ominous scene,
Back to the troubled maiden,
The roof of the doctor's house comes into view.
'At least I can finally get these off my back'
DING DONG
The electronic doorbell announces a guest's presence at the door. Her shoulder sways subtly side to side while waiting. A soft hum accompanies the girl's idle dancing.
But to no answers.
Impatient after waiting for a while, her finger weighs down on the plastic switch again.
After a couple of minutes, only the distant seagull's squawk registers in her ear. But the house beyond the gate remains lifeless.
Not far from there,
back in the Kitahara household, a phone rings
["Moooomm!"]
Mizuki's compressed voice immediately escapes from the speaker as Fuuka answers.
"Oh my, what's wrong Mii chan?"
Listening from over the living room, Keiki turns to his wife. Seeing Fuuka nod a couple times then casts her gaze to him,
"Maybe Dr. Yamanaka's not at home?"
She lays the context,
"Mii chan rang her doorbell a few time but no one answered"
"Hmm.. give me a second-"
The young father dives into his pocket,
And in yet another location,
Atop a fancy small table, another phone rings.
"Oh, it's Kitahara san"
A middle aged woman picks up the call. Keiki's muffled inaudible voice rings over the phone.
"Oh actually-"
After Keiki and Fuuka has received information from the doctor, they relays it to Mizuki to which she respond,
["She's at her niece's house so now I have to walk further?!!"]
Despite the crease on her brow, Fuuka can only smile apologetically as her daughter's voice explodes over the phone.
"I'm sorry, Mii chan. To make up for it, I'll make your favorite for tonight's dinner"
Audibly, Mizuki's grumble rings over the call despite not speaking directly to the phone. Keiki and Fuuka only giggles softly to each other over their daughter's antique.
["fine fine"]
Finally Mizuki agrees,
["Don't break your promise, okay?"]
"Of course, anything for Mii chan!"
Fuuka reassures before they end the call.
Back to the delivery girl,
"I'm sorry Mizuki chan, my brother just returned from abroad so I'm visiting him for a welcome party"
An explanation by Dr. Yamanaka clears up this back and forth.
"I hope it isn't too much trouble"
'in the end I have to walk another few blocks more...'
Is what Mizuki thought on the inside, but outside,
"Ah no, it's no trouble at all"
A different attitude colors her response.
Although she's tempted to agree, her social upbringing has taught her to say the opposite.
"Thank you for the other day"
Not to mention this was her dad's idea, the doctor is not to blame here.
"Your parents sure are thoughtful folks"
The woman expresses her gratitude,
"Oh I know, why don't you come in for a quick bite"
She invites Mizuki.
"Since you've come all the way here"
"Ahh actually I'm fine"
Quickly Mizuki refuses, both out of politeness but also because she doesn't plan to detour even more from her original plan.
"Then, if there's nothing else-"
But before she can end this long encounter,
"Ah Mizuki chan, wait here for a bit"
'I feel like I've heard this so many times today...'
Though only a polite chuckle comes out of the girl.
The woman turns to the house and summons one of the attendees, a maid not much older than Mizuki, comes out the door.
"Ah Kaede chan, please get Hanna chan for me"
"As you wish, Yuko sama"
Without missing a beat, she complies.
'That girl,'
Mizuki observes the whole ordeal.
'she's the one who's always with Yamanaka Hanna san at school'
Soon enough Hanna steps out of the door. At first glance, one would have mistaken her for an Anglonian aristocrat if not for her very Joushion mannerism. Hands neatly aligned in front of her, gaze settled on Mizuki with quiet attention.
'it's really Hanna san'
Instinctively, Mizuki stands up straight.
"Good day, Kitahara san"
Hanna opens the greeting first, a measured bow follows.
'it's my first time seeing her outside school'
Mizuki thought as she reciprocates.
"Dr. Yuko have spoken about you"
Hanna opens the conversation,
"it seems we both go to Hokubu High"
Before anyone realizes it, the doctor in question has disappeared inside the mansion.
"Ah yes, I'm in Hirase sensei's class"
Mizuki confirms, formally introducing herself
"2nd year"
"I see.. the class next door"
The end of Hanna's lip upturns slightly,
"pleased to make your acquaintance"
"Oh um yea.."
The replies barely escapes Mizuki's breath, hesitating on the proper response,
"L-Likewise"
But then a brief silence settles between them.
Hanna throws her gaze to the side, Mizuki is scratching her cheeks. Both fidget from the awkwardness.
'w-what do I do... I've practiced on the way here but'
Sneaking another peek at the young lady, Mizuki realizes,
'now that she's right in front of me it's harder to actually strike a conversation with her..'
The moment anyone tries to break the silence, they stumble over each other's word.
But the next awkward silence,
"Well then, it's been nice meeting you Kitahara san"
is cut short by Hanna's practiced retreat.
"But I'm afraid, I have another matter to attend to"
"Wait Hanna chan-"
Dr. Yuko who passing by the same doorway calls out.
Without stopping, Hanna spoke gently over her shoulder
"Please excuse me"
And disappears into the mansion.
"Lord... what am I to do with that girl..."
Dr. Yuko only sighs,
"Sorry about that Mizuki chan, Hanna can be quite reserved around new people"
"Ah no, it's okay.. now's probably not a good time"
And just as expertly, Mizuki uses that to pivot,
"And actually, I also have other plans today"
"Oh is that so?"
Eventually Dr Yuko sends Mizuki off with some cakes and delicacies from the party.
'So that's Hanna san'
Mizuki reconfigures her impression of that distant schoolmate of hers.
'she's so stylish even in casual clothes'
A flash of Hanna's expression from earlier plays on her mind.
{An air of nobility surrounds her, and the distant courtesy of a royalty.
"It seems we both go to Hokubu High"}
'I wonder if she actually recognizes me'
Her hand naturally rubs her chin as she's thinking. Then she notices.
'oh-'
Her unburdened hand. She leaps into the air reaching for the sky.
"I-, I'm free!"
"Ahh finally, I haven't even got to my original plan but.."
The girl massages her own shoulder,
"It's been a long day already..."
Later that noon,
The freed young lady finds herself at the foot of a hill.
'if I recall correctly, it should be this one right?'
As she treks along the familiar hillside path, the memory from the same hill gradually returns to her.
"Ne.ko.mo.ri~ Ne.ko.mo.ri Nekomori chan~!"
Enthusiastic humming fills her journey to reunite with her newfound pet.
"Hehe good thing I brought some toy with me today. I wonder if he'll like it"
But in between the fond recollection of her good time with that giant bat, one thought in particular, lays central in her mind.
'I wonder..'
The image of Nekomori's claw on her hand flashes alongside the image of the fossil she received from Keiki's parcel.
'If he's really the same one..'
'Should I... tell Dad about Nekomori?'
A heavy consideration, one that manages to halt her steps.
But before she notices, the training ground already appears before her. The familiar clearing in the forest.
'or maybe Daisuke kun can tell me more about it first'
Mizuki arrives at the meadow and calls to Daisuke from afar. After looking around, she asks,
"Mori chan's not here today?"
He didn't response except with a grin. Not even looking at her.
"What's up with that?"
She just scoffs, unsure of what that means.
"Oyy Nekomori chan~!"
"Did Mori chan never here after that day, Daisuke kun?"
Again, silence is his only answer.
But before Mizuki could press him for it, Nekomori pounces at her from behind. Knocking her to the ground and start licking her face.
"Ow haha there you are! I miss you too!"