Haidyn:
"This phone is very suitable for communication purposes; the police rely heavily on it for its security features. It's high quality, and you can record a voice message just by giving it a command."
Haidyn and Kazuma reached a towering building surrounded by debris and waste, with stray cats wandering amongst it, and the road entirely devoid of passersby.
Haidyn:
"This is the home of my father's friend. My dad used to bring me here and leave me for months, to train me in life skills."
Kazuma looked at the accumulated waste and the dilapidated building with quiet concentration.
Haidyn: (Looking embarrassed)
"I know it might not be up to the standard you're used to, but it's the only building I can secure right now."
Kazuma remained silent.
Kazuma and Haidyn stepped into the building. At the entrance sat a dignified old man.
Haidyn: (Smiling)
"Hello, Uncle. Do you remember me?"
The Old Man: (With composed calmness)
"Hello, Haidyn. How is your father?"
Haidyn:
"He is well, thank you."
The Old Man:
"Did you come to spend a night here?"
Haidyn:
"The truth is, I haven't come for myself. This is my companion, Kazuma. I want you to secure an apartment for him. I will cover all the costs."
Kazuma:
"It is an honor to meet you."
The Old Man:
"So, how long will your stay be, my son?"
Haidyn:
"We don't know for sure, but let him stay here until I inform you of the date. I will send you the money regularly."
(They quietly reached an agreement.)
Haidyn left towards the door.
Kazuma: (Smiling faintly)
"Thank you very much, Haidyn."
Haidyn remained still in his place.
Kazuma: (In a voice laced with anxiety)
"Please, be careful, Haidyn."
Haidyn departed, carrying a farewell smile.
The old man gave Kazuma the key to room (105).
The Old Man:
"There is a television set in the room for you to amuse yourself with, but you must not tell anyone about it."
In the long corridor, the wooden ceiling panels were worn out, and the walls were cracked and peeling, as if the building was taking its last breath.
The apartment was empty, containing only a single sofa in the center, and beside it, a small black television set.
Kazuma: (With a touch of pessimism)
"It would have been better for me to stay in my village."
Kazuma headed towards the toilet, but found it infested with insects, and saw a rat scurrying across the floor.
Kazuma: (In a calm voice)
"Disgusting."
Kazuma sat down and switched on the small television.
He flipped through the channels until he settled on one broadcasting the news. A male anchor in formal attire appeared on screen beside a female anchor.
Male Anchor:
"Our top story for today: The Kingdom of Bratharia continues its campaign of genocide against the State of Frasia."
(Images appeared on the screen of people fleeing, and others lying slain, their blood staining the ground.)
Male Anchor: (Calmly)
"King Hamura has made a call to his counterpart, Lucy."
Kazuma: (With a touch of wonder)
"Lucy... I've heard of him."
Male Anchor:
"Following their latest meeting, King Hamura concluded an agreement. This agreement involves supplying the Kingdom of Bratharia with weapons, via the Kingdom of Saki, to continue the genocidal campaign on Frasia."
Female Anchor: (In a calm voice)
"In your opinion, will Lucy halt his campaign against Frasia?"
Male Anchor:
"According to the latest developments, Lucy will intensify his campaign even further, and the situation is likely to worsen for Frasia."
Kazuma: (In a low voice)
"What kind of king is this? He is truly heartless."
(A message appeared on the television screen.)
Male Anchor's Voice:
"We have received a message from Lucy stating that he will escalate his attacks with the aim of achieving his goal and colonizing Frasia."
Female Anchor: (Speaking with clear indifference)
"In other news, preparations for the Shamahan Test continue. President Isaac stated in his public address that the test will be more difficult than ever before."
Kazuma: (Calmly)
"Good, good news."
Male Anchor: (In a formal tone)
"In a separate context, preparations continue for the auction to be held in January, treating it like a massive event. It is the main stronghold of the Mafia..."
Female Anchor:
"The auction has unveiled some of its anticipated sales."
(The screen showed a pair of eyes inside a small container.)
Female Anchor:
"The first of the sales is the eyes of the famous singer, Sara."
(The screen transitioned to show another item: a skull placed upon a table.)
Female Anchor:
"And as you can see in the image, the skull of a recently discovered dinosaur."
Kazuma: (Calmly)
"This auction is truly cruel. Their hearts have died to sell things like this."
Male Anchor:
"The auction also includes organ transplants performed by illegal doctors, in addition to drugs and weapons."
Kazuma rose from his bed, while the television was still on.
A picture appeared of a massive, square-shaped, black ship docked in the harbor. Its prow resembled a smiling devil's face, and its size was estimated to be the combined area of the countries Italy and Germany.
Male Anchor:
"As you can see, the construction of this ship is nearing completion, ready to begin its destination towards..."
(Before he could finish his sentence, the television suddenly went off.)
Kazuma moved to the kitchen to drink water from the tap.
Kazuma:
"Even the light here isn't safe. It cut out suddenly."
Kazuma stared out the window.
Kazuma: (Sighing)
"What are you doing now, Haidyn?"
(The camera transitioned across Kimura Street, where dilapidated houses were clustered.) At the far end of the city, a huge white palace stood out with long columns and a golden dome, surrounded by trees and flowers, and enclosed by a strong fence.
Haidyn was inside the palace, in a room with a dim blue light. Scattered skulls were noticeable, and a white snake was wrapped around Karo, who was sitting quietly on the floor, his head resting against a sleeping tiger behind him.
Karo: (In an extremely calm voice)
"So... you finally came."
Haidyn: (In a quiet, reserved voice)
"I came to discuss something with you."
Karo:
"There is nothing to talk about. It is over."
(Suddenly, Ayi entered through the door.)
Ayi: (In a loud voice)
"Brother!"
Haidyn: (Turning quickly, smiling)
"Ayi! It's been so long!"
Ayi and Haidyn rushed to embrace for a long time, while Karo remained with his eyes closed.
Ayi: (Taking a deep breath)
"Your scent is still as lovely as I remember it."
Haidyn: (With a warm feeling)
"I couldn't wait to see you. Life without you is truly boring."
(At that moment, the sound of clapping was heard, followed by light knocks on the door.) Aydin stood there, dignified and proud.
Ayi: (Angrily)
"You're here! Then something bad must be about to happen."
Aydin:
"What a touching and beautiful brotherly embrace."
Haidyn looked at Aydin with confidence laced with suppressed anger.
Aydin: (Smiling)
"You finally gave up and came."
Ayi:
"Don't say a word!"
Aydin:
"Ayi, step away and don't interfere. Is that understood? This conflict is only between my brother and me."
Ayi: (Shouting)
"Get out of here!"
Haidyn:
"It's alright, Ayi. Aydin is right. This is a conflict that concerns us, and I don't want you to be exposed to danger because of it."
(Haidyn's gaze focused on Aydin)
"Aydin, I didn't come today to pick a fight. Let's postpone this for another time."
Aydin:
"No, we will hold a meeting now."
Haidyn and Ayi left the room. Haidyn saw Takeura standing with her back respectfully bowed.
Haidyn:
"Who are you?"
Takeura: (With great respect)
"You are my master, and it is my duty to bow to you in respect."
Haidyn walked past her.
Haidyn:
"Treat me naturally."
Takeura stood up.
Ayi: (Proudly)
"My brother is modest!"
Sunset arrived. Takeura was walking around the markets carrying bags of meat and vegetables.
She bumped into Kazuma.
Kazuma: (Apologetically)
"I apologize, forgive me."
Takeura:
"No, you are the one who should excuse me, I wasn't paying attention."
(A thief passed by at that moment and snatched her wallet.)
Takeura:
"Damn it! Catch him!"
Kazuma: (In a calm voice)
"Don't worry, I'll catch him."
(Kazuma took off running after the thief, while people moved out of the thief's way.)
Kazuma: (Shouting)
"Give back the wallet, you bastard!"
The thief turned to Kazuma, sticking out his tongue provocatively. Then he turned forward to find Takeura standing in front of him. With a quick movement, she struck him with her right leg on his face, sending him flying forcefully towards a vegetable stand.
Kazuma was breathing rapidly.
Kazuma:
"You are so fast! How did you get here so quickly?"
Takeura:
"Thank you for your help, anyway."
(Takeura took her wallet and bid him farewell.)
Kazuma: (Calmly)
"I felt a dense aura surrounding her."
Suddenly, another scream was heard.)
The Man: (Loudly)
"He stole the money that was placed on my counter!"
The same thief was running away, carrying other stolen money.
Kazuma: (Continuing his walk, unconcerned)
"And who cares about you? You're an idiot."
In the meeting room, around a long table in the center, Aydin and Haidyn were seated.
Bala, a woman with long black hair, a round face, black eyes, and wearing lipstick, was seated. Opposite her sat Kamsaki, her husband, with an oval face, narrow eyes, and a short nose, wearing bandages wrapped around his arms.
Ayi was seated, and sitting in front of Aydin was the two-year-old child, Max, who had coarse black hair and a pacifier in his mouth. Raiden was seated, with his tied-back black hair, narrow brown eyes, and a rectangular face with a chiseled jaw.
To be continued...