2nd August

It’s around 7:45 on a Monday morning and students were still entering school, it has been 3 days after Yuki last met Naomi since then she has been absent and also they had weekend holiday, Yuki was a little pissed at her because of the so-called prank, for him, he was trying to bear with her all this time, but after that event his switch flipped and caused a bust of anger. This also made him feel guilty and worried about Naomi. (Was I wrong for shouting at her like that…?)

As students were entering the class smiling Naomi was one of them, she looked at him but he avoided eye contact, so she sat in her place.

The classes were proceeding as usual. Yuki tried stealing a glance at Naomi. She looked unbothered by it and paid attention to what the teacher was teaching. (Did I offend her?... Hmph, why does it even matter to me, it's not even like we're friends or anything.)

✳✳✳

The lunch break had begun. On the terrace of the school, there was Yuki sitting up there, sixteen, single, usually sitting alone and peacefully, but this time it was different because he was not reading any novel but rather talking with none other than Naomi, who had just snuck up behind him, “Yo, how are you?” she asked him.

“I’m as always, how have you been?” he replied with a pleased look.

“I’m doing good.”

“Want something?”

“No, can’t I casually talk to you? It’s not that every time I want something.”

“Well then, how have you been these days?"

"Oh? I was completely fine. If you're wondering why I was absent, it was because some personal work came up."

“I see… Don’t you have anything to say about last time?”

“...Oh...that…no...”

“Oh, is that so? I thought you were pissed or something.”

"My my, are you concerned about me? Well it's not like I can get pissed by someone who's as bland as cornflakes."

"Eh… well it's good that you're not pissed."

“That’s it?”

“Mhm, that’s it.”

“Don’t you have more questions to ask?”

He gave her a menacing look and asked “So you want to get interrogated?”

ゴゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴゴ

“...not gonna lie...that’s...scary...”

“Yes.”

“...actually… the thing is...”

“Hm?”

“Well...never mind...forget it… it’s nothing”

“If something is bothering you you can tell me.”

“No, it’s nothing”

“I see… fine then”

“...mhmm…”

“...”

There was an awkward silence for a few minutes and they were just looking at the sky until Naomi tried to initiate a conversation again.

“Say, what do you wanna do in life?”

“I wanna touch some boobs”

“Oh really?”

“Yeah, no shit.”

“You can touch mine.”

“Huh? What the hell, you can’t be serious.”

“These are D cups.”

“Eh? Okay, so here I go.”

“Aye! I was joking!”

“So was I.”

“Hahaha, so you can joke at times huh?”

“That’s not it, I could be funny at times you know”

“Haha, sure d00d.”

“So, what do you wanna do in life?”

Naomi gave Yuki a sweet smile and said “That’s not something that I can decide.”

Yuki looked at her as if that was the last response he was expecting. “...that’s... kinda… sad…”

“Yeah I know but I’m enjoying my life as it is, you see,” she said while still smiling.

“Well, if you are enjoying it then it’s good, I guess”

“Say, do you sometimes feel like running away?”

“Honestly speaking… always.”

“Would you run away with me?”

“What? No, wait… that’s illegal.”

“Huh? That’s your excuse? HAHAHA“

She burst out laughing and after catching her breath she said “You’re pathetic.”

“I know.”

Ding - dong

Break time was over and all the students were heading back to their respective classes, same with Yuki and Naomi but Yuki walked slower and let Naomi go ahead, entering last in the class Yuki took his seat and rested till the teacher entered the class and the classes resumed.

✳✳✳

School time was over and everyone was leaving for their house, as for Yuki and Naomi they both were also walking home together for the first time and chatting as usual一

“Say, what did you mean by you can’t decide things for yourself?”

“Oh... that… well... It’s because...umm other people decide for me... because… it’s kinda...like… I chose this path… and now I need to do what they want me to…”

“So, if you had chosen a different path, it wouldn't have come to this?”

“Yeah, but I don’t regret it, I’m happy as I told you earlier.”

“I see... it must be better… when you don’t have to choose for yourself... and someone else will make the hard choices for you”

“That’s how you think it is? Well, it’s not like every aspect of my life is controlled, it’s just the… really important parts like… growing up and all”

“I see, so you do have freedom of choice, that’s good I guess.”

“And, you haven’t answered my question yet.”

“Eh? What question?”

“You forgot already? The question I asked you on the terrace?”

“I really don’t remember, remind me.”

“Will you run away with me?”

“What? You were serious about it?”

“Of course I was!”

“But didn’t you just say that you were happy with your life?”

“Of course I did! But that is not related to this.”

“Then why in the world do you want to run away? And why with me?”

“Because why not! I just want to!”

“You sure are weird.”

“Not more than you.”

“I doubt!”

“By the way, do you wanna visit my home?”

“Uh? No, I’ll pass.”

“Huh? Friends should know each other's house, you know.”

“I don’t want to get kidnapped by you! And since when were we friends?”

“Since you agreed to come with me I guess.”

“...well... maybe…”

“So you really ain’t coming to visit my house?”

“Nah! I’ll pass.”

“For real?”

“Yeah.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah.”

“Think again.”

“I’m sure.”

“Well, that’s sad, that was your last chance.”

“I don’t mind.”

“Now I’m going to kidnap you.”

“You can’t.”

“Why can’t I?”

“I have a secret technique.”

“And what exactly is it?”

“That’s a technique you should always have up your sleeves.”

“That sounds kinda cool, what is it?”

“That’s the ultimate technique used as a last resort when situations go out of hand.”

“Just what is it?”

“The Secret Joestar Technique. TO RUN AWAY.”

Saying this Yuki ran as fast as he could. But Naomi just smiled at him running away.

It started raining.

ドドド

Yuki took shelter under a tree to avoid getting drenched in the rain. While he was sitting there a sudden chill went down his spine and he stood up like an animal that was being alert from its surroundings. Out of nowhere, a hand dropped on Yuki’s shoulder and he turned behind to see Naomi standing there. Not yet but after looking at Naomi Yuki freaked out and fell on the floor.

“Hey! Why are you so freaked out? It’s just me.”

“That’s why.”

“Wha一”

Naomi paused for a second and after realizing what he said she burst out like a balloon.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY YOU WERE FREAKED BY ME. DO I LOOK LIKE ANNEBELLE OR SOMETHING?”

“She would have been less creepy.”

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY ‘sHE WOulD hAVe bEEn LeSs CrEEpY' I’M GOING TO KILL YOU!”

“Chill! Chill! It was just a joke.”

“Hmph! I ain’t talking to you.”

“Oi oi oi oi wait wait, it was just a joke you don’t need to take it that seriously.”

“I don’t know! Get drenched in this rain.”

“Aye wait.”

“What is it?”

“Uh… never mind… it’s nothing...”

“...Your house is far from here isn’t it?”

“Yeah it is, but you don’t need to bother you一”

“My house is right around the corner. It would be better if you would take a shower there, you are already half drenched, you will catch a cold.”

“Well, I’m quite immune to col一”

“Stop being so dense and just agree already.”

“At least let me complete my sentence, I was saying that I will come as I have no other choice.”

“Fine, let’s go.” She said while offering a hand to the fallen Yuki.

✳✳✳

Yuki was sitting inside Naomi’s bath regretting every life decision that led to this moment. After a while, he came out of the bath and wore a light blue t-shirt and orange trousers of Naomi as he had nothing else to change into. Naomi, who was waiting for him to come out, now dressed in a blue full-sleeved shirt with frills tucked into sailor pants of the color orange and smiled at his look and commented “You look cute in my clothes.”

“This is the last thing I thought I would have to wear in my entire life.”

“Anyways, want some tea or coffee.”

“Tea should be fine. Thanks.”

“No need to say thanks, you can go and sit in the other room.”

(Her house is not that big but definitely bigger than mine) Yuki thought (This house looks kinda big for someone to live alone in it, maybe her parents rented it for her, but who am I to say, my house is literally just a room). He entered her room which was not far bigger than his, he sat down and waited for Naomi. After a while, Naomi entered the room with some tea for both of them. In a while, it stopped raining, so Yuki decided to leave. While he was leaving he saw something on Naomi’s desk and it caught his attention.

What he saw was a paper, a rather weird one, that looked like it was some sort of event list. The fact that it was weird was because it had his name written on it. Seeing his name on that paper made Yuki uncomfortable, he was always worried about his privacy, and seeing anything related to him at random places makes him uncomfortable, he picked up the paper but Naomi didn’t notice it, everything was written in a weird font on the paper, making it somewhat difficult to read, and as Yuki went reading his eyes grew wider and wider and he turned around at Naomi who was still looking out of the window, Yuki spoke in a very slow and dry voice which was nowhere near his usual tone, “Hey... you calling me here... that sudden rain... that stupid flyer…... this paper... all this is a simple coincidence right?”

Naomi looked up to see Yuki’s shocked expressions and then looked at the paper in his hand, then looked back at him but said nothing, “Right?” Yuki said again, Naomi finally said,”...so you have seen it...” Yuki still had the same expression on his face, he spoke again, “Tell me what is happening, who exactly are you, what the actual hell is this… this ‘ Avalon’... tell me...”

“Well, now that you have seen it I need to explain it all to you, but honestly, that saves me a lot of work” She kept a hand on her cheek as if she was thinking something, ”So where exactly shall I begin…”

“Tell me everything, beginning from who exactly are you.”

“You won’t understand if we began from there.”

“Then tell me what the hell is this ‘ Avalon’ exactly?”

“That should be a fine point to begin...”

In the very beginning, when the explosion of the big bang took place, the matter was spread across creating masses like planets and stars and galaxies and ultimately the universe, but there was more outside this universe, there were other universes out there, some like a mirror to each other, some isolated from the others, some which only consist of darkness, but this is what people believe, that’s not exactly what it is, apart from all the universes out there, there is also something else, that is realms, it is also known by other names such as pocket dimensions and the portable universe, one of such is Avalon, these realms can’t be accessed directly, the only ways to access them are teleporting directly inside the realm, taking help of someone who is inside or brute force but the chances of it succeeding are less than that of tossing a coin and landing on the edge unless you use some special technique.

Avalon is the closest realm to Earth, the distance of the realm from Earth is measured by the amount of energy it requires to enter the particular realm.

Avalon contains a school, a school that teaches magic, but only a few people are chosen for it, it depends on the type of aura a person has, it does not have to do with how strong it is, only people with particular types of aura can make use of it, there are 10 types of auras from which only 7 types of auras can make use of it, and so are collectively called as ‘Crux Auras’, but almost all of the human species possess only 1 kind of aura, namely, The Arcas Aura, which is not suitable for performing magic, only those humans who possess one of the Crux Auras are called at Avalon.

“So you're telling me that you are from some other world and you have come here to kidnap me and take me to this place called Avalon which is in a pocket dimension and not on Earth?”

“Neither I’m not here to kidnap you, nor I’m from some other world, you just happen to have one of the Crux Auras so I was told to get you.”

“And how exactly are you going to take me there?”

“I can take you there right now.”