In the blinding light of the summer, the river was like a semi-molten mirror. Anyone could feel its coolness even before they flicked it with their hand, sending droplets scattered over the surface like rain. But as for Kamiya Nashi, here he was, lazily strolling around the town and stopped for a moment because he felt the heat from the baseball match. There was nothing special about the match, it was your ordinary friendly match.

(It's almost that time huh.)

Patiently he stared at the number 13, the pitcher more precise the closer. As his breaking ball failed to trick his foe, resulted with the sound of metal bat echoing throughout the field and the ball was flying right into his direction, hit the asphalt, bounced a few times before it completely stopped right in front of his leg.

(A home run..) He thought while staring at the ball.

"Sorry! Can you get it for us?" Said the number 13. Waving his hands, asking for Nashi to throw it back to them.

Though he could feel the other glares, a sharp glare; sharp enough to pierce his skin.

After a slight hesitation, he grabbed the ball, wondered whether or not he could throw it like before. He kept the ball near to his chest, raising his leg, and letting his trained wrist and fingers to do the rest of the job. As he swung my arm, firing it back to the number 13 glove.

When the ball made a contact with number 13 gloves it created a sound. BAK! from the sound alone anyone could feel the pain when they watched the impact was enough to make the number 13 right hand slightly bounced back.

The number 13 face clearly shows that he felt a little pain, but while the freshmen awed in amazement, looking at him with their stary eyes. That wasn't the case for the seniors, as they were showing displeased look on their faces. "Th...that is amazing!!! Hey! you!! can you teach me how to throw that way?!" The number 13 shouted.

Though, seemingly their new captain, Nakamura, scorned him because of the number 13 action.

Sighing, he could only wonder what would happen if he didn't screw up. As the high schooler taking a white and red box from his pocket, he took a piece of cigarette and began to light it up. Letting the poisonous smoke to seep into his lungs.

Wondering about what he should do for the rest of his day, Nashi continued strolling around, without any real destination until he remembered about something he found in the morning.

He walked, and walked, and walked until he saw a bridge. By the time he arrived, supposedly there should be only a kitten, and yes, the kitten still sat on her cardboard box but someone else already occupied his spot. A red-haired girl, wearing a familiar green uniform. Squatting down, low enough to make her red scarf touched the ground. On her side, there was a big plastic bag full of trinkets and in her front, a cardboard milk was opened.

"Heey~ kitty~ why don't you drink it?" She said, shoving a bowl full of milk into the kitten's face.

The girl was completely unaware of Nashi's presence. Patiently he leaned against the wall, waiting for the girl to be gone.

As he lighted another piece of cigarette, the smoke and the smell finally made her turned her head. Her first reaction was a big gasp, her mouth opened wide like she was seeing a ghost right now.

"Move." Said Nashi.

"Ah! Sorry!!" The girl stood and walked a few steps before stopped and curiously looking at Nashi from the side.

This time, he replaced her position and sat in front of the kitten, as his hand touched the bowl, he could feel the milk warmness, not too hot or not too cold, a perfect warmness if he must say. But, as he raised the bowl and threw the milk away. Seeing this the girl showed a displeased look and muttered in a small voice.

As Nashi was pouring down the milk that he had prepared. And without hesitation, the cat sipping the milk even though he still pouring it down.

"Ehh~ How do you do it? how?!" Said the girl.

"..." Ignoring her, Nashi carefully wiped the cat while trying to not blow the smoke right into its face.

"Hey~ are you ignoring me? hello~ Earth to Kamiya~" Once again she spoke but much to his surprise, the girl seemed to know him or at least she knew his name.

"Ah! Are you forget about me? It's me! Akiyama~ Akiyama Akane. Ring any bell? we were in the same class in the first grade. 1-E right?" She walked forward, grinning while pointing her own face.

"..."

"Ergh!! How cold~ C'mon, there's no way you forget, it's only a year. Um... Ah! Then how about that time when you lent me your book?" She said, walking closer and now was squatting down next to him.

"..."

"Urgh... fine... then how about... the girl that got the last position in a marathon? remember?"

Vaguely, he did remember about a girl that made the whole school waited for almost an hour before she reached the finish line. "Yes." Nashi replied without even looking at her.

"Yup! that was me! I am the girl!" She said with a smug face. Nodding a few times while Nashi wondered why would she bragged about something like that.

"By the way~" Akane spoke, raising her hands and forcefully took Nashi's cigarette from his mouth. "This is bad for your health, do you know that? ... In fact!! Aren't you too young for smoking?!" She continued her sentence, her loud voice was enough to finally bother Nashi.

Inwardly he sighed and replied her word with his glare, which caused her arms to make a cross as her defensive reflex. But Nashi only gave her a look, an annoyed look to be precise. "Get lost." He said.

Speaking with the people from his old school from his old school was annoying, especially with the rowdy type.

"Why would I? This is a public area~" Said Akane.

She looked at him curiously and blurted a few things out, some he could remember some he didn't. "By the way, where are you going right now?"

Nashi chose to remain silent. Though no matter what, she kept talking until a vein began to throb on his temple. "What do you want?" Nashi replied as he was grabbing the kitten and putting her into his lap.

"Geez~ I just wanted to talk." Sitting next to him, she hummed a commercial song from the kid show and it didn't take long for her to open her mouth again. "By the way! There's a school festival this week, do you wanna come? I have a spare tic-"

"No." Nashi replied, completely uninterested with her offer.

"Eeh~ Even though I haven't finished my sentence. Anyway~ Can I have your contact? LINE maybe? or e-mail?" She asked, from completely out of nowhere.

After waiting for some time and didn't get any response, Akane finally stood up, sticking her tongue out and left though after a few steps Nashi called out to her.

"Wait..."

She stopped, hearing his words her lips curled up into a big grin and she turned around. "What~? Are you already regretting your decision~? Too bad *Bwek* That was a one time offer."

Sighing, without saying a single word Nashi pointed to the plastic bag and the bowl.

Slowly her face and ears turned red, she walked forward with her head kept looking to the ground, taking the plastic bag and the bowl. "...Erm.." Though, rather than leaving she only stood there for a few seconds, just looking straight right into his face. "*Ahem* I guess as a present I'll give you my contact."

"Just leave." Immediately he regretted his decision for calling her back.

But this time, rather than leaving Akane once again sat right next to him. "...You sure you don't want it?"

Finally having enough, he put the kitten back into her box and left. albeit it was annoying for him to search another spot but continually interacting with her would make him went mad.

"Where are you going?! you forget about the kitten~!" She shouted, standing up and trying to catch him down.

As soon as she catching up, she grabbed Nashi's black uniform and pulling it back as she was coughing, trying to catch her breath. "*Cough* ...geez~ the kitten... you forget about her. Ah! And I forget about my bag!!"

"I'm not taking her." Said Nashi, grabbing her wrist and forcefully pushed her hand from his uniform.

"You don't? then... can I take her in? ah~ but I don't know how to raise a cat." After Akane finished her sentence, she followed it by a deep sigh as her shoulders dropped down. In secret she opened her eyes, trying to take a peek at Nashi's reaction... and he just walked away.

"Haaah... even she didn't want to drink the milk I gave to her." She said, and for the last time with the loud voice. "Haaaaah... if only there is someone that can teach me how to raise a cat."

But much to her surprise, Nashi only walked, didn't even look back or stop for a moment. This time though rather than hearing another word, he heard something was falling to the ground followed by a total silence.

"..." As Nashi turned his head, the first thing that entered his sight of vision was a red-haired girl, holding her chest while panting in pain and without hesitation, he left the girl.

".........You aren't going to help me!?" Said Akane, she immediately ran toward Nashi, clenching his uniform and pulling it back. "What would happen if that was a real thing?!" She shouted.

Astonished, speechless, annoyed. There were so many words that could describe his feeling right now, inside of his mind even though something did really happen to her, there was nothing he could do. The best action that he could take was searching for another person that could be helpful.

"Oi, let me go." He said as he trying to open her palm from his uniform.

Her mouth made a firm line as Akane tried her best to keep her clenching. "Ergh! Not... Until... You... Give... Me... Your... Contact!!!"

(...What did she eat to become this stubborn?!) Nashi thought and after a while, he stopped forcibly opening her clench. Scratching his head in annoyance, he took a deep sigh and finally gave her his contact. "...Now just leave."

As she made a big grin when she took a look at her phone, she went to grab the cat and her bag, but once again before she left for real, she stopped and turned. "By the way~ Kamiya~ I don't think what you did is wrong!" She said with a satisfying smile before continuing her way again.

"...Say that to the cop and the teacher." Said Nashi as he lay down, feeling the warmth of the sunlight as he slowly dozed off, somehow feeling tired from all of that interaction and yet he couldn't fall asleep.

Why? Not even five minutes had passed and yet Akane already spamming Nashi's phone with messages.

[I forget to give you the ticket!😣 ]

[Are you free tomorrow? Let's meet in the same place! 😜]

[By the way which one is the best name? Kuro or Kokuyo? 🐱‍👤]

[Hello~ Are you ignoring me?! 🤬]

[I know you already read my message! 😠]

Another deep sigh came from Nashi as he turned his phone off. The mood for sleeping was gone, and unsure of what he should do suddenly he remembered that there was a new machine on the nearest pachinko parlour. Strangely, not even 10 minutes passed since he strolled down at the street and yet here he was, getting dragged into an alley and surrounded by five adults, all wearing flower motives shirt and black glass.

"Brat, do you know whose brother you put in the hospital!?" Said the blue flower man.

Without thinking about anything too much, Nashi swung his fist.

****

In a room that should be empty but it wasn't. A young man sat on his bed, compressing his purple right eye with an ice pack as he repeatedly bounced a ball to the wall. He took off his black uniform, feeling tired, annoyed, bored and slowly lay down on the top of his bed.

He wasn't aware of how much time had passed when he slept but by the time he awoke the sky already dark. As he stretched his body, he looked into the mirror and saw the swollen on his right eyes had deflated.

And then a light knocks came from the outside of his door. "Nii-chan~ dinner is ready."

"...Coming."

Instead of changing his shirt he instantly walked to the first floor and greeted by his no-expression father, always smiling mother, and two little sister, one was in her last year in Junior high and one was still in the kindergarten. "Oh my, what happens to your eye?" Asked his mother.

Ignoring his mother, he walked forward and took a seat. Silently eating his dinner without saying a single word. "Nashi, answer your mother." Said his father.

"...Self-defence."

His father frowned, turning to him. "This is like the fifth time on this month, why don't you do another activity? let's say... wanna come fishing with me next Sunday?"

"Not interested." Nashi answered as he pouring the soy sauce into his soup.

"Then how about camping? we can go with Yuzu next Saturday, ah, can you pass me the soy sauce?" Yuzu, the youngest sister eyes were practically sparkling when she heard about this.

As for Nashi, instead of passing the sauce right into his father hand or pouring it down. He just put it down on the table and slowly shoved it to his father direction. "Nashi... your father is talking to you." Said his mother.

"I'm full." He replied, not taking more than a couple bite before he put his chopstick down and walked away.

"Nashi, where do you think you're going?"

He walked to the stair, hearing the voice of his father from the dining room, that was what how they were having their dinner in the last one year, though for today as he his leg reached the stair. A sudden headache pierced his head, followed by several floating screens.

Kamiya Nashi Class N/a Point Total 0 Health Stamina Mana Technique Craft Point 21 24 15 12 18 Regen 18 per hour 16 per min 12 per hour 14 per hour 10 per hour Status Arms Power 7 Magic Amplified 40% Capacity(L/M/H Kg) 10 (30/60/90.) Resistance 5 Body Defence 6 Mind Cooldown reduction -1 Endurance 4 Casting speed -0.2 Senses Perception 3 Luck Craft Rate 8 Precision 7 Quality 7 Legs Speed 11 meter/s Charisma Presence 4 Jump(H/V meter) 4 (6/1.2) Willpower 6 Muscle Reaction 3 Soul Boost 4 Control 8 Break 1 Talent Name Rank Progress Throwing Weapon Mastery III 3/60 Brawling II 2/40 Bludgeon Weapon Mastery I 12/20 Animal Handling I 10/20 Running II 34/40 Feature Innate Class 1. Mini-Map Lvl 1 1. N/a Ability Type Name Level Cost Cooldown - - - - -

You can view and open your stats/talent/feature/ability anytime by thinking “Menu” and then selecting “Status/Talent/Feature/Ability.”

A feature has been installed.

Mini-Map Lvl 1: Shows an image of 25-meter radius of your surrounding area.

At first, he didn't move, his brain unable to make sense of those floating screen and the seemingly weird map like thing that appeared in the top right corner of his vision. And then the next thing that he knew the ground was shaking and the thunderous voices came from the outside.

The walls cracked, the glasses shattered, the lights flickered then a flash of light came from the dining room. Soon there was a choir of screams echoed in his neighbourhood. From among all of this confusion, he dashed back to the dining room in reflex, unsure of what he should do.

By the time he arrived, words left his mouth. He stared into those black hairs bathing in blood and his heart fell silent. But he couldn’t will his lips to move. As if stuck underwater, everything was slow and warbled as he pointed a shaky finger.

"W...w...what happened?!!" Another shout echoed into their neighbourhood as he saw a hole was created in the supposedly his mother face.