Chapter 17: Just like me

The clock struck 5 in the morning, and the world outside was cloaked in darkness. The quiet of the early morning was disturbed by the rustling of paper. Shido opened a large piece of paper that illuminated the room with its contents. It was the plan of his lifetime - a plan to go on a date with not one, but four different girls - Tohka, Kurumi, Hikaru, and Origami. As he studied the plan, he couldn't help but feel a sense of trepidation. Most teenagers would be fast asleep at this hour, but not Shido. His mind was racing with thoughts of how he could pull off such an intricate plan without getting caught. "Now, as I discussed with Kotori yesterday," Shido murmured to himself, "the first one I have to meet is Hikaru at 9:00. I have a whole hour before I meet with Tohka." Shido planned to show hikaru around the city for half an hour, as she seemed curious about it. Then, he would take her to a restaurant where she could indulge in her love for food. "Hikaru would agree because she loves food, and I can give her some excuse to leave her there. That would probably give me about 45 minutes max before Hikaru would sense that something is off." Shido's gaze shifted to the next part of the plan. He had to meet Tohka at 10:00 am. "She's got a ticket for the aquarium". He planned to spend 30 minutes with her and then make a quick check-in with Hikaru before moving on to his next meeting with Kurumi and Origami at 11:00 am. He had calculated every minute of his day. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I think Origami would forgive me if I were late for 15 minutes. For those 15 minutes, I will spend with Kurumi. At the end of that, I can give her an excuse to go to Origami, then go back to Hikaru, then tohka, and then Kurumi... If I spend 15 minutes with each girl, that would make every girl wait for 45 minutes... I should make so many excuses every time I leave one of them." As he finished speaking, his legs gave out, and he collapsed into the chair behind him. "I am dead..." he whispered, tears streaming down his face. "What kind of luck should I have to go through this?" .... The clock ticked away and the hands slowly approached 8:55. Shido stood still, waiting anxiously for Hikaru to arrive at the agreed meeting place. Suddenly, a voice came through his communication device. "Do you understand now bro, it's about time, don't mess everything up," Kotori warned him. Shido let out a sigh and replied, "Don't be surprised if I do, Kotori. The whole thing is destined to fail." Time passed, and the clock struck 9:00. "She still didn't show up," Shido muttered to himself as he started to pace, searching for Hikaru. Suddenly, her face appeared in front of him, "WAH!" causing him to shout in surprise and fall back onto the ground. Hikaru chuckled and helped him stand up," you okay?" hikaru said "Yeah thank you," he said as he stood, "from where you come?" he asked. "Who knows... anyway can we start our date," she said as she led the way. "Of course," he said, following closely behind. Kotori chimed in, "Shido, did you forget something?" "Oh, right. Hikaru," he called out, getting her attention. "What?" she turned around to face him. "Your dress fits you. You look beautiful," he said, a smile spreading across his face. Hikaru couldn't help but think to herself, 'He's starting to say things like that without blushing or struggling. Hikaru couldn't help but think to herself, 'He's starting to say things like that without blushing or struggling... he's becoming a man.' She returned the smile and replied, "That's nice of you. Thanks." As they wandered around the city, Shido took the opportunity to show Hikaru some of the special places in the city. They talked and laughed, enjoying each other's company. Suddenly, Kotori reminded Shido, "Bro, it's about time to meet Tohka." "Okay," Shido turned to Hikaru, "I'm feeling a little hungry. I know a good restaurant close by. What do you think about going there?" "Now that you said it, I feel hungry too. Let's go there," Hikaru took the bait, her stomach grumbling in agreement. The restaurant that Shido was talking about was one of Ratakoskr's special places. It had been created overnight just for the sake of their mission's success, and they served everything from Japanese, Chinese, and Mexican to European food there. As they entered the place, Both Shido and Hikaru sat down, perusing the menu, ready to order. Hikaru couldn't help but exclaim, "Wow, that's so much food!" as she flipped through the pages. Shido was nervously checking the time, glancing between the clock and Hikaru. He only had four minutes left. "Hikaru, you can order whatever you want. I have to use the bathroom," he said as he stood up from his seat. "Anything?" she asked. "Anything," he replied as he hurried off to the bathroom. As Hikaru watched him leave, a wide, evil smile slowly spread across her face. (time skip 4 hours) It had been four long hours since Shido had disappeared into the bathroom and had yet to return. Hikaru finished her meal and muttered, "What is he doing in there to take this long?" As the orders kept pouring in, Hikaru continued to devour dish after dish with alarming speed. The workers in the restaurant were in awe of her insatiable appetite. "Does she have a black hole in her stomach?" one of them whispered to another. Hikaru showed no signs of slowing down. She placed another order and continued at an incredible pace. "She's a monster," the workers muttered to each other. "Guys, just hold her. Shido is going to be there any moment now," Kotori ordered the team, trying to calm them down. "it was supposed to come 3 hours ago where is he?" one of the workers interjected through the communication device. "She didn't show any signs of suspicion so we thought of directing the available time to others" kotori answered. Hikaru had finally eaten her 307th order when she decided to go check on Shido. She stood up from her seat, but before she could take a step, a tired voice interrupted her. "Sorry I am late," Shido said, his knees on the ground and his body drenched in sweat. Hikaru looked at him, feeling a mix of annoyance and concern. "You were fighting a demon in the bathroom, it seems," she said as she sat back down. "Yeah, sorry about that. It seems my stomach is not in the best state," Shido replied, trying to regain his breath. "Shido, it's about time to meet Kurumi," Kotori interrupted, reminding him of the urgent matter at hand. "For the sake of god," Shido thought, standing up again. "Sorry Hikaru, my stomach is again. I have to go." And with that, he ran off before Hikaru could say anything more. "..." Hikaru sat in the empty restaurant, her eyes fixed on the empty plate beside her. The aroma of the delicious food still lingered in the air, but there was an eerie silence that permeated the atmosphere. The waiter remained attentive, but there was no one else in the restaurant. Hikaru couldn't shake off the feeling that something was off. She furrowed her brows, wondering why she was the only one there. The thought of a restaurant serving over 700 orders for one person seemed unlikely, and Hikaru's suspicion grew stronger. Despite her doubts, she didn't want to show her apprehension. "It's the work of the little girl," Hikaru muttered under her breath. "Well, it's not something to be surprised by. She's the one who made me go on this date, after all." With that, Hikaru made her way to the bathroom. Once inside, she made herself invisible and flew out of the building. She searched for the boy but found no trace of him. Instead, she spotted Origami and Tohka. "That makes sense," she thought. "No wonder he was tired like that." Just as Hikaru was deep in thought, she saw a face that took her by surprise. "Kurumi? Her too? Four at the same time?" Hikaru was at a loss for words, unsure of what to think about the boy anymore. Her thoughts were interrupted as she noticed Kurumi walking inside the forest of the park. Hikaru was curious and decided to follow her. She walked cautiously, her senses alert, wondering where Kurumi was headed. As Hikaru landed on the ground, the smell of blood overwhelmed her senses, and she could hear the cacophony of gunfire and the screams of humans. The atmosphere was tense and filled with fear and desperation. "She was that type of person after all," Hikaru thought to herself as she navigated towards the source of the commotion. When she arrived, the sight that greeted her was as gruesome as she had anticipated. Kurumi was drenched in blood and surrounded by the remnants of human organs. "That's an unpleasant scene to see after eating your meal," Hikaru muttered to herself, unaware that she had said it out loud. "WHO!" Kurumi exclaimed as she heard the new voice, pointing her gun at the newcomer. Hikaru raised both her arms, showing she didn't come as an enemy. Hikaru quickly raised her arms to show she came in peace. "Relax, I just came out of curiosity. We are classmates, and my name is Hikaru," she said. Kurumi's eyes narrowed as she studied Hikaru's face. "You're not. I remember every face in the class, and you're not one of them," Kurumi said, her voice dripping with suspicion. "Your calmness after seeing this scene makes you even more suspicious." Hikaru shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, I'm a spirit, so seeing something like this is not new for me," she said with a smug smile. "For my question now, what makes you do all of that? I don't think you're some kind of serial killer." Kurumi lowered her gun momentarily, only to raise it in another direction and shoot, killing one of her victims who tried to run away. "The karma hit them faster than they think. They were playing with life, so they should be ready to be in the same situation," she said, glancing at the unharmed little cat. Hikaru followed Kurumi's glance and saw the little cat. "Hmmm, you're just like me after all, huh?" she said. Upon hearing that, Kurumi was about to say something, but she stopped upon seeing the newcomer. "Shido?" Kurumi said, her voice filled with surprise. Hikaru raised an eyebrow and turned to where Kurumi was looking, just to see Shido standing there, traumatized. "Dang, say hi to trauma, little boy," she muttered under her breath.