Chapter 2
Akito called everyone into the
living room of headquarters (or what was left of it) for a meeting. There was a
giant hole in the wall, the windows were broken, and the wooden floor was burnt
in several places. There wasn’t much furniture to begin with, but the coffee
table had been split into two, and blank charm paper and encyclopedia pages
were scattered around the room like graffiti. I even spotted signs of my
handwritten raccoon assignment scattered amongst the debris.
Akito
looked dead serious and commanded my friends to bring in a whiteboard, and set
up chairs from the storage room in three rows facing the front. He stood with
his back towards us anxiously staring at the whiteboard and marker, like he was
still contemplating the best way to convince the other exorcists not to kill
me. I still refused to trust him, but part of me hoped he’d changed his mind
and was going to act like my teacher again.
The old
guy’s two minions were too stingy to untie me. They carried my chair to the
front of the room, before sitting on either side of me like prison guards. The
old man was seated two places to my left, and he would occasionally glare at me
like I might try to escape. I could sense Itsuki lurking at the back of the
room behind me, but it was a relief to find that most of my friends were still
alive and well. Taisei was holding an ice pack to his head. He was anxiously
tapping his foot nervously while staring at his beaten up phone. Taisei was a
third year high school student, and the oldest teenager amongst us. He was kind
of like a leader, but the guy had a strange phone obsession so I could see that
he was suffering. My friend Souta also looked a little beaten up and bruised,
but he was still his usual cheerful and lively self.
“Hey,
Daisuke! What’s up with the ropes? ” Whispered Souta from the seat behind me.
“I don’t
know,” I sulked. My situation was already bad enough and I did not feel like
talking about it. “Maybe they're into some weird S and M stuff.”
“S and M?” Questioned Souta. “Is that
some sort of candy, like M and Ms?”
I heard
Kiyori suddenly burst out laughing at the back. Kiyori had been outside
patrolling the perimeter when the fox monster attacked, so luckily he’d missed
out on the action and didn’t have a scratch. Kiyori was the biggest kid at
school and liked to use it to his advantage. He and I were also buddies at
first until we had a falling out over his lazy attitude. He was also pretty
mean towards Souta.
“Hey, where
were you when the fox monster attacked?” I heard Itsuki hiss at Kiyori from
behind me.
“I was out
patrolling the perimeter,” said Kiyori.
“Liar, you
were probably hiding in the bushes!” Said Itsuki.
“Like you
did any better,” Kiyori retorted. “At least I didn’t scream like a girl when
the fox monster threw me outside.”
“At least I
didn’t just stand there and watch as a monster began attacking my friends!”
Said Itsuki.
“Hey! Hey!”
Yelled Akito as he banged his fist on the whiteboard to get our attention. He
was trying to bring the meeting to order, but everyone was already too busy
talking with each other.
“Just look
at this,” said Taisei as he showed Souta his damaged phone. “I had a year left
on this contract and now look at it, it still works, but now there are cracks
all over the screen. What am I supposed to do if the hospital calls about my
sister?”
“I think
there are cracks in my elbow,” replied Souta sadly.
“Can we all
just be quiet for one moment,” said Akito. He seemed stressed and moodier than
usual. “I’ve gathered you all here to discuss the fox attack and debrief you
all on the events of tonight.”
“Who’s the
old dude up the front?” Asked Kiyori.
“Old dude?”
Said the minion with the glasses as he sprang to his feet. “How dare you refer
to your superior, the great Commander Shinta Watanabe that way. You kids should
already know that he's the most successful exorcist of his time. This amazing
man has slain countless monsters, and is the most effective exorcist in our
organization by far!”
The old man
beamed, and waved at his minion to sit down. “Now, now, there’s no need to go
that far. I may have been the best exorcist of my generation, but there’s no
need to brag about it to everyone.”
“Hey, is he
the moody old man that you always complain about Akito?” Asked Taisei. “The one
you said has no real exorcist skills and used to defeat monsters by blowing
everything up?”
“No!” Said
Akito a little too quickly and I could see his face start to turn red. “He’s
my...Deeply respected talented superior, and he was kind enough to come to
assist us with the fox attack.”
“Right you
are Akito!” Said Shinta. “You children are all lucky to have such a remarkable
man as your teacher. It's a shame that he never quite got to the same level as
Shiki Moriyama, but Akito's a great man in his own right.”
My teacher
stood there with his mouth open for a moment (Shiki Moriyama was Akito’s friend
who got promoted over him, and since then Akito had developed some strange
complex about the guy) before clearing his throat and continuing. “The two men
behind him are his subordinates Hugo, and Nina’s older brother.”
“It’s nice
to meet you all,” said the minion with glasses who I assumed was Nina's bro. He
stood up and looked at us all with a huge grin, despite yelling at Taisei a
minute ago. “I’ve heard a great deal about you all from my younger sister. I
hope we can get along well during our time here. If you have any worries,
concerns, or notice anything out of the ordinary, please don’t hesitate to tell
me. I may be your superior, but please think of me as your friend, or your super-friend,” he said with a wink.
“Not this
again,” I heard Nina mutter as she covered her face with her hands.
“Wow Nina,
I didn't know you had an older brother,” said Souta. “I bet he’s super awesome
like you too, right?”
“He used to
be awesome, but now everyone calls him the super
suck-up,” I heard her whisper back.
Hugo also
stood up to introduce himself. “I’m Hugo, enjoy being young and cheerful while
you have the chance,” he said before quickly sitting down again. I could almost
see a dark aura surrounding the man.
“Hey! Why
didn’t Shiki come?” Complained Taisei as he poked one of his bruises and
winced. “Isn’t he one of your best agents? He promised he'd come help out if we
were in trouble.”
“Agent
Moriyama is currently engaged with other business,” said Shinta.
“Aww, but
he promised that he’d show me the secrets of his S-Chop,” said Taisei.
“Don’t be
ridiculous,” said Nina’s brother. “Agent Moriyama’s S-chop is classified
information which only certain elite members are allowed to access.”
“But Akito
said that it was just a lightning charm attached to a rubber glo-,” said Souta
before Akito cut him off.
“This isn’t
the time to talk about Shiki!” Exclaimed Akito. “I brought you all here to talk
about what happened tonight, so I would appreciate it if you could all please
shut up and listen,” Akito began to frantically write on the whiteboard with
the marker. I think he may have been attempting to draw us, but all I could see
was badly proportioned stick people. One of them even had cat ears so I assumed
he was trying to draw the fox monster. “At exactly six PM this evening our base
was infiltrated by a fox monster,” he said while anxiously glancing at Shinta.
“Despite taking the proper precautions and installing a barrier, the fox
monster managed to obliterate all our defences. Her aim, Daisuke Matsumoto.”
“Duh, we
already know this,” said Kiyori as he began swinging on his chair. “Boring.”
“This
creature?” Questioned Shinta while glaring at me. “That’s ridiculous. Akito,
even you should know that fox monsters only eat humans.”
“Hey, I am
human!” I protested.
“Yeah! He’s
human,” added Souta even though I had a feeling he didn’t understand what we
were talking about.
“That’s
what I’m getting to,” said Akito. “As you already know agent Matsumoto perished
to the same fox monster over ten years ago. Somehow the fox monster heard of
another Daisuke Matsumoto living in this area, and even though they are not
blood related, for some reason she thought he would taste the same. I took
shelter with Daisuke and Nina in my office, but despite my best efforts she
discovered our location. With no other option left, I used a knife to loosen
the seals on Daisuke’s back and temporarily unleashed his monster powers.”
Akito began
furiously drawing a giant stick man with claws surrounded by fire on the board,
but everyone just stared at him blankly.
“Wait, did
you just say monster powers?” Asked Taisei.
“Hey, what
are you talking about Akito?” Asked Souta. “How can Daisuke have monster
powers?”
“Maybe he
drank too many energy drinks or something,” said Kiyori.
“Don’t you
get it!” Yelled Itsuki from behind me. He jumped up and angrily pointed in my
direction. “He’s not really human! He’s an Obake, and has been all along. We’ve
all been lied to!”
“Is that
true Daisuke?” Asked Souta.
“No! This
is ridiculous, there's no way that I can possibly be an Obake!” I protested.
“Come on guys,” I said while desperately looking at Kiyori, Souta, Taisei, and
Nina. “You all know me, you should know that there’s no way that I could be an
Obake.”
Taisei also
stood up to protest. “Daisuke’s right, this has to be a mistake!”
“Taisei,” I
was honored that my friend was standing up for me.
“I mean,
look at him guys,” said Taisei. “He clearly has the spiritual power of a
termite!”
“But I saw
it,” said Nina. “Daisuke was like a wild, uncontrollable animal with powers far
beyond our own.”
“That’s
impossible!” Said Kiyori. "The only thing wild and uncontrollable about
Daisuke is when he let one off during school assembly."
Akito
coughed. “I haven’t finished yet, so if you could kindly sit down Itsuki, and
I'll continue.”
Itsuki’s mouth
opened like he was about to launch another angry tidal wave of accusations
against me, but one glare from Akito was enough to silence him and he quickly
sat down fuming. If Itsuki’s eyes had the power to set things on fire, I would
have been burnt to a crisp already.
Akito
turned back to the board and continued. “I took Daisuke on as my student
because he showed high spiritual potential and a willingness to learn. I didn’t
realize that there was anything out of the ordinary until I received the belongings
of the late Kousuke Matsumoto. Inside were notes and research all dedicated
towards controlling and domesticating Obake. As you may know, the Matsumoto
clan once attempted to control and utilize Obake over a century ago, but every
attempt failed and the research was cast aside. From his belongings, it appears
that Kousuke Matsumoto devoted the remaining years of his life working on that
project. I studied the materials and thought nothing of it, until I discovered
abnormal marks on Daisuke’s back which resembled the research. I took pictures
of the marks and compared the two, and there was no denying that there is a
connection.”
“Taisei!
The projector please,” he commanded.
Taisei
hobbled away and came back with a projector from the kitchen. He plugged it
into the wall and handed the cord to Akito before returning to his seat.
“What I’m
about to show you,” said Akito while plugging the cord into a small digital
camera and glancing nervously at Shinta. “Is the undeniable evidence that
Daisuke is the result of Kousuke Matsumoto’s monster research.”
I could
feel my heart beat wildly in my chest as I stared at the screen, and everyone
in the room was silent as Akito fumbled with the camera buttons. At last the
camera beeped, and loaded to show us all a picture of a shirtless Taisei taking
a picture of himself.
“Whoops,”
said Taisei. His face turned red and he slowly slouched in his chair. “Don’t
know how that got there,” he muttered.
“Is this a
joke Akito?” Asked Shinta. “Are you trying to waste my time?”
“No please,
if you could just wait a moment,” said Akito as he frantically scrolled through
the pictures on the digital camera. Photos of Taisei and Kiyori having a water
fight flashed up on the screen. There were also a few shots of Kurumi training,
and a video of Taisei trying to ride a bicycle while standing on the seat.
“My phone
battery was flat,” muttered Taisei. "I didn't have a choice."
“Here!
Here! Here it is!” Cried Akito when he found the photo of my back. “It may look
like scars,” he said while pointing to my old wounds. “But it’s actually
carefully planned seals and exorcist charms which have been placed under his
skin. There are at least seven charms in all which suppress all monster
functions such as spiritual power, memories, growth, metamorphose, and give
Daisuke the appearance of an ordinary teenage boy growing at a steady rate.
Look here,” he said while pointing to a jagged scar near my shoulder. This scar
controls spiritual power. Tonight I temporarily broke the seal with a knife,
and although he did not revert back into an Obake, Daisuke did change into a
monster like state and attacked the fox monster, as well as the window, the
wall, and my pot plants,” he said.
“Akito, are
you certain that this boy is what you say he is?” Asked Shinta.
“Yes,”
nodded Akito. “Without a doubt.”
“By god,”
whispered Nina as she covered her mouth with her hand.
I was also
in shock as I gazed at the photo on the screen. The evidence was undeniable.
The damage done to the house, Grandpa’s monster research, Nina’s testimony, and
Akito’s explanation.
The
evidence was overwhelming and there was only one conclusion.
Grandpa had
obviously transformed me into a super exorcist.
It made
perfect sense. Way more sense than Akito’s stupid theory about me being an
Obake. What monster would want to endure exams and homework? Grandpa had
obviously enhanced me with amazing spiritual powers and named me after his dead
son because he knew that the fox monster would come hunting for my heart. When
the time came, I could use those super powers and he could get his revenge.
Akito had just unwillingly followed Grandpa’s plan. Akito obviously had no idea
what he was doing, and stabbing the seal had just released too much of my mega
awesome exorcist powers at once.
I knew I
was right, so I told my theory to everyone despite Nina’s brother telling me to
shut up and sit down every time I paused for breath.
“Wow,
that’s amazing,” said Souta once I was finished.
“Hey, is
that true Akito? Can you really turn someone into a super exorcist?” Asked Nina.
“There’s no
such thing as a super exorcist,” said Nina’s brother.
“That’s
because I’m obviously the first one,” I said.
“I think
you might be in denial Daisuke,” said Akito. “I know that this is a very
difficult time for you-"
“You just
can’t handle the fact that I’m a super exorcist!” I said. Shinta and his
minions didn’t believe me, but some of my friends were beginning to come over
to my side.
“Wow,” said
Souta while gazing at me in awe. “It’s the first time I’ve met a super
exorcist.”
“You have
to be kidding,” said Itsuki. “Don’t tell me you actually believe this idiot.
He’s clearly an Obake. No one can transform like that and still be human. You
saw it too, right Nina?”
“But it was
dark Itsuki,” said Nina. “And everything happened so fast, I only saw him for a
moment. Maybe Daisuke is right.”
“I don’t
know what’s up with you Itsuki, but Daisuke’s theory makes more sense than him
being an Obake,” said Taisei.
“Yeah,
Daisuke’s my friend!” Added Souta. “And I don’t make friends with monsters!”
“That’s because
he’s clearly trying to trick you,” Itsuki protested.
“Stop your
bickering!” Yelled Shinta. “The boy is a monster and that’s the end of it!”
“I’m not a
monster, I’m a super exorcist!” I yelled back.
“Monster!”
He roared.
“Super
exorcist!”
“Monster!”
“Super
exorcist!”
“Monster!”
“Super
super super exorcist!” I yelled back.
“He’s a
monster Akito,” said Shinta. “And he has an attitude problem, he needs to be
destroyed!”
“By all
means sir,” said Nina’s brother. “Let me do it. I would be more than happy to
send this terrible monster back to the merciless hell that he came from."
“Please
don’t splatter me with innards again,” said Hugo.
“You must
reconsider,” said Akito. “He’s the perfect result of the monster pet project,
destroying him would destroy any chance of recreating these results in the
future. Just think about how many Obake you could destroy if you capture and
train other Obake to do it for you. It’s like killing two Obake with one
charm.”
“You’re not
seriously going to kill him are you?” Asked Nina to her brother. “I never
thought that you would stoop so low.”
“Stop it,” hissed Nina’s brother under
his breath. “You’re making me look bad in front of Shinta.”
“Please
don’t kill Daisuke!” Said Souta. “He’s my buddy!”
“And, like,
wouldn’t it be embarrassing if you found out later that he wasn’t really a
monster?” Added Nina.
“Yeah, what
they said!” I yelled. “And I’m a super exorcist!”
I put on my
best sad face, and so did Souta, Nina, and Taisei behind me. Kiyori sat there
staring into space until Taisei elbowed him in the stomach. He then crossed his
arms and pretended to look angry. I think I caught sight of Itsuki dragging his
finger across his throat as a hint to kill me.
Unlike
Akito, their puppy faces didn’t seem to phase Shinta, and he glared at me
sceptically like he was trying to determine my worth.
“He might
also be useful for….. Making things explode?” Added Akito.
Shinta’s
face remained dead serious but I could see his eyes light up after that last
comment, and his mouth began to twitch like he was trying to suppress a smile.
“Fine,” he said. “If what you say about utilizing this monster is really
possible, then the creature lives, for now.”
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