Douma found it remarkable that Shinobu managed to handle the situation at the convenient store before it could escalate into total chaos.
"Wow you're tough Shinobu. You can handle just about anything!"
The violette didn't say anything, she just focused on the view and scenery ahead of them. From her stern expression, Douma could tell she was thinking about something else entirely, the environment around them wasn't a focal point, she definitely had something in mind and the blonde was going to find out.
"Are you alright Shinobu?" The angel asked, his voice sounding like a distant whisper.
To his surprise, the violette actually glimpsed at him for a while before looking away reluctantly again. Which meant she did want to talk to him but something at the back of her mind was holding her back from saying the very thing she wanted to.
If there's something you wanna tell me, you don't have to hide it anymore. Douma sighed and patiently waited for Shinobu's response.
The violette stared at the three bags in her arms with a look of despair that Douma was puzzled by, he didn't quite understand why she had that look on her face, he didn't say anything wrong did he?
He was just worried about her.
"The truth is... I bought these stuff because I thought we could have a picnic by the river..." Shinobu replied softly, avoiding the blonde's iridescent gaze.
Oh dear she's probably upset now. Douma paused, he didn't realize there was supposed to be another plan prior to this new one they decided to go with.
"We can do that tomorrow!" Douma chimed, trying to liven up the mood so it doesn't turn dull throughout the walk. "Our friends wanna hangout with us, they're excited about it. I'm sure it's going to be just as enjoyable as the picnic you planned."
"Yeah I'm sure it will." Shinobu added. "We just need to take a break from everything that's happening. It's getting complicated, besides the fact that you're leaving soon. Astrotopia is filled with uncertainties like you said, we don't know how long your time there is gonna be. I can only stand at the other side and hope that we get to share moments like this again."
Those words from Shinobu had truly touched his heart. Of course she wanted to spend the rest of the time they had together before he makes his departure. At the very least he should acknowledge the amount of care she had put aside for him all this while.
"Shinobu, we'll have walks like this again, I promise. Just wait for me alright?"
Huddling the three bags for comfort, Shinobu took a deep breath, the silence muffled any voices they heard on the streets of town.
"Let's plan ahead Douma. When you're back from your mission, let's go ice skating."
The blonde looked at Shinobu for a while and nodded. So there was a string of events occurring in her mind, and they were worth hearing.
"I look forward to that Shinobu, I really do."
"That's great, as long as we continue manifesting these thoughts and ideas of ours, they will happen, slowly but surely."
Douma couldn't agree more, now with Shinobu being a crucial part of his life, the motivation that he gets through her presence, words, and actions has uplifted his spirit to maintain the ounce of hope in his heart.
"Trust the process, am I right or am I right?" The angel cooed, glancing at Shinobu who immediately looked away.
Suddenly they heard a loud scream, accompanied by the cries and murmurs of someone in pain and desperation.
Douma and Shinobu stopped in their tracks, startled by the bloodcurdling scream, they were about to turn to the opposite direction, leading them out of this part of town when they saw a man crawling on the ground, wrapped around in bandages dyed in blood stains, presumably belonging to the man.
Gripping her bag tightly for security, the lady screamed when the man approached her, she backed away and stood by the wall of a store across the street, watching the man crawl around on the road helplessly.
The angel widened his eyes when the man saw them and clawed his way towards both he and the violette, reaching out with his arm that looked scorched, with the loose bandages dangling from his wrist, revealing a chunk of flesh and tissues that dripped to the ground whenever he dragged himself on the ground.
Horrified by what she was witnessing in front of her, Shinobu hid behind Douma, her fingers trembled, the constant wails from that poor man made her legs numb, she wanted to get away but she couldn't and she knew it wouldn't be easy because the man would still be roaming this area because of the limited movement he was chained with.
Onlookers began dialing on their phones, the situation escalated, there weren't many people around, but enough to cause a scene that no one predicted would happen.
Douma watched the man, he couldn't form words to describe this situation, he just stood there, wondering what could have happened to this man for him to end up this way. This unfortunate individual had no way of defending himself, he was vulnerable and confused.
Extremely lost in reality and in his mind, that he would approach anyone to feel a sense of reassurance even though he'd never truly be able to embrace it ever again.
Which begs the question, where did he come from? How did the man get all the way here in that condition? Observing the situation as the unfortunate man continued crying for help, his only visible eye tearing up from the despair, Douma wondered if someone was hunting this man while this was happening.
"Help! Help me!" The man on the ground stuck his arm out, staining the road with his blood and leaving a few loose bandages behind.
When Douma turned around to look at him again, watching his behavior to see if this was a literal event and not some hoax, his breath hitched in his throat.
"Please help me..."
Despite the strained and hoarse voice, Douma could somehow recognize it. Even that eye told him a lot of things, directing him to the answers that were already there.
This man was someone he knew...
Not too long ago, someone that the villagers spoke about in the Hasu Mountains just vanished. Nobody was aware of this sudden disappearance.
Until now...
Kaisuke had returned, mangled and broken. He wasn't the Kaisuke that people knew anymore, he was a man forced to be alive in a corpse.
The queasiness was getting to Shinobu when she realized there was something not right about this man's appearance, she could tell Douma was aware about the factors that could've led to this person becoming like that.
Douma remembered reading an article about people joining societies to conceal their identity, going as far as to change it or disappear entirely from the world. Some of these organizations being illegal, and the victims regretting their decision when they realized what they had gotten themselves into.
Sirens echoed from a distance, help was on the way. Kaisuke made a huge mistake, which led to another and there was no going back to fix the life he had lost.
Everyone in the area backed away from the man, Kaisuke knew Douma was the only one who could probably help him, but he was aware that there was nothing that could be done to save him. He could only roam about helplessly, he chose to go through with the decision he made and it turned out to be irreversible.
A few minutes went by and the cops arrived to handle the situation. Both Douma and Shinobu stood there, watching the situation unfold, maybe Kaisuke's family will get the justice they deserve, only time will tell. It's a matter of how it will take into effect and whether they can accept this drastic change.