The sun was still at full force when Aki arrived home. He sat by large iron gates, letting the cool metal extinguish his body. One of the gates creaked open, the sound of heels came from behind him. He looked up to see a young woman with similar features to himself. "Chloe"
"Yeah. Why are you sitting out here? Rose's waiting for you"
"Rose?!"
Chloe's brows twitched, her mood souring instantly. "Wow. You bias little shit, I've never seen you ecstatic to see me"
"Obviously not. You're always home"
More footsteps clicked from behind. This time, a soft hand patted his head.
"Baby brother"
He slowly stood, his features softening. The corners of his mouth rose as he turned to face his eldest sister. "Rose. You're back"
"Go freshen up. I'm taking the two of you with me"
After he left. Chloe and Rose were left standing side by side. Chloe annoyed look slowly fade, and she let out a sigh. "Maybe I should reactivate my license"
Rose's throat itched as a laugh threatened to escape. "Were you affected that much?"
"No. There's something else besides that" Chloe tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm falling behind"
Wind whistled past, Chloe's eyes glowed a soft red, her vision filled with the color of the ocean. The interface drew itself in her field of vision
[SOF]
[Chloe Hoshino]
[Class: Hero(deactivated)]
[Stats]
[Str: 4 280(under restriction)]
"You're closer to me than I thought " Rose's chin found solitude on Chloe's shoulder, her arms around Chloe's neck. "You're worrying too much"
The interface slowly faded, Chloe patted Rose's hands, before pulling them off. "Thanks"
Soon after, Aki walked out of the house, his baggy shirt slumping over his shoulders, the necklace attached to the hem. His hair was damp, casting crystals of droplets in the air. "I'm back"
Their words died when he appeared, their serious expressions morphing into gentle smiles. "Let's go"
Across the ocean. An island pilloried deep in the blue depths. Clouds clouded its skies, snow touching down on its golden sands. A large mansion sat in the middle, warm lights glowed past the curtains
Inside. The white-haired girl lay sprawling on a couch, kicking her feet, face red as she giggled foolishly. Her stampede of kicks landed on the arm of a Silver-haired woman beside her, who's meticulous fingers were tracing every landmark of the girl's toenails, painting them in a lovely peach color
The woman squeezed down on her ankle, the giggles abruptly stopped, replaced with a series of huffs. "Stay still" the woman spoke in a crystal clear voice, her brow furrowed, lips twitching in amusement.
A phone vibrated on the coffee table, letting out a shaky breath, the girl leaned over, picking it up
*Snow. Where's mom?"
Chloe's profile stared back at her. *I'm with her*
She sat up, then leaned on the woman's shoulder. "Chloe's calling"
"Go change into something else" the woman stood up, picking up her jacket, draping it over her shoulders.
"Are we going somewhere?"
"No. You're fiancé is coming"
"What?!" Snow piercing exclaim made even the maids stop. The woman poked her ear, scratching it.
"What is it?"
"It's nothing" she paced around the room. Stomping hard on the soft carpet, a maid walked into the room, bowing before the woman. "Madam. They're here"
Snow's gaze snapped to the door, her heart faltering as the person just outside the door stared back, lips curved into a playful smile
Panic seized, the furniture rattled as she bolted up the stairs, creating a small wave of air, in her room, she slammed the door shut. Trying to calm down failed, so she instead walked over to her bathroom sink, splashing her face with water over and over, looking up, her pink eyes were glowing brightly, face red as a tomato. Her interface in the corner of her vision
[SOF]
[Snow]
[Lvl 47]
[Str: 987]
[Skill: Dash(lvl 7) used.....]
"Calm down" she pepped herself, acting reassuringly to her reflection
Downstairs. Aki and his sisters had just entered. The woman, Maria was calmly peeling an apple, meticulously removing ribbons of skin. Seeing Aki looking at her, Maria smiled. "How's school?"
"Not what I expected" he sprawled on the same couch, sinking into the soft cushions. "But it is enjoyable"
"That's nice. You're little friend will be joining you soon"
"Really?" He raised an eyebrow, staring intently at his mom, when she nodded, he got up from the couch. "Alright then. I'll be back"
He walked up the stairs. His interface popping in the views of everyone downstairs
[SOF]
[Aki Hoshino]
[Halo seal: Off]
[Lvl 211]
[Str: 2100( restricted)]
Snow had just stepped out of her room, now in sweatpants and a vest instead of her shorts, when she heard footsteps approaching, as she turned, the immense pressure weighed on her nerves. Their eyes met, one smiling, while the other? The other was just staring
"Yo"
"Mh"
"Mh? That's it?" He put on a hurt expression, before lunging, she couldn't react in time, so she focused herself restrained by two tendrils of human biology
"One hand rested on her head, the other wrapping tightly around her fingers. "Long time no see."
"Y-Yeah. Long time no see" she tried wiggling her tiny hand free, to no avail. "Everyone's waiting for us"
"Actually, no one's waiting for any of us. We aren't Heros, they are"
"Cute weirdo, let go" she murmured, but he caught it immediately
"Can you repeat that?"
"I didn't say anything"
He let go of her hand, and instead started playing with his strands of hair, occasionally running a finger across his face. "Cute....cute.....cu"
"Snap out of it"
"Oh sorry about. I just got confused for a moment" he poked her cheek, smiling gently. "I'd prefer the word- handsome"
"Never....."
"What a shame. Having a cute girl for a friend and fiancée, but won't even compliment me"
"You're really annoying" she flicked his forehead, glaring at him. "Let's go outside"
Downstairs. Maria and her daughters sat around the kitchen table. Chloe tapped her glass in a slow rhythm before speaking
"Mom. I'm thinking about reactivating my license"
Maria's hand tightened around her glass, and she blinked a few times. "Why?"
"I think I've rested enough"
"I'm glad you've recovered. But" Maria took off her earrings. "Are you sure. Too much time has passed. I don't think‐"
"Mom. Please, can't you have faith in me?"
Before Maria could respond. Rose spoke up reassuringly. "Don't worry. Time might have passed, but don't forget"
Her voice dropped an octave, "She has an S rank Hero as her sister and mentor"
Even though what Rose said was true, Maria's unwilling feeling persisted, hard. "Fine" the words were forced out. "One chance. If you get injured badly again. You're out for good, ok?"
"Understood..." Chloe's was about yo voice her approval, but a strong pressure pressed against her side, her hand shot up, eyes glowed. Then Boom! The entire wall crashed against a shield, rubble, wood and glass mapping the floor. "Damn brats!"
"At least your instincts are still sharp"
Aki stood outside on the sand, looking in the direction of the mansion, a large trail of crystal magma trailed along the sand, onto and past the grass, and straight into the mansion entrance. Snow's pupils had long dilated, face pale, her hand still pulsing with mana
"At least you proved yourself. Right?"
Snow aimed at him. Eyes dull, face dark as night, "You tricked me"
"Nope. I said the ocean, not the mansion"
"Jerk!" Mana flowed through her streams, channeling deep from her soul. The pink glow intensified, the sparkle on her fingers igniting into a great blue flame, before it curled itself into a ball
Aki, sensing her anger, raised both hands. "Alright, Alright. My bad"
"It's too late for that. Fiancé"
The explosion illuminated the sky, cutting through the dark clouds. A blue ambient spreading across the atmosphere
As it settled. Aki's steps were unhurried as they approached Snow. His shirt was barely clinging on, most parts burnt to a crisp. "That was really childish"
As he tried leaning back, a sharp pull urged him back, his cheek stung, while his face burned with embarrassment. "You bit me"
Chloe and Rose had been ready to march down when the house was wrecked, but Maria stopped them. Even after the large explosion. "Let them be. We have some important things to discuss" she stopped them.
Snow laughed to herself, teasing him as she jabbed a finger at his swollencheek"If biting works. Then bite you is what I'll do"
"You ruined my pretty face" He gently caressed his face, wiping on the not so visible wound
"Pretty? Please. My toes look better than that mess you call a face"
"Do you bite your toes?"
"No. Why.....Dammit"
"Exactly" He grinned, gesturing at his face. "Why choose this mess to be feral on. Right?"
"Right. Anyway, I have something to ask you" she sat down on the cold sand, eyes vacating into the distance, scanning the far away outlines of skyscrapers. "Is school fun?"
"Well" he sat down beside her, letting their heads bump softly. "It's enjoyable. You might even love it"
"Prince, Snow. Let's go" Rose called them from the house, a helicopter descended from the sky, landing cleanly by the mansion. "This place needs repairs, so we can't stay here"
"We won't be riding in that" holding Snow's wrist, he rose to his feet, his red eyes glowing intensely
[SOF]
[Aki Hoshino]
[Stats: Full]
[Str: 2100(restricted) ]
[Spd: 450(restricted]
"Wanna race?"
"Why not"
In seconds. They had split the upper body of the ocean, cutting through as they skipped from wave to wave, neither one managing to take the lead
"Wow, you're actually faster than I thought" He said, hoping on one leg, then running backwards. "I thought it needed to be chivalrous, but I guess it was never necessary"
"Hey" Snow smiled at him, tapping a finger on her head. "Watch your step"
In one swift motion, she swiped his legs with effortless grace, leaving him ragdolling all over the waves, bouncing up and down for the remaining distance, until the ocean birthed him on a nearby beach. His brows were unanchored, he glanced sideways at Snow, who was laughing at him. "You little–" he sighed in defeat. "I'll let you have this one"
"Thank you, chivalrous knight. Though you didn't have to become a living skipping stone just for me"
"Whatever" I'm leaving, he forced his body up, dusting the sand off his jeans. "The helicopter is here" He stretched, and the sound of bones realigning made Snow recoil in shock. He leaped, his toes pressing down on the ground so hard that, when he jumped, the sand burst outward like an explosion, leaving a crater where he stood
[SOF]
[Aki Hoshino]
[Psycho series: Dark magic]
[Shadow habitat: tentacle vine]
Shadows crawled all over his palm, growing denser and denser, until they grew into long, sentient-like black tentacles. He whipped one of them down with immense strength, the tentacle wrapped around Snow's waist, and he pulled, yanking her up into the air
He caught her in his arms, smiling sheepishly. "You're welcome"
He used another tentacle to hold onto the helicopter, then began shrinking its length, reeling them closer and closer to the helicopter. Chloe opened the door, and he jumped in, landing on one knee. "Put me down"
"Don't ruin the moment"
He put Snow down beside him, Rose handed him a sweater, while Chloe started snickering. "So, showoff. How was the race?"
"I don't want to talk about it"
"You poor thing. Want some sisterly words to make you feel better?"
"No thanks. You'd end up making fun of me"
"Obviously"