The crowd thinned as we left the main concourse, the station’s polished floors giving way to the cool spring air outside. The noise of rolling suitcases and train announcements faded behind us, replaced by the hum of traffic along Marunouchi.

  Remy led the way, pulling my suitcase in hand, his long strides were careful not to outpace Baa-san. She walked with determined rhythm, her small frame somehow commanding the space around her. I followed closely behind while I clutched my travel coat.

  When we turned the corner toward Kajibashi Parking Lot, Remy who was in front, stopped and turned on one heel.

  “Here we are,” he said merely indicating that we have arrived. He then gestured at a bus near the far end. It was rather easy to spot, because as at this time, there were no other buses parked there.

  Baa-san didn’t respond, though her pace neither quickened nor slowed, she simply walked past Remy, not acknowledging his remark. The smile on his face, once happy was frozen, by the blatant disregard. I bowed again in apology but as before, he waved it off before sighing.

  As we neared our vehicle, a Japanese man with short-cut hair and a bearded face rounded the corner of the bus. He was holding a plastic bottle, and the moment he took a sip, he noticed our approach.

  More specifically, he noticed Baa-san, and promptly choked on his drink. He was still coughing when we were close enough to have a conversation.

  “This, is uh—” Remy began, gesturing towards the man. “Namihara Yukihito.”

  Before he could say more, baa-san walked past him and entered the bus.

  “Not here. Inside,” were her short but direct commands that left no room for argument.

  “He will be your driver for the rest of the event,” Remy mumbled as he patted the man’s back as he tried to recover.

  Again, I bowed in apology, but Remy and Mr. Yukihito just waved it off with a polite hand gesture and wry smiles.

  There were only two passengers, me and baa-san so, the bus felt unnaturally wide. It would have felt strange to sit at the back, so we chose seats near the front, the ones near the door. From where I was seated, I could hear the two having a rather frantic discussion outside.

  “You said someone else was coming, you didn’t mention it was the old lady,” Mr. Yukihito hissed at Remy.

  “Don’t look at me, alright? The people at the hotel only said that someone would go with the young lady,” Remy hissed back. “I thought it was going to be her mother or something. I just found out a bit earlier, okay? Cut me some slack.”

  “Now what the hell are we going to do?” Mr. Yukihito demanded in a sharp whisper, looking slightly hysterical. “The plan didn’t mention her.”

  “I don’t know. I am improvising as best I can. Besides, why are you panicking?” Remy argued. “All you have to do is drive! I’m the one who has to keep them entertained!”

  “Because if you don’t do your job, it’ll be up to me,” Mr. Yukihito retorted, “and I don’t want to have to fix this—mistake—because I don’t know how to!”

  “Oh, you son of a—”

  Remy never got to finish his sentence. Baa-san’s commanding voice, cut through the air, and quite possibly echoed throughout the parking space.

  “Bus. Now.” Baa-san barked the order as she struck her cane against the floor of the bus with both hands. It made a sharp metallic thud that echoed and even made the vehicle shake slightly.

  Both men flinched, then they looked at each other with the look of two people resigned to their fate, and sighed. Mr. Yukihito boarded first and positioned himself in the driver’s seat.

  Remy followed behind, carrying my suitcase and securing it on the seat behind us. He then gave a small bow, a strained wry smile settling as he took the seat across from us.

  Without saying a word, Baa-san rose and moved to sit beside Remy. The moment she did, his back stiffened like a board, shoulders locked tight.

  “Yukihito, the door,” she ordered.

  Mr. Yukihito immediately flipped a switch, and with a hiss of compressed air, the bus door closed shut with a small thud.

  What followed was a conversation I couldn’t fully follow, as Baa-san began speaking in a language I didn’t know or understand. It was definitely neither Japanese nor English, that much I could tell.

  The sun’s heat, the gentle spring weather, and the bus’s soft air-conditioning wrapped around me, making my eyelids feel heavy. Instead of trying to understand something that I have no hope of comprehending, I let myself drift into a light sleep, knowing that by the time I woke up, we would have arrived at the hotel.

  =======================================================================

  “Remington, explain!” Nana’s voice thundered, each word rebounded in the closed vehicle. “Explain this, farcical charade, you and your father have orchestrated, right now!”

  The curtains of the bus, was closed shut by an invisible, indomitable will, despite the noise, however, her granddaughter managed to fall asleep, without a care in the world, completely oblivious. She made a mental note to scold her later.

  “Master, please, believe me when I say that, I, myself, do not know much.” Remy said a hint of fear in his voice.

  Being this close to one of the Primarchs, many in the Order would see it as an honor. But, being this close while they were angry was something else, something far more life-threatening. Even more so if that person happened to be one of your former teachers.

  “Father only instructed me to act as a guide for our guests,” Remy said, raising both hands as if to shield himself from impending doom.

  “And the deception, as well as using our hotel!?” Nana growled, her tone razor-sharp, capable of flaying skin by sheer intent. “Does he want a war!?”

  “No! Of course not, Master please believe me!” Remy pleaded with resolve, beads of sweat, running down his forehead. “Me, and everyone else he called were the same. No one knew.”

  Nana growled, the sound low and powerful, making the very air quiver in fear. The inside of the bus should have been burning, but the heat she released was only for those who received her intent. Remington struggled to shield himself from an invisible blaze that should have incinerated him ten times over.

  “And, what say you, Yukihito?” she demanded, shifting her focus and the weight of her intent to the silent bus driver.

  The moment Nana’s intent hit his back, Yukihito knew, one wrong move, one mispronounced word, and Remy would be picking up his remains in a matchbox. In an instant, he knew he had to make a choice, he could explain himself and end up like Remy, or…

  “Master, our teacher, is here, participating,” he said, slowly, making sure that every word he spoke was understood. “Him, and, his family.”

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  To be one of the three leaders, either Primarch, Dominarch, or even Lexarch, of the Order meant not only having the power to back up one’s words, boasts, or threats, but also having lived long enough to gain the experience and foresight to anticipate the unexpected, to be surprised by nothing. This is expected on account of the beings they fight.

  When Nana finally internalized the meaning behind her former pupil’s words, the shock that coursed through her was so profound, that she involuntarily released her intent. The two men on the bus exhaled in relief, the suffocating pressure, bearing down on them, finally lifted from their shoulders.

  It took Nana nearly a full minute to compose herself, and in that time, both Remington and Yukihito also managed to recover.

  “And, how did he take it?” she asked at last, her voice though steady, carried a slight hint of trepidation. “How did his family take it?”

  “His family was treating it like a vacation. As for him, it was like always, looking incredibly haggard from the bus ride, but otherwise, like he was going to his room.” Remington responded airily.

  “I suspect he is just waiting for something to happen,” Yukihito added thoughtfully. “Though I am sure, he is, keeping a close eye on his family.”

  This made Nana smile a bit. Despite his flaws, she’d always been fond of him, and often referred to him as his grandson, despite them being only distant relatives. It’s what he represented that made her care for him as deeply as one of her own.

  She could still remember that happy cheeky grin he gave her from when he was a child, so much like his grandfather. And then there was his father, the legacy of her best friend’s. She was not supposed to be Primarch, but fate had other plans, now it seems, fate is stirring once again.

  “How are they?” she asked, this time, her tone was steadier, doubt replaced by certainty.

  “They’re alright, perfectly healthy. Me and Yuki are friends with his brother,” Remington answered coolly. “His father’s nice, though, he gives off a rather strict vibe. His mother is, beautiful I guess, but we haven’t talked that much so I can’t tell.”

  “I see,” Nana said closing her eyes for a few seconds. When she opened them again, this time, they gleamed, full of resolve.

  “I have lost much,” she said quietly, gaze lowering to the cane she gripped with both hands, fingers resting on the polished handle. The air around her thickened once more, not with anger, but this time, with warning.

  “Twice in a lifetime is more than enough, too much for me to handle,” Nana continued, her tone low and unwavering, her intent unmistakable. “There will not be a third.”

  For once, the two men did not flinch. They looked at each other and smiled, before Yukihito reached toward a small ornate box beside the bus’s throttle.

  He brought out two ornate silver shields and presented them to her. Despite the gravity of her words, Nana’s eyes widened at the sight of them.

  “Master,” Yukihito said softly, “we gave these to them.”

  “I see, I see,” Nana said, a predatory smile spread across her face, one that could challenge the very heavens themselves. “Very well. I accept your resolve.”

  With those words, she rose and took the two trinkets with one hand. In a flash of fire, they were consumed, gone without a trace. Then, with steady steps, she returned to her granddaughter’s side, with the same sharpness never leaving her face.

  The two men looked at each other, and both let out quiet sigh of relief before they too, smiled. With their lives out of danger, they turned their attention to the road ahead, preparing for the journey to the hotel.

  As the bus began to rumble, Nana looked at her still sleeping granddaughter. She had a soft contented smile on her face. She took out a handkerchief, reached out, and gently wiped the drool that leaked from the corner of her granddaughter’s mouth.

  Yes… there will never be a third, she thought to herself. And with the boy here, there will be no more deaths. It was not merely a vow, nor an oath — it was a declaration, absolute and unyielding.

  ========================================================================

  When I woke, the bus had already pulled into its parking space near the hotel.

  I checked my phone for the time and it was already 12:15 PM, lunchtime. After we disembarked, I thanked the two men for getting us here safely, but they waved it off with easy, reassuring smiles.

  Although I was curious about what they had talked about with Baa-san. But it’s bad manners to pry and especially since they’d remained so calm despite her usual attempts at provocation.

  “Remington, be a gentleman and take her luggage,” Baa-san said before heading off on her own towards the hotel. I had a small case of Deja vu.

  Remy sighed again, before easily recovering his cheerful demeanor. He graciously took my suitcase and turned to Mr. Yukihito.

  “See you at the hall?” he asked as we began walking.

  “In a bit,” Mr. Yukihito replied while he checked something on his clipboard. “I still need to bring this to Kat, then log that we’ve arrived in one piece.”

  Remy nodded happily, and we continued toward the hotel at an unhurried pace.

  When we reached the lobby, I saw Baa-san was just finishing the paperwork at the front counter. She walked a few paces, then suddenly reached out and grabbed a passing hotel attendant by the back of his collar.

  “Urghk—!”

  “Reika, leave your luggage here. This person will carry it to your room,” Baa-san said matter-of-factly, while she mercilessly held the attendant.

  Now that I managed to get a good look at him, I noticed he wasn’t Japanese but a foreigner with stark black hair and sharp features.

  After a few moments, baa-san let go and the man stood up and turned around with a scowl, ready to confront whoever grabbed him. Until he realized who it was, he took one good look at baa-san and his face went pale, then he stood ramrod straight. From my estimates, he was slightly taller than Remy.

  “Bring her luggage to her room,” baa-san repeated, without a hint of remorse or room for argument.

  “Ah, yes mast—I mean ma’am, yes ma’am!” the man stammered and fumbled his words, before making a salute, fist to chest. By the sound of his accent, he was either Australian or someone from New Zealand.

  Baa-san sighed and gestured for Remy to hand over my suitcase. The man took it, but not before shooting Remy a rather nasty scowl, like he was blaming him for a great crime. Remy just shrugged apologetically with a sheepish smile.

  I wanted to ask Baa-san what was that all about, but instead, she shoved a pair of keys into my hands and said, “I will be going to my room for a bit, you go and eat.” Then she turned away and led the attendant towards the nearest elevator, leaving me behind staring at her back.

  “So young lady, your friends should be at the hall by now, having lunch,” Remy said after he lightly tapped my shoulder. “If you can contact them, they can come and pick you up. If not, you’re welcome to wait for a bit while I finish some paperwork and I would be happy to escort you there myself. Or, if you prefer, I can just give you directions. Your choice.”

  “Uhm, thank you for the offer. I’ll try contacting them first,” I replied, then bowed. I then mumbled under my breath, “After Baa-san’s behavior, I don’t want to cause you any more trouble.”

  Remy laughed and said he’d be at the counter if I needed him. With that, I wandered to the lounge, sat down in one of the empty chairs, and sent an email to Shizuku.

  The lounge stall, offered coffee of different kinds, the scent of roasted beans, brewed milk and vanilla dominated the entire area. The next people in line were a husband and wife, judging by the rings on their hands. The man was a bit portly but he was happy and was explaining something to his wife.

  I turned my gaze and stared at the garden outside, and I breathed in the air and began to wait. After only a few minutes, and to my surprise, everyone came to get me.

  “Shizuku!” I said as I half jumped and hugged my best friend. “Everyone too! What are you all doing here?”

  “Hey, Rai,” she replied, hugging me back with a grin. “Glad you could make it.”

  “We came to get you,” Haruto said with a small smile.

  “Just so you know, Taka was ready to eat without you,” Trayn joked, earning a snicker from Arthur and a scowl from Takashi.

  “Excuse me, but I was just following your example, always hungry, never helpful.” Takashi shot back with a smug grin. The three continued to joke and bicker like always.

  “The buffet is at the 10th floor,” Suzu’s excited voice called from the side. “Come let’s go, I’m starving!”

  “But, Suzu, you just had a parfait,” Akane said quietly and gave a reproachful look toward her gluttonous friend.

  “The parfait is for Suzu’s second stomach,” she replied without an ounce of shame. “My main stomach is still empty.”

  “Wait, everyone still hasn’t had lunch!?” I asked feeling a bit shocked.

  “We were waiting for you,” Shizuku replied. “If you had taken a bit longer, we would have gone ahead.”

  “So, everyone, let’s Go! Go! Go!” Suzu declared happily.

  Not wanting to waste more time, we hurried to the elevators. As we passed by Remy, I waved at him and as cheerful as ever, he waved back.

  The first elevator already had a few people inside. Since elevators couldn’t hold that many people, everyone tried to be the first one to enter, to the amusement of people who were already inside.

  I managed to slip into the first car, followed by Shizuku, Suzu, Aiko, and Airi. Arthur, Takashi, and Trayn manage to get in as well. Unfortunately for the rest, they would have to wait for the next one.

  “Was your trip okay?” Airi whispered as the elevator hummed upward towards the tenth floor.

  “Yes, there were no problems, at all,” I whispered back.

  “So, who came with you?” Aiko asked quietly. “Is it your mother?”

  At the mention of my mother, Airi tensed up, excitement building in her eyes.

  “Ah no, it’s my grandmother. Mama had to stay behind to look after my little sister.” I replied just as quietly though my answer made Airi deflate, the spark faded almost instantly.

  Moments later, the doors slid open and we stepped out onto the tenth floor. The corridor stretched ahead just like any hotel, but the rooms were different, they were spaced far apart, likely the rooms inside were wider.

  Then I saw two people who were walking in front of us. One of them I recognized instantly. My heart raced. I didn’t catch what the others were saying. My legs moved before I could think, and in an instant, I was running.

  “AEEEEE!”

  “Who—a! BLURGHH—!”

  Oh—we fell.