Chapter 15

Both Reiji and Atashi still went on about the rats and restaurant. "We could always avoid them!" Atashi got up and tried to think of a few places where he never saw a rat, he was certain there had to be a few.

"Still can't think of one?" Eiko crossed her arms and waited for Atashi's response.

"I don't remember." The brown-haired boy sighed in defeat.

"Ha."

"Can you kids be quiet!? I'm trying to sleep!"

All of them turned around to see a plump woman with messy hair, she looked like she had just woken up.

"Sorry Aunt Mai."

Atashi and Reiji watched as Aunt Mai went back to her room. Rolling her eyes Eiko sighed and continued digging through the box.

"She's so annoying."

"Eiko she's here to watch us till my parents get back." Reiji reassured her.

"All she does is sleep look at the kitchen it's a mess!"

Reiji sighed and went to the kitchen expecting the pots and pans to be stacked near the sink dripping with oil and stained. True enough it was still like that and they had to clean it up every time.

"I can't wait for the day she packs her bags and leaves." Eiko sat on the couch and looked up at the ceiling dreaming of that day to come.

"You sure you're not gonna miss her?"

"Shut up Atashi you can leave with her if you want."

Atashi looked at Douma sheepishly as the two broke into laughter which made Eiko angrier than ever.

"If you hear someone screaming and throwing stuff in one of the rooms, that's Maru. Give him a model-kit and he's never coming out." Reiji told the blonde who spun around when he heard a loud thud from the hallway. "He must've lost one of his pieces." Staying in the living room was a better idea.

"Why did I invite him here anyway?" Both Eiko and Reiji looked at Atashi wondering the same thing.

"Wait I almost forgot I wanna ask you guys something," Douma looked at the frames of bug specimens he almost forgot what he was here for.

"If it's about the giant fish creatures then no we didn't see them," Atashi answered. "But let's see what the news has to say about it."

"Um there is something else." Reiji said timidly.

"Oh yeah someone tried to break into our home," Atashi continued. "It was horrifying that thing was knocking on the window and whispering we couldn't move at all it scared us to the core."

Douma widened his eyes he couldn't believe those monsters came all the way here. Who knows where else they've gone to the village had to be on high alert. These things were dangerous.

"That monster was here?" 

"Oh you saw it before? I guess so we just hid behind the couch." Reiji replied.

The television was turned on, Atashi placed the remote on the table slumping on the couch as they watched the news. From the static they knew the bad weather was messing with the connection it was infuriating.

"We have a very important message for everyone watching us live around this time. With the raging storms we understand that there may be some disruptions along the way. Please get ready this is an important announcement, I repeat, an important announcement." The reporter on television said, from the looks of it the situation wasn't going to get any better now that they have declared a nationwide emergency, they were already in Osaka.

"It's highly advisable for everyone to stay indoors, the alien creatures have spread to certain parts of Japan. They've been reported to damage infrastructures and occasionally break into homes when food is left in the open. We encourage everyone to keep their windows shut and avoid leaving any food unattended. These alien creatures or marine silverfish as we'd like to call them based on studies, are not from Earth, they're said to originate elsewhere, research is still ongoing. If you see any aquatic creatures or giant silverfish do not go near them. They're suspected of being venomous, we have yet to confirm if they're parasitic or carry any diseases. If these factors apply, drastic measures will have to be taken."

From there, the reporter went on about the government's plans and their methods of mitigating the issue. In all honesty these creatures were going to be hard to eradicate given their tough resistance. What's even more worrying is the possibility of contracting unknown diseases, hearing that made Douma's skin crawl he just fought these things but that was just him overthinking, he can't get sick even if he did, healing was always proven to be effective.

While all four of them were busy chatting away, the next statement caught their attention again.

"It seems there are a total of 46 deaths and 60 people who are now in critical condition. The disease has not been unidentified however the symptoms are severe and fatal. According to the victim's families, the air was contaminated with bacteria and acidic fumes for a certain period of time. This would mark the first stage of the contraction of this disease. Other reports state that food poisoning is another major symptom most victims face. A few seniors had succumbed to their skin infection where parts of their arms resembled that of fish. It looked as though they were turning into these creatures. Avoid direct contact with these alien creatures at any costs, check the source of food and water before consuming them."

With that the answer to everyone's questions had surfaced. Douma wasn't entirely surprised there were things out there which humans haven't seen yet this was only the tip of the iceberg. From the looks of it the trio was speechless. Shocking indeed. But there was something else that didn't sit right with him, peeling skin and fatigue? Could it be that they were behind that sudden illness the boy in the mountain had? There was a bigger picture to this. The marine silverfish have been around longer without anyone noticing them.

"T-t-they're aliens?!" Reiji stumbled back trembling in fear. "And people died?! This is bad!"

"Well they don't look like ordinary animals." Eiko exchanged worried glances with Reiji she too couldn't believe what they just heard.

Atashi stared at the television with a terrified expression on his face, it was interesting that humans had just discovered an alien species but at the same time frightening knowing they were living among humans imagine what else space had to offer.

"Guys calm down, there's nothing to worry about Douma's here to save the day!" Douma cheered while the others watched unamused.

"Yeah right." Eiko snorted crossing her arms.

Atashi and Reiji looked at Douma who was giving the trio a toothy smile, given the context of the situation there was no time to celebrate it's not like Douma really did anything, at least that's what they thought, he didn't tell them yet it just never occurred to him.

"Say Douma why don't you just use your powers to eradicate the storm and bugs? It shouldn't be that difficult, right?" Searching the pockets of his jacket, Atashi looked around in a panic hoping Douma would answer his question while finding something.

"Well with great power comes great responsibility," Douma watched Atashi who seemed bothered by something they just had to wait and see what it was. "It's only a matter of time until you see the consequences of your actions."

"This isn't making any sense can't you just get rid of these problems once and for all?" Walking away Eiko picked up the bug specimens and put them back in the box.

"Erm it's complicated you see..." Reiji and Eiko looked at him and shook their head. This was pointless they'd have to live in fear for a while until potential solutions arise, their dear friend could help but didn't have the guts to do anything to for some reason. To think this was Paradise Shrine's humble leader.

"Forget it Douma."

The young founder hummed and covered his face with his fan, taken aback by Eiko's sudden anger. Are they really that upset? He thought.

"Just forget we said anything and go live a happy life back at your shrine."

"Aww man I really wanna help ya know?" Douma whined though they could tell he wasn't being entirely sincere.

"If you really cared you would've done something by now." Wiping the sweat off her forehead, Eiko carried the box towards the end of the hall, Reiji lending her a hand.

"I do but the storm keeps coming I need a break from last night's showdown."

Reiji and Eiko exchanged glances with each other, horrified. They knew what he meant by the storm and it was no surprise that the partial destruction of the town was caused by the battle and now that Douma was reluctant to use his abilities confirmed their theory. They always wondered what would happen if Douma kept using them, they were powerful and beyond what humanity can comprehend.

Before they could respond, the sound of something falling to the ground echoed throughout the living room.

Lying on the floor was an orange totem with a pearl in the middle. It looked to be some sort of ancient artifact, but where Atashi got it from was the bigger question. No one had such items in their possession especially during modern times. Douma was skeptical about this.