FLIPPED SWITCH

"Are you saying that you've been sneaking out of the estate every night since your arrival?" Suichiro asked again.

"Well, it's actually twice every night since I arrived." Shiro corrected him.

"And you still have the nerves to correct me, huh?" Suichiro felt like leaving Shiro locked up in a cell somewhere beneath the estate's surface.

"Sorry about that Mr. Takagi." Shiro bowed in apology.

"You're pretty lucky you'll be leaving tomorrow along with the rest of your team. You would've stayed locked in a basement every night." Suichiro stated with a straight face.

Shiro shivered and turned to look at Suichiro. "Excuse me, what was that?"

"You heard me right. I'm grateful that you're reducing the number of undead in the vicinity but there's one thing I dislike. I dislike liabilities." Suichiro said in a scolding manner.

Shiro looked Suichiro in the eye and asked. "What you mean to say is that I'm a…"

"A Liability." Before Shiro could finish his words, Suichiro completed it.

Saya, who had been standing in a dark corner since the moment Shiro had returned, heard all that had been spoken.

Suichiro began dropping complaints about Shiro. "Liabilities come with dangerous risks and every time you leave the estate, what happens? You risk exposing us to those damn things. Have you ever sat down and asked yourself what calamity would happen if, by the slightest chance, one of those things followed you back? All hell would be let loose in this estate. People will eat people and we'll all end up like those damn things! I guess the only teaching you got was from Saeko's father and it clearly wasn't enough." Suichiro's last words ended up insulting Shiro's parents.

Shiro's anger spiked up and all his hair stood up. Shiro had been quite frustrated at the slow speed of his growth and now that Suichiro was complaining and yelling at him, The last shard of rationality in Shiro's brain disintegrated. Unlike what Suichiro expected, the current Shiro was now terrifyingly calm.

With a blank cold face, Shiro stared at Suichiro who was the same height as him. "Do you know the risk I take every night to cut down the number of undead in the area? I might not be the smartest in the entire estate but I make sure no moving thing follows me back on my way to the estate. Did you think they wouldn't get to this place eventually? They certainly would." Shiro spoke calmly despite his anger. This was the calmest Shiro had ever been. He was really pissed off.

"Do you know the risk I took to get here just so I could survive and meet with the only family member I have right now? No, you wouldn't know the risk because everyone you care about is in this estate with you. If wanting a safe environment means being a liability, that's fine anyway. We'll be leaving tomorrow. You'll be free of that liability..." Shiro walked closer to Saya's father who stood in the same spot like a pillar.

"...but do not mention my upbringing nor should you raise your voice for me next time. If Saya wasn't here, I wouldn't have hesitated to clash my sword against yours." Shiro warned with killing intent oozing out of him.

Suichiro shivered along with his daughter Saya, who was hiding.

Suichiro hadn't noticed Saya's presence so he was shocked to hear Shiro call her name out of nowhere.

Saya was even more shocked. She had been here, monitoring her father before Shiro even arrived but he had somehow managed to fish her out.

Shiro heaved a deep breath and walked past Suichiro. "I wouldn't want to put a friend's father in bed for the rest of their life." Shiro walked away, heading for the entrance of the building. He stopped and turned back.

"You should get some sleep Saya, we'll be leaving tomorrow." Shiro walked into the building, leaving father and daughter behind.

"You should come out." Suichiro stared in the direction Shiro had been looking at.

Saya walked out of the shadows behind one of the pillars present. "What was that?" She asked even though she knew so well what had just happened.

"It's just as you saw it. He almost lost it and I might've died if he did." Suichiro answered.

"You can still refuse to go with them after witnessing what had just happened but if you decide to go, that's fine. My only advice to you is that you should never make him show you that part of himself. Things might not end well." Suichiro stared blankly at the entrance Shiro had used.

"Hmm, why would he show that side of himself to a lady?" Saya asked, cleaning the sweat on her forehead.

Suichiro sighed and walked away, with Saya following behind him. "I warned you already. He knew a lady was there but he didn't back down and threatened the same lady's father in front of her. That reminds me, what are you doing out here?" Suichiro turned to face Saya.

"I… I came out to get some fresh air. Yes, that's it." Saya lied.

Suichiro knew she was lying but he let it go.

"You should get some sleep." He walked away heading for his room. The guard in charge had been informed beforehand to return in two hours and he would soon return to duty.

"Fine." Saya also walked away. "That was epic. Shiro, threatening the Ironclad Suichiro of the Takagi family." That was a sight Saya was never going to forget.

Saya decided to keep it a secret. A secret that only three people knew of.

****

The moment the sun rose, Shiro rose from the couch he was now fond of. He stretched and walked into the bathroom. They would be leaving today, and he had to be prepared.

When he walked out of the bathroom, Kohta had woken up. "Did I wake you?" Shiro asked.

"No, I got tired so I woke up. How'd your hunt go?" Kohta asked.

"Ugh. I flipped a switch and I don't want to talk about it." Shiro shrugged.

"But I wanna hear about it." Kohta protested.

"No way." Shiro refused.

********************

Hi guys, I'm back and I'll be dropping regularly like I always did before. Thank you all for staying around and thanks to those of you who really checked out my other book.

If you haven't checked it out, do so please: *Reincarnation Of An All-Rounder* Thank you guys.

Also, I'd be happy to receive suggestions from you guys. Please, feel free to drop your ideas.