17 Chapter 14: Past and Future
A/N: I thought I had lost this chapter since I don't have a back up :(
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Two figures were sledding through the snowy landscape, desperately trying to escape.
"Shit... they've caught up," cursed a masked man and black wig as he glanced back, hearing the approaching sounds.
The air was bone-chilling, having ridden his sled dogs for four days. 001 used this method to silently infiltrate the Winter Palace that far in the north, the residence of the First Prince, and to rescue Teresa.
The clanking of machinery behind them grew louder, causing Teresa's composure to fade.
"Wh-What should we do?" she stammered, trembling from fear more than the cold.
At this moment, no one else was there for her except this man and his loyal dogs. Common sense dictated that their chances of survival were slim with the First Prince's army hot on their heels.
"Stop," he commanded, addressing his seven dogs.
They obeyed, bringing the sleds to a smooth halt.
Eleven-year-old Teresa was bewildered as impending doom closed in.
"Hey!" 001 called to her, locking eyes with her trembling gaze.
"Our destination is about four hours from here. You go on and take my dogs with you."
"Alpha, lead your pack and follow Teresa's commands from now on," he instructed his trusted dog, which now led the pack of 001's dogs.
"Woof!"
"NO!"
Teresa widened her eyes, realizing Minoru wasn't coming with her.
"Please..." she pleaded, tears welling up, "You're coming—sniff! with me too! Sniff!"
Ignoring Teresa's pleas, he removed his winter coat and draped it around her shoulders.
"This is my mission. I'll stay here and hold them off while erasing your trail," he said emotionlessly.
"Stand up! If you want to survive, take my dogs' commands and live."
Teresa flinched as she glimpsed his red eyes through the gap in his mask.
Her lips quivered.
"I don't care about that. Please, just g-g-go with m-me...!"
Teresa, the flower of Luxemburg, had always lived in a world surrounded by flowers and had never known true pain. But in this moment, she grew up and realized the harsh reality of the world.
After being imprisoned for six months in that dungeon, she had feared she would never see the light again and would perish in the cold, dark confines.
However, after 001 had saved her and cared for her through this snowy forest for four days, Teresa developed a deep emotional bond with him.
Yet, she couldn't bring herself to let go of him because she found it hard to trust anyone after her brother had thrown her into a dungeon, and no one had come to her rescue.
Now, Teresa just wanted to live with him.
"We have no time! Your brother's troops are closing in! Go, lead my dogs with you!"
The distant sound of motorcycles sent shivers down Teresa's spine.
She couldn't bear to endure that ordeal again.
001 didn't utter another word as he readied himself for the impending battle.
She knew the person who had saved her was just a kid, judging by his childlike voice, and he was only slightly older than her, yet he had risked his life like that.
Tears welled up in Teresa's eyes as she gazed at him, wondering if this would be their last meeting.
Could he survive? She pondered how she could ever repay this debt to him while he wasn't by her side.
She felt guilty for the immense sacrifices he had made.
"Sniff! I am sorry!!"
But she knew that if she died here, his sacrifice would be in vain. She stood up, gripping the sled's handle with determination.
"Go!" The dogs obeyed her, just as their master, 001, had instructed.
Teresa sledded across the desolate snowy landscape for hours, but against all odds, she survived.
"Teresa!"
Teresa snapped back as Alexandra called her. Her gaze remained fixed on where Minoru had gone, walking away, mirroring the boy who rushed at the army, alone.
"Ahaha~ I'm sorry, Alec."
Teresa looked at Alexandra with an apologetic expression and then glanced at the student council member.
"I'm sorry for troubling you two."
"Don't worry, Teresa-san. As student council members, it's our job to guide transfer students."
Kaguya smiled as they walked, unable to resist stealing an odd glance at Teresa, curious about her relationship with Minoru.
"Hehe~! By the way, Teresa-chan! I'm bringing my dog, 'Pes,' with me today! Wanna go play with him outside? Hm~ Hm~ It's unfortunate since he has to stay outside the school, though..."
This girl didn't seem to know how to judge the mood around her. But Teresa was happy to respond, recalling her excitement.
"Sure~! It's a shame, that I can't show you my dogs right now since they're still on their way here. But is it even allowed to bring pets to school?"
Teresa tilted her head skeptically.
Kaguya smiled wryly, knowing that Fujiwara was weird.
"Students aren't allowed to bring their pets. Please don't take Fujiwara-san's words too seriously."
Even though the school hadn't started yet, it was still odd to bring a pet to school.
'Their voices are alike, but Yanagi-sensei had a deeper voice than him...'
Teresa couldn't help but compare 001 from six years ago to the present Minoru.
She placed her right hand over her chest, feeling a pang of hurt hearing Minoru claim not to know her.
But Teresa was sure of it, and there was no way she could forget him.
'Alright! There's no way I'll give up that easily!'
Teresa's face lit up with determination. If there was even a slight chance that Minoru was the person she had been trying to reach all these years, she wasn't going to let it slip away.
---
Minoru shivered as he sensed trouble brewing.
'Fuck...'
'I was hoping she'd give up on trying to connect me with 001. Thank God I've always worked behind the scenes for Eileen. That's why I've never bumped into Teresa again until now.'
Thanks to Kaguya, Minoru had managed to escape from Teresa and take a breather on the school rooftop.
"Huh..."
With a slow exhale, Minoru let out a puff of gray-white smoke into the air. He stared down at the schoolyard with his mind racing.
"The school vibes are something else..."
He admired the Gothic architecture of the school. It was pretty fancy, especially for Japan, where most schools adopted a modern style. Shuchi'in was the only one that stood out.
"I thought you'd be used to this kind of thing, having lived in the UK for quite a while," Shizuka said, joining him on the rooftop.
"In the end, I'm still amazed. Though, It's kind of boring to see these kinds of buildings again."
"Heh... show-off," Shizuka chuckled as she took a drag from her cigarette.
"And by the way, Yanagi, it looks like you just got your homeroom class..."
"It's 2-A," Minoru replied, handing her the document that was still in his hand.
"Hahaha! Look at this," Shizuka burst into laughter as she flipped through the sheet. "Oh, there's Yukinoshita, and... Geez, I have to say, this is quite a scary lineup."
She handed the document back to him.
"Yeah... I hope they're not a bunch of troublesome, spoiled kids," Minoru chuckled, hoping the students wouldn't get in his way.
'Hell yeah, Shizuka! Our conversations flow naturally! Let's keep it up!'
Shizuka thought about the possibility of them becoming dating partners, but this woman was clearly in a hurry.
Suddenly, someone opened the door to the rooftop, and Shizuka glanced in that direction.
It was Sae, who also used the rooftop for smoking.
She walked over to them with a sharp expression.
"Crap..."
A cigarette was already in her mouth, but she had forgotten to bring a lighter.
"Chabashira-san, please allow me..."
Minoru lit up his lighter and brought it close to Sae's mouth, and she accepted it gratefully.
"Thank you." Sae said, "Huff..." looking at him and then at the document as she exhaled a smoke.
"2-A, huh? I see... That old man dumped you in a troublesome class, huh?"
Minoru just nodded, while Shizuka realized that she should remember to forget her lighter next time so she could experience what Minoru had just done for Sae.
'Though, I think they're not just referring to the homeroom class, damn it!'
Sae narrowed her eyes as she stole a glance at Minoru.
She knew that Henry must be considering Minoru as a potential candidate for the principal position
Therefore, she found it annoying to have an opponent like him.
'Someone just cursed at my ass.'
Minoru suddenly felt an itch in his ear.
---
Minoru strolled into his house just as the sun dipped below the horizon.
Normally, he'd be greeted by Ai, but she'd become swamped with a new song project.
Instead, he found Aqua and Ruby engrossed in a video game showdown in the living room.
[K.O.!!!!!!]
"NOOOOOOO! Onii-chan~! Why do you never let me win!?" Ruby pouted.
"You're weak, that's why..."
Meanwhile, Minoru approaches Ruby and gives her a surprise hug.
"UWAA!" Ruby jumped in shock, "Can you stop sneaking up on me like that?"
"Bad habit," Minoru admitted with a chuckle.
Sneaking around was a natural to him as he was a hitman.
He released Ruby and patted Aqua's head violently.
"You should go easy on your 'lil sister, you little punk..."
Aqua sighed, "But she'll never get better if I do that..." crossing his arms, looking as though he's right.
"Alright..." Minoru exclaimed, placing the joystick in front of him and raising his index fingers dramatically, "Prepare to feel the sting of defeat from my two-finger moves!"
Aqua gulped and felt the pressure building as the intense game continued.
Thirty minutes later...
"Hahaha! Taste the pain, Minoru-san! With my ultimate move, your H.P. will vanish! Die!"
Aqua cheered as he finally claimed his first victory after losing 29 times.
Minoru, however, wore a devilish grin.
He was merely teasing his son, letting him think he had the upper hand.
But then, despair struck Aqua.
"What the--- Oi! Time out! Time out!"
Aqua panicked as his Hulk character fell victim to an endless combo from Minoru's bunny girl character.
[K.O.!!!!!!]
"How's that? I only used two fingers on the joystick, and you still lost," Minoru boasted, a smug grin on his face.
"Heh~! Heh~!"
Ruby crossed her arms, thrilled that someone had finally defeated Aqua.
"Okay, okay, I'll take it easy next time," Aqua conceded.
"Hahaha, this is fun," Minoru said as he got up and headed to the kitchen to cook dinner.
"Ugh, I'm home~..." Ai's tired voice greeted them as she entered the room.
"Ai, welcome back," Minoru said.
"Minoru-kun~..."
Ai went up to him and gave him a big, unexpected hug, taking him by surprise. It was quite a sudden burst of affection, especially considering they'd been living together now.
"What day is it today? Is anything special going on...?"
Minoru asked, a hint of suspicion in his voice.
"I'm totally beat! Needed a mood lift~" Ai raised an eyebrow, "Huh?" She looked at him, suspicious, "There's a new woman's scent in you today..."
Minoru raised an eyebrow in return.
"Why do you always sniff me like that?"
"Hm~~~ You got an issue with that?" Ai smirked, "Well, I'm just going to overwrite that scent with mine! Tehe~!"
After ten minutes, Ai let go of Minoru and froze in her place.
Aqua and Ruby were just standing there, giving them the dead-fish eye stare.
"A-A-A-Ah..."
Her face turned as red as a tomato as she hadn't noticed their presence.
"H-Hold on! It's not what you guys think! I was just talking with Miyako-san about, um... 'ways to make your cr-crush only have eyes for you!' Yeah, like, so he never even thinks about cheating on me!"
Ai stuttered, her voice shaky as she waved her hands around, embarrassed.
Minoru, Aqua, and Ruby just gave her a blank stare.
They couldn't decide if Ai was bold or simply lacking in subtlety when it came to motherhood. Well, theoretically, that heavy topic is not suitable for kids, like them...? Huh, wait...
