Tsundoku Heart

Footsteps neared the door and it swung wide open.  A man - assumed to be Michi’s father - scooped her up and immediately slammed the door in Yoichi’s face.  He stared at the door, shocked that he got shut out twice in one day in the same neighborhood.  “I…suppose we completed that mission?”  His Carracosta growled at a light that flicked on across the street.  Several NPC’s began exiting their houses.  They stood on their porches and just stared at the two players.

     Focus turning to the light, Miho took a half-step back before taking another step forward. Various NPCs filed into view, their attention on the strangers, their intent unclear. Miho gritted her teeth. She was scared but she was becoming increasingly pissed off. Victory Road Online wasn’t marketed as a horror game but this was slowly turning into a frightening scenario. 

     Miho closed her eyes and exhaled an exasperated breath. “Let’s get this shit done, yeah?" Concentrating her attention to the scowl on her features as to distract herself from her mounting fear and unease, Miho started to walk towards the NPCs. As she approached them, however, she noticed that very few were paying attention to her as opposed to Yoichi. 

He didn’t even bother kicking off his shoes after entering the room. Rummaging through his pack, Volkner counted out the supplies he had. Unaware of the beauty that his room presented, lacking interest in anything, but the goal at hand. Volkner didn’t sleep often if at all, a horrible habit of his. To never sleep. He didn’t need it and at times didn’t prefer it. How boring. While he understood that in his own mind, he left Miho and child to their devices as he went off in search of sustenance.

His desire to eat food from the inn was minimal. It was his plan to visit the stalls outside, settling on food that was relatively cheap. There were rice bowls, sushi, and curry, but he settled on three karage sets for what their next conversation together will. Perhaps, the crunching will mitigate her anger. There were studies on how the brain on the brain of how that would occur. Science wouldn’t fail him now. His human emotions might.

It was after a time that he came back with everything in hand. The electric gym leader wasn’t ready to face her, but he still arrived in front of their wooden door. He rapped his knuckles on the frame to announce his entrance, exactly twice. Shifting his hands so the take-out he held didn’t strain his fingers, he said calmly.  

     The man’s voice was heavy in their light environment, the noise weighty but not unwelcome. Miho slowly stood. Back arching and arms stretching, she yawned before glancing at her reflection. Running a hand through her hair in a futile attempt to tame her bed head, Miho grumbled in annoyance before giving up. She’d take a shower soon, and maybe sleep. The planning helped bring her back to their situation while allowing her to have some sense of control. She could plan her shower. She could plan her naps. It was a small thing but it was all she had in the sense of control.

    Shifting the door open with care as the child was still sleeping, Miho looked up at him and then down at the food. Stepping to the side, she closed the door behind her and nodded. Glancing over to the side, Miho surveyed the area. With thin papery doors it would be easy for the child to wake up and hear them. Scan ended where glass doors stood before opening up to a balcony. Eyebrow rose in question of the place’s rank in stars but she said nothing. Looking back at him, she carefully took the sets of food he carried from him and began walking towards the doors. “Not there then. Over here. It’d be bad if we woke him up.”

     Standing by the doors, she waited for him to open the way to the balcony. Miho was pretty sure she could guess just what he wanted to talk about. It wouldn’t be pleasant. Frown setting in even before words were exchanged, Miho wondered just why they had to be responsible and just why that person had to go and get killed. 

“Ah…no not normally.  At least not neighborhoods this close to the city.  It’s a little strange, but I suppose it must have something to do with those reports.  Still, I find it weird that they would be so wary of an officer.  You’d think after sending all those reports they’d be happy to see one.”  Yoichi was beginning to believe there was a lot more to this than what was just stated in the files.

     Silence returned as thought began to bubble. She was never one for puzzles and mystery. She hated the sort because there would be a guaranteed death of at least one and she always felt compelled to take notes. But if this was some NPC-related event then any information thrown their way had to be important. Games never usually threw red herrings and this hardly seemed like the type of thing that would end up signaling a plot twist. The beginnings of an idea started to formulate within her mind but she stayed quiet, allowing the conversation’s dynamics to rely mostly on Yoichi and Michi. For a moment, her gaze rested on the child. She couldn’t be related, right? Coincidences were a common thing in a world so small.

“It’s some weird stuff.  I figured since we’re doing all this anyway, I might as well see why no one has bothered to come investigate these burglaries.”  Michi latched onto Yoichi’s hand and bounced up and down, clearly ready to head home again.  “Alrighty ‘chi, let’s get moving.”  She beamed at her new nickname and decided to take charge, leading the trio down the street.

     She followed along after them in silence. Wary glances were cast over her shoulders as she walked. Many houses were dim but the porch and street lights lit like clockwork. Though bright, however, they did little to fend off the uneasiness settling about them. The area was quiet save for their footsteps and Michi’s humming, the noise echoing down long empty streets. Miho drew her jacket closer around herself. Sight flickered upwards at the sound of his voice. She frowned slightly. He knew the answer to that, or should be able to guess, which wasn’t good for her. Those were the type of questions meant to distract and she assumed he wanted to be distracted from the creeping edginess the neighborhood brought on.

     “No...” Miho was quiet again for a while before she hurried to fall into pace with him. “Are neighborhoods usually as quiet as this one?” Now it was her turn. “It feels like a set for the apocalypse or a horror movie.”

     “Hi.” In comparison to Michi’s reaction, Miho simply held a hand up in greeting as she walked towards them. Crossing her arms and shifting her weight to one side, Miho nodded. “That would be a huge improvement.” She glanced at the cluster of houses; with the darkening skies, it looked almost ominous. Miho bit her lip then looked at Yoichi. “How was your night...thing?” It wasn’t that she was worried about him but rather she was concerned her fiddling had caused him trouble. All in all, it wasn’t his well-being but rather the fact that she may be at fault. Really.

As Yoichi finished up his paperwork, he received a message from Michi’s parents.  Perfect timing.  He slammed the papers into the In bin on the secretaries desk before booking it out of the station to avoid another unpleasant conversation with her.  Walking outside, he realized just how late it was getting.  The sun was beginning to set, washing the scenery orange and red.

    “Michi!” Miho called out. Michi’s shoes hit the sand hastily, sending up a cloud of dirt and dust as she made an abrupt break. Swiping down on her inventory again as the child waved goodbye to her friend, a bunny-themed jacket materialized in Miho’s arms. “Here, wear this. It’s getting a bit chilly.” Handing the jacket to the little one, Miho slowed down to allow Michi time to pull the jacket on. Taking the child’s hand, she faced forward and her lips set in their usual frown. The neighborhood had been creepy and the NPC interactions had been off. It was either some weird bug or they were reacting to something. Miho just hoped that the reaction would be over when they got there.

It’s rather limited in his eyes to consider energy a burden rather than potential. He’s young, malleable, and unfettered, which freed him from other responsibilities. With the right hands, the boy could push him to even greater heights. It wasn’t as if Volkner didn’t have the time for that to occur- there hadn’t been a challenger that could tested him in a while. In fact, a pet project was interesting, but there was the human consideration to take in. Children were notorious for breaking and having someone else. It’s too early to get attached, to care, and to want for companionship.

Volkner willed himself to adapt to the situation as it presented itself. There wasn’t a point if they’d leave eventually. “I can accept that.” The human capacity to survive trauma was a remarkable evolutionary trait. He’s shocked that the kid wasn’t reacting, but would that come at a later time? Volkner didn’t understand how that emotion worked. It would be best not to interact with the child till he knew more about him. They had a nasty habit of taking in all the information that presented itself- children lacked the capability to choose what they wanted to know.

What they needed to know.

It would be a habit that could kill. Turning his head, he stared at Miho with an unreadable expression on his face. He doesn’t notice the subtle twitches of her body. “My username is Volkner. My real name is Denzi. Pick whatever.” A name is something he rarely remembered, but he’d be sure to know hers. This was only fair, considering that he’d had to prompt the information out of her. Also, since he wasn’t even sure that she wanted to know his name. He figured that he’d force the information onto her because it would be useful in the long run. She’d have to refer to him somehow.

“Sure, let’s go. If nothing else, I have the time…” His Luxray must have found something by now. if not, oh well… that would be terrible.He shrugged, waiting for her to collect herself and the child before starting the long trek into town. 

     Slipping off her shoes, Miho lifted her weight up the half-step between the entrance and the tatami flooring. The child’s hand slipped from hers and he wandered two steps into their lodging. Raising her head, Miho squinted. Sunlight filtered in through the sliding glass doors, the sparse though vivid greenery outside doing little to shade the area surrounding the entrances. Bright light permeated throughout their room, and the aide realized, with some surprise, that it was still the afternoon. How cruel the timing was. The world wasn’t kind enough to provide a rainstorm or even clouds to cater to their emotions. 

     She crossed her arms and tilted her head to rest on the wall. The child had still yet to speak but he had broken the silence that had hung over them like a cloud. With his back to them, he raised his arm to wipe away tears Miho couldn’t see. She watched him for a moment, a frown setting on her features. Then her expression hardened. Miho glanced at the man for a lingering moment before she heaved herself off the wall and placed her hand gently on the kid’s back. “Come here.” Leading him over to a small side room, she slid open the papery door and carefully ushered him in. Turning around, Miho looked up, saying nothing to the stranger who had brought them there, the one who had chosen for her, who had forced her to be the one to act, and brought the door to a slight close, allowing a small gap for the light to enter through. 

“I’ve got a better idea.”  He pulled out a notepad and pen that were tucked into one of the pouches on his belt and scribbled a note on it.  “We can get out of this…hostile environment and just leave a note.  They have my number now so when they do wander back we can just pop over again.  Two birds with one stone.”  

    Following close behind him and Michi, she looked up at the empty house. Pristine as it looked, there was an eerie air about it. Looking away from the home, Miho gently took Michi’s hand in hers as the pathway opened up to the streets once more. “Yoichi,” She began, turning her head to look in his direction. “I can take Michi over to the nearest nursery to wait it out...Message me when they call?”

It had been years since he had been young enough to be in a nursery, but it still felt… nostalgic. Neutral walls with childish posters, plastic toys, the ruckus of little children left to their own devices… It made him feel like he could go back to with less worry and responsibilities. If nothing else it calmed him down enough to be coherent.

“I’m sorry about barging in like this. I don’t really like checking usernames. It feels… wrong. Like I’m looking at something personal without permission. Oh, I’m so sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Wally. It’s nice to meet you!”

     She frowned. “It’s public for a reason.” Miho brushed her hair behind her ear and looked up at him. Her gaze narrowed, cold and distant. “You do know we’re in a game, right? If they didn’t want others to see their Username then they wouldn’t have picked it.” For a moment, she contemplated simply brushing his introduction aside. But she stood. Returning the bow, Miho nodded. “Yeah...Tsundoki.” After her curt reply, she gestured over to the bean bags not too far from where she sat. They were cheerful pastel colors blending nicely with the foam mats they sat atop of. “You can go ahead and take a seat or join playtime.”

“This is like an episode of The Twilight Zone.  The Monsters are Due on Maple Street or something.”  He shook his head and ground his cigarette into the concrete to put it out before sticking the butt in one the free pouches attached to his belt.  “Let’s see if there’s a back door.  Maybe they have a key.  I’m honestly not against breaking into houses at this point.”

    Miho bit her lip again. Guiding Michi in front of her into a small half-hug, she inspected the house. Guilt started to gnaw at her and she puffed her cheeks in quiet competition to it. She didn’t need this now but she still felt responsible. Pursing her lips, she looked up at him. “You should go on ahead then, Yoichi.” Reaching behind her, she plucked a Pokeball from her bag. “I can do the rest from here. If anything goes down, I can use my Ralts and teleport us back. You have something you need to do soon, right?”

“Let’s try this again.”  This time he made sure Michi was in sight before ringing the doorbell.  The ding could be heard even from the front porch, but there wasn’t much movement inside.  He pressed the bell one more time and waited another minute before giving up.

“So much for a break.  Looks like I got put on emergency night watch.  Let’s just get Michi home.”  He jogged up the front steps and rang the doorbell, glancing at his watch so that he had a time stamp.  The sound of a bolt unlocking could be heard on the other side, and a male NPC cautiously opened the door, giving Yoichi a wary look.

  Sight flicking upwards, she frowned. Miho felt the tiniest bit of guilt at having stolen his precious few hours. Though, she countered her own guilt, it was his job. The aide sighed. It was his job but he hadn’t signed up for all this. Great. She was feeling sorry for the stranger. Holding her tongue, she merely watched him as he walked up to an NPC’s house. Her brows furrowed with the man’s reaction. NPCs were unusual but an Officer shouldn’t elicit such a reaction...right?

  Walking forward, Miho knocked on the door, the sounds strangely loud in the hushed environment. Door opening with a prolonged creak, the man glanced at Miho’s plastered grin and Michi’s wide-eyed face. “Hello, sir, she’s lost. We’d like your help.” The conversation was short with strained politeness. Turning around, Miho immediately dropped her smile in favor for a scowl. She waited until the man had closed his door to talk. “House 2041, I think. Turns out they’re looking for a kid, might be Michi.” Miho tilted her head upwards to look at the sky before sighing once more. She frowned. “We should get her home soon. This place doesn’t sit right with me.”

Michi seemed to be rather distracted by something in this distance and kept twisting around to look behind her.  Yoichi twisted her around and placed her on the ground again.  She immediately latched onto Tsundoki’s arm.  The blonde put his hand over his mouth to wipe a smile off his face.  “Guess I’m still no match for a Nursery Aide when it comes to kids.”

    A small smile played across her features with the child’s seeking hands. Looking down at Michi, Miho felt a tiny bit of jealousy, one she hadn’t noticed prior, fall to the hands of pride. It was silly but she was just a bit happy over ‘winning’ against the officer. Glimpsing up at Yoichi, she hastily tried to rearrange her expression into its neutral almost scowling state.