Spring Upon the Solstice

XVIII - A Bullet of Hope

{ 001 }

Tetsuya Hirosano cackles to himself inside the darkness, as I explain the lengthy and incredible effort it took to convince his sister to join.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing at all."

"Your older sister is really a pain in my ass, you know that?"

"Well, that's good."

"Not for me."

"Oh, no, of course not!" he exclaims. "But for my conscience, that sets me at ease. If she were to put up any less resistance, I'd genuinely be scared."

"I'm glad one of us is happy," I mutter.

"I am too," he grins, pleased with himself. "So, what's new with you?"

"They moved your buddy Jhiro to a different cell before we could catch him."

"I asked about you, not your rebellion."

Tetsuya paces across the cell, slipping between the darkness and the light. He rakes his fingers through his hair every so often, sweeping it upwards at an angle to replicate its signature spiky look, but the damp air of the room presses it to his forehead. If it frustrates him, he gives no indication.

"We're fine," I eye him cautiously. "I'm fine."

"You don't sound fine."

"Well, the Princes are beginning to clamp down on us. They know somebody's planning something."

"And so the danger begins," he grins. "The last time we met, I recall you were on a timer."

"We've set the date for the solstice. One of us will come to let you out of this cell, and we'll all pile onboard my Akuma for the grand escape."

"So, would you finally like to tell me what an Akuma is? Because I've been sitting here for about a week with no answers, doing pushups to keep from going insane."

I decide to be straightforward and honest, since it seems like he'll let the clock run uninterrupted this time around.

"You ever seen Neon Genesis Evangelion?"

"No, but I know of it. It's one of those franchises that Jhiro treats like the Grail. Between that, Gundam, and Pacific Rim, I think that rounds out his Holy Trinity."

"How much of that's censored today?"

"Eh, Pacific Rim is an American thing, so I'd guess that's wiped out, but the other two are Japanese property, so..."

"...figures."

"Have you figured out where Kyoji and Okanabe are, then?"

"No, but Kaede claims to know where Kyoji is."

"It's not a claim. It's probably true."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Because if my sister wants something, she'll figure out how to get it done. No hesitation."

"Do you ever question how she gets it done?"

"Occasionally," Tetsuya shrugs without missing a beat. "I'm of the mindset that Kaede can be trusted, but whenever I do detect a lie, I investigate. Turns out, her methods revolve around brute forcing her way into a position of coercion. Surprise there, am I right?"