Chapter 5: Chapter 5: Encounter

The full moon shed its light over Hiro and the mysterious girl. As she drew closer to him, he noticed her skin to be eerily pale—a sharp contrast to her pink hair and light blue eyes. Despite the temperature drastically falling at night, she only wore a white crop top and black jeans. Golden bracelets decorated each of her wrists.

A red blade manifested in her right hand. With the other, she summoned a similarly colored blob. With trembling legs, Hiro clambered to his feet and made a run for it. Before he could exit the alleyway, she threw the blob ahead of him. It expanded into a giant web that blocked his path. He touched it with his finger; it was sticky and had a peculiar smell, like that of metal.

“Don’t shout, or I’ll kill you,” the girl said with a monotone voice.

Hiro looked at the street; there was no one nearby. Seeing no other option, he raised his hands. “I won’t. I promise.”

She walked up to him and pointed her blade at his neck.

Hiro’s mind was racing, looking for any way out. “Please, I’ll do anything. Just let me go.”

“No.” Her face was expressionless. “Come with me.”

“Wh-Where will you take me?”

“Don’t ask.” She turned around and walked deeper inside the alleyway.

After some hesitation, Hiro followed her. He glanced at the corpse she had tossed inside the dumpster. Just like the severed hand, it too appeared withered and devoid of color. He wondered if the same fate awaited him if he kept on going or risked it by fighting. So, he did the only thing he could at that moment: stall.

“What exactly are we gonna do?”

“I said don’t ask.”

“Well, what if I try to leave then?”

“Then I kill you.”

He was starting to panic.

“I-Is there anything else I can give instead? I can give you money.”

“No.”

“Are you sure? I have way more back h—”

She pointed her blade at his face. “Shut up.”

He took a step back. “One. One more. I only have one more question.”

She nodded.

“If I keep following you, will you kill me anyway?”

“Maybe.”

It felt like a timer was rapidly counting down. A choice needed to be made, and he had to make it fast. Even serving Bandito seemed a lot better than dying by the hands of a monster.

He chose to fight.

Immediately, he grabbed her hand tightly, causing her to drop her weapon. Another blade manifested in her other hand, which she swung at him. His eyes glowed before ducking down, avoiding her attack. Gripping her arm with both hands, he threw her against the wall and bolted further down the alley.

He didn’t know where he was going; he just ran as fast as he could. Swallowing his pride, he decided that Bandito was the only one who could help him. He cupped his hands over his mouth.

“Hel—”

A red spear flew just above his head. The girl was catching up faster than he expected.

He hopped over a fence and, finally, saw the end of the alleyway. As he approached it, a foul smell penetrated his nose. Further down, he noticed a dumpster overflowing with black plastic bags. A thud led him to turn around. She had already jumped over the fence.

Holding his breath, he tossed one of the bags her way. It was surprisingly light despite how full it was. With a single slash of her blade, she tore the bag in half. Severed limbs and internal organs were spewed out, scattering along the ground. The stench of rotten flesh permeated the air. He had been too preoccupied to focus on the smell, but one good whiff led him to hunch forward and gag. The girl lunged at him, but he still managed to evade her attack.

“You’re fast. How annoying.” She aimed her palm at him.

A crimson whip shot out of her wrist, just barely missing Hiro. In quick judgment, he reached for a nearby lump of flesh and threw it at her face. As she recoiled backward, he sprinted toward the street.

“Eugh…” He wiped his hand on his cloak. “Disgusting. But at least she’s— Gah!”

The girl had shot out another whip. Hiro jumped over it, but it followed him midair and wrapped around his leg. He was lifted off the ground, dangling upside down. She brought him closer to her.

“Wait, wait! Can we talk this out?” he begged. “What do you want from me?”

She placed her hand on her chin and held that position for a few minutes. Hiro’s face grew flushed from all the blood rushing to his head.

“I’m looking for someone,” she finally said.

“What do they look like?”

“Short.”

Hiro’s vision was fading in and out. He waited for more information, but she just stared at him blankly.

“...Is that it?”

She nodded.

“How am I supposed to know who you’re looking for? Do you know how many short people—” His eyebrows shot up. “Does she have red hair?”

Her eyes widened—the first show of emotion he saw from her. “Yes.”

“Is her name Maki?”

She swiftly placed her blade right over his neck. “Why do you know her name?”

“Whoa whoa! Chill! She told me her name herself!”

“Why were you with her?”

“If you put me down, I’ll tell you more.”

After pausing again for another whole minute, she dropped him face-first onto the ground. Hiro coughed out violently, gasping for air. Suddenly, the whip wrapped itself around his hands, tying them together.

He tried to pull his hands back, but the whip wouldn’t budge. “I guess you don’t trust me?”

She nodded. “You will help me.” Dragging Hiro with her, she walked back down the alleyway.

“Where are we going?”

“Hiding from the streets.”

“Who are you? And who is Maki?”

“Secret.”

“Okay… What’s your name?”

“Secret.”

“Why did you come here?”

“Secret.”

“Are you gonna tell me anything?”

“Secr— You tell me things. I don’t tell you things.”

“Or what? You’ll kill me?”

“Yes.”

“You’ll lose the only person who knows about Maki.”

“...”

They arrived back at the fence. The girl effortlessly jumped over it, paying no attention to the fact that she was dragging Hiro with her. His face smacked against the top of the fence, scraping his chin against the wood. When she noticed that he didn’t jump with her, she pulled the whip, hurling him into the air. He landed on his back.

“Ow… You could’ve given me a warning,” he said.

“Okay, this place looks good.” She leaned closer to him. “Where’s Maki?”

“Gee, how thoughtful of you.” He rubbed his chin. “Well, how about this? We can make a deal. I’m gonna ask you more questions. And when I’m done, it’s your turn. Sounds good?”

She shook her head. “You don’t ask questions. I do. Where’s Maki?”

“And if I don’t tell you?”

“I’ll kill you.”

“Then you’re back to square one.”

“...”

“So? Do we have a deal?”

She nodded.

He looked behind him. “Those bags earlier… Were you the one who killed all those people?”

Another nod.

“And they’re all from Bandito?”

“Who?”

“Bandito. The bodies I saw all wore the same uniform.”

“Ah, you mean the gang ruling the village.”

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“So you do know about them. Why are you killing them?”

“Secret. Are you done with your questions yet?”

He could tell she was getting impatient. Staring at the ground, he thought hard about his next question. He would have to make this count. Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind.

“Just… Just one more. You’re strong. Really strong. And I need your strength. If I help you find Maki, will—”

He felt the whip’s grip tighten.

“That wasn’t the deal.”

“Okay, okay!” Hiro winced back in pain. “I’ll help!”

She loosened its hold on him. “Where’s Maki?”

“I, uh… I don’t know.”

“You said she was with you.”

“Was. She ran off somewhere, and I have no idea where she is right now.”

“So you’re just wasting my time?” Her face remained expressionless, but he could tell from the subtle change in tone that she was irritated.

“That’s not true! I can still help! Two people are better than one, right? And she knows who I am, so we can even split up!”

“We won’t split up.”

“Okay, that’s fair. Um… I do know my way around Ushiro. Finding her should be a cinch.”

That was a lie. He barely went outside of the farm, let alone the village.

“Understood,” she said. “Where do we go first?”

“Um, uh…” While he was contemplating their next destination, he could hear faint sounds of cheers and laughter. “Wait, that’s it! Come with me!”

They returned to the entrance of the alleyway. The sticky web that had previously blocked the exit was now reduced to a pool of red liquid. Hiro covered his nose with his hands as they passed by the dumpster. He tried walking over to the street, but was pulled back by the girl tugging on the whip.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

Hiro poked his head out and pointed at the bar down the street. “Over there. Looks lively. Maybe we can ask some people if they’ve seen Maki.”

She took a step back. “Is this a trap?”

Hiro lifted up his tied hands. “Does it look like I can do anything? Besides, I literally just met you. There’s no way I could’ve prepared something beforehand.”

“I don’t care. I can’t show my face.”

“And I don’t suppose you could let me go by myself?”

“No.”

He let out an exasperated sigh. “You’re so difficult. Fine, you can wear my cloak. Is that good enough?”

She stared at him for a few seconds. “Understood.”

With her other hand, she summoned another whip that pulled his cloak off. She placed it over her head.

“It’s sweaty.”

“Well, I’m sorry. I didn’t expect someone to wear my clothes. You ready to go, or not?”

She gave a single nod and followed his lead. The long line of people that gathered earlier was now gone, and there were no guards at the entrance. Boisterous cheering and the occasional crashing of plates can be heard. Hiro opened the doors. The whole bar was crowded. People were gathered around in a large circle, yelling out bets and chugging down their drinks.

A loud slam coming from the center of the crowd caught everyone’s attention. A tall, bald man with a goatee stood up from his seat.

“This is stupid! She’s cheating!”

“We’ve checked her several times. She’s not carrying anything,” the bartender said from his station.

As opposed to the lively crowd, the bartender was calmly wiping his shaker with a white cloth. He wore a beige vest and a bow tie, and had a well-trimmed mustache. Were it not for his gray hair, many would’ve mistaken him for a young man. Behind him was a shelf that contained an assortment of liquor bottles and other ingredients neatly arranged in rows.

The bald man banged on the table. “There’s no way I would lose to a little girl! We’re going again!”

“Hey, who are you callin’ little? You’ll pay for that!” 

Hiro immediately recognized that voice. “M—”

“It’s her,” the girl whispered as she ran forward, pulling Hiro with her. After jostling through the crowd, she pushed her way to the center of the circle.

There, Maki was slouching against a table. With one hand, she held a massive mug of beer, and with the other, she was arm-wrestling with the bald man. Beads of sweat trickled down the bald man’s face; his whole arm trembled. Meanwhile, Maki didn’t seem tired at all. She opened her mouth wide, pretending to yawn. Within seconds, she slammed his hand against the wooden table. The whole bar erupted into cheers.

Maki jumped on top of the table and raised her fist in the air. “Another pussy down! Buncha weaklin’s! Don’t ever call me little again!”

“And another victim falls before our undefeated champion of the night!” the bartender announced. “To those who placed their bets on ‘less than ten seconds’, claim your winnings right here! Or, you can go double or nothing for the next one! If you do, I’ll give you a shot of our finest blend, on the house!”

A horde of people lined up in front of the bartender. Meanwhile, the pink-haired girl stormed over to Maki. Suddenly, two guards stepped in front of her, blocking her way. They both wore tank tops and loose cargo pants; their heads were completely shaven.

“Whoa there! Where do you think you’re going?” one of them asked.

“You wanna challenge the champ, you gotta get in line!” the other said. “Hm, then again, you got a pretty face. Maybe we can talk it over a few drinks, huh?”

“No,” she said.

“Hey, hey!” Maki pushed between the two men and held the girl’s hands. “I’ve been lookin’ for you for ages! Where did you go?”

“You were the one who disappeared,” the girl said. “And you dropped your phone.”

“Oh, I did? I was lookin’ all over for it!”

“And where’s my cloak?”

“Oh… Yeah, I lost that ages ago.”

“Why did you even leave? I told you to wait.”

“You were in the bathroom for ages! And it was startin’ to stink up, so—”

The girl clasped her hand over Maki’s mouth and glared daggers at her. If looks could kill, any normal person would’ve been dead—but not Maki. She pulled the girl's hand away from her mouth and stuck her tongue out. It was then that she noticed Hiro standing nearby.

“Oh, hey! It’s you! You’re uh… the hobo!”

He sighed. “Hiro. It’s nice to see you too, Maki.”

She turned to the guards. “Mind giving me my bag back? I’m headin’ out.”

They looked at each other, then back at her. “No can do. We paid a lot to keep Bandito off this area. Plus, you agreed to be here all night.”

“Okay, yeah, but I changed my mind!”

“You can’t just do that!”

“Why not? Actually, asking you bozos is a waste of time.” Cupping her hands over her mouth, she called over to the bartender. “Hey! Big man! I’m cashin’ out! Where’s my stuff?”

“Huh?!” After calming the crowd down and calling a ten-minute break, he rushed over to Maki. “What do you mean ‘cashing out’?”

“It means I’m done. Finito. Leaving.” She pointed at Hiro and the girl. “As you can see, my entourage has come to pick me up!”

“We can’t have that! You see all these people? You don’t wanna lose all that money, right?”

“Eh, money’s for sissies. I just wanted to see the look on these guys’ faces when they get absolutely destroyed by a girl. Heh.”

“We already made a deal! We’ll hand over your stuff once you’re done.”

“Oh, playin’ that way, are we?” Maki took the chair behind her and hopped on top. She yelled at the top of her lungs. “Attention, everybody!”

All eyes were on her.

“You see that guy?” She pointed at the bald man she had just defeated sitting at the corner of the room. “Look at his ass!”

From behind him, a machine resembling a hornet flew into the air. The bald man stood up and tried to swat it away, but quickly plummeted to his knees. Foam frothed in his mouth before he vomited on the floor. He mumbled out words, but no one could understand his slurred speech. With eyes rolled back, he fell unconscious, his face landing on his own pool of filth.

The hornet landed on Maki’s finger. “These lil’ things have been druggin’ my competitors!”

“What are you doing?!” The bartender’s voice cracked.

“I’m baffled. Disgraced, even. I thought I was winnin’ fair and square, but nooo! I just found out that these guys were cheatin’ to get your money!” She gestured toward the bartender and the guards.

“What’s she saying, old man?” someone from the crowd asked.

“You think you could play us for fools, huh?!” yelled another.

The bartender was sweating. “Now, now. Calm down. This is all a misunder—”

“Give me my money back, you scam!”

The crowd stampeded toward them. Hiro, Maki, and the girl managed to escape in time, but the bartender and his crew were not as fortunate. They were driven back against the wall. In desperation, they decided to fight back, but they were easily overwhelmed. The furious mob dragged them down to the floor and pummeled them repeatedly.

Hiro turned his face away. “You found your friend. Can we leave? Like, now?”

“Hold on.” Maki let the hornet fly out of her hand. “Alright, my baby! Lead me to my stuff!”

It flew underneath the bartender’s counter. Maki hopped over it and retrieved  her cloak and a large red bag that appeared to be made of metal. Despite the bag being about half her size, she was able to lift it up with a single hand. Taking one last look at the chaos that she’d just caused, she stuck her tongue out.

“Alright, let’s get outta here!” She sprinted out of the door, with Hiro and the girl following closely from behind.

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