Chapter 12: Arc I – Chapter XI – Another Angel

 

Earlier that day, kicking the clinic’s doors open, harder than he really should have, Oye carried Nichol’s fuming body inside. Sitting behind the front desk, the school doctor’s cold eyes peered out from behind her desk as she glanced up. Her luxurious blonde hair accentuated her narrowed blue eyes. 

 

“Adachihara-sensei!” Oye carried Nichols across the floor. “It’s urgent.”

 

Rising to her feet, Adachihara-sensei nodded and gestured for Oye to follow with no apparent surprise. “Was it Beppu-kun again?” She rhetorically asked in a semi-flat tone.

 

“Nah…” Oye laughed, unwilling to comment.

 

Instead of pressing for more information, Adachihara-sensei gestured to the bed and pulled a blood pressure checking machine in tow. “Help me with undressing him.”

 

Nodding, Oye bent down and unbuttoned Nichol’s jacket, noting that it was in a sorry state. What he went through had eaten his uniform away in places. He quickly propped Nichols up into a sitting position as Adachihara-sensei pulled the jacket off and set down to the side, her nose wrinkling as the foul odor in the room strengthened.

 

“Thank you, Oye-kun. Set him down in bed and leave.” Adachihara-sensei said firmly.

 

“Sensei… if you don’t mind, I’d like to stay. Nichols is a friend. If I leave him alone, Hoshino’ll get pissed off at me.” Oye explained. 

 

“You’ll just get in the way,” Adachihara-sensei said, running fingers through her hair as her other arm wrapped around her torso beneath her large breasts. As always, she wore the same thing, a blouse showing a bit of nape and her graceful neck. “If you care about Nichols-kun, leave.”

 

With a wince, Oye nodded, his lips tightening. “You’re right. I’ll be in the lobby.” Offering a suggestion of a bow, an old habit of his since leaving Japan three years ago with his family for greener pastures here in Stellaris.

 

Smiling faintly, Adachihara-sensei turned to Nichols, studying the numbers reflected on the blood pressure machine. Oye turned and left the room, watching anxiously from the door for a moment with Sensei apparently doing nothing. His eyes went hazy as Oye turned and paced into the lobby near the untended desk.

 

Nodding, Oye paced away and towards one window. He rubbed his chin, his head buzzing with thoughts about the monster and that strange girl. In the background, he was worried about Nichols, the girl, and Hoshino. When Oye had rushed to the clinic, Beppu stayed behind to look after that girl with Hoshino.

 

Where were they now? Peering out the window, Oye sourly stared at nothing, experiencing an urge to run back and do something worthwhile. As he gazed, something caught his eye. A person was racing across the field, running.

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Strangely, Oye thought he saw a shadow chasing them, far larger than a human should cast this time of the day. Oye strained to see the person, but frowned and fumbled for his smartphone to zoom in.

 

Pulling his phone from his pocket, Oye captured the moment the person that was charging across the field suddenly detonated into pure light. The backwash of all the light seared Oye’s eyes. He covered his watering eyes, rubbing furiously at them as he stared, unseeing. After a few moments of waiting, his vision slowly returned, and he watched as a circular orb of light flew upwards, almost beyond where Oye could spot it as the upper window frame obscured his sight. It was a bit of a mixed blessing that he couldn’t look right at it, considering how bright the star-like thing was.

 

Searching below, Oye noticed that the turf was mysteriously torn in a long line across it. It was like a long trench opened up in it and the far goal was now wrecked. The netting and poles hung off something large that he couldn’t see. Was it that same invisible monster from before or another?

 

Pressing his cheek against the pane, Oye watched the star enlarge and the fuzzy mass of light he’d seen turned into a strange incandescent, delicate structure, looking like it was crafted out of fine crystal. It shone above the city, illuminating all of Astoria. Trees in the distance waved as the wind picked up and the grass thrashed wildly.

 

Almost as soon as it appeared, a rippling of force shattered the star, sending rays of light everywhere. Another flash of light nearly caught Oye by surprise, but he kept his phone on the object and closed his eyes as light flooded his eyelids. Rubbing his eyes, Oye blinked rapidly to see what happened next, but by the time he could see again, there was nothing to see anymore. The goal’s wreckage lay on the field and the star had vanished.

 

“What the fuck is going on here?” Oye muttered as he leaned against the near wall and studied his phone. His fingers slid on the screen and tapped as he pulled up the video he recorded and watched in the footage as the star shattered. He covered the screen just before light filled the screen. But faster than the human eye could, his camera refocused and captured a figure hovering in the air with wings outstretched.

 

Oye’s lips pursed as he zoomed in on the video footage and saw that this winged girl was wearing white and pink clothes. She seemed to lose consciousness and fell forward, her wings fluttering in the air as she fell. All that Oye could see was the empty sky where she was. Silver-blue hair streaked in the air behind her as she passed out of sight.

 

Turning off his phone’s screen, Oye scanned the field again and sighed. Seeing no sign of the girl now, he walked to the door to where Nichols lay. Uncertain, he hesitated, catching himself at the point of throwing the door open, but shook his head, getting himself in control.

 

Moments later, the door opened with a loud click and Adachihara-sensei stared at Oye, seemingly unsurprised to find him waiting in the doorframe. “Your friend is fine,” she said. “Move.”

 

Oye looked at Adachihara with a raised eyebrow and stepped aside. She walked through, ignoring Oye as she took a seat at her desk with a thoughtful expression.

 

“I hope you’re not lying, Sensei.” Oye frowned. Adachihara-sensei didn’t respond, crossing her legs. Her mind was apparently miles away from her body. Shrugging and sighing, Oye turned and rushed into Nichol’s room, seeing that while Nichols’ uniform was still in a terrible state, his previously slimy skin was now pale, but healthy. Although the room still stunk, fit to match the odor of a ripe landfill, his blonde friend was now breathing evenly and normally. 

 

Pacing over to the bedside, Oye took a seat beside Nichols and out of curiosity, afraid of what he would see, his hand shook as he peeled one of Nichols’ eyelids open.