The trio – Hikaru, Hikari, and Mei – continued their way through the forest, heading toward the safehouse. As they walked, Hikaru had been telling Hikari about the others in the Order. But just as he was about to introduce Sora…
CRASH!
A sudden impact knocked him to the ground.
Sora had fallen from the sky, colliding straight into Hikaru. Now, both of them were sprawled across the forest floor – Sora on top of Hikaru. And somehow… the bag full of snacks Hikaru had been carrying remained perfectly intact.
Sora slowly pushed himself up, his eyes still closed.
"S-Sorry…" he mumbled. But as he opened his eyes and realized who he'd crashed into, he gasped. "Hikaru!"
"H-Hey, Sora…" Hikaru groaned, wincing on the ground.
Sora quickly stood up and extended a hand. "Sorry about that, Hikaru!"
"It's okay," Hikaru said, accepting the hand and pulling himself up. He rubbed the back of his head and looked at Sora. "Trying to fly again?"
"Yeah," Sora replied with a nod. "Still can't quite get the hang of it."
"I see," Hikaru said, still holding the five bags of snacks.
As the two talked, Hikari leaned over and whispered into Mei's ear, "Hey. Who's that?"
Mei turned to her with a small smile.
"That's Sora – the Element of Air," she whispered back.
Hikari's eyes widened. "Really?"
"Yeah," Mei nodded again.
Then–
Hikaru turned toward the girls, more specifically toward his sister.
"Hikari, my dear baby sister–"
"Don't call me that!" Hikari interrupted immediately, frowning.
Hikaru smirked. "Meet Sora – the Element of Air!"
"Huh?" Sora turned around, blinking.
"Hi, Sora!" Hikari said with a bright smile. "My name's Hikari. I'm that idiot's twin sister… and also Teshii's girlfriend."
She held out a hand for a handshake.
Sora froze. His eyes widened, and his entire posture shifted – anxiety rising like a tidal wave. Without a word, he darted behind Hikaru, hiding himself completely from Hikari and Mei.
Hikari blinked in confusion.
"Huh? Did… I do something wrong?"
Hikaru let out a sigh.
"You see, Hikari…" he said. Then he began to explain everything: Sora's gynophobia, and the horrible trauma he endured at the hands of his stepsister and her friends two years ago.
Then–
FWAP!
Birds burst through the branches overhead, wings tearing through the canopy as they scattered into the sky.
Hikari just stood there, her eyes wide, stunned by everything she'd just heard.
"T-That is so messed up…" she said quietly.
"Yeah," Hikaru nodded, glancing over his shoulder at Sora, still hiding. "We're doing everything we can to help him overcome it."
"I see…" Hikari muttered, now staring softly at Sora, who refused to even glance at her or Mei.
Then–
"Anyway, since Sora's already here," Hikaru said, starting to walk again, "we might as well head back to the safehouse."
"Yeah," Mei nodded.
"That's right," Hikari added. "By the way, are the mochis and other snacks okay, Hikaru?"
Hikaru snapped his head toward his sister, deeply offended.
"Wait! So you're more concerned about the snacks than your own twin brother?"
"Pffttt. Of course I'm more concerned about the snacks," Hikari said with zero remorse. "Teshii's favourite mochis are in there."
Hikaru glared daggers at her.
His brat!
I'm definitely warning Teshii about her cheekiness when we get to the safehouse.
As Hikaru, Hikari, Mei, and Sora walked together through the forest path, they finally reached their destination – the safehouse. Sora trailed behind the group, keeping a noticeable distance from Hikari and Mei, as usual.
Hikari squinted her eyes as the building came into view.
"Is that the safehouse?" she asked, sceptical.
"Yeah," Hikaru nodded.
"It… looks old. "Hikari said bluntly, clearly unimpressed with the safehouse's exterior. The building appeared abandoned at first glance – worn wood, rusted panels, and overgrown vines climbing the sides.
Mei gently placed a hand on her best friend's shoulder. "Don't judge a book by its cover, Hikari."
Hikari tilted her head toward Mei, confused. "What do you mean, Mei?"
"You'll see," Mei said with a knowing smile.
Hikaru chuckled as he turned his attention back toward the safehouse – and spotted five familiar figures standing near the entrance.
It was the other Elements: Haruto, Moriya, Ikazuchi, Reito, and Daichi.
"Guys!" Hikaru called out.
He normally would've waved, but his arms were full – still carrying five bags loaded with snacks.
Haruto turned and saw them approaching.
"Oh, hey guys!" he waved, then squinted at the smaller figure behind them. "And there he is!"
The rest of the group turned to see them and walked over to greet them.
"How you doin', Hikaru?" Daichi asked.
"I'm doing okay," Hikaru replied with a warm smile.
"What are those?" Moriya asked, eyes landing on the bags Hikaru was holding.
"They're snacks," Mei answered, handing Moriya a box of Pocky sticks from one of the bags.
Instead of opening it, Moriya examined the box with wide-eyed curiosity, rotating it in his hands like he'd just discovered an ancient relic.
Ikazuchi turned his head toward Sora.
"So…" he said, "did it work?"
Sora looked down at the ground, visibly disappointed. "N-No… it didn't work."
Hikaru raised an eyebrow. "What didn't work?"
Reito stepped in to explain. "We're trying to help Sora learn to fly. Everyone's pitching in with different ideas."
"And we tried mine first," Haruto added, proudly.
Hikaru gave him a sceptical look. "So… what was your idea exactly?"
"Okay, okay." Haruto gestured with his hands. "So I used water to create a vertical geyser right under Sora's feet. He just had to ride the lift and catch the wind currents with his power. Glide, soar – boom, flight. Simple, right?"
Hikaru, Mei, and Hikari all blinked at him.
"So… your idea of helping Sora fly… was to launch him like a rocket," Hikaru said flatly.
"Yes! Yes!" Haruto nodded excitedly. "I controlled the water flow to give him a steady boost. All he had to do was take over mid-air with his wind powers!"
"I mean… it does make sense," Mei said, tilting her head. "So… did it work?"
"Well, you see…" Haruto scratched the back of his head.
"It was so sudden," Sora finished, "I kinda freaked out… forgot to control the wind… and fell."
"And I saved him!" Haruto said proudly.
"I-Is that so?" Hikaru said, half-convinced.
"I mean, we could always try again," Haruto offered.
"I'm okay," Sora instantly replied.
Everyone laughed at the quick rejection.
Even Ikazuchi, arms crossed, cracked a grin and chuckled.
Then he turned his head toward Hikari, who was laughing along with them.
"Hey… who's that?" he asked, curiously.
"Huh?" Hikaru said as he turned to Ikazuchi, who was staring at his twin sister. "Oh! That's right."
He handed two of the snack bags to Moriya and Reito, then walked over to Hikari, casually draping an arm over her shoulder – only for her to push it away, unimpressed.
"Guys, this is my twin sister, Hikari," Hikaru introduced.
"Ohhh! So that's the famous twin sister Hikaru always talk about," Haruto said with a grin. "Also the one Teshii never stops flirting with."
Hikari bowed respectfully to the other Elements. "It's nice to meet you guys!"
Daichi gave a simple nod. "Likewise."
Then–
"Okay, let's get back to the conversation," Ikazuchi cut in, arms crossed. "I just wanted to know who that girl was."
Hikari stood straight and leaned close to Hikaru's ear.
"I can definitely see the hot-headedness in that guy," she whispered.
Ikazuchi's ear twitched.
"What did you say, girl?"
"Nothing!" Hikari said quickly, her voice suddenly high-pitched and innocent.
"Anyway…" Haruto chimed in, eager to move along. "After my plan, we tried Daichi's idea."
Everyone turned to look at Daichi, who stood with his hands tucked into his pockets. He let out a sigh.
"I thought everyone else's idea was too complicated," he said. "So I went with something simple."
Hikaru raised an eyebrow, unconvinced. "Which is…?"
"Throwing him into the sky."
Whoosh…
As soft wind swept through the air as Hikaru, Mei, and Hikari just stared at Daichi, trying to process what he'd said.
"D-Daichi," Hikaru said, eyes narrowing. "Please explain."
"Sure!" Daichi cleared his throat. "It involves me chucking Sora into the air and hoping he uses the Element of Air to control the wind and fly."
"…And what happened?" Hikaru asked, bracing for impact.
"I crashed into you, Hikaru," Sora finished, deadpan.
"Oh," Hikaru muttered. "That explains everything. But Daichi… please explain the logic of your plan."
"Well," Daichi began, "once Sora was airborne, he could use his wind power to stabilize, slow his ascent, or start gliding. I figured the momentum and sensation of wind rushing past him would trigger his instincts."
"I was able to feel the wind," Sora admitted, "but it just felt too strong. I lost control and ended up crashing into Hikaru instead."
Silence…
Then – Hikaru thought of something.
"Wait a minute!" Hikaru snapped, turning to Sora. "Didn't you fly during the fight with Chameleon?"
Hikari tilted her head. "Chameleon?"
The others turned to Sora, curious.
"Yeah, I did," Sora nodded. "But… if I'm being honest, I didn't really know how."
"What do you mean?" Haruto asked, confused.
"It just kind of happened. Everything was so fast and intense… I didn't even realize I was flying until it was over."
"And during the battle royale," Ikazuchi added, "you were hovering in mid-air. What about that?"
"That was different," Sora replied. "I was floating, yeah, but the second I tried to move mid-air, the wind felt stronger than I could handle. It outpowered me and threw off my balance."
"Tch," Ikazuchi clicked his tongue. "If that's the case… how else are we supposed to teach you to fly?"
Silence.
Then–
"I've got a genius idea!"
A familiar voice echoed from the direction of the safehouse.
Everyone turned toward the front door.
And there he was.
Teshii stood casually in his fleece jacket, crimson sunglasses gleaming in the daylight, a confident smile on his face.
Hikari's eyes lit up and she blushed instantly.
"Teshii!" she called out, her voice filled with excitement and affection.
Teshii raised one finger dramatically. "I've got an idea that'll definitely help Sora fly."
TO BE CONTINUED!!!