Chapter 45: Chilling Out for Tomorrow
A creamy, traditional house endured the comforting heat from the afternoon light especially with coal-black, rooftop. The house itself had a neon yellow lantern in, hanging above the wooden wall.
The house itself could enjoy a soothing calmness on the outside, but the inside was filled with a woman shouting. More specifically was inside the traditional wood where the people sat on the floor and enjoyed their food on the wooden table.
A dining room that had a shining painting of black robes ninja, meditated on top of the ocean as an eye-catching decoration on the very right side near the door. Furthermore, the table contained a hot, red instant noodle cup with cartoonish, closed eyes Sumo attempted to finish the whole giant white bowl with his endless pit mouth.
There was a black kanji with a white outline that spelled "Mega Spicy Ramen" and the noodles were already empty, only the hot, red soup left. The two people who finished the whole noodles were a young man with a single puddle ponytail, who wore a green T-shirt and short white pants.
While the other one was a woman with single white hair strings and wore a pink, long sleeve shirt and long, sport black pants. The woman gave a fiery pissed look towards the young man as their argument continued.
"Tatsuya how many times I told you, do not try to avenge your father's death." The Woman bickered in annoyance.
"I get it, I get it, mom!" Tatsura yelled in disagreement, "But, this is the time for me to pay my guilt for leaving him."
"I knew I should use my power to follow his footsteps." Tatsura added in a struggling voice, "And I disappointed him by focusing on my school, instead of becoming a Superhero like he wanted."
Tatsura's mom didn't buy the excuse of her son as she sighed in disappointment and annoyingly crossed her arm. Her eyes were aware Tatsura wasn't suitable to become a Superhero because she just saw him nodded down for hiding his true feelings.
Moreover, she shook her head and bit her lips in steaming anger towards her son. Tatsura locked anticipated eyesight as he remembered the day of his hard training as The Grass Ninja to enhance his confidence for countering her argument.
"Tatsura, why don't you listen to your heart?" Tatsura mom argued in an irritated look before she began to yell, "Why would you become a Superhero where your main goal is to make your father proud!?
"Okay, I'll tell you this." Tatsura mom added, "Yes, Hibiki at first disagreed with your decision. Eventually, he accepted it and wished you the best after I had several conversations with him."
"Besides, Hibiki didn't want you to avenge his death or even brought justice to his murderer."
"I am...aware you are going to say that, Mom." Tatsura disagreed in a forceful firm tone, "However, I will become a Superhero to capture his murderer and bring it to….justice by my own hand."
Tatsura's mom sighed in defeat as her son still hesitated to back down from his argument as the next Superhero. She struggled to accept Tatsura's statement by closing her eyes shortly before she gazed at the wall above.
"Tatsura, let me warn you about this." Tatsura's mom spoke in a deep tone, "If you keep living in grief, it will fail miserably. I am saying this not because I give up on you, I just don't have another way to counter since you don't want to listen in first place.
Tatsura closed his lips in nervousness and began to take a full sip of the spicy soup with ease. The afternoon eating time was going to be over anytime soon, but the disagreement would still continue as Tatsura Mom slowly showed a worriedness through her eyes.
The afternoon sky had gotten darker as a shrouded, purplish sky took over the central stage. It also blew a frigid air throughout the city below. Moreover, people on the streets wore hefty jackets even though it wasn't a winter season due to the cold outside.
However, Hatoshi and his family were safe from the cold air inside their own sturdy, yellow house and happily spent their spare time doing various activities. Hirata and her father, Sasaki were laid down on the bumpy sofa while their hands were busy pressing several buttons on the yellow game sticks. As they excitedly pressed the button, two characters inside the TV screen, especially on the volcanic surface-like background, moved continuously.
The characters were a bulky guy with shiny golden glass, spiky hair cut, and long, military black pants and a long, lion hair karate guy with red eyes and a dirty red character gi. The bulky guy was Sasaki's choice of picks, while Hirata picked the lion hair guy.
The lion guy swiftly launched a kick similar to a tornado for a few seconds, but sadly the bulky guy blocked it with his impenetrable, lined up hands. Therefore, the bulky guy relentlessly jabbed his opponents ribs until a grunting sound screamed out loudly.
A scarlet, large "KO" screen popped out immediately as the lion guy fell from his strong stances. Hirata dropped her jaw in disbelief and worse when she glared at her father who tauntingly chuckled.
"How come you defeated me like that!?" Hirata shouted in confusion, "This is bullshit!"
"Akoni whirlwind kick should be faster than Guy's blocks." Hirata added in infuriating tone, "And Guy isn't even in the meta."
"Silly Hirata." Sasaki mocked in an arrogant manner, "Of course I can beat any meta character because I have the skill of course."
Hirata frustratingly groaned in frustration and defeat towards her father who kept laughing. He was satisfied to get his own victory with Guy that miraculously defeated the menacing-looking, Akoni.
As Hirata began to shout out loudly her bickering after the unsatisfied defeat of the so-called "meta" character, Yuna watched it from afar with a smirk of gladness from the kitchen, across the living room. She and Aunt Chisato were busy boiling the fresh looking Miso soup inside a blue pan on top of the thin stove, almost look-alike with a touch pad stove in the Shabu-Shabu restaurant.
"Eh, Yuna, do you know what's really happened to Hatoshi after his recent recovery?" Chisato asked in a worried tone, "Because he often goes out almost every day with an excuse of either meeting with Nathan or hanging out with his friends.
"It's strange he keeps doing this continuously," Chisato added
"Miss Chisato, I think Hatoshi just has a stress problem." Yuna tried to comfort Chisato in a soothing voice, "Hence it is one of the reasons that he recently slept in the rented house with me."
An unsettled look popped out within Chisato's expression. She glared at Yuna once more to find any confirmation or answer regarding Hatoshi's who now often left The Akarui Household.
"What kind of stress problem he faced, school, homework, or the worst thing he got bullied?" Chisato asked again in a conservative demeanor.
"No, he didn't have that kind of problem at school." Yuna answered, "Instead, it's more about trying to manage his drawing time. I heard his senior chose to hire him to make an event poster."
Chisato was in fact shocked as she stopped steering the Miso soup. She glanced at Yuna who still kept her relaxing, cheerful looks. Hatoshi's Aunt tilted her head onto the soup in glassy worriedness inside her eyes.
However, a grateful, yet forceful comforting smile was formed in Chisato's expression. Furthermore, she continued to steer the Miso soup and sighed in relief especially towards Yuna who smiled at her.
"Well, I am grateful somebody already hired him." Chisato mumbled before she presumed in concern, "But, yet I am still concerned about it."
"It's okay, Miss Chisato." Yuna said in a condolence tone, "Hatoshi is a like son to you and I understand your concern."
"However, don't worry, I am also here to support and help him too whenever he had a problem." Yuna added in a calm, exciting tone, "He was the sole reason I am here right now after my parents died years ago."
A single line of tears dropped onto Chisato's eye sockets before she wiped away with an enduring smile. Afterward, she laughed in high pitch and gently patted Yuna's shoulder in overwhelming gratefulness through her glassy eyes.
"I knew that and thank you very much for always being there for Hatoshi." Chisato thanked, "Besides, what did you want from us for returning the favor?"
"I think living with Hatoshi and you all is already enough." Yuna firmly answered in gratefulness.
The poster artwork that Hatoshi's senior requested was finally finished inside, the silver monitor that had a metallic symbol of tomato in below and enlightened words that spelled, "Tomato." At last, the schoolboy leaned on the chair in relief as sweats on the foreheads dropped by and tired eyes appeared.
He glanced at the artwork that showed a picture of a bulky man with a blue athlete, tank top, red outside underpants, and long, white elastic sports pants that took the whole middle part of a horizontal background with a sunny yellow background as for the choice. The man's skin was covered by a shiny, creamy color, ocean blue eyes, jet black railroad hair, and clean white teeth similar to a toothbrush commercial.
The background itself displayed a black outline of various sports icons that managed to fill the entire background in a tidy manner as there were short gaps in between. The list of sports cars was, Basketball, Soccer, Karate, Kendo, Tennis, Baseball, Dodgeball, Table tennis, and last one were Esports that used a silver gaming sticks symbol similar to him.
While on the above edge right, the Masafumi High School logo was placed there in a tiny size. After Hatoshi spent most of the afternoon inside the room, he now could directly see his new artwork for a special client was finished.
"Well, I hope Tsuko can give a very honest opinion." Hatoshi mumbled in an intriguing tone, "So I can improve more."
He sighed in relief and glanced at his hand that was soon being consumed by a human size, flaming twister. Thus, Sparror's armory hand popped out within his optimistic eyes as it reminded him of the sparring match with Blue Winter.
"Speaking about improvement, I hope I can stand a chance against The Distrunian who I met before." Hatoshi said in relief, "Since, I can keep up with Blue Winter, one of my toughest opponents I ever had"
Another sighed blew away from Hatoshi's mouth as he heard a banging sound knocking on the door. The blazing twister retrieved within his armory hand, returning his fresh human hand once again.
Furthermore, the door was sluggishly opened and Yuna entered her room in a persuasive demeanor as she quickly headed towards Hatoshi. Therefore, her hugging clutched onto the school boy's neck as he felt a pushy bumping.
"So, you are already done with Tsuko's poster?" Yuna asked
"For now, yes," Hatoshi answered with his eyes closed for embracing the comfortable atmosphere either on his finished and the smooth hug by Yuna.
Yuna glanced at the finished poster with an impressed smile, revealing itself. Hatoshi took notice of his close partner's impression and sheepishly chuckled.
"Your artwork looks great, Hatoshi." Yuna praised with a cheerful tone
"Thanks for the praise." Hatoshi gladly spoke.
"Anyway, Miss Chisato asked you to go down to have dinner, right now."
Hatoshi profusely giggled as he wanted to spend more time on the post for finding things he needed to improve. Yuna gnarly gazed at her close partner and put her mouth besides her ear.
"If you don't go down right now, I should call Miss Chisato to do it" Yuna whispered in a soothing voice.
Hatoshi shockingly raised his eyebrows and shivered his spine. He took one more glanced at Yuna who closed her lips in a naughty, yet creepy look at the same time, similar to a trickster.
"Okay, fine, fine." Hatoshi reluctantly spoke.
Yuna let go of her comfy hug from Hatoshi's neck and lended her open hand onto her close partner. The school boy smoothly accepted her hand as he got up from the chair at the same time. Both of the high schoolers warmly smiled at each other and gently held hands together. Afterward, they headed out of the room to get a satisfying and fun dinner time.
…
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Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone