~~April 26, 2024 1:00 PM~~
"Watashi no saigo wa anata ga ii.~ Anata to kono mama osaraba suru yori shinu no ga ii wa.~" Shiro looked to his right. "Shino no ga ii- Okay, time to take the earphones off."
Shiro approached Suisei, dressed up for the occasion. She didn't need to wear makeup, but it enhanced her already beautiful features. She wore a black dress with frills layered over a white long-sleeved top. Such a cute outfit took him aback.
"About time you got dressed up." Shiro chuckled.
"Really? I dressed up and put on some makeup for you. The best you could've done was compliment me!" She pouted.
"Well, if it's a compliment ya want, you look cute. You should wear that fit more often. "
"There we go. Jeez, no wonder you're still single." She smirked.
"Funny coming from someone as beautiful as you and also being single, virgin girl."
Suisei got a tick on her head, but she couldn't refute that fact. "That's rich coming from you too, virgin boy."
"Yeah, yeah, virgin girl."
"You know, you're the one who invited me." She pouted. "You're supposed to be treating me nicely right now. It's not everyday you get a chance to be with a cute and beautiful girl like me. Besides..."
"Hmm?"
Suisei blushed hard and grimaced. "You could at least be not so blatant with taking me out on a date in front of my genmates. They kept teasing me in LINE and Discord!" She pouted.
"I did say it was just a friendly date. I would've confessed that I liked you if I did." Shiro looked at her hand. "Ah, I see you have the ring on."
Suisei blushed and covered it. "I-It's a gift you and my big sister gave me! Of course I'll wear it!"
"Oh?~ Falling for me now, are we?~"
"S-SHUT UP!" Suisei slapped his shoulder and started walking forward.
"Ow." Shiro rubbed where she slapped.
"We're going somewhere, right?"
"Y-Yeah..." Damn, guess she likes me. Shiro thought sarcastically and chuckled.
"That somewhere is a pastry shop. I know you like sweets, woman. Let's go."
~~Misogynistic Hololiver~~
"Mmmm! This is so sweet!" Suisei smiled as she chewed on the slice of cake. "Sweets and cakes make the world go round!"
Shiro chuckled. "Seems y'all are quite enthusiastic when it comes to desserts."
"Do you not like it?"
"I do. I just don't eat it as often. I think I've spoiled myself to enough chips and junkfoods for this month, so I'm abstaining for now."
"You're missing out, dude." Suisei said as she took another bite. "You're also making me feel bad. You haven't ordered yours yet."
"Yeah, I'll just order a take out later. I'll buy one of those matcha cakes."
"I see you like matcha." Suisei smiled and chuckled.
Shiro looked outside the window. "Say, do ya like sunny or rainy weather?"
"Hmm? I like it sunny. Why?"
"I was just wondering." Shiro smiled. "I like it sunny too. The day is quite peaceful when it's like this. People are just walking, doing their work or hanging out with friends and family, birds are chirping outside, and I just like it when it's bright and you take a walk, breathing that fresh air in."
"It seems you're a morning person." Suisei blankly stared.
"No, I just like it sunny." He chuckled.
Suisei stared at Shiro for a while, like she was observing his face. This caught his attention.
"Is...something wrong?" He asked.
"When are you gonna take that off?"
"This?" Shiro held his mask. "Until my scar heals just enough that it blends into my skin."
"Scars always stand out, you know?"
"I forgot to add, when I'm also comfortable enough to show it."
Suisei stared at him again. This time, she focused her gaze at his eyes. "Have you always looked tired?"
"Oh? No, why?"
"Nothing...Well, actually, you've got some eyebags forming. Sure, you've got looks, but...it's like you didn't sleep last night."
"A-Ah...I had a nightmare." He giggled nervously. "Plus, this is normal for soldiers who've gone through hell and back."
She looked out the window for a bit, gathering her thoughts before she would ask him, "Shiro-kun, what was it like in the military?"
"Why're you asking?" He chuckled.
"Nothing. It's a date, right? We should get to know each other better."
"What are you, trying to pick me up?" Shiro chuckled once more. "...Well, I guess it was okay."
Suisei blankly stared. "Wow. A reply like that can turn a woman off."
"Don't really care. What, are you really trying to pick me up?" Shiro blankly stared.
"I'M NOT!" Suisei blushed, taking another bite of her cake — this time, aggressively. Shiro laughed at the amusing sight.
~~Misogynistic Hololiver~~
"Well, what do ya wanna watch? There's some new movies, and it seems that they're doing reruns of old ones too." Shiro said.
"Hmm..." Suisei looked at the options. "Oh wow, there's a military movie here."
"Where? Oh, that one! They're doing a rerun of it here?"
The poster read, "Saving Private Ryan".
"Hmm...is this good?"
"Yeah. I watched it as a kid. It's quite traumatizing for innocent viewers, but...it's quite realistic in depicting war and battle."
Shiro frowned. "Violent, unforgiving, suicidal, but you had to do something, even if it meant death."
Suisei frowned seeing his mood suddenly change. She was worried that she may have brought up some memories he didn't want to recall. His eyes say it all — that fiery red color seemed to be dying out. Those eyes reflected horrors which she couldn't even begin to understand, moments that were unlike what she witnessed during the mall incident.
She shook that memory off. "H-Hey, we don't have to watch that movie. C-Come on, we can watch something else." Suisei dragged him by the arm.
She looked at the other posters. "See? Look!" Suisei pointed at a movie called "Extraction".
"Chris Hemsworth? Ah, I've seen the trailer of this but haven't watched it yet. It looked interesting. Let's give it a shot." Shiro smiled.
"Yeah." Suisei said. She breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing that his eyes are back to normal now.
From the start to end, the two had a rollercoaster of reactions. For Shiro, he just enjoyed the choreography of every fighting scene, analyzing the accuracy of the CQC shots, and geeking out on the weapons and vehicles used in the movie. For Suisei, she was horrified but enjoyed it just as much as Shiro, even screaming, "C'mon! You can do it!" when Tyler, the protagonist, was getting a beating.
The movie ended, and the two came out with a smile.
"Man, that was a good movie. I just think some choreographies could've been done better." Shiro stared into space. Why do they never choreograph knife scenes accurately? That can be flashy too, you know?
"That was intense! I'm glad the guy ended up dying in the final scene!" Suisei's eyes sparkled.
"Well, I'm craving a meaty snack. Wanna grab something to bite?"
"Yeah." Suisei nodded.
Shiro bought a wrap of shawarma, and Suisei bought a crepe. As per usual, Shiro didn't eat it yet. He waited for her to finish eating so that he would go to the nearest bathroom to eat. Right now, they were leaning on the edge of the walkways, looking down at the people on the ground floor.
"You ain't gonna get fat from that?"
"That's mean! You don't just say that to a girl!"
"The truth hurts, I know." Shiro chuckled. "But damn, how the hell do you maintain those looks when you eat that stuff?"
"Jealous of my genes?"
"If anything, I'm bewildered."
"Well, I dance and also eat healthy foods. You just don't see me eat that often." She said, taking another bite.
"Yeah..."
Shiro stared at the ground floor. His mind wandered off, thinking back to their earlier conversations — one of them was their talk in the pastry cafe.
"...It was hell." Shiro muttered
"Hmm?"
"Being a soldier was hell." Shiro chuckled. "You asked me what it was like in the military earlier. There you go."
"...I suspected as much. Did you do anything these guys are doing nowadays? Surveying the towns and cities? Keeping peace among people?"
"That's what the police are for." Shiro laughed a bit. "I was just a fresh recruit, a very young kid who finished his training, and I went on my first mission. We had to survey a patch of land. There were people there too."
"I was good at freestyling back then, and we, me and my squad, just wanted to unwind." Shiro continued. "It was an easy mission, they said. Besides, realistically, they just give you simple tasks at the start. Because of that, I thought it was fine, having a gun and all, so I just rapped. That was my thinking back as a kid...then after that..."
Shiro paused and closed his eyes. "The whole squad didn't go back unscathed. We had casualties, civilian and military. The man right in front of me..." Shiro clicked his tongue while putting two fingers to his temple. "The bullet went straight through his fucking head."
A small giggle escaped him. His fingers twitched slightly, and he stared off into space as if watching the whole experience unfold again — and he had the front row seat.
"S-Shiro-kun..." Suisei frowned.
"Then...you know, shit happened, and...I got promoted cuz I did an 'act of bravery', when in reality...I just didn't want anybody to die." He shrugged. "My whole life, I thought being a soldier meant you were indestructible, you had a weapon, not to kill, but to protect...and at that moment, I killed people." He looked Suisei in the eye.
"I protected everybody else, but I took lives. I practiced on metal objects with tiny red circles, and I forgot that it wasn't all for show. That's what I trained for..." Shiro snickered a bit. "...And it was because of my selfish wish to be enlisted early that my mom let me go in by 13...Thinking back, I guess it would've been better if I just lived out my life like any child. Play with friends, make memories, do dumb shit, then go shoot a gun."
Suisei stared at him, not able to believe that such words came out from a man who always joked around and acted so great on screen. She gently reached for his arm, gripping it firmly. "I get you, Shiro-kun."
"Hmm? You haven't enlisted in the military for all I know." Shiro joked and chuckled.
"Of course, dummy. I'm talking about how you feel like your youth was taken from you because of your actions."
Shiro widened his eyes. "What do you mean?"
"Of course, I've gone through everything a normal girl would go through. Stupid kid stuff, romance, I guess, going to cute cafes, spending time with friends, studying for college and getting a degree before we had to put on the facade of being a student every first day of a school year in Yagoo's school...but most of that time, I spent it on music. My whole family was good at singing, so naturally, I got into it too...I sacrificed a lot just to reach my goal of becoming an idol."
Suisei grabbed his arm tighter. "I canceled plans with friends just to get an hour of practice in, I always went into karaoke rooms just to practice singing when I wanted to relax, I kept on practicing techniques, anything to make myself improve."
Suisei snickered like Shiro — sharp, empty, and involuntary. "It's laughable, right? A cute girl like me having a breakdown and losing all hope of achieving that dream until Hololive presented itself."
She looked at Shiro, tears forming in her eyes. "I even tried to reconnect with a best friend of mine, only to be ghosted." Suisei wiped her eyes. "Isn't it unfair? You either get one thing or another. In my case, it's either my friends and family or my dream, and I chose my dream. T-Till this day, I still haven't gotten a message from her."
Shiro frowned. "I'm sorry to hear that, Suisei..."
She teared up again, wiping her eyes. "I-I don't even know why I'm crying right now. That's not cute, is it?"
"No. You're human, you idiot." Shiro chuckled. "You've went through a lot, haven't ya?"
Shiro nodded and laughed, wiping her eyes once more. "I guess so..."
Shiro smiled. "If it makes you feel better, Suisei..." He grabbed her hand.
"O-Oh?"
"I've said this a few times, but...I lost my best friend, Subaru. And no, I'm not talking about Shuba shuba..." He giggled. "I meant my best friend in the military. Me and him were practically brothers...then just like that, he disappeared? Just..." He snapped his fingers.
"...But we both experienced suffering and loss. I lost my best friend because he passed away, and you lost yours because you had different priorities." Shiro smiled and looked at her.
Suisei couldn't see his lips, but she could tell he was smiling. "At least you've achieved your dream now though. Aren't you happy you've gotten a huge fanbase?"
"Yeah..." She smiled. "And I'm going to surpass you in views and popularity! Just you wait!" She grinned.
"Heh. I'd like to see that happen." He smiled.
Suisei blushed and looked away. "Also...please don't tell the other Holomembers about this." She scratched her cheek. "I'd rather they don't talk about what happened right now and also...what you're doing with my hand."
"Oh? A-Ah-" He let go of her hand. "Sorry. I bet ya didn't like it."
"N-No, that's not it..."Suisei covered her face with her hand.
"H-Huh? What is it then?"
Suisei groaned a bit and sighed. "Nevermind it! Anyway, we have to make the most of our date!"
"A-Ah...yeah. Well, we can try to play Apex at a gaming cafe or something."
"I'm down!" Suisei's eyes sparkled.
That...was a huge shift in mood. Shiro sweat dropped.
~~Misogynistic Hololiver~~
"That was quite the date." Suisei breathed a sigh of relief after sitting on her bed.
She looked at her ring. "We're similar, huh?" Suisei giggled and smiled. "I hope you'll heal and reach your dreams soon, Shiro-kun." She said, caressing the ring.
...Wait, what's with that giggle?! Suisei blushed even more and shook her head. What are you, a high schooler?! No no no, no way do you really think he's cool, handsome, talented, unique, is really cool, and like really really cool?!
"No no no, Suisei, you need rest...Yeah...I think that's all you need right now..." Suisei said, laughing nervously.
Suisei took a deep breath and looked at the floor for a moment. "Then again...he is a nice guy." She smiled. "I hope he never changes and will do great in the future."
~~May 01, 2024 2:02 PM~~
"D-Damn...I didn't know you were skilled at Chess..."
"Hmm...more like 'studied'." Shiro chuckled. "Anyway, your move, Oga."
Shiro was black, and Oga was white. He tried the Scholar's Mate against Shiro, but after a few moves, Oga was bombarded with pieces. His king and rook were under attack.
"Erm..." Oga took a moment to think, finding an escape or counterplay. "...There really is no saving that rook...Again!" He resigned, and they made a new game.
"Jeez, so you actually play chess?" Oga chuckled.
"Well, I challenged myself to learn it in 2 months, and I've gotten a decent rating in Chess.com."
"Oh, really? What do you consider yourself?"
"I guess a beginner?" Shiro laughed a bit.
"...Oh? Someone's approaching here." Oga looked at the entrance.
"Hmm? What do ya mean?"
Shiro stood up and checked who was at the entrance. It was a tall woman wearing a coat and a vest. She wore sunglasses, covering the strong gaze behind it. She looked to be a businesswoman, but it was strange seeing one walking out in the open. The other Hololivers also went to peek at what Shiro was staring at.
"W-Who is that?" Oga asked.
"I don't know..."
The woman waved from a distance. I don't know if it's a friend or foe...that coat could be hiding something.
"Give me a moment, y'all. Just stay where you all are, preferably out of sight from her."
"H-Huh?"
"S-Shiro-kun? Where are you going?" Korone asked.
"Don't worry. I just forgot to close the sink in the bathroom."
Shiro went into his room, and moved the crates out from the bottom of his bed. Yeah, definitely the sink.
Just as he was about to open it, his phone vibrated. "Dammit. Who is it?" He got it and glanced over it. It was a text message saying, "I'm the woman approaching. I'm not a threat. I come in the name of Ishijin Kurome."
Shiro squinted his eyes and brought it closer to read it once more. "My mom?"
He put the crate back and opened the door. When he went out, she was close to the entrance. The woman smiled and glanced around the place. "Good morning, everyone."
Her stare shifted to Shiro. "And good morning to you, Ishijin Shiro."
He stared at her for a moment. "How do you know me?"
"Let's talk outside for a bit, shall we? I've got some business matters to discuss with you."
The Hololivers looked at him, having mixed feelings of confusion and anxiety. It was mostly due to how Shiro was acting. After some thinking, Shiro replied, "Okay."
They went out to the edge of the school and leaned against the railings. "That was you in the text message, right?" Shiro asked.
"Yup. Are you wondering why your mother was involved?"
"Yeah. I'm out of the military. If it's about being recalled back into the base, she or the base in Funabashi should've called me directly."
"Actually...I'm not from the JSDF."
"Huh?" Shiro looked at her.
She showed an ID. "I'm Agent Fujioka from the PSIA. I've come here to tell you a few things."
Shiro chuckled. "The PSIA works on national security. How am I a threat?"
"I didn't come here to interrogate you. You're not even a threat." She giggled. "You would've been called personally if so."
"I figured. So what's someone like you doing here exactly?"
"Let's get straight to business." She adjusted her glasses. "Do you remember Operation Cold Sky?"
Shiro widened his eyes. "That's classified information. How did you-"
"Of course, this is JSDF property, so normally, we wouldn't know this. You also remember a Croatian man named Adrik Volkov, right?"
"Yeah...Me and my mom killed him." Got that right. He operated in Russia, but was born in Croatia.
"Let me just ask. Do you have evidence that you killed him?"
"Me and her sprayed him till he fell off a cliff. Why're you asking?"
"Well, you see, there has been some strange activity recently. It's not just in Russia, but also in Europe...and even here, Japan. You and your squad stopped a missile from launching and causing mass destruction towards Russia back then. However, we've seen dead people everywhere. We've also seen their guns and what brand it had. Those guns have gone out of production a long time ago, yet...just a few months ago, there was an abundance of them found in a lot of regions of Russia. The mall incident also showed the brand of those guns."
The woman took out a folder from her coat. "Here. This will explain everything."
Shiro looked at it and gulped. He didn't know what was inside, but with the way she told everything so far, he didn't like where it was going. Reluctantly, he took it.
Upon the first sight of its contents, his heart dropped. There were pictures and papers written, documenting what had happened behind the scenes with the army.
Guns...papers written in Russian...Adrik...H-He's...
"Adrik Volkov is alive, and he's running operations again." She took the folder back and put it in her coat again.
"N-No...You have to be screwing with me." Shiro said, his breath becoming unsteady.
"I'm not. This is all real. Normally, this would've been kept behind closed doors, but because you took part in Operation Cold Sky, we — the PSIA working with Ishijin Kurome — thought you should know."
Shiro tightened his grip on the metal bar, and his breath grew heavier. Memories and thoughts came back — the rage, the blood spilled, the screams of agony and horror, the near-death experiences, Subaru's lifeless eyes, the determination to kill Adrik. It all flooded back like a tsunami to Shiro, suffocating in a storm of emotions. His young, merciless self, just for a moment, came back to him, quiet as a whisper.
No...this can't be happening...H-He died! No human can survive being shot in vital spots multiple times! How?! HOW?! Shiro slowly knelt and kept his grip on the metal bar, trying to catch his breath.
"H-H-How...is that fucking possible?" Shiro looked up at her.
"I don't know. But disregarding that for a moment, you're shaking and sweating a lot. Take deep breaths."
"I-I can't calm down...H-He's supposed to be dead! How is he alive?! What is he PLANNING NOW?!"
"S-Shiro-kun!" Oga shouted as he ran towards him. "W-What's happening?" He asked.
"Don't worry. I'll take care of this." She crouched and held his shoulders. "Shiro-san, can you hear me?"
Shiro nodded his head.
"Listen, this is being taken care of. Nothing major has happened yet." The agent looked at the others and did a hand gesture, asking them to go away. "Please give us some space. This is a private matter."
Oga and the few Holostars who went with him stepped back, around four to five steps. "W-What's happening right now?" He said.
"I don't even know...but...that's the second time I've seen him freak out, just like that time when his trauma was triggered back then." Shien said.
Shiro looked her in the eyes, still shaken by the information. "Y-You need to tell them...I need to go back to active duty-"
"Your mother is taking care of this operation." The agent put her face near Shiro's so the others couldn't hear them. "Listen to me. As long as she's taking care of it, the whole operation is under control. We just wanted to let you know in case you will get called back into active duty. If you are, for whatever reason, this will be the mission you're assigned to."
"W-What difference does it make? I might as well-"
"Like I said, it's under control." She held his shoulders tighter. "Take deep breaths, Shiro-san."
Shiro looked at her for a second before realizing she's attempting to ground Shiro back to the present moment. The more he took deep breaths, the more his breathing stabilized, and soon enough, his mind didn't feel as cluttered as earlier.
"S-So you're telling me you came all this way just to inform me I might be called back?"
"Yes, and like I said, if so, this is where you'll be assigned to. Because you're not called back yet, nothing major is happening. Investigation is still ongoing regarding where the man is, but we're getting leads. Together with the JSDF, we're working around the clock to find and neutralize him."
The woman held her right wrist up and looked at it. She stood up and put her hands in her pockets. "I think my job is done here. I'll let you know if any crucial info comes up. I'm just informing you, Ishijin Shiro."
She walked away and waved, turning her back towards him as Shiro stood up. The Holostars helped him. A few Hololivers also came outside to see Shiro. One of them was Choco.
"I-Is Shiro-kun okay?"
"Yeah...He's just not feeling well right now."
Shiro looked up at Choco, his eyes showing mental overwhelm. "Y-Yeah...I just...need a rest..."
"I-Is there something that's bothering you?" Oga asked.
"No. Just...there're some personal matters, ya know?" Shiro chuckled nervously. "Don't mind it."
"Shiro-kun..." Choco mumbled as Shiro and the Holostars walked past her.
~~Misogynistic Hololiver~~
Shiro laid on his bed and recalled his memories back when he was first introduced to the operation all the way to the present time. He remembered it just like yesterday, and it felt surreal to see how far in the past it all was now.
It's strange. Adrik is alive? How can...Well, if it's the cold, then maybe there's a chance, but even a 9mm can kill a person. No, what the real issue is at hand is how he is connected to recent events. The brand of the gun was already enough to raise suspicion, but...thinking about it, I was even just the target of the guys sent to kill me. They didn't target anyone else, they didn't wreak havoc on the whole mall, they only focused their muzzles on me...
A chill went through him. Cold sweat ran down Shiro's face, his heart pounding like a hammer. A rush of thoughts flooded his mind. What if the others will be targeted too because of me? Should I start training now? Where should I even look for Adrik and his men to begin with? What can I do?
Shiro sat up, and took a deep breath before breathing out. He let his head fall into his hands, closing his eyes.
Please, God, I hope this will be solved soon. At the very least, my friends and Old Man here shouldn't get involved. If anything, this is an issue only I should be involved in.