Order of the Elements-Chapter 77: Safehouse Shenanigans & Storytime

Shhhk-vmmm.

The automatic doors of the famous convenience store, 7-Eleven, slid open, and three people stepped out into the gentle evening light.

It was Hikaru Nozomi, his twin sister Hikari Nozomi, and Mei Tomita.

Hikari and Mei were both munching on pocky sticks they'd just bought, while behind them, Hikaru trudged along, struggling to carry five bags overflowing with snacks.

"Um..." Hikaru muttered, adjusting his grip on the plastic handles. "Why am I the one carrying all of this?"

Hikari glanced over her shoulder at him with a smug grin.

"Because you're the man here, dear brother."

Hikaru shot her a glare but didn't say anything.

"So..." Mei looked over at the twins. "Ready to head to the safehouse, guys?"

"Yeah!" Hikari nodded excitedly. "I'm so pumped! This'll be my first time at the safehouse. I wonder what your friends are like, Hikaru. Wait – do you even have friends, Hikaru?"

Hikaru's eyes twitched at her jab.

"Eh?! What's that supposed to mean?"

"I mean..." Hikari tapped her chin playfully. "You've always been the shy, unsociable type, brother."

"...Okay," Hikaru said flatly, his voice dropping in tone. "Maybe we shouldn't go to the safehouse today."

Hikari flinched, waving her hands frantically.

"Wait, wait, wait! I'm sorry! You're not shy or unsociable. You do have friends – great friends, even!"

Hikaru slowly formed a smug smile.

"Good."

Hikari turned around and muttered under her breath, "Still didn't have to be such a pain in the ass about it..."

Hikaru's ear twitched.

"What was that, Hikari?"

"Nothing!" she replied quickly, feigning innocent.

Mei giggled, watching the Nozomi twins bicker with the ease only siblings had.

As the three of them started making their way to the safehouse, Hikaru eyed his younger twin sister suspiciously.

This girl? I still can't believe Teshii is dating her. Maybe... I should warn him about just how cheeky she really is.

20 Minutes Later...

The three of them were now deep within the forest, where the safehouse was discreetly tucked away. Hikari and Mei were still snacking on treats from 7-Eleven, casually munching as they walked beneath the dense canopy of trees.

Behind them, Hikaru trudged along, still holding five overstuffed bags of snacks. One of the bags was already half empty – thanks to the continuous snacking of the two girls ahead of him.

"You know..." Hikaru muttered, slightly winded. "By the time we even reach the safehouse, I don't think we'll have any snacks left to share with the others."

"Well, brother," Hikari said nonchalantly, without even glancing back, "I suggest you stop eating the snacks."

"...I – I wasn't even eating anything," Hikaru said through gritted teeth, on the verge of losing it. "You two are the ones eating everything!"

As the three continued walking, the forest echoed softly with the chirping of birds in the branches above, the rustling of bushes, and the faint crunch of a squirrel nibbling on an acorn nearby. The natural sounds painted a peaceful atmosphere.

Suddenly–

Hikari stopped walking.

Hikaru and Mei halted behind her, blinking in confusion. Both glanced at each other, then looked at Hikari.

"Um... Hikari?" Mei asked.

There was no response at first. Then–

"I'm curious," Hikari said, still facing forward. "What are the others like, Hikaru?"

Hikaru tilted his head.

"The others?"

"Yeah." Hikari nodded. "Can you tell me more about the people you work with?"

Hikaru stared at his younger twin sister for a moment.

Should I tell her? I mean... it wouldn't hurt. She already knows about the Order, so I might as well.

He let out a long sigh.

"Fine. I'll tell you."

Then–

Hikaru turned his head off to the side, toward nothing in particular.

"Guys, since you already know who everyone is, you might as well skip this part!"

Hikari squinted at him, trying to hold back a laugh.

"Who are you talking to, Hikaru? You look like an idiot."

Hikaru snapped his attention back to her, visibly annoyed.

"I look like an idiot?! Teshii does that all the time. How come you don't call him an idiot, Hikari?"

Hikari crossed her arms, standing proudly with a smug look on her face.

"Well, that's because Teshii is my boyfriend. And... he looks cool when he does it."

Hikaru glared at her.

This girl...

"Okay, here," Hikaru began. "Since you already know about my Element and Haruto–"

"Of course, I know you guys!" Hikari interrupted, waving him off. "I literally saw you fight that woman in red, duh!"

Then–

POW!

Hikaru delivered a karate chop straight to Hikari's head.

"Ow! What was that for, Hikaru?!" Hikari cried out, holding her head in pain.

"For being my annoying twin sister," Hikaru said calmly, picking up the bag he had dropped before delivering the chop. "Now, as I was saying – let me tell you about the others. Starting with Moriya."

Hikari tilted her head, still rubbing the sore spot on her scalp.

"Moriya?" she repeated, then turned to Mei. "Isn't that the guy from the forest behind your house, Mei?"

"Yeah." Mei nodded. "That's him."

"Moriya is the Element of Wood," Hikaru explained. "When we went to the forest–"

"Yeah, yeah, I remember," Hikari cut in. "The place you wouldn't let me go because you didn't want me around Teshii."

"Yes, you're absolutely correct!" Hikaru said proudly, not even trying to hide it.

"Anyway," he continued, "Moriya was part of a tribe that lives in that forest. Their people have been living behind the Tomita Estate for generations.

"Really?" Hikari asked, her interest piqued.

"Also..." Mei added, "Moriya and the other tribe members used to hate Teshii because they thought he was Yakuza."

Hikari raised an eyebrow. "Yakuza? Is it because of his tattoos? If so, Teshii's tattoos don't even look like Yakuza. Honestly, they look–"

"Yeah," Hikaru nodded with a smirk. "They look more like doodles than actual tattoos."

"Hey!" Hikari snapped, whipping her head toward him. "Don't say that! I like his tattoos. I think they're cool!"

Suddenly–

Skrrsh!

Leaves rustled as birds flew through the trees, wings flapping as they scattered into the sky.

"Next..." Hikaru said, continuing to walk while holding the bags, "...is Ikazuchi – the Element of Thunder."

"What's he like?" Hikari asked, curious.

"Angry," Hikaru replied instantly.

Hikari looked at her twin brother in confusion. "Angry?"

"Yeah." Hikaru nodded. "Ikazuchi is a very hot-headed person. He'll get mad at things for no reason, complain about the dumbest stuff, and he'll punch you if you touch him – doesn't matter if you're a man or a woman."

"Understood!" Hikari said, giving a mock salute. "I'll stay away from him so he won't get angry."

That brought a small smile to Hikaru's face.

"But..." he added.

"But?" Hikari repeated, now curious again.

"Ikazuchi's father was killed by a mutant," Hikaru said, his voice turning cold. "Right in front of him."

Hikari and Mei's eyes widened in shock. "What?!"

Hikaru's expression darkened.

"After seeing it happen, Ikazuchi completely lost it. He started attacking everything around him... caused a full-on thunderstorm. But luckily..." Hikaru paused for a beat. "...Teshii was there to help him."

Hikari immediately smiled, puffing her chest out proudly.

"Of course he did. That just shows how amazing my boyfriend is."

Hikaru gave his sister a flat, blank stare.

"Okay," he said after a moment. "Next... is Reito – the Element of Ice."

Mei turned to Hikari.

"If you didn't know, Hikari... Reito is Yuki's – our family's head maid – her long-lost son."

Hikari's head snapped toward Mei. "Really?!"

"Yeah." Mei nodded. "Yuki lost him 16 years ago when her ex-husband took him away."

"T-That's horrible," Hikari said, visibly affected.

"Since then... Reito has been living and training at the Shaolin Temple," Hikaru explained. "Way up in the snowy mountains near Hokkaido."

"And now... they're finally reunited!" Mei said, smiling warmly.

"That's wonderful!" Hikari said, her eyes gleaming.

"That's not all!" Hikaru added. "When the both of them reunited, your bo–"

Achoo!

Mei sneezed suddenly, cutting Hikaru off.

Hikaru and Hikari both turned to look at the heiress of the Tomita Family, who was blushing in embarrassment.

"B-Bless me," Mei muttered, flustered.

Hikari turned her head back to Hikaru. "So, Hikaru, what were you going to say again?"

"I-I can't really remember," Hikaru mumbled.

Hikari stared at her twin blankly.

"Of course you don't. You always forget things."

Hikaru narrowed his eyes at her, glaring.

"Anyway," he said, continuing their walk, "next is Daichi – the Element of Earth. We met him at the Tottori Sand Dunes."

"Tottori Sand Dunes?" Hikari raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that the place you always wanted to go to as a kid, brother?"

"Yeah." Hikaru nodded, smiling fondly. "And... I'm so glad our mission ended up being there."

So, what's Daichi like?" Mei asked.

"You see... Daichi stayed in Tottori for a while because he thought his girlfriend cheated on him."

Mei's eyes widened. "What?"

"Wait." Hikari leaned in. "What do you mean 'thought'?"

"Daichi told me that his girlfriend's parents told him that she cheated on him, "Hikaru explained. "But he never actually confirmed it with her. He just assumed the worst and left."

"But don't worry," Hikaru continued. "I gave him some good advice."

Hikari raised a sceptical eyebrow.

"You? Give good advice? You can't even tell Mei that you love her."

Both Hikaru and Mei instantly blushed.

"A-Actually, Hikari..." Mei said shyly, turning to her best friend.

Hikari turned toward her, curious.

"You see... Hikaru actually told me he loves me."

Hikari's jaw dropped, eyes wide in disbelief. "R-Really?!"

"Y-Yeah. He... accidentally told me," Mei said, her face still red.

"Pfftt! Accidentally?" Hikari scoffed. "That doesn't really count. Though... you two are almost here."

Hikaru let out a sigh and shook his head.

"Okay then! Last is–!

Suddenly–

"Aaaaaaaahhhhhh!"

A voice screamed from above.

Hikaru looked up at the sky.

"Huh?"

A figure was falling from the sky, charging straight at them – more specially, at Hikaru.

He narrowed his eyes, trying to make out who it was.

"Wait a minute... is that..."

It was a grey-haired boy in a red and blue hoodie.

It was Sora Arashii – the Element of Air.

Trying to fly.

And now...

...he was crashing straight toward Hikaru.

TO BE CONTINUED!!!