Wrath chuckles within my mind.

  “Aries is a man of battle and honor. He would not answer to this girl because you two are too close in power. She has a chance to defeat you. Aries will not answer until every option is exhausted and she is almost dead.” He says.

  “You make it sound like he was a real person.” I reply, not giving it a thought.

  “That's because he was.” He answers.

  “Wait wha–”

  “Do not ask young flame, you burn bright, but I will confess these truths upon your approach to death.” He cuts in.

  I guess I'm not gonna get an answer. How disappointing. It'd be so cool to know if he was a real person.

  I turn and grab Eva's hand and walk out of the cafe onto the sidewalk, the sounds of the city filling the air.

  “Hm, it's pretty late. Let's pack first. We can go to the manor later for me to say goodbye.” I decide, before turning and walking back towards the school, to get my car and drive, NO! I'm gonna have to leave my car here!

  The realization makes me grab my hair and groan, tilting my head to the sky as the sunlight truly begins to fade, rather than the prank from earlier.

  I whimper audibly at the loss of my beloved car.

  Eva gives me an odd look, but doesn't pipe up.

  I drag my feet miserably as we continue towards my car.

  Twenty to thirty minutes pass as we continue our trek and the stars begin to peek from the black as I begin to hum the tune for my nightly ritual.

  The black begins to enfold around me and the mini explosions begin to form the stars. And just like last night, Eva butts in.

  “Hey, you zoned out again. What’s going on?” She asks.

  I sigh and pull her in for a side hug.

  “Nothing too important.” I respond. “Hey! It's my car! I'm so ready to get home and uh…put a shirt on. Kinda weird I didn't get arrested or told to put a shirt on. Maybe they think I'm a cosplayer. I do have this nasty scratch from Sute on my chest. Maybe that's it.” I muse.

  “Maybe.” She responds halfminded. She seems distracted by a high school couple walking on the other side of the street.

  “You good?” I ask. “You seem out of it.”

  “Uh, yeah I just…thought he looked really happy.” She responds, tearing her eyes off the couple to look at me.

  I frown and dismiss my worries, though a feeling gnaws at my heart still.

  “Well, I want to hurry home, so let's go.” I say, though I cast another curious glance at Eva and wonder what's on her mind.

  I step off the curb and open the door to sit down as she does the same.

  She sighs as I start the car and sinks into her chair.

  “It's been like a dream hasn't it? Finding each other? Everything since. It hasn't slowed down once. I kinda just wanna sit down and process everything.” She mumbles as she leans her head back on the headrest.

  I sigh too, and silently agree for a moment.

  “I was gonna say we did last night, but we even had that storm, and that disturbed the whole night. You are right. Well, I bought tickets for midnight tonight, to Seattle, for a layover, then we can wait around, we could just talk then. Catch up I guess.” I respond.

  She doesn't acknowledge me much, just a faint nod before turning her gaze outside the car window.

  I shift the car into drive and pull out onto the street before driving towards my home.

  I put my chin in my palm as I think and drive. It’s a bad driving habit, but it’s one of the few times Eva is quiet.

  God, I’m already saying this sort of stuff? I just got her back and wishes she would stop talking so much. The irony. I wished to hear her voice so much, and yet wish the opposite the moment I do.

  The car shakes slightly as we run over a pothole and I hear Eva shift, and her breathing steadies again, and it occurs to me she’s sleeping.

  She did run like…nine freedom units.

  CAWWWW! Eagle!

  I’m so excited to visit America, I’ve always wanted to go.

  A stupid grin crosses my face as the coast comes into view.

  I’m actually so giddy to go right now. I’m just a little sad that I won’t get to see the kids for a while.

  I sigh as I pull into the elevator, and it rumbles as it descends.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  I leave her in the car, and don’t send it back up, as I head in the house/bunker, and look around. What should I bring? I walk around after snagging a dinner for me and Eva from the fridge. As they thaw in the microwave, I notice Atlas’s processing unit and hardware sitting on the counter.

  Hmmm…I could bring him. There’s no doubt I’ll be accepted into the academy, so maybe I can hook him up to my dorm.

  I shrug and call out to him.

  “Hey Atlas, I’m transferring to a school in the states, so I’m taking you with me.” I say.

  “Oh, yeah, sorry Atlas for ignoring you for that girl all of yesterday and this morning. Won’t be happening again. Please forgive me.” He mocks me.

  “I should’ve sold you to the gov! They'd pay millions for a sentient AI wouldn’t they, you OILGUZZLER!” I scream back.

  “Of course they would, you PULSING MASS OF FLESH! I’m just worth that much more than you are!” He bellows back over the speaker.

  I fume as I stride over and unplug him before tossing him into an Aeon bag. I walk to my car and open the trunk and slam him in it, before checking it’s not broken, because the RAM for this guy was expensive. It’s…two terabytes. I was a dumbass at the time and didn't know much about tech. I bought it, thinking it was better to go overboard than underboard. I didn’t check it till I tapped my card.

  It was, in freedom units… thirty nine thousand.

  My vision swims as I recall the event, and I choke out a sob.

  I sold my fucking bank and soul when I bought this shit…curse you AI companies for making RAM so expensive.

  My attention remains on the RAM for a moment before I remember what really killed my wallet. My high end GPUs. It was a staggering one hundred and twenty thousand dollars.

  I flip open Atlas and stare. I sigh happily when I see my RAM okay, and wail when I see my GPU cards in a mess, half of them broken.

  I fall to my knees and scream as I cry.

  That was more than my entire existence! I might have sold my soul for the RAM, but I spent the souls of all those I love to afford them!

  I quiet down to hiccups and whimpers when it strikes me.

  I’m gonna be a billionaire!

  That's right! I’m gonna be the owner of that Latvian shipping company.

  I raise my hands and yell in happiness as the meaning hits me. I can spend on awesome clothes.

  Like that white hair blue eyed guy you girls all simp over.

  I know you JJK fans don’t read your manga, you illiterate fools, but Gojo doesn’t come back. Anyways, now I can flaunt my wealth like how he did.

  I smirk as I envision myself in the same fit as Gojo, but decide against it.

  I’m really not a nonchalant guy.

  More edgy of a fit would work better.

  Would it? I’ll ask Atlas.

  Oh god, what if the academy has a uniform? I hope not… I was looking forward to not having to wear the same thing over and over. Like, what’s the fashion name? Cyber grunge. I think that's it. Baggy pants, tank tops and baggy jackets.

  That’s it. Gojo is not my style.

  I stand up, and wipe my face dry before walking to our room and opening the closet door. I frown and start picking out my own outfits before picking out Eva’s. I open a small door at the bottom of the closet and take out two suitcases. One blue and one dark red.

  Apparently blue is the color of lust. I never knew that.

  I pack the outfits into the suitcases and zip them up before heaving them off the bed and rolling them to the car.

  I check my watch and it reads ten o'clock. I muse for a couple seconds. So I’m going to stop by the manor, and say bye to the kids and tell Kaito what to do while I’m gone. It’ll be really handy if magic was the thing Wrath was talking about. Or teleportation circles or stuff. I’ll miss the kids. I don’t usually go straight home. I usually make them breakfast and dinner with a pre-prepared lunch that Kaito warms up for them.

  But for the last two days I haven’t cooked for them.

  I’m such a bad parent!

  I despair internally as gloom settles over me.

  I haven’t provided food for them…I prepared Kaito for this, he has fast food on speed dial.

  I’m sure the little ones are ok… Yuta has a special place in my heart! The violence he went through is pretty similar to what I did. But I’m worried she might find Kaito while I’m gone.

  I grit my teeth and banish her from my thoughts. I already had to save Kaito once, and kept her alive because he begged me. No way in hell I’d let her go the second time.

  I sigh, and sit back down into the driver’s seat before reaching up and flicking a switch. With a rumble, the driveway begins to rise once more.

  The day truly has turned to night now, and I turn on Eva’s seat warmer as the night’s chill seeps into our bones.

  I start driving in the direction of the manor as I smile a little. I get to see the kids soon, and it’s night. I love the night. At night, everything was quiet in the sewer. Usually, with the exception of Eva’s death.

  Did she ever explain how she came back?

  I can’t remember.

  “She didn’t, but I can tell you. It’s one of the abilities of the Obsession Sinfuls. Revival Drive. If their obsession remains burning, even if the fixation dies or fades from her life. It can change, their fixation, and they are left vulnerable for a day or two, until it burns for a new one. She had likely just became a Sinful, and used Revival Drive.” Wrath rumbles in my mind.

  I nod. It makes sense to me.

  I see the lights of the manor come up into sight, and I bounce in my seat slightly, excited to see the little ones.

  I open my door and nudge Eva awake.

  “Hm sawya huh?” She mumbles as her eyes open halfway and she moves her head side to side as she wakes up. “This ain't home.” She groans as she rubs her eyes.

  “Haha, No, it’s not.” I chuckle. “This is the place I said I want to go to before we leave for the airport in Tokyo.”

  Her eyes are still heavy as she steps out, and stares up at the manor.

  “Holy shit, this place screams obnoxious asshole. I don’t think I’m gonna like whoever owns this place.” She mumbles as she rubs her eyes.

  “Gee, thanks. I own this place.” I say sarcastically to her.

  “Oh uh, I mean, I think I will fall in love and bear many, many children for the owner of this place.” She corrects.

  I turn around with a weirded out expression on my face.

  “People actually say that shit outside of anime…? I thought that was just like a troupe… You mean girls that really love someone say that stuff?” I say, my face contorted between confusion, disgust, horrification, and ‘What the hell did she just say to me…?’

  “Uh…I thought guys like that sort of stuff.” She mutters, scratching her temple as she wears a stupid grin on her face.

  “Well, maybe I’m just not a normal guy…” I mumble as I start and open the door.

  She follows me as we stumble in the dark.

  “This is weird, I let them stay up till eleven thirty. It’s not even ten thirty. It’s ten fifteen.” I mutter.

  A light flicks on as we enter the living room and under the single light, three figures sit on the couch.