Blood Of Platinum
Chapter 31. A Stranger Way. 2
Kaito occasionally glanced back again to make sure those people didn't follow him. While running and looking at the clock he realized that it was getting late. He still has not found a clue where the watches of the two brothers are located.
‘I don't think I need to investigate this whole place right now. My first priority is to find their pocket watches. If the sun goes down and we get to the morning loop again then it will only cause new problems. There's no guarantee that pocket watch will come back anyway. I have to..Ah!’
Kaito immediately jumped behind the item box on the left side of the small alley next to him. He glanced from where he was hiding.
‘Kids? What are they doing here? This is not a good place for kids?!’
Kaito was so shocked that he saw a group of children walking through the road he had just passed. The number is about eight children, consisting of five boys and three girls. Among them was the figure of a child that Kaito had met this morning near the fountain.
“That girl..who this morning accidentally hit me in the fountain pool? What is he doing here and is it his friends?” Kaito muttered in a soft voice
He had made sure the area he was hiding in was safe. He watched where the children went, but he did not follow them any further. On the road that Kaito just passed there are two turns. The boys took a left turn and their figures were no longer visible. After making sure they had left, Kaito saw the direction they had come.
“They are coming from this direction huh. Hmm?” Kaito looked up a bit and he realized that the altar building was visible from there
“It...altar building? Could they have come to the altar this way? But, why can there be children in this shabby, untouched place?”
Kaito thought of all the possibilities.
‘What really happened to this ‘world of noon’? Why is there a new road forming? What is the cause of the loss of pocket watches belonging to the two brothers and does this all have something to do with the loss of ‘world malam’? Why are there still pieces of my memory here? I don't understand’ any more
When Kaito had too many questions that were difficult to answer, he decided to go where the children had come. He had already assumed that the path would take him out of that place without meeting those big-bodied people.
******
In [Barre des Noirs], precisely in the room of Justin and his women, they are too absorbed with the pleasure of the world they feel. Alcohol, gambling games and **** are common sights there. Not just Justin, everyone who was there was too drunk with the gold and jewels that their leader had.
“Ahahahaha..add more drink and let us party until satisfied!!”
“My dear, I love you” Justin's seductresses keep clinging and teasing him with deathly seduction
Justin kept ordering a lot of alcohol there. In the room, there were two men who immediately cleaned all the empty bottles and tidied up all the rubbish scattered so that the place still looks quite neat. One of his men saw a strange pocket watch with a chain lying in the corner of the room.
“Justin-sama, this old clock..did you throw it away?”
“Ah, that thing is just garbage that was accidentally picked up by the damn boy Theo. You can throw it in the trash. After all, that worthless thing would only ruin the scene. Immediately throw away that useless clock!”
“I understand”
His men immediately put the pocket watch in a large black bag with other garbage.
Suddenly from the door, two large, tattooed men came into the room and reported to Justin.
“Justin-sama, we report”
“What's up?” Justin sounded a little emotional and almost threw away the glass bottle he had just picked up
“Some time ago there was a suspicious man entered into this region”
“Men suspicious?” now Justin looks quite sad and the look in his eyes turned sharp
“The man wears a robe and carries a sword without a sheath on his waist. His eyes were also very sharp. Looks like he is an adventurer or hunter”
“Then, what are you doing?! You should've caught it and brought it to me or you could've killed him on the spot if he was really suspicious. Why come here without anything!!” Justin started yelling annoyed at the reports of the two of them
“We tried to catch him, but he ran very fast, so fast that we couldn't keep up. When we were about to make it, he disappeared at a turn. We lost track of him. Forgive us”
Justin stood up and without warning he immediately gave a loving gift of a fist that landed on their face and two kicks into their large bodies to hurt and bleed.
“Basic is useless!! What are you reporting that useless thing to me for!! If you still love your life, you better do your job right and find the suspicious person. Bring him before me and I will judge him if I dare to disturb my territory”
******
From the direction the children came, Kaito no longer ran. He walked while watching each of those streets. Right and left buildings almost have the same look as when in ‘world malam’. Many buildings were empty and damaged, some had no doors and window panes, no illumination source and the aroma was not as pleasant as before.
“Hopefully I'll really get near altar”
Kaito didn't stop mumbling about it. It was a really surprise afternoon for him. After a few minutes he began to feel the building on his right and left had a bit of life. Not too many, but much better than before.
Starting from there, the streets were a little cleaner and the more the walk forward the cleaner, the unpleasant aroma and the seedy impression began to change, and the more the road became clean, the afternoon sun that was not so pronounced in the previous region now feels very scorching and really reflects the bright daylight. And the funniest part of it all is that she's starting to see the crowded shopping areas and residents. Up to the top, he saw the back of the altar building.
“It turns out to be true, this place is translucent to the altar building. That's it, straight to the back building. From where I found the strange stairs, after circling in a place like a labyrinth it finally brought me back to this place”
What a pretty weird surprise. This beautiful surprise instantly made Kaito's eyes turn sharp with a serious expression. Finally he was sure that this ‘day’ world was already not a place he knew anymore.
“It looks like I have to tell the two brothers to deal with unexpected situations”
******
Theo walked on the wide main street in the city. For now he was still thinking how to earn money so that they could eat today. In his heart, he was just thinking about how to earn money.
‘If I steal again at the altar, Stelani will definitely get angry. But, I also can't do it carelessly when in a crowded city like this. Moreover, I don't know if there are any security guards or not. What is clear now, I have to find a way to earn money!’
Theo only walks by occasionally stopping near buildings, pensive and thinking of stealing the wallets of passers-by. After making up his mind he finally decided to commit his initial intention of stealing. One, two, three residents he passed by were unaware of what he was doing. That afternoon, Theo had obtained at least three wallets and two expensive gold bracelets from the passing residents.
‘Hee~I didn't expect it to be that easy’
He took all the money in those wallets and threw his empty wallet into the trash can that was on the side of the road. So far everything is in line with his estimates. But it wasn't long. After a while he felt like someone was following him behind and he started running. He ran as fast as he could. As he passed the turn into the alley, he was held captive by the person waiting for him and the next was predictable.
**
- BUUKK.
“Ugh!”
Theo was beaten by three teenagers in the alley. The alley was narrow and quite dark so almost no one was aware of what was happening there.
The three teenagers beat him up so he couldn't get up. After Theo was battered, they took all his loot today.
“Basic boys don't know themselves! How dare you enter our territory! Heh, this is the result if you dare to do a no-no in the territory of people!”
“...Kh...” Theo endure pain throughout his body
“This time you should thank us for still letting you off the hook, damn boy!”
“Other times, if we see you doing a no-no in our region.” one of those teenagers kicked Theo in the stomach again and said “.I'll make sure you won't be able to steal anything”
“We will break your hands and feet, boy!! We're leaving from here”
The three teenagers left after robbing Theo of the loot and beating him up. Theo who was still lying on the ground was still unable to stand up and just fell silent enduring the pain all over his body. Other than not being able to fight back from being outnumbered, he also did not have enough manpower. After not eating for three days, the first meal that came in this morning was just a dirty piece of bread.
“Kugh..sial”.
Theo tried to grab his hat that was in front of him by crawling slowly. After successfully taking his hat and standing up, he walked slowly while holding his stomach. When he got out of the alley, of course, there were no people there who cared about his condition.
“Who would care for a child from a slum like me, heh...” Theo spoke softly in a tone of disdain for himself
Theo sat on one of the steps of a building while holding his aching stomach. He also occasionally held onto the collar of his shirt like something was wrapped around his neck. His mind was completely fucked that afternoon. Of course he was worried about the state of Stelani and his starving friends, but here he was the one who was struggling alone to earn money.
“Then this happens, that gorilla won't feed us again later tonight”
Theo seemed to hold back his tears. He tried to strengthen himself even though he unconsciously kept his tears coming out.
‘I have to do something. At least I should be able to bring food for us to eat later tonight’
As Theo wiped away his tears, there was someone who gave him a piece of bread.
“Are you okay?”
******
Kino and Ryou had already left the place before and were walking slowly in the city. Ryou glanced at some of the existing shops and occasionally stopped to notice them from the windowpanes.
“Does anyone want Ryou to buy?” Kino asked Ryou
“Hmm...are you not curious Kino? Since our pocket watch is gone, we can't figure out what time it is. I glanced towards the store to make sure their hours were the same as each other”
“What according to Ryou there is a time difference with the one we have? I think all this time the pocket watch was telling us the same time as ‘world noon’ this”
“I don't know. All this time the reference for the time we have is the pocket watch. I don't think this ‘world’ has had a different time, but you know how suspicious this place was from the beginning, right? I'm starting to think everyone passing by here is actually a monster ‘world night’ in disguise during the day”
Ryou's genius mind that could easily tell the truth was wrong. But, it was only natural that he thought so since at that place no one could be completely trusted. Kino who heard that just smiled to understand the unique thoughts of the sister. To kill her curiosity, Ryou decides to go to the clock shop.
“I'll buy a watch for us. Just for a while, but still better than nothing. In addition, we can know how much more time is left until sunset”
Ryou immediately ran towards the clock shop which was located three shops from where he was standing earlier. And now Kino was left alone with a bag of bread with him. While waiting, Kino took a walk around the area of the place.
‘Is she okay?’
Kino saw the bag containing some bread Ryou had bought and started thinking about giving one to the boy.
“I think he's hungry. I hope he'll like this”
Kino approached her as she wiped her tears. He gave the boy a piece of bread and asked “are you okay?”
The boy looked up with a surprised face. Kino looked at her face and clothes.
‘Face and clothes are dirty. In addition, the bruises on his cheeks and lips were not like a fall. Other people must have realized that it was a wound from being hit. Did he suffer violence from his parents? Poor once’
The boy only stared at Kino's face for a moment and the rest stared at the bread held by Kino. Kino smiled and said “tambakah” to the boy. Without hesitation, he took it and ate it. Kino only saw him eating while standing next to her. The boy glanced at him and shifted slightly to the side, giving the code for Kino to sit next to him as well.
“Thank you” Kino sat next to the boy
She saw him eating voraciously and it made her happy. When the bread ran out, the boy had a glance at the pouch he was carrying again.
“What's up? Are you still hungry?” Kino realized that and asked the child
“.....” the boy just blushed and lowered his head in shame
“So. Here, one more. Be eating. If you are still hungry, you can ask for it again”
Kino gave the boy another loaf of bread. While eating it, the boy started glancing at him again. This time he looked at Kino from top to bottom and thought in his heart.
‘From his clothes, he looks not from this city. It seemed like he also had a lot of money in his pocket. But–’
The child feels a little guilty if he thinks he wants to steal money from a young man who has been kind enough to give him bread.
Kino looked at him and asked the boy.
“What wound is fine?”
“This? Um...it's not so sick”
“If you may know, why can you get all those wounds?”
Kino felt bad for feeling that she was asking something that might be disrespectful, but seeing the state of the child she became a little curious. I did not expect the boy to answer.
“I just hit something and fell. It's all right. Thanks for asking”
“So”
Of course Kino knew it was all a lie. He only responded so that the child did not suspect him. Moreover, Kino also had no ill intentions. It seems like the boy is also interested in Kino and wants to talk to her.
“What is sister doing here? It's not like you purposely saw me and gave me this bread right?”
“I'm waiting for my sister. He was in the clock shop there and since he ran right away leaving me, I thought I would wait for him outside. I accidentally saw you holding your stomach. Because I thought you were sick so I tried to get close to you”
“.....” the child is silent and eats his bread again
After her bread ran out, Kino offered her another piece of bread but she refused it.
“No, thank you. I just don't feel good if all that bread runs out because brother gave it to a kid like me”
“Do not worry. Actually my sister bought this. If you're still hungry, you can ask for it again. I'll just apologize to him when he comes back later”
“Tapi–”
-kruuuk
The sound of the stomach like holding ‘konser’ during the day can not lie to anyone who hears it. The boy's hungry. Of course after that, a flushed face like a tomato appeared along with the sound of a small laugh from Kino. Finally after ‘konser’'s voice got louder, he received another piece of bread from Kino.
“I'm sorry I” the boy held his bread and apologized to Kino
“It's okay. I told you if you're still hungry, you can ask again. Eat until full”
There was a slight feeling of guilt in the child. He thought in his heart.
‘It wouldn't be unfair if only I ate all this while they held the hunger at home’
Kino saw him speechless despite already holding the bread in his hand. Kino asked her but the boy did not answer her. Not long after, Ryou came out of the shop and glanced right left to look for the older brother. Ryou finally finds Kino sitting near the stairs and it seems like he is talking to someone.
“Kino!!” Ryou shouted as he walked closer to Kino
Kino and the boy looked at the same time. Kino waved her hand towards Ryou. After approaching, Ryou immediately put on a waist-pulling pose that has lately become his favorite pose.
“Why not follow me? You didn't know I had a very long argument with my mustache uncle at the watch shop! She didn't want to lower the price at all and I ended up using mom's flagship style with...hmm?. Who is this kid?”
Before Ryou finished telling the story of his heroism against the watch shopkeeper earlier, he glanced at the child sitting next to Kino.
“I saw him sitting here and giving him bread. It was because Ryou had suddenly left me alone so I thought I would wait for you”
“……”
The little boy glanced towards Ryou. He was quite shocked by Ryou's face looking at him with a straight look, as if he was looking at him closely. Ryou who was staring at him remembered something this morning. Diat recognized his characteristics and immediately asked the child.
“You're the kid who hit us this morning at the altar right?”
- Deg
The child's heart was beating very fast. His face was pale instantly and his hands were trembling. Ryou looked at him quite sharply as if he was thinking something.
“I remember clearly. He hit us and you helped him stand up this morning”
“Really? I didn't realize it at all. Is that true?” Kino was shocked and looked at the child once more
“Nee...what happened to that face? Where are all your friends?”
Hearing Ryou's question, the boy became increasingly pale and cold sweat came out of his forehead. In a panic the boy immediately ran away without saying anything to the two teenagers.
“Oi!!” Ryou yelled out to call the boy
The two brothers saw him from a distance and looked at each other with confused faces.
******
Kaito finally returned to the fountain pool and altar again. Who would have thought that he would go to that place again after going so far in the morning to look for the pocket watches belonging to the two teenagers.
He was still paying attention to the path where he had managed to get out of that slum.
‘This obviously makes no sense. With the slums that are not touched by the residents of this city, indicating that this is no longer the ‘world day’ that I know. Moreover, the clues about my memory pieces this time will probably take longer to be found. This condition is completely out of my control’
Kaito intends to return to the foreign path once again but he still does not know the intricacies of the path. Again, all of his focus is branched out. He began to ask the surrounding residents about the road he had passed before.
“That road is rarely skipped”
“That place was said to be overrun by horrible people because it was almost no one approached it”
“They said in there is an illegal market that sells strange items stolen or contraband”
Some of the testimonies from the people Kaito met almost all gave one the same effect, the place was full of negative comments. However, a mother with a child provides a bit of information that Kaito finds quite useful.
“I've been seeing a bunch of kids asking for donations at the altar door this week. The altar guard officers several times asked where they came from but they never said so. In fact, every morning after I finished praying, I saw them go home several times. Looks like it's their residence”
Kaito remembered the group of children he had met at that place.
‘Maybe what is meant is them? If you remember, the child who accidentally hit me was also seen around the fountain pool this morning. Means not without reason they are in the slums it’
Kaito ascended the stairs to the altar and saw the surroundings of the place.
‘I know this is not the time to take care of that path. But, considering that the road was as strange as the fountain pool there, I don't think it would be a problem if I looked a little deeper. This could be a clue for me. This ‘world day’ change is already abnormal.I also can not guarantee whether this is a good or bad sign’
**
Theo ran with all his strength. After that he stopped under the tree with a breath of breath. All of his energy was suddenly drained away. In his hand was still bread that had not been eaten by him. He saw it and remembered the face of the man who gave the bread to him.
“So..the brother that was this morning”.
There was a feeling of sadness and his face showed a face of regret as he looked at the bread in his hand.
“I've done evil to that brother”
******
