《4098 YEARS》


 Prologue

    4098 YEARS


    THE PROLOGUE


    "You''ll be born on your 4098th birthday", a dark humanoid figure appeared in front of my blurry vision.


    And, what was he saying? I''ll be born on my 4000- something birthday? That really doesn''t make much sense.


    "I really don''t know what will become of you or this world but...for now," saying this he placed a hand on my hand and I began to fall...fall deeper and deeper into a void of darkness. I can feel it- my proximity to the ''unknown''. I am entering their realm, I can sense it.


    PART-1


    Hello, I am Kurtana Mihir- an handsome, rich, multitalented, topper and a committed guy. Well, the hot girl currently clinging to my arm- Matsuoka Maki- is the one whom I''ve given my ''heart'' to. Also, she may be my girlfriend but is happily cheating on me with my ''best friend''. Well, I''ve known this for months but didn''t care to take any action, just because. I am letting her do what she wants as I couldn''t care less. She''s a bitch, a fine one.


    "Hey, Maki-chan, wanna come over today?", I asked her, as we ''lovebirds'', often stay overnight at each other''s homes. We never had sex, though we have kissed.


    "Umm, I might wanna disagree this time, Mihi-kun~ I''ve already made plans with the other girls tonight..., so I''m reaally sorry!", she answered in her usual fake ''trying to be cute'' accent.


    As I thought, she is probably gonna join the g¨­kon or what they call a group mixer. It is often organized between students of various prestigious schools and rich academies. I''ve never attended one but rumours are that sometimes they go all the way.


    "Ah, looks like we have reached your home, Mihi-kun".


    I turned my attention towards the broody mansion, ''The Palace with Wheels'', as it was called. It was humongous with large and beautiful gardens surrounding it and a large decorated pathway leading towards the main house.


    "See you on Monday, Maki-chan", saying this I entered the gate and started walking. For a moment, I stopped and looked back at her, considering this would be the last time I''d see her.


    PART-2


    I put my bag on the bed and went for a quick shower. As I proceeded to shampoo my hair, my fingers ran across that spot, as usual. It reminds me of that day when everything started to change for me- that day when I listened to him.


    I remember that day quite well. I was around 9 at that time when on that snowy night, I shot him- my own father. The events leading upto this climax are another day''s story as it is the climax which is the most appealing. I recall how he turned around and glared at me with those demonic eyes as he would really devour me and how he violently smashed the whisky bottle on my head as I dropped unconscious.


    The very next thing I remember was me crying like a total maniac lying on the hospital sleeper. The pain I had experienced that day was totally unlike my previous experiences. I almost felt like my skull was ripped open and insects were eating my brain. Well, I did have a cranial fracture then.


    The doctor put me on anaesthesia and I initially went to sleep. When I later woke up, for a moment I couldn''t see anything. Yes, my surroundings were blinded by them- my ''Birthday Beasts''; as I called them. They are something, which I can''t really explain, to be honest. Let me explain a bit more.


    Apparently, the birthday beasts started appearing on my birthday, every year ever since I was born. I can confirm this because I often heard from my servants about me crying a lot due to no reason on my birthdays as an infant. I consciously started noticing them since my 3rd birthday, I think. At first, I only saw strange black masses with white eyes revolving around me the whole day. I can''t really remember so specifically but I at least recall I, just like any average child, started crying and told this to my then-alive mother. She immediately consulted medical assistance concerned about my mental health. The doctors checked me but couldn''t really find anything irregular with my brain activity and told my mother that I was ''extremely hallucinating''. They gave me some medication for the same. That day, I literally spent the majority of the day sleeping on my mother''s bed as the usual birthday party was cancelled. Nevertheless, I could still sense their presence.


    The next year was the same but this time I reacted lesser than before because I had kind of anticipated this before. Though I don''t remember much about that day, I recall that their appearance had changed a bit than before. They now seemed to have hands and legs but still were like a black mass. I didn''t want any trouble like before so I kept quiet about it. The following year my mother died and I stopped socializing after that. I became a shut-in. As I grew older, I started to notice changes in them. Their figure was appearing more and more like humans, year by year and their numbers decreasing. On my 8th birthday, an exact replica of me appeared in front of me. I was a bit nervous at first but just as always, it stayed at a corner in my room doing nothing. I had now grown accustomed to them or so I thought until I woke up that day in the hospital.


    PART-3


    I slowly opened my eyes to find my whole line of sight covered by ''them''. I immediately got up, but they suddenly disappeared into thin air. As the area around me cleared, I noticed something very peculiar. The whole room was covered by mist. I got up from bed and got in a frantic search of the door. I somehow made my way to the door and opened it. I looked left. I looked right. The whole lobby was enveloped by mist.


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    "Hello?! Is anyone there?", I cried in panic.


    Crying was a good option here but that would do nothing. I have to move forward, I thought. I took a deep breath and started walking right in search of an exit. Not too long after, I noticed something a bit ahead of me. I moved a bit forward to get a closer look.


    "A person?..", I muttered under my breath. To be more precise, she was a woman clad in a silverish and shabby one piece, with her back facing me. Just when I was about to take a step forward, a chill ran down my spine as she raised her hand a bit, revealing a blood- drenched knife. That stance....She was going to stab something, something on th-


    "KICHHH!!''. The sound of a blade piercing the body- I know it. Before I could even process the first strike, she continually began to strike it with an insane speed. What was it? A body part or a full body? My mind went running with thoughts. I was literally frozen at that spot. I have to run. I have to run. That thought repeatedly striked my mind. After a repeated 20 strikings or so, she teared something and threw it. I recovered from my shock and just as I was about to run, she turned her head around facing me. She had no eyeballs, her whole face disfigured and her legs were like she had rickets.


    "Aaa?", she let out a creepy moan opening her mouth extremely wide. I immediately started sprinting with all my strength. My whole body was covered in goosebumps as fear filled my entire body. I could clearly hear unusual but rapid footsteps charging towards me. Suddenly, I stopped feeling my torso and lower body.


    "Huh?'''', I called out in shock as my vision rolled down the ground. I then realised that I was decapitated. She silently came, picked my head up and began to caress my hair in a strange fashion. I wanted to scream but nothing other than thin air came out of my throat. She slowly took me to a room, placed my head on a table and went out.


    Unable to process anything, I stood there blank. My brain had yet to cope up with this bizarre situation. It is strange. I was beheaded but I didn''t feel any pain and why am I still conscious? What is going on?


    PART-4


    As my head rested upon the table, someone entered through the door. As soon as they came into sight, my eyeballs went wide. To give you a slight analogy, the creature standing in front of me was just like a rake or a skin walker but with far more creepy aura. and it appeared to drag something. As I rolled my eyeballs down, I saw my mother, unconscious. The creature stopped at a distance to me and raised her body by pulling her hair. Before I could properly react, it pierced through my mother''s chest with his long hands and took her heart out. Then he began to proceed towards me. Assuming the worst, I tried to move my head here and there but to no proper avail. He came to me and tried to push the whole thing into my mouth. I began to protest and mentally cry but it forcefully made me eat it somehow. Since my food pipe or rather my whole lower body was gone, I shouldn''t be able to swallow it but it did went ''somewhere'' down my throat, giving me the feeling of swallowing. My mental condition was unexplainable by now. He then again went towards the body, teared another part of her body and fed it to me. I just stood there, helpless, watching my mother''s body being destroyed. I just watched as he cut down her in the most ruthless way. I had stopped responding to stimuli by now. This went on for hours as he fed me every single part of her body. After everything was finished, he silently went away. As he closed the door, I immediately got knocked out. The next thing I remember was me opening my eyes to find myself on the hospital bed. I no longer could control myself. I screamed, and screamed at the top of my voice. I began to run aimlessly here and there like a pyscho. I began to bang my head on the glass window as hard as I could. The hospital staff was the one who saved me in time. They gave me an injection and made me unconscious. I later woke up in a desperate state but this time, I was a bit more stable as I came to process the reality. I realised it was all fake but something was still troubling me inside. It was the realism in the incident. I still remembered the taste of flesh, whether fake or real. I just couldn''t control anymore. I was thoroughly mentally disturbed by now. After sometime I heard from one of my servants that my father had disappeared somewhere after that night. That was the best piece of news I had heard in my entire life. With some psychiatric counselling and medication, my condition started to grow better. I was really scared of my birthday this year, but to my greatest surprise, no one appeared. I slowly returned to my home after some months. Even then, I spent most of my time in my room, just drawing or learning swimming. I completely wanted to wipe off my previous memories at any cost. Thus, six months passed and one day out of no notice, my father returned. and he didn''t come alone. He had brought a woman- a replacement of my mother, my step-mother. When I heard this, a strange sinking feeling filled my heart. He locked contact with me for the first time and in his usual tone said," I believe you have changed, even if a bit, Mihir. I count on you to take care of your mother here." Saying this, he walked of, leaving me and her alone. I was taken aback by it a bit. I have shot this man and that''s all he''s going to say to me?


    "Nice to m-meet you", I somehow bowed my head. Saying nothing, she too walked off. I, too, silently walked to my room. I had then realised something. I realised that how I now could never escape my current way of living. It would be the same thing over and again. The same thing as before. What do I do now? Ending my life seemed to be the perfect option but I didn''t really consider it. I decided something else. I decided to explore this little cage of mine and accept my current situation. I decided to be the ''perfect guy'' in this small aristocratic world here and find something worthy. That was my goal. I was simultaneously ready to face anything like my birthday beasts as earlier. I didn''t want to back down at any cost. Thus, began my grind which brought me here, 7 years later to my present condition.


    PART-5


    As I explained earlier, my history and my goal, now that I''m almost 16 and have climbed up the hierarchical order in the student''s society, I can now call myself the perfect aristocrat. In these seven years, I''ve never once encountered any being or supernatural phenomenon like earlier. Those have all become childhood memories now. But one thing I am yet to find is the worthiness or benefit of living this life. Once you get to the top, it''s the same over and over again. In all these years of my fake pursuit of happiness, I couldn''t find a single thing which made me ''feel'' something. I have always wondered how other kids of my age living the same life find their lives enjoyable? Is it some parental problem or my personal mental problems? This irritates me. What is that everyone in this society is seeing that I can''t see? Why am I so twisted? WHY? Why can''t I adjust to the environment in which I was born? Am I mentally unwell? I am...maybe. I haven''t cried in the last 8 years. I can''t cry now. I have forgotten to cry now. I neither feel love or hate. I...want to die now, but I''m afraid to kill myself. No worries, I can get myself murdered though. Easily, well enough. Tomorrow, everything will end. I will finally be free. I''m tired...tired of myself.


    "Knock, Knock".


    "Yes".


    "Your father has called you, Mihir-sama".


    "Ah, yes. I''m coming."


    I finished changing my clothes and descended downstairs. He was waiting for me in the living room.


    "You called, father?", I asked him politely.


    "Yes. I have something to offer you."


    "Something for me?".


    "Yes. Since you are already this grown up, I wanted to appoint a personal maid for you, how about that?''''.


    "That would be very kind of you, father".


    "Fine, then. She is waiting outside the gate. Fetch her and assign her a room. She is all yours from now."


    Wait.. She is already here?


    "I-"


    "And yes, I''m going to Kyoto today midnight for a 4-day business trip and your mother is coming back the same day in the morning, so be ready and don''t forget about the photoshoot and the T.V. programme shoot".


    "I understand..".


    To Be Continued.......

 Sapphire

    Chapter-1


    ''Sapphire''


    PART-1


    A maid? really?


    To be honest, the very idea of getting a personal maid is bullshit for me as it would be a nuisance to me. Though, as I''m gonna die anyway, I have no problem accepting the offer. After I die, she would probably either be kicked out or be given some other work in the house. Not my concern at all.


    I slowly took my time as I slowly proceeded towards the entrance gate. Just a few steps later, a person came into sight, sitting under a sheltered seating arrangement beside the gate. It was a woman, who surprisingly looked my age, wearing an one piece. To talk about her appearance, her face and hair looked like someone had dipped her in a solution of bleach. She had strange long bluish-white hair with eyelashes on her pale face. As I approached her, she noticed me and stood up.


    "Nice to meet you, my name is Amiya Mahi," she bowed and introduced herself.


    "Ah...yes. I am Kurtana Mihir. I''ll be in your care from now on. Please, follow me", saying this I started walking towards the servants'' hostel. She quietly began following me.


    "What is your age, by the way?", I asked.


    "I''ll be turning 16 this year".


    "You go to school?".


    "I..did went, until a few months ago".


    "I see.''''


    Judging by her answers and mood, the reason she decided to work here is either due to the bad status of her family, like the death of someone or due to some financial instability. She seemed to have a boring personality, at the least.


    Within a minute, we reached our destined place, the servants'' hostel. Medium in height and modern, the architecture could easily be compared to that of an average housing complex with minimum amenities.


    Seeing nobody at the reception, I myself picked a vacant room''s keys and lead her to her room. I opened the lock to the room and turned to her.


    "You''ll be living here from now, as you already know. You can rest for today. Come tomorrow at 9 in the morning. I don''t expect you to be late".


    ''''Yes..''''.


    "See you then". Saying this, I left. It was almost time for my evening''s swimming session anyways. As I made my way to the main house, I noticed how oddly silent today''s atmosphere was. The weather was perfect with the afternoon about to die and the relaxing winds. Times like this just make me love this world, even though just for a second, as the very next moment I remind myself of my crooked life. I wonder whether I can experience all this in the afterlife? Just a quiet place embraced with nature with me alone or perhaps I would go to hell and experience something like that dream years ago...Who knows? I don''t know anything anymore. I refuse to think anymore. I''m tired.


    PART-2


    As he left, I enter the room and turn the lights on. I take a view of the whole room and find that it is better than I expected. In total, there were two bunk beads, two bathrooms, a mini kitchen between them and a small verandah. There was also a cupboard facing the beds. Seems like my room mates are out for work now. Irrespective of that, this place in whole seems so quiet, almost as if I''m the only one in the whole building. I put my only suitcase beside a bed and began making preparations to bath.


    After having a nice bath, I wrapped a towel over my head to dry the wet hair and took out some of my books for a study session. I occupied the last vacant bed in the room and began my work.


    After a span of about 3 hours, I decided to check my phone a bit. It was quarter to eight, but still no sign of people in the house. As I was just thinking about what to do next, my phone began to vibrate. It was a call from my best friend, Naomi.


    "Hello, Naomi?"


    "Ah, Mahi?"


    "Yes? Can you hear me?".


    "Yes. So, how are you doing in Tokyo?".


    ''''Hmm, I''m fine till now. I haven''t really done anything right now''''.


    "I see...And? When will you meet that shit ass?".


    I sighed and replied,"Well, let'' see.....I''ve just today got a job here."


    "A part-time?''''.


    "No, full-time, as a maid at the Kurtana Residency".


    "The Kurtanas? You mean the top aristrocrat family right?! How did you even manage to earn a job there?!"


    "Well, I did partially get it by passing a couple of trials. If I provide bad results within a fortnight, they will have me removed, they said."


    ".......I see. So, did your aunt let you do all this?".


    "Ya. She never cared much, to be honest. Leaving all that, how''s everyone at school?".


    "Good, though Ryota still seems in a daze awaiting your answer. You know what? Just the other day he revealed to us that he is going to Tokyo this summer! You better answer him then, right?".


    I blushed a little but a second later came back to my senses and replied with a "Ya, ya".


    "Talk to you later then, I currently have a lot of homework to do for tommorow."


    "Mmm, later then. Bye".


    "Bye!".


    After the call ended, I decided to go downstairs and explore the building.


    As I descended the stairs, I began to feel the damp silence of the hostel. It almost felt like there is just me in the whole of this hostel. This feeling of mine was busted when I was descending the 3rd floor''s stairs as I saw an elderly woman, just about the age of my grandma, coming from downstairs.


    "Oh my", she instantly reacted upon seeing me."You seem to be new here, do you?".


    "Ah..., yes, I did come today. Nice to meet you, I am Amiya Mahi".


    "I see. I wish you a very hearty welcome, Amiya-san.'''' A gentle and heart melting smile appeared upon her face as she said this." You seem to be going somewhere. Is it for some work?", she continued.


    "Umm, no. Actually, I was going down for acquainting with the people here and know more about this place and stuff like that, you know...". A perfectly honest reply.


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    "I see...but it''s a shame that you won''t find anyone downstairs for a while. Almost all of them are currently out for some reason or the other and those currently at home are probably resting for their night shift jobs."


    "Hmmm, I see....".


    "Amiya-san, if you don''t mind I could show you around".


    "Is that so..? If it isn''t any trouble then I''d love to...", saying this I bowed my head a little. I don''t quite know this lady''s identity yet so I''m trying to be as polite as I can. Moreover, she seems to be nice and kind.


    The very first thing we landed upon after descending the stairs was the kitchen cum dining hall. It''s texture was just like a mini hall with one side completely reserved for cooking enclosed within walls making a decent kitchen and large dining tables stretching across the other side. I was a bit surprised, certainly.


    "Well, as you already know, this place is used by us for preparing and eating food. Usually, it''s the chefs who will prepare your basic meals but you yourself can make your own food whenever you want or grab some quick packed snacks whenever you''re in a hurry," the grandma explained almost everything in just a few lines.


    "Mmm...I see". Just then, the main door behind us opened and someone came in. I turned around and saw a middle aged man walk in. When he saw us, he stopped in his tracks and said-


    "Oh my, Nanako-san when did you come here?".


    "Long time no see, Minato-kun. How are you doing?".


    "I''m fine though. I have no work today so was about to head out for some dinner. Moreover, looks like you have some company today?".


    "Ah, yes. She is new here, just came today so I was just showing her around since nobody''s available now.''''


    "Hmm, I see." He then addressed me and introduced himself,"Hi, I''m Watanabe Minato, the head chef of this premise. Nice to meet you".


    "I''m Amiya Mahi. Nice to meet you too".


    "So, what will you do for dinner? Do you know to cook?".


    "I..do but I''m in no mood to cook", is what I really wanted to say but couldn''t do so.


    "I see, then can I assume you will be cooking yourself tonight?". To some, it may appear rude since he, the chef, himself is refusing to cook but I..kinda want to understand his point of view, a bit.


    ''''I don''t meant to be rude here but I''m heavily tired from other jobs throughout the day, so I want you to understand a bit''''. Quite...frank, isn''t he?


    "Well, then", the grandma intervened,"Why don''t we all go out and eat today?"


    "That''s a nice idea, Nanako-san. How about it, Amiya ?".


    ''''Well, if it''s okay with you two....", I calmly responded.


    "Then it''s done! We''ll depart in the next 15 mins then".


    Watanabe-san nodded and replied back,"Got it. I''ll be outside the gate with the car then". Saying this, he proceeded towards the kitchen.


    "How about we quickly finish our sightseeing tour then?", grandma smiled happily at me. Looks like she was quite excited.


    "Mm, yes".


    Our next destination was the main hall of this building, situated right opposite to the kitchen.


    I was quite surprised for a second when the door opened. It was certainly a bit more than I expected. Medium in size, with the wall beautifully decorated with unique embroideries and portraits. The room had soft sofas, an elegant diwan, glassy types of furnitures, idols and what not. Though, at second thought, these all luxuries do make some sense.


    As I was zooming past the room, a couple of portraits caught my gaze. One was a lady, which I clearly recognize as the former late owner of this mansion, smiling gracefully with a crying infant in her lap. I had always been seeing that lady''s mature and classy face since I was small but her in this picture was just....weirdly heartful and wholesome.


    "That-", I said pointing out to the second picture,"It is the master''s son, right?". My master, that is. I wonder was he brilliant since childhood? The most demanded teen aristocrat in Japan, that is.


    I turned my face towards grandma to find her a bit...dejected?


    Is something wrong with the picture? I again turned my face to examine the photo, rather a group photo of probably all the workers of the house with a small boy in between exposing a radiant smile.


    "Certainly, he is Mihir...". That''s all she said.


    "...."


    "So, leaving that, as you might have already guessed, this room is mainly used for refreshment purposes, group gatherings or for any official visits. You may also watch the T.V. here at any time. Now, shall we see a bit outside?", a soft smile reappeared at the last phrase.


    "Mm, certainly".


    The outside was a spectacle in the night with all the decorative lights. As time was short, we quickly zoomed past the outdoor attractions such as the car shed containing a variety of lavish cars, a beautiful animal area, an outdoor gym and playing area along with an outdoor stage. During this whole time, the grandma was simultaneously explaining some main areas of the mansion.


    "Even though we couldn''t explore the mansion now, I hope you yourself too continue learn about our little society here", the grandma addressed me, as we began our walk to join Watanabe-san outside the gate.


    Oh, wait. I realised that I didn''t know her name yet. Her first name was Nanako as I had heard earlier but I officially don''t know her full name yet.


    "Umm, I''ve been meaning to ask your name, grandma", I softly spoke.


    ''''Oh, right. I haven''t introduced myself yet, have I? I''m Tachikawa Nanako, the current head of the workers association of aristocracy and a former worker here".


    As soon as I got to know her current status I was startled for a second. The person I''m now casually roaming with is the benefactor of all the aristocrat workers workers in Japan?! Though it''s pretty cool...


    "Where did you live before this?", Tachikawa-san continued.


    "Ah..in Kyoto. Due to some circumstances, I just around a month ago shifted to Tokyo".


    "Hmm, I see".


    We entered the car and took off.


    "So, where do you want to go, you two?", Watanabe-san asked as we picked up some speed.


    "How about Amiya-san decides that?".


    "Anywhere you wish is fine by me though...".


    Then for some reason Watanabe-san chuckled and said,"Well it''s better if you stop being so formal, Amiya. It''s kinda funny when you talk to me like that."


    "Is anything wrong with my accent?", I asked confused.


    "Well..it''s a bit too exaggerated to say? In comparison to the other co-workers around your age, I think you are a bit too..polite. you see, I have even heard ruthless cursing from one of your counterparts. Not that I''m saying that everybody is-"


    "Pride in speech", Tachikawa-san suddenly interrupted.


    "Uh?"


    "That''s a famous phrase in the workers society. You''ll soon get to know about it. Irrespective of that, from your behaviour since the beginning, it seems that you are unaware of even the abc''s of the workers society. For example, you looked quite surprised at whatever you saw or heard about the workers mansion, almost like you had a completely different idea about us. Am I right?"


    Wait, wait, wait. Isn''t the atmosphere a bit serious now?


    "Ah, you are..right", I hesitatingly accepted.


    A small yet effective smile appeared on her face."You seem quite interesting. I hope you are ready to step into this new world"


    "..."


    "Ah, by the way, which job are you currently assigned to?"


    "Well, I''m the personal aid for the master''s son".


    Watanabe-san gasped and said,"For real? That Mihir accepted the idea of getting a personal maid? That is some news now."


    "Mihir, huh? I see..", Tachikawa-san reacted as uninterested or disappointed as before. Does she have any personal grudge with that Mihir? I pondered.


    Just then, the sound of a phone ring filled the car. It was Watanabe-san''s. He picked up the call through the screen below the dashboard and-


    "Ah, did you call?", a mature lady-like voice came over.


    "Akari, where are you now?"


    "With my dead boyfriend". A pin drop silence filled the car for a second.


    "Are you joking? Wait, did you even have a boyfriend firsthand? And why do you sound so damn calm ?!''''


    "I''m calm because I finally killed him," she called it out like a perfectly normal situation.


    "Huh? You killed him?!", saying this Watanabe-san stopped the car abruptly.


    "Why are you acting so surprised, huh? Aren''t you supposed to praise me instead?''''


    Watanabe-san just sat in utter shock for a moment. Then he regained his posture as if he realized something and hesitantly enquired,"Wait. Whom did you exactly kill?"


    "Aizawa, indeed. Why do you ask?"


    A sigh of relief escaped his mouth when he heard that, a reaction completely contrary to mine. Throughout, my whole life I''ve just known just a single Aizawa family and that monster, Hokan is what first comes to my mind. And Hokan... is a member of Black Ice.


    My eyes widened. What the hell is going on in here? For starters, who exactly are these people actually? Are they somehow involved with Black Ice? If so then...


    A slight mixed smile appeared on my face.


    "Um, Amiya-san are you okay?", Tachikawa-san asked worried. I broke out of my trance. She then signalled something to Watanabe-san and he immediately cut the call by saying a quick talk to you later.


    "I''m extremely sorry for what you just heard, Amiya-san. Let''s see, how do I explain this?"


    "I''ll do that, Nanako-san", Watanabe-san said while starting the car. I was personally at a loss of words. How do you even react to such a situation? I should be scared or at least heavily anxious right?


    "Amiya, are you frightened? If so then I''m sorry. One thing I''d want to clear here is that we are not bad guys. Whatever you heard just now, has a good reason behind it and you will get that reason when you properly know about us. There are a lot of things to discuss with you including about us, the ''Sapphire'' faction"


    To be continued....

 Hirakan

    Chapter-2


    Hirakan


    PART-1


    "Well, let''s see..how should I explain all this mess to you", Watanabe-san hesitantly spoke.


    This was after we came back, later that night, at around 10pm. Watanabe-san had summoned me to his room earlier for having, um, some talks...


    "Um, can I ask a question?", I asked.


    "Yeah, sure"


    "Was I possibly supposed to not know all of this?''''


    "No, you were, but we didn''t know you were supposed to, I mean..how am I supposed to explain this.....Ah, yes, let me first tell you the whole story then you''ll automatically get it all in the end. But, before that, are you really licensed with the -S grade?"


    "Mm, yes. Here''s my I''D", saying this I turned out my ID to him. He saw it carefully for a few seconds and then said-


    "Ya..it...sure does look real but why didn''t we get any info about you from Hikaru? Hikaru wasn''t responding so I called his subordinates and they confirmed your rank, so there''s no doubt about your rank but'''', he then sighed and said,"Anyways, let me explain the whole story to you".


    I focused my full attention upon him.


    "First, do you know about ''Hirakan''?", he asked.


    "Hirakan?.."


    "Yes, the trending online creepypasta now"


    "Um, I really don''t use social media that much, so..."


    "Well, that''s kinda rare nowadays. Anyways, listen; Hirakan is a short creepypasta about a supposedly real cult by the same name who worship the god of ''nothingness''. Now this god has some weirdly horrifying creatures as his subjects called- ''Mikkan''. Now, these mikkans are highly pyschologically horrifying creatures. First, they don''t have any definite form. Second, they are nightmarish. They have the special ability to trigger one''s mind so much that that person will be mentally crippled for life or suicide in one of the worst possible ways imaginable. Third, they don''t have any principles; I mean just nil. What they do is of no knowledge to them itself. Fourth, they have an infinitely negative colourless aura. Spiritually a type of aura which is unrecognised. Their auras are enough to destroy your soul. Fifth and the foremost important point- they don''t exist".


    Woah, woah, woah. He just rubbed some weird creepypasta upon me. Is this somehow related to our topic for today? Maybe...


    "Um, what does the last point mean?", I forcefully chuckled a bit as I said this.


    "I knew that question was coming, but sadly..", he got up and stretched his body a bit,"Nobody has an answer to this".


    Then, what in the hell was the point of this story?!


    "It was kind of an intro", saying this he yawned and,"You see the Hirakans do exist; And they''re invincible, you see. Allow me to narrate you the main interesting story here", he said as he drew in a funky smile at the end.


    PART-2


    You see, some months ago, a Hirakanian visited the HQ of the workers'' association. I was in the dome part of the building then, discussing something with Nanako-san when the door suddenly opened. My eyes grew wider and wider as I registered what I saw. A person wearing some strange oversized clothing was standing at the entrance, accompanied by a horde of people behind him. Those people were actually all the workers at the HQ, standing lifelessly, like a robot.


    "Am I allowed to enter?", the entity spoke in a calm voice. I was in too much of a shock to react and so was Nanako-san eventually, but she recovered quickly and said-"Yes, you are''''.


    He began entering and said,''''Worry not. I''m not going to harm these people. They are just physically shut now, mentally their senses are working fine".


    "So, what are you?".


    "Good, straight to the point. I''m called Hamore, the secretary of the spiritual leader of Hirakan".


    "Hirakan?", Nanako-san said as her eyes grew wide.


    "....."


    "Miyal", she muttered a bit desperately,"Do you know Miyal?".


    "No, I don''t."


    ''''How can you prove that you are from Hirakan? The novel says the Hirakans gained some special powers from the deity. Can you fly?"


    As she said this, the entity slowly began to rise up in the air and when he reached a considerable height, all the windows in the room shattered. Nanako-san''s eyes were wavering at that time, and so were mine.


    "What novel are you referring here?", he intimidatingly asked.


    "Minato, do you know anyone named Minato Yonkyuha?", she slowly and hesitantly asked.


    The figure closed his eyes a bit and said,"How interesting." Saying this, he slowly descended and continued,"Minato, A.K.A the previous Yonkyuha. I sure have heard of her a lot. She was something like one in a billion, they say. I don''t know why though. You seem to know something which the others don''t. Moreover, I judge you are somehow related to the Yonkyuha, is that right?"


    She lowered her eyes a bit and said,"That''s right. She was my little sister".


    He then appeared to smile a bit through his mask and said,"Then, how much do you know about us?"


    "Quite a bit, what I heard from her".


    "How nice, it would be much more easier for me to explain then. I''ve come here for a proposal you see. The final Shikyuha had been born around 16 years ago, and so is the final yonkyuha. It is now time for them to join us and start performing the final rituals"


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "So?"


    "It''s already been 4088 years now, do you understand that?"


    "Kind of. Something bad will happen, isn''t it?"


    "The world is to end".


    Nanako-san''s eyes widened a bit for a second."The world will end, you say?''''


    "Certainly, for all the living beings except us, the hirakans, only if the proceedings go fine that is. Anyways, the real point doesn''t lie here. You see, we want all the workers'' societies of the major seven houses to finish our one task."


    "Task?", she then giggled a bit, "What task is such that the mighty Hirakans can''t do and we, the weak workers can do?"


    "You all aren''''t weak, you all are heart throbingly sly and cheeky. Moreover, it is something which only you all can do".


    "What is it?"


    "Finish the Aizawas of Black Ice"


    "One of the toppest brass huh? Can you specify a bit more?''''


    "We can''t touch the Aizawas now, you see. Their hiding is just too perfect. They seem to have bandaged almost all their weaknesses in the recent times. That family is just too dangerous, especially now at the crucial period. But, as they say, anything isn''t just perfect; the Aizawas do have some decent injuries left open. We want you all to attack that injury like a deadly infection and finish them. To come to the reason why it has only to be you, it''s simple. You all have contact with every major institution, person or family in this country meaning you are widespread and the Aizawas'' one of the major weak factors is it''s workers unit, if you break through them then the rest is just a sequence."


    "The Aizawas'' workers have always been at the top of rankings, so your justification doesn''t really justify anything."


    "We already know that, for sure. Also, that''s solely based upon your rankings. You see, their workers constitute a very strong lock but the lock''s key is just lying around freely bothered by nobody. That free key is Hokan, the third son of Aizawa Hirosuke."


    "Hokan, you say?"


    "Precisely. If we kill him, then there''s just a simple sequence to the breaking down of them and when they completely break down, we finish them. And don''t worry, during this whole process we will guide you all when and what to do. You shall also be rewarded for successfully finishing tasks".


    "....How can we believe you though?"


    "A billion yen in advance. How is it?"


    Nanako-san smiled a bit and said,"Still, very few are experienced in getting their hands dirty and all, I must say".


    "We know that, and that''s why one of our officials will select a selected no. of individuals to participate in this mission. New staff would also be recruited on this basis, if you allow us to do so that is."


    "......I see. But, what if I disagree?".


    "For you to disagree, this isn''t a offer in the first place; it''s an order. If you disagree, then the aftermath is very simple- you would be finished in the worst way imaginable".


    She closed her eyes for a second thinking, and then said,"Ok, I understand. There''s no choice here, right?"


    "As long as you agree with us, you are as free as a bird. It''s not like we will operate you all like robots; you are free to do whatever you want as long as you don''t try anything stupid. Then, I''ll be taking my leave now. I will again come back within a few days." Saying this, he turned back and started to walk away.


    "I have a request, Hamore-san. Will you please take me to your base, if possible, at the earliest?''''


    Hamore stopped for a second and said,"Tommorow at 12AM, be ready in front of your house".


    Nanako-san''s eyes shined for a bit."Yes, okay. Thank you very much", she said.


    As soon as he left, all the individuals were able to move, including me. Nobody said anything for sometime. Everyone just looked here and there in shock for a while. I was the first to respond, after a few seconds.


    "What...just happened, Nanako-san?'''', I asked quietly.


    ''''I urge all of you to please go and sit in the auditorium, now. All your doubts would be cleared there." Saying this, she left.


    A loud chatter burst open in the room, as expected. Everything uptil now was so confusing and mind boggling, I had no words to say. I silently left the room alone towards the auditorium.


    PART-3


    "Pretty astonishing, right? Watanabe", one of my acquaintances whom I absolutely hated, spoke from beside me.


    "Ah, yes", I gave a curt reply indicating displeasure in making a conversation.


    "Something is surely gonna change from now on, I think", he said, not attempting to notice my message.


    ".....". Just then, Nanako-san appeared on the stage. She was wearing her usual expression.


    "I urge", she immediately started,"all of you to please ask your doubts after I finish speaking. I too am new to this topic and don''t know much about it or even if I know, I may not be able to speak about it, even so I''ll try my best to clear most of your doubts".


    Saying this, she started speaking about ''Hirakan''- their history, the mikans, the god of ''nothingness'', the goddess of ''calamity'', the Shikyuhas and Yonkyuhas, their traditions, etc. Everyone listened in awe the whole time.


    At last, she answered the question which probably all of us were wondering about-''Who is her sister whom she mentioned earlier?''


    As far as I can remember, she has never ever spoke a word about the existence of even one of her siblings till date, so this was a big surprise, at least for me.


    "You see, my sister was the 34th Yonkyuha, which is the previous one. As I explained earlier, every Yonkyuha is a fragment of the goddess which possesses a special amount of power of the Yonkyuha; the more capable the entity, the more power she has. You see, my sister was in the rarity here. She had a whopping 86% similarities with the goddess, which is told to be the highest in centuries. I am not going into the details here but there''s one thing I want to show you all, at last. Before that, I want to speak about what happened earlier. As you all had heard earlier, the Hirakans want a job done by us, without any outsider knowing about this though. As you might have already listened to all the statements he made, I am interested in knowing your opinion here."


    I looked around a bit. Most seemed to be in a mix of both frightened and excited at the same time, while some seemed irritated by it.


    "Um... How are our lives going to change if we take up this job? I mean, what are the risks here?", a lady got up and asked hesitantly.


    "Worry not. No physical assistance would be needed from you all. You all just have to help technically. The only risk here is if you disobey their rules. I want you all to keep your valuable trust on me and assist me in this mission. I know that all of this is happening at a fast pace but please try to understand the situation", she bowed as she said the last sentence.


    We respect Nanako-san a lot, so even though we were perplexed by the situation, we decided to give our mind some time to settle and adjust.


    "I see that most of you are confused right now; more like you don''t what to do. I know this might be a bit selfish but please support me. I''ll take full responsibility if anything bad happens."


    "I urge you to please not beg like this, Tachikawa-san", a man''s voice came behind me,"I don''t know about all of us but I''m sure that the majority of us will continue to serve you, no matter what!". What a confidence, I thought. Some other people tagged in with him and began agreeing.


    "I thank you all for the support. Now, for the thing that I promised to show you all earlier....", saying this she signalled something with her hands and a man slowly entered into the scene. He was pulling something with him. It was a book. It was a very big book. I mean, seriously big book. My eyes widened at the sight. So were the others.


    "This is a 10,512 page book called - ''Milta and ---''. It was written by my sister over her lifetime. It consists everything about the other world. It consists everything about the life of the goddess Milta, the ''nothingness'' god, Hirakan, Mikans, the start and end of this world, and also the hidden land of ''Shambhala''."


    To Be Continued....

 SUNDAY

    CHAPTER-3


    SUNDAY


    PART-1


    "A 10000 page book?!", I exclaimed. The whole story uptil now was just truly bizarre but very exciting. Also, Hokan was also mentioned there, so it''s even more interesting....


    "Yes. It is said to have been written from the time when Miyal, Nanako-san''s sister, was just 16 to the time just before her death, when she was 24."


    "Umm, am I allowed to ask about how did she pass away?"


    "Nobody knows that except for Miyal herself. There was no warning or any complications before she passed away, said Nanako-san. She just passed away peacefully while reading her prayers one night, as it is said. Leaving that, do you now understand our mission?"


    "Um... yes, more or less, I think. So, I''m a part of the special group who is in charge of the mission, right?"


    "Absolutely. Ah also, there''s one thing I forgot to tell you - about the code names. Each house has been assigned a code name, precisely after precious stones or metals. Ours is ''Sapphire''. There will be times when you ought to use this code name, so keep it a secret and don''t tell anyone about it, understand?"


    "Yes!", I answered a bit excited. I had started to become a little excited about all this but I soon reminded myself of my duty and suppressed it.


    "Good. Any questions you wanna ask?".


    "What were you going to do if I wasn''t a -S grade here?"


    "Simple, I''d have make you forget about it"


    "Forget, but how?"


    "Through the Hirakans. As I said earlier, they are extremely powerful. This would be a mere task for them"


    "Hmm..."


    "Shall we call it a day then? It''s quite late now; around half-past 11. When is your next job?"


    "Tomorrow at 9am"


    "I see. Good luck then"


    "Yes, thank you very much." Saying this, I left the room.


    PART-2


    "Aaah!", I shouted as I switched on the lights in my room. A young woman covered in blood was sitting on one of the beds with a good amount of bruises visible. Well, she didn''t...seem to bother and was watching something on her phone with a blunt expression. She turned her eyes towards me, which were seriously mesmerizing.


    "New?", she asked.


    "Y-yes", I nodded quietly. She sure seems to be a member of this household...wait, she seriously needs some aid now!


    "Where can I find the first-aid, miss?!", I exclaimed. "It''s not good for you to keep such wounds open like this".


    ".......", she just gave a blank stare in return."No need of all that. He must be here by now..."


    "Huh? Whom?". Just then, a knock came on the door.


    "Yes! You can come in". It must be the medical assistance, I thought.


    As the door opened, I found Watanabe-san standing in front of me, carrying a first-aid kit.


    "Amiya?", he asked a bit surprised.


    "Watanabe-san?"


    "Minato!", the woman called monotonously, not taking her gaze of her phone.


    "Yes, yes", saying this he sat down beside the woman. He opened the box and started treating her. "What are you watching so seriously, Akane?".


    "I''m not serious, rather quite delighted now. I just don''t have the energy to show that" Watanabe-san peeked a bit and gave out a sigh with a smile. "Again animal videos, huh?"


    "......"


    "Fine, I''ll not talk much now". He now turned his attention towards me,"Ah, ya, this girl is Sakurai Akane; the one who had called earlier"


    "Really!?". She was the one who...


    "Yes. She currently does assassination or spying jobs for us. She rarely stays home so please try to get along with her when she does"


    "I...understand".


    By the time, her basic treatment was done, she was fast asleep with the phone in her lap. I, too was lying on my bed, reading a book I bought yesterday. It was a tragic love story between the main protagonist, who is a common blind man and the princess of the nation.


    "Amiya, I''ve done the basic treatment for the night and also wiped some parts of her body with wet wipes, but a doctor must see her tomorrow. Will you please remind her of that the next morning?"


    "Ya, sure", I responded. Watanabe-san seemed like a father figure to Akane-san at first sight.


    Saying this, he left the room.


    PART-3


    "....?". I peacefully opened my eyes to a loud noise. I got up and saw Akane-san in a bath towel picking up the pieces of a broken vase.


    "I can do that for you, Akane-san. You should go for the bath", I said in a low and sleepy voice.


    "I''ve finished bathing", she said without halting.


    "Oh, I see. Even so, you shouldn''t take much load when you are injured", saying this I got down and went towards her to take over. She then for the first time, turned her face towards me, which left me in a shock for a moment. She was very...cute; more like the serious ''cute'' type.


    "Don''t worry, I''m doing this of my own free will", she said. In return, I said nothing and started helping her.


    What time is it now? My eyes met the clock; It was 8 10 AM. Enough time left.


    After we finished our work, Akane-san went to put on her clothes and I went to get ready. When I came out after bathing, my nose caught a sweet smell. It was of something being cooked. I took a peek at the kitchen to see Akane-san cooking some sort of vegetable mix.


    "What are you cooking?", I asked meekly.


    "Mixed veg. for filling sandwiches. You wanna eat? Or maybe you will eat Minato''s cooking downstairs, I think".


    "Umm, I''d like to try your cooking"


    "...I see''''


    I put on my uniform, which contrary to your imagination, isn''t the ''typical'' maid outfit and rather a formal wear and waited for sometime at the *kotatsu until her arrival some minutes later with a plate consisting of 4 sandwiches.


    "Itadakimasu!", saying this I put a bite of the sandwich in my mouth. "?!", it was so tasty and crunchy!


    "It''s good right?", Akane-san said as chewed her portion.


    "Yes! Very tasty!", I said with gleaming eyes.


    "......."


    "Akane-san, does nobody cook in their own rooms?"


    "....Mostly not"


    "Why is it so?"


    "Because of exhaustion, usually. Also, it is not a very common practice since long. Why would you take the trouble to keep stock of vegetables, spices and then cook, wash dishes, the gas, etc. You can cook something on your own here if you want to try something new or eat something of your choice."


    "Hmm, I see".


    After that, we silently finished eating and after rechecking everything in my handbag, I was finally ready to go.


    "Um ya, Watanabe-san had asked you to go see the doctor", I reminded her before going.


    "....I understand".


    I waved her a goodbye to which she, well, didn''t respond and went off towards the main mansion.


    PART-4


    ''Come tomorrow in the morning at 9 AM. I don''t expect you to be late'', is what he said; But he didn''t specify any details about where to come. So, I, for the second time in my life decided to enter the main house. It was as beautiful as yesterday with easily findable extremely costly looking interiors and objects.


    "Um, where can I find Mihir-sama?", I asked a passing worker.


    "Mihir-sama? Ah, just now I saw him in the drawing room 3. Moreover, you seem new here..", she replied.


    "Ah, yes. Nice to meet you, I''m Amiya Mahi; Mihir-sama''s personal assistant"


    "I''m Hasegawa Haruka, nice to meet you too. You should hurry now then, Mihir-sama must be waiting for you"


    "Ah, yes, thank you", saying this I went off towards the drawing room. Nanako-san earlier told me that there are around 66 rooms in this mansion so for easy navigation, there are digital maps placed at many places. Through the map, I somehow reached the drawing room. It was 9 07 now. I knocked on the door once, but no reply came. The second time, I knocked while saying that it''s me. After a few such knocks, I gave in and slowly decided to enter.


    "Sorry to interrupt....", I said slowly. Upon entering, I found Mihir sleeping on the sofa. He was looking so vulnerable and innocent; completely different than before. As I grew a little closer to his face, I noticed something else. Dried tears, they were. I was surprised. Yesterday, his character and body language seemed like a person who wouldn''t shed a single tear even for his family and today I see a new side of him. I decided to wake him up, as time was running out.


    "Mihir-sama'''', I called out to him.


    "...?", he slowly and childishly opened his eyes."Amiya? Ah, what time is it?", he sleepily asked.


    "It''s about 9 10 now, Mihir-sama"


    "I see", he then looked at his phone and said,"I haven''t got any message from her yet. Anyways, let''s start now", saying this he began to call someone.


    "Let''s go, Amiya", he said. I nodded.


    ''''Ah Sosuke-san, I''m coming now. Are you ready with the car?". It was probably the chauffeur."Ah, ok", saying this he ended the call.


    PART-5


    We reached our destination, the airport, where we were supposed to pick up Ms.Kashiwagi, Mihir''s step-mother. The driver went out to probably fetch her, and it was just me and Mihir in the car. He was looking outside the window.


    "The weather is very pleasant today, isn''t it Mihir-sama?", I asked, trying to break the ice between us.


    "Right"


    "Ah, I would be accompanying you to school tomorrow, did you know that?"


    "I expected that", he said without even a flinch, while still looking outside. I was in a fix now.


    ''''I see..."


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "......"


    "......"


    "Hey", he said after a moment of silence,"What do you think comes after death?".


    "Death...? I think nothing really comes after death. We wouldn''t be conscious to really know all of that. Our soul would aimlessly wander the cosmos, relaxing until it''s rebirth or materialisation in some way".


    "I see. Your way of answering seems extremely spiritual"


    "I''m not exactly spiritual, haha", I tried to laugh a bit.


    "There she comes". I tried to look out of the window to see her. She was a bright and beautiful looking woman with short brown hair. She looked extremely fashionable and cultured, just like I had seen her before on TV and magazines.


    After putting her luggage at the back of the car, the chauffeur started the car.


    "Are you new here?'''', she asked after settling a bit.


    "Ah, yes. I''m Amiya Mahi, nice to meet you!"


    "Hmm, nice to meet you too. Hope you get along with that boy"


    "Uh, yes...", I hesitantly said. There was no specific reaction from him.


    In some 15-20 mins. we reached our very first destination today. It was the headquarters of a very popular entertainment agency- blue gradient. We had a photoshoot and an interview there for the upcoming edition of the record breaking magazine- Standby!


    My only work there was helping him regarding clothes and makeup. One thing I found very exciting during the photoshoot was the sync between Kashiwagi-san and Mihir. On the surface, they don''t seem to get along but now they were a different breed itself. As both posed with such great ambitiousness and elegancy, and pierced the camera with their radiant and sexy eyes, I got goosebumps. After about one and half hour or so, we finished our work and departed from that place. Our next destination was for a T.V. talk show shoot at Masawa corporation. It was a very big studio there with a lot of artists.


    "Heyyy! Mihir!!", someone called out as I stood beside Mihir. I turned my head a bit to notice a pretty girl with braided blonde hair and blue eyes, running towards us. She came in full speed and jumped upon Mihir, while hugging him tightly. Was she his girlfriend?


    "Keiko, why are you here?". As he said this, he smiled a bit. This was the first ever time I''d seen him smile. She must be a special person to him....


    "Of course for the shoot ! By the way, it''s been a long time, huh?"


    "Probably..."


    "What probably? The last time we met was at mother''s birthday, and that was two months ago". She then noticed me and asked,"Huh?Have we ever met?".


    "Umm, I''m sorry to say so but I don''t remember you if it is true"


    "She''s debuted as my P.A. just today, Keiko''''


    "Oh!? You recruited a P.A. for yourself! Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that"


    "Father was the one who did all this without telling me"


    As they continued to talk, I felt something odd in Mihir''s behaviour. He was willing to talk and make a conversation here. And he also looked delighted, though not shown on his face. Was she really his girlfriend? or maybe something more than that? I wonder....


    Another thing I was amazed at later during the shoot was how quickly Kurtana Mihir changes his demeanour completely. I could clear see why so many girls in the country have had their hearts captured by him. By the time, all of the shoot and formalities ended, it was already 3 P.M. We also had a little lunch break in between where I talked a bit to the other workers of various houses and gained some extra insight into specific matters. As we were about to depart, Keiko-san again approached us.


    "Hey, the next week, can you come to my house the night before my birthday?", she said.


    "Uh...., ya sure", he said after some thought.


    "Thanks! I love you!", she said while hugging Mihir tightly. "See you later then, Mahi!", she pulled up a casual goodbye and off she went.


    We then started walking towards our car, which was standing at a distance.


    "Mihir-sama, was that your girlfriend?", I asked, even though it was perfectly confirmed by that ''I love you'' earlier.


    "My step-sibling, Nagasawa Keiko", he instantly replied.


    "Hmm, I see..". Now, that makes a bit of sense. That explains why she was also freely interacting with Kashiwagi-san. So, she is her daughter. But wait, if she really is her daughter then why doesn''t she stay with us? Who knows...I''m still inept in dealing with this high class society.


    As the car started moving, Kahiwagi-san asked,"Mihir, your father told me earlier that the Matsuokas invited us for a tea today. Wanna go?"


    ".....". No particular reaction could be seen from her step-son here though.


    "Ok then, let''s go", she decided on a whim.


    We reached the Matsuoka Mansion in about 15-20 mins. The mansion though still huge, was comparatively much smaller than the Kurtana Mansion. It had a vibe which gave it more of a ''cute'' look with it being decorated with visually satisfying objects. Now, mind it, I said just the mansion is a bit small because the overall area of the residency is just huge, much more vast than the Kurtanas.


    As we walked through the pavement to reach the main house, I noticed a girl with shoulder length hair reading a book on a beautiful table beside a space which was decorated exceptionally with vines, herbs, creepers and a prepossessing cluster of small trees with pink flowers.


    "Hey, come with me for a minute", Mihir said and started walking towards the girl. Kashiwagi-san paying no heed, continued walking and I decided to follow Mihir. As we approached her, she sensed us and turned her eyes towards us.


    "Oh, Mihir!!", she shrieked in happiness."And you...", she said looking at me with a bit shocked eyes,"Oh, Amiya Mahi-san?", and a slight sly smile crept out her face.


    "She is my new P.A., Maki; just joined yesterday. What about you? What are you reading?'''', Mihir asked.


    "Nothing, just a crime-thriller novel. Moreover, did aunty come with you?"


    "Yes, she''s inside"


    "Then, what should we do now? Shall we do something in my room?"


    "Not interested. Let''s do something here itself"


    "What about you, Amiya-san? Oh, before that I forgot to introduce myself", she said and got up,"I''m Matsuoka Maki, Mihir''s classmate and also his girlfriend", she said the last part very proudly, as it were some big achievement to be in her position.


    "Ah, yes. I''m Amiya Mahi, let''s get along", I replied back. She seems like a really nice and respectful girl by her vibe.


    Just then, a voice came from behind calling out Mihir''s name. I turned around to find our chauffeur .


    "What is it, Tanaka-san?", Mihir asked.


    "The master has called you inside"


    "I see, I''m coming", he replied back and turned towards me,"Let''s go", he said.


    "Wait, I''ve an idea then. Why don''t you let her stay with me in the time being? That way, we could talk and get to know each other"


    Mihir sighed a bit and replied,"Do whatever you want". Saying this, he walked away.


    "Don''t you find Mihir''s character extremely appealing, Amiya-san?", she asked as we watched Mihir go.


    "In some areas, yes I do", I replied with full honesty.


    " ''In some areas'' means? What about the other areas?"


    "Umm, I meant to say...um, well-"


    "Don''t you fear to say anything. Whatever is in your mind, say it! I promise whatever we you say will remain between us only", she began to force me.


    "He seems plain boring to me", I blurted out the truth without any hesitation and I personally can''t understand why I did so...


    Just then, Maki-san quickly burst into a laughter. Well...looks like I did say something funny, after all, heh-heh


    "I like you, hahaha", she said after bringing down her laughter. "The way you said it was very funny~ I also condemn your courage to say this to me", she smiled.


    "Umm, I didn''t mean anything wrong- also, I''m sorry for what I ju-"


    "Stop being so formal, you know. Be very free with me. I don''t know why but it looks weird when you are so formal"


    "I see, okay then."


    "Then, shall I call you Mahi-san?


    "Yes, that''s totally okay. Then, I''ll call you Maki-san"


    "Good!", she smiled heartily.


    I smiled at her in return.


    "Do you like horticulture, by any chance, Mahi-san?"


    I do have a slight interest and knowledge in farming and related, so I replied in affirmative. "Yes, I do know a bit about all that"


    "Do you see this beautiful grove? All of these trees were planted by me"


    "That''s really nice. I find these incredibly warm and beautiful"


    "I know, right? This is a species called ''Crepe Myrtle''. Ah, also, not only that, I was also the one who planted most of the other trees like the Chaste trees on the other side! Wanna see them?"


    "Ah, sure".


    Thus began my tour around the mansion. The mansion was so lush and nicely decorated that it even left behind the decorum of the Kurtana mansion. The reason behind this though couldn''t be seen at once, was quite simple. It was due to the sheer heavenly look of the garden. It was planted and prepared in such an extrordinary and calculated way that would easily leave behind some of the best parks in the country.


    Neverthless, some spots looked so romantic that two persons would automatically fall in love or make up. Though a bit unusual, there were different things placed at different areas. For eg. there was a piano and wooden seat placed at one instance of the garden or rather a mini forest on which small birds were chirping happily along with a dining table and also an insanely decorated outdoor bed.


    "Hey, come here for a second!", Maki called out to me. We then entered another row of trees where as soon as we entered, many cute little and colourful birds began to flock around us.


    "They are so cute, right?!", she smiled happily. My eyes went a bit wide for a second as I saw her. She looked an angel from heaven, for real.


    Just then, Maki''s phone started ringing.


    "Hello, Mihir?", she answered. ''''Hm,hm then leave her to me; I''ll drop her home later. Where were you all this time, by the way?" "Father caught you?!", saying this she chuckled and then replied,"That''s okay, we''ll talk about it later then. Yes, yes, leave her. Okay then, bye~"


    "Umm, what did he say?"


    "They are going home of course"


    "Home? Then I must go I think..."


    "Dont'' worry, don''t worry. I''ve already talked with him; I''ll drop you later"


    "Well, I haven''t even greeted the sir and madam yet and also I''m his P.A. so..., it feels a bit rude to me"


    She smiled and said,"As long as I''m with you, nothing can happen to you. It''s all on me"


    "But still.."


    "Just leave it"


    I felt a bit weird here and so I silently agreed.


    After this, we decided to have some tea there itself. Maki called someone to ask for suitable arrangements for the same.


    "All this, who was the one behind the creation of this park?", I asked as we sat waiting for the arrival of our snacks.


    Maki smiled a bit and said,"This park was a joint venture by both my mother and Mihir''s mother. You may not know but they were lifelong friends and this park was their dream. Though, after his mother died, my mother stopped taking care of it due to trauma and it remained like that for a year or two before I somehow got attached with this place observing which my mother started the rehabilitation of this park. Like I said earlier, I planted many trees here since then and still occasionally plant some new ones."


    By then, our tea came and we enjoyed sipping and talking about various random things for a while. As the evening settled, the lanterns on various trees around the park began to glow. What a sight it was....


    After a brief meeting with Maki''s family, I checked my watch. It was already 5 45 by now.


    "Maki-san, thank you so much for today but I''ve to urgently go home now", I urged her.


    "Do you have something important?"


    "Yes, some personal job"


    "I see, then let''s go drop you!"


    As we boarded the car, I began to think about the various events that happened today. Maybe, the society of aristocrats isn''t that bad at all.....probably.


    PART-6


    Time- 7pm sharp


    It''s time; time to end this story. I take a last look at the mansion, which made me recall a lot of hazy but the only good memories of my life when my mother was alive. Soon, I''ll be joining her in the afterlife. How interesting......


    My phone starts ringing at that instant. I slowly begin walking and take my phone out of my pocket.


    "Yes, where are you?"


    "Straight around 500m from your home. I''ve sent my location to you"


    "Alright"


    After walking some distance, I spot a blue toyota parked at a side. How many times have I not seen that very car in my whole life? The first thing that came into my sight as I began to open the car''s back door was two people of opposite sex kissing passionately with one hand of the man on the woman''s right breast.


    "Oy, I''m already here", I started at them.


    Both of them looked at me casually and the lady opened her mouth first,"Handsome as usual, right?"


    I said nothing and sat in the car. The guy started the car and we started to move.


    "What work do you have work with Mika-san this time Mihir?", the lady asked.


    "Some personal things", I curtly replied.


    "Hey won''t you share your reason with this sexy aunt of yours?~"


    "Since when did you become my aunt?"


    "Since you were born..!", she said while stretching her hands.


    "Shut up, you don''t even know my birthday"


    "6th July, 2006. You know, despite my attitude I really care about you and Tsuki you know"


    "Very funny"


    "Like you?"


    "No, your face"


    "More like that slut girlfriend of yours"


    " A slut? Like you?"


    This comment should have angered her and yes it did.


    She twisted her body a bit to point her gun right at my forehead and said,"Is this how you talk with your aunt, Mihir?"


    "Oy, can you please shut up this time? You too always fight like children whenever you meet", the man, Saezawa Mikatsu, who was quiet the whole time finally spoke. Hearing him, she took her gun back while giving me a stare. Well, this wasn''t the first time she had pointed a gun at me so I really had nothing to say here.


    Also yes, she is my very own aunt, or my mother''s sister, Zaitsu Saki. I never really had any contact with her until my mother''s death. I remember a bit when she came teary eyed for my mother''s funeral. That was also the first time I talked to her. Now, the reason to why I didn''t had any contact with her and why I have such a relationship with her now is a long story. This, Mika-san here is her, well you might have guessed it already- her boyfriend. I have quite a good relationship with him contrary to her.


    PART-7


    "Well then, we''ll be going now as we have some work elsewhere"


    "Yes, thanks for the help."


    "See you later then"


    The car then drove off and I turned back to face a compound which was regional base of black ice, namely- Chrome Ice. The compound was purely steampunk style and I liked it quite a bit. I freely walked past the dozens of guards which a very few number of people had the privilege of. My aim was to meet the regional head, Shinseki Kazuya and was successful in doing so when I found him loitering casually in one of the hallways. He sensed my presence from behind and turned his head around to check.


    "Oh, Mihir-kun. Yo!". A sweet yet solid response, at least in my POV.


    "I want someone''s murder done", I jumped straight to the point.


    "Hmm, who''s?"


    "Mine"


    "......"


    "......"


    "Uh? did I hear that correct?"


    "Absolutely"


    His poker face then turned into a smirk and then a laugh.


    "First time in my life ever am I getting a contract of self assassination and that too from you?! Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that", he laughed. "Well anyways let''s talk about that in my cabin. Come", he added.


    "So, Mihir-kun, tell me why you want to do this", he said as we walked.


    "I just felt like it"


    "You know, Mihir-kun, you have a dangerous personality, you know"


    "Might be"


    "Anyways, how exactly should I feel about it since you''re my old friend. This was so unexpected, you know"


    "I don''t care about how you feel, just tell how much do you want?"


    "Don''t worry, I''ll relieve you for free"


    "I have some conditions though"


    Just then, we reached his cabin and he went in ahead while calling out to someone as ''parrot''.


    "Oy parrot is your work done yet?", he casually asked.


    I, who was a little behind him, entered the office after a delay and noticed a girl with bleachy white hair, surrounded by books and documents at one end of the cabin. I am getting a bad feeling here.


    "Can you tell me the reason why you jerks never ever maintain your files correctly?", she said.


    A second later, she turned her head to come face to face with me. I couldn''t believe my eyes upon seeing her. My feeling was right for she was none other than Amiya Mahi. In return, she began to stare at me with a confused expression.


    "Mihir? For real?!", she exclaimed.


    "Oh, you already know each other? That''s nice"


    On the other hand, I was literally in a fix to speak something.


    "What...are you doing here in the first place?", I asked.


    "I can ask the same to you"


    "That''s none of your business. First, tell me how are you connected to Black ice?"


    "Well....how should I explain you, I wonder. Your coming here has become a big problem to me"


    "Allow me to explain, Asatsu-kun", Kazuya intervened,"I don''t know what is the relationship between you two but this person, this absolutely beautiful girl standing right here is none other than the daughter of the president of Black Ice- Amiya Natsuki!"

 Amiya Mahi

    AMIYA MAHI


    PART-1


    "She is none other than the daughter of the president of black ice!", Kazuya announced proudly as Mahi and I blankly kept staring at each other.


    "Natsuki?", Mahi questioningly turned her face towards Kazuya.


    ''''Hm? Isn''t that your real name, parrot?''''


    "No, absolutely not", she fiercely stared at Kazuya''s eyes, "Amiya Natsuki doesn''t exist now"


    "Ehh? Isn''t that your birth name?"


    "So what? I don''t acknowledge any of that man''s doings. Anyways, I''m a mistake, aren''t I?"


    "Haah", he sighed,"Whatever, I don''t have the time to start a fight with you now, parrot ,unlike you who is always ready. Mihir, take your seat there."


    "Ah also, now that my game is up; there is no need now to pretend in front of you. Even though, I thought finally things were slowly starting to fall in place.....", she sighed,"Well, why are you here, Mihir?"


    "Looks like your demeanor has completely changed, huh?"


    "Ahh, well probably you''re correct"


    "Well he is here for his own murder, you know?", Kazuya casually dropped the bomb.


    "Uh?'''', her eyes twitched as she went in a shock for some seconds. "For real?!", she exclaimed.


    "For real", Kazuya smiled.


    "Don''t worry, I will play you a handsome amount of cash in return of your job", I said to her.


    "Huh? What are you talking about? Is that what you think of me?", she closed upon me as she said the last line. "That''s disgusting", she looked straight into my eyes with a creeped out look.


    "Ah so you don''t want anything? That''s fine"


    "You don''t seem to understand but that''s not the problem here. We''re talking about your death, isn''t it?", she said in a rigid yet worrying manner.


    "That''s right, so?"


    "Is it that normal for the both of you? Isn''t Mihir your friend, Kazuya? Then how can you talk so normal here?"


    "I''ve killed countless number of my friends and comrades all over my life for whatever reason it may be and you expect me to put out some friendship drama now? You really, really need to change your soft mindset, Natsuki, that is if you want to survive in this world and find your family."


    Mahi smiled and said,"You may be actually right, Kazuya, but sorry I...still won''t let this guy die."


    "What are you blabbering about?", I let out my words sharply.


    "That''s enough, let''s get you back, Mihir"


    "Who the hell are you to order me, huh?"


    "I''m your Personal Assistant, Amiya Mahi"


    "Stop your nonsense. I''ll pay whatever you want if you leave me alone from here"


    "I don''t want your dumbass money, you asshole. Just stop this nonsense and come home with me."


    "Now you''re ordering me, huh?", I asked in a heavy noice, now a little triggered.


    "Yes, you''re right"


    "And what if I don''t listen?"


    "Nothing. Kazuya, come with me and you can choose to enjoy your time here though I''ll make sure to call and tell your family about you coming here. Also, if you plan to flee somewhere else, then I''m sorry to say you can''t exit the campus without my permission."


    "Aren''t you crossing your limit? And WHO are you to make up these dumb rules?", my nerves were ready to explode at this point.


    "I am the acting president of Black Ice. And thus I have the full authority to reject your order or do whatever I want, understand?"


    That was it. Never in a long time have I been betitled or blackmailed by a person like such and thus it directly directly hit my ego like a bullet.


    "Kazuya, if you don''t mind, can I hit her?", these words unconsciously escaped my lips. This was probably the first time in a while where I lost my control and that too, to a petty girl like her. Huh, how far have I fallen...


    "Ho-ohh?", Mahi chuckled and then spreading her arms wide,"Come boy, you can fight me", she said as she lowered her eye lids as if taunting me.


    "Kazuya, this is my last warning, I must say", I gave a death stare.


    As big of a scumbag he is, he smiled slyly and said,"Well, if parrot herself is inviting you so where do I come from?"


    I know she is provoking me; alluring me into making the first move. This girl...she has something going on in her mind. I mustn''t take her so lightly after all.


    But still....


    With adrenaline rushing through my body, I charged at her with a never felt before pumped feeling. I threw a first upon her face which she surprisingly defended and launched a reflex attack upon me using her knees which I barely managed to dodge.


    Without wasting any time, I launched another attack; this time it was aimed at her shoulder. Not to my surprise, she deflected my hand and the instant I destabilized, she threw a mighty kick straight at my belly. As a result of impact, as I fell back a little, I came to confirm one thing- she was very experience in fights, same as me.


    "You look quite experienced...", I said.


    "Well, I might be? Who knows?"


    "In acting that is"


    Stolen novel; please report.


    Upon hearing that she smirked and said tauntingly,"I could same the to you, Mihir-sama~"


    I smiled back at her ,"You really are an interesting one. I must admit my defeat here."


    "Oh?"


    "But, I must also ask, even if I return home now, what guarantee do you have that I won''t turn to somebody or commit suicide myself?"


    "If suicide was an option, you would have already done it Mihir if you weren''t a coward by chance and talking about somebody else, you must mean the group of all the spies, assassins, murderers and all those types of crazy people right? The ones which are against Black Ice. What was their name again?"


    "Mirage", Kazuya announced from behind.


    "Ah, yes, that. Well, speaking about that, it would be very funny if they wipe of their own leader, you know?", she giggled at the last part.


    I was speechless for a second. This girl knows one of my heaviest secrets which literally nobody in the world knows. Here I thought I had worked so perfectly and flawlessly to conceal my identity these past few years.Just how much does she know?


    " That must have came as a veeery big surprise, right? Well, don''t worry, I myself got to know this just today."


    This girl seemed to be way ahead than I expected and it is almost fascinating....I was purely checkmated in this situation.


    "Seems like I''ve no moves left, at least for now."


    "So, what is next?"


    "I''m going back, of course."


    "Then, let''s do one thing. We''ll have dinner first and then go together by my car; after all, I''m your personal assistant."


    "Hm? You gonna continue that drama?". Though, that wasn''t a big surprise to me as I already saw something coming like this. It''s not like, she knows about me and now can easily expose me so I''ve to obey all her orders as she too is a lot like me with secrets which I''m sure she doesn''t wanna get exposed.


    "Of course, you might''ve already guessed but I''m on a mission right now and this position is very crucial for me."


    "It is something related to your family, right?"


    Her face grew a bit grim."As expected from you Mihir, you caught on that line which Kazuya blurted earlier right? Well, yes, you are right; it IS related to my family"


    "Ah, I see."


    "Well, we''ll talk more later. My stomach is burning right now....Kazuya, is the food ready?"


    "Yes, parrot. Shall I send it to your room as usual?"


    "No, set the dining, as Mihir too is there today"


    "Oy, I''m not gonna dine here. Also, isn''t it a bit too early to have dinner?"


    "Well, I''ve had nothing since morning except the tea and snacks which your girlfriend served, so it isn''t- atleast for me"


    "Then you can gladly eat while I go back"


    "No, we will go together Mihir. Just let me quickly finish my food and then I''ll drive you back"


    "Well, I don''t have a choice but to listen to you, right?"


    "That''s the reason I offered you to eat together"


    "Still I''ll pass. You can have your dinner and come, I''ll be waiting"


    "Well, that''s fine", she said with a ''I don''t care'' look. "In that case, Kazuya, I''ll have my dinner in my room".


    Saying this, she left leaving Kazuya and me alone.


    "Kazuya", I slowly muttered his name


    "Yes, yes. Though not everything, I can give you some basic information about her. Let''s walk as we speak."


    "Natsuki is the first daughter of Amiya Wakaya or Kimura Wakaya, as all know. To be honest, I don''t know much about her since I never had much contact with her. All I know is that she is an exceptional lady. She is a trained professional in many forms of martial arts, her intellectual thinking is way beyond anyone else, her bodily abilities like pure skill, reaction time too are honed to perfection and not to mention, her memory too is astounding"


    "You just bluttered out some really obvious nonsense, Kazuya, well though you did provide me a better insight."


    "Regardless of all that, I think that she''s the easiest person to beat."


    "May I know the reason?"


    "She is just far too emotionally unstable, you see. A little emotional game can easily end her. But that would be hard for you to initiate since you know practically nothing about her or her personal life. Anyways, I''ve some work now, we''ll talk later."


    "And what shall I do in the meantime?"


    "You could go to parrot''s room, you know"


    "No thanks, I''m just fine here in your office", I bitterly said.


    "Alright then, enjoy yourself. See you later!", he casually waved me goodbye.


    PART-2


    "Are you ready to go home, master??", a taunting female voice pierced into my ears as I was aimlessly operating my phone.


    . She began to walk behind me and for some reason, the entire area became quiet while we walked.and only the sound of the wooden floor could be heard.


    As soon as we got out, she called me from behind saying-


    "Hey, the car is parked here", she said pointing towards the garbage.


    "When did driving at 16 become legal?"


    "Oh, I''m actually 18 you know, so I have my license", she stated it as a matter of fact.


    "How many more lies are you hiding from me?"


    "Many", she calmly responded as she opened the garage.


    "Hop in quickly"


    ".....", I silently went and sat at the back seat.


    Thereafter began our ride back to that house again, after all that.


    "I have a question, care to answer?"


    "Spit it out", I replied with my usual demeanor.


    "Do you know about the Hirakans?"


    "Ah what? What does that even mean?"


    "Well nothing, leave it."


    "Hmm, I''ve got a question too. How did you come to know about my connection with Mirage?"


    "I made Kazuya spit the truth out just a few hours ago when I was scanning through some records."


    "That bastard...", I clenched my fist."What else did he tell you?"


    "Nothing much. But still, I wonder how no one except a very very few people know about your identity as Mirage''s leader? At least, someone should have leaked it by now I think."


    "Huh, you can''t be serious right? Do you think Mikage is some C grade organisation that my identity would be revealed so easily? It''s just like your father''s case; only a handful of people know how he really looks and his real name."


    "That man takes a lot of care regarding his identity. Using face masks, fake beards, moustaches and wigs, sometimes also sending other persons in his place and what not. But what about you? Mirage is not a small organisation, right? Hope you understand where I am getting at?"


    I sighed and said,"I use a slightly different version of the ''undercover boss'' method. Me and the six vice presidents disguise ourselves and act as normal members of the organisation while there is an enigma sitting right at the top and constantly exchanging information with us while he acts as the fake boss."


    "And what if he gets caught? How can you trust that he won''t betray you?"


    "Eight people together have created the Mirage. That enigma is one of them. I hope this gives you your answer."


    "Yeah, quite a bit."


    "Since, now you know quite a bit about me, why don''t you tell me a bit about yourself?"


    "There''s nothing to know about me. Moreover, you must have asked Kazuya about it, right?"


    "Of course, but he just gave me something which I already had an idea of. Well, you left when we were talking about your family, so can you continue from there?"


    "....."


    "Hm?"


    "We''ll save that topic for later", she just brushed it off like nothing.


    I sighed and kept a mum, well, because I had nothing to say here.


    "I''m an ordinary person, Mihir; well I would sound very cliche if I said that but I''m not as special as you think. Though, I''d like to believe I''m not a bad person. You can choose to trust me from here on, if you''d like. Once my job is over, I''ll end my relationship with you and leave you forever."


    "Hmm?? You seem to act less cocky than earlier", I smirked.


    She sighed a bit and then said,"Well, I had no choice but to act like that there or else you wouldn''t stop."


    ".....", while giving a silent response I looked out of the window to witness the Tokyo tower, as beautiful as ever. It is the first place which I remember having went together with my mother. It is a very sweet memory including for the part where I got lost and then someone, whose face I don''t remember clearly helped me find her. Thinking a bit about today''s incident, was it mother who didn''t wanted me to die today and came in the form of this person to rescue me? Is she trying to indicate something to me? Like something which I''ve yet to see before I die. Well, let''s see.....