Mr. Nyugawa,
I hope this letter finds you well. I know it has been far too long, and I am sorry to place this burden on you without warning, but I have no one else I can trust.
My children—Aoi and Zaria—have grown so much since you last saw them.
Could I ask you to take them in?
I have a feeling the other...Kaidanchō...will not give them a chance in the Selection Draft , and I'm afraid I won't be around to mentor them in the ways that they deserve.
Their passion for hunting burns bright, and they need someone to captain them properly for this ever-changing world.
You're the only one capable of the job, Master.
Love,
Zia
...
Omariro folded the letter and placed it on the coffee table with a shaky hand. His eyes, for the briefest moment, stretched wide.
But then the moment passed.
"Hey, Mr. Nyugawa, I've finished up the living room and both hallways. What else do you need?"
Han placed the vacuum against the wall before walking into the living room. "Sir?"
Omariro straightened up, his dreadlocks shielding his eyes from view. Han's attention turned to the folded letter on the table. "Heck is this?"
He picked it up and scanned its sentences.
"Aoi? Zaria? Zia? Who are they? Are we having company, sir? I haven't finished the bathrooms yet..."
"Trouble. Having trouble."
Omariro used both hands to push himself up and grabbed his walking stick off the floor.
The old man navigated his way to the kitchen, using his stick as a cane, and threw the fridge door open. Omariro looked up and down before shutting the door.
"Food. Order."
Han pulled out his phone. "So, are we ordering for two? Four? Five? Your bank limited your spending, sir. We can't do a buffet tonight."
"Groceries. Pick off list."
"List it is."
Han plopped down on the couch and began scrolling while Omariro turned on the kitchen sink and splashed water into his face.
He stared at his reflection in the water. What stared back was another man—-hair longer, face absent of wrinkles, and with golden eyes that glowed underneath the surface of the water.
Omariro lifted his head and looked around the room. No one was there but Han and himself. He wiped his face using a nearby towel and emptied the sink, ensuring every drop of water had been drained.
Then he went to sit beside Han.
"Food's on the way, sir. Though, you've reached your spending limit for this week, so we'll have to start hitting grocery stores again."
"Bank will unlock account," Omariro replied. "Or bank will feel wrath of stick."
Han face-palmed.
"Sir, are you sure you don't need some calming medicine? You're supposed to be enjoying a peaceful retirement, not doing whatever this is."
Omariro didn't respond.
Rather, he picked up the remote and turned on the TV, which played the news.
"Breaking News! Today marks the 10th anniversary of Omariro Nyugawa's retirement! To honor our elderly legend, we've decided to put together a 12-hour compilation of his best dungeon feats!"
Omariro immediately pressed a button and changed the channel. A golf tournament replaced the news, and the old man sat back in his chair, using the side lever to pull out the recliner.
Han glanced at Omariro, who didn't seem to notice. He shrugged and began playing a video on his phone. "Huh. Draft's in two weeks. I wonder what young recruits are gonna be picked this time. Says there's a pool of sixty four..."
The two men remained like that for hours.
And hours.
And then, a loud bang erupted from the door, causing Han and Omariro to jump to their feet. Han wasted no time standing between Omariro and the door.
"Some stalkers might have found us, sir. What should we do?"
"Peephole. Check."
Han approached the door, placing one eye to the peephole. As soon as he did, he recoiled, his eyes narrowed. "The hell?"
Han stepped away from the door. "It looks like two girls. One's dark-skinned, like you, sir. The other one's lighter, and they have backpacks on, I think."
Omariro held his head. "Address. Woman gave it away."
"Should I let them in, sir?"
"Open door. Ask purpose."
Han cracked open the door just enough to peek his head out. The darker-skinned girl folded her arms and gave him what could only be described as a "dirty look."
"About time," she scoffed. "Is Mr. Nyugawa at the crib?"
"Maybe. Who's asking?"
"Me? Zaria?"
Han shut the door. "It's them, sir. Those girls from that letter."
He sighed. "And gosh, that older-looking one is so rude!"
"Ask women their intentions. Women will not come in house and create problems."
Han reopened the door. "Zaria, he wants to know why you're here. What is it that you want?"
"I want to become a dungeon hunter. Duh. Mr. Nyugawa is the best, so Mom told us to come to him."
Her sister tapped her on the shoulder. "Hey, uh. We should probably show a little more respect. This is Mr. Nyugawa's property, after all."
"I'll respect Mr. Nyugawa, not this doorman gatekeeping us from him."
"I'm not a doorman, thank you very much! If you wanna be a rude, poor-mannered woman, you can take a hike right now!"
Zaria stepped forward. "Say that to my face! You won't!"
Aoi put a hand in front of Zaria. "Zaria. You're leaving a bad impression..."
"I don't care!"
Omariro pushed the door all the way open, standing in the middle of the doorway. Both Zaria and Aoi froze as the man tapped his stick on the ground.
"Women have disturbed the peace. Respect will be shown, or women will go back to where they came."
Both girls shared a look, and Aoi began to sweat. "We're really sorry, sir. We didn't mean to intrude like some thugs, our mom disappeared, and the last thing she told us to do was to come and find you."
Omariro sized them up, his eyes slightly opening. "Woman should have let girls know of retirement. I no longer explore."
He began to head back inside.
"Wait!" Zaria called out. "C'mon, sir! Without Mom to train us, it's either we jump into that rigged-ass draft, or we come to you! You were mom's captain—-or Kaidanchō, whatever you call it, right?"
Omariro briefly paused, nodding. "Was strong. Reckless. Passionate."
Zaria pointed a finger to herself. "Now, you get to have her badass daughter in your pack. Cool, right?"
"Daughters," Aoi corrected.
"Yeah, sure."
Han gently pulled Omariro aside.
"Sir, are we really gonna let these girls inside our home? I mean, they just look like they're a handful, especially Zaria!"
"Mother sent request. Girls have no father, so the mother picked next best thing."
"Which is you, I'm guessing."
Omariro nodded. "Respect for mother will gain them entry, but not security. Girls will behave, or be sent out."
He returned to the doorway. "In. Come."
"Oh? We in?" Zaria asked.
The man left, leaving the two outside. Aoi shrugged and stepped into the doorway. "I guess that's old-man language for yes."
She and Zaria shut the door behind them, taking in the scenery of the interior. Aoi traced her hand along the kitchen walls and counters.
"Is this stainless steel? Wow. Mr. Nyugawa, you are a man of taste."
Zaria tossed her bag onto the living room's floor before sitting down and crossing her legs. Aoi jumped over the couch and sat down as well, while Han and Omariro watched from the corner.
Zaria pulled out some bubble gum and began chewing, while Aoi took a comb out of her bag and started going through her hair. "Is this golf?"
"Yep," Aoi answered. "Seems Mr. Nyugawa's been binging this stuff."
Han's face grimaced, while Omariro leaned against his stick as his brow furrowed. The boy knelt down just enough to whisper into Omariro's ear. "Are you having second thoughts, sir?"
"Yes."
Aoi put her feet up on the couch and pulled out her phone, taking pictures. Zaria stretched her arms and placed her legs on the coffee table, wiping her nose.
Omariro's eye twitched, while Han blinked a few times, rubbing his eyes.
"No wonder why no captain would take them," Han muttered. "They literally scream 'rough.'"
Zaria picked up the remote and changed the channel. "Mr. Nyugawa, do you have any other sports on here? Football? Basketball? Shit, wrestling?"
Omariro whacked the remote out of her hands with his stick.
"Hey! Mr. Nyugawa, what the hell was that for?"
He walloped her and Aoi upside the head without missing a beat, causing them to gingerly rub their temples.
"Ow!" Aoi exclaimed. "Why did I get hit?"
"If children want to stay, children will respect rules. Or children will see the door."
"You didn't give us any rules, sir," Aoi pointed out. "But I didn't know one was getting hit with a stick..."
Zaria cracked her neck. "Eh, doesn't hurt as bad anymore."
Omariro walked off, pausing to stop in front of Han. "Show girls to rooms. If girls show disrespect, girls will be dealt with."
"Sir, yes, sir."
Once he was out of the room, Han approached the girls, taking a slow step toward them. "Well, follow me. The guest rooms are upstairs."
He started heading for the stairs, but he spun around when he didn't hear the sound of footsteps behind him.
Sure enough, the two girls were still sitting on the couch, feet on the coffee table as Aoi showed Zaria something on her phone.
"You've gotta be f—-!"
Han took a deep breath. "No, Han. They're not gonna drive you insane in your own house. Master Nyugawa's peace must be preserved."
Han marched back over to the couch. "Hey, I said come on! Your rooms are upstairs, so let's get moving—-!"
He tripped over Zaria's leg, falling face-first onto the ground. Both girls laughed and immediately put their feet on his back, resuming their activities.
"Damn this," Han grumbled. "Why don't I get any respect?"
He tried to push himself up, but he only collapsed back onto the floor.
Omariro walked down the steps and headed for the kitchen, stopping when he saw the scene in the living room. Both girls immediately sat up straight, giving Omariro a pair of awkward smiles.
Han got up, rubbing his back. "Well, that went about as well as you expected, sir."
Omariro's eyes hardened into a glare, and both girls picked up their bags immediately.
"So!" Zaria blurted out. "Where are our rooms?"
"I think upstairs, right?" Aoi replied. "We'll go do that right now! Come on, sis!"
They tried to brush past Omariro and walk up the stairs, but he stopped them with his stick, and they slowly turned their heads to face him.
"Erm," Aoi stammered. "Do we get a pass on this one, sir? We'll be good! Very good, even!"
"Yep!" Zaria agreed. "Total obedience!"
Omariro's eye twitched, and both girls went running up the stairs as Han stood beside him. "So, what are you going to do about them?"
"Must remove problem from equation. Channel girls' energy into strength."
"By doing what?"
"Girls want to be hunters. Girls will get their wish."
"Really? But you said dungeons are no joke, sir."
"No. But girls cannot stay here unchecked. Will have to prove worth, or be left behind."
Han pointed to himself. "What about me? You told me not to use my ability unless it's a dire situation."
"Boy will join. Chaos needs control."
Han gulped. "Yay..."
Omariro stared up at a picture hanging above the TV, one of a younger Omariro holding up a trophy.
He had black and gold armor, golden wings, and was much taller and more muscular.
"Division will be rebuilt," he noted. "Piece by piece."
Omariro used his stick to guide himself to his room, pushing open the door. Han followed close behind as the man walked over to his closet.
Inside contained a bin of dusty hunter outfits, each of which had the same color scheme as Omariro's old armor.
"I haven't seen you use those in a long time, sir," Han remarked.
"Time is nigh," Omariro announced. "Zia has disturbed retirement. Only fair children pay the price."
He lifted one of the outfits from the bin, holding it close to his face.
"Hmm."
Unbeknownst to the two, the girls were busy peeping from the corner, sneaking off before Omariro could catch them.
——