Chapter 704 - THE DAWN OF A NEW DAY
704 THE DAWN OF A NEW DAY
The group of four was exhausted after the horrible ordeal in the underground rooms. When these people came to Anarkh, they were in a good mood, excited to see something interesting. Unfortunately, they never expected to become a part of the show.
Their clothes were covered in sweat, blood, oil, ammonia and general grime, so their body odour was quite unpleasant. Luckily, the special attendants waiting outside showed them to hotel rooms to shower and change clothes.
Of course, the simple shower did not feel like it was enough. After all, they had done a lot of gross things, like dissecting corpses to get the code for the door. Moreover, the strange bombs in the third escape room were filled with strange chemicals, and they were still lingering on their five senses.
The four people all rejected the complimentary drinks and food offered and went home at around three in the morning. When Emi and Inei arrived home, they were feeling dog tired. They stood in the kitchen and sighed aloud before they looked at each other for a long moment.
Then, they burst out laughing.
It was like there was no other way to express the mixture of emotions they had just experienced. Everything piled up on them in the underground, making anger, frustration and sadness superfluous. All that was left to do was laugh.
The laughter continued for a long minute before Emi went into the pantry and came back with a bottle of whiskey.
“Sister Yasha gave me this bottle of whiskey when I got the job at the school,” Emi said while she opened it. “She told me to only drink it when I feel like I have accomplished something I would never have done if I stayed with the family.”
“She is quite a trickster. She probably wanted to prove a point.” Inei snorted.
.....
“I know. She thinks I am wasting my time here. She probably hopes I will return with the bottle unopened.” Emi laughed. “But I think we deserve this drink.”
“I have done a lot of things, but I never thought there would be a day I would cut open zombie corpses to look for a passcode to an underground escape room,” Inei said as he got some tumblers from the shelf.
He placed them on the kitchen counter, and Emi poured a generous amount into each of them. They picked up the glasses and touched the rims lightly before they both took a long swig.
“Oh, it looks like your Sister Yasha did not trick you. This is the good stuff.” Inei said. “She never gives me anything this good, even on my birthday.”
“You are her older brother. You should be the one giving her things.” Emi rolled her eyes.
“I am barely older than her. Plus, she is the future matriarch of the Shio family. Not to mention she is the manliest one in the family. She should treat me like her darling.” Inei retorted.
Emi laughed because there was a lot of truth in that statement. Their sister was a beautiful but strong woman. She had the personality of a powerful general. Otherwise, she would not have taken over the company when the Shio family had two sons.
“If she hears you, you will be in some big trouble.” She looked meaningfully at her brother.
“You would not betray me. We are now comrade-in-arms. Blood brothers!” Inei lifted the glass in his hand into the air heroically.
“Why not blood sisters?” Emi teased him. “You have already given up the title of the manliest sibling to Sister Yasha. Not to mention, we already share blood.”
“Do not get hung up on the details.” Inei scoffed. “We have gone through fire together and come out alive. We are bound by the blood we have shed.”
“Alright, alright!” Emi stopped him before he continued his tirade. “So, what is next for you?”
Inei remembered the mysterious couple that played with them for a while. “I think I will stick around and see the future of the Demon King’s empire.”
Emi nodded in understanding because she knew Inei was more determined than ever to keep working on the troublesome matter. “Alright. I might be a little busy during this period, probably up to the spring vacation. You will have to take care of yourself.”
“I will find a way to survive.” Inei rolled his eyes. “I will stay here when I am not busy. I have to keep an eye on you.”
Emi did not want to fight with Inei after the long night. Moreover, the more she resisted, the guiltier she would look. It was better to let things go on naturally. Knowing Inei, he would probably be too caught up with work to even come back to the house.
“Suit yourself.” She picked up the bottle of whiskey and poured more of the liquor into her glass. “I am going to take a long, long bath. Hopefully, I can erase the stench, if not the memories, of the entire ordeal.”
“I am going to go for a classic shower-bath-shower. And then, I will burn every article of clothing on my body. I would shave everything bald if I could.” Inei might act like he resented his beauty, but he was also a vain person. He never wanted to be anything but gorgeous.
It was the principle of the thing.
“I will leave some products in your bathroom for you. I got a great shampoo from this place near the school. It is like magic.” Emi lifted her glass in cheers before she went upstairs. “Do not drink too much. You know you can’t hold your liquor.”
Inei made a face behind her back childishly and refilled his glass of whiskey.
He went through the backdoor to look at the dawning sky in deep contemplation. He knew that he would not return early after going to Anarkh, but he never imagined he would be watching the dawn at home with a drink in his hand, feeling like he fought a thousand battles.
He looked at his wrist to check the time. However, his wrist was bare as it never had been for years. His watch was more than a timepiece, so he always kept it on his person at all times. It was resistant to almost all forms of damage, including impact, pressure, moisture and dust.
Now, he felt naked.
His face darkened as he remembered how much Shi liked his watch and his clear intentions to steal it. Unfortunately, Inei forgot to get it. It was hard to remember to ask for it while going through those disgusting corpses and trying to decipher the bombs.
He took out his phone and scrolled through his contacts. He found the number he was looking for, assuming Shi had not changed it. He dialled the number, and the call went through. However, after three rings, the call disconnected.
It was obvious Shi rejected the call.
Inei was miffed by the behaviour and wrote an angry message immediately: RETURN MY WATCH OR ELSE!
On the other end, Shi looked at the message, and one side of his lips raised almost imperceptibly. He looked at the time on his ‘new’ watch before looking at Yagi. The two of them were already seated in the office, checking the reports from the various members.
“I am resigning as your bodyguard,” Shi said without warning.