Ben 10 Radiant War, Vol.2

Mika Homura

"Ben?" 

Ben gave a start as Erice's unusually gentle voice reached his ears. 

He looked up from his mug of coffee as the beautiful black haired girl with a red streak in her bangs, now dressed in a bath robe sat down next to him, stroking his head like a mother would a kid who had a really bad nightmare. 

"I.. I'm fine, just.. um.. eheh.. had to regain my senses a bit." Ben said. 

"What happened? I know it might be tough to talk about-." Erice said. "But there is no way something like the Demon traumatized you that much. I mean I guess any normal person would be traumatized from a sun being thrown into them, but that's not the type of thing that gets to you, especially given what you are."

"J-just a real bad nightmare." Ben murmured. "I was uh, you know how every hero has that one traumatic event in their life that has happened?"

Taking inspiration from the conversation he had had during their first loop, Ben lied, feeling disgusted with himself as he did so. 

Erice cared deeply enough that she and Ophelia were staying home from school to take care of him as he recovered, not even bothering to leave a suitable excuse and instead taking the price of an unexcused absence. The two of them had spent the entire day cooking for him and they were both so busy fussing over him that they forgot to eat themselves. 

But telling the truth was more trouble than it was worth at this moment.  Even if they managed to believe it, eventually the loop would restart and they'd forget all over again. 

He was alone.. he was all alo-

There was a knock at the door.

"Who could that be in the middle of a school day?" Muttered Erice. "Not like the Mailman doesn't know to just leave in the box.  Ophelia did you order a package or something?"

"Nope." said Ophelia looked out from the kitchen where she was preparing an early dinner. "Hanzo could've gotten something."

"He's so minimalist though." grunted Erice as she stood up and walked to the door, only for a letter to slide straight through the bottom of the door.  

"Eh?" Erice opened the door and found nobody. She then picked up the letter. "Addressed to nobody.."

Erice frowned as she opened the letter and frowned. "It's just a letter that reads the word Distraction over and over again."

Ophelia blinked. "Eh.. what kind of comedic bullshit is that!? Let me see!"

Ophelia took the letter and sniffed it. "Mmmm.. I know this scent.. the PERVERT FROM THE LOCKER- eh? Where's Ben?"

The dining table was empty. 

At the back of the house, Ben stood with Shi Jian who was fiddling his Time Slowing Belt after having sped Ben out of the room with all due haste. 

"Only a matter of time before they worry and start tearing apart the house looking for you." said Shi Jian. "Couldn't seem to find any opportunity to get you out of there for a talk, though we might as well have waited till the next loop when you'd get a chance to convince them you're sane."

"Sh-Shi Jia-." Ben began.

"Don't man, you're still getting over what happened, and that's gonna take either a lot of alcohol or some good old fashioned talking." said Shi Jian. "I might've just witnessed what happened when you fought that Time Abomination before you got.. uh... yeah.. sorry I didn't get there in time to assist, not that fighting them would have any point to it. How do you feel?"