A New World

~4~

Killua had been getting increasingly bored as even more time passed. Months flew by, and his mask kept getting improved. Now he could go for short walks outside the house without fear of it failing on him. Thankfully there was a café close by, so he could go out and get something sweet pretty much whenever he wanted. The only rule, was he couldn't go over a certain amount of money per week. Killua strolled into the café, a good deal of cash in his pocket. The woman at the counter smiled as he walked in. "Hey there kiddo! Back again I see." Killua took a seat in his favorite spot, it was right next to the kitchen so he could smell all of the delightful scents of baked goods from inside.

"Yep, got anything new?" He asked, with a lick of his lips. The woman let out a soft laugh. "Ah, well we do have some specialty items. But I think you'll like this one the best." She said, rooting around in one of the display cases. Killua felt himself start to salivate as she gently scooped out what seemed to be some sort of chocolate pie. Killua drummed his fingers on the table in anticipation, fishing some money out of his pocket as he got ready to pay for the delicious chocolate dessert. "What is it?" he asked curiously, as she brought it over to him. The woman smiled. "It's called chocolate lasagna. Basically layered chocolate pudding, chocolate sauce, crushed cookies, and whipped cream. You don't have any allergies do you sweetie?"

Killua shook his head, handing the woman the remainder of his money. It was a Saturday anyways, he'd get his allowance renewed tomorrow. "Keep the change, this looks delicious." He praised, getting ready to dig into the dessert. Killua slid off his mask to take a few bites, feeling like he was in heaven as soon as the chocolate hit his tongue. "Mm!" The task of eating was extremely time consuming, but he had plenty of time. As he was eating, he logged onto the free wifi and started researching about U.A, the school Shota worked at. Apparently it was the best in the entirety of japan, that people came from all over to attend.

The entrance exam was in a week

Killua smirked to himself. I could just show up at the exam, and Shota can't exactly send me home can he? He continued eating his chocolate lasagna, making sure to take small breaks in between every few bites. All he needed to do was study the material for the written exam, which was the day before the practical. If he did well enough on the written exam, Surely Shota couldn't deny him from taking the practical. Maybe I'll even end up in his class. He thought with a snicker. Soon enough, the dessert was gone. Killua got out of his seat with a stretch, thanking the old woman as he left the café. "Thanks for the dessert! I'll be back tomorrow."

Killua strolled back to his new accommodations, hands in his pockets. As soon as he opened the door, Shota met him with a quizzical stare. "what's got you in such a good mood?" A fair question, considering Killua was almost always bored or irritated. "Chocolate." He said simply, with a catlike grin. Although it was unnoticed, as his mask covered pretty much any facial expression he made. Killua had gotten very used to communicating his emotions with just his eyes due to this. Shota let out a huff. "Eating sweets so much is bad for your already questionable health." He scolded, glancing down at his paperwork. Killua sidled over to him with a scoff. "Says the one who inhales several cups of coffee every day." He shot back teasingly. "There's a difference. I need caffeine, you can live without chocolate."

Killua draped himself over the edge of a chair nearby by the waist, resting his elbows against the backrest, and his chin on his hands as he watched Shota. "I'm not allowed to do literally anything the least you can give me is my damn chocolate." He grumbled. He's such a mother hen. Despite the old man's gruff way of speaking, and tired appearance, Killua could tell the man cared about him a lot. Which was equal parts endearing and annoying. On one hand, it felt nice to have a parental figure who actually treated him well. However on the other, Killua missed just being able to do whatever the hell he wanted.

"What else do you want to do?"

Killua was a bit taken aback by this question. "Well..." He trailed off, thinking of an answer. Shota was looking at him expectantly for an answer, but once put on a spot he couldn't really name anything specific except trying the entrance exam. "I just- I wanna go places, do things. I want to be able to do dumb shit again, where my biggest worry was accidently breaking something and not. You know, dying." Shota was giving him and odd look, and he hurriedly gave some fake examples. "Like climbing trees, doing skateboard tricks, stuff like that." He lied. I can't exactly tell him I jump off buildings for fun can I. "The final version of your mask should be ready in about a week. Once it comes in and proves itself functional, maybe I'll let you go do rowdy teenager stuff." Shota said, sipping his coffee. A week? That's perfect! It gave him enough time to try out for the entrance exam.

Just as promised, the mask he was waiting for arrived six days later. Killua stared at the thing in awe. It was sleek, a lot less clunky than the one he had one. There were also glowing lights coming from inside the thing, it looked so badass. Killua grabbed the slip of paper that was inside the box, his heart beating rapidly in excitement. Filters out the unneeded nitrogen, extra protection against smoke and other airborne particles, and speakers on the sides so my voice isn't muffled anymore. Killua slid the mask on, and his eyes widened. It felt like he was finally breathing normal air again. There was also a sensor on the mask that would alert Shota if his mask was ever removed, and a small button on the side he could press to disable it in case he wanted to eat.

This is perfect. And when I pass the written portion of the exam, he can't say no!

1084 words

To Be Continued...