As Ada was wandering around the place, killing monsters, and Gyutaro was destroying traps, Charles walked in the main hall. A person dressed in large and dark clothing was standing just a few meters in front of them. The familiarity of his face made a feeling of sadness burst out inside of Charles. His black hair wasn't short as it used to be, but it was tied in a low ponytail. His black eyes, that were once full of spark, now looked so bored, like their parents have been nagging them all day. The reflection of hisself was visible in his eyes. Charles' brown hair was falling on his face, but not enough to cover his green eyes. He noticed a smile, but it wasn't his. It was Koko's.
'Are there any words needed, friend?' He inquired.
They wanted to scream yes. They wanted to tell them they should talk it out. They wanted thing to go back to how they used to be, when they were all hanging out together, but he knows it's impossible. The man was flipping a dagger in his hand, while a smirk appeared slightly on his face. His eyes were seeming to smirk along with its when they saw Charles' sword.
'You were never good with fighting.'
Frowning was now an instinct to them. There was no reason to smile these past days, but somehow, they laughed when heard that. They were missing his jokes. A laugh escaped from them, in the honor of the old days. Instead of looking at them with sadness, or anger, they were happy. Happy to finally end this here.
'Come at me, Charles. I'll do you a favour and kill you fast enough to not feel any pain.'
That made them feel better. Lies. They raised their head in a second and the next one they were close enough to stab Koko in the heart, but he dodged. They stepped forward once more, with the sword pointed at him, just for him to disappear right before their eyes. They felt something hit them from behind and almost fell but retreated to the place where his friend used to stand. He needn't even use his dagger, that he already lent a hit on Charles. It was clear who will win, or maybe it wasn't. The man got in front of him with the speed of light and raised his arm to stab with his dagger right when an arrow struck the air between the two that were battling. Gyutaro's archer skills are very good and he never missed the target. He didn't want to kill Koko. This was bad. He was supposed to be busy with his task, not run to help Charles. Their plan was made so that his two friends won't get hurt, but fate has another plan for them. They grinned and then marched at the villain while he was distracted by the other person's arrival. A cut was made in his stomach, but he returned the favour to his old friend by stabbing him in the shoulder. A deep scream came out of Charles' mouth as he pulled out the dagger in order to avoid getting hit by Gyutaro from behind. They fell on their knees and protected their shoulder with the other hand, watching his two friends fight. Koko was fast, but not as good as Gyutaro. He can hold him up for a while until Ada arrives, if they arrive. It's humiliating how they were planning to protect them and ended up being protected by them. His dodges were fast and the attacks were precisely planned to confuse his opponent. He was looking for a window to kill him, but he will never have the heart to actually do it, just as it was when he was younger. The villain punched him in the face and then injured him in the chest with his bloody weapon. Gyutaro growled out of pain and made a few steps back. Koko was now watching them both cover their injuries with an angered look. A grimace appeared on his face.
'What an amusing situation. You may not have the heart to kill me, but I do.'
Just as he finished saying that, he pretended to run to Gyutaro, but at the last bit, he switched directions to Charles, who finally managed to stand up, and stabbed his leg. They grabbed his right arm and pulled him closer enough to whisper with the last bit of their breath.
'I may not have the heart to kill you, but I have the brains.'
Koko was expecting an injury from Charles, but it came from behind him. How? Gyutaro wasn't able to do it, then who did it? Her little knife was pushing through his chipped heart, making sure that he was going to die this second. The guild president stared at his old friend fall down next to him and then noticed Seiy and a young girl standing behind her. Their consciousness wasn't going to last for long, or maybe their life wasn't going to, so they grabbed Koko's hand and managed to say:
