Clover. ➳S. Hoshina

☘︎Twenty Three

"Whoa, I'm flooded by notifications, look Y/n." Captain Narumi says as he shows you his phone. It is indeed flooded by notifications that you can't even read because they dissolve so quickly, with likes and comments coming in every second.

You are heading to the chief's office for an urgent discussion about Kafka, whom you haven't seen in a while.

Narumi looks at you with a pleased expression, his eyes landing on your necklace. He stops walking, blocking your path. He reaches for your necklace, making you feel uneasy due to his closeness.

Kikoru, beside you, can't bear how close the Captain is to you.

"Your necklace looks fascinating," he starts, lifting the pendant. "Is one of its leaves missing? Clovers usually have four leaves, right?" Kikoru leans in to take a closer look.

"That looks like a gap," Kikoru says, referring to the space between the clover leaves.

"But it seems like it was made that way," General Narumi mutters, while you feel stiff and uneasy. He lets go of your pendant, and you continue walking, still wondering about your necklace.

"A three-leaf clover stands for faith, hope, and love," he adds.

"While the fourth one stands for luck," Kikoru continues. "Hey Shinomiya, do you remember those necklaces with a broken heart pendant where you could give the other half to your special someone?" Captain Narumi starts, and Kikoru gasps in agreement. You, on the other hand, is trying to catch up with their conversation.

"Maybe the fourth leaf belongs to someone else? So that means he's your luck or something!" The two gasp and turn their eyes on you as if they've cracked a code on a serial murder case.

"So you have a boyfriend?" Kikoru asks you. "No, I don't. I've had this since the accident. I don't know who gave it to me or what it means," you reply, lifting your clover pendant.

"Oh, I see. Maybe that will unlock something from your past," Kikoru says and rubs your back.

"You'll surely recover your memories soon." You smile and mouthed thank you to your blonde-haired female friend.

The captain doesn't look surprised. He is already aware of your condition and that you lost your memories. All he cares about is what you are at the moment and how capable you are, as he thought after hearing about your performance.

"Kafka Hibino, I assign you to the first unit." Your eyes widen at the chief's announcement. Everyone goes silent as tension starts to rise.

"By combining the monster classified as one of the strongest in history with Japan's strongest anti-Kaiju fighter, we will form the strongest unit that can defeat any monster disaster. I will give you a chance. Demonstrate your strength in the next subjugation and convince everyone," Chief Isao states.

Kafka doesn't hesitate to answer, "Yes, I'll do-" but is cut off by the captain. "No thank you," he says to the chief. "My presence should be enough for the strongest unit." Captain Narumi swiftly turns his heels to walk away. "Now if you'll excuse-"

"It's not."

"There's No. 9 that has transformed into a human and gone into hiding, and No. 10 that has commanded monsters to deliberately attack the defense force. They're clearly different from the monsters we've had so far. Catastrophes occur when we get full of ourselves, thinking we can deal with anything. Those catastrophes happen in a way that profoundly subverts our common knowledge. We must evolve," the chief explains, then shifts his gaze toward the captain. "Narumi," he calls out.

Captain Narumi sighs as he turns his feet, facing Kafka. "So that's the level of faith you have in me, Mr. Isao? It would be more efficient if No. 8 was turned into a weapon for me to use." A small grin escapes his mouth, making Kafka tense while you and Kikoru watch from the side, exchanging glances.

"Captain Narumi, I can't die just yet. There's something I've yet to do. At least until I fulfill that, I'll be clinging to anything I can," Kafka gathers his courage, giving a salute to the captain. He then turns away, heading toward the door. "I don't care about your thoughts, circumstances, or determination. Show me results and power."
He glances at Kafka before stepping out of the room.

"If you go on a rampage again, I'll immediately turn you into my suit," he reminds Kafka, then slams the door shut. "Thank you, sir!" Kafka raises his voice, expressing his gratitude to the captain for allowing him to fight alongside the first unit.

You and Kikoru walk up to him. "I'm glad you're alright," you started, and he smiles at you. "I told you I would be, so here I am," he proudly replies. "Oh, they arrived quickly. I'll head out now. See you then," he says as the officers in charge call him back to his room. You wave him goodbye.

"L/n, Y/n," a huge voice calls out to you; it's the chief. You walk up to him, salute, and put your hand down. "Your father was a great man," he starts. "You knew my father, chief?" you ask politely. "Yes, you don't remember?"

"She lost her memories, chief," Kikoru joins the conversation. The chief rummages through his drawers, looking for something. "Ah, there it is," he mutters after finding what he's been searching for.

"Here." He extends his hand, holding a photo frame. You slowly take it from him, just to see a photo of two blonde father-and-child pairs and a h/c father and child.

"Wait, what-"

"You forgot that you met each other before." Kikoru and you exchange glances, processing this new revelation.

"Kikoru was too young to remember it back then," Chief Isao says, and you keep staring at the photo frame.

"Sir, do you know where his grave is?"

It was stated by the chief that they only retrieved the lower half of your father's body, which was buried by your family. He doesn't know exactly where it was buried. His upper body was swallowed by the Kaiju he was fighting. He actually defeated it, but it still cost him his life.

You find yourself standing on the roadside where Chief Isao told you your father died. Your mother never shared this with you, which you can't understand.

But then you look down at your chest, touching your necklace, believing that your luck is out there. That luck will surely come back to you and retell everything to you. That mysterious luck is probably the man in your dreams.

Slowly, the fragments you have are starting to form something that will lead you back to where your past is.