Demon Eyes

Chapter 3: Dark, shrouded eyes

The sound of a gunshot echoes through Kawazumi's school building. The moment he hears the sound, Fumito can tell that something is wrong.

"I gotta go!" he shouts as he storms out of the classroom.
He rushes through the same hallways and rooms that Noreyu and Hirisu ran through in search of their teacher, but just like the two did before him, he finds nothing.

Eventually, he ends up on the walkway outside, where he stumbles upon the scene of the battle which has already come to an end. In a quick motion, he leaps over the railing, gracefully landing on his head and coming to a stop after rolling through several metres of foliage.
"Noreyu!" Fumito shouts as he jumps back to his feet. "What happened here? I heard a shot!"
Noreyu, still on the ground, reveals his gunshot wound to Fumito.
"I might not be able to duel today," he coughs, slowly pushing himself up. "Sorry 'bout that."

With the precision of a savage animal, Noreyu pulls the bullet out of his body. A little bit of blood splatters across his shirt.
"My body's tough enough to withstand a couple of bullets, but they do still hurt like hell..."
"You'll be fine!" Fumito encourages with a smile. "I've messed you up way worse than this, and you've always come back from it!"

Hirisu, who also just got back up, slowly approaches the two. They notice Fumito looking in their direction, to which they immediately hide behind Noreyu.
"Who is he?" Hirisu whispers. Much to their dismay, Noreyu steps to the side, landing them right in the center of Fumito's vision.

"Oh, hey! You're new here, right?" Fumito asks, overly excited as always.
"Oh... Yes, I'm- I'm new." Hirisu stutters, attempting to hide behind Noreyu again.

"We're friends," Noreyu finally says. Hirisu is very relieved.
"Whaaat?" Fumito's eyes and mouth drop wide open. "You made another friend? I thought it would never happen!"
Noreyu looks down, annoyed, but with a smile.
"Hirisu here just awakened a Demon Eye," Noreyu continues.
"That explains it."
"Shut up, Fumito!" Noreyu playfully retorts. "Anyways, while I go and fix up this little wound here, can you show them some basics?"

Hirisu looks at Noreyu, confused and a little worried, but Noreyu simply smiles.
"Don't worry. Fumito's the second best... ehh, third best Demon Eye user in town!"
With that, Noreyu walks off. Mr. Takeuchi walks with him, and takes one more look at Hirisu and Fumito.
"Are you sure that they will be alright?" he asks Noreyu.
"It'll be fine," Noreyu reassures Takeuchi. "Fumito's good with shy types like Hirisu."
"I'll take your word for that," the teacher responds. "Don't worry about school today. I'll excuse the three of you."

With Noreyu and Takeuchi gone, Fumito turns to Hirisu. "So! You're... Hirisu, right? Boy, girl?"
"Uhh..." Hirisu looks around, unsure. "Neither, really? I-"
"Alright, sure!" Fumito smiles at Hirisu and gives them a thumbs up.

"You just awakened your Demon Eye, correct?" he asks next, inspecting Hirisu's left eye where some residual energy lingers.
"Yeah, I guess... I don't know why it happened, but..."
"No prior knowledge of Demon Eyes?"
"I... knew they existed, that's about it."
Fumito throws his fist into the air, a massive grin on his face. "I always wanted to do this! I'll teach you everything I know!"

He radiates with excitement, to the point that he emits a visible glow. "Let's get started immediately! So! Uhh..."
Suddenly, all the energy disappears from Fumito's body.
"Are you... alright?" Hirisu quickly asks.
"I... I don't know how to start!" Fumito yells at the sky.
Fumito seems so disappointed with himself that Hirisu has to wonder if he's about to cry.

"But hey, that's fine! We'll figure it out as we go!"
In a flash, all of his energy returns, and he runs to an area with less foliage around. He opens his Demon Eye, which emits his signature orange glow. Flames burst out around him, startling Hirisu.