WILDLIFE

Chapter 10

After the authorities safely escorted the student home, one of the officers recognized me.

"Oh? Okami," he called out, his voice a surprise. I flinched, turning to see Mr. Nakamura, a familiar face from my uncle's circle. "What a surprise, Mr. Nakamura. I didn't know you patrolled this late."

Mr. Nakamura, however, wasn't easily fooled. "What are you doing out here this late?" he asked, his hands planted firmly on his hips.

I shifted uncomfortably, avoiding his gaze. He knew I should be in bed.

"Well, she went to Cafe Pathos because I asked a favor," Kotoha interjected, her voice a breathy whisper.

To my surprise, Mr. Nakamura accepted this explanation, letting me off the hook. "Make sure to go home immediately after you're done," he said, waving goodbye before driving off.

"So? Would you like to explain to us why you're here in the dead of night?" Kotoha's voice was sharp, her hands on her hips, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.

"Uh, I... was..." I stammered, looking at Suo and Sakura, who were both waiting for an explanation.

"Nightwalking?" they echoed, their expressions a mixture of confusion and amusement. "Why are you walking in the middle of the night?" Sakura asked.

"I couldn't sleep," I lied, my voice barely a whisper.

"Really?" Kotoha's eyes narrowed, her gaze piercing. I looked away, trying to avoid her scrutiny.

"Yes, I couldn't sleep because..." I searched for an excuse, my mind racing. Then, I remembered the cafe. "Because I drank iced coffee," I said, trying to sound casual.

"Earlier this afternoon," I added, hoping they wouldn't question me further.

Kotoha raised an eyebrow, her gaze still fixed on me. "Iced coffee?" she said, her voice laced with skepticism. "You know, Okami, you're not very convincing."

I shifted uncomfortably, my heart pounding in my chest. I knew I was caught, my lie transparent.

"I'm telling the truth," I insisted, my voice a little too high. "I just couldn't sleep. I needed a caffeine fix."

"Right," Kotoha said, her smile widening. "And I'm the queen of England."

"I am really telling the truth, I drank spanish latte earlier because..." I then spotted jo from a distance.

"Because Togame suggested to try it."

They all turned to where i was previously looking at but thankfully togame entered a shop. Turning back their gaze at me.

Sorry Togame, I had to make an excuse. I mentally apologized.

"So? Can I go now?" I rubbed the back of my head.

Suspicions were still present in their face but they seemed to agree in. Letting me go.

"Take care on your way home." Kotoha said taking a plastic from umemiya.

"And when i said home. I mean it." Look at me dead in the eye. I swear i saw her eyes turned red.

"Uuuhhh sure." I said before zooming away.

The next day, I woke up feeling terribly ill.

"Ugh, I feel like I'm going to die."

"Dear?! What should we do! She said she's dying?!" My uncle frantically asked his wife, to which my aunt sighed deeply.

Squeezing the excess water from the towel before placing it on my head, she said, "Calm down, darling. She's just got a fever. A little rest and she'll be good as new." She placed a hand on her husband's head, patting him to calm him down.

Despite his manly features, my uncle is still a scaredy-cat when it comes to other people's illnesses.

"But, when I had my fever I could still run a kilometer without breaking a sweat." I sweat-dropped at my uncle's comment.

"That's because you're different from everyone else."

My aunt chuckled at my uncle's comment, "You're a different breed, that's for sure."

I groaned, "I'm not a dog, you know."

"Well, you're definitely not a cat," my uncle said, trying to lighten the mood.

I rolled my eyes, "Thanks for the reassurance, Uncle."

My aunt patted my hand, "Just get some rest, okay? We'll take care of you."

I nodded, feeling too weak to argue. I drifted off to sleep, hoping that the fever would break soon.

Weekends passes by and i still remained sickly in bed. Damn it. If only I knew that this would be the outcome, I shouldn't have gone out that night. I cried mentally screaming to myself.

"Oh dear, it seems that this fever would take a while to go away." My aunt checking again the thermometer, and sighing at the high temperature.

"I guess i will have to call the School." My aunt took out her phone dialing the number of the school.

I look at her guiltly Because of my actions, but i am to afraid to tell her the truth.

The next day, I woke up feeling a little better. The fever had broken, and I had a bit more energy. I looked around for my aunt, but she wasn't there. I found a note on the fridge: "Gone to work. Don't worry, I'll be back soon. Love you, honey."

I checked the time. It was already afternoon. I decided to go out and buy some groceries, hoping to get some fresh air and maybe a little bit of normalcy back into my life.

As I walked down the street on my way back home, I saw a group of people running frantically towards somewhere. I couldn't make out what they were shouting, but I could hear the urgency in their voices. Something was wrong.

Curiosity got the better of me. I followed them from a distance, keeping my eyes peeled for any clues.

As I rounded the corner, I saw Sakura, Suo, and two students from Boufurin engaged in a heated battle with a group of young rebels.

Pipsqueak was there, too, hiding behind Suo, as usual. Coward. He should at least try to help, I thought, annoyed. The other person was a girl.

I decided to take cover behind a corner, torn between helping them and trying to understand the reason for the fight.

My devilish side urged me to join the fray, while my angelic side whispered that I should investigate first.

But my internal debate was cut short by two angry individuals. "Hey, hey, hey, do you think hiding behind a corner will save you?" one of them sneered, reaching for me.

Without hesitation, I switched to fighting mode. Dodging his grasp, I locked his arms in mine, turning my back to him. Using my strength, I flipped him over, sending him crashing into a gate. I swiftly dodged a punch from his friend, then swept his legs with my right foot, knocking him off balance.

The guy that went crashing into the gate, stood up in defense. clearly surprised by my swift moves. I didn't give him a chance to recover. I lunged forward, a blur of motion, and landed a solid kick to his chest, sending him sprawling to the ground.

He coughed, clutching his ribs. "You think you're so tough?" he snarled, scrambling to his feet.

"I'm just trying to keep things calm," I replied, my voice calm but firm. "Now, why don't you tell me what's going on here?" I gave a small fake smile.

He hesitated, glancing at his fallen comrade, then back at me. "It's none of your business."

"Oh? It sure is now." Taking small steps forward.