Fate of Pandora - Book I

An Unexpected Plan

Back in Tokyo, life returned to normal – or rather, their routines returned to normal once they met with classmates and workmates who had not faced giant monsters, magical puzzles, and fought for their lives last weekend. What had happened between the demigods was their secret, but life wouldn't stop for them until they solved the problem of the mysterious box, so they had to live on pretending nothing had happened. In reality, all of them enjoyed the break from the supernatural dangers, but unlike before, they couldn't ignore their role as ring bearers anymore. After Kira had used their false sense of security to trick them, they were more vigilant of their surroundings than ever; they had learned their lesson, and clearly knew the risks and the burdens gained by being the chosen ones of the Gods' and Goddesses' powers.

Luna, Jasmet, and Coalt had eventually broken free of the illusions once they resumed their lives. The older girl contacted her brother on Monday morning, and when he answered the phone, she realized she didn't have anything to tell him, she was just glad to hear his voice and know he was well.

Jasmet was relieved when Jay came back. The strong personality apologized for not answering her after their adventure at the factory ruins – she had fallen into a deep sleep and could not answer Jasmet's pleas until she had recovered.

Some days had passed and the week was going by without any trouble. Ayame and Lukas were walking back to their homes after a long day of work.

"Regardless that nothing has happened since we returned from Hokkaido, Luna is calling everyone to meet again at her house. We need to figure out what to do now that we somewhat know what our goal is."

"Yes, we can gather everyone now that Arika is back. She said she is doing a ton of homework from the days she has missed." Ayame told Lukas about her conversation with the pink-haired girl. "She wanted to thank you again for the wolf plushie."

"Oh, it was nothing." Lukas was happy she had liked his present. "Well, Jasmet is also very busy with her studies. It's just odd how she feels much more confident now that Jay is back. I guess she doesn't talk this freely about her other personality to others."

"I'm not sure double personalities work that way." Ayame scratched her head. She didn't know very much about the subject, but after spending time with Jasmet she was trying to understand. "She talks about Jay as if she's really another person."

"I'm not sure either." Lukas shrugged the subject off and entered a new one. "Oh, did you know Coalt is working in a music shop?"

"He is?" Ayame blinked.

"Yes, it's not far away from here. Let's pay him a visit before his shift ends!" Lukas grabbed Ayame's arm and dragged the girl in the opposite direction of her apartment. They turned onto a crowded commercial street, and after a few minutes, they reached the shop.

Ayame wasn't sure it was a good idea to enter, but Lukas pushed her inside anyway. It was a pretty typical music shop: it was full of shelves to show their collections of CDs, DVDs, blue-rays, vinyls; some music equipment for sale stood at the back wall. On the opposite wall of the entrance was the balcony with two lonely souls guarding the place. One of them was instructing the other as he was checking the cash box and taking some notes on a piece of paper. Coalt looked up when he heard the door open and was surprised to see Lukas and Ayame.

"Hey, I wasn't expecting a visit," he said while the two quickly crossed the room to meet him at the balcony. He and the other employee were wearing the store's 'uniform', which consisted of a simple black shirt and jeans. The other guy left them talking to attend to another client who had just entered.