The Missing Ace

Chapter 3

Even though the summer had ended two days ago, some of the heat stayed on as Ethan concentrated intensely the empty soda pop can a few metres away from him. Tiny glistening beads of perspiration trickled down the side of his head, his hair started to stick to his forehead as he felt sweaty on his back. Standing behind him another few metres was his squad; Myosotis, Jordan, Haruka and the newbie Akira Yukio, another Japanese boy who had enrolled at towards the end of the first semester. When Ethan glanced at them, he saw partially see-through animals of solid colors, with a wispy outline standing close to them; their spirit animals. The young Russian has been able to see these 'spirit animals' of anyone since a very young age. He guessed that it was hereditary as his father had once told him that he could see something similar.

Myosotis had a sky blue retriever pup playing around his legs. Jordan had a yellow monkey resting on his shoulders. Haruka had a peach pink crane resting behind him. As for Yukio, the latter had a gold yellow fox next to him and what was unusual was that the fox had two tails. Looking down at his feet, Ethan saw a dark teal wolf lying on the ground, napping.

The five boys came a little earlier to school for personal fun behind the school in the old playground no one uses besides themselves and a familiar brunette who hangs herself like a bat from the pull-up bar. Ethan returned his focus and concentrated on the can for another moment. He swiftly lifted his pistol into view and fired, knocking the can over. "Sugoi, Ethan-san!" Yukio applauded his squad leader, before hurrying over with a face towel. The Russian blew the smoke away from the muzzle before keeping the firearm away in its holster under his fur coat. He turned to Yukio and took the towel. "You don't have to do this all the time." Ethan mumbled behind the towel when he was wiping the sweat away

He glanced down to his wolf, which was now sitting beside him, staring at the twin-tailed fox. The two predators didn't take a stance of offense, much less attack each other. Instead, the fox trotted up to his wolf and nudged its snout. His wolf did nothing, hence allowing the fox to touch him.

"I look up to you a lot!" Ethan returned his focus to Yukio. "As a Japanese man, I feel that it has become my duty to stay by your side as as fellow schoolmate!" The Japanese proudly stated. Myosotis and Jordan turned to Haruka. "Why aren't you like that?" They asked in sync. "Well excuse me, that's quite bold of the two of you's to ask me that." Haruka retorted as he nonchalantly showed the finger at them. Then, Ethan turned to other his friends and smirked. "Who's up to pull a prank on Tavian?" He suggested. The two (and a half) Asian boys nodded while the American curled his lips in as he knitted his brows. "Ethan, I'm not so sure about it..." Myosotis mumbled. The Russian shoved his hands into his pockets as he walked over to the brunette. "You can stay out, and be a goody-two-shoes about it." He growled and walked away, possibly back to the school building.

"What's up with Braginski? He's been like this since midsummer when he came back from Russia." Haruka asked. "Dunno... I heard that his dad hired a bodyguard or something like that." Jordan commented. "Woah! A bodyguard? Like some buff guy is gonna come with him all day long?" Myosotis asked. Haruka shrugged. "Well, Ange did tell me that a new student is coming today." The brunette added. "Boy or girl?" Jordan and Haruka asked. "You guys sound like someone is pregnant or something." Myosotis retorted, folding his arms as he rested on his hips. "A girl is coming. And she enrolling in our class." He answered.

Unbeknownst, Yukio was standing a distance from the squad, with his phone stuck to his ear. "Moshi moshi? Hai... Yukio desu..." he answered, becoming silently shortly after. "Hai... Ethan mou... mm..." The line went dead and he hung up and hurried back to his group of friends. "Haruka-san," he called. "Nani?" Haruka replied. In the next moment, the boys were conversing in their native language, leaving the other two boys in an awkward silence, unable to understand Japanese.