Fate of Pandora - Book II

Decided On Split Paths

They made it back to the restaurant just in time. Coalt's interview was about to begin, and the young man paused, trying to recover his breath before heading into the building.

"Don't be afraid. Be sincere and answer the questions." Ayame patted his back, trying to reassure him.

"It's okay." With one last breath, the brunette passed a hand through his hair and adjusted his clothes. He smiled at her to show he was confident, but deep down, he was a little nervous because he didn't want to screw up this opportunity. "I think I'll be back in half an hour or sooner."

"Good luck, Coalt!" Ayame waved until the boy entered the building. Now she had to wait for the result – they needed this small change in order for them to recover their friends soon.

In the end, Coalt did very well and made a good impression on the chef, who showed him the workplace and made it clear that he thought the young man could work with them. It was a success.

With the good news, they went back to the orphanage to continue their postponed conversation with Midori. Kairi was waiting in front of the house to greet them as they arrived. The black cat meowed and swung her tail back and forth, also eager to hear the news.

"Hello, Kairi. After all this time, you missed being with Midori, right?" Ayame petted the cat's ear, gaining a purr as an answer. "Yes, yes, let's go inside. There is a lot to talk about."

Coalt was still getting used to their telepathic talk, and having to fill in the blank parts he didn't hear from Kairi's side. They rushed inside the house and the nekomata lead them into the little office where Midori was checking some papers. When she saw the couple, a big smile spread across her face and she stood up to hug them both.

"Good to see you! How did the interview go?" she asked after giving Coalt a wet kiss on his cheek. The young man smiled, a little embarrassed, and showed a thumbs up.

"I got the job."

"Wonderful! Congratulations!" The woman proceeded to bear-hug the poor boy. "Now you can come and help with the orphanage during the night!" Coalt wasn't sure if she was really happy for him, or if she just wanted to get that old building fixed for free. "What work will you be doing for the restaurant?" Midori asked.

"I won't be working in the kitchen; the chef wants to train me to deal with the restaurant's administration. The increase in business is making it difficult for him to take care of everything alone, so I'll be helping him."

"Good. Good luck with your new activity. Now, let's talk about other business." The mood soon became serious when they sat in the chairs in front of Midori's table. The woman put her papers aside and looked attentively at them. "So, Kairi told me part of your story already, but there are many details left open."

The two ring bearers took deep breaths and began to tell their side of the long story: the dangers they had been through, their attempt to gain new powers and how it had backfired, and lastly, how the ghost problem was their fault. Alone and scared, Coalt and Ayame grasped at any opportunity they could get, so they used Kairi's power to attempt to contact their lost friends again. But it had only caused them more trouble.

Their next hope was to rely on Midori. They were unsure what the old woman could do, but at this point she was their best option.

The woman listened to every word they had to say. It took them a while, since so many things had happened to this group of teenagers in such a short amount of time, and there was a lot of information for Midori to process. When they finished, she asked Ayame: