Immunity Hunter

Chapter Twenty-One - Sasame Kai

Another boring morning brought on by a bright sunrise. I roll out of bed at noon prepared to start my day. I immediately check my email to find one titled "Updated List". I skim through the names and photos then hit the "print" button.

Nothing interesting jumps off the paper. Just more random faces the agency wants the Hunters to deliver to the extraction center. I attach the new pages to my notebook then head to the bathroom for a shower.

Someone knocks on my bedroom door just as I exit the bathroom. I ignore it; it's either Lynn or her husband coming to question why I haven't been communicating with them lately. They knock again, this time a little harder. Wrapped in a towel, I swing open the door with much acquired attitude.

"Why aren't you dressed yet? We're going to be late." Lin Ming stands at my bedroom door staring right at me.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I ask, ready to slam the door in her face. After the attitude she gave me on our first mission together and on the first day of school, there's no way I would welcome her in my house—let alone my bedroom. How did she get in here anyway? Lynn must have let her in.

She crosses her arms and huffs. "I'm here to make sure you get your butt up and ready to leave. You've been missing from class lately and if you would have shown up Friday you would have known we have an assignment to do together."

I walk away from the door and sit on the corner of my bed. Lin Ming continues to stand at the doorway as if she's waiting for me to invite her inside. I motion to the chair at my desk for her to sit down.

"I don't know what assignment we have together but I have plans today," I respond while using a towel to dry my dripping wet hair.

Lin Ming pulls a stack of papers from her backpack and throws them on the bed beside me.

"We have to write a three-page report about the history of the Konadai. I already printed out a lot of research paperwork but I want to go to the museum before it closes today."

I turn away from her and continue to dry my hair.

"Look, this isn't how I planned to spend my Sunday afternoon either, but the sooner we get it done the sooner we can go back to ignoring each other," she says in an annoyed tone.

I turn back to her staring at that stupid pink lip gloss on her lips. "Fine," I say standing from the bed. "Let me get dressed and then we can go."

Lin Ming jumps up from the chair and leaves my room. I roll my eyes once the door closes, letting out a very irritated sigh.

* * *

The museum has three stories of exhibits featuring the history of the Konadai and how our island was formed over a century ago. The main floor has a small section with a hologram video showing the massive earthquake that broke Japan into pieces. So-called experts blamed the nuclear war for the plate shifts.

Each floor has statues of Konadai and memorials dedicated to those who've lost their lives during the initial infection. The virus spread like wildfire. It was supposed to be a new type of mahou that gave people extra strength and longevity, but some nut job ruined it all.

Lin Ming and I walk around viewing all of the exhibits on the first floor. She had already printed out twenty pages worth of research, so I don't know why she dragged me here. We could have easily written a crappy paper and passed just from that. The history class is a junk class—students take it to fill in a blank spot between physical training and mahou mastery. I'm starting to believe she has an ulterior motive.

Still, I play along with her game and take a few notes of my own. I've never stepped foot in this museum before, and I'm pretty impressed by all the information and exhibits they have. They've managed to turn something we try to forget into something educational.