Solo Cultivation in The Apocalypse

p Senso took his cloak and hung it on the sofa's back. To Hitori's surprise, he was wearing a Kimono under the cloak even in winter. It looked like a comfortable kimono, though.

Hitori moved in and sat on the sofa, he placed his hand on the table and grabbed a menu card that was levitating over the table.

He gave Senso a menu card and flipped the menu to the last page when the menu card spoke.

"What would you like from our wide range of starters, side dishes, main course, and deserts?"

Hitori had never been to such a restaurant, he was surprised when the card spoke. All he had to do was place his order and wait for a man to bring it.

The waiter placed Hitori's Blue Lagoon and Senso's Sake on the table, he bowed and left.

The lights were dim in the corners and concentrated in the center from the corners. Hitori and Senso were sitting along the wall, in the middle, under the dark.

It was quiet inside, beside the silence-whispering of people and a piece of soft music playing in the restaurant.

"How do I spy on someone?" Hitori asked.

"On Kamiya? You are pretty good at it already."

"Uh... how do I... I just want to listen to someone's conversation sitting meters away. I think someone is spying on me and they might be Onogi's men."

Senso stared at Hitori. "Should not you report---"

"I should not," Hitori replied.

Senso nodded. "So you want a spell that would let you eavesdrop."

"Or a technique, yes."

"I should not do this as a teacher, not even as a person. But since you say it might be a harm to your life..." Senso leaned forward. "Listen carefully, Hitori."

Hitori leaned forward to Senso sitting in front of him. He brought his ears close enough for him to whisper.

"It is an enchantment..." Senso told Hitori about the enchantment of eavesdropping in a conversation within five hundred meters range, more for more experienced spies than Hitori.

Their dinner arrived, it was a treat to Hitori from Senso. When they were done with the payment, it was half-past nine.

Hitori walked to the door, Senso pulled his hand over his shoulder and said, "Beware the enchantment, though, if the person is smart, they will notice their enchanted item. And if you will use it on a spy, they are most likely to notice the enchantment at once, your weak and inexperienced magic casting can affect the circumstances, too."

Hitori glanced over his shoulder. "I will be prepared for the worst, Senso-sensei."

The door slid open and they both walked out of the restaurant. Hitori took another step and found himself in front of his house. He glanced around in confusion.

He dropped his head. "Kiku-san used to teleport me the same way." He sighed and walked inside.

The next day after his early battle, he climbed to the number nine spot. He did not wait for Kamiya's battle and raced out of the academy.

He dug his hand in his jacket, and he felt the cold metal around his fingers– that sent a chill to his spine– he was nervous to take the step, but he had to.

He saw the Vr-cade in the distance, snow piled around it, snow on the roof, and the rest of the building covered in stone formation.

Eya was staring around the Vr-cade nervously. She had not seen Hitori for a while, she was sure, though, that Hitori was safe in his house playing video games.

Kakashi was investigating the matter of Tengoku and Onogi. He knew a time would come when they will have to face both in real life, he wanted to stop it before it could happen.

Yes, he was plotting a plan to kill Tengoku and Onogi as soon as his acquaintances find him, or he finds them. This was not the work of two men, he needed at least five to six men. The problem was their position was unknown.

He walked out of the staff room. "I will take over," he said, looking at Eya standing at the counter.

She turned to him. "N-no, I will... continue." She dropped her head.

Kakashi walked toward her, his eyes were sad, and a few of his hair strands were popping. "You stand here for hours, hoping that boy will come someday."

Eya looked at her finger and grabbed her ring's metal edges.

"But you don't realize he is safe in his house. We need to protect him, does not matter if it is in House or in Academy."

"Uhm," she said, "I know." She grabbed the ring in between two fingers and started rotating it.

Kakashi could not look at his sister like that anymore. "He is not going to come, Eya-nee—"

The bell chimed and a familiar man stepped in. Their eyes followed through the morning fairy and fell on Hitori's blue eyes. As she shook the snow off his hood.

"Hitori-san!" Eya rejoiced in her heart, a smile spread on her face, and the sadness disappeared without leaving a trace.

Kakashi was surprised, but seeing her sister smile widely, he smiled and headed to the staff room.

"Welcome, Hitori-san! After such a long time!" Eya greeted him.

Hitori frowned at the sight. 'Why is she acting dramatic? This must be her way to look friendly when she is just acting.'

He still went to her with a cold expression and pulled his gaming card. He represented his card to her, and she accepted it with pleasure.

"Just a second!" She looked too cheerful to be normal.

But Hitori gulped and calmed himself. 'Focus on the plan. Focus on the freaking plan.'

He lifted his eyes, they caught the ring on her finger. "That is a nice ring," he said, "are you engaged?"

Eya chuckled, she lifted her hand and studied the ring. "No, no, I am not engaged. It is a ring my brother won in an academy competition, they awarded him with a spatial storage ring, but he wanted a new wand, and since my birthday was coming he gifted me this ring. So..." she giggled. "I have been wearing this ring for five years."

Hitori's plan backfired. He had expected something like: Yes, it is from my boyfriend. Then he would reply, 'Can I see it? I want to gift my girlfriend a ring on our anniversary.' And she would give him the ring.

"...hours?"

"Huh?"

"I asked, for how many hours, Hitori-san?"

"Ah, two." She nodded. Hitori rubbed the cold sweat off his neck and thought of an alternative.

"Nice ring, can I see it, if you do not mind?"

"Ah, sure, I do not mind!" She dropped her work, removed the ring, and handed it to Hitori.

When Hitori accepted the ring, he realized how easily she handed him the ring. She knew he can not harm her and she could snatch the ring anytime, that is why she gave him the ring so easily.

She signed in Hitori's card. She stretched her hand and offered him his card. "Here. That will be three hundred yen."

Hitori took his card. He moved his hand to give Eya her ring back, but right at that moment, he pushed the bell at the counter with his wrist.

The bell clanged against the counter before it fell on the floor and rang once. "Ah, sorry!" Hitori said.

"N-no problem, I will get it." She bent to get the bell.

Hitori pulled his hand down, he looked at the ring, then moved his finger along the ring. "Tocho," he said.

Eya rose. She placed the bell on the counter and looked at Hitori. He kept her ring on the counter and bowed his head.

"Bye, Hitori-san!"

He knew she was waving her hand, but he could not make himself turn and take a look.

Hitori walked to his console. It looked lonely, it felt like the rabbits had abandoned their cage, tall grasses have grown, and their bowls lay in the corners.

He sat on his chair and inserted his card. He opened the inbox and looked for Reon's message but found a message from Rotten Mind.

"I want to meet you, not for a fight, but for a talk. I believe we have a few things to settle. Inform me of the dates. I believe it would be hard for you since you are making your name in the trials, we want to meet you, though."

Hitori was not surprised, he knew Kuchiki was a mage, the leaderboard did not have Kuchiki's name on it, and neither did the third-year leader nor did the fourth-year leaderboard.

The possibility was either he was a graduate or a fifth-year student; since Hitori had not bothered to check fifth year's rankings.

He was thinking of a reply when he heard someone's voice out of nowhere. His eyes widened at first, but then he realized it was the enchantment.

"Kakashi!" He heard. "H-he, he came! Did you see him? He came! I can not believe it, I am so happy he paid us a visit!"

"Ha, ha, I believe he is not here for us though." He laughed.

"The counterman!" Hitori recognized the voice with ease, he always hated Kakashi's voice for how deep and scary it is.

"Any news about Kamiya boy though?" Kakashi asked.

Hitori frowned, his eyes widened, and he thought, 'Why Kamiya? W-why?' The answer was clear.

"No," Eya said. "He is not here today either."

"By any chance, do you think they have made up? That boy and Kamiya boy?"

Hitori waited for a reply, he was tensing his ear, and creasing his forehead. Instead of a reply from Eya, he heard a ding from the system.

It was another message from  Rotten Mind: "I see you are online. I would appreciate it if you forget the hard feelings and reply to our proposal."

Hitori bit his lip and banged the table. 'Talk about bad timing.'

He checked the message and typed a reply: "Tomorrow, evening." And closed the inbox.

"No. Hitori-san seemed sad. And he would have been here if they had made up. Maybe things have gone worse."

Kakashi hummed. "Then... is there a possibility that..."

'What possibility?' Hitori tilted his head. He tapped the table and took his card.

"It might be, Kakashi," she said, "he might be about to execute his plan."

Hitori froze midway. His butt off the chair, his hand on the table, and his jaw in the air.

He gulped. He had only one way to find out, talk to them. He raced to the counter, it was empty, then he moved to the staff room.

They were silent as if talking with gestures or thinking about something. Hitori lifted his knuckles and moved to the door.

"Saibai." He heard. "Hitori is waiting for us."

Hitori grabbed his wand and moved it behind him, to his back.

"Hitori-san? What do you mean?" Eya asked, then Hitori heard a sigh.

The door slid open. Hitori clenched his wand, he found a shocked stare at him and an 'I knew it.' stare directed at him. Kakashi was sitting while Eya was leaning against a wall with her arms crossed in front of her.

Eya opened her arms and jumped forward. "Why are you here, Hitori-san?"

"Huh?" Hitori stared blankly. "I, uh, I just—"

"You." Kakashi got up, he was taller than Hitori, standing a few feet away, but Hitori could feel intimidated by the man. "Would you like to say something about Eya-nee's ring?"

Hitori shuddered. He was ready to use his wand if the time came to that. "I-I just saw the queue outside and thought why no one was attending—"

"What queue? We can see from here." A screen appeared by Kakashi's side, displaying the empty counter. "Why have you enchanted Eya-nee's ring?"

Hitori dropped his head. He was not prepared for this, he failed to plan all the way, through all possibilities. He never thought about getting busted.

"You are not experienced, your enchantment was half-assed."

"W-what enchantment?" Eya asked, she glanced between Hitori and Kakashi.

"Your ring," he said, "when I gave it to you, it was silver, but while I was talking to you, I saw his mana glowing in your ring."

Hitori bit his lip. He remembered what Senso had told him, "If someone is smart enough, they would notice the enchantment."

Hitori's heart was racing, he was caught, and now what? Will they torture him or hand him to Onogi?

"Blue mana, it glowed in the ring. You enchanted it in a hurry, in fear, and not from the heart. You failed. Sooner or later, you would have even lost our conversation."

'Ah, heck with this.'

Hitori jerked his arm and raised his wand at Kakashi. He summoned his wand out of nowhere, and Kakashi pushed his chair and did the same.

Eya was confused but was present enough to know what to do, she pointed her wand at Hitori.

"Hitori-san, calm down, what are you doing?!" she asked.

"Oh, I know everything about you. You want to kill me."

"K-Kill you?" She moved. "We are not going to hurt you, listen—"

"Why should I listen to a spy who uses honorifics even when I am not around?!"

"Spy?!" Kakashi frowned. "We are with you, idiot!"

"Oh." Hitori shook his head. "You can not fool me." Hitori lifted his wand.

Kakashi did not want to risk it. "Ne—"

The counter bell chimed. Hitori turned, Kakashi looked past him, and Eya did the same. The door was closed but Kakashi looked at the magic screen and saw two people at the counter.

They exchanged glances. "I will handle him, Eya-nee, look at the customers."

"Are you sure?" She gave him an anxious look.

"Just go, they are waiting."

Eya lowered her wand and dug it to her side. She threw a last glance at Hitori and walked past him, he could not move an inch.

"I do not know what made you suspect us, but we are with you. HITORI-SAN." She stressed his name. She left the room and closed the door behind her.

"Wand down, boy," Kakashi said.

"You first."

"I know I would not hurt you, but I do not know about you."

"Same."

Kakashi rolled his eyes. "Look, I need to protect myself—" then his eyes fell on the screen.

His eyes widened, he lowered his wand, and his mouth dropped him. Cold sweat dwelled on his forehead. He saw Eya reach the counter and start the process, but she should have taken a look at the customers.

When the screen shifted, and the customers turned, Kakashi's wand trembled. He recognized those faces immediately, even if they wore sunglasses.