Chapter 2 – The First Bittersweet Darkish Chocolate

For Satou Takayuki, his grandfather was a hero.

His grandfather was a farmer, a person that owned a big patch of land in a rural city. A dependable man that one might all the time rely on. A person with a mild and sort temperament. He was somebody who’d all the time put on a smile on his face, all the time strived to assist others regardless of how busy he was, a lot to his spouse’s dismay.

Even for Takayuki, his grandfather was just too type.

If he had been to listen to about somebody from a mile away having bother, he’d rush to their aspect to assist them.

If he had been to listen to somebody’s cry from a mile away, he’d rush to their aspect to consolation them.

He was the embodiment of a superb particular person that you simply’d usually heard in poems.

Not solely that, he was additionally an extremely proficient particular person. So far as Takayuki knew, there was nothing particular about his grandfather’s background, however for some cause, so long as he had the means to take action, he all the time had the capabilities to do every part. From tuning a radio, fixing a pc, even doing D.I.Y.

“It’s nothing wonderful. I simply educated myself to do one thing that everybody would discover troublesome to do.”

Every time somebody praised him, he’d all the time reply with these modest phrases. Although his ability was so wonderful that nobody would have the ability to criticize it, he by no means let it go to his head.

In fact together with his temperament, there was no scarcity of people that tried to benefit from him. Some individuals even blatantly tried to make use of him.

If that was the top of the story, there was no means that Takayuki would come to admire him.

Along with his knacks for fixing and making issues, he additionally had one other expertise.

He was a superb listener.

“Significantly… I advised him that he’s giving me too many presents, why does he need to do it once more this yr too? What am I going to do with these?”

“Hoho, it’s an indication of his goodwill, simply settle for it.”

Yearly, his grandfather would obtain plenty of presents from different individuals. Each time that occurred, his grandmother would really feel troubled by it.

A lot of the presents got here from the individuals he helped.

The individuals who tried to benefit from him all the time got here again to the precise path after they spent extra time with him. They might all the time really feel obligated to provide their due to him. Takayuki’s grandfather was a person born with that form of expertise.

There was a time when he obtained a rip-off name. Not lengthy after they talked, the scammer turned himself in to the police. If that wasn’t expertise, what was?

In any case, that was the form of man Takayuki’s grandfather was.

He was a person of character. Everybody knew him and trusted him. He was a terrific particular person that would erase evil from one other’s coronary heart. It wasn’t unreasonable that the younger Takayuki would come to admire him. And finally developed a fancy about him.

“Hearken to me, Takayuki. Develop as much as be a reliable particular person. Be an individual that would reside in line with your personal will.”

Takayuki cherished his grandfather.

He cherished it when he praised him, patting his head together with his tough, but light palm.

That was the start line for Takayuki. His grandfather’s praises grew to become his motivation. He didn’t care about anything. Although he tried to assist others, it was simply half his effort to mimic his grandfather.

“Takayuki, you wish to be like me, huh?”

That was why he failed to know the wry smile that his grandfather wore when he praised him.

“I deliberate to take this to my grave, but when it’s for the sake of my pretty grandson, I assume it could possibly’t be helped, huh? Hearken to me, Takayuki.”

The outdated man checked out Takayuki with a troubled expression. Earlier than lengthy, he had a glance as if he had given up on one thing as he pulled out one thing out of his pocket. It was a hairpin. Painted in pink shade, it regarded sturdy with none scratches on it, however on the identical time it was as gentle as a feather.

He gave it to his grandson with a mysterious look on his face. It was a wierd factor to provide to a boy like him.

“This can be a medium for summoning a witch.”

The way in which he gave it to him with out making any pointless actions whereas leaving such unusual phrases left an impression on the younger Takayuki. Regardless of how younger and pure Takayuki was again then, he was nonetheless a child born in fashionable occasions. He wouldn’t imagine in fantasy-like issues such because the witch and the likes. Except it was his grandfather who advised him about it.

“I couldn’t convey myself to throw this away. It has a curse hooked up to it. For a value, it might summon a witch that would allow you to remedy any issues that you simply may come to face. Witchers are dangerous, that’s why they want some form of value that will help you out, however they’ll undoubtedly grant your want… When the time comes, don’t hesitate to make use of it. You don’t need to imagine me, although. It’ll be higher if the time when you must use it by no means comes, in spite of everything.”

In fact, Takayuki fully believed in his grandfather’s phrases. However, he failed to know his intentions.

In any case, he was nonetheless a toddler, he wasn’t mature sufficient to know that his grandfather wished him to make a want for himself, not for others.

*   *   *

The pink hairpin was like a medal for Takayuki.

He even went out of his method to develop his hair in order that he might put on it on daily basis. To not let his grandfather down, Takayuki devoted his life to serving to individuals greater than earlier than. It was to the purpose that his mind-set started to vary from the opposite individuals round him. Nonetheless, the younger boy devoted most of his time to serving to others.

Ultimately, he began to consider himself much less and prioritized others extra.

“I hate this! Why does my chest damage a lot?! I don’t wish to really feel like this anymore! Somebody, please… Save me!…”

That was why, when she discovered a sure little woman asking for assist, he determined that it was time to do it.

Although the woman was somebody that hated him and a egocentric pampered princess, Takayuki helped her anyway. Her tears moved him to summon the witch and erase the woman’s tears.

With this, he fully went towards what his grandfather had wished for.

“Witch-san, please come out!”

There was little doubt in his coronary heart as he adopted his grandfather’s phrases.

The younger boy clasped his fingers tightly as if he was praying to God.

“Oh my, this can be a shock~ My contractor this time is a younger boy, huh?~”

The dearth of doubt in his coronary heart was the explanation why he wasn’t stunned after seeing the witch abruptly seem in entrance of his eyes.

*   *   *

“Satou-kun, you’re free in the present day, aren’t you?”

“…Sure.”

Again to the current. Takayuki had grown right into a nice younger man. He was presently being pressured by the identical woman that he saved a very long time in the past, Miyama Aoi, to stroll dwelling together with her. Judging by the best way she smiled, it was clear that if he had been to refuse right here, she’d convey up his weak point once more, so he gave up on resisting.

“Oi, Satou goes to go dwelling with Miyama-san! How might this be?!”

“Come to consider it, there was a time when Aoi was looking for some details about him… What sort of relationship do these two have?”

The woman confronted him proper after the ultimate class was over, so he couldn’t escape even when he wished to. Because of that, his classmates gave him fairly the stares. A few of them even scorned him as if he was a felony. To these gazes, he shrugged his shoulders mockingly.

Usually, individuals can be aggravated after his angle, however there have been a few of his classmates that went to the identical center college as him.

They went forward and rebuked the opposite classmates who began gossiping about Takayuki.

“Good grief, you guys know nothing. Have a look at his face intently. Don’t you assume his expression is pathetic?”

“Eh?”

“He’s making an attempt to look smug, however that’s the face of somebody who’s given as much as his destiny.”

“Meaning she acquired a maintain of his weak point now, huh? Thank God, which means he’ll be quieter now.”

“Glad that you simply acquired what I meant. Properly, that man is often well-behaved anyway…”

The boys who had been gossiping behind Takayuki’s again had been stunned by the understanding look of a few of their classmates. 

“What’s occurring?! The variety of individuals explaining issues is growing!”

Takayuki inwardly nodded on the boy’s query. He was puzzled too.

Surprisingly sufficient for Takayuki, everybody who knew him since center college and even earlier than that acted like this usually. As a substitute of explaining issues clearly, they’d simply check out him whereas nodding, generally explaining issues as in the event that they knew what was occurring already. The worst a part of it was that their clarification was, as a rule, appropriate.

“Let’s go rapidly, Satou-kun.”

“Sure…”

Prompted by Aoi, Takayuki left the classroom.

He questioned what sort of rumors he would hear about them tomorrow morning, however his ideas had been minimize brief as he needed to learn the way to get out of his present predicament first.

*   *   *

Aoi introduced Takayuki to a espresso store. The place was situated someplace off the traditional college route, so there wouldn’t be another college students who’d come there. Most prospects of the cafe had been a part of the workforce. Truly, calling it a espresso store was a stretch, it was extra of a bar since they’d be beginning to promote alcohol as quickly because the solar was set. Because the place was surrounded by lodges and mahjong parlors, it wasn’t actually a handy place for college kids to go to.

“Alright, let’s have a protracted and heartfelt discuss. Oh don’t fear, I gained’t be asking you to deal with me in the present day. I’m not evil sufficient to make you do it on daily basis.”

“How very form of you…”

Listening to her phrases, Takayuki discovered why Aoi had introduced him to this place. Simply as he did earlier than, Aoi wished them to speak in a spot the place no acquaintances nor buddies might disturb them.

“So, Satou-kun, can I ask you a query?”

“Go forward.”

After taking a sip of the blended espresso that she ordered, Aoi requested Takayuki a query.

“So, what was that?”

“…I knew it, you might see it. And it looks like you managed to recollect it even after a very long time had handed.”

“Am I not imagined to see it?”

“Probably not, it’s simply up till now, I’m the one one who was capable of see it.”

“Are you able to elaborate?”

In distinction to the smiling Aoi, Takayuki made a bitter face.

She acquired a maintain of his weak point, so for self-preservation functions, it could be sensible for him to inform her every part that she wished to know. It was simply, there was no profit for her in understanding about it. Quite the opposite, it could be an enormous burden on her. Takayuki racked his mind, making an attempt to determine whether or not or not it was okay to inform her. It was for her personal sake, in spite of everything.

“Satou-kun, are you considering not telling me every part in spite of everything that occurred? I used to be immediately concerned in Tomoe’s case, I believe I’ve the precise to know.”

“…Advantageous.”

Listening to her phrases had been sufficient to make him determine to inform her every part. There was no turning again anymore after this, however he might simply depart any future troubles to future Takayuki to unravel.

“That was love. Ukai’s love.”

“Love?”

“Mhm. I’ve the ability— particular skill to eat different individuals’s love.”

Then Takayuki started to elucidate about his skill.

“Once I used my skill, I might see different individuals’s ‘love’ manifested within the type of mist that you simply’ve beforehand seen. Up till now, I used to be the one one who might see it.”

Regardless of Takayuki’s unwilling look as he defined and reached out to his orange juice, Aoi’s eyes had been shining in pleasure.

“Satou-kun, how did you get the power? Did you inherit it from your loved ones? Or are you the woke up kind? Perhaps you had been born with it? Did somebody bestow the power on you? Inform me, inform me!”

“Somebody bestowed it to me. Lady, you’re actually enthusiastic about this…”

“I imply, attempt to place your self in my place! There’s somebody with an actual superpower proper in entrance of me! In fact I might be excited! Are you able to inform me extra?”

“Positive, no matter.”

Takayuki set free a deep sigh to calm himself down.

Whereas he determined to inform her about his skill, he took a psychological word to not reveal an excessive amount of details about it to her.

“I gained this skill again after I was a 3rd grader.”

He took a sip of his orange juice as he tried to dig up his reminiscence.

“Uh, on account of varied circumstances, I ended up having to summon a witch to assist me out. Issues occurred and I ended up making a contract together with her, so she gave me this skill…”

“A witch? Witches exist? Properly, I assume it wouldn’t be unusual for them to exist since superpower does exist on this world…”

“Truthfully, I don’t know the small print. The one who gave me the medium to summon the witch advised me that she was a witch. She dressed precisely like one too, so I simply referred to as her a witch for comfort sake.”

“Hoho~”

Takayuki saved his clarification in monotone, in the meantime Aoi’s eyes shone brighter by the seconds.

The temper between the 2 had been complete opposites.

“By the best way, are you certain it’s okay to inform me this type of factor so simply? I might simply report you to the authorities. Within the worst case scenario, a particular authorities job drive might arrest you and experiment in your physique.”

“What particular authorities job drive? Jeez, what’s unsuitable with you?”

Aoi tried to tease him, however he replied to her calmly.

“Properly, nobody will imagine you even in the event you inform them anyway. Or reasonably, even in the event you inform them, none of them will have the ability to perceive it accurately.”

“What do you imply?”

“Properly, let’s say…”

Takayuki positioned the glass of orange juice on the desk and tapped the rim of the glass frivolously.

“My skill is to cleanly erase the content material of this glass.”

“What a ineffective skill.”

“It’s simply an instance. Anyway, say that I take advantage of my skill to erase the content material of this glass instantly, what would the individuals who witnessed it assume? How would they understand it?”

“They’ll in all probability assume that it’s a magic trick, I assume?”

“That’s the traditional response. Regardless of how a lot I advised them that I’m utilizing my skill to make the content material of the glass disappear, they’d simply assume that I’m both utilizing a magic trick or I drank the juice in a blink of a watch. In any case, it’s frequent sense. Folks wouldn’t join it to supernaturals that simply.”

Takayuki shrugged his shoulders.

“In different phrases, even in the event you attempt your greatest to elucidate to individuals about my skill, nobody will imagine you. They’ll imagine of their frequent sense greater than you. In addition to, my skill isn’t even what you might contemplate a standard skill. The flexibility to eat somebody’s love is even more durable to elucidate than your standard flashy battle-related skill. Barely one will imagine that it even existed.”

“However–”

“And even in the event you managed to make somebody imagine you, it could be meaningless. Regular individuals can’t preserve an accurate notion of my skill. Once I use it, they will considerably perceive that my skill is a part of the supernaturals, however step by step, their reminiscence can be altered to suit the frequent sense that they’re conversant in.”

“Huh?”

Aoi tried to boost her voice in protest, however Takayuki’s subsequent phrases made her tilt her head in confusion.

“Consider it like this. At first they’re like youngsters who simply got here to know magic tips for the primary time, they’ll consider it as actual magic. Then, they’ll step by step come to assume that the magic tips are simply magic tips, since that’s what frequent sense says. Even individuals who genuinely imagine that my energy is actual would come to assume that it’s nothing however a trick finally.”

“Is that how it’s?”

“Yeah. Let’s take Ukai for instance. I imagine she had forgotten about my skill already. Hell, she in all probability had forgotten about the truth that she handed out throughout our final trade, possibly she even forgot about our trade altogether.”

“…Ugh.”

Seeing Aoi groaning with a dissatisfied expression, Takayuki set free a chuckle.

Her expression reminded him of his youthful self when he discovered about every part that he simply advised her.

“It’s what it’s, Miyama. My skill isn’t a part of the frequent sense of this world. That’s why, all recollections associated to my skill can be ‘corrected’ by this world’s frequent sense.”

“However I remembered every part about it…”

“Usually, your reminiscence needs to be ‘corrected’ too. Folks apart from you all the time put out of your mind my skill. For instance with Ukai’s case, she’d in all probability bear in mind it as she fainted due to exhaustion or one thing much like that. Which made me surprise, how had been you capable of bear in mind every part?”

He didn’t know the way it turned out like this, however he set free a smile however.

Sure, he might use a supernatural energy, but it surely wasn’t like he knew every part about it. Even the reason that he gave Aoi got here from his deduction as he had no method to show his phrases. Ultimately, Takayuki determined to simply depart it because it was as there was no level to ponder about it an excessive amount of.

“I see, so there are issues that even you don’t perceive, huh, Satou-kun? I’ll settle for your clarification in the interim. Truthfully, I’m nonetheless inquisitive about why I might bear in mind about your skill, however in the event you don’t find out about it, then it could possibly’t be helped.”

“Truthfully, if you wish to know extra about it, it’s higher to ask the witch immediately as an alternative of asking me.”

“I assume. Properly, let’s cease speaking about this then.”

Seeing Aoi straightened her posture and stared at his face intently, Takayuki made up his thoughts.

“It’s time to get to enterprise, huh?”

He anticipated this to occur even earlier than they entered the espresso store. In any case, she managed to recollect his skill, so it wouldn’t be far-fetched to assume that she would bear in mind that.

“Seven years in the past… Throughout the summer season of our third yr of grade college… Again after I was affected by my damaged coronary heart… It was you who saved me again then, proper, Satou Takayuki-kun?”

It was time for the previous to lastly catch as much as him.