The mountain hike has taken a dangerous turn. First a bear, and then a human, transformed into Oscuros right in front of us. Fighting them was tough—not because of their strength, but because they were once creatures of Earth, just like us. Hayato and I managed to handle things, but we're left with more questions than answers. Why is this happening? And is it really connected to the portal?
Anyway, I have to inform the situation to the Hyakuren HQ. I pull away from the group, pretending I need a moment alone to clear my head. Honestly, I do, but there's something more urgent on my mind. My phone has been a useless block of metal this entire trip—no signal, no connection. But that's fine. That fatty Yora, our "genius" inventor, made sure we'd be prepared for this.
I dig into my bag and pull out the custom Hyakuren walkie-talkie he created. It's this chunky, bright-red thing that looks more like a toy than advanced tech. "No matter where you are, you'll stay connected," Yora had bragged. "Hyakuren tech is flawless!" Flawless, my foot.
Flipping a switch, I hold the thing close to my mouth. "Kaito-san? Kaito-san, do you copy?" My voice echoes into the empty forest as I wait for a response. Seconds pass, then nothing.
I tap it against my palm. "Hello? Kaito-san? Anyone?"
And then—BOOM!
The walkie-talkie explodes in a tiny burst of sparks and smoke, sending black soot all over my face. I stagger back, coughing, as the thing fizzles out like a dying firecracker.
"You've got to be kidding me!" I yell, wiping at my face, though it only smears the soot more. "Yora, you absolute baka! I knew I shouldn't have trusted your so-called 'flawless' invention!"
Dropping the useless gadget back into my bag, I lean against a tree, groaning. "Great. Now I'm stuck looking like a roasted marshmallow."
I let out a sigh, staring at the walkie-talkie's crispy remains like it owes me an apology. "Fine. Plan B," I mutter, fishing out my cell phone again, even though I already know it's as useful as a rock in these mountains.
I hold it up, waving it around like I'm trying to summon some ancient spirit of connectivity. "Come on, signal bars. You can do it. Just one little bar. I'm not asking for 5G, just 0.5G!" Of course, the phone stays stubbornly blank.
I squint at the trees above me. "Maybe if I climb up there…" I mutter to myself, imagining the headline: 'Teenage Boy Falls to His Doom While Checking Instagram in the Wild.' Yeah, no thanks.
Then, in a stroke of what I can only call desperation, my eyes land on a bird perched on a branch. "What about a messenger pigeon? Isn't that what people used to do?" I say, half-joking. The bird stares at me like it's personally offended.
"Don't give me that look, feathery friend. You're the one who landed here," I argue, holding out my hand. "Now come here and take a note to Kaito-san." The bird caws loudly before flying off, and I groan. "Even pigeons think I'm ridiculous. Thanks a lot!"
I slump back against the tree, rubbing my temples. "Fantastic. If the cold or Oscuros don't get me, this communication blackout might just kill me first."
I shove the useless phone back into my pocket, letting out a deep sigh. "Alright, no walkie-talkies, no phones, no pigeons. Fine. Who needs help anyway? I'll finish this mission on my own."
As we continue hiking, something strange happens—I'm not freezing anymore. The icy Hokkaido breeze feels like a regular gust of wind now. My body somehow doesn't feel as weak as before. I glance at my hands, half-expecting them to glow with magic or something, but nothing seems out of the ordinary. Huh, maybe I'm just getting used to the cold?
"Hey, Hinoyama-kun, are you okay now?" Hana's voice snaps me out of my thoughts. She's walking beside me with her usual warm smile on her face, but there's a hint of concern in her eyes.
I scratch the back of my head, grinning. "Yeah, I'm feeling a lot better. Must be my natural resilience kicking in!"
"Natural resilience? You were shivering so much earlier I thought you'd turn into a popsicle."
"Hey! Give me some credit!"... "I'm like… a flame that refuses to go out, even in the coldest storm."
"More like a candle that barely survived the breeze."
"Wow, harsh"... "Here I thought you'd cheer me on, not roast me!"
"I'd cheer you on if you stopped trying to act so tough all the time," she teases, nudging my shoulder lightly. "It's okay to rely on others sometimes, you know."
"Maybe...," I reply, shrugging. "But for now, I think I'll manage. I've got a mission to finish, after all."
"Mission?"
"Oh no... it's nothing."
"Ah, okay... if you say so. Just don't push yourself too hard, okay?"
"Don't worry, Hinoyama-kun always bounces back," I say with a wink, earning another giggle from her.
For a moment, it feels like everything is normal—just a hike, a light conversation, and a friend who cares.
---
We reach the camp at 7000 feet, near the northern pass. Everyone is busy setting up tents and chatting. The air is cold, but for some reason, I don't feel it anymore. It's strange—just this morning, the cold was killing me. Now, it feels like it's barely there.
I glance up at the summit. It looks so close yet so far, the snow glowing in the evening light. Kaito-san's words ring in my mind: The cave with the portal is somewhere between the northern pass and the summit.
This is it. We're almost there. I step away from the others and look at the mountains ahead. My breath fogs up, but my body feels fine. No dizziness, no freezing fingers. It's like something inside me flipped a switch, keeping the cold away.
I clench my fists, feeling the fire in my veins. I'm back to full strength—maybe even better than before. "Whatever saved me from this cold, thanks a lot."
I take a deep breath, feeling ready. "Okay, time to focus. The portal is somewhere here, I have to locate it and I have to finish this mission. No backing down now."
As I stand there, ready to steel myself for the mission, a buzzing sound catches my attention. I look up, and to my utter disbelief, a weird little flying drone appears in front of me. It's a clunky, awkward-looking thing with Yora's grinning face painted on the front. Seriously? Who thought this was a good idea?
"Oh, come on! Again?" I groan, glaring at the ridiculous contraption. "Yora, you inventor of disasters! Couldn't you just leave me in peace?!"
Before I can swat it away, a familiar voice crackles from the drone. "Takumi! Takumi, can you hear me?"
"Kaito-san?!" I freeze. "Wait, this… this thing actually works?!"... "Yora invented something that doesn't explode? Am I dreaming?"
"Takumi, that's not important right now," Kaito-san interrupts. "We've been trying to contact you. Are you safe? What's the situation?"
"Uh, yeah. Sorry. The situation—right. Listen, things are worse than we thought." I hesitate, my voice lowering, "...earth creatures are turning into Oscuros, Kaito-san. First, a bear. Then…" I pause, glancing back at the camp to make sure no one's listening, "...even a human. A human! It's like some kind of infection."
There's silence on the other end for a moment, then a deep sigh. "This is bad. Really bad."
"I know,"... "And, uh, one more thing. I… I'm fine now. Like, the cold—it's not affecting me anymore. I don't know why, but I feel normal again. Better than normal, actually."
"Hahaha! Hey, Takumi-dono! Feeling nice and warm now, huh? You should be thanking me!"
"Is that you Yora? And what are you yapping about?"
"That walkie-talkie I gave you? Total decoy! It was just my genius way of injecting my anti-cold drug into your body!"... "With Shizuka-san's help, I developed a formula that neutralizes your weakness to cold. Isn't it brilliant? You're welcome, by the way!"
"Wait… you drugged me?!" I take a step back, my hands flying to my face as if I can still feel the explosion from earlier. "You could've told me instead of blowing my face off!"
"It's all part of the process!" He continues, "A genius like me doesn't need to explain every little detail. Just make sure to thank me properly when you get back, alright?"
I pinch the bridge of my nose, confused between gratitude and annoyance. "Yeah, thanks, fatty. Thanks for blowing me up just to help me. Really thoughtful."
He laughs. "That's my style, Takumi Hinoyama! You'll live!"
"You know what, Yora? Remind me to personally thank you with a flaming fist when I get back. That'll be my style."
"Alright, that's enough." Kaito-san interrupts. "No time for goofing around, you two. The situation's way worse than we thought. We need to act fast."
I straighten up, the playful mood immediately evaporating. It's really serious.
"Understood, Kaito-san," I reply, my voice now all business.
His voice comes back, low and focused. "Don't waste any more time. First the portal needs to be shut down. We'll deal with the infection stuff later."
"We'll handle it. We'll shut it down."
"Stay safe, both you and Hayato. And keep the others safe as well. And don't forget, you're not alone in this. We've got your back."
"Yeahh.. thanks."
...
...
...
BOOM!!!
Uhm... The drone...explodes...
"Seriously?" I groan, wiping the soot off my face. "Why does everything explode with you, fatty?"