Part 1: The Request
"WWWHHHHHAAAAAAATTTTTTTTT?!"
Hikaru's furious voice echoed through the entire safehouse.
Satoshi remained completely unfazed. "You heard me. Teshii will be moving in with you."
Hikaru pointed aggressively. "WHY?!"
Before Satoshi could answer, Teshii threw an arm around Hikaru's shoulders.
"Does it even matter, Sunshine?" he said with an exaggerated grin. "Just think about it – us.
Watching horror movies together.
Playing video games together.
Studying together.
Training together.
"And most importantly–" Teshii's grin widened.
"Me beating you up."
Hikaru stared at him in disbelief.
Reina sighed. "Hikaru, look…"
She gestured toward Teshii like he was a problem child.
"I know you find Teshii as annoying as we do."
"Ouch," Teshii said sarcastically.
Satoshi continued. "But we need him to be with you at all times."
Hikaru crossed his arms. "Why exactly?"
Satoshi's expression turned serious. "Because you still don't know how to use the Element of Light. If someone powerful attacks you again, you'd be dead."
Hikaru gulped.
"That's why Teshii will be with you. At all times. He's the best fighter among us – his martial arts background makes him the perfect guard."
That caught Hikaru's attention.
"Martial arts?"
Everything suddenly made sense.
The bone-breaking punches. The wall-shattering kicks.
Hikaru narrowed his eyes at Teshii. "But I still find it hard to believe that someone this annoying knows martial arts."
Reina patted Hikaru's shoulder, sighing dramatically. "You know, Hikaru… I think the same thing every day."
"Okay, that hurts, you know," Teshii replied, completely unbothered. He then dramatically pointed at himself.
"Besides, a handsome man like me needs to know martial arts – to protect this masterpiece."
Hikaru.
Satoshi.
Reina.
All glared at him.
Satoshi cleared his throat. "Anyway. Hikaru, it's getting late. You and Teshii should head home."
Teshii grinned and stretched. "Great! Let me grab my stuff."
With that, he ran out of the room.
The second he was gone–
Hikaru turned back to Satoshi and Reina, lowering his voice.
"I'm worried about something."
They exchanged glances. "What is it?" Reina asked.
Hikaru sighed. "I'm worried that my family won't like someone as annoying as Teshii."
Before they could respond–
"DON'T WORRY, HIKARU!"
Teshii's voice thundered from another room.
"I'M SURE YOUR FAMILY WILL LOVE ME!"
Hikaru rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right."
But then–
"ESPECIALLY YOUR MOTHER!"
Silence.
Hikaru's entire body tensed.
Then–
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"
Hikaru spun toward the doorway, fists clenched.
Satoshi and Reina both stepped back.
Teshii strolled back in, carrying his bags – completely unfazed.
He winked.
"Nothing, Sunshine."
Hikaru lunged.
Part 2: Moving In
The night air was cool and quiet. Two figures walked along the dimly lit streets–
One of them happily humming to himself, hands in his pockets.
The other? Seething with rage.
Teshii grinned to himself, enjoying the peaceful stroll. Hikaru, on the other hand, stomped forward, his jaw clenched.
The two walked in silence… until Teshii broke it.
"I wonder what Sayaka will think of me?"
Hikaru froze mid-step.
"Wait… how do you know my mother's name."
Teshii turned around, looking genuinely confused.
"What do you mean?" He blinked. "Didn't you mention her before?"
Hikaru narrowed his eyes.
Had he?
He replayed his conversations with Satoshi and Reina – No. He never mentioned her name.
Still, he let it go… for now.
"Right." Hikaru muttered, but now, he wasn't just pissed off.
He was suspicious.
Teshii was hiding something.
15 Minutes Later
Hikaru and Teshii finally arrived at the front door of the Nozomi residence.
Before Teshii could step forward, Hikaru blocked his path.
"Hold on." Hikaru crossed his arms. "Before we go in, here are some house–"
DING-DONG.
Teshii rang the doorbell.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Hikaru yelled.
The door swung open.
Standing there, arms crossed, was Sayaka Nozomi.
And she did not look happy.
"HIKARU! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!" Sayaka's voice shook the walls. "I HAVE BEEN WORRIED SICK!"
Hikaru winced. "Sorry, Mom. I was… uh, busy studying."
"He wasn't."
Teshii, completely betraying Hikaru, smiled innocently.
Hikaru whipped around and glared at him.
Sayaka blinked at the unfamiliar face. "Oh? And who is this young man?"
Hikaru sighed. "Mom, this is Teshii. He's… staying with us for a while."
Sayaka's eye lit up. "Oh, is that so?" She smiled warmly. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Teshii."
Teshii extended his hand. "Likewise, ma'am." Then he flashed a grin.
"I gotta say, though, you look for too young and beautiful to be a mother."
Silence.
Sayaka blinked. Then–
She blushed.
Hikaru's stomach dropped.
"I like your new friend, Hikaru." Sayaka smiled, clearly flattered. "He's very polite."
Hikaru's eye twitched. "Mom, please don't encourage him."
Sayaka laughed. " Come in, come in!"
As they stepped inside, Teshii looked around. "Mrs. Nozomi, I gotta say – this is a lovely home."
"Why, thank you, Teshii!" Sayaka beamed.
Hikaru sighed deeply. "This is gonna be a long night."
From the kitchen, a deep voice rumbled.
"Who's this?"
Hikaru turned and saw his father, Sasuke Nozomi, standing near the counter.
Teshii stepped forward. "Name's Teshii, sir. Nice to meet you." He extended his hand.
Sasuke shook it firmly. "Nice to meet you too, Teshii. Hope my son isn't causing too much trouble for you."
Before Teshii could respond–
"Actually, Dad, it's the other way around." Hikaru deadpanned. "Teshii is the one causing me trouble."
The front door suddenly swung open.
"I'm home!"
Hikari Nozomi stepped inside.
Sayaka smiled. "Welcome back, Hikari! How was the match?"
Hikari grinned. "We dominated!"
Then she spotted Teshii.
She tilted her head. "Um… who's he?"
Teshii smiled charmingly. "Name's Teshii, Hikaru's new best friend. Nice to meet you."
Hikari smiled back. "Oh, nice to meet you too! I'm Hikari, Hikaru's twin sister."
Teshii suddenly paused.
He slowly turned toward Hikaru.
"Wait…" He squinted. "You actually have a sister named Hikari?"
Hikaru rubbed his temples. "Yes, Teshii. We went over this already."
"That's hilarious."
"Ignore him."
Hikaru laughed. "Anyway, I'm gonna take a bath. Be right back."
Teshii watched as Hikari left for the bathroom.
Then he smirked.
"I gotta say, Sunshine, your sister is very–"
"I DARE YOU TO FINISH THAT SENTENCE."
Teshii paused.
Then he turned around – only to find both Hikaru and Sasuke glaring daggers at him.
Hikaru's fists clenched. "Go on. Say it."
Sasuke cracked his knuckles. "I'd love to hear it too."
Teshii held up his hands. "Haha… let's move on."
Smart choice.
Late that Night…
The chaos had finally settled.
Hikaru, Hikari, and Teshii sat at the dinner table, chatting over their meal.
From across the room, Sayaka and Sasuke watched in silence.
Sayaka leaned in close to her husband. "Hey… doesn't he look familiar to you?"
Sasuke frowned. "Him?"
Sayaka nodded.
Sasuke studied Teshii carefully.
Something about his face.
It was strangely familiar.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes.
"…Yeah. He does."
But the question was–
Why?
Part 3: A New Professor
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
Hikaru groggily opened his eyes as the alarm blared.
With a groan, he reached over and slammed the snooze button, rubbing his face.
Another day of college.
Another long day of lectures.
And now, another day of dealing with Teshii under the same roof.
Hikaru sighed and dragged himself out of bed.
Grabbing his phone, he checked the time. 7:32 AM.
"Crap, I'm already late!"
He hurriedly changed and was about to leave his room when he noticed–
Teshii wasn't there.
His futon was already folded neatly.
At first, Hikaru thought nothing of it.
But then–
His eyes widened.
"TESHII! YOU BETTER NOT BE FLIRTING WITH MY MOTHER!"
He bolted out of his room, sprinting to the kitchen.
Sayaka turned in surprise as Hikaru stormed in. "Hikaru? What's wrong?"
Hikaru frantically scanned the room – but all he saw was his mother.
"Mom, have you seen Teshii?"
"Oh, he said he was going to run some errands."
"Errands?"
Teshii… running errands?
That did not sound right.
Hikaru narrowed his eyes. Something isn't right.
Still, he shook it off. "Anyway, I need to get ready for university."
Sayaka smiled warmly. "Alright, dear! Don't be late!"
On the Way to University
Hikaru walked, lost in thought.
Teshii running errands?
It kept bothering him.
"Hey, Hikaru!"
He turned toward the voice.
Hikari.
"On your way to class?" she asked.
"Yeah. You heading to volleyball practice?"
"Yep!" Hikari grinned.
Another figure stood beside her.
Character Introduction
Name: Mei Tomita
Age: 20
Hair Colour: Navy
Eye Colour: Green
Height: 5'3
Weight: 130lbs
Occupation: Professional Volleyball Player
Mei dressed in her volleyball uniform, looked at Hikaru and blushed slightly.
"Hi… Hikaru." Mei greeted shyly.
Hikaru smiled. "Hey, Mei! How's it going?"
"I'm great… how about you?"
Mei's crush was obvious.
Unfortunately, like every protagonist, Hikaru was completely dense.
"Not too bad." Hikaru shrugged.
Hikari glanced around. "Hey, where's Teshii?"
"No idea. Mom said he was running errands."
Hikari frowned. "That doesn't sound like him."
"Exactly what I thought." Hikaru sighed.
Mei looked confused. "Who's Teshii?"
Hikari grinned. "Oh, Teshii? He's a really good-looking guy I met yesterday."
She blushed.
Hikaru immediately snapped his head toward her. "No. He's not good-looking. He's annoying."
Mei blinked. "Is that so?"
Hikari shrugged. "Honestly… I kinda like him."
"NO, YOU DON'T!" Hikaru shouted.
Mei giggled. "He sounds fun."
Hikaru checked his phone. " Crap, I'm gonna be late!"
"See you at home, Hikaru!" Hikari waved.
Hikaru waved back, hurrying toward the university.
In the Lecture Hall…
Hikaru settled into his usual seat in the psychology lecture hall.
Pulling out his notes, he started skimming through them while waiting for class to begin.
Nearby, he overheard a conversation.
"Hey, did you hear?" a student whispered. "Apparently, our professor won't be in for a while."
"Really?"
"Yeah, someone else is taking over for her."
A replacement professor?
Hikaru raised an eyebrow.
"Interesting."
His phone buzzed.
A message from Satoshi.
Satoshi: Hikaru, I completely forgot to mention this to you.
Hikaru:What is it?
Satoshi: Don't mention the Order of the Elements to anyone. And definitely don't tell anyone about the Element of Light.
Hikaru stared at the message.
Like I was gonna tell anyone. They'd just laugh at me.
Still, he decided to play it safe.
Hikaru: Got it.
Minutes passed. The class grew impatient.
Then–
"ALRIGHT, NERDS! READY TO LEARN ABOUT THE HUMAN MIND?!"
Hikaru's blood ran cold.
No. No way.
Slowly, he turned toward the voice.
His eyes widened in pure horror.
Teshii.
Dressed in a button-up shirt and loosely tied tie, he stood at the front of the room with zero professionalism.
He casually tossed a marker in the air and caught it.
Then, he grinned.
"My name is Teshii! And I'll be your replacement professor!"
Hikaru's jaw dropped.
The entire lecture hall stared in confusion.
Teshii scanned the room before locking eyes with Hikaru.
His grin widened.
"Hey, Hikaru! Didn't think I'd see you here!"
He waved.
Every student turned toward Hikaru.
The person beside him whispered. "Do you… know that guy?"
Hikaru didn't hesitate.
"Nope. Never seen him before in my life."
Meanwhile, Teshii beamed.
"Alright, class is now in session!"
Meanwhile…
High above campus, a figure stood atop a rooftop.
Smoke curled around him.
With every breath, more smoke escaped his lips.
His piercing eyes watched the university below.
A low chuckle rumbled from his throat.
"So… the Element of Light is here."
TO BE CONTINUE!!!