Writing at least 1k words every day until I can confidently claim that I'm consistent.

[waderer]

Right as I sat down to write todays chapter, some guests came. I had no choice but to entertain them, especially with my sister absent. My mental battery had ran out by the time they left, yet, a commitment, is a commitment. I wanted to complete todays objective.

I'm not satisfied with this chapter. Honestly, this isn't' what I imagined. it seems like the whole characters changed a lot, and without proper explanations, it feels too abrupt. I should've added more content in between.
Haah, I'm exhausted. I'll fix it while editing ig. there'll be explanations tomorrow though, hopefully without too much exposition. I know I'm a few words short of 1.5k, but haaahhh, I'm dead. see yall tomorrow. I did read this once, but I'm not confident in my proofreading today! Bytt
...


Rumi hid behind the parked car as Itsuki rounded the corner, into their residential district. She stalked him with practiced caution, not appearing in his line of sight.

Walking briskly, she peeked over from the property wall as he walked.

Issac slowly looked around, and making sure there was no one in the area, he took out his old-fashioned flip phone from his pocket, placing it on his ears after a few clicks.

He walked into a shady looking alleyway, talking to someone in a muffled voice. Rumi couldn't hear the details, despite her enhanced hearing, and her ears pointing like satellite dishes.

Rumi's brows furrowed. It was suspicious. There was at least another kilometre from here to Itsuki's apartment. What was he doing in the shady alley? Who was he calling? What had gotten himself into? And without telling her? She found it incredibly suspicious.

She had intended to surprise visit him in his apartment since he'd been turning down her invitations for the last few days.

But now, things were taking an interesting turn.

She practically tiptoed through the empty street, peeking around the alleyway.

It was a dead alley. And there were no signs of Itsuki. She even looked behind and inside the trashcan, yet, he wasn't there. Her nose twitched.

Indeed, his scent had disappeared around the alley.

"Itsuki?!" she called out, feeling a little worried. She looked up the fire exit on the side of the building, making sure he wasn't pranking her.

Did he disappear into one of these doors? She got curious and even knocked on one of the doors.

Yet, no one answered.

She focused her sense of smell once again, filtering out the unpleasant smell of the alley.

She sensed Itsuki's and Illia's familiar scent, and mingled with Tao's.

Tao was here?

No, it was her scent on something else.

She looked down to where her sense of smell led her, and indeed she saw a small earring on the floor. It looked pristine, sticking out from the rest of the things in the alley.

She picked it up, a sense of unease welling up inside her.

She recognised the piece of jewellery. She had seen it on Tao, and she even remembered her mother once complementing the scary woman on her taste in jewellery.

What the hell was happening? Itsuki and Illia had disappeared, and there was now a piece of Tao's jewellery? Were they all in the building?

A scraping sound of metal on metal echoed off the walls off the alley, starling Rumi, who was moderately racking her brains, trying to connect the dots.

It was the door she had knocked earlier. The metal door groaned like it hadn't seen a lick of oil in a century, making Rumi hair stand on end.

A hulk of a man with bull horns in his head popped his head out, looking straight at Rumi.

"Did you knock just now?" The man asked, his voice low, his breathing reminding her of the steam engine they'd seen at the park.

"Yes," Rumi pocketed the stud, about to continue, but the man cut her off.

"What do you want?" His impatience was clear to see as he stepped out of the door, adjusting his trousers.

Calling the man a hulk wasn't an understatement. He was bigger than the iron door, and his wife beater could barely hide his rippling muscles. Even Rumi felt a little intimidated. Yet, a grin spread across her face as she asked.

"Have you seen a boy here? He's around my height, has dirty blonde messy hair and should be wearing the same uniform as mine?"

…

A few munites back.

Issac pulled out his phone as he pulled into the alley. It was kind of the shady part of the neibhorhood, and there wasn't many security cameras around. Issac figured this would suffice.

He dialed Celia and she answered without much delay, "I'm in position." He spoke with impatience.

He was met with a sigh, "Issac, you're not at the apartment."

"That's right, but I'm in a secure position. I'm by that Ox guy's workshop. There no onlookers, no security cameras, nothing."

"...."

Celia didn't reply, and even Illia shook her head.

"Please," Issac sweetened his voice as much as he could, "It's another 12 minute walk to the apartment, you're the one who sent me that photo, no?"

"Ugh fine!" Celia sighed, and next second, Issac vanished from his spot, in his place appearing a stud earing.

Issac reappeared on top of a hill, with hills sectioned off for terrace farming as far as the eyes could see.

It was a breathtaking sight, no matter how many times he had seen it.

Celia was down by one of the terrace, in her rubber overalls, covered in mud, weeding the paddy.

Issac didn't even greet Celia as he ran off toward the lonely cherry tree on the the hill, hugging it like it was his own child. It had worked. His small experiment in which he had no hopes on, had worked. It meant a lot of things, and he could hardly contain his joy.

"Really? Not so much as a greeting?!" Celia yelled.

"Good morning!" Issac replied.

"Morning?" Celia sneered, "Whatever." she got back to weeding, but she paused after a moment.

"Really Issac?I thought you said there wasn't anyone around!" She yelled once more, and Issac came back from his stupor, looking down from the hill?

"What?" He hadn't heard her fully, and the scolding tone made him worried.

Celia looked absentminded for a moment long, and yelled once again.

"Really? What did I drill into you all these months?" Celia shook her head and in the next moment she vanished.

"Huh?," leaving behind Issac and Illia, who had climbed onto the plum tree to sniff the flowers, looking confused.

"Aw shit! I knew she was up to no good." Issac swore, he was connecting the pieces.

…

"I've seen my fair share of boys, little girl, what's that got to do with you?" The man with the horns stepped forward in an intimidating manner.

And that only made Rumi's grin widen.

"I just happen to be a concerned citizen," she started, only to stop as she sensed a familiar yet unfamiliar scent.

"Is that how you talk to children?"

A rubber gloved hand was placed on her shoulder.

Rumi winced at the wet mud that splattered onto her uniform. She looked up at the hand's owner.

"Aunt Tao." she called out with not much enthusiasm.

Rumi grumbled inside her heart. It was the scary woman, and her expression now looked positively terrifying. Even the hulk of a man took a few steps back. Even his neck muscles seemed to have lost their stiffness.

Rumi would've rather taken care of the trouble herself. Wherever Tao was involved, things seemed to end on an odd note. She didn't like that.

"She was sneaking around, I just," the hulk of a man tried to defend himself, lowering his head further.

"And? Your parents never taught you basic courtesy?"

"Um—" the man looked around nervously, rubbing his hands together, "I'm sorry?"

"Are you apologizing to me?"

The man turned toward Rumi, "I'm sorry little girl!" The bowing figure of the hulk of a man was just pitiful. It was amazing how fast the atmosphere had changed.

Rumi just nodded at the man.

But the man wasn't finished, "I didn't see any kids today, but judging from your description, you seem to be describing Itsu–" but the man was cut off.

"Now you're gonna go around revealing intel on my boy ya bastard?!" Tao was furious.

Rumi falt pity rising in her heart as the hulk of a man, on the verge of crying, stumbled back in the building, closing the heavy groaning iron door shut behind him.

Rumi had heard scolding her entire life, there was not a day that passed without her mother yelling at her. There would always be a reason, yet, today she flet real pity toward the guy. It must be tough getting yelled at even though you were an adult, especially from an unreasonable person.

"Oil that thing, will'ya?!" Tao once again called out.

"Yes ma'am!" came the hurried shout as the door closed.

Celia looked down at Rumi. And Rumi nervously looked back.

The scary woman was scary as ever.

"Does your Esumi know where you are?" Celia asked.

"I told her I'll be spending the night on yours." Rumi answered obediently.

Celia took one hard look at Rumi, and the rabbit girl shifted a bit uncomfrortably.

"Eeh, guess you're family now."

With that, both Celia and Rumi vanished, leaving behind the same stud earing as the one Rumi had found, but now covered in wet mud.

 

[waderer]

Mr. never late than never is here ya'll!
and this chapter is worse... I think. how do these authors do this! mann! Well, see you tomorrow!

...

"Whoa!!!" Rumi patted herself down, looking around in panic. For a moment, she felt like she had ceased to exist. The sunnden quietness all around, the smell of wet earth, the tingling sensation on her eardrums, freshness of it all made her senses go heywire for a second.

"Easy now," Celia patted Rumi on her back, helping her take off the backpack, "try taking a deep breath."

Rumi calmed down quick enough as she looked around, "Where are we?" she asked, taking in the scenery.

"It's our rice terrace. Neat right?"

"Huh? Yeah?" Rumi once again looked around, spotting the lone cherry tree on the hilltop, and Itsuki hugging it, "Um, Are we in Hiroshima?"

"Hmm, more like Shimane," Celia smiled.

"Huh?" Rumi had even more questions in her mind.

"Hah! I knew you were up to no good!" but she was interrupted by a yell. Issac, still having one hand on the tree yelled while pointing, "Why'd you follow me?! Didin't I tell you I'd tell you tomorrow?"

"I wanted to know what you were upto!" Rumi yelled back, pointing a hand on her own. Then she whispered to Celia, "Why is he holding the tree like that?"

"Well," Celia seemed to reminisce, "It all started with a small experiment."

"Didn't I tell you I'll fill you on the details tommorrow! I was even prepared to go with you to that fighting club you were menitioning," Issac shook his head while yelling.

Rumi was a bit touched. There was an illegal fight club in Hiroshima, which she had known of when she beat up a bully whose brother was fighting for the same club. There was the whole problem of that big brother chasing them through the streets of Hiroshima afterward, but what stuck to her was the knowledge of something so exciting so close to her.

She'd been promptly blocked from going there by her mother. She was waiting for her mom to forget about it before she ventured out, yet here Itsuki was, yelling about it infront of Tao.

Rumi sideyed Tao, just to make sure what kind of face she was making.

Well, Tao seemed more concerned about cleaning the mud off of Rumi's bag.

"Yeah, so you had no interest in telling me anyway!!!" Rumi yelled back, part trying to divert the conversation, part genuinely offended.

"Alright, now, he's free to fill you on the details," Celia spoke, handing Rumi's bag to her, "I've got to weed the terrece before the sun comes down."

Rumi knew what weeding was, she'd done her fare share of weeding in her grandma's garden. "Are you going to do that all by yourself?" Rumi looked around, there were a lot of land to cover, "I can help."

"No, no, no, I just doing this one terrace. Workers will come around tomorrow." Celia had a distant look on her face as she looked at the distant mountain, "This is a matter of pride. I will make that old lady shut up."

"Huh?" Itsuki was still yelling something by the cherry tree.

"Anyway, If you're hungry, there should be some brownies by the shade. Ask him."

Celia turned around and jumped down to the field, and Rumi disappeared, appearing beside Issac.

Issac, who was yelling with his back to the tree, looked back to see Rumi patting herself down once again.

Now, there wasn't the feeling of unpleasantness in to her senses, but the feeling as if disappearing for a second still lingered in her heart.

"Was that a quirk?" Rumi asked Issac, as she heard a chirp from above the cherry tree. She looked up to see Illia waving at her, munching on a brownie.

"Yeah, that's Tao's quirk. She can swap with anything." Issac waved his one free arm around, "It's a bit complicated, but her quirk has a lot of range."

"Anything?"

"No, not relly anything. She has to mark things before."

"Mark?"

"Yeah? I think it's more complicated for human's but it's just touching for inanimate items."

"...Am I marked?"

"No, I don't think so. She came herself to pick you up, didn't she?"

Rumi, as if a lightbulb went off in her head, searched her pocket. Sure enough, the studded earing was nowhere to be seen.

"Was that earring a mark?"

"Most likely."

"Wait, those times when you said you forgot lunch and then came back minutes saying Tao delivered it–even though I never saw a lick of her– did you, you know, swap?"

"Yep, but it's more discrete you know, I've made this elaborate plan so noone would find out."

"Hold on! Then that magic trick where that rabbit that rat came from?"

"Hey, that my skill you know!"

"..."

"Maybe there was some help involved, but I still pulled off the illusion."

"What about that time you changed your whole outfit? What about the time when you said you forgot to sign the progress card, but there was a sign ther anyway? What about that fight club guy who disappeared while chasing us."

"Yeah, she may or may not have been involved."

"Oh my god that explains a lot!!! How could you not tell me all this time!!! That's so brocken!"

"Um, it's actually impolite ask so many details of one's quirk."

"I don't think your mom cares."

"Oh believe me when I say she cares, why do you think, even with your curiosity, you never learned she even had a quirk?"

"..." Rumi looked thoughtful for a second, "Where exactly are we in Shimane?"

"Hah, like you know someplace outside Hiroshima!"

Rumi narrowed her eyes, crossing her arms, "Try me."

"..." Issac throught for a second, "Well, I certainly don't. It's like a thirty minute drive from our house, but we mostly swap. Somewhere close to unnan? I think? Wait don't you have to go home today?"

"..." She'd heard of Unnan, she didn't know where it was though, "No, I said I was sleeping over at yours. Why are you touching the tree like that?"

Rumi had a lot of information to process, still she noticed Itsuki's odd behaviour. At the same time, she felt a tug on her skirt.

She looked down to see Illia holding out a piece of brownie. "Thanks," she said as she took it with her less muddy hand.

"This?" Issac looked at one hand which had never left the tree. He spoke as he prepared for a fight, "I'm experimenting with a quirk."

Rumi paused mid chewing. Her eyes narrowed, and spoke with a muffled voice, "I thought your quirk was body strengthening."

"It is," Isaac nodded as if agreeing, "but only in a boarder sense. It's more like energy manipulation."

"..." Rumi took another bite of the brownie. It was delicious. And from the heavenly taste, she knew, tao had made it.

"Can you believe this tree is only three months old?" Issac spoke with enthusiasm he couldn't hide.

The tree was over five meters tall, it's canopy spreading like an umbrella covering the peak. It beautiful, in full bloom, looking healty and sturdy, like a century old tree. No one would believe if they were told the tree was only three months old.

"No, let's circle back. You were talking about your quirk." Rumi, understandably, was feeling a little hurt.

Issac didn't want to go into details if he could. His used to be a cursed quirk. While he never hated it, he wasn't really keen on other people knowing off it. Tao was different, but not all people were like that.

Grandpa junkie had taugh him that, and that still remained a leason he will never forget.

"It's rude to ask details about people's quirk you know. I never ask for yours!"

"What more is there to know about mine?!! I'm a freaking rabbit!!"

"..."

"You gonna tell me or what?"

"Alright. My quirk is more of a kind of energy manipulation. Like, I can use the energy that needed for my leg to function normally and transfer it to my hand. That will make my hand swing faster, heal faster, makes my skin, bones and muscles tougher.

"But that's dangerous. Like, my leg will be waker, it can break and be cut easily. I thought that was all I could do." Actually no, issac had figured out he could steal people of their life, long before he knew he could control his energy like that.

"But no. Other than that, I can use the surplus energy in my body to strengthen myself. Like that of food! I can use any excess energy in my body that remains after what my body needs to function and strengthen myself."

Rumi nodded, "You do eat a lot before fights."

"Right," Issac flet a bit offended. It wasn't like he was a troublemaker, "Anyway, it all changed why I figured out I can use my quirk to manipulate the energy on plants. It started with making the flowers bloom fast and making the stems harden, but then I understood something else."

"I can take energy from, one plant, and give it to another."

"That's what I'm doing with the cherry tree. I've been experimenting with infusing the tree with any excess life I could get for the last three months, ever since I planted it. Look at the soil with the cracks, it's cause of the roots expanding rapidly."

"Wait, wait, wait! Does that mean you can affect, other living beings?"

"Right, but like plants."

"Plant's a living being."

"Well, it depends."

"No plants have lives… wait! Does it work with humans?"

"..." "I don't know, maybe?"

Rumi's eyes widened as if a light bulb lit up in her head. "I knew that scrape on my leg healed suspiciously fast!"

"..."

"Wait, does that mean you can take life away from people too?!"

"..."

"Well?"

"I was hoping you wouldn't get there."

"Hey?? What does that mean?!"

"Well, y'know."

Issac and Rumi rolled down the hill, onto the terrace filled with mut, flattening the paddy, taking a mudbath.