Chapter 41: Bolt

  First, I finish my food. Ace quickly crammed his lunch into his mouth, demolishing it within minutes.

  Second, I pretend to study. He pulled out his flashcards and flipped through them with exaggerated focus, eyes scanning the same card without absorbing a single word.

  Third, wait for-

  A loud crunch shattered Ace’s concentration.

  Shiro had popped something into his mouth and bit down hard, jaw working violently. His hands trembled as he swallowed without water. “Oh yeah!” he exclaimed with eyes open so wide that his eyeballs could drop out. “So awake right now.”

  – Shiro to get his coffee like he always does, Ace completed the sentence in his mind.

  “Caffeine pills,” Shiro said, catching Ace's stare. He grinned, manic energy radiating off him. “Your teacher suggested them.”

  “I thought you preferred coffee.”

  “Yua refused to sleep last night. I need something stronger.” Shiro stifled a yawn. “She only slept when I had her in my arms. Ah, my neck is killing me!”

  He pounded his fist against the side of his neck, grimacing. “What were you and Dante-san up to yesterday?” he asked. “Your Visions are much more realistic today. It’s like they have more colour to them…”

  “Really?”

  “The only way I could tell they were Visions was that bluish aura…”

  “It only happens on some days,” Ace said. “And on days when I don’t feel so well…”

  Ace stood abruptly, chair scraping against the floor. “I need the washroom.”

  The moment Ace closed the door to the staff rest area, he sprinted like his life depended on it. The air dried out his throat, but he persisted. The exit was right ahead. He whipped his head around to look over his shoulder. Shiro had not caught on to his lie. “Ha! It was that easy!” he gloated.

  But the smell of baby powder soon engulfed Ace’s nostrils.

  Ace’s stomach dropped as he crashed into Shiro's chest before he could stop himself.

  “H-How?” The word came out strangled as Shiro's hand closed around his collar, hauling him backwards to the staff room.

  “It’s a trade secret.” Shiro smiled down at him, caffeine-bright eyes unblinking. “Where do you think you are going?”

  Words tangled on Ace’s tongue. “I just– I need to–”

  “Dante-san told me to keep watch over you today. I don’t know why he called me today to remind me, but…” Shiro trailed off.

  He doesn’t know about the case, Ace thought. “Wait, can I get a half-day off? I have something urgent to attend to.”

  Shiro sighed and shook his head. “I have not lectured you about your hour-long toilet break earlier,” he said. “You’ll have to make up for it.”

  Ace gulped, his throat feeling dry and sticky. His breathing became heavier as he eyed Shiro nervously. “N-No, you have to let me off early today,” he insisted.

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  The reason for the break: he had been reviewing Dr. Iwata's Essence over and over.

  The first time, Ace had conjured the Vision just as he had at the crime scene. Dr. Iwata shaking hands with Dr. Faust, the lines appearing when the doctor was back at his own office, his body splitting apart, things that they had already seen.

  But something had nagged at him. There was a flicker at the edge of his, or rather, Dr. Iwata’s perception.

  So he manifested it again and again, pouring more Essence into sharpening every detail in each iteration. The handshake. The smile. On the third time, something dark zipped across Dr. Iwata's hand. Like a stitch being pulled taut. So fast he almost missed it.

  Ace let the Vision dissolve and manifested it repeatedly, each time hunting for that split-second darkness that he saw. Was it part of the murder? A trick of the memory? His own Essence interfering? By the seventh manifestation, his head had started pounding. By the tenth, he could not tell anymore if the dark thread was actually there or if he had imagined it into existence through sheer repetition.

  But it had been enough to send Ace running, to make him try calling Dante. Five times – five unanswered calls that made his chest tighten more every time the line died.

  It was Dr. Faust. It had to be. That dark flicker – maybe it was how he did it. How he triggered the lines. There was no need to prolong the investigation.

  Ace had worn a path in the hallway outside the washroom then, phone clutched in a white-knuckled grip, fingers hovering over the keyboard. Then Shiro had rounded the corner and held out his hand. The phone was gone before he could type a single word.

  One thought consumed Ace as he trudged through his shift until their lunch break: Dr. Faust's family is next. He was sure that Dante had somehow figured it out and was on his way to the hospital, or perhaps he was already there.

  But what if he was not? What if Dante was still reviewing documents, still building the case, while Dr. Faust was preparing to murder his wife and children?

  Ace’s fingers curled into fists at his sides, nails biting into his palms. “Please!” The plea tore out of him. “It’s urgent!”

  Shiro's shoulders sagged. He dragged a hand down his face, drawing his lips into a resigned frown. “Fine,” he relented.

  Ace’s heart skipped a beat in excitement, but Shiro’s next words wiped off his smile. “But I’ll go with you,” he added. “I can’t let you go out alone. If I did, he’d get mad. If he gets mad, I’d have to start writing my will.”

  “Okay,” Ace relented, not willing to waste a second more. “You can come along.”

  After applying for leave, Shiro accompanied him to his van. Ace surveyed his surroundings and spotted a taxi idling some distance away. He reached up to snap a couple of fresh leaves off a low-hanging branch. The green felt soft and damp between his fingers. Liquids generally have a high Essence Capacity, similar to how they have higher heat capacity. These should hold a Vision long enough, he thought.

  Ace clutched the leaves close to his chest, unsure of whether he could pull it off. Larger animals needed more memory work and understanding. He had been working on them but had not managed to try them out. He glanced at the taxi and then at Shiro. Beads of sweat oozed out from the pores of his temple and trickled down the side of his face.

  Screw it! Ace gritted his teeth. Vision Manifestation: Kandula!

  Ace supercharged one of the leaves and tacked it on Shiro’s back.

  Brilliant blue light exploded around them. The foot of an elephant found its place on Shiro’s back, slamming him onto the ground. Before Shiro could summon his katana to cut through Kandula, Morath’s tail slapped him across the face with a wet smack. Shiro’s body convulsed, limbs twitching as the electric eel coiled around his body.

  “Sorry!” Ace apologised but still took a step back to admire his handiwork.

  Kandula was headless as he had only managed to manifest the lower half of its body. The torso ended in a glowing blue orb where the heart should be, pulsing with contained Essence. Good, it’ll hold, Ace thought, triumphant.

  “AAAACCCEEE!!!” Shiro’s voice cracked, raw and trembling with fury.

  Ace spun and ran. His shoes slapped against the asphalt as he ripped open the taxi door and threw himself inside. The driver jerked in his seat, eyes wide in the rearview mirror.

  “Take me to Yokohama Highland Hospital!” he gasped as he slammed the door. “Step on it!”

  The driver's mouth opened. Closed. Opened again. Behind them, Shiro was still screaming. The blade of his katana was pushing out from his mouth.

  “Now!”

  The engine roared to life.