Lost Radiance

> ”He was the leader of this group and he was determined to create a rival corporation. The plan was to steal the technology of Paravel. ”

”I had no choice, ” Yamada said. ”Kenji explained that if I refused to cooperate, my family would be killed. And worse… ”

”How terrible, Mr. Yamada. ” Shota lowered his gaze and frowned slightly.

”I was given two options – either I could steal the device or they would kill my wife and children. I had no choice. ”

Shota stared at him and nodded. ”Of course. Of course, you had no choice. ”

”When I heard a loud sound in your office, I ran towards it and saw that you were unconscious on the floor. I quickly made a call to Professor Kondo from the office phone and thats how they came looking for you, thats when I grabbed the glove on the floor and escaped. ”

”That makes sense. ”

”Mr. Shota, please believe me. I didn want to betray you. I just thought it was the right decision to protect my family. ”

Shota thought for a moment. His anger melted away under the weight of his grief. He understood how Yamada must feel. The same fear was coursing through his veins. But he had no answer for his friend because he still didn know why Hiromasa did what he did.

”I was so scared, ” Yamada continued. ”My whole family is in danger. I couldn bear the thought of leaving them defenseless. I had to do something. I had to do something before it was too late. ”

”I understand. ” Shota patted his shoulder comfortably. ”You did the right thing. No one can fault you for that. ”

Yamada smiled weakly. ”Thank you, sir. ”

”So, what happens now? Do they come after you? ”

”I don know. ”

”Where are they now? ”

”The last thing I heard was that they wanted the gloves for an experiment under the Pillar of Light. They haven contacted me since. ”

”Under the Pillar? What do they want to do in that cave? ”

Yamada frowned. ”I have no idea. ”

Suddenly, Shota came up with an idea. ”Can you tell the police? ”

Yamada looked confused. ”What do you mean? ”

”Don they have access to the Pillar? Can they search it for evidence? ”

Yamada thought for a moment. ”Could be. Why not give it a shot? ”

Shota grinned. He liked the sound of that. ”Good idea. Lets talk to Inspector Hoshino together. ”

”Right…but will he listen to me? ”

”Why shouldn he? Did you commit any crime? ”

”Well, technically yes, but— ”

”You
e safe. Don worry. Come with me tomorrow morning at eight am. And remember, the less you say, the better. ”

As soon as he finished talking, Shota got up from the table. He paid for their drinks and left the café

After that, he crossed the street to his apartment building. Then he entered his apartment and switched on the light switch.

To his surprise, his bedroom door was wide open.

His eyes darted around the room in disbelief. Everything in sight was scattered everywhere. Drawers opened, and even the bed was unmade.

Then, he noticed the faint smell of perfume wafting into the room. For a moment, he wondered if hed been robbed and searched his pockets for his wallet and keys, but his belongings weren missing. Instead, he pulled aside the covers on the bed and discovered that the sheets were rumpled as if someone had slept in them recently. It took him a few seconds to realize who might be responsible for such messiness.

And yet, somehow, it also made perfect sense.

A smile spread over Shotas lips. ”Oh God, ” he whispered. ”Did she finally come back? ”

A person was under a pile of clothes. After hearing him, she jumped up and raised her arms

”Yeeees Im Back!! ” She screamed excitedly.

Shota leapt to embrace the woman standing beside him.

She wrapped herself tightly around him, hugging him fiercely.

”Kanako! Thank goodness! ” Shota exclaimed happily. ”Youve returned safely. ”

Her hair was disheveled. Her cheeks glowed pink. Only moments ago, Kanako was covered head-to-toe by layers upon layers of clothing, which had now fallen off. When he embraced her, he felt the warmth of her skin beneath the fabric.

Without warning, he lifted her off the ground and spun her around. At every turn, he kissed her repeatedly on the cheek.

With a satisfied look on his face, Shota lowered the girl gently to the floor. ”Its good to see you again. ”

Kanako was her best friend in the world. Not only had she saved Shotas life once before, but she was also the closest human being he ever shared a bond with. Their relationship wasn romantic, though. More accurately, they were childhood friends. But in those brief years, they formed a deep connection that neither had experienced with anyone else.

Kanako was a short girl with red hair and freckles all over her pale skin. She stood barely five feet tall, wore glasses, and spoke very little. Despite her appearance, she possessed a sharp intellect and keen intuition. She was a genius at mathematics and science. If there was a problem to solve, Kanako always managed to figure out the solution first.

But despite her intelligence, she never attended college and instead lived alone. After graduating from high school, she spent most of her days reading books and playing video games until nightfall. Sometimes, she worked part-time jobs as well. However, nothing brought her joy quite like solving puzzles. To satisfy her curiosity and thirst for knowledge, she devoted much of her free time to research. On occasion, she even solved problems that baffled the greatest scientists of Paravel.

While Kanako was intelligent enough to become a researcher at Paravel itself, she preferred to spend her time studying independently. Since then, she became known among Paravel employees as the smartest woman alive. Though some people mocked her for spending so many hours locked up in her apartment, they respected her abilities and talent.

Kanako had left the City of Paravel to investigate the pillars located throughout the world. She believed that the answers to humanitys biggest questions lay hidden within these structures.