*Flashback 1 year ago*

Bianca had a host a sleepover and invited a couple of her friends regardless of their gender, so she invited Pax, Hannah, me and Kevin. Bianca's household was really strict(but not as strict as mine), it was a miracle how her parents approved teenaged boys, non straight girls, and others to stay for the night.

She said it's because her half brother, who was 7 years old than she was, was home and she could get away with almost anything as long as he was there to watch over. I've met him personally, and he was...unfriendly, to say the least.

We were in her room, sitting in a circle. One of her lady friend sat next to my right while Kevin sat on my left. We were playing 'Would You Rather', the game everyone likes and despise next to the classic 'Truth or Dare'. We promised to Bianca's brother we'd never do anything sexual...

...and we almost broke it.

"My turn!" Bianca exclaimed after the last question has been answered. She took her time to pick her prey...and it was me. With a knowing smirk, she points at me. "Jack Azaleas! Would you rather...eat the most disgusting thing ever made or kiss the person next to you?"

What?! Uh...what?!

I turn to both of the people beside me. I most definitely do not want to kiss a girl! I don't want my first kiss to go like that! And there's Kevin...I knew she was doing it on purpose. Nothing's more entertaining than seeing the outcast squirm in his seat with his crush sitting beside him no feet apart.

Yet it was the perfect moment! I could've just said I prefer kissing someone and I'd pick him and all would be happily ever after! But...

I respected the vow we made more than my selfish wish. Plus, I would be a bad kisser and it'd ruin everything...reality isn't a fairytale and all would end into a disaster if I did it. I'd go to sleep embarrassed, alone, and full of regret.

"I think I'd prefer the former." I bite my tongue when the words left me. Almost in the room appeared surprised when I said my answer.

Were they...expecting to me to choose the other option?

"O-oh? Is that so?" Bianca stutters with surprise for a moment...before a devil smile forms across her face. What the heck?

"You have something in mind, Bianca?" asking with caution, never see her with a smile like that.

She scratches her chin in thought. "Maybe...hang on, I'm going to get something." she stands up and headed downstairs.

Everyone stared onto me intensely like I just said the wrong answer and I was going to be punished! Their staring had me shrink in my seat, hyperventilating while my head spinning from the extreme uneasiness and growing panic.

They're staring in my soul...why was no one blinking?! WHY IS NO ONE BLINKING?!

Thoughts of possible outcomes when Bianca comes back multiplied.

What if she's going to call my parents and had them punish me for ruining the mood? What if she kicks me out?! What if she kidnaps me to her basement?! What if...SHE COMES BACK WITH A CHAINSAW AND SLICE ME INTO SUSHI ROLLS?!

All of the sudden, I felt an arm across my shoulders and pulled me closer into warmness. "Jack, buddy. Hey! You're okay, you're okay. You're safe, no one's going to harm you..."

It was the athlete, shushing me into his arms and muttering the same words over and over soothingly. In his arms, I felt safe and his heartbeat soothes me in many possible ways. After a couple of more fast breathings and my mind alarming fight or flight instinct, my mind has finally registered reality and no one is going to put in wasabi and I finally calmed down...

...and pulled away from him. "Uhh...thanks, Kevin." I muttered awkwardly, looking away flustered. He only smiles and rubs circles on my back until I could breath normally again.

I looked at everyone around... Oh. Everybody was blinking! Thank GOD!

When Bianca came back, she brought a dozens of food and ingredients with her, along a bowl and a handful of plastic spoons. Thank goodness there were no chainsaw or parents! Damn, my proactive imagination, haha.

She placed down everything and started her task by putting plain yogurt into the bowl first.

"What the heck is all this?" I asked, pointing to the things she brought. Then she started putting ketchup and barbeque onto the yogurt!

"Bia, what are you doing?!" I asked again, this time more alarmed.

"I'm making the most disgusting thing bowl of yogurt for you to eat!"

WHAT?!

She started putting candy corns and apricots into the mix. That's when my heart broke. "Why do you have to drag the candy corns along? They don't deserve that!"

Soon two scoop chocolate ice creams got involved and she started mixing them together. I cried when I saw the candy corns and the blobs of chocolate ice cream popping out the surface as if they were trying to stay alive.

After she was done, she did one last thing for garnish:

a swirl drizzle of hot sauce on top of the whole thing. She raised the bowl up with pride.

"Viola! I call this...hmmm..." she ponders for a moment before moving it down to her level, smells it and grimaced away. "I call it 'Bulbophyllums', 'Bulbop' for short."

...Isn't that the name of the stinkiest orchid flower that smells like rotting meat? If she compared a rotting smell flower to that...it's definitely deadly.

The redhead shoves the bowl into my hands. 

Ughh...it looks disgusting. "I hate you, you know that?" I fumed before glaring at Bianca. She just smiles innocently before chanting, "Eat it! Eat it! Eat it!"

Soon everyone joined into the chant. I begrudgingly grabbed a plastic spoon, took a small scoop of the devil spawn food she made...and put it in my mouth.

...

"...not bad, I kinda like it." I smiled with a believable enjoyed expression and a contented voice when my insides were BURNING AND CHURNING FROM THE DISGUSTING TASTE AND THE HOT SAUCE!

"Whaaat?!" Everyone didn't believe me, they kept saying I was bluffing and that there is no way I was being serious.

But my acting paid off when they were starting to believe.

"You wanna taste?" Still straining myself to continue the perfect performance, I offer them the bowl with a gentle smile.

Most of them, even Bianca, took a spoonful and eat it. But Kevin, and the Quinn twins knew better than to trust my acting, so they only watched hell break loose.

When the taste finally settled down their mouth, some started coughing, some grimaced, and some spat it back their spoons.

"BLEH! It's gross, I don't think my tongue will recover from this!" Bianca chocked out through her coughing, throwing her spoon away.

Haha! In your face! I snickered in victory. "Neither will mine, but at least we're all suffering together."

Everyone who regretfully tried the 'Bulbop', glared at me for a moment...before laughing ridiculously at themselves.

The redhead slowly clapped, shaking head with a smile. "Well played, Azaleas. well played."

====

Date: 2012 May 2 - 3 days remaining

Pax's perspective

It was lunchtime in school once again...and I was, once again, busy with something; something that does not concern Hannah, yet her presences seemed to act against my wishes. The audible sounds of her shoes approaches my table with my head was deep into the notes I wrote.

"Hey Pax..." I can hear the sad tone in my twin's voice. She keeps doing this; greeting me when she sees me, asking me simple questions, and small compliments, in hope for me to respond her since I was actively shunning everyone.

It wasn't my intention to hurt my friends and family by neglecting their existence, it's just...I needed to concentrate, my friend's life is on the line and I couldn't afford any distractions. Today was my lucky day, as I finally have solved the hidden message. Maybe loosing up a little and finally answering my sibling wouldn't do any harm.

"Hey Han..."  I didn't look up to her though, my eyes were still reviewing the codes carefully in case there were errors. Somehow, I could feel her sheer shock from afar, that her twin have finally reciprocated a reply.

She cleared her throat. "Uhm...can I..." she trailed off, she was obviously gesturing at the empty seats at the opposite side of the table, I didn't have to look up to know that. "Sure..." I muttered quietly. Then a chair was being pulled out and a tray of food being set onto the empty portion of the table where my papers don't scatter. Yep, I was right.

I grab the very same medical book that contains the information of Hanahaki Disease we borrowed days ago and inspected it again, tracing the burned circles that rudely interrupted the paragraphs.

"So...uh...what happened during you and Jack..." When she recalled the event, my body tensed for a moment before composing myself.

Did she really have to start the conversation with that? To be fair, I did leave her hanging in the air for quite some time.

I murmured a brief indifferent reply, trying to cover up the jolt of embarrassment up in my spine. "What about it?"

"It was...intense, wasn't it? I haven't seen you cry since we were eleven...so that was just...wow."

...I'm not responding to that. I focused back on the book and quickly flipped its pages multiple times before closing it off. Yes. I'm correct, everything is in order. This is definitely been burned on purpose and it's not all just a coincidence. 

"And that jerk had the guts to tell us that...we don't matter to him?! The NERVE of him! It was a good thing I told him off, that ass deserves it!"

Huh? finally gazing up to my twin with wide eyes. "Wait...what? What did you do?"

"Right after you left, I told him he's a big asshole and that I hope you don't dwell on him anymore as he's not worth your time."

...

Hannah...you...gahhh... and the way she says her words with pride as if what she did was right, was just cringeworthy. After processing her reply, my hand slaps onto my forehead.

"Hannah, I love you and all...but you're pretty stupid sometimes."

She jerk back a little from my response in surprise. "W-What makes you say that?!" the bewilderment and confusion in her face just displays the fact she doesn't know how she went wrong.

"Obviously he said that so he could push us away, he wanted us to abandon him and leave him to die."

"And as we should! No one insults my twin like that!"

As much as I agree with her, now is not the time to be petty. Letting out a sigh and shake my head from her insensitive comment. "You're missing the point...We're still going to try and save Jack."

"Why?! He said we don't matter to him!"

In all honesty, I don't care if he meant it or not; he would've tell me to go fuck myself and I wouldn't mind it, he matters to me and that's all that matters right now.

"Does it look like I give a damn about what he said?" my voice has pitched down to a more annoyed tone. Calmly, I gesture my twin to stand up and walk towards me. When she's standing beside me, I open the medical book and point at the burnt holes.

"Here, I've cracked the code on this book; You see there are a lot of pages with holes right?"

"Yeah..."

"Don't you think it's funny that some of the pages have the same holes in the same positions?"

Flipping through the book again, and again, until there was a gasp of realization from her. "It's a morse code..."

"And in this morse code...is a cipher."

She looks at me with curiously. "What kind of cipher?"

"That's what been keeping me busy these past days. I've been trying to crack it with various of ciphers...and finally found what cipher it was."

"What was it then?"

"The Vigenere cipher. I decoded it in some Vigenere cipher decoding website...and this is what I got."

And then pulled out a small red note underneath my pile of papers that wrote: Naoki Mahoutsukai

"Naoki Mahoutsukai...?" Hannah had to pronounce the name considerable times to get used to it. "Who's that?"

I hand her over some notes that had all the data and a printed picture of Mr Mahoutsukai.

The picture was slightly blurred, but we could recognized his features on the print nonetheless; it showed a tall slender Japanese man in his late thirty's with extremely long jet black hair and gray hair strands, the two pair of purple eyes glinting suspiciously with mischief.

Naoki Mahoutsukai is, apparently, the author of many top selling novels; most of the books he wrote were horror and supernaturals genre. He had also wrote many history books that didn't sell out due to 'unrealistic settings', one of them was the book we were holding right now.

What makes this strange, is how we never heard of the man before and how there were reports of his supposedly death in Japan Takayama, at October two of sixteen-eighty four, yet his novels and the picture are from the early two thousand's.

"Maybe the one that died during the sixteen century was the original Naoki Mahoutsukai and this one had just continued his great great grandfather's legacy name?"

"Could be, but isn't it odd how we never heard of his name till now despite all the books he allegedly wrote? And how is it the internet knows a lot about him but never mentioned?"

"A private ghost writer, probably?"

 "Hey guys! What are you doing?"

From too much concentration, seriousness and the build up anxiousness Hannah and I had during our tropic, we almost jumped out of our skin the minute Leslie's voice spoke out of nowhere.

"Oh, Bianca, Leslie!" Hannah blurted out before softening at the sight of the couple. "Nothing much, we're just looking into a man named Naoki Mahoutsukai."

Just as the name escaped her lips, surprise crossed over Bianca, her eyebrows arched up. "Na...Naoki Mahoutsukai?!"

"Yeah...you know him?" 

"He's my godfather! My parents are friends with him!" 

Now it was our turn to look surprise, our eyes widened and our jaws gape open. I slant my head and lean back to my seat to cross arms. "No way...no way we're talking about the same guy; are you sure this is your parent's friend?"

I held the picture in front of her. She takes it from my hand and nods vigorously. "Yes! This guy right here is my godfather!" the redhead seals her mouth close for a moment before turning back to us and speak again, with a more cautious and hesitant volume. "How did you get this picture?"

Hannah didn't say a word, prompting me to answer the gardener back. Realizing Bianca might be essential to this step, I told the couple everything; the reason of my recent aloof attitude, the book, and how I found her godfather.

The girls had different reactions; Leslie only nodded her head with understanding and didn't bother asking any questions, whereas Bianca interrupted me to question this and that. The redhead remained normal until when we told her about the books her godfather wrote, she appeared to be greatly astonished with the information. 

We asked her his location address, and learned it's just three hours away from Valendale. "This is great!" Hannah claps her hand together and bounces on her feet with joy. "We could go there next week and interrogate Mr Mahoutsukai on his knowledge about Hanahaki!"

NEXT WEEK?! I spring up from my chair, adrenaline has shoot up to my brain like a bullet. "Next week?! No, we need to go now!"

"Now?!" my twin eyes me questioningly, brows lowered and lips pressed together.

"Now! What if Jack is going die tomorrow? Are we really going to wait till next week? Remember his life at stake, Hannah. The last time we've seen him, he's okay, but what about now? Did you seem his yesterday?"

"I did..." a masculine voice voiced out behind the girlfriends.

The girls whirled around and there was Kevin, standing with his hands fiddling with the other in an insecure manner. Normally, he'd have a friendly yet confident stand posture, but now he was obviously doubtful. "Oh, Kevin. Hey." I greeted him curtly, normally I would've welcome his presence but right now, I need him not to say anything that'll make me snap.

"I didn't mean to overhear your conversation, but..." his voice was unsure and uptight.

"It's fine, it probably affects you too since you're Jack's best friend and not to mention, his crush too. You know that?" Squinting my eyes at him, jaw slightly clenching. 

"Yes...he confessed to me yesterday." 

"Huh...about time." then what he just said had finally struck me and my a massive block of panic had rapidly hit me and immediately escalated to severe; Jack confessed his feelings, and a refusal from Kevin results an immediate death! "Wait- you didn't reject him, did you?!" my throat tighten and my voice strained from the instant anxiety. 

Kevin's reaction to my alarming state has him taken back and hesitate to answer. "I...didn't. When he told me his feelings I just stood in shock, and he ran away moments later."

I didn't realize I was holding my breath until I let myself relax from his response and slump back down to my seat in relief. 'He's okay.' those two words echoed in my mind over and over, like a mantra. 'for now, at least.' rubbing my temples, I glance upward to the player again. "So...how is he?"

"He looked...fine for the most part." I assumed he too was surprised from our friend's transformation look, however his next words made the anxiety I just had moments ago crawl back into my spin. "But then he puked out dandelions...I'm guessing it's the illness you were talking about?"

Bianca steps in. "Dandelions? As in, dandelion flowers? Not petals?" 

"Yes, as in dandelion flowers." Kevin takes out something from his pocket and reveals a small bloody yet undeniably mesmerizing yellow dandelion resting lightly on his handkerchief. It held strong despite the absence of its stem and each petal glimmers with blood.

"It's so beautiful..." Leslie gasps, her eyes sparkling in awe. 

A whole flower is the second stage of Hanahaki, and it's a sign that Jack's illness is growing. Shaking my head, I snap back from the flower to reality. "And a dangerous sign he's getting closer to death! So that's why we, as his friends, need to act now." my voice was anything but firm, it hitches ever so slightly. My anxiety didn't waver, if anything, it only grew stronger from seeing the flower.

I knew I couldn't go alone or with Hannah only, I don't know where Naoki Mahoutsukai lives as the internet didn't give his address and I needed the garden girls(specifically Bianca) to come along, and Kevin would be a good use of help considering how close he is to Jack.

Everyone turns to each other with doubts on their looks before facing to me with hesitant and apologetic expressions on their face. 

"I'm sorry Pax...we have a lot to do after lunch, Leslie and I couldn't make it after school." Bianca says, her girlfriend nods along with her.

"Ditto, Mr Harrison isn't really making practice any easy for us."

What?! Is their activities more important than a life? This is our friend on the line, not some trivial matter! This is a friend who has been with us through thick and thin, through our downfalls and accomplishments, and they can't even held off one missed after school activity?!

My hands bawls into fists, head facing away from their gazes. Hannah has notices my held back anger and steps into the leading role. "What about tomorrow? Tomorrow sounds great?" 

They better agree or I'll-

"Yeah, we're free tomorrow." Kevin and the girls nod in agreement, Hannah nods and clasps her hands together. "Okay, tomorrow it is; we'll meet up in the park at nine AM. Understood?"

We all settled for tomorrow morning.

====The next sun====

Date: 2012 May 3 - 0 days remaining

It's almost nine AM. We've asked our parent's permission to use their car, and after their brief shock of seeing me finally returning back to my sociable form, they granted so; of course along with the rules of safety driving.

 "I'm driving, Pax." Hannah says, skipping over the grey family sized car driver's seat. I ran to the door before her, effectively blocking her way. "And what makes you think I'm going to let you do that?" I raise a brow, recalling the previous event of her driving. "The last you drove the car, you almost crashed into a tree."

"Well you drive faster than dad, an accident is waiting to happen, you know." my twin attempts to counterattack, I scoff and roll my eyes at her paranoia. Hannah and I have our strength and weaknesses; when it comes to driving, I easily win the argument.

"A little speed wouldn't hurt; our dad is too paranoid in the road, too much fear while driving can be also dangerous. I know my signals and I know how to steer the wheel better than you, have you already mastered straight parking by the way?" 

I let a small smirk appear across my face when Hannah visibly recoils, I knew she couldn't wit back as she has not yet mastered the ability to park. She looks away from me down to the dirt. "N..no..."

"Then I'm driving."

"But-"

Before she could say anything else, I open the car door and swiftly drop myself onto the driver's seat. "I'm. Driving. End of." I grin smugly, crossing my arms and closing the door at her. My twin visibly pouts and stomps around to get to the other seat next to me. "Fiiiinnnee, you win this round."

"Hannah, I always win when it comes to being the driver. No competition needed."

====

We stop at the pick up lane of Valendale's public park, where the were others waiting for us, along with...the troublemaker of the school, Mikayla, standing beside her boyfriend with a gloomy and blank expression.

I had no personal reason to despise Mikayla, I've rarely interacted or have seen her during my years in high school. However, considering the continuation reports of her empathy lacking characteristics and how Jack reacts when I inform him about the delinquent...let's just say I'd rather be the last person in the world than spend an hour with her.

"Why is she doing here?" I asked them calmly, yet the slight tone of aggression was subtle.

"She showed along with Kevin for some reason." Leslie proceeds to glare daggers at the sports player behind her, her arms were visibly crossed tightly against her chest. "I thought you said it's just going to be you?"

"I did, but..." the conflicted tone in Kevin's voice was unmistakable; his voice struggled to find the answer and his eyes darted between us and his partner, who just glowered at him.

Oh...I think I know what was going on. Like a dog on a leash are we now, eh?

"This does not involve you, Mikayla." Hannah scowls, not attempting to hide her mutual hatred to the lady. "We're going somewhere to find some answers about Jack, only his friends are welcome to come along."

"I was his friend too. I came first than any of you, just so you'd know." Mikayla declares firmly, no intention of taking refusion as an answer.

"'Was' is a past tense. I'm talking about present tense friends. And you're not his friend in present tense, are you?" Hannah spits back, this time I lay a hand on her shoulder and push her down to her seat, forcing her to silence.

After minutes in thick atmosphere, Kevin had walk around the car to meet me at the open car window. He whispers lowly, "Let her come along, Pax."

"Give me a good reason and I'll consider it." My voice  was calm, but anyone with well functioning ears could hear the aggression subtly laced.

He leans towards the window further, whispering even lower. "She might be useful...she knew him longer than all of us after all."

Biting my lip, I stare forward ahead on windscreen, weighing the advantages and the disadvantages of recruiting the brute. 

Each and every one of us has a different role in Jack's life, but if we would need someone who knows the guy since he stepped into high school...Mikayla was, unfortunately, our best bet. We all knew that. 

I glance back at the sports player with a defeated groan. "Fine...don't make me regret this decision."

====

"Deep breaths, Pax." Hannah murmurs low enough just for us only to hear, the meaningless racket about the car's limited space from the back intensifies.

Frustration and resentment boiled deep in my veins. Today was not what I had anticipate to be; I envisioned five people in the car silently watching the view come and go on the windows or so for a three hour drive. I did NOT plan of driving a car with six people on board and one of them happens to have a bad influence, and is currently having a heated verbal war with one of the girls.

Still, I need to calm down and bear with it, I'm not planning to kick anyone out anytime soon because the clock is ticking and wasting seconds means wasting valuable time. We're doing this so we could find answers to save Jack, and if it by means to endure this awful experience, then so be it.

My hands tighten around the wheel, jaws clutching hard. "How do you resist the urge to commit homicide?" I grit out my teeth. 

"You talk about something else that doesn't revolve around them."

I give my twin an unconvinced side glance, which she returns with a stoic and serious face. A long sigh escapes me. "Okay, fine...let's see...what did I miss since my neglection days?" 

"Not much; you missed the 30th episode of that detective show you like, mom and I made a tray of mini fruit pies, and...that's about it."

"What about that guy in the basketball team? Steffan?"

My twin's eyes fly open in terror, her hands lightly pull my arm. "Shh! There are people here!" Hannah whispers sharply, a finger pressed against her mouth for emphasis and eyes glancing at the back.

"I think they're too occupied back there." I snicker as the fight continues to deafen the little silence left in the car. She slumps back to her seat in defeat.

"I think Steffan is nice guy, Han, probably the nicest and most sincere. I don't mind him dating you, if you're looking for my blessing."

"Thanks, but...I'm not planning to going out with him."

"Why not? You two would look cute together."

"It's just that...he's straight. He likes girls...and I'm..."

"You're...what?" the bitterness in me was replaced with concern and care for my sibling as I wait for her to speak. When she does, it was accompanied with a whine of frustration, and arms hiding her face. 

"I...I honestly don't know. I decided to not make it a priority for now and just accept the fact I'm...a girl, but..."

"But do you feel like one?"

"...I don't think so. I've been fantasizing and thinking myself as a boy but...I don't know..."

"And do you like it?"

"...yes. For some reason, it feels right. A little wrong, but mostly right."

"What's holding you back?"

"I just..." Hannah pauses for a moment, I let her take her time with my eyes still focused on the road. Then she exhales a shaky breath before speaking. "What if it's just a phase, Pax? What if this is just a temporary feeling and I've just been confused all this time? After all, only this year I felt disconnected to...this."

Ahh...that doubt. I hate that thought.

Neither of us spoke and the quarreling behind us have died down a little and it had resorted to occasional insult names. Still concentrated ahead the windscreen, my mind was busy composing the necessary pep talk.

I've been in her shoes before, I don't want her to invalidate her own feelings like I did. I took a little memory walk and finally found the right words. I start,

"You wanna know something? I thought of that almost everyday during my early teens. I kept thinking, 'what if all my efforts of looking neither or both a girl or a boy will be wasted and I will be converted back to a boy?' But then I said to myself, so what if it changes? No one's feelings stay the same, you could be red today and move on to green tomorrow and that's fine. What matters is what you feel right now. Don't think about the future, just think about what you feel right now."

Hannah stares at me, unsure and reluctant presented across her face while taking my word in account. For another ten or so minutes, we were silent and we let the dying argument take over the supposedly needed silence.

"And plus...you aren't so girl-ish than you thought you are."

"Huh?"

"You always wanted to be the boy or the man during our roleplays as kids, you refuse to be our uncle's flower girl and fought for the ring bearer role, and you always thought the boy's formal outfits are better than gowns."

"And I still stand by that! Gowns are pretty and all, but I imagine myself in a tuxedo more! And so the swimming suits, I don't like how bikinis are, and how they show my- oh...ohh..."

After a realization struck her...she goes quiet for a long beat, taking a moment of clarity.

Then, after some time passed, Hannah asks, "Can...can we do a name trail? You calling me a boy name for a few weeks, and just the name for now."

Without any doubt, I said, "Sure, what name do you have in mind?"

"I've searching for boy version of Hannah and...out of all the names, I think 'Hansel' fits me the best."

'Hansel, huh? Heh, I should rename myself as Gretel then. Sounds really fitting since I'm the older twin.' I thought to myself as a chuckle left me involuntarily.

"Okay...from this day forth until you say so, you're 'Hansel' to me."

"...Thanks, Pax." I couldn't shift my gaze toward my twin as I need to keep my concentration on the road in check, but I could tell she was smiling through her words. A small smile came across my lips.

"No problem, Hansel."

Hansel giggles uncontrollably with genuine happiness and satisfactory. I felt a bit of pride knowing I was the first person she has confide and come out with her gender discovery. Whatever happens, she'll always be my sibling and I'll always have her back no matter what.

====Two hours later===

"Make a right turn over that sign, and don't stop until you see a bridge." Bianca leans towards the front seat, pointing forward as I drive through the forest road and follow her instruction carefully.

It's a miracle we got to our destination one hour early than we predicted. Just thank my smooth and fast driving skill for saving some time.

"So about Naoki Mahoutsukai...is there anything we should know beforehand?" Hansel asks, turning her head to the redhead. 

Bianca purses her lips for a moment and strokes her chin in thought. "He acts differently to people depending on their age group and his relation to them; in our case as his goddaughter's teenager friends, expect him to be really casual and friendly...and a little bit of a comedian. Make sure to always get to the point and don't waste time, he's really busy most of his days."

"Is that all?"

"He has a daughter in college, she visits him almost every other week so we might encounter her. My advice is to be a little more formal when interacting her."

We finally reached our destination, here lied in front of us was a small cottage made of stones and black bricks for the roof; flowers of different kinds covered most of the house design, creating a welcoming feeling to visitors, the other side of the cottage was hovering over the river with logs as stance support for some odd reason.  

With Bianca in the lead, we plod our way through the chaotic rocks resting on our path to the house. She rings the doorbell, and the door opens a minute later. A very familiar looking lady stood behind the door, with her hair down and wearing to what appears to be, a white sixty's design nightgown with matching grey bunny slippers.

The lady brightly smiles at the sight of the gardener. "Hi Bianca! Nice to see you again!" Bianca greets back with the same smile. "Hey Juliette!" 

"Wait...aren't you Jack's friend?" Hansel points out with suspicion, then I remember! She was the lady with Jack at that bridge, wasn't she?!

The lady notices us and her eyes locked at the both of us. Her eyes wide with realization. "Hey, I know you two...you're Pax and Hannah, correct?" 

...it's her, she's a friend of Jack's. How would she know us if she wasn't the lady under the bridge with him?

A low voice spoke loudly inside the cottage. "Juliette? Who's at the door?"

"It's Bianca and...some other teenagers along."

"Hmm?"

A taller figure emerges from the shadow as the lady steps back to reveal...a Japanese man wearing a black kimono with wooden sandals. His hair reached the floor and his eyes were as purple as the one in the picture.

It's him, Naoki Mahoutsukai.

"Bianca, you're one hour early than I expected! How are you?" the Japanese breaks into a bright smile and step forward to give the redhead a tight hug.

She embraces back before pulling away. "I'm fine, Naoki. However, me and my friends have some questions for you."

"Oh?" His gaze turns to us, his eyes twinkles wide and he beams happily. When he turns me, however, his expression slightly changes; it wasn't a visibly transformation, but his eyes narrows a little to me and his smile quirks up into a slight smirk. His aura changed into a little smugger. 

What is this guy up to...?