Paradox Saga: Rising Sun

The Girls Almost Ate The Whole Buffet

Nothing weird happened on the day before we went to our house except for the girls eating for a whole hour on the buffet. Our table was filled with dirty plates and leftovers as I watched the girls order and devour the food. They’d finish a plate (not literally) in less than five minutes and switch to another dish. Their mouths must be enhanced with some Dissolving magic or something.

I took a sip from my iced tea and looked at my godfathers. They were calmly eating their food.

Saemon-san glanced at me, looked at the girls, and glanced at me again. “They’re just hungry,” he mouthed silently.

I shrugged. “Yeah, probably,” I mouthed back.

He smiled and went back to his plate. I kept sipping my iced tea. I already ate so much that I can barely stand. The girls, however, were like hungry beasts. I didn’t mind it, though. Let’s just say it’s my reward for them for everything they’ve done to me.

After thirty minutes, the girls already stopped eating, fortunately. The buffet for ten costs thirty-thousand yen. I gave forty-thousand yen to the waiter, adding the extra ten-thousand as a top. “Never bring them in a buffet again after fighting monsters,” I taught. “The owner would really go bankrupt if this keeps going.”

People stared at us as we passed – probably wondering how five pretty girls could eat almost a whole sumo wrestler’s lunch (believe me, these guys eat a lot). When we got outside, two black limousines were already waiting. Two men in suits bowed and opened the door.

“You’re leaving, already?” I asked my godfathers.

Saemon-san straightened the collar of his suit. “Unfortunately, we are, Shiro. I have to meet the President with Father. It’d be rude if 44 and 66-year old men will be late in such an important meeting.”

I wanted to ask what skincare these men have to be so handsome in these ages but Saemon-san stopped me by ruffling my hair.

“Don’t worry, we’ll be staying here in Japan most of the time,” Saemon-san said.

Sadao-san put a hand on my shoulder. “We’ll be going now and you should, too. You’ll go back to your house tomorrow, remember? Besides…” he looked at the suitcase in my hand, “You need to decide how to use your money,” he said and winked.

We waved them goodbye as they rode the car and disappeared into view. We went inside our car a few minutes later and started to drive home.

“Hey, Saiko-dono, does Saemon-san use some item or something?” I asked as the car ran. “He and Sadao-san looks so young despite their age.”

She laughed. “No, of course. You also won’t believe if I’d tell you your father is almost the same age as Pops, would you?”

“Well, yes…”

Saiko looked at me. “Figures age slowly, Shiro. My Dad is 44-years old on a normal human’s age but his body anatomy’s still 20. It’s a special thing for us Figures.”

I nodded. “But why are they going to meet the President? Or rather, who is this President? As long as I remember, Japan has a Prime Minister, right?”

Nami answered for Saiko. “They’re meeting the Figures’ President, Shiro. If normal humans have leaders, we also have ours. Remember when I told you about the Heptagon?”

“Yeah, the first seven Figures who reached the S-Rank in the 21st century including Saemon-san, my Mom and my Dad, right?” I recalled.

She nodded. “You’re right, Shiro. However, on the previous centuries, there have also been Figures who reached the S-Rank, and believe it or not, they are still alive. Since there have been numerous Figures who reached the S-Rank, the Figure and Guild Bureau started to determine S-Rankers into tiers based on Greek letters, namely: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta and Omega – Alpha being the highest and Epsilon being the lowest. S-rankers are ranked according to their Metaphor, Anaphors cleared and other aspects,” she explained.

“So, what Rank were my parents?” I asked out of curiosity.

“All of the Heptagon were Beta-Tier Figures – probably because they frequently help each other in clearing Anaphors,” she answered.

I opened a window and let the evening air sway into me. “You said something about this ‘Bureau’. What exactly is this Bureau?”

She brushed her hair over her ear. “The Figure and Guild Bureau is the organization that keeps track of the Figures. Every country has one and like us Figures, they’re also hidden, though I guess they’ll now appear with the beams making normal people Figures too. The leader of the Japan Bureau is an Alpha-Tier Figure and only a few people have met him, including the Heptagon. Some Figures say he’s descended from a lineage of samurais. Anyways, the Bureau here in Japan is located on Tokyo.”

“Okay,” I said. “Thank you, Nami!”

It would be a lie if I didn’t say I wasn’t worried. I looked outside the window. The cash on the briefcase that we converted earlier seemed to get heavier by the second. Hearing what they said, I don’t know how I’d be the “prophesied one”. I’m still F-Rank – the lowest Rank a Figure can have.

“Look, don’t worry,” Midorima said behind me. I turned around. All of them were looking at me with worried faces.

“I’m not worried,” I lied. “I’m just tired, I guess…”

“Don’t lie, Shiro,” Nami said as if she read my mind. How they did that frequently, I don’t know – maybe girl’s instincts.

“You don’t have to worry about your Rank or if you are the prophesied one. Just trust yourself the way we trust you, okay? Besides, you got us to help you become stronger,” Saiko assured.

My face burned up. “Thanks, guys…”

All of them smiled.

“Anyways, have you decided how to spend your money?” Thyme asked.

“N-Not yet…” I answered. “I don’t really have something of interest. You can actually help me spend these,” I suggested.

The girls shrieked. They started to talk rapidly at once.

“Yes, of course!” Fritz exclaimed. “We can help you choose your clothes and stuff!” Fritz said.

All of them started to converse with one another about fashion and stuff that I don’t recognize. I managed a smile. Even with their big appetite that surpassed men, they were still women. I looked outside the window, the cool breeze coming inside the car as we sped by. The lights sparkled and twinkled – as if winking at me as we passed by.