My spirit animal is a F–Rank gecko-Chapter 51: Back to present (2)

After cleaning out the inside of the vending machine, Jaster and Purple decided to go outside the hospital and sit on the terrace.

CRUNCH.

The boy kept eating the chocolate bar he’d grabbed, while Purple happily munched on a blueberry.

"Isn’t this great, Purple?" Jaster looked at his spirit animal with pure love in his eyes.

He chuckled, seeing Purple’s mouth covered in blueberry juice and crumbs.

He grabbed a tissue and wiped it clean.

"Krrk!"

The moment its mouth was clean, it immediately stuffed its face back into the berry, getting dirty all over again.

Jaster let out a soft chuckle.

The terrace was quiet.

He sat with Purple beside him beneath the open sky, cool night air brushing gently against his skin.

Above, the moon hung pale and full, its light spilling softly over the city.

The skyline stretched endlessly—towering glass structures glowing in blues and whites, their lights blinking lazily against the darkness.

Elevated train tracks curved between buildings like silver veins. Every now and then, a train glided along them with a low mechanical hum, smooth and unhurried.

Jaster let out an exhausted sigh. This view was similar to the one back on Earth, but for some reason, it felt different to Adam now.

He felt safer than ever in this game he’d been transported to.

No parents screaming at him to get a job. No teachers scolding him for skipping class.

Adam still couldn’t believe he was actually here, sitting beside his lifelong companion, watching the moonlight paint the world silver.

His lips curled into a smile as he breathed in the fresh air of Boundara. It was so much better than the air on Earth.

"Boo!"

A girl’s voice shattered the silence. Jaster jumped, dropping his chocolate bar.

"Damn it!" He spun around and his eyes widened.

There stood Annie, wearing the same hospital gown as him, arms crossed.

Her hair hung long and loose, cascading everywhere. She smirked at him.

"Nice to meet you again, partner in crime!"

Jaster felt tears prick at his eyes. He leaped forward and hugged her tightly.

"Whoa there. Miss me much?" She teased.

But he didn’t answer—just kept hugging her.

Annie’s smirk softened into a smile. She hugged him back.

"Let’s sit. Tell each other what we missed."

---

After Jaster finished recounting his first special bond exam experience, Annie nodded along while munching on chips she’d grabbed from him.

"Oh yeah, now that you mention it—you’re in the same class as me."

Annie looked genuinely surprised. Then she smirked, leaning closer.

"What? Happy to have a cute girl in your class?" Her voice dropped, playfully seductive.

She inched closer until their shoulders touched. Jaster’s face flushed bright red.

"What?! That’s not what I meant..."

Annie caught his flustered expression and burst out laughing, patting his back. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"Dude, I was joking! Don’t take it so seriously."

"KRRK?!"

Purple suddenly launched itself at Annie, landing squarely in her lap.

"Awww, did you miss me, Purpleberry?" She rubbed the gecko’s soft head, and it purred with satisfaction.

While Annie played with Purple, Jaster watched her with gentle eyes.

"But seriously, Annie... I’m really glad you’re my classmate."

His gaze drifted to her hands. The bruises from her fight with Amanda and Hanjon still visible.

He reached out, then hesitated.

"May I?" He asked, seeking permission to hold her hands.

Annie’s eyes went wide. Was Jaster always this smooth? She looked away, hiding her flushed face.

"Sure..."

Jaster smiled softly and took her hands, turning them over gently.

He traced the bruises and cuts on her palms, his expression darkening.

"I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have asked you to fight Hanjon."

Annie’s head snapped up, annoyance flashing in her eyes.

"What do you mean it’s your fault? It’s not! It’s Hanjon’s fault, and the stupid Nightroot Clan’s for putting that whole train in danger!"

She grabbed his hands and pressed them against her own chest.

"Don’t you ever feel responsible for what he did. Okay?"

Jaster blinked, caught off guard by her intensity. Then he chuckled.

"What’s so funny?" She tilted her head.

"Nothing, nothing... It’s just—you’re really cute when you’re angry~~~"

"HUH?!"

Their laughter echoed across the hospital terrace, the only sound breaking the night’s silence, accompanied by crickets chirping in the nearby trees.

Neither of them knew that the train incident was only the beginning of their troubles with the Nightroot Clan.

---

Somewhere in Silver City, a man in a long coat and a black fedora with yellow polkadot, pushed open a bar door and stepped inside.

He sat down and pulled out his phone, thumbs flying across the screen.

The bartender noticed the new customer hadn’t ordered yet and walked over.

"Hey, what’ll it be?" He rattled a cocktail shaker for effect.

The fedora man didn’t look up. He kept on typing in his phone.

The bartender’s face tightened.

What a waste of time.

He spotted another customer and moved on.

The bar was packed with people, mostly because it’s happy hour.

The fedora man mumbled to himself, still glued to his phone.

A drunk guy noticed the man and decided to bother him.

"Hey~~~ What’re you doing all alone... playing with your phone..."

The man stopped texting and looked at the drunk guy.

He scanned the man from head to toe.

The drunk man seemed to be in his 60s. He had a beard and was wearing his work uniform.

The fedora man noticed the nametag on the drunk guy’s neck.

He mumbled.

"Class administrator.... So you work at Bondspire?" His voice deep and controlling.

The drunk man was surprised he knew. He then patted the man on the back.

"Yeah.... Been working for a loooooong time. You know, they have plenty of pretty girls there, hehehehe~~~~"

The fedora man tipped his hat up, revealing a scarred face, one eye covered by a patch, the other a deep ruby red.

His expression twisted with disgust.

"Ew. You’re a pedophile, you don’t deserve to live."

The drunk man grin vanished. He straightened up, voice rising.

"HOW DARE YOU TALK TO YOUR ELDER LIKE THAT? APOLOGIZE THIS INSTANT, KID!"

He was making a scene now. The whole bar turned to watch.

Someone started chanting. Others joined in. Fight! Fight! Fight!

The bartender hurried over, sighing heavily.

"Look, take it outside if you’re gonna fight. I don’t need this here."

The fedora man’s eyes narrowed. He sighed, pulling off his glove and extending a hand.

"Okay, you’re right. I’m sorry.... Let’s end this with a handshake."

The drunk puffed up with pride. He knocked the man’s hand away.

"Beg on your knees if you want my forgiveness."

The fedora man sneered. Without a word, he walked past him.

As he passed, he pressed a palm gently against the drunk’s back and leaned close.

"Just burn... will you?"

The drunk man blinked, confused.

Then—

A dull red glow flickered beneath his skin.

[ Skill Activated — Fire Starter Lv.14 ]

The glow intensified. Veins lit up like molten cracks spreading through his body.

For a heartbeat, nothing happened, but then his body ignited.

Flames erupted in a violent surge, swallowing him whole. Heat exploded through the room, knocking chairs aside as patrons scrambled back.

"AAAAAAAAAA—!"

His scream tore through the bar as fire consumed him from within, roaring higher and higher until he was nothing but a writhing silhouette of flame.

Chaos erupted.

Tables overturned. Glass shattered. Smoke billowed toward the ceiling.

The bartender stumbled backward and collapsed, eyes wide with terror as the inferno reflected in them.

Through the panic, the fedora man calmly adjusted his sleeve and pulled his glove back on.

Firelight flickered across his jacket, illuminating an emblem stitched near the collar.

It was a crescent moon, pierced cleanly by a scythe.

The bartender’s breath caught.

"Is he... a Nightroot member?"

The man didn’t look back. He simply walked away, leaving the whole bar on fire.