NOVEL WEB Chapter 7: BEST FRIEND
"Hey miss beauty I fallen in love with you at first sight.Will you marry me?"
Uh?....Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh?
She stuttered, utterly taken aback by the sudden turn of events.
Whispers rippled through the crowd as people speculated about the apparent couple before them.
"I thought they were already couples. They are a perfect match, but isn't she a bit older?"
"Well, nowadays age doesn't matter," the whispers mused, reflecting the changing perceptions of relationships.
Frustrated by the ongoing confusion, Scarlett finally interjected, her tone a mix of boredom and annoyance. "You idiot, it's me, Asta. I'm the one who called you," she clarified, hoping to end the misunderstanding.
Aoto, taken aback, responded with a mixture of incredulity and humor. "Huh? Asta? What, are you his girlfriend or something?"
Exasperated, Scarlett replied sharply, "F*cking heaven, no, you idiot... I *am* Asta."
Despite her serious tone, Aoto burst into laughter, unable to contain himself. "Hahahaha! Who would've thought? Our Asta, the guy who always looked a bit feminine, actually turned into a woman! Hahaha," he roared, amused by the irony of the situation.
"But how did this happen? I went to your house, but your whole family wasn't there," Aoto questioned, still trying to piece everything together.
Scarlett realized he was unaware of her time in India. "Oh, he doesn't know I was in India," she thought to herself.
"Do you have any idea how hard I tried to find you? I even posted your photo everywhere and promised a 5,000 yen reward for any information," Aoto explained, showing his concern.
Scarlett felt a mix of amusement and disappointment. "5,000 yen? Seriously? You're a rich kid, you know. You could at least have put a bounty of 50,000 yen," she thought, unimpressed by his effort.
"Wait... you actually believe I'm Asta?" Scarlett asked, a bit surprised by his acceptance.
"Uh, yeah, I know you well enough to recognize your personality, no matter what," Aoto replied confidently, affirming his belief in her identity.
Aoto repeated his question, his laughter fading as he focused more seriously on Scarlett's situation. "But how did this happen?"
Taking a deep breath, Scarlett began to explain the bizarre and harrowing journey that led to her transformation. She recounted the strange series of events, the experiments, and how she ended up with her new identity.
As she spoke, the atmosphere between them grew heavy. Aoto listened intently, his usual playful demeanor replaced by a somber seriousness. He was clearly trying to comprehend the full extent of what his friend had been through.
"Seriously, all of this happened to you?" Aoto finally responded, his voice laden with concern and disbelief. His eyes, usually bright with mischief, now showed a deep empathy for Scarlett's ordeal.
Seeking clarity, Aoto probed further, questioning Asta's knowledge of the mysterious individuals behind his transformation and the enigmatic place where it occurred.
"Do you know who they are?" Aoto inquired, his voice tinged with curiosity.
Scarlett's response was straightforward and resolute. "Nope, I don't".
Undeterred, Aoto pressed on, seeking any insight Scarlett might possess about the elusive origins of her tormentors.
"Do you know anything about that place?" Aoto prodded, his curiosity piqued by the possibility of uncovering more about the mysterious location.
Again, Scarlett's response was succinct. "Nope, nothing," he confirmed, her voice tinged with resignation.
Aoto's next question was met with a similarly terse reply. "Then what do you know?" he inquired, hoping to glean some actionable information from their conversation.
"I know their faces. I'll kill every one of them," Scarlett declared, her resolve unwavering despite the uncertainty surrounding their adversaries.
Aoto's focus shifted to the magical potion mentioned by Asta, intrigued by its potential implications.
"You said they used some kind of magic potion," Aoto recalled, his voice tinged with intrigue.
Scarlett confirmed his earlier statement, shedding light on the extraordinary healing properties of the potion and the implications it held for their understanding of the situation.
"Yeah, they can heal any injury as long as the person is alive," Scarlett explained, her words laden with a sense of urgency.
The conversation took an unexpected turn as Aoto proposed the idea of traveling to another world, drawn by the allure of the unknown.
"Another world sounds amazing," Aoto mused, his curiosity piqued by the prospect.
"Do you have any plans?" Aoto asked, his tone full of curiosity and anticipation.
"No specific plans yet," Scarlett replied, her voice steady and resolute. "But I'm aware they're still watching me. My senses and strength are continuously growing, and I've even started to sense their presence around me a little."
"They're watching us even now," she added, her expression a mix of annoyance and resolve.
"Are they what, the FBI or something?" Aoto joked, trying to lighten the mood. "For now, let's just go grab some chicken nuggets and think it over."
Their conversation continued as they walked, mixing serious planning with lighter moments to ease the tension.Entering the KFC shop, Scarlett and Aoto found themselves at the center of attention, the gazes of onlookers fixed on the seemingly perfect couple that walked in.
Various whispers and speculations circulated among the patrons:
"Wohh, who is that couple? Both are on par with models."
"They look kinda perfect."
"Nahh, the guy probably is rich to get that kind of girlfriend."
Amused by the attention they were getting, Aoto teased Scarlett, enjoying her discomfort.
"Haha, looks like you're quite the hit, Asta. Oh, wait, you said they changed your name too, right? What should I call you now? Nova-san? Or maybe Scarlett-chan?" he chuckled.
Scarlett rolled her head, her voice tinged with annoyance. "Shut up! Seriously, it's so embarrassing."
As they finished their meal, Aoto checked the time and noted, "It's already past 6:00 PM. We should probably head home. But wait, where are you staying now?"
Scarlett responded with a hint of pride, "Didn't I mention? They set me up with a big house. It's not as grand as yours, but to me, it feels like a mansion."
"That's great!" Aoto exclaimed. "How about we meet up tomorrow to start plotting our revenge? We need a good plan."
Scarlett's response was filled with enthusiasm. "Hell yeah!" The thought of planning their revenge energized them, cementing their resolve to tackle the forthcoming
challenges together.
Location: Shibuya, Aoto Takahashi's Mansion
As Aoto walked through the grand entrance of his sprawling mansion in Shibuya, he sighed, feeling the weight of the empty halls around him.
"Why do I have to live in such a big mansion all by myself? It's just me and the servants here."
Upon his entry, the uniformed servants lined up, offering a synchronized greeting that echoed off the opulent walls.
"Welcome home, master," they said in unison, bowing slightly as he passed.
As he wandered through the luxurious but silent rooms, Aoto reflected on his family situation with a sense of resignation.
"My father is always engulfed in his business affairs, and being his third son, I'm far removed from any business responsibilities. He only visits about once a year. And after my mother passed away when I was just six, this mansion has felt even larger and emptier."
The routine of his life felt monotonous, the grandeur of his surroundings unable to fill the void of loneliness that lingered within.As Aoto settled into the quiet of his mansion, the repetitive nature of his days made the opulence around him feel all the more hollow.
"These lavish halls can't fill the loneliness I feel," he mused, wandering through the expansive rooms.
His mind kept drifting back to Scarlett's incredible story, and he couldn't help but question its authenticity.
"Do potions like that even exist? Could Asta be suffering from some kind of memory loss or confusion? Maybe I should consider taking him to a reputable therapist to get a clearer understanding of his condition."
Aoto booted up his laptop to pass some time, but was taken aback when he noticed an unexpected video in his Gmail inbox.
"How did someone get my email address?" he wondered aloud.
He hesitated for a moment before clicking on the video. A figure appeared on the screen, their face and background deliberately obscured, delivering a dire warning in a distorted voice.
"This message is a warning. Stay away from Scarlett Nova. Any contact with this individual will put your life at grave risk."
The video included clips that outlined the harrowing past seven months of Scarlett's life, filled with scenes of her enduring unimaginable torture.
"Those bastards! They did this to my best friend?" Aoto's usual calm demeanor cracked, his face contorting into a mask of rage.
"I swear, I'll make them pay. I'll destroy every last one of them," he seethed, his voice thick with fury and resolve.
Meanwhile
As Scarlett strolled toward her home, something fluttering on the road caught her eye. It was a poster, and not just any poster—a missing person poster with a photo that looked hauntingly familiar. It was her, from before her transformation.
The poster was filled with standard details about her disappearance and a plea for information, but one line struck her with disbelief:
"Bounty: 5 million yen? What the fuck."
Below, in bold, the poster specified, "Contact Aoto Takahashi for details."
Scarlett laughed in spite of herself. "He told me it was 5000 yen. That liar," she chuckled, recalling Aoto's earlier words. "He's always been too dramatic. Hahaha."