The Earth After Rebirth

They were kids, this was new to them. They'd like to spoil them as much as possible.

Sekani, Philip and Wilfred left very early in the morning for the lower district. Not even Kiro caught them. His father did leave him a message, to go checkout their headquarters in the upper district, which was a few minutes drive.

Kiro felt grateful for that, that meant he had accepted that he wanted to be involved. So he left him to oversee not just their family but the building of their headquarters.

He wasn't in a hurry though, he wanted to hang around his house as much as possible. He didn't trust the Blakesons to not try anything to use as blackmail for his father.

As much as he knew that the houses in the upper district, especially area 1, were full proof. He didn't want to put his 100% trust on it.

"So Isaac's is really suing your dad?" Hiro asked unbelieving. He didn't know much about everything but he did know something about patents.

"They're so dumb, they probably think they're going to win. This fight isn't just against lower district people anymore. They can't be blatant with their corruption." He clicked his tongue as he finished.

"Of course they think they're above the law. They probably think they're the kings of this world." Hiro laughed.

Kiro snorted, "I doubt they're that delusional. But I can't put that past them. Explains their superiority complex."

They were sitting outside while they chatted about this and the possible outcomes if they'd really blatantly break the law. It was mid December and very cold. Yet they were outside, not even a shiver escaped their lips.

This was one of the perks evolved humans received. Nobody in their world had suffered frostbites, or a heat stroke. Their bodies was resilient to a lot of things that humans from before suffered from.

They were just enjoying an afternoon with some drinks when Isla walked up to them from the gate, with Ishaan and Saanvi.

Saanvi was uncomfortable for some reason. She couldn't sit still, both Hiro and Kiro noticed her strange behaviour. Saanvi was the warrior type of girl after all, this didn't suit her at all.

"What's up first lady?" Kiro poked at her.

She didn't so much as chuckle or say something clever in return. Something clearly worried her and she was thinking about it deeply.

She sat down, took a bottle from the snow, that Kiro buried deep to keep it colder. She started drowning her throat with it. It was one gulp at a time.

She stopped and sighed when she couldn't drink anymore.

"By the way, my father will be overseeing your lawsuit." She said as if that was the most obvious thing, and went back to drinking.

"So?" Kiro asked confused.

Then something appeared in his mind. He remembered the name Khan from his past life, a fearsome lawyer, prosecutor or whatever. Who never lost a single case, no matter how possible the situation was for his clients. He always, always, pulled through.

"My father never loses."

With those words, silence fell between them. Isla suddenly found the snow especially interesting, she kept poking it. She wanted to stay out of this conversation, there was nothing she could do after all.

Hiro had been drinking the same drink he had been when they arrived. He was taking small sips, as afraid to break the silence, as if they'd ask him for a solution.

Kiro remembered this Khan guy now. He was a well-known figure, famous for his winning streak and the treacherous way he fought anyone who wasn't a client of his. He just never imagined Saanvi was his daughter, surnames didn't mean anything at all. From what he remembered, they don't even look alike to him.

"There's unsurmountable evidence this time though. Surely that will not be ignored?" Kiro asked a bit unsure himself.

"You don't know my dad Kiro, you should be very scared!" Saanvi shuddered at the thought.

"So, when did you and Hiro kissed, I've been meaning to ask?" Kiro thought talking about this wouldn't help, so he drastically changed the subject.

Each and every one of them were caught off guard by the 180 turn. Isla finally looked up with a smile on her face, Hiro lightly coughed. Saanvi on the other hand was dealt the worst hand.

Kiro said that while she was still gulping one down. She entered fits of coughs, some of it coming from the nose. Kiro sat there with a dumb smirk, trying not to think about the apparently king of the law, Mr. Khan.

"Wh-what are you saying?" Saanvi asked trying and failing to mask her blushing.

Hiro didn't say anything. Simply smiling which confirmed Kiro's suspicions even further.

"So, you guys a thing now?" Kiro was just messing with them, he didn't expect an answer of any kind.

"Yes." They both said softly.

It was Kiro's turn to cough up the whiskey that was already settling on his throat. His eyes went wide with surprise. 'Hiro had a girlfriend before I did? Shit?'

"That's—that's—congratulations, I guess." He stummered and landed on a congratulations, he absolutely had nothing to say. This had shut him up, possibly forever.

"I've never had a girlfriend." Ishaan commented.

Kiro looked at him. He was even a short guy because of how chubby he was. He reckoned some would want him, if he lost a little bit fat and made them muscles instead.

"Do you go to the gym?" Kiro blurted out while looking at him.

"Never." Ishaan shrugged.

"Okay, starting from today. We make up at 5 am and run around the block." Kiro told him, patting him on the back.

"The block is pretty huge though?" Ishaan looked at him confused. He's never done a day of exercise in his life, he just ate and ate whatever he liked.

"That's why it'll be affective!" Kiro tried to encourage him. "This isn't a ask, it's something every after dark member will do from now on."

Kiro figured it'd make him feel a lot better when he didn't know that he was the target for this training. He also quite hated it when the system commented on how underweight he was.

He could imagine how girls, who were very superficial, looked at him. It couldn't be a pretty thing. Besides, some girls weren't scared to speak their mind. Before his confidence was completely destroyed, Kiro wanted to do this for him.

"Okay leader, I'll be committed." He said with so much pride Kiro believed that after dark was more than just an in-game group.

Kiro managed to completely turn the depressing mood Saanvi brought to them into a happier one. Their drinks and conversations went into so much better directions.

The biggest was them discussing their own ideal world. Every one of them commented about how they would love to demolish the status quo of their world, the unfairness made the skin irk.

Kiro was tempted to recruit them, but he remembered that they promised to never talk about these things outside of the game, lest their every move was being monitored. So he just smiled, nodded in agreement.

"By the way Kiro why do you still wear that necklace? It's so old it even has a padlock attached to it?" Saanvi enquired. He didn't understand why he bought everything new, but didn't change that one thing.

Kiro smiled. He wasn't offended. Maybe she was someone with shiny family heirlooms and didn't understand something of sentimental value.

"This?" He started touching it, still smiling. "I guess you don't know the story? We weren't close enough for you to know, first lady." He joked, trying to break the thick atmosphere the others had created when she asked.

"My grandpa, who was a fiend for law by the way, could've given your father a run for his money. He gave this to me, when I was, really young. I never go anywhere without it." He finished with a sip of his drink.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I can be insensitive sometimes."

"You knew?" Kiro laughed, looking at Hiro. He was sure, he was the one who told about this and it stuck with him.

"What happened to him anyway? Your grandpa I mean?"

Kiro looked at her with a saddened look, "Well, I'll find out soon enough."

Saanvi didn't understand. She was about to ask further when Isla shook her head, telling her to stop. Only then did she have the sense to stop prodding questions. Though Kiro didn't mean, it was still considered rude.

"So, who's ready for school?" Isla asked them a little chipper.

They all groaned in protest. They didn't want to think about that hell. They wanted to enjoy their holidays, that's all they intended to do. Have as many lazy days as possible.