The Loser | by Isaac7525

The manor was akin to an abandoned building at first sight. All the lights were off from in and out, making it appear almost ghastly and haunted to the normal eye. As the snow continued to slowly drift down, Shinso, Oboro, and Florence all approached the front gates. 

"Usually Gideon's at the front gate," Florence turned her head and looked to the right at the gate. There was no figure standing there, only a few neatly trimmed bushes. 

"How do you think we'll get inside?" Shinso asked, folding his arms over his chest.

Florence fell silent for a few moments before her gaze drifted down to the boots Oboro was wearing.

"Don't those boots let you jump really high?" She pointed.

The blue-haired man nodded. "Yes. But unfortunately, I used most of their residual powers during the fight earlier."

He raised his feet to give the duo a look at the soles. Inscribed on the bottom of the boots were numerous mystical patterns and sigils, and a faint, illusory azure light that gradually ebbed away.

Just then, Shinso turned around. "I've read my fair share of mystery novels here and there; a house like this is destined to have some sort of extra entry point."

He cocked an eyebrow. "In the time you've lived here, your Madame never informed you of any?"

Florence swallowed the spit in her mouth and sighed. "Unfortunately, I don't think servants such as myself are permitted to know such things."

"That's awfully reckless of her," Oboro commented, walking over to the front gate and wrapping his hands around the metal bars. He then planted his feet into the snow and tugged backwards against the gate.

The metal let out almost ghastly groans upon Oboro's ministrations.

"What are you doing?" Florence turned to him, her eyes widening slightly.

The man ceased his actions after a few more tugs, turning back to the duo and scoffing. "I was measuring its stability."

"Why?" Shinso quickly grew skeptical of the man's actions. His left foot absentmindedly tapped against the snow-covered street below.

Oboro took off his hat and tucked it away. "These gates appear to be made of copper, a material that is highly sensitive to water."

"Mostly copper, maybe ornate. Typical of a house like this, saving money for winter insulation or whatever the hell your Madame likes to buy."

The man then pointed to a small portion of the gate. The metal covering it had greened slightly around the edges. "This chemical reaction indicates it's breaking down."

He continued to speak, walking left down the edge of the gate and running his palm along the metal bars. "Since water is melted snow, and the quantity of snowfall we've gotten this winter is high, it's bound to—"

Just then, he extended his right foot. A sharp clang rang out in the distant and quiet night as the portion of the gate was sent flying onto the snow-covered lawn. 

"Eventually weaken," He turned back to the duo with a smile.

Shinso and Florence remained frozen, but the boy's lips couldn't help but curl up in awe.

"Damn..." Shinso's voice was barely above a whisper.

The three of them entered through the broken section of the front gate, making their way across the snow-covered lawn. Their boots crunched against the snow, but another sound was able to register through it.

Instinctively, Oboro and Shinso immediately turned around. Shinso's body went rigid when he caught sight of it.

Standing behind them was a large, black and burly hound. Its neck was restrained with a large metal chain that was coiled around a wooden stake buried in the ground. 

The dog's muscles bulged beneath its thick black hide, and its mouth constantly leaked a thick trail of drool and foam.

It let out a consistent, low, and rumbling growl as it bit at the air, feebly attempting to sink its teeth into either of them. Shinso's face paled as he took a step back from the dog.

"I...don't really like dogs." He whispered, flinching every time it bit at them. Oboro, on the other hand, remained still and silent as he gazed down at the animal with a calm expression.

"Jasmine will bite your hand off if you dare pet her." Florence's voice carried an unnatural edge of warning with it as she stayed close to Shinso, who seemed uncharacteristically terrified of the animal before him.

"She's a girl?" Oboro turned back to Florence, his lips curling into a small smile.

"Yes, not one you want to frolic with." She replied, taking a step forward towards him.

"I wasn't planning on petting it; it's a guard dog after all." Oboro stepped back from the animal and turned around towards the front door.

Suddenly, he was caught off guard by the abrupt sound of metal snapping, followed by a sharp pain in his left ankle. He quickly looked down and saw Jasmine sinking her teeth into Oboro's foot, tearing through his insulated gear and drawing up blood from the wound.

Seeing this, Shinso's face grew colder as his eyes widened. Taking a few frantic steps back, he felt the urge to climb over the fence and dart away. The entire time, his gaze was laser focused on the aggressive canine attacking Oboro. 

The dog's teeth suddenly loosened, and she took a step back with her tail wagging behind her back. But this action wasn't a genial one—rather, of warning.

For a few silent seconds, Oboro carefully observed the dog's movement before him. She didn't lunge or attempt another attack, which he found peculiar.

"She isn't moving, why?" Shinso's voice cracked slightly as he asked a fear-ridden question.

"I'm no expert in dogs, but it looks like she's just trying to act tough to lure us away." Oboro remained still, but he avoided eye contact with the animal.

Slowly taking a step back, he spoke in a low voice. "I'm not here to hurt you." 

His voice carried a small tremble, attempting to stifle the pain in his ankle from the bite. Oboro then removed his gloves from his hands and tucked them away as well.

He knew that some animals could almost smell fear and desperation, so he tried his best to conceal any traces of his fear or pain; the last thing he wanted was another grievous injury. 

Oboro looked up at the duo and smiled indefensibly. "Try to enter the house."

Shinso didn't budge, but his attention suddenly gravitated to one of the rooms on the second floor. Within the window, he saw a faint purple light, accompanied by muffled noises.

His heartbeat accelerated in his chest at the discovery, but he didn't want to say anything to risk triggering the dog. The moment he stepped forward towards the door, he winced when the snow crunched beneath his boots.

The dog suddenly turned around, her eyes almost glowing with unfiltered rage and provocation at the sudden stimulation. Shinso's eyes snapped shut, his heart beating erratically in his chest as he failed to let out a breath for air.

Every muscle in his body seemed to tense when he heard the small pattering of the dog's feet against the snow, the animal charging towards him. Suddenly, the sounds ceased, and Shinso's eyes opened only a millimeter.

Jasmine was sprawled on the snow, her stomach facing upwards as she gazed at Shinso. Her tongue darted out of her tongue as she wordlessly invited the boy to rub her stomach.

"W-what?" Shinso choked out, opening his eyes completely to look at the animal.

"I think...she likes you," Florence's voice rang with astonishment as she observed the scene with a newfound smile.

"Wasn't she just attacking Oboro a moment ago?" Shinso's body tensed again the longer he stared at the dog.

"I think she registered us as threats at first. Now that we've posed no threat, I guess we're good to go," Oboro stuffed one hand in his pocket as he leisurely strode over to the door and rattled on the doorknob.

He cursed under his breath and looked back at the duo. "It's locked."

"Maybe there is a hidden entrance." Shinso walked over to the door and rattled it again to make sure it truly was locked, the doorknob barely moved.

"Should we check the back?" Florence prompted, pointing around to the other side of the house.

Shinso and Oboro tacitly nodded their heads in agreement. The trio made their way around the house, narrowly avoiding the countless marvels of architecture that lined the exterior.

Upon catching sight of the backyard, Shinso and Oboro's eyes widened in astonishment.

A large stone gazebo stood in the center, around the edges of it were numerous white flowers and ice sculptures that melded with the snow color. 

"I forgot to mention, winter is among Madame's favorite seasons," Her voice seemed to lower in awe as she stared at the aesthetic before her. Just then, her attention was gravitated to the sound of a sharp tug at a vine that slithered between the bricks of the house.

The stone gazebo let out a low, mechanical rumble as it began to quiver and shake slightly, rustling the white flowers from their spots and tipping the ice sculptures over.

A surface extruded from the middle of the stone structure, and the trio caught sight of an object faintly glistening in the crimson moonlight.

It was a metal key. 

"Curses! This house must be ancient if it has a secret mechanism!" Florence walked over and picked up the key from the stone slab, holding it up to the duo.

"C'mon, maybe we'll find him!" Shinso's movements habitually sped up as he strode to the front of the house, attempting to conceal his giddiness as the door was unlocked.

The moment he knew he could enter, Shinso burst into the house and scanned the surroundings.

"You're acting weird," Oboro cocked an eyebrow as he gazed at Shinso with a knowing expression.

The indigo-haired boy let out a low curse as he quickly adjusted his demeanor.

"I'm...just worried about him," He scratched the back of his neck, his cheeks flushing slightly. 

At that moment, he recalled the scene he had seen on the second floor. All of the lights in the house were off, except for that one room in particular. 

Using his judgement, Shinso knew that in most situations, the anomaly among the common was most likely the solution! He let out a low trembling breath as he approached the stairs, slowly climbing his way upwards.

The closer he reached the top, the more a strange feeling stirred in his gut. Oboro and Florence followed behind him, and their expressions contorted too as if sensing the environmental changes.

"Something's off," Shinso commented as he reached the top of the staircase and carefully surveyed his surroundings once more.

In a regular situation, he would have taken out his phone's flashlight to see properly. But due to the fact that he didn't have his phone on him, he had to resort to his base instincts.

Making his way into the hallway, the boy slowly drew a breath of the abnormally chilly air around him. A trail of goosebumps formed on his skin as he walked forward. Habitually tightening his fists, he let out a shaky sigh.

"I know you're here." 

Just then, he felt a violating sensation in his lower regions. He slowly observed his pants tenting, and a sudden loss of breath in his throat as an overwhelming surge of arousal coursed through him. 

This was similar to the quirk test that he observed me endure a week ago, except this enemy was unseen unlike the robots.

Oboro let out a low moan from his throat, only for Shinso to reach out and cover his mouth in a split second.

 "Quiet," He hissed.

The entire hallway fell silent, nobody was breathing or making a noise.

 "Florence, are you alright?" Oboro's voice was

 barely above a whisper as he turned around, his eyes adjusting to the darkness.

The sound of something hitting the floor in front of him caught his attention. In the faint lights, he saw Florence's body on the ground, a long trail of blood leaving her mouth as she gagged and coughed for a few seconds, before falling silent as her body went limp