Matoi pulled the wet rag off of her forehead, droplets of water dripping down her face. She and the others stepped back, proudly boasting an accomplished smile as they observed the clean siding along Akino's house. Thanking them, Sakagami pulled the buckets of water up to her shoulders and marched into the kitchen to dispose of it.
Miki glanced downwards toward his feet, feeling something brushing against his pant leg. Rubbing against his shin was a small, gray cat greeting him with a friendly meow. Miki chuckled, gently nudging the cat behind his leg to hide it from the others. He kneeled down, picking up the small animal and carried it behind his back. Yukino tilted her head at Miki, curious as to why he was approaching her so intently. Suddenly, Miki pulled the cat out from behind him and into her face. The cat hissed at her and Yukino stumbled back into a chair, squealing.
Hearing the obnoxious squealing and laughter, Makina rolled her eyes. She walked to the other end of the lawn and discreetly grabbed Akino's wrist. She bent her head down, whispering into his ear. "I don't know what is going on with you, but if anything else happens you need to tell me immediately. Got it?"
Akino nodded, smiling slightly. He shifted his focus back to Miki and Yukino. The white and pink haired beauty sat cross legged in her fold out chair, pouting as Miki was on his knees, begging for forgiveness.
Matoi stepped out of the house, carrying a handful of ice cold soda cans with Sakagami following close behind. "Did anyone want any chips?" Sakagami asked. "Sorry, I wasn't prepared to have everyone over today."
Miki stood up, bowing his head as he grabbed a soda from Matoi's crossed arms. "You're fine, Ms. Sakagami."
The mother smiled, the blonde bun atop her head bouncing with a nod. "I'm relieved you kids are coping so well; with the school, I mean."
Miki's smile suddenly faded, and Yukino stepped in for the reply. "Kind of going off what Matoi said earlier, I wouldn't say we're coping either. We're just kind of going along with it, I think. It's a lot harder to resist and deny our circumstances, don't you think?"
"That's my girl," Matoi teased, gently kicking Miki in the leg.
"I understand that," Sakagami admitted. "You kids… you really are mature for your age."
Akino lifted his head up, pushing himself into the conversation. "Sakagami, I think we could use some chips. Thanks."
Taking the hint, Sakagami lowered her gaze and climbed up the few stairs into the house, retreating into the kitchen. Matoi approached Makina with a second soda in her grasps. She offered the fellow Omega a can, to which the red-eyed girl denied. Without a word, Matoi shrugged it off and walked back towards the others, listening to the conversation.
Suddenly, two officers stomped out of Akino's kitchen and into the yard. The friend group gasped and stepped back as Sakagami chased after them. The officers walked through Makina and the couple, heading straight towards Akino. As soon as an officer grabbed his shoulder, Matoi clenched her hand around his and pulled it back defensively. The second man pushed the girl out of the way, causing her to nearly trip over herself in an attempt to stabilize balance.
"Hey, what the hell? What, what is this for?!" Akino resisted as an officer spun him around, handcuffing him. He turned his head to Matoi, distressed.
Yukino and Miki watched on with Makina drawing closer. Sakagami stumbled back to the officers pulling Akino further into their yard, pleading with them to free him. Matoi dug through her shorts pockets as she sped towards the men, retrieving her weapon. Makina grabbed Matoi's hand, closing it so that she couldn't unfold the weapon.
"What are you doing?!" Matoi shouted, pulling her hand away.
"Look at their badges," Makina stated through Akino's frustrated pleas. Aggravated, Matoi whipped her head around and glanced at the mens' chests. "They're from the Grand Hall."
Matoi pushed Makina away, angered at her point but losing the will to resist it. The group watched as Akino was pulled into the kitchen, staring back at them is disbelief whilst flailing his body about. Sakagami followed them, prompting Matoi to do so as well, with Makina following shortly after. Akino was dragged through the house and into the front yard where a police car sat. He was shoved into the back seat, the door nearly slamming on him. Completely silent, the men walked to the front of the vehicle and opened the doors, climbing in.
Slamming her palms into the base of the open car window, Matoi leaned in to get the officer's attention. "Explain yourselves," she demanded, furious at their inconsideration.
Makina pulled her away and leaned into the car herself. "We're coming with you. We're Omegas, I'm Makina."
The backseat doors unlocked with a click. Matoi ran to the other side of the vehicle and quickly pushed herself inside with Makina and Akino. Makina kept her door open, waiting for Sakagami to draw closer.
"We're going with him to the Grand Hall. You find somewhere to put the others and follow us in as soon as you can, got it?!" Makina shouted from across the lawn.
Sakagami stopped in her tracks and cupped her hands around her mouth, shouting back. "What are they doing?!" She asked with an unstable voice.
Looking ahead into the rear-view mirror, Makina attempted to read the officer's blank expressions. After a second or two, Makina responded through Matoi's relentless pestering. "I don't know. Just do what I say. Tell the guards who you are and mention me and they should let you in."
With that, Makina closed the door and the car sped off into the highway. Sakagami, Miki, and Yukino stood in the yard, still with thought as their gaze followed behind the vehicle till it disappeared behind the cityscape.
Akino bent his fingers over the tight metal handcuffs, scratching his irritated skin as he stared into oblivion. He sat in an empty lobby in the Grand Hall with windows exposing the busy streets to his right. A set of doors slammed against the wall beside him, opening up to a heated debate. Matoi was neck and neck with the corrections officer, which of whom was marching towards Akino. The man bent his arm under the boy's armpit and forcefully pulled him up.
"I don't understand the meaning of this," Matoi exclaimed. "This has to be against protocol! Right, Makina?" She watched her as she entered the lobby, waiting for her to back her claims.
Akino grit his teeth together, staring at the man dragging him by the chain of his cuffs. "I want to talk to Hetsu!"
Within seconds of him spitting her name from his mouth, the officer flipped his hand around and slapped Akino's cheek, the snapping sound echoing through the room as Akino's head spun to a near three-sixty. Matoi squealed, but that quickly shifted to a primal growl as she darted towards the two. Makina grabbed her once more, wrapping her arm around her chest.
"What is the meaning of this?!" Makina questioned, offended.
The officer continued to drag Akino backwards by the chains of his cuffs, replying with a somber tone. "You'll find out soon enough."
"That hurts! Hey!" Akino proclaimed, resisting.
Before Makina was able to talk some sense into him, the officer yanked his chain and pulled the boy closer, grabbing him by the shirt collar. "Keep quiet and deal with it, traitor," he mumbled, shoving Akino back behind him.
Akino's stomach drowned in his shock and his breathing paused as he looked at the girls. Matoi stared at him with incredulity, sweat running down the side of her face. Makina stared at him, surprised but skeptical as he was pulled away. His head was flooded with worrisome thoughts, staring into the red carpet. He passively listened as Matoi and Makina were directed into another hallway, abandoning him with the officer.
Deafeningly loud chatter pushed its way into Akino's ears as he stared hopelessly at the scene unfolding around him. The boy was knelt over a rustic tiled floor with his cuffed hands locked to a beam protruding from the floor behind him. Circling around him were long hallways with stadium-like rows of wooden seats reaching three floors high, each stacked to the brim with people. A portion of the circle of chairs extended into the foreground, displaying Hetsu, Hideyo, and a few more government officials. Beside them stood a line of uniformed Omegas, including Matoi and Makina who stared back in suspense.
Akino's heartbeat pulsed throughout his entire body, each pump sending a new wave of anxiety. 'Traitor' ran through his head on repeat, piecing together fragments of memories of the past week. Suddenly, an obnoxious ringing echoed through the speakers above him, bringing a halt to his subdued panic. He looked up as the chatter died down, watching as Hideyo approached the mic at the front of the booths.
"Fools. Fools; all of you," she stated, staring down at something beneath Akino's line of vision. "Do you seriously intend to continue this façade forever? In what way can you spit lies from your tongues and do such with a boastfully proud, easy conscious? The people of this city disgust me, but more so do the people who run it. This city was built on lies and deceit, and when such falsehoods are revealed, this mound of rebar and silver will tumble beneath my feet. I will stand upon thousands of corrupt corpses with a flag of my own, and I will do so by infiltrating the problem at its source and drag the carpet out from beneath them."
Gasps and whispers erupted in the courtroom. Akino looked around, confused and distressed as he questioned his circumstances. Hideyo adjusted her posture and leaned back into the mic, silencing everyone.
"Securing your people with a false sense of security is just another form of manipulation," she continued. "Do you feel empowered when you drug thousands of people into believing your propagandistic lies? I don't know how many people you were able to fool, but I will not swallow another pill from your filthy hands."
Akino gulped, his heart racing as people whispered around him. He glanced to Makina and Matoi for a validation of his confusion, only to see them welcoming Sakagami into the stands.
Hideyo lifted her head and stared into Akino. "Does this sound familiar to you at all, Akino Sakagami?" She asked in a calm, demeaning tone.
He thrashed back, his chains clinging against the beam behind him. "No?! What is this?!"
She lifted her hand above the podium, revealing to Akino what was in her clutches. Between her gloved fingers was his diary, the very one he would have beneath his bed every night. His stomach sank as the gravity of his predicament settled in. He shook his head vigorously, denying his circumstances.
"No! That isn't mine!" He shouted.
Matoi stepped back into a pillar, biting her nails. "Akino…"
Hideyo lowered her hand. "This isn't yours?"
His pupils shrank as he struggled to piece the right words together. "No, no! That is mine, but I didn't write that!"
"Then why is it signed in your name?" She asked, denouncing his claim. She turned the book around and showed him the page where the entry was written.
Hugging herself for security, Matoi mumbled to herself as she watched the interrogation unfold.
Hideyo placed the book on the podium and pulled the mic closer to her mouth. "I know this is very abrupt, Akino Sakagami. But, you know that we are known for getting matters done and over with as fast as possible. So, I recommend to you that you answer quickly and truthfully."
"I am! You know me, Ms. Hiroko, you know I'm not the traitor!"
"I know you meddle in things you're not supposed to," Hideyo stated bluntly. "You are the only outsider this closely involved with the Grand Hall's business. Your journal was found with these writings, among countless others, with a Compactor flag and a pile of Omega corpses. You should be able to understand why the odds are not in your favor."
Slouching his shoulders, Akino played out the events in his head.
"A person has been spotted roaming the North District with a club of Compactors by their side. We know it is not you, but we cant eliminate the possibility of you working in cahoots with them," Hideyo pointed out.
"No," Akino answered, "I am not working with anybody other than you. I don't even know who that person is." He looked back up to the booths. "Matoi, Makina…"
The two girls looked in the other direction, not coming to his defense. His mouth fell open and his blood ran cold as he witnessed his comrades turn away from him. "You guys…"
Sakagami leaned forward, spray paint still dying spots of her skin. "If I may-"
"No, you may not," Hetsu interrupted. The elder stood up and walked to the podium, moving Hideyo to the side. "If you have any motivation to commit treason in the slightest, Akino Sakagami, then that is punishable by death. If you are who we think you are, then I'd think you'd be smart enough to know the ropes and consequences of your actions."
"I'm innocent!" He assured her, practically screaming.
"Then how did you know about the pills? Not once has anyone told you anything about what they do, how they work, and what they're for. While connecting the dots may give you some leeway, Akino Sakagami, it cannot justify the entirety of your knowledge!" Hetsu fired back.
Akino's voice wobbled in his throat. "You knew I quit taking those pills, you knew that! How else would I have gotten into this situation?!"
Hetsu's voice was deep and raspy with the power of a megaphone. "And it was all triggered by an accidental shortage, right?!"
"Yes!"
"That never happens," she said. "Not once has a citizen's pills been delivered even an hour off schedule!"
"Well it happened," Akino shouted back, sticking to his story. "Sakagami even found the pill I stole from her in the front yard after I was knocked back by that explosion!"
Akino felt the dome of people around him start to close in and suffocate him. He bit his lip, dropping his head as he argued with himself through Hetsu's incessant, biased allegations.
'The people here think I'm the traitor,' he thought to himself. 'How… how did I get in this situation? What… why do they think I did it? Everything is happening so fast I don't even know what to say to defend myself. Does… does Makina and Matoi seriously have doubts about me? I've been with them since the start, they should know more than anyone. No, they're keeping them quiet just like Sakagami. What kind of surprise trial is this?!'
The people around him started to grow louder for every second he didn't speak. Sounds of footsteps overlapped the chatter until they were right in Akino's ear. An officer's hand grabbed him by the chin and forced eye contact with Hetsu.
"Everyone here knows what you, or what you aren't are. By chance, do you hold any grudges against this city, or me personally, for your abnormal body? Or do you hold us responsible for the massacre at your school? What is your motivation for such a heinous act?" She asked in an attempt to justify his suspected behavior.
"I told you…," Akino mumbled, "… I didn't do it."
Makina, with her arms crossed, sighed in disappointment at Akino's reluctance to entertain the idea. Meanwhile, Matoi was pressed firmly against Sakagami, each nervous and struggling to keep quiet.
"Do you really think he's innocent?"
"Why isn't that brat admitting what he's done? Revolting!"
"He's just a boy…"
"I've heard a lot about this kid, you know?"
Akino struggled to block the voices out of his head. His deafening heartbeat helped in drowning out the conversation developing around him. He sighed, nearing his breaking point for every second that passed.
"Akino Sakagami," Hetsu said, gaining his attention. "Are you guilty or innocent?"
He lifted his head, his loud and determined voice slowly returning. "If I am anything, I am innocent!"
Hetsu wrapped her hand around the base of the mic, pulling it up to her mouth so far until she practically swallowed it. "Then who are you affiliated with?!"
Confusion spread across his face once more. Shrugging off the unexpected question, Akino screamed back, "I'm affiliated with you!!!"
Suddenly, the room grew quiet and a busy pounding could be heard in the distance. Makina lifted her head and uncrossed her arms, joining the others as they each stared ahead, curious as to what the cause of the abnormal sound was. Akino looked behind him, hearing it as well. The pounding became louder, almost loud enough to cause someone's ears to ring. Suddenly, the noise was on top of them. Akino and the others looked up, startled, as the glass dome above them shattered. Then, everything went black.