The Virgo District, one of the twelve different districts, was enormously popular for having over twenty vibrant and bustling shopping districts and plazas for entertainment and relaxation purposes. Each shopping district saluted to a strict open-minded code to bring in universal cultures to implement freedom in their multitude of stores. Because Aries supported and respected the idea of a universal gathering, shopping districts were filled with stores sporting many cultures, including American, Japanese, British, Alien, and so on. Aries's involvement with being universal became the dreamland for all to thrive and socialize within, no matter what the social or cultural context was on the premises.
While Sumire drove Ryo across one of the streets in the Virgo District, Ryo's vicarious imagination thrived after examining how crowded the neighboring plaza was. During the afternoon transition, the artificial weather plants began ramping up the heat while the radiant sun arose from the west.
The pastel-colored multitude of different-sized buildings decked the streets in a vibrant and unique hue. Astute businessmen and businesswomen powerwalked through the busy streets wearing slim suits to express their outer resilience. Children frolicked through the streets flying pastel-colored kites to play with their friends. Rolled ice cream enthusiasts and chefs served their frozen delicacies to the families relaxing amongst those who played. Ryo took the time to admire the beauty of Virgo District's crowd density and wished he had the time to relax amongst the myriads of friendly-hearted people.
"Guess this is your first time in the outdoors here, huh?" Sumire commented as she stopped her motorcycle amid cramped traffic. "What do you think of the place? Different from Asahikawa, huh?"
"It's absolutely beautiful," Ryo admired, believing that Aries's motto and dream to support all facets of diverse life was incontrovertible. "I wish I had time to spend here."
"You might sooner or later after you meet up with the others," Sumire explained, returning to the flow of traffic as it moved along. "We're almost there. It's not too far from April's place. Convenient as hell."
Sumire made her way through a vista of floral beauty across a narrow streetway. She shifted one of her motorcycle gears as they ascended an even narrower one-road pathway uphill. Sumire tapped her holographic orange GPS to cease destination directions, indicating that they were nearby. Ryo studied the neighboring area to record its appearance for future reference. As the two approached the end of their route, Ryo's fallible heart pounded with anxiety, sensing the tension of his shoulders bearing an invisible weight to pull his morale down. He summoned a large breath of fresh air before Sumire stopped in front of an auburn-colored garage with a temporary blue tape stretched across.
"We recently repainted the garage," Sumire explained, pressing a holographic button to open up the garage. "We also went through a whole renovating session. You're gonna love how the place looks too."
Ryo stayed silent as he ramped up his strength to stay calm and collected. He was an ex-Yakuza who had braved through the worse, but for some peculiar reason, he had a nervous upbringing to his anticipation. Perhaps this was only because he was in an uncommon territory; he had been living in Japan for his entire life, after all.
Sumire parked her motorcycle inside the garage and ripped off the motorcycle glove on her right hand. She hid a secret green keycard underneath the inner part of her glove and slid it out. She began undressing her wintery clothing to blend in the new heat-rising atmosphere. Ryo wanted to follow along with her before sweat built up over warmth, but he felt it was in his best interest to do so after the upcoming formalities.
Sumire undressed until she revealed a casual black tank top. She placed her winter clothing on her motorcycle's seat. She retied her hair with her hairband with the green keycard in her mouth while approaching the garage door. Voices echoed from the distance between Ryo and the opposite side of the garage door.
"You ready?" Sumire turned before pressing the keycard against its designated reader to ensure Ryo was mentally prepared. "Hey, you're all pale again. Are you sure you're going to be okay?"
"I'll be fine," Ryo reassured. "As you said, I'll get used to it. There's no point in running now."
Sumire smiled accordingly to his confidence. "Good. You've definitely changed your mindset," She encouraged. "Think of this as practice when you speak to the others from your past later on. When we see them again, that'll help a lot. All right, let's go."
A beeping chime commenced after she held the card on top of the scanner, prompting Sumire to remove it. The moment she opened the door, a high-pitched squeaking voice startled Ryo to the point where he fidgeted out of fear. Something had leaped on top of Sumire's face that was indescribable from a mere split-second glance.
"Eee-eee!" The voice's unnatural modulation made it impossible for Ryo to concentrate on the background conversation. Sumire's shaking body made it nearly difficult to even peek inside to examine or analyze Sunlight HQ's interior. "Nana was worried about Sumire! Sumire did not come back to HQ or sign back into our database from the outside!"
Sumire chuckled as the unknown presence seemed to tickle her upper body and face. She turned to the side to reveal a tiny robotic monkey with big expressive eyes clinging onto Sumire's cheeks, rubbing its ears against her nose. The monkey's pom-pom hands also flailed rapidly to express its distressful attitude. Ryo's eyebrows lifted themselves in astonishment; he wasn't anticipating an anthropomorphic monkey to greet him on his first day at Sunlight. He was expecting a full group of well-dressed burly men and slender women to seize his belongings and strictly punish him for his nervousness. Yet Sumire's unflappable and composed behavior made it seem like it was a daily happening.
"Eee?" The monkey stopped its affectionate tirade to analyze Ryo through its gleaming large dot-shaped eyes. Sumire held the anthropomorphic monkey towards him as its dot eyes emitted a red sensor that scanned Ryo's quivering body from head to toe. A finishing ding sound played behind the monkey's brown scalp, indicating that its scanning process was complete. "Analysis shows... Ryo Nakai, age twenty-one, blood type O, status... nervous. Shall I run a diagnostic for possible solutions to nervousness?"
"No, no, that won't be necessary, Nana," Sumire chuckled, setting the robotic monkey down on the ground. "Well, I guess here's your first guest and a wake-up call, Ryo. This here is Nana, our, well, monkey. But he's not just a monkey! He's more of our receptionist and portable time card for work. But he can do other unique stuff, like run doctor-like diagnostics and first aid."
"Nana, right..." Ryo scratched the back of his head while he still processed the presence of a robotic anthropomorphic monkey in his presence. "And I suppose he's called that way because of wordplay on the word 'banana?'"
Nana leaped onto Ryo's black shoes and rubbed its pom-pom hands against it to clean off a piece of dirt residing on his shoelaces. "Right you are!" Nana's high-pitched cutesy voice was still a bit overwhelming for Ryo to process. His feet had almost unintentionally jerked back with something as tiny, no more than one foot tall, latched onto his shoelace. "Nana will make sure you are all better, Ryo Nakai! Just approach me when you have time and I shall start aid! You may use me by calling my name!"
"Isn't he cute?" Sumire asked.
"Hey, Sumire!" A light voice had called to Ryo's sister within Sunlight HQ, prompting her to turn back and enter through the front door.
"Coming!" Sumire called back.
Nana latched onto Ryo's right shoulder, perching on it tightly with a cheery complexion. Its robot metal torso had several screws and bolts tightened against its exterior. Nana's brown color was painted on and decorated accordingly to mimic an endearing and adorable robotic monkey reminiscent of Japanese culture.
"My feet also warm whatever it touches," Nana explained while its pom-pom feet rested on Ryo's white sweater. "If you need a hairdryer, I can provide such a tool too," Nana opened its large mouth to blow a puff of hot air on the surface of Ryo's cheek to prove its point. "Do you like it?"
"Sure..." Ryo muttered, unsure of what to say to the robotic monkey. He entered through the front door of Sunlight HQ's hideout and was greeted with a multi-floored expansive living room on his right with a wall-mounted flat-screen television placed above an infrared electric fireplace.
Underneath it was a five-channel shifting soundbar with two amplifiers to its side that played old legacy tunes derived from the United States. The air conditioning and purifier seemingly cleansed Ryo's nostrils after standing for nearly half a second within. A single breath was all it took to feel majestic within.
On Ryo's left was the official Sunlight HQ meeting room, where a massive and elongated meeting table took up nearly one-fourth of the room's space. An old slicked-back white-haired man examined an unknown superconductor object with a series of microscopic panels that could be shifted and adjusted to increase zoom magnification. His spectacles and glasses were large and round. Several cushioned velvet seats decked across the meeting table, supporting more than twelve different members. The table wasn't perfect, however; coffee mugs, leftover playing cards, and an unfinished Jenga game seemed to give Ryo the impression that Sunlight was more laid back than he had expected.
Ryo stepped forward to admire the floral decoration of the headquarters as well. Potted plants and Fuschia flowers adorned the corners of the living room; all were kept healthy with copious amounts of water and nutrients. Nana latched off of Ryo's shoulder to clean up the mess on the meeting table. One dark-skinned individual was drenched in sweat after using two massive thirty-pound dumbbells for a pushup workout routine. Additional weight was placed behind her torso to increase her routine's extremities.
From the distance, Sumire and three other individuals were conversing in the ivory white kitchen decorated with an abundance of antique clocks from different cultures. Beside the kitchen was a towering grandfather clock with a bird-themed pendulum swinging back and forth within its glass exterior.
Ryo stepped further in and noticed one of the individuals sitting in the kitchen was Claude. He remembered that today was a weekend, so his presence wasn't too surprising. Yet after hearing how he had rescued and cherished Sumire like a daughter of his own by raising her, Ryo's heart tensed up with cosseted affection. With another step taken, Ryo caught Sumire in the distance drinking orange juice while holding onto Claude's shoulder. The other two individuals were unknown to his memory, but seeing his sister and Claude interact with them in such a cheerful manner made him seem congenial within.
"Ryo!" Sumire beckoned from across the kitchen. The glasses-wearing doctor and the dark-skinned female both ceased their work and turned their head to glance at Ryo standing still. Sumire, Claude, and the two others in the kitchen approached Ryo with an open mind and heartful expression on their joyous faces.
The dark-skinned lady stood up from her workout and wiped her forehead and neck with a white towel. She turned around and examined Ryo's face with a judgmental and aggressive glare. She had a tomboyish short black-colored hairstyle with feathery soft ends. Her pupils were much shorter, which gave her a menacing and unapproachable foreboding to her aura. Her mouth opened slightly, revealing her chewing on a plastic retainer as she wrapped the sweat-drenched towel around her shoulder.
"Never seen you before." Her monotone deep voice was unexpected to even Ryo's standards. She continued chewing her retainer as if it was a piece of gum. She doubtfully inspected Ryo's sides by rotating around him. Her bare feet made a slapping sound against the hardwood floors that rattled Ryo's spine every time she came closer. "Wait, never mind. You're Sumire's brother."
"Yeah," Ryo introduced, seeing how Sumire already informed him of his arrival. "My name's Ryo-"
"Whatever. I'm gonna shower," She coldly brushed aside after rolling her eyes in nonchalant impatience. She made her way upstairs without another word. Ryo was unsure of how to retaliate against her rudeness.
"You slacking off, kid?" The old man examining the superconductor spoke in a gruff voice as if he had severe throat problems. He pushed his glasses down to grab a better look at Ryo from a distance, but his round eyes only made him appear like a grumpy and wrinkly elder.
"Hey, hey, mind your own business, old man," One of the two individuals speaking to Sumire and Claude defended Ryo's presence with a sudden quip. He was a young man with short light brown hair. After Ryo examined him carefully, he appeared dramatically shorter in height than his sister who stood next to him. He wore a particularly plain beige T-shirt with long black jeans. "Leave the new guy alone. He already went through Natia's shit attitude."
Sumire stepped forward while disregarding the side conversations. She held Ryo's arm with both of her cold hands. "Hey, sorry about that. I had to check in with the others for a bit since I didn't come back last night," She turned back and saluted everyone in the living room as an indication for introductions. "All right, everyone! He's finally here. This is my brother, Ryo Nakai. He'll be joining us from now on. He's got some skills that could be very useful in our efforts to solve our upcoming cases."
"Looks nicer than Akai," The short man spoke out with his arms folded together. "Idiot barely shows up these days. Finally, we can get someone that at least looks the part."
"Bellisimo! Wonderful!" A dark blonde-haired woman clapped and hopped on one foot momentarily to celebrate the occasion of a new arrival to Sunlight. She had a French braid hairstyle and white skin that turned red in several splotches on her cheeks. She had an unexpected and unexplained accent that sounded astonishing to Ryo's ears. He couldn't pinpoint its origins. She stepped forward with a two-piece white blouse and pants set, raising her arms forward to be the first one to introduce herself.
"Ciao, Mr. Nakai!" Her bubbly and vibrant footsteps rattled the hardwood floors with every clack of her heels. With two fingers, she snapped her fingers at Ryo's still body and winked at him. She danced playfully for a split second, examining all of Ryo's facial and body features while maintaining a goofy vibe about her presence.
"Can you not prance around our new guest?" The short man complained, shaking his head in extreme embarrassment. "Seriously, Jinni?"
"Oh, mi dispiace... sorry!" The woman darted towards Ryo's hand and shook it up and down violently. "My name is Jinni Cagliostro! I apologize if my language is not so good, Ryo Nakai. I am half Japanese, and half Italian!" When Jinni spoke the word 'Italian,' she raised her arms high up in the air and gestured them into a heart symbol. "Oh, I look forward to working with you. Yes, indeed!"
Ryo admired Jinni's unusual, yet bubbly personality. Although her presence was slightly out of control, its contrast with the dark-skinned female revitalized his spirit and motivation to stay within Sunlight.
Jinni pranced playfully aside as the short man stepped forward with his hand raised towards Ryo for a handshake. But just before their hands connected, Ryo watched as the man placed a latex turquoise glove over his right hand. Ryo's eyebrows and eyes lowered themselves, realizing that he must have been a clean freak or a germaphobe. "Nice to meet you, Ryo Nakai. Sumire's told us a lot about you. I'm Naoto Hiragi."
After hearing the man's name, Ryo suddenly froze as his mind rattled uncontrollably. His depth of view suddenly fell flat and distorted. He placed his hands over his temples as his brain pumped an excess amount of radiating and lingering pain. Sumire dove forward and examined his face closely as his surroundings began to morph into hallucinations. "Hiragi...?" Ryo whimpered.
"Ryo, Ryo! Are you all right? What's wrong?" Sumire called.
"Shit," Naoto glanced over to the meeting table. "Nana, first aid!" He ordered.
As Nana began to approach Ryo, everything in his perception moved in slow motion. The living room's background began to shift into his elementary school in Seiya. Familiar voices suddenly whispered into his ears, creating abhorrent traumatic memories that he had kept repressed and stowed away for a long time.
"Stay away from me, and stay away from Meguro-san," A voice of frustration came about.
"H-Hiragi..." Ryo whispered.
"Piece of shit? Open your EYES!" The voice continued.
"Sophie... Hiragi...?" Ryo pressed his hands against his forehead, remembering the young defensive girl at Seiya Elementary School who defending his victim from his antagonizing behavior.
"We are just KIDS! Ash is just a little girl! All of the aliens you're talking about have NOTHING to do with this school!" Sophie's voice repeated in his mind.
Nana's left pom-pom retracted as a mini-syringe came from within its metal torso. He injected a tiny dose of an unknown serum inside Ryo's shoulder to bring him back to reality. It granted Ryo a boost of strength and energy to withstand the traumatic flashbacks within his injured mentality. Sumire, Jinni, Naoto, Claude, and the old man both stood worriedly above Ryo, who collapsed on the ground after reminiscing Sophie's voice and name.
"I administered a small dosage of E-22," Nana explained. "Ryo Nakai should be feeling better after some time."
"He must have had a mental shutdown to something I said," Naoto stated after deducing the possibilities of Ryo's unusual and unstable behavior. "Maybe to my name? Wait..." Naoto's morale suddenly fell flat as he slouched forward in depression. "Man, now I can't even say my freakin name to the new guy..."
"Oh, no!" Jinni patted Naoto's back with her soft hands. "Do not worry, Naoto! I like your name!"
"That's not the point, Jinni! And stop touching me!" Naoto retorted annoyingly while brushing his sides from Jinni's touchy nature.
"Ryo-boy," Claude kneeled to grab Ryo's hand. He pulled him up after a few seconds where he was left to recover from Nana's energy serum. "Are you all right?" He asked.
"Ryo, can you hear me?" Sumire worriedly questioned.
Seeing Sumire, Claude, and the others desperately worried about his mental health restored him to normal standing. Ryo's irrefutable hallucinations and inner voices disappeared after a few seconds of receiving the energy dosage. It was the first time that he had ever been hit with a traumatic episode, and it lacerated his heart. It was obvious to him that he still clung to the repressed memory of his hateful and loathsome past. He held onto Sumire's shoulder while nodding in agreement.
"I'm all right," Ryo coughed. "Sorry about that. It just happened all of a sudden."
"Ah, it's no worries!" Jinni leaned down to grab Ryo's attention with her bright and cheerful face. Her blonde French braid drooped down and tickled Ryo's cheek. "Jinni is just happy you are okay. Thanks to Nana, no? You adorable little monkey, you!" She grabbed onto Nana and began to snuggle it tightly.
"Eee-eee!" Nana bellowed in ticklish laughter.
Sumire tapped on Ryo's shoulder and lifted him with her strength. "Hey, take it easy, okay?" She whispered, knowing Ryo might have collapsed from the nervousness. She then turned to the old man with a firm frowning expression on her face. "Dr. Zanner, head to my garage and grab the black suit hanging over the back. It's the V2 nanosuit I wanted you to examine." She commanded.
Jinni, Naoto, and Dr. Zanner all leaped in astonishment at Sumire's sudden request. "Wait, did you say, V2? Why didn't you say that it was V2 when you came here this morning?" Dr. Zanner's gruff voice exploded in astonishment. "This boy possessed the V2 nanosuit? But... how?"
"None of that matters right now," Sumire denied his question. "We've got to examine it to find out where it came from. Ryo also claimed there was a hacker who played a transmitting frequency inside its core. We need to find out where the signal came from," She glanced over at Naoto. "Naoto, you can assist Dr. Zanner in analyzing the evidence. Jinni, you can start by finding Ryo's body measurements. He needs a new combat suit."
"Roger that." Naoto agreed as he strolled to the garage with Dr. Zanner.
Jinni nodded to Sumire's request. "Va bene, Sumire." She said before darting up to the second floor of the headquarters to retrieve her measuring tools.
Nana latched onto Claude's shoulder and analyzed Ryo's bodily functions. Sumire gently placed Ryo's arm over her shoulder and led him to the black couch in the living room. Ryo laid back while letting the energy serum subside in his nervous system. He deeply desired that his first impressions and introduction would be met with positive energy and reinforcement, but he felt that he was causing burdening trouble among the lively atmosphere within Sunlight HQ.
"Claude, can you get Ryo some water?" Sumire asked him while she pulled up a stool to situate herself near her brother's sudden pain.
"Of course." Claude agreed, heading over to the kitchen.
Ryo opened his eyes sluggishly to see Sumire's large eyes filled to the brim with melancholy and uneasiness. "Sorry about that, Sumire," Ryo mumbled. "I didn't mean to cause you all trouble."
"No, it's okay, Ryo. Stop apologizing," Sumire affectionately rubbed Ryo's right shoulder while acknowledging his statement. "Don't think you're burdening us. Remember, it's our job."
After Claude had tossed a water bottle over to Sumire, Ryo cleansed his rough and parched throat with ice-cold water. His hydration drastically improved his mind in an instant. He scanned the left side of the living room to see Naoto and Dr. Zanner wearing latex gloves and carefully transferring the V2 nanosuit over to the doctor's table for a thorough examination. Sumire's eyes lit up in delight to see Ryo's mind functioning properly after his chaotic episode.
"How's Ryo doing over there, Sumire?" Naoto asked, placing the nanosuit on the table.
"He's doing fine. Thanks for asking." Sumire replied.
"Man, that crystal you brought it is tough to crack," Naoto continued. "Gonna have to take a little while longer than usual..."
Ryo rested the back of his head against a black-colored cushion. His first impressions in Sunlight HQ might not have been perfect, nor his skills vaunted, but he was pleased to see Sumire's allies working accordingly while treating her appropriately. At first, Ryo believed that Sunlight's behavior as a police task force was mediocre with the games, laughter, and vigorous outbursts. But after only a few minutes, Ryo learned that Sunlight was much more capable and complaisant, and he hoped to become a worthy asset for his sister's noble cause.
As he closed his eyes to rest, April's eyes suddenly appeared in his imagination.
With those eyes, I could marvel in other people's minds...