After a few minutes, Yukari went to the bathroom to wash up too and with all of them going to sleep, I too, prepared for the night by locking the doors.
"Oh."
"Hey, Rai… Mind if I drink these?"
"Not at all. They're for my cooking, so it's alright."
"Oh? You don't drink?"
"I don't like alcohol… and my body hates it more than I do."
While closing the back door, I saw that the lights in the kitchen are turned on and after opening it, saw that Kirin-sensei who just came out of the bathroom and is wearing a yukata is drinking some of the wine I have in stock.
"Mind if I ask you to sit down?"
"I don't. The kids are heading up to sleep anyways. What I'm interested though is why you are asking me to sit down."
"Nothing much, really… I just want to have someone listen to my ramblings now that I am tipsy. Oh… refill…"
"Let me…"
I poured some of the red wine to her glass which she thanked me for before knocking it back in a gulp.
"Fuhaah! You've got good taste in your ingredients, Rai-kun."
"It's an acquired thing. I used to study Culinary arts under a strict instructor and if I didn't pick the freshest ingredients, she'd have me chopping onions for an entire day."
"Hahaha! That sounds like an interesting punishment."
"It's effective, really. Which was the reason why I did my best to do as she instructed… not just so I won't be punished, but also to make the people who eat our food enjoy it as much as they can."
"…"
"Would you like another refill?"
"Please…"
I poured another fill on Kirin-sensei's wineglass and she placed it near her lips.
"Fufu~!"
"Huh?"
"How many years has it been since I had a drink with someone…? Almost 10 already, huh?"
"Sensei?"
"Rai… do you know why I have this hair accessory on me whenever I am outside the Sumeragi estate?"
She asked me that question after holding her long hair that was tied by a scrunchie that has a red spider lily flower design.
"No… That's interesting though. I didn't gave too much thought about it but you wearing a hair tie that has a red spider lily blossom is quite unique… if I may say."
"Because of its symbolism about death?"
"…Yes."
"Well… you can say that what you thought about is true."
"Huh?"
Kirin-sensei put down her wineglass and surprisingly, showed me a lonely expression on her face.
"This hair tie was given to me as a gift by my late husband during our last wedding anniversary together nine years ago..."
"Nine years… Is it during the-"
"Yes. He is among the ones who died during the Old Osaka uprising. Renjiro-kun managed to retrieve him from the place where he and a certain traitor fought and, on his deathbed, he gave me this accessory that he made by himself. He said that with this, he will always be by my side and helping me out even with just holding together my hair that was one of my features that he dearly loved."
"He sounds like a really good man."
"He is… I could've never wished for a better husband. He is loving, understanding and even though we are old-fashioned people, he never felt any shame about being teased that he is the weaker person between us. If anything, he is proud that I am strong and that loved me as I am."
"…"
"Even after we learned that our son has to be put in a hibernation state after he is born and the best we can do is to have him cloned, my husband never treated Kai as an outcast or an abnormal being. He raised and cared for him like his real child and even in his deathbed, he had nothing but praises and good wishes for him."
Hearing all of this, I can imagine why Kirin-sensei seemed to have a lonely expression on her face before she mentioned him.
"Was losing him painful?"
"…It does, of course. It took me a while to get over his death and honestly, I still bear some pain in my heart that he is no longer with me in a form that I can embrace and cry my ails onto. If he is here, I would surely be crying every night about the impending "dismissal" date of Kai…"
"I see…"
I stood up from my seat and went around to where Kirin-sensei is sitting at.
"R-Rai?"
"Can I, sensei?"
I opened my arms, inviting her to an embrace which she smiled at and took with an open heart.
"You've drunk a bit too much."
"If you're going to complain, you didn't have to give me a hug."
"I wasn't complaining, really."
Kirin-sensei and I seem to have a lot of similarities in experiences… and with what she said, I remembered someone who is at the same boar as her.
"I read a bit about you while you're out there… I heard that your father died here before you can arrive to replace him in his workplace."
"Yes… He worked at the Miyazono Medical Research Institute and officially, died from a blood infection."
"Officially?"
"I am aware that he was killed by the goons of the Miyazono corporation after he organized a rally against their illegal cloning projects and the use of people infected with the MB1 and MB2 virus in various brutal experiments… Dad knew the dangers and still, he did what he must do."
"Did it hurt you?"
"Dad is my role model even if we didn't get to spend enough time with each other… I was hurt to know that we can no longer meet each other, of course. But the one who was hurt the most that it even made her disease to have a minor relapse was my mother… and because of that, I am reminded of her through your story earlier."
"…You have great and loving parents, Ephraim."
"Yes. I thank God for that."
In many ways, Kirin-sensei reminds me of my mother during the peak of her health. Wonderful, gracious, caring and still having enough strictness to set their children straight, it was fortunate that she has accepted and treated me like her child.
Kirin-sensei and I talked a bit more while she continued to drink her wine. As for me, I have my own health issues to consider in order to not take up a drink.
"Uuu… Hahaha. I think I'm done now."
"Alright. Let me lead you to the guest room, sensei."
"Okay, okay… Owu-to!"
With her arm over my shoulder, I helped her climb up to the guest room where I tucked her in and bid her a good night. After that, I gently closed the door behind me and cleaned up the table where she drank wine. As soon as I was done, my phone rang and I quickly answered it.
*Criiiinnngggg! Ting! Criiiiiinnnnggg-*
"Hello."
{This is Yusa, Ephraim.}
"Operator? Why did you call so late at night?"
{Emergency Call… You're needed in the Bunker right now. Be here before 30 minutes.}
"Roger that."
After I placed my phone to my pocket, I went to my closet in the living room and wore my S.S.S uniform. On my holster, I placed my issued handgun and hid it by wearing a trench coat over my torso and lower half.
In ten minutes, I was already outside of Sunogahara-cho using my motorcycle and the sparsely driven by inner roads of the city, I arrived at Shibuya Bunker before the designated time was over.
"Get out of the way!"
"Ah!"
"Clear the way! We're coming through!"
"What on earth is-"
"Agent Chronia. Don't just stand there. Follow me."
"A-Ah! Y-yes!"
As soon as I entered the agency's main hall, I was pushed aside by a group of agency combatants who hurriedly ran towards the central trolley station. After I recomposed myself and complained, the familiar voice of Yusa-san beckoned me from a nearby room to follow her to the office block of the administrative station.
"O-Operator… What is going on right now? Why are the combat teams running around with firearms and the like?"
"Security concerns. A line of motion detectors in the uncleared tunnels was tripped and we suspect that an intruder has entered our facilities to spy on us. We don't know yet who it is, but whoever they are, they are still inside here because we immediately sealed off the subway passages after the motion detectors was activated."
"I see..."
"There is also the case of Vice-minister Fujikawa being here for a meeting. We cannot let him be harmed while he's inside our facility."
"Oh! So those cars in the parking space was his security detail?"
"Right… This is the meeting room. Hinata will lead you to your seat. I'll be off to pick up Yurippe and Minister Fujikawa, but I'll be beside you later."
"Understood, Operator!"
"Mm. Go on now."
I swiped my ID card on the scanner panel of the meeting room's steel door, and it opened to let me inside. There, I saw a familiar face and someone whom I only saw in some photos.
"Agent Chronia. I'm glad to see you have come in time."
"I'm pleased to be in attendance too, Vice-Director Hinata."
Seeing that he was wearing his formal dark blue Agency uniform instead of the more common beige-colored uniform that he usually wears, I raised a salute to him and addressed him formally.
"So, you're the greenhorn Psychic Agent, huh?"
"I am. Pleased to meet you too, Department Chief Naoi Ayato."
"…"
"H-Hey… how did you know his name?"
As I expected, Hinata-san was surprised when I spoke the rank and name of the other man who approached us. This person named Naoi Ayato, seemed to not be pleased about being identified by me.
"I noticed an irregularity in our encrypted communications addresses while I was sending my report from Motomiya bunker. Instead of routing directly to Yurippe's email inbox, my reports seem to be sent to an intermediary folder first… That's why I dug a bit in our archives and noticed that there's a crapload of security measures in a particular "ghost department" that has a substantial amount of our agency's budget."
"And you broke into the system?"
"No. I just asked the person who must've known about it since I saw that he was the last person in the list who recently opened a communications line to the said "ghost department". Of course, I am talking about Branch Manager Otonashi."
"I see… He must've told you about me with fond memories, huh?"
"Nah… He said that you're an annoying subordinate and wishes that you stop asking Yurippe to transfer you to his branch."
"Urk!"
"Wahahaha! Dude, that's hilarious!"
After hearing my reply that he seemed to not expect, he made a pained noise before Hinata-san laughed loudly at his expense.
"In any case, I do am pleased to finally meet you face to face, Chief Naoi."
"Likewise, kid. Come on, take your seat before we start this up."
Before long, the door of the meeting room was opened to let in seven people before it was tightly shut, and every window was covered with blinds and the faint sound of the noise makers outside of the room buzzed on.
"Good evening, Agents. It's nice to see all of you being in attendance tonight even though the meeting is so abrupt."
"""Good evening too, Vice-Minister Fujikawa."""
Fujikawa Benimaru. The Vice-minister of the Internal Defense Ministry. To most people in Japan, he's just an underling of the Internal Defense Minister and a close acquaintance of the current Prime Minister, which helps him keep his involvement with us a tight secret. Even in the recent Fukushima uprising, he was never mentioned even once in the media coverage and documentaries about the event.
"To start our meeting, I would first like to introduce the new faces in our room today. Except for me, Vice Director Hinata and Department of Operations Chief Yusa whom you've already met before, these five Agents are the new ones we have invited over. Alright, by order… introduce yourselves."
The first one to stand up is the grizzly-looking Chaa-san who was dressed in a formal uniform instead of his usual work clothes that looks like a common factory uniform.
"Munitions and Armory Department Chief, Hideo Chaa, sir."
Next stood a woman who has a strict look on her face and is wearing a black coat over her Agency uniform.
"Intelligence and Espionage Department Chief, Eri Shiina, sir."
Next stood a fragile and plain looking young man with the common beige-colored Agency uniform and stated his name in a manner that seemed to lack a bit of confidence.
"L-Logistics and Maintenance Department Chief, Haga Ooyama, sir!"
As the line of agents identified themselves as Department Chiefs, I slowly understood how important this meeting is that I was made to attend to.
"Interrogation and Incarceration Department Chief, Ayato Naoi, sir…"
And in the end, I was the last to stand up and identify myself.
"P-Psychic Operative Ephraim Seliah Chronia, s-sir…"
"Ohh! The rumored hotshot. I didn't expect you to be as… young! Yes, as young as you seem to be."
"I-I am honored, sir."
Before we sat down, vice-minister Fujikawa managed to give a short comment about me which I simply took and thanked him for. After all, it's not really that much of an issue.
"I apologize for my forwardness, Director Nakamura… Especially since I think you and your team has delicately prepared for this meeting with various subjects and points to discuss… but let's go straight to the main topic right here and right now."
"Of course, sir. If that is what you wish."
"Alright… I want a clear and concise answer from all of you right now who are in here."
"""…"""
"How prepared are we to go into total war with the Miyazono corporation?"
"Oh…"
"That is…"
"Haah…"
The minister's question was met with all kinds of uncomfortable sounds from the other agents around me.
"Sir… I believe our capabilities are almost miniscule right now. As you can see, there are only about a couple thousand individuals in our agency, and we can barely even cover our main security net here in Honshu."
"Yusa is right, Minister… Total conflict is out of our options. Even the previous operation had to be conducted with the utmost care in order for us to not lose valuable field operatives."
"I understand your concern regarding the safety of your men. I certainly can't imagine losing them with just how little your forces are… but you must already know why I have asked this question, yes?"
"Of course, sir. The committee hearing last month with the leader of the Miyazono corporation was a trigger for much of the troubles we have today… Especially the incident that happened yesterday in Aokigahara forest."
After that was mentioned, everyone seemed to shoot a look at me before continuing with the talks.
"If I may disclose information, Yurippe…"
"You may, Shiina-chan."
"Ahem… A week before the incident yesterday, my insiders seem to be sending similar reports to me about a certain "subject sample" that the higher-ups are rambling about and pointing fingers to."
"Subject sample?"
"I believe it is the Replicator cell that the Sumeragi group has taken from their ambush in Morioka a month ago. Clues that helped me connect these two things is that those insiders belong to both Miyazono Genetic Laboratories and Ishida Trucking company… subsidiaries of the corporation that are the most connected to the evacuation of their belongings in Fukushima that was ambushed by the Sumeragi people."
"I see…"
"It has also been mentioned in their reports that they are amassing their numbers in Old Tokyo through the newly-discovered program of one of their Gardeners called "Realityware Online". Something that was first encountered by Combined Team 4 in the 2072 Freedom Music Dive Festival."
"Oh! The one where my daughter had her first mission."
"Yes, sir. There, she and her team confronted a bunch of Miyazono men who seemed to not operate the same way as others. They have these objects called "Game Passes" and seem to think that their powers are simply mechanics in an Augmented Reality game."
"Alright, alright… Pardon me as an old-timer. But can you translate all of that for me? I don't know anything about this Augmented Reality and Game Pass, hu-hah that you are speaking about."
The old man seemed to be rightfully confused. It is to be expected as he really isn't of the right age and generation to encounter those things.
"Well, to put it simply, the Miyazono Gardener who is handling them gave them Psychic powers through a Gene Seed and then, fooled them into believing that they were selected as a player of a new game that can be played in the real world. The catch is, the Gardener seems to be the cautious type for as soon as they become mortally wounded or are put into a compromised state, they will become Malignances as seen in the screen."
Yurippe opened a folder filled with the pictures of our reports about our mission out there in the Music Festival. It contained the images of these normal people suddenly becoming uncontrollable monsters.
"I get it now… So they really are harming normal people through trickery and such."
"The problem in this is that we can't really use this against them. Opening this up in court would require us to talk about Psychics and Malignances… and realistically speaking, none of this would make us look sane to the people hearing it."
The room was silent after Shiina-san said those words. Truly, there is no proper way to deal with this legally and with the people watching over us.
"There is though… A way to whittle down their power until we can fight them on equal grounds."
"Naoi?"
"What do you say, Yuri? I was the one who proposed it and it seems like the need for it is very dire right now."
"Haah… I hate that you are right with that, Naoi."
Chief Naoi stood up from his seat and with a serious expression, spoke up about his proposal.
"I propose that we make a specialized department to handle field work regarding Psychics and the Miyazono corporation's men specifically. A kind of special arm in our Agency whose one and only job is to prepare, investigate and respond to crises on the Psychic nature."
"Wouldn't that make your Agency redundant then, Chief Naoi? When I accepted this Agency's assimilation to the government, turning it from a private force to a public service group, I was proposed that the entirety of this group specializes in the realm of Psychics."
"It wouldn't be redundant because of one particular thing, Minister."
"Huh… Do enlighten me."
Chief Naoi cleared his throat and began to give a simplified and concise explanation to this proposal of his.
"The proposed group would be doing nothing but to investigate and respond to the Psychic threats that we, the main body of the agency, detect. As proven by the almost failed operation yesterday, our agency severely lacks the necessary agents who can tackle such dangerous individuals, in truth only Agent Chronia here and Agent Fujikawa who is training in Hokkaido as we speak, are Psychics."
"…"
"As such, I propose that while the enemy is still shaken by the loss of one of their vital leaders called "Gardeners", we should find, assemble and train as many Psychics as we can. Only in that way, can we effectively do our responsibility as the people's defenders against Psychic threats and also, stop the Miyazono corporation from further endangering our nation."
I wasn't an expert on language and how one can speak in a way that can convince others to do as you wish. But hearing speeches after speeches from the politicians of my home country is enough for me to know that how Naoi-san spoke about his proposal was structured to make it seem like the only viable solution.
"Hmmm… I like the sound of it. After all, what happened last night really drove me and the Prime Minister to seek a better angle on this issue. And with the Miyazono corporation seemingly preparing to drive public opinion against us and assembling a coup, I believe that this radical, yet effective solution is our best bet."
"But Minister, we would be stepping on the line of some laws. Agent Fujikawa and Agent Chronia are both under the military age of 21, but because of your express approval as her parent and Agent Chronia's special work license, we have found a loophole in the law."
"Are you concerned about the current hypothesis that most Psychics awaken during their pubescent years?"
"Yes, sir. Which is the reason why we hardly ever get hold of new Psychics."
I almost forgot about that part. Because we are working with the government, we will always be scrutinized to follow the law to the dot. One of such laws is the labor acts against underage employment.
"I'll arrange for favors with my fellow ministers in the Cabinet as well as the approval of the Prime Minister to exempt your Agency under the reason of national security."
"M-Minister!"
"Do you mean that-"
"Yes. Go get those young men and women working under us. Do it quickly before the enemy gets them and they stand against us! Am I understood?!"
"As you wish, Vice Minister Fujikawa!"
"We will be doing our best!"
Yurippe and Hinata-san stood up quickly with a salute while showing expressions filled with resolution. They may look like they are bothered and anxious about the announcement, but with my Psychic enhanced senses, I knew that they are feeling some kind of rush and excitement about the news.
"Before we break open the champagne in celebration though, I would also like to propose the one who would be leading this specialized group."
"Oh… Who is it then, Chief Naoi?"
"Would it be my daughter? I think it would be good for her to learn how to lead."
Even I expected that it would be Mana-chan who will be the leader of the group. After all, the S.S.S can benefit greatly with strengthening our connection with the Vice Minister to ensure our continued cooperation.
"Given his expertise in the field and his prior experiences not only in our country but from his homeland as well, I believe it should be none other than Agent Chronia right here."
"I see, I see… Wait, what?"
"Huh?!"
"…"
Instead of making any noise, I simply just raised my face and looked at the person who was pointing at me.
"This will be a headache, won't it?"
The meeting was finished before midnight. Yurippe and Hinata-san led the vice minister to the parking lot just like any proper subordinate should do.
For me though, I was brought to a hallway by the man who planned all of it and asked me a few questions.
"Say kid… why did you seem to not be surprised about being handed such a responsibility?"
"Well, as how you put it earlier, what this specialized group does in the field doesn't seem to be much different from what I am already doing out there. So, I guess I have no reason to not accept it."
"How about your children and family though? You seem to already be having hectic days with trying to balance your time with them alongside your job."
"I can handle it, don't worry. My kids seem to understand to some extent what I am doing and why I may end up going away for weeks on end."
"Huh…? I see."
He placed his hand below his chin, seemingly thinking about something pensively.
"I gotta ask though… why me?"
"What do you mean?"
"I thought you would propose to have Agent Mana as the leader to have the S.S.S curry some favor with the minister… so it seems really illogical to me that you made me the primary candidate right in front of the minister."
"Do you want the simple answer… or the right answer?"
"…I'll go with the truthful one."
He removed his hand from under his chin and showed me his left hand with his pointer finger raised to denote a "1".
"December 21, 2068… what does this date mean to you?"
"…Did you-"
"I did."
"…"
As soon as he mentioned that date, I tensed up after realizing that he must've a deeper reason for choosing me as the main candidate.
"I may not be one of the founding members of this group… to tell the bitter truth, I was an enemy of Yuri-chan and that idiot Hinata before I joined in later on. That's the reason why I can look at things in a different way as others do… and why even though she doesn't like me that much, Yuri entrusted me the safety of her subordinates…"
"…How much do you know?"
"About what?"
"About me and my past…"
"What I found is mainly from digitized newspaper articles and records from your home country that are accessible to the public. It was a shame that the rest of the information about you and what you've done during your years in your university are either locked behind layers upon layers of security programs or has been completely wiped from the web."
"…"
"Yurippe and the others thought that I chose you mainly because you are skilled and has a knack in leading others because of your experience back in your homeland… but the true reason why I chose you is because you can be a great bait against the Miyazono corporation once shit hits the fan and your identity become available to them."
"So, you're treating me as a disposable person?"
"Yeah. You have any issue about it, kid?"
I have been staring at him with a hostile expression for a while now, and after saying that he does treat me like a dispensable person, he shot back that hostile look to me though it never made me flinch.
"I know that I was supposed to be prepared about it when I signed up, but I sure as hell didn't agree on being thrown away in some kind of suicide squad of yours."
"Why did you take it as a threat? I just said that I will personally throw you under the bus if you become sloppy and expose yourself to the enemy."
"…"
"My point is, you should be prepared to fight tooth and nail against your enemies not only to fulfill your duties but to protect your private life. Having even a single moron in the enemy side who can remember and recreate your appearance or state where you go to frequently is a hundred percent death sentence for you and for all of us in the S.S.S."
He turned around and left me with one last reminder.
"Remember this, kid… Secrecy and security is our specialty. Make even a single mistake and you're dead."
Special Security Service… to me, that name seemed to just be done for the sake of a good-sounding acronym. But now that I heard his reminder, I kind of understood what it really implied.
"Here is your new mission during the transitionary period, Rai-kun. It's just like what I mentioned last time, you'll be providing security to Akamine Kaori against Miyazono people who may end up silencing her about that issue with Isao. Until she hasn't chosen how to tackle that experience, she is a loose cannon for the enemy who wouldn't want to have their star basketball player to be revealed as a doper athlete."
"How about the fake cover up story, though?"
"Yusa will be sending you those files and we expect you to report it to her and her parents periodically. Thankfully, a contact of Takeyama in Formosa island agreed to fake documents from the local police force and the Interpol. As far as authenticity is concerned, we should have no worries."
"Understood… I have a question before I leave, Yurippe…"
"What is it?"
I paused for a moment, finding a way to word out my question in a way that wouldn't invite suspicion from her.
"Do you… agree to Chief Naoi's proposal to let me be the leader of the proposed special psychic group?"
"I… I believe he is right with that."
"Huh?"
"Naoi said something to us last night when that explosion of light in Aokigahara disconnected all of you from us. He said that he feels like you are hiding something from us."
"…"
"Tell me, Ephraim… was your encounter with that Gardener really just accidental?"
"I… I apologize, Yurippe… It wasn't."
"…"
Finally, I opened up about what happened last night. Telling her how I just wanted to save all of the innocent people in there who was forced to work by the Miyazono corporation and to confront the Gardener one on one out of personal grudge.
I also mentioned the truth behind that mysterious Psychic who killed all of the partygoers and almost killed me in the process as well.
"I see… I guess I can't really blame you for hiding all of this."
"Y-Yurippe…"
"No one in their right mind would accept what you just talked about… if you wrote that instead of your "accidental encounter" alibi, they will force you to tell the actual story instead of believing what you wrote down."
"…"
"This only further convinces me to accept you as the main candidate to lead the special group..."
"But why?"
"Because you only speak the full truth with those that you fully trust."
"That…"
"I was the one who personally saved you after your awakening and brought you into the S.S.S. You can say that we are joined in the hip because of this… With that in mind, having you speak the truth to me and only me tells me that you are not someone who will disclose information to anyone else."
"I guess you have a point, Yurippe."
"If we are clear, then you can go home now. Tomorrow is Sunday, so take a day off and be ready to pick up Kaori-chan from her home starting the coming week."
"Roger that, Yurippe!"