***
"Finally!" Akira yawned and stretched his arms out, before making his way to the kitchen. Now that his wounds had fully healed, he could now focus on his main priorities - food, but most importantly, his little sister had been missing for a whole week now. Upon throwing whatever he could find in the microwave, he began to ponder on the most viable options.
"Should I...search for her....? No, that's stupid, I don't have the guts to return to that place...But, what if something has happened to her...?" He shook his head vigorously. "I believe she's safe. But, I have to become stronger, for the slight chance that I have to go there....back to the Emrys Residence...-"
His thoughts were cut short as the beep on the microwave had distracted him. He brought the snack out onto a plate, instantly devouring the whole thing in one bite.
"Oh, Akira, you've recovered."
The boy looked at his mentor, who was sitting comfortably on the couch, watching the news.
"What's goin' on?"
"Mango Martinelli was apparently killed, however his body is missing. Oh, and the charges against his son had been cleared, after he took over the whole business."
"It's crazy how much you can do with money."
"Speaking of..." Nova reached into his pocket, and handed Akira his card. "Spend up to 5000J. For your performance the other day."
"Ohh....." He could almost feel how much food he can buy with it. "Wait, 5000J?!? Isn't this a bit too much?"
"You did most of the damage. You know what they say - high risk, high reward."
Nova grinned. With sparkling eyes, Akira left the man to his television, heading to the closest restaurant he knew, and a familiar restaurant to Nova - The Casina Mango one (Rather, Casina Marcel: he'll eventually change that).
***
In the corner of the first floor, at the table with piles of plates, continuing to stack up, was Akira, eating his fourth bowl of chicken and mushroom stew. The bystanders held witness to the animal in such an etiquette place. None were tough enough to raise awareness to him though. Akira had spent too much to account for.
"Just look at him go..."
"He finishes dishes in seconds...."
"It's unexpectedly impressive...."
"I want to see how long he lasts..."
He paid not one bit of attention to them, and began at the next dish. His life purely consisted of food and family, being both equally essential.
Finally finishing 3000J worth of food, he got up and made his way to the exit, and an unexpected encounter made his reappearance.
"It's....It's...."
The towering man gazed down at Akira. "Customer...I noticed you have spent a considerable amount on my newly found business, and I'm grateful. Can you offer me a moment of your time?"
***
"Akira, is it? I would like to offer you an opportunity. You have spent what is considered to be a year's worth of meals in one sitting. Become a VIP in this industry, I'm sure you will appeal to the benefits."
Akira looked around the office - something had gone down in the place: Furniture was misplaced and files and papers stacked on a coffee table, almost like a fight had gone down. The factor that stood out the most was the broken window, a perfect fit for something big that had fell to their death. The pieces were adding up, but they didn't fit together perfectly. 'Did Marcel push Mango off...? No....the hole in the window is too big... It doesn't make sense.'
Marcel slid a document across the table. "The terms ar-"
"Did you kill your father for this position?" The silence was penetrable, however Marcel remained calm and collected.
"I did not murder my father-"
"Then surely you must be in cahoots with who did? And what went down in this room? I don't want to hear anything about some benefits until you tell me what happened. In fact, tell me everything - the casino's true purpose, Mango's identity, the terrorist attack, your goal - don't leave a single bit out."
And so he told him.
***
Akira's breath hitched. That was all to it? And Nova and Shane were involved? It all fit together, the puzzle was complete. Despite. still having a couple questions. he decided it'd be best to agree to the terms given and become a VIP, but while keeping his relationship with Nova hidden too. Marcel's plans were simple, but bore such respectable ill intent. Through time, he would eventually come around to trusting him, but for now, their relationship became strictly business from that point onwards.
The moon soon peaked in the sky, which gave Akira the indication to return home, to which he was greeted by a shouting Nova, who was pissed about Akira spending over half of his money on food. Nova snatched his card back, before reminding him about the training session tomorrow and heading to bed.
The next morning, the pair woke up bright and early, to prepare for their training session at the junkyard. This time, Shane came along to witness their progress. Unfortunately for him, he was used as a practice opponent the whole time.
"Nova...What is this...?"
"Just stand still and balance the apple on your head. Akira will try shoot it off."
"I don't like how the word 'try' is used in this occasion..."
"Trust me, it'll be fine."
Shane almost caught a bullet to the skull that day, but in return, Akira had managed to learn the basics of using a gun in combat.