[Or so is what Kuma said. He got a pretty useful ability to look into the future from the devil he assimilated with. Hehe, my subordinate is so useful, no? Are you surprised by this?]
"Not really."
After surviving in Fantasia for 20 years, nothing truly surprised him anymore. Gaia's appearance irritated him more than surprising, so that didn't count.
"So he assimilated with Laplace?" He asked curiously, intrigued by Kuma, Misaki's subordinate.
[Yes. I recommended it to him, and he managed to assimilate with the Devil! He's amazing, no?]
"He's pitiful," Atsuku replied with a sigh.
Seeing the future might be a great ability from a general perspective. It was really useful and could help one to survive.
However, returning to the talk about Secret, something in this world wasn't meant to be seen. If Misaki's subordinate saw something he shouldn't see… The probability of him turning into a Demon was awfully high.
"Tell him to be careful and not advance to the Second Stage. Don't use the future-seeing ability without anyone's watch."
[Is it that dangerous?] Her tone changed slightly. Now, there was a hint of seriousness in it after being warned by Atsuku.
"He can use it if he is not afraid to turn into a Demon. You make him choose a double-edged sword, Misaki." He smirked, leaning his back against the chair.
At that moment, he heard footsteps coming from outside and glanced slightly.
"Anyway, Misaki. Don't touch Secret yet; just refine your core slowly. I will go to Kyoto as soon as possible when I have time."
[Alright. Don't make your lovely sister wait for too long! Hahaha, I am waiting for your arrival!]
Click!
The call ended with that, and Atsuku lowered the phone.
"The same as always." He muttered. His lips curled up into a nostalgic smile as he still looked at his phone. "I am glad she didn't change too much from my memories."
The footsteps outside stopped right in front of his door. He looked at the sliding door and said.
"Enter."
"Excuse me, Young Boss."
Accompanied by the voice, the sliding door was opened, and Masa's kneeling figure appeared from the other side.
"We have received information that a strange floating light has been spotted." The Yakuza informed with a heavy tone, looking up at Atsuku with his eyes flashing behind the sunglasses.
"Where is it?" Atsuku asked. His tone elated a little bit because he didn't expect his subordinate to find Secret so soon.
Masa seemed to be hesitant to tell Atsuku. He gulped slightly in nervousness, as his young boss' aura could be a bit intimidating after his return.
But after a second, the scary man in sunglasses opened his mouth and said, "Kyoto."
***
In the morning, before the sun had risen, Atsuku woke up and prepared himself. It was still around 3 AM, and everyone but a few people in the Fujiwara house woke up.
He wore a white shirt and long black pants while the news that he streamed on the phone reported something interesting.
[No one knows what happened, but the weather is strange. Snow falls heavily in some areas, and Hokkaido is attacked by summer heat. Is it the effect of the catastrophe? People fainted one another due to heatstroke… Many infrastructures are put on stop. The train won't operate until further notice…]
Listening to the early morning news, he put his trusted Desert Eagle in the holster and hid it beneath his black suit. After everything was ready, he took his phone, closed the live stream, and exited his room.
Waiting outside his room was his friend, leaning against the wall with crossed arms. He looked at the blond-haired boy and smiled.
"I'll leave teaching them to you, Yamada. I have sent the document about important information I knew to your phone."
"Are you sure that you're going alone?"
Honestly, Yamada wanted to tag along when he heard about it from Atsuku this morning through the phone message. That was why he was waiting outside his room to ask about it directly.
"Misaki and some of our men will be there," Atsuku answered, buttoning his suit casually. "And I trust you to keep Gaia in check. I can't bring her with me, and leaving her alone with Rio for a long time is impossible."
"Right… I would also be worried if Rio is alone with Gaia." Yamada smiled and pushed his body away from the wall. "Be careful then. I will teach Rio to refine her Core and use a gun to prepare for the second Trial."
"And you should train your ability gained from Abaddon too. If I am not wrong, it's Hardening, right?"
"Yeah." Yamada nodded, raising his hand. Suddenly, it was covered in a black aura, and his skin turned slightly darker.
"I can harden anything I touch, but right now, it's limited to my skin. Still, it's quite nice. I can punch a wall without feeling pain with this." He smiled widely, showing off his new ability. His skin then turned to normal as he lowered his hand. "So don't worry about us. Focus on Kyoto and help your sister."
Atsuku grinned at his friend and fist-bumped him. "I am counting on you."
Then he went to the entrance of the mansion, where Masa was waiting for him with the vehicle he requested beside the man.
It was a black sportbike with a short exhaust. The design looked futuristic, and both sides of the body fairing could be opened and had pistols and ammunition inside.
"Young Boss, be careful. I will follow shortly after with our men."
"Take your time," Atsuku answered Masa, taking the key from his hand. "As for the men, bring the one who assimilated with Minotaurs. They probably will have a higher chance to survive thanks to the first ability they got, Monstrous Strength."
"Alright." Masa nodded. "Have a nice trip." He said, handing Atsuku his helmet.
Taking it, Atsuku immediately wore it and secured it. He climbed up the bike and started the engine, revving it.
Vroom! Tak tak–!
A loud sound rang as blue fire appeared from the exhaust. Hearing the loud sound, Atsuku grinned under his helmet. This bike was totally not street-legal in Japan. But who would give him a ticket at times like this? Police wouldn't be able to stop him.
He closed the visor and nodded at Masa.
"Follow me soon."
After that, he drove the bike out of his mansion without waiting for the man's answer. His destination was Kyoto. And his objective was the Secret and the danger Misaki mentioned.
'It's probably the second Trial. It's around 450 km from Shibuya to Kyoto. If I ride 150 KM/H, then I will arrive in less than 4 hours at 7 AM. If the weather suddenly changed, then I probably would need more time.'
He needed to be fast, or the Secret would be absorbed by other people and cause more trouble than benefit.