Charlotte was alive. Tatsuya didn't want to use his power until the last moment, as he didn't know if he could trust his secrets to people he had just met. But he didn't regret having done it. Relieved, he decided to call everyone for dinner together.
He chose an italian restaurant in the center of the city. Obviously, Yuto called Genesis and Haji to come along. Tatsuya chose that place because his wife worked as a waitress and cook, and his son often went there. When they arrived, his wife was surprised by the unexpected visit:
— Tatsuya? What are you doing here?
— Isn't it obvious? We'll have dinner at the best restaurant in town served by the best cook.
— Tatsu-chan, you silly… I'm very happy that you came here, even more on such a busy day.
Koharu threw herself at her husband's arms, like a child. In a soft voice, she commented:
— I miss you so much when you go to work, honey.
— Yeah… I miss you too.
Tatsuya was clearly embarrassed to have so many people watching that scene. She continued:
— Today you are all mine, I will not let you go.
— Honey, people are watching.
— Even better. That way everyone in town will know what a great couple we are.
Tatsuya adjusted his glasses, troubled, as he said:
— S-Sorry for asking you so much, but can you make a buffet for 7 people?
— Of course! This is my job, so no need to apologize.
— Thank you, Koharu.
— If it's not too much trouble, could I know who your friends are?
— Oh, I forgot to introduce you to them. She is my wife, Matsukaze Koharu. And they are Malungo, Anelise, Charlotte, Yuto, Haji and Genesis.
— Nice to meet you.
Koharu walked towards Yuto and looked into his eyes. He realized that she was blind, but still managed to locate him perfectly.
— So you're the Ishikawa-san Tatsuya always tells me about.
— O-Oh, yes…
— I am very happy to be in the presence of someone so important to my husband.
— I'm nothing that special… We're just friends.
— No need to be modest. I know he admires you in a way.
Tatsuya, embarrassed, said:
— H-Honey, that's not true! Well, maybe a little… But that's beside the point!
Yuto looked at him in surprise. He had no idea the same man who nearly strangled him had respect for him. But Tatsuya looked away as he fiddled with his glasses.
The bathroom door opened and a child stepped out. It was Akari, the couple's son. Seeing the crowd, he rejoiced and asked:
— Daddy, how did the transport go? Are they your friends?
— Something unexpected happened, so we'll try again later. These are the friends I've already told you about. The other three we met while we were protecting the armored car: Charlotte, Malungo and Anelise.
— Nice to meet you guys. I'm Akari, his son.
Genesis seemed uncomfortable with the presence of that child. The moment she saw him, she recognized him. Her database had captured that face perfectly. Noticing the strangeness, Akari approached her and asked:
— Girl, did something happen? Wait, I think I've seen you somewhere. Let me think... I know! You were that woman who saved me near the convenience store!
— Yeah… I'm glad to see you're okay.
— I didn't get to thank you properly for that day. Those guys looked pretty dangerous, did you manage to defeat them?
— Well, more or less. I had help from Exwind .
— Exwind? Ah, that second level 6. If you needed him, it got pretty rough. Sorry for putting you through that.
— It's no big deal. I offered to help you, so nobody's to blame but those hoodlums.
— I told you I could take care of them. You didn't need to push yourself that hard.
Genesis smiled, not believing the child's statement. How could he beat three level 3's alone? Yuto, confused by all that, asked:
— Wait, was that the day I sent you shopping?
— Yes. I didn't know that child was Tokihito-san's son.
— You needed Exwind to fight those people, and the kid says he could defeat them all by himself? Pretty sus if you ask me.
Yuto wanted to confirm Akari's power, as he himself had been a level 7 at the age of 13. The boy could be speaking the truth. Akari confidently stated:
— That's right, Ishikawa-san!
— What is your power?
— Oh, that's… confidential.
— There's no need to be ashamed of it. All powers are useful if used wisely.
– Ah, well… I can… turn electronics on and off without touching them.
— Hm… That's an interesting power. But how would you defeat troublemakers with it?
— I know a little martial arts.
Yuto smiled, confirming the boy's innocence. He approached him and stroked his head, commenting:
— You may be quite strong for your age, but it's best not to pick fights against professional heroes. They don't take it easy even with kids.
— Okay… I'll try to remember that.
At the table, the group dined. Tatsuya had stated before that he would pay everything, since he was the one who invited everyone. Everyone seemed to be delighted with Koharu's cuisine, except one person: Anelise.
She had her elbow propped on the table and her hand on her chin, her expression bored. She seemed to hate being in the same place as those people. Noticing Anelise's sullen expression, Charlotte commented as she ate:
— Anelise, if you don't eat soon, it will run out. I'll take your food if you don't want it.
— Whatever.
— Why are you like this? Aren't you happy to see me alive?
— Because of me, you nearly died.
— I told you not to worry about it. I got hurt by choice, it's not your fault.
— This place is not for me...
— Do not say that. This is a great opportunity to make new friends.
— Friends? How could I be friends with a nig-
Malungo immediately looked at her, slightly offended. He was used to suffering racism, but from a colleague it was different. He didn't say anything and continued eating. Charlotte, irritated by that attitude, commented:
— Stop that attitude already! I told you the world doesn't revolve around you. You need to learn to respect others. I know you were born into a wealthy family, but that's no reason to isolate yourself in your little world.
— I don't care what others think of me. You're the only one who understands me, so I like you. All others are my enemies, and I don't care what happens to them.
Anelise quickly got up and left the restaurant. Charlotte tried to call out to her, but she ignored her. She apologized for her friend's attitude:
— Guys, sorry about that. She's still not used to working with foreigners, so she's going through a rough patch.
Tatsuya tried to calm the situation down:
— No problem, Charlotte. I was about to discuss the plan we were going to execute, but she can stay out if she wants to.
Malungo realized what that meant:
— Tokihito-san, would that be the retribution for helping us?
— Yes. In fact, none of you need to participate if you don't want to. I don't want to have to save you one more time.
— Of course we're going to help. You saved a companion of ours, so we owe you our life. Isn't it, Charlotte?
— Yes. You can order whatever you want.
— Alright, I hope you don't regret it. I discovered that the armored car with 7-Up's cargo was heading towards Okushiri Island. Maybe it was a trap, but we'll figure that out right away.
Yuto, understanding what Tatsuya was getting at, asked:
— Wait, are we going to continue the chase from before?
— Exactly. But this time we will go straight to the airport from where the cargo will be transported.
— And how do you know the cargo will go there?
— It's a guess. Nearby, there are several high-level 7-Up factories. That island is an isolated spot and perfect for monitoring. No one enters or leaves without permission from local security.
Realizing the topic of conversation, Akari walked over and commented:
— Exactly, daddy! Most 7-Ups in the region go to that island. And I heard that a level 7 cargo is being transported there.
Confused by that advanced knowledge for a 10 year old, Yuto asked:
— Level 7? Wait, how do you know all this?
— T-That's… a secret!
Akari ran away to avoid suspicion. Tatsuya continued:
— So, are you all up for it?
Yuto, bothered by that, said:
— Isn't it too dangerous?
— Yes, but that's to ensure everyone's safety. With a 7-Up of that level, you can survive even a high-end sniper fire.
— I accept, but, again, Genesis and Haji will stay here.
Haji, feeling left out again, complained:
— No way! I can't stand being stuck at home anymore. I'll go with you and that's final!
Yuto hesitated. He remembered when his sister wouldn't let him get into danger, but insisted so much that she gave in. Now, the role of big brother was his. He sighed, saying:
— Okay. But on one condition: don't leave my side.
— Yay! That's easy, you're the only person I like to be around.
Tatsuya received a notification. He picked up the cell phone and saw that it was the details of the air transport that his son had sent him. He looked at Akari, who just blinked in response.
Once again, they would travel through the air with Yuto's power. This time, the trip was faster, as the island was a little closer than Sapporo. They arrived in twenty minutes. It was half an hour before the armored car arrived with the cargo, but the plane was ready.
It was an ordinary plane. The 7-Up would be stored in the storage area at the back of the plane, away from the passengers. Mixed in with other common orders, the boxes didn't stand out. Tatsuya bought tickets for all seven of them to sit in the back of the plane. From that place, they would have a view of almost all the passengers and would be closer to the cargo.
Before boarding, they realized that Anelise was very uncomfortable with all that. Yuto tried to comfort her:
— Why do you hate us so much?
— It's none of your business.
— It is. You are our partner now, we have to get along.
— Tch. Your race is impure.
— My race? What do you mean?
— None of you would understand. Just know that you don't live in the same world as I do.
Anelise turned her back and walked towards the plane. Charlotte commented:
— She's just like that. She only managed to open up to me, saying that I am purebred. I don't quite understand either, but I can't judge her. Her past must have been very difficult.
— I see… I promise that I will approach her and end this prejudice. I will save her from these chains that bind her.
The six who were still there in the airport lounge saw the armored car arrive through the window. They walked toward the plane, but Malungo was stopped by a policewoman.
She was a guard with short brown hair and a smug smile, carrying a rifle. As Malungo walked, she appeared in front of him and kicked him, making him fall to the ground. She pointed him her gun, saying:
— Well, what is a monkey doing here? I thought this was an airport, not a zoo.
— What did I do to you to deserve this?
— Do you still have the nerve to speak as if you have a right to be here? If you don't want to die, give me all the money you have.
Malungo was fluent in several languages, and he soon noticed that the guard had an american accent. It was unusual for Japan to accept foreigners to work as government police.
Either it was militia sent by the United States, or a terrorist disguised as a guard. He looked at the badge on the uniform. She was a CIA agent.
He smiled, realizing that something was wrong. They probably knew about 7-Up, and were there to steal as much as they could without causing an international uproar.
It was a race for which country could steal first without the others noticing. It was unlikely that only the US was involved in this. Perhaps even the japanese mafia was after the product.
Noticing Malungo's smile, the guard frowned, irritated. She shouted:
— Do you still think you can smile for me? Your life is in my hands, and you think that's funny?
When the guard was about to kick him one more time, Charlotte used her power to run towards her. In fact, she flew towards the guard and increased her one-way speed. The impact was so strong that the policewoman flew into one of the airport walls. A small crater formed in the wall. The guard instantly fainted, as well as having several broken bones.
Charlotte helped him up.
— Are you okay, Malungo?
— Better than never. Thanks for saving me.
— You should have asked for help earlier. We almost got in without you.
— Charlotte, it looks like we're not the only ones after the cargo.
The seven entered the plane and sat down in pairs: Yuto and Haji; Genesis and Tatsuya; Anelise and Charlotte. Malungo was left alone, since Anelise insisted that Charlotte stay with her.
But he didn't feel lonely or excluded. He had just made a very important discovery. The plane would be attacked at one time or another. The problem was whether the militias would attack from the outside or from the inside.
Afraid that unwanted people would hear, he sent messages to the other six explaining the situation. Tatsuya was the one who became the most attentive. Genesis was about to use her power to create nanocameras, but Yuto noticed and shouted:
— Genesis, don't do this!
— E-Eh?!
— I mean… you need to activate airplane mode to use your cell phone.
All nearby passengers heard the scream and were startled. To cover it up, Yuto arranged something to alert Genesis. She realized he meant something by that.
He used his power to transport the sound waves of his speech to Genesis' ear. That way, no one but her would hear what he said. It was a kind of telepathy. He said:
— You can't use your power in here. It is written on the back of the seats: "This plane is equipped with a power sensor. Please deactivate any kind of power you have. Otherwise, an alarm will be sounded and the user detained.".
She noticed something strange: Yuto used his power to pass on this message and no alarms sounded. Perhaps there was a tolerable limit.
Just in case, she avoided using her power as much as possible. In a way, the sensor would protect everyone. If anyone crossed the line, they'd notice right away. Yuto passed the message on to each of the six also telepathically, as it was within tolerance.
Anelise got up from her seat, saying she needed to go to the bathroom. A man in a suit and sunglasses followed her. Since the bathroom she went to was at the back of the plane, close to the depot, the man probably suspected that she was about to steal the cargo.
Realizing the chase, Anelise locked herself in the bathroom. Anticipating that the man would be on the other side of the door waiting for her to come out, Anelise took a syringe from a pocket of the military uniform she wore. Inside the syringe, any liquid could be inserted. From strengthening whoever used it to fainting the target. The liquid inside was a lethal poison.
She could launch the syringe with a trigger, as if it were a weapon. The speed of the projectile was such that it could pass through almost any surface. She took aim at the door at head height and fired. The syringe went through the door and into the man's head, who died instantly.
In order not to arouse suspicion, she immediately opened the door and pulled the man into the bathroom. She left the corpse there and left. If someone entered the bathroom, they would probably get scared and scream. The suspicion of murder would fall on that person.
Suddenly, an alarm rang. At first, she thought she had been discovered. She saw several guards running towards her and went back to the bathroom. But they passed straight by.
The hall from the bathroom also led to the plane's storage room. The guards walked over to it, ignoring Anelise. She peeked through the bathroom door. Inside, the storage room was only accessible through the door at the end of the hall, past the bathroom.
It was a reinforced door that didn't even have a lock. A card or password was needed to open it. But it hadn't been opened once since takeoff. Whoever sounded the alarm was probably already inside the warehouse even before the plane took off.
The guards passed through the door and Anelise too, without them noticing. The door closed shortly thereafter.
Usually, the rear gate of the depot was open only during the placement of heavy loads, but was closed during the flight. However, it was open, and a very strong wind pulled all the guards out. Anelise quickly grabbed a grappling hook from her pocket and hurled it at the warehouse ceiling.
The boxes were stuck to the floor, so they didn't move. She saw a person in a metallic suit walking easily across the floor, as if the gate wasn't even open. Beyond the gate, there was a jet chasing the plane. The person in the suit was most likely detaching the 7-Up boxes and placing them on the jet.
As the jet was small, it could only carry one or two boxes. Suddenly, the warehouse door opened again, and more people appeared. But they weren't plane guards.
It was the US militia. When they heard the alarm go off, they rushed to the warehouse. Someone was already stealing the cargo, and they needed to get a share.
They were wearing special shoes that stabilized them on the ground, just like the person in the suit.
The person was almost finished loading the second box onto the jet when the militia showed up. They hurried and managed to position it on one of the wings. As they managed to accomplish the mission, they jumped on the jet and disappeared.
The militia noticed Anelise on the ceiling and thought she was allied with the person in the suit. They took their rifles and fired at her.
Yuto and Haji were sitting on the left side of the plane. They saw a jet approaching where they were, at the same speed as the plane.
It started firing guided missiles at the plane. Realizing the threat, Yuto repelled the missiles. Yet another alarm sounded: the power one. Yuto didn't care about that anymore. If any missile hit the plane, hundreds of lives would be lost.
Another jet, on the right side, was approaching. It pushed the plane to the left, but nothing happened. The plane was equipped with an autopilot that stabilized the flight, even in the midst of impacts.
Now that the alarm had already been activated, Genesis created several nanocameras and spread them around the plane. She observed the situation and guided the others. Yuto shouted at Tatsuya:
— Tokihito-san, go look for Anelise! She hasn't come back from the bathroom so far, she must be in danger!
— Understood!
Charlotte followed Tatsuya. Malungo asked what he could do in that situation:
— Ishikawa-san, what do I do?
— Get in the cockpit! Maybe someone broke in without us noticing!
— Okay! What will you do?
— I'll stay here to protect the passengers.
Malungo ran to the pilot's cabin. The door was open. He spied and saw two dead people: the pilot and the co-pilot of the plane.
Behind them, there were several people wearing a dragon uniform. They were from the Yakuza. They noticed Malungo spying on them and soon shot him, who closed the door at the last minute, blocking the bullet.
Malungo had no power, so he couldn't beat armed people without using his brain. He crossed the hall and ran behind a wall that couldn't be seen through the door. It was a provocation: if they wanted to kill him, they would have to get close. They noticed this, and walked cautiously towards him.
He saw a fire extinguisher that had fallen nearby after all the commotion. But he would have to get to the other side of the hallway again. As they were alert, leaving unharmed would be impossible.
He laid down and waited for the first mobster to come around the corner. When he arrived, he turned to the side where Malungo was, but didn't see him, as he was lying down. With all the speed he had, Malungo crawled under the mobster's legs to the other side. The others didn't fire, afraid to hit their partner.
Malungo quickly grabbed the extinguisher and got up. The mobster turned back, but didn't have time to react. He aimed the mouth of the extinguisher at the mobster's mouth and the icy smoke gushed.
Malungo covered his nose so as not to inhale the toxic and freezing gas. The mobster had his respiratory system compromised, as his interior froze. As a precaution, Malungo hit his head with the extinguisher, and he fell to the ground.
Malungo grabbed the extinguisher like a shield and appeared in front of the corridor. He ran towards the remaining mobsters. If they shot the extinguisher, a smokescreen would be created.
They aimed at his legs, but Malungo foresaw that. He lowered the extinguisher to protect his legs. Freezing smoke formed and he continued running at top speed. When he was close enough, he threw the extinguisher at them and hit it with his shoulder. He used the combined mass of his body and the extinguiser to knock them out.
He grabbed the nearest pistol quickly. One of the mobsters was not knocked down and fired blindly into the smoke, hitting Malungo in the right shoulder. He turned quickly and shot him in the head with the pistol. The others inhaled the smoke and were slower. Malungo had held his breath, so he had a quicker reaction. He got up and shot everyone in the head.
He activated the ventilation system which was damaged but still working. He left the cabin to wait for the smoke to clear. He returned and saw that the plane's controls had all been manipulated by the mobsters. The destination was the sea.
Maybe they wanted no one to get the 7-Up, even if they couldn't steal it. To make matters worse, the turbines were destroyed. The plane had an external shield that protected it from impacts. The jet pilots knew this, but they continued to attack it.
Their objective was to distract whoever was inside so that the person in the suit could finish the robbery. There were three jets in total: two on the sides and one on the back. Confirming that they had been spotted and could take no more than two boxes, they engaged the jet's maximum speed and ejected.
The least protected area of the plane was the engines. They fired missiles synchronized with the speed of the jets. As there were four turbines, the jets on the sides fired the missiles at the turbines on the tips of the wings and used their own jets to pass through the ones closest to the windows of the plane.
To distract Yuto, the left jet collided with the plane before throwing itself into the turbine. Soon after, it ejected the pilot, equipped with a parachute. All four turbines were destroyed. Yuto didn't foresee what they were doing. He thought the jets were focusing on the plane itself, not its engines.
Charlotte used her power to get to the warehouse as quickly as possible. It allowed her speed to increase significantly in only one direction at a time. So she would have to run to the corner of the corridor that led to the warehouse, stop, turn to the side and run again.
The warehouse's reinforced door was closed, and could only be opened with the password or card. But the guards who had the card flew out. Tatsuya pulled back the sleeve of his suit and revealed his watch. He touched it and it designed an energy sword. He used it to cut through the door with ease.
When Charlotte saw the militia in the warehouse, she ran to one of the guards. Inertia caused her and the guard to be thrown towards the open gate. She released the man and turned back to the gate.
She just needed to direct her body where she wanted to go. She flew back into the warehouse. She actually flew to grab Anelise, who was hanging from the ceiling. She caught her just as the militia fired at Anelise, preventing both of them from being hit. The hook continued to hang from the ceiling, and they both clung to it.
Tatsuya decapitated all the guards simultaneously with his energy blade. Anelise and Charlotte were surprised: he didn't go through the reinforced door at any time and was able to kill everyone with a short-range weapon.
The warehouse gate had been broken open, so it couldn't be closed. Knowing this, Charlotte pressed the button on the pistol that retracted the hook inward, releasing both of them from the ceiling.
While in the air, she lined up with the door that Tatsuya had destroyed and they flew towards it. From that point on, the outside wind wasn't pulling so hard, so they could stand.
Malungo ran back to where Yuto was and warned him:
— The turbines were destroyed, and the mobsters changed the plane's destination to crash into the sea!
— Sorry, I couldn't stop the turbines from being destroyed. But why did the mobsters change the destination?
— They probably realized they couldn't steal the cargo, so they wanted to throw it overboard so no one could get it.
— This conflict is going further than I expected. Were you able to identify all militia groups?
— That guard who stopped me at the airport was part of the CIA, so they're probably here too. The mobsters I encountered in the cockpit were from the Yakuza. The jets, I don't know.
— That's good enough, Malungo, thanks for all the information. One day we will plot revenge against these countries.
Charlotte, Anelise and Tatsuya arrived soon after. Yuto smiled when he realized that the three of them were fine. Tatsuya warned:
— The pressure and air inside the plane are leaving through the back gate. If we don't land soon, we'll be asphyxiated or thrown out.
— Understood. Have all threats been neutralized?
Anelise replied:
— Not all of them. A jet and a person wearing a metallic suit made off with two crates of 7-Up.
— Then there was one more jet… Thank you, Anelise.
— Don't think I'm helping you because I want to. This fight between countries could end up affecting Germany. I want to avoid risks for my country.
Anelise sat where she was initially. Yuto continued:
— I will create an artificial gate with my power to replace the one in the warehouse. And I'll fly the plane too.
Genesis, who was watching everything and helping everyone, commented:
— Holding this plane with your power will be very tiring. I'll use my power to repair the damage.
— Thank you very much, Genesis.
Luckily, none of the passengers died. Only the militia hired by the CIA, the Yakuza mobsters and the plane's employees were not so lucky.
Yuto managed to land the plane intact at an association airport in Tokyo. When it arrived, it had already been completely repaired by Genesis. The passengers split up and went to their destinations. Only the seven of Yuto's group were left.
A hologram of the Boss greeted them, saying:
— Congratulations on returning unharmed, my dears! And thank you for securing the load.
Yuto, who hadn't seen that old man for a long time, exclaimed:
— What are you doing here, bastard?!
— Oh, Yuto-chan? That question should be mine. But how good to see you after so many years!
— Don't fuck with me! Don't think I forgot what you did to my sister!
— Kanata-chan? Oh come on, she deserved it. She shouldn't have defied the association. Why don't we forget the past and move on?
Furious, Yuto walked up to the hologram and threw a punch, but it just went through. The Boss continued:
— I didn't know that you would be involved in this mission, but I'm very grateful for that, Yuto-chan. As a reward, why not take two boxes of 7-Up?
Tatsuya commented:
— We didn't even have to ask nicely.
Yuto was not calmed by the joke. Instead, he got even more angry:
— Tokihito-san, you knew that this mission was given by the Boss, didn't you?
— What's the problem?
— "What is the problem"?! If this guy died, the world would be a much better place. Do you know what he already did to me and Haji?
Haji tried to calm him down:
— Calm down, Yuto. Tokihito-san just wanted to help, and it worked. I know the Boss was involved in this, but can't we just let it slide this time?
— Have you forgotten what that crippled old man did to you? If he's helping us now, there's a reason behind it. Either he's using us, or he's trying to let our guard down to kill every single one of us!
Yuto grabbed Haji's hand, ordering:
— Let's get away from this nonsense, Haji.