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Chapter 15 - Double departure

After Ria took Unizard to the police station, Yuto and his group went back to the hotel. Haji was in the waiting room. As soon as she saw Tatsuya, she complained:

— Where did you go in such a hurry? You told me to wait here and you ran off without saying anything.

Tatsuya looked at Yuto. He hesitated for a moment and said:

— A lot has happened today. But it's not time to rest yet.

Yuto looked at Tatsuya and understood that he was implying something. Haji, annoyed at being ignored, continued:

— Hey, I'm here! And you, Yuto? What were you doing this whole time?

— Sorry, Haji, but we have some urgent matters to attend to…

Haji was enraged. Once again, she was being left out, as if she wasn't even part of the group. She approached Yuto and slapped him in the face, complaining:

— Don't think of ignoring me… I know you got yourself into trouble again.

Yuto was surprised. Without looking at Haji, he nodded:

— Yes…

— Listen, your purpose in life is to protect me. Your sister would hate to see you killing yourself like you do all the time.

— Don't bring my sister into the conversation.

— If I don't mention her, you don't hear me!

Charlotte interrupted:

— Sorry, guys, but I think I'll go ahead to see Malungo and Anelise.

Genesis and Tatsuya both knew what had happened to the two. Trying to stop her, Genesis said:

— Charlotte-chan, I think it's better to leave them alone.

— Why? We have to get everyone together to celebrate today's victory.

— Because…

Pulling Yuto's hand, Tatsuya began to hurriedly walk towards the elevator, interrupting their conversation:

— They're sleeping now. Leave the parties for later.

Haji, again ignored, continued:

— Hey, I'm still talking to you! Do not leave me here!

Tatsuya stopped for a moment and looked at Genesis. He nodded his head as a signal. She soon understood and tried to hold the two in the lobby.

While on the elevator, Tatsuya commented:

— You must be wondering why I wasn't pissed off at what you did.

Yuto was surprised by that guess. Tatsuya looked at him, confirming his theory:

— Looks like I got it right. In your case, nobody died. But I caused someone's death.

— What are you saying?

— Don't feel guilty about what you're going to see now. If it weren't for me, he would still be alive.

The elevator door opened and the smell of blood soon reached Yuto's nose. It wasn't easy to detect for a normal person, but 7-Up and Yuto's training made his nose more sensitive. He soon understood why Tatsuya wanted Haji and Charlotte to stay out of it.

They entered the room. Despite having already seen that kind of scene several times, Yuto felt extremely uncomfortable. When he saw Malungo's body, he couldn't say anything. Tatsuya took Anelise's letter and showed it to him, saying:

— She was far more dangerous than we realized. If I had stayed here...

— Don't blame yourself, Tokihito-san. We are all responsible for not having noticed something so obvious before.

The door opened again, forcibly. Charlotte was on the other side, impatient. She knew that something had happened to her colleagues, so she ignored Genesis and went to the location. When she saw Malungo's corpse, she knelt down.

— What is this…?

Noticing her, Tatsuya glanced at Genesis who, head down, was avoiding eye contact. Still looking at the dead body and crying hopelessly, Charlotte asked:

— Do any of you have any idea who did this?

Tatsuya hesitated for a moment, but handed over the letter. She read it, but was silent for a few seconds. With a murderous look, Charlotte asked:

— Where is she?

— When I got here, she had already left. It won't be so easy to find her.

— Check the security cameras.

They went to the surveillance room. When they opened the door, which for some reason was unlocked, the guard in charge of the shift immediately stopped them:

— Hey, what are you guys doing here?

Charlotte, without answering, continued walking. The guard stopped in front of her, trying to stop her from entering. She just looked at him with a look of contempt, as if she was willing to kill him to get what she wanted. Afraid, he moved out of the way. 

Charlotte walked over to the monitor and said:

— Genesis, could you handle this task?

— Yes.

Genesis wanted to say something to cheer her friend up, but she responded dryly. Charlotte turned to the other two and said:

— Do you know anyone who can locate her?

Yuto replied:

— Ria must know something. She's part of the police, so finding a criminal shouldn't be that difficult.

The three went to the police station where Ria used to go. It was a relatively safe place, so she imprisoned most of the criminals she captured there. When she saw them arrive, she said:

— Have you decided to tell me why Yuto's alive yet?

Without answering, Charlotte took out her cell phone and showed the heroine a photo. In her other hand, she held the letter. She said:

— Where is this bastard?

— May I know who she is?

— It was our friend, but now I realize it was all a hoax. She is a german spy related to Hitler.

— Hm… let me check the files.

Ria went through all the documents in a few seconds, but found nothing. She answered:

— Apparently she doesn't have any police records. Either because it's classified, or because she killed all the witnesses.

— You run the police, don't you? Is there no way to track her?

— Unfortunately, I can only officially do this in Japan.

— What do you mean "only" in Japan?

— She's probably not here anymore. You said she was german and related to Hitler, right? The most plausible thing is that she has returned to her country and is trying to rebuild a dictatorship. She must have gotten what she was looking for here and returned as soon as she had the chance.

The three of them stopped for a moment and thought about what her purpose was in coming to Japan. Soon they remembered 7-Up. She was dedicated to getting as many shots as possible, so that had to be it. Charlotte continued:

— You said you can only officially pursue her in Japan. But what if it's in person?

— I'd take the quest, but I'm too busy right now.

Charlotte knelt in supplication. Desperate, she insisted:

— Please, at least help me find out where she is.

— If you can wait, I need to attend to some urgent matters. After finishing them, I can help you.

— I can not wait. What if she causes a Third World War?

— If that happens, I will personally kill her.

— "If that happens"? Are you saying that you are going to wait for the catastrophe to arrive and then solve it?

— That's why I'm saying wait. If you're in such a hurry, go to her. I already said that most likely she is in Germany now. Once you get there, it should be easier to find her.

Charlotte felt defeated. Head down, she got up and left. Yuto tried to convince Ria:

— Are you sure you can't help her?

— I already told you to wait. Tokyo is in chaos right now, and you want me to go to Germany myself?

— Couldn't you at least assign someone to help her?

— And sacrifice both? If she really is related to that dictator, she won't let some people kill her anytime soon. We would need an army, and even then a lot of people would die.

— Then why did you tell her to go alone?

— If she's in such a hurry, losing a limb to start being more cautious isn't such a high price.

Yuto fell silent. He finally realized Ria's cruelty, and didn't know how to respond. She continued:

— Sorry, I got carried away. I'm so full of things to do that the stress is getting to me. If you can wait a few more days, I'll be available.

Yuto felt slightly relieved by the proposal. Tatsuya walked out of the police station without saying anything. Ria said to Yuto, who was also leaving:

— Yuto, I don't know how you came back to life, but it doesn't matter now. Know that I'm glad you're alive.

— Happy because you're going to use me as bait again?

— If you see me that way, fine. I may not show it, but I really do care about some people. And you are one of them.

Yuto looked away, embarrassed. Without answering, he left.

Yuto and Tatsuya returned to the hotel's surveillance room. Charlotte was already there, leaning against the wall. Tatsuya asked:

— Genesis, any progress?

— She didn't even bother to hide from the cameras. After the murder, she fled through the front door, unafraid of discovery. But I don't know where she went after that.

— That's enough.

— You appeared on camera well after all that, so there was no way around it.

— Actually, there's a way. But I don't know if it would be a good idea to try.

Charlotte looked at Tatsuya and ran towards him. Holding his shoulders, she said:

— And what would be?

Tatsuya looked away, uncomfortable. He was silent for a few seconds, until she repeated:

— Please just say what you know. It could be anything.

— I lied. It is impossible to go back in time.

Charlotte, once again hopeless, let go of Tatsuya's shoulders. Looking down at the ground, she replied:

— Okay, you're right.

At night, Genesis and Charlotte stopped using the bloodied room, for obvious reasons. Genesis started sleeping in Yuto and Haji's room, and Charlotte in Tatsuya's.

When everyone was asleep, Charlotte packed her bags and left the room. She was determined: she would personally go to Germany to kill her ex-partner.

When she reached the hall, she started walking towards the elevator. However, the door to Genesis' room also opened. Thinking that she had been discovered, Charlotte was startled.

However, Genesis came out of the room holding a suitcase. Both looked at each other in surprise. Charlotte said:

— Genesis? What are you doing up?

— Charlotte? This question is mine.

— Well, I'm going on a trip.

— Me too. But where are you going in this hour?

— Since you're my friend, I don't need to hide it. I'll go to her.

— I see.

— Aren't you going to stop me?

— If that's what you've decided, I'll support you with everything I've got. But I have to go somewhere first.

— And where would that be?

— Russia has one of the most advanced weapons in the world. I intend to use my power on every piece of equipment I find so I can replicate it in a future battle.

— Have you thought about all this in such a short time?

— Actually, I've been planning this trip for a while. But with everything that's been going on, we need more and more devastating firepower.

— Won't this trip be dangerous?

— You do not need to worry about me. I promise I'll be back in one piece. Please promise me the same.

— I don't know if I'll come back unscathed, but I'll try my best.

Both were silent for a while. Genesis continued:

— Charlotte, could you do me a favor?

— For sure.

— I put another tracker on Yuto. This time, it also detects his vital signs. If he is fatally injured or dies, can you save him?

— Okay, but why are you asking this of me?

— It's just a guarantee. And you have the perfect power to arrive on time, even if you are in another country.

Genesis forced a smile, trying to hide the real reason for that favor. Charlotte could see that her friend was unsure about her own future. After all, so was she. She answered:

— Do you want me to announce your trip to the others?

— No. If Yuto finds out about this, he'll come flying to me.

Genesis sent all of the tracker information to Charlotte's cell phone. Both stared at each other for a few more seconds, as if they were about to say goodbye forever. Crying lightly, they hugged each other. Charlotte commented:

— Please promise me you'll at least come back alive. If you lose some parts, you can rebuild.

— I promise. But you should be a lot more careful than me, since you're a human.

They both laughed, relieving the tension of the moment. They stopped hugging. Charlotte said goodbye:

— Before we leave, we need to make that promise eternal.

— For sure. But how?

Charlotte took Genesis' hand and laced her pinky with hers, forming an unbreakable promise.