The ride home was quite pleasant, and Kaizer did not have as much on his mind compared to his previous drive. He decided to take a taxi because he doubted his foes had the resources as well as the ability to mess with the public transport system like this, since they were roaches that struck from the dark rather than a force that could decide the fate of all.
Kaizer casually browsed through his phone and occasionally smiled at some funny short videos featuring meme content. The driver heard the sounds of the brain rot videos and looked at Kaizer with pity, thinking that such a fine young man had been ruined.
Alpha City was bustling, that much Kaizer could see from his drive. While there was the occasional incident here and there, it was mostly peaceful. So when the explosion on the freeway occurred, it dominated all news outlets, and Kaizer was soon bombarded with news about it.
Many people in the city were uneasy and unhappy. Alpha City was called precisely that because it was the premier city within the former United States area, and its safety and prosperity were ranked the objectively highest in the entire country.
However, in the span of a single week, there was the unwarranted and senseless slaughter of students in a notable second-generation university, and now there was a vehicular explosion on the main freeway!
What the hell was going on?!
Was someone playing tricks? Could it be the work of their competing cities like Beta City or Gamma City? Did they want to create unrest and chaos in Alpha City in order to swap ranks during the next annual survey?
No matter what, whether it was the average man, the elite, or even the espers, many could sense that there were undercurrents surging throughout the city. As such, each person and faction began taking actions both in secret and openly in anticipation of some sort of chaotic breakout.
Many supermarkets and stores were sold out of necessities and shelvable goods, causing prices to hike significantly. People also started going out slightly less, causing many small shops and service outlets to suffer from a slight loss in profits.
However, for Kaizer, this was all not important since he had long gotten home and been smothered in the plentiful embrace of his aunt once more. After that came his mother, who almost broke down crying as she held him, causing Kaizer to feel extremely bad.
Even Rina was here, looking concerned because she guessed that this was an attack from 'those guys.' While she and her brother were powerful, there was always room for error, and this time, he came out on top.
Still, she was terrified by the thought that her beloved Kaizer would leave her behind in this world, all alone and without his love. As such, she couldn't even be bothered to pretend and act irritable, not that she did that much anymore after the campus attack.
After reassuring the three ladies of his safety, Kaizer was called up by his father, who had him recount the details of the attack. Hearing that he was first solicited by the authorities as well as their improper way of handling things, Keith's brows furrowed greatly.
"This… is a problem." Keith finally said, taking off his glasses with a sigh.
"I have been funding the various governmental departments of the city by a hefty amount this past two years, so my sway within them should be as heavy as a mountain."
Keith shook his head. "Yet despite personally going there to make inquiries from the top echelon, they ignored me and came to see you directly."
Kaizer understood as he leaned back into his seat, understanding his father's frustrations. "The espers really do not regard normal people as the same kind of beings as themselves, no matter the wealth or the standing."
Keith nodded. "And even then, it seems that within the esper world, one's entire value has to do with their esper ability and its potency as well as potential. They do not care for beauty, wealth, or cleverness, just power."
Father and son shared a look, both of them having different trains of thought. Keith now had an opposite opinion, not wanting his precious son to interact with such a ruthless and brazen section of society who did what they wanted and left others to clean up their mess.
Meanwhile, Kaizer was even more determined to find out about the esper world because their disregard for normal people meant that this father's presence and abilities would not deter them in the least. He absolutely had to join and show the hungry wolves in the esper world that he was a tiger; otherwise, the next place to blow up would be the Lunin Mansion.
After talking for a bit more, Kaizer left his father's study with a pensive expression. He was not nearly as pressured as before because he had now found a viable way into the esper world that would rely on his own effort, but that route would require a certain level of ability and compromise.
When he returned to his room, he slowly removed his suit jacket and hung it up, while removing his shoes and putting them on his shoe rack. After taking off his pants and being only in a black t-shirt and his boxers, he sat down on his bed and felt comforted by the soft material.
Before he could think much, there was a soft knock on his door. Scanning outside with his ability, he was surprised to see who visited him, but idly opened the door using his telekinesis to twist the doorknob. With a slightly subdued look, Rina walked into the room she hadn't been in for countless years, feeling a surge of nervousness.
Seeing Kaizer so skimpily dressed made her pause for a second, her heart thumping as his fitting t-shirt highlighted his firm upper body thanks to his slight training as well as his surprisingly well-toned thighs that had muscle to them while being only slightly hairy.
Kaizer idly turned his head to regard her and felt somewhat similar since Rina was wearing a simple black spaghetti strap tank top which only covered her chest and her below-button, as well as red running shorts for women.
Was she dressed ridiculously? No, in fact, most modern women wore this kind of setup for home wear, sometimes even in hostels during university. The problem was that the girl wearing it was too well-endowed, so the limits of these relatively revealing and comfortable home wear became stretched, allowing a lot of desirable parts to be highlighted.
Kaizer was surprised because Rina had always dressed like this since she hit puberty, so why was he suddenly feeling his mouth go dry when looking at her? He had never really thought much about it before, but now…
Still, he managed to calmly ask: "What's up?"
Rina looked around and casually came to sit at the edge of the bed gingerly, her backside pressing the material far deeper than Kaizer's whole body could.
"You said that you had something to tell me in private the other day…" She responded softly, her eyes landing on his face after tracing up his whole body.