Dawn rises, the Asakasa offices stand still, waiting for its employees to come and kickstart another workday. Behind this façade is a handful of key people practically residing within the grounds to continue operations, backed by an equal amount of robots. While Eikichi still goes home to his family, everything about the robots stays within the walls of his buildings, even if the robots themselves hang out outside the premises anyway.
5 AM on the dot, Eikichi wakes up at this time every day without skipping a beat. Then it's time for showering, putting on pants and an undershirt and presents himself to the dinner table where his wife has begun eating.
"Good morning." He starts.
"Good morning, I made you some curry."
"Thanks, Yumi."
"Eikichi," she opens up while he eats. "you look tired for the past few days, is everything okay with the company?"
"Yes, in fact I'm getting ready for a big deal next month."
"Is that why you're busier than usual?"
"Of course. This is a once-in-a-lifetime deal, I can't let this go."
"That's great. By the way, Kazuya's going to another tournament this Sunday, since you're free then, will you able to be there to watch him?"
He falls silent for a bit. "Do I really have to show up for a small shogi tournament?"
"You have to be there for your son, and don't you call a sponsored event small."
"When is it?"
"Next week."
"Fine, I'll find a way to be there."
"I know you're not happy with his decision, but he has told you he will still work in the company even if he becomes professional. He's qualified, be happy about it."
He doesn't respond any more, after a while he asks, "Is Akemi fine now?"
"Yes, thank goodness. The doctor said she'll be able to come home by tomorrow at best."
"Did you get any info on the rider?"
"The police said they're on it now; they have the license plate."
"Good to know." He continues eating for a while, "I can take today off work to visit her, then. I can even stay until she can be discharged."
"Up to you, you're the boss." Yumi jokingly answers.
-----
The sound of his phone ringing rudely wakes Tetsuya up from his charging. Eikichi texted him that he won't be coming today, but with a bit to go before he's charged Tetsuya returns to his slumber. Ten minutes later he's fully charged and awake, but with no updates from the boss, he gets into his shirt and passes the time by checking out the production floor. On the way he crosses paths with the robot from last night.
"Where ya heading, Tetsuya?" Asks the robot.
"Somewhere, probably the assembly line."
"At this time?"
"Boss won't be here today, got time ta kill."
"I haven't gotten a memo like that yet, what the hell."
"He texted me."
"The rest of us have to wait for some announcement and ya get the news first, that's grand." He smirks. "Still gonna visit the factory floor?"
As the two arrive at the area, the workers are still busy preparing machinery. They watch from afar.
"So this is where the magic happens." Tetsuya comments.
"If you're talkin' 'bout the public stuff, it is."
"Right, can't forget about the artisans."
"Artisans," He chuckles. "you're giving those guys too much credit just cause they built ya."
"They still took part, didn't they?"
"But the ones who conceived our designs and all are in the R&D department, not to mention our boss."
"Guess that's true."
"You're kinda right, though, we're technically built by hand somewhere else."
"Shh, shift's bout ta start."
And exactly as he says that, the workers ramp up the machines, and the production line begins its first crafting job of the day.
"Dontcha think it's crazy how this is sorta how we got made?" Tetsuya speaks up again.
"I don't really think about it too much."
"Huh. I can't shake off the fact that I'm not s'posed ta be here right now."
"Yeah, weird move for boss to do that, but you're here now, so just do your thing."
"Speakin' of, dontcha got anythin' ta do?"
"Not really, I don't have any new jobs right now, I'm just happy to get any."
"That... sucks."
"It's fine, really. Maybe I'll get a better mission soon, but I'm not gonna complain."
"Oh yeah, I didn't getcha name last time."
"My name? It's Shinya, number 400, like that matters." He shakes his head. "Everyone calls me Shinya anyway cause 'four hundred' sounds clunky."
-----
"You guys have no work today?" Katsuhiko steps off his work station.
"We tried to find the best time to ask something of you." Tsunami answers. "Yoshiya will have to clock in soon but this won't take too long."
"Hope you're not going to ask anything too personal, now."
"We are here to ask about your tenure with Asakasa." Yoshiya says.
"Oh, that." He looks at the old uniform hanging on the wall. "Let's talk about that inside."
"What do you guys want to know about that?"
"Why you left, for one."
"I had to. I was hired as a technician under the previous CEO after an apprenticeship, then when his son Eikichi came in and shifted gears, things got stricter. Not being part of the R&D of the RT project, I wasn't allowed to see anything I could recognize. Then I stumbled upon some documents."
"What did they say?"
"They included tech that up until then the company never really touched, like weaponry. It seems like he had that work done by weapons specialists cause even with the shift of focus to AI the company still insisted on building the robots in-house."
"He himself did start the RT project, so it would make sense that he would prefer all the robotic work to be done under his auspicies."
"The other reason I left is over union matters, and that's the most I'll say about that. Having copies of the information meant that I'd risk myself staying."
"What I would also like to understand," Yoshiya adds, "is how Fukami comes into play in all this."
"We had to take her, she would have been one of the strongest if not the strongest weapon in his arsenal"
"Katsu!" Someone from outside shouts out.
"Wait, I think that's for Fukami's shoulder." Katsuhiko gets up and walks out to the store front just as Asuka opens the door to tell him. The two robots follow.
"Here it is, sorry for the delay." The courier says.
"Awesome, thanks."
"This is for what again?"
"Whom."
"Oh, right. There's also some extra parts just in case, they're surplus stock."
"Awesome."
The delivery guy notices the two people standing behind Katsuhiko. "Oh hey there, Tsunami."
"Wait, you know her?"
"Everyone at the warehouse does." He nods with a smile.
"I can tell why."
"So the news is real, you left?"
"Yup," she answers. "I'm just a citizen now, sorta."
"You guys seen her yet?"
"I haven't, but Yoshiya says he has."
He steps closer to the storefront. "I've been hearing some things, you know about the new guy, right?"
"We do." Yoshiya answers. "But is it not that he has ordered everyone to do the search?"
"Either not enough people are following it, or he's just asked a few to make it their main mission."
"Definitely the latter," Tsunami answers. "that's how he does it with his robots."
"Only the new robot's out for now, but good chance that he's gonna task some of the old ones with looking for her. You guys better get ready."
-----
"Planning on havin' lunch?" Tetsuya sits next to Shinya, who is wrapping grips on some daggers.
"Nah, ain't feelin' it."
"Guess I won't." He looks at the other guy's handiwork. "Are those ya knives?"
"Yeah, ya like em?" Shinya asks eagerly.
"Ya have cool daggers while I got this." He relases a shuriken from his arm.
"What are ya on? At least you can hide 'em in ya arm. All I got for my stuff's a strap 'round my waist." He straps one on him. "'cept for this one."
"Where's that go?"
"Right in here." He slides said dagger in a cavity in his hip, the handle blending in. "And this here is where my sword goes."
"Ya should've told me earlier ya got a sword!"
"Why? I don't bring it with me that much."
"Why dontcha, that's ya weapon."
"What's the point, I don't get to use it." Shinya falls silent for a bit. "Yanno, what say we see who's the better swordslinger? Later, in one of the training rooms."
"I'm definitely up for that." Tetsuya grins "Ya on."
-----
"Here it is!" Katsuhiko shows Fukami the replacement. "All I need to do no is shape this like your missing hull, which shouldn't take me too long."
"Finally." Fukami sighs in relief. "I don't have to keep people from touching my shoulder."
"Did your other classmates know?"
"The girls told them about what happened, so no one wanted to hurt me."
"I got this formed now, stay still." He starts work on attaching the new covering on her.
Asuka enters the inner workshop to get some equipment, but she can't help commenting on Katsuhiko's current work. "How's it like having the thing you're fixing talk to you?"
"At least she's nicer than my usual clients."
"This place will get interesting if you get a reputation for fixing robots."
"I'm not looking forward to that happening, at all."
"I'll leave you with both your client and your project, then." Asuka takes a microscope and returns to the storefront.
"What could she mean by that?" Fukami asks.
"The whole robot repairman thing? Almost no one would know how to do a major fix on an RT if one comes to them for help, and I'm the closest thing to someone who could who isn't in Asakasa."
"So it's a good thing that you can..."
"Yep, besides, if you can phone Asakasa to send a repair guy when your vending machine breaks down, what more for a secret android? But in this case you can't just do that."
"I think you're doing great, then."
"Thanks, it's my first time fixing something like this." He chuckles. "There you go, all done!"
She runs her hand over the newly-covered shoulder.
"What do you think?"
"Now I can act normal again."
"Yeah, you can stop avoiding people like crazy now that your shoulder's fine. And you know what else that means?"
"I can wear my favorite blouse again! Oh, I almost forgot!"
Fukami leaves the inner workshop and sees Asuka waiting by the storefront.
"Is it fixed?" Asuka asks.
"Yes!" She answers.
"That's great!"
"I'm definitely ready for the convention now." Fukami excitedly says.
"It's tomorrow, right?" Asuka asks
Fukami nods. "I have to prepare what I'm going to wear."
"The clothes you bought are still on the clothesline."
Katsuhiko shows up from the workshop. "You're going to Shibuya, right?"
"Yes."
"Great, I was going to get myself some new stuff just in case we need to ramp things up in here."
"If you're going, then I'm also going." Asuka says.
"I didn't tell them about you two, though." Fukami comments.
"It's okay; if we have the time we can drop by."
"Do you know where it is?"
"No, but I know where you will be."
"Huh? Oh, right."
"We'll let you girls have your time together. But we'll call you if anything."
"Okay." Fukami nods then continues on her way home.
After taking all her clothes from the clothesline, Fukami rushes to her room. One by one, she tries on every outfit combination she can think of, which in her mind is practically any valid combination. Luckily, she can learn which ones look good or not and after 15 minutes she has found which matches will work. She arranges them in tidy piles and puts them in her bag.
-----
Eikichi enters the hospital where his daughter is staying in. Yumi had come in while he searched for a parking spot and he is just about to follow her. He gets off his car, adjusts the tie on his shirt and heads straight to the entrance. The people look on while he talks with a receptionist.
"Dad!" greets the girl in the room upon Eikichi's arrival.
"How are you doing, Akemi?" He smiles and embraces her.
"I'm feeling better now!"
Eikichi looks around. "Has your mom come here yet?"
"She went out to the cafeteria."
Yumi appears with a tray of food. "There you are, Eikichi."
"You had me worried for a second."
"Where do you think did I go?" Yumi retorts. "I had to answer some questions from the press."
"Wait," Akemi asks, "don't you have to go to work later, Dad?"
"Your dad's decided to stay the night here and drive you home tomorrow morning."
"I can decide whether I come to work or not, can't I?" Eikichi says.
"Of course," Akemi giggles. "being a boss must be so great."
"It's not easy, don't think I haven't gotten myself in trouble for putting you over business."
-----
The store where Tsunami works is having a slow day, with most of the staff listening to the radio. The music ends and a news bulletin begins. One segment grabs Tsunami's attention.
"Akemi Asakasa, daughter of actress Yumi Shinagawa and CEO Eikichi Asakasa is now in a stable state and is set to be released tomorrow after yesterday's accident."
"What?!" Tsunami exclaims out loud. "An accident?"
"You haven't heard about it yet?" A coworker replies.
"I don't... really watch TV a lot."
"A lot of people were worried since it's Yumi's kid. I hope the biker gets off lightly, though; I heard Yumi's husband isn't the type to take this sitting down."
"Yeah," She holds her tongue lest she reveal how much she knows. "but it's his daughter, I'd get mad too if that happened to my kid."
"Such a lovely girl, too."
A few new customers enter and the staff gets back to work.
-----
Tetsuya waits by the door of Shinya's room, the latter looking for his sword inside.
"Don't tell me ya forgot where ya put it." Testuya snarks, arms crossed.
"How can I forget? I'm a robot." Shinya retrieves the sheathed blade from under his bed. "Here it is."
"That almost looks like mine."
"Yeah, but don't worry 'bout us switchin' blades by accident, unless the boss remembers me."
"Don't think too much 'bout it, let's just go ta the range."
Some rooms of the R&D department are dedicated to testing things with small machines, sometimes the robots make use of them as practice grounds, like what Tetsuya and Shinya are doing.
"This one's empty." Shinya peeps through a viewing window. He opens the door and flips the light on. The two then move away some equipment to clear the center floor.
"Let's get on with this." Tetsuya grins.
The two take their stance a few feet apart, draw their swords, and at once go at it on each other. Shinya's parrying skill clash with Tetsuya's dodging, as they match in speed for it to matter. They eventually tire of the whole ordeal and retire by a wall.
"The way ya talked 'bout ya self," Tetsuya takes off his shirt. "I would've thought ya gonna get decommissioned or somethin', but damn, ya got me good." He runs a finger over his slash marks.
"You're not half-bad either, just look at where you hit me." Shinya smiles. "Maybe that's why the boss liked ya so fast."
"Why'd ya say that? Ya sword-swingin's awesome, too, so don't feel so bad."
"Just for ya, I'm gonna." Shinya smiles slightly. "Now we gotta get ourselves patched up."
"Yeah, can't be assed ta explain Boss why I got these slashes."
The two laugh as they rush to the servicing department.
-----
"Have you heard about Eikichi's daughter?"
"I have, how is she?"
"She's going to leave the hospital tomorrow, if all goes well."
"Thank goodness. Her accident was not fatal, but she is young so it is good she came out of it rather unscathed."
"I couldn't remember hearing about it until a while ago, I didn't even get it on my news feeds."
"Maybe your categories need adjusting; Yumi is popular enough for anything about her to get coverage even if Eikichi is not as known."
"I never met Yumi face-to-face, but I'm still having a hard time believing someone like Eikichi would marry an actress."
"Why is that? If we can be attracted to each other, so can they."
"Alright, loverboy, have you prepared for tomorrow?"
"Of course, I have been searching for a few places we can visit. Would a technology showcase interest you?"
"Probably not, the last thing we want is to cross paths with Asakasa execs."
"Art galleries it is, then. Though I do have something for my own included in the itinerary."
"That better be fun at least, what is it?"
"What say we pay a visit to the main shogi hall?"
"At the JSA? Why?"
"I have this book I would like to have signed by its author, also the current president."
"That's it?"
"It would not take any longer than a few minutes, should it?"
-----
As usual, Eikichi wakes up at 5 AM, but from the sofa of the hospital room, as he prepares for Akemi's discharge.
The two arrive home, and Eikichi himself helps her daughter out of the van. Once there, Akemi is greeted by the rest of the family. Eikichi glances at his watch. There's always time for the family, so he gets into the house.
"Aren't you supposed to be getting ready for your meeting later?" Yumi asks Eikichi who is taking off his tie.
"I know, but I don't want to leave without saying a word." He puts on a suit he had prepared. "So, welcome back home, Akemi."
"Thanks, dad."
"Good thing you're fine now, it wouldn't be good if we all can't be there tomorrow."
"Oh yeah, where's Kazuya?"
"I'm here." Kazuya appears from his room.
"Busy with preparing for the tournament?" Eikichi asks.
"Yes, father." He answers sternly, then turns to Akemi with a smile. "Hey, you're home!" He gives her a hug.
Eikichi looks at his watch again. "It's time for me to go now, I'll be home as soon as I can."
They give their goodbyes as he departs for work, taking some documents with him.
"Is he still mad about my decision?" Kazuya asks.
"He's slowly getting to terms with it." Yumi assures him. "You should get back to your studies."
Eikichi arrives at the headquarters and quickly heads to his office. He calls for Tetsuya and once he arrives he locks the door.
"What the heck happened yesterday, boss?"
"A biker accidentally ran her over.
"Is she okay?"
"She's doing well, but this is neither the place nor time for that."
Silence. "...So whaddya wanted me ta do?"
"So this man here owes me a prototype he's promised to show me." Eikichi begins. "I have tried to contact him many times to no avail, so what I want you to do is find out what his current status is, and if there is indeed a physical version of this," he points at a blueprint. "then bring it to me, understand?"
"That sounds easy."
"I hope you don't do anything I'll end up seeing in the news."
"Eh, I can take care of them, no biggie. Where is it?"
"Shibuya. The exact coordinates are here, all you have to do is put it in your GPS and follow the directions."
"I'll get it whatever happens. How soon do you want it, anyway?"
"ASAP, of course. If you want some motivation, the items in question are for you."
"If you put it that way, I'm off!"
"Have fun, I'll have some traveling of my own to do."
"Can I hitch a ride?"
"I'm not going through Shibuya, unfortunately; you'll have to commute at best."
"Dammit."
-----
"Why do I have to go to the place on my own?" Tetsuya complains by himself. "Won't even let me hitch a ride on his car, lame."
The night is slightly cold, with slight breezes adding to the chill. Lights flood the streets, inticing people to enter their stores and purchase their offerings. The blinding lights make even someone like Tetsuya in his black ensemble noticeable, but he continues to walk his way to a less-visited area, where his mission truly takes place.
He stops in front of a comic shop, checks the time and decides he can browse the shelves for a while. He stumbles into a hidden corner dedicated to smut, the kind that no one decent would want to be seen holding and thus the need for such an alcove to be built.
He stays a bit longer before leaving. He's definitely on his way, now that he can see more of the pavement where he's walking. On his way he meets with someone familiar scanning through a pile of trading cards.
"Tetsuya!" He shouts out.
"Hey!" He greets back smiling. "What're ya up to?"
"The gang's just finished watching a game and we're just messing around, what about you?"
"I'm faffin' around, but now I gotta do what my boss told me ta do."
"What's it?"
"I gotta get somethin' on that office there. I'll ring ya if I need anything."
With a couple of nods small talk is over and Tetsuya continues on to his destination.
-----
The convention hall's exterior is as vibrant as the event taking place inside, and the girls are just going to add to the spectacle. For now, they're still in their plain clothes. Fukami herself is wearing one of the bunny-themed shirts she bought.
"Here are our tickets," Subaru counts them. "now where's the entrance?"
"I can't see it through all these people." Ayaka says.
Fukami scans through the area. "It's over there."
The convention taking place is nothing short of a fandom paradise, with anime wherever one looks. Cosplayers fill the floor, art booths and merchandise stores beckon their wares and each niche has its own niche in such hallowed halls. The number of people in the place is rather daunting for Fukami.
"Hey," Ayaka prods her. "you good?"
"I dunno... I'm not used to showing myself to so many people."
"Don't worry too much; we'll be here with you, right guys?"
A cosplayer approaches Fukami, phone on the ready. "Hi, can I take a picture with you guys?"
"Definitely!" Ayaka quickly drags Fukami along.
With a camera pointed at her, Fukami only had a few seconds to react before managing to smile for the first photo.
"Oh," the cosplayer follows up, "can I have one with only the girl with the headband?"
"Huh?" Surprised, she awkardly steps up for the shoot, strikes a little pose and smiles softly.
Soon enough, more people approach them for photos, with Fukami being the center of attention. This imbalance makes some girls sneak out and buy merchandise in turns to save on time. By the time all has calmed down, half the group is away. For Fukami and Ayaka this is a good time to start doing their own shopping around, so the remaining three do so, though Fukami still grabs some attention from time to time.
-----
With the meeting finished, Eikichi leaves the room and is about to head to a dinner. He checks the time on his watch, then phones Tetsuya.
"Yeah, boss?"
"Where are you right now?"
"Still walkin' 'round."
"I hope you still remember about-"
"Yeah, yeah, dontcha worry 'bout it."
"You better, but I might return to the office after this dinner."
"If ya say so."
An employee interrupts the conversation, "Mister Asakasa, they're expecting you at the elevator."
"Tell them I'll follow them to the dining hall." With the employee out of the way, Eikichi returns to his phone. "If nothing else happens I'll be back by eight. I'll let you know."
"Got it."
The call ends, and Eikichi continues down the hallway to the elevator.
Eikichi arrives at the restaurant, where his colleagues welcome him.
"Congratulations on the successful deal, mister Asakasa."
"Thank you so much."
"I hope this becomes the first of many collaborations."
Another man approaches him. "I heard about what happened to your daughter, I hope everything's okay with her."
"She's doing better now, thanks for your concern"
"Before we begin," the other boss in the room announces, "let's hear a bit from our new business partner, Eikichi Asakasa."
"Thank you. It has always been the mission of my company to bring technology where it is needed the most, something it has always kept in mind even in my clan's early years creating puppets. Following my forefathers I still make puppets, but ones that can interact with you, and soon enough maybe they will find no need for a puppeteer. With this partnership that possibility has become real, and I am glad that we had formed this bridge."
"Let's toast to that!"
-----
The girls exit the convention floor, newly-bought merchandise in hand.
"You didn't buy a lot, Fukami." Ayaka comments. "I thought you had enough money."
"There wasn't a lot I wanted to get." She admits.
"Did you get anything nice?"
She pulls out some manga from her bag. "I did buy the manga with the one I'm dressing up as."
"Nice!" "You'll like it, I'm sure."
"I hope you're right, I'm not really into these."
"Aren't there any other books in your place?"
"They're all about software."
"That's a different genre altogether."
"I did get some other things, too, but they're at the bottom of the bag."
"Where are we going for dinner?" Ayaka asks.
"I have coupons for a place, I'll just check where it is." answers Rumiko.
"What's it called?" Fukami asks, readying a map display only she can see.
"Giorgio's Pizzeria."
In a few seconds, Fukami gets her directions. "I think I know where it is."
"You know the place?"
"Maybe? Follow me."
A ten-minute walk puts them right at the pizza place, to everyone's astonishment. They settle on a table, and Rumiko looks through the discounts on her phone while everyone else reads through physical menus. After ordering, the girls show off some more what they bought.
-----
Soon enough he sees his destination in front of him, a medium-rise building with the office's logo right below. The lights are still on, prompting him to back off a bit, pull out his phone and call someone he knows.
"Hello?" The voice at the other end speaks.
"It's Tetsuya, where are ya right now?"
"I'm having dinner here at this noodle shop near the superstore, how far is it from here?"
"Okay, I'm probably close, just meet me by the Uniqlo."
At the front is a lobby with no one inside, not even a soul standing behind the counter. A direct approach is not a good idea whether there's anyone inside or not; the last thing Tetsuya wants to be is seen. He walks to the back and finds better prospects of sneaking in. His phone beeps him a text from the kid. He runs back to the junction and beckons the other to follow him back to the side of the building.
"Whaddya have there?"
"A fanny pack, for the thing you're getting."
"Thanks, man. How much is it?"
"250."
Tetsuya gives him the money. "Okay, keep an eye if anythin' happens in that room or around this place, got it?"
The guy nods. "What if anyone tries to catch me, though?"
"Did ya bring anythin'?"
He shows a baseball bat hidden in his jacket.
"How the- just don't break stuff with that, okay?"
-----
"Aren't you supposed to be buying something else?"
"I know, but this is a great converter."
"You should focus on the new build." While she waits, Asuka browses a map on her phone. "She's left the venue."
"Where to?" He walks off the aisle and Asuka follows.
"I'm still waiting for that." She sets her phone aside. "You're really buying that converter."
"I know what I'm doing, and you should probably ask her where they're heading."
"How big of a computer do you really have to build, anyway?"
"It's gotta be big enough to carry files, at least. I'll need to back some important stuff soon."
"You think they'll destroy th-"
"I don't know, but they won't be happy about having copies of the blueprints." Katsuhiko checks what he took. "I think this is enough, let's head to where the girls are."
-----
He picks and enters through a back door, sneaks through a stairwell and finds himself in an office hallway, a common sight inside buildings like these. He quietly walks to the closest sign to read directions to his target. Turns out he's off by a few floors. Into the same stairs he goes, climbing up until he reaches the floor that he's looking for. Tetsuya's appearance ticks off the two security guards, one of which he strikes with a shuriken, while the other manages to dodge the one thrown at him. That throw still buys him enough time for him to run through the hall and swing the door to the owner's office's guest room. The room has the same executive look as his boss', but Eikichi's room doesn't look like a holding room for supplies. There are two more doors inside, each with a sign tacked on, one is the office proper and the other is for meetings.
Tetsuya enters the office, the guy inside startled at his entrance.
"Who are you?"
"Eikichi Asakasa sent me." He smirks. "He's told me ya owe him somethin' overdue." He points his sword at him. "Do ya have the goods?"
His eyes widen. "Wh- how does he still know it? I'll... I'll give it now, it's over here." He takes out a cardboard box and shoves it to him. "All paid for."
"That was easier than I thought." He shrugs, returns his sword to its case and takes the package. "Till next time!"
He takes a few steps down before leaping through a window. He meets up with his lackey who's fending off two men with one bat, finishing off the job by brandishing his sword and scaring the two away.
"Did you get it?"
"Right here."
"Are we gonna split?"
"Nah, let's do that by the station."
Tetsuya runs back to the headquarters as fast as he can, the sight of an RT 191 walking back to the intersection stopping him in his tracks. Giddy to try to add her to his spoils, he throws a shuriken her way.
Fukami sees the projectile heading her way fast enough for her to grab with her hand. She drops the star and pulls out her pistol. "Show yourself!"
He does so, rushing at her sword in hand. He lunges for her once he comes close. She narrowly dodges through the skin of her teeth and grabs his arm, taking him down to the ground. Tetsuya quickly gets up to his feet and swings again to her neck. Fukami managed to dodge it and they continue fighting close. Fukami finally shoots at Tetsuya a couple of times, which doesn't do much save for hitting his sword arm. During a sidestep she slips and falls on her back.
"Looks like it's my lucky day." Tetsuya grins as he approaches her, swapping the sword to his other hand.
Fukami points her gun at him, but noticing that he doesn't peter his grin, she changes her target to the package strapped to his waist, as soon as that happens, Tetsuya's face changes to panic and as soon as she pulls the trigger he springs himself up to do a backflip with a twist, then quickly bolting as soon as his feet hit the ground.
"What's that-" says his companion, ducking.
"Run!"
With the assailant now gone Fukami gets up while her friends arrive from hearing .
"Are you okay?" Ayaka asks.
"Yes, thanks." She looks at the shuriken at the ground and picks it up.
"It's just like the one that got stuck in your shoulder! Could it be..."
"What happened, anyway?" A friend asks. "I even heard a gunshot." She sees the pistol in Fukami's hand. "Why do you have that?"
"What?" Exasperated, she tries to holster her gun. "It... it's nothing."
"It's your gun, then."
"...Yes. Please don't tell anyone at school."
"Why do you even have a gun in the first place?"
"I... I can't tell you."
"You shouldn't even be carrying a gun, what are you, a spy?"
She shakes her head.
"Guys, if she doesn't want to tell us yet, we should probably leave it." Ayaka intervenes.
"Who did you have to shoot?" Another girl asks.
"Someone's who's been following me for a while now."
Ayaka looks at the shuriken again. "He threw this at you?"
"I caught it this time, though."
"Caught? With your hand?"
"Yes." She realizes the implausibility of what she did. "Like this."
"Then what happened after that?"
"He ran at me, with a sword."
"And you shot at him."
She nods.
"This is the only thing he left, again."
Fukami takes the shuriken and takes a look. "This doesn't have anything on it this time."
"Huh?"
"Katsuhiko told me that the first one had some marks, a message from a Tetsuya."
"That's still a lot of people with that name."
Asuka and Katsuhiko appear.
"Miss Asuka, our table-" Ayaka blurts out.
"I've told a server." Asuka turns to Fukami. "Are you hurt?"
"No, I'm okay."
"What did he look like?"
"I couldn't tell as everything he wore was black, but he went at me with a sword."
"Um, miss," Subaru asks. "do you know why this is happening to Fukami?"
"I do," Asuka answers, "but it's not something I can say out in public yet."
"Will she be alright?" Ayaka asks.
"She'll be fine." She looks at Fukami, who's otherwise unfazed at what happened. "She's stronger than she looks."
"Let's get back inside," Katsuhiko comments, "the pizza's gonna get cold."
-----
"Thanks, man." Tetsuya says to his friend now that they've arrived at the station.
"It's nothing." The kid looks at the other's arm. "Are you gonna be okay?"
"Yeah, don't worry 'bout it, this here's nothin'." He awkwardly returns his sword back to its sheath.
"Where're you heading now?"
"Back to report to my boss. Let's get in before we miss the last train."
"Oh yeah, will you be able to see the baseball game next week?"
"Can't promise ya anythin', but I'll try."
-----
After a modest dinner, Eikichi bids farewell and returns all the way back to his van. The trip back to the office is less crowded than it was when he left it. A sole guard opens the gate to the headquarters for him. He parks the car before the guest entrance of the office, enters through the front door and walks through the dim halls to his office.
While he is not the only human in the area, he is the only executive in the building at these times. The other people still inside are tech support agents and maintenance workers. He himself may be working outside official business hours, but anything he does inside these walls is official business. He picks up his phone, and rings Tetsuya.
"Here ya go, boss." Tetsuya arrives at Eikichi's office with the goods.
"Good, good." He nods approvingly. "There's a bullet stuck in your arm by the way."
"What? Shit." He digs through his arm. "I gotta go check for others, I got myself in a gunfight, now my arm don't work well."
"That hull of yours' getting some good use, at least. By the way, I watched you take a detour at an intersection, it's the gunfight I assume? "
"Yeah, I saw 191."
"And you jumped the gun before she fired hers, I bet."
"I did catch her by surprise."
"Is that how you got shot in the arm?"
"She would've shot the prototype thingy if I didn't dodge."
"Fine, you had one weakness that time."
"What the heck is in this, anyway?" He opens the package himself.
Eikichi eagerly answers. "Some weapons designed to fit your arm's loading compartment and expand when thrown. I was going to have you equipped with them on your launch, but obviously they never got back to me."
"Did ya really have to send me out like that?"
"I'm not willing to wait now that you're here."
"Now I can't wait to try these out!"
"Why don't you try them on the range?"
"Oh hell yeah!"
"You can go."
Just as Tetsuya reaches for the door, Eikichi catches a glance of the calendar at his desk, a future date he marked. "Just a minute, come back here."
"Come on! What is it now?" Tetsuya angrily walks back to.
"Tomorrow, my son will be in his first major shogi tournament match. He would love to see me there, along with the rest of the family."
"Uh-huh."
"Of course, the media will also be there, and in such a small event it would be ridiculous to bring an entourage."
"So whaddya want me ta do?"
"I want you to come with me as my security detail for this one."
"Just me?"
"Yes. If all goes well the most you'll have to do is push some people."
"But I'll have to stay and watch a borin' shogi match."
"You don't want to disappoint me, right?"
"Yeah."
"I don't want to disappoint my son."
"Ugh, fine."
"I want you to wait for me on the lobby tomorrow morning, don't be late. Now you can go."
Tetsuya bolts out the door. Eikichi starts to pack up for home when his phone rings.
"Yes? Fine, fine, tell him we'll settle. I don't mind, all that matters is that Akemi is safe."
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