Chapter 3: Family Reunion

23:34 PM - Class SSS HQ Kitchen

Hinata: (Frustrated, looking through the pantries and drawers in the kitchen) "We have enough guns and ammo to form a drug cartel, but no kitchen knives?!"

Yusa: (Monotonous) "The guild is nearing completion, and our funds were getting somewhat low, so to save money, we've resorted to melting anything we could find that was metal and not essential to the mission"

Hinata begins to show an over-exaggerated loss of temper.

Hinata: "What?! So all our pots, pans, and knives are just gone?"

Yui: "More importantly, why has it taken us this long to complete the guild?"

Takamatsu: "You do understand the size of such a project, right?"

Yusa shrugs her shoulders.

Among Hinata's and Yusa's short exchange, the rest of the core members spoke with one another, mostly directing questions towards their newly-returned friend, Yuzuru.

Iwasawa: (To Yuzuru) "Bet it feels good to be here, doesn't it?"

Yuzuru: (Rubbing back of neck in modesty) "It's been... an interesting three years. I just never thought I'd see any of you guys again!"

Naoi: "I don't think anyone of us would have thought this was our final destination"

Yuzuru: "This is it then, huh? It almost feels redundant"

Naoi: "Throughout our time here, we've never seen anything strange. Everyone here just seems happy"

Yuzuru: "So no despair, no weird world-programming, or shadows? Nothing but bliss?"

Yuri: (Smiling with determination) "Don't get too comfortable with that thought! Kanade's powers are still active, and we've been able to replicate the Angel Player program, thanks to Takeyama, and we've even edited her skills, just like in the previous world. We've also spotted a few strange anomalies here"

Naoi: (Scoffing) "Oh boy, here we go with the conspiracies from our fearless leader"

Yuri: (Snapping back at Naoi) "Hey! You above all people should know that nothing has ever come easy with us! There has to be a link between this world and the last, so I'm not taking any chances!"

Naoi: "Why is it so hard to believe that both worlds might just have similar physics without the weird shadows?! The people who inhabit this world aren't NPCs like in the old world, so why should we worry about them turning into things that would try to kill us?!"

Kanade walks between Yuri and Naoi, interrupting the argument. She bends her arm at the elbow and suspending her wrist upward.

Kanade: (Distorted voice) "Guard Skill, Hand Sonic"

Our of thin air, extending from within the brown cuffs of her tan blazer, a translucent blade quickly forms digitally, as polygons build into it and shed from the blade as it quickly builds itself from nothing. Kanade takes one step towards the white-frosted cake. She lowers her hand down, carefully making the first cut. She raised and then lowered her blade multiple times, cutting the cake into even slices. As she finishes, she backs away, still holding her Hand Sonic up, nonchalantly, with crumbs and frosting sticking along it. Her Hand Sonic suddenly begins to materialize into nothing, as polygons begin to quickly evaporate into oblivion and her blade disappears, and the crumbs and frosting that coated the blade fall onto the ground.

Hinata looks at Kanade with a strange stare.

Hinata: (Sneering) "I still don't think those things are THAT cool..."

Yuzuru: (Smiling) "You should see the other versions of those things she has"

Takeyama calmly walks into the kitchen, holding his laptop between his arm and body.

Takeyama: "Hey, fearless leader"

Yuri: "What is it?"

Takeyama: "It's regarding what we talked about yesterday"

Yuri stands and makes her way down the hallway with Takeyama, leaving the rest of the team slightly confused.

Hinata: (Slightly concerned) "You think it's about the shadow things?"

Yuzuru: "Excuse me? Shadow things? As in... those things we fought?"

Naoi: "Don't be silly! Like I said, we probably don't have anything to worry about here!"

Yui: "Probably?"

Naoi: (Frustrated at Yui) "Stop egging it on"

Takeyama holds open his laptop in front of Yuri, while both stood in the hallway. Yuri looks at the monitor, covering her chin with her left hand, showing some concern. Surveillance footage is shown in spotty quality, at first showing a grassy field, followed by some distortion in the footage.

Takeyama: "I've been monitoring some of the footage on and off the past couple of hours, and noticed this"

He pauses the video over and over, attempting to freeze the video at a particular time. Finally, after pausing one last time, he stops and points.

Takeyama: "There. Do you see it?"

Yuri's eyes grow slightly, showing more concern.

Yuri: "When was this footage taken?"

Takeyama: "About thirty minutes ago"

Yuri: "And it didn't activate the sensors?"

Takeyama: "That is... correct, unfortunately. This was taken about a thousand kilometers away this time"

Yuri: "Why all of a sudden would our tech not be able to capture them?" (Thinks for a moment) "Do we have any standby engineers from The Guild?"

Takeyama: (Checks computer for a moment) "We don't have any standby units, but if you'd like-"

Yuri: (Interrupts) "Get a hold of Chaa. Have him assemble a team of engineers from The Guild as well as some fighters to make sure all observatories in the direction of those shadows are secure between here and about 200 kilometers, and to have our engineers modify them to make them to detect any sudden infrared and low-light changes"

Takeyama: "I can do that, but... Can I first ask you of a small favor?"

Yuri: "What's that?"

Takeyama: (Closes computer, and pushes glasses up) "Can you please call me Chri-..."

Before Takeyama could finish his statement, Yuri looks down at her phone and walks back over to her other friends, who were all still talking about Otonashi's miraculous return. Takeyama sighs, and walks back into the hallway towards his room to contact the aforementioned Class SSS delegate.

Hinata notices Yuri on return to the kitchen. They all laugh at a joke at the expense of Otonashi's embarrassingly-reddened face.

Hinata: "What's up with Takeyama?"

Yuri: (Nonchalant) "Ah, it's nothing right now. Just another anomaly is all"

The chatter slows to a few murmurs.

Yuri: "Nothing serious though. Same things we've been seeing for the past few days is all"

Otonashi looks down and gives a lighthearted smile.

Yuzuru: "Well, as long as it's not one of those weird shadow creatures" (Attempting to suppress emotions) "To be honest, I just want to have a few days of peace, to make new memories with an old friend"

Everyone smiles at the warmhearted comment. Kanade places her hand over Otonashi's right shoulder. They smile at one another.

Takeyama's Room

In front of a lit monitor, Takeyama sat at his desk, talking to someone on his laptop.

Takeyama: "Are there any messages you'd like me to relay to Yurippe?"

The individual online replies, "No, nothing that I can think of right now. I'll assemble a team quickly to investigate. Expect word of their departure in about 20 minutes"

Takeyama: "Thank you, I will let her know the status of the mission. Takeyama out"

Takeyama ends the video call with the commanding officer Yuri told him to contact. He sits back in his seat to think to himself for a moment. Takeyama presses a button on his wristwatch. A collection of monitors along the wall behind his laptop and desk light up, showing live surveillance that cycled to different locations along the world. Realizing the potentially severity of this newfound stealth these anomalies possess, he watches closely at each of the monitors, in search of any potential activity. With an uneasy mind, he goes into his desk and grabs a small container of caffeine pills, and takes a few, knowing that he would likely be monitoring for a while.

Moments later...

Outside of the Afterlife Warfront HQ, four up-armored Humvees (American HMWWV's) and a bus full of armed, non-core members of Class SSS depart, beginning their mission to the observatory positions Yuri asked to be checked and upgraded. Yuri looks out the window, noticing the lights of the vehicles blaring through the window blinds. She walks over and opens the blinds, noticing that a team was leaving, obeying the orders she had placed. Takeyama walks into the kitchen past the other members, who were staring at the window curiously.

Hinata: "What's going on out there?"

Yuri: "Nothing. I had Takeyama talk to Chaa to assemble a team to check out the observatories"

Takeyama goes into the refrigerator to grab a bottle of water.

Yuri: "Takeyama"

Takeyama: (Takes a sip of water from the bottle and then replies) "Yes?"

Yuri: (Counts vehicles) "How many people did Chaa send out?"

Takeyama: "Four armored vehicles and a bus full of fighters and engineers"

Yuri: (Concerned) "How many people though?"

Takeyama: "Forty total on the bus, twenty combined with all four of the armored vehicles"

Yuri facepalms with a loud smack on her forehead.

Yuri: "You idiot! Why the hell would you send sixty people?"

Takeyama: "What do you mean? That's the team Chaa assembled for the mission you asked for"

Yuri: "Sixty people?! Who else besides us is left defending this building if sixty of our people are gone?!"

Naoi: "Jeez, chill out, Yurippe! We're fine..."

Yuri: "That's not the p-..." (Gives up on argument) "Ugh, fine..."

Hinata: "Nothing's gonna happen on our watch. We've been fine so far, right?" (Points at Angel) "After all, we have the most powerful weapon here with us now!"

Yuri sighs, starting down the hallway in frustration.

Yuzuru: "What's her deal?"

Kanade: "She fears for everyone here. I believe recent events involving those anomalies have opened up her previous and natural hyper-vigilant nature once again"

Yuri continues along the dimly-lit hallway, towards her office, thinking to herself.

Maybe Naoi is right. Am I really this unreasonable?

Yuri crosses her arms uncomfortably as she walks slowly down the hall, questioning herself, remembering the years of combat experience she obtained while being stuck in the afterlife school. Glimpses of her fighting Angel, the NPC shadows, Naoi's rise to power, and the constant storming between her subordinates.

Otonashi: (To Hinata) "So, what's different here, I mean in this world?"

Hinata: "More than you think, actually... It's paradise, dude! No NPCs, no combat, no worries! Most of us actually ended up taking up jobs around the city"

Otonashi: "What?! That's awesome! Does everyone live here in HQ?"

Hinata: "Of course! Why wouldn't we? This city has been growing quite a bit, so when we all kind of got here at the same time, Yuri appealed to the Mayor, and he asked us if we could provide some type of protection to the city, like a police force! Isn't that neat?! He seems to really like our presence"

Fujimaki: (Under his breath) "We're more like over-glorified mall cops, if you ask me. Not shit happens here"

Hinata: "Yuri is a city council member as the Necropolis Protection Secretary, Yui is a recruiter for Class SSS, and Iwasawa still leads GlDeMo as a popular band that's been climbing the charts for a while now!"

Otonashi: (Surprised) "I'm impressed! You guys have made quite the impression, huh?"

Hinata: "Fujimaki, Ooyama, Ooyama, and Noda all took positions as instructors for the police department in the city, too!"

Fujimaki: "Hell yeah! We teach 'em how to kick ass!"

Otonashi: "Wait, then if there's already a police department here, why are we still called The Afterlife War Front?"

Fujimaki: "Because on the off-chance shit kicks off for real, we're here to kick some serious ass, not arrest someone for stealing candy"

Kanade: "We are primarily here as an unconventional force to fight anything that would pose a higher threat that city law enforcement would normally be unable to quell"

Otonashi: "So, we're basically leading an army?"

Hinata: "Sort of... Just without the fancy uniforms and camouflage... We're not as big as a standing army, but we're quickly growing. The city is becoming heavily populated these days, so with expansion, Yuri and Chaa had to reorganize a lot. The Guild is now broken up into two different divisions: The Engineering Corps and the Fighting Corps. Then obviously you have the core members, like us, who are usually tasked for special missions"

Fujimaki: (Sarcastic) "Special" (Cough Cough)

Otonashi: "Seems like you guys have been pretty busy with restructuring more than fighting then"

Matsushita5: "It's been pretty boring with nothing going on, but I guess that just means us and the police are doing our jobs right, making sure everything is in order"

Otonashi: "So why is Naoi so stuck on keeping things calm and not so uptight?"

Hinata: "He just wants Yuri to calm down is all. She's been uptight since we got here... She's been even more uptight since we got word of those things Takeyama caught on our observatory cameras"

Otonashi lets out an audible 'hmm'.

Hinata quickly grabs a piece of cake with his bare hands from the table and kicks his feet up next to the cake. Fujimaki and Ooyama flail in shock, almost disgusted by the sight of Hinata's shoes next to the dessert. Hinata looks closely at Hinata's left hand, in full view of a silver-colored ring on his ring finger.

Otonashi: (Shocked) "What is that on your finger?! Are you...?!"

After shoving a large portion of the cake into his own mouth, Hinata looks down at his hand while munching on cake, noticing that Otonashi was referring to his wedding band.

Hinata: (Quickly swallowing his food) "Oh, yeah! I'm married now"

Otonashi: (Surprised) "You can do that here?!"

Hinata: "Sure, why not? Figured she was a pretty good snag, so why not?" (Making macho pose)

Quickly, a piece of cake launches towards Hinata, smacking him in the face, knocking him off his chair.

Hinata: (Quickly getting up to his feet and yelling at Yui) "Hey, what was that for?! That was supposed to be a compliment!"

Yui: "How was that a compliment, you pig?!" (Attempting to be humorously poetic) "You told me I was a beautiful cherry blossom that had just bloomed in the Spring, and that your love for me burns like the showering of molten rocks in the time of the early Precambrian era"

Ooyama: "Wait, do you even know what those words mean?"

Hinata embarrassingly grabs Yui, covering her mouth, but not before catching the quick sound of laughter coming from Fujimaki and Matsushita the Fifth.

Hinata: (Still covering Yui's mouth as she struggled to get out of his grip) "That was supposed to be between the two of us, you!"

Fujimaki: "Maybe you two should get a room and talk more about how much you're both blossoming and flowering like a true married couple"

Otonashi: (Thinking to himself) "Blossoming... Flowering? What kind of joke is that?"

Ooyama's face suddenly turns red, realizing the underlying sexual innuendo.

Ooyama: (Embarrassed) "I gotta go..."

He quickly gets up to leave, running into the hallway, and back to his room. Otonashi thinks about it and suddenly realizes the joke, chuckling as his face turns a light shade of pink. Kanade looks over at him, cocking her head to the left, not realizing what they were referring to.

Kanade: "I don't understand"

Otonashi: (Smile disappearing immediately and voice cracking) "It's fine, don't worry about it!"

Fujimaki laughs, quickly leaning towards Kanade's ear and whispering to her. Otonashi tries stopping him from tainting her mind. As Fujimaki whispers, he places his foot out at Otonashi's stomach, evily telling the joke. Kanade's facial expression doesn't change. Otonashi heard the words "flower" and "when two people love each other" from Fujimaki. He begins to panic, climbing over Fujimaki's leg and tackling him out of his chair.

Otonashi: "You asshole! She doesn't need to know all of that!"

Yui is finally let go of Hinata's hand, as Hinata joins in on the laughter with Fujimaki. Yui kicks Hinata in the back, who continued to laugh as he ignored the pain.

Kanade: (Calm and unfazed) "Why would a joke that would have elements of sex be something to worry you about me?"

Everyone stops immediately, shocked by Kanade's reply. Otonashi's face suddenly turns a darker shade of red.

Kanade: (Calm and nonchalant) "I've been in this world for three years with everyone here. I've heard more jokes about this subject than I'd like to admit. You have such a dirty mind and should be ashamed"