Next day began with Chiaki sleeping cozily in her bed, snoozing while having her face buried in the pillow. Usami was placed on her back as she had her hands positioned as if they were her wings. It was clear that her DCS session influenced her dreams big time, with her acting like she was piloting the Tomcat, while Usami was her RIO. In her dream, she flew an intercept mission, done by a VF-84 "Jolly Rogers" F-14A Tomcat, but instead of intercepting a bomber, she was fighting against a space mecha dragon that ate air. Luckily for her, the dragon did not know of beyond visual range combat, as it did not expect a Phoenix launched at it from whopping 100 nautical miles away. That was all playing in her head.
However in reality, she looked like she was flailing her arms during her sleep and motorboating her own pillow, snoring like a bear in the process.
"Mmmm….nyooom prrrrrrr prrrr nyooom….." Chiaki imitated noises of what it seemed to be both jet engine and the sound of auto-cannon roaring upon unleashing the rounds of metallic death upon the enemies. Except that it did not sound like a roar of such fierce weapon, more like a doofus trying to imitate a fart noise.
Suddenly, amid her sleep, she heard a bunch of knocks. Due to her being so deep in her slumber, she didn't even hear it.
"….Locking him….target….70 miles….." Chiaki started to imitate Jester, in what it seemed like she was fighting a more grounded, yet much fiercer enemy than a dragon: a Russian interceptor that went by the name Mig-25 Foxbat. She was waiting for the opportunity to throw a Phoenix right at his face, only for her dream to be abruptly concluded by louder sounds of knocking.
"…..Mmmmmmm? Who could it be?" mumbled Chiaki as she groggily raised her head from the pillow, still half asleep during it. After she got out of the bed, she staggered towards the door, nearly tripping over few times. Once she reached the door, she opened it, revealing that a stout, stern faced animator classmate of hers awaited her, with them holding a crusty looking laptop in their hands. Not only did she not anyone expect to appear that day, but out of all people, it had to be them, one of the last people she imagined to do so. To say she was completely surprised would be an understatement.
"..R-Ryota?" stuttered Chiaki as she suddenly gained a burst of adrenaline upon seeing her classmate. It was enough to make her fully awake.
"Good morning. I apologize for disruption." calmly greeted Ultimate Impostor, yet with that stern expression on their face they seemed particularly strict that day. Something was up, she felt it. The gamer gal was also curious about the laptop and why they had it with them.
"G'mornin. Do you intend to come in?" Chiaki invited them to come in. Ultimate Impostor stepped in as both of them went to the living room. Both students sat on the couch, making themselves as comfortable as possible. The Impostor placed the laptop on the intended place, their lap.
"Yes, I have certain business to explain with you." began Ultimate Impostor before he squinted at her, pointing that she was still not properly dressed for the day. "You are still in your Pajamas, just to remind you.".
"Ah, sorry...just a sec" blushed Chiaki before she returned to her bedroom. Once she did what she needed to do, Chiaki returned, properly dressed in her usual attire. "Okay, I'm back, I think.".
"So we can begin, shall we?" asked Ultimate Impostor once again, officially starting the discussion with what was on their mind.
"Erm, I wanna ask something if I can. What business do you mean?" Chiaki tilted her head in curiosity.
"It's about Operation Metropolitan Hunt. Do you recall how me and Miss Yukizome promised to be spies?" elaborated Ultimate Impostor while also reminding her of events of previous day. She did take a note of them volunteering to be their spies.
"Yeah, I think so. I do recall it...but what about it?" further asked Chiaki, wondering where will the conversation lead to.
"Both of us aren't the only one. We have about two additional spies, one being Kirigiri. She went on her own way and it would have been better if she told it in the first place, but we appreciate her help. However, the second person is someone I contacted myself." Ultimate Impostor told her that their plan got expanded. Chiaki's eyes widened, not expecting that their espionage campaign would go so big. She genuinely thought that Chisa and Impostor were the only ones, although Kyoko wasn't too much of a surprise. It was the second person that got her interested.
"Hm?" Chiaki leaned forward, with her eyes having a curious look to them. She wanted to hear everything that Ultimate Impostor and their colleagues have planned out.
"Itaru Hashida. He has said some very interesting stuff regarding monitoring information about Daft Capo. It appears that we have encountered a rather huge obstacle." revealed Ultimate Impostor, surprising her even more. However, her surprise and subdued excitement that Future Gadget Lab is involved was replaced with more intrigue once Impostor mentioned that they have a problem.
"Is it that we basically cannot tell authorities about Daft Capo?" assumed Chiaki, with such problem being on her mind at times. All of them were aware that only penguins, Hope's peak itself, the Fellowship and Future Gadget Lab were the only ones who were actually fighting against Daft Capo. It still seemed so strange that no authorities have addressed the issue of the mafia terrorizing the most prestigious academy in the country.
"That concern has been addressed, but it is related. The one he told me about is that, although not confirmed yet, they could monitor not only what's been sent on the internet, but also what is in the middle of process of being sent." added Ultimate Impostor while giving her out a theory on Daft Capo's information control on the internet. She suddenly felt chills down her spine, it gave her a reminder that despite Daft Capo as a whole having a personality to say at least, their grip on information control was not to be underestimated. It almost felt like it wasn't even really them, especially with remembering how Skipper said that punksters love spotlight.
"...So something like SMS-es could be intercepted?" gulped Chiaki, realizing that any communication between their spies could be listened to by the adversary. It was just a theory, yet it felt believable enough for them to not risk it.
"That is a possibility. Our espionage network is essentially in the dark, especially if we have information regarding them….to which...look at this." confirmed Ultimate Impostor before they showed their phone Chiaki, revealing pictures of a silver Formula One racing car, with the person driving it wearing a white fedora. Then, she got an idea for something odd that happened that day before.
"Hold it...was that the noise that happened yesterday?" Chiaki pointed her finger up, remembering the sound.
"So you've heard it too?" Ultimate Impostor raised their eyebrow upon knowing that she has heard it as well.
"Yeah, it sounded really weird for a car. I knew that it had to be something else, but...what exactly is this car?" wondered Chiaki, not exactly familiar with such type of vehicle. She hasn't really seen it before, although some games did portray it.
"Formula One, seems to be under Mercedes. There is no way this type of a vehicle would be ever road legal, so it already told me a lot on who's the one responsible for it. Not only for that, but the hat the driver is wearing seems reminiscent of those pictures that penguins showed us." explained Ultimate Impostor before they pointed out the hat, more or less confirming that it is work of Daft Capo.
"Yep, that's definitely Daft Capo. There's no other way…if only we could see more than a hat, then we might identify someone." commented Chiaki as she gave out a hint on what to do in order to find out who the person in the Formula One car is.
"Do you perhaps know who it is, Nanami?" asked Ultimate Impostor with a raised eyebrow, desiring to know if Chiaki was up to something.
"I'm just having a hunch, but….I don't think a normal punkster would have such car. It has to be one of Elites, so….maybe Fritz? Dunno exactly, though…" Chiaki stated her guess on who could it be. Since Formula One car itself was a rather rare one by itself, it would have been impossible for punksters to wield it in masses.
"Hmmm….it could be him...I also think that this Formula One car could be useful for tracking down Daft Capo, perhaps even discovering Zona Daft Capo. However, I'm thinking of a workaround way to deal with this. I can explain if you want, but I need a second opinion on this." Ultimate Impostor scratched their chin as they explained their reasoning for being at gamer girl's house.
"Can I ask something first though?" Chiaki fired a question first, as she tilted her head. It was something that was on her mind, but she didn't want to interrupt them.
"Sure, there's no rush." Ultimate Impostor agreed to hear her question.
"Why...me? It's not that there's wrong with it, but..I'm not really a good spy...or anything really…I think others like Gundham or Skipper are better for it." asked Chiaki in such a tone that her self doubt and lack of self esteem could be felt. Even though she appreciated a lot that Impostor came to her house, she felt like she wasn't fit for the job.
"Two reasons. First of all, you were the closest. Chisa, Kyoko and Itaru are all over the city and like I've said before, we're in the dark. Before you ask how I've found you out, Mayuri told me, she trusted me that I am your...hmm…" Ultimate Impostor elaborated, with their first point being rather pragmatic in nature, where as they suddenly slowed down their flow, sounding almost contemplative. They encountered slight difficulty in saying it out loud.
"Friend? Is that what she meant?" wondered Chiaki before the response she got was silence. A frown appeared on her face, almost sounding defeated. Deep down, she wanted to be their friend, but considering how constantly closed they seemed, she just didn't want to force them to be her friend. "Well...if you see otherwise, then it's fine I guess…".
"...No, that's the second reason. I find you...trustworthy," Ultimate Impostor suddenly spoke up, absolutely flooring her in the process. She just froze from surprise, with Impostor, who had so much issues with concept of trust before, just flat out revealing that they do consider her a friend. Weight on her heart was lifted off from hearing it.
"E-eh?" stuttered Chiaki, with her rosy cheeks even becoming more red than before. Still trying to comprehend what they said, Chiaki thought a lot about those words and their meaning, how much of an impact did they have when they said it out loud. She really wasn't sure how to respond.
"You are one of few people that I am willing to trust, even though you are quite naive. Treat it as some kind of honor." admitted Ultimate Impostor, feeling slightly relieved that they could finally trust another person. That being said, certain doubts had to be said. "As for others, I'm not too confident in the penguin, since it feels like he only knows what he did in the past. A lot of things we found out about Daft Capo were a surprise to them as well. They're in the same position as us. As for Gundham….don't you find him suspicious?".
"Not at all. He's the one leading the fight against Daft Capo. I believe he's on our side, I think." Chiaki shook with her head, expressing that she fully trusted Gundham, even though he acted like a wizard nearly ninety percent of the time. At the very least he was a classmate that will be on their side, which was, as of that moment, hard to say regarding some people.
"It is true that he's the leader of our group, but I feel like he has some kind of agenda. He's hiding something, for sure." Ultimate Impostor gave out their theory on why she should take caution of the leader of The Fellowship of Darkness.
"I'm...not sure what would he have to hide. He's our friend after all. Our classmate." wondered Chiaki while having some doubts about distrusting her own classmate, despite previous incidents. Gundham wasn't like that person, or was he?
"For one, he's the only one who hasn't put a hand in the circle after that classmate got expelled." Ultimate Impostor pointed out the first thing that was on their mind, finding it rather strange that Gundham was the only one exempt from that.
"Well...that could be more of the fact he doesn't really feel comfortable touching others….Maybe." Chiaki raised her argument, assuming that Gundham doesn't really like being touch. At the very least, that's how she interpreted him saying that he has "poisonous skin", since humans did not have actual poison inside of them.
"Hm, fair point….but that's not the only thing that got on my mind lately. Have you've heard him that he called himself hypocrite if he were to call us out for having secrets?" Ultimate Impostor pointed out another thing that bothered them about him. Considering that Gundham was quietly talking to himself at that time, one had to listen closely for it.
"….Yeah, I think. I'm really not sure what he meant by that….but I don't think it will be like before with, you know…." nodded Chiaki while still clinging on the idea that Gundham won't abandon them. Hope's peak already received so much betrayal in the matter of three days.
"I certainly do hope that case never happens again. I...do not want my trust harmed to be again, for the little amount I have it." confessed Ultimate Impostor, with Chiaki noticing the way they said it sounded like they were really anguished about it. Her friend had experience with it before, but she still wanted to make sure they were safe and comfortable, at the very least around her.
"It won't be, I promise. Your trust is never going to be hurt in such way." Chiaki placed her hand where her heart was, giving out another promise that no one will hurt Impostor's trust again. She even had a little, yet bright smile on her face when she gave that promise to her friend. Ultimate Impostor remained stoic faced as ever, but even with a little hesitation, they believed her words.
"Hm...I'll take your word on it, at least between us." Ultimate Impostor concluded their discussion before they opened up the laptop to show her the plan and some of the tools that would be used. "But now, I can tell you about the plan we have devised".
"Oh? Please tell me about it!" Chiaki leaned forward, curiosity overtaking her mind as the Impostor turned the machine on. Funnily enough, the operating system that the laptop used was based on Linux, quite different compared to others. After logging in, they were greeted with a mostly empty background with only trash can, file explorer, internet browser and one particularly weird program standing out. Ultimate Impostor clicked on the icon of the last aforementioned program, displaying settings for what it seemed to be a virtual private network.
"Alright, what Hashida did was establishing a virtual private network, where the content sent will be only visible to us. With the help of this program, we shall set the false location of our IP, so that we're sure that no one is tracking down. I'll be using this secondary laptop, which is pretty useless otherwise. It's an older, used model." Ultimate Impostor started explaining their plan on what the spy network will utilize.
"Woah…" Chiaki's mouth agape, with her imagination going crazy on how much they planned against Daft Capo. It really did feel like a spy game of sorts, where intrigue is all over the place. She continued to listen, watching as the Impostor pointed out a folder, where they already saved images.
"Once it's set up. I will first send pictures to myself, just to see if it's safe. Then, I will send the content to anyone I can get in contact with. The sooner we get information, the better, although I do have a backup of waiting until our next meeting with penguins. However, I do believe we must make haste, since they're on the move." Ultimate Impostor went on to explain the plan to her.
"Yeah, it's a good idea to make things much quicker. They could strike at any time, like that gangster did." added Chiaki while also remembering her fight with a certain punkster.
"What do you think of this, Nanami?" asked Ultimate Impostor about her opinion on the matter, wondering if there's any holes in their plan.
"Hmmm….I do think it's a good plan and it's even better that you have made a back up for it. I think we can do it now." Chiaki agreed it with, especially noting that it was a good thing they made back up. "So, we're doing it now, right?".
"Hold it right there, we're not doing it in your house." Ultimate Impostor stopped her from starting their plan, due to a certain hunch they had.
"Huh? Why? It seems pretty safe….I think." wondered Chiaki as she tilted her head.
"...I'm not too sure, but I feel like there should be a better location for it. It's a feeling I cannot explain, but I rather make sure this will go without any intrusions. Now, that shall be all, I appreciate your input. Farewell-" answered Ultimate Impostor before they closed the laptop and stood up from the couch, intending to leave her as they went on with the mission.
"Wait, don't go by yourself…" murmured Chiaki as she reached with her hand. Luckily, unlike before, Impostor stopped themselves from going forward.
"Nanami, didn't we specifically tell you that you must stay at home? You have already thrown yourself into danger already. For your safety, stay here." Ultimate Impostor reminded her the exact things some students, especially Hajime Hinata, have said about her. Due to her already experiencing a fight before, they didn't want her to thrown herself into bigger danger.
"But you could also be in danger!" insisted Chiaki as she stood up from the couch, in sort of a standoffish pose. Not to fight Impostor, but to fight those who intend to hurt them.
"I can handle myself just fine. I'll be okay, I'll make sure of it." reassured Ultimate Imposter as they were seconds away from leaving her house.
"But...in RPGs, it's always better to have multiple party members, especially when it comes to overcoming bosses." Chiaki gave an allegory regarding how in such games, the hero becomes stronger with help of their friends. Everything can be overcome, as long as you had someone on your side.
"….Are you seriously making a video game reference right now?" Ultimate Impostor squinted at her for bringing up her passion right when they were in the middle of something really risky.
"Well….erm….it is a similar situation after all. I know that you'll do great, but I still want to be there, just to give further aid. Even if things go awry, at the very least we'll be stronger together, right?" Chiaki lowered her head yet still insisted of guarding them on the way. Suddenly, she stepped forth and grabbed their hand, looking at them right in their eyes.
"What exactly is on your mind now?" perplexed Ultimate Impostor, not understanding her actions at all. There was a particular innocent look in Chiaki's eyes, which made them even more confused.
"I just...want to show you that I trust you a lot. I know this is gonna sound weird but...I'm kind of scared of a touch if its by someone I don't know. I'm not sure what to expect...possibly even bad things. But here...I just wanna show you that, even though you'll do great, I want to support you. I want to be on your side to defend you from anything bad. Do you trust me on that, Ryota?" Chiaki declared that no matter what, they should relax around her, knowing that she will protect them at all costs. Despite her innocent look, there was a feel of desperation for her. Perhaps the whole conflict was slowly influencing her mind, ramping up her fears as it went on.
"...Even if it meant at the expense of yourself?" Ultimate Impostor gave a final question to her, to which she nodded without a single ounce of hesitation. The lack of restraint regarding her dedication to protect caused them to worry about her, even though the Impostor hid it deep within. They couldn't just reject her, knowing how utterly willing she was to fulfill her promises.
"….Alright….one thing though. This is only between us, do you copy that?" Ultimate Impostor requested that their mission should be only known between them.
"Understood. This secret shall be kept." nodded Chiaki before she got an idea, an experience with punksters she also remembered. "Actually...one more thing.".
"What is it?" Ulitmate Impostor raised their eyebrow.
"I know where we can go. It's a place that's a good hiding spot." recommended Chiaki before she was the first one to step out of her house, inviting Ultimate Impostor to go to a possible good hiding spot. "Just follow me.".
Ultimate Impostor, although intrigued by what she meant, followed her as they went on, to find the hiding spot for their operation.
After some walking amid the streets, they have went to Akihabara, the electronic center of Tokyo. The day at such place was same as ever, with crowds of people minding their own business. Both Chiaki and Impostor managed to blend in, although they walked close to each other, so that no one could get lost. Navigating through the labyrinth of electronics, they stopped themselves right in front of Akihabara Radio Kaikan, a place where her gang used to hide.
"Radio Kaikan? Why there, if I can ask?" wondered Ultimate Impostor on why exactly did she choose such location for their hideout. To them, it seemed rather random, if slightly expected, since Radio Kaikan had a lot of things that would attract otaku.
"That's where we hid when those gangsters chase us. Plus the building is pretty big as well, so if anyone tracks us, they'll need some time to find us out." Chiaki explained her choice for the location, remembering the whole event quite well.
"Hmm, I see. What floor should we go?" Ultimate Impostor didn't object before they asked for the exact location of their operation.
"Hmmm….somewhere hidden yet with a good means of escape. That rules out the roof, since the enemy could block it, essentially trapping us. I have brought my phone, in case the situation goes really bad. I think we should explore it." Chiaki thought about it as both of them went inside. Once again, the building was oddly devoid of people other than those two. Not a single place within the building had even a trace of anyone else. On one hand, no people meant no Daft Capo spies among them. On other hand, they couldn't blend in the public like they did outside. Still, the fact that Radio Kaikan seemed constantly empty raised even more suspicions.
"Kind of odd that such a building is empty. I expected that we could blend in with people, but it doesn't seem the case." noted Ultimate Impostor as they kept exploring the building void of people.
"It's been like that before too...I wonder why…" Chiaki started gazing at the ceiling, thinking about why exactly was the building so empty so frequently. Deeming the ground floor as too risky, they decided to go upstairs. Corridors were dimly lit, with the lack of people making the building darker than it seemed. After reaching the seventh floor, they still went up, landing right in the assembly hall. The place itself only had multiple yet same chairs placed like a rectangle and a stand, intended solely for conferences. Windows allowed light into the possibly most desolate place in already empty building.
"Hmmm….how about this?" Chiaki suggested as she placed herself in front of Ultimate Impostor. They looked around, noticing that while they do have multiple exits, the room itself was void of hiding spots. The impersonator opened their crusty laptop, booted it up and prepared the program for the virtual private network.
"The connection is surprisingly solid here. However, hiding spots are sparse here, but it has multiple exits. I think this will be a good place to test it, so lets begin." Ultimate Impostor agreed with the decision as they disconnected themselves from the main internet connection, instead starting up the virtual private network. Chiaki stood behind them, looking with great curiosity as the Impostor did their job. Once the network was up, they chose the false location of the source, just to confuse those who were, in theory, tracking them down. Then he clicked the icon for browser and logged in to one of e-mail accounts. It was a third party site, for increased security. Impostor seemed to already prepare themselves for a single test: send a message to themselves to see if its one hundred percent safe to send content with Daft Capo in it. Chiaki noticed that Impostor was including pictures in the e-mail, but no text. Only the title "Important Content" was the text. Just so that they would be beneath suspicion.
"I've forgot to mention that I've even made a proxy account, just so that it will be harder for us to track down. I've also copied pictures here, but I'll delete it afterwards." Ultimate Imposter pointed out that the e-mail they used was not their personal one, but a back up one. Once the photos uploaded and the required address put in, they were more or less set to try it out.
"Everything is set now. Are you prepared?" Ultimate Imposter asked one more time, just making sure if it was the right time to do it. Chiaki quietly nodded, but with a determined look on her face. It seemed like it was just right to do so. Impostor placed the cursor right on the button, with only one action needed.
"And sent." Ultimate Impostor clicked the button. An audible click was made and it echoed through out the room. Both of them eagerly awaited its return.
Yet, it didn't show up. There was no trace of it at all.
"Hold on a minute...something isn't right. I've sent it, I saw it with my eyes." Ultimate Imposter remained composed, where as Chiaki started to appear visibly concerned. Despite everything Imposter told her, could it be that not even a virtual private network was safe? "Just a second it could be just connection.".
Impostor pressed F5, yet the same result appeared: absence of the requested e-mail.
"Umm...why doesn't it show up?" asked Chiaki in a much more fearful tone than before. Neither of them understood why it refused to appear, despite their efforts. Impostor checked the "Sent" folder, only to find out that it didn't even register being sent. At that moment, their composure was cracking down.
"This has to be a mistake! Don't tell me that..." Ultimate Impostor started stammering before they quickly regained their composure, deciding to re-send the e-mail again. "No, let me try again".
They did the exact same thing as before, yet nothing changed. As if the e-mail never even existed. At that moment both of them got the idea that not a single way to communicate, other than being in-person, was safe at all.
"...No way….everything was set up to prevent this...yet it keeps happening…" murmured Ultimate Impostor, finding the whole thing hard to believe. By that moment, Chiaki's fear kicked in full force, now knowing how cornered they truly were against their enemy. Hope's peak didn't even have an ounce of such information control as Daft Capo did...or was it even the aforementioned adversary?
Meanwhile, Fritz was still patrolling the city with his Formula One car, looking everywhere to find someone to beat up. Then, much to his surprise, a crosshair appeared on the map, displaying the location of Radio Kaikan. Not only that, but a message from an informant also appeared on the multi-function display. It was exactly what he was looking for.
"Message with sensitive information has been intercepted. Suspected origin of it is Radio Kaikan. Inspect the location and make sure that the personnel who have attempted to undermine your efforts is taken care of.".
"WOOOOOO! Hell yeah, I've finally got some ass to kick!" Fritz pumped his fists as he slammed the pedal with his foot, speeding through streets, with V8 engine roaring through the entire Tokyo, gaining attention from those who have heard it. As he shat on every single speed law possible, with him going such speeds that he could physically feel the wind right in his face. He didn't even have a helmet, only his hat and sunglasses. It had to be a miracle that the hat didn't fly away, since he was driving through at 200 kilometers per hour on straight lines. Every time he had to make a turn, he slammed the brake. Such speed gave him so much adrenaline, that he had a massive grin on his face through out entire time. Lights, turning on from left to right, signaled him gear changes as his presence was getting known through out the city.
"Look at this badass fucker!" complimented one of citizens in awe as they saw the racing beast in the streets. Fritz's driving was also a surprise, he managed to go so fast, yet he hasn't crashed into a single car during it. With every second passed, he was getting closer.
Meanwhile, the duo was accepting the fact that there was no way they could communicate from distance. Only one option truly remained for them.
"Um, Ryota? Is….is it now the best time to retreat?" gulped Chiaki as she pointed towards the exit, with her entire arm trembling.
"….Yeah, I think so. We have to go away from it as fast as possible." Ultimate Impostor agreed immediately as they closed the laptop and started running towards the exit. Once they got out of the assembly hall, they started running downstairs as fast as possible. However, when they reached the fourth floor, they suddenly heard incoming footsteps. Since the building was always empty, that was not a good sign at all.
"Nanami, hide!" quietly ordered Ultimate Impostor as she ran towards the corridor, where the turn was covered with a wall. Impostor figured out that they couldn't hide, since the footsteps were getting louder. Instead, they improvised.
The person responsible for incoming footsteps was none other than Fritz, dressed in the usual Daft Capo attire while also wearing sunglasses. The way he walked was evident that he had nothing but confidence and pride in himself. He managed to encounter one person on fourth floor: a stout janitor, who was just mopping the floor as usual. The janitor was, of course, Ultimate Impostor, who managed to change their disguise in a matter of seconds. Only thing that resembled "Ryota" was the fact he was stout and the facial features seemed slightly similar. Chiaki, still hiding, was peeking from the corner. The man in tuxedo seemed oddly familiar to her, but she couldn't really put her finger on it.
"...Is that?…" wondered Chiaki as her irises shrunk. It could be that he was just another punkster, but she had a hunch that the fella was something else. Something more ominous than they would think. Meanwhile, Ultimate Impostor kept the facade of the innocent janitor, still mopping the floor.
"Hmm...another busy day, eh?" Fritz struck up a casual conversation with them, leaning on the wall with his shoulder.
"Yep, always working. That's my life." said Ultimate Impostor, even changing their voice to sound like an old man.
"That kinda boring though, right?" Fritz raised his eyebrow, wondering if the janitor was actually enjoying their job, since he deemed it as possibly the least desirable and least glamorous job there was.
"Well, there's joy to be had in even smallest things." shrugged Ultimate Impostor.
"So what you're saying is that you enjoy this job?" Fritz further asked, hardly imagining that any janitor would enjoy their job.
"I guess so. You gotta enjoy it until retirement." said Ultimate Impostor calmly.
"Hmm….I see….I see" Fritz squinted at the janitor before he went upstairs, but not before he stopped himself at the third step. "...You know, it's really funny that you are the only person in this building, isn't it, janitor?".
"Well, someone's gotta do the job." Ultimate Impostor continued mopping the floor, pretending that they do not mind the presence of their enemy right near to them. But little did they know….
"….or should I say Ultimate Impostor!" Fritz turned towards the with a grin, exposing their true identity. Chiaki managed to hear it, shocked upon what she just learned. How exactly did he know was the question that appeared in her mind.
"...Huh?!" Ultimate Impostor startled upon hearing their true identity uttered by the enemy. It also told them that Daft Capo now knows more than they initially imagined, even moreso compared to how much Fellowship of Darkness knew about Daft Capo.
"Aha! Got you now, you sneaky fucker! Seems like you scrubs are stepping up the game, so...let's go to the fun part shall we?" Fritz grinned even more as he pointed at the janitor, not even bothering to taunt them anymore as he cracked his fists. Then he flat out leaped at Ultimate Impostor, just being moments away from landing a hit right in their face, if it wasn't for one factor.
"Stay away from Ryota!" yelled Chiaki as she suddenly revealed herself, preparing herself to deliver her own Heaven Slaying Dragon Fist on Fritz. However, just as she was about to punch him right in the face, Fritz loosened his fist and grabbed her own, blocking her entire attack with easy. After he landed on his feet, he pushed away her fist, sending her a little bit back. Fritz stood tall above two students, with a big yet battle thirsty grin on his face.
"….Oh...oh gosh!" Chiaki's irises shrunk as she realized that she didn't even hit him, he fully managed to countered the Heaven Slaying Dragon Fist. As if Rando's attack wasn't enough, it also made her realize that both of them will be on the defensive side.
"Nanami, what are you-" Ultimate Impostor wanted to ask, but then they realized there was no longer any room to talk. Their enemy was just in front of them.
"Oho, now look at that! If it ain't Chiaki Nanami, the scrub that has punched one of our bois in the face and even fought another one to boot." jeered Fritz as he took of his glasses, revealing his blood thirsty eyes right in front of them. That look, that devious mustache, that lanky posture meant only one thing.
"...F-Fritz?" stuttered Chiaki once she realized who was she and Imposter up against. The same man who scored a victory against penguins, truly a fighter not to be underestimated by any means. Impostor gasped a little when they also realized.
"Ah, I see my surname is already famous among you scrubs. Good, because it will be one you'll remember for ages to come." boasted Fritz, delighted that Hope's peak was already aware of his presence. One recently told fact particularly stuck in their mind.
"….Y-your surname?" Chiaki and Ultimate Impostor both tilted their heads, confused on the fact his name was not actually Fritz.
"Yes! Fritz is just my surname, my real name is...Fischer! Fischer Fritz! Now, lets cut this chatter and get to the real shit!" clarified Fritz before he pulled out four blunts out of his pocket, with the lighter providing fire for all four of those. Then, Fritz put all of them in his mouth as he pulled the blunts with his mouth. He wasn't even getting high off from them, it was too low power for him.
"...W-what is he doing?" stammered Chiaki, utterly perplexed on what was Fritz doing. She has never seen anyone smoke such an odd object before. Impostor was also confused by Fritz's sudden need to smoke. Then, it kind of became clear what Fritz intended to do when the Elite Boi put burned blunts between his fingers. A blunt brass knuckle, if one might. Upon realizing it, Impostor struck with his mop, hitting Fritz right in the stomach, but only sending him back just a bit. They did it just in time before Fritz would lunge himself at them. However, he didn't feel any pain, just more thrill.
"Ohoho, first strike! Good one, I must say! But now….prepare your asses! Fischer Fritz fischt frische Fische!" chuckled Fritz before he raised his blunt-supported fist, quickly thinking on which target he would select. Since Impostor was the first one to deliver the first strike, he started sprinting towards Impostor. The janitor decided to use his mop like a fencer, but his second attack was quickly countered with Fritz's roundhouse kick. He kicked it so hard, that it broke in half, with one half flying across the corridor. Even though the end of the mop was sharper, it was too short range as Fritz was near to deliver the punch right in Impostor's face, only for Chiaki to ram him with her entire body, allowing Impostor to evade the feeling of burned blunts agonizing his face.
However, Fritz still stood, as he redirected his attention to Chiaki. Due to her ramming attack making her really close to Fritz, he directed the jab right in her stomach, causing her to feel the burning heads of blunts. Such objects were crushed due impact, no longer being usable in the process.
"OOOOW!" yelped Chiaki upon the impact as she tried leaned over to ease the burning pain. She still tried to stand, but Fritz just simply pushed her with an unoccupied hand, causing her to fall right on the floor. She whimpered due to pain, but she still tried to stand up, even though she was expecting taunts, it turned out Fritz was a different kind of fighter. With her being cornered on the floor, Fritz was prepared to not only kick the hell out of her, but also stomp on her. He was just about to raise his foot, if it not been for Impostor placing their arm in front of Fritz's neck, establishing a grip to keep him away from Chiaki.
"Nanami, run!" ordered Ultimate Impostor as they tried their best to keep Fritz away from her, where as he was gleefully attempting to jabbing him in his stomach with the help of his elbows. Despite that, Impostor endured as much as they could as Fritz tried to weasel out of the grip.
"...No….I won't….I won't run away!" insisted Chiaki as she got up, even though she was still in great pain. She was still leaning forward to ease it off, but she started approaching Fritz as fast as she could.
"Watch out!" Ultimate Impostor suddenly alerted as Fritz attempted to kick her, but she managed to hop away just in time, allowing her to punch him in the stomach in the mean time.
"Funny, very funny!" chuckled Fritz, not even feeling the pain, even though her punches were surprising for someone like her. Then, just as he was about to kick her again, Chiaki finally managed to do what she intended in the first place.
"HEAVEN SLAYING DRAGON FIST!".
It was the first attack from a Hope's peak student that made Fritz feel something. Power, which he did not expect from a "noob". A huge boost of thrill and adrenaline pumped through his body as Fritz got finally what he wanted: a proper fight.
"HOOOOOOOOO! GOOD ONE, GIRL!" praised Fritz, with his satisfied grin being one of the hugest he had through out the day. Such reaction caused much confusion for his opponents, baffled that he seemed to love that punch. However, for Chiaki that meant that her attack couldn't knock out Fritz as she hoped.
"Y-you...you liked it?" stammered Chiaki, caught off guard by his remark. Impostor felt the same as well, but kept their guard up.
"Yes! Now I see that you are not just a noob! That Heaven Slaying Fist, that one was so good, woman! I have something like that too, ya kno-" Fritz started to flatter her, even though all he was doing was making her confused. The odd thing about it that his flattery was sincere. However, Impostor picked upon where Fritz was leading.
"I am afraid I have to take that joy away from you." threatened Impostor as he dragged the resisting Fritz to the stairs and pushed him downstairs, rolling down like a ragdoll. He seemed to roll so much, that he kept rolling even after he left the stairs. With him out of the sight, they contemplated if it was now the time to escape.
"Evasive maneuvers time, right?" asked Chiaki, still leaning from her pain as she looked Impostor in the face. However, just as they thought of escaping, they heard the incoming footsteps, signifying that Fritz was coming for the round two.
"No, not yet." alerted Impostor as he suddenly grabbed the nearby fire extinguisher and doused the entire stairs with the blast of carbon dioxide. The blast itself was to possibly push Fritz away as much as possible, but they did not know if it was effective or not. After deeming that enough of it was doused, they waited to see if it was any effective.
Turned out it wasn't, as Fritz emerged from the white smoke, with a blood thirsty grin on his face. He seemed to have whopping eight blunts between his fingers, although they were extinguished.
"Shame that those blunts got wasted. They were good ones." Fritz casually commented as if nothing happened to him, with his only regret being waste of good weed. Both Chiaki and Impostor were utterly baffled by his behavior, it was like they were fighting an enemy that doesn't care.
"...How are you not under influence at this point?" Impostor asked in the heat of the battle with a raised eyebrow.
"Twelve blunts in a day? Weak ass game, if you ask me. Now, no more accessories. Let us do it like professionals!" scoffed Fritz before he lunged himself at Chiaki, ready to beat her up with his fists and fists only. Before she would receive an uppercut to her face, Chiaki managed to step away just in time, allowing her to headbutt Fritz right in his face. However, compared to her Heaven Slaying Dragon Fist, it wasn't much, as Fritz kneed her right in her stomach again, causing her to fall down once again, whimpering in pain once again. Upon seeing her friend fall, Imposter's already hidden rage against Fritz was let out, as he attempted to punch him right in his smug face. However, Fritz managed to casually evade any attack done by the Impostor, with him returning flurry of punches right in Impostor's belly. Even though he tanked it better than Nanami, his stamina was starting to drop, only for him to be put on the floor with Fritz's roundhouse kick.
Not even bothering with a taunt, Fritz intended to kick the hell out of Impostor, just like he intended to do with Chiaki before. Just when he was about to start with a satisfied grin on his face, Chiaki rolled over just in time, making him trip over her.
"...Fi...fire extinguisher….use...it…." whimpered out Chiaki, giving Impostor advice on what to use. Although in anguish, Impostor managed to pick themselves up and staggered towards the lying fire extinguisher. Due to Fritz tripping over her, Impostor managed to snatch the fire extinguisher before deciding what to do. Just as Fritz was about to stand up, Impostor, without any sort of hesitation, threw the fire extinguisher right in his face with as much force as possible, finally knocking down the gangster menace in the process.
With Fritz finally downed (though still alive), Impostor, with all the power they had, helped Chiaki pick herself up. They only had one goal in mind: get away from Fritz as far as possible.
"We gotta make a run for it, Nanami. We don't have much time." suggested Ultimate Impostor, letting her arm be over their shoulder as they both staggered downstairs, leaving the Radio Kaikan once and for all. Such turn of events was one of worst case scenarios for both of them. Not only was any communication dangerous, but they also track you down. Only bad news for the Fellowship, but somehow, they managed to overcome one of the elites.
After what it felt like an eternity, they managed to safely reach Chiaki's home. Once inside, Impostor placed Chiaki on the couch, so that she could finally relax after everything she has went through. Even Impostor was relieved to be at her home, they were also glad that both of them returned, especially what could have happened if they lost.
"Oh gosh...oh gosh….that was close…." Chiaki took deep breaths as she hugged herself, needing to touch something after being in such situation. Even though she was hiding it, her quivering lip and heavy breathing made it clear that she was being overwhelmed with stress. Not to mention that the pain in her stomach was still strong as ever, thanks to tanking hits from the battle before.
"That should have never happened in the first place….I….I apologize for having you do this. You didn't deserve it." Ultimate Impostor lowered their head, expressing regret that she had to deal with it. In a way, their trust of themselves was damaged, since they essentially led their friend to danger.
"It's fine...don't worry about it. Besides, together we have beaten Fritz, right?" Chiaki held no grudge against her friend, instead being just happy that both made it out, thanks to their strengths. The fact that they actually knocked out an elite gave them a feeling of relief. A hope that Hope's peak does have a chance.
"We did knock him out. It must have been luck." admitted Ultimate Impostor, even though the regret they felt was still there. They wanted to make up to her, even though she didn't really mind it. As long as they were safe, it was all okay.
"Feels so surreal, doesn't it?...To..you know...actually beat an elite once…" mumbled Chiaki as she kept taking deep breaths, forcing herself to smile despite her anguish.
"That was the one that defeated penguins in Denmark, right?" asked Ultimate Impostor.
"Yeah...it was him…I think that...if we can take down him together….we can…." confirmed Chiaki.
"Hm...we shall see about that...but now, how are you feeling? As in like, does it hurt anywhere?" Ultimate Impostor redirected the conversation to her, wondering if there was anything they could do for her.
"Nah...it's fine-" Chiaki tried to deny it, but for a test, Impostor placed their index finger on Chiaki's stomach, which immediately caused her to flinch from pain. "Ow! Ow…".
"I thought so. Hold on, let me get something." Ultimate Impostor thought exactly what was the deal with her as they stood up, went to the kitchen and brought her a wet towel, giving it to her. "Here, have this.".
She took the towel, faced away from Impostor for a moment, just so she could lift her shirt as she pressed the wet towel on her tummy. Once she deemed it safe that her bare, yet rather thin tummy won't be shown due to not only marks from burned blunts, but because Chiaki was rather shy in terms of showing skin, she turned back to Impostor as she let a little, yet still pained smile at them.
"Hold it until the pain passes away. Lay down while at it. I'm gonna be here until I am sure everything is alright." suggested Ultimate Impostor with Chiaki following their advice word to word. Since Impostor let her have the couch by herself, she laid down, letting the towel absorb the pain.
"Hey...can we keep this whole thing a secret? Just between us?" quietly requested Chiaki, knowing that revealing the situation would cause others to be concerned.
"Of course. After all, it's a secret in the first place. I will tell the results about the network, though." promised Ultimate Impostor as they nodded, keeping the whole thing known only to them.
"Yeah, that one should be fine...I think." approved Chiaki before she wanted to discuss, something which the enemy used against them. "Hey….can I ask something?".
"Hm?" wondered Ultimate Impostor.
"Why did Fritz call you an Ultimate Impostor? You seemed to be...rather worried about that." piqued Chiaki with a concerned look on the face. She welt like it was something that struck Impostor hard.
"...I suppose I will reveal it to you, since you do seem trustworthy." sighed Ultimate Impostor before they revealed the truth to her. "...I am that. I am the Ultimate Impostor. Ryota Mitarai is my friend. I am doing his part because he is preoccupied with the projects he's working on and also to protect him. At the very least he has something, unlike me. I am just a mere shell, whose history is merely a blank slate. For years, I've got only food on my side. That is the truth behind me.".
Chiaki suddenly felt weight on her heart, as if she could feel burdens of her friend by herself. To have absolutely nothing in one's life seemed rather familiar with her. She tried to hold it in, but her frown and the devastated look in her eyes told everything.
"...I think...I understand it now…" murmured Chiaki, just looking at her friend with sadness she was trying so hard to hide.
"I apologize for deceiving you for so long." Ultimate Impostor lowered their head down, expressing another regret. Yet, they didn't want to leave her alone, it was an odd feeling that Ultimate Impostor had someone to confide to.
"No...it's not that….I get why you had to do...but…" Chiaki started reassuring them, even though she felt her heart getting heavier. She reached out for them with her hand, that time Impostor willingly yet gently grabbed it, finally showing trust by their volition. In a way, she knew exactly how they felt, but she wasn't prepared to reveal her true self to them. "...I just want you to know...you deserve someone by your side. Anyone….no one should have felt this alone…".
"I believe I've already have some people on my side." Ultimate Impostor suddenly, yet for a moment that would never be forgotten, let out a relaxed smile as they looked at her in her eyes, with them finally acknowledging each other as true friends. Chiaki couldn't help but to smile back, this time free of any pain. Impostor stayed at her home, taking care of Chiaki until the evening, when they had to go. At the very least, they turned out to be alright in the end.
Meanwhile, Fritz regained consciousness back at the fourth floor of Radio Kaikan, waking up with an oddly satisfied grimace, despite the fact that he got bodied by two students, who they were deemed as "scrubs".
"Very good one, lads! This was fun!" complimented Fritz before he realized that their intrusion meant that if he went to Hope's peak next day, he would be wrecked immediately. "However, this severely fucks up some things. Now that these two fought me, I can't storm in the scrub zone! They'd already know! Not that I would mind normally, but I do not want a quick, yet shitty fight! Gotta contact my boi about it.".
He pulled out his phone out of his pocket and called the boss of Elite Bois.
"Eyy, my mang!" greeted Fritz like he usually does.
"What do you have so important to say on Saturday? Didn't you say you're going to cause a brawl on Monday?" began the talk with his condescending yet unrestrained attitude.
"Change of plans, boi. They've already got taste of me. I'd say….send in Tom." Fritz reported his situation, revealing that it would be better off if they sent the cat towards the academy. Usually, would scoff at that idea, but since Tom was involved, he took it in a different way.
"Hmmm, Tom already? How odd of you. The type of a guy that you are would always seek a fight first….but I am quite eager to deploy him as quickly as possible. This will be fun." approved the idea of sending that Elite Boi to Hope's peak academy, ensuring that the event will be drastic.
"Ayy, just gotta tell him about it….Lemme find that fucker first." said Fritz.
"Very well then. Bring him in." ordered with delight in his voice.
"With pleasure!" Fritz concluded the call as he went on his way to find his Formula One car, to which he did after he stepped out of the building. Then, he sped through the city, returning to Zona Daft Capo. Weirdly enough, he stopped himself in front of a random, shadowy alleyway, awaiting for another Elite Boi to come.
"Tom, come here, you fuck!" Fritz called out for his colleague, but before that, pigeons flew out of the shadow, preparing themselves as if they were placing a red carpet. Then, out of the same shadow, a person covered in black cloak appeared. Pigeons bobbed their heads as the person kept getting closer. After reaching the Formula One, they threw away the cloak, revealing that it was Tom.
"Here's the plan. You go to Hope's peak and beat the hell out of their asses! You got that?" Fritz told him about what will happen next day. Tom nodded with a satisfied grin on his face, deeming the entire school as a small fry to cook.
"Excellent! Now excuse me, I've gotta watch some football! Bayern's playing it!" praised Fritz before he drove off, returning to the hideout, where he could watch the sport. Meanwhile, Tom devilishly rubbed his hands with a bigger grin on his face, intending to cause calamity to which Hope's peak has never seen before. The next day was the day when the most prestigious school in Japan shall face the one and only, Thomas the Cat.