"Heh, I'm sorry about slamming the door in your face" Naota said as
he leaned back against the wall.
"Hey, its no problem. You must have been surprised to see me." Amarao light up a cigarette as he leaned back against the wall. He made a face as he smoked. He held the pack up to Naota.
"Sorry, I don't smoke" Naota said in reply.
"You sure? They say only mature, responsible adults should smoke. Say, I'm a little puckish, you wouldn't happen to have anything sweet in there?"
"Just diet soda," Naota said. He looked out at the street, which was now mostly blocked off. The police had closed the entire block and were rerouting traffic to go past his building. They believed some sort of care pile-up was responsible for all the damage. "So, why are you here again?"
"Well, you've heard about what happened in Mabase, I assume?" When Naota nodded, he went on. "We have no idea what happened to the factory. Its like some comet just fell out of space and destroyed it."
"Tell me about it..." Naota muttered.
"What?"
"Huh?"
"You said 'tell me about it.' What do you mean?"
"Oh, nothing, nothing" Naota forced a large smile onto his face, even as one of those large eyebrows cocked curiously at him. Naota felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. Those eyebrows...
"Anyhow...earlier tonight we got some strange readings back at HQ. It looked almost like an N-O channel, just like the ones way back when...well, you remember. Considering you were just as involved in that situation as I was, I thought you might know something about it." He pointed both of his eyebrows straight at Naota, who flinched a little.
"Afraid I don't know anything..." Naota finally said. He felt nervous telling so many lies in one night. He tried his hardest to look like he was telling the truth, but Amarao had a perpetually suspicious look about him. It was the eyebrows.
"Well...pity." Amarao reached into his pocket and handed Naota a small card with a phone number on it. "Well, that's my extension line. If you do see, hear...or feel anything, you will let me know, won't you?"
"Yeah, sure" Naota muttered as he stuffed the card into his pocket.
"Well, thanks for taking the time" Amarao said. He turned to leave, but then turned and gave Naota his best accusing look. "You know...its funny. I investigated the wreckage of the factory myself...and there were these tire marks all over the place. I had them analyzed. You know, they are the exact same type of tires that were on her Vespa. Isn't that strange?"
"Eyebrows..." Naota thought aloud.
"What about eyebrows?"
"Nothing!" Naota said, louder than he had wanted. He was cracking under pressure, and Amarao knew it. He decided to cut this as short as possible. He faked a yawn. "Look, I've got classes in the morning, I really need my sleep."
"21 years old and still going to school," Amarao said, shaking his head. He saluted Naota, and headed off down the street.
Naota remained, standing on the curb for a moment, and then let his shoulders lower from his ears for the second time that night. He went back inside.
"Well, does he know anything useful?" Kitsurubami asked when Amarao got into the van with her.
"He said he doesn't know a thing, but I don't believe him. He slammed the door right in my face when he saw me. I think he's hiding something. Lets keep an eye on him for the new few days." Kitsurubami started the engine up and started driving. There was a tense silence between the two of them for a few blocks. After a while, Amarao spoke up again. "So, Kitsurubami, how have you been?" His hand brushed against her thigh.
Kitsurubami shrieked and nearly veered off the road. When she regained control of the vehicle she threw Amarao the angriest expression he had ever seen. He cringed back for a moment, but Kitsurubami's wrath was soon distracted by the sound of a motorcycle engine approaching.
"Boy, this guy is coming up real fast..." she muttered as she saw the approaching driver in the side-view mirror. She reached her arm out the window and waved, trying to tell him to pass her. Instead, he just kept coming. He drove up alongside the van, and glared at the two of them with his crazed looking eyes.
"I don't like the look of this..." Amarao said. The moment the words left his mouth, the harassing driver suddenly produced a guitar and swung it high over his head. Kitsurubami and Amarao both realized what was happening at the same time and screamed.
He struck the van hard along its side. The force of the blow blew it clean off the road, sending it tumbling through the air. It landed on its back, the tires still spinning. It screeched to a halt against the curb.
Kitsurubami groaned as she opened her eyes. She had blacked out for a few moments. She realized her situation, and then muttered a prayer of thanks to the heavens for whoever had invented seatbelts. She unbuckled hers, from her seat, and then crawled out through the smashed window.
"Administrator Amarao, are you..." she said between the pain as she tried to stand.
"Kitsu! Heeeeeeelp meeeeeee!" came the shrieked reply. Her eyes flashed open just in time to see their attacker's motorcycle go streaking off into the distance.
"Hey, its no problem. You must have been surprised to see me." Amarao light up a cigarette as he leaned back against the wall. He made a face as he smoked. He held the pack up to Naota.
"Sorry, I don't smoke" Naota said in reply.
"You sure? They say only mature, responsible adults should smoke. Say, I'm a little puckish, you wouldn't happen to have anything sweet in there?"
"Just diet soda," Naota said. He looked out at the street, which was now mostly blocked off. The police had closed the entire block and were rerouting traffic to go past his building. They believed some sort of care pile-up was responsible for all the damage. "So, why are you here again?"
"Well, you've heard about what happened in Mabase, I assume?" When Naota nodded, he went on. "We have no idea what happened to the factory. Its like some comet just fell out of space and destroyed it."
"Tell me about it..." Naota muttered.
"What?"
"Huh?"
"You said 'tell me about it.' What do you mean?"
"Oh, nothing, nothing" Naota forced a large smile onto his face, even as one of those large eyebrows cocked curiously at him. Naota felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. Those eyebrows...
"Anyhow...earlier tonight we got some strange readings back at HQ. It looked almost like an N-O channel, just like the ones way back when...well, you remember. Considering you were just as involved in that situation as I was, I thought you might know something about it." He pointed both of his eyebrows straight at Naota, who flinched a little.
"Afraid I don't know anything..." Naota finally said. He felt nervous telling so many lies in one night. He tried his hardest to look like he was telling the truth, but Amarao had a perpetually suspicious look about him. It was the eyebrows.
"Well...pity." Amarao reached into his pocket and handed Naota a small card with a phone number on it. "Well, that's my extension line. If you do see, hear...or feel anything, you will let me know, won't you?"
"Yeah, sure" Naota muttered as he stuffed the card into his pocket.
"Well, thanks for taking the time" Amarao said. He turned to leave, but then turned and gave Naota his best accusing look. "You know...its funny. I investigated the wreckage of the factory myself...and there were these tire marks all over the place. I had them analyzed. You know, they are the exact same type of tires that were on her Vespa. Isn't that strange?"
"Eyebrows..." Naota thought aloud.
"What about eyebrows?"
"Nothing!" Naota said, louder than he had wanted. He was cracking under pressure, and Amarao knew it. He decided to cut this as short as possible. He faked a yawn. "Look, I've got classes in the morning, I really need my sleep."
"21 years old and still going to school," Amarao said, shaking his head. He saluted Naota, and headed off down the street.
Naota remained, standing on the curb for a moment, and then let his shoulders lower from his ears for the second time that night. He went back inside.
"Well, does he know anything useful?" Kitsurubami asked when Amarao got into the van with her.
"He said he doesn't know a thing, but I don't believe him. He slammed the door right in my face when he saw me. I think he's hiding something. Lets keep an eye on him for the new few days." Kitsurubami started the engine up and started driving. There was a tense silence between the two of them for a few blocks. After a while, Amarao spoke up again. "So, Kitsurubami, how have you been?" His hand brushed against her thigh.
Kitsurubami shrieked and nearly veered off the road. When she regained control of the vehicle she threw Amarao the angriest expression he had ever seen. He cringed back for a moment, but Kitsurubami's wrath was soon distracted by the sound of a motorcycle engine approaching.
"Boy, this guy is coming up real fast..." she muttered as she saw the approaching driver in the side-view mirror. She reached her arm out the window and waved, trying to tell him to pass her. Instead, he just kept coming. He drove up alongside the van, and glared at the two of them with his crazed looking eyes.
"I don't like the look of this..." Amarao said. The moment the words left his mouth, the harassing driver suddenly produced a guitar and swung it high over his head. Kitsurubami and Amarao both realized what was happening at the same time and screamed.
He struck the van hard along its side. The force of the blow blew it clean off the road, sending it tumbling through the air. It landed on its back, the tires still spinning. It screeched to a halt against the curb.
Kitsurubami groaned as she opened her eyes. She had blacked out for a few moments. She realized her situation, and then muttered a prayer of thanks to the heavens for whoever had invented seatbelts. She unbuckled hers, from her seat, and then crawled out through the smashed window.
"Administrator Amarao, are you..." she said between the pain as she tried to stand.
"Kitsu! Heeeeeeelp meeeeeee!" came the shrieked reply. Her eyes flashed open just in time to see their attacker's motorcycle go streaking off into the distance.
