A Cadillac CTS-V stopped outside the warehouse. Jeff turned the engine off while Umi and Maki took out their guns. They looked out of the windows and saw Jeff's pickup truck, as well as a few Ford Transit. Masked men were seen coming out from it, holding their pistols in their hands and walking towards the entrance of the warehouse.
"Those must be Regis's men." Eli said, "Looks like my prediction is right. He definitely lured Umi out here before sending his henchmen to kill her. He's a pretty cunning asshole. He really wants us dead, doesn't he?"
"If that's the case, we need to find a way to save Umi and defeat all these masked men." Maki stated, "But there's a lot of them. Are we really able to take them down before reaching Umi?"
"Relax, it's gonna be fine." Jeff reassured the women, "We've defeated dozens of men at one go before. These people here should be no different. After this, I will confront Umi for taking my truck. The audacity of her to steal my keys."
"Really? Is that more important to you than saving a comrade?" Eli had a deadpan expression on her face.
"Look, sweetie, this is all about integrity and honesty." Jeff retorted, "Those are values every human should have. Now let's get going before your friend gets killed in the hands of the crime syndicate." Before Eli could lash out at him for calling her sweetie, he stepped out of the car with his AK-47. Eli sighed and facepalmed herself as Maki chuckled softly.
Back in the warehouse, Kotori took the shirt off the man she had just killed and tied it around Umi's chest, in hopes to try and slow the bleeding down. Just then, she heard footsteps from the entrance. More masked men were coming her way. She quickly reloaded her own pistol and hid behind the boxes. She breathed in and out before listening closely to the treads of the men.
Once she felt that they were close, she stood up and started shooting them. As more started coming, she still managed to gun them all down, until one last guy came in. She tried pulling her trigger, but no bullet came out. She cursed in silence as she kept her pistol back into her pocket.
She scanned her surroundings for any guns, but all the masked men she killed earlier carried knives. She quickly pulled Umi behind the boxes and prayed that the man wouldn't find her. Unfortunately, the man spotted her a few seconds later and pointed the gun at her. She wrapped her hands around Umi's body. She was already prepared. If she had to die, she would do so peacefully alongside Umi. As he was about to shoot her, Jeff gunned him down on the head, effectively finishing him off. Eli and Maki went to Kotori and Umi.
"What in the world happened to Umi?" Eli questioned, "She looked like she was knocked out cold."
"She...she got shot thrice in the chest." Kotori cried, "She's bleeding profusely, so I tried tying something around her big wound, but I'm so scared she wouldn't be able to make it. Please save her. You are her friends, right? Please do something, I beg you. She can't die."
"Jeff, do you have anything in mind?" Maki turned to him, "We definitely can't go to the hospital. It's too dangerous for us there." He stood on the spot and facepalmed himself. There was definitely some pressure put on him. If he was unable to come up with a solution, Umi would die, and he would feel guilty for it. Luckily, he managed to think of something.
"I might have a person I can turn to for help." He told the girls, "You bring Umi into the Cadillac, and I'll drive my pickup truck. You better follow me closely. Don't lose me, or she'll die." With that, he ran out of the warehouse. Eli and Kotori helped Umi up as Maki rushed to unlock the car.
Once the girls got into the car, Maki stepped on the accelerator and drove after Jeff. Kotori, in the backseat together with an unconscious Umi, placed her hands on the latter's wound to apply pressure on it and stop the bleeding. Apparently, that didn't work as blood continued oozing out. That made the police officer feel anxious and distressed.
"Why is the car so slow? Couldn't you drive it any faster?" Kotori asked angrily, "Umi-chan's out here fucking bleeding, and she needs immediate medical attention, and yet you're driving so god damn slow! Do you want Umi-chan to die or something?!"
"Can't you see I'm trying my best?" Maki retorted, "If I drive any faster, I would go past the speed limit, and that'll attract that stupid force of yours. Will you be happy to see all of us get arrested then, you dumb bitch? You think I wanted Umi to be injured and die in our hands? Nobody wanted this."
"Cool down, the both of you." Eli said, "Ms Officer, Maki's driving the car to her best ability. We know how serious the situation is right now, and we all want Umi to be alive too. Fret not, we will make it. Just have some faith in us, alright?" Kotori sighed and nodded her head in response.
After what seemed like an hour, Jeff pulled up in front of a house, while the Cadillac stopped shortly after. He got out of his truck and went to knock on the door. A few seconds later, a man opened the door. He looked at Jeff with his eyebrows raised, as if he didn't want Jeff to be here.
"Who are you, and why are you here?" The man asked in an annoyed tone.
"Hello, mister. My name is Jeff Connor." Jeff introduced himself, "I am here to look for a woman named Grace. I wonder if she is at home today. If so, can I speak to her for a minute?"
"What are you? An insurance agent? A boy scout? Or are you one of her suitors?" Jordan sighed, "Either way, she's at home. I'll let her deal with you, in case she knows you. Just to let you know though, if you're the last option, then kindly get away from this house right now, because she's not accepting anyone at this moment."
"I'm kinda in a hurry here." Jeff replied, "So if you could just…"
"Only if you do not belong to the last category."
"Okay, fine, if you want reassurance, I'm not one of her suitors. Does that sound convincing enough?" Jeff glared at him, "Now, can you please get Grace here so that I can talk to her? It's really urgent." The man rolled his eyes before walking up the stairs. Subsequently, a woman came down to the door.
"I don't think I remember you at all." She voiced out, "Your name's Jeff Connor? According to my memory, I've never heard of that name before. Tell me, what are you here for? To sell me an insurance plan?"
"Grace, I'm glad you're around." Jeff uttered, "Look, I need your help desperately. My friend was shot by a shotgun, and she is bleeding profusely now. She is at risk of dying. I've heard you are a certified mage now…"
"Hold up." Grace held her hands up, palms facing him, "What is this fantasy story you're narrating to me right now? I'm just a normal human being. I'm not some mage or whatever shit you're saying."
In the Cadillac, Maki and Eli were observing the conversation. Maki noticed that Grace doesn't seem interested in helping them. Eli looked back at Kotori, who was hugging Umi tightly with tears in her eyes. Eli couldn't bear to tell her what was happening currently. The blonde woman hoped that Grace might change her mind.
Back at the house, Jeff was trying to explain himself, "But…"
"We're not in Hogwarts or some fictional world." Grace continued, "Just tell me if you're a scam artist like those in YouTube ads who just need some money for your own selfish needs. I'm not rich, so please don't come here ever again, or I'll report you." As she was about to close the door, Jeff said something that caught her attention and stopped her in her tracks.
"I'm Mr Brocker's adoptive son!" He exclaimed, "And this time, I really need some help. I'm trying to fulfill his wish of taking down the crime syndicate, and I'm doing that with my friends here. One of them is injured now, and…"
"Say no more." She opened the door wide, "Bring the woman in." Jeff then signalled to Maki to bring Umi in. The girls quickly got out of the car and carried Umi into the house, and Grace led the team to her room.
Grace inquired about Umi's wounds, to which Kotori answered by pointing at them. Grace nodded her head in response and told the rest to get out of the room and close the door. While Jeff, Kotori, Maki, and Eli were waiting outside, Jordan came down to the first floor, and he certainly wasn't pleasantly surprised to see them at all. Before he could ask them what they're doing here, the ground below them started shaking.
"What the hell's going on?" Maki questioned.
"No way she's doing it." The man muttered to himself and shook his head as he staggered towards the door and tried to open it, but it was locked. He knocked on it and called Grace's name, but there was no response from her.
"Oh, now this is great!" He turned towards them and scowled, "Why did you make her do it? What rights do you have to make her do it?"
"Rights? Do what?" Eli looked at him with confusion, "I don't even know why this damn house is shaking. Are we experiencing an earthquake now? Is this a common occurrence or something?" Just as she said that, the ground stopped trembling. He took out a set of keys from his pocket and unlocked the door. That was when he saw an exhausted Grace sitting down on the floor, leaning against the wardrobe as she huffed and puffed. Jeff, Kotori, Eli, and Maki rushed in the room and looked at her worriedly.
"Are you okay, Grace?" Jeff asked with concern.
"What do you think, dumbass?" Jordan retorted, "Does she look okay? She used up a lot of magic to heal your god damn friend, which drained her physically and mentally. She just recently graduated as a mage, and yet you made her heal someone! Are you guys sadists? Do you enjoy seeing someone suffer? Do…"
"That's enough, Jordan." Grace patted his shoulder, "I...chose to help them." She then turned to the other four people in the room, "I've healed...all of her wounds...she's unconscious now...but she should...be awake in...a few hours."
"Thank you, Ms Grace." Kotori bowed down, "Thank you for saving Umi-chan. I can't thank you enough." Jeff, Eli, and Maki bowed down afterwards, saying their thanks. Grace just waved it off and smiled weakly at them.
Jordan cleared his throat, "Now, if you excuse me, I'll bring her up to my room. That way, she'll not be disturbed by you guys and she can have a good rest." He then carried her out of her room and up the stairs.
"That man is pretty uncouth." Maki crossed her arms, "He didn't tell us anything, and yet he expects us to know everything. What does he think we are? Mind readers? What an asshole."
"And he's still scared of other guys stealing her when he has this impertinent attitude." Jeff scoffed as he shook his head in disapproval, "He's so overprotective of her, he might as well be her father." Eli went to calm the two of them down while Kotori thought about Umi.
Two hours later, Umi regained consciousness. She slowly opened her eyes and looked at the ceiling. She was not in the warehouse, but in someone else's house instead. She had no idea why she was even in here. She was however more surprised she woke up and was still alive. She touched her chest and felt no bullet holes at all. Where did they all go? How was she not dead? Was this perhaps all a dream, and that she just had a really bad nightmare?
She slowly sat up with difficulty from the bed, her body feeling moderately painful. She was parched though, and she needed a cup of water to quench her thirst. She placed her feet on the floor and tried to stand up, but the excruciating pain in her chest made her unable to even get out of bed, and she whined in agony.
Kotori was carrying a cup of water and a plate of cookies from the kitchen into the room to feed Umi. When Kotori stepped into the room though, she saw Umi groaning in pain. She quickly placed the things she was holding on a small table beside the bed and went to Umi.
"Don't go anywhere, Umi-chan." Kotori told her, "Stay on the bed. You had just been healed. You need to get some rest. If you need anything, just call me and I'll help you with it. Please don't try to do anything yourself." The police officer proceeded to pass a cookie and the glass of water to her.
"Alright, Kotori." Umi replied as she ate the crunchy biscuit, "I'll listen to what you say and rest here. Thanks for the cookies and water too."
"Jeez, you always make me worried." Kotori pouted, "I thought you were gonna die when you took the bullets for me. I was scared witless." She then looked down.
"I'm sorry, Kotori." Umi sighed , "I didn't mean to make you worried. I just wanted to protect you. You're a pretty important person to me." Both of them kept quiet for a while as the vigilante gulped down the water from the cup before speaking up again.
"You know, Kotori, I wanted to tell you something, but I never got the chance to do so. I finally have one today, so I'm going to say it. This whole crime thingy...yes, I did it because I felt that the police weren't doing enough. I wanted to seek redress for the victims of the deceased, and bring the crime syndicate to justice. However, there's another reason why I'm doing this too. I did it...for you." Upon hearing that, Kotori gave Umi a surprised look.
"Do you remember when you said you wanted to go out on a date with me?" Umi resumed, holding both of Kotori's hands, "After this whole ordeal ends? I really, really, really wanted to go out on a date with you, as much as I'm embarrassed to admit it. I...I love you, Kotori. I love everything about you. You're beautiful, you have a kind-hearted personality, and you were the one who understood me the best. That's what made me fall in love with you. I just want to be with you for the rest of my life. Even if I have to risk my life saving you, I would in a heartbeat…"
"Don't you say that...don't you ever say that again!" Kotori screamed at her, "You will not die, you hear me? I forbid you to die and leave me alone, especially in my arms, so you better take those words back!"
"Y...yes…" As Umi was about to continue, Kotori suddenly kissed her on the lips. Umi wanted to push her away at first due to shock, but soon gave in and wrapped her arms around Kotori's neck as they shared a kiss. They stayed in that position for half a minute before pulling away from each other.
"I love you too, Umi-chan." Kotori whimpered with tears in her eyes, "You're the most important person in my life. That's why I can't bear to lose you. If you were to leave me one day, my whole world would crumble down. You know how frightened I was when you took the shots for me? I was so afraid that you would die."
"I'm still here, ain't I?" Umi sniffled as she hugged a weeping Kotori, "I promise I won't leave you again. I swear." They hugged for a good minute before they were interrupted by someone knocking on the door. The two girls stopped hugging each other and turned to the door, where they saw Eli, Jeff, and Maki waiting outside the room.
"I see you are awake, Umi." Eli commented, "You two have made up too. How wonderful. How are you feeling right now?"
"A bit of pain in the chest, but other than that, I'm fine." Umi replied, "I'm sorry I caused a big ruckus here. I troubled all of you and made everyone worried. My apologies."
"You're one of us." Maki said, "We couldn't possibly leave you in the lurch."
Eli then turned to Kotori, "I'm sorry I brought you into this big mess. It was just supposed to be me, Umi, Maki, and Jeff, but you got involved somehow. Give us some time to take this crime syndicate down. Hopefully you can try to delay the police's operations."
"It's okay, I don't think I'll be helping them for the time being." Kotori said, "Since Umi-chan wants to bring down the baddies, then I'll help her. I also want all of this to finish so I can go on a date with her."
"Aww, you're so sweet." Umi grinned at her girlfriend.
"Speaking of trouble, Umi Sonoda, you owe me an explanation." Jeff glared at Umi, "You got the guts and the audacity of you to take my truck keys without my permission. If I didn't have a program to track my vehicles down, you would've been dead meat a long time ago and we wouldn't even know."
"Please forgive me." Umi put her hands together, "I had no choice. I needed to save Kotori, and there was no other transport I could take."
"Yeah, Jeff, give her a break already." Eli patted his shoulder, "She's sorry for it, and she didn't have any other alternative. Let it go just this one time, alright?" Jeff sighed and nodded his head. At that moment, Grace came into the room.
"You must be Umi, right?" She questioned, "I'm so glad you're alive. That meant my healing magic worked. I'm so relieved all that training wasn't for nothing."
"Umi, this is Grace, the mage who removed all your wounds and brought you back to life." Eli told Umi.
"Ah, I see." Umi then turned to Grace, "Thank you so much for healing me, Grace. No words can describe how grateful I am for you to help me." As soon as Umi bowed, there was a stinging pain in her chest, which made her feel pain. Kotori helped Umi lie down on the bed.
"Your wounds may be gone, but the pain will still be there for at least two to three days." Grace explained, "I removed the external appearances and its life threatening conditions, but the internal injuries will still be there. Fret not though. If you take frequent rests and drink lots of water the next few days, it should be gone, and you'll be fine."
"Thank you, Grace-san." Kotori bowed down. Grace smiled in return before going out of the room. She walked up to Jordan's room and saw him leaning against the window. She sat down on the bed and asked him what he had wanted to talk about.
"Why did you bring them in?" Jordan frowned, "You're wasting energy on strangers. They knew you were a mage, and they made use of you and your powers to heal one of them. You're just a graduated mage, yet they expect some miracle. If only you could look at yourself after you did the magic. You look like a dead zombie. Who knows how many more times they're gonna do that?"
"They're not as bad as you think they are, Jordan." Grace reasoned, "They're Mr Brocker's friends. Mr Brocker's friends are mine too. Mr Brocker has helped me a lot, and I want to repay the favor. They really need help, and I can't just sit there and do nothing. I'll feel guilty towards Mr Brocker."
"But…"
"Alright, let's not talk about this." Grace stood up, "I'm gonna make myself a sandwich and eat in the living room. I want to watch the second season of my favorite show. Don't disturb me." She then went out of the room as Jordan shook his head in disappointment.