Chapter 1: Shinto Teito
To describe Shinto Teito as a hub of business—both domestic and international—was a bit like describing the ocean as reasonably large. A vast understatement of such absurd proportions that most sane individuals would have pointed, laughed and then been on their way as they merrily chuckled at the naivety of such a statement.
MBI had made of the former Imperial capital a glistening jewel of the world, the site of countless advancements mostly in relation to health and biological matters but also a few key tech industry areas as well. To have a restaurant or store chain in Shinto Teito was worth significant bragging rights. To have a building actually housing the nexus of control and decision making for an international company was worth more than bragging rights, it was a direct acknowledgement that the richest organization in the world, MBI, actually recognized your brand as something worthy of keeping nearby.
Rent ranged anywhere from prohibitively expensive to dirt cheap depending on what part of the city you wound up in, MBI causally leaning in on some of the real estate owners to keep prices affordable for all who wished to visit or reside regardless of economic standings, wisely avoiding some of the minor housing troubles that had plagued parts of Asia and the United States, where poorer workers had been unable to live where they worked and subsequently left the massive cities—ironically—starved for lower end help.
This, among other surprisingly sensible decisions, had many calling MBI and Shinto Teito the future of Humanity.
"Now only if it wasn't for the game the company was sponsoring that could very well lead to the end of the world...or at least a rather serious upheaval of the relative peace we have right now."
Such were the thoughts of one Alesandro Rastus as the airliner he was riding on touched down at Shinro Teito national airport, slowly coasting in for a stop as the passengers began to disembark, the young man politely waiting for most others to file out of the first-class section before disembarking himself.
A necessary concession as the male had to stoop rather significantly to avoid banging his head against the aircraft's ceiling, his height of an even two meters causing the flight attendants to giggle as grabbed his carry on bag before carefully navigating his way out of the plane, offering a rueful grin to the pair of women who offered friendly waves as he departed, still trying to hide their laughter.
First Class hadn't even been for the amenities it offered, simply for the leg space and larger seats.
Finally making his way out of the metal contraption that was a surefire way to develop chronic neck and back pain Alesandro gratefully stretched in the pleasant sunrise of Shinto Teito's morning hours, heaving a content sigh as the cold air immediately woke him up.
Aside from his impressive height the man also sported immaculate looks and poise, well-combed curly hair of black falling to his neck while olive skin accentuated sharp green eyes, concealing attire of pressed jeans and formal button-down hiding any other features that would have otherwise been on display.
"And now comes the tricky part..."
Leisurely making his way through the connecting terminal Alesandro quietly reached into his bag, pulling out his wallet and the thin strip of what most would have assumed was breath neutralizers hidden within.
The male quickly popped a length of transparent material into his mouth, swishing it around with a wince as the material began to burn and itch with furious abandon...all of this happening where the cameras weren't available to witness it.
Better safe than sorry.
Quickly putting his wallet back where it had originally been the male approached the check-in point where a collection of machines and attendants were hard at work processing the collection of new arrivals, people breathing into them before carrying on their way or—in far more rare cases—being escorted off to the side by a guard and attendant.
Alesandro resisted the urge to smirk at the sight.
"MBI certainly knows how to make use of their newfound technology...but I doubt they have the knowledge of how to protect against deceptions. These are too new for that."
Calmly approaching one of the stations and ignoring the attendant's wide-eyed gaze—he knew he was tall even by most people's standards, never mind the typically shorter Easterners—he smiled and breathed into the machine as instructed, a few seconds passing before the machine quietly chimed a result, the attendant handing back his passport with a professional smile and utterance of, "Welcome to Shinto Teito, Rastus-san."
"I'm looking forward to my stay, Genji-san."
Snagging the individual's name off their service tag the man continued on his way, ignoring the occasional glance or stare by passerby caught off guard by his presence in order to stop at a drinking fountain...thoroughly and gratefully washing his mouth clean of the offending solution that had hidden the extent of his genetic code from MBI's scanners, showing him to be nothing more than an ordinary Human.
"It does its job but Gods does it taste awful and make it feel like cement mixture was poured into my gums..."
Eventually doing away with the foul but effective concoction Alesandro exited the airport, hailing a cab before squeezing himself into the back and placing a call after giving the driver instructions.
"Hey, I arrived safely."
[Good to hear. Any issues? I hear rumors MBI have a Guantanamo Bay style area just for those with false intentions.]
Smiling at the typical frivolity of his mother Alesandro replied, "Nothing so grand, just a few waiting areas where the machines were likely just calibrated or something, I saw a few who had been pulled inside exiting a few minutes later, no worse for wear and handcuff free."
[Good to hear, have you arrived at the office yet?]
"On my way now, want me to give you and dad a call when I get there?"
[No, that's alright. You just get settled in to the city and call in a few days, okay~?]
"Sure thing, mom. I'll keep you posted."
Hanging up Alesandro closed his eyes and let the relief of the first phase of this investigation successfully coming to a close wash over him.
They hadn't exactly spoken in code so much as blatantly said what they were thinking but that made it all the better of a cover story for any potential listeners or computer observers.
The situation was simple. MBI had created DNA checkpoints but the technology was still very much in its infancy, lots of errors and bugs still present in the devices that were falsely recognizing people as carrying different genetic fingerprints than they actually were.
...OR they were finding traces of old Sekirei DNA. It was hard to say for certain but that was part of the reason Alesandro was here, not just to stop the potential disaster that could unfold from unregulated and unchecked Jinki usage but also to ascertain the extent of MBI's foray into altering or recognizing ancient Sekirei genetic patterns.
It was a long laundry list of things he had to start working on, the sooner the better.
…
But, as the taxi slowly and painfully made its way across the city, it seemed not even the vaunted Shinto Teito—with its sprawling public transportation networks—could defeat the undying beast that was traffic.
"Sorry, do you mind if I crack open a window back here?"
Sekirei #32, Illustrious, was used to being the center of attention.
Even among the many incredibly attractive species that she belonged to she tended to draw the eye, with silky white hair and delicate features accentuated by a refined air, the image completed by the way her hat caught the morning sun, casting her face into shadow while her black and white dress glowed in the solar light.
"And yet there is to be no sign of my Ashikabi, only potentials that ultimately fall short of the mark. I do hope my sisters are having much better luck of it."
While she was by no means as opposed to the concept of Winging as some of the other Sekirei—Tsukiumi, #9, came to mind—Illustrious did have some moderately stringent requirements when it came to choosing the one who would become her chosen for life, unlike a fair many of her other brethren who had been so excited to find their Ashikabis that they had basically announced their intentions to fling themselves at the first individuals they could find without much in the way of second thoughts.
And the most important of such a set of criteria was a sufficiently strong reaction...passing flutters of her heart and occasional shortness of breath were indeed exciting but not the whirlwind of certainty and emotional upheaval she desired.
"Erm, miss? Would you like to view the dessert menu?"
Playfully smiling at the waiter who had been her server for the past half-hour Illustrious couldn't help but tease him with, "Oh my, such sweet foods so early in the morning? You must be trying to ruin my figure, young man~."
He offered a smile that was half wry humor and half shyness as he replied, "I think it would take more than an early pastry to ruin someone as pretty as you, miss. Not to mention you keep yourself in such excellent shape despite having such a healthy appetite. I wouldn't have a prayer of doing the same."
Giggling at the polite but flirtatious response the woman offered a playful wink, replying, "Oh, I suppose you've convinced me then. The dessert menu it is then."
This coincided with the Sekirei artfully crossing her arms in a way that highlighted her sizable assets, the man successfully avoiding tripping over himself—but not hiding his blush—as he left to procure one of the listings of sweet foods available to the moderately sized cafe she had decided to stop at for the morning.
"Such a shame there's no reaction between us. He's definitely one of the more promising candidates thus far."
Illustrious cast an amused glance at the many plates she had neatly cleaned of various omelets and spreads without so much as a single crumb or smear of flavoring to mar her features.
"And he successfully pointed out a Sekirei's voracious appetite without so much as implying that I'm fat. Points to you, young man."
Sighing in regret that he wasn't a potential candidate for a Winging Illustrious instead pulled out her phone, requesting a conference call between her three sisters so that they may share the events of the previous day, as they did every morning.
One of the benefits to being one of the first Sekirei activated by MBI—as well as being one of the first to be released into the city—was that Illustrious and her sisters had more time than most to acclimate to the modern era and all of the advantages it had to offer. Thanks to the cards supplied by MBI money had been of little concern, Illustrious and her three siblings had been able to procure phones and lodging in quick order, splitting up to the four corners of the city in order to find their Ashikabi.
The call connected quickly enough, the pale-haired woman slipping a wireless headset into her ear as she smiled at the waiter in thanks, the young man returning with her menu.
[Good morning, everyone~! And how are my favorite sisters doing this fine day?]
An exasperated expression and swift lowering of the volume coincided with Victorious's greeting, Illustrious commenting, "Will you learn to control the volume of your voice one day, sister?"
[Agreed...Unicorn's ears hurt…]
[Ahem! My apologies, but tis another day! Which means another day in which we may yet discover our beloved Ashikabi! Now, on to the matter at hand! Come, sisters, reveal the fruits of our labors!]
Shaking her head at the typical boisterous nature of the quadruplets more verbose member—although considering how quiet two of them were, while Illustrious herself tended to be more playful than confrontational it was to be expected one of them would pick up the slack—she began her report with, "Unfortunately I have had little luck, only the occasional mildly powerful candidate...certainly not enough that we would all wish to be winged by such a glorious and brilliant individual."
[Same as big sister...Unicorn hasn't found anyone. Although she has been helped by a few nice older people. They said Uni was cute.]
[You have not been led astray by any uncouth individuals that wish to Wing or take advantage of you in any way, have you?]
The concern was clear to hear in Victorious's voice, a sentiment shared by Illustrious. While they knew their youngest sibling wasn't anywhere near as helpless as she seemed at first glance she was a bit shy and willing to go with the flow than most other Sekirei, not feeling any particular need or desire to speak up for herself. It wouldn't be difficult for any strangers with less than pure intentions to lead her astray if they were sufficiently clever about their machinations.
But Unicorn had insisted on helping her older sisters and not being a burden, doing much the same as they had and splitting off to patrol the south side of the city for a suitable Ashikabi.
[No. Just nice people. The hotel staff keep asking Unicorn about when her parents are going to arrive though…]
"Just keep telling them that they will be along once their business is concluded, dear sister. And what of you, Victorious? Then again, had you discovered such an individual I don't doubt you would have been unable to keep such news to yourself."
[Hmph! Although you speak the truth I declare here and now that I shall live up to my chosen namesake and be the first among us to discover an Ashikabi worthy of our shared affections!]
Illustrious smiled at her sister's usual boldness, flipping through the dessert menu with a discerning eye.
That had been their plan when released into the city, after all. None of them had the slightest intention of battling their treasured sisters and depriving them of their Ashikabi...thus they would go their separate ways at the start in search of a person who all four would react to and win the coming game together. It was a bit of a risky plan, certainly...but they had been among the first wave of released Sekirei and thus for a few days they would have relatively free reign to search without risk of confrontation or exploitation.
But that window had come and gone, the second wave unleashed just yesterday and rumors were already circulating on the internet of mysterious, exotic beauties searching for an unknown treasure.
Their timetable was ramping up.
[And what of you, Formidable? Any luck in the search for our Ashikabi?]
Silence greeted them, Illustrious frowning slightly as no reply seemed to be forthcoming.
"Sister? Did you fall asleep again?"
Still no reply, an irritated sigh leaving Victorious's lips as she complained, [As much as I adore our diligent little worker her penchant for taking things at her own pace now that we are no longer under the direct supervision of MBI is a little concerning.]
[Did big sister forget to charge her phone again? Or is she still just asleep?]
Idly tapping the table with a gloved finger Illustrious posed, "Are we certain nothing untoward has happened to her?"
[I know her address and am close by, I shall go and investigate the circumstances of our sister. Unicorn, dear? Do you know how to reach big sister Illustrious should anything happen?]
[Mmm. Unicorn has remembered all of big sister's numbers and can take a bus.]
[Good girl. Ideally it is just Formidable's more slothful tendencies finally allowed to run unchecked but better safe than sorry. Is that acceptable, most dearly endowed sister?]
The white-haired Sekirei didn't immediately reply, eyes locked on a distant sight that had grabbed her attention in full and refused to let go.
[...Sister?]
"I think I found him, I'll call you all later."
[Eh? What do you mean you found-]
The Sekirei shut off the phone without a second thought, pausing in her departure only long enough to leave behind payment for the meal and a generous tip before swiftly striding out of the area in pursuit of her target, skirt billowing in the slight wind as she watched her target like a hawk, eyes never once leaving the taxi cab that housed the man that, despite being several meters away, caused her breath to come out short and stuttery, heart to beat a pace so fast that she was briefly worried she would fall over on the spot.
"Incredible~! No words exchanged, his attention not even upon me and my response is this strong? He must hold incredible potential as an Ashikabi!"
Resisting the urge to skip and leap in excitement—not only would such an action draw even more attention than was necessary it was also distinctly unbecoming of such a refined lady—Illustrious instead maintained a fast but dignified pace as she endeavored to keep the vehicle within sight, not a particularly difficult feat considering the usual traffic in this city.
But her pursuit encountered a hitch as the vehicle turned onto one of the minor freeways that crossed the city, the morning commute just beginning to clear out which meant she wouldn't be able to discreetly follow her target at a walking pace anymore.
Surprised at the brief surge of panic that accompanied the thought of losing her potential Ashikabi the Sekirei instead thought fast, turning into a side alley and swiftly ascending the surrounding buildings with powerful leaps and bounds, perfectly poised atop her heeled shoes as she reached the rooftops in record time, catching a brief glimpse of her quarry accelerating into the distance as she gave chase, jumping across the connecting buildings without so much as a moment of hesitation or second guessing to slow her.
It was a bit shameful to have her clothing so frantically billow and snap at the furious pace she maintained—thus revealing her lacy underwear to any who just so happened to look up—but it was a laughably small price to pay for the potential in finding the one who would be their chosen partner of the heart.
"Just you wait, dear Ashikabi of mine...I do hope you won't mind the royal Sekirei so boldly entering your life...but we shall make it oh so worth your while~!"
A dignified and sultry giggle left Illustrious as she continued her pursuit with childish glee coursing throughout her heart.
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