Chapter 8: Friendship

17:33 PM (Japan Time), Friday October the 22nd…

"… This should be the place…"

Subaru walked down a street and stopped before a small café.

He opened the door and stepped in.

"Welcome!"

"Hello. I am meeting up with someone…"

"Mr. Akatsuki, is it?"

"Yes. That's the person…"

A waiter greeted him, and Subaru explained that he had an appointment.

The waiter guided him to a table towards the end of café.

"Hello, Subaru. Here we are…"

"It's been a long time, Subaru – kun…"

"Sure has. Tsukasa – kun…"

Apart from Akatsuki, there also was Tsukasa sitting in a wheelchair.

His hair had grown longer, and he was thinner.

He wore his usual clothes and had a winter coat hanging behind the chair.

Subaru sat down across the table to face him.

"He asked to hold this meeting, so I organized it…" Akatsuki explained.

"Thank you, Mr. Akatsuki…"

"It's the least I could do!"

"You could try to decrease the consumption of corn snacks, too…"

"Sheesh. When did you become my family medic?"

"Orders from the top…"

"Sheesh. Sorry for the interruption, Futaba… Mr. Medic is nosy, see…"

"Shidou… Do not blame me if the medic complains later…"

"I-I see…" Tsukasa timidly muttered.

"An express decaffeinate coffee, please…" Subaru asked the waiter.

"Right away…"

"He recovered to the point he could ride in a plane to come back to Japan. For the time being, he's living in his old orphanage until we can arrange for a new living place…" Akatsuki explained.

"Nevertheless, when I met him in the hospital, I was amazed that you'd been scouted by the Satella Police… You sure have become mightier…"

"Mightier…? Not sure if I'd call it that…"

"No need to be so humble about it, Subaru… You're strong!"

"But it's not like it all leads to good things, sir…"

"I know. But you needn't feel ashamed about it…"

"The coffee, sir…"

"Thank you!"

The waiter placed the coffee cup on the table.

"By the way. I really had lost track of time, but I can see that you've already begun middle school!"

"Sure. But it was last month…"

"Really? Thought you were in 2nd year by now… For me it feels like it's been countless years… An endless world of darkness and despair…"

"S-sorry. I didn't mean to…"

"No. You're not to blame. I was naïve…"

"Blaming yourself won't solve anything, Futaba. You're a victim of organized crime, you're not to blame for anything!"

"I know, sir, but…"

"Besides, that trap would've fooled anyone… Set up a legal store and spread emails inviting people to come check it out… Abduction in broad daylight within the store itself…" Akatsuki sighed.

"Devil! Talk about an evil trap…" Subaru grumbled.

"The issue is that the store closed for renewal months ago and then the owners vanished… Further investigation revealed that the paperwork was falsified to appeal as legal and official…"

"The same thing that threw us off last year… That fake register that he'd chosen to join a temple deep in the mountains to isolate from society…"

"As I explained to him when he debriefed me in the hospital, there was someone pulling the strings…"

"We felt that, too, as when we closed on your location there'd be some incident and then you'd vanish to reappear elsewhere…"

"But since I never saw their face… All I know is that it was a Japanese man who talked in Osaka dialect and called himself "Tanaka Tarou"… He would often play a jazz-like BGM when he appeared and gloated about leaving a "turban shell card" on the scenes of his "jobs"…"

"Investigation revealed that it was imitating an assassin character from an old game series, Ace Attorney…"

"Sheesh. Talk about a fancy character…"

"Sure. But that alone won't tell us who it is…"

"Time will tell. It's nothing to be worried about, Tsukasa – kun…"

"I know. More than assassin, he felt like a bully who used bluffs to intimidate the mafia men who were keeping me imprisoned…"

"It's alright. We won't force you to go over your traumatic experiences…"

"Also… I did accept the offer of that device to keep tabs on Hikaru…"

"Do you fear that the guy will try something evil again?"

"Undoubtedly. The guy took over me most of the time and gloated about how he'd use those experiences to bully others…"

"Sheesh. Never learns… Thankfully enough, now we have technology to be able to keep tabs on the guy…"

"Speaking of tabs… I see you managed to keep tabs on War Rock…"

"Challenged him to complete the hardest VR battle…"

"Wise idea. Else the guy would be saying nonsense aloud…"

"Did he get worse during this time?"

"When he's bored, he begins trying to make stupid headlines or jokes…"

"Or spread nonsense about relationships between others…"

"Sheesh. It must be a hassle!"

"It is, indeed…"

"By the way. Mr. Zataki, was it? He offered a living space…"

"True. He did come with me to the hospital to meet you and offer you the means to keep tabs on Hikaru…"

"While the orphanage feels nostalgic and all, I feel unwelcome there because the atmosphere has changed… And there's always someone who tries to bully you, trying to make you feel guilty for being disabled…"

"Sheesh. Then I guess that living at the place Mr. Zataki offers will do. There's a new boy who's recently moved there, Kiboyama – kun. I think you can get along, he's a nice person…"

"Has the class changed much?"

"Not really. Ms. President is strict as ever, but Gonta isn't helping because he's constantly making blunders…"

"I do remember that he often made mistakes back during our time at elementary school!"

"Kizamaro is acting as smart as always…"

"What about "her"? Have you made progress?" He whispered.

"No. We're but friends. We help each other…"

"Guess it's hard to make progress when the other party is a famous idol…"

"Besides. There's no obligation to…"

"Fair point. We're too influenced by tropes…"

"Shidou. Message from Dr. Yoiri…"

"It is confidential?"

"No. "Find the panda, Danpa, and you will have luck in marriage"…"

"How are pandas and luck in marriage linked…?" He groaned.

"I cannot find any entries. She probably mixed separate ideas again…"

"Sheesh. Sorry. It's just that our genius scientist can become absent-minded and send odd "advice on life" comments…"

"Guess I'll have to learn the new trends of the city!"

"You could say so!" Akatsuki laughed.

"Once I've recovered to some extent, I'll begin rehabilitation of the legs…"

"That's great!"

"By the way. Could we remake our "Brother Band"?"

"Of course. We also wanted to offer you a Wizard to help you, too…"

"A new partner? Why not. It would be fun…"

Both interacted with their devices and concluded the process.

"That device has several safety features, too…"

"That's of great help, sir…"

"It's the least we could do!"

"Welcome back!"

18:20 PM (Japan Time)…

"… And thus, the chivalrous Moonie beat the ferocious Sunny!"

"Are you trying to make a Moon Disaster vs Apollon Flame match?"

"Sure! It'll be a clash of titans!"

"Don't exaggerate. Moon Disaster's battle potential is so low…"

"But the guy's got charisma!"

"As if that helps win battles…"

Blood Shadow and Sigma were talking as they beat up Viruses within a virtual environment.

"How's the status, Rocky?"

"Sheesh! I just finished the 78th battle! These are hard!"

"You complained that everything else was chaff!"

"Sheesh! Is this what Subarishiki meant by "consequences of actions"!?"

"You could say that…"

"Amgis Amigos! Do something about it!"

"Do what? I don't have user permissions to alter the battle settings!"

"Use some super hacking skill!"

"I don't have that, and even if I did, why should I?"

"You're a coward!"

"More like I know my place!"

"Sheesh! Vaddy! The jerk took away your sense of thrill!"

"Maybe. If that'll help focus on battles, so be it…"

"Mega-O! I'm so gonna erase that smug grin from the jerk's face!"

"You're only asking for further trouble…" Blood Shadow sighed.

"I'm gonna beat the guy to reflexes! Made in Wario showdown!"

"Whatever. Don't drag us in…"

"I guess it's not hard enough for you, Leonel! Do I increase the foe HP?"

"Sheesh! Vaddy! You're not better than the gossip press!"

"Don't say nonsense. As the owner of the system, I must ensure it works as intended and optimize it if it's lacking on challenge…" Vadous argued.

"Eat mighty claws and beams and bites!"

"Can you defeat foes by biting them?" Sigma wondered.

"Doubt it…" Blood Shadow sighed.

"Big Boss! This is too much! I'm about to collapse~!"

"Strange! You claimed you were the mightiest warrior of the Moon!"

"T-that's… Advertising!" Moon Disaster groaned.

"Should've said that at first. You said you were invincible. I provided means for you to prove that…"

"Sheesh! You're the nasty type who adds a nasty clause in small font at the end of a contract!"

"It's not like I made you sign any contracts, though?"

"Sheesh! I'll complain to my representatives!"

"When did you gain any? You're not from Earth, anyway…"

"Guess he's been watching some TV series and thinks that pulling words at random from there will make him appeal as smarter…"

"Brad Shad! I can hear that!"

"And what of it? Are you going to prosecute me for defamation?"

"Sheesh! Whatever! My Moonie Might will beat ya~!"

"I'd like to see you trying…"

"86th battle over…! Almost there…!"

"Be glad that it's not the 4th area battles of 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim! Because those mean using the head!" Sigma chuckled.

"Are you saying I can't use it!?"

"Given how you use it for trolling and not for serious things…"

"Sheesh! I'm gonna teach you I'm mightier than that! 89th battle over!"

"This copy of Ox Fire never runs out of HP! It's not bugged!?"

"Guess he's got high "DEF" stats! Increase your "ATK" stats!"

"Sheesh! Easier said than done~!"

"92nd battle… over…! I can… do this…!"

"Sheesh! Eat this! Punch! Kick! Headbutt! Somersault!"

"94th battle…! I'll show you… the strength… of mightier… AM warrior…!"

"Finally! The beast is quelled…!"

"You'd prefer the High-Quad EX, which is 300m tall?" Sigma chuckled.

"No more~! Mercy~!"

"Hope that's enough of a lesson, Moon Disaster…"

"Moon Ace~!"

"Argue that with Acid Ace…"

"I'm sure the guy is the mastermind behind this!"

"He isn't. Stop blaming others and learn to behave in public…"

"98th… battle… T-there… Piece… of a cake…!"

"Maybe you need a spicy surprise at the end?" Vadous teased.

"I'll obey! Save me the carnage~!"

"If only you behaved constantly, life would be easier…"

"The humble master of eternal illumination once stated that…"

A man's voice joined the radio exchanges.

"Dragon Hell! How did you get into the channel?" Vadous sighed.

"The illuminate disciple of the shining mountain…"

"Speak clearly!"

"Guess either Rock or Sigma are to blame here…" Blood Shadow guessed.

"Sheesh! Your role is to COOK! Not initiate others into philosophy!"

"Mr. Dragon? Is this the book you were looking for?" Kiboyama asked.

"Indeed, illuminate disciple of the shining mountain…"

"My name is Kiboyama, sir, and you know that…"

"Sheesh. Just because his name means "hope mountain", that doesn't mean he's a disciple of anything! Get serious, Dragon! You're a legal adult, prove it! Even a sushi cook can behave more rationally!"

"Maybe we need to hire one instead?" Sigma chuckled.

"Yikes! I-I shall get back to my tasks!" "Dragon Hell" gasped.

Hurried footsteps rang out and Vadous grumbled something.

"Over…! It's over…! The nightmare's… over…"

There was a THUD sound over the radio channel.

"Omega. Retrieve Leonel and put them in the quarantine bay!"

"Delighted…"

"Did you find anything?"

"Nothing major. Hyde was acting the clown over at Osaka Castle! However, Wolf Forest gave the clown a beat-up and they ran away…"

"Alright. We've got no time to waste on that fool, anyway…"

"Naturally…"

"Has Akatsuki reported anything out of place?"

"No. There's been no hacking attempts or odd messages…"

"Nothing's happened over at Normandy, either?"

"Nothing. Burai inspected the crypt again, but nothing happened…"

"Would be too obvious… That crypt is but a dead end…"

"Sheesh. Where's that helmeted jerk?"

"Maybe in a cave somewhere!"

"Wouldn't surprise me… Or hiding in some ruins within the jungle!"

"Sheesh. Maybe the jerk will play the waiting game by hiding and bidding his time just like those three fugitives…"

"That is very likely, too…"

"I'm beaten… I can't move… I wish… a glass of Bourbon on the rocks…!"

"Stop quoting hard-boiled detectives from TV…" Vadous sighed.

"You can't drink to begin with…" Omega reminded with a grumbled.

"Put that cocky fool into the quarantine bay, too…"

"I'm on it…"

"We're done over here, too, Brad!"

"Sure. It was a good, refreshing training…"

"Lartes. Are preparations for the new resident done?"

"Naturally, Boss. They'll soon move in…"

"OK. But let's not lower the guard, either…"

"Count on us, Boss! If the jerk appears, we'll drive them back!

"It's not a matter of being overconfident, either… But we won't yield!"

"I like that spirit! Let's show that madman what we're made of!"