Chapter 17: Green – eyed girl
08:17 AM (Japan Time), Monday August the 5th…
"… Welcome to the Ministry of Science (MOS). How may I help you?"
"Is it possible to transmit a message to Dr. Hikari?"
"Yes. What is it?"
"I have something to give him. From his late father…"
"Noted down. May I have a name, please?"
"Yes. Iris Smith. From Beyond the Yard Town…"
"Noted down, Ms. Smith…"
A girl was talking to a receptionist.
She could be in her mid-teens.
She was about a meter and sixty tall.
Her irises were green.
She had long, brown hair.
Two white flowers were inserted in the hair, on the sides of the head.
She wore a pink one-piece dress.
It reached to the knees.
She used black, knee-high boots for footing.
She had a gray PET in her right hand, aiming downwards.
"Please wait a minute. I'll ask if he's available for meeting…"
"Thank you…"
The receptionist grabbed the phone receiver and pressed a button.
"Excuse me. Is Dr. Hikari over there, Mr. Meijin?"
"… No need for formalities, Miss…"
"But…"
"Alright. As for Dr. Hikari… He's here, taking a break…"
"He has a visitor. Has a message from his late father…"
"What? Then I'll tell him right away!"
"Understood…"
There was a pause.
"It's me. A visitor that has a message from my father, is it?"
"Yes. Ms. Smith of Beyond the Yard Town…"
"… I'll go meet them myself. Please tell them wait…"
"Understood…"
She replaced the phone.
"He will come right away. Could you please wait a minute?"
"Yes. Naturally…"
A couple of minutes later, Yuuichirou appeared there.
"Ms. Smith, is it?"
"Yes. It is an honor meeting you, sir…"
"Please come to my office… I'll show you the way…"
"Understood…"
Both headed into an office room.
"Please have a seat…"
"Thank you…"
They both sat, with the desk set between them.
"… A visitor from "Beyondard"… Right?"
"Correct…"
"I am aware that it exists. Someone told me about it…"
"Mr. Zataki and his men, right?"
"Did they help you come over here?"
"No. I did it on my own. I found a "Fossa Ambience"..."
"Fossa Ambience?"
"Is how we call the cracks in time and space linking both worlds…"
"I see. And they told you about me and this place…"
"Yes. In the case that I couldn't contact them…"
"I am aware that an AI recreating my father existed there…"
"Do not fret. Nothing weird happened there. We are rebuilding…"
"It must be a long and arduous process…"
"Yes. But we have hope…"
"That's great…"
"I simply came to hide for a while. As a safety measure…"
"Why? Did someone odd start sniffing around the lab?"
"No. But the possibility exists. He didn't want that child to suffer…"
"That child?"
"I was entrusted a special Navi by him. He's still a small child…"
"I see. Someone might try to abuse of his abilities…"
"While the general perception is that the lab is inhabited…"
"It wouldn't stop someone daring to try to sneak inside…"
"What I wanted to ask of you is to please keep custody of him…"
"I don't mind. I know other child Navis that he could play with…"
"That would be for the best. Pretend that it's but a normal child Navi…"
"And? Where is it right now?"
"He's in the playground of Internet City, with his caretaker…"
"Alright. I'll ready a secret route to my private server…"
"Thank you very much…"
"If needed, I can also ask Mr. Zataki for help…"
"Yes. But only if it's necessary… I am aware that things are tense…"
"You're right. Things are very tense…"
"No need to worry about me. I have seen a world of endless warfare…"
"Sorry. I didn't mean to say that it was too harsh for you to know…"
"… I apologize, too. I am tense, I am not acting rationally…"
"It happens…"
Yuuichirou wrote a number on a memo pad and tore the page.
He handed it over to Iris.
"This is the server address. I will open it when you contact me…"
"Excellent…"
"By the way. Be careful of a man named Regal. He's also ambitious…"
"Regal… Is it? I will be aware of it…"
"You never know where he's looking or listening…"
"Hence why there's so many jammers here?"
"You noticed?"
"I am used to working with machines. I can tell…"
"Alright. I'll ask the front to erase any records of this, too…"
"I apologize for the inconveniences caused by my visit…"
"Far from it! We're used to it…"
"Understood. We shall meet again, sir…"
"Naturally. Take care as well… I will escort you to the reception, too…"
"Once again, thank you very much…"
They both stood up and returned to the reception.
"Thanks for coming this far to deliver this message…"
"The honor is mine, sir…"
"Have a safe trip back home…"
"Thank you, sir…"
She walked out into the street.
"Please delete all records of this visit. It's sensitive data…"
"Roger, sir. Deleting…"
"Did you check that the cameras are properly working?"
"Yes, sir. Mr. Prism Man is taking care of it…"
"Excellent job. I apologize for the hassle, but…"
"We are aware of the need, sir…"
"Thank you very much. Please don't overwork, either…"
"I apologize, sir, but in my experience, you are the one that overworks…"
Yuuichirou scratched the back of his head.
"You're right. I'm not qualified to lecture others…"
He returned inside and found Meijin.
He signaled for him to come closer.
"Meijin. Please don't mention anything of this to anyone, either…"
"Yes, sir. Count on me…!"
08:33 AM (Japan Time)…
"… This is the famed Japan Site of the Internet City…"
"Amazing…"
"Remember. Our mission is about assessing…"
"I am aware. Watch, listen. We don't need to act…"
Isaac, disguised as a "normal" Navi, was scouting the city.
Countless Navis went up and down.
"The idea is that we form our own idea of unique Navis…"
"And assess their abilities, connections and so on…"
"Anyone will do. But I insist that…"
"I am aware of the mission objectives. Watch, listen, don't act…"
"Sorry for being repetitive, but Mr. Clark insisted on it…"
"It's his job. We obey. As simple as that…"
"Exactly…"
He calmly mixed with an ongoing crowd.
He collected visual and sound inputs from his surroundings.
"… I'm going to the playground with Ice Man!"
"Take care. Don't be late!"
"I know!"
Aqua Man was waving goodbye to Number Man.
"… "Chip Store Higure's"… A Battle Chip store…"
"It might be useful in the near future…"
"Noted. Let's see where that Navi heads to…"
"According to the map, there's a playground area up ahead…"
"Fine. Then I'll pretend to walk past it on my way to elsewhere…"
"Sure. It's in the center of a street. There's traffic on both lanes…"
"Excellent…"
He made his way to the playground area.
It was surrounded by an energy field.
Four Police Navis stood on the corners, keeping watch.
Plenty of small Navis and their guardians were inside.
"Hello! This is my ID card!"
Aqua Man walked to the gate and displayed his ID.
"Excellent. Have fun…"
"Great!"
He stepped inside and rushed towards a slider built around a geyser.
Ice Man was lining in the queue.
"Hi, Ice Man!"
"Hi, Aqua Man!"
"Let's have fun!"
"Sure!"
Isaac walked past the area and turned around the corner of a street.
"I set up a sensor in the air to allow me to watch…"
"Excellent. But better hide somewhere first…"
"OK…"
He walked some blocks away and slipped into an alley.
He hid behind a heap of boxes.
He turned on a small screen to watch.
"… Those two… They catch my eye…"
"Really?"
Isaac focused on two Navis amongst the crowds of the playground.
"A girl Navi and a child Navi…"
"They don't look that special to me…"
"I can't really explain. Maybe it's instinct…"
"If you insist…"
One of them was a Navi girl.
She was about a meter and sixty tall.
Her helmet had yellow lines drawn over it.
A partial mask covered her eyes.
The irises were brown.
She had a drawing on her earpads, reminiscent of a hand's shape.
She wore a long, blue sea coat with four pink buttons.
Her legs were blue.
"And there's this child…"
One of them was a child Net Navi.
He could be about 5 or 6 years old.
He had green irises.
Two cone forms emerged from his helmet.
He had two small spheres attached to the tips of them.
He wore a yellow and white bodysuit.
His emblem was blank.
He had two pockets on both sides of the suit.
"… I'll mark them on my database…"
"Alright. Do as you see fit…"
"I'll continue my exploration…"
"Roger…"
He resumed his exploration of the city.
"… Again. Where do I find those "Steel Destroyers", Tamako?"
"Wherever steel gathers!"
"I fail to see the logic. Isn't that email a prank, anyway?"
"I don't care! Let's show them the power of metal!"
"And what will that achieve, exactly?"
"That's…"
Metal Man was arguing with Shiraizumi over the radio.
He was visibly exasperated.
"My Steel Crackers will become famous!"
"I think that's actually counter-productive…"
"It'll bring more hardened battlers!"
"Inns aren't a site to have hardened battles to begin with…"
"Don't be so stiff, my bud!"
"… A rational mind and a battle-loving mind…"
Isaac rubbed his chin.
"Guess that they mutually compensate…"
"Interesting combination, true…"
"Let's explore a bit further…"
"Sure…"
He headed south, towards another area.
"Guts. Are you sure that the legendary treasure is here, Dekao?"
"Sure thing! It's my treasure hunter instinct!"
"When did you become that, anyway?"
"Always was!"
"… I feel a contradiction, guts… Or more like a lie, guts…"
Guts Man sighed, skeptical.
"Bro! That was a joke by Yaito to tease you!" Chisao sighed.
"What!?"
"It's the same as those emails about "easily becoming rich"!"
"That little strawberry princess…!" He grumbled.
"Show some intelligence or the next mid-term exams will be a mess!"
"Don't rob me of the summer fun! It's but begun!"
"And before you realize it, summer's flown by!"
"… The Navi might be worth a match, true…"
Isaac analyzed Guts Man, too.
"But the Operator has a tendency to easily believe lies…"
"Must be another hot-blooded type…" Nelaus deduced.
"Surely…"
"Let's resume…"
"OK!"
He hummed a tune as he headed eastwards.
"Once we're done, let's report the results…"
"Naturally…"
09:09 AM (Japan Time)…
"… A grey day to come to the public pool!"
"Sure. Yaito – chan's pool is great, but…"
"Sometimes, it's funnier when there's other people…"
Netto, Saito and Hikawa came to the public pool.
They wore sleeveless shirts, swimming trunks and sandals.
They also carried backpacks.
The pool was full of people of all ages using it.
"This spot will do!"
"Sure!"
They laid down their towels in a spot of the area.
"Let's take turns. Netto and Tooru can go first. I'll keep watch!"
"OK!"
"See you later!"
They took off their shirts and sandals.
They walked over to the showers and washed.
They then dived into the pool.
Saito drew his PET from the backpack and connected earphones to it.
"How's it going like, Blood?"
"The usual…"
"What about Mr. Higure?"
"Forgot everything and thought that he fainted when playing bowling…"
"Boy. Sounds like he'll never learn the lesson…"
"Possibly…"
"What about Sigma?"
"Is patrolling the area, coordinating with Search Man…"
"Good…"
"Sir Omega warned that a Navi named Drill Man is acting up, too…"
"Not a "Darkloid"?"
"No, no. A normal Navi. Blues fought him once, 4 years ago…"
"I see. But he's not "WWW" or "Gospel"…"
"No. Was a petty criminal hired by a greedy fool…"
"Fine. If Blues could beat him once, he can do it again…"
"Surely. But let's be careful, nevertheless…"
"I know. We mustn't become overconfident…"
"By the way. Do you guys ever bathe in a pool?"
"Sometimes. In the "pool" of the HQ…"
"Michelangelo's room?" Saito asked, surprised.
"Forgot to tell you, but we dismantled it. Had no purpose…"
"Agreed. Mr. Zataki sure had an odd idea…"
"Guess that it was when he was younger and inexperienced…"
"Well. Nobody is perfect. Won't blame him over that…"
"Sure. Since it never harmed anyone…"
"Save for that unfortunate Navi who bumped into it…"
"True… And Sigma, too…" Blood Shadow sighed.
"Sigma suffered injuries from that, too?"
"It's his fault for treating it like a RC airplane…"
"He made a mistake and fell into the pool?"
"Sure. That's also a reason why Boss decided to disassemble it…"
"Sigma… When will he grow up?"
"Believe me. We've tried many times to fix that, but…"
"It's already so rooted on his AI program that it resurfaces over time…"
"Correct…"
"Well. At least he learnt the lesson…"
"To some extent…"
"What did he do now?"
"Recreate it in the VR missions as a "Unique Monster"…"
"Inspired by Xenoblade?"
"Possibly. Was joking about a death match of it and Barbarossa…"
"That Lv. 84 huge gorilla roaming the Colossus Legs?"
"Surely…"
"Let's hope that it doesn't sneak out into other VR maps…"
"I did warn Kir Osh about it! He placed limitations on it…"
"Alright…"
"… Shadow Man. That trick doesn't work on us…"
"Hello. The Witness of Brotherly Love has come…"
"What kind of parody is that…?"
Shadow Man emerged from Blood Shadow's own shadow.
Neither was surprised.
"It's about Regal…"
"What did he do now?"
"Means to steal the "Zoanoroid" recreations from Clark…"
"Chaff will fight chaff!"
"It was fun pitting both sets of Cut Man Brothers…"
"They also existed in "Beyondard", too? They sure are omnipresent…"
"Maybe they're like the Chocobos. They're always everywhere…"
"Sure, sure…"
"And? How does Regal achieve that?"
"By hacking into a server where Clark kept his backups…"
"I see. Clark considered the show over and forgot about it…"
"Exactly…"
"If it works to have them bust each other, I don't mind…"
"The issue would be if their battles expand and drag others…"
"That's the eternal dilemma, true…"
"Well. I warned you in case that some of those show up…"
"Fair. But, next time… Knock at the door. Else…"
"I know… They might use me to sneak inside…"
"If you're aware of it, that's best for us…"
"Now I'm going back to visit Ishikawa in the mountains… Farewell…"
He vanished and both shrugged.
"I'll tell Netto when we're back home…"
"OK. I'll send a message to Sigma and Search Man…"
"Handle it…"
Saito drew a bottle of water and drank some.
"… Amazing!"
"I know, right?"
Netto and Hikawa exited the pool and showered.
"Your turn!"
"OK. Later, Blood…"
"Later!"
He left his belongings and used the shower.
He then jumped into the pool.
"How refreshing!" He laughed.
He crawled across the pool, since there was an open space.
He hummed a tune, too.
He looked at a group of younger boys and girls racing together.
He leant on the edge of the pool and looked on.
"Today's a day to forget about everything else and disconnect…"
He dived inside of the pool and emerged in a corner.
"I should make sure to properly train, too…"
He moved his legs inside of the water to exercise them.
"The feeling of the midsummer…!"
He laughed at himself.
"The best season of the year!"
Animated, he dived again and crossed the pool diagonally.
He emerged in the opposite corner of the pool.
He looked outside to see Netto and Hikawa animatedly talking together.
"Must be talking about soccer!" He guessed.
He looked up at the cloudless skies.
"This is life!"
