Chapter 9: Identities
09:14 AM (Japan Time), Monday June the 9th…
"… And? What was the outcome of those scuffles, AM?"
"Sir. As you instructed, the dummy units used Protocol BH…"
"Protocol Black Hole… They took down the foes with them…"
"But data analysis suggests that they were dummies as well…"
"Naturally. Clark isn't dumb. He could foresee such a move…"
Annihilator Man projected inside of a capsule somewhere.
The room was mostly dark.
There was a rock platform some meters ahead.
A figure sat in an armchair set there.
"What about Prophetess?"
"According to the investigator, she often goes to the karaoke…"
"But can't confirm if she meets someone there…"
"The investigator can't enter the same room, naturally…"
"And any security camera footage is doctored, too…"
The person tapped the armrests.
"Even if she sees the interlocutor, it's hardly evidence…"
"Yes. On the surface, she's a college student. Which means that…"
"She can pretend to be meeting with a classmate or old friend…"
"And a civilian investigator can't double check on alleged identities…"
"Even if she did, she'll bump into a made-up story anyway…"
"Manfroy" sighed.
"Can't prove that she set up the fake wiretap, either…"
"We have been investigating her for 3 months and yet…"
"I feel like we haven't made any noticeable progress, true…"
"I apologize for my inability to fulfill the mission…"
"It's not your fault. The opponent is a professional…"
"Manfroy" shrugged.
"This is also a game of patience and intelligence…"
"Understood, Lord Manfroy…"
"Did you make sure that she hasn't tried to intrude the base?"
"But of course. I laid out plenty of analog traps, too…"
"Good. While the location is a dummy, let's keep the pretenses…"
"I am aware…"
"What about the other front?"
"No noticeable results yet. Save for confirmation of previous facts…"
"Yes. That our subject isn't at the MOS…"
"They had a signal jammer. Couldn't analyze them during battle, either…"
"They are going to big extents to hide it…"
"I know, sir. Which means that there's something to it…"
"Or they want us to think that…"
"Manfroy" leant back on the armchair.
"That can wait. Send a new package of orders to the members…"
"Right away, sir…"
"I will ready missiles, too… All will be swallowed into the void…"
"Truly, sir…"
11:01 AM (Japan Time)…
"… Break time, at last…"
"Today, it felt longer than usual… The tension?"
"Possible, Hikawa…"
"See you later, Arushi – kun…"
"Sure…"
Hikawa sighed when the break time came.
He talked to the student sitting to his right.
Arushi was about the same age and height as him.
He had reddish hair.
His eyes were blue.
He used reading glasses.
He was finishing sorting out his notes.
He closed the notebook and stored his pencils and erasers.
He grabbed a snack from his school case.
He exited into the corridor, like his classmates did.
His class was "1-C".
He made it to the yard and sat in a corner of the field.
He drew a wireless earbud from his pocket and turned it on.
"Anything new, Balrog?" He whispered.
"Nothing major. Orders are the usual: standby until next job…"
"Fine. Remember the protocol…"
"I know. I remain on Site G, training…"
"Next battle won't be easy. Have that in mind…"
"Sure…"
"I'll end the call. Meet you later at Point Y…"
"Roger…"
He ended the call and turned off the earbud.
He stored it in his pocket and calmly looked around.
He saw the twins, Nelaus, Hikawa and Dekao chatting together.
Meiru, Yaito and Tamashita were also chatting together.
He shrugged and bit the snack.
He finished it and drank some water next.
Satisfied, he stood up and shook the dust off him.
He headed back to the building.
He checked his phone.
He frowned.
"Countless spam emails? "Witch of the canvas"?"
He sighed and rolled his eyes.
"Someone is clearly bored…"
He closed the phone's lid and pocketed it.
He headed to the restroom and entered a stall.
He shut the door.
He emerged a couple of minutes later.
He washed his face in the sink and shook his head.
"Let's continue acting the typical student…"
He exited into the corridor.
"A silent observer…!"
11:11 AM (Japan Time)…
"… Well, my pal?"
"It's boilin' and steamin'!"
"The usual deal, I see!"
"Sure!"
Another teenager was using an earbud to talk to someone.
He was about a meter and seventy tall.
He had brown hair.
His eyes were green.
He wore a blue T-shirt of Osaka Castle, jeans and blue sneakers.
The place was the grounds of a college.
Countless students were moving up and down.
He was leaning on a tree and enjoying its shade.
"Wait. A bud is coming. I'll cut for a moment, my pal…"
"OK!"
He hid the earbud.
Another student met him.
"Angou! Did you hear? This year's Le Mans bike cup will be intense!"
"Sure, man! The big names are all lining up there…"
"I know! It'll be fun to watch!"
"Sure!"
"See ya later!"
The student left and Angou waved goodbye.
He put on the earbud again.
"Anyway. Ya know the drill, my pal… Destruction Man…"
"Sure. Train at Point B and then go to Point X to meet ya…"
"I take it that there are no new orders yet?"
"Nothin' in the steamin' and boilin' horizon!"
"Gotcha. Stay sharp, next one will be bigger…"
"I'd like to rematch hthat Blues fella. To break his poker face!"
"Sure. But we don't decide that…"
"The only downside! But it can't be helped!"
"Maybe ya could make strong simulations of it…"
"That sounds like fun! See ya!"
"OK!"
Angou removed the earbud and turned it off.
He pocketed it and hummed a tune.
"I'll tune a strong bike for the race, too!"
He walked back towards the main building of the campus.
"The rollin' bikes are back in town!"
He laughed at his own motto.
"At least it's not the Crazy Diamonds, Daia and Mondo!"
He chuckled.
"Angou! I'll beat you at the race game!"
"Come anytime, Matsuda!"
"My guitar will make the net shake!"
"It'll burn!"
"Sure!"
11:19 AM (Japan Time)…
"… Excuse me, Mr. Utsuki…"
"What is it, Ms. Maeda?"
"I am afraid that I mistakenly took this file with me…"
"True! This is part of the lessons for the 2nd grade students…"
"I apologize for the inconvenience…"
"Don't mind it, Ms. Maeda. It can happen to anyone…"
A teacher looked up from his materials in the staff room.
He was in his early 30s.
He was over a meter and eighty tall.
He had blond hair.
His eyes were brown.
He wore a brown suit, a green tie, pants and brown shoes.
He received a file from another teacher.
"I shall go place a call or two and then head to the classroom…"
"Naturally…"
Utsuki exited the staff room.
He stopped in the corridor and opened a window.
He looked down at the school grounds.
He put on the earbud.
"Axe Man. Report…" He whispered.
"I am at Point D, as instructed. Training, sir…"
"Good. Remember to follow all orders…"
"Such is my program…"
"I am aware. But my orders include verifying that it's properly running…"
"Naturally, sir…"
"Head to Point T afterwards. We'll rendezvous there…"
"Yes, sir. Such are my orders…"
"Excellent. We will see each other later…"
"Understood, sir…"
"Over and out…"
He stored the earbud and checked his phone.
He wasn't pleased with what he saw.
"Youth nowadays. Wasting time by sending trash to others…"
He closed the lid and scoffed.
"They lack discipline…"
He pocked the phone and crossed his arms.
"I'm not saying that corporal punishment is needed. Only…"
He sighed.
"To stop to think if they'd like to go through the same experience…"
He turned around and headed back to the staff room.
"Then they wouldn't find it so funny anymore…"
He compiled his materials and looked at the wall clock.
"5 minutes left. Good…"
He drank some water.
He checked his notes and nodded in agreement.
He headed for the classroom.
"Time for work…"
11:27 AM (Japan Time)…
"… And that gal was like it was the end of the world, Kazuhira…"
"Really… What a chicken!"
"I know, right?"
"But don't push it too much or the teachers will sniff it out…"
"I know. That old hag, Ueda, has a nose for that…"
"More reasons to keep it to a minimum, Mada…"
Kazuhira laughed as she talked with a fellow college student.
Kazuhira wore a red T-shirt, jeans and black sneakers.
The place was a corner of a college's grounds.
"OK. Let's meet at the usual place this evening…"
"Sure. Let's find some suckers to lure into drinks…"
"And borrow their wallets…"
The student known as Mada walked away, waving goodbye.
Kazuhira walked away as well and stopped beneath a tree.
She put on the earbud and turned it on.
"Well, Witch?"
"Training at Point J. As scheduled…"
"OK. You didn't start a fight with anyone, right?"
"I didn't. I know my place…"
"Good. Else you'll end up like Axe Man…"
"I know…! I don't want to, so I'll behave…"
"A time will come when you'll be allowed to start fights…"
"I am aware. I will patiently wait for it…"
"By the way. If you were to find a gal named Bella…"
"What of them?"
"Don't start a fight. Ignore them…"
"Understood…"
"Focus on smart battle tactics. Forget about insults or taunts…"
"Yes. I will be aware of it, too…"
"We must prove that we're cultured and smart. Do you understand?"
"Yes. We are above the no-brainers…"
"Correct. Don't forget that…"
"I recorded it as a top priority rule, Lady Prophetess…"
"Excellent. Counting on you…"
"Please leave it up to me…"
"See you later at Point Q…"
Kazuhira ended the call and pocketed the earbud.
She rubbed her chin, thinking about something.
"If that Kataka Reiko gal knew of "that secret"…"
She became amused.
"Her jaw would hit the floor!"
She giggled under her breath.
She stroked her hair and smiled, confident.
She headed back towards the main building.
"Let's focus on the lessons and play the model student…"
She hummed a tune.
"And let's have fun tonight, too…"
14:33 PM (Japan Time)…
"… It's me, Torinaka…"
"Good news for you…"
"Was waiting for them, Okuda…"
"Silver Tail. No. 8. This Saturday's race…"
"Excellent, excellent…"
A man was holding a conversation over a phone inside of a booth.
He was constantly looking outside of it.
The man was about a meter and eighty tall.
He was over his 40s.
He had black hair.
His eyes were brown.
A dense beard covered his face.
He wore a rider's suit and boots.
He carried a motorbike helmet on his left arm.
It had a sticker with the Kanji inishie (ancient) on its forehead.
He held the phone with his head as he wrote in a small notebook.
"The usual procedure, then?"
"Naturally…"
"Excellent. The usual shares…"
"Yes. Remember that we're in this together, Toriyama…"
"I'm very aware, Okuda…"
"Good. See you this weekend…"
"Wonderful!"
Toriyama replaced the receiver and smirked.
"Moron. I'm always 10 steps ahead of you!" He muttered.
He pocketed the notebook and placed a cap over the pencil.
He put on the helmet and exited the booth.
He walked towards a nearby green Mitsubishi bike.
He climbed into it as he connected the earbud.
"Ronin Man. Report status…"
"Sir. Training at point N, as scheduled…"
"Wonderful. We'll ice that smug ninja next time!"
"Such is my greatest motivation, sir…"
"We'll meet in Point Y later today. Don't slack!"
"Naturally, sir. I shall have my payback!"
"Show them that they're no better than a yellow cap grunt!"
"My pleasure, sir!"
Toriyama finished the call and chuckled.
"Let's find some suckers in the market…"
He turned left in an intersection and headed west.
He stopped before a traffic light.
He glanced at the pedestrians.
He gasped when he recognized Miyabi amongst them.
He gripped the bike's handles and growled.
"Just you wait, relic of old times!"
The light turned green, and he resumed his trip.
"I'll settle the score!"
15:18 PM (Japan Time)…
"… Well then, Bella… How's things like?"
"The whole "game" tale reeks of a distraction, Lady Viper…"
"Classical…"
"The Net Police are tense and searching everywhere at once…"
"No surprise. We should stay out of it for a while…"
"They are dangerous folk. More than that mad engineer…"
A Navi was reporting to a woman.
She was in her late twenties.
She was close to a meter and eighty tall.
She had blue eyes.
Her hair was blonde, and short.
She wore a grey T-shirt, jeans and boots.
She was sitting in a chair before a desk with a laptop atop it.
The place was a small apartment somewhere.
"I agree with you, Bella…"
She was about a meter and eighty tall.
Her irises were colored blood red.
White hair emerged from behind her bronze helmet.
Her body was red.
Patches in which gold and silver mixed were scattered over it.
Her shoulders had the word "Белла (Bella)" written on them.
She had blue and grey wave patterns drawn on her arms and elbows.
The forearms were crimson red.
She had greened fake nails over her fingers.
She sported the same type of belt and equipment Cobra did.
Her legs had black mail-like patterns drawn over them.
She some "skin" colored to look like a human's skin.
Her black boots were heeled.
The front had a small blade emerging from there.
Her emblem was the "Б (B)" letter set against a black background.
It was surrounded by eight fangs aiming towards it.
"Did you find something on your end, milady?"
"Several things, actually…"
She became amused.
"I was right to investigate the girls around that boy, Hikari…"
"Anaya had approached them?"
"Is involved with one of them under a guise…"
"Using them to monitor their daily routines?"
"Yes. Especially that handsome, Rainon…"
"What's so special about him?"
"He probably used to be an agent of the organization, too…"
"And wants to know what he's doing nowadays?"
"She might find it fun to see how he adapts to "civilian" life…"
"Because he was trained for something else?"
"Possibly Net Battles. Seeing the high specs of his partner…"
"True…"
"And she possibly programmed him with special conditions…"
"Such as?"
"Lack of attraction for the opposite sex… Lack of libido..."
"I see. So that he can interact with them in a rational way…"
"Yes. Without feeling any special attraction…"
"Interesting approach…"
"Feels like her. Wanting to control everything of her agents…"
"Has she tried to approach you, milady?"
"No. Guess that she's more interested in Rama right now…"
"Works for us…"
"It's not like I want to meddle with her business, either…"
She sipped water from a glass.
"I simply want to live in a relaxed way, making use of the underworld…"
"Naturally. Away from Dark Land and their internal struggles…"
"They're so busy with them, it'll backfire on them…"
"Because Sharo and Choina and Mongolia are closing on them…"
"And, before they knew it, they'll splice the cake between them…"
"They were always looking down on us, acting so mighty…"
"Yes. While Meta and Scorpion did feel the same as I…"
She giggled.
"They became preys to the system's greed and arrogance, too…"
"Hence why we jumped ship when we saw a chance…"
"Let's see how this "game" evolves, shall we?"
"Delighted, milady…"
"Make things burn, my chaps!"