Inside strays portable hanger
Aliyah "Raven" Nagai has always been a living weapon for most of his life.
Born with irregular defects from missing organs, a weak immune system, and potentially harboring a great disease that can potentially kill its victims without them realizing until it was too late.
But that was just a cover story for the real reason he was hospitalized for the first nine years of his life.
He needed coral.
The sublime substance was the only thing that could save him before death can obtain his soul. When he was born, his body needed coral just like his father, but rather than powering human augmentation, it was for giving him the natural hormones, nutrients, and many more children in his aged back then needed.
For that reason, he wants the fourth generation augmentation.
As the years went by, his callsign Raven gave him the legitimacy of being one of the best pilots of Rubicon 3, and that included high risk high rewards jobs on a regular daily basis.
Todays routine was just as usual after finishing his last job. He was expected to give an after mission report to his father and was expecting payments per usual.
But today was slightly different than usual. After getting his payments, he also received another job. He expecting strays getting more and more as times go on, but one after another wasn't unusual. This one, however, wasn't the usual.
Re adjusting his glasses, Aliyah didn't believe what he was seeing at first. The job requirements said that he and Ayre needed to move to his mother's birth universe.
Ayre in her coral form beside him was equally shocked. "That would mean we have to leave Rubicon."
That word in itself was, by all means, terrified the both of them.
Leaving behind their original duty and potentially opening up a huge defense hole on the plan that any other faction can invade at any moment.
He would have turned down such a request only for this one came straight from his parents, and the condition on staying there is equally bizarre.
"Dad wants all four of us to investigate some coral smuggling on mom birth universe stopping a potentially bigger threat that can doomed the entire planet and Rubicon if said hazard can smuggle magia and coral soldiers back to ours." Saying it out loud was more reason for him to be worried about this mission.
"Raven, you need to read these last few lines." Ayre then pointed at the mission condition.
Mission requirement:
All participants need to make an alibi for staying at said world, condition concluded that high school at Sakura international academic is highly required.
All current scripts need to be converted to yen.
All participants' equipment must be only ground equipment, not AC. Only one AC can be brought to this world if and only used in an emergency that requires the use of an AC.
All salvage items or equipment from captured or eliminated enemy must be donated to the local nest inc building.
ALL participants must work with all the following lists:
- Ryu takimino
- tres magia
- all mahou shoujo's that combat the crossroads event's
All participants have to start living in the morning sky dormitory for the duration of the school year.
All participants' identities during operation must be concealed for preventing investigation by local authorities and the mainstream media.
All participants must prepare for a week of learning Japanese culture for the operation and shopping for civilian clothing for better concealment.
There's no option for denying this request
"Prepare yourself."
Both of them are stunned, the only mission that requires them to move to earth, and the only one that has a no denial came from none other than Aliyah own father.
The augmented part of his mind told him to accept regardless of his personal thoughts on the matter
Then he looked at the window to the hangers, showing an industrial catwalk that goes all the way to the back and front of the mobile hangers with all four AC visible from his quarters.
"Corvus is the most logical option," Ayer began, "while Arachnid is too big for the operation and kyubi has too many expensive parts making imported replacement to costly, Banshee, on the other hand has coral weapons, too much of a risk for being captured, Corvus though may have custom part's but the materials are cheap and easy to repair, the weapons are mostly kinetic, and finally she is sturdy enough for multiple attacks."
Weighing on the benefits, the AC was perfect for the job. She could take more load than Banshee and kyubi while being smaller, then Arachnid.
Seeing the job requirements, Aliyah began searching Japanese school study books and the likes, "Ayre, help me with everything we need for this job, call Futaro for some study materials and Taka for local customs, it's been a long time since I've lived in moms world so a refresher is needed."
"Aliyah, it seems the school is having an online test for new students. We can sign in together and take the test from here.
Good their's nothing more satisfying for Aliyah than earning his spot.
One week later
As the early hours of the day came by, a young teenage girl with coral pink hair, cut chin-length and slightly curled at the ends, with a large red bow on the upper left side of her head walked in front of the recently finished dormitory.
"I wonder who will be staying here?" The young lady was Sayori chihiro, she has been told that the land Infront of her house has been bought by a big corporation that been constricting a dormitory for a students at her school, Sakura international academic.
"It will be a surprise, dear." Her mother told her for the third time this last week's, apparently she was attending a welcoming party for her new neighbors, she hoped they were nice people.
And it appears that her family weren't the only ones.
While looking around, she spotted her mother's old high school classmates, mostly two other families, the hiiragi's and the ishigaki's with their kids, who's according to her mother, who will be her new classmates.
"Excuse me, everyone, can I have your attention, please?" As she was about to think further, a voice cut her thoughts as she looked at the source.
Two teenage boy's exited the dormitory front door, and one of them had a clipboard on his right hand, most likely a checked list.
"I'm informed that the new residents are arriving around twenty-five minutes or more. As of all you fine guests, please come inside and wait for the new arrivals, as for me and my friend here, we are going to the airport to pick up the two new attendance."
As the first one said before, a black luxurious car stopped behind her, and the other guests.
"You folks go on inside and enjoy your self, their some food and drinks in case we and the new attendees got stuck in traffic," the second boy told her and the others before looking at his phone. "Yo, Futaro, bosses flight just got into Japan's air space. we need to go now!".
"Okay, everyone, me and Takatoshi here are going to the airport. Thank you for taking your time with this welcome party. And I'm glad all of you have time for this event."
As both of them are leaving, Sayori can see their look's when they get to the front gate.
The first one, Futaro, was very tall for most Japanese boys his age. He has fair skin and black hair that is styled in a bowl cut with two strands sticking up from the back of his head and green eyes.
The second one, takatoshi, was slightly shorter than Futaro. He has brown hair with bangs extended down from all over his hair, with his eyes on the same color.
As the car went off taking the two with it, Sayori wondered if the two of them worked for the new neighbors or something.
"Sayori sweetheart, come inside. I need your help!"
And by that, she started helping.
On nest inc private jet
Aliyah never thought that after years in the battlefield of rubicon 3, he and Ayer would be flying on a private jet, the kind he and his team usually become the armed escorts.
And yet he was the one being escorted.
"Son, I know you don't like being the one needed protection by others," Walter said. His father started the conversation, "and trust me, I believe that you and Ayre can get to Japan by yourselves, but we need an alibi for the mission."
His mother Asuka joined the conversation, "It's true, out here we're just a family of corporate that moving back to Japan after all this years, and we can't just bring an army on to their doorstep, it would cause serious trouble to the plan."
The PLAN, the one overseers, wants him to be their best assets, and yet his parents wanted him and his teammates to work on a job that can potentially help them in the long term while doing so behind the other council backs.
"I know the both of you are nervous, but please just... just try your best. We needed you to succeed on this one."
The last words from his mother weren't what he expected from the usual mission briefing.
Ayre reading his mind felt what he was going through.
"It's alright, Rav- I mean Aliyah, we can do this!" Ayer putting her hand on his shoulders reassure him, "and were not the only ones. Those two will help us fit in for the duration of this mission."
"Sir's and madams, we are about to land at private air port. Please buckler up your seat belts before we landed, have a nice day."
The jet AI pilot speaks to the whole cabin as all of them can see the air port below.
Aliyah just hopes that it's going to be a slow day today cause his augmented hearing and awareness will be overloaded with too much foot traffic.
In the airport main entrance
He was so wrong, very wrong.
Camera's and news reporters swarm him, Ayre, and both of his parents as the question and flashing Camera lights trying to capture their image for the news.
Luckily, private security managed to keep them at bay as their ride arrived at the scene.
Moving forward, all four of them are bombarded by questions from all over.
"Nagai-san, what's the reason for moving back to Japan?"
"Asuka Nagai, will you return from retirement after the reports of mahou shoujo's struggling with the crossroads events?"
"Excuse me, young man, can we have an interview with Nagai-san son? It won't be long."
"Young lady, you don't resemble the other Nagai family members. Can you tell us about your relationship with the family, mostly with this young man?"
One by one, the question piles up as the direction goes from the reasons of the nagai family moving back to Japan to interviewing Aliyah's life, hobby, and questioning Ayre relationship with him, the reasoning, she and him are on the same age.
The car doors opened, allowing all four of them to enter the back seat.
After Aliyah entered, he then closed the left back door, and the car then started moving. This finally gave him the rest he needed.
"Man! Never knew you were a celebrity boss! I thought you liked peace and quiet more, rather than large crowds?" Looking up Aliyah saw both of his friends Takatoshi,"spider" tsuda and on his right Futaro,"Kitsune" uesugi Infront of him in their civilian clothing.
Takatoshi or Taka for what they call him wearing a green tank top, baggy jeans, military boots, and his Redgun trench coat with the sleeves folded up to his upper forearms while wearing it unbutton.
Futaro, on the other hand, wearing a black T shirt and jeans that look too tight for him, simple running shoes, and his Vesper blue crop top jacket with the front zipper open.
"To be fare, sir, it's not every day that the biggest global defense/tech company owners' families are moving back to its original country." Futaro added his thoughts to the discussion, "the amount of questions they want to know about you and Ayre are currently circulating around the political space, especially about your appearance. "
Aliyah doesn't understand what he meant by that. He was an AC pilot. The only thing his appearance that he was concerned about is just the kind of civilian clothing that can hide his augments.
His wearing a simple T shirt with a Raven image on the front, military grade boots, a custom leather biker jacket made by his teacher, aviator prescription glasses, and waterproof military cargo Pants.
Ayre, on the other hand, was wearing a white t shirt, skinny jeans, red shoes, and black pea coat.
He doesn't even know why Futaro said that mostly because their 12th gen augments were easier to hide compared to his 4th gen augmentation.
"Futaro, Taka, please understand that Aliyah 4th gen augmentation is harder to hide compared to both of yours. We already have a cover story about incase-." Ayre interject for her host
Taka, knowing what his boss was thinking he needed to clarify the reasoning: "What Fu meant was that the way you dressed was more akin to a delinquent rather than the usual rich kid, ya know the typical rich douchebag?"
After that clarification, they went on with their journey.
While everyone continues on chatting about their current personal events, throughout the ride Aliyah was looking at the window to his left, outside, he can see intact building's, bustling streets, parks, trees, and more importantly of all, people walking by.
The serenity of such a place was paradise in comparison, Rubicon 3 was an active war zone, and the planet's grids are just repurpose factories to become habitat units.
"How peaceful is this place? From the files mom gave me, didn't it say that this world is certainly under attack by anomalies?" He said, starting a conversation.
"Well, technically, yes. But compared all those attacks to the ones we and others at strays usually dealt with, their nothing. " Futaro responded ,"but if you ask me usual when there are monster attacks, the mahou shoujo of this city tres magia usually dealt with the problem."
As Aliyah listened to Futaro's words, the car passed by a billboard showing the tres magia team merchandise being sold at a local store.
Futaro then continues his explanation, "As you can see, mahou shoujo merchandise are indeed very popular, the fans get to show some love for their favorite heroines, and the mahou shoujo's get some fame in-."
"Guys, just so you know, we're being followed," Taka intervened, looking at the back window to see another car behind them, "two people, adult's, both males, one of them got a communicator and their both armed"
"Anything else?" Walter responded.
Takatoshi focused on the car's passengers for a moment for a moment until he reported back to Walter ,"Both from the Yokai family clan, mostly monitoring us, their trying to see what were doing incase they need to reported back to the head huncho. Want me to do something about it, sir?"
"No, just keep your mind on them. Make sure to warn us if they plan something, and in case they are trying something foolish, make sure to cover your tracks. Do not fight them out on the open, not yet"
Taka sighed and nodded he really wanted to shoot something right now.
He then grabbed his phone and started texting, "Just texted kotomi that we're almost there." As he said that, a response text popped up. "She said that everyone, even me and the uesugi family, just arrived. Hopefully, she doesn't start making THOSE jokes."
Back at morning sky dormitory
As more families started to attend the welcome party, while the parents were talking in the kitchen area, the children, on the other hand, were hanging out in the living room.
All within the living room started to introduce themselves, starting with the only boy there, Kiba ishigaki, the brunette with messy hair and brown eye's that excitingly introduce himself to the others in the room.
Utena hiiragi, the purple hair girl with heart-shaped ahoge and amber colored eyes that was struggling to introduce herself twordes those around her.
Kotomi tsuda, the little sister of takatoshi tsuda, just like her brother she has brown hair that is styled in a twin tail and has the same eye color as him, but surprisingly her height is just around the average teenage girl just like Sayori and Utena.
And lastly, the only child in the room
Raiha uesugi, the little sister of Futaro uesugi, unlike her older brother she has dark blue hair with a simple butterfly-shaped ribbon, holding up her hair in a high cowlick style and she has yellow eyes.
As everyone ended their introduction, the room went to an awkward silence. The only voice that can be heard was mostly the adult's conversing in the other room.
"So. Any ideas on who the new neighbors are?" Kiba started the conversation trying his best to ease the others for the coming welcoming party.
"Welllll, I don't know them much, but from what onii-chan told me their really focused and kind people. I guess?" Raiha told the others, even if she doesn't know those two personally.
Sayori was interested at that, "Really? What are they liked?" She questioned.
Before Raiha can answer her question, the buzzing sound of a notification can be heard from kotomi, she looked at her phone and reads the message, "Got a text from Taka-nii He said that they had just entered the neighborhood!".
At the back, the parents over herd this, and one of them kotomi's mother came out first and ask "is their anything else?".
Kotomi then looked at her phone for a moment before swaying her head. "Nope! Nothing else happened."
As the guest started to prepare themselves for the arrivals, Utena hiiragi nervously asked her mother, "Okaa-San, why are we having a welcoming party this big? Isn't this just a dormitory, right?".
While arranging the table, her mother, answered her , "Well, it's not just for the new occupants, but it's also for our old friends, their moving back to Japan after all this years with their child, oh you will loved them and their son!" Hana said excitingly, hopefully that her daughter could make some friends from her old friends child.
As the rest finished the final decoration, kotomi and Raiha were eagerly looking at the window as they saw the same car returned from the airport.
"Their here!" Both kotomi and Raiha yell aloud.
Moments later, the door opened as Futaro and Takatoshi entered first. "Well then, everybody, the guest of honors is here!" Taka excitingly announces.
Futaro, then follow-up takatoshi "first the parents will know who it is."
Moving aside, the first to enter was Asuka and Walter.
"WELCOME BACK YOU TWO!" The parents all but one was welcoming the two, as they did so causing both of the returning adult's to be equally surprised at the gesture.
"Everyone," Asuka responded happily while Walter, on the other hand, he's missed this genuine kindness compared to the usual pitiless behavior of the other members of overseers.
"Asuka-chan! It's been so long, I hope you've been doing well after all this time." The gentle words of Sayori mother spoke to her.
"Inded, it's has been so long after we've seen each other Aira-chan!"
Utena mother walking to the both of them joining in on the conversation "By the way weres your son I heard his all better now from the last time we've seen him?".
From that, Walter stepped in "his been doing great. We just told him and his friend to wait in the car for a moment, we wanted a surprise for Sayori."
When Sayori heard this, she was more interested from the reasoning on why they'd wanted to surprise her.
Asuka then went back to the car for a moment, and then, when she returned, two new faces were introduced.
"Now everyone, I liked to introduce all of you, my son and his friend."
At first, when the parents and children saw Aliyah there first thing that grabbed their attention was his height, almost as tall as his father, for Sayori. Her shocked expression tells another story.
'It's him!' She internally said to herself.
Aliyah's appearance was somewhat the same when they first met years ago. He has his father's skin tone, eyes, and hair color with a mix of his mother's facial structure and her hair type but shorter.
Combining all of this with his choice of clothing, the very same bed redden boy that Sayori befriended a long time ago, now changed to be a foreign ikemen that she herself never imagined he would become
"Hello, my name is Aliyah Nagai. Nice to meet you all, " his introduction was very bland from what she expected,
Seeing her, they make eye contact for a few seconds, only he then walk towards her.
"You're Sayori, right?" He said first, "it's been a long time since we've last talked." He then reached for something deep from his jacket, right chest pocket.
Suspension fills the air as everyone is watching for what he's going to reveal.
After digging in his pocket for a moment Aliyah shows her an old small teddy bear Keychain that has a red string tide to a bow.
"I've been holding on to this ever since we were separated. It's the only thing that reminded me of you after all this year apart. Without him, i would have forgotten the kind girl who helped me back then. I hope you still remember me as well."
'That line came straight out of a romance series', as all the guests internally reacted to the situation unfold.
Her face flushed with embarrassment as her long, separated childhood friend returned from overseas and that he's still holding on to that good-bye gift she gave him to remember her.
Sensing the poor girl dying of embarrassment, Asuka looked at Ayer, telling her that she needed to introduce herself.
After knowing her host for over a year and with the additional knowledge from his romance manga that he reads during every downtime he has.
"Hello everyone, my name is Ayre rubica." She introduced herself.
The other teens looked at her and stunned by her appearance.
Nearly as tall as Aliyah's, her foreign beauty captured their attention, especially with her albino appearance from her red colored eyes, long white mane that flows like magic, super pale skin, and a well endowed body that gives her the appearance of a super model.
"I'm also here as both a new student and as Aliyah's personal health assistant."
By presenting herself as both friendly to those around her and as Aliyah's personal health assistant, it would prevent potential misunderstanding about why she tagged along.
And the guest bought that.
"Health assistant?" Sayori inquires. "Is he still sick? I thought he looked better than the last time we've met?" Her face grim at the thought of it.
"I'm just monitoring his health," Ayre explains. "Aliyah is the first human with artificial organs, so if any one of these in his body shows signs of damage or failure to function, it's my duty to help him until private medical teams arrived".
The teens were surprised at Ayre's explanation, but Walter's testified on the matter with his son inheriting the company in the future, Aliyah's health will be the main reason why Ayre's agreement for moving in to the dormitory.
But there's to it than that
The day moved on as the welcoming party continued on, while the parents mostly conversed about catching up on old times and questioning the reasons of the Nagai's returned. The teens, on the other hand, were talking (mostly) about Aliyah and his personal life from questioning about his childhood to his time overseers and his relationship with his friends.
Aliyah however knows that any information of his time on Rubicon 3 can not be answered by any means necessary by either dodging the question, vague answer's, Taka's or Futaro's intervention, and his most favorite method just lies with little truths.
While drinking some good coffee courtesy of Futaro some one ask him a question.
"Soooooo, how did Ayre become your personal nurse?" Kiba, ask. "I mean, she's around the same age as all of us, so why, though?"
Putting the coffee mug down to the living room table, he needs to make some small adjustments for Ayre's story.
"I helped her, and she felt like she'd needed to repay me,"
All the guests' teens question this until Ayre continues the answer.
"It was a year ago when Aliyah helped me. From my old home, there was this infamous local gang that threatened my old community by kidnapped young girls and forced their parents to pay for our safety."
Utena tense up and ask her a question, "But was there any mahou shoujo from your old home?"
She asked a valid question, but Ayre anticipated this when they we're coming up with her back story. "It wasn't that simple. In my old home, the gang members were wearing normal clothing, no uniform or weapons, they blended in so well that at first glance any authorities or superhero's thought nothing of it." She pauses for a moment before continuing her fake story."When some of the girls got paid and let go, I thought for a moment that they just let me go after my parents paid them, but those like me with my knowledge on first aid, they kept me for almost two years."
Hearing Ayre's sad back story, Sayori commented, "That so sad. But how were they managed to keep you with them? Didn't your parents call the local police that you went missing for so long ?"
"I'm getting to that," Ayre then continues. "Throughout that time, they usually silence the parents from any useful girl they have in their possession. One day, they bring in another one in, and to my surprise, it was Aliyah."
They all raised their brow for Taka, Futaro, Kotomi, and Raiha they were questioning if Aliyah would explain his side from the fake back story.
And on que, he answered their confusion. "You see, some of my dad's friends were answering some anonymous messages from some of the locals to find their missing girls, I was there to shadow them on career day," he looked at the other teens faces before answering "career day is a school event for students to work along side professionals on their jobs, my dad's friends happens to be some private investigator that were hired to help those parents."
"But how did you get kidnapped?" Ask Sayori concern as to how he got involved in such a horrific situation.
"We have to split up to get some information from those concerns parents, and when i was done interviewing one of these parents, some of the gang members knocked me out and took me hostage. And apparently, when I woke up from my black out, Ayre was attending my wounds."
Arye then continues, "When I get the chance to question him on why they'd kidnapped him rather than some random girl, they were going to use him as bait to stop the investigation by paying for his safety, unfortunately for them Aliyah got a tracking device on his body incase he ever becomes someone's hostage, next thing you know there was a gun fight, gang members getting shot by his father pmc team, and we were set free but..."
"But what?" Sayori question again.
"After a day or two, the investigation got a lead on some of the parents that... all I can say was that there were a lot of body bags. And my parents were one of them."
The room was silent at that the cover story worked perfectly.
Aliyah then finished the story. "After that, usually we contact any other family members she has that will take care of her, but there's no one left. So she decided that going with me to is the only option she has left, and at the same time, it's the only way she can repay her saviors."
Concluding Ayre (false) backstory that they fabricate for the past week, the reactions of the guests were expected with uncomfortable silence and pity from the parents.
As the day goes on, Walter and his wife starts to leave the dormitory with the explanation of "we've gota go, got news from the contractor I hired for the construction of nest inc tower, he said I need to be there for the finishing touches."
As he did, Asuka followed him as well, leaving Aliyah and his team with the guests.
The Q and A continues on mostly leaning towards some of Aliyah's and Ayre's time overseas.
listening, but never started any conversation, Utena then felt her phone vibrated from her pocket, as she checked the reason her eyes sparkled with gushing joy, "tres magia!" Squealing with anticipation, she then grabbed the TV remote and started switching channels to the one that got her all excited.
Finally, she found the one, "as we can see, tres magia are currently engaging in a fight against one monster," a news reporter said as the camera was pointing from a helicopter.
The scene they've captured was a usual sight to the city's denizen, but to Aliyah and Ayre, it was a first looked to their future ally.
The monster tres magia is fighting against, from the categories rubicon classified as a magia type anomaly classification brute, with the physical appearance from demons of old earth with red skin, goat legs, horns, and with the addition of bat like wings protuding from its back, and like the name suggests it's muscular build gave it the advantage of super strength, combining all that with a hockey mask gave a frightening appearance overall.
For what he and most other factions all over rubicon, this monsters are by far the weakest only being dangerous when being surrounded and out numbered.
And yet it takes three mahou shoujo's to hold off just one of these things.
The monster was preparing an attack as its fist reels back for a strike. At this moment Aliyah and Ayre were analyzing the situation in the news, from his and many others' experiences from fighting the same monster such as this one, his mind simulated multiple approaches for such a attack from bait and switch to fales retreat, and with the fight taking in the air the possibility were endless fo-
The monster strikes it fist at the yellow one, his mind expecting a counter or the other members using her as bait and counterattack when the beast is distracted for trying to break their teammates shield
But no, the next thing the yellow one did was block the attack with a yellow energy shield and force the monster back. The others, on the other hand, both pink and blue, didn't do anything?
'What the-' was all he and Ayre could think of.
As the monster was roaring at them, it went back to the offensive and charged forward, hoping to land a hit. However, the blue one lunch some ice shards at the beast when both make contact the ice froze parts of its arms as it tries to block the attack. Then the pink one was going for a surprise attack from behind, hopefully using the distraction she could -
"Hhhhhhaaaaaaaa!" And with a loud war cry, she surged forward only for the beast to tern around and block her attempts.
From Raven point of view, this was by far the most unbelievably sad attempts at fighting he has ever seen.
Arye was equally bamboozled by the scene as well, but what's more was the reaction of the locals. All of the guests were absorbed to the action of this "fight" from the girls cheering on the heroes (Kiba, on the other hand, was trying to get a glimpse of their panties) and the parents watches on like seeing a live action TV show.
But apparently, both Aliyah and Ayre weren't the only ones.
Futaro was always disappointed in these fights. there were an insult to every fighter, warrior, and soldiers on the planet that have trained from months to years to perfect their craft only to be out done by a bunch of kids with magic and a week of basic traning.
For Taka, he was FURIOUS but did not show it in his face. His reasoning was the same as Futaro, only for this insult felt more personal than the other's.
He looked back at his mother and Kiba's mom as well. They both have worried looks on their faces, and, focusing on their minds, he can conclude one thing from both of them.
Disappointment, pity, sadness, and rage.
From how tres magia fought, from how both of them felt sorry for what's to come of thsi girls, the feeling of failure from their parts as retired roll model's, and finally hatred for one person responsible Vatz.
Valiona mother.
And so the strays continue on watching the fight with mixed results, from confusion to disappointment they watched the "fight" until it was over.
Night time at happy Kitsune Cafe
After the welcoming party, and that questionable event at the news. The strays were currently in Futaro's family owned cafe, with it being nine pm at night Aliyah needs to meet his teams client for the upcoming job, and hopefully, he doesn't need to do most of the talking.
While they we're waiting for their client, the strays are currently seated on the seacond floor at the veary back further away from any windows, and thanks to the cafe being closed, they can discuss the job without any problems.
The sounds of an open door catch their attention. Then footsteps started to make their way to them.
He saw his client and another?
The client, Ryu takimino, was currently wearing formal attire compared to what the other person was wearing.
The other female, 165cm tall, waist length dark purple hair and light purple eyes and wears a purple barrette on the right side of her head, positioned upon her right prominent strand of hair beside her bangs.
If he has to guessed, judging by her appearance with his client, their biologicaly related.
Both of them were seated on the opposite side from his and his team. Ayre was to his left, Futaro to his right, and Taka to Ayre's left.
"Well," Aliyah started, "Mr. Takimino, mind telling us who's the female beside you?"
"Oh! Right, Yuri, would you kindly introduce yourself."
She then stands from her chair and introduces herself, "Hello, my name is takimino Yuri. It's nice to meet you." She bow in greeting.
But before any of them return her greetings, Futaro's nose catches something in the air, a small whiff of an all to familiar scent to any other warrior in the battlefield. Blood.
Hearing Futaro's thoughts, Takatoshi began probing both Ryu and Yuri's mind, and to his mild surprise, Yuri began feeling lightheaded from his probing.
'Her brain can detect psychic probing, not fast or strong, but useful when her mind is being violated.'
After finding the reason, Taka looked to his teammate and confirmed Futaro's suspicion
"Sir, she has multiple cut wounds on her left arm, mostly on her forearms to her wrist. Quite old to three days, perhaps?"
"H-h-how?" Yuri face forms a veary distress and shock expression from her secret being easily discovered by someone she just meets.
Futaro then pointed with his right index finger to his nose. Without telling a word, his message was clear as day to her.
Ayre then started talking. "As much as we wanted to talk further about our mission, Ms Yuri, would you mind if I heal those cuts of yours?" She opened the palms of her left hand.
"Wait." Takatoshi said, "Aren't we forgetting a certain someone to be here?"
And on que, a red portal opens to reveal the strays handler, Valiona the mascot.
"Sorry I'm late, i was helping Mr. Walter with setting up some security measurements."
She then floats twordes the strays and materializes a device on her left hand, "This here is an anomaly blocker, I've should've warned ya that any magia or other anomaly user could detected the used of other user's near by."
Yuri asked, "Is it possible for this magic user's to locate us from afar?"
"Actually, it depends on how strong their connection are, for example," She then floats above takatoshi "this guy over here can use his powers to locate any person mind or magia energy form 1 to 5 kilometers by just reading their minds, but his only limited to one person at a time or the target was in a crowded area with multiple people thinking at onece, then his head will started to get painful."
Ryu then picks up at that explanation ."So his a esper then?"
"By definition, yes," Taka answered. "Everyone, I've think we've been sidetracked for far too long?"
He then grabbed the anomaly blocker from Valiona's hands. The device itself has a very straightforward design, a small tube the size of a finger with small lights that indicates both battery and range. The bottom has a rubber button, while the top portion is a small emitter.
Pressing the activation button, the small emitter began rotating counterclockwise with a small pulse blue color flashing from the device.
"Now then. Takimino-San mind showing Ayre your wounds?" Taka, ask.
Hesitated for a moment, Yuri was concerned for what's to come. Slowly, she began pulling her long sleeve upward and revealing her self-imposed scars, with some looking more fresh than the others.
Ayre felt worried. Some of these cuts looked deep but non-lethal. There definitely was self-imposed "ms. Takimino, are you forced to harm yourself by another's orders, or did you do this on your own doings?"
She didn't respond not by guilt or shame but out of embarrassment as by her face going red.
For a moment, the rest of strays looked at Taka's direction. He, on the other hand, gave a very disgusting look of confirmation.
Sighing, she then scolded the purple hair girl. "I don't judge or kink shame, but please be more careful when you do this kind of thing, I've seen people do something just like this and ended up dying before help arrived. Please be more careful."
Yuri didn't respond. She only looked away in more embarrassments.
Extending her left arm with an open hand, the red mist of coral swirling from her palms and fingers, then the coral makes its way towards Yuri's arm.
She felt that the red mist felt calming and nurturing to her, and Yuri's mind felt at ease rather than distress.
It only takes a few seconds until her cuts are no more. Checking her arm, the skin felt new, inspecting her arm further. Yuri was amazed, the healing not just repair her arm, it also erased any signs of her cuts completely.
As if it never happened in the first place.
"Thank you for healing, my daughter's self-inflicted injury," Ryu said to Arye, "but i guess it's time for discussing this new job of yours."
Aliyah nodded
"Now then, how much do you know about this world you're currently on?"
Aliyah then answered, "It was 22 years ago when the first crossroads events occurred. This current world was formed after three different parallel earths fused together. From my understanding, these three earths were a combination from what your people's classification from Shonen battles, mahou shoujo, and eroge by the first crossroads events."
Ryu then closed his eyes for a moment and remembered those events. "I remembered it. The first crossroads."
"Yes, that events was the first time The bridges between multiple reality's forcing each other to merge together."
"The first?" Yuri question
"There are others, but this world was the first one," he answered, then continued, "from the stories my parents told me that the first crossroads events is when they both first meet, but to keep it short they and others prevent this world merging with rubicon 3, my dads birth world."
"So that's the name of that other planet, rubicon 3." Yuri said.
Ryu continues the conversation, "and then your father started to live here, attending Sakura international academic, fell in love with your mother, started a company with her after graduation, and then they brought you into the world."
Aliyah nodded. "Yes, that's the jist of it. Now, are we going to discuss our job parameters, or is there more you want to ramble on about, because all of us are going going to school tomorrow."
"Yes, well," he then pulled out a list of paper from his suit jacket. "I got a list of extra objectives and rules both you and your team need to read. Although I feel like there's going to be some objection from your teams part."
As Ryu placed the list on the table, Aliyah picked it up and started to read its content.
All civilian lives are a priority
No explosive weapons
Collateral damage is a no-no
The use of an armored core is only allowed during a crossroads events
Any documents / evidence from any mission must be secured away from local authorities
And ...
The last one got his, and the rest of strays' attention.
"You want us to act like a mahou shoujo? As in, on any fights, we must act like anime character?"
Ryu nodded. He expected this reaction, especially takatoshi reaction.
"Yo-you want me and my friends fight like those FAKERS!" He shouted, emphasizing the last words.
"I know what you're thinking, and please, let me explain my reasoning," he closed his eyes and started explaining, "The reason why I want you and your team to act like the current day mahou shoujo's is because of the people"
"What do you mean by that?" Aliyah asked, but for Futaro and Takatoshi, they began to understand the reasoning, and they did not like it one bit.
"You see, when the first crossroads events happened, the people were scared. They thought the world was ending. Until your mother and her team, Japan's first mahou shoujo team came in and saved the day. After that, people from all three parallel earths were practically worshipping them afterward."
"And thanks to that, the people were more comfortable and safer when there's a mahou shoujo around," Futaro added.
"To the point that any other forms of authority are nothing more than over glorified disciplinary committee." He finally added,"and thanks to that, any other help like your team who uses military tactics and efficiency were seen as more of a threat than anything."
The explanation was heavy to both Ayre and Aliyah's minds, even though he wanted to discuss more, nows not the time.
If the people of this world prefer to be safe in fales straight, then they are doomed the moment rubicon, and it's factions see them as rescorses.
"We agreed." Aliyah said with conviction "under the condition that we operate independently from your side of the investigation."
"And that is?"
"I want me and Ayre to train tress magia and any other mahou shoujo we come across while we were doing that Futaro and Taka are helping the investigation all over Japan, and no they will not take orders from local authorities."
"While I want all of you to cooperate with others outside from your team. The rest are agreeable"
Aliyah then extends his right hand for a handshake. "So it's a deal, then?"
Pushing his hesitation aside, Ryu grabbed Aliyah hand and shook it firmly. "Deal," now he questioned. Did he make a deal with a demon or something worse.
After a month of procrastinating, I've finally got chapter 1 done.
The next chapter is going to be focused on ddlc and mahou shoujo ni akogarete from Aliyah and Ayre.
See ya next chapter!
now for the review:
to Sunny us: glad you liked it and for the comic idea I'll keep it in mind.
to frostbound Reverie: I'll keep in mind of your offer but currently it's just going to be a fic first but thank you for the offer
