"Satou! Wake up!"
Satou's body is seen to be shaken by a twin-tail-haired girl.
"Please don't die! Please!"
No matter what she says, he doesn't wake up.
"I will never let you die as I love you!"
Hearing that, he wakes up out of the blue.
"Ugh... That dream again."
He started to open his eyes and shake his head that feels heavy. He then realizes that something is off.
"Finally, you are awake, Satou Hideaki!"
Said someone to him. That makes that curly-haired guy blink his eyes two times as he is surprised by seeing the one before him.
"Who are you!?"
"It's me, the one who called you! You'd give me trouble if you didn't wake up though."
That curly-haired guy remains silent for a moment, and then he gets up. He sees his surrounding which is just a hall of the sewer he used to hide from the pursuit.
"I was right to believe in you, my best friend! I owe you one."
Satou said with pride and relief thanking the one saved his butt. He is a black short-haired guy named Sanada Motohiro. And his status is; trying to find a way out with Satou Hideaki.
P.S. There's a possibility that he will be Satou's best friend.
"How are you feeling? Are you hurt or something?"
Sanada asked looking worried as he sees Satou's condition.
"Ah, right. If I'm not mistaken…"
Hearing the question, Sato checks up his body carefully. He feels something is off while checking up his own body.
"Huh? Eh?"
"What is it?"
Satou is shocked by knowing he didn't get a scratch on his body at all. It's like he never took any damage before.
"That's strange. I am sure that I got shot several times. Was it just a dream? No way."
"Then, it's good that you are unharmed. We just need to find the exit."
"How is the current situation?"
Satou's question makes his best friend, Sanada Motohori, lets out a sigh and scratches the back of his head as he puts an expression Satou can't tell what it is. But, he has no choice but to answer it.
"Actually. they are ready to ambush us at the end of this path. "
"But, they don't know where I am, do they?."
"If you defeated all of them, this wouldn't happen."
Hearing that makes Satou think. If he gets out with Sanada, they will be ambushed and game over. There are only 2 of them, and there's no way they can beat the full-equipment troops.
"Hang on, they are just after me, right, Tanaka?"
Sanada just nods to his best friend to respond to the question as he averts his gaze to the exit.
"Yeah! When I entered the sewer, none gave a fuck about it."
"Bingo!"
Satou suddenly gets an idea after hearing Sanada's response.
"Eh? What is it?"
"Before that, do you have something? Probably it will do good for this escape."
Sanada remains silent for a moment. Then he puts his hand in his small bag. Later, he finds a smoke bomb and takes it out from the bag, showing it to Satou.
"I just have this guy. I left my gun in the car."
"So you bring a car? Good."
"You got a plan."
That curly-haired guy puts on a smirk and he shows Sanada his phone which GPS left on.
"First, give me that! Second, leave this place and wait for me in the car."
"How about you?"
"I'll distract them."
"That's too reckless!"
"Don't worry. I have a smoke bomb!"
"But, it just works temporary in a short time. If you do distract them, what will you do next?"
"I'll send you my location to pick me up."
"Didn't I tell you that they are ready to ambush us at the end of the exit?"
"That's why I told you that I will distract them."
Sanada takes a break to think when he hears the risky and reckless idea Satou told him. He then lets out a sigh and shakes his head saying…
"If you do distract them, how will you find a safe place for me to pick you up?"
"Instinct."
"Eh!? Instinct!?"
Satou nods in confidence. He wants to take the bet as he thinks it's impossible to dodge a rifle shot.
What makes him survive till now is just the hostile instinct that pops up in his mind.
"I believe in you. Then can you, believe me, best friend?"
Satou asked offering his best friend a fist bump. Sanada then lets out a sigh for the thousandth time.
"Very well. Let's do it best friend!"
Sanada gives Satou a fist bump.
---
Trying to work as the plan, Satou is about to get out of the sewer which was his temporary hideout. He can see Sanada manages to get in a car and gives Satou a signal from his cell phone.
Satou nods and walks through the exit to the highway.
Just like what Sanada said, there are many officers are on standby there, yet they have no idea that Satou is around.
Taking the chance, Satou is trying to find a safe place with his instinct. A place where they won't think of staying.
"Target found!"
One of them finds the target. Satou realizing that tells Sanada to pick him up at the safe place.
"You are looking for me, right? I am right here!"
After showing to them, as he thought, there would be many of them ambushing him as if they don't want to miss the chance.
"3…"
When they get their firearms ready and aim, Satou, with his strange power is trying to dodge the shots.
"2…"
As time goes by, the officers chasing him are getting more and more.
"1!"
As Satou is running away from the stampede caused by the pursuit and evading the shots coming to him, he can see Sanada's car standing by at the location he sent. Seeing that, he immediately throws the smoke bomb at them.
The smoke does do the trick. They are distracted by the smoke and Satou takes the chance to rush to the car. The black-short-haired named Sanada swiftly picks Satou up with the car. And then they manage to run away.
"We did it Satou! I was hesitant, but I am sure that I can trust you!"
Sanada said in joy.
"Best friend."
Satou offers him a fist bump.
"Bues furendo!"
Sanada gives him a fist bump.
"Speaking of which, why did they chase you?"
"I have no idea. I thought that it has something to do with you instead."
"No! I keep an eye on you."
"Eh?"
"Eh?"
"You really don't know why they pursue you?"
"I don't. Really."
"For real."
"Really?"
"Yes."
They remain silent. The atmosphere becomes awkward. Then, one of them starts to say something.
"You are sus. Don't tell me you are one of them."
"No! If I were, then I would join them at first, right?"
"Ok! As I thought, you are my best friend."
With his suspicion gone, Satou Hideaki has acknowledged Sanada Motohiro as his best friend.
---
On the next day at noon.
After managing to escape from the stampede of freaks who wanted to kill him, Satou was saved by someone claiming to be his best friend named Sanada Motohiro. And Sanada's job is to keep an eye on someone named Satou Hideaki.
On the next day, Sanada takes Satou to Sanada's boss's place. When they enter the office, they can see someone sitting before them putting a serious look on his face.
"So, Sanada. What took you so long? Didn't I tell you to come by yesterday, did I?"
He asked Sanada. But, Sanada doesn't answer as he has no idea what to say to explain it. And then his best friend whispers something on him.
"He gives me an intimidating impression. I feel sorry for you, Tanaka."
Seeing Satou standing next to Sanada, the boss raises his eyebrow and asks the same question with a curious yet kinda wrath tone.
"Sanada, why are you bringing a civilian here? You know that no civilians are allowed to know about our problem here, right?"
"It's because he has got involved with Isshin Kira's troops."
Sanada answered with no hesitation. The atmosphere goes silent out of the blue. The boss is shocked that the look on his face is enough to show it. He then tries to understand what his subordinate just said.
"You idiot! How could you let an innocent civilian get involved with this problem?!"
The boss yelled at Sanada in fury.
His name is Stephen Smith. He looks like an adult with black messy hair and a beard. His current status is the boss of Sanada Motohiro. P.S he is really strict with his subordinates.
"Actually he didn't get me involved. They did."
Satou said to Stephen Smith. The statement gives that adult a raise on his eyebrow as he is curious about that.
"What do you mean? Why did a civilian like you get involved in this problem?"
"What I'd like to say is they are after him, sir."
Sanada answered with anxiety. That indeed surprises Stephen.
"Say what? Don't tell me that they have known about—And why didn't you tell me about this yesterday?"
"I was trying to save Satou Hideaki from their stampede."
"Tch! I didn't expect that they are after Satou Hideaki. So that's why you can give me the intel by now, right?"
"Actually…"
Sanada tells the stuff that happened just after he managed to save Satou's life.
-Flashback of yesterday-
Sanada took Satou to a safe place to stay away from the troops. A place they would never expect that Satou was there, that it took time till they lost them.
In the evening, Sanada realized that they had lost them.
"It seems we are safe. With this, I can bring you to the hideout!"
Sanada said in joy.
"Hang on! Before that, we need to do something."
"What is it, Satou!?"
"Have a drink at the bar!"
"Why should we do that?!"
"Isn't that a great idea to relieve the stress?! We do need refreshing, you know!"
"That freaks me out. You still want to drink after such an event happened to you."
"Quit it already! Let's hit the bar and have fun!"
Satou said to Sanada with the look saying, 'unbelievable'.
To think that they had barely got away from the death, yet Satou insisted Sanada have a drink instead.
They intended to stay at the bar for a while, but as Satou got drunk, the duo had to stay up to midnight. It's because Sanada just couldn't leave his best friend and he had to bring Satou to his hideout.
"How foolish I am… I was betrayed yet I am still missing her."
"You have said it 3 times! If I know it would end up like this, I should have said no."
"Do you think she will dump him and come back to me?"
Sanada just sighs in exhaustion while shaking his head.
"Oh right, being able to relax and have a friend to listen to my heart is just great! Sorry for the trouble, Tanaka."
"It's alright. It will be good if we get this over right now. I want to give the intel to my boss."
Satou pours sake to Sanada's glass.
"Don't worry. Just join the fun! Drink, drink!" Letso Puarti!!"
Seeing his glass now is full of sake, Sanada became reluctant to say no. And he was forced to drink it up.
"Reload!!!"
Just a gulp of sake, Sanada had turned drunk just like Satou. The curly-haired guy named Satou smirked in joy.
"Dun gif ap! Why are you just giving up?! Fight more, Satou-saaan!"
"Ai alredi gif ap! She had chosen that guy instead of me."
"No, no, Dun gif ap! Just think about the people rooting for you, Satou-san!!"
"It's just you, Tanaka mai bes frendo!"
"Neveru gif yu ap!"
"Neveru guna let yu doun"
In the end, they were singing a song aloud that annoyed the other customers. Getting upset by their doing, the owner then kicked them out of the bar. Then the duo went home to the best place Sanada provided.
The duo then remembered that they had to go to Sanada's boss the day after that.
- Flashback of yesterday-
"So you didn't contact me as you were drunk?!!"
Stephen Smith yelled at his subordinate. He is furious for listening to the reason why they didn't come yesterday.
"I am sorry!!"
Sanada bows to show his regret to his boss.
"But, isn't getting drunk fun?"
Satou who is either afraid or too dumb to take a hint of what is happening said.
"Yeah, it is!"
"Let's have another round!"
"Yey!"
"Silence!"
Stephen Smith yelled at Sanada.
---
"Back to the topic! In other words. Satou is being targeted by them, right?"
Stephen Smith asked his subordinate.
Sanada just nods making sure that it's true.
"Right, I suggest that he has to stay with us. We won't know what they are after from Satou Hideaki."
Sanada confirmed.
"Agreed. Then, Satou Hideaki. For the next days, you will stay here, our organization hideout."
Stephen Smith said averting his gaze to the clueless Satou.
"Well, I don't mind, but what is this all about anyway? Why does Tanaka keep an eye on me? And why are you so vigilant with the troops that might attack us? What is this organization all about?"
Satou asked Stephen Smith in wonder. Though he isn't interested, the curiosity made him ask about it.
"As you have been involved this far, we can stay hiding it from you."
Stephen Smith lets out a sigh as touches his forehead. He then averts to Sanada who gets it.
"We have no choice, sir…"
Sanada said.
"Actually we are yakuza..."
Stephen Smith said in a serious tone. Though it seems suspicious if you see from how Sanada look is. Sanada just smiles awkwardly as he feels the silence when his boss said so.
"You are yakuza, Tanaka? Scary."
"Well…"
Sanada just nods awkwardly.
"The reason why we keep an eye on you is you always pick a fight with the thugs on the street, right? We are afraid that you'll pick a fight with one of us."
"Eh?! That's all? Then who the heck are the guys who are after me? Do they have something to do with this yakuza thing?"
"You know that yakuza is hostile, right? Well, that's it."
"You must be kidding me! How could I get involved in your trivial problem?!"
"Yakuza is as sly as fox. They always use any methods including the dirty one to defeat their enemies."
That curly-haired guy can't believe what Stephen Smith said. He just can't expect to get involved in the yakuza's business.
After thinking for a sec, in the end, Satou has to stay in the yakuza hideout as Stephen Smith suggested.
"Well, then it's final that you have to stay in the yakuza hideout till the problem is solved."
Sanada said when taking Satou to the location. He will show Satou the room where Satou stays. Sanada has to be aware so that he won't tell further detail to Satou for certain things.
After walking for a few minutes, they arrive at the place where it will be Satou's room while he stays.
"If you need something, just summon me, my best friend!"
Saying that, Sanada leaves Satou alone in his new room for some days though.
"Staying here for a few days, eh? Is it really yakuza's place? It's suspicious, but, oh well…"
Denying the fact, he lies down on the bed.
----
"Is it really okay to not tell him the truth?"
Sanada asked Stephen Smith in anxiety.
"Yeah. I've promised someone that I wouldn't get them involved."
The boss just nods and smiles a bit as he averts his gaze to the right.
----
A knock can be heard from Satou's room door. Hearing it, Satou opens it and he sees a woman with a tray.
"Here's your tea, sir."
The twin tail-haired woman said.
"Sorry, but I didn't order a glass of tea."
Satou answered in confusion.
"Please take it. Just consider it as an apology token from us for getting you involved."
"That's all right, then can I have a bottle of sake instead of tea?"
He asked her. It looks like Satou is addicted to sake.
"I am sorry, but the rules say no to sake."
"Eh? Yakuza don't drink sake? Seriously?"
"Please take the tea."
Instead of answering, the woman offers him the tea again. Reluctantly, he takes the tea.
"Then, please excuse me."
As she is about to leave him, he holds her hand out of the blue.
"Wait a minute."
"What is it?"
"Isn't it nice if you keep me tea company? Probably a little chat will do."
"I am sorry, but I have no time for that as I have another thing to do. Please excuse me."
Satou puts more force to tug her that their eyes meet. As he stares at her, he sees that her hair color is yellow and her eyes are blue.
Satou remains silent.
'Have I met her somewhere? Why am I so happy just to see her?'
That's what he said in his mind.
She's just smiling at him.
'The smile. It seems like she is hiding sorrow deep within. She is trying to put herself together. Does she have a problem right now?'
That's what he thought as he sees her smile.
"It's okay if you are busy. But, can I have your name?"
Satou asked her gently so that he won't intimidate her.
"Kayonna Charlee. That's my name. Nice to meet you, Satou Hideaki."
Introducing herself, she leaves Satou and Satou returns to his room for enjoying his tea. He enjoys the warm tea as he is humming something about the moment they met just a few minutes ago.
"A dream? What is it? Is it really a dream?"
A new puzzle has been found for him to solve.
---
In the kinda calm night. At where Isshin Kira base is.
"Report! We get an intel that Satou Hideaki is being protected under WTM." One officer said.
"It's cool. I'll take care of the guy. Now, what we have to do is putting an end to Yumeno Shion."
"If we do, why don't we attack their base?"
"Why, you asked? It's because she'll guard the Yggdrasil by tomorrow. Instead of attacking their base, wouldn't it be efficient if we get their strongest weapon first, would it?"
"Once it's done, WTM will lose their power, right?"
"Exactly, in this world, the strongest lives."
Isshin Kira puts a smirk on his face.
Jawab Isshin Kira menyeringai.
"We can't believe WTM as they have kept the secret from us for themselves. That's why we believe in following Isshin Kira. We'll find the truth."
Said the officers nodding one to each other agreeing to their statement.
"That's right, WTM organization protects Yggdrasil, but what is Yggdrasil anyway? Why it should be protected? Till when should we let it slide? Wouldn't it be better to just destroy it?"
Isshin Kira answered.
"Destroy Yggdrasil!"
"Yggdrasil just makes us weak!"
"The one who decides our fate is us, not Yggdrasil!"
They exclaimed full of spirit caused by what Isshin Kira said. This makes him smile in joy. It can be seen by the smirk he has getting wider as their morale is increasing by the statement.
Nodding, Isshin Kira answers.
"Don't forget. We will destroy Yggdrasil so that we can witness what kind of disaster will happen."
They become silent out of the blue.
"Probably a monster will come. If that happens, I'll destroy it, and then I'll become the strongest. Uwahahaha!"
Isshin Kira puts a vile smile and the laugh echoes the room.
---
On the next day when the sun rises, the troops are having a strategical meeting. Some familiar faces also take a part here.
"It's time we settle this, Isshin Kira."
Stephen Smith said in a serious tone. Yumeno Shion nods in agreement with his statement. She thinks that this prolonged conflict will bring danger not only for herself and the organization but also civilians.
"Yeah. This time, I'll stop Isshin Kira before he destroys the Yggdrasil."
Yumeno Shion answered.
"As we planned. Today, we'll protect Yggdrasil from Isshin Kira!"
On the other hand, Satou Hideaki is sleeping. He still has no idea the truth about the WTM organization. Even he has no idea that WTM will have a battle against Isshin Kira.
"A war, eh..?"
Sanada lets out a sigh with anxiety in his heart. A whole his body is getting heavier for no reason.
"Don't let it bother you. What you need to think is how to make Satou Hideaki stay away from this problem."
Kayonna Charlee said to her workmate though she looks anxious. Sanada remains silent as he heard what she said.
"But, is it the best for him?"
Sanada asked in confusion. He has no idea whether it's the best or not.
"Well, we have no choice."
Kayonna Charlee said.
Sanada recalls what Stephen Smith told him.
"Remember Sanada. No matter what it is. Protect him. Don't let him die."
That's what bothers him. Of course, he will protect his best friend without needing anyone to tell him to. But, he still can't agree with all the plans he hides from Satou.
But, he has no other choice. The battle between WTM with Isshin Kira is going to happen. The duo is tasked to protect the tree called Yggdrasil, and they will stop anyone trying to destroy it, including the organization led by Isshin Kira who intends to make Yggdrasil his path to be the strongest in the world.