The car was moving at a steady pace, the hum of the engine filling the awkward silence. I sat across from the president, Evelyn Cross, my sword resting by my side. The scent of leather from the car seats was too sharp in the air, but I wasn't sure if it was the seat or the tension that was making my nose itch. I kept my gaze fixed out the window, my reflection blurry against the passing city lights.
I hadn't said a word since they'd pulled me from the battlefield. The fight had been… intense, and I hadn't exactly processed the fact that I had defeated a High B-rank Mini Boss with nothing but a frozen sword and a half-baked understanding of combat. But none of that seemed to matter now.
What did matter was the woman sitting across from me, staring at me like I was some puzzle she couldn't quite figure out. There was something about her presence that made the air feel thick. Maybe it was because she was the president of the United States, or maybe it was just the fact that she looked like she'd spent her life making decisions that could alter the course of nations.
Her sharp blue eyes glistened in the dim light of the car's interior. Her features were refined, her platinum blonde hair tied back in a neat bun, but there was a sense of cold calculation behind her gaze. I couldn't shake the feeling that she was sizing me up, like I was some problem waiting to be solved.
The car drove on, crossing into unfamiliar streets. The red and blue lights of emergency vehicles scattered across the windows like a strobe light show. The whole thing felt surreal. It wasn't supposed to be like this. I wasn't supposed to be sitting in a car with the president, heading to who knows where, after all the time I spent frozen in ice. This wasn't part of the plan. There was no plan.
So I did what I do best when I feel uncomfortable. I broke the silence.
"So… who are you?" I asked, my voice steady, though my insides were still a chaotic mess.
The president's eyes flickered to me, and for a moment, I thought I'd made a mistake. She stared at me like I had just asked her how to make a sandwich. Everyone else in the car—several suited government agents—did the same, eyes wide in disbelief. It was like I had just asked them the most ridiculous question.
Her lips parted, then closed again, a small chuckle escaping her. "Who am I?" She leaned forward slightly, her tone a mixture of disbelief and amusement. "Well, I'm the president of the United States. Evelyn Cross."
A beat of silence.
"…You didn't know that?" she asked, her eyebrows arching.
I blinked, trying to process it. "Well, to be honest, I've been… frozen for a while," I explained slowly, watching her expression shift between surprise and amusement. "I haven't exactly been keeping up with the news."
Her face softened slightly at my answer, and she gave a knowing smile. "I guess that makes sense."
I nodded, shifting in my seat uncomfortably. I was still processing the fact that I was speaking to the president like this. Everything felt so strange. I had been stuck in ice, forgotten by most of the world, only to suddenly wake up and defeat a monster. And now, here I was, in the back of a government car, riding with the most powerful person in the country.
"Akio," she started again, her voice shifting to a more serious tone. "I have to say, you've caused quite the stir. We didn't expect… well, you… to be alive, let alone take down a Mini-Boss like that."
"I didn't expect to be alive either," I muttered under my breath, half-joking.
The car shifted with a sudden jerk, pulling me out of my thoughts. I glanced over at the president. She had her hands clasped in her lap, but her face was unreadable, like she was deep in thought.
"You must have a lot of questions, Akio. And I'm sure you'll get answers. Just not right now," she said, her voice measured.
I rubbed the back of my neck, trying to avoid her penetrating stare. "You think I have questions? I have so many questions."
She gave me a small smile, but it quickly faded into something more serious. "I'm sure you do. But right now, we have to focus on the next steps."
I didn't respond, figuring it would be better to let her talk. Maybe I'd get some kind of explanation once she felt like talking.
A few minutes of silence passed, and I watched the world pass by outside the window. The city was far quieter than I remembered, more somber in its look. There was something unsettling about the stillness, like the calm before a storm. It felt like everything was waiting on something. Like everything had shifted.
Finally, I couldn't hold it in anymore. I wasn't just going to sit here like a passive passenger while everyone acted like this was a normal situation. It wasn't. I wasn't supposed to be here.
"Hold on," I said, my words cutting through the tension in the car. "What's going on? Why is all this happening? Why am I here?"
The president turned to me, her gaze sharp. "What do you mean?" Her voice was calm, but I could tell she was on edge.
"I mean," I began, "what happens now? What happens to me? To the people I care about? Why all the secrecy? Why me?"
She didn't answer immediately. Instead, she turned her gaze toward the window. "The world changed when you came back, Akio," she said softly. "The government didn't expect someone like you to just… reappear. People like you don't just come out of nowhere."
I tilted my head slightly. "What do you mean by that?"
Before she could respond, she gave a sharp nod to one of the agents sitting beside her. The car abruptly slowed to a halt, the sudden movement sending my body jerking forward slightly.
I looked at her, confused. "What's going on?"
The president's face was unreadable as she stared out the window. Then, in a voice cold and direct, she ordered, "Stop the car."
The car came to a halt.
And just like that, the ride came to an end.