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POV Isao Tsumugi
I was walking down the corridor that led upstairs, to the room where all my people were supposed to be sitting. Ugh, this feels wrong. I'd better call the people I saved yesterday Group A, and those who joined today Group B. Stupid, I know, but it's awkward calling one group "my people" as if the others aren't.
Walking down the corridor, I glanced out into the courtyard. Kota and the previous group were standing by the car. I also saw Oegi, who instantly sensed my gaze and turned to look at me.
And I realized one thing: it would be best to give them all their powers right now. Nodding at Oegi, who smiled and gave me a slight bow, I quickened my pace toward the room where Group A should have been.
"Isao! Wait!" Saya called me from behind, and I stopped at the stairs. I saw Saya walking toward me with a serious expression. Next to her walked my wolves, whom I had forgotten to put back into my shadow.
"Ah, Saya!" I gave a slightly awkward smile. The situation was uncomfortable because of what had happened at the Dojo. F*ck, how do I explain to her that I absolutely didn't want to do anything with her mother? Even if she's smoking hot?
"I..." She froze nervously, looking at me, but then took a deep breath and let it out. "I wanted to say... thank you..." I barely heard her "thank you," and yet it made me freeze like a statue. "For standing up to Father... usually, anyone who sees him instantly gives up... and you, you proved you're capable of going against him without even using your superpowers, which means..." She looked down at the floor, slowly fidgeting with her hands. "That even if you didn't have your powers, you would have gone against him and done what was best for us, not what he decided. That's why I want to say thank you." She lifted her head and smiled at me, a sweet and kind smile full of gratitude.
And I was in shock. I stood still, staring at her smile. My confusion about this situation was loud, yet incredibly quiet. All the thoughts in my head stopped because of her words, because... she's thanking me for beating up her father and taking everything that was due to him? Seriously?
I... I just didn't understand her thought process... but at the same time, I wanted to see this side of her more. That smile of hers ignited something incredibly hot inside me, and I wanted to see other shades of the girl named Saya Takagi, whom I completely didn't understand.
Quickly glancing around and realizing no one was nearby, I walked up to her while she looked up at me.
I smiled, not taking my eyes off hers. My hand went up and slowly cupped her cheek. It was comical to see that my hand took up almost half her face. Leaning slightly over her, I kissed her on the lips. It was chaste and sweet, the kind of kiss teenagers have when they first start dating, and yet this kiss showed my claim over her.
And I realized one thing: why should I be ashamed to express my feelings for my girls? I was hiding my relationships as if I were some kind of bastard, but... weren't they mine? Saya? Saeko? Even Kotobuki was mine one way or another.
And Saya, she was incredible. Initially, my plan really was to occupy some underground parking lot, or just blindly sail to some island, but it was she who gave me options for possible bases. It was she who outlined their pros, knowing about them without even looking at a phone or anything else. I didn't even know about Kotsu Island; it had simply slipped my mind, but Saya was the one who mentioned that place, knowing it had everything needed for almost a hundred people, and even more.
She was not only beautiful but smart. Maybe her chest wasn't as big as Saeko's, maybe her butt wasn't equal to Rei's, but she didn't need it to be. Her body was still full where it needed to be, maintaining its flexibility and curves.
I pulled away after a few seconds, and the only thing Saya could do was stare at me with her mouth wide open.
[Acquire Saya Takagi's first kiss]
[Bronze Ticket]
"Did you like it?" My voice was gentle, and Saya, who was still in shock, could only nod.
"Ah... I... I would like..." Saya's voice trembled slightly as she was probably trying to beg for another kiss, but I didn't need to be begged...
"Isao! That was friggin' aweso—! Ah, oops..." Takashi's shout rang out behind me just as I was inches away from Saya's lips. Saya and I slowly looked back and saw Takashi staring at us, dumbfounded. Next to him stood Rei, who was blushing while looking at the patterns on the wallpaper, and Hisashi covered his face with his hands, giving Takashi a reproachful, ashamed look. "S-sorry Isao!"
"Tsk... ugh-h...!" I let out a loud sigh, holding back the urge to hit him as hard as I could.
"T-T-Takashi! GOD DAMN IT! WHY DO YOU ALWAYS F-F-F*CK UP EVERYTHING?!" She yelled and wanted to lunge at him, flailing her arms, but I stopped her and pulled her close. She immediately quieted down the moment I started stroking her head.
"Why the hell, Takashi? Why is it always you?" My voice was exasperated. For some reason, it's always Takashi who barges in at moments when he absolutely shouldn't.
"I already apologized!" Takashi yelled, embarrassed, and then pointed a finger at me, gritting his teeth. "Besides, why are you guys kissing in the corridor?! Huh?! People walk here, you know!"
"Takashi, just shut up..." Hisashi's voice was quiet, and he put his arm around Takashi's neck and pulled him close.
"Takashi has a point... but you guys looked so cute together..." Rei said this while slightly scratching her cheek, still not having the courage to look in our direction.
This situation was genuinely too silly. It felt like we were in an anime where the genre changes every damn second—not very impressive and boring.
"Fine, whatever!" I waved my hand dismissively at all of this. "Anyway, I have news for everyone. Call Takuzo, Oegi, and Kota—only those three—and you guys come to the room where we discussed the plan."
"Huh? Did something important happen?" Takashi broke free from Hisashi's grip and looked at me, confused. All eyes were back on me.
"Yes, you do that! I'll explain everything later!" I waved him off, and he nodded and immediately went to find them. For a while, everyone watched him leave, but then they turned back to me.
"So, can you tell us what's going on?" Hisashi spoke up, while I sighed and walked forward. They had no choice but to follow me.
"First, we're leaving in half an hour to an hour. And second?" My tone became slightly conspiratorial, and they looked at me with interest and intrigue. "Want to get superpowers?" They all stopped abruptly, even Saya who was walking arm-in-arm with me.
"Huh?" "What?" "..."
They stood in one spot, looking at me as if I were some mythical creature who had offered them a great gift for nothing. Their eyes were wide open and full of disbelief, and yet deep inside their eyes, I noticed hope in all of them. Of course, who wouldn't want superpowers?
Superpowers are a bloody awesome thing, especially in a situation like ours, where the world is actively collapsing under the weight of dead flesh filling up cities and countries.
"Isao! Don't joke like that!" Saya slightly pinched my side, but I just snorted and squeezed her tighter in my embrace. Looking at Rei's and Hisashi's faces, I realized they were also looking at me incredulously.
"I'm not joking. Let's go to the room quickly. You'll see there." My voice was cheerful. It was fun to see their disbelieving faces, but at the same time, their eyes filled with hope.
"And... well, can we choose our own... superpowers?" Hisashi's face was slightly awkward when he said this, but a slight smile still broke through on his face. He was definitely thinking about how he could become better and stronger, and thus be able to protect others. I knew why Hisashi wanted to follow in his father's footsteps, and all our circle of friends knew too. The guy just wanted to protect people, and that was quite sweet.
"Unfortunately, no. Your powers will be completely random. More accurately, you'll have two powers. One will be an active ability—control over iron, like mine, for example, but that power could be different from mine, like control over fire, ice, and so on," The three of them listened to me intently, without interrupting. "And the second power will be passive. It will be your trait. You might get slightly increased strength, stamina, and so on, or you might get stronger traits. In short, it's all random!" I simply waved my hand in front of my face, showing that I wasn't particularly interested in explaining this.
"Hmm..." Rei slightly furrowed her cute brows, thinking intensely about something, just like Hisashi, who was staring into the distance as he continued walking.
Honestly, I really had dropped a bomb on them, and the fact that they were pondering wasn't surprising. Anyone would at least slightly think about something like this, knowing they would get superpowers in just a few minutes.
We were already on the second floor and heading towards the room where we had previously planned where we would go, and Shizuka popped out in front of me, making me and the others flinch in surprise.
"Isao-chan! Help me-e!" She latched onto me, nearly pushing Saya, whom I was walking arm-in-arm with, aside.
"Hey!"
"Sorry, Saya-chan, but this is important!" She slightly nodded at her and looked at me. "Isao-chan, please! Let's go get my friend, she's at Tokonosu Airport!" She started jerking me back and forth, clinging to me like a koala.
"Ouch, ouch! Shizuka, stop!" She stopped, making me sigh with relief, and looked at me. "We'll see what we can do. She's military, right?" Shizuka nodded, making something click in my brain. "Well, then she's not alone at the airport. She's most likely there to keep the airport safe. There are probably ordinary citizens, tourists, and other people there too. She can't just up and leave." Shizuka bit her lip, making me internally sigh at her pitiful look. I raised my hand and stroked her head.
"Don't worry, even though we can't go there right now, I can send my familiar." She looked at me for a while, confused, and made me sigh once again. "Well, I'll send my crow to her. Just describe what she looks like and write some kind of note that can be tied to its leg. Actually, no... don't do that now. We'll send the crow as soon as we get to the shopping center. Right now, I need it so I can keep an eye on you while I'm driving to Rei's mom." I pointed my finger at Rei, who suddenly turned to me with a joyful expression.
"Mm, alright...!" The moment Shizuka stepped slightly away, Rei latched onto me. She jumped at me, wrapping her legs around my waist and her arms around my neck, nearly making me fall backward. Thankfully, I kept my balance, and to make it at least somewhat comfortable, I held onto her thighs.
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" She muttered words of gratitude into my neck, and I just... wrapped one arm around her back, the other still holding her thigh so she wouldn't fall, and started stroking her back, allowing the tears that had welled up in her eyes again to flow.
Looking around, I noticed Saya's pouty face, although she wasn't hiding her happiness for Rei, looking at her with a kind gaze. Shizuka wasn't too upset that we weren't going for her friend either, and Hisashi was looking at Rei with a look as if... he was letting go of something dear to him, and he just sighed, standing in place.
And I honestly felt sorry for him. I mean, imagine your girlfriend jumping on some guy and hugging him like he's the most precious thing she has—awkward, very awkward indeed.
"Alright, alright, Rei, let's get down. We have a lot of things to do today that we won't be able to accomplish if you don't let go of me..."
"Mmph, okay..." I slowly put her down on the ground, and she smiled slightly. Her eyes were a little red from crying, but overall her mood seemed good, and I smiled back at her.
"So, let's all get into the room quickly. Shizuka, can you call my mom and little sister?" Shizuka nodded at me, walking quickly toward the room where all the girls were settled. I walked forward and noticed that no one was following me except Saya, so I turned back, looking at Hisashi and Rei, who were awkwardly looking at each other. "Hello? Why are you guys standing there? Come on, move it, move it!"
I opened the door and entered the room, which looked the same as when I had left it: a table with a map and a marker on it, chairs around the table, a small couch in the corner, and so on.
"We'll wait for the others, and then I'll start explaining everything." I walked over to the chair I had been sitting on an hour ago, turned it, and sat down, nearly groaning with pleasure.
God, I am so tired. It's only noon, and I'm already exhausted, not to mention that because of all this damn crap, I don't even feel like drawing due to the fatigue.
Usually, if I don't draw anything for more than a day or a few, I get really gloomy, but now? All my thoughts were directed elsewhere and... drawing had taken a backseat, and honestly, it was a little hurtful, but damn it, people's lives are in danger here, and I can't just drop everything and go draw. What a shame...
Saya, Rei, and Hisashi took their seats, and we started waiting for the others in silence. Exactly one minute after we entered the room, the door opened, and Takashi walked in, followed by Takuzo, who waved at me cheerfully, Kota who said hello, and Oegi, who nodded at me, though I noticed his body twitched, and if I understood correctly, he wanted to bow to me.
"Um, did something important happen, Isao-san?" Takuzo asked me, walking up to my chair. "Takashi said it was very important and that you would share some information, though he doesn't know what."
"Because I wasn't told, Takuzo!" Takashi, who felt awkward, waved a hand at Takuzo as he settled into his spot.
"If Isao-sama called us, Takuzo, there must be a reason, and since Isao-sama hasn't started talking yet, it means we are waiting for more people," Oegi looked at Takuzo, slightly squinting.
"Enough, both of you." I looked at both of them, especially Oegi who started it, and my gaze made him lower his head.
"I apologize for that, Isao-sama." He nodded and simply stepped aside, holding his bat.
The atmosphere became awkward because of the friction Oegi had started out of nowhere, and everyone threw glances at him for it. The room fell silent again, but this time it was very uncomfortable.
"Are you going to tell us what happened?" Takashi looked at me, making me sigh.
"In a minute, let my mom and little sister come with Shizuka, and then I'll explain everything to everyone, although... if you're really impatient, you can ask Hisashi." He shrugged, saying he would wait.
And we didn't have to wait long, because right after my words, the door opened, and my mom, K-imoto, and Shizuka entered the room. I didn't see Rin, and that made me slightly anxious.
"Mom, where is Rin?" I looked at my mom who was walking toward me.
"Rin-chan is in the courtyard, playing with Alice's dog." That made me relax, but the relaxation went away when I saw K-imoto's face—a serious, expressionless face—and seeing that, I realized she was offended at me. Damn it. "But I wanted to ask, why did you call all of us?" When she said that, I looked around the room, estimating who was here. I should only grant powers to those who won't decide to betray me and will only work for our good.
Mom, K-imoto, Saya, Takashi, Hisashi, Rei, Takuzo, Shizuka, Oegi... where is Saeko? What the hell?
"Where's Saeko?" This question seemed to catch everyone off guard, judging by the way everyone glanced at each other, everyone except Oegi.
"I saw Lady Saeko heading to the backyard to look at the fish." I see. Then I'll go to her after I explain everything here, but the question is, how the hell does Oegi know there are fish in the backyard? Did he manage to look around here? If so, when? Wasn't he supposed to be guarding the car... wait, ah... he could have gone and looked at the backyard after the Dojo. Okay.
"Then I'll begin. First, in half an hour to an hour, we're moving from this estate to another location. And second..." I held out my hand. "Who wants to get superpowers?"
"Huh?" Those I hadn't told yet gasped; even the offended K-imoto looked at me with surprise, everyone except Oegi again, whose eyes blazed with fire.
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