The sizzle of meat grilling on the spot, the delicate aroma of seafood drifting through the air…
(This is kinda…)
"And just like I thought… it really was a cavity!"
"I heard rumors they're opening a new casino in Vegas soon, I wonder what it'll be like!"
(… Irrelevant)
With a sigh, Alain took a small bite from his plate.
Back against the wall just below a staircase, already a bit away from the buffet.
The banquet hadn't started that long ago, but Alain was already there, eating quietly while observing the place.
(Never thought I'd miss Jean's dumb comments this fast)
His eyes jumped from things like kids playing with their food to other teens chatting about random teenage nonsense.
"Haa… I should've brought a handheld console or something to kill the—"
"H-hello?"
"... Huh?"
A group of girls approached him shyly.
Some avoided eye contact, some let out small giggles, and one in front was being pushed forward by her friends.
"Can I help you with something…?"
Scratching the back of his head as he turned toward them, Alain noticed their cheeks were bright red.
"W-well, it's just… I wanted to ask if you— AAAAAH I can't do this, Amy!"
"Wait! Rose come back here!"
"... Ok?"
He blinked a few times, then just shrugged and finished his meal.
After dropping his plate off at the cleaning station, Alain headed out of the dining hall when his phone pinged with a notification.
"It's from Jean. What does he want?"
>> Alain! You won't believe it, they served lobster soup at the staff banquet!
"... Why did I even expect anything?"
Just as he was about to put his phone away, a second message popped up in the chat with Jean.
>> P.S: Heard some news about one of the Monitoring Targets, apparently Principal Noah is out of Nereus-0 this month for a seminar in New York.
"Out? That doesn't make sense. We checked all his public events this month. There was nothing about that."
Alain brought a hand to his chin, eyes fixed on the message for a moment before replying.
>> Got it. Then we'll have to improvise some external way to keep an eye on him, right? :-\
Putting his phone away, he let out a small yawn.
(Patience, I guess…)
As he walked through the cruise ship's corridors, the speakers announced curfew for the other passengers.
Still, choosing to ignore it a little longer, Alain made his way to the deck again, leaning against the safety rails.
"Hmm… how should I approach student life for this mission? Model student? Rebel? No, that'd draw too much attention."
Covering his mouth as he yawned, he stared at the horizon with mild disinterest.
"At the very least, keeping decent grades would be good. Scoring points with teachers would help too…"
(But two of the Monitoring Targets are teachers too, so I can't exactly butter them up…)
Turning and resting his back against the railing, Alain tilted his head up to look at the stars.
"Building good relationships with classmates matters too… but I honestly have no idea how to interact with 'normal' people."
(Doesn't help that everyone in MASK is ridiculously eccentric)
He slid down until he was sitting on the wooden deck floor, letting out a quiet sigh.
"Can I just make small talk about fighting games? Why are my interests so niche…"
Pulling his phone from his pocket, he opened his contact list with an uncertain expression.
(Maybe I should ask Jean or Marietta for advice… Shirley's good at talking too… I think…)
As he thought about his next move, something caught the corner of his eye.
Two figures in suits, escorting someone noticeably more… delicate? It was hard to see clearly in the darkness, but still…
(Those uniforms… they're not the same. Not security, not staff either…)
Glancing at the time on his phone, then toward the direction the three silhouettes had gone, Alain let out a sigh followed by a faint smirk.
"damn curiosity"
On the lower levels of the cruise ship, the suited figures continued escorting the mysterious person carefully.
"This way, please."
One of them spoke in a firm tone, stepping aside after opening a door.
"T-thank you."
Almost inaudible, a weak voice replied while stepping inside the room.
Quickly, the other suited figure shut the door and, in sync, both turned to head back toward the deck.
(Hmmm… this is definitely… not normal)
Right behind them, hidden behind pipes and wiring, Alain watched the scene in silence.
(If they were escorting someone important… this is definitely not that person's cabin)
After the two left, Alain carefully approached the door and pressed his ear against it.
(It's… quiet)
It was almost like there wasn't anyone inside at all.
(No breathing, no footsteps…)
He stepped back a little and looked around.
"Take a deep breath… ok."
Alan cracked his neck.
He grabbed the doorknob firmly and—
—[Colapse.]
He let go instantly, giving space for the door to shatter completely.
"Let's see… damn, it caught some of the surroundings too."
He looked carefully at where the door used to be, noticing cracks along the walls and deep marks on the floor.
"Controlling the output like this is always a pain…"
He scratched his head briefly before stepping inside the room.
"Hellooo! Is anyone he— Huh?"
What awaited him was… the same corridor he had been standing in before?
(This is…)
"Just like we thought, they sent a dog to retrieve her."
"Lowered your guard a bit too early ~"
Two voices came from behind him, and he had definitely heard one of them before.
"The guys in suits?"
(That was… an esper ability, no doubt. Some kind of mental one? Or perceptual?)
Turning slowly toward them, Alain took a good look at their faces, in contrast—
"Wait… a kid?"
"Huh… Jiang? I think we messed up, he doesn't look like, you know, one of them."
(They're way too confused… they were expecting someone else?)
Alain carefully watched their movements, sliding one of his hands behind his back.
"No, but still… he broke the door, he was definitely trying to get in."
"But… he's a kid, right? Even they wouldn't lower the bar that much… right?"
Amid the two's confusion, Alain simply—
"Ahrg?!"
Struck one of them with a precise elbow to the chin, sending the man stumbling back.
"J-Jiang?! Damn it, he really— huh?"
Before the other could react or even process what was happening, a shot pierced through his abdomen.
"H-he's armed too?!"
"Don't worry, I don't usually aim for fatal spots."
He approached slowly, putting the gun back at his waist, at the lower part of his back.
"Who are you? And why were you escorting that person? Also, where is the person that you were escorting?"
"Damn it… Haa… I really didn't want to do this to a kid."
"…? Wait…"
Taking a second look, Alain noticed the shot…
"How is he not— hupf?!"
Dodging at the last second, the man he had knocked down appeared with a punch that cratered the floor where Alain had been standing.
(The pressure from that impact… raw strength? Or some kind of physical enhancement ability?)
Taking a deep breath, Alain drew his gun again and assumed a stance.
"Hey, hey, are you really going to fight? If you surrender we won't hurt you—"
"Speak for yourself, Yong! That hit hurt like hell!"
"What a pain, Jiang's pissed."
Shrugging as he stepped forward, the man who had been shot didn't seem to have any wound at all.
"Well, blame your employer, kid. Old Man Wei shouldn't have hired a child for this."
(Old Man Wei…?)
A flicker of confusion crossed Alain's face, but the suited men didn't notice.
(They must think I work for this 'Old Man Wei'… and if that's the case, that person probably has some connection to him.)
With a sigh, Alain immediately advanced, targeting—
"Huh? Me?"
The man named Yong.
With a shoulder-based charge, crashing straight into him.
"What is —?!"
And before giving him time to react, gun in hand, Alain fired again at point-blank range, just before the impact sent him flying into the wall.
However…
(The tie shan kao connected… but the shot…)
There were no marks from the bullet on the man, but lifting his eyes slightly, Alain saw it.
(The bullet hit the wall a few centimeters off the target.)
"that really hurts… should've listened to you on this one, Jiang."
"Told you, idiot."
(How is he doing that… is it his ability? Doesn't matter, but I'm sure of one thing, this is dangerous.)
Outside the confrontation, however, someone was watching all of it closely.
"Well, whatever. Old Man Wei wouldn't stand a chance no matter who he sent."
Jiang cracked his knuckles with a grin while Yong let out a tired sigh.
"But it's still a headache."
(I wanted something interesting to kill the boredom, but the mission's already taken a pretty big detour… well, whatever.)