Seiji:
I held out the memo I discovered in my yen-filled wallet. It was small enough that I missed it twice until cleaning my entire wallet out last night in bed. "You probably have a lot of questions about this evening- Many of which I have answers for but now isn't the right time nor place. I know it's a big ask but I'd like you to keep all this a secret until you receive a certain invite. All will be revealed then." I flipped to the back of the memo.
"I'd be lying to you if I said that you won't face difficulties like the Rakav again. However, if you trust the Forbidden Fruit and its guidance, I'm sure you'll be able to overcome any challenges that will come your way. Become the ray of hope that penetrates the darkness. PS, make sure you spend as much time with Shiro. I'm sure he's traumatized by the whole ordeal."
Become the ray of hope that penetrates the darkness. How oddly cryptic. I knew what Weiss or assuming this is indeed her, was attempting to do but questions, questions, questions. My head was full of them! What exactly is the Forbidden Fruit- Isn't that the same object that caused Adam and Eve to fall? Also, Rakav? I'm going to face more again? Just how many of them are there and why hasn't their existence gone global yet? Finally, why is it that she brought up Shiro specifically? Shouldn't Pomegranate Gun-Man be included in the fold, too?
"Welcome back, brat." Ms Bunko greeted me as I mindlessly strolled into her facility. "What's-the-haps-with-the-shnaps?"
"Good morning, Ms Bunko. I-" Performing a near instantaneous double-take, I came face to face with the miniature bee of a lady who was sporting a perplexed expression. "EXCUSE ME?"
"What? Can't a gal tell her home-slice what's all good in the hood?" There it is again! Where is she heading all of this lingo- most of which are extremely outdated, from?
Before I could ask, heavy footsteps emanated from the freshly wiped staircase followed by a- "Bun-chaaaan! Did you get those requests ready? My streaming set-up looks a bit busted but a quick stop by Yodobashi's should do the tri-"
What graced me was a pink-clad beauty beyond words. Sydney Sweeney, eat your heart out. The lady had straight, medium-length sakura-pink hair, quite a few shades lighter than her usual magenta coloring. The get-up that she wore was peach themed: a rose pink kimono that complimented her pale complexion along with emerald-green tassels that resembled the juicy fruit's leafy ends. She truly was magnificent but the beauty in question didn't think so, turning bright red.
"Seiji???????????"
-
"I comnnt bmfrirve myuu saw meeeee!" Mari cried with a muffled voice. The poor girl was so embarrassed that she buried her face in her kimono layers like a turtle.
"Oh come on, you look fiiiiiine!" More than fine actually. "Don't get too embarrassed!" She only replied with a high-pitched shriek. Hm, well that only leaves one option.
"..... What're you doing?" She asked, peeking out from her peachy sanctuary. Well, at least I could hear her clearly now that I'm closer.
"Just joining in on the little huddle sesh that you've got going on here. More the merrier, amirite?" I replied back, taking the same seated position as Mari's on the black and yellow carpet.
She only puffed up her face in annoyance which only made her resemble an actual peach. Urg- So adorable.
"Tea's ready, fam!" Ms Bunko called out, carrying a tray of said green tea and wagashi snacks. I gave her a smile, gesturing to her to put it right on the cupboard next to us. Then, I stared right into Mari's soul mouthing, fam? She gave me a troll-like grin before muttering, "Ms Bunko always complained about her vocabulary being mundane and out-of-touch with modern life. Therefore, she asked me to teach her new vocabulary to understand the young folks and…. Well."
"I think you went a little too overboard there." Overboard being the understatement of the century.
"Ehehehe, you think?" She replied, twiddling her thumbs.
"Oh don't ehehehe, me! Was this the side gig that you were on about?"
"Yeah…." She admitted with a sigh. "I've been helping Ms Bunko out with job requests since barely anyone shows up here. I also made a friend from University lately- She told me how I have the perfect personality for IRL streaming so I thought, why not kill two birds with one stone? I take on these job requests while I stream it for everyone to see!"
I stared back at her, amazed by what she came up with while I was away. "I also thought that, you know? Most streamers just do this to farm views and clout but maybe- Just maybe. I could start another subject of streamers that gather views while helping others. And with the whole COVID epidemic and your fath- IJC cracking down on everything, I thought...."
She began to trail off. "Hehehe. I know it's dumb, I doubt I'd be able to change things considering my view count. Maybe I should just quit and- Huh?"
Eyes full of fiery determination, I held her lithe hand in mine. I'm not about to let her quit just yet! Not if the Kibou-Dan motto has anything to say about it! Spread joy and hope no matter the time. "Mari. Please let me help."
-
Isamu:
"They really need to remodel this place." I thought as I examined just how dilapidated the building was. As stated before, the exterior reeked of low maintenance along with the windows that were caked with dirt. Well, this is it. This was the only place I know that Smiles visited other than the abandoned warehouse. Even so, I knew just how unlikely finding him here was. Like, what're the chances that same guy will-
"This doesn't make me look fat, right?"
"No! You look great! I'm just glad that I found an assistant that'd wear my ridiculous fi-" The feminine voice stopped right in its tracks as I swung the entrance open. Creaaaaaak, went the old mahogany door. What the actual fuck am I seeing?
There stood a pink haired woman wearing a... peach kimono. Now, that's not that out of the ordinary but the bipedal purple fig was another thing. And that identity of the purple fig was….. Nope!
This? This is who the Forbidden Fruit chose to be its wielder? Some nut job in a Barney-looking ass fig costume? Before I knew it, the balls of my feet spun 180, giving me the perfect opportunity to waltz out the door and-
"Isamu-san, right? 'Glad you're okay! To think that I thought that the Rakav got y-" I threw my hand across the blabber-mouth so fast that I nearly tackled him linebacker style.
The woman behind me gasped, followed by an ear-piercing, "What are you doing!" But I paid no attention to her.
"Shut. Up!" I mumbled into his ears with soul piercing eyes that could kill. "The public isn't supposed to know about them.... Yet!"
"Yet?" He questioned back. "Uh-" Smiles paused for a second to wave off his…. Sister? Bestie? Who was looking flustered, sweating profusely and not knowing what to do. "No worries, Mari. I know this man."
"He nearly tackled you!" She protested, ignoring the thumbs up he gave afterwards.
The owner….. Bunko was it? She gave a lofty sigh before pulling out some stools for us to presumably sit on. "Come, sit."
-
"So there. That's why I need you to show up to my... agency." I finished up my story while being as subtle as possible. I glanced over at Peach-Woman, making sure she didn't catch on to what we were really talking about.
"I see. So you're the invite that I've been told about." He's been told about an invite? "I gotta say, mister. It's about time that I'm getting let in on this. Do you realize how utterly confused I was about the past 24 hours?"
"Believe me, I'm also confused too though not as much as you are." I admitted.
"Me three," says Peach-Woman who's been twiddling her thumbs in the corner this entire time. Complete with the most confused face I've ever seen, I almost felt bad for her. "You guys've been saying vaguely ominous stuff like you remember that, you know what I'm talking about, and not in front of the woman. Is there something important I should be privy to?
I gave Smiles a side-eye who also does the same. It's bad enough that some outsider became the Fruit's vessel but this chick? How well can she keep a secret? "No worries, she's trustworthy." He replied with a wink which did nothing but put concern in his dubious claim. "After all, it only took me now to figure out her undercover streamer identity."
I scanned the girl up and down once more, only now realizing why she's in that literal fruit of a costume. Then I stared back at the fig-wearing freak at the other side of the table. GOOD. GOD. The Forbidden Fruit chose a streamer groupie! How could this get any worse...
"I was surprised. Not only were you fine with that but you immediately pledged to be my IRL assistant. Honestly, I thought you'd be horrified by my side gig like how Riya was." He's a simp!
"Oh Mari, I doubt anything could make me think of you less~" My opinion on this man is dwindling by the second.
She didn't think so, however, because her face turned a few shades darker than her hair as she planted her palms on her cheeks in embarrassment. "Stawwwp, you're making me blush~" Really? That's enough to make you blush? Past me would've made you faint.
I gave a pained sigh, followed by a facepalm. "Hey! Don't you think that's a little over dramatic?" The woman reprimanded with a tone completely 180 from her bashful self.
"Gee, princess. I could ask you the same thi- ?" Just then, a large slamming bang disrupted our three-way talk followed by a "JS!" A small child with bright scarlet hair tied behind in a ponytail ran up to Smiles, nearly tackling him in the process!
"Woah there, Leana!" The man caught the girl mid-air before she could injure herself in her child-like euphoria. "Still calling me Just Seiji, huh?" To which, the girl nodded back eagerly like a feral squirrel.
"Just... Seiji?" I paused, realizing that he never brought up his last name this whole time- Not even I introduced myself as Isamu Zakuro. "I never asked this before but since we're about to get chummy-" Much to my discomfort. "You got a last name?"
Just like that, his demeanor changed from his smiling self to one full of anxiety along with a face drenched in sweat. All I did was ask for his last name! These people, I swear- "Did I….. hit a nerve or-"
"It's a long story. Don't worry about it~" Peach-Woman replied back in his stead, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder. I was to demand an explanation for that ominous statement but one look at her pleading amber eyes told me all I had to know.
I sighed once again. "Alright, JS. I won't hound you further. Just make sure you keep bystanders like this girl out of it, especially info about the R-word."
Oh good, he snapped out of it. "Retard? What does that word have to do with-"
"No, not that you moron!" I chastised the fig-clad oaf. "I'm talking about-" BANG! I swear to God- If another door slam or loud-ass sound interrupts me again, I'll-
"Leana-chan, wait for us! What's gotten into you all a sudden?" Why??????? Hmm, wait. That high-pitched voice sounds familiar….. My hunch turned out to be spot on as a familiar raven-haired kid and his mother stood at the front door.
"Shiro!" His mother scolded, driving her knuckles into her son's skull. "You almost took the front door off its hinges!"
"Mooom, but I had to go after her! It's what a man does!" The kid protested while he rubbed his swollen head furiously. The lady planted her hands on her hips with puffed cheeks before turning towards the group gathered at the table.
"You're that man from yesterday!" Shiro's mother exclaimed. She then walked up to JS in stride while clutching a loaded 7-11 plastic bag. "You're Seiji-san, right? Thank you so, SO much for finding my son!"
What am I, chopped liver?
"Though, you didn't have to leave a note behind with Shiro. I would've much appreciated it if you showed up in person so I could thank you myself- Perhaps with my signature curry or cream stew recipe or so." There was a pregnant pause in the room before JS responded inquisitively with, "I'm sorry. Note?"
"Of course!" The lady continued, ignoring his perplexed expression. She handed the man a small parchment that was about the size of a Post-it sticky note. For some odd reason, his face turned pale upon taking a gander at it. Isn't he the one who wrote the thing? Well, whatever. He better not have brought up the Rakav or anything in it. Speaking of-
"Hey, Shiro- was it? You didn't bring up any of what happened yesterday with your mom did you?" I whispered into Shiro's ear, making sure no one else was listening in. From what it seems like, JS is busy talking to that ginger girl and Shiro's mom while Peach Girl's chatting it up with Bunko.
He whispered into my ear in kind. "Well, no. I just made up some stuff so that mom wouldn't freak out." I nodded back in approval.
"Good, that also includes the R-word right? We can't have other people knowing about them- Bad enough that kid like you knows." He stared back at me, blinking once with his mouth agape. "R... Retard?"
"No, not retard!" Jesus, how come that pops into these two's minds before the literal rotting fruit monster. "Just….. capish. Alright? You saw nothing."
"I'm just more confused than anything, mister. Also, you're not going to hit me like you did to Takeshi and Hayato, are you?" Shiro replied sheepishly, his eyes rapidly shifting to his mom and then back to me. Is….. is he afraid of me? Gramps warned me about how I came off as of late but I didn't know it was this bad.
In an attempt to ease the kid up, I gave a nonchalantly laugh followed by a tension-dropping shrug. "What am I, a monster?"
"Uhhh….."
"I literally saved you from one!" I nearly shouted. The sheer audacity of this kid, I swear.
-
Seiji:
I was beyond confused. This note, where did she get this? Also, both Shiro and Isamu were completely fine afterwards too? No scratches. No permanent injuries. "I'm sorry for the hassle my child cost." Ms Kazami apologized once again, handing me a plastic 7-11 bag full of….. something. "Oinari-san. A Kazami specialty packed with Tarako and-"
"Ma'am, it's no problem at all. There's just something I'm curious about...." Maybe mentioning that a ghost girl sending her the letter Hanako-style would raise more questions. Combined with the soul-piercing glare radiating from across the table- Yeah, it'd be better to shift my curiosity. "About how you two and Leana know each other."
"Oh. So that's why you seemed so perplexed. Her mother and I are co-workers."
"For Akashi Cleaners?" I asked. "I was meaning to visit the place some time this week. You may get it right? Jerusalem. Middle East. Sand-"
"No, sorry. That's her husband's business. IJC, actually." I froze in place. The situation has gotten far worse than it previously had. Just how much does IchiJiku Corporation take up job listings? Just how many businesses do they sponsor now or even own? How much of Japan.... "It- It's an honest day's work." She admitted, scratching the back of her head.
"Well. I'm just glad Leana has more friends." I chuckled as an attempt to change the subject. No use complaining about my father now. "The way she came off, it sounded like I was her one and only friend."
"That's cap! I have plenty of friends." Leana declared though the word 'plenty' sounded incredibly forced.
"You're not counting your Barbie dolls are you?" Shiro questioned.
".... I have SOME friends." She corrected. "Pretty Cure Figuarts don't count either I'm-"
"Stop it, Shiro-kuuuuun!" She wailed which caused Shiro to apologize profusely. Repeated headbow and all.
"Kid's fumbling….. HARD." Isamu whispered. Fumbling? He took one look at me and then proceeded to give me an answer to my conclusion. "Apparently the kid was coerced into entering that death trap by his snot-nosed friends to impress a girl."
The gears that were turning in my head suddenly clicked. "So that's why he-"
"And I'm putting a stop to that shit right now cuz he nearly got killed over it!" Isamu solemnly vowed before marching up to the two children. Wait, he's going to ruin Shiro-Kun's innocent crush on Leana because of- I need to stop this madman right now! Before I could cover his mouth, however-
"Ms Bunko?" The dwarf-sized lady grabbed my wrist with strength that didn't seem normal for a lady her age. More importantly, however, was that twinkle in her eye that radiated confidence. "Let the man cook."
The man in question rested his hand on Shiro's shoulder who also happened to have his hand resting on Leana's shoulder. A hand-shoulder conga line. "Kid, you're overdoing it."
He blinked. "I am?"
"You ain't gotta do all that dangerous stuff from yesterday, yeah? I know it's generic to say this but you really gotta have confidence in yourself. Don't go overboard pretending that you ain't someone you're not. Build a real connection as a friend first, ya know?" Huh, that's genuinely good advice. I thought Isamu was about to bitchslap him like he did to those two kids from earlier. Though what was strange was….. he's whispering this to Shiro-kun. Yet, I could hear what they're saying clearly. Word for word.
"Woaaaaah." He replied back, eyes twinkling like Ms Bunko's but full of admiration rather than confidence. On the other hand, Leana seems clueless as ever.
"And one more thing-" As he said so, I let my guard down- Shoulders lowering in docile relaxation. What was I so uppity for? Isamu's clearly a level-headed man who just wants what's best for the next generation. "Don't be a poser 'alpha male' that these faking-ass influencers are selling online. The last thing you wanna be is a soy, performative male."
Okay, I spoke too soon. "Repeat after me: Performative males are gay."
"Performative males are-" Okay, that's enough of that!
I tugged at Isamu's earlobes as if he's Takeshi from the Pocket Monsters series. "Yo! The hell!"
"Don't we have something we have to do?" I gritted through my teeth as I waved goodbye towards the confused mother and two children. Following my cue, Mari snatched the present from earlier, looking just as bewildered as Ms Kazami.
"Ohhhhh….." Leana dejectedly pouted but then she immediately 'smile-smiled' her frown away. It made me proud. "Mari-chan! JS! Call me~"
-
Isamu:
God, I thought my ears were gonna get ripped off. Ain't no way the guy's that strong normally. Must be that Fruit giving him that enhancement... or so I think.
"So…. Alright. The FF. What is that? What even is that?" I'd like to know the same. Gramps always talks about the thing in name but never WHAT it is. "AGAIN. You'll get the rundown soon. Just….. not in public. Not even acronyms."
"Okay, that's it. What're you two talking about? I've been in the dark about this the entire time." I glanced at the woman who was- Thank Jesus, took off her weird peach-kimono.
"Why are we bringing HER along?" I whispered to JS who also- Thank God, removed his fig costume too. "Come on, man. She could keep a secret~"
"That isn't the point!" I snapped. Oh well. At least the place we're going to's disguised as an ordinary cafe. I just gotta sneak JS in the pods while she's eating snacks or some shit. Idk, she seems like the girly-girl type. It'll keep her busy.
"Whispering only makes me more curious, you know!"
-
Did I say ordinary cafe? Well, if the ordinary was cat ears and otaku-maids then I'd rather be bizarre! The fuck happened to Cozy Kissaten? The place that I'd come to know- Literally visited a few days ago in fact had been replaced! It was now littered with fictional cat figurines, even some that aren't Japanese like Garfield. Like the bow on a present, these 'Nyan-Nyan' streamers wrapped around the facility, making the contrast in color alien in nature. I just stood there, jaws agape like I've been put through the Reverse Bear trap from Saw.
"Heyyyo, Nyaaaaaa!" The busty cat maid with bleached blonde hair welcomed us, throwing her bulbous fur mittens in the air over-enthusiastically. Kill me.
The two knuckleheads, on the other hand- "It's so fluffy! Can... can I pet them?" Seiji asked like a Gerber-toddler baby eyeing his first lollipop. "Omigooosh, me two! Me two!
"Sure you cannnyaaaaa~" She replied, holding out her mittens for the two to cop a feel. Peach-girl deadass buried. Yes, BURRIED her face in them like a pillow "It's like a cloud~"
What is this? A petting zoo??? While the two were doing their….. thing, the maid turned towards me as her cat ears twitched with excitement. Isn't that just a prop? How the hell is she doing that? "What about you, nyaaaa~"
Okay, just play it off normally. There ain't no way shits gonna get more weird than this. "You wanna cop a feel too?" She winked lasciviously.
Of course. Of course shit keeps getting more weird. Come on Isamu, you know better. After getting no response out of me, she subtly puffed out her chest in my direction. This bitch knows what she's doing! "Is Tessai available? Cuz we got business with him..... Pleaaaaase?????"
"Of course, nyaaaaaa~ Follow me!" I'm about to have an aneurysm.
-
The interior has changed too... More cat decorations, fur couches that used to be leather, and of course, more streamers. At least it isn't the self-aggrandizing, annoying kind. God, what happened to this fine establishment?
"You two sit on those feline-sofas and….. I don't know, have some catnip salad or whatever the hell they serve here now." I ordered. I'm having a chat with this place's master."
"Gosh, what's up with this guy? Is he always like this?" Mari- Yeah that's her name. Mari whispered using the loudest inside voice possible. JS shrugged, "I just met the guy." These people suck at being subtle..... That's gonna be a problem.
Anyways. I waltzed up to the counter which has also been adorned with kitty merchandise opposed to the usual green coffee bean textiles. From behind was a dark-skinned man wearing a white button-up shirt with a dark vest- You know, typical Japanese coffee owner get-up. "My, if it isn't Isamu-"
I didn't waste a morsel of time. "The hell, master! What happened to this place?"
"Is there something wrong?" As if the kitty glitter and decorations around him was an everyday occurrence.
"What isn't wrong?" I gestured all around him. I could practically see the gears turning through his eyes like the front windshield of a car. And then- A lightbulb.
"Ah, I see now." Tessai realized as he scanned his surroundings. Now he gets it. "Forgot! You're a dog person aren't you?"
"That's not what I meant!" I facepalmed so hard that my hand could've penetrated through my brain. "Cat decorations! When did Cozy Kissa become a meet-up place for a furry convention?"
"Oh, that." The hell does he mean by 'oh that'- Like going from a normal cafe to furry bait isn't out of the ordinary. Tessai gave me a sly smile. The same smile that a fishy Ford salesman would wear when scamming his customers. I could only dread what he'd say next…..
"You see, Isamu. My business here hasn't been doing so well since this pandemic started. Checking Internet forums and all that, I came to realize that most younguns nowadays prefer.... More out-there, cutesy anime-oriented establishments." This sellout!
"Hence, we did some remodeling! Our sales have gone up by 6 percent the past week." Tessai proudly exclaimed.
"Master-" Still can't believe that's what Japanese people call local cafe owners, "You're covering up a clandestine organization- A literal militarized bunker underneath our feet and that's what you're focussed on????"
"Hey now. Just because I'm a HARVEST agent doesn't mean I can't make some good money on the side. Plus, it's an effective front. Just another normal cafe following trends."
The headache I felt must've tripled at this moment. Clutching my temple, I prayed back- "Do you still serve copapod coffee?"
Tessai gave a little wink, relieving my worries.. "Now that's a classic. I'll….. brew one right away."
"One? Make it double." He raised an eyebrow at me, mouthing 'double?' I pointed at the tan kid on the Doraemon sofa who was preparing to open up the 7-11 bag with his muse.
"Well. Well. Well. Nothing like double customers on a fine Saturday morning." While Tessai was getting ready for that, I began walking back to warn JS and- "WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK!?"
There the man lay, foaming from the mouth while Mari desperately shook him with tears in her eyes."Isamu-san, please! I think the Oinari-san sushi was laced with beans!" I was gone for HOW LONG?
"JESUS CHRIST! Master, call the- H... hold on! Beans?" She nodded.
"He always had adverse reactions to beans- Doesn't matter what kind. One whiff of natto-gohan or zenzai would send him in a spiral!" Those symptoms sounded familiar. Didn't Eri have a similar condition? Fuck, what did I do when I accidentally fed her leftover Chipotle during finals? "Move over. I got this."
You're not gonna give him mouth to mouth, are you? If you are then I'd rather do it myse- Kyaaaaaaaaa!" Desperate times call for desperate measures. I curled my hand into a fist and then socked him right in the solar plexus. Within seconds, JS' eyes shot wide open along with his mouth. Vomit galore. "WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU!?"
Oh wait, it was the Heinrich Maneuver, not the Mugabi Maneuver. Whoops... "He's fine now isn't he?" I forcefully grinned.
"THAT'S your answer??? Omigod, hello? Master? Where's the master of this place?" Mari screamed, entering into what I called the 'fidget dance,' rubbing her kneecaps together while shaking nervously. "Hey. You're the one who asked for help!"
Heeding Mari's call, Tessai rushed in on the scene who also was shocked as I was. "My word. Himari! Clean up on aisle D!" He commanded the cat maid who was just coming out with refreshments.
"Are you alright dear customer?" Tessai asked the obvious while he kneeled over the gagging JS. He even pulled a maneuver that'd fit right in Now You See Me where Tessai flicked his wrist and out popped a clean napkin. I'd honestly be more impressed if it weren't for all the vile and other body fluids on the ground.
"No worries Urg- guys. Thanks to Isamu- Blegh. " Yeah, all's well that ends well!
"Seiji, I don't know if I want you hanging around this man...."
-
Seiji:
It took some time but I consoled Mari over the natto bean incident. Honestly, the whole debacle was my fault. I completely forgot to ask Kazami-san what additional ingredients were inside the Oinari-san besides tarako. She's wary of Isamu considering that he's a complete stranger. However, for some odd reason, he seems like a good person. Yeah, Isamu's methods are... brutal but he saved me from a trip to the ER. Not to mention that he nearly sacrificed himself to save me and Shiro-kun from the Rakav. Surely Mari would understand.
"First time trying copapod coffee? I assure you, it'll be a….. tubular experience." The master reassured as he pressed a single purple button underneath a cupboard. Like something out of an Indiana Jones movie, the giant shelf behind him filled with various spices and books opened up sideways to reveal a-
"Secret hallway?" I gasped, letting my thoughts escape my mouth. The master let loose a pearly-white toothy grin, taking pride in his customer's wide-eyed admiration. Isamu, on the other hand, looked rather bored by this revelation. Makes sense, considering he's some fruit-monster exterminating secret agent.
"C'mon. We already wasted too much time as is." Isamu ordered, ushering me into the very out-of-place technologically advanced room. Complete with geothermal radar's too, nice. "Master, make sure the girl doesn't get in here."
He gave a confident wink back. "No worries here. Our new maid here serves the best omurice and gossip. She'll be enamored by all the dirt she has on the city~"
Wh... what? "Alright, JS…. Smiles. Imma just call you Smiles."
"I'd like that very-"
"Uh, huh. Fantastic." Iasamu rudely interrupted….. again! "Are you afraid of heights?"
"Why...…." He pointed at a row of hatches numbered 1-5 at the very end of the room, all colored differently too. They reminded me of the same ones that the one Super Sentai show used... Hold on. As I stared closer to the middle one labeled 3, I came to the realization that- "These are just recolors of the chutes from Dekaranger! What the-"
"In you go!" Without warning, the man lifted me up and chucked me into the tube! No 'hold on, please.' No 'I'm afraid of heights, actually.' Nope, manhandle me into the tube! I screamed for dear life as various colors began flashing through the transparent glass-like walls.
Two seconds passed, then four, and then five until I realized that- Huh. My heart wasn't beating as fast as I thought. Normally, I'd be freaking out in the predicament but strangely I downright felt serene going down a tube going 10 km per hour. The walls are surprisingly soft too like a more firm water slide and- Is that the theme from Hawaii Five-O playing in the background?
"So nostalgic," I thought as memories of Shinji and I watching Japanese subtitled HF in the living room invaded my mind. It was one of the few internationally translated shows that we pirated- I mean brought together too. Ah, good times.
It wasn't that long until I reached the bottom of the tube, plopping down on a giant marshmallow-like cushion. As my eyes adjusted to the bright fluorescent lights above, I found myself in an amethyst-purple room. The walls were lined with sparkly clean lockers. Not only that but the gem-like marble floors were pristine as well. Whoever they hired for a janitor must be top-notch! At the end of the room lies a large metal door with a neon welcome sign just above it. And just beyond those doors, I could make out shadows and the bustling noise of people.
About 10 seconds into my observation, Isamu also plopped beside me. The force of his weight caused my body to hop in the air like a trampoline. "Gah! Don't scare me like that!"
"Really, that's enough to scare you? Not the literal fruit monsters from yesterday?" He sarcastically questioned. Fine. I'll answer back with an attitude too.
"Well, maybe. JUST. MAYBE. If you didn't answer me in vague riddles and forcefully throw me into a tube that led to GOD KNOWS WHERE then I might actually be comfortable with this situation."
He inched towards me with a face that wanted to look professional but in truth was cracking with frustration. "Do you really think you're our first option here? Do you really believe that we want some bullimic, 'oh I wanna make everyone smile' delusional streamer groupie as the savior of humanity??? You were scared to go down a safety hatch, how the FUCK could we expect you to exterminate these human-eating bastards!"
I wanted to yell back at him. Yell back about how I never chose to become the savior of humanity which was news to me. I never had a say in my mentor dying in front of me right before he handed me the fruit. The very same that was now permanently embedded in the chest. Also, is optimism considered to be a flaw to this guy? Is it really that awful to believe that everyone in this world, no matter how terrible, could change and bring about happiness to others? To change a world that seems so unsympathetic and dull into a bright one where everyone's lives matter? Is it-
"That's enough, Agent. You're making things harder than it needs to be." Within seconds, Isamu stood up and gave a salute, stiff as a board. Beyond the iron door too, all movement ceased as if it was at a drop of a hat. It was almost uncanny. Then the door flew wide open, revealing two men, one considerably older and physically fit than the other.
"Agent Isamu Zakuro reporting, sir! I've brought the asset as instructed, sir!" Isamu shouted in English, breaking the Japanese streak that we've been having ever since meeting each other.
The elderly man smiled warmly at the two of us. That smile however was more than just pleasantries. It genuinely eased the lurching anxiety I felt ever since entering this place. I felt….. safe. "At ease, agent. As expected from my best field operative."
With that, Isamu dropped his guard, returning to his casual posture. The big burly man on the other hand, looked rather disappointed- A big frown etching across his face. Not missing a beat, "And you're my best bodyguard, Agent Goriki." The elderly man complimented which turned his frown upside down.
He then gently walked up to me like a grandfather about to hug his grandchildren. "Thank you for your time, Seiji-kun" He replied in Japanese with an accent more native than Isamu. He reached out his hand for a handshake which I accepted. "Now then, I'm sure you're confused with everything that occurred these last two days. Mana readings? The Rakav? The Forbidden Fruit? Come, I'll explain it all."