September 30, 2053 – 2:10 a.m.

The next two months pass quickly as Jin becomes increasingly integrated into the reality of the Resistance, attending classes with other young people and taking part in missions led by Mitsuo involving leafleting and small acts of vandalism, such as writing anti-Gotha slogans on walls.

Upon returning from one of these missions, Jin strikes up a conversation with the male leader. "Hey Makoto, can I ask you something?"

"You've been here for two months and you still get my name wrong... I'm starting to think you're doing it on purpose to annoy me."

"Don't be so uptight all the time. Can I ask you this question or not?"

"How can I not be nervous when some idiot keeps calling me by the wrong name... anyway, go ahead."

"Do these Gotha people really exist? I mean, I've been with you for two months now and I still haven't seen any of them during our missions."

"It's better this way. If you had met them, it would probably have been the last thing you ever saw."

"From the way you talk about them, it seems like they're so dangerous that they have complete control over the nation, yet they've never bothered us even though we challenge them so openly."

"The fact that we all lack microchips makes us untraceable, which is why they can't catch us. We've also dug passages in the sewers so we can come up through the manholes and move around underground, which prevents them from locating our base with satellite images... but it hasn't always been this way, we've lost many men because of them."

"Maybe..."

Mitsuo, annoyed by Jin's insistence on questioning everything, walks away. Gaho, who was behind the two, heard everything and approaches Jin, engaging him in a new discussion. "Hey Jin>"

"Oh... the big monkey."

"Stop calling me that!"

Jin chuckles, but Gaho continues talking. "Leader Mitsuo is right. For you to believe in Gotha, it must be an act of faith. You must have faith in your comrades and your leaders. Trying to meet them would be a mistake, so don't do it... we need you here."

"Do you need me here?"

"I'm afraid I've already said too much, but know that despite appearances, I am among those who have always believed in you."

Jin is taken aback for a few seconds by these words. Meanwhile, the group has reached their base and, as always, Keina is waiting for them. She hugs Mitsuo first and confronts him. "Are you okay, brother?"

"Yes, sister, Gotha didn't show up today either."

Keina breathes a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness."

"They haven't been seen since that day."

"That's exactly why they mustn't find out about Jin, or things will go back to how they were before."

Mitsuo nods in agreement. At that moment, Gaho and Jin arrive, so Keina turns to them. "Hi, guys! Leader Mitsuo was telling me about the success of today's mission."

"Yeah, it went well... that's what you say when nothing happens, right?" Jin replies controversially.

Mitsuo once again seems on the verge of exploding and lashing out at Jin, but Keina, with her usual calmness, responds to the provocation with a smile, managing as always to restore everyone's composure. "Yes, that's what we say when nothing happens... now please go and get some rest, Jin, you have to go to the tent school tomorrow morning if I'm not mistaken."

"Yes, then you'll explain to me why I'm the only one who has to go to school and on missions."

"Actually, you were enthusiastic about the idea when I proposed it to you. Usually, students have to finish school before they can actively participate in missions, but we decided to make an exception for you."

"Sure, I was excited about the idea, but I thought it would be more exciting. When you leave here, you'd expect to have phenomenal adventures, save helpless girls, and fight bad guys to save the world... not throw flyers around and put up anti-government satire posters."

Keina keeps her beautiful smile as she responds further to Jin's complaints. "I'm sure you'll still be able to save helpless girls and fight bad guys."

"Sure, why not..." At this point, Jin leaves the group and goes to his room to rest.

"Good night, Jin" says Keina, before he walks away for good.

"Good night" he replies coldly.

When Jin has gone, Mitsuo makes another comment about the boy. "He's really unbearable, you can tell he's never experienced conflict. Wanting to fight the Gotha is the stupidest thing anyone could wish for."

"It may be a little childish, but the fact that he wants to face the Gotha fills my heart with joy. In such a short time, we've managed to brainwash him into becoming one of us."

Mitsuo smiles slightly. "So your plan is working."

"Yes, school lessons are making him more and more knowledgeable and aware of the world around him. Even his teacher was amazed by his above-average intelligence, despite some gaps in his knowledge due to the 28 years he didn't live. Participating in missions with you is turning him into a fierce opponent of the Gotha, and even though he has never met any of their men, he talks about them as enemies, as someone he would like to fight"

"Bending the closest thing to a god that ever existed to your will... what does that make you, sister?"

"I don't know how much of a compliment that is. As you should know, even a demigod can make mistakes."

Keina walks away, ending the discussion.

11:36 a.m.

Keina and Mitsuo are discussing their next mission, but they are interrupted by Jin, who runs towards them, calling out enthusiastically. "Keina! Minoru!"

"How absurd... he still hasn't learned my name. That idiot really wants to piss me off."

When Jin reaches the two, he is forced to stop for a moment to catch his breath. Keina is the first to ask a question. "Jin, what a surprise to see you... shouldn't you be in class in the school tent at this time?"

"I-I discovered something..." Jin tries to say, still out of breath from running.

"W-what did you discover, Jin?" Keina replies, frightened that he may have figured out what she is hiding from him.

"I found out that the Gotha headquarters is right here in Osaka! A classmate told me."

Keina breathes a sigh of relief, then replies. "Yes, it's true, it's downtown... not too far from here, to be honest, even though we're in a completely isolated place."

"But then we can attack them directly. We should launch a big raid and force them to surrender, give everyone their freedom back and..." Jin's delusional speech is interrupted by a violent punch to the head from Mitsuo. "Stupid!"

"Ouch! Why did you do that?"

"We have to avoid drawing attention to ourselves. Do you think it's smart to attack their headquarters directly? No one would make it out alive!"

"But we could defeat them this way, we just need to find some weapons and..."

Mitsuo hits him on the head again. "You really are stupid then, don't you remember? We are against violence, using weapons is not our style."

"Coming from someone who just hit me twice, that's not very credible..."

"I'll gladly make an exception for you."

At this point, Keina joins the conversation, clapping her hands twice to get everyone's attention. "Come on, guys, don't fight. Tonight you'll have to work together on the next mission."

"Another mission tonight?"

"Yes, the graffiti from last night has already been erased. One of our people noticed it when he went to the surface this morning to stock up on food."

"We went too far into the city yesterday... the closer we get to Gotha headquarters, the less chance we have of graffiti, posters, and flyers lasting long" Mitsuo points out.

"Were we close to their headquarters yesterday?" Jin asks.

"Yes, maybe it would be better to back off a little. If they remove everything immediately, there's no point in exposing ourselves to the risk of being captured."

"I have a better idea" replies Jin, flashing a smirk that surely hides a plan.

That same night, Jin and Mitsuo are ready to go out on their mission, followed by a dozen other members of the Resistance, including the ever-present Gaho.

"Tonight we'll go back to the same spot as yesterday and rewrite the messages that the Gotha men erased" explains Mitsuo.

"But won't these be erased right away too?" replies one of the men.

"This time it won't be so easy for them. Thanks to Jin's knowledge, we've decided to use a different material to write on the walls."

"Exactly! We'll use polyurethane. I'm not saying it's impossible to erase it from the walls, but it will certainly be more difficult for them... they shouldn't be able to do it immediately, so the people will be able to see our messages of rebellion against Gotha."

These words spark enthusiasm in the group, who cheer.

<<Well done, Jin!>>

<<Well done!>>

<<Come on, let's go!>>