Striking Introductions

The logic of picking one of the busiest stations in all of Tokyo as the connection to Veil seemed like a recipe for disaster. It was a miracle that the public never found out. And perhaps it was a sign of how powerful the Veil truly was in keeping non-sorcerers ignorant of it. But it just seemed like bad planning. Or at least, poor management, not to change it after Tokyo grew into the city that it was.

He understood the planners couldn’t have known how much of a nightmare the station was to walk. Foresight couldn’t really be critiqued, but continuing to ignore the problem should be. Thousands of people went through the station every day. And they had to send refugees back in such a situation. It made him think back to Ryota and that he would have to go through this soon.

Escorting people back wasn’t his sort of job. He could only imagine the logistics. It seemed like a disaster waiting to happen. And that felt like what was coming his way. ‘Who thought it was a good idea to send an Eighth Squad sorcerer. I’m going to have my hands full just keeping the peace. I’m not a babysitter.’ A sigh escaped, despairing at his assignment.

Stopping at one of the passenger bridges, Yori checked his watch again. “Still time before the train arrives. I deal with criminal syndicates and gangs all the time, and they never try to tear them down. And now they are suddenly sending a sorcerer. What the hell is going on?” He hated to admit how aware he was of the corruption. The bureaucrats always had an excuse. Or they acted too late. This decisive action was welcome, if not puzzling.

Tearing down a criminal syndicate was more than he’d imagined doing. He didn’t even know if it was possible. That was the task, or rather, to get enough evidence that the government could finally act. Human trafficking of sorcerers was a loud secret, but also one without a lot of trails to follow. They were good at staying ahead of the hunters. “How much trouble am I getting into?”

The distinct chiming trill, along with the grinding of metal on metal, alerted Yori. It was only audible to those tuned to mana. Thanks to his training, he could see and hear the magic train. “Time to go…” He stared over at the densely packed lines pushing into the station. “Finding them is going to be a nightmare.”

He pushed on, heading into the station. Like with most crowds, going with the flow was the best way to travel. But he had to keep his eyes out. They didn’t exactly say anything other than to meet the sorcerer on the platform. It sounded simple enough until he remembered it was Shinjuku.

‘I hope they’re not wearing something outlandish. The Veil only works on so many things. But maybe people will just think they’re a cosplayer at the worst.’ While his mind tried to picture what he’d be in for, his body got him to the platform.

The crowd thinned somewhat since one side didn’t have a train in their minds. And there stood a tall red-haired woman looking mixed between modern and old-fashioned in her attire. It at least didn’t stand out, apart from the fact that she had bright red hair amongst a horde of Japanese. They didn’t exactly tell him who he was meeting, but a beautiful young woman wasn’t what he expected.

But as he got closer, he could see the confusion on her face and what seemed like a bit of panic. A foreign land and everything being different had to be a lot to take in. ‘I should get her out of the station to get a breath. Morning traffic isn’t healthy for anyone’s first time in Tokyo.’

Yori hurried up to the woman. “Hey, I’m from the Section.” She looked almost completely out of it. “You’re the Marketing Associate, right?” Silence. A glance around the platform checked his paranoia. Red still screamed. “Oh c’mon already…” Yori reached out to tap their arm to snap them out of their fog.

But they immediately jumped to a martial stance that he felt like he had seen before, but couldn’t place well. Yori took a step back. “Hey, I’m not trying to start a thing on our first meeting!” Unfortunately, that didn’t seem to be heard as she just stared at him. She might have been alert now, but the sorcerer had the wrong intent.

“I’ll make ye regret that!” She struck out with blinding speed. It surprised Yori to see a sorcerer with such physicality. She actually forced him to go on guard. It wasn’t too hard to block. It was a linear attack, though he wasn’t sure if she intended to just scare or be serious. One punch wasn’t enough to judge.

Even enhanced, he definitely felt the force start being applied. “I already am,” he groaned, breaking off her pressure. Yori glanced around to see what the crowds were doing. It didn’t seem like many were taking notice. “Stop this, you’re going to make a scene.”

“Ye started this. Creeps like ye won’t learn a lesson without a little pain!” She spun around, throwing the back of her fist at him like she wanted to knock Yori into a flip. Though her frustration only mounted further with his evasion of her. Another couple swings that didn’t connect pushed their skirmish on the move.

Footwork danced with changing positions and balance. Blows and blocks rang out to heavier smacks of muscle. Nothing cleanly got through as she took him more seriously. Each punch really was trying to lay him out now. A near ringing from the last punch pushed Yori back a step.

Frustration became more transparent on both of their faces. The reasons were different, but it only seemed to entrench them further. She abandoned any politeness when her feet started to cut in. High kicks and stomps quickly went off in a flurry of parries and blocks.

Miho finally broke through his defense. She kicked him to the ground. A hint of pride in her victory surfaced subtly with a small curl of a smirk. She had more talent than Yori expected. “Learned your lesson?”

It really started to look bad for Yori. She sold the whole harassing angle that the eyes on them really started to whisper. He groaned at what the day had become. Yori stood back up, fixing his clothes. “As much as I love the whole woman who can kick my ass, I really wish you could listen. As you seemed to have missed the first three times, I was sent here for the joint mission. We’re on the same side.”

She snapped back and looked around the station. There was still some doubt, but as she thought more about it, she realized what had happened. She immediately bowed to Yori. “I’m sorry! I didn’t realize.”

“As long as you’re not going to punch me again, I can forgive. I do just have that sort of face.” What bystanders had taken interest in their fight began to disperse. He looked back up the stairs. “Let’s step outside with fewer eyes and ears to do proper introductions.”