Flashy Anticipation

They still haven't returned... they probably lost. Sparky thought, as she planned what to do next. I'm honestly surprised. Those three weren't easy to deal with alone... which means they're a group. But they won't be together the whole time once the event starts.

She called another person, this time a girl. Her hair was white and braided, and her beautiful eyes were blue. Her white outfit was elegant, giving her an adventurous air.

"How's your team doing?" Sparky asked.

"I just saw a group of four leaving a car. Are they your targets?"

"What color is each person's hair?"

"Dark blue, purple, yellow and green."

Sparky looked at the photo Crow had taken of Minako and Iroko, confirming her targets.

So there are four...? This is a problem...

"Where are they?" Sparky asked.

"Inside a building. I'm touching it right now."

"Then mark it with your power."

"Sure thing, boss." The girl grinned maniacally as she used her power on the building.

When they found a suitable building near the barrier, Tracy, the white-haired girl, was already waiting. Not because she knew they would choose that area, but because she had been there for some time, as many players would be crossing the barrier sooner or later. She had already marked several other buildings, so she kept an eye out for any suspicious vehicles circulating there late at night.

And, luckily for her, some of her targets were there. She was working for several players, so she had guaranteed points for the event.

Kuroki's group stood in front of the building, looking up. "So... how are we going to get in?" Iroko asked. "Wouldn't it be easier to sneak in through a hotel?"

"That's what most players think," Kuroki answered. "They're looking for hotels, so we have to choose a place nobody would think of."

"Buildings are pretty obvious..."

"Not when there are dozens or hundreds more. There is only a limited amount of hotels, so we would be easy targets."

"But none of us can fly..."

"Wait, you're right..." Kasugo commented. "If we fall from a building, we'll probably die, or at least be incapacitated. I'll invest a skill point in mobility later."

"Flying is expensive," Kuroki added. "Just falling slower is enough."

"You're talking as if you could already reach the top of a building..." commented Iroko.

"We can," Kuroki replied. "Minako, show them."

Since it was dark, she stretched her arm out to the side and caused a shadowy replica of her member to emerge from the fence.

"This way, you can climb the building and enter an empty room through the balcony."

"Eh? Isn't trespassing illegal?" Iroko commented, a little scared.

"That's why I said 'empty room'. Minako will search for an unoccupied one."

"But how? Aren't there cameras everywhere?"

Minako closed her eyes. Kuroki approached Iroko and whispered in his ear, "She'll use her shadow to feel around the room by touch, to check if there are any personal belongings. If there aren't, she'll open the balcony door for you."

"I understand so far, but... Do we really need to climb the building?"

"It's dark and late, no one will notice you."

"It's not about being seen... I'm scared of heights."

"Don't worry about that, bro," Kasugo reassured him. "Just don't look down, it's easy!"

How in the world is that easy?!

Minako gave Kuroki a thumbs-up. "Don't worry, Kasugo will be with you. You can go now," he said.

"Wait, what about you?" Iroko asked, confused.

"Minako and I will be in different places. I'll oversee everything, and Minako will go up that skyscraper over there." He pointed to the tallest skyscraper in the area.

"What? She's going alone?"

"You'll be helping her with your rifle."

"I get it, but... is there anything valuable in that skyscraper? Besides many players going there, of course."

"The easier it is to be recognized, the more points you earn from eliminations. Some players wait at the top to show off and maximize their rewards."

"So, being in easily visible buildings can also increase recognition points? Will Minako gain more points the higher she climbs?"

"Exactly. You will help her, Kasugo will help you. I will repair all of you if things go south."

"But only temporarily, right? If we lose a head, there's no point in bringing us back."

"That's where you're wrong." Kuroki pointed to the palm of his hand that had been pierced by an arrow.

"Wait, weren't you injured?"

"Not anymore."

"So you can now heal with your power? That's broken!"

"It's really slow, and I have to maintain my power active all the time, but it's useful."

Minako stretched her arms forward, causing shadowy replicas to emerge from the fence.

"Now go," Kuroki said. "Don't worry, her arms are sturdy enough for you to hold on to."

Kasugo went first grabbing her shadow arms and leaping to the other. She then made the first one disappear and created another, allowing him to easily jump over the fence.

"Come on, pal! It's fun!" Kasugo shouted as he waved his arms.

Iroko went ahead, doing the same as him. He looked down and a shiver ran down hisspine, but he didn't let go of Minako's shadowy arm. He jumped over the fence, his legs trembling with fear.

"It wasn't hard, was it?" Kasugo asked jokingly, patting him on the shoulder. "Come on, there's still more."

Minako's arms emerged from the wall, guiding them toward a balcony on one of the higher floors. Kasugo went first, climbing up with ease. Iroko, however, needed to stop on each balcony to catch his breath and rest a bit. 

This also helped Minako endure the pain, as her arms could feel each step more intensely. Her power allowed the damage to be reflected with greater impact, but it would heal after a while. This meant that a single break was enough for her to feel well-rested, especially considering how strong she actually was.

Tracy saw all of this and contacted Sparky. She was ready to act and call her two subordinates, who were sent by Blazy's impersonator.

I don't know how useful they can be, but I don't even have to show up at the location to use my power. If they fail, I'm just going to accomplish another mission from here.

She called them. "They're here," she said with a evil grin. "Don't let me down."

Kasugo and Iroko managed to enter the apartment. It was unoccupied, as there were no belongings anywhere, only furniture. The place was reserved for future rental.

"How about you go to sleep now, Iroko?" Kasugo asked with a smile. "We'll switch shifts later."

"Eh? Are you sure? I'm not that sleepy."

"I drank a lot of coffee earlier... I wouldn't be able to sleep even if I wanted to."

"Do you always do this before events?"

"Yeah. Either that, or I can't sleep anyway because of the anticipation. And we need maximum productivity during an event. A simple mistake can cost us our life."

"If you say so... Thank you, really."

"No problem, buddy. I'll watch your back until I feel sleepy enough."

"Don't hesitate to wake me up if someone attacks."

Iroko tried to sleep for quite a while, but couldn't. Just like Kasugo, the anxiety was overwhelming. The quiet hum of the fans in the neighbors' apartments suddenly stopped. The air conditioning shut off abruptly. Kasugo knew that a power shortage at that time couldn't be a coincidence.

He heard footsteps outside the apartment, coming from the hallway. Someone stopped in front of the door and began to force it open with a hairpin.

We don't have the keys... if they unlock the door, we won't be able to lock it again.

Kasugo materialized his armor, along with his newly incorporated metal bat. He couldn't materialize anything besides the armor and the yellow paints, but his recent level increases allowed him to expand his arsenal.

The door opened and two people entered, careful not to wake the neighbors. They were an extremely ordinary couple: a young man with glasses and a young woman with short hair, also wearing glasses. They could only be seen thanks to the moonlight filtering through the glass door of the balcony.

The young man tried to turn on the lights, but couldn't. He took out his cell phone, turned on the screen with the brightness at maximum, and showed it to the girl. They both stared at it for a while.

Her arm began to transform into an extremely sharp metal blade. She approached Kasugo, who was ready to attack. Then, lights suddenly flashed, reflecting off the blade's surface and blinding Kasugo.

The couple wasn't blinded, as their eyes had already adapted to the bright light of the cell phone. The girl seized the opportunity and tried to stab Kasugo in the heart, but his armor prevented the blade's impact.