Peace in Our Time

Yukari was abruptly awakened by a nudge to her shoulder. “Huh?” She looked over and saw it was Naoki.

“Hey…” He said flatly.

Yukari smirked. “Oh? Naoki? You actually came to visit me in the hospital, huh? Aw, what a sweetheart you are!”

Naoki looked away. “No… I actually came to see Chiaki, but she was being prepped for surgery…”

“Oh.” She pouted and crossed her arms. “I see how it is. You know, I’ve been with you your whole life, I’m basically your big sister, but you’re always acting like such a punk towards me.”

“Look, it’s not that, but…”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it. Anyway.” She reached over to the bedside table and picked up her tablet. “I’ve got a podcast to watch.”

“You watch podcasts?”

“Of course I do. Who doesn’t these days?”

Naoki wondered what podcast she could possibly be interested in, but the one she brought up was the last one he expected her to watch.

“Donated by an anonymous viewer, this is real footage of the attack on the SSU building.” Kiki Motomura, former head writer of the Japanese Patriot, was now the owner of the First Citizen and host of the First Citizen Podcast.

The shutting down of the Japanese Patriot had created a chilling effect, dissuading others from publicizing without quarter, but Kiki had not been deterred. As a result, the First Citizen was blowing up in certain dissident circles, and for whatever reason, Yukari was a fan.

“So they really rolled in with a tank, huh?” Yukari asked, watching the footage.

“Yeah, apparently it was created with one of the demons’ abilities.”

“Crazy. Wish I could’ve been there to see it myself.” Yukari kept watching the footage, fully engrossed.

“You know…” Naoki scratched his face. “I thought you didn't care about politics.”

“I don’t, but a girl’s gotta do something to kill time. And the hostess is pretty entertaining.”

Naoki was acquainted with Kiki, but he was hardly a fan of her work. The stuff she did with the First Citizen was particularly sensationalist.

“But, we must talk about why this attack was perpetrated…” Kiki segued to the next segment. “While we at the First Citizen never condone violence, it is understandable why such acts would be carried out after the barbaric murder of Hiyoko Sato at the hands of a truly monstrous SSU agent.”

Yukari chuckled.

Naoki, irritated, leaned towards her. “She’s talking about you, you know!”

“Shh.” Yukari put her finger up to his mouth. “I want to hear this next part.”

“However, for better or worse, Yukari Akayama is still with us today and her would-be assassin, Kotaro Watari, has been apprehended by the authorities. He is currently expected to receive at least ten years in prison.”

“Ten years, huh?” Yukari closed her eyes and tilted her head. “I’ll be an old maid by then… But then again, Japan might not even exist…”

Naoki was used to Yukari’s disposition, but even that comment was a bit off putting to him.

“On to the global news, tensions are reaching a boiling point between China and Taiwan.”

Yukari’s ears perked up at this.

“China has kept pushing their claim that the unrecognized island nation is their rightful territory, even threatening possible military action, while the Taiwanese government has continuously and staunchly rejected their demands. The Japanese government has put themselves into this scuffle, vowing to protect Taiwan if the need arises.”

“You listening to this, Naoki?”

“What about it?”

“Just think, if a war between Japan and China kicked off, what do you think would happen?” Yukari rested her head on her hand. “Personally, I think they’d find a new use for demon summoners like us…”

“Come on, don’t be ridiculous.”

“Ridiculous? I’m being realistic. You might not want to admit it, but the government has a lot of good reasons to fight a war right now. It would boost the economy, get people back to work, and most importantly, it would get a lot of potential Ghosts out of Japan.”

Naoki shook his head and looked back at the screen which was now showing a map. Yukari was just being crazy. Despite whatever corruption might’ve existed in the Japanese government, they would never start such a needless war.

Or at least… That’s what he wanted to believe…

“However, this dispute may enter the dustbin of history before long. Diplomats from China will be shortly arriving in Tokyo for a conference regarding the status of Taiwan, the result of which is predicted to be a lasting peace agreement.”

Naoki spoke up. “See? There’s not going to be a war.”

“You say that now…”

“Whatever.” Naoki adjusted his jacket. “I’m leaving now.”

“All right, see you around, Naoki.”

But as Naoki walked out of the hospital room, he was still able to hear the podcast.

“However, many remain skeptical of this event, insisting that the Chinese have no intention of backing down, some even suggesting this conference is a part of some kind of plot against the Japanese government. However, while we can all hope, whether or not there will be peace in our time remains to be seen…”

***

After the SSU HQ attack, an oppressive atmosphere had overtaken not only Naoki, but the entire organization. Several agents had died, others were injured, and their homebase, their shining star, was left in ruins. Not to mention, the public still hated them. Morale was almost dead, and it was especially bad for Naoki.

Chiaki had been badly injured, and while she was to make a full recovery, the 9th Squadron still felt empty without her.

However, at least for the time being, he had to put that aside. There was still work to do.

“This mission will be a bit different…” Hamazaki threw down some documents. “You both are being assigned as security for the Tokyo Conference, the meeting between Japan and China over the future of Taiwan, and you won’t be operating as SSU agents.”

“Hm?” Yoji raised an eyebrow.

“The head of security for the event is worried about Ghost attacks, and as the SSU is the only organization that can use demons, we’ll have to help. However, because the SSU’s reputation is still in the gutter, we’ll be helping unofficially.”

Naoki crossed his arms. He had no objections to such work, but something about it felt off. “Is there anything specific we need to keep in mind?”

“Not really. You two will wear suits and follow the diplomats throughout the conference. If you see any threats, you’ll act immediately, but as discreetly as possible. And most importantly, the safety of the diplomats, especially the Chinese ones, are of critical importance. If anything happens to them, it could trigger a war.”

“No pressure, right?” Yoji picked up one of the documents, a floor plan.

“Honestly, I feel a little bad dumping this on you guys, but they’re orders from the top. I’m trying to get another squad on this, but it’s just a disaster right now, so you’ll probably be on your own.”

Naoki took a deep breath and looked at the documents himself.

Carefully looking through the plans, Yoji asked, “You don’t mind if I do some investigation beforehand, right?”

“Of course not. That’s why we pay you.”

“Good. Because there’s something that’s bothering me…”

“What is it?”

Yoji remained silent for a few seconds. “Actually, forget about it for now.” Quickly, he flipped over to another page.

But Naoki could tell by the look on Yoji’s face that it wasn't something that should be forgotten about.