Proposition

„I see you’re all well,” he said, walking out of the helicopter. “Besides him, of course. Well, his potential did plateau shortly after awakening, so it’s not too bad.”

“What is it you want, Dr. Wada?” Takako asked, firmly planting her feet on the ground before the rest of us.

“I merely came here to make a proposition. You see, the dragon has appeared over Nagasaki, and our office there is barely staffed at all ever since selling the facility. Therefore, they need backup as soon as possible.

I’ve even reactivated Araki for now, seeing as he’s the only one really able to hold his own in a duel with Traumatas. I would like Takahashi to take over command of your squad while you’re gone, Takako.”

“Of course, sir. As you wish,” Takako said, severely unnerved.

“Great. You can take that girl with you. Ai Sakaguchi, was it? Your friend that called the ambulance is dead now, by the way. Just wanted to let you know. Otherwise, have a great trip, you three.”

He turned around, before briefly stopping.

“Oh, and Laura. I’m sure you must have figured it out by now, but you actually have a deeply personal vested interest in that dragon. Project Utsuro, remember?”

What? Does he mean? It couldn’t possibly. She was? Yuri? But… how? Then he. He did all of that? To my fiancé? I’ll kill him when I get back. Right away. I’ll need to help her first, if there’s even the slightest possibility she’s still alive.

“I’ll kill you, but you probably already knew that!” I yelled at him as he continued walking back.

He turned around one final time, with a smile on his face.

“Just as I’d expect from my daughter. Good luck with that, when you get back. I’ll have all three of you killed if you stay here, anyway. I’m pretty sure the end of the world would affect even you, no matter who causes it. Now hurry, the next train will be departing shortly and Araki is already waiting at the station.”

With seemingly all being said, he got back into the helicopter and took off. My eyes flared up uncontrollably as he left. I was already reaching out my hands to form anything I could throw at him, when Takako pulled them back down.

She now stood opposite of me, brushing over my hands with her thumbs, smiling from ear to ear.

“Isn’t that great? She’s probably still alive, so maybe she can give us her green light. Hell, I’d be willing to be the third wheel.”

Is she actually serious? Does she take anything seriously anymore? What irreversible damage could this fight possibly have caused for her to suddenly be so open about it?

“Could you not? Besides, I thought we just went over that before you passed out.”

“Passed out? Oh, right. I don’t remember anything after lifting that platform at all. Did you say yes already? Pretty unfaithful, don’t you think?”

“What? Whatever… We have something to do, let’s get to it.”

“B-But my answer. Did you?”

“Obviously not,” I muttered as we walked toward her still intact car. That cover really worked wonders. As Takako removed it, there wasn’t a single scratch on the paintjob, and not a single drop of water inside it.

“Get in.” She waved at me while holding the passenger’s door open. Ai just silently followed us into the car.

As Takako turned the key, her favorite song immediately started blaring at full volume through the speakers.

We took off, and she yelled the lyrics the entire way to the station. Something was definitely wrong with her, but I couldn’t quite make out what caused it.

About forty minutes of driving later, we had arrived at the station, Araki already walking toward us.

Takako jumped out of the car and ran toward him, embracing him in a moment of warmth that could have been straight out of a TV drama.

“We’re gonna get married soon. Aren’t you happy for us, Hideki?”

He stared at me in utter bewilderment. “Married, huh? Best of luck to you, I guess. Of course I’m glad. Isn’t it a bit soon for her, with what happened to her fiancé and all?”

“She didn’t seem to bother, so what gives? Will you guide me to the altar?”

“Umm, sure. Can you give us a moment?”

“Yes, of course.”

He walked over to me, immediately reaching for his sword as he saw Ai exiting the car behind me.

“Why is she here? I wasn’t informed of this.”

“Don’t worry, she’s fine for now. Is there anything you wanted to talk about?”

He lowered his hand again.

“There definitely is, come here.” He leaned into my ear, slightly pushing me towards him in a weak embrace.

“What happened to her? I’ve never seen her this unstable before, ever. That’s besides her collapse, of course.” He whispered into my ear.

“I wish I knew, but I don’t. Maybe she overused her powers again. She seems quite different than usual, though. Maybe an outburst of adrenaline or something.”

“Okay, that’s not good. We have to go now, though, the train isn’t waiting for us. Just don’t break her heart, I guess? That could end badly for all of us right now. Try to play along or something, it will probably pass with some time.”

We rushed to the train, barely making it in time for departure. The entire time, Takako clung to my arm, seemingly completely at peace. As the ride started, she immediately fell asleep, still clinging to it.

“So, anyway. What’s your deal, girl? And your name, maybe.” Araki asked Ai. “No need for excruciating details, I just need a basic rundown of the situation.”

“I’m sorry? For almost killing you, I mean. I was partially conscious at the time, after all. Ever since we fought, everything’s been a blur for me. The last thing I really remember was drowning, and then I woke up in a bathroom flooded with water, but I was still somehow breathing.”

“Alright. That’s a start, I suppose.”

They stopped talking when they saw the vortex of spiritual beasts descending on Tokyo, causing complete devastation everywhere they went. It was giant.

“The only way to stop this is by stopping that dragon, I’d say. It’s caused it in the first place, so that’s my only lead,” he said, staring out of the window in horror.

So far, the department seemed to manage the onslaught of entities fairly well, considering the sheer amount of them that came through the rift. Hopefully the situation was easier to deal with in Nagasaki.