SAISHO17-CC pt.4

"We're there." spoke Reiko over the intercom channel.

Lobert got out and was curious to see what would await him this time.

They were standing on a kind of helicopter landing pad that led to an entrance in the skyscraper.

The skyscraper was huge, seriously huge.

Lobert looked down from the landing pad and felt queasy.

He couldn't even see the ground, the clouds obscured the view.

Even the shopping streets that loomed so high in the air were just distant paths from his point of view.

At this height, there were only a few isolated skyscrapers that were comparable in height. Apart from the lone tower from which one could not see the end even at this extreme height.

Lobert let out an audible gasp of amazement.

The professor went into the room to which the landing site was connected.

It was possible to walk from the landing pad directly into the oversized living room.

The ceiling was so high giants could have lived there.

"So this is how the rich live..." Lobert remarked.

"This is how you're going to live from now on. This is your home now." the professor said.

"I'm not going to leave my mother alone in the Outer South District."

Lobert was a little upset.

"Relax, your mother can live here too. After all, there's plenty of room in here." He assured Lobert.

"And you can probably guess, but Reiko will live here too."

"You can't do that, a boy and a girl living alone together."

Lobert tried to talk his way out of it, but he knew it was futile.

"I was under the assumption that your mother will also live here." the professor replied.

"Oh, yes."

Lobert briefly considered another way to escape his fate.

"Does the girl not have a life of her own?"

This time Reiko replied, "As long as I'm looking out for you, this is my life."

Lobert had nothing more to say in return and gave up.

"Up the stairs, the second room from the left, on the bed are your new clothes, please change." the professor said.

"Don't you want me to wash first?"

The professor looked at him briefly from head to toe.

"Yes, do that please."

Lobert was already going up the stairs, but then turned around and asked, "Where's the bathroom?"

"Further up the stairs and then straight to the right and then left."

Lobert went into the bathroom and to no one's surprise, the bathroom was also very luxuriously furnished.

He looked around briefly for Reiko, but she was waiting outside the door.

"I guess she does have a bit of sensitivity." Lobert whispered to himself.

Here was a real bath and not just a bucket, so he made sure to enjoy the time.

After bathing, he went into the bedroom dressed in a towel, curious what clothes would be waiting for him; it was a classic white suit and a red shirt.

Fancy, Lobert thought to himself, being dressed so elegantly he felt quite a lot more confident about himself.

He walked out of the room to present himself to Reiko and Professor Rheintal.

They sternly examined every bit of him.

"Clothes make the man." the professor said approvingly.

Even Reiko gave some sort of compliment.

"Looking at you like that, one wouldn't suspect that you came from the Outer Districts."

"That'll be all for today, tomorrow you'll be introduced to the party affiliates, and don't forget: you were picked up off the street and offered to become the arbiter, you didn't meet Christina. Now get a good rest." the professor informed.

The professor was already turning towards the exit, but Lobert stopped him.

"I have not yet agreed to be the arbiter."

The professor raised an eyebrow in bewilderment.

"I agree on one condition, though." clarified Lobert.

"It depends on the condition, but if it is within the realm of possibility I will see what can be done." It seems the professor was more cooperative than Lobert thought.

"I want the debt of my friend Marc paid off."

The professor and Lobert stared intently into each other's eyes for a moment, a sort of wordless negotiation took place, and finally the professor relented.

"All right, consider it done."

"Just like that? Don't you even want to know how much debt he has?" Lobert asked bewildered.

"Yes, just like that. How much debt he has I already know." the professor said.

"Don't underestimate the amount of information the government has on you."

Out of the professor's mouth, that sounded more like a warning than a boast, even though he was a part of that government.

"That's revolting." Reiko commented.

She didn't quite seem to like this fact either.

"Have a nice evening." The professor went to the landing area, where a car was already waiting for him.

Lobert called after him: "Just so you know, I didn't agree to carry out Christina's plans, only to become an arbiter. I don't feel like unnecessarily making a target out of myself."

The professor did not respond and got into his car.

It wasn't the armored car from before, but a smaller blue one that looked more like the other cars Lobert had seen.

×

After the professor had been gone for a while, Lobert remembered what else he had wanted to do.

"Can you get the car from earlier back here?" Lobert asked his constant companion.

"Will do. Where are we going?"

"Bringing my mother here."

The car from earlier appeared from the clouds below and then waited for them on the landing pad.

Lobert and his bodyguard got into the car and Lobert gave her the address.

It would take some time from the center to the outer districts, so Lobert tried to make some small talk.

If she was going to always be with him from now on it certainly wouldn't hurt to get to know her a little better.

Lobert pressed the button that the professor had used.

"Earth to Reiko, Earth to Reiko, do you read me? Over."

"Loud and clear. Over." Said Reiko over the voice channel.

To Lobert's relief, she went along with his little shenanigans; she already seemed a little more approachable.

"What do you do in your spare time? Over." Lobert asked.

Lobert could imagine her being interested in something like martial arts or survival stuff, but maybe she had an unexpected feminine side and liked something like sewing.

"I'm responsible 24/7 for making sure you don't die, you think I have free time?" she laughed briefly at her circumstances.

"What do you do in your spare time? You're from the outer city after all, what do you do?"

"Well, when I'm not working I take care of my mom and watch videos on the internet, sometimes I play games."

"I'm going to be straight with you. Nothing I've seen or heard from you tells me you should be the arbiter."

"I have no idea either." Lobert admitted , for him the thought of being the chosen one was still as alien as pineapple on pizza.

The conversation reached an impasse and silence ensued, but then Lobert came up with the next question to keep the talk going.

"How did you become a bodyguard?"

"Because I could. I can't do much, but guarding and fighting I'm good at, after all, my father taught me."

"What does your father do?"

Reiko didn't answer.

"Reiko?" he asked.

"Listen, I don't feel like talking about it right now." she said.

In an instant, she didn't seem so approachable to Lobert after all. He didn't reply, and for the rest of the ride he left her alone.

They finally arrived at the place where this day had started.

Lobert went down the stairs in front of his apartment and Reiko followed him.

He opened the door and looked to see if his mother was sleeping yet, but she was awake and watching TV.

"Hey mom."

Lobert's mother turned away from the TV and saw Lobert in his new look.

"Oh my goodness...Lobert? What happened to you?"

"I don't really know myself, but I guess I got a new job and a new apartment now."

His mother's gaze slid behind Lobert.

"And a new girlfriend?" There was a bit of joy and a bit of disbelief in her voice.

Reiko didn't seem fazed by that.

"No mom, that's not-" He was interrupted, his mother already not listening to him and assuming the worst.

She apologized to Reiko without hesitation.

"Did my son do anything wrong? I'm so sorry, he can be so foolish sometimes! If he's in debt you can take the TV and the other valuables, but please don't hurt him."

"Madame, you seem to misunderstand. I am not his girlfriend, I am Reiko, his bodyguard. Your son has done nothing wrong. He was selected in a pilot program to become a high-ranking politician. You can be happy."

"Yes, and I got a new apartment in the central districts. I'm here to pick you up, we can get your stuff later." Lobert said cheerfully.

"I'm too young for you to take me for a fool. Why would you need a bodyguard if you're a politician? If you are involved in any shady business, I want you to quit. I'm telling you, this is not going to end well."

"And I'm telling you that everything is fine. Perhaps someone is not entirely happy with the way I was elected, and that's why i have a bodyguard. Will you please come with me?"

"All right, but if something happens you'll get out, promise?"

"I promise."

Lobert's mother turned off the TV and accompanied Lobert and Reiko to the car.