Sane

"So what's the plan this time?"

"Search and destroy, as always," said Takahiro. He wasn't accepting the truth about Grizzly being alive. The last operation cost him and Shin almost a limb.

"The casino is not fully functional because of the fire we started last time. So they closed the whole place to visitors. Now there are workers dealing with the damage, all we have to do is disguise ourselves as one of them."

"Seems too easy. But I believe they'll be on alert for us," said Gina. She seemed worried after what happened to him and Shin.

"Let them be. If we catch one of them alone, we'll get him down and disguise ourselves as casino staff this time. Only one will be enough to cause them chaos. We will get started tomorrow. Until then, try to gather some information about their numbers and other things."

As soon as the speech was over, Takahiro took his radio out to contact JGSA. Without them, it would be really hard to provide the materials they need.

"Let's end them both. I started to get tired of it," said Gina. They were alone in the room once again.

"That's my plan. Even if we fail at some point, I will be sure to kill Grizzly this time."

"You seemed too obsessed with him."

"Don't worry, I won't ruin the whole operation because of it. It's just hard to accept Shin's retirement."

"Didn't he already retire with you last time?"

"I didn't accept it on that day either. Shin wasn't at fault."

"But he took the responsibility with you. And after his retirement, he came back to work with you once again."

"We're like real brothers, we always supported each other. Same goes for Fujimiya, Suzumura, and Okamoto."

Takahiro sighed. He always blamed himself for what happened that day. He failed as a squad captain. And now, this mission was like facing his past sins. Mentally, it was the hardest mission he had been doing in his whole life.

"Well, no matter what, I will end this mission once and for all."

They were ready to start with the first light of the morning. Two JGSA soldiers were talking as they got their clothes changed.

"JGSA sure works fast. It's actually kinda creepy."

"Good for us. I want to get home as soon as possible."

"Okay lads. I hope this is my last speech before the last operation. I mean, hopefully it is the last. Our main target is to neutralise Grizzly. You're allowed to get rid of anybody who gets in your way, but still avoid civilian casualties if possible. You might be thinking that it's not the right time to think about common sense, ethics, or other shit. But as long as you're working under me, I won't let anybody harm a civilian, even if it's for the sake of world peace. Well, what we're doing right now is for the sake of world peace, but you got what I meant, I suppose."

"What about Takao Yuuichi?" asked one of the soldiers.

"That's our second target. You don't have to look for him. Even if you see him, you don't have to chase him. You're free to kill if you want, though. But be sure that you're not taking any risks."

"Roger, sir!"

"Good, now let's get going. Believe me guys, we're really close to the end of this."

Just like the last time, they drove to the casino in two vans. But this time, they were riding in a van that normally belongs to a restoration company. After a short ride, they pulled over at the casino and started playing their roles. They had around 15 minutes before the real company workers were going to show up. As they entered the casino, they started looking for Grizzly while working at the same time.

"Even if we cannot find him, we are going to clear the whole casino staff because of the act of terrorism," said Takahiro quitely from his earpiece.

"What are you mumbling there?"

"Nothing, sir. Just a song my mother used to sing."

"Focus on what you're doing, the boss will be visiting us soon."

"As you wish, my kind sir."

Now they were back on track again. This time, Takahiro was certainly going to end Grizzly. Wasting any more time than that could mean losing this war for them. Takahiro whistled in a certain rhythm to signal to others, just as if he was singing a song. As he gave the signal, others began to lure casino staff a bit away from Takahiro. After a short while, Grizzly showed up at the entrance. The whole casino staff was distracted by him.

"Hey, why are you all lingering around? We still need some money to get our business done. We have no time to waste, you hear me?"

Takahiro slowly reached for his belt and gave the signal.

"Party time."

As soon as he drew his gun, he aimed it at the Grizzly's head and sent three bullets at him. Grizzly fell to the ground noisily. Others started taking care of the casino staff. In just a few seconds, the whole place became a bloody mess. Everything happened so fast that nobody had time to react.

"We're done here, let's go home," said Takahiro. He was emotionless. It was as if all his anger vanished from his body forever.

As they turned back to Seraph's Inn, everybody except Takahiro started celebrating. Takahiro got upstairs to get some sleep, but Gina entered the room behind him.

"What's wrong?" asked Gina.

"Nothing. I just felt like.. satisfied when I killed Grizzly this time. And it just scared me a bit. It felt like I was about to lose my emotions as a human."

Gina didn't say anything, she wasn't sure what to say at that moment.

"I will just get some rest. Tomorrow we'll start going after Iron Fist."

"Alright then. Thanks for your hard work, Lieutenant. Thanks to you, every single day we get closer to protecting the peace."

"Yeah, that's what I hope. That's why I can keep my sanity."