Scarlet encounter

Once again, the delinquents were at the police station. But this time, accompanied by the association's strongest level 6.

Kiseki healed the four. Since they had “died” just a short time ago, their bodies continued to live long enough. They had all their wounds healed, including Roberto's amputated arm.

Kiseki was afraid of Ria crossing the line again and not being close enough to heal them, so she accompanied her to the police station.

Ria was sitting in a chair, her feet up on the table. She was talking to the person in charge of the installation, while she unloaded and reloaded her revolver slowly.

– Do you know why I chose this station specifically, sir?

– Perhaps because it is the safest?

– It's quite the opposite. I have already submitted numerous complaints about this unfinished place. What happened to the items I ordered?

– You know, Ria- sama… We've been broke for the last few months an-

– Do you really think you can lie to me? I know where all the money destined to renovate this precinct has gone.

Ria handed over a list of items every police station or prison should have. Among them were: handcuffs, cells, glass and gas, all power nullifiers, to keep the powerful really imprisoned.

The cells at that police station used iron bars, a model that had been abandoned for a long time. The new ones were white, windowless rooms with a glass wall at the front, which served several functions.

A gas was spread over the small area to nullify nearly 100% of the power. But it could only be used indoors.

– And do you know why I'm here?

– To check if everything is working normally?

– Wrong. If any prisoner escapes their cell while I'm here, including the ones I just brought in, I'll shoot you in the forehead.

– What?! But you can't do that, that would be murder!

– If they run away, they will also commit murder. You would just be a sacrifice.

The four were in separate cells. Ria stopped in front of Bruna, who was sitting on the floor. She asked:

– Would you like to have a little talk with me?

She cocked her head in confusion, as if not understanding what Ria said.

– Stop this bullshit. I know you speak japanese.

Bruna insisted that she didn't understand. Ria walked into her cell and grabbed her right index finger and threatened her:

– It's your choice. You know what happens if I push that nail back.

– All right, I'll speak!

The two went to the police station office. The person in charge shouted:

– Hey, this place is private! You have no right to invade other people's property!

Ria just ignored him and went inside. She closed the blinds, locked the door, and made sure she wasn't being watched. The room did not have a camera as it was private. She began to interrogate Bruna:

– The first thing I want you to say is: why were you after Kiseki-chan?

– The Pope sent us here on a mission. We should locate her and bring her to him. He didn't tell us why. We met a girl with green hair in Osaka a few days ago, but it wasn't her. And then we were attacked by a boy with purple hair.

– Wait, purple hair? How was the hairstyle?

– A weird, pointy topknot.

– I know exactly who you're talking about. But it does not matter. Who is this Pope?

– I can not talk…

– Do you think it's a good idea to answer me like that?

– It's not that I don't want to, I just can't!

– And why can't you? You're not going to tell me you can't say even that.

– I can't…

– Where does this Pope live?

– In Brazil.

– In what city?

– I can not say…

Ria grabbed Bruna's hands and threatened to pull her nails out. But she showed no signs of answering the question. She was prepared for the pain. Ria gave up:

– I don't know why, but you really can't tell me. I doubt it's any different with your friends, so I'll figure that out on my own.

Ria took Bruna back to her cell. She was on her way out of the police station when she saw the owner, who was sitting in the same place as before.

– If I find out that any one of those four has run away from here, I'll come personally to kill you.

She left before he could answer, and closed the door. Ria picked up her cell phone and saw several missed calls.

Exwind and Yuuto were still talking at the Italian restaurant. They became friends in that time. They talked freely about different subjects, until Yuuto asked:

– Shouldn't Ria have come back by now?

– Oh, I almost forgot her. She usually finishes this type of quest in minutes. I will call her.

Exwind called several times, but Ria didn't answer. She was busy, so she couldn't look at her cell phone. Yuuto, worried, commented:

– Don't you think we better look for her?

– It is not necessary. She knows how to take care of herself. And if she was in any danger, she would call me.

Suddenly, he received a call. Ria could finally answer, so she called back.

– Ria, are you okay? What happened?

– I'm fine, Tetsushi. I was busy until just now, but now I can answer.

– How was the urgent mission?

– Horrible. It was a prank so I wasted my time. And Kiseki-chan was attacked by a bunch of fucking brazilians.

– Is she fine?

– Of course she is. But if I hadn't been around, she would have been kidnapped and taken to a certain Pope.

– Pope? Who is that person?

Yuuto overheard the conversation, and asked to speak with Ria.

– Hello, Ria? Did you say something about a Pope?

– Ah, it's you, Ishigawa-san… Come to think of it, I had to talk to you. Four brazilian delinquents told me they were attacked by a boy with purple hair. Would he be you?

– Ah, yes… Wait, they were supposed to be locked up now.

– Did you really trust the Osaka police? Even the one in Tokyo is no longer safe.

– You're right… But what did you find out about this Pope?

– Nothing important. I'll look into this further, but I want you to stay away from it. Know that I still don't trust you.

– All right…

Yuuto returned the cell phone to Exwind.

– Tetsushi, Ishigawa-san is even less reliable than I thought.

– But why?

– Do you remember that man in the blue suit who was sitting next to him at the tournament?

– Yeah, what happened to him?

– Maybe it's not him, but the description was too similar to be a coincidence. A genocide took place in an abandoned building near where the urgent mission specified. And a witness claimed to have seen a person matching that description.

– Ria-chan, I think you are distrusting Yuuto and that man in the blue suit too much. You need to rest.

– Since when did you become so close to being able to call him by his first name?

– Oh, it turns out we have a lot more in common than we thought.

– Keep an eye out, Tetsushi. Don't let your guard down.

Yuuto bid farewell to Exwind. He needed to find Haji.

– Wait, I didn't specify any place to meet Tokihito-san.

Yuuto grabbed his cell phone quickly and saw numerous missed calls from Haji. He called back:

– At last you answered, Yuuto, you idiot!

– Sorry, I was busy… talking to Tetsushi.

– This is not busy! And who is that guy?

– Exwind, the one who was chasing me with Ria.

– Wait, are you already calling someone you just met by name? Since when did you become such good friends? Weren't you trying to kill each other?

– Calm down, it turns out… we have more in common than we thought.

– Hmph! I wanted to be treated like that too. That idiot Tokihito-san started acting strange and abandoned me. He insisted he was noticing things out of nowhere, like we were in different realities.

– Wait, did he leave you? That was not the plan...

– But you don't have to worry, I'm safe and sound in your house.

– Ah, good… I was already thinking about how I was going to kill him.

– Didn't I already tell you not to kill? You wouldn't be doing better than that woman who killed your sister.

– You're right… I'm already on my way home, so I'm going to hang up.

– Okay, bye.

– See you later.

Yuuto continued walking. He felt a uncomfortable but familiar sensation: he was being followed. He pretended not to notice.

But the stalker was really bad at being stealthy. They hid in garbage cans and snooped through the crack in the lid. Then closed it when Yuuto looked in their direction.

He began to be bothered by the unwanted presence and shouted at the trash can:

– I know you're hiding there. Show up!

The can stirred in response to the scream, as if startled. But nobody got out.

Yuuto just ignored them and arrived home. He found Haji, and was relieved.

The rest of the afternoon and evening was normal. The presence disappeared, so Yuuto could relax.

It's not like someone was going to break through the wall of his house and push it miles away,  but, as a maximum precaution, he created an inverse barrier around it. If anyone got close enough, they would be pushed away.

Yuuto could use his power while sleeping, automatically. As long as he was awake, he didn't need to reinforce the security of the house. But while sleeping, the chance of being attacked increased.

As Yuuto slept, he sensed a disturbance in the barrier. A specific point of it was activated several times during the night. It was in the front door. More specifically, the doorbell.

Someone was obviously wanting to talk to him. If not, they would have tried the back doors at least once. But that person insisted on the front door, as if it was the only option.

Yuuto woke up, bothered by the incessant poking at the barrier. He looked at his cell phone, it was 7 am. As soon as he deactivated the barrier, the doorbell began to ring repeteadly.

Yuuto, irritated and sleepy, went to the front door. He opened it and saw a girl who looked about 16 years old. She had short and red hair, blue eyes, and was wearing a dark gray sweatshirt.

The girl was startled when the door finally opened, after so many attempts. They stared at each other for a few seconds, until Yuuto asked:

– What do you want?

– Ishigawa-san! I finally got to meet you!

– How do you know my name?

– My master told me!

– Who? What master?

– The Wisedroid-sama!

– What? I don't know if I understand...

– He asked me to spy on you!

– What? Spy on me? So you were the one following me yesterday afternoon?

– Of course!

– You are very honest. Are you sure you should be telling me all this?

– Yes! My master asked me to become your friend, to see if you can be trusted!

Normally, Yuuto would have been scared or angry. But the girl had such an innocent, cheerful smile that belied what she was saying about spying. She uttered every word in a sweet voice, like a baby. She didn't stop smiling a moment during the conversation.

Yuuto found her cute. He had never seen such a pure and innocent creature other than Kiseki. He was delighted. He invited her into his home:

– Did I pass your master's test?

– For sure! But he asked me to live with you, to watch you every day!

– What?! To live with me? But isn't that going too far?

– I do not think! My bags are all out there! I'm prepared for the change!

– She really is taking this seriously… But… Is there no other way to observe me?

– No! I need to see you up close!

Yuuto finally relented. He had never before accepted a stranger to live in his house, but there were rooms to spare. Although only Kanata and her brother lived in the house years ago, there were four rooms. Probably to their parents when they visited.

And that girl was waiting all night to talk to him. She had already made all the preparations to live with him. Yuuto couldn't dismiss her, it would be too mean. He didn't want to see that smile turn to sadness.

– Okay, I'll let you live here. But know that I'm not the only one who has to earn your trust. You also have to earn mine.

– Understood!

– What is your name?

– Genesis! I'm an android created by Wisedroid-sama!

– An android?! That's not possible. I've never seen one before.

– It's possible! I can search anything on the internet right now to prove it!

– Then search who is the best baker in the city.

– Vanderlei!

– That was faster than I expected. Okay, I believe you are an android. And who is this Wisedroid master of yours?

– He's an android too! He's the rank #7 of level 7!

Yuuto winced upon hearing that expression. If he was to attack the association again, he would have to defeat all of the level 7's. But he couldn't kill her dear master. He continued to ask:

– Do you have any power?

– Yes, yes! Creation is my power! It materializes objects that have a graphic representation and whose molecular composition I know!

– Eh… This power seems to be quite strong. Is your name after him?

– Yes, yes! Wisedroid-sama took great care of me, and he chose that name because he thought it suited me!

– And it matches. He seems like a nice guy.

– For sure! He would love to meet you!

They continued to talk until Haji woke up. In pajamas and sleepy, she walked to the dining room, where they were talking.

– What's all that noise?

Haji was startled to see a girl she had never seen in her house before.

– Who is that?! Yuuto, you'll have to explain it to me!

Genesis saw Haji, who was embarrassed, and commented:

– Jealousy in the air detected!

It got dark. It was time for Genesis's first test of confidence. Her mission was to shop at night and return unharmed, with all the correct items.

Genesis left and went to a convenience store nearby. She bought the items and, when she left the store, she saw an unforgivable scene: two men and a woman cornering a boy.

One of the men had short black hair, a beard, and eyes the same color as his hair. He looked to be around 30 years old, but was pretty worn out.

The other was tall, fat, muscular and bald. He had black eyebrows and black eyes. He looked to be over 40 years old.

The woman had shaggy, vibrant pink hair, with eyes the same color as her hair. She was young, looking like a teenager.

The child was a boy about 10 years old. He was blond and had blue eyes.

They were all dressed in casual clothes, as if they were out for a walk and had met by chance.

The first man began:

– Hey, kid, watch where you're going.

– But you were the ones who bumped into me!

– Are you challenging me?

– Well, yes!

Genesis couldn't just watch, and intervened:

– Hey, what are you guys doing? He's just a kid, let him go!

The same man looked at her with contempt:

– Who do you think you're talking to, brat? We are the most iconic level 3 trio there is. Do you think you stand a chance against us?

– It doesn't matter if I can beat you or not! This is simply wrong, so please stop!

– This is your last chance to turn around and walk away. Otherwise, we will have to use violence.

Genesis stared at him, challenging him.

– Okay, I guess you want to suffer then.

The man kneed Genesis in the stomach, who said, in pain:

– Boy, run away from here! I'll protect you!

– Are you sure you're going to be all right, lass? I can take care of them myself.

– For sure! I won't lose that easy!

– Okay, the choice is yours. Thanks lady.

The boy ran away. The three troublemakers didn't like it, but they focused their attention on Genesis. They wanted to torture her, so they didn't lose much.

– I don't want to kill you! So please, let's not fight!

– Who do you think you are? You come to pick a fight with us and still want to settle everything with peace? You dug your own grave.

The man materialized a shotgun in his hand, which he then fired towards Genesis. She dodged flying with her booster boots. But the shots deviated from their trajectory and followed Genesis, hitting her.

She lost her balance and landed in the street, severely damaged. She created grenades in her hands and threw them at the group, which narrowly dodged.

– You're not the only one who can materialize things!

The brute, irritated, ran towards her, to punch her with all his might. Genesis created an iron shield in response, to protect herself from the attack. But it couldn't take the impact and was pierced with the fist, which hit Genesis squarely in the head.

She flew another 15 meters before hitting the ground. Soon after, the pink haired woman materialized a pink and thorny whip, long enough to hit her from where she was, 30 meters away.

It whipped so hard it split Genesis in half horizontally. But since she was an android, her upper body still worked.

She pulled back her left sleeve and revealed some sort of personalized watch. Then pressed it.

Exwind was called away on some mission. There were no details in its description, so it was probably a scam. But he decided to go, as there was a chance that someone was in danger.

He arrived at the place, which appeared to be an abandoned mall. Many people were there, scattered into factions. They wore sweaters, caps and baseball bats. Obviously, they were outlaws.

He pretended not to notice a group that was staring at him and whispering among themselves. But one of them spoke so loudly that Exwind didn't even have to be close to hear:

– Hey, rookie! Go see if that hero has something for us!

– B-But he's Exwind-sama! The top 2 level 6!

– Did I ask? You'll be fine, just go there! You have a debt you haven't paid, don't you? This is your chance!

The young man, trembling, walked to Exwind, who pretended to notice him at the time, so as not to intimidate him. The boy took a knife from his pocket and said:

– I-If you care about your life… Hand over everything you have now!

Exwind bent down to hear him more closely:

– Ah, what did you say? Could you speak in my ear?

He was obviously trying to keep his voice low so the other thugs wouldn't understand the conversation. He whispered to the young man:

– Be honest, you didn't want to be doing this. They're pretty cowards for putting you through this. Just say what you want me to do.

– B-But I can't betray them! I don't have enough money, and they protect me. Well, more or less.

– Then join the association and work like a hero. Staying in their clutches will only sink you. Now tell me, what do you want me to do with them? Just order me to do it.

Supported by the hero, the young man began to convince himself of what had to be done. He took courage, and shouted for everyone to hear:

– Beat those motherfuckers!

– Understood!

Exwind smiled, as if he had managed to change someone to better. It was what he needed to hear, to release everything he had.

He slowly approached the group. The one who was ordering the youth earlier appeared to be the leader, and, feeling betrayed, he exclaimed:

– Wh-what did you do, rookie?! I'll pick you up on the way out, this isn't over yet! Don't even think about coming near me, Exwall, or whatever your name is!

– Sorry, but I received a mission, and I can't stop until I do it.

– Bastard…

The leader ordered the others to protect him:

– What are they doing? I'm your boss, protect me! You owe me your life!

With the opposite effect, the group was falling apart as Exwind approached. They were too scared to face that monster. They fled, leaving the leader alone.

– What do you think you're doing?! C-Calm down, man! I'll give you as much as you want, just let me go!

– Sorry, but I can't accept two missions at the same time. I have to finish this one first, if you don't mind.

Exwind readied his punch. It hit the bandit in the stomach, sending him flying more than 50 meters backwards and crashing into a wall, crushing it. He instantly fainted.

The young man went to Exwind to thank him:

– Thank you very much, Exwind-sama!

– Is nothing. I only performed one quest, as every hero should. And you can scrap the formalities. We are friends from now on, so you can ask for my help whenever you need it.

– Thank you, Exwind!

– Now, if you don't mind, I have to take that guy to a hospital. I think I broke some of his bones.

– Alright! Goodbye!

– It's never a "goodbye"! There's always a next day!

Exwind took the bandit and jumped hundreds of meters high to view the city.

His power was Flaming Wind, a kind of gas that could push anything with overwhelming force, and if it came into contact with fire, it would explode.

He didn't rely heavily on physical strength, as his power had the ability to cushion his punches and only push his targets dozens of meters away.

If he used his brute strength, or his power in a destructive way, it could vaporize any hero from level 1 to 4, even without using the explosion, which was much more devastating than an ordinary one.

He could walk on water if he let a wind strong enough to sustain him through his feet. The same happened in the air. That's what he was doing now: floating over the city.

He could also push himself with the wind, creating a sort of flight. That's how he started heading towards Kiseki 's clinic. He arrived with the bandit still in his arms.

– Kiseki-chan, could you heal this guy here? I ended up going a little hard on him after I got carried away…

– Y-Yes! Thanks so much for bringing him to me!

Exwind placed the man on a stretcher, and turned his back, saying:

– Sorry, Kiseki-chan… I increase your workload even at night.

– T-That's not true! You're just doing your job, and bringing me the wounded helps me a lot! I'm only one, so I can't be everywhere at once...

– Thank you, Kiseki-chan. I owe you one more.

– N-No need to feel indebted! I do this because I love helping people.

– Which means I need to try even harder to live up to your expectations.

Exwind turned to Kiseki again, saying:

– Oh, that's good enough. Now I'll take him to the police station.

– A-Actually, could I… try to help this man instead?

Exwind let out a small laugh, commenting:

– You don't change, Kiseki-chan.

Exwind left the clinic and received an emergency mission. The person that requested it was someone he hadn't seen in a while. Worried, he quickly flew to the location.

Genesis was still split in half on the asphalt. Her head and body were bleeding so badly she didn't know if she would last more than five minutes.

She was on the verge of death. Even androids saw life flash before their eyes as they slowly died. She had never felt that feeling before.

In fact, she never had to fight alone. Her power more closely matched that of a support. As she avoided killing her opponents, using it destructively was impossible for her.

But she managed to make the boy run away. For some reason, he thought he could defeat the three of them alone. But he was just a child who had no sense of danger, she thought. Genesis had done the right thing.

She didn't gain Yuuto's trust, let alone become his friend. She didn't collect enough data for her master, who trusted her. She disappointed everyone. But she didn't regret anything.

The man with the slovenly beard approached Genesis and asked:

– Are you serious? You put on that whole show about how you were going to save the child, and that's all you can do? Come on, get up. I know you have more to it than that. You still didn't satisfy me enough. If you die now, I will have wasted my time.

The man grabbed Genesis' hair and lifted her upper body close to his face, looking her straight in the eyes.

– Don't make me repeat myself. I know you're hiding something. If you do nothing, I wil-

The man had his speech cut off by a punch that sent him flying to the side. As they were at an intersection of streets, he was thrown far enough away that he could no longer be seen.

The origin of the impact was Exwind. He saw Genesis in that state and said:

– Thanks for calling me, Genesis-chan. Now, I have to end this.

Exwind had a different look than he used to. He almost always smiled, but this time he was serious. His gaze emanated murderous intent.

The fat brute said to the pink haired woman:

– Hey… isn't that a level 6 over there? We don't have a chance against him. I think we better run away.

The woman gave a nervous, restless laugh.

– To escape? Level 6? You have got to be kidding! Don't go thinking you're better than me!

The woman summoned her thorny whip and used it towards Exwind. He stood still, waiting for the lash to come. When it arrived, he grabbed it with his left hand and pulled it towards him.

The woman flew along with the whip straight to Exwind. He then punched her face down. She bounced off the asphalt before landing again.

The brute, though afraid, rushed to strike him, while saying:

– No matter how tough you are, you'll not withstand my Iron Fists!

His power was to make his arms as strong as iron. The punch landed in Exwind's chest, but he didn't move. He just stared at the man for a few seconds and said:

– I'll let you get away and take the other two to the hospital. I would normally do that, but you don't deserve it.

The brute, sweating with nervousness, refused the offer, throwing a sequence of punches much faster than the human eye can follow, and much stronger.

Again, Exwind didn't budge. He just commented:

– Well, you had your chance.

Exwind finished him with a punch to the chin, from bottom to top. The man was sent over a kilometer high and out of sight.

Exwind took the two halves of Genesis and took her to Kiseki's clinic, where she got healed in time. Androids were in the transition between life and object, and Kiseki 's power worked on both.

But if an android's life drained completely, they couldn't be revived. Exwind knew this, and flew towards Kiseki as fast as he could. Exwind was already calmer. Genesis almost didn't see what happened, due to excessive blood loss. But she was glad he had arrived in time.

What Genesis did to summon him was press her watch on her left wrist. It was a device Exwind had ordered especially for her, in case of emergencies.

They had known each other for quite some time. She was just an android maid in the association's central building. She went to Exwind's room often. Ria didn't like that, as she wanted to live in his room, but couldn't. So another girl visiting him every day made her jealous.

Genesis used to get into battles she couldn't win to save people she couldn't save. She was just chasing what her “heart” told her to. Exwind knew that and approved of her heroic attitude. But she could get severely hurt someday, and that's what happened. The custom watch she had was made precisely for this type of situation.

Genesis had a power with tremendous potential, but she didn't use it maliciously. She hated creating weapons, so avoided them as much as possible. She knew that Exwind also avoided killing people, so she trusted him to save her from difficult battles.

Genesis had disappeared without a trace the day before. Exwind was worried, but he knew she would use the watch sometime. He just waited for this chance to meet her again.

– I'm glad we made it in time, Genesis-chan.

– Thank you very much, Exwind!

– I've been worried about you. Where were you yesterday and today?

– I've been spying on Ishigawa-san!

– What, Yuuto? Did he do something wrong?

– That's what I want to find out! My master Wisedroid-sama asked me to carry out this task!

– Wisedroid? What is he up to this time?

– I don't know! But if he asked for it, I'll do it! I'm his best creation, so I can't let him down!

– Genesis-chan, you idolize your master too much. He's not as good as you say.

– Why not?

– That's what I want to find out. He seems to hide many secrets...

– I don't mind! He's so kind, I can't argue with him!

Exwind approached the door and grabbed the handle, saying goodbye:

– I'm really glad you're okay, Genesis. If you ever need me again, just use the watch, or message me. Whatever you think is best.

– Understood! Are you going yet?

– Sadly, yes. I have some important matters to discuss with Ria.

– Oh, all right! Give her a hug for me!

– You can bet I will! See you later.

– Bye bye!