7-Up - I

Yuuto's memories of the Wisedroid battle were still fuzzy. He slowly remembered the details, but it wasn't enough to know what happened.

Since Ria had planned the attack, all of this had to be linked to her. Yuuto preferred not to meet whoever could be behind his and Wisedroid's death.

Tatsuya was going through the same mess of memories as Yuuto. The difference was that he still didn't remember almost anything about his own life. The memories came slowly, but they confused more than they helped.

Tatsuya roamed the city, looking for answers. He returned home, dissatisfied. His wife was waiting for him. When she saw him, she smiled and said:

– Welcome back, darling. Do you want lunch, a shower, or maybe me?

– Ah, Koharu… How about the three of them?

– Wow, Tatsuya, you are greedy…

Matsukaze Koharu was his wife. She was in love with him, and tried to seduce him whenever she could.

He didn't remember her until a few days ago, when a fragment of memory returned. He remembered her and his 10 years old son Tokihito Akari.

Hearing his father's return, Akari went to the kitchen where they were talking, greeting him:

– Daddy, I'm glad you're back!

– Ah, son… I'm glad to see you.

– There are a lot of things I want to tell you, but I have some news that might interest you.

– And what would it be?

– Transport of 5 and 6-Ups.

Tatsuya remembered the potion system known as 7-Up. When consumed, they increased the user's physical and mental attributes. They had an expiration date, and Yuuto's 7-Up had already lost most of its effect. They persisted to some extent, even after years of not drinking it.

5 and 6-Ups were too strong to be supported by an ordinary citizen. A lot of training and compatibility was required for the effect not to overwhelm the user.

Tatsuya had an interest in that, as Yuuto had died once and until now he didn't know what connection he had with him. If he upgraded Yuuto's dose of 7-Up, his chances of dying again would drop a lot.

What he didn't understand was how his son knew about this interest. Curious, he asked:

– Eh? How did you find out I wanted to know that?

– Isn't it obvious? It's part of our work, isn't it?

– Work? Oh, yes…

Tatsuya was reminded of the job he and his son shared. This included securing the transport of association products from falling into the wrong hands. The city was filled with hero hunters who stole the association every day, and every day they grew stronger.

With this job, Tatsuya could "borrow" some doses of 7-Up to mainly guarantee Yuuto's survival, while also protecting the city.

– Okay, son, when and where will this transport take place?

– Today, in 1 hour. It's near Sapporo, in a 7-Up factory.

– Wait, are they going to bring the cargo from that far away?

– Yes. The further away from Tokyo, the less regulation these factories tend to have.

– Makes sense. What will the vehicle be?

– First an armored car, then a commercial plane. Wait, I'll send you the details.

Akari sent all the transport information to her father's cell phone, who replied:

– Thank you, Akari. If we had more time, I'd love to talk to you. But I'll have to hurry.

– It's okay, Daddy. I would go with you, but I need to resolve some issues involving your safety.

– My safety? Isn't it the father who should protect the son?

– In a normal family, yes. But we're known all over town, even if nobody knows exactly who we are. A heroine recently discovered our identity, so I had to silence her with violence.

– What? Wasn't there a better way to solve that?

– Didn't you commit a massacre a few days ago?

– You're right… Okay, as long as it's for the greater good, our actions are justified by the means.

Tatsuya grabbed the handle of the front door, as he said:

– Akari, don't get involved in anything dangerous.

– Needless to say, daddy. I already know how to take care of myself.

Tatsuya left his house towards Yuuto's.

On the day of Wisedroid's death, Tatsuya woke up amidst debris. He didn't remember anything that had happened recently, but saw Yuuto in his arms.

He pulled out his cell phone to call any contact he had. Haji was the first to appear. He called her and asked where was Yuuto's house. Then took him there, and that way he found out where he lived.

Once again, he was going to Yuuto's house. This time, to ask for his help. When he arrived, Haji "welcomed" him:

– What are you doing here?

– Well, I have something important to discuss with Ishigawa-san.

– Don't think I forgot you abandoned me on that busy street, or that you almost strangled Yuuto.

– I know. Sorry for everything I've done. I can't control myself very well until I get my memories back.

– Whatever. Come in.

Tatsuya entered and Haji went to call Yuuto, who arrived soon after. He looked like he hadn't slept in days. Seeing the surprise visit, he asked:

– Oh, Tokihito-san. What brings you here?

– Ishigawa-san, are you okay? You look pretty bad.

– Oh, it's no big deal. It's just… another person died because of me. If I had arrived on time, none of this would have happened.

Yuuto started to cry lightly, while Haji and Tatsuya stared at him. Haji aggressively tried to comfort him:

– How long are you going to brood over this, idiot? I already said it's not your fault, and you keep insisting that all the deaths happen because of you.

– It's not that easy. I don't know if it was that trauma or if I was raised that way, but I can't stand deaths that I could have prevented.

The living room was silent. They didn't know what to say to help Yuuto, when he didn't even want to help himself. Back to the original conversation:

– Sorry for seeing me like this, Tokihito-san. What did you want to solve with me?

– Oh, right. My son told me that the association would be transporting a cargo of 7-Up levels 5 and 6. As I still need to find out who you are to me, I thought it was a good idea to steal some to protect you.

– 7-Up? Ah, that potion that strengthens… I already took the level 7 ones, but I think they expired after so many years.

– Which is why we must protect this transport. Surely someone other than us is after these potions. If we stop a robbery, maybe we'll get some rewards.

– But you didn't talk about us stealing?

– Yes, ultimately. I want to avoid conflicts as much as possible. I cannot risk my or my son's identity being revealed. My family's peaceful days will be over if that happens.

– Come to think of it, you still haven't told us who you really are. I didn't even know you had a son.

– Ah… That's for another conversation. I don't know if I can talk about it, as my memories are still fuzzy.

– I understand you, mines are too. I don't even know if the memories I have are true or not.

– Wait, were you telling the truth when you didn't remember anything about the battle against Wisedroid?

– Yes. In fact, I still don't remember much. But the memories come back little by little.

Tatsuya noticed that Yuuto had the same problem as him. This had probably been caused by his power. Trying to hide his concern, he said:

– So, are you up for it?

– Of course. Haji, tell Genesis when she wakes up to stay here and protect you.

– What? I want to be with you, not that old trash can.

– Haji, this is too dangerous for you. Genesis has an excellent power to protect people, so you will be safe here.

Haji looked annoyed but couldn't bring herself to reply. She just accepted:

– All right, I'll stay! But don't you dare taking too long. And please come back alive.

– You have my word. Of course I'll be right back.

Tatsuya passed the transport information to Yuuto. They had to reach the factory in less than an hour. That wouldn't be easy, as Sapporo was on the other side of the country.

They decided to use the easiest method: Yuuto's power as a supersonic thruster. He just needed to push them at a high altitude so they wouldn't collide with any mountains in the way.

They climbed to 8 kilometers of altitude. Yuuto created a barrier around the two so that they wouldn't be hurt by the strong wind, at the same time decreasing the air friction.

They started flying at approximately 1800 km/h. They reached the city in less than 30 minutes. Since they had a few minutes left, they went to a car dealership.

The transporters knew they would be protected, but they still needed an undercover car. The thieves could be anyone, so the guards would also need to blend in with the crowd.

The dealership owner received both:

– Hello, my boys. How can I help you?

– What is the fastest car you have?

– This sports car right here. It can reach 800 km/h, in addition to being armored.

– Great, I will take that.

Tatsuya took out his cell phone and made the cash transfer. Yuuto was surprised at the triviality with which he did it.

– Tokihito-san, how much money do you have?

– Oh, that's no big deal. I earn a lot at work.

– Even so, this car is not cheap…

– We need to make a good impression on our employers.

– Are you sure they'll give us some potions as a reward?

– No. But we can ask nicely.

– Asking for things is not my specialty.

Tatsuya took the driver's seat, while Yuuto took the passenger one. Both knew how to drive, but Yuuto's power would be much more useful if used to its full potential.

The 7-Up factory wasn't exactly in Sapporo, but on a road that led from the city to the rest of the country. As it was isolated, it was an easy target for attacks, but also a great place to evade inspection by superiors.

They arrived close to the place with 3 minutes left to start the transport. They parked to observe the surroundings. Everyone who worked there looked suspicious, but one car stood out more than the others.

It was also parked. It was a military car, with an automatic machine gun on top. The windows were boarded up, so they couldn't see who was inside. Tatsuya commented:

– Looks like we've already found our targets.

– What? Where?

– Over there. That model is not japanese. Maybe it's a foreign group.

– How can you realize all this in less than a minute since we got here?

– Just watching carefully. We never know where the danger might lie.

An armored car pulled out of the factory parking lot. It was in charge of the transport, which was obvious because of the excessive armor, as if an anti-aircraft missile wasn't enough to blow a hole.

Obviously, the vehicle was too heavy to move freely. That was the greatest weakness of an armored car. However, there were no entrances, not even windows. External monitoring was carried out using shielded cameras. It was an impenetrable vehicle inside and out.

In order for it to be opened, a key was needed. It would be guarded by an association executive. Nearby, there was a tour bus. Only the driver and the executive were part of the transport. The rest were just regular people.

This bus was intended to camouflage itself on the busy road. If they used too many guards, the vehicle's disguise would lose its purpose. With tourists on board, any assailant would hesitate to attack the bus. They were a kind of hostage without knowing it.

Seeing the armored car pull out of the parking lot, the bus began to move. The suspicious military car and the one Tatsuya was driving started chasing them.

The sports car had a GPS that pinpointed the possible locations the roads led to. The armored car took a different route than expected: it was heading towards Okushiri Island, far away.

It was an isolated island, but there were roads leading to it. It was not known why that place would be the destination. Probably because there was an airport there, from where the plane with the cargo would leave.

Or maybe it was a trap to mislead the bandits. As there were cities on the way, it was easy to change the route and confuse them about the destination of the cargo.

Inside the bus, only three people stood out: the driver, the executive and a woman with white hair, red eyes and military clothing.

As only the driver and the executive were officially involved in transporting the cargo, that woman could only be an imposter. She didn't look like a tourist or linked to the association.

She was a third, and could have been in the group of bandits who followed the bus with the military car. Maybe they found out about the key that was somewhere inside that vehicle.

She had a hidden earpiece in her ear, covered by the long hair. Like an agent, she talked to the person on the other end of the transmission naturally, as if she was talking to herself.

– Just to confirm: our target is that sleeping executive, right?

– Yes. Anelise, be careful not to draw attention. I told you not to wear that fancy outfi-

Before the woman on the other end could finish lecturing, the white-haired woman got up from her seat at the back of the bus.

She walked over to the executive, who, although was protecting an important item, looked unconcerned enough to sleep. He was in the left seat on the right side of the bus.

She approached him and kicked him with all her strength, saying:

– Wake up, asshole!

– What is that? Security, arrest this woman!

The driver, who was also a security guard, turned the bus on autopilot. He drew his pistol and took aim at the woman's head. He shot, but she narrowly dodged. The broadcast voice came back:

– Anelise, what did you do? We heard a gunshot, are you okay?

– Of course I am. I hid behind the benches. The driver will not shoot on the chance of hitting a tourist.

– Oh my god, you blew your cover! Our whole plan was a failure! Now there's no more reason to hide. Malungo, do something!

– Okay, calm down! I'm trying, but it's hard to keep track of this thing!

The military car, which was behind the bus, approached its rear tire and pushed it with all its might to the left. The bus lost control for a moment, but continued the trajetory backwards. Its autopilot adapted the vehicle's position to move without losing speed.

However, inertia caused all passengers to be thrown over the side, including the armed driver. Taking advantage of the gap, the military car approached the side door of the bus. 

The car door opened. A figure walked out of it towards the side door of the bus, which was still closed. On impact, it broke and the figure entered.

It was a woman with short silver hair and silver eyes. She was bruised from going through a metal and glass door at high speed, but she didn't care. She ran towards Anelise, who was still trying to get up after all that confusion.

She took her in his arms and ran at high speed to the front of the bus, which was still moving in reverse. As she was about to walk through the door again to get into the military car, the bus driver aimed his pistol at the silver-haired woman.

Shot.

But this time he got it right. The bullet pierced the woman's heart, and she used all her remaining strength to get into the military car with Anelise.

Yuuto and Tatsuya watched everything as they chased the two vehicles. Anelise had noticed that surveillance a long time ago. She climbed into the car's automatic machine gun and started shooting at them, shouting:

– Did you think I didn't notice you there, you little shits? You can keep the cargo, we don't need it anymore!

In addition to the sports car's armor, it was protected by Yuuto's power, which only repelled bullets to the sky, in order not to hit innocent people.

Yuuto said to Tatsuya:

– Hey, I think something serious happened on the bus. Maybe they need our help.

– Help? They are shooting at us, they are bandits and you want to help them?

Tatsuya looked to the side, but Yuuto was no longer there. He climbed onto the roof of the car through the sunroof. Trying to steady himself, he stood and repelled a few more bullets.

He jumped towards Anelise, landing on the roof of the military car. He approached her and said:

– Calm down. I just want to help you.

– To help? Do not play with me!

Realizing that the machine gun ran out of ammo, Anelise took a knife from her pocket and slashed it towards Yuuto's eye. Before he could repel the knife, she threw a grenade. If he could reflect projectiles, maybe he was weak against explosives, she thought.

The grenade exploded, but no one was hurt. Not even the car was damaged. The explosion and smoke were trapped inside a sphere that Yuuto created. It was a gravitational field strong enough to not let any remnants of the grenade come out of it.

As all that happened so fast, Yuuto got scared, exclaiming:

– That could have hurt me! Sorry, but I have no choice.

Anelise was shocked to see that monster didn't take any damage since she started shooting at him. Yuuto smacked her neck to knock her out.

He got into the car through the sunroof that led to the machine gun. He saw two people inside: the woman who had been shot and a young black man with black hair who was driving the car. Confused, the young man asked:

– Eh? Who are you? What are you doing here?

– It doesn't matter now. Your friend is bleeding heavily and won't last long.

– Wait, man, what are you doing?

– I'm stopping her bleeding with my power. Take us to a doctor quickly, I don't know if I'll be able to keep her alive much longer.

– But, man, we are in the middle of the road and far from any city.

– Just go full speed!

When Yuuto looked at the young man, he noticed a person who shouldn't be there: Tatsuya. He was sitting in the front passenger seat, but Yuuto didn't remember seeing him get in.

– Tokihito-san? How did you get in here?

– Does that matter? If you want to save this person so badly, let's go to our sports car. It will arrive in any city much faster.

– Right... But if you're here, where's the car?

– On our side. I activated autopilot.

Yuuto used his power to open the doors of the two cars and carry them all together to the sports car.

Tatsuya, now driving, asked Yuuto:

– How long will she last?

– Probably another 30 minutes. I'm not good at controlling small scales of mass.

– Where was the shot?

– In the heart.

– Going to a doctor is no use. We need to go to Kiseki's clinic.

– We are more than 800 kilometers from Tokyo. There won't be time.

– Then use your power to take us flying.

– Carrying five people while stopping the bleeding of one is very difficult for me.

– How do you know if you've never tried?

– If I don't focus on the wound, she won't last more than 5 minutes.

They were running out of options. They kept thinking of solutions, but none came to mind. More than 20 minutes passed and they weren't even halfway there, even though they were running at 800 km/h.

Tatsuya deviated from the original route on purpose, missing the armored car. Since they knew that Okushiri Island was the most likely place to find 7-Up transport, they could return at another time.

The main objective was the safety of the silver haired woman. He didn't like the idea of helping someone he just met, but it made him have more respect for Yuuto.

Yuuto, impatient, warned Tatsuya :

– She won't last more than 5 minutes! Let's go to any city, that's enough!

– I already told you this won't do any good.

Tatsuya, also impatient, decided to use the last card up his sleeve: his power. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

Before they knew it, they were all in Tokyo, in front of Kiseki's clinic. Tatsuya looked tired but just said:

– Go and take this woman to Kiseki to cure her. If you take too long, she'll die.

– What? When did we get here? Actually, it doesn't matter!

Yuuto ran full speed into the clinic. Malungo, the young black man, watched Tatsuya with fear. Realizing, he said:

– What are you looking at, boy?

– Oh, nothing… It’s just… I wanted to know how you did that…

– That? Forget everything you saw today. It's better for everyone.

– Right…

– What is her name? The woman who was shot.

– Charlotte. And the woman who's passed out back there is Anelise.

– Nice to meet you, I'm Tokihito Tatsuya.

– Oh, my name is Malungo.

– Nice names yours. They don't look japanese to me.

– No… We are international agents. I am Angolan, Anelise is German and Charlotte is Belgian.

– What is happening in Japan to have so many foreigners now, a world war?

– No sir. We were sent by representatives of our countries to carry out various missions.

– Among them stealing strengthening potions?

– Oh, that's… In fact, we don't even know why we need them. The superiors did not give many details.

– So you are disposable agents… Sorry for the words, I'm not used to working with foreigners.

– No problem. Wait, did you say “work”?

– Of course. Isn't that what we just did? In fact, I'm already thinking about how you can repay us.

– Oh, it's true. If Charlotte survives, you can ask us for anything.

Yuuto came back with Charlotte more alive than ever. She was invigorated and happy that, in addition to having saved Anelise, she was alive. Tatsuya gave a small laugh, continuing the conversation:

– It's good to keep your promise, Malungo.