Chapter 19:

One for 4ll - I

Nana no Sekai

On a bridge that crossed over an avenue, a woman was leaning against the parapet, facing the street. Smoking a cigarette, she had short dark blue hair and wore a white suit. But what caught the most attention was her dark glasses that projected her eyes with a light blue light.

With a bored expression, she thought:

— Man, this world is pathetic. Once you reach the top, you're left with nothing to do.

Suddenly, a luxury car pulls up next to her. A fat and apparently rich man comes out, also wearing a white suit. With a happy expression, he said:

— Matsukaze-san, I knew I recognized you. What a coincidence to meet you after so long!

The woman, also known as Zenith, was the fourth level 7 hero. She was the older sister of Matsukaze Koharu, wife of Tokihito Tatsuya. Noticing the unexpected visitor, she looked at the man, as if she didn't recognize him. He moved closer, trying to show her his face more closely.

Uncomfortable with the short distance, Zenith punched the man in the face, who, with a bloody nose, fell to his knees on the ground. Then she stepped on his head, pressing it to the pavement. She finally said:

— Do I know you, shitty pig?

— You do not remember me? We went to college together, and we even graduated together! My name is Oshimaru Kanamaru!

— I don't remember any fat person in the same class as me, much less that lame name.

— After we graduated, I ended up getting rich and fat before I knew it…

— None of that matters to me. You had the audacity to approach me as if you were on my level.

— Matsukaze-san, what happened to you? You were much kinder when we studied together.

Zenith clicked her tongue. No one had been so arrogant with her in a long time. Pressing the shoe more against the man's head, she replied:

— You think you know how I feel, you bastard?

— That's not what I meant! Sorry, I just thought you'd be happy to see me again...

— And what the fuck made you think that?

— People are happy to see each other again after so long, aren't they?

— That logic doesn't work for me. You said you knew me but didn't know something as basic as that?

— Sorry…

Crying out in pain, the man felt sorry for having parked the car near that demon. Getting a new “toy”, Zenith smiled. In response, she gave a sadistic smile and said:

— Okay, I forgive you. But only if you lick my shoe.

— What?

— Come on, it's not that difficult.

— Okay…

Zenith took the shoe off the man's head and placed it in front of him. Crawling, he opened his mouth. At the same time, Zenith kicked him from the inside of the head, through the man's neck. He died instantly.

Getting blood on her shoe and suit, Zenith felt uncomfortable. Her smile soon faded, realizing that that "joke" wasn't as fun as she thought it would be. With an expression of disgust, she went back to smoking, while she thought:

— What the hell. What was his family name anyway? Oshimaru?

At the police station, Ria was trying to resolve the pressing issues. One was to interrogate Catherine, the french Prime Minister.

She was imprisoned in a white cell with no window, except for the front wall, which had several functions. One was to dazzle from inside or outside, to control visibility from inside and outside the room. Furthermore, a gas was expelled from the inside, so that her power was almost completely nullified.

Ria opened the door to enter and then closed it. As she had two revolvers and a carbine with her, she didn't even need a power to contain the prisoners inside.

Catherine was sitting with her head down, as if she hadn't noticed the visitor. Ria gently cupped the prisoner's chin, as if seducing her. Catherine was startled and crawled back as if she had seen a monster. Desperate, she screamed:

— I don't know anything, I swear! Please let me go!

— You just got here and you already want to leave?

— I'll tell you everything I know, just don't hurt me!

— I'm glad you understood the situation so quickly.

Ria walked over to Catherine, who was now in the corner of the room. Bending down, she showed a picture and said:

— His name was Tadahiro Ryosuke. Why did you kill not only him but also his mother?

— His mother was a threat to the french government, and I couldn't leave any witnesses alive!

— Are you telling me that you left your country and came to Japan just to shut up a spy?

— Yes…

— I know you're lying. Did you make some kind of contract with another leader?

— Well, maybe…

— And who would that be?

— …Elizabeth III.

— The England's queen? What kind of relationship did you have?

— We were friends, more or less. She said she was after a potion called 7-Up, so I was interested too.

— You know she managed to steal some boxes a few days ago, don't you?

— What? She didn't tell me she already had a plan...

— So she used you as bait so she could steal as much as possible without being noticed?

Catherine finally realized the nature of her "friend". Feeling betrayed, she dropped her gaze to the floor. Ria continued the interrogation:

— Now that you know that no one is on your side, you can report your colleagues without fear of being pursued. In fact, it may even shorten your sentence.

— You can ask anything. I will not forgive those bastards.

Catherine looked back at Ria, determined this time. She was ready to take revenge on her former teammates. Ria continued:

— Does the association have something or someone of international interest?

— The most mentioned item in the meetings was the 7-Up. But the most mentioned person was Kiseki.

— Kiseki? But why?

— She is considered an angel by the brazilian Pope, perhaps for religious values. Also, she has perfect power for anyone who wants to be immortal.

Ria thought of something that had never crossed her mind: Kiseki's power as a rejuvenator. If it regenerated an individual's cells each time they aged, that person would become immortal. Furthermore, it was a defensive power that could nearly resurrect the target of an atomic bomb.

Realizing the value that Kiseki always had, Ria finally understood why brazilian delinquents were after her. The Pope had sent his faithful to kidnap an angel who could make him immortal in every way.

Ria ended the interrogation:

— Thanks for cooperating, Catherine. I will reduce your sentence after confirming your information is true.

— Are you sure you don't want more information? I may not know a lot, but I would love to see those people crying for abandoning me.

Ria realized that her strategy of turning everyone against the criminal was more successful than she expected, but she refused the offer:

— I'll come back later to continue the interrogation, if that's what you want. But now I need to do something urgent.

— It's okay, Ria-chan. I will always be here, waiting for you.

— Ria-chan?! Ok, see you later.

After being disgraced by a supposedly unknown fat man, Zenith was looking for the Oshimaru family. She wanted to take out her anger and spend her time killing anyone who had anything to do with that pig.

Zenith broke into the door of Kanamaru's house, who lived with his parents. To the heroine's misfortune, no relatives were in the place, since they were travelling. Deeply irritated, she froze, not knowing what to do. As she lit another cigarette, she got a call.

As the act of lighting a cigarette could not be interrupted, she let the cell phone ring for a few seconds before answering it. The moment she accepted the call, she heard a shout:

— ZENITH-SAMA? IS IT WITH YOUR MAJESTY THAT I SPEAK?

— Damn… TALK LOWER, ARE YOU WANTING TO FUCK ME DEAF?

— SORRY, BUT THAT'S MY NORMAL VOIC-

Impatient, Zenith ended the call. Before she could put her cell phone in her pocket, she received the same call. She stopped for a moment and scratched her forehead, trying to work up patience for it. Answered again:

— IS THIS BETTER?

The man was talking with the same intensity as before, but this time the voice was coming from further away from the cell phone.

— Just say what the fuck you want, dammit.

Both were silent for a few seconds, as if they were about to say something decisive. The man continued:

— DO YOU WANT TO BECOME… A GODDESS?

— What's this joke? Are you saying I'm not a goddess?

— IT'S NOT A JOKE. IF I TOLD YOU THAT YOU COULD BECOME IMMORTAL, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY?

— …

— TO DO THAT, IT'S QUITE SIMPLE: YOU JUST NEED TO BRING ME A HEROINE NAMED KISEKI.

Ria left the police station and rushed to Kiseki's clinic, to make sure she was safe. She would start to always watch over the supposed angel, as it was likely that someone would come after her at some point.

When she arrived at the clinic, she rang the bell. Nobody answered. She rang several times and there was no answer. Realizing something was wrong, Ria broke down the door. She searched the entire establishment but found no one.

Since Kiseki was also an idol and a maid, Ria ran to all the places she frequented but didn't find any clues. Running out of options, she returned to Catherine's cell. Noticing the visit, she said:

— Well, are you finished with the urgent matters?

— Who is the leader most interested in Kiseki?

— Hm… probably the Pope.

— And who the hell is this Pope?

— He is a brazilian religious leader. He lives in a country town called Pareto.

— Are you sure he's there?

— Most likely. But why are you in such a hurry?

— Something more urgent has happened. I need to go to him.

— Okay. But know that he is dangerous.

— Does he have any power?

— I don't know for sure, but I think he can control his faithful.

— Then no problem. I would never join such a religion.