Lions Of Japan

As Daishi sat in his office at Ueno Academy, he decided to read through an article about Ueno Zoo he had recently seen, and thought over a few animals from his past. He had once been riding the train in highschool as a newly-activated host, and had seen a man berating a retarded (literally, not pejoratively) teenager & her caretaker.

Daishi looks around, and he sees most of the train has begun to notice, but still continue about their usual work. Some look over with disdain at all three involved, then resume on their phone or their tablet. A few snicker as the man uses his arm to smack his chest, mirroring the position where the retarded teen's is on her own. One man stands up, then walks over in to the next carriage.

Daishi fidgets with discomfit before he decides to stand out of his seat and walk up behind the man to grab his wrist. Expecting such strength to come from a much larger man, the man turn and nervously laughs as he sees the relatively small figure from which it has been evoked. The retard also laughs, only knowing mimicry, as Daishi tells him to leave them alone and summons Kiseru's pipes.

A minor altercation follows in which Daishi, not wishing to assault a civilian and shoot his own chances at attending Ueno, is forced to listen to this man taunt him, until eventually he leaves, and Daishi turns to the woman to ask if she was alright. He feels a man who hitherto has been seated come up behind him and ask: "(Are you alright? I was about to intervene.)"

Daishi stifles his urge to go off on him, and simply turns and assents "yes".

For a while, he wished that he could have argued with this man and called him on his hypocrisy: this was a memory often revisited in the shower, and usually accompanied by thoughts of the stream of invectives Daishi would hurl at him, and other lines that seemed lost to the ether as soon as he stepped out from the steam. He had fixated on this memory far longer than was natural, for such events would continue to muddle with his perception of Japan over the years. Had he not been born with Kiseru, he would have wanted to become a civil servant or the likes: even a cop.

To see such behavior within the country he ostensibly wanted to serve, then, would lead him to grapple with concepts that his mental essence could not fully surround. One or two individuals, he could have written it away: yet here they were, a crowd of inhumans of a different variety than that of an abuser. He often wondered which was worse: those who abused power or those who abided it.

No nationalist was he, yet he wished to believe his country was innately good, and worth fighting for; at least so much as these platitudes mean much to a teen still feeling his way around the world. There was another time he had been waiting for the train behind two elderly men, going off about the Chinese (using the word Shina), who upon noticing him, began giving him advice about what to do if ever he ran across one of the dishonest little pricks. Yet another was when he had overheard his male classmates ranking the fuckability of their female classmates, something that seemed anathema to his sterilized life at home. Yet there were also many acts of courtesy he had witnessed, or the response to Fukushima nuclear disaster, in which many elderly had offered to clean up irradiated areas rather than let their children face lifelong risk of illness.

In essence, the subway often acted as a radio dial by which Daishi's views were continually tuned. Each event would be spat out by one another only to be reabsorbed upon later dates or triggers. Here, as he read over the Pallas cat at Ueno Zoo, he was reminded of when a childhood pet of his had run away and was presumed dead after missing for weeks, and the same boys had told him at this train station: "So what? It's just an animal."

To digress for a moment, there are many who cannot understand the love one can have for an animal. It is a far deeper bond than that of a child or sibling, precisely because it is chosen rather than hormonally gifted. Human love is partially determined by this mere biological incentive, which de-facto devalues it compared to that towards an animal: that which is innate is lesser to that which has been crafted. One cannot recognize their humanity until they see it reflected in the eyes of another species.

Daishi realizes none of this then, however, and the side of his lip begins to quiver as he mumbles to himself about it being just an animal, and looks down to his wrists. This was a pattern whenever his masculinity was brought into question or he was thought soft: he looked down and to his wrists. He had struggled far more with his masculinity than young Samuel, and the wrists the latter admired of him were partially generic; thus as Daishi failed to grow into his stature at first, what was left was a gangly teenager attached to a pair of wrists of a man more masculine than he. He knew that people made immediate impressions of him based upon this, and that they would be slow to bestow upon him the appellation of *man* so long as he had not yet grown into them.

Yet, he had never used his insecurity as an excuse to mistreat others. He finished reading his article, then called in the Elite Four.

"(There's been some progress made in the investigation, fortunately.)" he said to Matoi. "(The man we fought yesterday had a consumable Revenant, as well, but after some questioning, the police have narrowed their list of subjects. Their current lead is a man named Katuhisa Ono, who quit his job at a Revenant storage facility a year ago. He was tested for a Revenant before he left, but it's possible that the... result may have been faked, or these Revenants are indeed man-made: not a Revenant.)"

"(Has he fled?)"

"(No. There's plans to test him again, but it's an invasive test -- it requires a warrant.)"

Matoi was nonplussed. This was one reason why, however she may sometimes miss Japan, she preferred Urasaria's enforcement to Ueno. One cannot deny the visceral affect a criminal's carcass has over an off-screen trial and execution, or of legally-protected arbiters (so long as they are decent & fair, as so few are) over pointless theater trials. One might spurn Matoi a nascent fascist, but consider that the States has trial by jury and Japan has a 99.9% conviction rate.

"(Unfortunate.)" Matoi relayed it to the others, and they nodded with no questions. "(We'll wait, then.)"

"(Unfortunately so. In the meantime, the rest of Ueno has been quite busy, recently, but I hope there will be time to introduce them to you all soon. Perhaps tonight.)"

"(Hopefully.)" nodded Matoi. "He hopes there'll be time to introduce other Ueno students to us."

"Um, do any of them speak English?" said Marisa.

"(She asked if there's other students fluent in English besides Junpei.)"

"(Junpei is the most fluent, but some may remember their English from highschool.)"

"There's no one as fluent as Junpei, but public schools in Japan teach English."

Daishi received a call, apologized, then turned to take it. "(Ueno. Yes... yes, again?)" He laughed. "(I'll be there, yes. I'll have Junpei evacuate your employees.)" He turned to them. "(My apologies: a few animals have broken loose at Ueno Zoo. I'll likely be busy this morning with that, but you may go anywhere you'd like, of course. Please enjoy your visit to Japan.)"

"(Will you be alright?)"

"(Yes, don't concern yourself with me. Kiseru can handle a few lions, tigers, elephants.)"

He walked out, and Matoi's squadron laughed when she relayed it to them.

"What kind of animals do they have in zoos here?" said Marisa.

"The... same type as in American zoos." said Matoi. "Lions, tigers, elephants."

"Oh. I guess that makes sense."

"I prefer hunting criminals." offered Samuel.

With that they decided to leave Ueno, and in Tokyo's streets attempt to find something for breakfast. Japan's infrastructure is far more walkable than America's, and most urban areas are serviced by public transportation. In particular, Ueno Academy has its own system of private trains (usually deemed too convoluted by students to use regardless).

"Wow, they have McDonalds here?" said Marisa. "Do they have like, sushi burgers or something?"

To translate Matoi's immediate thought from ultraviolent-host :: wimpy-civilian -- Matoi imagined smacking Marisa, then shook her head before noticing she had already gone inside. She almost groaned as she went inside and saw Marisa agape at the (mostly similar) menu. "What do you want?"

"…ummm..."

"Is the #6 pork?" said Samuel.

"Yes, pig."

"I must cannibalize."

The four talked for a minute and placed their orders, then were led by Matoi to sit down. Eventually an employee came by and delivered their food: Marisa had ordered a teriyaki burger (the most foreign item she could think of), Samuel three pork burgers unique to Japan, Mia an extra big pastrami beef teritama, and Matoi a cheeseburger.

"So, do they use like, special buns or something?" said Marisa, examining her's. "Man, it looks just like the picture, too."

"…they use the same buns as America."

"Oh." Marisa shrugged as she started eating. "I thought maybe they used something special."

"I'm going to miss these already." muttered Samuel to the burgers.

They ate for a minute, before Matoi's brow narrowed.

"…there's a man staring at us." muttered Matoi, eyes pointing to a table near the front doors, hundred feet away. She kept her stare as she took her phone out, man keeping his gaze.

"Here we go." muttered Samuel. "Hope he'll at least let us finish eating."

"Work fast." smirked Mia, finishing her meal. Marisa finished her's, Samuel his, and Matoi ate her burger like a challenge.

The man raised his arm as if to receive something, and in the next instant -

- a dozen screams came from the kitchen; the four shot up, Matoi shouting in to her phone as they stood -

- and the civilians were gone, leaving only their foe a hundred feet away as he rose, five combatants with eyes sharp.

"Waited until we were finished." muttered Samuel, relevantly, and in the next instant -

- the four felt a spinning fan on the wall behind, sudden suction pulling and yanking at them -

" - Boudoir!" shouted Marisa, and the other three clutched to her tight -

- and a strand yanked the four to the ceiling, scarabs disintegrating the fan behind, still a hundred feet separating them and he.

"Be careful." laughed Matoi. "Nonlethal."

"Nonlethal." muttered Mia, and a rumbling began from the kitchen; their eyes ripped left, seeing fans anew at the counter sucking in gallons of fryer oil, and as the fans spun clogged -

- the scorching oil was launched with the strength of a thousand at them -

- and ghastly hands guided the liquid away as the four fell to the ground, hitting the floor running and starting their charge. Another liquid volley erupted from the kitchen -

" - here!" shouted Samuel -

- and ghastly hands threw it in the man's face, burning his cheeks & eyes; he shrieked as he stumbled back -

" - what did I just say?" cackled Matoi, and in the next instant -

- a dozen fans appeared on the wall behind the man, revving their engines and starting to blow, launching a dozen tables&chairs towards them -

- and as a true leader might, Matoi took the front as Wedding's lasers carved the tables to wooden shards; and ghastly hands threw each back to its master, keen ends slicing the fans open, second volley flying forward to the man -

- but a swift ceiling fan sucked away the projectiles, saving him as he stumbled back, peeling left and running out the door. The four kept their chase going across the restaurant, and as they ran out the front door -

- they felt with aghast back&hair a dozen fans above&behind, suction pulling at them with the force of a million. They grunted and stood, boots digging in to the street -

" - it's - out of Worldwide's range -" winced Mia, pulled back, inch by inch -

" - Wedding!" shouted Matoi; a dozen missiles burst out of her shoulders -

- and she sighed as she felt the fans shred every last, explosives swallowed uselessly. Only a few feet separated them from a shredded death, now; and it would soon be worse.

The fans' speed increased, sucking the oxygen out of the area, leaving four gasping and starting to weaken, boots starting to lose their grip -

- but the next scene was instant.

A tri-swarm raid flew down the four's mouths and throats, water filling their lungs, careful electrical current claiming the liquid -

- and the four gasped as new breath flowed in to them, electrolysis extracting oxygen from water as they stood again, constant swarm of scarabs keeping them safe.

"Got it!" chimed Marisa, trying not to gag as she swallowed another scarab. Ripping a ball of her dress, she threw it above&behind -

- and laughed as the immeasurably soft projectile clogged every fan, no longer staggering as they stood normal again -

- and saw their foe a hundred feet right&away, just within his Revenant's range. Boudoir's glove growing, Marisa scooped Mia-Mia up -

" - go ahead." laughed Mia-Mia -

- and a flick of her glove threw her above, swift blue flames disintegrating the clogged fans, Marisa catching her as Samuel&Matoi kept their rush going.

The man turned and fled, emptied cars at regular intervals as he rushed down the avenue, two in pursuit sixty feet behind, fans appearing behind their backs; but unable to slow them.

"Only strong if it's concentrated." muttered Samuel as they ran, and Matoi nodded.

"Enhance." she muttered; a single missile flew towards the man, and as it eeked the edge of its range -

- ghastly hands guided it ahead of the man -

- and the shockwave blasted him with the strength of a thousand in to the two, road scraping his back as he landed&skid; with no time to waste, Samuel rushed and crouched over, gauntlets starting to strangle him as Matoi rushed up -

- and sighed as three fans appeared below the man; and in the next instant -

- every car in the avenue was sucked towards them, sudden automobiles forming a tornado spinning swifter and swifter, man still struggling below -

" - he has -" - Samuel repressed his skull-smashing urge - " - fans inside his fucking lungs - I can't get him unconscious -"

" - so fucking tedious." groaned Matoi, relevantly, Wedding's lasers thrown in to the tornado around, hearing Marisa&Mia unable to enter outside, hundreds of shards turning to thousands and still spinning, dozens of missiles burrowing in to the ground below.

"Trust my reactions." she muttered -

- and the next scene was instant.

The fans stopped - the projectiles flew towards them -

- but a dozen shockwaves blasted the three out of the tornado and up in to the air, constant volley juggling them for hundreds and hundreds of feet up, Samuel gripping the unwanted cargo tight as they fell for hundreds and hundreds of feet down -

- and a trampoline of Boudoir caught them as they hit the ground, bouncing again down the avenue -

- and landing on a mattress of Boudoir, Mia prepared beside -

- and a bash of her electrical sword knocked the man unconscious.

"… good." muttered Matoi, Samuel scooping the cargo up as they stood.

"Another one down." chimed Marisa. She set her glove to Boudoir's mattress, reabsorbing it to her traditional dress. The four went back down the street, Mia having disintegrated the tornado's remnants, bits of Boudoir reappearing as Marisa came out of range.

"Without destroying a single building." chimed Mia, relevantly.

"And our first -nonlethal- takedown as a squadron." said Samuel.

"How horrific." muttered Matoi. "I'll tell Junpei to bring the police here." She took her phone out, and in the next instant, Junpei and two police officers were there. "(My name is Matoi Kujo - Urasaria's student body president.)"

"(I notified them.)" nodded Junpei. "(Let me know if you require anything else.)"

And he was gone. The officers stepped away from Samuel. "(What occurred, then?)"

"(He's unconscious, but slightly injured -)" said Matoi, and remembering who she was speaking to - "( - unfortunately. He attacked a local restaurant's employees, and Junpei confirmed he was a host after evacuation. Swarm -)" - she gestured - "( - was forced to use electricity to knock him unconscious - though there won't be any lasting damage.)"

One of the officers nodded. "(We'll require a written report by the end of the day. Daishi can -)"

"( - where's the Revenant?!)" said a woman's voice up the street, and they turned -

- to see a woman covered in spikes, wearing a badge that read '[[Japanese for Frostbite, can't post kanji on WN]]'.

"(They handled it already.)" said Junpei to her, who nodded as she came up, a little flustered.

"(Oh.)" She looked to Matoi. "(Erm, you're the Urasaria students, then? I'm Rin.)"

"(We are, yes. Matoi.)" Matoi glanced at the woman's badge. "(Junpei mentioned Ueno had a student with an ice Revenant. Are you her?)"

"(Um, I'm not meant to divulge that.)" Rin nervously smiled. "(But for yes, you -- you, yes.)"

"Mia, create a small flame for her. (Care to test?)"

Mia created a small blue flame for her, and Rin clasped her frozen hands over it; it dulled to white, then orange, and Rin kept wincing until she was forced to pull her hands away, laughing a little. "(V-Very strong. I'm still only in my second year.)"

"(Mia's in her third, so that's good.)" said Matoi.

"Did I pass?" grinned Mia.

"I'll count it." Matoi laughed, and Rin nodded, gestured vaguely, accepted the unconscious cargo from Samuel, and walked away with Junpei & the officers.

"Cool. Uh, where should we go next?" said Marisa.

"Pachinko?" said Mia and Matoi laughed.

"You remember that?"

"It's called pachinko, right?"

"Is that some kind of like, Japanese game?" said Marisa.

"Yes." said Matoi.

"It has something to do with... doesn't it look a bit like pinball?" said Mia.

"It would be easier to show you."

With that, Mia nodded as Matoi found a nearby parlor and they walked over. Matoi had them take their badges off before going inside, whereupon she bought a sack of ball bearings for them and sat with them at an anime-themed machine. She explained to them how to play pachinko: a lever at the bottom of the tall-machine shot ball bearings through the playing field full of pins, which had various spots to be hit for prizes.

"Is it alright if I take a picture?" said Mia.

'It wouldn't make you the most annoying tourist here.' thought Matoi. "Yes."

Mia sent another photo to Serena. "Er, for Serena. She loves these cartoons."

On another machine, the ball chunked to a lower level on the tower: as did Matoi's opinion of Serena, for Mia had now confirmed what Serena & Yuruko called her behind her thick eyebrows. "I didn't mention we were students, also. I would bet very low."

"Do they pay out in cash?" said Samuel.

"No. They use a loophole in gambling laws: gambling for money is illegal, and instead, you receive tokens to be traded for cash at a different vendor. The parlor owner usually also owns the token vendor."

"This just sounds like gambling with extra steps."

"It is. Still, don't make it obvious you're a host, either."

"Okay." Marisa turned to Mia. "Mia, how do normal people act?"

"What?"

"Like, their accuracy and stuff. You didn't always have Worldwide, so do you remember, like, before?"

Mia's lips furrowed. "…let me try it."

As Mia tried to recall some of her pre-Urasarianess, Matoi looked over and watched a woman sitting at another machine. To an eye like Matoi, it was obvious that she was cheating by using cheap ball bearings, likely ordered online or from a different parlor with lower payouts. Yet she also knew these gambling businesses were often tied to organized crime, which existed more openly (and legitimately) in Japan than in America, and simply looked away, content to let the stiffer become stiffed for a while.