Calm Before the Storm

"Waah-! Butterflies!"

"Bah-bah!"

"Yukari! Don't run away too far with Rea!"

"Gotcha, Mio-nee!"

"Mi! Mi!"

Today is March 1, 2071. A quaint afternoon in the seaside public park in the Atami bay of Old Tokyo, Japan. Near the bushes of the park, are the cheerfully interested children who are watching the groups of butterflies that laying eggs on the leaves of the plants that has just sprouted back to life after the long winter season.

"Rai-san, do you want to eat anything else? There's still some fruit jam and peanut butter sandwiches in our basket and the flask of iced tea we brought is still half-full."

"Mm? No, no. Leave those to Yukari and Rea. After eating only a little during lunch and running around with the butterflies, she would surely want to eat a lot later."

"Got it. Now that you say that… it annoys me that Yukari went running in full speed with Rea as soon as the other kids noticed the butterflies on the bushes."

"Ahahaha! Just leave her like that, Mio. Rea is a curious child and is very keen with playing around at her age. Letting her roam free so long as she's safe is the best way to handle kids like her."

"Mm. I understand, Rai-san."

With such a perfectly peaceful atmosphere like this in our picnic, it would be easy to think that I am perfectly alright and at ease right now. But what is running in my mind right now is the furthest thing from that.

"The concentration of Astra energy in the city seems to be calmer than before."

With my Psychic-enhanced sight, I kept on looking around the city since we left our home earlier this morning and noticed the significant change in the amount of Astra energy in Old Tokyo.

Unlike before when I could easily ascertain the amount of Astra energy in the atmosphere with as little effort as needed, dead spots and slightly thinned out areas became present ever since the Miyazono Gardener's death last night.

"Don't say that as if you're innocent about it, Ephraim."

"Geez, Kirin-sensei… I've already said that I was just pinned down with the circumstances in a supposedly normal operation of ours."

"…"

"I heard about you contacting my superiors about having me taken out of the operation. But it seems like you called far too late for me to be grounded."

Another thing, we had a couple of guests with us. One is Imamura Kirin, Kanbu officer of the Sumeragi group and my Psychic instructor. Right now, she's wearing a formal kimono and is sitting beside me in a seiza position while sipping some tea.

"Hah… Both our sides know that your alibi is dubious. After all, you withheld information from your superiors when you first came there. It's apparent that you're not giving us the full picture."

"You really are sharp, Furuta-sensei… But right now, I will keep on with that alibi of mine. We were there on a protocol-driven response operation to an Astra energy hotspot in an area that doesn't have a proportionate populace to keep it from materializing."

"Sheesh… you kids sure are a pain on the neck."

And the second one is Furuta Renjiro. Another Kanbu officer of the Sumeragi group and my Psychic team leader. Like me, he's dressed on a usual corporate uniform of a long-sleeved shirt, black tie and a dark blue coat and is laying down on the grass beside our picnic blanket.

"It was ill-fate that I had an encounter with Miyazono Corporation Psychic Gardener Hamasaki Satoshi, but due to him already being weakened by one of the Mori cult's Irregular Psychics, my battle with him was still tough, but no longer life threatening to me. And in the end, he died on my hands."

"An accidental hero-type, ain't you, kid?"

"Please don't call me that, Furuta-sensei… It's not really fitting for me."

"Shut up. That's your penalty for going against our advice. I had to cancel my flight to Britannia just because I heard you intervened with the case that I was working at for a while."

"You mean about my best friend's death and its connection with the Miyazono corporation's dark side in the Psychic world?"

"…"

"I appreciate that you were doing your part by going there to investigate a case that most of the detectives declared as a cut-and-dried suicide case, but instead of an axe that can cut down the tree, it would be wiser to grab a metal detector to find the clue that you are looking for."

"For the record, I cut that tree because I deduced that he may have embedded the flash drive in there somehow. It never crossed my mind to think that he already destroyed it and its storage chips are scattered on the ground that I mistook as simple particles of gold in the volcanic soil."

"Fair enough."

After our short banter, Kirin-sensei put down her traditional Japanese teacup and wiped the edges of her lips with a table napkin before speaking about our current circumstances.

"In any case, things will be hectic now that an important figure in their side has been slain. They negotiated for a cease-fire after their failed support operation in Fukushima's recent rebellion, but I doubt they will stay silent now that a person on their private table has been shagged."

"I agree, Kirin-sensei.

"Our best move right now is to have everyone on high alert about any encroachment in Old Tokyo and the other places beneath our shades of protection. The last thing we want is a repeat of the Old Osaka incident a decade ago when our hands got tied because of our lack of readiness."

"I understand that, Kirin-san. I've already informed our cohorts inside and outside of Old Tokyo to keep their eyes and ears peeled for any info. If something happens, our guys are ready for anything."

"The higher command of the S.S.S have also considered that and has been calling for a meeting later in the evening. We expect for a proper and specialized group within our organization to be made in order to tackle the field work of Psychic combat operations."

"Isn't the entirety of the S.S.S made by the government to handle it? Why do you need another group inside your own group?"

"They learned from what happened last night."

""Huh?""

After I gave my general answer, both Furuta-sensei and Kirin-sensei gave that response to me before I can elaborate on it further.

"You should know the general case of our raid last night. Three combat companies sent for the raid including me almost died because instead of combat Psychics, our commanders thought that there aren't much Psychic threats to be worried about in there and sent normal troops. Well, I'm partially to blame too since I failed to report that, but in my defense, there really was no Psychics inside the area when I last came there."

"Your case is reasonable."

"It is… And because of that, we might need to refurbish our initial plans about forming combined teams from both the S.S.S and the Sumeragi group."

"What? Hey, hey. I haven't heard about this at all before! What is this about?"

"Calm down, Furuta-sensei. This is just what I read in the transcript plan of the meeting this night. It's not yet set in stone."

"…"

"Simply put, we think that having two command chains is straining the capabilities of both of our sides. I know that the Sumeragi group offered their help through letting the S.S.S use some of your Psychics for their operations like in the case of our group where I and Fujikawa-chan represents the S.S.S while you and Kai represents the Sumeragi group and in exchange, you guys will not be bothered by the police."

"Right. We've left behind our criminal past but it sure still hurts us to have the police and the ministry of justice and public safety to always have their hands all over our businesses. That's the main reason why we accepted your deal with us."

"But if your superiors are planning to cancel the combined psychic group project, does that mean that you're severing our initial deals?"

"Not necessarily, Kirin-sensei."

I spoke after sitting up from laying down on the picnic cloth and explained to them the idea that Yurippe and the others pitched in during my debriefing.

"There would still be combined teams between our groups. The S.S.S just wants to form its own task force to protect its own interests without needing to wait for your force's movement… Something that is crucial for sudden crises or high-stake situations where we need people on the site as soon as possible."

"Aren't you and Mana enough for that? You two just got ranked as Mid Class-3 Psychics. I'm pretty sure you two can stand up to any punks who will take a step on your way."

"The problem here isn't quality but quantity, sensei. Having just me and Mana alone isn't enough to cover the area that the S.S.S is intended to protect."

"Huh…"

"Because of that, I think I'll be tasked to find potential Psychic candidates while I am protecting the girl that I saved when I awakened my powers. It's a drag, honestly."

Because of the crisis in Aokigahara, I almost forgot that I was placed as the designated security agent of Akamine Kaori and has to make bogus documents about Akamine Isao's whereabouts in Formosa island to continue the cover-up lie that he is still at large when in truth, I already killed him when I became a Psychic.

"Still, I don't think being able to find non-Seeded Psychics that hasn't been detected or recruited by the Miyazono corporation would be easy. Even us in the Sumeragi group have a hard time on finding young blood to join our ranks."

"That's because you guys don't have surveillance equipment. With our drones, we can find irregular patches of Astra energy that can indicate the presence of a Psychic. The Miyazono corporation has done almost the same thing to a lesser extent using their Astra energy sensors and has been unsuccessful in using drones due to the non-fly zone except for the government above major cities."

"Well, you guys win this time."

"We have to. If we get left behind or find ourselves unable to match or even surpass the enemy's capabilities, the common people are screwed."

I turned to Yukari and Rea who are both watching butterflies at the bushes and smiled a bit, knowing that none of the stuff that is troubling me and the people above me hasn't reached them yet… And I intend to keep it like that at all times.

After all, I cannot face Hiro and his parents in the afterlife if something terrible happens to their children and siblings.

"A-Auntie Imamura… Do you want a refill?"

"Aww… I sure do, sweetie. Here's my cup."

"Mm."

Meanwhile, Mio poured out a refill of tea to Kirin-sensei's cup who fawned on her thoughtfulness and handed her cup to her.

"You've raised good kids, Rai."

"Please, please… If there is anyone to credit, it's them and their parents. Truth be told, Mio got her thoughtful and polite manners from Mrs. Miyazaki. Even the way she pours drinks is similar to her mother."

"E-Eh?"

"Hehe… Calm down, Mio. I was just complimenting you."

"U-Umm… T-Thankies…"

"Aww… Look at this adorable child. I wish my son is as cute and polite as you are."

"Heh. If Kai heard that, he'd be crying loudly, Kirin-san."

"I know that and it annoys me too, Furuta-kun."

Our picnic went on until just about 4 o'clock in the afternoon. Because all of us have businesses to attend to in the late evening, we decided to pack up and go back to our homes.

"Fweet~! This car feels good to ride in."

"Yeah… It's quiet and it doesn't shake as much."

"Hey. Where and when did you get this car?"

After whistling softly as a sign of amazement, Furuta-sensei and Kirin-sensei asked a pair of questions.

"I mentioned earlier that I would be providing security to a girl currently under our protection, right?"

"Oh. That Akamine Kaori girl that you spoke about earlier?"

"Yep. Turns out, now that the looming threat of the Miyazono corporation's Psychics attacks has simmered down, I will be given security missions until that planned Psychic Operations department has been fully propped-up. Because of that, I've been issued this car that used to be owned by the Office of the Prime Minister."

"What? This car was from the government?"

"Yeah. It needed some tune-up and changing of components that has grown old. After all, this car was made over 20 years ago. It's older than me, actually."

As I said, this car used to be owned by the security group of the Prime Minister's office and thus, has features that made it resilient to any kind of punishment.

This is a modified Poltergeist. A car model from the Union of Britannia that has long been favored by government security organizations and private contractors alike due to its high-quality components and excellent performance statistics. Unlike her precursor models, this car runs on an electric engine that delivers 830 horse-power to all four wheels. It has a top-of-the-line atmospheric air-conditioning system that doesn't let any corner of the car to be any warmer or cooler than its other parts and other features like a hidden refrigerator at the bottom of the rear passenger seat and touch screen monitors on the back of the front seats to be used by those on the rear seats.

Additionally, fortifications on its components have also been placed in order to reinforce its strength against any attempt to forcibly enter it to kidnap its passengers or outright pepper it with gunfire in order to kill whoever is inside of it.

That can be seen with how heavy the doors are which are lined with titanium alloy and all the glasses that are rated to not shatter even after being shot a thousand times by high-caliber bullets.

In short, I am now like a spy in a Hollywood movie while I'm driving this car around… not like it makes me feel any better. This reminds me of a saying in my homeland that states: "Folks only lock their doors when they have something to protect that might tempt their neighbors to break in to get it." That is to say, driving this car around makes it look like I am preparing against someone dangerous.

"Magical~! Magical Mirai~! Fighting bad guys and boredom~!"

"Yukari. Sit down please and buckle your seatbelt. You're not the only person there in the backseat and I am driving in the highway right now."

"Ehhh…"

"Don't 'ehhh' me, you brat. Sit down or I'll turn off the monitors in there."

"Mmm! Rai-nii is a bully!"

"Haah… And I thought you already exhausted yourself in the park…"

We drove around Tokyo to head to Old Tokyo Academy where Furuta-sensei said that he's going to for a meeting. He mentioned that after I left the school, there has been a noticeable rise of misdemeanor among the students on my grade level.

"You mentioned that before when we were heading to Fukushima, right?"

"Yeah. A bunch of students in your class has been asserting their dominance around after you left. Just like how I stated it before, with their common enemy no longer present, their solidarity crumbled and they began to metaphorically stab each other to be the most popular person in the room… probably even in the school."

"Saying that convinces me more to no longer go there again."

"Heh. You shouldn't be… If you do, they will likely come back to their senses just to kick you out again."

"With that in mind, is your meeting tonight about the Promotion Party?"

"It is. The faculty and administrative staff are finding it difficult to find a student that is worthy enough to be endorsed in the Promotion party this year. Amakano Sayaka and a few other students are in the roster, but with none of them having some kind of quality that makes them stand out or expertise in things that will let them enter New Tokyo Academy's Class-S, Old Tokyo Academy might end up having no one to show the high-ranking officers this year."

"And to think they did all kinds of tricks just to exclude me back then… they must be regretting it now."

"The academic counselor and chief registrar does. In our last meeting, they mentioned that it would be better to be the first in the Academies to raise a foreigner as a Promotion candidate than end up with a sub-standard student… They must be thinking about cancelling your request of dropping out of the school and forcing you back to attend school."

"They can eat their asses. I'm not going back just for their convenience."

"Well, I thought the same when the meeting was over. Even Katsumi-chan scoffed with the hypocrisy they openly showed to us… as you know, being your class's advisor teacher, she's the one tasked to scold you to not stand out too much and now, she's being told that she might be tasked to convince you to come back to the school."

I sighed lightly after hearing all of it. It's a drag for me, really.

I turned the car around on one last turn and we parked on the lot of the school.

"Well, you can rest assured that I will vote against it by stating that you are not interested in going back. They should reap what they have sown after all of the crap they threw your way when you're the one in need of their help."

"I have a question about that, sensei."

"Huh?"

"During our mission in Fukushima, we were out there for about a few weeks."

"…"

"Say, how did you wriggle your way out of their suspicion? After all, your work as a teacher in the school is a front of your real job in the Sumeragi group."

"Ah. That, huh?"

"Woah! Uncle Furuta has a twin?!"

Suddenly, there was a series of knocks on my window and to my shock, I saw the face of someone who looks exactly like Furuta-sensei.

"What the-?!"

"Calm down, Rai-kun. That's my doppelganger."

"Doppelganger? What- Why- How?!"

I can't even make a sensible question because of the sheer suddenness of the situation. At the backseat of my car is Furuta-sensei yet on my window is someone like him as well.

"Rai. Unlock the door, please."

"A-ah… Yes."

I pressed the master lock that unlocked all of the doors and Furuta-sensei lowered the windows on his side.

"Good job so far, Hanamichi. I'll take it from here."

"Haaah… Finally. I thought I would be the one to go to that presentation too, sir…"

"Come in after I get out. I'm here to relieve you."

"Yes, sir."

Furuta-sensei got out of the car and was handed a briefcase by this Hanamichi guy who then sat down at where Furuta-sensei was sitting at.

"I'm off here. Take care on your way home, Rai-kun."

"Y-yes. Thank you for today, sensei!"

"Bye, Uncle Furuta!"

"Bai-bai!"

We all bid Furuta-sensei a farewell as he headed back into the school building as if he just left for a smoke break. For us though, I turned the car back on and we headed next to where Kirin-sensei said she'll be staying at today.

"Today's my day off and Enka and Mira has been bugging me to leave the estate grounds so they can clean up my dojo. Haah… Those two, really…"

"Aren't they just being considerate? As far as I know, you were often described as someone who always stays inside her dojo building and training. Even inviting you out earlier would've been troublesome if Furuta-sensei didn't coax you out."

"Mm… I'm just not used to leaving the estate anymore. Being a Kanbu officer, my main responsibility is to stand guard in the estate and protect it against whoever trespasses in there. And honestly, I've becoming a bit cranky with travelling around because of my age."

"Geez… You're not even 40, sensei. Don't speak like that."

"Hmph! You're the one who should not be speaking like that. You know that you can't easily flatter me."

Talking like this, we looked like a mother and son who has a close relationship. Well… she did told me that she's willing to be like that for me back then.

"Is this your new apprentice, Imamura-sama? He seems to know his way around ladies."

"You shut up, Hanamichi. I don't like what you're trying to imply."

"Y-Y-Yes, Ma'am!"

"And another thing, can't you undo your transformation ability already? Seeing you quiver like that with Renjiro's appearance makes me uncomfortable."

"A-a-ahh! Y-Yes!"

Hanamichi touched his face and slowly, the skin-like layer puffed out and he slowly pulled it apart from his face.

"Urrr… Kah! Ahh… Finally. My real skin has been itchy because of this thing."

"Ah."

"Yukari?"

"Uguah…"

"Hey! Yukari!"

It was my mistake to not notice that Yukari was beside him when he removed his skin-tight mask and after seeing the mask loosening off and being ripped apart, Yukari must've overloaded in shock as she fell down unconscious towards Kirin-sensei's lap."

"You could've warned us about it, you know."

"Sorry! Sorry! Very sorry! It was my mistake, sorry!"

"Kirin-sensei. Please make her drink some water from the fridge below your seat. That kid must've lost her consciousness out of shock."

"I know. Just drive carefully and don't mind us here. I can handle her."

As Kirin-sensei adjusted the air-conditioning vent on the rear seats to be focused on Yukari and reached out for some water from below her seat, I took the opportunity to talk to the new person in the car.

"Hanamichi-san, right?"

"Y-Yes… Pleased to meet you."

"Your Psychic ability… is it making skin?"

"Oh… Umm… it would be more accurate to say that I can control rubber."

"Rubber?"

"Yes. Like this."

As he said that, I watched using the rear-view mirror how he pulled on his arm's skin and slowly, took a thin layer of an almost transparent material off of it.

"That's amazing."

"Yeah… but with how useless it is in combat, my main task is to act as the doppelganger of Kanbu Furuta whenever he is out in the field. Using my abilities, I can restructure the rubber layer over my face and with some training, completely imitate the person that I am tasked to impersonate."

"Well, that explains why Furuta-sensei seems to not be worried about having his cover blown in the school."

"That's only partially because of me. Most of the technical things are done by him and I only do it here as he directed. Which is the reason why he himself has to attend the Promotion party meeting tonight."

At Sagami station, Hanamichi-san went out of the car, saying that he's going to the next Sumeragi person that he was tasked to impersonate. Hearing that, I thought that it really is hectic for people with his kind of expertise… imagine bouncing back to another job just after you finished one.

"Now… let's have our dinner at home. Are you excited for my cooking, Kirin-sensei?"

"Hehe… Do I really need to answer such an obvious question?"

"Alright. Seems like I have to do better to really impress you."

We went straight back to Sunogahara-cho where our home are and while she and the kids are joyously watching Yukari's Magical Mirai anime on the TV, I did my best in the kitchen to make a scrumptious dinner for all of us.

"Mm? This smell…"

"Ah! It's that dish! I know that smell!"

As I expected, as soon as the smell of what I was cooking wafted into the living room, Yukari quickly ran to the kitchen and climbed up a chair to confirm her thought.

"Muuu~! It's Pork stew!"

"I'm amused that you really remembered what this is, Yukari. Last time I cooked this, you hurt your tummy after eating too much."

"Mm! Mm! Let's eat now, Rai-nii!"

"Simmer down, you brat. I haven't softened the meat and potatoes yet."

Due to the lack of a proper name, I just ended up calling it as Pork Stew. Made using pork tenderloin, potatoes, carrots, red bell peppers, tomato sauce, soy sauce, finely crushed peppercorns and my specially blended stew sauce, this was a hit to anyone who tasted it over some rice.

"Dinner is served! Come on and wash your hands!"

"Hm? Mmmm~! Yukari-chan wasn't kidding when she said that she can't wait to have dinner. This aroma is very delicious already."

"Ahahaha… Thanks a lot, Sensei. Your kind words made it worth it."

After some preparations on the tableware, we all gathered up and in unison, thanked for the food.

""""Itadakimasu!""""

"Mm~! Yummy, yummy!"

"It's delish… Come on. Open up, Rea…"

"Nee-nee! Wah."

"My nose didn't lie. This is really good, Rai-kun…"

"I'm glad you like it."

Our dinnertime was filled with joyful faces and expressions of enjoyment. Even the usually uptight and unsmiling Kirin-sensei had a smile on her face as she continued to eat the food, I prepared for us.

"Uuuuu… My tummy…"

"Haha… Just like before, huh?"

"I'm sorry, Rai-nii…"

"It's alright for now. But if you do this again next time, I won't be so kind."

By the time we finished eating and I tended to the used tableware, I saw Yukari holding her belly that must've ached after everything she ate. I placed a warm compress on it and let her lean on the wall, so she won't end up vomiting it out if ever.

"Yukari. I left the water for you, okay? Wash up before you head to bed."

"Got it, Mio-nee…"

"Good night, Rai-san."

"Night-night!"

"Good night too. Sweet dreams, sweeties."

On the other hand, Mio and Rea has taken their bath and are heading back to their bedroom to sleep. Both of them greeted me a good night which I gave back.