World Vision

At the last minute, the headmaster sent Saya to join us.

Whilst she technically wasn't part of Spectrum-Judgement, it seemed that the relief service we were going under was pretty relaxed concerning things that our regiment did—I guess that was a result of the reputation of the regiment.

"Now that we're all here, I'd like to organise our teams for when we arrive."

A few weeks ago, the leadership of the regiment was transferred to Mana, giving time for Aiko to recover.

"Here's the plan. Oliver and I will join the city's main search party and defensive squad. The rest of you guys will be part of the relief team and protecting the injured victims."

"Wait. How come I'm the only one with you?"

"What~? Do you not want to be in a squad with me, Oliver?"

"I'm just wondering."

"Aiko is currently recovering. Aside from her, I've been informed that you're the strongest member aside from her and I."

I didn't have an issue with the allocation itself. Being in the search party would give me the best opportunity to find abandoned children, after all. Ultimately, I had no interest in the aid itself, I wanted to see what I could scavenge in this dilapidated city.

"Do you have a problem with this, Oliver?"

"No, I'm happy."

"Good."

With that, we boarded the plane and made our way over. It was the first time I'd ever flown business class.

• ───────────────── •

Eventually, we arrived at the airport of the war-torn city.

"We'll be meeting up with the city's police force in a few minutes."

Sitting around just outside the airport, we could all finally have a breath of fresh air after being on the plane for so long. It was clear that the city had gone through a lot of trauma. Potholes and debris were scattered all over the roads. Trees and houses were topped over, covering areas of the streets.

There was not a single pedestrian aside from us. This place probably got taken off the list of possible tourist destinations after the whole... terrorism thing.

Eventually, a large van arrived and several members of the NPO and the local police got out.

"Are you guys regiment 21?"

"Yep, that's us. We were sent by the Yokusuka council."

"Thank goodness, we are running low on manpower. Many of our members left due to fear. The terrorist group have been torturing and killing any members of the police that they've captured."

"That's not good to hear."

"That's why we need to be very careful. Have you guys decided on roles yet?"

"Yes. Oliver and I will join the search party. The rest will be part of the relief squad."

"Ah perfect. The relief squad can come with us. You and Oliver can wait here, I'll call the head of the search party."

"Thanks."

With that, Saya and the rest of regiment 21 began making their way onto the van. As instructed, Mana and I were still seated on teh bench, waiting for the next group to arrive.

Looking off into the distance, Mana and I waited.

"So Oliver, I've never actually seen any of your abilities. What are they?"

"They're not very good. I'm mostly a physical fighter."

"Oh? What are they?"

"Erm, I've got one that lets me track people who've got my blood on them."

"What affinity is that? I've never heard of an ability like that."

"Uh... blood... ESP?"

"Why are you so unsure, what's your general affinity?"

"It's a bit complicated."

"What do you mean?"

Thankfully, we were interrupted by the sound of an armoured vehicle slowly coming towards us. It looked like a car with steel plates attached to it. The extra weight appeared to be slowing the speed of the vehicle by quite a bit. I noticed the EM-waves in the air, meaning that these people were espers.

"Are you guys joining the search party?"

"Yep."

"We were going to do a check of the nearby area anyways. We don't have any more space in the car. You can sit on top, or if you want, you guys can go on foot."

"Alright. We'll take a look around here so we'll go on foot."

"Sounds good. We'll be taking the back road, you guys can head left and have a quick scan of that area."

The espers hopped back into their car and started it up. There was an ear-piercing screech before the car finally got into action.

Mana and I began searching the rubble-filled streets.

"What are we meant to do if we find one?" I asked.

"I think the best idea would be to bring them back to the relief station unless there are any extenuating circumstances."

"Alright."

Within abandoned buildings and broken vehicles, there didn't appear to be anyone nearby. We looked around, although not very meticulously. Considering the way that the search party described this area, it seemed that there likely wouldn't be any people.

Making our way around, we check the bottom floors of some of the buildings that were still intact. The entire area seemed overtly... lifeless. After a little while, we arrived at a large open road. In contrast to the rest of the area, this part of the road wasn't covered with rubble or blown to pieces.

In fact, it seemed oddly well-kept.

"I'm going to scan the area," I said.

"You checking for EM-waves?"

"Yep."

"Ah, I've always wanted a power like that."

My ability wasn't unique to me. Some of the higher-level espers are also capable of checking the nearby area for EM-waves. Although my ability was a little more precise.

Suddenly, I noticed something nearby. There was a small quanity of EM-waves within one of the buildings. It could only have been produced by an esper. Based on the number of waves, they were most likely still inside.

"There are some waves in that building."

"Let's go check it out then."

Mana and I made our way over, entering the large, run-down structure.

Only a few moments later, we could hear the subtle footsteps of someone in the distance.