Chapter 12

"What is stress? You don't know stress. And me? I was down with diarrhea the moment I received that phone call. Eighty-nine, they say; that is an odd number. Some news outlets rounded it up to ninety, which, considering all things, would probably be good for us in case that number really dd round up. Think about it, if 89 becomes 90, people would miss the 1 person surplus".

"..."

"Oh, don't be like that. That kid is safe at his home, with his family, and under the protection of his grandfather right now. We did not lose him in that portal," Ari puts on his wide toothy grin, "Everything's all right -"

"We're so close, Mr. Banks. So close to reawakening this case to the press. And you know what will happen the second something else goes wrong in that portal; the press would double their onslaught on us, and all the effort we've put to push this down will go to waste".

Ari nods, "Look, I get it -"

"No, you don't get it. We can't risk a single mistake. Not one, Mr. Banks," the man, an appointed investigator from the Ministry of Esper Conduct and Child Protection Service, sharply points, "And you cannot risk the ire of Narukami Ryuu. He's on our side now, but remember, Mr. Banks, the moment we hurt his Grandson, he'll turn all of his influence and connections on us".

"Come on! He's sending that kid to us! You think the boy is here to play cops and robbers? Of course he will hurt! It's part of the job -"

"You lost that child for a while. He disappeared. To thin air".

"Only for 3 hours".

"It could be 3 days, 3 weeks, 3 years. It could be forever".

"..."

"Eighty-nine are still missing. We're lucky he returned. There's one thing about returning a child injured; it's something else when you have to wait for their return with no updates, no body, no nothing," they return to a short momentary silence, "How is the kid doing?"

"We sent him on a week's leave".

"How about compensation?"

"We've done a health check, linked him to a doctor and a child therapist; everything paid by the organization".

"Good. Good. Any more updates after our last interview with him?"

Ari hesitates. He himself, along with a Government representative and a psychologist have visited Narukami Shuu at his home to get his account of the incident twice. While he comes across as straightforward and consistent; you can't help but feel like he's keeping some details to himself. "No. The kid has told us everything he saw from that night. There's no need to continue pursuing him for more information," Ari answers. To him, the children's well-being is a priority.

"I understand," the Ministry's Representative puts his palms to his knees and proceeds to stand up from the long sofa in Ari's office, "If that is everything, I shall take my leave. Until further notice, we order YES to clear Zone 1 from any patrols and to shut the entrance. Do message me if there's anything regarding this... incident".

"Of course". They shake hands and walk together towards the exit. Ari cannot wait until this man leaves the building and off his back.

"Sir!"

Ari's secretary called from her desk. Ari tenses before turning around. That man has not reached the elevator yet.

"Narukami Shuu is in the building".

Now the man is turning to look too. Ari forces a chuckle, "No, he's not. He's on a leave, remember? There are still 3 days until the end of that leave!" He taps at his watch playfully.

"No, he's here, Sir. He's on Level 4".

Ari's shoulders visibly deflate as the Ministry's Representative flicks his eyebrows at the elevator, "You better fix that fast".

Ari inhales heavily, but dismissively waves his hand, "Ah! Nothing new in YES Headquarters. Of course, I'll handle it. What do you take me for, an amateur?"

**

Honestly, after reading 2 books on how to handle S-Class kids and handling not one, not two, but five S-Class teenagers, Ari would like to admit defeat and confess that he is in no way an expert in the matter of facing S-Class Espers. In one of the best-selling parenting books he read, having 1 S-Class child in a household is challenging enough, and yet he has 5, soon to be 6.

With one's class, comes a set of traits. For Class A and higher, it is stated that they naturally have higher sensitivity, intelligence, and leadership traits. They can also be a little aggressive when overwhelmed. Ari can no longer count how many times he's stuck in the middle of fights between his wards, or witnessing defiance simply because they think they know better.

He likes to think Narukami Shuu, the soon-to-be youngest of the group, would be different. He appears to be a goody-two-shoes. He respects his elders and he does not take every single glance as a challenge (except for that one time with Segawa Hide, but that is most likely the latter's fault) . He seems easy to mold; and for once, Ari thought he'd have it easy with one of his wards.

Though he wonders if he's wrong.

Because there are 20 missed calls from Mrs. Narukami and long texts in his inbox informing him that Narukami Shuu ran away from home. To top it all off, Ari's secretary received a call from someone claiming to be "The Assistant to Narukami Shuu's Grandfather" that Narukami Shuu is visiting YES to train, and they better let him earn all the best training he deserves.

"He's in Studio 10, Sir!" The Level 4 Gym's front desk shouts as Ari dashes past her into the gym. He doesn't waste any time pulling out his ID card, which has privileged access to all rooms in the Headquarters, including all gym studios even when it's being used.

When the door to the studio opens, Ari is greeted by the sight of a thunderbolt slicing through the air straight onto the chest of a dummy mutant. The force behind the throw ripples throughout the room like a shockwave that stuns Ari to complete silence for a whole 10 seconds.

When he comes to, he notices that the 16-year-old standing in the center of the studio is staring at him. "Wow," Ari says, more out of lack of words than anything, "Nobody updated me on that". As far as he knows, Shuu's training with Katsu has only resulted in his first contact with electricity. He shouldn't have reached this extent of mastering a newly contacted element in only a week's time.

But who is he kidding? This is Narukami Ryuu's Grandson. If there's anyone who could summon thunderbolts, it would be him.

"I've been doing self-training. At home," Narukami Shuu explains. By appearance, nothing seems particularly different about him minus the eyes. The orbs have turned almost translucent, blending with the white of his eyes and making him look almost like a ghost. Beyond that, nothing else is off - but Ari knows better. He can feel it in the air; in the wooden flooring they both are stepping on. 

There's energy flowing into every fiber of this studio, coming from this young teenager. It's silent, but its presence is undeniably strong. Anytime now, if Shuu whims it, this energy would not back down from making itself known.

"I - I see. I applaud the dedication! Haha!" Ari, as per his usual mannerism, forces a booming laughter, though you'd know from how both his hands are still holding the frame of the steel door to the studio that he is scared witless. "You should be at home".

"I want to continue my training".

"Yes, but you were just sent into a different dimension in a portal. Most people do not leave that dimension".

"I should be training. I passed the first phase. I deserve more training".

"Child Protection Service mandates a one-week leave for you. It's illegal to keep you here to train".

"I don't want to be fired".

"... what?"

"Tell me, Mr. Banks. Is the team planning to fire me?"

Huh. Is that what this kid is worried about? "No! Of course not! Listen, you are still a prospective member of the team as much as you were before that first patrol".

The response comes very quickly, "Then why has no one informed me of any future training?"

His voice is calm; but Ari senses it; the ire and the impatience. Narukami Shuu, the nice kid, the baby of the team, is angry. Even worse, Ari feels his hair rising - and if you think it's because he's scared, well, you're not 100% wrong. His hair rises towards Shuu, like how it would towards the sky before lightning strikes.

He'd be lying to tell you he knows how to handle any of his wards when they're posing a threat. This is not Ari's first - not his fifth, not even his tenth. He has been in this predicament many times before with all of his wards, and every time he only escapes by sheer luck - a luck that may be absent today because all of this is happening right on the day that no one from the team is present in the Headquarters and Katsu is out for a meeting at The Ministry. 

"Um, all right, how about this?" The wheels in Ari's head are turning, working their way to a solution, "I'll send you out for a mission, yeah? How about that? There's a newly opened portal in Ogasawara National Park and you'll find everyone there". In fact, half of their team is there, containing this portal and evacuating visitors.

As soon as he suggests that, he feels an obvious shift in the air. The threat has left.

Ari clasps his hands in front of his chest, "You can go to Level 2 for deployment; put on your gear and wait at your station for deployment - but, before that, I need to make some calls!"

Ari rushes to exit the room and closes the door behind him. He races out of the gym, ignoring the looks of the person at the front desk to focus his attention on his phone. He calls the deployment unit in Level 2.

"Mr. Banks?"

"Yeah, is there anyone from Team Falcon on standby for the next deployment?"

"Oh, sorry, Mr. Banks. The last batch has just left 7 minutes ago".

He ends the call with a cuss. He cannot keep the kid here because The Ministry is watching this place. If they find out that Narukami Shuu returned to the building for training before the end of his mandatory sick leave, The Ministry will charge them with child endangerment. 

But he can't deny the kid after seeing the extent of that power. Ari honestly fears for his life.

All he can do is get Narukami Shuu out of here. His decision to send him to a newly opened portal without the surveillance of his mentor or trainer might be unwise, especially because he's also going behind The Ministry. He hopes someone from Team Phoenix would notice the kid there and watch over him. Yet, no one from the team is picking up his calls.

"Ugh, come on!!" He scrolls through all the contacts on his phone, thinking of anyone at Ogasawara who will pick up the call.

It is then that he notices the time on the screen of his phone. It's 6.00 pm. There's someone whom he can always depend on when it comes to the team! And he should be home by now!!

Ari taps on Hinata Ren's name on his contact list and puts his phone to his ear.

"Yea?"

"Are you almost home?"

"... yeeeaaaaa?"

"Brilliant! Just brilliant! You're going to Ogasawara?"

"Yea".

"Great! I'll see you in Level 2!"

"You will?"

He simply ends the call and takes the elevator to his office to make a last-minute arrangement. Not long after, he finds himself on the way back down to Level 2 and sees Hinata Ren in the lobby; still clad in his school uniform as he always is. "What do you want to see me fo - woah!" Hinata Ren finds himself being dragged by the manager. It's not the first in the whole 2-years of their interaction, and it definitely won't be the last.

"I have a problem - an S-Class 16-year-old problem; and you have the talent to reign in every S-Class Esper in your path," Ari rants as he takes Hinata Ren with him across the giant lobby of Level 2.

"No, not always-"

"I think you're the solution to that problem of mine; the most potent of all solutions!"

"I am?"

"Yes, you are! Which is why," They stop inside the deployment unit; a huge depot where their Humvees are sent out. Ari grabs the brown-haired teen's shoulders and looks him in the eye, "I'm entrusting Shuu-kun to you".

"W-wha -"

As if on cue, said S-Class teen appears to be walking towards them behind Ari. "Mr. Banks?"

Ari turns around to see Shuu already in complete gear from neck to toe. The mask that should cover half of his face is loosened up to hang from his jaw. "Great, you're ready to go! Shuu-kun, here I have a very important task for you!" He hooks his arm over Hinata Ren's shoulder, "You're going to Ogasawara National Park where a portal just opened earlier today. And here, our Hinata Ren has to go there to do his share of responsibilities of making sure the team is all right".

He watches Shuu making eye contact with the guide and having his cheeks instantly stained with pink. Oh, every time an S-Class comes around this guide, they always behave that way!

"My assignment to you is to bodyguard him".

"What!?" Ren squeaks from his side, to which Ari quickly whispers in his ear, "Just play along".

"I-Isn't he a guide?" Shuu voices, mirroring the young Guide's confusion, "To my knowledge, Guides do not belong on the battlefield".

Meanwhile, Hinata Ren is making his own thoughts known by muttering back at Ari behind gritted teeth. "Ari, I don't think this is a good idea -"

"Then make sure he's out of harm's way! You have your magic over these kids -"

"I really don't -"

"And you should do it again! I'm out of my wits here. You don't know what that kid was doing; I swear he could murder me if he wanted to -"

"What the -"

"Now, make sure he stays with you all the time, and stay within the tent," Ari then turns his gaze to the young Esper ahead of him, all smiles and laughter "See? Isn't this just perfect?"

In the meantime, the young Guide visibly deflates at Ari's casual mention of murder, as if a mere Guide like himself could do anything against an S-Class on a murderous rampage.

Ari, on the other hand, looks so proud of himself as he observes two of his wards, one a Guide, another an aspiring Esper, face each other; both known to have mild temperaments, are dedicated, and polite. In his mind, he just made a brilliant decision - the best decision!

"Fine. I will guard Hinata-Senpai, then," Shuu bows slightly. Hinata Ren, however, looks a little worried.

"Brilliant!" Ari soars, "You see? This is just brilliant!"

**

To be Continued.