Chapter 3: Japan's Greatest Mind

Arc 1: Tokyo's Void Society

—---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The warm rays of the sun hit my face as I stroll along the concrete sidewalk. The street is lively and busy with lots of chatting going on around me.

Suddenly while walking, I feel something wet and soft beneath my right shoe that makes me stop in my tracks.

[???: "Oh man.."]

I grab my ankle and lift up my leg. I look at the bottom of my right shoe and come to find out that I stepped in wet dog shit.

I feel a hand on my right shoulder. I turn my head back to see who it is and I see that it's Tetsuki.

My Void Hunter partner, Tetsuki Kanami, otherwise known as the 'Iron Maiden'. She is an exceptionally strong Void Hunter. The main reason people call her the Iron Maiden is because instead of regular legs and arms, she has cybernetic limbs. One cybernetic leg (right) and one cybernetic arm (left).

[Tetsuki: "Kengo! What did I tell you about being wary of your surroundings! You are always getting into some sort of mess.."]

She immediately gets down on her knees and starts to untie my shoes. She grabs out a plastic bag from her backpack and puts my dirty sneakers inside, leaving me with just socks on my feet.

[Kengo: "Was there really a need for you to do all that? I could've just scraped the bottom of my shoe against the sidewalk and leave the shit there."]

After I say that, Tetsuki shoots me a frustrated glare, her eyes stabbing through mine.

I instantly regret upsetting her with my comment, as I scratch the back of my head I begin to speak.

[Kengo: "I'm sorry.. I didn't mean to be so harsh, it's just that-"]

My sentence gets cut off as I feel something hard smack the side of my face. Tetsuki has slammed the garbage bag right across my face. It is a hard, warm and painful sensation that makes me recoil back and land against a wall.

[Tetsuki: "Stop being so goddamn mean to me, dickhead."]

I groan as I rub the left side of my face in an attempt to ease the pain. While doing this Tetsuki pulls a water bottle out from her backpack.

[Tetsuki: "You really piss me off, you know that?]

She comes closer to me, tilting her head coyly with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

[Tetsuki: " Hey… how about you make it up to me by taking me out on a date for lunch?"]

She sticks out the hand she is holding the water bottle with, waving it in front of me, indicating that she wants me to grab the bottle.

[Kengo: "Guh, fine."]

I roll my eyes begrudgingly before taking the water bottle from her hand and rest it against the side of my face. The icy feeling is sharp at first but after a few seconds it begins to soothe the pain in my cheek.

Now that feels nice.

As we continue to walk down the street, something catches my eye.

I point towards it, nudging Tetsuki with my shoulder.

[Kengo: "Hey look, a froyo vendor (froyo is a type of snack that is frozen yogurt meant to resemble ice cream). How about I buy us each a cup and we can go sit down at a table?"]

[Tetsuki: "Yea sure, that sounds good to me."]

We approach the stand and a burly hairy man steps out from inside. He shoots us an eerie grin, I can see that he is missing some teeth. 

He's probably some kind of ex-thug or something.

[???: "So what can I get you two lovebirds?"]

As Tetsuki hears the man call us that, she instantaneously begins to blush furiously, burying her face in her hands to hide her embarrassment.

[Tetsuki: This man thinks Kengo and I are together! Me and Kengo are truly meant to be in a relationship, I wonder what exact thoughts are going through this man's mind about us. Maybe he thinks we are boyfriend and girlfriend! Better yet... husband and wife!]

I look over to my right to see Tetsuki swaying her body left and right. Her hands covering her mouth as she lets out a squeal, faint but loud enough to hear.

[???: "Hey buddy? Is your missus alright?"]

[Tetsuki: He called me Kengo's missus!]

I hear a loud thud of something hitting the concrete floor. I turn to look where Tetsuki has been standing to see that she has collapsed onto the floor out of sheer excitement.

The man looks at me in confusion.

[???: "Hey uh is she gonna be ok-?"]

[Kengo: "She would like a strawberry froyo and I'll have a chocolate one, thank you very much."]

After he makes the froyos, I give him the money and hold a cup in each hand. Strawberry in my left and chocolate in my right. I go to sit down at a table with two seats.

[Kengo: "Hey Tetsuki! You better hurry up and eat yours before it melts."]

Tetsuki immediately comes rushing over, sits down in the chair across from me, grabs a flimsy plastic spoon and starts to dig into her strawberry froyo.

[Tetsuki: "You know, it's about time you brought me on a date, it's been ages since we last went on one! It feels good to spend time with you Kengo."]

She shoots me a smile after saying sweet nonsense and continues scooping froyo into her mouth.

I let out a sigh as I began to ponder.

To be honest, I've never really liked Tetsuki. Don't get me wrong, I like her as a friend- but not as a romantic partner. I guess it's because I don't really have time for a girlfriend. After all, I am Japan's greatest mind. I scored an IQ of 190, a genius level intellect. 

My parents had their lives ripped from them in a horrific car crash when I was 5. I was in that car, the only survivor. After the accident I was registered as an orphan in the Japan database. The Void Hunter Society eventually took interest in me and picked me up to train me to become a world class Void Hunter. Now I work for them at the ripe age of 18.

[Tetsuki: "Are you going to eat your froyo or keep staring blankly at it hm?"]

My internal monologue is completely cut off, reverting me back to reality. Tetsuki looks pissed at me for not really saying much to her.

Oh shit.

[Kengo: "My bad my bad, I didn't mean to ignore you or anything, I was just spacing out."]

Tetsuki's angry eyes pierce me once again, sending uncomfortable shivers down my spine.

All those technological advancements attached to her… just the thought that she could blow me to smithereens scares me..

[Tetsuki: Oh how could I possibly be mad at him, to be honest I was kinda getting off on just watching him stare blankly at his froyo..]

[Tetsuki: "So hey, I meant to ask-"]

I lift my head up and look at her. We lock eyes and she quickly looks away to the left, her cheeks growing more and more red. 

[Tetsuki: "Don't look at me like that… It's.. weird..!"]

[Tetsuki: Oh god he is so hot. Those gorgeous eyes would make any girl drop dead. I am so lucky to be in his presence!]

[Kengo: "Are you alright, Tetsuki?"]

She turns her head back towards me, covering her face with her right arm in an attempt to hide her fairly obvious blush.

[Tetsuki: "I just wanted to know… Why did Yumi send us out here?!"]

Thinking I was gonna hear something interesting but never mind, I let out a disappointed sigh.

[Kengo: "Oh, that's what you wanted to ask."]

I spoon my froyo as I begin to recall how we got here.

I'm standing in a small room. It's a little too small for my liking. In the room with me is Miss Kurokawa (Yumi) and Doctor Sana.

We are all huddled around a guy who is laying down in the only bed in the room.

[Kengo: "So any idea as to who this guy is? You're the one who brought him in right, Miss Kurokawa?"]

Yumi, sitting on an office chair, swivels around and looks towards me before beginning to speak.

[Yumi: "Yes that is correct, Kengo. This is Shiro Tatsuya, he recently got into an altercation with a Euji, and he is in critical condition at the moment, a coma. We have reason to believe that Shiro is far stronger than the average Void Hunter. That is why I have brought Dr Sana to accompany me in finding out his readings."]

Stronger than the average Void Hunter, altercation with a Euji, a coma? This guy must be something else.

[Dr Sana: "Alright we are all ready to go. Miss Kurokawa, am I authorized to activate his Void energy?"]

Yumi turns back around on her office chair to face Shiro and Dr Sana. She has a fox-like smirk on her face, one I've seen many times before.

[Yumi: "You're good to go, Doctor."]

After receiving the green light from Yumi, Dr Sana begins to flip some switches, flicking through different screens and checking all readings.

After a few seconds pass, Shiro's body starts emitting an electric blue hue. His body glows brighter and brighter each second.

With all of this happening, Dr Sana starts freaking out, flicking through screens much faster and flipping switches at inhuman speeds. I hear the machines start blaring sirens that sound like danger is coming.

What the hell is going on?

I back up towards the door, ready to make my escape if necessary. I have no idea if this room is safe to stay in. However, as I inch closer to the door, I see that Miss Kurokawa still looks calm and composed, clearly not afraid of whatever is happening.

[Dr Sana: "This isn't right, why is this happening! I barely tapped into his Void energy, yet he is about to explode."]

Miss Kurokawa stands up and places her hand on Dr Sana's shoulder, looking at the screens and observing the readings.

[Yumi: "Pull the plug."]

Dr Sana obediently reaches down and pulls out the plug that powers all of her equipment, and Shiro's glow slowly fades away. A scrap of paper slides out from one of Dr Sana's machines and lands on the ground. She picks it up, her hands trembling in excitement.

[Dr Sana: "These readings! They are… incredible! This indicates that Shiro is capable of harnessing atomic energy around him, using it as a coat!"]

Miss Kurokawa, as she receives this information, shows an even more devious smirk than before.

[Yumi: "Perfect, make nine more copies of the readings and then bring them to my office ASAP. As for you Kengo, go meet with Tetsuki. I need some alone time to sort this all out."]

[Tetsuki: "Damn so we got a new Void Hunter? Nice! He sounds pretty strong too!"]

Pretty strong? Yeah, I guess you're right.

I feel my right pocket vibrate, I reach my hand down into it and pull out my phone. On the phone's display I see that Miss Kurokawa is calling me and I quickly answer the phone.

[Yumi: "Kengo, this is urgent. We need you and Tetsuki to head towards Tokyo Tower immediately. A Euji has appeared in the area."]

I shoot a concerned look at Tetsuki.

[Kengo: "We need to head over to Tokyo Tower, take your froyo with you."]

[Tetsuki: "Whatever, let's just get out of here"]

[Tetsuki: We never got to finish our date..! Dammit!]

I climb onto Tetsuki's back and hold on tightly while she crosses her left foot over her right. Her cybernetic leg shoots out a flame from below, making us hover above the ground.

[Tetsuki: "Miss Kurokawa better hope this was worth interrupting our date!"]