Date: September 11
Place: Kyoto Headquarters
[Noel]
As we were about to enter, we were exchanging jokes and funny stories. Our laughing got hushed by Cedrick who was chilling on the sofa with an asleep girl borrowing his thighs as her pillow.
"What happened here?" Kikoe started fanning the cloudy air with his hands.
"Did someone break in again?" I hurriedly put down the tray I was holding and took an alert stance as Kikoe followed my steps, confused.
"Calm down, it's nothing too serious," Cedrick inspected Rei's state before whispering. "But we found a huge lead about the guy," his palm almost hiding his mouth.
"What?!" I aggressively whispered while Kikoe said in a curious tone. "Why are the major missions keep pouring in," I sat down, still whispering while glancing at the sleeping girl occasionally. "When are we going to pursue the guy?"
Kikoe started munching on the side dishes quietly while his attention was split between Cedrick and me. "Sadly, she only wants to do it quietly," he sighed before continuing. "That's why she only tasked me to do it with her," he gave a wide grin as if he won the lottery.
"I can finally have the chance to hog Rei all by myself!" a whisper suddenly emerged. "Just the two of us! At night! I'm gonna have soooo much fun!" it continued.
Cedrick's grin suddenly became a speechless and flustered mess as if his inner monologue had been shamelessly exposed. I shook my head when he dejectedly glared at me, which left us to turn our heads to the guy who was beside me.
"A what with me now?" Rei suddenly commented getting Cedrick to sit up straight and fidgeted. She started sitting up, never minding our presence in this room. "What happened?" her eyes almost glued shut as she stretched and yawned.
"Hehe," was Kikoe's only comment with his fingers cutting the air with his peace sign.
Everyone just started to stuff their mouths with anything they could grab. Nobody dared to break the silence. Eyes scattered everywhere as we kept filling our mouths.
Kikoe only ate, grinning from ear to ear as he ground his food nonstop. I left nothing on my plate and as I glanced in the other's direction, Cedrick barely gulped his as his glances often fell on Rei who carried zero interest in her surroundings.
We planned to discuss the current task while eating. But only at the last drop of the drink did Rei begin to speak.
"First of all," she began. "I would like to formally apologize," her focus was solely on Kikoe who almost choked by the suddenness of her standing and doing a full ninety-degree bow. "One, for delaying your sister's search," Cedrick's eyes widen at the revelation.
His gaze focused on me, eyebrows went up as high as they could get. His shocked face wanted validation that he wasn't the last one to know. I only nodded as an answer.
"And for giving you the order to accompany us in this task," she kept her stance until Kikoe panicked. She gave him a signal to ease because of his awkward body language.
"Besides, it's not like I'll be standing at the front lines," he let out a few forced giggles. "I'll be supporting you guys back here anyway," he blurted out.
The room was again engulfed with silence, everyone staring at him.
"Accompany...order..." he slowly repeated her words. "You don't mean..." looking straight at her as she slowly nodded. "Oh," the strength in his legs became non-existence as he collapsed onto his seat.
Accepting his defeat, he munched on some extra food.
"In this task, we need to raid a mall where an untouched pharmacy that contains stockpiles of different medicines are at," she opened the file and continued reading the important ones aloud.
"There are a few reports or signs of human activities through the surveillance cameras that they were able to hack," she continued, holding some of the printouts and explaining all the details that need to be said.
[Cedrick]
Kikoe nodded and paid much attention to every word that came out of her mouth, someone from the Support Division could perfectly comprehend it. But often raises his hand to ask questions willingly.
We only need to do three things; raid the pharmacy branch, rescue any survivors, and research a controversial matter that was about the 'hunters' if we happen to run into them.
[Kikoe]
"That's it for the meeting," she cleaned the table and gathered all the materials neatly to tuck away in one of her shelves. "Let's get moving," she started walking towards the door where Noel and Cedrick were already opening it for her.
"Wait," as I try and examine myself from my shoulder to my shoes. "Do I go just like this?" she just smiled as the other two raised an eyebrow.
"Right," her fingers running through her bangs. "Cedrick, give him some earpiece."
"Can I also give him some of the sample gadgets?" his tone excited as he asked for permission.
She gave him a thumbs-up before stepping out the door with Noel. "Follow right behind us after you finish, and don't take too long," the door closed after that last order.
"Sample gadgets?" I question, turning at him who greeted me with a black suitcase and a wide grin.
He puts it on the table and slowly clicks open the two locks. We both gasped at the six shiny and fresh-looking technologies.
"This is sooo sick," he giggled like a child as he picked up the glasses and peaked into its lenses by squinting his eyes. "This is for you," he reached for my hand and placed it on my palm.
He patiently waited until I put it on.
"Apparently, it has several controls," he checked both sides of it while I had it on, and I felt him pushing some kind of button on the temple tips part.
Then the magic activated and I was left in awe.
"Woah," I gasped as my mouth opened. "It has night vision and scans the area for objects," I spin slowly to observe my surroundings. "I can see people through these walls, walking," I then returned my focus to Cedrick who presented me with another gadget.
"Now this one is supposed to have a holographic laptop," he put on a watch on my wrist. "Along with the older version of this," he showed his watch that was limited for people along his ranks and occupation, it was quite popular among people in the support division where we were sheltered safely resulting in not needing those.
"I get to try the new one?" I instinctively asked as it felt surreal.
"Not for free of course," he opens his watch to look at a hologram containing some kind of list. "You have to write proper feedback in exchange," he explained and continued reading.
"Oh," I unconsciously say as my eyes can't focus on anything else than his holographic screen.
[Cedrick]
"I'll send you the manuals so read it thoroughly—" I paused when I saw how amazed he was. "You have it on too you know," sending all the necessary information in his watch. "Here," I helped him find the button when he was only looking at it, trying to figure out how to operate it.
He soon was fixated on the floating letters, I exhaled and returned my focus to the other four gadgets.
A transmitter earpiece that can withstand the distance even if you're across any country.
A ring that works like a teleportation crystal with three usages.
And two sets of...
"I have one more for you," his ears perked up as I turned to him holding a pair of black ear studs. "Do you have any piercings?" I suddenly asked about the possibility of him not having one.
"I had one," he confesses.
"Had?" I repeated.
"I'm not sure if it'll go through," his eyes squinted in uncertainty as I handed it to him.
He went ahead and tried putting it on his left lobe. "It's completely healed," he says dejectedly, shoulders dropping. But immediately putting it on the right one, his chest puffed as his posture straightened.
"How is it?"I nervously ask.
"It went in!" His joyful remark made me smile as well. He was playfully touching it as I noticed his quite long and unkept hair was in the way. "It's supposed to be a camera to help us get evidence or just simply record our missions," my hands found my head as I scratched it, thinking. "Your hair is kind of on the way," I addressed.
He flinched, "I can cut it," he hesitantly gave an option as I walked towards Rei's drawers to find anything to tie it with.
"We're kind of out of time so tie it for now," I tossed him the spare hair tie.
There are three more of the studs, I put it in my pocket as the case was too big to carry.
"I'll hand these out to the others as well," I walked straight to the door and held it open as I turned to him. "We need to hurry now," my jaws dropped as soon as I saw how he tied his hair.
A few gasps of air turned into uncontrollable laughter.
His head looked like a loaf of bread bag when his bangs were tightly tied which caused it to stick up stiffly. I tried to hide my burst of laughter behind my palms. "You might want to change that, just tie the hair above your ears together at the back, and you can leave your bangs free," I suggested and he immediately did as he was told.