It was morning that day. Not a good one for me, obviously. But for everyone else? Pretty much fine.
Mr. Watanabe sat in his office doing the usual stuff. Studying projects, looking through program expenses, probably cleaning up other people's mistakes. It was near ten o'clock, so he was definitely expecting someone.
Two knocks came from the door.
He inhaled. "Come in."
The door opened. Saitou entered without a word.
"Oh, Saitou. Is there anything you need?"
"Yes."
"What is it?"
"An explanation."
A short pause followed.
"Can you explain what happened to Naoki yesterday, sir?"
Mr. Watanabe sighed again.
"Saitou, you've been part of this project long enough to know the rules. And that includes 'No filming of operations and showing them to the public.' And Naoki did exactly that."
"But sir—"
"And I assume he told you himself that he laid his badge..." He pointed at his desk. "...on this very table."
"And then, you decided to send the message that says, 'Be at my office tomorrow, 10 PM sharp,' am I right?"
"Is he expecting an apology from me?"
"Of course, he is."
"But do you think he would come?"
"I suggest going there yourself, sir."
"Alright."
Saitou nodded and turned to leave.
"Saitou..."
He stopped and looked back.
"Did Hiro have a change of mind?" Mr. Watanabe asked.
Saitou smirked.
"You know the answer to that."
"I hope you're enjoying your retirement, then."
"Not really."
Then Saitou walked out of the room.
"Hey, shorty!"
Yuta knocked twice on my door.
"I'm coming in."
He opened the door and sat beside me.
"Hey, knock it off. You're not gonna work there anymore anyway."
"But—"
"No buts! That's pointless."
I nodded quietly.
"Anyway, I got you some ice cream. It's a bit fancy. Now eat before it melts."
"I don't want ice cream."
Yuta exhaled and placed the tub aside with the spoon still inside.
"Listen here. I know problems were never really a thing to you. But overcoming them?" He shrugged. "That's a piece of cake. At least for you."
"Really?"
"Well... I don't know. That's why I said at least."
...
"And! Your favorite actor is coming to town! You better get an autograph."
I finally smiled a little.
"Thanks, dude."
Yuta immediately looked away.
"Don't say that. It's embarrassing. Just eat your ice cream."
"Alright."
I took a bite from the tub.
"About the dirt bike..."
"Don't worry about it. Besides, I've always wanted to buy the latest model anyway. So technically, you did me a favor."
I nodded again.
"Listen, you can crash my bike anytime. Just don't crash your feelings. You got that?"
"Yeah."
Two knocks suddenly came from the door.
Mom's voice echoed upstairs.
"Son, you have a visitor!"
"Yes, Mom!"
I walked downstairs clutching the ice cream tub against my chest.
Then I overheard the conversation.
"Why? Please, why? Why?"
"..."
"My son's already out of it."
"Then why are you bringing him back? He's in trouble."
"Right, there's trouble. Any other excuses?"
"I think he ran out."
I interrupted as I entered the room.
"I already laid my badge on your very table, sir."
Mr. Watanabe looked at me calmly.
"But we need you."
"Why me? Why not... Yuta?"
"Ehhh. You hit the guy pretty badly. So no."
"Let me guess. Good news and bad news?"
"Which one?" He asked.
"You know what? I'm on a good mood today. So, good news."
Mr. Watanabe opened his tablet and showed us a video.
The video started as the usual news broadcast intro. But not the usual, serious one. More like a celebrity announcing something else.
"Breaking news! Probably the mooost amazing one yet!
Just tonight! A sitcom TV show named 'The Naoki Show' just gained five hundred thousand views on television and almost nine hundred thousand views on the internet on its first premier!
As a TV star myself, I am... so happy that television shows would still be alive all these years!
Mr. Naoki Toriyama! The spotlight... IS YOURS!"
The broadcast ended.
"Really? My tongue out with a peace sign?"
"Not really a problem." Yuta said.
"That is... a problem.
How about that superhero pose?"
"Again, not a problem."
"Or that dirt bike wheelie?"
Yuta sighed. "For the third time. Not a problem!"
Mr. Watanabe cleared his throat.
"Alright, fine. Bad news?"
The camera footage suddenly went static.
Then a figure appeared.
A human-like creature wearing a black robe sat on a tall chair with a high backrest. Its face was mostly hidden in darkness, except for two glowing white eyes shining through the veil. Armed soldiers stood on both sides of the chair without moving.
The creature finally spoke.
"Greetings, fellow humans.
We, civilized people, stand before you today to announce something very crucial.
First of all, we have sudden business to attend to within your timeline. What is this business, you might ask?
We do not intend to harm you, as long as you give your full participation. And that participation is simple: remain calm and silent.
If not, we will not hesitate to use our forces to silence those who stand in the way."
The creature leaned back slightly.
"And lastly, after our business is complete, we will leave immediately. Mark our words."
A short pause followed.
"But before you take this... romantic notion. Please follow our second statement properly.
We all love our lives, don't we?"
The creature inhaled slowly.
"Thank you for your time."
The video ended.