Book 1: Chapter 1.2

Book 1: Chapter 1.2

Parking his car on the side of Methuselah street, Matoba pulled out his phone. However, he did not press any buttons. He silently gazed into the screen of the phone, his mind wavering with uncertainty.

He couldnt get himself to make the call. He didnt know what he was supposed to say to a woman that was going to become a widow.

Matoba had stalled for almost three minutes already when a stranger gently knocked on his drivers seat window. Outside, three young men stood, peering into the car.

They were Semanians.

Rolling down the window, Matoba looked up at the three young Semanians with weary eyes.

Mister. Ill clean your car for you, one of them said.

Is that so? No thank you, I think Im fine. Now please go away, Im busy.

Come on, dont be like that. Here, Ill give you some extra service.

The man spit on the car window and wiped it off with the dirty rag in his hands. Matoba wondered who on earth had taught them to put on such a filthy display of contempt.

Thatll be three hundred dollars. Youve got the money, havent you? Now hand it over right now, or else your precious car is going to be damaged.

Hey, cut it out.

Their fake smiles had already faded away, leaving behind fierce, hateful expressions. They viciously attacked the car, striking the hood and kicking the tires.

Come on, get the hell out of your car! You tryna get killed!?

You filthy Earthling, hurry the fuck up!

Its just three hundred, you know?

Matoba sat in his car, silently wondering if he should pull the badge out of his pocket, the pistol out of his holster, or the shotgun out from underneath his seat.

Though he hesitated for a moment, he decided not to go with any of these options. In these kinds of situations, he often found it best to just get some quick exercise in. Pretending to follow along with their orders, Matoba climbed out of his car and raised his hands above his head.

I get it, I get it. Just calm down, please.

Hurry up.

Im getting it right now. Uhh, where did I put it Oh, here it is!

He grabbed a handful of quarters out of his pocket and scattered them across the ground. For a moment, the men stood confused, glancing back and forth between Matoba and the coins, not quite sure what to think.

Now pick them up. You should be thankful.

Their eyes filled with an intense rage. Swearing profusely, the man closest to Matoba lunged at him.

Here they come.

Swatting away the arm that reached out for him, Matoba slammed the heel of his palm into the mans chin. He staggered back, stunned by the attack. Pulling the mans body back toward himself, Matoba dug his knee deep into the pit of the mans stomach. He crumpled to the ground, yelling in agony. Matoba immediately swung around to face his second opponent, who had run up behind him. He was significantly larger than Matoba. Two fists flew at him. One on the left, one on the right. Effortlessly blocking the two blows, Matoba let out a swift, powerful low kick. A satisfyingly sharp sound rang out in the air as the man nearly collapsed. Finally, Matoba threw out a boxers one-two punch and finished it all off with a devastating roundhouse kick. The back of his coat spread gracefully into an arc as the man was left sprawling on the ground.

He turned around to catch his last opponent attempting to sneak up on him. The man was stopped dead in his tracks.

Whats wrong? Come over here.

Matoba gestured to him to approach. The man hesitated, shaking his head.

Youre not going to?

Uhuhh.

Even among the weak earthlings, there are plenty of men that you wouldnt want to pick a fight with. If you have so much time to waste pretending to be a thug, use that time wisely and go to school. You hear me?

Ye-, yes.

Thatll be yes sir. Show some respect to your elders.

Yessir

As he contemplated the decision, his phone started to ring. Inspector Roth was calling.

He picked up the call.

Im calling to talk to you about your plans tommorow. Theres been a change in schedule. Report to the Coast Guard Base at eight o clock. Board the ship Golden Heart. It should be anchored to dock three.

What?

What kind of business did the city police have in the Coast Guards ships?

Are you familiar with the knights of the Farbarni Kingdom?

A little.

The Farbarni Kingdom was one of the largest kingdoms of the Semani world, with a long, rich history. The main language of the entire Semani world was Farbarnian, so they were clearly very important. Their role in the Semani world was similar to that of Great Britain on Earth.

In their world, there were no such things as police or even regular armies. The closest thing they had to these entities was the Knights of Mirvor, a band of knights tasked with the protection of both the kingdom and its people.

A certain noble from the Knights of Mirvor is to be dispatched to this city, one that comes from the great Exedilika family. We will have to give them a warm welcome. So I am asking you to meet with them and escort them to our headquarters.

Escorting a noble? Me?

His ears must have been deceiving him.

Are you kidding me? Im a police officer, not a diplomat. I never signed up to be an escort for some high-status alien.

We dont have any other people for the job. Also, youre the only one available that can speak Farbarnian.

Im not about to spend my entire day following around some sight-seeing nobleman geezer. Please, wont you just let me hunt down the man that killed Rick?

That can wait. Bring them to headquarters. This is an order.

Damn it

Whatever you do, dont screw this up.

The call was cut off.

Cursing his bad luck, Matoba threw his phone onto the table. In the midst of his cursing, he broke into a coughing fit. His throat was dry and full of phlegm. His lungs let out a faint wheezing sound with every breath that he took.

He couldnt breathe. It was a symptom of his asthma.

Only a minute had passed since he took off his mask. Putting it back on, Matoba finished his dinner with sullen eyes and glared enviously at the satisfied-looking cat.

Things must be easy for you, huh.

The cat let out a long, carefree meow.

Matoba headed toward the back of the living room, toward his bedroom. The room was isolated from the rest of the warehouse, so he could safely take off his mask. Seconds after he opened the door, the cat trudged into the room.

No.

Matoba picked up the cat and tossed her onto the living room sofa. Landing on the pile of cushions, the cat let out a bizarre sound.

How many times do I have to tell you? I cant share my bed with you.

Pointing his finger at the dejected-looking cat, Matoba slammed the door shut. He flipped the switch on the vacuum cleaner on the wall, sucking up the dust that had built up around the door frame. He used a wet wipe to wipe the germs from the cat off of his hands for good measure.

That should be enough.

Not even bothering to take his shoes off, Matoba collapsed into bed with only his mask and tie removed.

His thoughts wandered. His boss must be consoling Amy right now as she mourned over Rick, whose body must still have some heat left within it as it lay in the morgue. And the unidentified Semanian murderer must still be somewhere out there in the city, grinning with satisfaction.

But even then, Kei Matoba fell sound asleep.

Fortunately, he was so exhausted that he couldnt even dream.