One Hundred And Sixty-Nine

One Hundred And Sixty-Nine

Tsumura-san continued. “This is my son, Minoru. He’s my vice-minister. Very well, now that introductions are done, down to business.”

“And who is the female?” Shaeula suddenly asked, and Tsumura-san waved off the question. “She is my secretary. Pay her no mind. She’s trustworthy and will not leak any information revealed here.”

Shaeula didn’t look too pleased at that, but she maintained her silence, only giving me a quick glance to ascertain my opinion. Well, I guess he’d know. Still...

“So, I was wondering when my lawyer is getting here?” I asked, and Tsumura-san gave a little smile, though there was scant humour in it.

“He won’t be coming. After all, this is not a criminal matter, but a matter of national security and international politics. Having the police and media involved is of little benefit to us.” he then spoke to his secretary. “Once we are done here, make a call to the media and explain the attack was a yakuza retaliation, and all the perpetrators are in custody, with no innocent civilian casualties.”

“Of course, Tsumura-sama.” She bowed deeply.

“Well, in that case, we are free to go then?” I interjected, getting another, slightly more irritated smile in response.

“Of course you may leave. However...” Tsumura-san was serious, and beside him his son Minoru-san frowned as if to tell me to listen carefully. “... in all seriousness, there is no benefit to walking away now. For either of us. Let me be clear. We have an idea of the situation you find yourself in. We are hardly as ignorant of these strange new gifts...” the word was said with a mix of irritation and wonder. “... as you would think. And neither are our allies.”

Yeah, the US has been our friend and ally ever since the war. It’s a huge deal them having hidden agents and committing effectively what are terrorist acts on our soil...

“You have appeared on their radar, and they found you valuable enough to risk this... catastrophe.” He continued, his piercing gaze pressuring me, but I steeled myself and met it unblinking, trying to keep as much of the initiative as I could.

“Quite frankly, the situation has many demerits, but since you managed to escape unscathed, or largely so...” he observed my state under the flight jacket I was wearing. “... it gives us an opportunity. Now, let me be serious.” He leaned forwards, intense. “I have an obligation to my nation. It is twofold, though they do not conflict. As a great noble house, the Tsumura have been instrumental in military affairs since the Edo period. We survived the Great War because we had to, lest all the finest traditions of Japan be lost forever. So we nobles, along with the shrines, temples and the Imperial Family, have a duty to uphold this. I will not bore you with the details, as Fujiwara-san will likely discuss this with you on Saturday, but just know that we exist to safeguard the best of Japan and its legacy. In addition to the burden of nobility, I also carry the pride of the military, and my duty is to prevent foreign enemies and internal agitators from causing chaos in this land. So as you can see...” his humourless smile was back. “... these events are clearly under my purview.”

“You should stop pressuring them, father.” Minoru-san advised. “When you are lecturing, it can get intense... huh?” he trailed off, realising Shaeula was only giving his father half her attention, the other half focussed on her juice and a tray of snacks, while I was holding firm, my Resilience keeping my mind clear. I see, so we were supposed to be intimidated. The situation is pretty imposing for a normal guy like me, I guess. Still, knowing I’m not going to be facing criminal charges and that they clearly need something from us, I have a fair few good cards to play in negotiating my way through this mess. Besides, he’s an important man for sure, but is Tsumura-san any more amazing than Shaeraggo, or hell, even Shaeula herself? I move in exalted circles now, surprisingly enough...

“I get the point.” I said, cutting to the chase, just wanting to get back to the shrine and put my thoughts in order about the events that had just taken place. “So, why don’t we be clear with each other? What are you looking for from me, from us?” And what can you offer us in return? I didn’t say it out loud, but a shrewd politician from a powerful family would clearly read the unspoken implication.

“Let me be clear. Fujiwara-san and the other two Great noble houses have been looking into the matter of these strange abilities ever since our connections in the shrines and temples started making note of them. To be clear, mystical, otherworldly powers are nothing new in countries as old as ours. Though newer countries such as the United States or those that have allowed their religions to wipe away the old order have likely completely excised, or at the least driven deep underground, their own practitioners. Still...” he allowed. “... such powers have always been feeble, mere tricks and trifles. Barely worth the effort to catalogue or research. We thought this new surge of the unknown was merely following that course, perhaps a small evolution. But...” he was looking directly at me, brooking no denial. “...that is not the case. The shrines, through an old friend, told us that there were now those awakened that had real, tangible powers that defied belief. And on seeing you, I know that to be true.”

Shaeula yawned beside me. “This is all-all very well, but my Akio is the victim here. He may be strong, but he is not-not some monster. He needs his rest. Please tell us what you wish, and what you shall offer us in-in return, so that we may take to our beds.”

Cutting to the chase as always I see. The secretary paled, aghast, while Minoru-san looked away. For a moment Tsumura-san was frozen, before he suddenly laughed, breaking the tension. “My apologies, girl. No, Dannan-san was it not? This old man has a habit of over-explaining. It’s a military thing.”

“Call me Shaeula. I do not-not hold to these honorifics. Very well, ask us your needs.”

“Fine then. I’ll let Fujiwara-san explain what the nobles seek from you. As for me, I’m a military man, so let me be blunt. You are deemed valuable enough for the Americans to activate a hidden cell of agents to capture you and even bring in mercenaries onto our soil, staging a pitched battle in Tokyo. And I need to know why. Knowledge is what we lack, even our old friend Takakura-san is not fully versed in the details of the new paradigm we face. Without knowledge, an army is useless.”

That’s true. It doesn’t matter how strong you are, if you don’t know about abilities like Haru-san’s light, even the powerful can be taken down with ease...

At my understanding nod, he continued. “We have two confirmed gifted, to coin a phrase, in the JSDF. In a compliment of some two hundred and fifty thousand that seems rather feeble. Of course there may be more hiding their gifts, and I cannot say I blame them, as originally they were treated as though they had broken under the stress of the army. Now we know that isn’t the case, and they’ve been reassigned so we can explore their powers. They are however... not particularly impressive.”

Makes sense. Even with the Astral Emperor-candidates I’ve come across, there’s been a big variation in their skills and abilities.

“Fine. I’ve no reason to refuse since I’m getting benefits. I do appreciate mutual wins, but I don’t take well to being cheated.” I warned.

“Rest assured, both I and Fujiwara-san are only interested in protecting Japan and its heritage. Work with us and perhaps a new noble house can be born, the Oshiro house. We’ve been trying to bring in fresh blood that understands the importance of the old traditions.”

Now that’s tempting. But not enough for me to risk it all. After all, the average Japanese person only thinks of the nobility as some old, very rich houses owning tons of land and businesses. Though they seem to have much more influence than I thought...

Shaeula snorted again, obviously less impressed, as she was a noble herself, but I merely smiled back non-commitally. And with that, we were taken to a gymnasium, where Shaeula and I ran through a series of lifting, punching, sprinting, cognitive and puzzle tests. As the secretary was recording the results her face was becoming more and more strained, as numbers that exceeded the possible were continuously racked up.

“Well, I can see how you crushed those agents.” Minoru-san observed, as he had returned with a dozen guns ranging from pistols through shotguns and sniper rifles. There was even a cycling grenade launcher, which was a sight to see. “That punch force can shatter bone easily enough. Hell, it can punch through metal.”

“I don’t understand why you seem so much stronger than the other two.” The secretary spoke up for the first time. “It’s like children versus adults. Even the girl makes them look like trash...”

Like trash? Ouch. I wisely decided not to comment on that, as Minoru-san started walking me through the disassembly process of the various guns. He looked pleased at my surprise, and told me that he was a soldier too, and had served before working with his father.

“Even so...” Tsumura-san stroked his chin, deep in thought. “It can’t just be your strength that motivated the Americans. The two dead agents... their deaths were unusual.”

All right. so long as I keep the Boundary under wraps for now, I can let slip a bit more. There were targets for shooting set up in one corner of the gymnasium, as well as targets for archery. On seeing the bows I let slip a little grin, and Tsumura-san didn’t miss that. “Are you a practising archer?” he asked, and I shook my head.

“No, but my sister does traditional archery, she really loves it. It just made me think of her.”

“Such arts are ones we wish to preserve against the changing times. Swordcraft and Spearcraft too. Our family has long passed down some traditional arts, yet fewer and fewer of our sons and daughters take it up.” He looked at his son, who shrugged. “The rise of firearms killed it off, alas. But there is still value in preserving it, even if some troublesome children take it too far.”

“Well, I’m studying the spear and sword myself.” I admitted.

“You are? Fascinating. Anyway, my question stands...”

“Shaeula?” I asked her, interrupting her as she was solving complicated block puzzles. Lifting one small hand she channelled wind, and the target at the end of the room was split into pieces, leaving everyone stunned.

“I’d do the same with fire, but I don’t want to set off the smoke alarms.” I grinned, though the real reason was I was largely tapped out after the battle.

“Was that... some sort of telekinesis?” the secretary asked, stunned.

“Hardly. It was the elemental wind.” Shaeula disagreed. “Though I shall not-not speak of it, unless Akio allows.”

“I think you can see it isn’t just strength that a gifted can have.” I declared, still working on the guns, sliding parts together for the sniper rifle. “As for any more information... I think I want to hear what Fujiwara-san has to say before I make any decisions.”

Tsumura-san nodded, still looking at the split target, and the faint gashes in the wall behind. “That is reasonable. Still, you have answered my concerns. As an assassin, the two of you would be without price. Able to kill from a distance yet completely unarmed...” he swallowed, perhaps imagining what would happen if we turned the wind on him. “I shall be at the gathering on Saturday, so we can talk more then.” he turned to his secretary and asked her to make arrangements for us to be transported home.

I spent some time finishing up with the guns, and then we were shown out back to an expensive military car, ready to whisk us to Shirohebizumi shrine. Before we left, Tsumura-san exchanged some final words. “You are wise to keep information on your abilities secret. The nobility and shrines here have made the same decision, and the Diet likewise, those that know. Other countries will be doing the same. But cracks... cracks are already starting to show in the secrecy. You should make allies, before it’s too late. The US won’t be the last that comes after you. Remember that.”

Yeah, don’t I know it. Enemies here and in the Boundary. The only way to be safe is to be so strong and well-connected nobody can threaten us. Perhaps this was a good step towards that goal. Now I’m looking forwards to Saturday... but shit, my suit is ruined. I’ll need to get a new one...