Episode 384: The Person I Want to See
Prime Minister’s Office, Tokyo, Chiyoda Ward.
Yuma and his two companions, having returned to Japan, were summoned by Prime Minister Takakura and had come to the Prime Minister’s Office.
Ishikawa had asked them to report what they had learned overseas to the government, which is why they had come this far, but there were familiar faces in the lobby of the Prime Minister’s Office.
“Akito!”
It was Tennoji Hayato, the leader of Japan’s strongest Seeker Clan, “Roar of the Raijuu,” who shouted in a loud voice.
Akito blinked in surprise.
“Oh, so you came too, big brother! Long time no see.”
Tennoji approached Akito, who spoke in a light tone, and slapped him on the shoulder with a bang.
“I’m glad you’re safe… You’ve gotten stronger, Akito.”
Akito nodded with a smug look, “Well, yeah,” to Tennoji, who chuckled. Watching the two of them with warm smiles were Taizen and Misaki Bluewell, members of “Roar of the Raijuu.”
The two approached Rui and gave him gentle expressions.
“Rui, you made it back. I was worried the whole time, but it seems my fears were unfounded.”
The large Taizen laughed heartily, “Hah hah hah.” When Rui humbly said, “No, it’s thanks to Yuma and Akito,” Misaki opened her mouth this time.
“You seem to have gotten stronger too. I feel tremendous Mana, as much as Tennoji-san’s younger brother.”
Taizen nodded greatly and grabbed Rui’s shoulders.
“You must have gone through some life-or-death situations. That Mana, it’s far stronger than ours now.”
“That’s…”
“It’s a good thing! It’s reassuring to have strong allies. Don’t worry about us, Rui.”
“Yes.”
Taizen and Misaki spoke kindly to Rui, but then turned their gaze to Yuma with slightly strained expressions. Tennoji, who had been talking to Akito, also looked at Yuma.
Taizen gave a wry smile and opened his mouth.
“Rui and Akito seem to have gotten considerably stronger… but he’s in a different league.”
“Yes, with Mana this strong, Seekers like us get nervous.”
Misaki made a troubled expression. Amidst all this, Tennoji started walking towards Yuma.
He stopped when he reached right in front of him and let out a small breath.
“You were able to defeat the 【Kings】 of each country, huh?”
“Yes, I defeated three 【Kings】 in India, England, and America.”
“Amazing. So… did you get the magic you were looking for?”
“Not yet.”
Tennoji only said, “I see,” and lowered his gaze. At that moment, a staff member who had come from the back of the Prime Minister’s Office called out.
“Sorry to keep you waiting. We’re ready, so please come this way.”
◇◇◇
Only Yuma, Rui, and Akito were led to the special reception room on the fourth floor.
Waiting for them were Prime Minister Takakura and Serizawa, who had become the Administrative Vice-Minister of the Cabinet Office. Yuma recalled that these two had gone to great lengths to help them travel around the world.
“I’m glad you came back. I’ve been waiting for your return.”
Takakura smiled broadly and reached out for a handshake. He shook hands with Yuma, then offered his hand to Rui and Akito in that order.
Once the greetings were over, he recommended them to “Please, have a seat.”
As Yuma and the others sat down on the sofas, Takakura and Serizawa sat down on the sofas prepared opposite them.
Takakura leaned forward slightly and began to speak.
“I’ve heard reports that you’ve defeated the Monsters called 【Kings】 in various countries, but is that true?”
Yuma and Akito were nervous and remained silent, so Rui answered instead.
“Yes, we defeated the Unique Monster 【Kings】 in India, England, and America. It was a difficult situation, but Yuma did it.”
Rui proudly looked at Yuma. Takakura exchanged glances with Serizawa and raised the corners of his mouth.
“I heard that the Mana Density in the air was decreasing. There were rumors that it might be the case… I’m glad it’s true. This will reduce the damage from Monsters.”
“What’s the situation now?”
It was Yuma who raised his voice. He hadn’t heard anything about the situation in Japan yet, so he asked about the current state of affairs.
Takakura let out a breath and looked into Yuma’s eyes.
“Even after you left on your journey, Monster attacks have continued. The most problematic were the Monsters from the ‘Red Dungeon’ in Ibaraki and the ‘White Dungeon’ in Hokkaido emerging on the surface. Seekers are dealing with that.”
“Is it alright? If there are Monsters from the White Dungeon, it’s gonna be pretty tough, right?”
Rui frowned at the rough way of speaking, but he thought the same thing as Akito.
“We’re managing somehow for now. Elceed and other major Seeker Clans are doing their best. They’ve become stronger than before.”
“Well, that’s reassuring. I kinda wanna spar with big brother.”
Ignoring Akito’s flippant remark, Yuma looked at Takakura with a stern expression.
“So, can we leave now? There’s someone I want to see…”
At Yuma’s words, Takakura nodded deeply.
“Ah, of course. I think we’ll need you to report on the situation overseas again. But there’s no rush. You should go see the person you want to see now.”
Yuma nodded curtly and stood up.
He parted ways with Rui and Akito for the time being and got into the Limousine prepared by the Prime Minister’s Office. The destination he told the driver was a deserted factory in Ota Ward, Tokyo. Aisha’s Laboratory.
◇◇◇
Yuma jumped out of the Limousine and entered the dilapidated factory made of corrugated iron.
He proceeded through the dimly lit room and ran up the creaking stairs. He opened the door to the room where Aisha always was and entered.
Then, Aisha, wearing a lab coat, was sitting with her back to him.
“Aisha-san!”
At Yuma’s call, Aisha slowly turned around and placed the finished coffee cup on the saucer.
“Oh, Yuma-kun. It’s been a while… How have you been?”
Aisha, whose dark circles under her eyes were as bad as ever, still smiled brightly and warmly welcomed Yuma.