Phase 1 | Kiryuu Epilogue
Kiryuu had waited. He could have dropped out immediately after his release, wasted no time in escaping the rigorous surveillance provided by the government. But preparation took time. Planning, building, and developing all took long enough to justify Kiryuu simply finishing school.
The diploma served as nothing more than a wall decoration now. It was amusing to have been presented a document ascertaining that an online persona had graduated Hope’s Peak Academy.
Takumi Oshiro had technically already graduated all mandatory levels of school. Hope's Peak was meant to serve as a substitute for university, one that would give him ample time to manage his family’s company and pursue useful knowledge. Instead, it was a hotspot for environmental fanatics and other murderous characters. They had stolen precious time, his memories, what little freedom the government allowed, and his rival.
As Aite slowly turned to dust 6 feet underground, Takumi’s hatred grew. In part towards the already deceased murderers whose funerals he hadn’t deigned to attend, but more so towards the government and it’s incapable leader who had let a hateful toad and an empty-headed penguin override a government operation. As far as Takumi was concerned, Kiryuu died with Aite, and so both faded from online notoriety without explanation.
To infiltrate the government and gain secret influence from afar became Takumi’s goal. A side project, to fill the time he used to spend debating with Sorano.
Under his supervision, the Oshiro household became a fortress of security on both a physical and online level. A small army of trusted and deadly armed-guards were dispersed about the manor, while each member of the Oshiro family was followed by at least two guards at all times.
No one was allowed in or out of the confines of the Oshiro manor without a full body search, metal, explosive, and chemical screening and the confiscation of all electronic devices.
A multi-level underground base now lay beneath the Oshiro manor. Takumi’s sister ‘joked’ that he was recreating the scene of his trauma. Perhaps she was right. But at least he wasn’t going to install on-demand natural disasters beneath their house. There was a block of holding cells though, just in case.
Deep below 110,000 square metres of Chiyoda, Tokyo real estate covered by well-kept turf, gardens, ponds, a huge manor, and meticulously paved roads, a door was unceremoniously opened.
“Ta- Kumiiiiii! Why are you still standing here? Kazuo says the jet’s ready and Keiko’s already strapped in!” The click of heels against dark mahogany floorboards echoed about the two-storey library/office.
At the sound of the voice, an older Takumi wearing a tailored dark-byzantium designer suit quickly flicked away the window he’d been scrolling through with a wave of his ring-covered hand.
“Sending” he cleared his throat, “instructions to the foreign board members for our arrival.”
Then, two black-lace gloved hands landed firmly on Takumi’s shoulders, “Nice try, you did that last night,”. The harasser was strikingly similar in appearance to Takumi, with dark purple eyes, and a heart-shaped face with defined features, though the girl was slightly taller and sported carefully-styled long platinum blonde hair. Takumi’s twin sister waved her hand and reopened the tab: a real estate website showcasing an abandoned two-storey building on the outskirts of town, with vines twisting up the off-white walls. It was the perfect location for a cafe.
Yuzuki paused. “We could buy it now? Send someone out to negotiate.. start renovating.. it’ll be ready by the time the plan has been executed.” Her tone was soft but hopeful, apologetic almost, for circumstances she had no hand in creating. “We’ll have something concrete, not just a vague idea,”
Takumi shook his head slowly, “It would become a liability, sitting there for so many years without use,” he inhaled, “Perhaps dreams are best left as they are; mental safe havens unscathed by the natural disorder of the world.”
Yuzuki hugged his back. “Don’t lose yourself to melodrama Takumi. Surveillance is a minor setback, a couple years tacked on to the master plan at worst.”
Takumi rested his hand on hers, attempting to give some comfort to her doubtlessly worried mind. “Our dreams can wait a moment longer Yuzuki, there’s a great deal to be done.” With a few waves of his hand he pulled up the profiles of 7 individuals. Each was around high school age with listed talents and skills. “For now, we must focus,”
“Some of them will be won over quite easily. Their sentiments towards the current government or those like it are evident, even if they use aliases. Hope’s Peak have expressed interest in some of them already, and if not, they will eventually, with or without our help.
“Beware of that one because she might try to recruit me, and don’t offer to be a test subject for them,” Yuzuki smushed Takumi’s cheeks from behind, “Pieces of cake, all of them! Leave the charming to your big sister.”
“Ah yesh because being one minute my seniow will help you win the heawts of potentially dangerous individuals,”
“Soon to be allies you mean.”
Takumi lifted her hands from his face and turned towards her. “Give me your word that you will be careful,”
“I always am, when have I ever not been careful?”
“Yesterday when you tried to toast bread with a blowto-,”
Takumi looked down at her hands, feeling the absence of a certain piece of jewellery. “And you’ve forgotten your anti-surveillance ring. I’ll have you know I endured a killing game for those things,”
Yuzuki gave a sheepish laugh, “It’s probably in my bedroom.. must’ve taken it off before I put my gloves on,”
Takumi held his hand up and a moment later a guard appeared by his side, “Have Akane locate and deliver Yuzuki’s ring to the runway,”
As the guard stepped backwards to execute their task, Takumi turned back to his desk. “In the meantime, I have our second round of prototypes here. They’re far from perfect and only work on normal photography, but they’re much prettier,” Takumi lifted a black velvety box from his desk and plucked one of 10 rings tucked within. “Don’t forget this one,”
Yuzuki made a show of rolling her eyes as she slipped the band onto her index finger, “Thank you Kumiiiiii,”
Then she clapped her hands together and smiled, “Come on, you can debrief everyone on how to handle slash approach your special 7 again on the way. We can’t leave Keiko to endure Kazuo’s disastrous small-talk for too long now can we?”
A second set of heeled shoes joined in creating echoing clicks about the room as they left. Four silent guards emerged from their shadowy lookouts and settled in a square formation around the two, escorting them to their private jet, waiting pilot of a brother, and an uncertain future.
