Chapter 186

Takehara Aoto was an old man with sensibilities that came from a lifetime of experience. He found the aging population in other nations to be strange. While they grew more set in their ways and rigid in their thinking, he found less meaning in ideology. There were few positions he considered to be hills that he would willingly die on. Not out of a sense of cowardice but instead a sense of practicality and openness. If he was wrong about something, he was wrong. It was not difficult to pivot when one takes every defeat as a lesson learned.

Even so, there was a difference between his personal way of thinking and his duty. Duty was absolute, paramount, and unbending. His duty was to the health and safety of every citizen in the sovereign nation of Japan. He wondered sometimes if perhaps it was because of his open mindedness or in spite of it that he had been chosen for his position as the national representative for the Pandora Committee. This was one of those times.

In the eyes of the politicians and leaders of his homeland, Sapporo represented the opportunity to stand above the other nations of the world. While there were titans on the rise in other nations, Sapporo stood apart. He was a wall against intrusion and his patriotism was not to be questioned. Yet his respect for his peers among the international heroes and disinterest in turning himself into a symbol had put him at odds with those who saw to use him for their own agenda. At his heart, Takehara deeply respected Sapporo. As a representative of his nation and the Pandora Committee, he found the man to be tiresome.

“The juvenile American is certainly not helping the situation,” one of the others murmured, “His obnoxious personality is unbecoming of Lord Sapporo and is beginning to affect his judgement.”

“I would remind you, minister,” Takehara said evenly, “That man you are speaking of is a member of the very guild who’s creator we are welcoming in just a few minutes, a veteran of the Battle of Vegas, and a scout-type hero with very good hearing.”

The minister paled a little, leaning back and shutting his mouth.

“Wise choice, minister,” Takehara said, “Now is not the time to be pushing Sapporo towards an agenda. We can discuss the matter at another time. As for his slip about some manner of sensory ability he possesses, that is irrelevant. It is likely some trick that belongs in the realm of the heroics and mythics. We will leave it there until we are in a situation where he will be more amicable to discussing the topic.”

“Representative Takehara...” another politician chimed in reproachfully.

“End of discussion. We are here to put our best foot forward with a potential ally,” he reminded them with a stern gesture.

The others frowned but nodded in agreement. He stood up straight and adjusted his coat, getting back into line next to Sapporo. He glanced sidelong at the others and restrained the urge to shake his head. They were, of course, here for their own agendas. All of them and those they stood in for wanted a piece of the pie that was Sonya Chernovna. She had money and influence among the Pandora Committee as well as access to the best post-pandora material refinement methods available. They also knew that she was there to push for setting up a branch in Japan.

This was not about whether or not she would establish a foothold here. This was about how much they could bleed out of the young woman before they gave her what she wanted.

Fools. She may look young but she is far from it, you are courting an eagle in the guise of a songbird.

“I’m relieved the committee sent you, Takehara,” Sapporo said next to him.

He glanced up at the mountain of a man who hadn’t shifted his gaze from the landing aircraft.

“Who else would it be?” Takehara grunted, a small smile creeping on his face, “You should really stop teasing those idiots with breadcrumbs. You’re going to get into trouble.”

“Perhaps, what are they going to do about it, though?” Sapporo asked.

Takehara shook his head, “It worries me that I can’t argue that point.”

“It’s the world we live in now,” Sapporo agreed with a grave nod as the jet came to a stop. The gathered representatives and heroes approached as the engines wound down. Takehara noticed that it did not take nearly as long as it would for a traditional engine. He wondered if that man who worked for Sonya had made some changes to the vehicle. It wasn’t on the manifest but who was honest about such things these days? The door on the side flipped out and down, extending into a staircase that rested on the tarmac.

Something strange washed over Takehara the moment before the first person stepped off the aircraft. It was an odd feeling. An uplifting sense of peace and unity that took him off guard as he tasted the faint hints of challenge beneath it. It was like standing behind a great lion that had put itself between him and all the terrors of the world. Protective but still a source of danger. He caught his breath as the other representatives shifted on their feet. Next to him, Sapporo and Bandit stood very still, their eyes on the opening.

A woman stepped out, she had long brown hair and deep brown eyes. She wore a european-style maids gown, her hands held at her lap in a polite way. She was wearing gauntlets that gleamed with that odd reflectiveness common amongst post-pandora materials. She took a step off the plane and descended until she touched the ground and the feeling intensified before fading all together. She cast her gaze over those present with a stoic expression before turning and inclining her head towards Sapporo and Bandit. They returned the gesture.

“She’s gotten much stronger, projecting like that. She was making a point,” Sapporo commented quietly. “Rude, but effective.”

Takehara dabbed his neck with a handkerchief, “And the point she was trying to make?”

Proceed with Deal, Analyze.

You have acquired a new ability: Natural Swordsman

Rare tier, nice.

She turned and handed off Levi’s leash to Marta who inclined her head once before stepping away with the disguised hound. She bowed politely to the other men, switching to the kind of greeting they’re more comfortable with. “Gentlemen, thank you for allowing me to visit your country. I’m looking forward to working with you all for the betterment of your organizations and my own.”

The gathered men looked at one another in surprise and then at Takehara. The way they looked at him shifted from frustration to something akin to respect. She resisted the urge to grin at them as they all bowed at her in response. One of their number stepped forward first. He wore the nicest suit amongst them and her senses told her that it was lined with some good stuff. At least rare-tier materials. She glanced at his suit before he could speak and pulled off her sunglasses, “I love your suit,” she said with a smile before meeting his eyes.

“Thank you, Miss Chernovna,” he said, the single bob of his throat the only sign of reaction to her mechanical eyes, “I am Kaguma Kendo, a representative of the central government. I am here on behalf of the Prime Minister and the Emperor.”

“It’s a pleasure, Mister Kaguma,” she said before turning to gesture to Marta and the others, “This is Handmaiden, my personal attendant and mythic-tier hero. With me are the newly licensed heroes Snow, BLF, Harbinger, and Crusader.”

The man’s carefully schooled expression shifted just slightly at the mention of Lillian’s code name. Sonya kept her own smile just as it was, only tilting her head slightly. “I wanted to bring them to meet their guild senior, Bandit and to perhaps engage with the local guilds for a time while enjoying their grace periods. Tourism, you know?”

“Of course,” the man said, “Guests of such stature are always welcome and we hope our homeland lives up to their expectations. Perhaps we can arrange for a visit to some more unique cultural locations while they are here.”

“That would be very generous of you, Mister Kaguma,” Sonya said brightly, “I’m sure that we can work our schedule around anyone who might be operating on a restrictive schedule of their own. Such as yourself, of course.”

“Of course,” he said with a nod, his eyes glancing towards Crusader briefly before meeting her gaze, “Thank you for being so forthcoming.”

“Thank you for being so welcoming,” Sonya replied with a grin, “Now I best not tarry. I think your friends are eager to speak with me as well. We’ll have plenty of time to talk during our visit.”

“I suspect we will,” Mister Kaguma said and bowed again, “Allow me to be the first to welcome you to Japan. Miss Sonya Chernovna.”

She returned the gesture and turned to the other men who had approached, “How about we talk over a meal, gentlemen?”

–

Lillian sat in a limousine for the first time in her life. They’d come by taxi to the airport leaving the United States in order to avoid too much attention but the Japanese seemed to have a different perspective on things. She shifted in her seat and turned towards Snow, “What do you think Sonya and that man were talking about?”

Snow glanced up at her and made a face, “Hell if I know. They were obviously talking about two things at the same time,” she said with a shrug and a flare of static.

“They were talking about you,” Bandit said from his seat across from them. His dark eyes were fixed on Lillian as he leaned on his knees. He seemed used to crouching which wasn’t surprising given that he was an elite scout and stealth specialist.

When the party had made their way into the various vehicles waiting for them, Lillian and Snow had been paired off with Bandit while Cass and Alex joined Sapporo. Sonya and Marta had gone with several of the politicians to speak with them privately as they made their way to whatever restaurant had been chosen. Lillian frowned and thought back about the conversation that Sonya had with the man, “Me?” she said thoughtfully, “Something to do with the Prime Minister or the Emperor? That’s a little above my head, don’t you think?”

Bandit smirked, “You’re observant, I heard you were,” he said, “I don’t know much but I have heard that someone close to the Emperor of Japan is something of a fan of yours. They were talking about setting up a chance for this person to meet you, probably in exchange for some kind of concession.”

“That’s a bit shady,” Snow said with a frown.

Bandit shrugged, “Sonya said it to me once before so I’ll say it to you now; ‘That’s politics’. You guys don’t realize that you’re already big names and you haven’t even knocked over a dungeon boss. I’ll be changing that while you’re here, by the way.”

Lillian let out a sigh, “I knew it.”