The two limousines arrived in front of a small factory building. They soon entered the garage after unloading their passengers.
"Whoa. What is this?" Yuuna asked curiously.
"This is Kazehaya blade manufacturing company, owned by yours truly!" Yuutaro said with pride. "I've been making swords for the military and police for at least eighteen years. This is the second factory after the first one got demolished in Tokyo."
Their grandfather was a moderately well-known bladesmith master, but apparently, something changed since mercurials came in 1999.
As soon as they entered, the humming sound of various machines interspersed with rapid knocks from motorized hammers invaded their ears. The building had an extreme amount of sound insulation applied to it, so not much came outside.
"Cripes!" Yuuna closed her ears.
"Master, you came back." A slightly younger man in his thirties approached Yuutaro with a blade in his hand. "Could you please take a quick look at this one? Something seems off with the balance, and I don't know why."
"This one came from laser-cut billet, right?" Yuutaro picked it up and examined it so closely, the blade almost touched his eyeball. "The left bevel is off by half a millimeter. Fortunately, this is not a mistake of hammering or folding. It can still be fixed with proper grinding and polishing, so get on it!"
"Yes, master!"
Yuutaro proceeds to tell the apprentice smith how to fix the blade instead of writing it off. Yuutaro was blunt and harsh at pointing the flaws but not being mean-spirited about it.
Such precision! How could someone measure so precisely without micrometer tools? But maybe it was something that any blade master smith should know on the fly.
"As you can see, we manufacture blades with machinery support, but all the direction and quality control were done by humans," Yuutaro said. "This is the only way we can meet the demand without sacrificing blade quality. At the moment, automated CNC technology can't yet replace human forgers."
"I see." Yuuna nodded. "That's not a Shinken, isn't it?"
"Yes, it's a Shin Gunto."
In Japan during the twentieth-century period, three types of swords could be considered mainstream. The first was Kyu Gunto, the second was Shin Gunto, and the third was the Shinken.
The Kyu Gunto, meaning old military swords, were introduced in the Meiji era. The Kyu Gunto had a katana blade and a French-style saber hilt, which reflects the westernization of Japan at the time.
The Shin Gunto, or new military swords, were made during the age of Taisho imperialism. Their traditional design reflected the yearning for nostalgia and the pursuit of Japanese national identity. Most Shin Gunto was historically machine forged using military steel alloy. Although, some exceptions were made from re-hilted family heirlooms.
The Shinken was a product of post-war Japan, which sought heavy demilitarization and disarmament of the citizen. Weapons like Shin Gunto were therefore considered illegal and destroyed en-masse.
The Shinken was modeled after traditional katana, hand-forged using tamahagane (jewel steel) made from iron sand. The Shinken, although designed for cutting, was considered a piece of art and not a weapon, thus declared legal.
Yuuna's sword from the old world, which she received from her grandfather, was also a Shinken.
"Following the National Defense Act of 2001, the ban on factory blades was removed, and Shin Gunto came back into circulation," Yuutaro explained. "Many bladesmith masters were called to a symposium and were asked our input to make new generation Shin Gunto, suitable to fight inhuman threats of the mercurials in the hand of superhuman wardens and normal soldiers respectively."
"So we tried various alloys that were used by the military, finding the best combination and method to create the ultimate Shin Gunto. And the blade you saw just now was one such example."
It explains Himekawa Lin's surprise a lot. That was what Yuuna thought. Hardly anyone would have fought using traditional Shinken. Yuuna was probably the only person in Narashino city to do that.
"Of course, the criteria necessary for the forging a warden's blade is different. Since no two wardens are identical, their swords have to be made on individual orders."
Yuuna and Yuuki looked at Reika in response to that statement. It seemed that their grandfather was making a blade just for her.
"Let's go upstairs."
By upstairs, there was apparently a lift designed to bring them to the rooftop.
Much to their shock, on the top of this factory building, was a traditional Japanese house. Its frame was built out of wood, and the wall was made of plywood sheets. Although, instead of paper, the doors and windows were constructed of fiberglass.
The design was very much resembled their grandpa's old home in Tokyo.
"Grandpapa... Tokyo was..."
"My old house and workshop were destroyed in that category 6 disaster, yes..." Yuutaro replied somberly. "Thankfully, both your grandma and I were safe. Since our factory was in north Chiba, to begin with, I decided to live here."
Nevertheless, it was still sad.
"Please come in."
Though the living room was sizable, it felt a little cramped with seven people there. So the twins decide to occupy the area away from the table out of respect.
Reika saw this and decided to follow suit.
"Oh my, we might need a bigger table." An old woman entered while using a cane, followed by a strange dog-like robot carrying a huge tray full of teacups, which she served the guests with.
"Eh? Grandma!" Yuuki and Yuuna brighten up.
"..."
The woman was quiet for a second. Unable to control herself, she shed her tears as she leaped to hug the twins.
"When I heard about it from TV, I thought I was dreaming! You two are alive, after all!"
"Hahaha..." Yuuki cringed. It is not that he didn't understand her concern but from his own perspective...
"My apologies, I was a little overwhelmed." The grandmother walked back and wiped her tears. "I know the old Yuuki and Yuuna will never come back. Nevertheless, it doesn't change the fact that you're still my grandchildren."
Yuuki and Yuuna bowed on the floor. "We are grateful."
It is not that they didn't miss their grandmother... they really feel grateful for coming here.
The old woman finished handing out the teacups and putting plates of condiments on the table. "Taro-san will be here soon, so please enjoy it like your own home."
Truthfully, there were things they wanted to talk about. However, the woman recognized her husband's business took precedence.
"Speaking of which, is the other fellow with you all?" She asked.
"The other fellow?" Otsuka mumbled, then realized what she meant. "Ah, he was a bit shy, my adopted son."
Adopted son?
"He even refused to board the limo with us, shame." Reika let out a deep sigh, filled with disappointment.
"Oh, so THAT wasn't a bodyguard." Yuuna eyed her.
"I never said he is, just that he escorted us!" Reika argued.
"Then call him in. This family doesn't like to discriminate." Nao's glasses gleamed out, expressing her annoyance.
The Yamashiro father and daughter were a little jumpy from the stares. Nao sure was scary up close, even though she was an ordinary woman, with a broken arm at that.
They really don't want to piss this particular mother off. Otsuka immediately messaged the person in question to hurriedly go upstairs.
"How could grandma tell?" Yuuki asked.
"Eh, have I never told you? I'm an E-rank warden with a disability claim." She pointed herself. "My eyesight disappeared due to the nuclear detonation back in Tokyo, but at the same time, my warden power awakened and gave me some kind of... what to call it, something like radio-"
"Radar." Nao corrected her. "Mother had a biological radar which allows her to detect anyone and any creature within thirty meters. She could even read emotions from people up close."
Yuuki and Yuuna's face was ashen. Even now, the scars left by the fall of Tokyo stood before them.
"Why are you two so surprised. I'm already old, to begin with. And my eyes weren't the greatest even back then. Taro-san recovered his eyesight in a few hours just fine."
"I told you we should have a retinal transplant operation." Yuutaro came in with a sour face. "You're too persistent!"
"Donor's precious eyes would be wasted on this old hag, you fool!" His wife smacked him lightly with her cane. "And I don't even know if this frail body can survive that surgery."
Doesn't look frail to me. The twins both agreed. They wonder if women's dominance ran in the Kazehaya blood, after all.
They heard some knocks on the front door, and the grandmother happily opened it and welcomed another guest.
"Please come in. I'll make another tea for you!"
The strange dog robot seemed to follow her just about anywhere, which made the scene quite a bit comical.
"Umm... it's fine. Thank you for your hospitality."
The guest who came in was a tall, lanky man of undetermined age due to his hoodie and mask. His voice didn't sound old at all, however.
He entered the living room and sat beside Reika.
"This is my adopted son, Yamashiro S. Kotetsu." Otsuka introduced him. "As I said before, he's a bit shy, so please don't mind his appearance."
The man bowed several times apologetically. Despite his quiet and imposing appearance, he seemed to be a polite and rigid person.
"He's about the same age as Reika and the twins. If they go to the warden school together, they might even be classmates. Hahahaha!" Otsuka laughed incessantly.
Less dropping hit and more like slamming it on the face of the absolutely seething parents. Nao looked like she was about to throttle the Mayor and former classmate of hers.
"Well then, let's get to business. I finished the things you ordered before." Yuutaro snapped his finger. Instead of a robot dog, it was a robot with tank treads, carried what appears to be a tray of weapons.
It was a white sheathed sword and a bundle of chains with small weights at the end, also known as kusari-fundo.
There were also sets of skating blades, which looked quite out of place compared to the rest.
"This sword still yet to be named. It's made from a nickel steel alloy with low carbon and additives like cobalt and molybdenum." Yuutaro carefully lifted the sword and handed it to Reika. "This sword is specifically designed for you and can withstand temperature as low as negative hundred and eighty celsius. In the hand of any other warden, it's worthless."
Negative temperature? What does that mean?
"This chain is made from high yield anchor steel, up to a thousand megapascal strength. The weights, as requested, were made from differential hardened steel." Yuutaro sighed as he handed the chain to the masked young man. "Truthfully, it was a pain for me to get that chain done, so I asked some people in the shipbuilding industry to make it instead. Making the weights were child's play in comparison."
"We're eternally grateful." Reika and her adopted brother bowed.
"If there's the additional cost incurred in the process of making them, I will gladly pay for it, Uncle!" Otsuka smiled at him.
"There's no need," Yuutaro told them. "If you want to test it, feel free to use the front yard and bunch of stuff lying around there."
A bunch of stuff? Like...
When Yuuki and Yuuna followed Reika and Kotetsu to the front yard, they saw things like bamboo, steel sheet, cinderblock...
Kotetsu picked a steel pipe roughly two centimeters in diameter and checked its thickness by knocking it. "This one should suffice. Not too thin or too thick."
"I see. I shall trust your judgment." Reika slipped the sword into her belt and then unsheathed it. "Disable controller for 10 seconds, Code: Reika."
"[Voice recognition complete, disable control temporarily]." The bracelet on her left hand spoke.
She swung her sword at speed exceeding that even Yuuna, definitely close to four hundred kilometers per hour. Looking at that, even Yuuna dropped her jaw.
She was supposed to be the one training in battou-do, the way of sword drawing. A school of swords that emphasized the speed and precision of unsheathing and striking fast with a katana.
But Reika's sword draw was phenomenal, even though she was a practitioner of kenjutsu, the generalist school of sword warfare.
Strangely, it was as if she never cut anything, even though she struck the pipe twice.
Was it an optical illusion or-
"I see." Yuuki stepped forward and approached and extended a hand in chopping position. "Please pardon my intrusion. Can I hit it?"
Reika exchanged a glance with her brother and stepped back to give Yuuki some room.
Yuuki delivered a straight jab, shattered part of the pipe that was actually cut. Kotetsu inspected the surviving halves before throwing them to the pile of junk nearby.
"It was frozen to under seventy degrees, perhaps even under a hundred degrees Celsius," Yuuki said as he flicked his slightly aching hand. "When ordinary iron or steel reach that temperature, its yield strength would be lower than half. That's why her Gunto had to be specifically tailored to low-temperature use, or it will shatter from her warden power."
At room temperature, the pipe won't shatter, but instead, it will be bent. The same would happen to any sword not made to survive such low temperatures.
"Holy crap, you noticed?" Yuuna was a little late on the take, but she also knew it was the case. "I noticed some icing on the pipe parts, but you already know before seeing anything?!"
"That was indeed the case." Yuuki smiled. "But more than that, ain't her swordsmanship amazing?"
"Well, yes." Yuuna crossed her arm, pondering and a bit sulky. "She froze the moisture in the air as glue to keep the cut pipe parts from separating. Even if I have an ice power, no way I could do that."
"Reika-sama had trained in Kenjutsu since she was five and never once stopped," Kotetsu explained. "Even if she had talent, that cannot be achieved without hard work. Don't be too hard on yourself by comparing yourself to Reika-sama."
"For the record, baiting me that way won't work." Yuuna sheepishly said as she naughtily scratched his chin. "But maybe it would if you show your face."
Reika angrily slapped Yuuna's hand away. At first, Yuuna thought that maybe Reika was jealous or something. But the deep hatred in her cold eyes was something else.
Yuuna knew she stepped into a landmine. Kotetsu hiding his face like a ninja is not a matter of him being shy.
"I'm sorry for being rude. That won't happen again." Yuuna formally bowed and turned her back against them.
After she calmed herself, Reika asked again. "Would you at least consider enrolling in the academy with us?"
"We are considering it." Yuuki and Yuuna synchronously replied as they left.
"What do you think, Kotetsu-kun?" Reika asked with a grim face. "Even though the restrictor would have dulled their senses, they managed to notice it."
"That boy, Yuuki, had the same scent as me. The sinister smell of a seasoned street fighter." Kotetsu told her. "Was it really true that they came from an entirely peaceful world?"
"It's not as if your troubled life has anything to do with mercurials, wasn't it?" Reika shook her head. "Human beings are capable of committing even greater evil, anyway."
Anyone who heard that in passing might think Reika was being an edgy teenager. But she was dead serious about it.
CHAPTER 07 - DECISION
Yuuki and Yuuna told their grandparents the story of the old world and their family situation. Where their parents died in an accident just over a year ago.
"I see, so you were adopted by your father's relative. But I wonder what happened with the other me not to adopt you instead."
"Umm... so the story was that grandma died in the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake, along with fifteen thousand others. Afterward, grandpa sank into depression and then died of overwork in 2013." Yuuna explained, not trying to hide anything even if it hurts. "The truth is, this is the second to last blade that grandpa forged, and it was given to me who took battou-do recently, at the time."
Yuutaro inspected the blade. He noticed all the damages which undoubtedly resulted from Yuuna's multiple fights with mercurials. His tears began to flow as he realized how eerily familiar this feeling was.
"Taro-kun hasn't made any Shinken in the last fifteen years." His wife sadly remarked. "He missed it dearly, being an actual traditional swordsmith."
"What about the last blade?" Yuutaro wiped his tears and asked.
"It was never finished. Supposedly you made it for Mama. It was only halfway into a sword shape from a billet, and we ended up incorporating it in our indoor shrine." Yuuna pointed.
An indoor shrine is something that many Japanese houses have, where a small altar, usually the size of a cupboard, was made. Here, the ashen remains of ancestors and memorabilia were stored and revered.
"But you're far more skilled than I expect. None of these damages were unfixable. If you want, I can reforge and polish it." Yuutaro offered.
"Truthfully... I think I want to retire it altogether." Yuuna scratched her cheek. "Like, It was supposed to be for battou training only, but I abused it a lot since I came here. If it breaks in a fight, I don't think my heart can take it."
It was one of the irreplaceable things from the old world that Yuuna could not bear to lose, even if she grew fond of using it.
"You intend to keep fighting?"
"If it put ourselves in less danger," Yuuna answered firmly. "Then we will fight. Otherwise, there is no point."
Nao was honestly weirded out, but Yuuna and Yuuki's decision to fight in the mall was the objectively correct choice. Had they ran away, they might end up ambushed by pursuing mercurials and have to fight while outnumbered instead of having a warden and the mall security fight with them.
Apparently, it was Yuuna's gift, a sixth sense unrelated to her warden power awakening.
"A blade solely to protect yourself..."
Nao also handed out the other Yuuna's blade, owned by her daughter until two years ago. "This might also need quite a bit maintenance. I've done just enough work to prevent it from rusting, but the damage from two years ago left untouched."
For a blade that survived a category 4 mercurial rampage, it was mindblowing how intact it was. Unlike the other sword, this one was a Gunto but one that was custom made for Yuuna.
"It's time to move on." Nao smiled sadly. "Yuuna would be sad if she knew her blade got ruined by her mother's negligence."
"Alright then. I'll fix these blades for you." Yuutaro nodded in approval. "But how do you fight without a sword?"
"I'll make a new sword for her." Yuuki smiled. "But not from steel. I might just need to borrow a heating hydraulic press, though."
All of the adults in the room were confused.
"...Bro, am I thinking what you're thinking?" Yuuna clenched her fist. "Let's fucking do it. I'll buy the sodium hydroxide. How many gallons do I need?"
"Buy them by the solids. You can get them from-" Yuuki told her. "Hold on, I'll ask some help with calculation first."
Sodium hydroxide, also known as lye or caustic soda, is a common yet dangerous chemical often used to clean chemical stains, including in wood. Why would Yuuki and Yuuna need that? Their parents grew a little bit concerned.
"Wait a minute. What are you going to do?" Nao grabbed her before she could leave.
"We're not doing this without supervision though, can we spend a night and tomorrow here?" Yuuna begged cutely, out of character for her usual self. "Please~?"
"Well, I suppose we can spend a night here too." Nao relented.
Much to Nao's relief, it seemed that Yuuki and Yuuna weren't actually joking with the matter. The twins were fully geared with a chemical mask, gloves, and protective apron when they started their weird project.
They put their safety and others before everything else.
They started by mixing a few chemicals with a big tub of boiling water. They also dumped sword-shaped wood pieces into the mixture and then put the ceramic lid on it.
The twins used existing tools, whether modern or traditional. They said they would only need the hydraulic press at night.
"Now wait seven hours."
...
The twins took turns to check on the boiling tub every hour in case of mishaps. Much to their delight, the first phase was successful. And then, they took out the wooden swords, dumped the caustic chemical mixture in a specialized waste tank, then boiled the wood in clean water three times to remove the leftover.
By the time they were done boiling, it was past dinner time. The twins finished by putting the woods under an industrial hydraulic press.
"Constant pressure set to five hundred MPa, temperature a hundred Celsius... now wait until the morning, and we're done." Yuuki rubbed his nose.
"I cannot believe we're succeeding this time. It wouldn't be possible if Grandpapa doesn't have a hydraulic press like this." Yuuna was excited.
"Don't get too happy yet. We could fail on this final step." Yuuki shrugged. "Let's go back and don't bother everyone else."
The twins returned upstairs and saw Reki and Yutaro talking while smoking together. They decided not to bother them and continued their way inside the house.
However, they also saw Nao talking with their grandmother on the balcony. And both Yuuki and Yuuna were too interested and stopped to listen.
"The two of them had become so independent and cheeky, so I can't help but felt anxious," Nao said. "In a way, I'd be less concerned if they're just flat out reckless."
"You will get used to it, Nao-chan." Her mother laughed. "Did you forget just how rebellious you were as a teen?"
Nao blushed hard, knowing what she meant.
"But now, you're rich in your own way and can retire while still young to reap what you sow. You have a good husband. I couldn't in my conscience call you an unfilial daughter, even if you choose a different path than your father do."
"That's true, but it doesn't erase part of my heart that is still full of doubt." Nao shook her head. "When I used old Yuuna's blade to fight with my own hands, I finally realized why father continued to forge swords. Even though the circumstances forced him to abandon his passionate pursuit of the traditional way."
"The pen is mightier than the sword, but sometimes, you just have to pick up a sword and start fighting." Nao steeled up. "Or else, you will feel regret for not trying."
It was a dirty and frightening sense of self-satisfaction. But it was not necessarily a bad thing. There are times where violence is really the only option, and no amount of paper can solve the war against mercurials.
"It's a good thing you do. You should tell Taro-kun that, as well."
"I have decided." Nao nodded. "If Yuuna and Yuuki wanted to enroll into warden school, then so be it. I want to ensure that they're ready for the worst possible scenario and survive everything the world is throwing at them."
"They already suffered enough. However, I don't believe the adage of 'life is suffering, and death is a release from it.' That's the saying of a coward."
"I want the twins to stay alive, no matter what."
Yuuna wanted to say something, but Yuuki stopped her and shook his head in disagreement. Yuuna saying anything might just ruin their resolve.
They decided to show it through their action.
...
Morning came, and the twins didn't waste much time and rushed down the lift to check their handiwork. They managed to find the wood had transformed perfectly into what they wanted.
"Perfection!" They said together and shared a high five.
After using the belt sander and other power tools to polish the wooden swords, the twins came back upstairs and met their grandparents and parents.
"Are you sure this target isn't too much?" Yuutaro asked in concern.
"Absolutely." Yuuna confidently pulled one of the finished swords out of the cloth bundle Yuuki carried.
"Is that... a Suburito?" Nao guessed.
Suburito is the name of a wooden sword designed for strength and technique training. Unlike the more well-known and balanced bokken/bokuto, which retain the rough shape of traditional Japanese sword, most suburito had a blade broader than the handle.
The cutting target prepared for her was a rolled tatami and a steel sheet held between two wooden frames. These targets were too easy for steel katana to cut if the wielder at least has some skill.
But can wooden swords actually do it?
Yuuna proved that yes, she could cut a tatami roll with her wooden sword. And she also proceeded to slice the thin steel plate neatly without any distortion.
Yuutaro and Nao almost popped their eyes out in disbelief.
"My God, what the hell have you made?" Reki twitched.
"This is called densified wood," Yuuki explained. "Using chemistry process to break down its cellulose fiber, and then compressed while heated, the wood solidifies to become three times as dense with one-fifth of the thickness."
"These wooden swords might not match master-crafted industrial steel blade, but better than plain iron swords!" Yuuna added as she swung her sword so fast it blurred and cut the rest of the tatami roll into short pieces.
"Amazing, simply amazing." Yuutaro nodded in acknowledgment. "Just how far science had progressed, I could barely keep up."
"There's actually a slight problem with this blade, however." Yuuna wrily smiled. "It weighs less than katana, despite proportionally wider and thicker. Even densified wood is only as heavy as plastics. To cut this well, we have to sacrifice the thrust capacity."
"Densified wood makes for good armor, and our old world is researching this kind of wood for bulletproof material. However, it makes a poor weapon by itself." Yuuki pointed. "But with Yuuna's battou-do and the geometry of the blade itself, this should have more than enough cutting strength to protect ourselves from low-level mercurials."
Even a razor-sharp sword needs some mass to cut through. Yuuna's wooden sword might be just enough to cut through one tatami. But it would be impossible to cut multiple tatami rolls no matter how skilled she is.
As a master swordsmith, Yuutaro understood well. For example, an Iaido katana was often not made from steel but lightweight aluminum and zinc alloy. Even sharpened, an iaido katana might have a hard time cutting multiple tatami rolls.
The densified wooden blade was even lighter and had to be shaped into a suburito. The thick spine gave it just enough mass to cut through one tatami flawlessly, although it cannot be used to stab well.
The twins put a lot of thought into its design, which slightly resembles broad sabers such as Chinese Dao and European Langmesser.
The passion and talent of bladesmith clearly lived through Nao and her children. Just looking at this, Yuutaro felt that he could die happy.
"Was this the first time you made this?" Nao borrowed one of the swords and felt that it was indeed light for its size. "How much is this, three-quarter kilogram?"
"Eight hundred grams, actually. Average katana weights one point one to one and a half kilograms." Yuutaro smiled as he traced the contours of the blade side. "It certainly makes an interesting and lethal weapon. The old world might be more peaceful and less advanced technologically, but it's surely full of surprises."
"Why do you even know how to make this dangerous thing?" Reki was unusually worried, even compared to the times where Yuuna and Yuuki brazenly charge against otherworldly monsters. "Just what happened in the old world that you two became so strange?"
"Actually, between the lack of need and the lack of tools, we never perfected it." Yuuna pulled her old bokken, which shaped more like the usual. "I made this one with clamps and vises and commercial oven, and the wood thickness only reduced by half, instead of eighty percent. Oh, and of course, this one is blunt."
For the general purpose of whacking some jerks and bullies, that is.
"I see. Could you give me documentation of this wood processing? I'd like to do some experiment myself." Yuutaro rubbed his chin, clearly curious.
"We'll send the scientific paper through e-mail later." Yuuki nodded. "I already sent one copy to a friend for peer review and academic publishing. The method was devised by the researchers from the University of Maryland in 2018."
"It's not like we came to the theory by ourselves, so it didn't feel right to monopolize the design," Yuuna added excitedly. "We can't wait to see what Grandpapa will come up with."
That friend would be Kuromachi Nemuko, who had a connection with the University of Chiba.
"Those two really grew up well." The grandma smiled happily, even though she had been quiet for a while. "We are truly blessed."
The twin's phones rang almost at the same time, which surprised them slightly.
"What it is, Himekawa?" Yuuki answered.
"Yo, Nemu? So early in the morning, you missed me?" Yuuna jokingly answered.
"We're in Higashinarashino, in Kazehaya Blade Factory!" Yuuki explained.
"...EH?! SERIOUSLY? Shit. Shit. Shit!" Yuuna swore. "Where it is?!
Yuuki's face turned grim and murderous. "It's very close to our place, right?"
Yuuki looked to the west and saw a bunch of drones flying in the distance.
"I saw the drones. Right." Yuuna said in confirmation. "Pick us up if that's indeed the case."
Yuuki closed the call.
"...Someone from the old world had been kidnapped," Yuuki told his parents. "The administration authorized us to disable our restrictor and be alert for any sudden attack for the next few hours."
"Are you going to go?" Nao asked hesitantly.
"...Yuuna get to decide," Yuuki said. "But in my opinion, this could get really ugly for us too, if we leave this alone."
"No, Yuuki is right." Yuuna also closed her phone. "We were not kidnapped because we were not an easy target. But other people from our old world aren't so lucky."
"If they succeed once, there's no guarantee they won't try the second time." Yuuki agreed. "We might be their next target."
And not only Yuuki and Yuuna their new family will also be in danger.
"Then go!" Nao told them as she hugged them. "Be sure to come back alive. Your safety is more important than anything in this world."
"Yes, Mama." Yuuna bit her lips bitterly.
Yuuna and Yuuki each pulled a key which given to them by the administration. These keys would temporarily disable their trans-phase power restrictor and activate the emergency location beacon inside.
Thus, anyone connected to the administration civil defense network will be able to see their position, including their friends.
It didn't even take three minutes until a small police helicopter descended above the factory, and Himekawa waved her hand from the door.
Nemuko didn't even bother boarding the helicopter and outright flew around by herself. Her external power flow was strong enough for her to outright defy gravity with ease.
"I'm here!" Nemuko yelled.
"Let's go!" Yuuna jumped off the building without hesitation and slid down the vertical wall with an enhanced shoe grip. Trails of black lightning left behind her wake. With her C+ rank physical boost, she could keep up with most cars easily.
"We're going, Father!" Yuuki said to Reki as he held onto the helicopter's rescue cable to be pulled up.
Reki wordlessly nodded and put his hand on Nao's shoulder to ease her as Yuuki's figure disappeared behind the helicopter's door.
