Before Encounter Supplementary Story 1 - Mission Briefing

We, the secret service of the government, got called over for a new assignment.

We went to a building disguised as a coffee shop. After talking to the waiter by using a bunch of code words that only specific people know, me and my team managed to get ourselves the permission to access the secret area. An underground area only accessible through this specific method.

Naturally, as the leader of our group of five, I lead the way after we entered the secret area. Since we already came here before, I already know which way to go.

As we walked, we happened upon an attendant of sorts.

"...Good evening, Mr. I. This way, please."

After giving the cold greeting, the female attendant turned around and gestured for us to follow. Of course we already which path we should take, but it would be rude if we did not comply. And so, she guided us through a maze of hallways that would make any first-timers lost the moment they set foot in it.

We silently followed the attendant and eventually reached a normal-looking door leading to a room. Leading to an office, to be exact.

"Please wait here," said the female attendant before leaving all five of us to stand outside the door all by ourselves. After a while, she disappeared right after turning around the corner.

When I looked around, the place looked huge and desolate. The unexpected cleanliness of the place only made it feel more deserted.

I felt someone poke my shoulder from behind.

"...So, what should we do until then?" asked one of the four men following me, followed by the sound of rushed footsteps. Ahh, I am familiar with this sound.

When I turned around, I found my friends forming an incomplete circle as I expected. Naturally, I filled the gap to complete the circle of men. We only do this as a habit, not for any particular reason.

"Say, Muhammad, do you have any suggestions to kill some time while we wait?"

I asked one of my friends since I also don't know what to do.

"Didn't I just ask you since I also don't know what we should do?" replied Muhammad with a perplexed look.

Everyone else scrambled their brains, trying to find and activity to do in the mean time.

Standing around idly is such a chore, after all. It could also be possible that something like last time would happen, that time when they forgot about us completely and made us stand on this very spot for hours. Of course our boss apologized afterwards, but we're the kind of bunch that get restless when doing nothing so we'd like to avoid such things in the future.

"Err... It may sound childish, but let's play rock-paper-scissors instead," suggested one of my other friends while having a wry smile.

Hey, what's with that look? We're not going to think that you're childish, so relax a bit. Although, I could not say that to him since I might hurt his feelings. Apparently, he can handle physical pain, but when it comes to words and emotions, he's like a different person, especially when you look at his muscular body.

"Anyone agree with Lee's suggestion?" I asked in order to get their consent. Of course, I already knew what they would say.

"Yes, let's do it," said Muhammad.

"Hai!" answered my other friend, Satou. Apparently, that means "Yes" according to the other language he's proficient at.

And finally,

"Uh huh, let's," replied the other friend of mine, Tyrone.

After hearing all of their answers, Lee smiled a little bit, but seeing such a light smile from a muscular man seems like... Never mind. Not like I could say that to him anyways.

And so, we decided to kill time by playing rock-paper-scissors.

A few minutes later...

"Alright! I win again! Haha! Let's do the next round! Rock! Paper! Sciss--"

"Umm, excuse me-iieek!!!"

Although regrettable since I just started winning straight, upon hearing a woman's voice, I quickly shut my loud mouth and my friends also followed suit by changing their expressions into neutral. We arranged our selves neatly, with me in front and the others forming a reverse V shape behind me, and then we faced the woman. Maybe quick our actions startled the woman? She looks ready to turn tail and run any second now.

"...Kind sirs, please refrain from those kinds of behaviour while inside here. Sigh... I still can't get used to you guys, really," said the woman while holder hear forehead after she gave a sigh.

"Sorry about that. Could you please forget about what you just saw? It would be bad for our credibility if negative rumors about us were to spread around here," I said to her while handing her a thin stack of green bills from my pocket while maintaining a smile on my face.

"Huh? What could you be talking about, I wonder?" asked the woman in a sarcastic tone while receiving the money with her head turned to the side while also keeping a fake smile on her face.

The woman then opened the door, talked to the person inside, and ushered us in. For some reason, the woman stayed outside. It must be related to what we're about to discus with our boss.

After getting inside, the last person to come in closed the door. The room is sound proof so no sounds could be heard from outside.

There, we come face to face with our boss who sat behind a desk. A lady who goes by the name of "Madam", or at least that's what the name plate on her desk says.

Silence filled the room.

"Please have a seat, gentlemen," said Madam while pointing at a couch in front of her desk.

Could we all fit in there?

We silently try to sit and... Oh, we can sit just fine.

Again, silence ruled over the room. None of us wanted to speak with or against Madam. One wrong word and you'll get a bullet hole right between your eyes, and the government would even turn a blind eye on it. I think that's how the rumor about our boss goes. It can't hurt to be safe.

Then, deciding to break the silent atmosphere, Madam opened her mouth and spoke,

"Okay, let's review the mission. I trust that you already know a little of what you're about to do?"

"Nothing of the sort, Madam. All we know is that we've been selected for this mission because of special circumstances," I replied while trying not to move a muscle. Madam must have asked that question in order to see if the information about what we're about to do got leaked.

"Good," said Madam while keeping an eye contact with me.

"....."

"....."

Hey, stop that. Your serious face is giving me goose bumps. Engaging in a staring contest like this all of a sudden is a little too much... Even my team mates are feeling the same as me right now. To put it simply, we're scared of her.

After a while, Madam cleared her throat and finally broke the silence. Thank god.

"Ahem! Excuse me. Let's begin," said Madam while raising a stack of papers on her one hand.

Next, she spread the said files on her desk.

When I tried reading a page, I noticed something written about a violent girl in red. But before I could ask questions, Madam quickly explained the situation to us.

"As you can see, your current mission is unusual. This time, your target is something we decided to call 'Red Rampage'," said Madam while pointing at one of the papers, the one bearing an image of a red haired girl in a red dress.

What followed were our usual exchanges concerning how we should deal with the said mission, the time and place, the potential danger, so on and so forth.

As our little meeting went on, we discovered how dangerous our target truly is this time. Something about an invincible body? Don't joke with me. Something like that can't even be called human anymore.

At one time, we even doubted one of the information about our target having a weak spot in the eyes. How could something so ridiculously strong possibly have such a weakness? And it didn't help that the target herself even willingly gave away the information for some reason.

After a while, our discussion finally ended.

I felt a little anxious, so I voice some of my opinion as I stood up from the couch.

"Madam, isn't this a little too much for us? Couldn't you just find some other team who are better than us?"

Madam raised an eyebrow upon my question.

That's quite rude, you know? At least answer my question first. It's as if you expect us to just silently accept this ridiculous request.

"Sit down, that was only the first mission. I have another one for you," said Madam while taking out another stack of papers from under her desk. Then, she spread the new sheets of paper on the desk again just like last time, and she continued with, "And besides, we think that only your group could pull this off."

Great. Another one?

But I can't exactly complain, so I just silently sat back down together with my team mates.

Wait... Now that I look at them, aren't they looking conflicted? Looks like they don't want to accept such a ridiculous mission too.

"...And what might this second mission be about?"

I asked in order to get straight to the point. I could also feel my sweat dripping down my back.

It's obvious that this next request would be even more absurd! When I look back at our previous missions, most of the time, the follow-up ones would be an impossible task. And we've failed in fulfilling every single one so far.

Sensing our uneasiness, Madam gave a light laugh and shrugged her shoulders while saying,

"Don't worry! This isn't like any of the previous secondary missions."

Although she said that, it still doesn't make us feel any better.

"You guys should have realized by now that it's impossible to kill this 'Red Rampage' with normal weapons," said Madam while showing a smug look. So she's aware about it, huh?

All of us silently nodded in unison.

"But don't worry, just like what it's said, you don't have to kill the target. Just contain her like this, whoosh!" said Madam while grasping the empty air with her hands as if catching a fly.

"Yes, you have a point. But how?" I asked, since I do not know of any correct approach to this mission.

Then, as if waiting for me to say that line, Madam stood up and picked up one of the papers from her desk.

"Exactly! Now this is where your second mission comes into play," said Madam as she approached me. When she reached my location, she then handed over the paper that she picked up to me.

I try to read its contents.

"What is this, exactly?"

Those were the only words I could mutter.

"There's this one other person with strange abilities that we've recently heard rumors about. I believe that you can use that person's abilities to help subjugate 'Red Rampage'," said Madam while showing a clear smile on her face.

She's just that confident that we will succeed in this. I think. She's totally not pretending to be confident just to make us accept this mission without thinking too much about it. Totally not.

And so, I read the contents of the paper about the second mission again.

[Subject: John the harem master]

[Suspected ability: Charisma manipulation for females]

[Exact Location: Unknown]

Wait, his location is unknown?

"Sorry, but could I ask something?"

"Hm? What is it, Mr. I?" asked Madam with an innocent look as if she did not have any idea of what is currently going on.

"Where can we find this John?"

Then, at that very moment, as if a switch got turned on, Madam's attitude changed completely.

"Hah!? That's your job. Not mine. Now, scram! Dismissed! You bundle of sticks for burning can go enjoy yourselves as usual after finishing this mission for all I care. Just don't slack off now, you hear me!?" said Madam with a face full of contempt, a completely different attitude from what she showed us earlier. This is her true color. We're already used to this by now.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author's Notes:

Final Version: Chapter 6.5 Story 1

In the edit this time, I switch the point of view from Madam's into Ivan.

Madam's personality also got changed, along with the personality of her subordinate who only briefly appeared in this chapter.

Before Encounter Supplementary Story 2 - Friendship

This is amazing!

I just learned today that my best friend secretly has magical powers. At first I didn't believe it myself but when I saw her do it a second time, that was when I realized that I haven't been dreaming.

Of course, she did not know that I knew all along. But I'm gonna tell her later!

I hope she will take me when she flies around next time!

And so, later that day I decided that I should tell her the truth about me knowing her secret.

*ring* *ring*

Oh? I got a text message. Let's see...

[From: JSN]

[Subject: Meet me tomorrow]

[Message: Could we meet tomorrow? I have something important to tell you. I will specify the location later.]

...Tomorrow? I'm not very sure if I will be free tomorrow. Never mind, it's not urgent right now. I still have to tell my best friend that I know her secret.

<><><><><><><><>

"...and you're telling me that you're not scared of me?"

"Yes! In fact, I like you that way!"

I finally said it to my best friend. It looks like she thinks people will be afraid of her if they knew, but I'm about to prove that wrong. I'm not that kind of person. Especially to my best friend!

"...I see."

"What? Did you say something?" I was sure I heard her just now.

"Nothing, nothing~. Hey, do you want to fly?" She asked.

Oh yes! This is it!

"R-really!? Can I!? I mean, how could I refuse when-- Whaaaa!"

All of a sudden, she grabbed me and we started to fly at high speed.

"S-slow dooooown!" I said to her. But secretly, I'm enjoying it. This is quite fun.

"Hahaha~ Are you scared now?"

"N-no! Just this much can't even make me feel fear!" I retorted. Geez, do you really have to be mean?

"Oh really? Then here we gooo!" We flew faster.

"Aaaaaaah! Mommiiiie!!!" Even though I kept shouting, I still enjoyed it.

<><><><><><><><>

"...Whew, that was fun! Let's do it again tomorrow!" I said as I cling to her like a koala.

"Yes. See, you, to-mo-row~"

After that, she left while having this strange smile on her face. She must be happy too.

Oh no! I probably took too long playing around! What if my dorm manager locks the gate!?

What time is it now? ...Oh? I got a message.

[From: JSN]

[Subject: Time]

[Message: Meet me tomorrow. Do you remember the family restaurant we used to go as kids? Let's meet there at night.]

...Oh. I think I already know what this 'important' thing is.

But... I'll leave it up to him if he mans up. I might consider accepting.

Anyway, I should head back now. It's actually still early so I'm not yet locked out.

<><><><><><><><>

The next day...

May 6, 2032. Thursday.

It's Thursday.

On my way to school, I bumped with my best friend.

"Oh, hi. I'm busy right now. Let's meet again tonight. I'll go to your house and pick you up."

"Huh? But I've got--"

"Bye~ I have to go to my school now."

She didn't even listen to me. She had to go to her own school since we've got our own studies to keep up with.

I can't blame her for that, but still...

Oh well. I'll just send a message to JSN that I can't make it tonight.

...Huh? Oh, darn. I probably left my phone on my room.

I'll just pick it up later when I get back.

My meet up with my best friend is still at night.

After the school lessons were finished, I hurried to my dorm room so that I can send my message to JSN on time.

But...

"Knock knock! Are you there, Chloe? It's me, Redgie! Change of plans, I came to pick you up early."

"Huh? Oh! I'll be right there, Redgie! Just give me a minute to change my clothes."

I deleted the message I that was just about to send and hurriedly changed my clothing.

Since my best friend, Redgina, came to pick me up early, I might have some free time tonight.

I just hope I won't be so late that JSN will have to wait and entire hour for me.

scuffle... scuffle...

"Aaand I'm done! Here I am, Redgie. Where are we going?"

"Hmm... We're going to go to a fun place. I'm sure you'll enjoy it," she said with a grin on her face.

That smile... Is she planning to prank me? Well, I'll just go along since it's her.

<><><><><><><><>

The next thing I knew, I was inside a locked room of some sort of a building.

"...Redgie? Where are you? This... This isn't funny anymore!"

I stomped my feet with force after saying that, hoping to get her attention just in case she's actually hiding.

I kept calling out to her, but to no avail, she can't be seen anywhere.

I am alone in this locked room.

I thought Redgina would come back since she said "I'll be back soon~" earlier before I heard the click of the door. I didn't even know why I willingly entered this place. What did I expect?

There aren't even any windows here. This is going too far even for a prank.

I heard a clicking sound.

Oh, came from the door and it is opening.

"Redgie? What took you so long? I thought you were--.... W-who are you!?" I said due to my shocked upon seeing who entered.

It was a man. No, there were two of them.

One is a fat man wearing lots of accessories and the other is a shady-looking man holding a gun.

They're both grinning as they approached me with scary looks on their faces.

No... What is happening? Someone, help.

"Redgie!? Are you there!? Help! Come here quickly!" I screamed as loud as I could, hoping that she could hear.

"Now, now, missy. Shouting too loud is bad for your throat. It would be sad if I can't hear your beautiful voice anymore... Heheheeeh," said the fat man as he laughed.

No...NONONONO. What is this...? Ugh, don't touch me there!

"H-help! Someone! Heeeelp! Argh! Let go of me! NOOOOO!!!" I shouted as I attempted to get away, only to have the other person catch me.

My screams echoed throughout the building but no rescue came that time.

The next day, I was already tied up on the bed, naked.

I'm fine... Nothing hurts... Is someone approaching? ...Ah! It's the fat man!

But h-he's holding a knife! No no no, please no!

No! I have to get away-- Ah! I can't move! It's like I'm paralyzed! No! He's getting closer!

"No! No! S-stop! Don't come any closer! Uuu... Uuwaah! *Sob*" I begged him as I started crying.

"Eheheheeh! Welcome to the Pain train! Choo-choo, Missy! Eheheheh! Heheheeh!"