S-2878 • L1 Alonluna • D10 Unabe
"Alonluna stretches the road of the sky. Unabe ignites axis and choice. The tide lifts brightness in a steady step. The story moves clearly through the air."
DENDEN
They assigned me, Kiara, and Maia to rescue a kobun for an oyabun.
The leader of the Ryuho-kai clan in Shin'en Gai, the City of the Abyss — Japan's underworld.
You're Japanese.
So you must know the Yakuza rose again and became the second most powerful criminal organization in the world, second only to the Vorovskoy mir.
That bastard…
I'll never forget the cabrón's name.
Kotaro.
Damn him.
They locked him up in Fuchū.
Maximum security.
And he had only killed a cop.
A damned pig.
And they sent him there?
Too strict.
If they'd put me in maximum security for every miserable pig I ever killed…
Tsc.
Better keep that low.
Anyway…
A dangerous facility.
More than a thousand meters deep.
To make it worse, the rotting spirit ended up fifty meters below ground.
Impossible mission.
That must be why those cagóns hired us.
We had one seluna to complete it.
We were walking toward the nano-aircraft at Viracopos Airport.
"Why are you going, Denden?"
Kiara had her usual bad mood on full display.
I gave her my most charming smile.
"What do you mean, muchacha?
My presence here is a gift from the gods."
"You're loud as hell."
I inhaled dramatically, offended.
"You think so too, chica?!"
"You know she's right."
Maia kept her eyes forward.
My expression of outrage deepened.
We boarded the plane, and Kiara connected with the ET.
"You two are talking nonsense.
You should be thanking me for being here.
Me and my sweetheart."
I kissed my ARMANS 12-gauge shotgun — the one I lovingly call Rompe-culos.
They exchanged a glance and smiled at each other.
Kiara sat across from Maia.
Both turned to the view.
I dozed on and off during the nearly day-long trip.
And let me tell you something.
I'm observant.
Everyone always thinks I, Denden, am some impulsive lunatic who doesn't think much.
And sure, most of the time, maybe.
But I know how to read people.
That white-haired girl always caught my attention.
She was relentless.
Always alert.
But at that moment, she seemed distracted.
"Why the sudden interest in Japanese culture?"
Kiara kept her eyes on the view.
Maia was fiddling with that old phone.
I followed their conversation.
Sometimes I closed my eyes to steal another nap.
"Nothing much."
She slipped the phone into her pocket.
The android glanced at her.
"Strange to be researching the culture of the place we're going.
You've never cared much before."
Maia propped her feet on the table, stretching.
"Just curiosity."
The way she said things gave me chills.
There was something about Maia that unsettled me.
It was more than coldness.
It was her presence.
It was the fact that… she knew things.
Things the rest of us couldn't even imagine knowing.
She and Saymon.
I'll be honest.
The presence of those two intimidated even me, El Monstruo.
For me to admit that means I'm humble enough to recognize them as people worthy of respect.
Silence.
Finally.
I was dying to sleep.
I woke when we were close to landing.
Kiara took her sniper rifle.
Maia, some random pistol.
And me — Rompe-culos.
We took a car to Minami, a district in Tokyo.
That's where we would stay.
Tokyo is the most modern city I've ever seen.
While giant robots roamed through Sentā, tiny little bots popped up from nowhere.
Everything impressed me.
The air smelled like electric smoke and fried food, a mix of neon and vapor hanging over the streets.
Holoscreens flashed, screaming invasive advertisements.
In the alleys, artificial eyes watched.
Cameras or implants?
Hard to tell.
Holo-trees turned into adware.
Pixelated airways.
And the cars?!
A car transformed into a robot right in front of me.
Completely insane.
Everywhere was colorful and glowing.
And people's implants?
One guy had four eyes.
Four eyes, carajo.
And the food?
Just thinking about it makes my mouth water.
And now I'm stuck in this place of mierda…
Anyway, we reached Minami.
Traditional Japanese houses existed inside the buildings.
We usually stayed in hotels.
But this time, we would stay at the house of damned Kotaro's grandmother.
A sweet old lady.
Very different from that cabrón.
It was our first time in Tokyo.
Our first close contact with traditional Japanese culture.
We knew very little about how to behave.
Yasu waited for us at the entrance.
She wore a violet yukata.
The little old lady smiled softly.
"Youkoso."
She bowed.
Later I learned it meant "welcome."
We bowed too, awkwardly.
She smiled more.
Gentle little eyes.
The most adorable old woman I'd ever met.
"Don't worry about formalities.
Come in, make yourselves comfortable."
At the entrance, she handed us three pairs of slippers.
"You may leave your shoes here and your weapons there."
She pointed to a table.
So we did.
"I prepared a meal.
I imagine the journey left you hungry."
She guided us through the house.
A low table.
Cushions around it.
"Wait here."
We sat and looked around.
"Una señora muy fofa," I whispered.
"It's rare for anyone to treat us this well during a mission," Kiara said.
Maia kept an attentive gaze.
More than suspicious — curious.
A few minutes later, Yasu returned with a tray:
bowls of rice, miso soup, pickled vegetables, and fish.
We ate.
The little old lady cleared the table.
When she returned, she was holding a nanodevice.
"Now that you're full, let's get down to business."
Look, I don't know what happened, but suddenly a shadow crossed her face.
She sat at the table and placed the device in the center.
Click.
A three-dimensional holo-map appeared.
"This is the blueprint of Fuchū Prison."
"You have the prison blueprints?!"
Kiara's eyes widened.
"Of course, young one.
I supervised the modernization and nano-restructuring of that prison myself."
She gave a shameless little smile.
"Very well.
That baka of my grandson is located on the twelfth underground level.
Cell two.
Two reinforced nano-doors secure the cell.
Only the floor chief, who holds the key, can open it.
Each level has ten guards."
Yasu sipped her tea.
"There is a single nano-elevator giving access to the levels.
All nanocameras are hidden behind the walls.
There are thermal and motion nanosensors.
Unregistered presences trigger the alarm.
In seconds, the structure's nanites immobilize the intruder.
Immediately, the guards surround them."
She raised three fingers.
"The ET command system is split across three locations.
All scattered throughout Tokyo.
They change every seluna or lunation."
She drank more tea.
"Oh, forgive my manners.
I forgot to bring this for you."
She stood before we could answer.
"All this because the cabrón killed a pig," I muttered.
"Tokyo police are efficient as hell.
They control the most heavily surveilled places in the world," Kiara said.
Maia stared at the map.
"Still, chica.
Getting locked up for something so stupid?
Makes me wonder what the punishment would be for a massacr—"
Yasu returned, carrying three cups of tea.
"Shall I serve you?"
I made a face.
Can you imagine me, Denden, drinking tea?
Obviously, it would've been rude to refuse.
I'll admit it — it was good.
"An ET controls the prison.
There is only one entrance and one exit at ground level."
She pressed her palms to the table.
"In the cells, nano-shackles restrain the prisoners.
I know. It's perfect.
Designed to be a flawless prison."
Her tone turned melancholy.
Maia gave off a feline gaze.
"Rest easy, Mrs. Yasu."
She placed a hand on her arm.
"We'll bring your grandson back."
How did she do that?
Even while being kind, the coldness slipped through the cracks.
Friendly tentacles.
Ready to crush you at the slightest misstep.
The old lady smiled with her eyes.
"That is very kind of you.
My aho of a son is incapable of saving his own family."
Her lips tightened, then softened again into a smile.
"You must be tired, yes?
I've prepared a place for you to sleep."
She stood and headed for the door.
"You may keep the blueprint.
Discuss your strategy.
Ask for anything you need."
When we finished talking, we went to bed.
I got one room.
Maia and Kiara, another.
I woke a little before midnight and went to the bathroom.
On the way, I saw Maia in the kitchen with Yasu.
"This is how you prepare it."
The old lady stirred a pot.
I stopped to watch.
Maia followed closely.
"There's a dish for every occasion?"
Yasu smiled, tasted what she was cooking, and offered it to Maia.
Maia took the spoon, hesitating for a second.
Her eyes lingered over the soup as if searching for something beyond flavor.
Then she tasted it.
Her expression remained neutral, but I saw something there — a flash of raw, fragile emotion before it disappeared.
Yasu sprinkled seasoning into the pot.
"There are occasions more special than others.
What do you have in mind?"
I'll confess:
the conversation made me curious, but the smell of fresh ginger and seared soy sauce filled the air.
Strong enough to make someone remember home—
or the one they lost.
"A special dinner.
If the person is sad, sick, or…"
Maia cleared her throat.
"If it's that person's birthday."
Her voice softened.
"Yes, dear.
There is a dish for those occasions.
If the person is Japanese, they'll be happy to receive something traditional.
Not that Comibot nonsense.
If you want, I can give you some recipes."
Yasu blew on the steam.
"Naturally, anyone would be happy to eat something homemade."
She raised an eyebrow.
Sharp.
I knew I'd be noticed soon.
So I went to the bathroom.
Then I went back to sleep.
I'll be honest.
It surprised me to learn the girl had culinary interests.
But there was something in that kitchen that felt like more than seasoning.
Something old.
But, well…
who am I to talk?
I'm full of interests too.