The warehouse seemed quite old. The windows were broken, the walls were dirty, and the doors were unable of being closed completely.
The trio heard voices coming from inside. Kouya looked through one of the broken windows inconspicuously.
"Target detected."
He then turned to Akio.
"You will only act if I tell you to. If I don't, you will just observe. Got it?"
Akio swallowed and nodded.
"Got it."
"How many?", Makoto asked casually.
Kouya then turned around to look again.
"Just two. One of them, the man, is the target."
Kouya raised a hand, signaling them to wait.
After a while of waiting, Kouya glanced at Akio.
"Stay behind us and watch closely."
They slipped inside through a side entrance, footsteps light against the concrete floor.
They turned a corner.
One man and one woman stood there, whispering about something the trio could not hear from the distance.
The target was rather tall and muscular, he looked quite intimidating, even as he simply leaned against a pillar, bored and arms crossed.
Akio was scared to say the least. His stomach felt funny and his heart beat accelerated.
In comparison to Akio, Makoto looked rather unimpressed.
They all hid for a few more seconds, before Kouya finally made his presence known.
"Hey."
The two criminals looked around, not seeing anyone.
"What-"
Before they could even finish their sentence, the man was suddenly pushed to the ground with a thud.
"Wh- what was that!?", he yelled in shock.
Akio looked surprised, while Makoto was smirking.
Akio then turned to Makoto.
"What is Kouya's ability..?", he asked quietly, not seeing Kouya anywhere.
"He can make himself and other objects or people invisible", Makoto explained just as quietly.
Akio didn't respond. Instead he turned back to the scene in front of him.
The man tried to get back up, but Kouya - still invisible - punched the man in the face. Hard enough to make him fall unconscious.
Makoto then took this as a sign to make his move. He pulled a knife out of his pocket and began walking towards the woman from behind. She was still shocked and confused about what just happened, so it made this a lot easier for him.
Makoto's footsteps were quiet enough to stop right behind the woman. Suddenly he put the pocket knife to her neck, just to threaten her.
"Ah-"
"Shh no need to worry, we'll just kidnap your little friend here. You don't mind, do you?", Makoto asked tauntingly, while Kouya - now visible again - was tying up the man with a rope. He obviously thought the woman was no threat. Which is why he turned his back to his colleagues.
The woman was stunned at first but then she regained her composure and kicked Makoto in the shin. Hard. He yelped in pain and let the knife fall accidentally, making the woman become the one in charge.
She kicked the knife out of Makoto's reach and spun around, wrapping her hands around his neck to choke him.
"H- hey, stop-"
She didn't stop.
She tightened her grip around his neck, making Makoto feel dizzy. He clawed at her arms, but she was surprisingly strong.
Akio watched. He didn't know what to do. After all nobody gave him instructions to intervene, so what if they get mad at him for doing so?
He looked at Kouya, who was still occupied with tying up the unconscious man, seemingly not having heard Makoto's quiet yelp. Then he glanced back at Makoto and the woman, who dug her nails deeper into Makoto's neck. He was on the verge of losing consciousness, but then...
*BANG*
The woman fell onto the floor, out cold.
In Akio's hands he held a metal pipe, which he hit the woman in the head with.
Makoto coughed, as he was kneeling on the ground now, trying to breathe. After he managed to do so more or less, he looked at Akio, but then glanced away, trying to act unbothered.
"Thanks. You could've done that a bit sooner though, you know? Ugh my throat feels so sore now..."
"Everything okay with you two? What happened?" Kouya appeared behind them, dragging the tied up man by his collar. Meanwhile Ermina was on Kouya's head.
"Nothing. We're fine", Makoto started. "What should we do with the woman?"
"Hm, well... I think we should just leave her here. She probably doesn't know which organization we're from, so we're safe", Kouya explained.
"Oh and Akio."
He turned to said man.
"Good job. You should have only observed, but either way, you saved someone's life today. You can be proud of yourself. Though, if you hesitated any longer... I'm sure you know what I want to say."
Akio gulped.
"Yes..."
"Now then, let's go. We're done here."
Kouya turned around and dragged the man to the car, where Kaelis waited for them. The other two followed closely behind him.
Akio walked behind the two, thinking about what just happened.
*If I hadn't intervened, Makoto would've possibly been dead by now... I can't afford hesitation. Not in this world.*
The ride back was even quieter than the one there. It was almost suffocating. No one spoke. The only sound that could be heard was the humming of the van's engine. And once again, the city lights could be seen passing by.
Akio sat in his seat, fidgeting with the hem of his sleeves, while Makoto stood across from him, leaning against the wall of the van, with Ermina making herself comfortable in his hoodie pocket. He held his hand to his throat, as if breathing was still difficult.
Kouya stood near the doors, arms crossed, expression calm. Despite trying his best to act unbothered, his fingers twitched ever so slightly.
Akio noticed, but didn't comment on it.
Kaelis sat in the front, driving the car. His posture was relaxed, his gaze on the road in front of him.
Soon they finally arrived underground.
"Makoto", Kaelis turned to said man. "Go see Viola."
"I'm fine."
"That wasn't a request."
Makoto clicked his tongue but didn't argue, leaving to find Viola's office with Ermina wrapped around his shoulders like a shawl.
Akio remained frozen in place.
"Akio."
He flinched at the sound of his name.
"Come with me", Kaelis instructed.
Akio nodded wordlessly and followed Kaelis down the hall to a door, which lead to a small room. It had a big table and a lot of chairs. Seems like a briefing room.
Akio gulped.
Kaelis gestured for Akio to sit.
He obeyed.
There was a tense silence in the air once again.
"You disregarded the rule we set up for you to follow."
Akio swallowed and looked away, ashamed.
"Yes, sir..."
Silence once again.
"You made the correct decision."
Akio blinked.
"... I did?"
"Yes. This was a test. Don't hesitate next time. Hesitation is what nearly killed Makoto. Not your lack of instruction."
Akio nodded slowly.
"Alright. I understand."
"Good. You're dismissed. Get some rest. You did well. But don't let hesitation become a habit."
Akio looked at Kaelis for a while before bowing his head and leaving the room.
Kaelis was now alone in the room, thinking about his own advice.
He sighed deeply and let his thoughts wander to his daughter. It's already late, he should probably go home.
Meanwhile Akio arrived in his room. Makoto wasn't there yet, probably still at Viola's office.
He lay down in his narrow bed and began thinking.
The image of the woman falling to the floor replayed in his mind.
His heart began to race and suddenly he felt quite uneasy.
*No, Akio. Focus on the present. The past is already over, there's no point in dwelling on it.*
Or at least that's what he tried to tell himself.
He stared at the ceiling for a while, yet his eyes began to close soon and he fell into a deep sleep.