**
… This is really bad
Few minutes after the battle with Slipknot, Niina came to pick Neito up with his Flying Board.
In the end, they only brought down two buildings. Niina did well in the short amount of time to pick out the buildings that would yield a minimal amount of casualties while taking into account which of New York buildings had fire alarms installed in them.
But in the end, they couldn’t completely avoid making casualties. Some people were injured by the blast and the rubble.
Neito was the instigator, but Crimson didn’t blame him. He was the first one to survive an encounter with Slipknot, and thus, could provide them with more information. Instead of dropping, His ratings inside the company rose.
He wasn’t in the mood to celebrate after hearing the casualty report in his hospital room. But it gave him an idea for his next enemy.
A combat footage of Sonic Youth fighting was running along the monitor in his room.
[…From what I heard, his speed is inhuman… what should we do…]
Sonic Youth was moving so fast that the camera had a hard time following him. Sonic Youth dodged a barrage of machine gun fire.
Slowing the tape into super slow motion, he could see that Sonic Youth didn’t dodge them as a whole, but rather made small movements to dodge every single bullet. It was truly a remarkable display of inhuman reflexes.
A scene where Crimson’s signature battle android appeared. A beam of straight light appeared, blowing away the android into pieces. From there Sonic Youth disappeared from the screen.
[Hmm… You’re hospitalized so you should rest Nate. Here, have an apple.]
Anice was peeling apples beside his bed and handed a slice to him.
[No, I already recovered enough… and watching a video wouldn’t hurt…]
Neito’s recovery was fast due to his regenerative powers. The reason why Anice was with him now was probably because she was concerned for him. To be honest, he panicked when Anice started crying when she came for the first time.
[No, here, say ‘Ahhn’]
(TLN: The infamous, spoon-feeding couples do.)
Anice was in a good mood, and her smile was bright as usual… but doing that was a bit too much…
[……Thanks, I can do it by myself.]
[Ah… But-]
He grabbed the fork and ate the apple. Anice was dissatisfied.
A knock came on the door and an out-of-place individual came in.
[Hey there Nate, How are you feeling?]
[A! Papa!]
It was Mister Big. He was wearing his regular Double Suit as usual. Anice was delighted to see him.
[Ah, Hell. I’m already fine. Thank you for your concern.]
Neito thanked himself for not doing the “ahhn” thing with Anice. Mr. Big could’ve walked in on them. The last time they’d seen each other was during the dinner they had at Anice’s house. Even then, Mr. Big was hostile towards Neito but now, there was no presence of hostility.
[Do you have something to discuss with me Mr. Big?]
[Not at all, I just came over to convey my greetings.]
Mr. Big stood on top of Crimson. He would have a lot of enemies, and thus he would carefully hide his personal information to avoid being targeted. There was no way Mr. Big would just come casually visiting him for nothing. For him to visit with such big threats, he must need something of great importance from Neito. Maybe he was just genuinely concerned for his future son-in-law.
[Thank you for coming despite your busy schedule.]
Normally, you would doubt the motive of the visit, but Neito disregarded this thought and decided it was a visit out of goodwill.
[Not at all. You’re family after all. Do Japanese people eat melons when they are sick?]
Mr. Big brought in a fruit basket. There huge amounts of fruits inside that made Neito glad. Neito thanked him again.
[But I was really surprised. You fought with Slipknot and manage to live through it…]
[Fufu~n♪ Isn’t Nate amazing?]
[…Not at all…]
Anice was praising him, but what he didn’t wasn’t something worth praising for. Neito understood something after fighting Slipknot.
First, Slipknot would’ve immediately killed the person hanging on that ledge if it were the final target. Even if it meant that he would sacrifice all of New York City, he would just brush it off as nothing because he had already achieved his goal. That was the only reason he spared Neito. Slipknot knew he needed to survive by all means until he completed his goal.
Despite surviving, Neito suffered heavy losses. It was his first time getting beaten up this much.
In the final moments, He declared that he “won” against him, but it was no more than surviving to fight another day.
On the other hand, among Crimson, surviving Slipknot’s attack was regarded as no more than a miracle.
[Not at all… I did let him get away…]
He kept secret that he deliberately let Slipknot escape. People finding out would cause him too much trouble.
Slipknot was a formidable enemy. He managed to survive the fight against him, but Neito doubted he could defeat him if they were to go at it again.
He was only equipped with his evil spirit and his wits… if he were to use his tactics on Slipknot, he doubted it would work against him.
[… In honesty, the fight against the Rocks Organization over here is really fierce.]
In addition to Slipknot, “he” also exists. Neito looked into the monitor.
[You’re really modest… Oh, a footage of Sonic Youth eh?]
Mr. Big took a seat beside his bed and shifted his attention to the TV monitor.
[Yes, he is quite formidable. His speed can match up, no, exceed Dylan’s]
[I see. If you say so, then it must be true… How about it? What’s the probability of you winning against him?]
Mr. Big was trying to break it down lightly.
[……I don’t know. I’ll have to try him out myself…]
Neito voiced out his honest opinion. He thought about it a lot, but defeating Sonic Youth was really difficult.
The first idea he thought of was assassination. But then realized that this was futile.
If they were to shoot a bullet from a distance, Sonic Youth’s “Over sense” could easily detect the change of airflow of the bullet, easily moving and avoiding it.
Even so, it was impossible to catch him off guard even if it is a casual day for him.
Even if they were blow up a bomb when he is in the middle of an interview, they would likely fail because he could smell and detect the components of the bomb easily.
If he started wearing his “Sonic Roller Blades” there was no way to catch up to him.
[Is that so… Well, you don’t need to force yourself. First you’ll need to fully recover. Well, I’m going now. Ah please enjoy the melon.]
Neito called out to Mr. Big as he stood up.
[Ah, excuse me Mr. Big… Can I ask a question?]
[Do you have any idea who this Slipknot is?]
When Slipknot held him at gunpoint, he showed a picture of Crimson’s top brass which could eventually lead to Mr. Big. There must be a link to why he wanted to kill Mr. Big.
[Well, I don’t know. I know what you are implying. He’s been digging information about me after all. But, there are countless people who bear a grudge on me because of the things my company did.]
He determined that Mr. Big wasn’t lying.
He did say “I’ve done horrible things to people… if anybody were to come after my head, I wouldn’t complain if I got killed” he must be sincere.
[Is that so… Pardon me for asking that question. Thank you for the melon, I’ll happily have it.]
Neito let Anice go home with her dad. Thanking Mr. Big, he ate the melon and thought to himself. I’m the same as Mr. Big… I don’t know how many people bear a grudge on me, but I’m sure one of these days, someone will come after my life… If that someone is on par with Slipknot, I don’t know if I could live through…
**
While Neito was recovering, Niina covered for him in the office. He was receiving lots of cases which he had to process.
[Ahh, I’m so tired…]
He took a deep breath and thought to himself.
It’s the first time Senpai has been beaten that badly… And we still have to deal with Sonic Youth… This might be tricky…
[Well, Senpai will find a way…]
They managed to get through in the battle with Slipknot. Sonic youth might be strong, but there is always a way to defeat him. Niina might not look like it, but he was an optimist. He didn’t mind too much about the minor negative details.
Beetle and Ramone were B class. Neito barely managed to defeat them. Slipknot and the Maroon Five were ‘A’ class, and he somehow managed to defeat them. Niina knew that Neito just survived to fight another day.
That means Senpai’s rank is equivalent to ‘A’ class in the Rocks Organization… Slipknot and Sonic Youth are also rank ‘A’s… I think they can they stand equal with each other.
[Aahh, it’ll work out somehow.]
He then received a call. It was labeled as “Urgent”. He picked up the phone and answered.
[This is deputy in charge of the Manhattan area, Niina speaking. Is something the matter?]
The topic was a peculiar one.
[…Eh? Really? Are you serious? Eh? It’s on national news? Uwah, then I understand… Please submit a report to me then]
Niina hurriedly turned on the television. If the information was correct, it was a bad thing for them.
The television was playing a soap drama. Niina changed the channel and checked the news.
< This is the current situation on ground >
The news just came on and were showing the headlines.
-Slipknot fights together with Sonic Youth –
< Just around noon, the criminal group, “Rooster” robbed a bank bringing with them a genetically created monster. The incident was solved in less than three minutes. The one who responded first were Sonic Youth, and for the first time, Slipknot who thought to only operate at night and target only Crimson members, appeared and brought a resolution to the situation. >
On the screen, it showed Sonic Youth circling around the monster in high speeds, while Slipknot was providing cover fire with his large rifle. They fight was fast, precise and deadly in the hands of a master marksman and a speed demon. With confronted with two ‘A’ ranked Rocks Guardians, the monster went down in a flash.
Niina knew that Rooster was a huge criminal organization that were nitpicking on minor crimes. The monster they brought with them was equal to the modified humans Metallica had.
They brought down such monster in a few minutes. Their strength was terrifying.
The video only showed Sonic Youth’s after image and a glimpse of Slipknot firing at the back.
[What does this mean…?]
Niina was crushed. There were many times when Rock’s Guardians would help out each other, and Sonic Youth was no exemption. People already know who he was, but Slipknot was different. Nobody knew who he is and he just operated behind the shadow. Then why?
< We have no definite captured image of Slipknot, but it can’t be denied that the top two Guardians’ strength is overwhelming. >
That was definitely true. Maroon Five was composed of C class heroes combined into one, but the one they showed were two individuals with the rank of ‘A’ class. Their individual powers were just too much.
The current Evil Silhouette was no powerful modified being. The only reason it seemed strong was because Neito knew how to utilize its powers. The Evil Silhouette can no more than be a modified version of the monster shown in the television. There was a huge chance Neito could be brought down that easily.
[… This is really bad.]
Niina hurriedly picked up his phone and contacted Neito.
[Senpai! Did you see the news just now?]
[Yeah… This is one huge setback for us.]
[This is really bad… we were already having trouble dealing with them each… now that they’ve paired up…]
[Calm down. This may just be a fluke, they may have been simply close to the location when the incident happened.]
Neito was being hopeful. There must be a reason why Slipknot did this.
Niina again, thought to himself. Did Slipknot stop acting independently? Could it be that realized he couldn’t defeat Senpai, so he’s now pairing up with other Guardians? Will that be common now?
This was a probable question.
[Slipknot is still suspected on the destruction of the building, he may just want to create a good image of himself. On the other hand, he may have a different objective. He may look like a blockhead, but he’s doing it for a purpose. Well, Crimson didn’t receive any casualties, and we don’t know what he’ll do next… All we can do is wait and observe.]
Neito was answering in a worried voice. But it was true that they could only wait for more information.
[… ‘derstood Senpai…]
He ended the call.
A few days passed.
Neito hopes were not answered. On the following days, Slipknot started working with Sonic Youth in every incident.
In regards to this change, the citizens were both shocked and divided.
He was no more than a no powered hero, yet he stood equal to Sonic Youth. They already know that he doesn’t hesitate as long he gets what he wants, no matter what the method is, and for that they criticized him. Could they have been both affiliated with one another? Some were saying it was a good thing since they were now working together.
There were times when they would enter the battle simultaneously. And there were rumors about Slipknot sharing his information network with Sonic Youth, and they would both deal with the crime.
In the end, the crime rate in New York City went down, and the number of cases solved by the police skyrocketed.
The Manhattan area now was the very threat to Crimson. They instances of crime lowered, and the top brass, as well as Mr. Big disappeared.
The company was being cornered by Slipknot, and Niina, as well as Neito couldn’t do anything about it.
It could be said that Slipknot’s change of tactic had bounded Crimson to its knees.
Niina, changed his lifestyle, and lived in fear of the day Slipknot would come for his head.
**
“Fat people should be called skinny… because they have more skin in terms of surface area”
– Daikyun
**
… This is really bad
Few minutes after the battle with Slipknot, Niina came to pick Neito up with his Flying Board.
In the end, they only brought down two buildings. Niina did well in the short amount of time to pick out the buildings that would yield a minimal amount of casualties while taking into account which of New York buildings had fire alarms installed in them.
But in the end, they couldn’t completely avoid making casualties. Some people were injured by the blast and the rubble.
Neito was the instigator, but Crimson didn’t blame him. He was the first one to survive an encounter with Slipknot, and thus, could provide them with more information. Instead of dropping, His ratings inside the company rose.
He wasn’t in the mood to celebrate after hearing the casualty report in his hospital room. But it gave him an idea for his next enemy.
A combat footage of Sonic Youth fighting was running along the monitor in his room.
[…From what I heard, his speed is inhuman… what should we do…]
Sonic Youth was moving so fast that the camera had a hard time following him. Sonic Youth dodged a barrage of machine gun fire.
Slowing the tape into super slow motion, he could see that Sonic Youth didn’t dodge them as a whole, but rather made small movements to dodge every single bullet. It was truly a remarkable display of inhuman reflexes.
A scene where Crimson’s signature battle android appeared. A beam of straight light appeared, blowing away the android into pieces. From there Sonic Youth disappeared from the screen.
[Hmm… You’re hospitalized so you should rest Nate. Here, have an apple.]
Anice was peeling apples beside his bed and handed a slice to him.
[No, I already recovered enough… and watching a video wouldn’t hurt…]
Neito’s recovery was fast due to his regenerative powers. The reason why Anice was with him now was probably because she was concerned for him. To be honest, he panicked when Anice started crying when she came for the first time.
[No, here, say ‘Ahhn’]
(TLN: The infamous, spoon-feeding couples do.)
Anice was in a good mood, and her smile was bright as usual… but doing that was a bit too much…
[……Thanks, I can do it by myself.]
[Ah… But-]
He grabbed the fork and ate the apple. Anice was dissatisfied.
A knock came on the door and an out-of-place individual came in.
[Hey there Nate, How are you feeling?]
[A! Papa!]
It was Mister Big. He was wearing his regular Double Suit as usual. Anice was delighted to see him.
[Ah, Hell. I’m already fine. Thank you for your concern.]
Neito thanked himself for not doing the “ahhn” thing with Anice. Mr. Big could’ve walked in on them. The last time they’d seen each other was during the dinner they had at Anice’s house. Even then, Mr. Big was hostile towards Neito but now, there was no presence of hostility.
[Do you have something to discuss with me Mr. Big?]
[Not at all, I just came over to convey my greetings.]
Mr. Big stood on top of Crimson. He would have a lot of enemies, and thus he would carefully hide his personal information to avoid being targeted. There was no way Mr. Big would just come casually visiting him for nothing. For him to visit with such big threats, he must need something of great importance from Neito. Maybe he was just genuinely concerned for his future son-in-law.
[Thank you for coming despite your busy schedule.]
Normally, you would doubt the motive of the visit, but Neito disregarded this thought and decided it was a visit out of goodwill.
[Not at all. You’re family after all. Do Japanese people eat melons when they are sick?]
Mr. Big brought in a fruit basket. There huge amounts of fruits inside that made Neito glad. Neito thanked him again.
[But I was really surprised. You fought with Slipknot and manage to live through it…]
[Fufu~n♪ Isn’t Nate amazing?]
[…Not at all…]
Anice was praising him, but what he didn’t wasn’t something worth praising for. Neito understood something after fighting Slipknot.
First, Slipknot would’ve immediately killed the person hanging on that ledge if it were the final target. Even if it meant that he would sacrifice all of New York City, he would just brush it off as nothing because he had already achieved his goal. That was the only reason he spared Neito. Slipknot knew he needed to survive by all means until he completed his goal.
Despite surviving, Neito suffered heavy losses. It was his first time getting beaten up this much.
In the final moments, He declared that he “won” against him, but it was no more than surviving to fight another day.
On the other hand, among Crimson, surviving Slipknot’s attack was regarded as no more than a miracle.
[Not at all… I did let him get away…]
He kept secret that he deliberately let Slipknot escape. People finding out would cause him too much trouble.
Slipknot was a formidable enemy. He managed to survive the fight against him, but Neito doubted he could defeat him if they were to go at it again.
He was only equipped with his evil spirit and his wits… if he were to use his tactics on Slipknot, he doubted it would work against him.
[… In honesty, the fight against the Rocks Organization over here is really fierce.]
In addition to Slipknot, “he” also exists. Neito looked into the monitor.
[You’re really modest… Oh, a footage of Sonic Youth eh?]
Mr. Big took a seat beside his bed and shifted his attention to the TV monitor.
[Yes, he is quite formidable. His speed can match up, no, exceed Dylan’s]
[I see. If you say so, then it must be true… How about it? What’s the probability of you winning against him?]
Mr. Big was trying to break it down lightly.
[……I don’t know. I’ll have to try him out myself…]
Neito voiced out his honest opinion. He thought about it a lot, but defeating Sonic Youth was really difficult.
The first idea he thought of was assassination. But then realized that this was futile.
If they were to shoot a bullet from a distance, Sonic Youth’s “Over sense” could easily detect the change of airflow of the bullet, easily moving and avoiding it.
Even so, it was impossible to catch him off guard even if it is a casual day for him.
Even if they were blow up a bomb when he is in the middle of an interview, they would likely fail because he could smell and detect the components of the bomb easily.
If he started wearing his “Sonic Roller Blades” there was no way to catch up to him.
[Is that so… Well, you don’t need to force yourself. First you’ll need to fully recover. Well, I’m going now. Ah please enjoy the melon.]
Neito called out to Mr. Big as he stood up.
[Ah, excuse me Mr. Big… Can I ask a question?]
[Do you have any idea who this Slipknot is?]
When Slipknot held him at gunpoint, he showed a picture of Crimson’s top brass which could eventually lead to Mr. Big. There must be a link to why he wanted to kill Mr. Big.
[Well, I don’t know. I know what you are implying. He’s been digging information about me after all. But, there are countless people who bear a grudge on me because of the things my company did.]
He determined that Mr. Big wasn’t lying.
He did say “I’ve done horrible things to people… if anybody were to come after my head, I wouldn’t complain if I got killed” he must be sincere.
[Is that so… Pardon me for asking that question. Thank you for the melon, I’ll happily have it.]
Neito let Anice go home with her dad. Thanking Mr. Big, he ate the melon and thought to himself. I’m the same as Mr. Big… I don’t know how many people bear a grudge on me, but I’m sure one of these days, someone will come after my life… If that someone is on par with Slipknot, I don’t know if I could live through…
**
While Neito was recovering, Niina covered for him in the office. He was receiving lots of cases which he had to process.
[Ahh, I’m so tired…]
He took a deep breath and thought to himself.
It’s the first time Senpai has been beaten that badly… And we still have to deal with Sonic Youth… This might be tricky…
[Well, Senpai will find a way…]
They managed to get through in the battle with Slipknot. Sonic youth might be strong, but there is always a way to defeat him. Niina might not look like it, but he was an optimist. He didn’t mind too much about the minor negative details.
Beetle and Ramone were B class. Neito barely managed to defeat them. Slipknot and the Maroon Five were ‘A’ class, and he somehow managed to defeat them. Niina knew that Neito just survived to fight another day.
That means Senpai’s rank is equivalent to ‘A’ class in the Rocks Organization… Slipknot and Sonic Youth are also rank ‘A’s… I think they can they stand equal with each other.
[Aahh, it’ll work out somehow.]
He then received a call. It was labeled as “Urgent”. He picked up the phone and answered.
[This is deputy in charge of the Manhattan area, Niina speaking. Is something the matter?]
The topic was a peculiar one.
[…Eh? Really? Are you serious? Eh? It’s on national news? Uwah, then I understand… Please submit a report to me then]
Niina hurriedly turned on the television. If the information was correct, it was a bad thing for them.
The television was playing a soap drama. Niina changed the channel and checked the news.
< This is the current situation on ground >
The news just came on and were showing the headlines.
-Slipknot fights together with Sonic Youth –
< Just around noon, the criminal group, “Rooster” robbed a bank bringing with them a genetically created monster. The incident was solved in less than three minutes. The one who responded first were Sonic Youth, and for the first time, Slipknot who thought to only operate at night and target only Crimson members, appeared and brought a resolution to the situation. >
On the screen, it showed Sonic Youth circling around the monster in high speeds, while Slipknot was providing cover fire with his large rifle. They fight was fast, precise and deadly in the hands of a master marksman and a speed demon. With confronted with two ‘A’ ranked Rocks Guardians, the monster went down in a flash.
Niina knew that Rooster was a huge criminal organization that were nitpicking on minor crimes. The monster they brought with them was equal to the modified humans Metallica had.
They brought down such monster in a few minutes. Their strength was terrifying.
The video only showed Sonic Youth’s after image and a glimpse of Slipknot firing at the back.
[What does this mean…?]
Niina was crushed. There were many times when Rock’s Guardians would help out each other, and Sonic Youth was no exemption. People already know who he was, but Slipknot was different. Nobody knew who he is and he just operated behind the shadow. Then why?
< We have no definite captured image of Slipknot, but it can’t be denied that the top two Guardians’ strength is overwhelming. >
That was definitely true. Maroon Five was composed of C class heroes combined into one, but the one they showed were two individuals with the rank of ‘A’ class. Their individual powers were just too much.
The current Evil Silhouette was no powerful modified being. The only reason it seemed strong was because Neito knew how to utilize its powers. The Evil Silhouette can no more than be a modified version of the monster shown in the television. There was a huge chance Neito could be brought down that easily.
[… This is really bad.]
Niina hurriedly picked up his phone and contacted Neito.
[Senpai! Did you see the news just now?]
[Yeah… This is one huge setback for us.]
[This is really bad… we were already having trouble dealing with them each… now that they’ve paired up…]
[Calm down. This may just be a fluke, they may have been simply close to the location when the incident happened.]
Neito was being hopeful. There must be a reason why Slipknot did this.
Niina again, thought to himself. Did Slipknot stop acting independently? Could it be that realized he couldn’t defeat Senpai, so he’s now pairing up with other Guardians? Will that be common now?
This was a probable question.
[Slipknot is still suspected on the destruction of the building, he may just want to create a good image of himself. On the other hand, he may have a different objective. He may look like a blockhead, but he’s doing it for a purpose. Well, Crimson didn’t receive any casualties, and we don’t know what he’ll do next… All we can do is wait and observe.]
Neito was answering in a worried voice. But it was true that they could only wait for more information.
[… ‘derstood Senpai…]
He ended the call.
A few days passed.
Neito hopes were not answered. On the following days, Slipknot started working with Sonic Youth in every incident.
In regards to this change, the citizens were both shocked and divided.
He was no more than a no powered hero, yet he stood equal to Sonic Youth. They already know that he doesn’t hesitate as long he gets what he wants, no matter what the method is, and for that they criticized him. Could they have been both affiliated with one another? Some were saying it was a good thing since they were now working together.
There were times when they would enter the battle simultaneously. And there were rumors about Slipknot sharing his information network with Sonic Youth, and they would both deal with the crime.
In the end, the crime rate in New York City went down, and the number of cases solved by the police skyrocketed.
The Manhattan area now was the very threat to Crimson. They instances of crime lowered, and the top brass, as well as Mr. Big disappeared.
The company was being cornered by Slipknot, and Niina, as well as Neito couldn’t do anything about it.
It could be said that Slipknot’s change of tactic had bounded Crimson to its knees.
Niina, changed his lifestyle, and lived in fear of the day Slipknot would come for his head.
**
“Fat people should be called skinny… because they have more skin in terms of surface area”
– Daikyun
