Heroes and Villains

31 - Unfolding mystery

Yumi

I look at myself in the mirror to check if there is anything that needs to be fixed. I hate that I am blind in times like these. Somehow, my own reflection is something I was never able to see very well, so applying makeup and fixing my hair have always been very difficult for me to do alone.

I could ask for help from one of the many workers around the mansion, but I like being independent. Hm… Maybe asking for their opinion before I go looking for Daniel-san isn’t a bad idea. I don’t want to show up in front of him with mascara and lipstick all over my face.

I smooth my dress and grab my cane before heading out of my room. Color is another thing that completely flies over my head. I always dress in white because it is the one color I can see perfectly, but tonight I wanted to go in purple because it is Daniel’s favorite.

I don’t even know if purple looks good on me.

I rub my hands on each other as they start to sweat. Tonight is a very important night, not just because of the party. Tonight, I and Daniel-san are going to assume our relationship to his brothers and my grandmother.

I take a deep breath to try to calm my nerves. Everything will be alright.

After checking with one of the maids that I am good enough to head out, I go in search of my boyfriend, thinking he must be in his room.

However, once I get there, he is nowhere to be seen.

Knowing him, he probably went to his lab to get one last bit of work done before the party. He can’t help himself. He is a workaholic, even more than I am.

Smiling, I head to the facilities, casually thanking all the compliments coming my way. The Main Hall is ready to receive all the guests for tonight and the food is already being served. The decorations look beautiful. Obaasan sure has outdone herself.

I frown as I think of my grandmother. I have not seen her or talked to her ever since that incident. I keep picturing her face shifting in front of me. Not that she made any attempt to approach me either, anyway.

I know Itsuki said she wouldn’t remember a thing, but I wonder if that is true. I wonder if all this distancing is because she does remember what happened and is thinking about what to do next.

I enter the elevator with these thoughts in mind and press the button that takes me to the last level. After coming here so many times, Daniel-san finally inserted my own digital fingerprint so I wouldn’t have to bypass the mainboard all the time.

The elevator dings, the door opens, and I head out to search for him. We have been working together to find a way to individualize the living nanites and make them function according to our own soundwaves but that has proven itself to be futile. It seems these nanites really do have a mind of their own and there’s no controlling them.

This worries me. The nanites coursing through Mara’s veins are not different; they are just dormant and can be controlled due to that. We have also tried to deactivate the living nanites but that is quite hard to do if you don’t know what makes them move in the first place.

“Daniel-san?” I call out, now knowing for sure he is here. The equipment is not in the same place we left it in yesterday.

I hear him yelp and then a loud crash as something falls on the floor. I run towards where the noise came from and find him next to the large machine that will lead us to a better future. It is now completed and just waiting for Itsuki to return.

“H-Hey” Daniel-san says, looking down at the mess he just made. It seems he dropped a Petri plate as there’s glass shattered across the floor.

I take a moment to admire his form as he looks distressed at all the glass. He is in his human form, of course, but is wearing a black and white suit that fits him perfectly. He also has a black-tie that I suspect Ricardo picked for him, noticing how he failed to tie it properly. His hair is filled with gel as he tried to tame it backwards.

When he turns around to pick the broom from the corner of the room, his eyes finally fall on me and I smile when his mouth opens in stunning surprise.

He too takes a moment to access me and I am pretty pleased with myself for making him blush from the neck up.

“What are you doing down here?” I ask, approaching him while I avoid the glass. “The party is going to start soon”

He is still looking wide-eyed at me when he responds. “I… ah…. I wanted to just check something before heading out”

“Something?” I ask as I tinker with his tie and remove it completely, relieving some buttons at his neck. There, he looks so much better like this.

Placing the tie aside, I plant a soft kiss on his temple and he visibly gulps. I smirk softly, my needing for him growing steadily.

“Y-Yeah…” He says. “But my brothers told me not to say anything”

I look at him curiously and place my arms around his neck, smiling seductively. “What is it you can’t say?”

“Hum… Shouldn’t we go to the party?” He asks, knowing I am cornering him.

“We still have some time…” I say, kissing his other temple and trailing butterfly kisses down his neck.

I know I am about to get what I want when he places his arms around me and kisses me passionately, pulling me closer. We are so busy with each other, we don’t even hear the elevator’s ding.

“Hey, Danny, are you here?” We hear Jack’s voice approaching but it is too late. “What the hell?”

We nearly jump away from each other, our faces growing bright red at Jack’s surprised face. He catches himself very quickly and smirks at Daniel-san. He too is dressed in a fine suit but is wearing a golden bow at his neck.

“So, that’s what you’ve been doing down here” He says. “Shanking the boss’s granddaughter. Who knew”

“I-it’s not like that” Daniel-san tries but I know it is futile to try to hide it now.

“We are going to announce it tonight at the party” I say.

“Oh” Jack sounds, looking between me and Daniel. “Seems like it’s something serious, then”

“Yeah, it is” Daniel says, looking braver and holding my hand. I smile at him as he does.

“That’s all very nice, but we should get going before Ricky has a stroke” Jack tells us. “And what’s all this mess? Don’t tell me you were busy on the desks? Who are you and what did you do to my brother?”

“I dropped a sample, ok?” Daniel-san says, blushing again. “I was just about to clean it”

“I’ll help” I volunteer, taking the broom from his hands.

“Well, hurry up, ok?” Jack says. “Oh, and bro. You have some lipstick right here” He points to his own temple and Daniel quickly wipes the lipstick stain. Jack then proceeds to head out of the lab, leaving us alone.

We both sigh in relief when he’s gone.

I quickly broom the shattered glass to the side while Daniel goes to get a shovel to scoop it up. As I broom, I notice a shiny black piece among the glass and figure it is the sample Daniel dropped, so I reach out to pick it up.

As soon as I touch the little piece, no bigger than a peanut, I feel a strong jolt of electricity course through my body.

I feel strong energy coming out of the little rock piece as my mind realizes this must be a piece of the meteor. Closing my eyes, I feel the energy taking over me, enveloping me like a warm blanket. I feel stronger and more alive than ever before.

“Yumi!” I hear Daniel’s shouts and before I know it, he slaps my hand and forces me to drop the meteor piece to the ground. “Are you ok?”

I am still dazed by what just happened but I manage to nod as Daniel-san looks worriedly at me.

“What was that?” I ask, even though I already know the answer.

“A piece of the meteor” Daniel confirms my suspicions. “One of the only pieces the company managed to extract 50 years ago. I was testing it before you arrived”

“Testing it for what?” I ask, looking at him. He hesitates.

“To activate the machine” He admits and I look surprised.

“I thought we were only going to do that once your father showed up?” I ask.

“He did” He reveals. “Dad returned yesterday. That’s what my brothers didn’t want me to tell anyone”

“He’s back?” I ask. “I don’t understand, why can’t you tell anyone he has returned?”

“Because he’s hiding” He tells me. “Yumi… I’m afraid your grandmother tried to kill him when they were in Japan”

“What?” I ask, astonished. I now know my grandmother is not who I thought she was, but I never thought she would try to kill someone.

“He told us to activate the machine after the party” He continues.

“I thought we needed Kitty Girl to do that” I state.

“I know, but father says we can’t wait anymore” He says. “Kitty Girl was going to regulate the radiation so that it could be safer, but if Lady Yuna is already trying to stop us, we can’t waste any more time trying to find her”

I feel conflicted once again. I know who Kitty Girl is. I know where she is right now. I could just tell them and have her do what we need her to do, but… I still don’t want to betray her.

“What if I function as the regulator?” I ask.

“You?” Daniel-san asks, surprised.

“You saw how I reacted with that little meteor piece” I say. “Maybe I can control the meteor long enough for the machine to work safely”

“It’s too dangerous, Yumi” He says.

“I know, but I would rather do that than risk another catastrophe from happening like the one from 50 years ago” I state. “I’m doing it. You can tell Itsuki”

He knows I am leaving no room for argument here, so he doesn’t say anything else. We are getting late for the party anyway.

Before we leave the lab, ignoring the shattered glass still on the floor, I take one last look at the little rock laying there.

If this is how I react towards a small piece of the meteor, how will I react when I face the entire thing?