The plain, white void.
Although nothing being recognizable, the void itself was starting to be. The void then faded out to simply be the shine of a bright light above Akino. His eyes adjusted, the light growing less blinding until he was able make out a handful of shadows encircling him. The shadows tightened and solidified into identifiable people.
Makina, Hideyo, The Royal Ambassador, Kiku, Asuka, two guards.
Matoi.
Akino groaned quietly as he tried to move his body out of the thin white sheets and wires attached to him.
"Are you sure he's going to wake up," Matoi asked.
Akino turned his head to see the people more clearly. Matoi had her back turned to him, facing the Royal Ambassador.
"His vitals have been improving everyday. Trust me, he should be awake any moment," the Royal Ambassador consoled.
Kiku turned her head to glance at him. Her face lit up with charm as she chanted his name, pointing at him. "Akino, Akino! His eyes are open, he's awake!" She frowned. "That is his name, right?"
Matoi spun her head around, her hair twirling with it. Her cheeks reddened and her eyes sparkled with joy before she collapsed onto him, hugging him tight. "Akino! I'm so glad you're alive, I wouldn't know what I would have had to say to Sakagami if anything happened to you." She lifted herself off of him. "It's all my fault, I wasn't there to protect y-..."
She noticed.
Akino wasn't looking her in the eye. There wasn't even a smile.
Matoi backed away, eyebrows slanted in shame.
"Hey," Makina greeted, "what the hell did you pull back there? You know, whatever the fuck you did three days ago?"
The Royal Ambassador nudged Hideyo, prompting her to smash her heeled boot into Makina's foot, sending her stumbling back a few steps.
"Sh-, fine," Makina said, composing herself.
The Royal Ambassador stepped forward, a remote-looking item in her hand.
"Greetings, Mr. Sakagami. I am Division-A's leader, the Royal Ambassador. You may refer to me now as Hetsu Koboshi, since we are already quite familiar with each other already."
Akino looked up at her, shocked.
"Here I have a recorder." Hetsu lifted and opened her hand, revealing the device. "It directly transmits everything it records to the Grand Hall's Division of Human Knowledge and Preservation Bureau. Whatever you say, I say, or anyone in the room says, it will be exposed to the ears of your leaders."
Akino slouched back in the bed, feeling defeated.
"However, this is only a protocol. Everything you say is confidential and stays between us and the Bureau," Hetsu said, somewhat comforting him. "If you comply, you will be in no immediate danger. If you deny, you will be arrested and tossed into the worst of prisons that Division-A has to offer."
The faces of everyone were riddled with anxiety, not disbelief. Akino took note of this, acknowledging that this wasn't a simple threat, but rather fact. He swallowed his doubts and nodded feebly. "I," he coughed, adjusting his voice, "I comply."
Hetsu pressed the button on the recorder.
"How long do you think you've been asleep?"
"Ah... a few days?"
"How long have you known Makina?"
"A month, maybe?"
"How many times have you meddled in her operations, intentionally or not?"
YOU ARE READING
Division-A
Action"Humanity is a figment of imagination." 100 years ago, humanity flocked to a makeshift island due to an event that threatened to massacre everything in its path. Now, in present day, Akino has nightmares about an event that nearly killed him and his...
