《FLCL: EP Seven》 Prologue Part 1 - Episode 6 - It¡¯s too early. Haruko get your elbow out of my back. No Noogie Noogie. A truck passed by, the back-draft ruffling Naota¡¯s hair. Haruko flip-flopped beside him in the sleeping bag they were sharing. They had covered themselves in cardboard boxes for extra warmth. But park benches were always uncomfortable and Harkuo had wriggled her way on top of him again. Haruko, not Raharu. We already have this kind of relationship. Shinkon Ryok¨­ A horn blared and Naota ignored it. It had been a week of this. Traveling with Haruko. Seeing the countryside. Sleeping on park benches and eating convenience store noodles. This is better than school. This is grownup stuff. Haruko needs me. We have to fight robots. And Aliens. Steam billowed out from the Medical Mechanica plant on the hill. The steam hasn¡¯t stopped for a week. When you are in a town like this covered in steam, it¡¯s easy to forget there¡¯s a world out there. A world that isn¡¯t boring and stagnant. A world where amazing things are happening all the time. People walked by. The sidewalk was not more than 10 feet away. Everyone ignored them. The bench might as well be invisible. I¡¯ll sleep in a little longer, nothing ever happens before Haruko wakes up anyways. She can be such a slacker. - ¡°Wake up sleepy head.¡± Haruko said warmly. Naota snuggled back in to the sleeping bag trying to remember his dream. A red light blinking in the dark void of space. She watched the commuters passing by and saw Ninamori across the street. Haruko gave her a catty grin. ¡°Naota-Kun! Wake up!¡± She moaned melodramatically and pawed at the sleeping boy. Ninamori turned and walked away in a huff. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°I¡¯m awake!¡± Naota said smiling. ¡°You can be such a child.¡± ¡°You are the grown up then. Find me some breakfast.¡± Haruko said and picked at her nose. ¡°Lets just eat noodles again.¡± He said. ¡°But no spicy ones this time.¡± ¡°But you like the spicy noodles.¡± Haruko whined. ¡°You eat them every time.¡± Tingling lips, burning my throat. Kansetsu Kisu. ¡°That¡¯s because you always buy them and trade with me!¡± Naota said. ¡°You never listen to me.¡± A red light, blinking, floating in space. Was that a dream? Is that what is in my head? A siren blared, and people stopped everywhere. The pedestrians, the drivers, everyone stopped to listen as the Medical Mechanica Plant erupted with more steam. Haruko smiled then turned her foxy grin on Naota. ¡°Its time to go Naota-kun.¡± She said. - Two blocks down the street a small Yellow Fiat with tinted windows was parked on the curb. The female government agent inside rolled down the window to get a better look at the traffic on the street. Everyone was frozen in place as the sirens wailed. ¡°Activity at the plant.¡± Kitsurubami said. ¡°Agents at points 12B and 19C hold your positions. Confirm line of sight.¡± Amarao rushed to the window, holding two Marukyu coffees. ¡°I got your coffee.¡± He said, handing her one of the cups. ¡°Can we see them? Are we ready to move in?¡± ¡°Field agents are in position. They won¡¯t get away this time.¡± She said, taking a sip and grimacing at the too-sweet pumpkin spiced drink. Amarao popped the top off his coffee and dumped two more packets of sugar in. ¡°Send in everyone, they can¡¯t get to that hand.¡± He said coolly. His eyebrows snapped sharply. He pulled out some binoculars leaning on the roof of the little car. The giant stone hand haunted the city. It had been a giant robot until the boy and that red robot knocked out its central core. The agents were being very careful how things were handled so Medical Mechanica wouldn¡¯t activate the plant. ¡°Any word from the search team? Have they found the terminal core?¡± He asked. ¡°No update yet. There have been reports of missing vehicles downtown last night. Agents are scouring the neighborhood for a trail, but it¡¯s moving erratically.¡± A voice called in on the radio, a man urgently yelling. ¡°They are on the move!¡± ¡°All agents move in. Move in! Lethal force authorized!¡± Amarao shouted. A scuffle came over the radio, gunshots, a large spring was sprung, cars crashed, people screamed, what sounded like a goat bleated. ¡°What¡¯s happening? Did we get her?¡± Amarao shouted. Kitsurubami opened the sunroof and brought out her rifle. Sighting down the barrel, she got a look at the chaos. Haruhara Haruko was a whirling dervish, dodging bullets and slamming agents into the air left and right with her guitar. ¡°She¡¯s a monster.¡± She said and lined up her shot, and fired. Naota stepped into the line of the bullet and swung his guitar. He connected firmly with the bullet and knocked it up and over the city where it collided with a skyscraper. ¡°Nice job Takun! Lets get outta here!¡± She cheered and scooped him up onto her vespa. ¡°They are getting away!¡± Amarao wailed. Kitsurubami wiped a drizzle of nosebleed from her nose. Amarao jumped in through the car window. ¡°Get in here lets go! Lets go!¡± He shouted as he stomped his feet on the floor of the fiat. Kitsurubami dropped into the drivers seat and turned on the car. ¡°Which way did they go?¡± Captain Amarao whined. Haruko blew past them on her vespa, Naota holding on for dear life. ¡°Nyahh.¡± She gave them a stink eye. ¡°They are getting away!¡± He shouted. Prologue Part 2 Mamimi pulled her pet robot through an alley. She had been up walking all night. Her small pet had grown into a dog shaped robot the size of a small van. ¡°That¡¯s almost everyone on my list Takkun, I think I can forgive everyone now.¡± Naota and Haruko flew past on the vespa. The large robot saw them and burst forwards pulling on its leash. It dragged mamimi out of the alley but couldn¡¯t keep up with Haruko¡¯s Vespa. Gaku and Masashi stepped out of a corner store and saw the girl and her robot. ¡°Hey is that Naota¡¯s wife?¡± Gaku asked. ¡°The one he dumped?¡± Masashi asked. Mamimi lost control of the robot as it charged forwards to eat a pickup truck. ¡°No! Takkun! You can be doing things like this!¡± She yelled. ¡°That¡¯s my dad¡¯s truck.¡± Masashi said indifferently. - ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Amarao asked. ¡°Seems like an accident.¡± Kitsurubami said. They were stuck in traffic. ¡°We don¡¯t have time for this we have to stop Raharu! She¡¯s getting away!¡± Amarao leaned out of his window to yell at the drivers. He ducked back inside the car in time to avoid a tire flying past. A giant robot dog pounced on the car in front of them. ¡°Takkun! Don¡¯t be a bad boy!¡± Mamimmi cried. ¡°You know what that is? It¡¯s the terminal core! She¡¯s been feeding it!¡± Amarao shouted. The robot swallowed the car and doubled in size, knocking cars over each other. One of the falling cars crashed onto their fiat and the agents jumped clear. Kitsurubami spotted Canti directing pedestrian traffic away from the scene. The giant robot dog consumed him and grew larger again. ¡°That¡¯s it! He¡¯s a component! He¡¯s part of the Terminal Core!¡± Amarao shouted. He grabbed onto the robot before it launched itself into the air. The Medical Mechanica plant spewed out more steam and the sirens kicked up a notch. - A phone rang repeatedly. Amarao picked himself up, holding his broken arm. He reached across his body into his coat pocket to answer the phone. ¡°Is the plant going to activate?¡± Kitsurubami asked. ¡°Not yet,¡± He replied. He stared at the terminal core as it leaned anxiously over the edge of the hand. ¡°It¡¯s still missing something.¡± Haruko and Naota flew by on their vespa. Amarao shot them until they fell out of the sky in a cloud of smoke. The Vespa bounced and fell off the top of the Iron. As the smoke dissipated Amarao struck a cool pose. Naota stood there without his eyebrows. ¡°Where are your eyebrows? Why did you take them off? I told you not to trust her.¡± He said. You don¡¯t know anything. Just a stupid adult that¡¯s head doesn¡¯t even work. ¡°She¡¯s only thinking of herself. She doesn¡¯t care about you, she doesn¡¯t care about anyone.¡± He said. Haruko watched Amarao monologue with a smug look on her face. She cares about me. I can swing the bat. My head is the only one that works. ¡°You have family. And friends that live here.¡± That¡¯s kid stuff, I won¡¯t stay here in this boring town breathing steam. ¡°And that highschool girl. You want to save her don¡¯t you? Of course you do. That¡¯s normal. You are thinking like an adult.¡± I¡¯m going to get out of here, get away from this boring town where nothing ever happens. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡°Come over here! Don¡¯t let her manipulate you.¡± Naota turned and walked over to Haruko. She wrapped her arms around him, holding him close. ¡°What are you doing? How much more pain will you endure before you realize? Are you out of your mind?¡± I¡¯m here. Right here with Haruko. We are going to knock this stupid town right out of the park. ¡°Takun. It¡¯s time to get what I want but I need your help okay?¡± She said quietly. Naota nodded and pealed back the bandaid on his forehead. A red bump pulsed with light where a third eye would be. Yes. Haruko slambed him into the air with her guitar and he flew into the terminal core¡¯s mouth. ¡°Lunchtime!¡± Haruko cheered. - Naota stared into a vacant expanse. The world was entirely composed of blue glass. There was no wind. Where am I? It was quiet and cold. The ground rumbled, and a line of giant irons, appeared across the horizon. They slid over the glass, making it even more smooth. Amaro¡¯s voice echoed in his head. ¡°They¡¯re flattening planets all over the galaxy, smoothing out the wrinkles so you can¡¯t think! Even the Pirate King has been captured!¡± Atomsk? He¡¯s old news. I¡¯m the pirate king now. - ¡°Commander!¡± Kitsurubami Yelled into her phone. She was the last person standing in the street downtown. All of the citizens had disappeared into the buildings nearby. ¡°Commander Amarao!¡± She shouted again. She watched as the hand stooped over the iron shaped Medical Mechanica building. Just as it seemed like it had grasped it, a red light erupted beneath the hand. - Harkuo hovered on her Rickenbacker over the Medical Mechanica plant with a grin on her face. ¡°Here he is!¡± She said gleefully. Canti stood there between the hand and the iron, holding it back. But he was not red. ¡°Huh?¡± Haruko gasped. ¡°That kid... did he do it?¡± Amarao asked. A glowing hand, as bright as the sun burst from Canti¡¯s screen. Naota climbed out of Canti and looked directly at Haruko. ¡°He¡¯s got the powers of the Pirate King!¡± Amarao shouted. Enough of this. Naota punched the hand and it was blasted up as if it weighed nothing. Amarao held onto the iron for dear life. ¡°She tricked you! I tried to tell you! You believe me now?¡± He shouted at Naota. Naota flexed his grip on two guitars, he held his flying V in his right hand and Atamosk¡¯s Gibson EB-0 in his left. Both were glowing with the same ferocity. Atamosk¡¯s symbol pulsed quickly on his forehead. I am the Pirate King. ¡°I said I don¡¯t care about any of that! I just want Atomsk, that¡¯s all.¡± Haruko shouted viscously. ¡°Takkun! You can¡¯t do that! That power is mine!¡± Destroy Her. The bracelet on Haruko¡¯s wrist rattled frantically, pointing towards Naota. She charged him, swinging her Rickenbacker bass with full force. Their guitars clashed, again and again, relentlyessly. Lightning flashed and shockwaves rippled out across the city with each impact. She swung at him again. And again. Naota blocked each attack with one of his guitars. He burned brighter, his eyes burning white. Was she always this slow? ¡°Don¡¯t you dare get in my way, or you¡¯ll regret it!¡± She hissed as they locked guitars. ¡°This is our chance! We can gather up the outsiders and get rid of them all at once!¡± Amarao said. ¡°Is anyone even listening to me? I¡¯m done with adults telling me what to do. I get to say what happens now. ¡°I¡¯m not gonna go easy on you, Takkun!¡± Haruko shouted. ¡°Only one of us can eat him, and that¡¯s gonna be me.¡± This is my power. The power of the Pirate King. Naota¡¯s guitars fused together into one double-necked guitar. She swung again, but this time Naota stopped it with one hand. Destroy the Iron. Nobody can stop Me. He ripped her guitar from her hands and threw it over the edge of the iron. Without the guitar to keep her aloft Haruko fell down onto the Medical Mechanica plant. She landed badly and rolled to a stop before she fell off the edge. Yes. The power to change the world. To redefine freedom itself. To take what I want and nobody can stop me. The power of the Pirate King. ¡°That guitar!¡± Haruko gasped as she picked herself up. She limped forwards and glared at him. ¡°Naota. You can¡¯t do this! You were supposed to help me! After all we have been through. I saw you first Naota!¡± ¡°She¡¯s just as bad as Medical Mechanica! You¡¯re not gonna get what you want from her! Fight back! Take her out!¡± Amarao shouted. No. Haruko. Naota blazed down towards Harkuo at lightning speed. A shockwave rippled out as he landed in front of her. She grit her teeth waiting for the killing blow. ¡°I love you.¡± He whispered. This power means nothing if she hates me. Haruko was speachless and he kissed her. - Kitsurubami was watching through binoculars. She wiped away another nose bleed. She was blinded as a giant pair of red wings erupted from Naota¡¯s head. Everything in Mabase was lifted up. Rubble, cars, purses and people floated into the sky. Atamosk grew from Naota¡¯s head everything was drawn towards him. At first he looked like a winged man, but he took on the visage of a bird and grew to fill the entire sky. Kitsurubami gripped a signpost to keep from floating away and watched as the giant hand and the very sky itself was sucked into the giant bird¡¯s head. - ¡°Noooooooo!¡± Amarao wailed as his eyebrows were pealed from his head. ¡°Atomsk¡­¡± Haruko said, she was frozen in place. The Medical Mechanica plant was lifted off its foundation. You set me free Naota. Thank you. Atomsk blasted off into space as ball of light and disappeared. For a moment everything was still. Then gravity took over and everything dropped back to earth. Haruko and Naota were the only ones left standing on top of the iron as it resettled poorly on it¡¯s foundations. They each held one of the necks of the fused guitar. Haruko reached up with her other hand towards Atomsk. Her bracelet was pointing up into space. ¡°Stay.¡± Naota says but Haruko laughed under her breath. ¡°Naota you really did it this time.¡± Haruko said. She placed her other hand on his and pushed his hand gently off the guitar. ¡°I lost him again because of you. We couldn¡¯t pull it off.¡± ¡°I never wanted that power.¡± Naota said. Haruko whistled for her vespa. It came quickly rolling up the side of the iron. ¡°I¡¯ve got to go Naota. Wanna come along?¡± She asked. ¡°You know what? Forget it. Cause you¡¯re still a kid, Takkun. Save it for next time.¡± Why won¡¯t you stay? Naota watched her go as she rode the vespa up into the sky. - Mamimi stumbled over the rubble, dragging Amarao by the arms. ¡°It¡¯s okay Mister. We are almost out of this mess.¡± A sound to her right caught her attention. It¡¯s got to be here somewhere. Naota was digging in the rubble, throwing aside chunks of concrete. He started, spotting something. He ran over the top of the pile. He reappeared a moment later with Haruko¡¯s blue bass in his hands. She left. Mamimmi took out her camera and snapped a photo of Naota. A boy with a guitar. Framed by the silhouette of the ruined downtown skyline. The sun glinted off the Medical Mechanica plant where it sat askew on its hill. Chapter 1 - Nandaba Home Chapter 1 - Naota¡¯s Home I¡¯m not getting up today. Naota reached over to snooze his alarm, but his Doraemon clock escaped him. That dumb cat. The ringing intensified. It wasn¡¯t an alarm clock. It was static in his head. Naota groaned and Haruko¡¯s bass thrummed in the corner. She¡¯s out there living it up. Doing anything she wants. Adults are so lucky. Naota ran through the events from yesterday again for the hundredth time, stuffing his face into his pillow. She fought me. And I let her win. And she left. Atomsk left too. And like a little kid I took the toys home and went to bed before curfew. Not that I could sleep. The bass thrummed again in the corner. As if to say that the boy was a loser. Naota had slept in his clothes. His room was a mess, especially the top bunk. The blue rickenbacker bass was reclining against the window sill; its usual spot. Naota rolled out of bed cringing when his head erupted in a second of static. He kicked off his clothes and threw on some sweats and his hoodie. ¡°Nothing special happens here, the steam from the medical mechanica plant, everyday same time, it makes the adults dumb." Naota looked out the window at the off-kilter iron shaped medical mechanica plant. The sky was clear. The sun beat down on the streets, unobstructed by the city¡¯s usual steam. Or it used to. This is going to be a hot summer. The bass thrummed again. Haruko used to tune that thing all the time. Up there, on my brother¡¯s bunk. Well it¡¯s not his anymore. And it¡¯s not hers either. The static surged and Naota brushed the bass¡¯s strings. The vibrations calmed his static but it didn¡¯t leave completely. Was she manipulating my head? Naota tuned the bass for a while. But nothing he did made a difference. Pawing at the door caught his attention. He opened the door and found Miyu, the family¡¯s cat. ¡°What?¡± Naota asked. ¡°Are you going to talk today?¡± Miyu gave him a dirty look and sauntered away. ¡°Dumb cat. Dumb adults.¡± Matias grumbled. The bass twanged and he stepped out into the hall, shutting the door on the unruly string instrument. - Naota paused in the hallway down stairs. Unable to look into the family room. What am I worried about? She¡¯s gone, and she¡¯s not coming back a third time. She''s never coming back. He stomped into the room and nearly tripped over Canti. The lanky robot sat dumbly beside the tv, reflecting the news. ¡°Hey TV Boy!¡± Kamon whined. ¡°Change the channel already!¡± ¡°He¡¯s dumb now, like everyone else.¡± Naota said. ¡°Quiet!¡± Grandpa shouted. He was ogling the news woman on the TV. ¡°¡­according to the mayor¡¯s office, clean up and construction crews will be hired to rebuild the city. Anyone without a home, if you have not called the city planner yet, the number is at the bottom of the screen. If you are looking for work the city is paying for people to clear rubble and you could be contracted to help rebuild when the time comes.¡± They¡¯ve never talked about the giant robots before. Or the damage done to the city. Is it because this time it was so much worse? I mean the whole city was devastated. The news feed switched to a view of the medical mechanica plant, construction robots were erecting a scaffolding around the building. They were the same model and Canti but yellow with black stripes. Each one wore an over sized black hard hat. Now that¡¯s different. They¡¯ve never shown the robots on TV. The broadcast showed a few more locations while the new woman walked in front of a green screen. They panned past the school, blocked roads, downtown full of rubble. For a moment they saw Naota¡¯s teacher shouting into her phone with half her car scrapped in the background. ¡°Surprisingly there were no reported casualties. Anyone who would like to file a property damage claim against MM can join a class action at city hall. Be prepared to show proof of purchase and a total itemized list of the damages.¡± She said. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Static buzzed and Naota had to look away. - A figure crept up to their uraguchi. Is someone at the back door? Naota threw the door open and Mamimi stared sheepishly at him. When grandpa looked over he scowled. ¡°What do you want?¡± Naota asked as he stepped out onto their back porch and closed the door. Mamimi hiked a small duffel bag up on her shoulder and looked at her feet. ¡°Well my house was destroyed yesterday.¡± She said. ¡°So we are leaving town.¡± ¡°Oh. Where are you going?¡± ¡°To my aunt¡¯s. She¡¯s a photographer.¡± She said and brandished her camera. ¡°Cool.¡± ¡°Is Canti-sama home? I was going to say goodbye.¡± ¡°He¡¯s watching TV. But he¡¯s dumb now. He doesn¡¯t do anything anymore now that everything happened.¡± Naota said. Mamimi looked sad for a moment and then looked back over her shoulder. ¡°When are you leaving?¡± Naota asked. ¡°You looked packed.¡± ¡°We are walking to the bus stop after this.¡± She replied. ¡°By Naota.¡± She leaned down and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. ¡°Thanks for saving the town chief!¡± She called back over her shoulder as she ran away. Huh, she sure seems happy. - Naota stood in the kitchen staring into the fridge. Nothing in here but grandpa¡¯s Ramune. Naota grabed a bag of chips from the counter and broke them open. He scarfed down half the bag and the static in his head calmed down a notch. Dad''s supposed to run a bakery but he spends the whole day glued to the TV. When a customer walks I''m the one that answers the bell. Naota stood in the hallway watching to the mayor talk on the television. ¡°¡­the terrible disaster yesterday, a gas explosion originating at the medical Mechanica facility cascaded along gas lines throughout the city.¡± The mayor clasped his hands together in a moment of silence before continuing. ¡°Many of you lost your homes or place of business. Many of you are without working water or electricity. Rest assured we are responding to the situation.¡± The mayor gave his winning smile. ¡°And if you are looking for work, the city is hiring folks to work to clear the rubble.¡± ¡°How unlucky! Our house wasn¡¯t damaged at all. We even still have power and water?¡± He whined. ¡°We can¡¯t get any of that class action money!¡± "We don''t need the money!" Naota shouted. "We run a bakery. Go bake some bread and make some money!" Is someone coming? A bell chimed at the front of the house. "Could that be a customer?" Kamon asked as he laid back on the floor and picked at his belly button lint. Naota¡¯s head buzzed and he turned towards the bakery, then he spun to look at the back door. What¡¯s happening? The connecting door to the bakery burst open and agents in black suits and sunglasses stormed in with guns drawn. They flooded in from the back door and rushed down the stairs from upstars. Did the come in through the bedroom windows? "Nobody move!" They shouted. "Naota! It''s for you." Kamon said. Two more agents came down stairs with Haruko''s blue bass. They were wearing thick rubber gloves and holding the guitar at arms length. The hallway was filled with agents. Amarao Kanrikan, Commanding officer of the Bureau of Interstellar Immigration stepped between the crowd and stopped a few steps away from Naota. "Where is she?" He asked. "She who?" Naota replied. Amarao removed his sunglasses and gave Naota a heavy browed stare. "You know who. Raharu." He said. "Haruko." "She''s gone." Naota replied again. You saw her leave too. "So she left you here all alone too. Same old story, Same old Raharu." Amarao said snidely. "Just a sad little kid without his housekeeper." He gave a signal to the two agents holding the guitar. "Bag it." He said. "And now you have nothing to show for your troubles." - Amarao and Naota are sitting at the kitchen table. An agent is standing behind Amarao holding a flashlight and shining it in Naota¡¯s eyes while Amarao reads from a file. ¡°Nandaba, Naota. Sixth grade, Mabase Elementary School. Over the last month you have been involved with several incidents my agency is very interested in.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t recall.¡± Naota said, looking away. ¡°A known associate of one Haruhara Haruko, you harbored an intergalactic fugitive kid.¡± ¡°She was an ordinary housekeeper.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t seem so ordinary when she fed you to a doomsday robot.¡± Amarao said. ¡°And when you two were flying around hitting each other with guitars, is that ordinary too?¡± ¡°Never had a housekeeper have you?¡± Naota said. ¡°Funny. So she taught you how to swing.¡± He said. ¡°Then she took your guitar. She used you kid. That¡¯s what she does. You are just evil X number 8 now.¡± Naota¡¯s head buzzed and he winced. "What about that girl? Samejima." Amaro asked. "Mamimi left town." ¡°I only want to help her, she is sensitive to N0. And she¡¯s involved with Atomsk. She could be in danger.¡± Amarao said. ¡°If you see her, you are to notify an agent immediately.¡± Naota¡¯s head buzzed harder and the flashlight flickered in the agent¡¯s hand. Amarao smiled. ¡°Having an astral being come out of your head. Even for you that must have really hurt.¡± He said. ¡°Should have listened to me. You should have kept your eyebrows on.¡± Amarao placed a metal briefcase on the table. He turned it towards Naota and opened it dramatically. Inside was a pair of glasses and a bottle of Crystal Pepsi firmly outlined and held in place by black foam.An agent came forwards and took the contests out of the case and poured the bottle out into both glasses. ¡°Drink up.¡± Amarao said as he picked up one of the glasses. ¡°I¡¯m not thirsty.¡± Naota replied. ¡°You like sweet things. Sweet drinks taste better. It will help with the static.¡± Amarao said. ¡°And we will issue you some new eyebrows. Keep them on this time.¡± Naota picked up the glass and looked at the Crystal Pepsi skeptically. They don¡¯t make this stuff anymore, is it safe to drink? ¡°Why do you care?¡± Naota asked. He sipped on the soda and the pressure in his head went away some. He took another sip then gulped it down and the static went away completely. ¡°Yes. That¡¯s it.¡± Amarao said and reached across the table to slap eyebrows onto Naota¡¯s head. ¡°Looks good on you. Keep them on this time.¡± Amarao took another sip of his own glass. ¡°If you feel like your N0 is building pressure you tell an agent. Drink something sweet. Think happy thoughts. Be a kid dammit.¡± ¡°Yeah sure.¡± Naota said. ¡°Good. Now, you remember the the Galaxy Space Police Brotherhood and the Pirate Lord, Atomsk.¡± Naota nodded. ¡°Well it¡¯s my job to protect the entire planet from them.¡± Amarao said. The agent behind him coughed and said something indistinguishable. The flashlight wavered until he got himself under control. ¡°I¡¯ve had run ins with Raharu in the past, she¡¯s been on our most wanted list, and on Medical Mechanica¡¯s list for a while.¡± Amarao said. ¡°So what now? You going to send me to jail?¡± Naota said. ¡°Of course not. You are just a kid Naota. Stop pretending to be an adult. Let us handle things.¡± ¡°Seems like you needed my help solving problems more than once already.¡± Naota said. ¡°I did save the town and all.¡± ¡°You were also part of the equation leading to those problems!¡± Amarao shouted, then calmed himself. ¡°That guitar is dangerous, it was causing your N0 to build up.¡± So it was true. ¡°The Bureau of Interstellar Immigration considers the Rickenbacker evidence against Haruko Haruhara. You are a victim in all of this.¡± That¡¯s it? Am I really a victim here? ¡°Because of your involvement in the event the Bureau is calling ¡®The Climax¡¯ you are sentenced to four hundred hours of community service.¡± Amarao said matter of factually. ¡°What? That¡¯s ridiculous! That¡¯s my whole summer!¡± Naota shouted. ¡°Exactly. You want to get involved with adult business? Then you clean up your mess like a responsible adult. You will learn from this Naota and be better for it.¡± Amarao said. ¡°That¡¯s not fair.¡± Naota said. ¡°See that¡¯s good. You sound more like a kid already.¡± Amarao said and stood up to leave. ¡°You start your community service tomorrow. An agent will pick you up and drop you off.¡± Chapter 2 Chapter 2 - ¡°Ughhhh.¡± Naota groaned as he woke up. He rolled over and Static flared in his head making him wince. ¡°Shitty eyebrows.¡± He said looking down at his pillow where one of the eyebrows, the left one, hade stuck to his pillow. Great. This is going to be a daily thing, isn¡¯t it. He pealed it off and snapped it back onto his forehead. The static disappeared gradually in a few seconds. ¡°At least they work.¡± He said dragging himself out of bed. Time to start the day. My first day or work. He stared at the empty guitar stand in the corner by the window for a minute. Then he got dressed. My first day of community service. Its not paid but it¡¯s still more work then dad and granpa do. - Naota stepped out of the house. Normal parents or guardians would pack their kid a lunch. They would make sure they had their homework, or hug them and send them out the door. An abnormal parent would do all those things and pack a spicy lunch. Canti did those things. Haruko pretended to care like that, but it was Canti that actually cared. Naota packed his own lunch and got out the door on time. ¡°Heading out for my community service now.¡± Naota called into the other room. His father waved over his shoulder without turning away from the TV. ¡°Have a great day Nao!¡± He said. ¡°Alright. Here goes nothing.¡± He said and took off down the street to the buss stop. The sky was clear, birds chirped in the trees. Naota passed a small flower growing from a patch of grass in the sidewalk. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen a sunny day like this ever. An agent in a suit peeled themselves off the hood of their car. They followed Naota from across the street. This idiot . Does he think I can¡¯t see him? ¡°I don¡¯t need a baby sitter!¡± Naota yelled at the agent. ¡°I¡¯m in middle school already!¡± The agent ducked behind a lamp post that was too thin to hide them and spoke into his ear-piece. He stayed ¡®hidden¡¯ there until Naota turned to continue on to the buss stop. There was another agent sitting on the bench when he arrived. Naota scoffed and walked right past them to check the buss schedule. Mabase Public Transit Summer Reconstruction Schedule. The first buss will arrive at 5:55 am every Monday & Friday. Buses will depart 4 minutes after their arrival time. Buses will arrive every 38 minutes until the last bus arrives at 6:05 pm. The first buss will arrive at 6 am every Tuesday & Wednesday. Buses will depart 4 minutes after their arrival time. Buses will arrive every 38 minutes until the last bus arrives at 6 pm. The first buss will arrive at 5:45 am every Thursday. Buses will depart 4 minutes after their arrival time. Buses will arrive every 38 minutes until the last bus arrives at 6:30 pm. Weekend schedules are unchanged. What idiot wrote this schedule? Why does it have to be purposely obtuse? Just make it the same every day! ¡°Stupid adults.¡± Naota grumbled. He walked over to look at the other two people that were waiting for the buss. One was an older lady. Her eyes were closed and she was hunched over like a frog, leaning over her cane. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. The other person was a corporate type, young man that looked like he was on his way to an interview with a major corporation. Neither of them looked Naota¡¯s direction. ¡°Hey. Do you know what time it is?¡± Naota asked the agent. The man stared directly at Naota without speaking. His large black sunglasses hid a third of his face. He was not wearing any eyebrows. When Naota did not look away, the man lifted up his wrist to speak into his sleeve. ¡°Subject has noticed me. I¡¯m withdrawing to point Alpha. I repeat, point Alpha. Send reinforcements.¡± What¡¯s his problem? The agent stood and marched away briskly. Leaving Naota alone with the other two people waiting for the buss. Mamimi was right to get out of town. Why couldn¡¯t our family leave too? Another agent posted up across the street and pretended to read a newspaper with two eye holes cut out of it. ¡°Stupid adults.¡± Naota grumbled. - Naota stepped onto the buss. He paid using his transit pass and walked down the length of the buss to an empty seat. The first passenger he noticed was a young woman with a dog in her purse. Is she some kind of movie star? He looked past her, the back of the buss was full of people that could only be other volunteers. There were seven middle aged men and women all wearing hardhats, and reflective vests. A couple of them even had leather gloves. None of them had eyebrows on. He lifted his hand to touch the pointy corner of his eyebrow. I am going to see these people all day. They look like cliche Mabase bland side characters. Naota had taken a seat near the middle of the buss. He watched out the window as the city crept sleepily past. Its too early for most people. Especially with so many business closed. Of course people are going to sleep in. The buss passed Mashashi¡¯s family¡¯s store and for a moment he watched Masashi and Gaku loading deliveries up on to a pair bicycles. What happened to their truck? I haven¡¯t talked to them since before things went sideways with that giant robot. The buss passed by an on-ramp for the highway and joined the traffic heading downtown. The highways are busted and broken down too. There was a whole story about it on the news. It¡¯s going t take all day just to get around. The buss crested a hill at 15 miles an hour and traffic slowed. The city skyline looks like a delinquent¡¯s front teeth. So many of the sky scrapers are busted and broken down. Naota scratched at his eyebrows. If I had the Pirate King¡¯s powers, could I fix the city? The buss honked at a bicyclist that was weaving in and out of traffic, cycling against the flow of cars. As she passed by Naota¡¯s window he noticed Ninamori¡¯s purple hair billowing out from under her helmet. He turned around in his seat to watch her weave her way out of sight through the traffic. A good kid like her, of course she wouldn''t have volunteer work like me. I¡¯m just a delinquent. He sat down heavily in his seat and peeked into his lunch box. There was an orange juice, two mochi cookies, and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with the crusts cut off. He closed the bag forcefully and looked out the window. The traffic was not moving. Why did I pack a damn kids lunch. I¡¯m not on my way to school. Its basically prison labor. It¡¯s juviee. I should have packed goulash and a spork. Naota raised his fist at the injustice and then let it drop back to his lap. The buss lurched forwards again and came to a stop against the curb. They picked up three more people. The first was a cute high school girl in her atsumari clothes. She had her hair cut to bounce just below her ears, and a tasteful amount of extra makeup on to look more grownup. She carried a reflective vest over one arm. She had two portly boys in their school uniforms tailing closely behind her. A kawaii senpai. Is she a volunteer too? Looks like those guys are wearing the same school uniforms as Mamimi. She directed the two boys to sit in the second row and she sat in the first row in front of them. - The buss stopped at their construction site 25 minutes later. The three high schoolers left the bus first and walked right up to the gate skipping the line. Naota joined the line of people arriving for work. An agent stood near the front gate. This one wasn¡¯t just watching Naota, he was watching everyone. This is the building Haruko destroyed fighting Detective Rifle Mecha. That¡¯s when we pulled Atamsk¡¯s guitar out of Canti¡¯s head. The line moved forwards quickly as the people in the front signed in. They each received a hardhat and vest and gloves if they did not already have some. It was suddenly Naota¡¯s turn to sign in and he looked up at the kawaii senpai. She adjusted a red armband that was pinned to her sleeve. Is she working here? She¡¯s got an official arm band. She smiled at him and handed him some gloves and a vest from the pile on the table. ¡°Naota Nandaba, age 12.¡± She said checking her clipboard. ¡°Go break down rubble with that group over there. They will give you a basket and a hammer.¡± ¡°What?¡± Naota asked. The group she pointed to was all elderly grandmas and grandpas. There were other groups already working. Men using chainsaws to cut through concrete slabs, women using welding torches to cut through I-beams. Yeah some power tools, give me one of those! She leaned down so she could look directly into his eyes. ¡°Go break rocks. Thats the lightest job we have for little kids.¡± She said. Screw that. ¡°Give me something else.¡± He said. ¡°I can handle it.¡± ¡°Shut up kid.¡± She replied and picked up a hard hat from a box of them beside her. ¡°And wear this hard hat at all times when in the construction site.¡± ¡°My head is hollow oneesan,¡± Naota said. ¡°I don¡¯t need a hard hat.¡± The older girl sneered down at him. She fixed her face and gave him a pretty smile. ¡°Suit you self brat.¡± She said and threw the hard hat at his feet. ¡°Get out of the way, there¡¯s a whole line of people behind you.¡± Naota picked up the helmet. While her back was turned he stuck out his tongue and made a rude face. Static flared quietly in his mind. Better watch myself. Can¡¯t let her get me worked up. He shook off his mood and stomped over to where volunteers were waiting. ¡°Just because she is kinda cute, she thinks she can boss people around.¡± Naota grumbled to himself. The girl leaned over to talk to her portly friend. ¡°Did you see that kid¡¯s eyebrows? What a weirdo.¡± She said before calling the next person in line forward. Chapter 3 ¡°Ohayou gozaimasu, minasan!¡± The site supervisor cheered, and everyone echoed back to him. ¡°Thank you all for volunteering. I know we have a few new faces today so I will go through our safety tips again.¡± He continued. Are we going to stand around listening to this all day? The remains of the skyscraper loomed over the construction site. The early morning sun partially eclipsed by the buildings corpse. Large backhoes had cleared a space already around the building. And long tracks lead off in each direction through the rubble. Some piles were 5 meters high and twice as wide. Naota adjusted his reflective safety vest. How long do they expect this clean up to take? Summer break will be over before we even make a dent in all this! ¡°Anzen daiichi wo kokorogake mashou. Safety first everyone. If you see something that looks dangerous, if your feet feel unsteady, if something seems too heavy, then ask for help.¡± Obviously. Several elderly people gave the site supervisor polite bows with their heads. ¡°Those of you using wire cutters, do not cut towards yourself. Those of you using sledge hammers, proper form is: lift to hips, lift above head, and swing down. Let the hammer¡¯s weight do the work. And lunch is at 11, make sure to take frequent water breaks.¡± The volunteers in the crowd mumbled excitedly in agreement. ¡°And if you see something strange¡­ well you will know when you see something. Call for agent Jones. He¡¯s standing right over there.¡± The site supervisor gestured to a man in his typical black suit and black sunglasses. The agent stood at attention not looking at anyone. ¡°And the agency has asked me to remind you to not cross the caution tape.¡± The site leader said. ¡°It is there for your protection.¡± People started to shuffle their feet. One person cracked their knuckles. ¡°Alright everyone last thing before we start. Rajio Tais¨­, raise your arms and breathe deeply with me!¡± The site leader cheered. - ¡°Stupid Adults.¡± Naota huffed. He was making his second trip back to the big flatbed trailer. His basket was full of fist size chunks of rubble. He had been assigned one of the areas behind the building. It had been a mess and twice he had stopped to break apart large chunks of rubble before he could move in deeper. Naota stubbed his toe but kept his feet under him, the weight of the basket of rocks on his back nearly pulled him over. ¡°Stupid volunteer work.¡± Naota wiped his brow on his arm and took off his hard hat. It was a lot of work breaking rocks and he had not yet gotten the timing correctly so he often missed his swings. ¡°Stupid hammer!¡± He said to him self. ¡°Why does it have to be so heavy!¡± A guitar would work much better! Naota entered the central area of the construction site and made a beeline for the flat bed. ¡°That¡¯s your second basket. Better pick up the pace.¡± Kawaii Senpai said. ¡°I don¡¯t see you moving any rocks, senpai.¡± Naota said. ¡°So who cares if I¡¯m slow, I¡¯ve moved more rocks than you.¡± He stepped past her. He tripped. His basket finally threw him off balance and he banged his shoulder and head on the ground. ¡°Hehehe.¡± One of the girl¡¯s lackeys laughed as he dusted off his shoe. ¡°Watch where you are going brat.¡± She said and laughed loudly behind her hand at him. Naota¡¯s hackles rose and he could hear his heart pumping. The iron shaped facility on the hill did not react. Naota felt his head and it was bleeding. One of his eyebrows had come off. It was sitting in the dust staring at him. No! Wait, no lump. I¡¯m okay. Stay calm idiot, don¡¯t get into a stupid fight. ¡°Whatever.¡± Naota said and picked the eyebrow back up and stuck it to his head. He brought his basket back to the flatbed and started tossing the stones into the pile one at a time. The site supervisor came over with a clip board and watched Naota work for a minute before walking away. Two baskets in an hour isn¡¯t bad. It¡¯s my first day and my arms are too skinny for this. A Jiisan strode past confidently. He had his shirt off and draped over his neck and shoulders. He was carrying a large chainsaw with a stone cutting blade as if it weighed nothing. His tan chiseled physique was on full display.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Stupid adults.¡± Naota spat and picked up his empty basket. - Raise to the waist. Up to your shoulder. Plant your feet. Lift the sledge hammer up and let it fall down. The weight of the hammer will do the work. Naota swung the sledge hammer down on the large piece of rubble beside him. It nicked the concrete. Another glancing blow. ¡°Dammit!¡± He shouted and let the sledge hammer fall to the ground. Naota sat down on the chunck of building. He squeezed his eyes shut and rested his head on his hands. What am I doing out here? This is crazy. How is anyone supposed to do this all day? Can I really do this all summer? ¡°Good idea, taking a break.¡± The Site supervisor called over. He was walking carefully through the rubble to where Naota was sitting. ¡°Mind if I join you?¡± He asked. Naota dusted off his hands and pants quickly and gave the supervisor a polite bow. ¡°Of course, sir.¡± Naota eeked out. ¡°I mean, yes please do. Sir?¡± The supervisor sat down on another chunk of concrete and produced a couple cups for water and a plastic water bottle with crisp clear liquid inside. ¡°Have some water while you rest.¡± He said. ¡°Then we can try the hammer again.¡± Why are you being so nice? Naota accepted the water and thanked the supervisor. ¡°Do you want some advice?¡± The supervisor said as he looked back over the top of his glass at the center of the construction site. ¡°Don¡¯t swing so hard.¡± Kawaii Senpai leaned back against the flat bed and lit a cigarette. ¡°Don¡¯t swing so hard.¡± The supervisor said again. ¡°You are swinging it like a bat. Just let the hammer¡¯s weight fall down, it will break the rubble. We are just lifting and aiming the hammer.¡± Kawaii Senpai turned towards Naota and they locked eyes. She shrugged with her cigarette and Naota stuck out his tongue. ¡°Now show me what you can do.¡± The site supervisor said. ¡°There¡¯s a nice sized chunk, give it another try.¡± Don¡¯t over do it? Let the stupid hammer do the work? Could there be any more basic advice? Naota stood over the chunk of rubble and gave it another try. He missed again. ¡°Turn your body and plant your feet so you are facing the chunk squarely.¡± The supervisor sang brightly. Naota squared up strait on to the rubble, rather than sideways. It¡¯s not like swinging a bat. I have to hit it strait on. He hefted the hammer into the first position, parallel to the ground at hip level. Gonna smash this rock. He brought the hammer up to his shoulders and quickly raised it above his head. I made this mess, Haruko and I and Atamsk. I¡¯ll clean it up myself. His swing felt right. The hammer fell straight and true. Something clicked and the chunk of rubble broke with a flash of light. Three fist sized pieces sat neatly on the ground ready to be picked up. ¡°Alright!¡± Naota cheered. ¡°That¡¯s the trick. Keep at it.¡± The site supervisor smiled. ¡°The joys of being young.¡± He got up to check on something else. ¡°Keep up the good work my boy.¡± He said with a thumbs up. Something between Naota¡¯s feet caught his eye. It was red and jagged, half buried under one of the remains of the rubble. What¡¯s this? Naota reached down to pick it up. It was about the size of a Kimura marble, flat and warm to the touch. His head buzzed. What is this? The little red piece felt ceramic or plastic in his hand. This is a piece of red Canti¡­ Atamsk! Could this fix Canti? Naota stuffed the little red mystery into his pocket and stood up. ¡°You need to report that!¡± A voice wheezed. ¡°What?¡± Naota asked automatically. One of the portly nerds that hung around with that bossy senpai was pointing at Naota. ¡°You found something weird. Give it to me.¡± He said. ¡°No I didn¡¯t.¡± Naota said. ¡°It was a bottle cap.¡± ¡°Liar!¡± The nerd shouted and hefted his sledge hammer into the ready position at his hip. Is he going to attack me? Can that loser even swing that hammer? The nerd charged, stumbling awkwardly on the loose rocks and debris. He kept his footing and Naota had to jump out of the way to avoid the boy¡¯s hammer attack. ¡°Oh shit!¡± Naota said and raised his hammer. ¡°Hah! Not so tough brat!¡± The nerd shouted as he stood over Naota. Naw, this guy has it coming. Naota kicked the nerd in the knee causing him to stagger back. Naota hopped to his feet and brought his own hammer to his shoulder. ¡°Try it again.¡± Naota said. ¡°I¡¯m already having a bad day.¡± ¡°You talk tough for a scrawny brat!¡± ¡°All I see is a fat nerdy loser. Should have swung a baguette at me!¡± Naota said trying to look big and tough. The high-schooler growled and charged at Naota with his hammer held high ready for a vertical chop. Too easy! Haruko was much faster! Naota switched his grip on his hammer, holding the end with the heavy head below his hands like a baseball bat. He swung and hit the nerd squarely in the ribs. The boy was winded and dropped his hammer. Nice hit! The boy¡¯s momentum carried him forwards. Naota tried to scramble out of the way but the larger kid fell on top of him. ¡°Get off me!¡± Naota grunted. He tried to roll the nerd off of his legs. The larger boy grabbed onto Naota¡¯s hammer, wrestling with him while he tried to catch his breath. His thick glasses fell off in the scuffle. Naota bucked his legs and back but couldn¡¯t shake the nerd off him. Naota¡¯s basket of rocks was on the ground to the right, just out of reach. His hammer was to the left, also out of reach. Dammit this big idiot is heavy! He¡¯s grinding me into the dirt. Naota strained against his attacker, but he was at his limit. The little red piece throbbed rapidly in Naota¡¯s pocket. His head responded to its staccato rhythm. Not now! I don¡¯t need any crazy robots coming through! ¡°Give up!¡± The need wheezed. The boy was trying to hold Naota down and pick up his glasses. Naota reached into his pocket and grasped the little red shard of Canti in his fist. A jolt ran up his arm directly into his brain. His eyebrows blew off as he raised his fist. A raw powerchord riff thrummed in his bones. ¡°What are you-¡° Naota¡¯s punch connected with the teen¡¯s jaw. It sent the bigger kid toppling back. The boy ended up with his face in the ground and his butt in the air. Oh yeah! That¡¯s how you do it! Naota¡¯s head thrummed and his heart rate quickened. His vision went red around the edges. The sun seemed to glint off of every reflective surface in a prismatic light show. The glint of a sour soda can fascinated Naota for a long moment. Fractured and bent rebar stuck out from some concrete in abstract loops forming repeating fractals. What is going on? This feels amazing! The nerd groaned but stayed down. The boy¡¯s wallet was splayed out on the ground and a few coins were scattered nearby. I won that fight! On my own! That¡¯s right! I¡¯m the hero of Mabase! Don¡¯t mess around! Naota¡¯s vision blurred further and a jarring guitar chord reverberated in the back of his mind. Ugh, that¡¯s not good. Am I going to overflow? I need to find those eyebrows. Where are those eyebrows? Naota stashed the small red piece back in his pocket. He looked around and finally spotted the eyebrows. Miraculously, they did not have even a speck of dust on them and they stuck to his head easily. ¡°Okay, okay. Just take it easy.¡± Naota said to himself. Naota¡¯s mind cleared a few seconds later and his perception of the world returned to normal around him. Now what to do with this jerk. Naota collected up the coins and took the cash from the boy¡¯s wallet too. Serves him right. The teenager groaned again and started to drool. Can I just leave him here like this? ¡°Everything alright over there?¡± The site supervisor called. ¡°Sir! A boy tripped and fell over here! He needs help!¡± Naota called out. ¡°Help is on the way!¡±