Chapter 31
Title: Double Impersonation
You guys can support me by donating powerstones on this book
Anyways! Let's begin
◆━━━◆━━━◆
Third Person POV. -- 26th Of December -- 2415
[ Lake Kawaguchi -- Inside The Cruise Ship]
On the second floor of this two story luxury cruise ship, a pair of couples is seen standing on its deck, near the iron railings.
"Awwwwh~ look at them. They remind me of us when we were younger, right honey? " An elderly woman says to the elderly man beside her, the duo sitting on a stool in this roofless second floor, gazing at a couple who are standing before the railing of the cruise ship, gazing towards the beautiful landscapes and the woman taking pictures.
The woman, Benihana Kie is standing right before the railing, with the man, Benihana Tetsuya standing behind her, his hand interlocking her form intimately with his chest to her back, and his chin resting gently on top of the shorter woman's head.
"Ah youth~" The elderly man reminisces, before turning his oldened gaze towards his partner, not having lost his spark of love for his beloved wife yet.
"Do you remember the day I proposed to you?" He softly asks, making the elderly woman smile and laugh lightly.
"Ah, how could I forget. It was right here in the middle of Lake Kawaguchi. " She says,
"Yes, on a similar ship like this, where I got on my knee right on it's second floor, "
"And you proposed to me just like that. " The elderly woman finishes, leading to them looking at each other more lovingly despite their oldened visage and the many many years they've been together.
Meanwhile with Tetsuya and Kie,
"..."
The couple are quiet, occasionally talking about the passing scenery and such, but not giving it much else thought, their minds mostly occupied by something else.
"Mt. Fuji from this angle looks very enchanting, doesn't it dear? " Kie voices out with a slightly forced smile, her camera taking a picture of the scenery.
Click!
"Oh, hm? U-uh yeah... What you just said hun... " Tetsuya absentmindedly reciprocates, his eyes to the far and his mind somewhere else.
"... "
"... "
Sigh...
"Yeah this isn't working like I thought it would." Kie says, making Tetsuya nod too, his mind back to the present.
"We both know why we're feeling this way. " Tetsuya says with Kie nodding.
"I wonder how the kids are doing. "
"... "
"... "
Click!
After taking another picture, Kie gives out a sigh with Tetsuya doing the same and shaking his head.
"Yeah no. This isn't working. I'm worried she'd do something down there without our knowledge. " Kie says, with Tetsuya slowly letting her go and straightening.
"Yeah. My RASS is also kind of tingling. We should go and check what they're doing at least. " Tetsuya voices out.
"RASS? " Kie gives him a confused look, allowing the tall man to clarify. "My Retsu Alert Sixth Sense. It's what I've named the feeling I get whenever I feel like Retsu is up to no good."
"Pfffft- hahaha~ what... " Kie holds her mouth and laughs slightly, making the Pro hero smile is satisfaction.
"Sigh~... Your silliness aside, I think we should still check up on them, see what they are doing and how they are. " Kie voices out the root of their unease, her motherly instincts rearing it's head out again.
It's been like this since the day they've had her. Before Retsu, the couple were a romantic pair who would think of nothing else but each other in similar situations like this. But now, instead of paying attention to each other, all they can think about is their elegant, mature spoken, yet still partly mischievous and trouble magnet of a daughter.
The mother and father decide on their course of action, turning around and begin walking to the stairs, intending on checking on their kid, when they are suddenly stopped by a walking by staff member.
"Oh my gosh! It's Redvein and the Heart Of Hinode! " The staff member says, sending the elderly couple from earlier off their seats in shock from the news.
"Can I have your autographs?! I'm a huge fan!" The staff member asks. She is a woman with ash blonde hair and blue eyes under glasses, wearing thicker clothes with gloves and a scarf, but still distinct enough to know she's a staff member.
"A-ah sure... " Redvein tilts his head, extending his hand and accepting the brought out paper and pen.
He signs it before giving it back to the staff member, who enthusiastically accepts it and gives the couple a low bow. "Thank you so much! My son is going to love this! " She says, making the now slightly uncomfortable couple sweat drop.
"N-no need for bowing, dear. " Kie says calmly while gesturing with her right hand, a small smile on her lips and her eyes closing.
The staff member straightens again before giving her a nod. "Thank you so much again! You have no idea how much you've helped me in the past, Heart of Hinode. " She says, giving Kie an admiring look.
"Oh! R-really? How would that be possible? " Kie asks, confused about the whole ordeal.
"Well you see, in the past, me and my family used to live at Hinode before moving to this town. Back then, you helped cure my sick father who had very bad stomach aches that would often leave him paralyzed. "
"Oh, I-I'm sorry... I... Can't seem to recal it? " Kie says outwardly, while inwardly, 'what unusual symptoms. Must have been quirk related or something of similar kind. '
"It's okay. I understand that you are a very busy woman. What's another normal face inside the crowd, am I right~" The staff member smiles lightly, trying to sound as if she isn't affected by it despite her words.
"Well, thank you for your kind words, Miss, but me and my wife must be on our way. " Tetsuya finally says, intending on moving along and go see what his kid and her friends are doing. His senses tingling stronger by now.
The staff member opens her mouth again, her posture slightly out of place and sweating slightly, but she can't seem to voice out her thoughts properly, saying some incoherent words before closing her mouth. The Benihana Couple think nothing of it, attributing it to her just being very excited to meet them.
The staff member steps to the side, before bowing slightly again. "O-oh, I'm sorry for taking your time like this then, please enjoy your stay on our tour of the lake. " She says, making the Benihana couple nod in appreciation before they both start moving down.
After they are down the stairs and out of Earshot, the glasses wearing woman brings a hand on her right ear, pressing on the earpiece put inside. "Code red is on the move. I repeat, he's on the move and his destination is to the prized black diamond. "
Moments after she says this, her response comes in the voice of a man from the other side of the com. "Copy that. We'll retreat then."
The staff member brings down her hand to her side, her eyes invisible from under her glowing glasses as she ponders.
'Our mission is to retrieve Hans and the info he's stolen from the HPSC headquarters, while also helping out in the two young masters's mission of retreiving the prized black diamond,
We got lucky and didn't have to look for them ourselves. The black diamond came to us of her own volition.
Now all that's left is sending her in the young master's way, while also wearing her out in the process as much as we can. '
.
..
...
Earlier when Tetsuya and Kie were still on the second floor and haven't decided to come down yet,
"We should inform your dad, Retsu-chan. He'd know what to do. " Mina looks to the tall girl as she says, leading to Retsu breaking her gaze from inside the room and to her second best friend.
"Ehhhhh~ but that's boring! " Himiko suddenly chides from the side, her cheeks visibility inflated into a pout and her brows furrowed.
"Yeah I know we wanted to have some fun at the start, but this is clearly something that's out of our league! Come on guys! You're not really thinking about solving this on our own! " Mina reasons still, looking to Himiko before her gaze comes back to Retsu.
'Sigh... My life has largely become monotonous from the moment I restarted going to school, so a chance for something thrilling happening is an opportunity that I wouldn't pass up on... ' Retsu idly thinks, but then her mind goes back to that hospital moment, the one she got bedridden in after her fight with Gigantomachia.
'... But I made a promise to them back then, that I'd start controlling my urges and avoid conflict a little more.
Hah, what a dilemma. In the past I wouldn't bat an eye in diving right into a thrilling conflict like this, but now here I am, considering a vow I made on the fly back then.
Am I getting too sentimental? ' Retsu amusedly thinks, never having believed that one day she'd start listening to others and doing as they say like this. But then again she wasn't Benihana Retsu back then, and didn't have loving parents like she does now.
As Retsu decides on finally committing to her vow of not fighting or starting one, planning on retreating and letting her Father know of this, just then her blood mist picks up someone walking their way.
The corridor they are in is one way, the only way out being from the side the fake crew member is coming from, leaving the trio nowhere to escape.
"Someone is coming. Quick, inside the room." Retsu calmly but quickly informs, taking hold of the now paralyzed Mina's wrist and entering the room, Himiko not second guessing and following her in without any delay.
Once inside, a little blood pool that Retsu left behind pushes the heavy door closed and locks it tight just like it was before, before that blood pool turns to tiny particles and dissipates into the wind, it's molecular structure having been severed from each other.
Moments after this, a bulky man with a short patch of blonde hair and blue eyes enter the corridor, not seeing anyone he turns to the locked door and puts his ear on it, trying to listen and see if there is any noise from inside or not, but doesn't hear anything.
Earlier, it was faint, but with the help of another of their member's quirk they were able to pick up on a noise from the other side of the ship. It was the sound of metal grinding against metal, it was faint but they were able to pick up on it from the second floor.
The bulky man puts his hands on the door handle, before his muscles slightly enlarges, boosting his physical capabilities as he exerts more strength than normal and start opening the door again.
GRRRRRR!
The sound of metal grinding on metal is briefly heard, before the door loosens and starts opening faster.
Once it's been opened, the bulky man pulls it back fully and looks inside, only seeing unconscious people who are all tied up.
He steps inside the room, before looking left and right, not seeing anything in the dark room. He takes a few more steps in, but after confirming nothing out of the ordinary, he just shrugs and turns to leave.
–only to suddenly feel a stinging sensation from his nape and instinctively bring a hand up to check it.
Just then, in front of the man, a cocoon of some red liquid dangles down from the ceiling, before it unveils and three pre teenage girls step out.
"Well that was quick. " Himiko says, very calm and collected despite the situation.
"Yes, well I guess we can't not be a part of this anymore, " The tallest among them says, before continuing. "All those in favor of leaving my parents out of this and do it ourselves? raise your hands. " Retsu says, her hand already raised.
"Me! me! " Himiko brings up both her hands. " I was already on board from the start! "
"Ugh! This is so unfair! " Mina crosses her arms over her chest and pouts, clearly knowing she's at a disadvantage here, but can do nothing about it.
"H-hey! Where the hell did you brats come from?! " The bulky man finally voices out, just now collecting his bearings and finding his voice from the absurd situation.
"Hm? Did it not work? " Himiko asks while giving the big guy a side look, her yellow slithed pupils slowly narrowing in readiness.
Mina involuntarily takes a step back, being the only one who is both new to this, and doesn't have the mental fortitude to be calm in a situation like this yet.
"Oh, it should take effect by now. His quirk is a body enhancement type, it doesn't give him any immunity. " Retsu says, side gazing the man.
"What the hell are you brats talking abou-" The moment he takes a step forward, -he starts falling down face first. 'W-what the... Why am I suddenly... feeling so heavy... '
Thump!
He falls face first into the floor, alreadyunconscious.
Mina gives out a sigh of relief. "Sighhh... I thought we were screwed there for a sec. " The pink girl says, visibly tired from the whole ordeal already. "I still think we should let the adults handle this. "
"But where's the fun in that? " Himiko playfully says, visibly excited and ready to dive right into the possible scuffle.
'I've become way stronger since back then. All thanks to Re-re and her amplification surgery that she performed on me before. ' Himiko's smirk widens, her fangs slightly showing now. 'She said it was kinda incomplete, that it would take longer for it to finish permanently modifying my body, but it still made me so strong.
Now's a good time as any to show her how much I've improved. '
Himiko looks at the side profile of her first friend. 'Now I'm gonna show her that I can be beside her. That she can rely on me too.
Everything I do is for you, Re-re~'
Himiko still remembers the days where they were both the same height. How she came to Himiko's life, and became an answer to a question she's been asking herself for so long.
'She didn't even ponder. Back then she told me the answer I've been craving my whole life, and she gave it to me without any hesitation. ' Himiko smiles a genuine one, not like her facade that she uses with others. She looks to her first best friend with such an admiring look, that it borders on worshipping.
Her gaze changes to one of conviction, fierce even. 'Now, it's my turn to be of help to you without any hesitation, just like you did for me.'
With that resolve, she turns to the unconscious man who's on the floor, face first. "How about I infiltrate their midsts with his appearance and see how many guys we're up against. "
"We probably already know, but just to be sure, yes do that Himi-chan. " Retsu says while giving the true crew members who are unconscious and tied up a look. Seeing five normal staff members, one captain and two muscle guys, one of them having the same features as the one who came in just now and fell to Retsu's originally and biologically produced neurotoxin that forces the human brain to shut down.
'I should find a name for these things. ' Retsu idly thinks, while outwardly she voices out, "He's probably wearing a disguise thanks to someone's quirk, so you should take a sample of the original and transform into him." She says, making Himiko nod in understanding.
"But first, take a sample of this fake one here too. I want to know what he really looks like. "
.
..
...
Meanwhile, in the staff room on the second floor,
"Hugo's taken too long. By the time the warning came in, he was already enroute to the room. You think something happened to him? " A woman says, having short and dark brown hair and normal dark brown eyes, wearing the same female staff members clothing as the one who tried to hold back the Benihana couple earlier. the only distinctive feature is her long, pointy and elf like ears instead of normal ones.
"I'm sure he's fine. He's one of our close combatants and someone who's strong. " The captain says, wearing a skipper's hat along with having bushy brown brows that hide his eyes, and a mustache of the same light color that slightly obscures his mouth. His hair is also a light brown, but very long and in quantities that looks unnatural.
"How is Hans doing? Can he keep up with havin' us all stay disguised for the rest of our time on the mission? " The other muscle guy asks, his features being the most distinctive among the 6 people in the room.
A dark green, reptilian like skin. Big and encompassing, along with a crocodilian face and a long tail behind him, it's length long enough for it to be dragged on the floor. he is currently disguiseless, along with the rest of the people inside this room. They only disguise themselves once they are out of this room in order to blend in better.
"Hans should be fine. What I'm worried about is Hugo's situation. " Another staff member, this one looking like an elegant, elderly man with a white mustache and even a chained, one eyed goggle on, sipping from a hot, smoking tea cup as he speaks. He's also carrying a silver rapier on his waist, though his form is all relaxed and his heterochromia eyes of silver to the goggled right, and plain brown of his left is closed.
"Whatever the case, I say we should quicken the process and just send someone after the prize, before we call the boss's kids and have her send to their location pronto! " A loud, firece voice says from the side, a shorter woman with fiery red hair that reaches down her middle back, her eyes a sharp purple, with her fists hitting each other as she smirks.
"That's... Such an immature way of looking at things." An elegantly voice says, the person who spoke being the shortest of the gathered assembly.
He has pointy ears and a pointy nose. His skin is all red, with a red tail even exiting from atop his rear from his back. He's wearing black, rounded goggles while donning a black, body sized tuxedo and a black fedora hat combo.
"Hah! Whatcha say ya freak of nature?! " The fiery woman yells out, looking at the short stuff who doesn't bother speaking further, just shaking his head and looking ahead.
"Quiet down you two, we're on a mission right now. You can bicker all you want when we're back home. Right now, we need to fulfill our mission, whatever it takes. " The captain chides them, before looking at the short, devil-like man.
"The distance from here to the coordinates is long, so use the trigger before activating your quirk, got it? "
The short, devil-featured man gives his leader a nod, before he brings out an injection device from his pocket, inside it's tiny tube there is a purple liquid that's swirling arround.
Trigger. One that's personally tailor made for him.
Just then, the door to this meeting room is knocked lightly before opening up, and in walks Hugo, the same guy who was sent downstairs to check on the people they've disguised themselves as.
His disguise is also immaculate, almost as if he were the real deal instead of the copied form his features were molded to take.
"I'm back. " He says plainly. Though the tiny smirk on his mouth is slightly out of character, the people inside doesn't think anything of it. In their mind, there is no way their friend has been beaten and replaced by another person, someone who has stolen his disguise.
A Double Impersonation scenario.
"Nothing's out of the ordinary down there, so no worries. " 'Hugo' says, his tiny smile off putting but not something the others pay attention to.
"Alright, that's good. " The captain says, "we're retreating for now. Sara just sent word that Redvein is enroute to the first floor.
Now Hugo, are you sure no one saw you while you were going to check on the hostages? " The captain asks, one brow lifting to show his light brown colored iris from under the bushy brow.
In response, 'Hugo' shakes his head, "No. No one saw me. " He simply says.
The leader just gives a nod, proceeding further now that he didn't get any false alarms from the person standing before him. His lie detection masterfully avoided with words of double meaning.
True, no one saw 'Hugo' who's Himiko in disguise, but not when she went to check on the unconscious staff members. She didn't add that last part, and considering that Hugo's been a part of this team for a long time, the leader didn't think much of it either.
Himiko can improvise and think of a scenario in real time, it being a requirement for her branch of capabilities. Thus the moment she was singled out and asked a question in such a different tone of voice, she was able to deduce and take into account the possibility of a Lie Detection quirk, no matter the odds.
'The stage is set~ now all that's left is to get as much info about their capabilities as I can~' Toga Himiko thinks inwardly, while outwardly, 'his' facial features doesn't change much.
.
..
...
Author's note/ hah! A simple recon from the enemy spies leads to them being compromised by someone they couldn't account for!
It's Himiko's time to shine! Let us see what she'll cook in the next chapter!
Additionally, we get surface features of the people who has disguised themselves, and we find out they are a second group, but from the same group as the one we saw following Retsu at the start of this journey.
Will they be able to escape with the miracle doctor that they've dubbed as 'the black diamond'? Will they fail and get caught by Redvein? Or will they even be able to take Retsu away in the first place?
Guess we'll find out in the next chapters.
Stay tuned and have a great day/night. I'll see ya guys in the next one!