CH. 55 - Saved the Day

 Inside the backrooms, Shiori and Hikigaya sneak around trying not to get caught by other workers. Little do they know, these workers are already gone, replaced by others much worse.

 “Okay. Where should we check first?” Hikigaya asks.

 “I don’t know. Where would an annoying child run off to when he wants to cause trouble for everyone else?” Shiori asks rhetorically, obviously annoyed by Riku’s actions. Just then, some double doors are kicked open, causing the little penguins to waddle away in fear as two more criminals march in.

 “C’mere, little guys! We don’t wanna hurt ya!”

 “Yeah, we just wanna sell ya for loads of money! Haha!” The other laughs as they grab the penguins and toss them into cages aggressively. Hikigaya sees this and gets up shouting.

 “Hey! You shouldn’t treat animals that way!” He shouts as Shiori stays hidden. The criminals look at him surprised before smirking.

 “Who are you, punk? Actually, don’t care!” He says while shooting the tranq gun at Hikigaya a few times. Hikigaya catches each needle in his hand quickly, letting them stab into him just to prove a point. He takes them out and looks at them for a moment.

 “Tranq darts, huh? Okay.” He cracks his neck as he smirks. “Let’s go.” He says before diving at the criminals.

 “Hikigaya, wait!” Shiori says with a stressed look.

Elsewhere, Riku is tossed into a dark container where other cages are filled with otters. He hits the cage with a yelp as the criminals snicker.

 “You really should’ve kept your nose out of this, bud. Now you’re gonna be the extra bit of money we need to get outta here.” The criminal says as Riku looks at him with fear in his eyes before the criminal shuts the doors on him.

 Riku sits in the dark for a moment, looking around before tears form in his eyes and he presses himself against the cages, pulling his knees to his chest and laying his head down on his arms, crying quietly to himself. The otters in the cages look at him, then at each other before making noises at him.

 “I’m all alone… Why did I do this?.. Now I’m stuck here and gonna be sent who knows where…” Riku cries as one otter sticks its snout through a cage hole and bites onto Riku’s hoodie, tugging it a little.

 “No… no one knows I’m here… I came with my sister but then I left without saying anything… She’s strong, she could save me but… I want my sister…” Riku says through tears as the otter lets go and noises again.

 “I don’t know… I guess they want money?” Riku says as he lifts his head up a bit, looking back at the otter softly. “You really think so? I could get us out of here?..” He asks softly as the otter does a little spin and noises happily. Riku’s eyes then widen as his breath is caught in his throat.

 “Wait! You can understand me?? And I can understand you! What is going on?..” Riku says with a new rise of emotions. The otter noises again as Riku’s attention shifts. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. We should focus on getting out of here first.” Riku says as he gets up and looks around. He then goes to the cages and unlocks them, releasing the otters as they all tackle him and start licking him happily. He giggles happily as they express their gratitude.

 “Hehe hey! That tickles! Okay, okay stop!” Riku laughs as they do. He gets up and adjusts himself before facing the door. “I’m gonna try to open it. When we get out, we’ll make a run for it!” Riku says as the otters understand. He then goes to the door and begins pushing on it. He struggles as the otters try to help when suddenly, the outside lock clicks and the doors fly open, causing Riku and the small group of otters to tumble out of it, rolling to a stop.

 Riku looks up, sitting on his butt, and sees a criminal standing before him. He turns around and looks at Riku, holding a tranq gun. Riku sweats a little before the criminal realizes the situation.

 “Hey! How did you escape?!” He shouts as Riku takes off.

 “Runnnn!” He shouts as the otters follow. They run for a moment, screaming in fear as the criminal shoots a couple darts at him, when suddenly a metal thud is heard as the man grunts. Riku slowly stops and looks back to see the man with a metal bucket on his head as he wobbles before falling over. Riku approaches the man cautiously before a drone floats down in front of him.

“Phew! Good thing I got here just in time.” The drone says through a speaker. Riku looks at it confused.

 “Are you… one of the gods?..” Riku asks, confused.

“No! It’s me, Sugawara!” He says. Riku looks surprised.

 “Oh, the cute one!” Riku says. The drone sweats a bit as Sugawara droops.

“I’ll take that as a compliment…”

 “Where’d you get the drone?” Riku asks.

“I got it from another person. I paid them, of course. And gave it a few upgrades!” Sugawara says with a smile and a headset with some controls. The drone then uses a magnetic beam to lift the metal bucket and drop it on the criminal's head again as a demonstration. “That’s how I was able to unlock the container and get you out.” Sugawara explains. Riku looks a little sad.

 “Oh, I thought I did that…” Riku mumbles before perking up a bit with a worried look. “Oh! Suga, there are bad guys here taking the animals!” Riku says.

“I know.. I figured that part out. Come on, let’s get you somewhere safe first. Your sister is looking for you.” Sugawara says as he leads the way with the drone. Riku stands and watches for a moment with a conflicted look. Sugawara notices and turns the drone around. “What’s wrong? Are you hurt?” Sugawara asks. Riku shakes his head as the otters look at him.

 “I… I want to help…” Riku says. Sugawara sighs a bit.

“Look, I get it. But this is really dangerous, and I think it’d be best if you just stayed safe, okay?” Sugawara says as Riku clenches his tiny fists before looking at the drone.

 “Just you watch! I’ll be useful! I’ll be strong like my sister!” Riku says, rushing off as the otters follow.

“Ah! Riku!-” Before Sugawara can take chase, the drone is shot down as Sugawara looks concerned. “Oh no.” Out comes a man holding a tranq gun, standing over the drone. He watches Riku run away with sharp eyes and a smirk.

 Back with Shiori and Hikigaya, Hikigaya tosses a man across the room, slamming into a metal shelf and toppling it over, causing a loud noise. Shiori looks stressed about it.

 “Would you be careful, Hikigaya! We’re not supposed to be here!” Shiori shouts at him. He stops and looks at her awkwardly, knowing she’s right.

 “Right, sorry.” He says before getting struck across the face by another criminal with a metal pipe. Hikigaya stumbles over for a moment as the criminal looks at the metal pipe now bent the wrong way. Hikigaya looks back at the criminal with angry eyes. “Okay, right after this.” He says as the criminal sweats in fear. Suddenly, the criminal goes flying out of the building and through the air with a scream and into the ocean. Some guests notice this and look concerned.

 “Did you see that?”

 “Did you hear it?” They say as Ryuji rushes up to them.

 “Why don’t I buy you guys some food?” Ryuji offers, pulling them along. They look totally stoked about it without a care in the world.

 “Woahhh, sounds good, man, haha!”

 Shiori steps next to Hikigaya as he huffs. Suddenly, another criminal comes bursting in and shoots tranq darts at them. Hikigaya quickly catches the darts in his palm before throwing one back, poking the criminal in the leg and making them pass out.

 “You know those don't affect me either.” Shiori says.

 “Oh, yeah.” Hikigaya says back.

“Shiori! Come in, Shiori! I found your brother!” Sugawara says over the earpiece.

 “Sugawara! Where is he? Is he okay?” Shiori asks rapidly.

 “I think so, but my visual of him was lost. He should be around the seaport area of the property. We have to hurry, though. There are criminals here, and they already found your brother!” Sugawara explains as Shiori looks worried. The others hear this and also get worried looks.

 “Criminals, huh?..” Haru whispers to himself. Shiori gets a concerned look before dashing off.

 “Come on!” She says as Hikigaya follows.

 At the seaport loading dock, Riku struggles as the boss ties him up and onto a boat.

 “Stop squirming, you little brat! Because of you, my entire crew was taken out. Now I won’t be able to get any animals!” He says as he steps back, and Riku looks upset. “But don’t worry. You’re gonna make this whole thing worth it when I ransom you for money. Now I got my gear, it’s time to head out.” The man says with an evil look as Riku worries. On the port, the otters whimper in sadness when suddenly Shiori and Hikigaya come bursting through the door.

 “Shiori!” Riku shouts. They look over and see him tied to the boat.

 “Riku! Don’t worry, we’re coming for you!” Shiori shouts back.

 “More friends of yours?? Tell them to stand back! No? Fine, Leary, handle these guys!” The boss says. Suddenly, as Shiori and Hikigaya were charging forward, a large metal hammer swings down in front of them as a big man steps out. As this happens, the boss jumps in the boat and starts it up, blasting off immediately. Shiori sees this with wide eyes before being slammed against a shelf by the metal hammer.

 “Hey!” Hikigaya shouts only for the hammer to be slammed down against him. Riku watches the fight unfold as he is taken away. Shiori quickly gets up and dashes out with her wings, but Leary grabs her wing and slams her down.

 “Boss said stay.” He says with a deep voice. Tears begin to form in Riku’s eyes as he closes them tightly for a moment.

 “Haha! See ya later, suckers!” The boss shouts.

 “Ri…” Riku voices under his breath with his head down, suddenly getting flooded with emotion. The boss hears him and looks confused.

 “Huh? What’re you doing there, kid?” He asks as Riku begins to glow. The boss looks scared as Riku shouts out, releasing all the built up stress and anxiety at once.

 “KUUU!!!” He shouts as a soft yellow electricity bursts out from his body, electrifying the boat and the boss at the same time. The boss shouts as he spazzes out for a moment only for the electricity to stop and him to be left a charred mess.

 He collapses when suddenly a loud smack is heard and Leary from the port goes flying through the air and into the ocean. Riku looks over to see Shiori flying his way with her wings out and landing on the boat before him. She instantly tears the rope apart and checks him out.

 “You okay? Are you hurt?” She asks, concerned.

 “No, I’m okay.” Riku says with a soft smile. Shiori sighs in relief before grabbing him tightly and rubbing his head hard.

 “Then what were you thinking?! Don’t ever run off on your own like that again!” Shiori scolds as Riku struggles in her grasp. As they do, the boss man shakes his head, coming to. He then hears some beeping and looks over at a box of gear with a concerned look. He digs through the box quickly and pulls out a small bomb with a timer that’s now short circuiting thanks to Riku. The numbers count down as he looks defeated.

 “Why did I bring a bomb?…” He mumbles as Shiori grabs Riku tightly and wraps her wings around him.

 “Hold on tight, okay?” Shiori says as Riku nods. Hikigaya then whips his arm around and launches it to them, extending it and grabbing onto Shiori. Right as the bomb goes off, blowing up the boat, Hikigaya yanks them away from it and back to safety.

 The bomb going off instantly catches everyone’s attention as they look out to the sea and watch the explosion. People get concerned, interested and scared, so Haru thinks fast to drag their attention away.

 “Uhhh, hey everyone! Look! The officers are here! Thank the gods for that, right?” Haru says loudly as the crowd looks over and sees Chief along with many other officers rushing to the scene. The crowd makes their way out front of the aquarium as the property is slowly and carefully evacuated. Shiori, Riku and Hikigaya meet with the others and smoothly blend into the crowd without drawing any suspicion. Some of them are relieved, and others are excited they just helped save the day.

 “We totally did it.! We really helped the Fullsky and Watchdog save the day.!” Chizuru whispers excitedly. Shiori and Hikigaya shush her quickly with worried looks.

 “Don’t say that out loud.!" Shiori whispers, but then her look shifts to a more soft expression as she smiles a bit. "Besides, I think today was more just me trying to save my little brother.” Shiori says as she pats Riku on the head.

 “Ahem, excuse me, you two. I’d like to ask you a few questions about what went on here today. It won’t take long.” Chief says, standing before them with his hands on his hips. Shiori and Hikigaya sweat as they go along with him, the others watching in awe.

 “What were you two thinking?? Coming out here without your costumes on! It’s bad enough you’re vigilantes, let alone two teenagers fighting criminal groups!” Chief scolds as they stand in private away from the crowd.

 “Chief, this is totally not what it looks like. Sure, we beat up some criminals and saved the day as usual, BUT, we only did it because Shiori’s little brother was caught up in it.” Hikigaya says.

 “It was just supposed to be a normal vacation, I swear.” Shiori says too. Chief sighs as he rubs his eyebrows.

 “Why does it seem danger follows you everywhere you go?” Chief asks. They both shrug. He looks at them and smirks a bit. “This better not become a regular thing. Because I’ll absolutely have to arrest you if you do it as normal kids.” Chief says.

 “Absolutely not. This was the last one for a while.” Shiori says.

 “Yeah, we kinda needed a break. Just spend some time being normal teens.” Hikigaya says softly with a smile. Chief smiles at them.

 “Well, I can’t say I’ll miss it. You two alone gave me more grey hairs than I’d like.” Chief says as the two chuckle. “I will miss you though. Could I still call you if the world is ever in danger?” Chief asks as they both smile back passionately.

 “Of course!” They say in unison. Chief nods and turns around.

 “Alright then. Get outta here. I got some criminals to lock up.” Chief says while pointing his thumb at the entrance. They nod and smile back while walking off. Lucy, Chizuru and Haru watch from around the corner with shining eyes in awe of their friends.

 “That’s the chief of peace guy? He’s bigger than I thought he’d be.” Lucy says.

 “Our friends are so cool!” Chizuru says as Haru nods.

 With Ryuji and Sugawara, Riku waits when he hears scampering come his way. He looks over and is tackled by the otters from before as they start licking him. He giggles as the others watch in confusion.

 “Hehe yeah I’m okay! I’m happy we were able to save you guys too.” Riku says as the others watch him.

 “Is he talking to the otters?..” Sugawara asks. Ryuji just shrugs.

 “Are you guys gonna be okay?” Riku asks timidly, sitting up. “Because I always wanted a pet, and I’m sure I could convince my moms-”

 “Charlie! Dinky! Sakura! I’m so glad you’re okay!” A worker says with a black eye as he looks at the otters with tears in his eyes. The otters jump up with joy and rush to the man as he hugs two of them. One of them stops though, and looks back at Riku, who just smiles and waves to him.

 “Goodbye. I’ll see you again someday.” Riku says with a sad smile. The otter looks at him then goes back to the worker. Ryuji puts his hand on Riku’s shoulder.

 “Goodbyes are hard, but you’re right. You’ll see them again.” Ryuji says gently as Riku nods.

 “Alright guys. Let’s head on home. I think I’ve had enough adventure for one day..” Shiori says with a droop as they all gather together and begin to walk off.

 “You guys are so cool.” Haru says to Hikigaya as he giggles a little. Chizuru watches for a moment before getting a bit too excited.

 “So, are we gonna stop any other criminals on the way home or what??” Chizuru asks openly and happily as the others all shush her aggressively.

 “Chizuru!” They say as they walk off together.

 Later, in a dimly lit room, a girl sits at her desk with her computer screen lighting the dark room. She watches the screen closely as sounds of a commotion play through the speakers.

“Woah! Did you see that?? It just blew up!”

“I think I saw someone go flying into the ocean too!”

 The video plays as the girl stops the video, rewinds it and plays it again. Her eyes are fixed on the screen as she stops it one more time with wide eyes.

 “It’s her…” The girl says as the blanket wrapped around her falls off her head a bit. The screen shows a blurry but noticeable moment of Shiori wrapping her wings around Riku and getting pulled back by Hikigaya. Fortunately, the quality of the video and the angles keep all their faces hidden, but it’s unmistakable what’s happening.

 “It’s them!” The girl stands up, dropping the blanket, revealing Sky from their homeroom class with wide eyes filled with brightness and excitement. “Fullsky and Watchdog are back!” She shouts happily.