The Red Hand

The girls wrapped up breakfast and decided to tune into the upcoming news conference scheduled for 11 am. The Prime Minister was set to speak about the events of the preceding day and provide answers to the media. There was already massive speculation about the attack on Camp Katsura and theories were being thrown around wildly. Akagi figured it was going to be a complete shit-show and was eagerly awaiting its start. Kana and the others were less enthusiastic at watching their nation's government panic, but decided to watch alongside Akagi.

Determining that the kitchen wasn't the most appropriate place to watch this drama unfold, Akagi and the others moved to the living room and projected the live-stream on a massive monitor. Yumi brought drinks for the girls, while Akagi poured a cup of her finest sake with a massive smile on her face.

"You seem to be in high spirits," Naomi said sarcastically.

"Of course I am." Akagi smiled. "It's always fun to see these empty suits sweat when I put their feet to the fire." She took a sip. "The Empire didn't exactly do PR, but it was always fun watching nobles panic and run crying to the Emperor."Akagi snickered.

{Onee-chan did always have a sadistic side to her, and I see that only got worse.} Kana could only shake her head at her sister's comments.

"Ohhh, it's starting!" Akagi's eyes shined. "This is gonna be great! 10:1 Hishya sends me an angry message at the end." she turned up the volume of the broadcast. After a few moments, a man in a suit introduced the Japanese Prime Minister Hideki Nakamura, who quickly took his place behind a podium in front of a large crowd of reporters.

“Damn he looks like death.” Akagi commented. The Prime Minister clearly hadn't slept last night and he looked absolutely miserable.

"Good morning, everyone." he was already sweating. "Please hold your questions until the end. Thank you."

He cleared his throat and took a drink of water.

"Yesterday at approximately 4:34 pm, Camp Katsura in Kyoto was attacked by a group of assailants led by the returnee Rishia Tomogawa A.K.A Akagi." (PM)

The room lit up with murmuring at the mention of a returnee being involved.

"Her forces assaulted the base, which resulted in the death of 647 soldiers and staff, and another 287 injured to various degrees. I must also report that General Ren Iseyama was also killed in the attack. I have already spoken to his family and gave my condolences. He was a brave soldier and a good man and Japan is less without him." the PM began to sweat more. "While the brave troops of Camp Katsura put up a valiant fight, they were no match for the power Akagi displayed. Our reports say that she sliced the main gate in half with a single swing of her blade as well as dueled one of the returnees who were working with us and killed him in single combat. " (PM)

A few gasps could be heard among the crowd. Such an extremely high death toll was practically unheard of in modern military operations.

"At present, Ms. Akagi is at large, and should be considered armed and dangerous." he coughed. "We advise the public not to do anything which could provoke her, and total avoidance is preferred where possible." (PM)

“Oh no, whatever will I do. Kana, you guys have to avoid me now, how sad.” she faked crying.

In response, the three girls just rolled there eyes at Akagi's sarcasm.

"Additionally, I can confirm that the deaths of Speaker Miyori Mitsuhide and Defense Secretary Nagumo Mitsuhide were both caused by Ms. Akagi based on evidence gathered at the scene." he looked increasingly nervous.

"I'm shocked," Akagi said sarcastically. "How could they ever figure it out?!?" she looked at the others.

Kana, Mika, and Naomi's expressions were flat.

"Yeah, it should have been impossible. Ha.Ha.Ha." Kana said robotically.

"They must be the best detectives ever," Naomi replied in a monotone.

"Yeah, they make Sherlock Holmes look like an amateur," Mika said while looking at the ceiling.

The three let out a group sigh.

"All jokes aside, isn't this bad?" Kana asked. "It looks like they're just going to blame you and try again."

"Yeah, this doesn't look good," Naomi said with concern.

“Its their fault for all this anyway.” Mika pouted.

Akagi simply shrugged in response. "Just watch."

The Prime Minister continued with his address for about ten more minutes. It was a pretty standard political speil, but, most interestingly, he refrained from stating why Akagi attacked the base. It was obvious that he didn't exactly want to own up to his mistake, but Akagi made sure he couldn't weasel his way out. Once he finished he, reluctantly, opened up the floor for questions from the press.

"Sir, do we know the reason why this woman attacked the JSDF base? Many people at home have been concerned about events just like this ever since it was revealed that some of the survivors had retained their abilities once they exited the game. Should we be concerned about further attacks?" (Reporter 1)

The Prime Minister really didn't want to answer this question, but he had no choice. Akagi had made sure of that when she spoke to him; if the PM tried to worm his way out, let's just say bad things would happen.

"Yes, we do know the reason." he took a deep breath. "The woman known as Akagi attacked JSDF Camp Katsura in response to us taking her younger sister and her two friends into custody." (PM) As soon as he said this the press pool lit up with questions.

"Mr. Prime Minister, what do you mean taken into custody? Why were those girls were taken by the JSDF?" (Reporter 2)

Sweat began to drip from his face, so he used a small rag from his pocket. "The girls were taken as part of a special military operation to eliminate the returnee known as Akagi. We intended to remove her as a potential threat to Japan before she could act, and that operation failed." (PM)

At this point, the press pool went nuts, and the Prime Minister had no choice but to reveal most things. He was forced to explain to the public that he and the JSDF acted without the Diet's approval to execute a Japanese citizen and potentially harm three others. Naturally, this did not go over well with most of the viewers. The live-stream they were watching included a chat, and let's just say the words they were using to describe the PM were quite harsh. Of course, that did not mean that the audience was exactly thrilled with Akagi's actions, but they were definitely unhappy with how the government handled things. Of course, the question eventually moved toward the future.

"Mr. Prime Minister, as you can imagine, your statements have fueled great public anger. Most of our news feeds are flooded with angry messages and calls for your resignation. However, what many, including myself, want to know is what the government will do next?" the reporter asked. "Whatever her reasons, this Akagi woman attacked a JSDF base, killed over six hundred people, and is responsible for the death of a member of your cabinet. Where does the government go from here?" (Reporter 3)

At this point, the PM was mentally exhausted from all the questions and decided to exit stage left without answering the reporter's questions. It didn't help that he had no answer to give, as there was little the Japanese Government could do without destroying itself. Members of the press began yelling out to him but were ignored, much to the their chagrin. The chat messages were filled with many calls for retaliation by the government against Akagi, while others feared that she might start causing chaos across the nation. Things were devolving into chaos and there was no clear path forward.

*clap**clap**clap**clap**clap**clap**clap*

Akagi began to slow clap as the PM ran from the press.

"Excellent job, Mr. Prime Minister." she laughed. "You played your part as requested; now it's time for me to play mine." she looked at Yumi with a terrible grin.

Kana became concerned when she saw her sister's face. "Onee-can, why do I have a really bad feeling about this?"

{She has that look in her eye again.} (Kana)

"Because you know me so well," Akagi answered her sister and then disappeared in a flash along with Yumi. The girls were momentarily stunned before they heard Akagi's voice coming from the stream they were watching.

"NO! Please tell me she didn't just do that!" Kana watched as her sister walked up to the podium that the Prime Minster had just been at seconds earlier. The secret service was stunned, as were the many reporters still in the room.

Kana put her head in her hands and groaned.

"Hello everyone!" Akagi gave a smile. "I apologize for barging in like this, but don't worry, I won't take up too much of your time." Akagi's warm smile turned into a twisted grin.

A few of the security team attempted to subdue her, but Yumi quickly bound them with some magic.

"Now, now. I'm not here for a fight so cool your jets gentlemen." Akagi looked at the reporters. "If you have any questions for me go ahead; I'm all ears." At this point, the live stream chat went insane. Some people were impressed by her entrance, others were terrified, some called Akagi not-so-nice names, and a not-insignificant number commented on how cute Yumi was.

Surprisingly the press team rolled with this weird situation, while the broadcasting team was politely asked by Chloe to keep going for just a bit longer. The daggers pointed in their general direction had no effect on there decision whatsoever.

The first reporter asked his question nervously. "Are-are you really the person who attacked the JSDF base yesterday?" (Reporter 1)

"Yes, I am." Akagi smiled. "You see, the government decided to become my enemy by involving my family in this little game." she started tracing her finger around the top of the podium. "So I decided to show the government just how foolish it's actions were. The deaths of all those people lie squarely on the government's shoulders." Akagi stared back at the man.

"I understand being angry that your sister was taken, but was it really necessary to kill so many people? Wasn't there a better way?" (Reporter 1)

Akagi thought for a moment. "I suppose that rather than attack the base, I could have just snuck in and retrieved the three girls. Such an approach was more than in my power." Akagi shrugged.

She could have done that, her ability to remain unseen meant she could have easily walked into the base and freed the three girls while only causing a minimum of casualties. But that was not the path she chose.

"Then why-" Akagi cut him off.

"Because I wanted to send a message." Akagi spat her words at him. "I wanted to send a message to not just the Japanese government; but the entire world. If you drag my family or those I care about into our little game, there will be hell to pay." Akagi's words were laced with anger.

"I'll be point blank," she said, allowing a large amount of darkness to well up behind her. "If anyone ever comes after my friends or family again, it won't just be 600 people that die." her eyes began to glow. "I have no qualms about stacking bodies until people get the message. If you want to pick a fight with me, fine; but if you insist on dragging outsiders in, I'LL STOP HOLDING BACK." her words were said with a terrifying roar as darkness enveloped her body. “AND TRUST ME, YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE WHAT LIES WITHIN THE DARKNESS!"

Her sudden transformation, alongside the horrifying tone of voice, caused some members of the press to feint. Akagi unleashed her inner darkness and allowed the world to get a glimpse of what she really was. After allowing a moment for the audience to take in the form of pure terror before them, Akagi returned to her usual appearance.

"I'll take this final moment to make a quick plug. If you have need of my services, you only need to contact me." She gave a wink as Yumi teleported the two of them back to her house. A few moments later, the feed was cut, and the live stream ended.

Upon returning to the living room. Akagi was assaulted with judgmental stares from the girls.

"Was that really necessary Onee-chan? You just sent the entire country into a panic with that stunt!" Kana scolded her.

"Necessary? Maybe. Fun? Absolutely." she smiled. Kana's continued stare showed she wasn't convinced.

Seeing this, Akagi decided to sit down and explain her reasoning. "Listen, Kana, the best way to keep these idiots from attempting something like this again is to make them afraid of me," she explained. "If my little display keeps trouble from starting, then I would say it was absolutely worth it. On the plus side, I doubt anyone will ever bully you three ever again." Akagi tried to add a silver lining.

"Yeah, bully or talk to us. Onee-chan unlike you, I don't exactly like being alone in a quiet room." Kana sighed.

"Just tell them that if they don't treat you normally, the scary monster will come and get them." Akagi laughed.

{You laugh, but that's a very real threat Onee-chan.} Kana shook her head.

"Kana," Naomi interjected. "Methods aside, I don't think Akagi is wrong. If she didn't show people just how poor of an idea it is to mess with her, who knows what people would do?" she continued. "They might attempt to kidnap us again, or worse, they could even go after your parents." Akagi didn't really care about them, but she would probably save them for Kana.

"It might take some time, but I don't think people will stay wary around us forever," Naomi said. "It's likely that after some initial nervousness, people will return to, at least, some amount of normality, especially if we ask them to." Naomi tried to reassure Kana.

Naomi was probably right. This event would strike fear into people's hearts, but the public's attention span is quite short, and since Kana, Mika, and Naomi were merely adjacent to this situation, things will likely return to normal relatively quickly for them. Of course, that didn't mean that everything would be perfect.

Not long after Akagi returned Kana's AR messenger and Akagi's phone exploded with messages.

“Well, I won my bet.” Hishya had sent a very annoyed text message. “And what's this? Oh? Mom and Dad want to meet? Isn't that nice?” she rolled her eyes.

“Onee-chan, they just messaged me too, they're in a panic and want to know where I am.” Kana began to draft a reply. “If they want to speak with you, I should go too. I can only imagine what they want to say.” Kana's face was a mixture of anxiety and anger.

“Tell them I want to speak today.” She turned to Naomi and Mika. “For now I'm afraid that I will have to insist that the three of you staying here, way too much chaos right now.” Akagi was not in the mood for kidnapping attempt number two.

“Naomi you should-.” she stopped herself. “You should at least let your staff know you're ok.”

“And Mika, you should contact your parents as well.” Akagi looked slightly apologetic. “Tell them that you'll be safe here and that I'll return you soon.”

“I just did. They told me to have fun and to let them know when you'll drop me off!” Mika gave a bright smile.

{Just how laid back are her parents?!?} Akagi stumbled momentarily. {I guess that might explain why she's taking everything in stride.} (Akagi)

“I do have one question though.” Mika continued. “What was that cool darkness thing you did on T.V.?” her eyes were sparkling as she asked.

{Somehow, Mika might just be the strangest of these three girls.} (Akagi)