“Those two weren’t too badly hurt, and they’re cooperating with the investigation. And since the effects of the magic sword seemingly wore off, Cross has calmed down and returned to his normal personality.”
“I see…! That’s great to hear…!”
A few days later, after the damage caused by the battle was repaired, Yuugo and the others gathered in the cafe that was scheduled to reopen the next day, and received news from Jinba.
Ehn looked relieved to hear about Delta and Cross, as she also listened to what would happen with them going forward.
“Delta has a prior record, but since he was being threatened and is being cooperative, he should be released soon.
Cross… He was the main culprit of the muggings, so he won’t avoid imprisonment. They also need to observe him, to make sure the effects of the magic sword are fully gone. He’s under watch from guards for the time being.”
“I see… That’s unavoidable…”
“But it might be for the best. The one who gave Cross the magic sword might try to ‘silence’ him. It should be safer for him if guards are watching him, right?”
“That influenced the decision. But we still don’t know what the person that gave him the magic sword was really after… The black hooded one. This person probably saw through Cross’ negative emotions and gave the magic sword to stimulate them, but surely there are other people they could’ve used. Why pick Cross…”
“The black hood working behind the curtain… Just thinking about someone like that creeping around town scares me.”
“The guards are also doing their best to catch any leads. We intend to stop a second or third Cross.”
Jinba said while tapping his chest, to reassure a worried Phi.
This case was solved, but it was hard to be too thrilled when some other darkness might crawl out into the open again. And in the middle of this iffy atmosphere, the owner of the cafe came out of the kitchen with a lot of food, and spoke with a cheerful voice.
“Yes yes, that’s enough about that! You’ve helped me out a lot, and you’re going to fill your stomachs as a way to celebrate the reopening!”
“Uwah…! Are you sure!?”
“Of course! It’s thanks to you and the others that this cafe and Ehn are safe, Melt! This is my way of thanking you!”
“Yay! Then allow me…!!”
There was all sorts of tasty looking food including pizza and french fries, and Melt reached towards it with a big smile.
As he watched the girl blow away the heavy mood in an instant and eat his cooking, the owner turned to Jinba.
“Jinba, if Delta is released, tell him to come here. I’m thinking about hiring him and Cross if they’re released. He’s got a bad mouth, but I can’t ignore someone who thinks of his friend…”
“…All right, I’ll make sure they know.”
Jinba nodded strongly at the owner, who wished to look after not just Ehn, but also the ones who harmed them during this incident.
The owner bowed and thanked him, while Melt looked on and spoke to Ehn.
“That’s nice Ehn! You’re going to be together again!”
“Yes! I’ll do my best. To make sure when Cross gets out, Delta and I can welcome him and have a place for him!”
“That’s the spirit! And I’ll be rooting for you as your friend too, Ehn!”
Yuugo vowed to support their fresh start, with a thumbs up.
It seemed that despite all the twists and turns, this was headed to a happy ending… But one person was angry.
“Yuugo…! What are you doing putting a neat little bow on this? Did you forget that my communications device isn’t back yet?”
“Gueh!? A-An!?”
An’s voice was packed with anger, as a vein made itself visible on her forehead, and she clenched one hand while tapping Yuugo’s shoulder with the other.
Yuugo was overwhelmed by the raging fire of anger, and tried his best to make excuses.
“S-sorry! But, you know! They said they’d give it back once the investigation was over, so don’t be so mad. Okay!?”
“How could I not be angry!? It wouldn’t have happened if you didn’t let it get stolen! As punishment, I’m going to take away Blaster’s ability to change its arm’s shape into a rocket!”
“Eeeeeeh!? Hold on! I haven’t even done a rocket drill kick yet! Just wait a little longer!”
“What point is there in leaving such an unstable feature!? And if you want a rocket to fly so badly, why the arm!? It should be on your back!”
“I guess… You have a point… But that’s just the aesthetic of a hero…”
“…Ah, I see. You don’t want me putting my hands on Blaster? Then I guess I’ll do this and that with Phi.”
“Ueh!?”
An spoke while putting her hands on Phi’s shoulders and pulling him closer.
She held one of his arms while he yelled with surprise, and pat his head with her other hand. She then spoke like she was showing this off to Yuugo.
“Now what should I do…? I’m going to dote on you a lot in place of Blaster, so be ready…”
“Awawawa…! B-big brother, help…!”
“Stop! Stop! Sorry! You can take the rocket arm! And I’ll get the communications device as soon as possible! Just let Phi go!”
The Clay brothers yelled while being threatened by Angel, while everyone watching laughed.
And thus, this case ended neatly, with a tinge of restlessness but in a very bright environment, like the ending of a tokusatsu.
…Yes, it would be a perfect ending to an episode of a tokusatsu show if it ended here, but this was not the end, and the next story would not start with this fun atmosphere.
What came next, or rather, what would amplify that tinge of restlessness, came from Jinba’s mouth.
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