Chapter 18: Collateral Damage

*Ding.*

The elevator chimed as it reached the top floor. Before the doors completely opened, John walked through, not even caring if Rin saw him or not.

And the reason for that-

“Oh?” A calm and melodic female voice called out. “Master. Are you finished with your task already?”

-Was because Alpha’s presence was dangerous enough for him to not care.

He didn’t respond to Alpha. Instead, he slowly walked into the room and swept his gaze around the streaming studio.

“M-Mister John!” Rin’s panicked voice called out. “I-I’m sorry, but Miss Alpha… Um… That is to say…”

John let out a long suffering sigh. “It’s fine.”

Shattered monitor screens, collapsed on the ground. The desktops, emitting black smoke. Sparks spraying from power outlets.

“I should have been more specific.”

Really, this was all a consequence of his own actions.

Unlike Beta, Alpha was designed specifically for combat purposes. As a result, she lacked any other capabilities. While he had done some upgrades throughout the years, Alpha’s base purpose was still ‘destruction of all enemies.’

It had been softened, of course, once John got around to giving her other features and a personality of her own, but the zealous and natural tendency for destruction remained.

In short, whenever it was a scenario outside of a combat situation and not explicitly stated in his orders, Alpha inevitably caused collateral damage.

John sighed.

Alpha tilted her head. “Is something the matter, Master?”

“Something is always the matter when it comes to you, Alpha.” John shook his head and then turned to Rin. “She didn’t hurt you, did she?”

“No!” Rin quickly shook her head. “Miss Alpha was really nice and careful. Just…” She glanced at Alpha and then walked over to John, whispering in his ears. “Is she really an idol? Her dance moves are a bit… well…”

“It’s complicated.”

Alpha blinked. “Did I… do something wrong, Master?”

“Yes.” John nodded. “Again. Though, it’s a natural result because of who you are, so I can’t blame you too much.” He sighed again and said, “Go down and patrol the area with Beta. And be *extremely careful* about collateral damage. I don’t have as much sway in this place as I do where we were before.”

Alpha looked at Rin, seeming a bit disappointed, but then she nodded her head. “Understood, Master.” Without another word, she entered the elevator and left.

After she was gone, John ran a hand through his hair. “I should have been more thorough…”

“Um… Mister John?” Rin’s quiet voice. “What do we do now?”

“Hm?”

Rin fiddled with her fingers and stared at the broken equipment. “Wasn’t my debut going to be this weekend? With the studio like this-“

“Oh, don’t worry about that.” John waved his hand. “I can replace the equipment by tomorrow morning.”

Technically, he could do it then and there, but it would cause some questions from Rin that he didn’t want to answer, so it would have to wait.

“Really?” Rin frowned. “I’m… not in trouble for not stopping Miss Alpha?”

“It’s fine.” John waved her off and said, “You couldn’t even if you tried. Alpha is a…”

Chaotic instrument of mass destruction? Ruthless beauty that annihilated millions of stray immortals who got too uppity? A being with a steel body and fire as her blood? His magnum opus crafted from a fragment of the Dao of Destruction itself?

“…Force of nature. Let’s leave it at that.”

Rin stared at the elevator and slowly nodded. “I… think I understand what you mean.”

John walked back to the elevator and pressed the button to call it back up. “Anyway, let’s head to my office and make some concrete plans for your debut stream.”

Sakura Hibana blinked, staring at the doctor’s report with blank eyes. “You’re saying… that it’s gone?”

The doctor, a young woman with bright eyes nodded and said, “Yes! It’s a miracle, Miss Hibana!”

Sakura’s hands trembled and she shifted her gaze to the doctor. “You’re serious. This isn’t some elaborate joke or prank?”

The doctor gasped and then looked crestfallen. “I thought you would have known me better by now. I’m not the type of person to do something like that… Especially not to a woman with as hard a life as you’ve had, Miss Hibana.”

“Sorry. It’s just…” Sakura placed her right hand on her head and said, “It’s a bit much to take in.”

Too many good things were happening at once.

Rin, just barely avoiding taking the same path as Sakura did. The person responsible for steering Rin away at the last moment being a foreigner that Rin bumped into by chance earlier in the day. That foreigner being a rich businessman who happened to start an idol agency in a new business venture with a method Sakura had never heard of while giving Rin and employment contract with similarly unheard of benefits for an idol.

The doctor smiled and said, “Well, I don’t want to put any more on your plate, but I wanted to let you know that I’ve already done the paperwork for your discharge. I know how much you’ve been worried about your daughter, so when you feel comfortable, you can leave any time. Alright?”

Sakura gave the doctor an absent nod.

“Then, I’ll leave you be for now. And congratulations again for not giving up, Miss Hibana!”

The door to her room shut, and Sakura was left alone.

After a few moments…

“He. Hehe. Hehehe!”

Maniacal cackling filled the room and Sakura jumped out of her bed, causing her light brown hair to swirl behind her. Standing on the floor, she pumped her fist in the air and stared up at the sky. “Take that, you cocky bastard! What miserable life!? What ‘you’ll be nothing without me’! Rin and I don’t need your damn help after all, you fu-“

There was a loud bang on the wall next door and then a voice shouted, “SHUT UP!”

Sakura ran over to the wall and smacked it too before saying, “You shut up! You damned harpy, I’ve had enough of your ranting too! Do you know how many days I’ve had to listen to you whining and calling the nurses! Go screw yourself!”

With a huff, Sakura walked over to the wardrobe nearby and started changing into her old clothes. Slamming it shut, she grabbed her phone, her purse, and the discharge papers before walking out of the hospital.

A bright smile on her face and without a care in the world, Sakura pulled out her phone to call her sweet daughter. But just before she did-

“Hm? Sakura-chan? What are you doing here?”

Sakura huffed and rounded on the man, ready to scold him. But when she saw who it was, she froze as well.

A stern man with faint scars on his face and slightly graying hair. Dressed in a salaryman’s outfit, but with a trained body that suited an expert martial artist or athlete instead.

Sakura blinked and then said,  “Kai-kun? You’re still alive?”

The former Yakuza member let out a wry chuckle.