Erina ate meekly, taking a seat next to Kanon.
"Oh, where does the time go, I better go and finish the rest in my office. Licca when you have time be sure to bring Mr.Shimazaki to the maintenance deck tomorrow. Will you come with me, Mr.Shimazaki?" Sakaki said as he picked up his tray and started for the door.
"Sure, sir, I'll come for you in the morning." Licca said, with a mouthful of ramen to Sano's face.
In morbid shock, Sano stood from his seat, and hesitated to follow him or not.
Or at least he tried before everyone got on a rant.
"Sir, we're not done!" Erina said, slamming her chopsticks down.
"Uh, yeah, Sano doesn't deserve to sleep in a cell!" Kanon said, almost losing her grip on her chopsticks.
"Professor hold it! We still have things to discuss!" Kota argued.
"Is that right? Come along then Kota." Sakaki ordered as he didn't wait for Kota.
Licca maintained her stoic approach.
Erina, Kanon, and Kota were appalled to the point of silence.
"Alright then! Don't worry guys Captain Kota is on it!" Kota quickly hawked down his noodles and left the table. Unaware of the lack of confidence on Kanon and Erina's faces.
Sano took a hard breath through his nose.
"Erina, do you mind? I gotta handle this." Sano said as pointed to his empty tray.
Erina nodded without a second thought. For him, her confidence shot up. As noted by Kanon and Licca.
Looking back and between Sano and Erina, Kanon noticed his god-arc was still beside Licca. Before she could say another word, it flew off startling the three girls.
"Oop, never mind." Kanon uttered seeing the inmate take hold of his god-arc beside Kota.
"HOW!?" Licca, Kota, Erina squaled.
"Ok when this is over, you're telling me how you did that!" Kota whispered.
Sano didn't respond. He only kept his eye on Sakaki. Who apparently didn't notice anything. Everyone else in the mess hall, however, spat out their ramen.
Following Sakaki to the elevator, the boys said nothing as the man hummed to himself.
"Kota if you please, take us 8 floors up." Sakaki asked still holding on to his tray.
Kota cringed.
"Sure." he muttered as he pressed the floor panel.
"Now I think it's time you see your new accommodations Shimazaki. Grateful as I am to have you, your circumstances still leave me in an awkward position. I must think of the other residents, not to mention the black plague patients we've been taking in for treatment. As the director, I must think of everyone's safety." Sakaki explained, making Kota frown.
His reasoning wasn't unreasonable. So arguing for Sano to live outside a cell seemed even more fleeting.
The elevator stopped and Sakaki led them out down a hall similar to his floors'.
"Aaaaand here!" Sakaki stopped at one of the rows of doors with the number 1103 on it.
"Now the basic ground rules are this. You can go out and about the building except where the black plague patients reside and other clear off-limits areas. Oh of course! You're not familiar with the black plague at all are you? I'll get you up to speed, but to stay on point rule 1.
You cannot leave this building for anything other than local emergencies or missions.
Rule 2
That is a lock that activates on your door at 9 pm and unlocks at 9 am. You are to be in your room by that time, every day. So for at least 12 hours a day, you'll be able to move about. Not unreasonable, yes?" Sakaki asked plainly.
Sano after hearing this didn't find anything that wasn't fair. It was generous, so he could only nod and let him continue.
"Now as for our earlier discussion. You have something?" Sakaki asked.
"A few years ago people came into prison talking about the Far East. Some crazy stuff about saving the best of humanity because the world was ending. No one really believed them. Sometime later a guy comes in starts talking first-hand about everything that happened. An assassination attempt on a god-eater, a girl that was used to do the job, some plan to "save" the world. By ending it." Sano explained.
Kota was shocked to hear these details. Sakaki's eye's narrowed on the inmate, but his composure was still holding.
"I thought it was just another cult, but he talked too precisely, had too many details. No one was sure he was lying or demented." Sano added, keeping a close eye on Sakaki's reaction.
"The Aegis project?" Sakaki asked.
"I thought it was called the Ark project?" Sano said. Kota jumped and he shifted uncomfortably trying to find his words.
Sano almost didn't catch the split-second facial change in Sakaki.
"I see..." he said, as stared at his reflection in the ramen bowl.
"Uh, Professor, what's going on?" Kota asked, feeling a pit grow in his chest.
"And the last whereabouts of the man?" Paylor asked.
"When he came to my prison he was gone six months later, transferred to a Maximum security prison. Somewhere in the Beirut Branch, I think. Give something good enough you can go from Supermax to Maximum security. No guarantee you'll get a lighter sentence, but the prison has better conditions." Sano said, leaving Kota in the dust on the conversation.
"So he's already in prison?" Sakaki asked.
"I thought he was for a while. Until I found him on a caravan hit by aragami. When he recognized the helmet he panicked and tried to hide from me. I was wondering what kind of deal did he cut to get out of maximum security in under a month." Sano said sarcastically.
"What's the minimum amount for an inmate?" Sakaki asked.
"3-10 years. At least, with what I know." Sano answered.
"Uncanny. So Beirut?" Sakaki asked, taking a sip of his tea.
"I overheard the caravan was bound for a freighter somewhere east of the Seoul Branch. So he could be there...or...." Sano thought.
"Here. You think he came back!?" Sakaki was starting to sound more than intrigued. Sano shrugged in response. Kota of course having not been clued in nodded off. Sakaki hummed to himself in thought, as Sano waited patiently for another response.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
A ring suddenly went off from the inside of Sakaki's yukata.
"Well, it looks like this conversation will take more time than we have. So to wrap this up can you give me a final starting point?" Sakaki asked.
"Seoul Branch, the rest will take leg work. I could find him." Sano bargained.
"Oh, I'll have my people work Seoul, for now, you just focus on things here. Have a look inside." Sakaki nudged towards the door,
Sano could scarcely believe that Sakaki had more or less taken the deal. He didn't confirm it, but this seemed adequate to him. Before he realized it Sakaki had already begun departing to the elevator, causing Kota to panic.
"Professor hold on!" Kota begged as he followed after Sakaki.
Sano while still unsure of things, went through the door to view his cage.
"Professor come on, have you listened to a word I've said, Sano's a really great guy! I'm sure he'd never put the safety of the Den in jeopardy, we owe the guy! Professor!" Kota's words were seldom heard if at all. Sakaki pressed the floor panel as he hummed to himself.
Hey Sakaki!
Sano's voice rang, startling Sakaki and Kota.
Sano's head popped out of the room he entered.
"Who needs to be fired!?" he yelled.
"For what exactly!?" Sakaki asked,
"There's an actual room in there!" Sano said.
"Is there? Not two? That's what I asked for." Sakaki said as he smirked.
Kota and Sano looked at Sakaki like deer caught in the headlights.
"HOld it!" Kota almost screamed as he ran to Sano and peaked in. He immediately narrowed his eyes at Sakaki disdainfully.
"You never planned on putting him in a cell did you?" he said grudgingly.
"What's that Kota, you'll stay behind for a while? Ok!" Sakaki said as the elevator door closed. Sakaki kept his trademark smile the whole time.
Sano held a look of confusion, while Kota fumed and growled.
Sano took another look inside his "cell", on the right was a bed, not too big, but not too small. Along with it a countertop, at its foot. To the left was a massive couch, big enough for at least 8 people, give or take. With a form-fitting wooden table fitting perfectly in the corner.
Behind the couch were assorted cabinets built into the wall along with a sink. On top of the long counter were a speaker and radio.
On the back, right was a terminal with its cables running up and down the ceiling and floor. Lastly, a window displaying holo images of a hillside landscape pleasing to the eye.
A "cell' indeed.