"Fee, you're thinking about Yugo and the others right now, aren't you?"
"Eh? Oh, yeah..."
Rewinding the clock slightly to a moment aboard the sightseeing boat Sunlight.
On the deck, Fee had been staring blankly at the horizon behind his classmates. He nodded as Yui caught him in his own thoughts.
"It's the plates, mostly... even more than my brother. We looked into them with An-san, but it felt like every answer just led to more questions."
"True. But I'm sure the Security Force is briefing them on what they've found by now."
"Yeah. I just wonder how much they actually know..."
Unlike the other students, Fee was acutely aware of the horrors unfolding across the island. It made it impossible to enjoy the trip. Try as he might to distract himself, his mind remained fixated on the Clear Plates and the Magic Armor Beasts they spawned.
He was just beginning to regret not canceling his trip to join Yugo at the briefing when the peace was shattered.
"Don't move! Shut your mouths!!"
A roar, raw and violent, tore through the air.
The boys and girls who had been admiring the sea looked up in shock just as something was hurled into their midst. It hit the deck with a heavy, sickening thud. The children's faces drained of color as a collective scream erupted.
"Ugh... gah...!"
"Wh-What is that!?"
"Kyaaaa!"
The object thrown before them was a man—a member of the ship's crew. He was a battered mess, blood seeping from countless wounds as he groaned in agony.
The sudden violence plunged the deck into chaos. Panic rippled through the students as the man who had shouted before stepped forward.
"I said shut up! You want to end up like him!?"
"Everyone! Stay calm! It’s all right! Everything is going to be fine!!"
A female teacher shouted over the din, stepping in front of the children. She had quickly realized that provoking the man was the worst thing they could do. As the students began to settle under her firm tone, the assailant approached.
"There we go. I like kids who listen. Obedience is a virtue, isn't it?"
The man wore a sadistic grin. He was a grotesque sight. The hair along the center of his scalp was styled into a sharp, upright mohawk, while the rest of his head was shaved smooth.
The green-dyed crest, combined with his savage, fish-like features, radiated a primal menace. He sauntered toward the children, looking genuinely delighted by their terror.
"As you can see, we’ve taken control of this ship and the one trailing us. I hate to ruin your little cruise, but you’re all officially our hostages now."
"How... why are you doing this!?"
"Huh? Kishashasha! It’s just a game. A chance to see what I’m really capable of!"
He bared a row of jagged, uneven teeth. As the children began to weep again, a voice crackled from the communication device in the man's hand.
"Biran! Looks like we've got company!!"
"Already? That was fast!"
"Took a bit of time to lock down both ships, so someone must have tipped off the Security Force. They’re out there demanding we surrender, but I told them to stop whining and come get some!"
"Kishashasha! That’s what I like to hear! Time to have some real fun!!"
Fee looked out over the railing and saw ships marked with the Security Force insignia closing in.
The man—Biran—shouted with that grating, characteristic laugh before vaulting over the railing and plunging into the sea.
Fee let out a startled gasp, but the man had already vanished beneath the waves. Silence returned to the deck, heavy and thick.
Slowly, as the passengers realized their immediate threat had jumped ship, a frantic murmur began to spread.
"What’s happening? A hijacking... this can't be real!"
"Calm down! The Security Force is here. They’ll have these guys in handcuffs in no time!"
"But they took the crew down! They took the whole ship! It’s not going to be that simple!"
"Teacher, I’m scared!"
"Are we going to be killed?"
"It’s okay, it’s okay! I won't let anything happen to you!"
The peaceful vacation had vanished, replaced by the cold reality of being pawns in a hijacking. Amidst the rising terror, Yui leaned toward Fee.
"Fee, could it be them...?"
"...Probably. This has the Clear Plates written all over it."
Fee hadn't missed Biran’s comment about "testing his strength."
The man didn't want money. He wanted to revel in his own power. He had hijacked a ship for the sheer thrill of it, and he had the strength to nearly kill the crew with his bare hands. He was almost certainly a plate user.
The real question was the scale of the operation.
Including the man on the radio, seizing two ships would require a significant force. Even after the initial takeover, they would need people left behind to watch the hostages. As Fee wrestled with these thoughts, a man nearby stood up.
"Hey! Now’s our chance! He’s gone! Let’s find a way out or something to fight back with!"
With the mohawked man out of sight, it seemed like the perfect moment to act. The passenger looked to the others, pleading for help to take back the ship, but the hijackers were far from finished.
"Heh... you really think so?"
"Ah...!?"
A cold voice drifted from the crowd.
The passengers spun around, their eyes landing on a man as thin and brittle as a wire. He radiated a twitchy, unstable energy that felt even more dangerous than Biran’s overt aggression.
The passengers shared a brief, desperate thought: He’s thin. If we all rush him at once, we can take him.
The thin man caught their look, and a jagged, twitching smile crossed his face.
"You’re looking down on me, aren't you? You think you can take me because I'm small? That pisses me off... it really pisses me off! Don't you dare look down on me!!"
"...!?"
As he screamed, a Clear Plate appeared in his hand. He slammed it against his temple, and his body began to warp and distend. A moment later, a nightmare stood where the man had been.