January in Japan

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Shinjuku, Japan. 3:45 PM.

It's around the middle of January, winter for Japanese cities.

The average temperature in Shinjuku for a typical day ranges from a high of 47°F (8°C) and a low of 31°F (-1°C). Some would describe it as really cold with a gentle breeze.

Despite the cold air, many traditional festivals and events take place in the winter, transforming the short winter days and dark winter nights into a fun and warm celebration.

Japan in January is a great time to catch vibrant festivals or soak in a hot spring. Either way, there are opportunities to enjoy the season.

Shinjuku is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. It is a major commercial and administrative center. Due to the war, it has changed completely.

The northern half of housing contains the administration center for the government of Tokyo. Shinjuku has been a major secondary center of Tokyo, rivaling the original city center in Marunouchi and Ginza. It means "New Inn Ward."

...

However, now it is a stone-cold place in the morning and deserted in the afternoon. As part of the Axis powers, the citizens never know when a soldier might be having a bad day and want to release their frustration. By working early mornings, families can survive despite the struggling economy.

The worst part was the disastrous attack in December. It was called "The Bombing of Tokyo" and was a series of firebombing air raids by the United States Army Air Force during the Pacific campaigns.

Not only was Tokyo hit hard by this attack, but so was Shinjuku.

Shinjuku's proliferating west side crumbled; all left were a couple of bases for private ownership, including bars and motels.

One of those places was a small bar called 'Dokuhebi Hebi" or "Viper Snake."

"This should be the place. Massively government funded probably." Kyle stood at the bar entrance in the middle of complete rubble. This place was constructed in under a month, rousing Kyle's suspicions.

Not only that, but the place had a suspicious name, the codename for the woman he was searching for.

Opening the sliding doors, Kyle looked around and saw apparent mercenaries. Each had a drink with a knife in their hand once they saw Kyle, not knowing whether he was an enemy or ally. Most of them did not have Japanese facial features, causing Kyle to smirk.

He raised his hand and asked the crowd, "I'm looking for Madam Hydra. Does anyone know where I can find her?"

Kyle looked around the place, unable to see the woman he was trying to find. Once more, he asked, "Is Madam Hydra here?"

After a slight pause, a woman's voice resounded, "You found me."

Walking out from a corner, a beautiful woman appeared.

She had a voluptuous yet muscular build with long dark green hair covering the right side of her face. She was wearing green lipstick and maintaining a form-fitting green wardrobe accentuating her body.

When the woman revealed herself, Kyle was tempted to use his Domain Card to gather information but refrained since it would expose a trump card.

Kyle could use his Mystic Devil to help him gain information if someone is lying, but it is a very experimental and unmastered skill that would be useless until he trains it.

The most he could do with Mystical Devil was feel fluctuations in someone's soul if they were lying, but since most people were very calm during interrogations, it was unusable at the current level.

Kyle felt he needed more training with his current abilities rather than branching out and trying to obtain more abilities. Of course, Kyle would never deny free Cards, but he knew it would be better to start mastering and focusing on certain Cards more than others.

With a deep breath, Kyle thought, 'I shouldn't think about these things at important moments. Maybe I do need a drink...'

Instead of continuing to worry, he looked at her supernatural abilities and only found a single one.

- [Repressed Hive Physique]: Able to sprout and stow a powerful and burly tentacle with six four points in the body, varying sizes. These points include each deltoid, latissimus dorsi, and arm. Blue Ability Card.

- 'Do you wish to extract from [Repressed Hive Physique] (1HR)?'

...

*Sigh*

Kyle couldn't help but sigh, 'This is a strange thing to possess. I will take it since it could be helpful, maybe.'

- 'Beginning Extraction of [Repressed Hive Physique]'

While Kyle took the opportunity to extract Viper's Card, she told him, "Kyle is coming--" Hearing Viper say this to him, Kyle started to pay attention to her. Viper continued: "Hiroo Onoda recently quoted this phrase. It is used to intimidate children and gets the soldiers not to lose focus--"

At this time, the armed men in the bar looked at Kyle and could not help but feel their legs going numb. Most of them had a similar line of thought: 'Oh shit...'

They were never afraid of killing some random mercenary, but they were afraid of one thing. They feared being killed like a squealing pig under a butcher's complete control.

Kyle has become synonymous with the butcher holding the pig still while carving them into pork chops. He was a terrifying monster known not only to never lose in fights but take pleasure in crushing his enemy's morale.

Most of the Axis powers similarly view Kyle, except a select few. Viper, however, did not show an ounce of fear, making Kyle question her motives.

Suppose the enemy was only the random mercenaries. In that case, Kyle is confident that he can subdue them, but if there were someone fearless even after hearing of his reputation, it would cause him to tread more carefully.

Although, in truth, most of these stories were exaggerated. Kyle also felt annoyed with those stories. Imagine everyone around the country thought you were a blood-hungry monster; it would make most feel uncomfortable.

"--There is one thing I do know: Kyle Kell never kills someone who gives up and joins him. Unlike other soldiers, he is known for sparing his enemy, isn't that right?" Finally, Viper took something from behind her back to present to Kyle.

Viper presented Kyle with a small glass box with a black radio inside. The radio had a switch and a red button but was blocked by the glass box surrounding it. Kyle could immediately tell what it was.

...

Without hesitation, Kyle took the box and inspected it for confirmation.

- [E1(5)9WW2 Detonator]: A device with a small sensitive charge used to detonate an explosive. Rare Green Item Card.

Knowing it was a detonator, Kyle looked for more confirmation, thinking, 'Show me more information.'

- Data: A device for exploding bombs mostly made with [Leftover Tesseract Energy Storage] and other explosive chemical compounds. These bombs will explode in different parts of the earth. The five-minute timer will start before being discharged by turning the switch on and activating it through the button made during World War II.

Kyle sighed, happy to see the real deal, and told Viper, "Thank you for cooperating."

It was a more straightforward mission than he expected, so Kyle decided to use this chance to try and obtain more information about his enemies while drawing out the Blue Ability Card.

...

Kyle lost track of time, barely noticing that he had overstayed his welcome.

They chatted for more than two hours, and Kyle enjoyed speaking with the woman. She provided as much knowledge as possible about Hydra, but most of it was already discovered by leaked information.

Kyle thought, 'At least I have the detonator and can end the mission earlier.'

"One day, if you choose to, you can join the M.A.R.V.E.L. Organization. We can use talents like yours in the future. When this war ends, try to find somewhere safe lest you get killed by the British and Americans." Kyle laughed and told Viper, who also chuckled with him.

Viper responded to him, "--Maybe I will join if I get the chance. Though I doubt the time will come when your organization will have a place for me, I still can't help but want to enjoy your company, Kyle."

This made Kyle smile as he checked the time and realized he should start heading back. He waved and started walking out the bar's doors, realizing he had lots to do.

When Viper saw the appearance of Kyle's figure leave, she could not help but smile while thinking, 'M.A.R.V.E.L. is it?' Sounds interesting--'