Making a Deal

Ignoring the sound of the alarm constantly beeping, Akira easily squeezed the steel door in front of him and flung it backwards.

*BAM*

The sound of heavy steel hitting the concrete floor was loud.

"Who is there?"

"What is going on?"

As soon as Akira entered the room, in front of him was a boy the same age as him.

The man had dark gray hair. His eyes were forcibly closed using a blindfold, and his body was isolated in an iron chair.

"Calm down, subject 001, Otosaka Shunsuke, possessor of the Time Travel ability." Akira spoke calmly.

After a moment of silence, Shunsuke hesitated and asked: "You are not part of this research?"

"It's nice to talk to smart people. It saves me time."

Akira did not remove the blindfold of the other party. The main requirement for Shunsuke to activate Time Leap, his eyes must see the light.

Just in case, Akira discussed it with him first. If not, what if Shunsuke used his ability right away?

"You came here especially for me… No, my Time Leap ability, to be precise."

"Yes, you are right. I won't beat around the bush, let's make a deal. You use Time Leap to go back an hour ago."

"Hm? Just one hour?"

Shunsuke was confused by the request. It must be remembered, his ability allows him to go back in time up to several years. He didn't expect the other party to just ask him to go back in time an hour ago.

"Wait a moment… Assuming I agree to your request, then how should I convey a message to you while I'm stuck here?"

"Good question, Otosaka-san. It's simple, you just shout the sentence, 'Code red, KS, perpetrators Nakamura Hiroshi and Kobayashi Kenta'. Then I will immediately receive your information."

Other than the names of the two rapists, the rest were encryption codes that only Akira could understand.

"How did that information reach you?" Shunsuke vaguely guessed the answer.

"Each Esper room is monitored by CCTV. Especially possessors of powerful abilities like you. Coincidentally, I possess an artificial intelligence unrivaled in the world. My AI is always watching over you, Otosaka-san. As long as you say the code, the AI will directly relay the information to me." Akira frankly.

"That means you know there's human experimentation going on here! Why don't you do anything! Do you find it interesting to see us tormented every day!" Shunsuke is furious to learn the truth.

That's a natural reaction. He and other children are suffering here and are always hoping for help. Now there are third parties who know their existence, but do nothing and just turn a blind eye.

How can Shunsuke not be angry?

"So what? Even if I report this research facility to the authorities, they won't do anything. You should know this more than anyone."

Given Shunsuke's Time Leap ability, Akira couldn't believe the other side had never tried to do such a thing.

Shunsuke: "😐"

He couldn't argue because it was the truth.

During the first attempt at Time Leap, he reports the location of the research facility to the police. As a result, he along with his little brother and little sister were caught earlier than the previous timeline.

From that incident, he understood a cruel truth. The government is also part of this research facility. His actions did nothing more than reveal that he was an Esper.

"And one more. I'm not a savior. No super hero in tight clothes will come to save you. The only person who can save you is yourself." Akira added.

"What's the advantage of me helping you?" Shunsuke compromised.

"I can save you and your little brother and little sister from this place and also give you a new identity. Don't doubt my words, the best proof is that none of the guards came to interrupt our discussion, right? It's all because they're dead." Akira was quite impatient.

Shunsuke was tempted by the offer, but remembering his friends, he couldn't bear to live happily and left them.

"Not enough. Save all the children in this facility, do it, and I will agree."

"Don't push your luck any further, Otosaka-san. If it weren't for the fact that I couldn't take advantage of Valerie right now, I wouldn't have met you."

Valerie Tepes, possessor of one of the original thirteen Longinus, Sephiroth Graal. She was another suggestion that Akira had prepared.

"Deal or not? If you don't agree to my terms, I won't be willing to do your bidding."

Even though Shunsuke had no idea who Valerie was, one thing was certain that he had the upper hand in this discussion.

"Okay, I agree."

After pondering for a moment, Akira accepted the outrageous request. Anyway, it wasn't too hard for him, just a little troublesome.

"By the way, don't think you're reneging on this deal. Even if you go back in time and try not to get you and your friends caught, sooner or later you will definitely be caught again."

"After all, your opponent is a country. A group of youths without resources won't be able to win against the country..."

"On the other hand, apart from giving all of you new identities, I will build an orphanage and provide funds so you can develop. It's up to you to use the funds, whether to secretly form a team to liberate fellow Espers across Japan or even the world, or to live an ordinary life."

"How? I'm quite generous, right?"

Carrot and stick psychology concept!

In this theory, a 'carrot' is an incentive or reward that is given after a desired behavior, whereas a 'stick' is a negative consequence that is given after an undesired behavior.

There's no guarantee Shunsuke will keep their deal.

Akira's goal in increasing the reward is for Shunsuke to prefer fulfilling the deal instead of going back in time and starting over.

He didn't know how many times Shunsuke had used his Time Travel ability, to be more assured, he declared the advantage on his side.

And sure enough, Shunsuke canceled his intention to secretly return to the past.

(Although this person lacks empathy, he is not a bad person himself. Moreover, his idea is not bad either. The reason for our failure is because there are no resources to fight for resistance. If only there was a large amount of money, it might save everyone.)

Weighing the pros and cons, Shunsuke is more inclined to agree to the conditions that Akira offers.

"Can I trust you?"

"Rest assured, I may be a hopeless fuckboy, but I always stick to my word. At the latest, I will attack this research facility tomorrow night."

The corners of Shunsuke's mouth twitched hearing the other party refer to himself as a 'fuckboy'. He was starting to doubt whether to believe him or not.

In the end, he decided to make a bet.

"I hope you fulfill your promise."

"That means we're in agreement."

"Yeah."

The discussion ended with both sides getting what they wanted.

"Take off this blindfold."

"Okay."

After Shunsuke regained his sight, he was slightly surprised to see the man in front of him in a cloak with a hood over his head, making it impossible to see his true face.

"By the way, I still don't know your name."

"Ars Nova... Just call me Ars."

"Ars, huh... Then, I'll start. I hope you don't disappoint me."

"Don't worry, my previous code memory."

"'Code red, KS, perpetrator Nakamura Hiroshi and Kobayashi Kenta', I have a good memory."

"Um, you may go."

"See you tomorrow night, Ars."

Immediately, Shunsuke activated the Time Leap ability. The originally gray pupils suddenly filled with blue swirls.

He decided to go back to an hour ago.