Uncertainty

Ryo awakened to the sound of porcelain teacups and plates clinking in the kitchen. He gently pressed his right palm against his forehead to soothe his mind from his previous traumatic outburst. After tucking his chin to his chest to lift himself, he found a thin silky blanket placed on him to preserve his warmth. Hours passed like minutes after putting his mind at ease and resting. The sun was no longer present through the kitchen's glass windows, indicating that it was close to midnight. Sumire, Claude, Naoto, and Dr. Zanner were nowhere to be seen. Ryo guessed that they might have returned home for the night.

"Oh, good. You're awake," Jinni's Italian accented voice rang clearly in contrast to Ryo's ears being muffled from his anxious outburst. She approached Ryo with a bright smile while wearing a white stained apron. "Va Meglio? Are you better?"

Ryo sat up from the couch and pulled the sheets off of his torso. He could sense the hospitality and generosity within Jinni's heart for asking, especially for his rookie status in Sunlight. "Better. As if nothing happened," he said.

Jinni removed her apron and folded it before tossing it over a granite countertop in the kitchen. "Good," she said. "I need you to do me a favor, yes?" She playfully skipped over to the massive meeting table and grabbed a clipboard and measuring tape. "I need you to stand up for me if you can. I need to take some measurements so I can make your new suit."

"Sure," Ryo said, placing his feet against the floor and standing upright. At first, he slouched because of his comfortable mood, but he forced himself to correct his posture. Jinni walked to Ryo and held out and assembled a dynamic version of old measuring tape. After calibrating some unknown buttons on a small panel of the tape measurer, Jinni activated a blue holographic line that measured Ryo's height without much movement involved. She stepped back and recorded Ryo's height, waist length, and shoe size. She pressed down on the device again to deactivate it after she received enough information. "Where are the others?" Ryo asked.

"Dr. Zanner and Naoto are examining the evidence upstairs," Jinni said while writing down Ryo's measurements. "Sumire and Claude went late night shopping for food. I'll be here to take care of you for now." She said with another bright and cheerful smile.

Ryo was curious about how Jinni appeared so optimistic and gleeful, even if it involved the presence of a stranger. He hadn't met such bubbly individuals since his time in the Yakuza. He guessed that he had been used to the harshness and pressure of tough gangsters with resilient and fierce personalities. He even guessed that Jinni's Italian heritage might have had something to do with her cheerful personality.

Jinni dropped her pen on the floor. "Oh no," She muttered, before picking it up. "You can go back to sleep if you'd like, or you can wait for the food. It's your decision."

Right after Jinni had picked up her pen, she had dropped it again on the floor. "Are you okay?" Ryo asked.

"Yes, do not worry. I'm okay." She said. Jinni had smiled once more, but this time Ryo could catch a hint of shame on her complexion. Her mouth was quivering with a kind of unknown emotion that Ryo couldn't read between the lines. If only he had April's eyes, he could have read her emotions with ease, he thought.

Ryo decided to change the subject to push her worries away. He sat back down and rested his hands on his lap. "Just curious, how did you meet Sumire?" He asked, wanting to know more about her and his sister.

Jinni continued to write Ryo's measurements on the sidelines. "Oh, very long time," She admitted, puffing out a breath. "Few years. She's a very good girl. When Sunlight recruited me, I was a fashion designer in Italy. But something happened in my life that had Sumire involved, and they had helped take care of it for me. I spent a very long time with them, and eventually, I wanted to join. Made me who I am now. She's a great friend," Jinni said, finishing her jot of measurements. She peeked her head out before double-checking the information. "Must be a great sister, too."

"She is," Ryo admitted. With the amount of courage that it took for Sumire to confess her past to him, combined with the nine years that she devoted to keeping him company, Ryo could tell that it was a strenuous, yet arduous task that no other human being nor sibling could ever have accomplished. Sumire's kindness and compassion were so powerful that it was nearly visible with just a glance of her face. But while it was comforting to talk about his sister, Ryo still wanted to break the ice with the other Sunlight members after his embarrassing and disastrous first impression. He wanted to start to break the boundary between Naoto's last name, wondering if there was a resemblance with Sophie. "Jinni?" He began.

"Yes?" Jinni said.

"Do you know if Naoto has a sister too?" He asked.

Jinni placed her finger on her chin as she brought her knees close to her face in a kneeling movement. "Naoto…? I'm not so sure. You should probably ask him yourself," She suggested, smiling once more. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, the thing that happened to me earlier… When Naoto said his last name, Hiragi, I remembered someone with that name when I was a kid." Ryo explained.

"Hmm, and who would that be?" Jinni asked.

Ryo hesitated for a split second but realized that he wasn't going to overcome his fears if he didn't share them aloud. His mind pulsated and throbbed whenever he would think about the past, but he summoned his strength to recall and reminisce about his elementary school days. "I know someone whose last name was Hiragi. I wasn't nice to her, so she hated me. I never had the chance to apologize to her for all the bad things I did to her."

Jinni tilted her head to acknowledge Ryo's sharing and explanation of his recent fall. "I see," she said. "So this girl, last name Hiragi… do you still talk to her?"

"No," Ryo immediately answered, irking a small ache in his chest. "But I would like to."

Jinni chuckled while continuing to double-check the measurements. "That's a step in the right direction, is it not?" She began. "You feel bad for something you did. You are remorseful. Besides, you should not let anything from your past affect you now. You are who you are, just like I was. And joining Sunlight helped me, yes."

Remorseful, Ryo thought. Even though he sensed remorse in his heart, it wasn't enough to satisfy his criteria for redemption. He passionately wished he could rewind time and apologize for his prejudice against aliens and criticism against her friendship with Ash. He clamped his hands together and sat back down on the couch, pondering in his mind about the possibilities of him meeting with her in the future.

"And… done!" Jinni said, placing the clipboard by her hip. She inhaled a breath of fresh air, yawned, and stretched her upper arms like a cat's awakening from a long rested nap. "Looks like I'm going to have to get to work! And after that, we can set up your training course and see what you're truly made of. Ciao!" She waved her hand to Ryo before skipping upstairs.

"Wait," Ryo interrupted. "Jinni?"

"Hmm? Yes?" Jinni said.

There was someone that personally steered Ryo into untapped embarrassment and uncertainty. "When I came in, there was this girl that was exercising. When I greeted her, she wasn't much for conversation. Where is she?"

Jinni nodded in happiness while tapping her index finger against the clipboard. "Ahh, Natia," She introduced. "She is Dr. Zanner's daughter."

"Dr. Zanner's daughter…?" Ryo was bewildered as he was unable to find a similarity between the two individuals. Natia's darkened skin color and feisty attitude were miles away from having an intelligent doctor for a father. The puzzle pieces failed to match. "They don't even look similar or related."

"Yes, Natia is from Iran. Dr. Zanner adopted her after chaos struck her country. That's all I know."

"Iran…" Ryo mumbled. He was astonished at how many Sunlight members came from diverse backgrounds that he hadn't explored or even heard of before. Jinni's explanation of Natia's country was slightly disconcerting, as it made Ryo want to identify a connection between her fierce attitude and the chaos that occurred.

"Hopefully she can open up to you soon," Jinni continued. "She may be stubborn at first, but it will take time for her to open up. She still hasn't done so for me, however… and I have known her for quite some time…" She slouched forward with a slightly disgruntled expression of disappointment on her face. She flipped her blonde French braid back and winked at Ryo. "Ciao, Ryo! I'll be back with your suit soon! Feel better!" She giggled before treading upstairs.

Ryo laid back down on the couch without covering himself with the thin blanket. He pressed the back of his hand against his forehead and groaned lightly. The amount of work that he had to complete before opening up to the Sunlight members felt like a prerequisite for his return to the past. Natia's background in particular interested Ryo. If the chaos in her life still occurred in the present, Ryo wanted to imitate Sumire's generosity to see if he could explore her past to make her feel solemn tranquility. But even so, that was a challenge that took Sumire nine years. The thought of bypassing Natia's mind boggled his stress even further.

"Hey," Naoto's voice called from a distance. He placed his hands in the pockets of his khaki shorts as he nervously approached Ryo. "How are you holding up, man?"

Ryo sat up once more, fixating his gaze on Naoto. He wanted to ask the previous question that he had given Jinni, but he figured that it might have been too awkward for their icebreaker. "Think I'm better now. Thanks." He said.

Naoto sighed and scratched the back of his short brown hair. He clenched his teeth in annoyance and sat down on the coffee table adjacent to Ryo's couch. "Ahh, jeez… so you can't even say my name or something? Is that it? What a bummer…" He whined with a disappointed expression.

"No, I can," Ryo admitted. "I was just caught off guard, that's all."

"Guess it makes sense," Naoto replied. "There are certain trigger words or names that create strong emotions in some people. Sometimes it creates terrifying moments too. I had some experience before when I had to speak to some people regarding a case. Wasn't easy. But man, I'm glad you got over it quickly. Wouldn't want the rookie to have to resort to using dumb codenames for his first day."

Ryo agreed. "So, how's the evidence?" He asked.

"Eh, making good progress," Naoto said, kicking back against the table. "We'll be ready to debrief tomorrow morning at best. Crystal's still gonna take a while though. Zanner's out for a smoke right now and I'm starving. Claude and your sister are driving me crazy. Been in the mood for Japanese somen noodles."

"I haven't had somen before," Ryo admitted. "Is it good?"

"Oh, you kidding? We're Japanese boys! How the hell have you not had somen noodles yet? You live under a dumpster or something?" Naoto joked around. Suddenly, he realized he had gone too far with his comparison, as he hadn't taken the time to know Ryo's background. He played it off as if he had never said it by standing up with his arms over his head in casual relaxation. "Whatever, man. I'll be chilling upstairs until they get back. I should charge them for taking so damn long…"

"Naoto," Ryo called, wanting to cut to the chase. The anticipation of the truth was killing him. "I want to know something."

"Okay. What's up?" Naoto said as his eyebrows raised upwards in curiosity.

"Do you… have a sister?" Ryo asked without hesitation.

Naoto slowly placed his arms by his side as he lost his focused gaze upon Ryo's sudden question. His upper eyelid drooped down slightly in moderate uncertainty, transitioning to blatant and incohesive doubt. He blinked rapidly before placing his arms in his pockets once more and turning around to approach the stairs. As he took a step forward, he could sense that Ryo's gaze never left his sight. Naoto turned back to confirm this and saw Ryo staring at him with a momentous glare that seemed to bore right through his trembling and hesitating pupils. Naoto opened his mouth slightly to speak in response to Ryo's bold question but turned around once more.

"I don't know." He replied in a low tone. His voice in particular was mixed with feelings of doubt shrouded in mystery.

Ryo's heart skipped a beat once more in response to Naoto's words. The main door to the headquarters beside him opened with Sumire and Claude entering, but Ryo deduced that Naoto's unusual response may have a slight chance to confirm that he was related to Sophie. The odds were slim, however. He wanted to pressure for more information regarding the ambiguous case, but Naoto had already ascended the stairs even when food had arrived from Sumire and Claude.

"Ryo, are you okay?" Sumire asked, hastily placing plastic bags of the purchased Japanese food down on the coffee table. She sat beside him on the couch and placed her palm on his forehead to check for fever signs. "Here, lay back down. Your skin is so pale."

"No," Ryo rejected. His eyes never left Naoto's previous position, thinking there was a deeper meaning behind his unusual reaction. "I have to talk to Naoto. I need to confirm something."

"You should eat something first, Ryo-boy," Claude grabbed Sumire's plastic bag of groceries from the countertop. There were fresh chives, shiitake mushrooms, chicken broth, and seaweed crisps inside Sumire's purchase. "It's also getting late. I'll cook some soup for everyone."

Sumire nodded and acknowledged Claude's kind act. "Thanks, that sounds very sweet," She then turned back to Ryo. "What exactly happened, Ryo? Naoto was introducing himself to you earlier, but then you collapsed. Did he say something earlier that made you feel uncomfortable? If he did, I'll make him eat his words."

"No, he didn't say anything on purpose to hurt me," Ryo cleared Naoto's slate. "It was his last name, Hiragi. I knew someone back in elementary school named Sophie Hiragi. She was Ash's best friend at the time. When I hurt her..." Ryo placed his hands against his temples to circulate his strength and persevere through the ensuing mental pain. "Sophie was there to defend her. She looked at me with that swelled-up face as if I was a monster. She was right. I just thought Naoto was Sophie's brother."

"No, no..." Sumire tapped on Ryo's shoulder to comfort his trauma. "You're just overthinking the whole situation. Just relax, okay? Don't think about Sophie right now. We're going to go over the evidence tomorrow with everyone so we can finally see if we can establish a case behind it. Don't let the past overwhelm you like this, okay?"

"Ooh, sounds like food's here! Buonissima! Yummy!" Jinni's sparkling high-pitched voice echoed in the stairs. She descended with Natia following behind her, drinking an apple juice box with a towel wrapped around her dark-skinned neck. She imitated Sumire's style by wearing a black tank top and ripped jean shorts. When Ryo noticed her with Jinni, she didn't even bother to acknowledge Ryo's presence with even a slight glance.

"I have to go help them," Sumire said to Ryo. "We'll make you something. Just rest up for now. I'm coming!" She called to her allies before dashing to the kitchen.

Naoto's abnormal answer to Ryo's question still made him suspicious if there was a connection between him and Sophie. Yet suddenly, Ryo realized that Naoto's dull answer would have been his fault. The idea of uncertainty with a plain "I don't know" was a sign that their relationship might have been separated by unknown means. Ryo placed his hands on his chest as his skin felt clammy and sweaty from the unknown overbearing situation

"Did I... Did I mess up their relationship?" Ryo whispered to himself.

The hidden possibilities of Sophie's actions after Ash's nearly fatal injury were infinitely interpretable. Could she have rebelled against free will and run away from home as Ryo once did? Did the untapped rage of his actions consume her heart and make her an unstable and uncontrollable individual? Ryo's thoughts on Sophie's status raced through his mind at the speed of light. His what-if statements engulfed his mind in an endless torrent of unexplainable worries and concerns.

The chance of Naoto's sister being Sophie was one in a million. Therefore, Ryo wanted to follow his sister's suggestions to maintain a healthy mentality for tomorrow's evidence regarding the nanosuit and the crystal, if possible. As the brewing and lingering aroma of fresh chicken brother spread through the living room from the kitchen, Ryo rested his head back on the couch as the others prepared for a late supper. He closed his eyes and attempted to rest his worries by thinking of dinner.

As he rested his eyes, Natia, from the corner of the kitchen, glimpsed at Ryo for a split second. With a dull straight face, her eyelids and eyebrows dropped down in sudden suspicion.