(Japan, Yokohama)
As the day gently draws to a close, the sun dips below the horizon, casting a warm golden hue over the landscape.
The sky transforms into a canvas of vibrant oranges and soft purples, signaling the end of another bustling day.
Birds soar gracefully back to their nests, their joyful chirps echoing a sweet farewell to the sun.
A big abandoned warehouse stands away from the crowded areas. Its windows are broken, the floor is dirty, and the ceiling has a hole.
The door opens.
Geko enters and looks around. He walks ahead and sees the group of students lying unconscious on the floor.
He rolls his eyes:
"This location is away from the city, sure, but no one was able to come here to find this group of students till now? Insane."
He sees their faces scratched, their clothes torn apart, and their backpacks are nowhere to be found.
He lifts his hand:
"Allowed!"
His command heals their bodies, and everyone in the group regain consciousness.
Geko sits beside them with a warm smile. One of the girls stares at his face, her eyes shine with awe:
"His face... feels like I am watching a shining star."
One boy asks him:
"Who are you?"
Geko closes his eyes:
"I am... the shadow of a mask."
Right after saying it, Geko, without saying a word, teleports in front of the group of students.
A cloth appears over his eyes. His body unleashes such aura that the beast—the one who kidnapped the students—gets visible.
Geko says:
"Do you think I couldn't sense your presence, Azara?"
Azara, a gigantic wild beast—a white panther with golden eyes—speaks:
"Long time no see!"
Geko in a serious tone:
"Hmph! I should have finished you before."
Azara smiles:
"Can you?!"
Geko runs towards Azara—with his eyes covered—and cuts his body in two halves:
"You truly were a..."
Someone tries to scratch Geko. He instantly jumps in the air to land a spin kick on another wild beast—clone of Azara.
He lands on the ground, thinking:
"So are these Azara's clones?"
The door of the warehouse opens. Marshal enters, in his alien form, while holding the head of Azara.
He says to Geko:
"Do you know who this beast is? He was trying to mess with me when I was guarding the warehouse."
One of the students throws a wooden box at Marshal. He looks at it, the box vanishes, and he starts freaking out:
"Why the heck is everyone always trying to throw random stuff on me!?"
The same student—who threw the box:
"Because you're terrifying as hell."
One shy girl among them says:
"W-Who... are you?!"
The head of Azara vanishes from Marshal's hand when he says:
"I am... the mask!"
Just then, Geko runs towards Marshal, and everyone looks at him. He executes a perfect roundhouse kick that burns the last clone of Azara, and says to Marshal:
"Don't... lower your guard."
Marshal's alien form vanishes. Geko teleports him outside the warehouse and says to the students:
"Please wait here. I'll be back soon."
In the blink of an eye, Geko teleports. Marshal is standing outside, his eyes are stunned and his mind only playing one line:
"Don't lower your guard."
He thinks:
"What in the world... His words vanished my alien form in an instant."
Another thought hits his mind:
"What am I doing here? I should be inside, helping the students."
Geko sighs before speaking to him:
"That was close... I know I shouldn't have done it but your behaviour got me."
Marshal looks behind.
Geko continues speaking:
"A supreme like you shouldn't behave so recklessly. Even if you're superior you can still be taken down."
Marshal stands there—stunned. Geko says:
"And yeah, if I hadn't teleported you here... They might have seen your true face, Marshal!"
Marshal gulps while nodding—silently agreeing with what his right hand said—and his alien form takes over his body.
Before teleporting back to the warehouse, Geko says:
"Let's finish this work by safely teleporting these students back to their homes."
(Night)
Geko knocks the door of a house. A lady opens it—sees her daughter—and says:
"S-Sayuri!"
Sayuri hugs her mother:
"Momma!"
When the lady sees Geko, he warmly smiles and says:
"The case of missing students has been completed successfully. We managed to rescue all students. By the way, I am from a secretive department and my name is Lee."
The lady grabs his hands:
"Thank you so much, Lee-san!"
Geko says:
"I must go now—"
The lady quickly interrupts, her grip on his hands tightening:
"Please… at least come inside for a while. Sit, rest, have some tea. It's the least I can do for returning my daughter."
Geko pauses—still holding that warm smile. Her eyes shimmer with gratitude. Sayuri clings to her mother's sleeve, peeking shyly at Geko.
After a moment of silence, he nods gently:
"Very well... just for a while."
After throwing a shoe at Geko, Marshal peeks—as if he's trying to get noticed.
The lady asks:
"Who is he?!"
Geko—maintaining his confidence:
"He is my... student, still learning to be a part of our secretive department."
Marshal with a smile jumps in:
"Nice to meet you, Miss. My name is Marsh-"
Geko interrupts him by softly slapping him on the head. Marshal then says:
"Umm, sorry for the interruption. My name is Mitsu."
The lady smiles:
"Oh! Please, both of you, come in."
They enter the house and sit in the lounge. Sayuri is secretly watching them.
Geko says to Marshal:
"If I hadn't stopped you might have revealed your real name."
He replies:
"But, why are we even hiding our true identity?"
Geko rolls his eyes:
"Do you want me to rev-... Hello, Sayuri-san!"
Sayuri gets in shock:
"W-What?"
She walks in.
Geko asks her:
"Is there anything I can help you with?"
She shakes her head.
He says:
"Then why were you standing there?"
She looks down—says to Geko:
"Umm, back in the warehouse he wasn't with you, isn't it?"
Geko looks at Marshal's face:
"Y-Yeah, he wasn't there."
She looks at Geko:
"Are you... trying to hide something, Lee-san?!"
He confidently replies:
"No!"
She plays with her fingers—her cheeks red as she's blushing:
"I-I know there is something you both don't want to reveal."
He again says:
"You are over thinking, Sayuri-san."
She asks:
"How did you manage to find where exactly we were?"
Marshal says:
"Because of Shi no Karasu."
Geko takes a deep breath:
"You are too honest, Marshal."
Marshal rolls his eyes in frustration:
"We shouldn't speak too many lies just to hide our identities, Geko-san."
Geko says to Sayuri:
"Alright, sit down and I'll tell you everything."
Some portals open through which the Elders of Skyward Society enter.
Shikiya with a playful smile:
"Sorry for interrupting, hehe!"
Daigo looks at Marshal:
"Looks like things are getting spicier."
Geko stands up:
"Is there something wrong happening back in Millennia?"
Shikiya shakes her head:
"Nope!"
Marshal says:
"Then sit down everyone. He is going to drop some cosmic-level lore here."
Geko mumbles:
"Am I the only smart one here?!"
Naoya keeps his hand on Geko's shoulders:
"I guess you're getting along with Marshal and we would like to hear you because you never spoke more than what was needed, Geko-san!"
*After some time*
Geko says to Sayuri:
"To conclude everything, I am an upper-ranked member of Skyward Society and the right hand of Marshal."
The door of the lounge opens. The lady enters with two cups of tea:
"I am sorry for the delay."
Sayuri takes a look around her—no one is there—and then sees Geko. He slowly shakes his head.
Marshal says to the lady:
"Thank you very much."
The telephone starts ringing and the lady says:
"Oh! I'll have to go." (She leaves)
Sayuri asks from Geko:
"Where did they go?"
They are sitting on top of the house watching the full moon in the sky.
Naoya sighs:
"D-Do you think her mother saw us?"
Shikiya shakes her head.
Before leaving, Geko says to Sayuri:
"Please keep it a secret. If you try to tell anyone you will instantly forget about it."
Sayuri nods:
"I won't tell anyone."
Geko with a smile says:
"And if you ever get in danger, say my name and I'll be there."
She nods.
They both start walking on the street. Marshal is eating a mochi:
"Oh! I almost forgot to ask. What are we supposed to do now?!"
Geko replies:
"Go back to our houses."
Marshal says:
"Fair enough but I meant regarding that beast Azara."
Geko says:
"As soon as I get back to my timeline I'll make sure to seal him from this planet."
Marshal mumbles:
"So he isn't dead?"
Geko looks at the sky:
"No! A mythical beast like Azara can be defeated only if the person goes in their domain."
Marshal listens to him. He continues:
"These domains are more like reserved dimensions. One cannot enter without the permission of its owner."
Marshal sees his house:
"I see! Well, my house is here so I'll be going."
Geko nods.
Geko stands there watching him go in his house. He sees the shadow of Ishi behind him.
Geko smiles looking at the moon:
"I think I can see you in him, Ishi-san"
And then walks into a portal which takes him back to his timeline.
(Ending)
Azara is sitting in a dimension; beside him is Marshal—from a different timeline—in his alien form.
Azara says:
"Your variant is certainly very different from you."
Marshal replies:
"That's what makes us different."
Azara questions:
"What are you planning to do now?!"
Marshal stands up, and cracks his neck:
"Wait and watch—I've got a plan."