Shuichi Akai was still far from joining the Organization, and their time together was limited—Gojo had to seize this chance encounter!
Just as Gojo was pondering his next move to fleece more impression points, his eyes sharpened. The figure in the knit cap suddenly froze, stood up without hesitation, and walked out, leaving behind that untouched glass of Rye whiskey.
After observing for a few seconds, Gojo noticed Akai was following someone—a tall, thin man in black who had just left. That man was the source of the energy fluctuation Gojo had detected earlier. In other words, he was the Ability User.
Akai vs. an Ability User? Does he really stand a chance? To be safe, Gojo decided to follow them.
In the early hours of New York, the streets were nearly empty.
"Hello? I just left the bar, it wasn't much fun. I'm heading home now, might pick up some things on the way..." Akai kept his expression cold, trailing the man in black at a moderate pace. He pretended to be on the phone with a friend, doing his best to blend in as an ordinary night-owl pedestrian.
The reason he was tracking this man—even staying in a gay bar for a while to do so—was that he had accidentally seen this man's photo on his mother's computer. He seemed to be a dangerous criminal responsible for multiple murders, yet for some reason, he had never been apprehended. Moreover, he was dressed entirely in black.
It was hard not to associate him with "that Organization" linked to his father's disappearance...
Akai knew it was dangerous. But during his school break, he was in New York alone to clear his head; he had no backup. Driven by his innate hunter's instinct, he had followed before he could overthink. Not knowing the opponent's background, he naturally wouldn't act rashly. But if he could find a breakthrough, a tiny chance to bring this guy in for questioning, then maybe...
The man in black seemed to sense something, glancing back occasionally. Akai didn't flinch, walking normally while continuing his fake call and passing the man. The man stopped looking and climbed into a black sedan. Akai memorized the license plate out of the corner of his eye.
Then, the man started grumbling about an empty cigarette pack, got out of the car, and entered a nearby convenience store. Akai stood his ground, watching the man's figure disappear.
Good chance.
Seeing no one around, he slowly approached the car, crouched down, and stuck a tracker to the undercarriage. He wanted to plant a bug too, but that was too risky. Withdrawing now would make the trip worthwhile...
Before Akai could stand up, a fist swung toward him from behind. His breath hitched, and he ducked just in time.
"I've been watching you for a while. I knew something was off about you," the man in black grinned. "Coming to a gay bar and looking so disgusted you couldn't stand it—did you really think your acting was that good?"
"..." What Akai understood even less was how this man had returned in seconds. The distance from the store to the car was at least several hundred meters!
Since he was exposed, talk was useless. Noticing the man hadn't drawn a gun, Akai immediately bolted toward the brightest street nearby. However, he hadn't run far when the scene before him suddenly changed.
The New York of neon lights and skyscrapers was swallowed by a dense fog, making him feel as though he were back in the familiar "Foggy City" of London. Surrounded by mist, Akai was horrified, searching for an exit.
Then, a figure appeared that he never expected to see again.
"Shuichi..."
The man with a mustache in a brown trench coat was unmistakably his father, Tsutomu Akai, who had been missing for years.
"Dad...? You're alive?!"
No, wait—he had just been caught by the man in black and was running away—eh? ...Was that how it happened? Was his memory failing him? His father had never gone missing; he had been living happily with his mother and siblings... and himself.
"Shuichi, you've grown up... come, let me look at you." His father patted his shoulder affectionately.
"Dad, where have you been? You don't know how much I..."
Father and son began to chat after their long separation, the atmosphere warm and tender.
"Sleep, sleep~ little baby, have a good dream..."
In a deserted, pitch-black alley, the tall, thin man in black held Shuichi Akai in his arms, humming a lullaby. Anyone seeing this bizarre scene would have been scared half to death. A twisted smile played on the man's face.
Unlike the ordinary criminal Akai imagined, his true identity was an FBI-registered S-Rank Ability User: The Dreammaker.
He was a strange individual. Unlike Ability Users who joined government agencies for perks or started their own sects in seclusion, he enjoyed using his illusions to weave beautiful dreams for people—only to brutally murder them the moment they flashed their happiest smile, ending their dream world. He loved the feeling of watching someone fall from heaven to hell, of destroying beauty; it made him feel... like an omnipotent god.
Everything that happened after Akai stuck the tracker on the car was merely an illusion woven by him. Because of his powerful illusions, no agent from the FBI, CIA, or MI6 had ever been able to catch him. He roamed between countries, killing for pleasure through "dream-making."
Tonight was no exception. When this handsome man reached the peak of happiness in his dream, his life would end.
Satoru Gojo, hiding in the dark, had watched the whole thing. He didn't know the specifics of Akai's illusion, but he saw him get subdued effortlessly and fall asleep in the man's arms, his vitality draining away like fine sand.
[System, is that guy's ability related to illusions?]
[Bzz... It is an illusion, but specific details cannot be analyzed...]
Gojo knew Akai's venture wouldn't end well. There were no "Abilities" in the original story; had Akai encountered this due to the butterfly effect of Gojo's arrival in this world? Regardless, he had to save him.
A mere illusion... he didn't believe it could rival the Limitless.
Gojo cast a "Veil" and used "Azure" to teleport directly in front of the man.
"Who are you?!" The Dreammaker was startled, realizing the newcomer was also an Ability User.
Gojo didn't feel like wasting words and intended to drag him straight into his Domain. The Dreammaker's powerful perception had saved him from death many times; he immediately sensed a fatal danger behind that strange hand seal and shouted, "Wait! Let's talk this out..."
"Otherwise, I'll kill him right now!!" He pulled out a handgun and pressed it against Shuichi Akai's temple.
Gojo wasn't someone to be easily blackmailed. In fact, his speed was sufficient to snatch Akai away before dealing with the Dreammaker. Yet, his movement hesitated for a split second.
And that brief half-second gave the Dreammaker his opening.
The scene before Gojo's eyes shifted instantly—
The Dreammaker slumped to his knees, gasping for air. He felt his strength drained after using his power on the mysterious white-haired boy. Who on earth is this kid? But it didn't matter...
The Dreammaker aimed his gun at Gojo, a winning smile on his face. He only needed to control the target for one more second.
—Before that bullet pierced his heart.