Tina hadn't expected that the person she'd been so wary of was actually an ally. Even more surprising was that he'd helped her. Sothing felt off, and she was skeptical.
"Why should I trust you?" She asked.
"You don't have to trust , because I don't trust you either." Altair replied. "Your profile was already in Tokyo's hands the mont you got near the Holy Residence. I've been hiding out there, watching them dig up every detail about you and prepare to send people to capture you."
"To think your master would send soone as incompetent as you for an assassination. It's practically an embarrassnt."
Tina bristled at the sudden scolding but held her tongue. If what Altair said was true and she'd already been exposed, her mission would be nearly impossible. Failure would an abandonnt by her master, leaving her to face death alone.
"And do you know who that guy was just now?" Altair continued.
"That guy?" Tina thought back to Rentaro, who had tried to save her.
"Who was he?"
"He's an adopted son of the Tendo family, always doing their dirty work."
Mui Tendo counted as part of the family, so it wasn't a lie.
"Because I was briefly on a wanted list, he was on guard around . If I hadn't taken you away, he'd have soon gotten word about you and captured you himself. Don't think you could've handled him. He's a product of the New Human Creation Plan, his body packed with Varanium prosthetics. In close combat, you wouldn't stand a chance."
"Really?" Tina felt a chill. She'd co to Tokyo with intel on the Tendo family, Seitenshi, and the Soma Corporation, but she hadn't known about a hidden adopted son.
She'd briefly considered asking Rentaro to help her escape Altair, but now she was glad she hadn't. Otherwise, she'd already be caught. But then another inconsistency struck her.
"You were on a wanted list?" She asked.
"Yeah, for attempting to assassinate Seitenshi. It's been lifted now, though."
An assassination attempt on Seitenshi that got canceled, and now he was hiding in the Holy Residence? How did he pull that off?
Tina stared at Altair, stunned, desperate to know how he'd managed it.
"No need to be shocked. I've got my ways." Altair said, raising his right hand slightly to calm her down.
"Let's go. You're exposed. You can't stay out in Tokyo. If a cara catches you, they'll swarm you in no ti."
"I'll find a place to hide." Tina said.
"No need. I'll take you to the Holy Residence to hide. I've been staying there undetected. The most dangerous place is the safest, they'll never find you."
"Like… that?" Tina muttered, impressed by her supposed ally's boldness.
"In that case, I'll grab my weapons. Inside the Holy Residence, we can find a chance to take out Seitenshi. My master's orders are to strike tomorrow when Osaka's Gensei Takanotsu arrives in Tokyo."
"No problem. Let's go get your weapons." Altair agreed.
If Altair had insisted on taking her to the Holy Residence without her weapons, Tina might have been suspicious. But since he encouraged her to arm herself, she let her guard down. If he intended to capture her, there'd be no reason to let her retrieve her gear. Right now, without weapons, Tina was at her most vulnerable. Even with her Gastrea-enhanced abilities, she couldn't overpower an adult in close quarters, especially as a non-strength-type Cursed Child.
After taking a winding route to her hideout, Tina gathered her weapons and followed Altair toward the Holy Residence.
Then, to her astonishnt, Altair summoned the Flying Nimbus. Still reeling, she was hoisted onto the cloud, and they soared toward the Holy Residence, undetected by those on the ground. They landed on the rooftop and entered through the balcony.
Standing on the balcony, watching the Flying Nimbus vanish, Tina snapped out of her daze. She rubbed her eyes, confirming she was indeed inside the Holy Residence, and looked at Altair in disbelief.
"How did you do that? What was that cloud? How can it carry people and fly?" She asked, transforming into a curious child and bombarding him with questions.
"It's a flight platform. The cloud is just a disguise, it's really just a flying device." Altair said, unfazed, spinning a convincing lie.
"In a bit, I'll take you to et Seitenshi."
"We can et Seitenshi?!" Tina exclaid, dumbfounded. She was about to et the very person she was tasked with assassinating.
"Don't worry. Seitenshi doesn't know what's happening outside. The team hunting you is a special operations unit that doesn't report to her, so she's completely unaware of your situation. That unit also doesn't have clearance to enter the Holy Residence. As long as we're here, we're untouchable. Their intel doesn't cross paths."
That made sense. Tina nodded, understanding.
"Let's go. Seitenshi's in the next room." Altair said, pushing open the door.
Tina nodded and followed.
"As per the client's orders, we need to wait until tomorrow to act. If we strike today, we might succeed, but it would put all of Tokyo on high alert. That would block other regions from entering, which isn't what the client wants. So, even though we'll see Seitenshi today, we can't make a move."
"I understand." Tina said, nodding seriously.
"Good. Let's go in."
As they spoke, they reached the door to Seitenshi's room. Altair didn't even knock, he just turned the handle and walked in. Tina was shocked by his apparent authority in the Holy Residence but followed him inside.
In the room, Tina saw her target: Seitenshi.
"Mr. Altair, you're back." Seitenshi said warmly.
"Yeah, and I brought soone for you to et." Altair replied, casually sitting on the sofa.
Tina, still reeling, stood beside him, studying Seitenshi.
Altair politely introduced her. "Tina Sprout, IP Rank 98, owl-type gene."
"And an assassin."
***
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