Make Them Love Me Or They'll End The World

"You'll just do the same… You'll use me… Then leave!"

"…"

"Ar… Aria…"

Kentaro's broken mumbles still lingered even now as the Halcyon's ship cut through the night sky. In the infirmary, Haruka and a small medic team worked quickly, lowering Kentaro into the glowing medical pod. He floated there, mouth covered with a breathing mask, his body fully submerged in shimmering water.

Serica and Yura stood shoulder to shoulder, silent tears streaming down their faces. They stared at Kentaro's unconscious body, their hands pressed to the glass as if trying to reach him.

"Why is he in there… Not me?" Serica whispered, voice trembling.

"I should've seen that attack coming," Yura muttered, angrily wiping her tears but failing to stop them.

Tenka stood a few feet away, watching Kentaro without blinking. The healing tech was rare, so rare it was almost forbidden. The water possessed supernatural properties that could rapidly repair flesh and bone, but every use carried a cost: memory loss, blood clots, and shortened life expectancy.

She clenched her fists before finally turning to Haruka, Shogo, and the two tear-streaked Alberlines.

"What happened was a one-off," Tenka said sharply, her voice cutting through the grief. "It will not happen again. When Kentaro wakes up, we all know he's going straight back out there to find Aria. So we support him with everything we've got, no hesitation. Understood?!"

"YES, SIR!" They shouted in unison, voices cracking but determined.

Tenka's expression softened. She walked up to Serica and Yura, placing a firm hand on each of their shoulders. "Listen… He's tougher than he looks. I promise you, he'll make it through this. But when he does, I want you both to give it everything you have to protect him. He's reckless, stupid even… But that's exactly why he'll need both of you."

Serica and Yura looked at each other, tears still glistening in their eyes, then nodded firmly. "We won't let him down!" They shouted in unison.

Tenka gave a small, rare smile before looking back at Kentaro's face through the pod's glass. "You'd better get ready for round two… Dummy," she whispered with a faint chuckle.

*

Back on the rooftop where the battle had torn the skyline apart, Isak's squad remained stationed, overseeing the clean-up. Cradle teams below worked to evacuate civilians and patch the shattered infrastructure.

Kira stood near the edge, helmet tucked under her arm, sweat dripping down her temples despite the cool night breeze. Questions ran wild in her mind:

"Is he alive?"

"Did they get him to a medic in time?"

Isak had been speaking into his comms for several minutes before finally muttering, "Understood, sir. I'll keep an eye out," and cutting the line.

Kira and Milly exchanged glances but stayed silent, waiting.

"That was Chief Marshal Takeshi," Isak said, rubbing his temples. "And yeah, he's pissed. Spire screwed up big time. Blowing a hole through the city? How are we supposed to explain that to the press? Sure, we can point fingers at Spire… But I guarantee Vale will twist it, claim innocence before dawn."

He exhaled loudly. "Sometimes I wonder why the Supreme Commander even lets this slide."

Milly spoke up timidly: "Sir… I've heard she's supposed to be insanely strong. So why doesn't she just tell the public herself… Or even better, beat Vale into line?"

Isak shook his head with a weary sigh. "Spire's got more public backing than you can imagine. If Cradle hadn't expanded globally, Spire would've become the official law enforcement. And even with all her power, Akio can't just go violent against Vale without risking all-out chaos."

Kira frowned. "I remember seeing her when we first joined. She's… Intimidating, yeah. But I didn't feel that legendary power everyone talks about."

Isak chuckled darkly. "You're a funny one, Mizuno. What's your current gear capacity?"

" Around thirty-seven percent," she answered quietly.

"When Akio was younger than you, she was already pushing forty-five. Now? Rumour says she's sitting at sixty as her base. Not even counting overdrive. If she cut loose…" He whistled softly. "She'd be unstoppable."

Kira's stomach dropped. Milly whispered: "Sixty… Base…"

Isak looked out over the city, voice quieter now. "Be glad she's on our side. She's righteous. Wants to protect people. But even she's bound by politics… And that's exactly why Spire keeps slipping through our fingers."

A hiss of compressed air broke the silence. Boots clanged against metal as armoured figures rose into view on grav-boosters. Their armour mirrored Cradle's design but bore Spire's distinct chrome badge.

Kira's jaw tightened. "Spire…" She muttered, not even trying to hide her disdain.

The agents landed with precision. Commander Isak straightened and gave a curt salute, which was returned mechanically by the newcomers.

One of the agents, clearly the leader, stepped forward. "Commander Isak," he said flatly. "You did as ordered. We acknowledge your unit's cooperation. However…"

He paused, visor glinting in the city's broken lights.

"We've been given direct orders from our boss himself," the Spire agent said, his modulated voice cutting through the rooftop wind. "Your group is to reposition and shadow the boy who was injured down there."

"What?! You're joking, we're not following Val-" Isak's angry voice snapped like thunder before the Spire agent interrupted, visor glinting with something close to a smirk.

"This was also agreed upon and signed off… By your Supreme Commander."

"Tsch…" Isak spun away, shoulders tense. "Why? This is ridiculous! Sure, the kid got hurt, but babysitting some random boy? Makes zero damn sense!" His voice echoed, frustration dripping from every word.

Kira's eyes widened, thoughts racing. Follow Kentaro? Do they… Know? She clenched her fists, whispering under her breath. "No… It can't be. Could it…?"

Milly leaned over, giving Kira a teasing elbow. "Heeey, look at that, we get to watch your bo-uh, I mean, husband." She chuckled awkwardly, still rattled from earlier when Kira had blurted out that word.

Kira didn't smile. The words rolled around in her head, but the unease never left. Why would Spire want Kentaro monitored? Both Serica and Yura were Alberlines, that much she knew, but did Cradle or Spire know the truth? Serica had vanished under Cradle's radar, and Yura… no one from Cradle had even been there when she appeared.

That left only one possibility. Spire. Vale.

Her brow furrowed as another thought struck her like a cold blade. No one ever explained it. How did Kentaro… Stop them? How did he take Alberlines ready to obliterate entire cities, calm them, and somehow make them live like ordinary girls?

With all the chaos, from Serica's rampage to Yura's awakening, her own suspension, she had never had a chance to think about it.

"I'll have to ask him… Myself," she whispered.

Isak's frustrated voice cut through her thoughts: "Alright, squadron! Looks like HQ's joined in, just got confirmation. Direct order: we locate that boy and keep a close watch on him. Like it or not!" He scoffed, shaking his head as though the very idea was beneath him.

"UNDERSTOOD, SIR!" Kira and her squad barked in unison, even as the words burned in their throats.

Kira cast one last glance toward the Spire squad. They hadn't moved, still grouped, visors angled toward each other, voices low and unreadable. A bad feeling prickled the back of her neck.

She turned away, following her squad into the neon-lit night, their new mission clear: Find Kentaro Takamiya.

*

Back at Spire HQ in Tokyo, the man who had just met with the Supreme Commander of Cradle returned in a sleek black limo. As the door clicked open, polished black shoes stepped onto the glistening pavement. He adjusted his coat and began his walk inside.

Immediately, a wall of Spire's elite security, men and women clad in black tactical suits, closed in around him, forming a perfect escort. Every step they took echoed in practiced unison, their mirrored visors glinting under the towering skyscraper's neon lights.

"Sir," one of the women said, her voice crisp, "Velza is waiting for you in your main office."

A thin smile crept across his face, sharp and deliberate. "Good… Good. Seems we'll need to move things along faster than expected. For that…" His smile widened unnervingly. "…I'll need her."

He stepped into the private elevator, leaving his bodyguards to take the next one. The ride was silent but heavy with intent, every floor passing like a drumbeat counting down. When the doors opened, a long crimson carpet stretched out beneath chandeliers of gold and glass. The air itself seemed heavier here, laced with quiet authority and danger. This was a place built for someone of Reiden Vale's influence, someone who could bend both corporations and governments to his will.

Reiden walked the corridor at an unhurried pace, his polished shoes clicking against the soft carpeted floor, until he reached the ornate double doors of his office. He pushed them open with ease, and moonlight spilled across the expanse of polished wood and glass.

And there she was.

Standing near his desk, framed by the moon's pale glow, was Velza Cain, one of Spire's most formidable assets, a woman whispered to rival Cradle's very best. Her long, dark hair swayed gently as she shifted, the faint light glinting off her silver bracelet. Even standing still, there was a quiet lethality to her, like a blade sheathed but ready to strike.

"You're back, Reiden," Velza said, her tone even but alert. She held a stack of folders against her chest, posture straight as a soldier awaiting orders.

"Yes, yes, I am," Reiden replied, voice dripping with calm confidence. "And it seems…" He gave a small, self-deprecating chuckle. "…I'm still quite the impatient man. So, Velza, get yourself ready. It's time you headed to the battlefield."

Velza's eyes narrowed slightly, a flicker of tension breaking her otherwise stoic expression. "Has the mission failed?" She asked, a faint edge of concern in her voice.

Reiden tilted his head side to side, almost playfully. "No, no, not at all. I've simply realized that if I leave this to the regular Spire teams and Cradle's fumbling hands, the capture of Siren… Will take far longer than it should."

Velza exhaled softly, relaxing her shoulders, though her presence still felt like a coiled spring ready to explode. "Very well. You were never the patient type anyway," she said with the faintest hint of a knowing smile.

Reiden let out a low chuckle, walking past her toward his massive window overlooking Tokyo's glowing skyline. "Yes… Yes, I do apologize. I suppose that hasn't changed, even now."

Velza said nothing more, only offering a faint nod before turning sharply and leaving the office. The heavy doors shut behind her with a soft thud.

Not only did Kentaro have to worry about Cradle's unrelenting pursuit and Spire's manipulative schemes.

Now…

Spire's strongest operative, Velza Cain herself, was coming to the battlefield.