Chapter 29 - First Job (1/2)

A/N:

Here's the next chapter. I was supposed to write down everything I outlined in one chapter, but I ended up writing so much that I'll have to split it into two.

Notify me of any grammatical mistakes you can spot, and donate any amount of power stones you can to support the story.

As always, thanks for reading, and enjoy the chapter!

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The next morning, after meeting Karasuma, Wheatley hovered in front of the TV, watching the news about the now permanently crescent moon with interest. On the TV, the news anchor sat at her table with an image of the moon displayed on the top right of the screen.

[This is an urgent news update, brought to you by Tokyo Today News. In a shocking turn of events, the moon, our celestial neighbor, has been rocked by a catastrophic explosion, resulting in a permanent crescent shape that has left the world in awe and disbelief.

Eyewitnesses and satellite imagery confirm the unprecedented destruction that has taken place, with a staggering 70% of the moon's mass seemingly vanishing into thin air while a ring of debris orbits the moon. The aftermath of this cosmic event has left scientists and astronomers scrambling for answers, trying to make sense of this unimaginable phenomenon.

News of the moon's transformation has spread like wildfire, capturing the attention of people around the globe. Social media platforms have erupted with discussions, theories, and awe-stricken reactions as individuals grapple with the implications of such an extraordinary event.

The crescent-shaped moon now hangs in the night sky, a haunting reminder of the incident. Stargazers and dreamers alike find themselves in a state of wonder, contemplating the mysteries of the universe and the cosmic forces at play.

World leaders, scientists, and astronomers are convening emergency meetings to assess the impact of this lunar catastrophe on Earth. Speculation abounds as to whether this event will have any significant ramifications on tides, weather patterns, or the delicate balance of our planet's ecosystem.

For now, the world watches with bated breath, searching for answers amidst this celestial enigma. We will continue to bring you the latest updates as scientists work tirelessly to unravel the secrets behind the moon's shocking transformation.

Stay tuned to Tokyo Today News for ongoing coverage of this unprecedented event, as we strive to bring you the most accurate and up-to-date information in these uncertain times.

This has been a special news report from Tokyo Today News.]

"See? What did I—huff—tell you? The world's attention is going to be—huff—on the moon for a long time from now on."

[I knew it would get this far. Just didn't know for certain the extent of it. Also, are you alright? I know you wanted the weights to be that heavy. But isn't doing that difficult, especially when you're upside down?]

"Yeah, just—huff—not used to doing calisthenics this way."

Inside the training space, Jason could hear the news report while he worked out.

He grunted as he performed one-arm thumb and index finger handstand push-ups. On his upper body was a weighted vest along with a weighted plate attached to the back and front. The vest and plates were produced by Wheatley, made with an incredibly dense alloy. His body stayed stable and upright with each repetition, but each push took a lot of effort, even for him.

But what else, aside from 13 metric tons of total weight and balancing his whole body on two fingers, could give him a good workout?

Balancing wasn't really the hard part. That part was a cinch. It was the additional weight giving him a hard time. The weight made it so that it felt as if his body was as heavy as a truck. Obviously, this much weight on a small surface wouldn't bode well for the structural integrity of his condo's floor, so he did his workout in the training space instead.

A single drop of sweat dripped from his nose and fell on the floor.

"498…499…500…!" Finally reaching his 250 reps for each arm, Jason pushed off the ground with his hand, launching himself high into the air, and perfectly landed after doing a double mid-air flip.

The sound of a roaring applause echoed in the training space.

[I give that a 10 out 10. Remarkable.]

"Thanks, but this is just a warmup."

He barely broke a sweat from that endurance workout.

Just as Jason finished wiping down his sweat, the doorbell rang.

[Whoops. Looks like you have visitors, Jason. Might want to freshen up a bit before you meet them.]

After removing the vest and putting his red shirt back on, Wheatley cleansed his body, removing the remnants of his workout. A moment later, he was back in his condo while Wheatley activated stealth mode.

'I can hear three distinct heartbeats. Ruby, Aqua, and Miyako. Do they need something?'

Their heart rates and breathing seemed normal, at least.

Curious, Jason opened the door, only to see Ruby and Aqua in their blue preschool uniforms and Miyako in a casual, beige-colored work dress.

"Good morning."

"Good morning, as well. I hope we're not bothering you, Jason-san," Miyako responded.

Jason shook his head. "It's not a bother."

"Good morning, Jay-san!" Ruby cheerfully greeted. "Hey, hey. Did you see the news about the moon? It exploded!"

"Well, of course. It's been all over social media as well." Jason nodded and smiled. It was difficult not to when faced with such morning optimism.

"What do you think happened to it?" asked Ruby. "Do you think the world's gonna end because the moon is gonna crash on Earth?"

"Hmm. I don't have an answer to the first question. It was quite sudden, and none of the experts know what actually happened. For your second question, no, I don't think the world's gonna end anytime soon."

"How are you so sure?" Miyako asked with worry on her face. It was clear to him that the moon exploding had shaken her quite a bit.

Jason shrugged. "Gut instinct. What do you all think caused the moon to explode?"

"I think aliens did it!" Ruby proclaimed.

'She certainly has an active imagination.' Jason thought.

"And I told you, aliens don't exist," Aqua retorted. From his tone, Jason guessed this wasn't the first time this particular exchange happened. "If it were aliens, there'd be some form of evidence left behind by the weapon they used. Also, what would be the point of blowing up the moon? If they want to blow something up, they might as well blow up Earth."

"Hmph." Ruby scoffed and turned her head away from her brother. "For all we know, this might just be a prank by them. And as if aliens would be dumb enough to leave evidence behind."

"If aliens were pranksters, then they're the worst pranksters in the entire universe." Aqua deadpanned.

"Now, now. Calm down, you two," Miyako said after seeing the situation escalate while she patted their heads. "Don't you have something more important to ask to Jason-san?"

"Oh, right," Aqua and Ruby blinked, finally remembering the sole reason they came here.

Ruby approached Jason and held his hand while cutely looking up with puppy-dog eyes. "Jay-san, can you take us to school?"

Jason turned his head away in an attempt to hide from the great source of cuteness in front of him.

[Puppy-dog Eyes is super effective!] Wheatley announced, watching from the sidelines with great interest.

'Shut up.'

"That's… fine with me." Jason scratched his head. "But why can't Miyako take you?"

Miyako smiled apologetically. "About that… The organization is quite busy at the moment due to the Tokyo Dome concert being so close. I'm helping my husband with the substantial legislative work, and we don't want to leave the go—kids' safety in the hands of a stranger."

Jason ignored the change of words mid-sentence and nodded his head in understanding. "I see."

Ruby shook his hand with a pouty face. "Please take us to school. If you don't accept, we'll have to go by ourselves!"

He didn't think they would do that, but the attempt at persuasion was decent.

"Whoa, who said I'm not taking you?" Jason replied with a smile and Ruby's eyes lit up. "Luckily for you two, I got a new car just a few days ago."

It took a bit of work, including forging documents, including a license, and hacking into databases. But now he could drive around with his own vehicles without having to worry of being caught using an unregistered car.

The one he currently had was a custom car forged by Wheatley, fitted and customized to his needs and wants. It wasn't the best car he could've had Wheatley produce. He didn't think such a car would be necessary while staying in Tokyo. And for his nightly patrols, he preferred riding a motorcycle.

"Alright!" Ruby cheered. "Does this mean that you'll take us to school again if we ask?"

Jason raised an eyebrow of doubt. "Not all the time, but on most days? Probably."

Miyako sighed in relief and bowed. "Thank you for doing us this favour, Jason-san. We'll be sure to repay it after the Tokyo Dome concert is over."

"It's no issue, Miyako-san." Jason ruffled Aqua's and Ruby's hair. "Taking care of these two is a far better use of my time. These days, I usually just sit at home and workout."

"Regardless, thank you," Miyako repeated.

"Alright, you guys should come inside. I'm just going to change clothes and get the car keys."

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Minutes later, they all stood at his car's parking space. Jason donned a black shirt, a red hooded jacket, and black cargo pants

"Whoa," Ruby, Aqua, and Miyako uttered.

Even Aqua's normally stoic face shone with amazement. They've probably never seen anything like his car this close and in person.

In his rented parking space sat his dark grey sports car, possessing cutting-edge design and features. Well, in this world's standard of cutting-edge, at least. The Batmobile would wipe the floor with his car. But instead of having a more combat-oriented and militaristic look like the Batmobile, he opted for a more subtle, but distinct, luxury aesthetic.

Moreover, it even had an integrated defense system and was completely bulletproof, but he'd rather keep that to himself.

Satisfaction filled Jason as he looked at their expressions. And it was about to get better.

"Check this out."

Jason tapped an icon on the screen of his custom car key, and the right door unlatched. Producing a near-silent hissing sound, it tilted directly upwards until it was completely open, revealing four seats inside the car and the near-futuristic interior design. Instead of buttons, dashboards filled the inside. Although it certainly looked amazing and up to his standards, he wondered if maybe…

'Maybe I should have toned it down a bit.'

Miyako pointed at the car and gulped. "H-how much did this car cost?"

Ruby and Aqua turned their heads, curious to know the answer as well.

That was a good question. Jason held his chin while he narrowed his eyes in thought. He didn't really think about that aspect since Wheatley could just manufacture anything using the Chaos energy he absorbed from the Chaos King. It didn't drain that much since the amount drained would be proportional to the complexity and power of the object being produced.

If he took into account the custom systems, features, design, and materials, the total cost would be around…

590 million dollars.

'I probably shouldn't tell her that. It looks like she'll faint if I tell her the actual number.'

He couldn't give a really low number either, since that would just be suspicious. Something that looks like this would cost at least 100,000 dollars.

Jason walked up close to Miyako and whispered, "Around 140,000 American dollars or 20 million yen."

Miyako gasped. Her brows shot up and her body trembled.

"W-what is it?" Ruby and Aqua asked.

With shaking legs, Miyako walked over to them and held them close before whispering the number Jason gave her.

Their eyebrows shot up as well, and they rigidly turned their heads toward him.

"Jay-san… Are you perhaps a millionaire?" Aqua asked.

As of currently? No, he wasn't yet.

Time for some good old-fashioned bullshit.

Jason shook his head with a chuckle. "No. And to answer your next most likely question, no, I didn't buy this. A friend of mine gave it to me. Said he didn't want it anymore since he had a better one."

That was technically only half true. Wheatley was an actual friend of his, and Wheatley did technically give the car to him. But they don't know that Wheatley's an incredibly intelli—mostly intelligent AI that can pretty much make almost anything.

"You have a friend that just gives away a car like this for free?!" asked Ruby in shock and disbelief.

Jason nodded. "I do. I won't tell you his name since he told me not to do so unless he permits it, but just know that I have quite a few connections in high places. And I only have those connections because of him."

"I-I think I'll go now. I'll be late for work soon. Goodbye, kids."

Miyako waved goodbye and walked away while she rubbed her forehead.

"Bye, Miyako-san!"

"Bye, Miyako-san."

Aqua and Ruby waved back.

"Now, who wants to sit at the front?" asked Jason.

Ruby excitedly raised her hand. "Me!"

"Alright, ladies first." Jason gestured for her to enter the car as if he was a butler.

Entering the car, Ruby gasped in amazement as she sat on the left front seat and strapped in her seatbelt, touching the sides and looking around the whole car.

"You're up, Aqua."

Aqua nodded and sat behind Ruby. He was content to just look around and strap on his seatbelt.

With them in their seats, Jason followed inside and closed the door. He took a deep breath and immersed himself in the new car smell. Only then did he put on his seatbelt.

"Car, activate."

Following his command, the car's engine roared to life, and the dashboards turned on. The side mirrors automatically adjusted, and between Jason and Ruby, a dashboard rose.

"Amazing…" said Ruby.

"Also, you can search for songs online on the middle dashboard," said Jason after tapping and checking a few things on the middle dashboard.

"Ooh," Ruby looked back. "Aqua, you already know what songs I'm gonna play."

Aqua smiled in anticipation. "Go ahead."

Ruby immediately searched for a B-Komachi playlist and tapped play.

~A.na.ta no aidoru~

~Sain wa B ♡ (chu)~

"Ai's songs, huh? I should have expected it," said Jason.

"Mhm! Mama's songs are the best! Right, Aqua?"

"Of course. There's no one else in the industry better than her."

Jason revved the engine. A satisfying mechanical roar and whine entered his ears.

'Oh yeah… I'm gonna have fun with this baby later.'

With that thought in mind, Jason sped up and drove off