The Price of Freedom

The Price of Freedom

Chapter 1: The Shorty Aliens Mission

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Clad in nothing but a pair of white silk undies, Tomoko put on her Gantz suit and checked her equipment. She eventually left the room so that she could rendevous with Natsuki.

Gantz had informed them about the Shorty mission, and instead of assisting Kei Kurono, Tomoko and Natsuki would face the Shorty Aliens as a team of their own. If Tomoko wanted freedom so desperately, she needed to work hard to get it.

"Tomoko...are you ready?" Natsuki asked, all decked out in her Gantz suit and also equipped with weapons.

"Yes, I am. In fact, Gantz was wise enough to give us some weapons of our own, since Kurono had taken most of them prior to the start." Tomoko replied.

"Okay, let's get going!" Natsuki said with a grin.

Personality-wise, Natsuki was highly extroverted, in contrast to the calm, introverted facade of Tomoko. However, she was rather childish and naive, as well as a bit boy-crazy.

As Tomoko and Natsuki exited the building, Tomoko began to reflect on the past memories of her and Nishi's last encounter.

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One year ago...

Outside the school grounds, Tomoko was speaking to her classmates about the upcoming school festival. They had plans on showing their portraits to the teachers and students, and to explain their sense of artistic creativity and uniqueness.

However, Tomoko immediately noticed Nishi and told him, "May I walk you home? Clearly you need someone to protect you, especially since my friend's death."

Nishi just looked at her and shook his head. "Not really. Besides, I would rather do things on my own than need help." he replied.

Tomoko frowned but then said, "Very well. Be careful!" as she waved goodbye.

With a neutral expression, Nishi left for home. And it was the last time she had ever heard from her, for when he committed suicide upon discovering his mother hanging herself, as well as a rumored shoplifting incident, Tomoko realized that she began to show sympathy for his family.

They were classmates at the time, but Tomoko apparently developed a crush on Nishi, which he never reciprocated, as he never showed any interest in her. However, Tomoko continued her pursuit, nevertheless, but it ended abruptly when she heard of the tragic news.

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As Tomoko and Natsuki headed outside, stepping into battle along the staff members, they were surprised that there were five Shorty aliens. The two girls were also given a time limit to kill all five: approximately 25 minutes.

The clock began ticking, and the two girls immediately took action: Natsuki took out her X Gun and aimed it at the Shorty Alien near the car. Tomoko decided to take on two more Shorty Aliens, using her Gantz sword.

Natsuki, who was rather amateurish at shooting, attempted to lay waste onto the Shorty Alien. However, he shot at her, but she only took one hit, that on her right leg, and kept shooting at him.

Tomoko then came at the aliens and sliced at one of them, cutting it in half. She then attempted to attack the remaining Shorty Alien and he counterattacked by throwing her into a car.

Although hurt, Tomoko immediately took out her X Gun and fired at him, shooting him a few more times before he laid dead. She eventually went over to Natsuki and attacked the Shorty Alien her friend was initially fighting against by stabbing him with her katana.

For some odd reason, despite not handling a sword very well, she actually began to master it while getting suited up, while Natsuki, along with Tomoko, had to undergo target practice. Nevertheless, they would both be willing to lay their lives on the line now that they've trained together before their mission even began.

This left two Shorty aliens remaining, and both girls took on them at once. Natsuki immediately fired a few rounds off her X gun, killing the Shorty Alien on the right, leaving the one on the left remaining.

Tomoko used her Gantz sword to finish the remaining Shorty alien off, this eventually ended the mission as the time remaining was 3 minutes and 20 seconds. On the other hand, the staff members were chosen to take care of three Shorty Aliens. In the process, one was killed while the other two managed to destroy the aliens.

Unfortunately, in Kurono's case, there was really one Shorty alien remaining...

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As the two girls, as well as the two staff members, returned to the building, the wounds, bruises and scars that had sustained from the battle were gone.

"20 points for Miss Picasso. 10 points for Cutting Board."

The girls were then changed out of their suits and exited the building. However, Kurono had failed to kill off the remaining Shorty alien, and his points were erased completely.

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Back at home, Tomoko began to write into her journal, looking out the window. She sighed as she let her hair down, allowing her slightly long brown hair to end at her shoulders.

She never knew she would become a hunter until the day of the bank robbery, and she never knew that two classmates of hers would also be hunters, although one of them, Nishi, was a veteran. However, she knew full well that her path to freedom was just beginning, and that she needed the support of Natsuki, and hopefully, Nishi, if she, no, they have to get out alive.

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With love for my fans,

Chrissy