Kibishi's POV

  Mato deeply sighed and scratched his head in conflict.

  "Well, that aside, at least we were all on the same page right now. Let's go back to the tasks at hand."

  Mato put on the projection once more with a straight face. He swiped a few times before showing the wolf with snake skin and the jellyfish-like creature.

  "I know I'm repeating myself, but once more, there are different types of creatures. Meaning, there are different types of whatever creatures you'll encounter. For example, once again, there are wolf-like creatures with different types of snake skin. Or should I say scales? At any rate, some of them are tougher, and some can die by the flick of your fingers. The supernaturals are the ones that fight them most of the time anyway. A normal human will still have a hard time if they don't know what they're doing." Mato swiped to another 'slide.'

  Should I think of them as 'slides'? Well, I vaguely remembered something projecting a computer screen back then, somewhere in my lifetime. Or had someone told me about them? Either way, I thought it was best that I think of them as 'slides' for now.

  Anyway, Mato showed some clothes that had some lines going through them for some reason.

  "Now, let's move on to the important stuff. You can learn more about the different types some other time. Now, let's talk about Super Codes—what they are and how they'll help you during battle." Mato zoomed in on the male clothing that reminded me of a fancy suit.

  "This is just an example, so bear this in mind as I expin things to you. Super Codes are high technology that extracts a user's data, energy, and mind. There are even ones that may extract your very soul, but those are only for world-threatening situations." Mato tapped the projection, and words appeared.

  "However, Super Codes can vary. There are different types of Super Codes that do different things. For example, let's try to give this Super Code on the screen a purpose. Let's say you're in a spy organization, and you're handling an assessment that will most likely put your life on the line. Now, the enemy has a lot of reinforcements, all the exits are closed, and your only option to escape is the roof with a hatch that can be opened. And you'll have to defeat that same enemy before leaving the building." Mato folded his arms, tapping his index finger on his forearm.

  "Wait, what? And you're doing this by yourself as well?" Tao asked, raising one hand.

  "Yup," Mato nodded.

  "Huh..." Tao narrowed her eyes, trying to make sense of the whole thing.

  "Now, can anyone tell me the most logical thing to do if you're soloing the whole mission as a spy?" Mato asked with a gentle smile.

  While soloing? In my opinion, this sounded like a suicidal attempt to me. Who in their right mind would take on this task alone? Inside an enemy base, no less.

  The more I thought about it, the more I believed the person should have at least had another person to even the odds.

  Yeah, nothing about this example made any sense to me. There had to be a catch.

  Yeah... let's think about this carefully.

  So, a guy was a spy, and he infiltrated the enemy base without them knowing. Now, a newbie could make this feat possible. But after entering the base, what would they do then?

  Maybe if they knew about the base ahead of time? Maybe. Maybe...

  "The only thing I could think of is that the spy knew the base like the back of his hand. And he may have had backup on standby in case he failed the mission," I announced my opinion on the situation.

  "My thoughts exactly. And from there, I bet the spy had a map of the pce. Even if the pce was surrounded by enemies, I'm sure there were people hidden within the base beforehand. That way, in case he was captured by the enemy, he could rely on his ally to come to his rescue AND complete the mission. Anything else is suicide." Tao pced her hands under her chin.

  "And if we're going by that logic, I think the mission is possible." I nodded at the end of that statement.

  "A fair amount of logic there. Yes, indeed. That would be the best course of action. However, let's say the main reason why the spy was in there was BECAUSE of those backups. What would he do then?" Mato asked Tao and me.

  "What?" Tao and I said in unison.

  I looked around, seeing The Founder finding our reaction amusing. I gnced at Kuma, Kujira, and Yosei. They weren't saying anything for some reason. Wait, are they testing our knowledge or something?

  I could see Kuma smiling away, enjoying us trying to figure out a way out of this mess if we were the spy in the situation.

  Kujira was smiling as well. Huh. I never knew she could smile like that. I thought of her as someone who was always serious when it came to these topics. The way she acted yesterday differed from how she was today. And she didn't seem the type to hold back her opinion on things either.

  Lastly, Yosei.

  Yosei seemed to be enjoying our reaction as well. Although I could see in her eyes that she wanted to help us a little, she didn't. But she was holding back for some reason. Maybe she couldn't do that yet. Maybe.

  Anyway, I went back to thinking.

  The reason for the spy to be there in the first pce was because of the backups. That means he was on his own for the time being...

  Thinking about it that way, it wouldn't make sense for him to be alone in all of this. Why would he risk his life just for some backups?

  I mean, sure, saving people was good and all, but I wouldn't be that crazy unless they were Tao—

  "Ah!" Tao and I said at the same time.

  It seemed like both of us had realized the situation.

  It wasn't that he couldn't do it. He had to.

  To us, those backups were nothing but people doing their job. But to the spy...

  Those same people were the ones he deeply cared for. So no matter how tough the situation was, he would do it. Because he knew that if he didn't, those people would die.

  So the mission wasn't only to take down the enemy base.

  "The true goal for the spy wasn't just to take down the enemy and their base..." I began.

  "...It was to rescue his allies, the ones he deeply cared for!" Tao finished my sentence.

  "That's right," Mato nodded.

  "If you think of it that way, you both know WHY he was there in the first pce, right? That means what he was doing wasn't for the pride of the organization but for himself and the bonds he made with the backups," Yosei stated while beaming at Tao and me.

  "Okay, I get that much. But still, what he was doing was kinda reckless..." Tao whispered as she tightly gripped her skirt.

  "Let's see here..." Kuma pced her hands under her chin. "Tao, what would you do if Kibi was kidnapped by an unknown being that was beyond your knowledge and power?"

  "Is that even a question?! I would do ANYTHING to get Kishi back—ah!" Tao realized what Kuma was saying now. And so did I.

  "Kuma's right. If it were the other way around, I would've done the same for Tao. That means we don't fully understand the spy and how he felt. So even if the task itself was risky, if there was a chance, then he would do it no matter what it took. Even if it killed him..." I gave my thoughts to Tao. Tao looked downward and then nodded in agreement.

  Yeah, if you thought about it that way, no amount of logic could overtake a person's emotions. I knew it was different for everyone, but those who would rather risk their lives than let people die for the "greater good" would take those chances over those who sat back and let them die.

  At least, that was how I felt.

  "I hate to admit it, but I'm with Taoreta and Kibishi on this. I feel like the spy should've gotten backup before entering the pce. But once you put logic aside and view it as an emotional person who deeply cares about his friends, I think his actions are somewhat justified. I know some people will disagree, but that's because people view those situations differently." Kujira shrugged her shoulders and then gave a small smile.

  "What's important is that you tried in the end. I think that's the whole point of the spy's motivation. He would rather die trying than sit back and let those he viewed as friends—or even family—die by the clutches of the enemy." Kuma expined while tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

  "Is it logical? No. Is it the right thing to do? Depends on the person. Would any of us do it if it were us? Personally speaking, I would do it in a heartbeat." Yosei answered casually while her hair swayed with her movement.

  "I see." I smiled at the other girls.

  To be honest, I was gd that was something we all had in common.

  When it came to the people we cared about, sometimes logic didn't mean anything if it would kill them off so soon.

  "Still, though, the chances of him saving them were slim, right?" I asked Mato.

  "Indeed, they were," Mato nodded at me.

  "Then... the Super Code increases his chances, right?" Tao asked curiously, tilting her head cutely.

  "Right, so let's move on from there."

  After Mato answered Tao, he zoomed in closer to the lines.

  "Super Codes are different based on the situation, which I mentioned before. There's a lot you can do with them, but you HAVE to know which to take based on the current task or mission you're about to do." Mato swiped and showed a picture of a building that seemed basic.

  "The security is tight, so you'll need a Super Code to increase your movement. Not only that, you'll need it to make yourself undetectable—or close to that. So now, you have speed, and you have something that makes you practically invisible. What about when you need to fight the enemy in case they see you? Not to mention, a way to get to that only exit with your allies?"

  Mato raised his left index finger and smiled.

  "The answer is simple. You'll need a route ahead of time. Not to mention, you'll only need a little strength boost to help increase your other needs." Mato swiped and showed a picture of a chibi version of the spy inside the building in two dimensions.

  "The Super Code increases your speed, lowers your presence, and gives some strength in case of combat. The original goal was to take down the enemy base. However, the spy knew that soloing it would be bad, so saving his allies was the top priority. Even if the organization didn't like it."

  Mato looked at us.

  "Are you following?" he asked.

  "Kinda," I gave my honest take.

  "It's a little confusing, but I think I get the gist of it," Tao answered.

  Yeah, it was kinda confusing despite being expined to me. Maybe if he expined a little more?

  "Ah, I see. Well, let's pause the current example for the Super Codes and go back to what they really are." Mato expined. "Though it may be lengthy and a bit massive, even if I trim down a chunk of information about their structure. Do you still want to know? It could take us a while..." Mato asked Tao and me.

  Tao and I looked at each other.

  It would waste the meeting time since The Founder might find that a bit sour. But if we didn't at least get the concept of Super Codes, then I didn't think I'd ever understand if it was brought up again. I gnced at The Founder to see if he minded. While I thought he considered this a waste of time, his smirk never left his face.

  Something about that smirk made my skin crawl. But that would be for another time. I couldn't afford to miss this chance to at least understand something.

  I looked at Tao, and we nodded in agreement.

  "If you don't mind, Mato, we would like to know more," Tao gently stated with a warm smile.

  We both gnced at Kuma, Kujira, and Yosei. Their faces seemed conflicted, but they didn't seem to reject the idea of us learning more about Super Codes.

  While that relieved me, I felt bad for prolonging the meeting more than it should have.

  "Very well, I shall allow it. It'll be annoying, but Kibishi and Taoreta want to know more about Super Codes. As long as it makes these two more interesting, I shall tolerate such annoyance." The Founder slowly tapped the table, as if he was holding himself back from being loud or even using his power to stop the expnation.

  The Founder was still a mystery to me. His ways were confusing, and it almost contradicted what he was supposed to represent.

  It was like a knife was digging into my skull, but it was removed just enough to let me live and feel the pain and agony.

  I really wanted to figure out his motives. I really did. But that would definitely dey the expnation even further, so I pushed it to the back of my head and focused on Super Codes for now.