Thomas woke up with a start. He looked around and realized that he is in Kizuna's room, sleeping on her bed. She is watching the film Robots.

"Ai-chan, how long have I been out?" He stretched his arms. Kizuna turned around and saw that he is awake. She paused the movie and went to him.

"You've finally woke up, Thomas-chan!" Kizuna hugged him, "I thought you were going to stay unconscious for a long period of time. I was kinda worried for you."

"Alright, Ai-chan, I know you're finally relieved. I'm alive, so can you please not embrace me so hard?" Thomas groaned, "I'm choking for air here."

"Oops, I'm sorry!" She giggled as she let go, "By the way, when I came back, you were like unconscious in my father's room. That was around twelve, I guess. While you were knocked out, you got thirteen missed calls from someone called 'Penny' with a heart-shaped at the back of the name."

"Oh, shit!" He searched frantically for his phone until he found it beside him. He switched it on and got a shock.

"She's gonna be so mad at me." He thought. He then turned to Kizuna, "So I've been here since ten in the morning, and now it's five. I've been asleep for seven hours?!"

"It seems like it." She replied, "Now that I thought of something, I find it kinda weird. You were shot with a tranquilizer dart, so that means someone came into the house, but nothing in this home seemed to be stolen. This is extremely strange. All I can think of is that someone went into the house with you while you were not noticing, and then he shot you at the right moment. But I don't get it: why did he shoot you?"

"Who knows? You should explain this to your dad later. Maybe he can try to help us solve this mystery."

Thomas then got out of the bed.

"Where are you going, Thomas-chan?" Kizuna asked, "I've cooked dinner for you."

"Thanks for the kind thought, but I need to rush home now." Thomas said, "My mother and my girlfriend must be worried for me. Thanks for taking care of me, and I'll see you soon!" He then ran out of the room and out of the house.

"Run as fast as you can, Springfield!" He muttered to himself, "Run as fast as your legs can carry you!"

---

Thomas's mother and Penny are waiting at home. The former paced up and down the living room.

"He's going to be home soon, Mrs Springfield." Penny assured her, "Maybe he had forgotten to call you back. He will be fine."

"What happens if my son gets kidnapped by some people?" His mother asked worriedly, "Or worse, they kill him and bury him somewhere we can't find?"

"Mrs Springfield, that will never happen. The new Master's rules state that anyone who does a crime will get a death sentence. Surely they won't be daring anything that can lead to their demise."

Thomas then barged into the door, huffing and puffing.

"Thomas Springfield!" His mother marched to him, "Do you know how worried I was when you didn't pick up Penny's calls? I thought you were kidnapped or something! You made me so scared!"

"I overslept at a friend's house, Mum." He held his mother's shoulders, "I'm fine, Mum. I came back safe and sound, didn't I?"

"Don't make so worried next time." She crossed her arms, "When you see a call by me or your girlfriend, answer it."

"Yes, Ma'am." Thomas joked.

In his room, he and Penny sat down together on their bed.

"Tell me, Tom." Penny turned to her boyfriend, "Where have you been?"

Tom took a deep breath before he started talking, "You wouldn't believe this, but I got shot by a tranquilizer dart. So, I went to Ai-chan's house to help her..."

"Oh, that robotic girl again..."

"Let me finish. I helped her by bringing her groceries back home. After that, I decided to check her father's room out, and I saw some news articles about crimes. When I saw the pictures he had placed beside his bed, someone came in and shot me. It wasn't a gun, which explains why I ain't dead. But then I was unconscious for seven hours and that's why I didn't answer your call. Ai-chan told me to

"Why would you check someone's room? Where's your manners, Tom?" Penny asked angrily, "That's basic courtesy, and a breach of privacy."

"I need to check if he's the Master." Thomas talked back, "The way he talked on the phone...it sounded like how the Master would've talked. Probably he could be the one who shot me. He didn't want me to find out he's the Master."

"We don't even know much about him except that he's a descendant of Hideki. Why bother trying to search him up? You have your exams coming up and this is what you care about? Get your damn priorities straight. You also have no evidence to say that the Master shot you. Clearly nothing. And don't get me started on that female robot. She's obviously creating trouble for you. Twice in a week, your mother's sick worried because you didn't return home on time. And both times, you were with her in her house. So, I ain't letting this happen the third time, Thomas. You'd better stop hanging out with her."

"C'mon, it's just a pure coincidence." Thomas retorted, "I came back late because of myself. Not because of her. I'm the forgetful one. But, are you jealous that I'm spending time with her?" He then gave a cheeky smile.

"N...no, I'm n...not!" She stuttered, "I'm just concerned that your mother won't be in peace if she don't see you."

"Relax, jeez. She's just a friend. Nothing special. I only meet her when I'm free. Anyway, your class starts early tomorrow, doesn't it? Go and sleep so that you have a good rest and be energized tomorrow."

"But I'm not done."

"Well, we can talk about this some other time." Thomas patted her, "After all, sleep and studies are important, aren't they? You can't afford to be late after being late once. You're the class leader. Show a good example to your other classmates. I'll sleep ten minutes later, alright?"

"Alright." Penny kissed his cheeks, "Good night, Tom."

"Good night." He replied. As she went to sleep, Thomas walked out of his room.

In Kizuna's room, she lied on her bed. She yawned and stretched her arms. She was about to turn in for the night when her phone vibrated, which lets her know that a text message was sent to her.

She checked it and realized it was from Thomas.

"Hey, Ai-chan. I just wanted to know if your arm is okay. I apologize for not asking earlier. I was really in a rush - Thomas."

Kizuna smiled and dialed in his number before calling him.

"Hey, Thomas-chan, thanks for asking about my arm." She said happily, "I got it fixed by my usual doctor."

"I'm glad you're okay, Ai-chan. Why did you call me though? You could've texted me."

"I was bored." She rejoined, "I wanted to hear my friend's voice too. Besides, I can't show you my gratitude through texting. Saying it with my tone and voice makes it more convincing."

Both of them then laughed.

"But, seriously, I have not felt any care from anyone except Daddy. It's the first time I felt care...from a stranger. The feeling's good, so thanks for asking. It really makes me contented to show that you care about me."

"Don't say that. We're friends. Friends care for one another."

"Thomas-chan, I really do hope we can meet up more often. I like hanging out with you. Not because you're my only friend, but also because you are a great human to hang out with, and I like hanging out with you.

"I'll try my best to meet up with you, Ai-chan. Anyways, I got school tomorrow. I'll talk to you next time. I have to sleep soon."

"Alright. Good night, Thomas-chan."

"Good night to you, Ai-chan." He then ended the call. She placed her phone beside her and smiled as she closed her eyes and lied on her bed.

The next morning, Lucas reported to the food court in a singlet, short pants, and slippers. He went to the kitchen and examined it. The walls are not cleaned properly, leaving stains all over it. The floor is very slippery. The stoves couldn't be switched on, which means it is spoiled. He then smelt a faint, yet smelly and unpleasant scent. He followed it, only for it to lead him to the toilet. The sink is covered in vomit and grime, and the tissues used are thrown everywhere. The toilet bowls and cubicles are also smelly.

He accidentally touched the wall in the toilet, which is extremely sticky. He wanted his hands to be clean, so he definitely needs soap to wash the stickiness away. To his horror, when he placed his hand under the soap dispenser, nothing came out. He couldn't believe his eyes. He tried knocking it and positioned his hands under it again. Nothing happened. He pulled his hands away and then laid his hands under it once more. No soap came out.

Lucas groaned and got out of the toilet. He went to the sink to wash his hands with dishwashing liquid. He then got a whiff of his hands and gave a disgusted look. The liquid didn't smell that nice on his hands. He sighed and thought nothing in this kitchen could ever be good. He then glanced at the sink. Once he saw it, he had no words to say. He is left speechless. The sink is surprisingly clean. The cups are almost clean, and the plates look adequate in terms of cleanliness. The kettle is also in tip-top shape.

"Almost everything here is in a bad condition." He shook his head in dissatisfaction when Jacky came to him with a pair of boots, a long-sleeved shirt, and long pants.

"Morning, Lucas." He passed his worker the three things, "Wear all these for work."

"Isn't my work outfit sufficient? It's just cleaning plates, cups, and utensils."

"Yeah, of course it is. But, we have customers. My friends. I don't want them to freak out. I can be normal around you, but that doesn't mean others can. So wear them. The shirt are to hide your robotic arms. The pants are to hide your robotic legs. The boots are to hide your robotic feet. Go to the toilet to wear it."

"But it's so smelly!" Lucas retorted, "Have you not washed the damn toilet for ages?"

"Don't use the toilet behind. Use the one two blocks away from here." Jacky explained, "The toilet bowls are spoilt because there are some teenage punks who came here to make a ruckus. Fixing the toilet would result in them destroying it again. They come on some days. Still, I don't think it's a problem. Just ignore them, and everything will be fine."

"O....kayy." Lucas slowly nodded his head and grabbed the clothes and boots before walking out of the food court.

Kizuna is sweeping the floor with a broom in her house's living room. After she is done cleaning up, she sat on the sofa to rest for a while. Jason then came out of his room in his work outfit.

"Daddy," She looked at him, "Something big happened yesterday morning. I wanted to tell you about it, but you came back very late last night, and I was asleep by then."

"Kizuna, you can tell me when I return from my work." Jason wore his shoes, "I'm in a rush now." He then walked out of the house. Kizuna looked at him as he got into the car and drove off.

"I guess he's late for work today." She thought.

In the university, Thomas is thinking about the person who had shot him the previous day. He couldn't figure who or why that someone had knocked him out with a tranquilizer dart. The first thing that comes to his mind is Jason. Jason could've shot him as the former was scared the latter might have found out his secrets as the Master.

However, it can be a robber too. The robber could've shot him as the robber wanted to steal some valuables. Even though Kizuna had said nothing was stolen, Thomas thought the robber might have taken something away. Something that didn't caught Kizuna's attention.

There are many more possibilities that he could have thought of, but he was interrupted by Ms Holland. She took a ruler and hit Thomas's head.

"Mr Springfield!" She screamed at him, "Are you even concentrating on the lesson or not? You always seem to daydream or doze off in my class, don't you?"

"It's not like that, Ms Holland."

"What is it this time?" She asked, "You told me before that you were helping your mother do the household chores until late at night. Then you said to me you were watching movies and playing games at night. Then you apprised me of your cat taking a dump on your bed, and you had to clean up. On the previous lesson, you voiced out to Mr Benson that you overslept, and thus you didn't hear your alarm and were late for class. What's the excuse now?"

"I was thinking of someone who shot me and made me unconscious for seven hours."

Immediately, everyone in the class laughed. Ms Holland shook her head and slammed her hand on his table.

"Thomas Springfield!" She glared at him, "You've given me and the other teachers so, so, so many lame, stupid, nonsensical excuses this week. You are usually our model student, so why are you like this? Is it because the exams are coming? In fact, if they are coming, you should sleep earlier and study diligently and smartly. You do not do whatever you want in the class. One more time you sleep, you'll go straight to the Principal's office. Do you understand?"

Thomas nodded his head meekly. He has to start to buck up if he wants to score well in his final examinations.

Lucas is washing the plates and cups while Jacky is talking to one of his old friends. Once he was done washing, he took the trash bag out of the kitchen and to the rubbish dump. When he saw the amount of trash bags beside the rubbish dump, he was shocked. There are twenty seven bags exactly beside the rubbish dump.

"Since I'm working here, I might as well make this place clean." He thought, "It's good for me because I don't have to smell this horrendous stench if I were to clean up every day."

As he is placing the bags into the dump, five teenage boys walked to him. They are carrying baseball bats.

"Are these kids the teenage punks Uncle Jacky was talking about?" He thought. He then looked at them, "What do you want?"

"Get lost, sucker!" The first boy said, "We are going to wreck this dump and then the old man's store!"

"I'm a worker here. You can't just destroy anything you want." Lucas said, "I can report you to the police if you tear down anything here."

"Does it look like we care?" The boy turned to his gang, who shook their heads. The boy then turned back to Lucas, "Now scram off before we do anything that can hurt you."

"You should really go to a school and study. Didn't your mothers teach you that being gangsters are horrible?"

"You don't want to let us do what we want? Fine. Don't go back crying to your mama saying we bullied you."

The five boys then tried to whack Lucas but he dodged all of them. He punched one of them away while kicking another in the face.

The third boy went tried to hit Lucas on the head with the bat, and it succeeded. Lucas fell down onto the ground, with the three standing boys swung their bats at his face. The first two boys got up and joined in.

By this point, Lucas is feeling enraged. He came here for a job to get income, not to get beaten up by kids. He guarded himself while waiting for a moment to attack. He then booted one of the boys in the face and snatched his bat away. He slid out of his previous position and stood up, ready to fight.

Lucas whacked the boys one by one as hard as he could. As he was fighting, Jacky came out and saw his employee brawling with the boys. He ran forward to Lucas.

"Lucas, you'd better stop hitting them!" Jacky said, "You're hitting small kids! Just let them go!"

"Uncle Jacky, they're the ones who are disturbing you!" Lucas replied, "I'm going to teach them a lesson!"

"Don't do it!" Jacky tried to hold Lucas back while the latter continuously whacking the first boy. The other boys are seriously injured, with cuts and wounds on their face, body, and legs. A passer-by walked past and saw the scene. She took some photos without them realizing and then ran off.

After a few more beatings, Lucas threw the bat away. He was tired from fighting them, but it sure gave him a sense of satisfaction. He held the first boy up by the collar.

"If you and your gang ever try to come here and create any trouble, I won't let you off." Lucas told him sternly, "You understand?" The boy nodded weakly. Lucas then dumped him on the floor. The gang members slowly crawled away.

"Lucas, it's okay to let them do whatever they want." Jacky sighed, "Why did you beat them up? They are young."

"They got to learn from young. Besides, I feel satisfied. Now, they won't disturb us ever again. Isn't that what you want, Uncle Jacky?"

Jacky nodded his head, "That's pretty true too. Guess I won't be seeing them here anymore."

After school, Thomas walked to the supermarket to get a drink. He is still thinking about the incident that happened the previous morning. In fact, it has been in his mind for the whole day. He couldn't concentrate in any of his classes. He tried to think of Jason as the Master, but he had no evidences.

"The newspaper articles don't say much, and the pictures are normal." He thought, "What the hell is going on?"

He took a bottle of his favorite ice green tea and went to the check-out section. After he payed for it, he turned around and walked towards the exit. Someone then bumped into him.

"Ouch!" Thomas groaned in pain as he rubbed his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, are you okay, mister?" The man asked. He is in his sixties and had white hair. He wore a formal suit and tie and a pair of black leather shoes.

"I'm fine." Thomas responded, "But are you made out of metal? Why is your body so hard?"

"I train at the gym, mister. If there's nothing else, I shall be taking my leave." He then walked out of the supermarket. As Thomas is about to walk to the exit, he saw a name card from the man's blazer falling onto the floor. Thomas picked it up and looked at it. It stated, "Mike Porter, CEO."

He ran after the man and tapped him on the shoulder. The man then turned around.

"You dropped this, Mr Porter." Thomas gave the card to him.

"Thank you, young man." Mike bowed down. Thomas smiled and then went off towards his house. Mike looked at the student and decided to follow him.

At the food court, Jacky was about to close down the store when Eddie and a bunch of police officers came to him.

"Are you Mr Jacky Chan?" Eddie asked. Jacky nodded his head, "Is anything the problem?"

"Apparently, we got a report that someone has seen your employer beat up a bunch of boys." Eddie said, "May I know where is Lucas Lee?"

Jacky looked at them with shock and surprise.