The Song of Fractured Light (Love Live Superstar x Lantern Male Reader)

Chapter 9 - A Messy Afternoon Part 1

I haven't exactly been in the best of moods today, and so as I landed at the front gates of Fuchu Prison, when I noticed the guards both became a bit nervous with my approach, I couldn't help but feel frustrated by it. Still, it's not like I can blame them. As I so quickly realized after taking off the ring after my battle with Kaen, I took the descent after disarming him too far, and if I messed up, he could've died. I wanted to make him pay for his crimes but in the moment, I had let my grudge against him make me take things too far. And now the media has been more than happy to dig into me about it. I know that I'm just doing the best I can, but it also makes me wonder if I'm not as ready for all this as I'd like.

"What are you here for?" The guard asked as I approached the gate.

"Didn't the officer who delivered Kaen give the message to anyone? I wanna talk to him and see what I can glean from him." I said "So mind if I come through?"

"One second." The guard said as he looked to his partner, who picked up the phone in their booth and started to talk to somebody on the other side. A couple minutes later the front gates opened and I was escorted inside.

At the entrance as I was about to pass through the metal detectors, a man in a lab coat ran through, accidentally setting it off as he came up to me. He was lanky and a little bit taller than me, and with a nervous expression and a slouch, he said "You're the new hero who's been going around huh? I wanna say you've been calling yourself Phantom Lantern? So is your ring the source of your powers like the American hero Green Lantern? Or is it an allusion to them or something?"

"Whoa, slow down dude. One: yeah, I'm Phantom Lantern. Two: yes the ring is the source of my powers, but it works a little bit differently than theirs." I said

His eyes widened as he realized he had been getting excited and said "Ah, sorry. My name is Toshi Kurodate, and I'm the head of metahuman research and specialized cell planning here. My job is to study metahuman abilities and how they work, as well as lead planning of specifically prepared cells to prevent escapes from happening. Now that I know what kind of ability Kaen has, there's no way he's getting out of his cell. His cell can't be seen out of meaning he won't be able to remove oxygen from anything nearby, and all materials in there are unable to produce any static electricity so he won't be able to escape that way again."

"I see. So I guess by the fact you're here to greet me that you'll take me to talk to him?" I asked

"Yeah, I can definitely get you in." He said, a smile on his face. "I wonder if you can get something more out of him than any officers who come by could."

"I already have a couple things in mind to ask him, but can I ask for some privacy while I talk to him? I'll tell you whatever I find out." I said as I followed behind him

Dr. Kurodate froze for a moment before he said "We'll still be keeping an eye on him, but you want to keep the conversation under wraps. I guess I can give you a shot. Besides, with how guarded the metahuman wing is, I doubt even you could cause problems without regretting it."

As we passed through multiple locked doors which needed both a keycard and a signal from the nearby guard posts, I followed him deeper inside until we reached the cells. Walking through I took note of the metahumans there. Sure there weren't a ton, but I couldn't help but feel curious about what exactly they did to get there. I guess that's not my place to ask though.

As we reached Kaen's cell, I saw him staring blankly into the corner of the room, but as the door to his cell opened and I stepped in, his eyes darted to me, before he sighed "Ah, it's you."

"That's right. And I'm here to ask you some questions, just between you and me. Considering our history I thought you might be willing to hear me out." I said, smiling at him