Top-Tier Character Ayanokōji Kiyotaka

Chapter 1 - A Busy Beginning

"Who are you, exactly?"

"Ah, that's right. Not much has been explained to you."

Judging from the tone of his voice, the man who'd answered me seemed to be in his mid forties. He was currently driving the car I was sitting in. Although "imprisoned" would have been a more fitting word.

"I'd love to turn around and have a heartfelt talk with you, young man, but as you can see, I'm currently preoccupied." I heard a quiet but happy hum from the driver's seat. "My suitcase should be to your left. My ID card is in there."

Couldn't you have just introduced yourself verbally? 

I decided not to voice my thoughts. Having something in writing was invaluable, especially in my situation. That didn't mean I knew anything about bureaucracy though. It was just an assumption made by an unassuming child.

The suitcase the man possessed was in pristine quality. I've never had one myself, so I certainly couldn't call myself an expert when it came to suitcases, but it seemed to be made out of very expensive, high-quality leather. It had a darker shade of brown which oddly fit an older man and the metal clamps used to shut it were shining in the sunlight streaming in through the rear door glasses. 

Of course, that also meant I wasn't dealing with a normal person. While my knowledge of the outside world was limited, I wasn't so naive to think that just anyone could get their hands on such a suitcase. Either you were rich enough you could afford such a suitcase yourself, or you worked for someone that could afford you one.

This case was probably the latter.

"Hm... Matsuo Tetsuo. Is that your name?"

A chuckle reached my ears. "I'm glad your reading comprehension hasn't deteriorated."

"Well, we've only just left. Maybe I'll become worse at it over time."

The old man heaved a heavy sigh. "I sure hope not... That'd make my job much harder than it needs to be. Ah," Matsuo said, coming to a stop and taking a right turn into what seemed to be a gas station. "please wait here for a few minutes. I need to refuel the car."

"Sure."

"And don't run away, okay?" he said and went off with a smile on his face.

After a minute had passed, I saw another car pull in. Just five seconds later, the next car came. The time at which they'd arrive seemed to be irregular. All the cars were also different—there was a green car, a yellow car, and a blue car. Once two minutes passed I could see even more colors.

Don't run away.

It would have been a lie to say I had not considered that option. However, after looking at our seemingly random "company", I buried that thought into the deepest recesses of my mind.

There was no way I was getting out of here.

What a funny joke, Matsuo Tetsuo.

"I'm back," he said and opened the door to the driver's seat, wich made a sort of clack sound. "I also got you something."

"Hm? What are you..."

Matsuo pulled something out of his pockets and presented it to me.

"This is..."

It had a vibrant, colorful foil wrapping. The way it caught the light made it appear like a secret waiting to be unveiled. My curiosity was piqued as I picked it up, and the sound of crinkling foil beneath my fingers added to my curiosity.

The foil was decorated with obnoxiously colorful text that read "Kinder Surprise Egg".

"It's called a 'Kinder Surprise Egg'. They're usually sold in convenience stores."