The wind rushed past them as they flew above the city.



Below, emergency vehicles filled the streets.



Smoke still rose from several districts.



Perman continued scanning the skyline.



Somewhere out there, the terrorists were preparing something.



He could feel it.



Beside him, Booby flew silently.



For once, the monkey wasn't joking.



Even he looked worried.



Sumire tightened her grip slightly.



"Perman."



"Hm?"



She hesitated.



Then asked quietly:



"How much does Pako matter to you?"



Perman blinked.



The question caught him completely off guard.



"What kind of question is that?"



"A normal one."



"It doesn't sound normal."



Booby immediately grinned.



"Wikii."



"Not helping."



"Wikiiiii."



Sumire looked away.



"You've been talking about her the entire time."



Perman fell silent.



The wind howled around them.



Finally he answered.



"She's my partner."



"That's not what I asked."



Perman frowned.



Sumire continued.



"You sounded like you were talking about someone more important than that."



Booby looked between them curiously.



"Wee?"



Perman sighed.



"I don't know."



The answer surprised even him.



For several seconds nobody spoke.



Then he continued.



"When things get dangerous..."



"...she's always there."



The words came naturally.



"As long as Pako is around, I never have to wonder if civilians are safe."



"Or if someone has my back."



Booby nodded.



"Wikii."



Perman smiled slightly.



"Yeah. Kind of like Booby."



The monkey puffed up proudly.



"WIKII!"



"But..."



Perman's expression darkened.



"This is different."



He looked toward the horizon.



"I've never gone this long without hearing from her."



His voice became quieter.



"And I hate it."



Sumire lowered her eyes.



Something warm spread through her chest.



A feeling she wasn't prepared to deal with.



Before she could say anything—



BEEP!



BEEP!



BEEP!



Perman froze.



His eyes widened.



The communicator.



His badge.



For a split second hope exploded inside him.



He nearly ripped the badge from his belt.



"Pako?!"



His voice cracked.



"Pako, is that you?!"



Booby immediately turned.



"WEE?!"



Perman pressed the communicator harder.



"Pako, answer me!"



Static crackled.



Then a familiar voice replied.



"...Perman?"



The hope vanished instantly.



"Payan."



The older Perman sounded confused.



"Uh... were you expecting someone else?"



Perman rubbed his forehead.



"Never mind. What's happening?"



Payan's voice immediately became serious.



"I just reached Tokyo."



Perman straightened.



"What did you find?"



"I used my super hearing."



The line crackled.



Then Payan spoke again.



And this time there was urgency in his voice.



"The terrorists are moving."



"Moving where?"



A brief pause.



When Payan answered, every hero listening felt their stomach drop.



"The Prime Minister's residence."



Perman stopped flying.



"What?"



Booby froze behind him.



"WEE?!"



"They've already infiltrated the area."



Payan continued.



"I can hear gunfire."



"Explosions."



"It sounds like they've partially seized the compound."



Sumire's eyes widened.



"The Prime Minister?"



Perman clenched his fists.



The pieces suddenly started falling into place.



The citywide attacks.



The kidnapping.



The warehouse.



The disappearing terrorists.



They had never intended to hold territory.



They were preparing for one decisive strike.



Payan's voice came through again.



"And Perman..."



"What?"



"I don't think this is a hostage situation."



A chill ran down Perman's spine.



"What do you mean?"



The answer came immediately.



"They brought enough men for an assault."



Silence.



Even the wind seemed to disappear.



Then Payan spoke the words none of them wanted to hear.



"I think they're trying to kill the Prime Minister."



Perman's eyes widened.



"No..."



Below them, emergency sirens wailed throughout Tokyo.



Above them, dark smoke stained the sky.



And somewhere ahead...



The mastermind's true operation had begun.



\---



The moment the communication ended, Perman accelerated.



Tokyo blurred beneath him.



Booby kept pace on his left.



A streak of blue suddenly appeared from the west.



Payan.



The older Perman arrived moments later and immediately joined formation.



"No time for introductions," Payan said. "The situation is getting worse."



Ahead of them, thick black smoke rose into the sky.



Police helicopters circled overhead.



Sirens echoed throughout the district.



The Prime Minister's residence was under siege.



\---



Perman landed near the outer police perimeter.



Officers immediately rushed forward.



"Hero units have arrived!"



Perman landed inside the police perimeter.



Officers immediately rushed forward.



Several recognized Sumire instantly.



"Miss Hoshino!"



"She's alive!"



Relief spread across their faces.



Sumire stepped away from Perman.



"I'm fine."



The senior officer shook his head.



"With all due respect, Miss Hoshino, you were abducted by terrorists less than two hours ago."



"I said I'm fine."



"And we're not taking chances."



Two officers immediately moved beside her.



Sumire frowned.



"That's not necessary."



"Actually," the officer replied, "it's extremely necessary."



He turned toward Perman.



"We'll take responsibility for her from here."



Perman nodded.



"Good."



Sumire immediately looked toward him.



"Wait." "Perman."



He paused.



"What?"



"You can't seriously expect me to sit in a police car while terrorists are attacking the city."



Perman stared at her for a moment.



Then pointed toward the battlefield.



Smoke rose into the sky.



Gunfire echoed in the distance.



"What exactly are you planning to do?"



Sumire opened her mouth.



...



Then closed it again.



Perman nodded.



"That's what I thought."



Before she could respond, he launched into the sky.



Sumire stood there speechless.



The senior officer gestured toward an armored police vehicle.



"This way, Miss Hoshino."



"I don't want to."



"Unfortunately, that wasn't a request."



\---



"Payan."



"Booby."



"Let's move."



The closer they flew to the residence, the worse the damage became.



Burning vehicles littered the roads.



Police barricades had been destroyed.



Several buildings nearby were on fire.



Gunfire echoed continuously.



"This is insane," Perman muttered.



Payan nodded grimly.



"They brought an army."



Booby looked down at the devastation below.



"Wee..."



Ahead of them, an armored truck suddenly emerged from behind a barricade.



The roof hatch opened.



Several terrorists aimed heavy machine guns skyward.



"Incoming!"



A storm of bullets erupted.



Perman shot downward.



The truck commander barely had time to react.



CRASH!



The entire vehicle flipped onto its side.



Booby immediately followed.



"WIKII!"



The monkey landed directly on top of another armored vehicle.



The metal roof caved inward.



The engine exploded.



Meanwhile Payan darted through the air.



Three terrorists attempted to fire rockets.



The older Perman snatched all three launchers away before they could shoot.



A second later he threw them into a nearby fountain.



The terrorists stared in disbelief.



Payan smiled.



“This is over.”



\---



For nearly twenty minutes the battle continued.



Every road leading to the residence had become a battlefield.



The terrorists had transformed the district into a fortress.



Barricades.



Snipers.



Explosives.



Armored vehicles.



Every position had to be cleared one at a time.



Yet slowly...



The heroes pushed forward.



\---



Then Payan suddenly stopped.



His enhanced hearing activated.



A second later his expression changed.



"Perman."



"What?"



"East side."



"What about it?"



"There are civilians trapped inside an apartment block."



Several explosions echoed in the distance.



Payan clenched his fists.



"If nobody goes..."



The sentence remained unfinished.



Perman understood immediately.



Booby raised his hand.



"Wikii!"



Perman looked toward him.



"You sure?"



"WIKII!"



The monkey grinned.



Payan nodded.



"I'll help him."



The two heroes immediately changed course.



Leaving Perman alone.



For a moment he watched them disappear.



Then he turned toward the residence.



Alone.



\---



The outer gates had already been destroyed.



Police officers exchanged fire with terrorists across the courtyard.



The moment Perman landed, dozens of gunmen opened fire.



The hero launched forward.



One terrorist was knocked unconscious instantly.



Then another.



Then another.



Every hallway became a battlefield.



Every room contained more enemies.



The deeper he went...



The more resistance he encountered.



The mastermind had stationed his entire remaining force here.



\---



Second floor.



Twenty terrorists.



Defeated.



\---



Third floor.



A hostage situation.



Resolved.



\---



Fourth floor.



Explosives wired to support pillars.



Disarmed.



\---



Rooftop access.



The strongest guards yet.



Elite operatives.



Body armor.



Military weapons.



They lasted less than a minute.



\---



Finally...



Silence.



Complete silence.



Perman stood before a large steel door.



No gunfire.



No explosions.



Nothing.



His breathing slowed.



This was it.



The command center.



The mastermind was inside the room.



The man responsible for everything.



Perman clenched his fists.



Then punched the door open.



CRASH!



The steel doors slammed against the walls.



Perman charged inside.



Ready for battle.



Ready for anything.



Instead...



He froze.



The room was empty.



Except for one person.



The mastermind stood alone beside a large window overlooking Tokyo.



No guards.



No weapons.



No escape route.



Nothing.



He calmly turned toward Perman.



Almost as though he had been expecting him.



"You finally arrived."



Perman's fists tightened.



"It's over."



The mastermind smiled beneath the white mask.



"Is it?"



Perman stepped forward.



"You're done."



For several seconds neither moved.



Then...



To Perman's complete shock...



The mastermind slowly raised both hands.



No resistance.



No struggle.



No fight.



"I surrender."



Silence.



Perman blinked.



"What?"



The mastermind remained perfectly calm.



"I said..."



He raised his hands higher.



"...I surrender."



Perman felt genuinely uneasy.



Because something about this felt wrong.



Very wrong.



The mastermind had orchestrated attacks across an entire city.



Hundreds of terrorists.



Months of planning.



Countless casualties.



And now...



He was simply giving up?



The man behind the white mask seemed almost amused.



As though he had already won.



And Perman had yet to realize it.



\---



The mastermind was finally defeated.



Around them, the battlefield was quieting down.



The fires were being extinguished.



Emergency crews moved through the damaged streets.



Police officers secured the area while ambulances transported the injured.



The chaos that had consumed the district for hours was finally coming to an end.



Nearby, several officers led the mastermind toward a waiting police vehicle.



His hands were restrained.



His plans had failed.



His army had been defeated.



His hostage had been rescued.



Everything he had worked for had collapsed.



And yet...



He didn't seem upset.



If anything, he looked amused.



Perman watched him carefully.



Something about the man's expression bothered him.



The mastermind kept walking silently.



Then suddenly—



He laughed.



A loud, sharp laugh that caused several nearby officers to glance toward him.



Perman frowned.



The laughter continued for several seconds before finally dying down.



The mastermind looked over his shoulder.



His eyes settled on Perman.



Then he smiled.



"Today didn't go the way I expected."



The police kept moving him forward.



No one answered.



The mastermind didn't seem to mind.



"I expected four heroes."



He slowly raised his hand.



He holds up four fingers.



"Instead I got three."



Perman remained silent.



The villain continued.



"You."



His finger pointed toward Perman.



"The monkey."



Another finger.



"And the other guy"



A third finger.



Then he stopped.



The smile gradually disappeared from his face.



His expression became thoughtful.



Almost confused.



"But not the girl."



Perman's fists tightened.



Immediately he knew who the man meant.



"Pako."



The villain nodded.



For a moment he simply stared ahead.



As if trying to solve a puzzle.



As if something wasn't adding up.



"I attacked an entire district."



His voice was calm now.



"I created dozens of emergencies."



The officers continued leading him forward.



"I kidnapped a celebrity."



The waiting police vehicle was only a short distance away now.



"And still..."



He shook his head.



Slowly.



Thoughtfully.



"Nothing."



The word hung in the air.



For the first time since his defeat, he sounded genuinely puzzled.



Not angry.



Not frustrated.



Puzzled.



"That's what bothers me."



Perman said nothing.



The mastermind wasn't talking to him anymore.



The man seemed lost inside his own thoughts.



Trying to understand something.



Trying to make sense of a missing piece.



The villain continued:



"A hero doesn't simply disappear."



The police opened the vehicle door.



One officer gestured toward the back seat.



Yet the mastermind kept talking.



His eyes had become distant.



Focused on a mystery that only he could see.



"So either she chose not to come..."



He paused.



The officers tried to push him forward.



He barely noticed.



"...or she couldn't."



Silence.



For a brief moment even Perman found himself thinking about those words.



Then the villain burst out laughing.



The sound echoed across the damaged street.



Several officers visibly tensed.



"And those are two very different answers."



The police finally shoved him toward the vehicle.



The mastermind stumbled inside.



Yet even then he couldn't stop laughing.



As the door began to swing shut, he suddenly leaned forward.



His eyes locked onto Perman one final time.



"And I will get to the end of this."



Then he laughed.



Louder than before.



A hysterical laugh.



The laugh of a man who had already lost everything yet still believed he had discovered something important.



The door slammed shut.



The laughter continued from inside the vehicle.



Muffled now.



But still audible.



The engine started.



The vehicle pulled away from the curb.



Slowly at first.



Then faster.



The sound of the laughter gradually faded into the distance.



Eventually the vehicle disappeared completely.



The street grew quiet.



Perman remained standing where he was.



Watching the empty road.



The mastermind didn't know anything.



Not yet.



He didn't know what had happened.



He didn't know where Pako was.



He didn't know the truth.



But despite all of that...



He had asked the correct question.







Perman: Coming of Age - Chapter 6: The Missing Piece