The white wings of the plane cut through the clouds, soaring across the vast expanse of the sky. Beneath, the sprawling earth stretched endlessly. This United Airlines flight, bound for Tokyo International Airport, had been cruising amidst the cerulean backdrop of the heavens for a while now.
Logan propped his chin on his hand, gazing out the cabin window. The initial excitement of the scenery had faded, leaving him bored.
Having been pulled into the dangerous Ninja World midway through his high school years, Logan had neither traveled abroad nor flown on a plane before.
The thrill of takeoff had been intriguing, but the overhyped sensations of mild G-forces, as warned by the guide, turned out to be nonexistent for him.
The most captivating part had been watching everything below shrink… the cars, the buildings, and finally, the entire city reducing to a speck.
As the plane leveled off, the novelty of the clouds quickly wore thin. With nothing but endless white fluff drifting by, Logan, already sleep-deprived from the night before, felt a wave of drowsiness creeping over him… until someone disrupted his reverie.
A tap on his seat back, accompanied by the cool sensation of fingers brushing his hair, brought Logan out of his haze. He turned to see Olivia standing in the aisle, motioning for him to follow, "Step out for a moment."
'Sigh…'
Logan sighed inwardly but didn't object. He got up, leaving his seat at the back of the economy class section where the rest of the 'Japan exchange delegation' from school was also seated.
Amid curious glances from others, Logan followed Olivia a few steps to the area near the lavatory and sink, where no one else lingered. He yawned and said with empty eyes, "Senior, I already told you… I'll decide on the 'deal' after experiencing Japan. Don't push..."
"This isn't about that." Olivia interrupted curtly. Lowering her voice, she glanced around to ensure no one could overhear, "Where in Japan are you planning to go? You don't have to tell me what shady business you're involved in… I've seen enough movies to figure it out. But if you don't give me even a location, you'll make it harder for me to help if something happens."
Hearing this, the corner of Logan's mouth twitched, 'Wait… what.'
Olivia's calm and collected demeanor now radiated a surprising intensity, her eyes gleaming with a peculiar light… like ice refracting in the sun at just the right angle.
'Oh, great. So underneath her cool exterior… she's a closet edgelord.'
As the silence stretched, Olivia frowned slightly, bringing her hand to her mouth, "What's wrong?"
Logan finally forced out a reply, "Nothing... Look, Senior, you're overthinking this."
She still seemed unconvinced, but Logan raised his hand preemptively, "There's no specific destination, no secret agenda, nothing. I'm just here to explore Japan… really. I'll stick to the itinerary the school laid out, that's all."
"Seriously…" Logan added earnestly, "Thanks for checking in, Senior, but there's nothing to worry about."
Olivia crossed her arms and stared at him for a while. Then, her expression returned to her usual composed demeanor, "I understand. I just saw that you specifically chose Japan as the location and considered what needs you might have. After all, once the itinerary is set after we land, it won't be easy to make changes, not even for me. Since you have nothing to pay attention to, then forget it."
Hearing this, Logan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
She turned to leave but paused to remind him, "If something comes up, find me. Don't forget our agreement."
And just like that, she walked away, her cool composure so seamless that it was hard to believe her earlier dramatic lines had even happened.
However, as Olivia turned, a faint smirk flickered across her lips, 'Just here to explore? Only a fool would buy that.'
…
Logan frowned as he returned to his seat from the aisle.
"Fatty, give way." Logan demanded gruffly, gesturing toward the other party's intruding feet.
"Don't wanna... So tired…" David slumped against his seat, feigning exhaustion, "I was too excited last night. Couldn't sleep at all... Ugh, I'm dead..."
Logan rolled his eyes at the familiar dramatics but didn't argue. Instead, he chose to climb over David to reclaim his seat.
Strangely, there was no whining or over-the-top complaints. With a glance, Logan saw David's pale complexion and genuine fatigue, accentuated by the raccoon-like circles under his eyes.
With a small chuckle, Logan patted David's belly, amused at how their sleepless nights had different causes.
Suddenly, David stirred again, nudging closer to the window, "By the way," he murmured, his tired voice laced with curiosity, "You've been getting pretty close to Senior Olivia lately. First all those meetings at school, and now she's hunting you down on the plane. Hey, could it be that your heroic act last time made her want to repay you… romantically?"
"How could that be?" Logan dismissed casually, then added pointedly, "And by the way, that time on the road? The bus stopped by itself, okay?"
"I know, I know. Can't a guy exaggerate when praising a hero?" David, still lounging comfortably, only moved his mouth as he spoke. The joke about romantic repayment was just that… a joke.
In his mind, the chance of Olivia falling for Logan was only marginally lower than the chance of her falling for himself. If a miracle like that were to happen, why shouldn't he have a shot too?
"So, why is she looking for you?" David shifted topics lazily.
From the row in front, there was a sudden noise as Diane unbuckled her seatbelt and leaned over enthusiastically, poking her head back, "Yeah, what did she say?"
The three so-called "destined" classmates were seated close to one another. Next to Diane sat a girl from another class, who was also subtly listening in, her ears perked up.
Gossip was a universal human instinct, especially when it involved Olivia, the star student of the delegation, specifically pulling Logan aside. Everyone nearby was keen to know the details.
"Nothing much." Logan replied, resisting the urge to reveal Olivia's secret edgy streak. He cleared his throat and added with mock seriousness, "She just said that romantic repayment isn't entirely out of the question..."
Before he could finish, a chorus of disdainful scoffs erupted.
…
As the flight continued smoothly, the cabin gradually quieted down. At some point, David's snoring filled the air.
The plane cruised along uneventfully. There were no glamorous flight attendants catching his eye, no hijackers storming the cabin, no runaway heiresses seated next to him, and no high-powered female CEO accidentally slumming it in economy class.
Perhaps it was because Logan's secret identity was that of a Ninja, not a super soldier or special ops officer.
So Logan merely watched the clouds drift by, one after another, until he dozed off. When he awoke, they were already above Tokyo.
"Attention, passengers..."
As the plane began its descent, the passengers stirred awake, and the cabin grew livelier. Logan looked out the window at the sprawling buildings below, their signs covered in Japanese characters. He clenched his fists, his emotions turbulent.
'I'm finally here! Time to find the truth!'