National Children (1) is the twenty-eight chapter of Takashi Shiina's Zettai Karen Children.
Synopsis[]
Kōichi Minamoto is reading a newspaper in his car while waiting for The Children who are on their way home from school. Aoi Nogami and Shiho Sannomiya teleport into the car, landing on Minamoto. He scolds them not to teleport home from school, but they say they are too tired having not slept in a couple of days. Minamoto notices Kaoru Akashi is not with them and asks where she is. Shiho tells him that she is walking home with a friend, and the two girls fall asleep.
Kaoru is crossing a bridge with Chisato Hanai when Kyousuke Hyoubu greets her. Chisato questions who he is, and Kaoru tells her that he is just an acquaintance and asks her to go on without her. Chisato is suspicious of Kyousuke but leaves anyway.
Kaoru asks Kyousuke to stop referring to her a "Queen," and Kyousuke in turn asks her to stop using honorifics for him. Kaoru then thanks Kyousuke for saving Minamoto, but Kyousuke tells her that he only gave a hint, and that Kaoru was the one who saved him. He goes on to say that he wont be saving Minamoto again because it is dangerous leaving Kaoru around him.
Kaoru questions him about the hypnotic dream she had, but Minamoto interrupts, telling her not to listen to Kyousuke while pointing a gun at him. He orders Kyousuke to put his hands on the ground, but Kyousuke laughs it off. Kyousuke flings a photograph at Minamoto's face and flies away.
Despite his grudge against Minamoto, Kyousuke admits to himself that Minamoto is surprisingly persistent; but he maintains that it is he who will change the future, and not Minamoto. He smirks knowing that Minamoto will by now have seen the photo he left; one of him standing by Minamoto sleeping in a hospital bed with a caption branding Minamoto as a lolicon. Minamoto furiously fired his gun into the air while Kaoru clings to him and tells him not to be jealous.
Kyousuke teleports into a B.A.B.E.L. prison to rescue Setsuko Kuromaki who has used her hyptonic ability to resist interrogation by putting herself to sleep. She mutters to let her sleep for another five years. Kyousuke already in a bad mood, accepts this request and leaves.
Taizō Kiritsubo is at a meeting, defending The Children to his superiors. They express their concern over predictions of the future, where the chances of The Children being a blessing or a disaster for Japan are evenly split. Kiritsubo is shocked that they had the prediction data, as he had tried to hide it. His superiors then present the photo of future Kaoru, now in focus, and question why Kyousuke had it. Kiritsubo is unable to answer, but he says that The Children are useful to them and will continue to be. He is told to prove it, and they revoke The Children's rights to cherry-pick their own missions.
The Children are waiting in a bath house while complaining that they would prefer to go to a hot spring or somewhere more expensive. Minamoto tells them not to be spoiled. Minamoto thinks about how frustrating the girls can be sometimes while remembering how Kaoru was in the dream. Kaoru interrupts his thoughts by questioning his manhood due to how he reacted to a girl inviting him to a hot spring. She however is distracted by Shiho commenting on the size of a woman's breasts, Kaoru concurs that they are huge.
Mary Ford walks through the bath house, making an impression. Aoi notes that she doesn't look Japanese, and wonders what country she is from. Shiho mentions that it looks like she is heading for the bath, and The Children decide to follow. Mary hears in her earpiece that her targets are heading her way. She turns a faucet and encircles herself with water using Hydrokinesis, while stating some children no match for her and her team from the States.