Good afternoon! So Diabolical Meeting of Mutual Killing is starting now!

...four months after the month I said it'd start.

That was truly shameful.

Either way, this is a sequel to Graduate Meeting of Mutual Killing. If you haven't read that story then you may be a tad lost, as a lot of this story is relying on knowledge from that one, starting from the main character, who was hinted on that point, the setting and people this story focuses on, and finally the very important and spoilery events that are the causes of all the events this sequel will have.

You may find that first part in my profile page, in the Stories section.

So, without further ado, let's start. Writing the very first chapter, the whole introduction of every character, continues being terribly difficult, but let's give this a go!


Mitsuhiko took a deep breath, inhaling the familiar polluted air while almost everybody entered the building.

It had been quite some time since he had been in the Diavolos Avante Headquarters, or as it was known to everybody else in the world: 'Delacroix, School for the Gifted and the Talented'. Quite a tacky name. Tacky name, tacky leader. Why did I join them, again?

-"You're making faces again, Mitsu-chan"- a female voice sounded behind him. A blonde woman put her arm over his shoulders.

-"I'm questioning my life choices"-

-"That's too bad. Stop pouting and remember what we're here for"- The blonde stood in front of Mitsuhiko and grabbed his face, making him look at her eyes -"Our objective: make sure one of us two gets into the Main Board. It's our chance, Mitsuhiko. I'm sick of the sight of Hyogo"-

Mitsuhiko nodded with determination. "I assure you that we'll triumph. That spot is as good as ours".

I am Mitsuhiko Hikari, 25 years old. Codename: Cerberus.

I was known once as the Super High School Level Hunter, but I have left that behind. Now I'm the Hunting Demon, Commander of the Kyoto Division of Diavolos Avante.

My role in this organization is to perform assassinations on persons of interest. That's how I got into my actual position, thanks to my performance in that field.

Mitsuhiko made sure he still had his gun with him. No respectable hunter would ever be seen without a weapon, that's what he believed. After making sure it was loaded, he nodded towards the woman. "Let's go in".

She is Yurie Oyama, 23 years old. Codename: Zagan. The Hacking Demon. She's the Commander for the Prefecture of Hyogo. She's a hacker, known for her abilities on cybernetic attacks and information collecting in technological contexts.

Yurie is my fianceé and the person I have chosen to be the rest of my life with.

Mitsuhiko looked warily at the tall steel fence that surrounded the gardens. There was something unnerving on the sheer height of the fence. Sure, Mitsuhiko did know it was made for the protection of the members of the Headquarters, but it still resembled a prison in a way. Impossible to climb, impossible to break and once the gates closed, impossible to force open.

-"Stop looking at that and come in!" Yurie shouted from the entrance to the Headquarters. Mitsuhiko rolled his eyes, used to Yurie's usual pushy behavior. Once the hunter got to the entrance Yurie stopped him for a last tip. "Mitsu-chan, remember the attack plan. We need to assert our dominance, make everybody know that we're superior to everybody else in all senses"-

-"Act all mighty and crush everybody under my heel. Got it"-

Yurie smiled, satisfied. -"Then let's go in"-

The headquarters were always a sensitive terrain for him. There was something sinister in those gray halls, the lockers lining the walls and in the dim illumination. It was as if Veritas' objective was to unnerve anybody who entered the building, and in that sense, it worked. Yurie seemed indifferent to the oppressive atmosphere. She had once commented the school hadn't changed at all since her school days, so the hunter always supposed she was used to it.

-"I hate this place"-

-"You'll be seeing it every day if you win"- Yurie said. Mitsuhiko looked around with waning interest.

-"I insist you'll be a better fit for the job than me. Being in the Main Board is risky and you're much tougher than me, I'll be satisfied with staying in Kyoto"-

Yurie pointed towards the Meeting Room, where the different Commanders of the forces Diavolos Avante had in Japan often gathered every month. It was only logical that if there was a place the candidates would be reunited it would be in there. "Amazing. It's dangerous, the hunter said. You're tougher than me, said the one who is known in DeeEy for killing people. Are you ready?" Everybody called the organization 'DeeEy', being less of a mouthful than the real name. Besides, it helped with secrecy. Yurie put her hand on the handles of the door, ready to make their entrance. Mitsuhiko nodded, sharing her determination.

-"Heads will roll"-

Satisfied, Yurie pushed the doors open; making them hit the walls with a very loud sound. The rest of the candidates inside turned their heads towards the two newly-arrived with more annoyance than admiration. Mitsuhiko internally cringed; he was more used to being with less people than these. His job often involved being unseen and old habits were hard to break.

Yurie was more comfortable, smiling broadly. She was the one to take the initiative. -"That's right! Contemplate us, because we're going to be the ones to defeat all of you!"-

-"We don't even know yet what we have to do"-A bearded middle-aged man said bluntly. Yurie ignored him, instead pulling the chairs for Mitsuhiko and her to seat. Feeling Yurie would want him to speak; he attempted to seem as intimidating as he could.

-"There's no need for that. Before the day ends Valkyrie will have chosen me to take Volkos' place"-

-"We were just talking about that!"- A gal with curly hair piped up –"Isn't it strange how we never heard what happened to Volkos? All we were told was that he had betrayed DeeEy but that's it. Nothing else"-

-"Obviously it isn't our place to know the details of his betrayal"- A woman with a ceremony dress added with a calming voice. Mitsuhiko hid his surprise at seeing her. He knew her!

-"We should make a promise: the one who wins tells the others what happened to Volkos. Deal?" a lanky young man proposed, receiving lukewarm acceptation –"It's the least we can do. We're partners, after all! Let's keep Diavolos Avante's unity and strength"-

-"Yeah, no. Friendship and unity is not in our best interests. All of you remember this: we're going to do everything in our power to crush you all into oblivion"- Yurie said dramatically, grabbing Mitsuhiko's hand. The hunter lifted his chin and gave his best look of arrogance. All the candidates reacted as expected, with automatic dislike towards him and Yurie.

Step one of the plan they had arranged was done: keep everybody away of them. That'd give Yurie and him space to scheme and discuss the weaknesses they could find in their competitors. We don't need to be friendly with everybody else. As long as we have each other we'll triumph.

Step two was kind of harder: to actually find the weaknesses the candidates had. That was going to be slightly harder now that they had turned everybody else against him, but he was confident he'd manage to get onto the important information without anybody else noticed. I didn't get to where I am by luck. It's thanks to my abilities. This'll be a piece of cake.

He already had heard about most of the candidates, as it was natural from somebody of Mitsuhiko's position. There was only one he had never heard before. Looking at each candidate he recalled everything he knew about them. It wasn't much but it was a start.

The person directly to his right was a man dressed with what seemed to be an armor of sorts. Part of it was metallic while the rest seemed more like rubber. The only part of his body that seemed to not to have any protection was his neck; even his hair had a strange metallic band, forming a ponytail.

Mamoru Takayama, 28 years old, the Protective Demon. Codename: Caassimolar, Commander of the Prefecture of Nagasaki. Bodyguard extraordinaire, it's said he has even guarded people from the Main Board in especially risky situations. Usually his job is to arrange the protection of people and buildings.

-"Do you need anything?"- he said once he realized he was being stared at.

-"What's up with...you know, the armor?"-

-"It's my responsibility to protect people. If I can't stay alive then my charges can't either"-

-"You look as if you expect an attack at any time. Paranoid much?"-

Takayama gritted his teeth but responded cordially. –"You have no idea of what I have lived through. Have you ever been attacked by SHSL Despair rioters?"-

-"A couple times, yes"- with some luck Takayama would tell a situation with great detail. Based on that Mitsuhiko planned to see if there were any weaknesses in his technique. Some attacks to the professional self-esteem the bodyguard had could be a good start.

-"I was attacked to seven different spots of my body. If it hadn't been for this armor I would have died and Vieiras would have been murdered. Do you understand?"- Takayama pinched some of the rubber, showing how elastic it was –"This is my mark of excellence, an armor of my own invention. Absolutely. Flawless"-

Mitsuhiko didn't seem very impressed. Takayama had a very dramatic voice, as if he were exerting himself in order to convince people of his efficiency. –"I'll judge that if I ever see it happening"-

Takayama didn't reply, instead choosing to narrow his eyes and ignore Mitsuhiko. The hunter tried to rile the bodyguard up a couple times more, but as if he had seen through his plans Takayama didn't say another word.

Later in hindsight Mitsuhiko would realize it had been an idiotic move. Everybody had seen him talking with different people, they all knew what to expect from him.

Once it was clear Takayama wouldn't take the bait and provide him with more information, Mitsuhiko stood up from his seat to walk to the man to the side of Takayama. Once he got close enough to see him better he regretted standing up.

He was the creepiest person he had ever met in his life. The man was dressed on what seemed to be a kid's usual clothing: a vest, a plaid shirt and shorts. His big eyes and cheery smile didn't help to diminish the effect either. –"Hey there!"- he exclaimed, making his smile bigger. Mitsuhiko shuddered violently, stepping back.

Akira Hosoya, 24 years old. Codename: Asmodeus. Commander of the Prefecture of Aomori and the Con Artist Demon. It's said he can make people lower his guard and manage to make them do exactly what he wishes. How the hell does he do that when he looks like this?!

He's a specialist in dealing with SHSL Despair rioters and Future Foundation agents, able to get information from even the most despairing and devoted follower of Enoshima.

-"I-I was just passing"- Mitsuhiko said quickly, moving towards the next person, but Hosoya moved his chair back, blocking his way.

-"I thought you'd want to talk to me"-

-"You thought wrong"—Mitsuhiko grabbed the chair with as much strength as possible and pushed him against the table. Hosoya got the air knocked out of him, but it didn't make his smile leave his face. Feeling more scared every second he looked at the unnaturally weird man Mitsuhiko practically ran towards the only recognizable person there was besides his fianceé.

-"Hikaru-kun!"- she greeted. Mitsuhiko ignored the mispronunciation of his name while the woman with the ceremony dress stood up and gave him a doubtful hug. Mitsuhiko could feel Yurie's eyes boring into his back but ignored it the best he could, focusing on the beautiful woman who was hugging him. –"Has been so long since we hanged out together. Why don't you move back to Saitama?"-

Kimiko Sugita, 26 years old. The Tea Demon, codename: Seir. Commander of the Prefecture of Saitama. She's pretty much in charge of keeping the morale high in the whole Japan, and she often uses her knowledge on ceremonies and teas to diminish stress and hostility levels.

Also my childhood friend, who I stopped seeing often since I moved to Kyoto. From time to time we stay in contact but Yurie hates when we talk.

-"I can't, my people needs me. Besides Yurie and I are going to marry in a few months"- Mitsuhiko said proudly, showing his ring. Sugita put her best surprised face, Mitsuhiko usually reminded her of the future marriage every time they talked.

-"Once again congratulations! Am I still banned from going to the ceremony..."-

-"You are. Let me deal with it, okay?"- Mitsuhiko looked at Yurie, who was visibly outraged –"I should walk away now before she makes a scene"- the hunter said. Sugita sighed, still not understanding why Yurie hated her so much. After exchanging a few more words Mitsuhiko got to the next person in the table.

The lady doing her best to ignore Mitsuhiko had several long strands of pearls intertwined with her hair and on her arms. Mitsuhiko stood to her side until with a huff she turned around slowly. Her movements were fluid and slow, as if she were thinking the exact position her body should be at every second. –"May you please go away? I don't wish to have you near me"- she said with her crystalline voice.

-"I wanted to say hello"-

-"Say it and then please leave me alone"-

This is Harumi Kayano, 29 years old. Codename: Marax. The Dancing Demon and Commander of the Prefecture of Mie. She has learned dozens of dances, ballet being her specialty. She often takes part of tasks that involve great amounts of stamina and resistance, despite her less-than-stellar strength.

Kayano continued ignoring him, until Mitsuhiko gave up. The man next to Kayano was clearly the oldest one in the room. He seemed quite professional and seemed like he could be calmed in no matter what situation. He was the one who initiated the short conversation as soon as Mitsuhiko got to his side. –"Are you trying to find something in special talking to all of us?"-

-"It's just my way of knowing the people I have to compete with"- Mitsuhiko said as innocently as possible.

-"That could work if it weren't because your girlfriend and you made your intentions clear. Still, my oath forces me to offer you my services"-

-"Just as expected"- Mitsuhiko said plainly, going behind the man's chair.

-"The Clinic is just around the corner of the hall. You'll find me there anytime"-

Tetsurou Koshimizu, 44 years old. Codename: Andromalius. The Medical Demon and Commander of the Prefecture of Fukuoka. Just like Kimiko-san, he's in charge of our health in whole Japan if there are any grave situations that needs his help.

Mitsuhiko nodded, acknowledging the offer. The woman to his side tried to shake Mitsuhiko's hand. –"I'm not sure if you'll ever need my help, but you can talk to me anytime. I'll be your resident psychologist, therapist and psychiatrist"-

-"Yasumoto-san, right?"-

-"That's correct!"-

Chiyo Yasumoto, 25 years old. Codename: Belial. The Mind Demon and Commander of the Prefecture of Tokushima. Her subordinates in Tokushima are known for being the most coordinated and stable forces in the whole country and are often ambassadors between the forces in Japan and the forces in Europe and other parts of Asia.

-"I'm in no need of a psychiatrist, thank you"- Mitsuhiko said.

-"Oh what a shame. At least with my help you'd be able to get into everybody's good graces. You didn't make the best initial impression, after all"-

-"I don't need any help. In case you didn't catch on, I don't need a good initial impression"- Mitsuhiko said bluntly. Yasumoto smiled enigmatically but didn't reply, instead pointing towards the next commander to meet.

-"Show the world how charming you are, starting there"-

-"As if"- the other commander said. –"I already saw enough of him when those two made their speech earlier"-

Mitsuhiko nodded. –"I approve not wasting time! See you"-

-"She is Sumida Kishio-san"- Yasumoto explained –"If you can't get on her good side don't expect to have an easy time here"-

-"She is THE Sumida Kishio?!"- Mitsuhiko dropped the aloof attitude he was trying to create –"I-I'm sorry for everything, Kishio-sensei. I didn't mean to offend you"-

Sumida Kishio, 28 years old. Codename: Alocas. Linguist Demon and highest ranked Commander in Japan, although she doesn't lead any team. Thanks to her ability to speak several languages she's in charge of gathering reports from Diavolos Avante forces in other countries and then inform the Main Board about it.

There was something known in DeeEy: Piss off Sumida Kishio and she'll make your life impossible. Get her to like you and you'll get far.

Kishio scowled. –"Too late. Let me make clear something, neno idiota: interfere with the relative peace Yasumoto we'll try to create and you'll regret ever entering this building. Did I make myself clear"-

Mitsuhiko knew he was acting very undignified and most likely ruining the impression he had wanted to give, but Kishio's expression made clear she was completely serious of what she was saying. Mitsuhiko lowered his eyes and in the most docile voice he had ever produced he said: -"I'm deeply sorry"-

Kishio stared blankly at him before pointing with his thumb at the guy next to her. Taking it as his cue to go away, Mitsuhiko got to the commander he had been pointed to. Behind him Yasumoto could barely contain her grin and continued talking to Kishio.

Trying to leave that weak moment behind him, Mitsuhiko repressed his frustration at best as he could. That didn't stop him of being harsh on the commander, as he was somebody he had never seen or heard about before. –"And who the hell are you?"-

-"Um"- the new Commander moved awkwardly –"I'm Kouhei Kobayashi and I was, um, recently named the new commander for the Prefecture of Nagano"-

-"And how do you plan to get the spot in the Main Board, newbie?"-

-"Well, I'm a pretty good illusionist"- he replied with a hint of pride. Mitsuhiko snorted, enjoying how he was making the new guy all nervous.

-"Illusions? Really? Just who are you, again?"-

-"Kouhei Kobayashi, Magical Demon. My codename is...is..."- Kobayashi trailed off, muttering to himself. Feeling there was something juicy to exploit, Mitsuhiko pressured him.

-"Oh, your name tells me nothing! What's your codename? Come on, tell me what is it and maybe you'll earn some respect!"-

Kobayashi lowered his voice, Mitsuhiko barely could hear it. –"Amy...my codename is Amy..."- at that point Mitsuhiko lost it. He knew enough about the occidental culture to know about the name.

-"Amy? Your demon name, handpicked for you, the name that will define you to everybody else in the organization...is Amy?"- That was followed of more ungentlemanly guffaws. Kobayashi looked away, slightly blushing.

-"I don't think it's that bad"-

-"Whatever, Amy. See you"- Mitsuhiko's mood had improved. He knew he had acted like an asshole to Kobayashi just out of spite towards Kishio, but that didn't sour his newly found attitude.

The next person to try to officially meet was somebody Mitsuhiko mildly despised. The man had listened with attention to how Mitsuhiko treated Kobayashi, amused. –"That was uncalled for, right?"- the man said.

-"What if it was? I'm not going to have any compassion towards the people I'll compete with"-

-"That's too bad. You don't even know what kind of activity we'll have to do in order to obtain the spot in the Main Board. What if it is something that needs the cooperation of somebody else? You have guaranteed more than half of us to not to want anything with you"-

-"Cooperation? It's a single spot! Cooperation won't have any place in here"-

That was why he despised that man. In all situations he felt the need to act as if he had the higher moral ground although everybody known he was a complete hypocrite, that's what he was known for. He could do something and nag somebody else about not doing it without the slightest amount of shame. Surely he'd see situations like those during their competition.

Daisuke Mitsuishi, 27 years old. Codename: Leviathan. The Flying Demon and Commander of the Prefecture of Chiba. He has been marked as the worst commander of the country. His specialty is aerial scouting, although since Diavolos Avante managed to get teams in every country he has been left behind as less important than the rest.

-"Okay but don't say I didn't tell you, asshole"- he said, still amused. Mitsuishi hadn't done the slightest effort to talk to people or be likable and that's what got into Mitsuhiko's nerves. Most of the commanders had at least tried to keep an amicable face towards everybody, but Mitsuishi, Mitsuhiko and Oyama were already shaping up to be unpopular.

Trying to keep the distance between Mitsuishi and himself, Mitsuhiko hounded towards the next person to talk with. He hadn't noticed before, but the new commander was wearing a mask everybody in the room knew well: a Monobear mask. Trying to not to show it bothered him to see a symbol of what they were supposed to fight he waved towards the man in the mask. –"Hey there"- he said once he noticed Mitsuhiko's greeting.

-"...what's up with the mask?"-

Muffled by the mask the man replied. –"It's part of my most recent character, the one I was working on when I got called here"-

-"...you were in middle of getting into the ranks of SHSL Despair?"-

It was impossible to know what expression he had behind the mask, but the passion in his voice was as clear as day. –"They don't have ranks! Have you ever seen them? There's only one thing uniting them and it is causing as much despair and pain as possible to anybody, even between them. If I find the people who are giving them constant despair then maybe we'll be able to dispel SHSL Despair once and for all"-

Kumakichi Fukuyama, 27 years old. Codename: Ose. The Acting Demon and the Commander of the Prefecture of Yamagata. An expert in infiltration and intelligence, able to have a different character for any circumstances.

-"I'll be honest, I wouldn't mind if you end taking control of a large part of the world after that. Surely Veritas would admit our goals would be impossible without you"-

-"Isn't that why all of us joined DeeEy? To acquire power after we restore the world and kill SHSL Despair? I'll feel scammed if I don't have at least one country in my possession at the end of this all"-

True. I'm expecting a few counties after all this, myself. Power, the final objective. A world in control of the different members of Diavolos Avante and Veritas overseeing everything that'll happen in the new world they would build. Any opposition to their reign would be crushed as soon as possible.

There were three commanders left before Mitsuhiko got back to his seat. The next, a young lady drumming her fingers onto the table, got his attention. She didn't turn around when he got there, so he cleared his throat. –"Yes?"- she asked with vitality when she turned around.

Mitsuhiko for a moment didn't know what to say. Her eyes were blurry and unfocused, almost lifeless, in obvious contrast with her voice. –"What happened to your eyes?!"- the hunter exclaimed, not caring about how insensitive and rude that was. The young lady narrowed her eyes, looking at Mitsuhiko's forehead.

-"I'm blind, you asshole"-

Hiyoko Romi, 29 years old. Codename: Ronove. The Lyricist Demon and Commander of the Prefecture of Shiga. Unfortunately she suffers of some sort of genetic mutation that damaged her eyes, turning her legally blind. Before that she was a big part on the efforts to maintain morale in Japan, now she just deals with her prefecture with an admirable amount of efficiency.

-"Really?"- Mitsuhiko had heard about a blind commander, but he wasn't entirely convinced it was actually true –"I think you can see. You're looking at my face"-

-"I can see blurry shapes and colors, but I can't distinguish any details. But let me tell you, I'm blind, not retarded. Please don't treat me as if I can't deal with anything"-

Despite his intentions to keep himself distanced of everybody else, Mitsuhiko felt a budding respect for Romi. There was something admirable on somebody managing to get ahead and having a strong attitude despite the eyesight problems. After promising himself he'd keep tabs on Romi, as one of the two that seemed competent enough to be a threat for the supposed competition, Mitsuhiko stepped to the side of the last female commander to meet, one he didn't recognize at first sight.

She was wearing an occidental and very elegant black attire and was idly writing something on a notebook. Curious, Mitsuhiko carefully looked at the writings but then he raised his voice, annoyed –"The stuck-up hunter continued talking with everybody in clear contradiction of the intentions he claimed to have. This reporter's personal theory is that he was lying in a pitiful attempt to intimidate everybody for no reason at all"-

-"Am I mistaken?"- she muttered.

That's...mostly correct. –"I'm not stuck-up!"-.

-"Got it"- she nodded before quickly writing more. 'Update: The hunter curiously protested to only the words 'stuck-up'. The rest of the affirmation went without any rebuttal; therefore he did try to intimidate everybody. Report #4 finished, Kyrie Mimori signs out'.

Mitsuhiko, who had been about to object to the accurate depiction of his intention, forgot what he was going to say when he saw the name. –"Wait, Valkyrie? The Main Board member?"-

-"Everybody thinks I am, but no"-

Kyrie Mimori, 32 years old. Codename: Botis. The Journalism Demon and Commander of the Prefecture of Kumamoto. It's suspected she's Valkyrie of the Main Board, but she continuously denies it. The fact she finds out and handles confidential information of the upmost caliber doesn't help to get rid of those rumors.

Everybody in Diavolos Avante knew about the names of the Main Board: Veritas, Valkyrie, Vieiras and, recently, Wolfenmaus. Only Veritas showed his identity, and that was because he was the organization's leader. The rest stayed in the shadows, blending with everybody else in Diavolos Avante. The general opinion was that it was out of paranoia and fear of getting attacked, even if Veritas had made clear since the beginning that betrayal was something unforgivable in his organization.

Regarding Kyrie with suspicion, he went to the last commander to talk with. The man was expectantly looking around, not really paying much attention to what was going on. –"Hey you. Are you waiting for anything?"-

-"Oh? Oh, yes. I'm waiting for the Main Board to get in here. You read the letter, didn't you?"-

-"They'll be here when it's time. Why the hurry?"-

-"I have some projects I want them to check"- he briefly showed a folder filled with blueprints but closed it before Mitsuhiko could distinguish anything concrete. –"This is my chance of meeting the Main Board and show them my work"-

Mitsuhiko narrowed his eyes. Somebody was already trying to curry favor with the Main Board?

Tohya Sasuga, 28 years old, the Robotics Demon. Codename: Caym. Commander of the Prefecture of Yamaguchi. A robotics genius, often creating drones and unmanned vehicles for espionage. It was said too that he was in contact with the Main Board, but looks like it may not be true.

-"Has anybody here ever met the Main Board?"- Mitsuhiko asked while he sat down.

-"I have"- Takayama the Bodyguard claimed –"Although I have never met Wolfenmaus, I think. Maybe I have and I don't know"-

-"Is Valkyrie or Vieiras in here?"- Hosoya inquired. Takayama looked around methodically without stopping on anybody.

-"I'm not allowed to say anything about their identities"-

While the candidates argued between themselves about the possibility one of them was a member of Main Board Mitsuhiko took out the letter that had called him to the Headquarters.

May 12th

Greetings, Hikari Mitsuhiko.

We at the Main Board have noticed your recent performance as the commander of our forces in Kyoto. You have been doing an excellent job and as a reward for your work you have been chosen as a candidate to be a member of our Main Board as the representative of our teams in Asia.

If you're chosen you'll receive all benefits we have and you'll have a very promising future after the world is back to normal. Please present yourself in the Diavolos Avante Headquarters in three days at noon.

Please don't tell anybody about this letter.

Valkyrie.

-"It's kind of funny that Mitsuishi, of all people, is here. He doesn't deserve a chance if you ask me"- Mitsuhiko said. Mitsuishi extended his middle finger in his direction.

-"What kind of task do you think we'll have to do? They must have something in mind to decide which one of us will be chosen"- Kishio mulled –"I think that we'll be in charge of a specially difficult group of members so we'll have to show leadership skills"-

-"You wish it were that"- Takayama muttered.

-"Does it really matter? Theorizing is useless. Just wait until...until..."- Fukuyama had started to say before stopping. For a moment the actor stared in disbelief towards the entrance of the Meeting Room, and then he pointed. –"We have company. Is she Valkyrie?"-

The door of the Meeting Room had opened slightly, just enough for somebody to stick their head inside. However the person who had looked inside wasn't a woman.

It was a little girl, of around eight years old. When it was obvious they had noticed their presence the little girl widened her eyes in surprise, bashful. –"My bad! I didn't mean to interrupt your discussion. Give me a second..."- the girl entered the Meeting Room, straightening her dark green dress.

The girl moved with confidence, as it she knew exactly where she was and who these people were, but nobody in the room seemed to have the slightest idea who she was or why there was a little girl in the Diavolos Avante Headquarters in the first place. It never had an elementary school and it had been years since the last time there were classes.

The girl stood on the far end of the table where the person leading the meeting was supposed to sit, allowing everybody to take a good look to her. She looked like a rose due to her dress and the vivacious red tone of her short hair, arranged in what almost seemed to be two nubby horns. –"Okay, let's get this on the road. You all have been called here for a reason: to get into the Main Board. We all know that Volkos has been...unfit to continue being a member of DeeEy so one of you will take his place, choose your new name and represent Asia"-

-"This can't be real!"- Kayano exclaimed –"Don't tell me you're somebody from the Main Board?"-

-"I'm not! I'm the organizer of this reunion. Sorry for having lied in my letter, but Valkyrie doesn't have anything to do with this"-

-"Then who are you?"- Sasuga asked what everybody was wondering. The girl displayed her brightest smile and with pride she replied:

-"My name is Lily and I'll be the Judge in the events of the next few days"-

-"The Judge? The events? ...What?"- Takayama thought he had heard incorrectly.

-"Yes, the Judge, Takayama-kun"- One of Lily's horns opened like a flower blooming, a projector appearing in the inside of the horn. That sudden quirk made Mitsuhiko do a double take, how could she do that? Sasuga was the one who said what was supposed to be obvious by now.

-"She's not human...she's a machine"-

-"Is she yours? You're the Roboticist here"- Romi inquired, trying to focus onto the image being displayed. It was a blank screen, at least for the moment.

-"No, she isn't. She's an admirable piece of work but she isn't mine"-

-"Excuse me?"- Lily waved her tiny hands –"I'm trying to talk here! So as I was saying I'm the Judge. My role will be to oversee your behavior during the next few days"-

-"Oversee what, exactly?"- Koshimizu asked calmly.

-"I'll explain"- in the projection images appeared. They resembled drawings done by a kid with crayons, the first image depicting Veritas –"Here is our Founder. He created Diavolos Avante to restore the world and reward those who help him. During all these years he has done amazing progress and now we have forces in most of the countries around the world! However we're in danger"- a humorous caricature of Enoshima was now in the projection –"She may be dead but the despair she left in the world is still active. Her followers are threatening Diavolos Avante!"-

-"Threatening how? Are they going to attack us?"-

-"I wouldn't be too worried. Aren't SHSL Despair's followers a bunch of drooling morons killing and mutilating each other? We can defend ourselves"- Hosoya said.

-"Not all of them are like that. There are a select few who have kept their faculties despite falling to despair. They're mostly high school children and to be honest I don't know where they are"- The screen displayed a photograph. It was a group of fourteen students with uniforms. The Hope's Peak emblem was visible over all of them. –"It's known these are some of them. There may be a few absent, but there's one that is important: the formerly known as Super High School Level Hope"-

-"You mean Izuru Kamukura?"- Yurie inquired. She had no idea where this was going on. Wasn't this going to be some sort of competition? What this did have to do with that?

-"Yep! That one!"- Lily cheerfully replied –"Oyama-san managed to steal something Kamukura created: The Enoshima AI"- Lily stopped for a moment for dramatic effect. The projector changed to show a drawing of a strange machine –"This AI is capable of infecting systems, as well as following its directives in whatever way it wishes. Think of it as a piece of Enoshima's soul. But Oyama-san noticed something very...worrying.

This AI has the ability to invade the human brain and install itself in the consciousness, corrupting the mind and turning the body in essentially a puppet for the AI. Imagine that. One new Enoshima, more than one, a whole group of them with the same charisma and same despair-spreading abilities!"- The image changed to the photograph of the Hope's Peak students, this time with Enoshima's hair doodled on them.

That really ruins the dramatic flair.

-"I don't really see how this is affecting us or DeeEy"- Hosoya stated, crossing his arms.

-"Should we expect those students to attack us?"- Sasuga inquired, staring at the photograph.

-"More importantly, how is this related to the contest?"- Takayama tried to change the topic but Lily pointed at him.

-"I'll get to that later! What was I talking about...oh! Okay, the Enoshima AI Oyama-san stole is an early version. It may not even fully work but we have good reasons to think SHSL Despair will get involved with Diavolos Avante using that same AI. I don't know how but I'm sure SHSL Despair will try to destroy us"-

Kayano stood up and hit the table with her hands –"Wait a second! Are you suggesting that we have left ruffians like those sneak into our proud organization? We're too intelligent for that to happen!"-

Lily closed her horn, interrupting the projection, and climbed on the table to be more assertive. Standing on front of Kayano her eyes glimmered –"Do you know what happened to Volkos?"-

-"He betrayed Diavolos Avante and had to surrender his life as punishment. There is nothing wrong with that"-

-"Haven't you considered that may not be the full truth?"-

Kayano opened her mouth but no sound came out of it. Once Lily saw she had nothing to reply she nodded, satisfied. –"There you go. The Main Board lied. They're hiding the truth but I don't know exactly why. But what I do know is that there's something going on in this organization, something rotten"-

-"But you don't even have proof the Main Board lied!"- Yasumoto protested.

-"I don't, but that's what I have called you all here. I have good reasons to believe one or more of the commanders here are involved in this conspiracy against Diavolos Avante"- Lily stood on her end of the table and announced aloud –"The one of you that finds out whom the traitors are and exposes them to everybody will be rewarded the spot in the Main Board!"-

-"So that is the contest: find out who are part of SHSL Despair and are trying to get rid of DeeEy"- Fukuyama touched his mask –"Don't look at me! This is just for my character"-

-"That is correct!"- Lily heralded, pointing at Fukuyama's mask. –"SHSL Despair is our enemy! Junko Enoshima's followers are our enemies! Those who take the form of that bear are our enemies!"-

-"Did you call?"-

Everybody turned towards the doors of the Meeting Room and paled. The person they least expected had arrived to the contest. Lily grimaced. –"This wasn't something I really expected"-

Monobear strolled to the table and climbed on, walking straight towards the little girl. Lily and Monobear met in the middle of the long table, almost fuming. Monobear unsheathed his claws, ready to attack, but Lily wasn't going to be left behind.

Her fingers moved in ways a human's hand wouldn't allow until they opened in per, revealing a glass circle embedded in the palm, and pointed it to Monobear's head. Nobody knew what exactly it was but it was clear it was a weapon of some kind.

The commanders stared at Monobear and Lily, trying to process the scene. What seemed to be a simple process had turned into a contest to find the best among them to replace Volkos and now had turned into a fight between two mechanical beings, and the chances of it stopping there without further consequences or problems were practically null.

Mitsuhiko could only think one single sentence, having forgotten his purpose to stay high and mighty. The strategies he had created with Yurie were now of no importance in comparison to the recent developments.

...what did I get myself into?