[Chapter 15] An important talk
It's been a while since the last time she set foot on this place. But the massive and extensive building did not hold the same imposing feeling as the first time. The reason why, of course, was because of the people working inside it.
The guards did the same protocol with her, emulating the previous times. And by now they expected to find the same number of knives inside her clothes. Complaining was useless since she was set up to not change this habit of hers. But at least they were sure she wouldn't use them against them for real. It was the third time it happens after all.
She remembered the place where she was supposed to go, but it still surprised her how there were no guards to escort her there. Were they really so comfortable letting an assassin roaming their base? It surpassed her.
But coming from this clan it wasn't so unbelievable. Her first impression of them was a serious, down-to-Earth organization, but after the horse incident everything went downwards.
Her expression turned grimmer when she found the cynical third commander waiting for her in the hall.
'Oh, then they did send someone to be my escort.' She was starting to believe it was too good to be true.
Hello friend. He teasingly provoked her hopefully making her grimace darker.
Who said I´m your friend?
You, idiot.
I don´t recall saying something like that. She shamefully lied.
Thanks to those words Munakata doesn´t leave me alone and asks me to bring you here all the time. It´s getting annoying. He gave her the evil eye.
I still think it was worthy. She stated satisfied.
Anyway, let's get this over. He started moving towards the king's office without waiting for her to catch up; she should be as done with this as he was, so she was going to walk as well. I'm sure you might have an idea about why I texted you.
That text he was talking about so confidently only said something about getting her ass there because it was an emergency. It truly ruined her weekend.
Actually no.
Well, then that'd be Munakata's job. He did not waste time delegating that task to his own boss. I know you might have a couple of knives on you, don't use them on him no matter how annoying he gets.
And with that half-assed warning he made his exit, leaving her in front of the door.
She knocked while opening, it was obvious he'll be waiting her.
It´s been a while.
The man who welcomed her wasn't on the "office" part of the office, but on the left half of the room sitting on the tatami floor. It caught her off guard. But she still made her way towards him.
She took her shoes off thinking it could be messy to walk with them on the tatami, and so she took a seat across him.
The faint smile on the blue king deepened since it looks like she didn´t show the same resistance as the first time they spoke inside his office. He personally blamed it on choosing the wrong side of the room. The traditional side of the office offers a calmer and less serious environment, and the tea ready to prepare also helped making the atmosphere more casual. How have you been, Arisawa-kun?
Deep inside she couldn´t decide whether she was grateful for being away from them or regretful that thanks to that she messed with another clan.
She decided to skip formalities to get this over with. I guess your third commander put you up to date already. After that obnoxious day when her calculator was killed, she should expect the killer to report her current situation with their enemy clan.
Indeed. I must say it was an exciting news. He showed his entertainment while pouring the tea on two cups.
Eri lifted an eyebrow confused for his cheery response. Isn´t it troublesome that I´m invited here while getting in touch with the red clan?
Not at all. You don´t belong to their group; you´re neutral, so it´s natural that you can come and go inside Scepter 4.
You´re confident, Munakata-san. Ironically, she didn't think so.
I just solemnly trust you, Arisawa-kun. He put her cup right in front of her.
He knew how to push her buttons using his politeness, that way she had no reason to curse him, and it upsets her. The former assassin still had problems figuring out this person and his intentions, so having a private meeting inside his territory put her off and with no room for relaxing. Not to mention how she didn't enjoy one bit his presence whatsoever.
So you started working for Kusanagi Izumo.
I´m not happy about it, but it was my fault that happened.
He must feel joyful. Having a young, attractive worker being the face of his business must be catapulting the fame of the place.
You´re spot on. It caught her attention how well they know each other. This could only mean these two clans must have been over each other´s throats for a long time.
But having this chit chat when she still didn´t grasp what was the "emergency" she was called to discuss only put her off. Can we skip to the part that concerns me?
The blue captain let out a small laugh. It was nice to know her hostility remained, but it was also noticeable how much more relaxed she behaved in front of him compared to their first meeting, she was even drinking the tea instead of asking if it was poisoned.
Say, Arisawa-kun, would you like to play a game with me? He shamelessly smiled at her.
…
'He must be joking.' She told herself.
But all the little respect she had of him as a human being vanished the moment he displayed the puzzle box on the floor in front of her.
Did you really call me to play a board game? It took all her self-control to stop her hand from gabbing her knives.
The corners of the cheeky king's lips lifted finding amusing her reactions.
Without waiting her approval, he opened the box and scattered the pieces between the two. It seemed like there was no end, and soon it formed a mountain. From what he could gathered she was silent because of the mental debate she was having about leaving or staying until he decides to talk about the real reason behind his eccentricities.
So tell me, Arisawa-kun, has your vision of our proposal changed during these weeks?
Her red eyes rose from the pieces on the floor and stared at the man's violet eyes in silence. 'So this is why he called.' In all truth, it wasn't unlikely that this was the cause.
Not at all. Why? She fixed her vision on the reference picture of the box while placing a piece next to another.
It looks like her cold demeanor also didn't suffer any changes since then. That put another smile on his face. That's good to hear. His fingers cleverly put each piece he grabbed on the specific place where he assumed it should be. To be perfectly frank, I had my own doubts about the type of tactics the red clan would use to make you part of them. But it seems you don't plan on taking any sides for now.
Of course I don't. That goes without saying. She started making little groups of pieces that didn't match or where too vague to put together.
When Fushimi-kun told me you were having an affair with the red clan it undoubtedly made me feel unsure.
She made no comment about it and instead showed her disgust and resentment building up towards the idiotic glasses guy.
So, let me get this straight. She took the initiative. You summoned me because you feared I'd become part of HOMRA.
Her straightforwardness, another quality that didn't get miss. It was reassuring to know she was the same apathetically girl he met.
Certainly. He had no trouble confessing the truth very composed. When I heard you'll be working for them, I thought I'd lose my chance of having you in my team.
Why did you think they'll want me, though?
Because we are clans; we think alike. I should also add that their childish behavior would make them want you the moment they heard we wanted you.
That's true. She wholeheartedly gave him credit for his correct guess.
But I must say it was a huge surprise that you cross paths with them. He subtly made fun of her cruel destiny.
I have the worst luck in the world, yes. She admitted placing a big group of pieces with another one she had close.
I don't think so, personally. This twist is only proof of your high charisma and that people are drawn to you. Having so many people wanting to enjoy your company should be what you were expecting to find in your normal new life, isn't that right?
The face she was making spoke for herself. There was not a single fiber in her body that believes his nonsense. And she began to think he must be out of his mind, being the only human on Earth who would call her charismatic. You and your squad don't belong in the "normal" category, Munakata.
He started seeing the pattern of her calling him without honorifics whenever she was pissed at him, but that only made him enjoy messing with her more. Although abusing the little patience she has would be a mistake.
I'm glad that you don't think of us as regular people and more like a unique group, I suppose. He fluently twisted her words in his favor. Unlike other clans, it is in our worries to seek for the general safety of the citizens. And in your case, as our special guest, we're particularly worried about.
Without taking her eyes of the puzzle, she still managed to notice a change in his tone.
Which leads me to my second reason for this meeting.
For a moment, his hands stopped moving pieces together. The teen, always paying attention to his movements, did as well. There was something about him that somehow prepared her to hear his next words.
Your ex-coworkers might be around the city.
Her lids opened inevitably, just to turn back to her tough gaze having no problem to do it with the head of the clan. Are you trying to scare me, Munakata? Her voice came sterner in case he thought this was funny. I don't recommend you laying to me.
I'd never do such things. He dropped the mockery and became serious. We've received word about some suspicious-looking men roaming the outskirts of Shizume city.
That's absurdly vague. She refused to believe him. There are tons of suspicious people around the streets and half of them never killed someone before.
If you want more details, you can check the files on my desk. He simply indicated.
The teen turned her head towards the furniture on the other side of the room. She was skeptical at first, but there was an uncertainty feeling she couldn't shake off. Her body rose from the floor and heavy feet leaded her to the file on top of the desk. Her hand reached it and without losing time she opened the thin folder.
The blue king continued the puzzle, ironically making more progress without the teen taking away all the missing pieces of the sky she couldn't put together. Her silence was inevitably saying she recognized those people in the pictures. From this point on, it was impossible to predict how her reaction will be.
The quiet teen´s hands put the documents down back on the surface. Her features showed no emotion or reaction; she knew it was worthless. She just had to assume reality.
Footsteps grew closer as she came back to her place where the young captain was already done with most part of the sky, the part she was struggling so much to complete. 'He's fast'. She stated in her mind the obvious since she couldn't really compute how her life turn so much in a single second.
The violet eyes behind those glasses observed the calm state she was in. From the outside it might look like she was fine, already prepared for this possible outcome, but her absent mind could only try each possible option to put a piece of the puzzle in the blue sky when that piece she was holding was green. She was definitely lost on what to think.
This is bad news I'm afraid. He cut down the painful silence and her constant obsession of placing the grass piece on the skies. But it doesn't mean the die is cast.
Eri ceased the motions of her hand finally and rose her eyes who couldn't hide her real thoughts and insecurities.
Now making eye contact, Munakata could check his intuition was right. By the looks of it, it seemed like he had all her attention for once and she was able to hear without talking back. We both know the possible end of this situation you're in, so I'll come to the point. Scepter 4 is willing to protect you and give you a good quality of life from your higher education to your private life. I understand your life would be in danger until this stops eventually if they don't find you, and to do so you'll need a high security lifestyle that we're able to provide you.
Don't think this is in order to use you as a puppet for any dirty business. When I said I'd like to have you for your abilities I meant your experience and your combat quality. I've already made my points clear and they didn't change. I would love to have you, Arisawa-san.
The former assassin was lost of words, mostly because there was a part of her who didn't want to believe this was happening. She used all her willpower to keep her pragmatic mind afloat.
I… won't lie; that's sounds convenient. She decided to speak her mind with no judgments. If they were really prepared to do all that for her, it might be a great chance for her to have a normal life, safe and away from the world she escaped from.
However it sounded too good to be truth. She still didn't know them, their true intentions or how were they planning on using her. Not to mention how she was against the concept of fighting for an organization again. But I really ca-
There's no need to decide now. The calm man cut her off before her final answer. Please have a deep thought on this. Maybe you'll feel convinced in a month, or maybe in a year. I promise you the offer will be there.
Until you come to a decision, please feel free to frequent our base as much as you need. Get to know my subordinates, have a look around, pay a visit to your best friend Fushimi-kun.
You sure like to give me a lot of freedom here. She exposed his frivolities, going back to her true self by little.
What can I say? As the captain of the blue clan, it's my duty to get the best of the best in my squad. Each piece counts, and it's important to have all of them in order to form something that's big as a whole. Even if one of them is missing, nothing can replace it and the result will not be the same.
The teen did not feel any need to be sarcastic or hostile to this man for the moment. She was fine letting him speak, and even listening to his particular sentences.
Looks like it's done. She brought the attention to the final result. They finished incredibly fast to be a 1000-piece puzzle. It was a beautiful landscape.
To become part of something big. In theory it sounded nice and cool, but she didn't believe in those idealistic definitions. She was pessimistic and realistic. Those flattery words didn't reach her like he wanted to. From the sort of life she had most of her years in this world, she lacked the capacity of believing in sweet words like those.
And still, she couldn't officially decline his deal. It was tempting to give in to what it looks like her only option. But it wasn't right. It was too risky to accept working for them with no real certainty of their trajectory and their plans for her.
She stared at the space. He was right, she should take her time to think about it. As much as she hates to admit. Discarding this option right there would be a serious mistake. There were many variables to study carefully and many uncertainties she couldn´t foresee. Everything was too vague to decide.
But there was something that was clear: from now on her life would be much harder to survive.