In the cave where Homura Crimson Squad lives
Homura just told what happened sooner, to the smallest detail.
"Here the story, what you think?"
Homera asks, even if she already figured their answers.
"Obviously a trap, a very ridiculous one."
Haruka answers without hesitation.
"I think the same way."
Yomi adds, as sure as Haruka.
"Same."
Hikage simply says with her usual monotone voice.
The only one who didn't answer yet is Mirai, who looks way more hesitant than her friends.
"Mirai? You disagree?"
Homura asks.
"Well, I first though it was a trap too, but something is wrong…"
Mirai says with a serious tone, still thinking.
"Oh? Can you tell us more about it?"
Haruka asks with her usual seductive voice.
"For months, we've managed to counter every assault sent against us, they should know we're far to be stupid, at least not stupid enough to be tricked by a too beautiful to be true offer…"
Mirai explains, who's making her friends' minds confused.
"Also, that Yuuma, I don't think she found us by chance, why would they try to bait us somewhere if they already know where we are? Then, they would bait the five of us whereas it would be way easier for them to kill us one by one, just like when Homura was training all alone."
Mirai adds, whom the explanations have definitely made her friends doubt.
Silence reigns for long seconds, then…
"I think Mirai has a point, but I don't know what to think…"
"Same for me, kinda complicated…"
"Our little Mirai's clever girl! But I have to say I'm still unconvinced about the veracity of that offer…"
Yomi, Hikage, and Haruka respectively answer, doubting but not as much as before.
"Homura, I think we rely on you this time…"
Mirai tells Homura, which disrupts her a lot.
The tanned shinobi's never been the best for decision-making, but as a leader, it's her duty.
"Well, let's consider that offer as an honest one, if it's bullshit, we'll just have to crush them like we've always done."
After those words, her four friends smile, a proud and satisfied smile, proud to follow such a person such as Homura.
"However, the question's only hafl-answered, if that offer is real, shall we accept it?"
Homura asks, vanishing the smiles on her friends' faces.
Again, long seconds are needed before Yomi dare give a response.
"I… actually enjoy our life as renegades and our freedom, but… Does it really worth endangering our lives each moment? I mean, it was the same at Hebijo, but not that much…"
She says, very hesitating.
"I think we should accept, we wouldn't be our own master, but… We won't live like rats our entire life…"
Mirai adds, she seems less hesitant than Yomi.
"To be honest, I liked our lifestyle at Hebijo, I'm not against trying it somewhere else. Also… I like being desired!"
Haruka says in confident and free-handed way.
"Why not, comfort is pretty good."
Completes Hikage, still with her cold tone, it's now Homura's turn to respond.
"I understand, as your leader, but above all, as the one who put you into that crappy life, I must give you what you deserve. We will accept that offer, and we'll see Yuuma all together."
Under those soft words, the smiles that vanished just reappeared on Homura Crimson Squad's members' face, it they're even more radiant.
"Understand !"
Homura's four friends yell in unison.
Three days later, rendezvous time
"Just in time…"
Homura says with a strict tone of voice, Homura who's, as planned, with her friends.
"Nice to see you came, the five of us, it's even nicer!"
Yuuma answers, still with her childish enthusiasm.
The first thing each member of the Crimson Squad do is to concentrate on their environment around them to feel any other presence.
And the result is..
"Homura, I don't feel anyone else, she's alone…"
Haruka whispers to her leader, who doesn't even turn back, as if she didn't hear anything.
"Yuuma, we mad eour choice, we accept to join you."
Homura says with a confident tone, but that doesn't completely hide her mistrust.
"Great! But by "we accept", you mean "definitely" or just for the trial period?"
Yuuma'q question surprise Homura and her friend, until now, they thought it was a joke.
"Well, I guess a trial is better for now…"
Homura, who isn't that confidant now, responds.
"Okay! So, you'll need this, here !"
Yuuma launch a paper-made plane toward Homura, which is kinda original for a shinobi.
Homura takes the origami and unfold it in a flash, the paper is actually a map of a part of Osaka with a particular place marked.
I guess that's the place your school is hidden?"
Haruka seductively asks, by looking at Yuuma like a starving predator, which disrupts her a lot.
"Eh… Yeah, our school is hidden in a dojo, to enter the shinobi school, you need to go inside, find a shinobi, and tell it the password which is on the back of the map."
After those words, Homura looks at the back and notice an English sentence:
"I want the best use of my energy"
But Yuuma didn't think about something…
"I… What it means?"
Homura doesn't know a single word in English, the few lessons she got when she was younger had been forgotten for long.
Fortunately, her friends are more reliable.
"It's English, it means "I want the best use of my energy"..."
Mirai with a desperate tone of voice.
"Good news for ya, Homura, our school also offers language lessons!"
Usually, Homura wouldn't accept such a remark, but the humiliation is hard enough so, she stays quiet.
"Alright, I told you everything you need to know, you have one week to pack and join us, here a little something to pay your travel!"
Yuuma says by launching an apparently well-filled envelope, she immediately disappears right after, as fast as last time.
Hikage, who catches the envelope, immediately opens it, as guessed, it filled with money.
"I wonder how many bean sprouts pack you can purchase with it!"
Yomi very seriousely asks.
"We won't make them wait, let's pack ours bags and go."
Homura says with a strict tone.
A few hours later, Osaka
Homura and his friends are almost reached their destination.
Of course, before leaving, they did call their friend to tell them about their departure, but something was wrong…
"Mirai, still nothing?"
Homura asks, with a very concerned face.
"No, no reply from Gessen or Hebijo…"
Mirai answers, as concerned, like the three other members of the group by the way.
They could meet their friends from Hanzo a last time, they even lunched with them before leaving, but nobody from neither Gessen nor Hebijo did respond. Asuka and her friends couldn't contact them too, but they promise to tell Homura about them as soon as possible.
"Alright, whatever, for now, let's go to that school and see if they good enough…"
Homura says to stimulate her group before starting to walk in the direction of the place where their potential future school is.
One hour later, in front of a dojo called "International Yoseikan Budo Association"
Homura Crimson Squad has arrived to the dojo marked on the map.
For a dojo, it's a large place, as large as a soccer field and with several stages, more than sufficient to welcome martial artists in good conditions.
"Yoseikan Budo? I don't know anything about it…"
Yomi says, intrigued.
"I do, it's a martial art created by a Japanese martial arts expert, Hiroo Mochizuki. It's a style mixing bare hands combat and weapons mastery, it's not very popular in Japan, most of the practitioners are in Europe, in France more specifically."
Homura explains, when the topic is about martial arts, only a few can match her knowledge.
"Whatever, let's see the hidden part of that place…"
Homura adds before entering the dojo.
Once inside, the girls are welcomed by scream, kiai.
The first floor, as they guessed, is a large training space with a ground covered by tatami, and it's not empty.
Four people are training for kata, three men and one woman, who're wearing keikogi with a blue top.
But of them is a shinobi, so Homura just ignores them. She hates to annoy people who are training by the way.
Then…
"Welcome to our dojo, how may I help you?"
A pretty warm female voice greets Homure's group.
It's a young blue-haired woman with a short ponytail and rose eyes, wearing the same cloth as the people currently training on the tatami.
And more important, she's a shinobi.
"Hey! Eri, our kata series is almost done, wanna perform a few sutemi with us?"
One of the boy training asks the young woman.
"Later! First, I have to help those girls! And keep in mind you cannot talk to people out of the tatami if you're on it!"
Eri friendly answers the practitioner, who bows to apologize before resuming his kata.
Homura, in her side, take a light breath before tells the blue-haired girl in a low voice:
"I want the best use of my energy…"
Which first doesn't seem to cause any reaction in the woman, but…
"Follow me…"
Eri says, her facial expression unchanged.