This was seriously messed up!

Aika sifted through her bag as class began. It had only been a couple of days since her date with Issei, but things were still so awkward between them. For some reason she could barely look the hopeless pervert in the eye! What was worse is how he barely seemed as flustered as she was. If anything, he was the one who was supposed to blush and stutter when they crossed paths, not her. Damn it, why had she kissed him!?

Stupid, stupid, stupid! She smacked her head thrice into her bookbag.

"Aika, I don't think you can afford to lose the brain cells," Issei's voice made her pause and then nearly die of embarrassment.

"Master blaster," she spoke sharply as she looked at him.

Stupid, dumb, idiot pervert Issei. He smiled down at her and gave a small chuckle. She had no idea what happened, if he found God or just a new stash of porn, but it was a total reversal of who he had been the last month. Besides the growing stubble, which Aika couldn't say she disliked, he looked better than ever. The bespectacled girl could tell he had been hitting the gym, and it was beginning to show. Slim but strong chords of muscle trailed down his biceps into his forearms and pecs, subtly stretching his shirt to the limit when moved a certain way.

But it wasn't like she had been staring or anything.

"Geez, did you come down with the pervert flu or something? You're usually not this hissy in the morning," he observed as he leaned up against her desk.

That! That too! That casual confidence he seemed to have now. Aika had known Issei for years, and all this time only porn ever seemed to motivate him to do anything. His passion was ogling women, not… whatever this was. The scruffy boy had ambition now, and the fact she couldn't pin down what it was was killing her. If it was something erotic she'd be able to sense it, but it wasn't. In fact, he barely seemed preoccupied with girls now. All he did was doodle nonsense in his notebook during the break periods and lunch. He was focused, and it wasn't fair that it was so hot!

She grumbled something and turned the other way. This was bad. If things continued like this she'd lose her edge! She needed to get the upper hand somehow. An idea sparked in her head even as her face burned. When she kissed him he was more than flustered, she had factory reset the guy! All she needed to do was do that again and she could say she had won.

"So, chicken choker, what did you want? Expecting another sloppy kiss?" she smirked.

A feeling of victory emerged as he blushed and stammered for a few moments. Hook, line, and sinker. "T-That's- You are seriously so preoccupied with the wrong stuff, Aika."

"I'm not hearing a no~."

"What, you want me to pin you to the desk or something?" Saying the words obviously made him embarrassed, but he plastered a lopsided smile on his face to counter the redness.

"Tch, when did you get so quippy?" she snarled. "Fine then, if you're so damn prepared then you can make our next date."

"Perfect, when are you free?"

Damn he's slick, she thought as she bit her lip. She wasn't the only one who had mastered the art of the back-and-forth. She would need to pull out the big guns if she wanted to turn this around on him.

"Whenever, doesn't matter to me," the words were blase.

Issei withdrew an agenda from his coat pocket and flipped through it. When did he get that? Why did he need that? He stopped at a page and did some mental math before smiling to himself.

"How about this Friday at three PM right after school?" he penned it down as he spoke.

"Sounds fine, Master Blaster, but just what do you expect us to do?"

He paused and tried to think of something. "Well, we could go see a movie and grab some dinner afterwards?"

"Ooh, Issei you sly fox. You trying to wine and dine this innocent girl?"

"As if I'd ever be so stupid as to leave a drink within arms reach of you, Aika."

"Cute. Yes, that works. Although I'm a picky girl, and I expect to be wowed," she leaned forward on her desk.

"Well then, maybe I'll just french kiss you out of nowhere and stick my tongue down your throat," he shot back, and instantly regretted saying it.

You could've heard a pin drop. Aika's head turned robotically as she realized they had been talking too loud. The other people in class were staring at them with a mixture of embarrassment, jealousy, and, strangely enough for the boys, pride. Issei noticed it not a second later as his jaw worked open and close like a wooden nutcracker. His blush redoubled, then began to increase at an exponential rate until she was sure she saw steam coming out of his ears. Silently, he sat down and put his head in his notebook as she tried for the cockiest smile she could manage.

He must never know that that kinda turned her on.

0-0-0-0

"Da Vinci, you good? You look kinda red," Beaufort noted as they made their way towards the forests surrounding Kuoh. Ajax had allowed them to appropriate the team's old pickup truck for the excursion, but since Issei couldn't drive he was relegated to the passenger seat.

"I'm fine, just thinking about something I said today."

"What, did you accidentally think a fat lady was pregnant?" he snarked.

Issei chuckled and blushed. "Nah, more like… I kinda said I was going to french one of my classmates in front of everyone else."

"Ha! You got balls, DV, I like that."

"Kinda gay."

"Shut up!" they both descended into laughter. "So what did your classmate say?"

"Well, let's just say I have a date this Friday."

Beaufort clapped him on the shoulder. "I love it, dude. That's what being a hero is all about! Kiss the pretty girl, fight the bad guys, and slay the monsters."

"One of three down, so far."

It was a late Wednesday evening. The entirety of yesterday and the day before was spent on this moment. After debriefing with Ajax about what Irina had said, he'd gotten to work on upping his arsenal. That sword Xenovia wielded was off the charts. The sheer destructive readings he'd gotten was enough to put his weapons to shame. It was beyond even his Mk. III blueprints! He'd had to create a new barrel attachment for his pistols which was easy thanks to their modularity. Irina's scan was less immediately helpful, but her Excalibur Mimic provided him with decent camouflage abilities. Enough that he had brought his rocket boots to school yesterday and hadn't even gotten a second glance.

This would be a good chance to test out his arsenal as it was. His utility belt was laden down with extra gadgets, and everything was at max charge. He pulled his modified goggles down over his eyes and let the heads up display turn on. Aim assistance, a simplified minimap, night vision, and thermal vision were some of things he'd given the goggles. With this and his new upgrades he'd be able to smoke anything shy of a mid-class devil. The truck pulled to a stop in what appeared to be a ruined courtyard overgrown with moss and dead plants.

Kuroyuki Manor had once belonged to one of those old money families. But after the last heir to the estate died childless it kind of went to waste. No one really had the money to buy it up and Kuoh Town, at least on the surface, wasn't an interesting enough town to really justify purchasing the place. But after years of disrepair and slow decay, it seemed a nest of youkai had come to reside in it.

Beaufort and Issei exited the car and stepped up to the mansion's front door. It was a creepy place with a dark, foreboding aura about it. A sword of white flame appeared in his partner's hand as he stopped beside Issei.

"This is your first time, so let's stick together. Once the fire really gets going the authorities will arrive, so we need to do that near the end."

"Can't we smoke them out?" Issei questioned.

He nodded. "We could, and it would kill the lot of them. However, the ones who survive would go berserk and, without a home, they'd scatter. It would tip our hand and cause the devils to look into just how this happened."

"So seek and destroy then commit arson?"

"See, now you're thinking like a hero," Beaufort gave him a toothy smile. "Now step aside. One coming in!"

The sword turned to a hammer and he brought it down on the front door. The rotten wood folded like cardboard and sent splinters scattering inside. Licks of flame already began to drip onto the floorboards, slowly pooling into swathes of flame. The game was on. Deeper into the mansion, a baleful howl echoed up to them.

"So much for stealth," he muttered under his breath as he readied his pistols.

From the dark, a small creature no bigger than a golden retriever rushed at them. It resembled something like a chimera, with the face of a monkey but the body of a tiger and a snake-like tail. It snarled as it approached, licks of spittle dripping from its jaws. Issei, for his part, didn't hesitate and pulled the trigger of one of his guns.

The shoot was brighter, faster, and when it struck the thing head on it exploded into a shower of sparks that would've blinded him were it not for his goggles. In turn, Beaufort's Flame Shake gave him a resistant to bright lights. It was probably why they had been paired together for this mission. Where once there had been a youkai was now only a smoking crater. It was the signal that kicked everything off.

From the halls and rooms poured a litany of strange beasts and unwelcome spirits. The young hero felt a pang of fear clutch his heart as they approached. However, his partner was not so scared.

"C'mon freaks, show me what you're made of! You're facing the Hero Faction!" Beaufort yelled as he threw a spear of white flame into a cluster of small youkai. It exploded with enough force to shake the manor, incinerating a few of the unlucky monsters.

The display bolstered Issei's confidence and he quickly unleashed a staccato of light bolts that carved a burning swathe through the enemy's ranks. Large crows with the heads of snakes took flight, dive bombing towards them as they hissed their rage. Issei fired a single shot into the midst of them and followed it up with an electrical charge from his other gun, catching the first blast midway through. The resulting explosion of light and electricity cooked the minor spirits to a crisp as they dropped to the ground.

The two heroes advanced, showing no mercy as they reached a rhythm. These were minor youkai, animalistic and without much power. Even so, their sheer number was enough to stymie their progress deeper in. It was absolutely insane, the lights and the bestial howls combined with this adrenaline running through his veins felt almost euphoric. He kicked his boots into motion as they propelled him over a throng of youkai hellbent on disemboweling him. As he landed he ducked into a combat roll and immediately began firing at their exposed backs.

The shots scythed through their bodies as though they weren't even there. The enhanced light bolts being a natural counter to such entities. There was a sharp crack as Beaufort's flame lash cut through a wall of small chimera. The smell of burning flesh clung to the back of his throat and made his head swim. He finally felt like he was in the middle of it, like he was a hero. With enthused glee he danced around their comparatively slow strikes and followed all the combat advice he'd gotten.

Step, step, pivot, shoot, he recounted almost calmly as he dodged a fireball of blue-white energy hurled from the mouth of one of the flying crow things. He returned with an even bigger blast that vaporized the unfortunate monster.

"Now you're getting into it, Da Vinci! It's fun right!?" Beaufort called as he jammed a broadsword into a larger monster's head.

"Way more fun than I imagined!" he responded in kind as he threw a bomb underhanded towards a walking suit of armor. The dullahan never saw the explosion coming and shrieked as his armor was melted into slag from the blast.

"Monsters!" a discordant voice howled as they reached the main living room.

The whole place was in tatters. Of the remaining furniture, much of it was torn and damaged beyond the point of keeping. Water stains and time had reduced the wallpaper to chunks of smudged color stuck to the walls. Even the carpet below was stained with dirt and mold. However, despite that, the thing that greeted them in the center of the room stood proudly. Issei hesitated to call it humanoid, although it did stand on two legs.

He recognized it purely off of the stories his grandma used to tell. It was a kappa, and one who took itself seriously by the looks of things. It wore nigh-ancient robes, like that of a monk, and held a staff in one hand.

"You slaughter my kin for no reason! We have not violated the sacred pacts, we have done nothing to you!" it spat at them.

"Your existence is enough reason to cull this nest, monster," Beaufort spat venomously, summoning a pair of fiery axes to his hands. "You dare walk upon human territory so boldly?"

"Bastards. We are innocent, and yet you mercilessly kill whelps and call yourselves heroes," it gripped the staff in both hands. "I, Hironori Hitoshi, will end your reign of terror here!"

"This must be the master of the house. Be careful Da Vinci, I can sense his power."

He could as well. His goggles gave him a vague readout, and just going by the estimated numbers he was easily a mid-class youkai. Perhaps even stronger. The kappa stamped its staff on the ground as the walls of the room glowed a purple-black and the doors slammed shut. A barrier to entrap them. There would be no backing out now.

"Die!" magic circles appeared around the youkai before expelling balls of crackling aura.

Issei kicked his boots into gear and leapt to the side, propelled over a half-destroyed couch before the attack could land. He countered with a suppressive fire that the kappa blocked by raising a hand and forming another barrier. Even though none of the blasts got through, it was obvious the youkai was straining against the onslaught. Thinking fast, the inventive hero threw another one of his bombs at the kappa's feet.

Instead of trying to block it, Hironori leapt into the air and avoided the ensuing explosion. However, he was unprepared as a flurry of arrows came down upon him courtesy of his partner. The kappa's staff came up again as he blocked each projectile with a precise swing. It kicked off the wall before it touched down onto the floor, and launched itself as the pyrokinetic hero. Beaufort barely managed to summon a martial shield of white fire before the staff connected with his chest. With monstrous strength the youkai threw the man to the side and into the wall where he smashed into it with a resounding crack.

"Beaufort!" Issei cried. "You bastard!"

He took flight again and used the height advantage to rain down several shots. Another barrier came up, but this time Issei was prepared. The next pair of blasts were charged with hard electricity, combining both forms of energy. They exploded against the shield and managed to break it, sending Hironori stumbling back.

He landed not a second later and threw a trio of explosive boomerangs at the magician. They exploded against its chest, earning a strangled cry from the kappa. He wasn't done yet, however. With a wave of his staff and hand a bolt of green lightning crackled towards him. Issei barely had time to raise his arms before it struck him. His body exploded into pain as it felt like he'd been punched right in the heart. For a second, the young hero thought he might be having a heart attack. It faded a second later, but the pain did not.

On instinct more than rational thought, Issei threw himself to the side just before another blast could catch him.

"Foolish humans, you dare break the oaths!? I will repay this blood debt a hundredfold!"

"Guess we can't let you live then," a voice chuckled darkly. Hironori turned as a flaming broadsword cleaved down onto his arm.

With a stark ripping sound Beaufort amputated the kappa's right arm and sent him stumbling back. Issei raised his gun and fired three shots into the youkai's back right as the sword shifted into a warhammer.

"Batter up!" Issei's comrade cried as he swung the inflamed weapon right into the kappa's jaw.

Blood and smoke flew into the air as the smell of burning flesh tinged the already stale air. Issei stood up and tried to control his breathing. They'd hurt him more than he'd hurt them, but if he caught them with another attack like that they'd be toast. Hironori stared them down with eyes that were equally enraged and terrified. The skin of his face and arm were both burned black and must've hurt like hell. Was this Beaufort's real strength? No wonder Issei had barely ever been able to beat him in sparring.

The man in question spat onto the ground. "You made the mistake of trying to move in on innocent people. I'm not going to let your kind just run around wherever they please."

"And neither will I!" Issei threw his hat in the ring, earning a smile from the red headed hero. "I promised to defend this town with my life, and I won't let anyone bring harm to the people here."

"P-Please, we are peaceful. We never did anything to anyone! This was merely the safest place for my kind to rest and live," the sincere fear in the kappa's voice brought pause to Issei. His friend was less convinced.

"A wolf in sheep's clothing. I've seen too many of the so-called 'good monsters' turn feral when it suits them. I won't let my weakness kill another innocent person again."

Something in those words struck a chord with the inventor. No matter how they acted, at the end of the day they were just monsters. They would never be like humans, and he could never be sure they wouldn't end up killing someone. If it saved even one life, then it was their job as heroes to destroy this place.

"The East Youkai Faction will hear of this! They will come down upon you like the wrath of god-" Hironori was cut off with a strangled choke as Issei blasted him in the chest.

It burned a whole right through his lung, and stopped the magician from protesting further. There was no reason to drag out its suffering, even if it was just a monster. The kappa fell to the floor, gagging as it clutched the wound with its remaining arm.

"Finish it, Beaufort. There's no point in making him suffer."

"Agree to disagree, buddy, but yeah," he summoned a ball of pure flame and tossed it at the kappa. The last thing Issei saw was Hironori's eyes closing in preparation for the blast.

As the smoke and fire died down, the barrier surrounding the room dissipated. In the wake of the kill, there was only silence. The aura of the manor had changed. It was no longer dark and ominous but now it felt almost afraid. They had slayed the youkai's leader and killed a mass number of lesser spirits. They were right to be afraid of them. Issei looked down at his guns and felt a sense of pride wash through him. To think he'd become strong enough to match actual monsters in just a few weeks time. Was this the power of his Sacred Gear?

There was still so much to be improved on, but it was a start. He needed to analyze this combat data. However, something that Hironori said bugged him.

"Beaufort, he mentioned something called the 'East Youkai Faction', didn't he?" Issei pondered aloud.

His partner hummed and kicked at the ashes. "Yeah, dunno what that is. I guess the name should speak for itself, but, uh, I'm drawing a blank on the specifics."

"Probably some crazy ass group of wicked strong youkai. Either way, let's hope they don't come back to put us in the morgue for icing their friend."

They continued on from the living room into the heart of the mansion. Floor by floor, room by room they carved a path through the minor spirits. After fighting Hironori, this was almost child's play. By the end of it all the little youkai weren't even fighting, but trying desperately to escape. It felt heartless to gun them down the way he did, but Beaufort reasoned that it was just animal instinct. Nothing different than putting down feral dogs, despite how unnerving it all felt. Issei wasn't much for punching down, but this is what he signed up.

This was what he signed up for. He had to keep that in mind.

Them or me. I can't afford to fail now, it wasn't personal. He was just trying to keep the town safe. If anything, without the kappa's guidance they'd resort to just running around causing a havoc. He was saving everyone a lot of pain by doing this. He was the good guy here.

Eventually they reached the basement. Even without working electricity, the night vision and Beaufort's flames provided ample illumination to the dank space. There wasn't much down here except for some ancient ledgers and old junk. That was until Issei came upon a small table tucked away in the corner of the basement. On it was a surprisingly intact book. New by the looks of things.

Curiously, he cracked it open and poured over the contents. It was some kind of journal, although the script was old. The style akin to something that would be written nearly two hundred years ago. It made it hard to parse, but he was able to get a few passages out. Enough to realize this wasn't just any old relic, this belonged to Hironori!

"Beaufort, look! This is that kappa's diary!"

"Woah, really? What's it say, I can't read Japanese all that well."

The young hero poured over the notes. It was still annoying to read, but he could make out some parts.

Something is odd. The West Youkai have been quiet as of late. Something's brewing in Kyoto, but no one will tell me what. Father intends to send me far away, but claims it is for "building character". I do not understand why.

I smell the tracest scent of foreigners in the air. It smells fetid and dark. The elder found me sticking my nose where it didn't belong and is kicking me out to some know-nothing town. "Kuoh" is what I believe they call it. I am to guide and help the young bloods mature. Despite me voicing my disagreement, they're almost frantic to make me leave. Shows what being the Kappa Elder's son gets you.

As Issei translated, Beaufort scratched his head in confusion. This didn't make much sense to Issei either, but he read on nonetheless. The next entry was dated almost nine months later, and the script was more legible.

It's not so bad here. The rulers of this town do not take heed of me, and I take care not to raise their ire. These young ones are so rambunctious, I feel like an old man always scolding them! I believe some of the human children wandered near, but Mori-san spooked them. I do hope they don't encourage others to come here to test their "bravery". One group was enough.

There is an odd scent in this place as well. I cannot parse it exactly. It is tinged with the scent of blood and outrage though. Simmering like dying coals waiting to be relit. My meditation reveals only dark omens in the future. I worry.

As Issei read on, he felt a pit begin to worm into his stomach bit by bit. These were not the ramblings of a mad beast or a sadistic monster. These were the thoughts of someone who had had their own hopes and dreams, their own past. In the moment, it had been easy to view the kappa as a simple enemy, but now…

But, in the end, his feelings mattered oh so little. He was quickly beginning to realize that his guilt, his shame, all of it was his burden to bear. There would be no one to console him if he let it crush him. There was only the mission, his purpose as a hero. He set the book down, humbled, and tried to reason with himself that it was necessary. But the bitter truth was that he felt bad, deep down inside. And the even more bitter truth was that his hangups shouldn't, couldn't interfere with his work. Georg would repossess Innovate Clear without a second thought.

It was a hard choice to make, but Issei had to do what was best for him.

Out of some warped sense of honor, he was compelled to read the last passage.

I've seen it. My end. The smell in the air is that of foreigners, their magic potent and strange. I felt it through the walls of this place and the ground of the forest. There is a dark seed in their lair that is gorging itself on magical energy, producing nothing but engines of woe. I have seen the faces of my killers, and know that it is my time.

I've sent a message to mother and father, along with instructions. They cannot return to this place. It is too late for me, but I will not allow them to fell my family. Father will do what he must, and I trust him to listen to me. I've prepared myself, mentally and spiritually, and feel no fear. There is only my duty, my charge to protect this place and its inhabitants.

Yurino, please do not weep for me. I'll wait for you up ahead. Sense these words that I pour into the page with all my love and know it to be true.

I love you.

There was only a strange numbness in his heart as he closed the book. No tears, no anger or guilt. What was done was done. Neither of them had been wrong, they had just been enemies. Were it him that had died, he would have left behind his own loved ones to mourn. In a fight to the death, it was not only the loser who suffered. But he could take away an important lesson from its- no, his words.

There was always someone stronger, someone more dangerous. If Issei did not prepare himself for that fact he would die, and all of this would be for naught. He had to prepare, devise a solution to every and any problem, and train even harder. There was no victory in death, that was for sure.

"Let's leave, Beaufort," Issei set the book down. "I've had my fill of this place."

His comrade nodded silently, and they returned back up to the first floor. As they went, the pyrokinetic hero used his Flame Shake to leave splatters and droplets of dripping white fire. Despite the dampness of some of the boards, it caught easily and quickly began to consume the entirety of the place. As they exited through the front doors the entire manor was consumed with flames. The only thing that would be left by tomorrow morning would be a husk filled with ashes. No bodies to leave behind as evidence of what they did.

The drive back to the factory was one spent in silence. It was his first mission, and he performed admirably. It would hopefully impress Ajax enough to give him more assignments, and the data would be invaluable. He could refine his style, refine his technology, and through it he'd be unbeatable. A solution to every problem; a tool for every job. That was what he would become. The ideal he would embody.

0-0-0-0

The tool sizzled and spat as it touched the circuit board. Blue light sparkled as he drew the ionic synthesizer pen through the corrugated circuits of trans-amulite carbon aurafibers. The channels would better diffuse the energy to prevent feedback issues and allow for cross-energy source amplification. He set the implement down and closed the hatch on the back of the jetpack. At the moment it was more of a "jump pack", but with a little time he'd be able to achieve sustained flight. With how he made the battery valves he could recharge it back to full fuel while it wasn't in use. It was a simple adjacent modification to the recursive charge system he used for his pistols that increased their potency the longer he went without shooting.

Added with his propulsion boots, Issei felt confident in saying he could achieve speeds comparable to a sports car at top performance. Now all that was left was to work on the handling. The inventive young man continued on like that for countless hours, until he felt a presence behind him.

"Beaufort, is everything okay?" he asked.

The red headed man sat down across from Issei and sighed. "Didn't mean to interrupt you or nothing, DV. I decided to ask Ajax about that stuff we found, and he said he'd put in a notice up the chain of command. Apparently some of the bigger teams are making moves."

Issei switched his focus from the rocket pack to the new modular attachments to his laspistols. If he could carry a few different power sources and barrels, he could change up the resulting blast's elemental effect, shape, power, and loads of other things. In his tinkering fugue, it took him a few moments to understand what his friend was saying.

"Think something is going on?"

"Hell if I know, man. We're just grunts, they don't tell us nothing. But the fact Ajax doesn't know is… odd. The guy is Upper Management, and either he's keeping us out of the loop or they're keeping him out of the loop. Whichever case, it's out of the norm."

The teen looked up and adjusted his goggles. "Well, let's hope it's nothing bad."

"I dunno. I've been hearing weird rumors. Something about the President seeing to a personal matter. If he's getting involved, then whatever is going on must be serious," Beaufort whispered conspiratorially.

"Have you ever met him?" Issei asked curiously. "The President, I mean."

"No way, dude! Barely anyone sees him. Only Board Members really talk to him on the regular, and the Executives sometimes get to meet with him. But beyond that, it's always just orders handed down to us."

Consider his interest piqued. "Do you even know what he looks like? What his powers are?"

"No way man. Although to lead the Hero Faction you'd have to guess that he's pretty strong. I mean, even the Three Great Powers take us seriously."

"I mean, don't we have, like, a lot of kickass allies and stuff?"

Beaufort sighed and nodded his head. "Yeah, but it's not like they tell us anything. We take orders and slay the bad guys, right? I'm pretty happy being ignorant of all that high-stakes political stuff. I don't got the brains for it."

"Or any brains at all."

"Fuck you, jerk off."

The two shared a laugh that quickly became stifled as a third joined them. Ajax, sans his armor for the first time Issei had ever seen him, strided across the factory floor and picked up a chair. He set it down between the two of them and sat on it backwards style with the back resting under his arms. Issei wasn't sure if he was angry or just amused at their banter, but the smile on his face made him think it was the latter.

"Heard you boys talking about the prez."

"Y-Yeah, boss. Just spitballing," Beaufort chuckled.

"Well, I could tell you about him of course. But then I'd have to kill you," Ajax's smile dissipated in an instant.

Issei felt his blood run cold as his hand twitched towards his only working Laspistol. A moment later a smile broke out on his leader's face and the man devolved into roaring laughter. Nervously, he and Beau joined in until the man finally stopped and wiped his eye.

"Get's the new guys every time. Anyways, it's nothing to whisper about. Pretty much all of us look up to the President. Hell, I even met the guy."

"Woah, you did!? When!?"

"Well boys, get comfortable. It all started in a little town a lot like this one…"