The Dark Knight of Chiba 2: Knightfall

by BlackPsych

Sequel to 502nickster's "The Dark Knight of Chiba". After toppling the city's most vicious crime family, Hachiman's internal drive and means of greater power sets his alter-ego, the Huntsman, on a questionable path. Timing couldn't be worse as he resolves to ease his guilt over a certain Yukinoshita and beyond, all while the remaining evils of Chiba surround the young vigilante.

8. Ace Chemicals (Part 1)

Chapter 8: Ace Chemicals (Part 1)

Hikigaya Hachiman

Rear guard? Perfect position for yours truly.

It was also the most vulnerable post in my opinion. I didn't want to ask if I was placed here because I was the most reliable or the most expendable. The answer probably wouldn't have been to my liking either way.

From here I've yet to spot any miscreants in the streets looking to launch an ambush, but damn it if I ever let my guard down since that was always the first step to failure. You never know when these jackals will—

"Uh, Hikitani-kun? You okay, bro?"

The hell? Stupid Tobe, quit distracting me and get back to your cushy middle position.

"I'm fine, don't mind me," I replied.

He didn't buy it, in fact, the fool got even closer to my face, like he wanted snatch a quick eskimo!

"You sure? Maaan you had a real scary look on your face though!" Tobe exaggerated.

Rude.

"That's—"

Yuigahama stepped in between us, cutting me off before I could properly rebuke Tobe.

As expected, she led with a jovial, cheery tone, "Um, it's okay! Hikki's just doing his best, I think. He's, like, really serious about our safety, hehe!"

Why do I need to be defended at all when I was forcedto be here? Wait, did that even qualify as a defense? I couldn't tell because of that little chuckle she needlessly threw my way at the end.

"Ha, but our group's all good. No one's gonna mess with five dudes at once. So chill, Hikitani. I mean, have ya seen Yamato here? This man's a skyscraper," Ooka pointed out.

Right, because height means everything… I guess all I've ever done as Huntsman was just a fluke, being the average-height kind of guy I am.

Anyway, I've seen more than enough of Yamato for the rest of my life. Damn you Ooka—your reassuring skills are awfully terrible and the reason why you'll never truly be with a woman. To rely on another man's supposed strengths is an invitation for him to bestow the curse of NTR upon you. And believe me, Yamato will seize that opportunity on you someday soon.

I'm not even kidding, Ooka's virgin stench reminded me of the time I caught Yamato secretly acting like the degenerate manwhore he truly is. That guy was sucking face with a naive first year girl during the cultural festival. I also saw him necking with another girl from our class earlier in the same week. A two-timing prick for sure—what a lowlife. Not the kind of man I'd ever put my trust in, that's for sure.

"G-Guys, Hikitani-bro's just doing his thing! It's uh, kinda cool, y-y'know?" Yamato croaked out, turning to me with a sheepish smile.

Wow. Suddenly I've become cool! Ha, maybe you're not such a bad guy after all, Yamato-bro. Oh, you want a fist bump? Sure thing—girls are a dime a dozen anyways. The only thing you need in life is a reliable guy to entrust your secrets with!

I chuckled. No, I couldn't keep it down after looking at the desperation on Yamato's fat face. I left his stupid brofist hanging, obviously disappointing him and that chick with the rotten fetish.

Ah, Ebina-san, drooling is for children with no sense of inhibition. Please adjust yourself instead of muttering about how I'm a 'uke tease' since that's disgusting. It's December, I already have enough chills to deal with on a daily basis and I don't need to hear you whispering how you want nothing more than to see me surrender my own chastity to, bleh, freakin' Tobe. That's sick.

Thankfully, the topic had switched over from me to something mundane after my strange laugh. No longer was I the center of attention, however, I didn't go back to checking our six after all of that nonsense. Felt like a needless try-hard from one those old strategy games I used to play…

Goddamn riajuu. On paper, a buddy system like this 'BUDDYTALK SYSTEM' is practical, but applying it with the kind of people who sought to live their youthful lives to the fullest? Terrible. It really felt like I was the odd one out for putting our safety first. They're all way too complacent for my liking, making me want to sneak away or just not care at all if someone happened to follow us.

This was only my second day walking home with them and, as I thought, it was an awful waste of my time. Hell, it was a testament to the unfairness of the world that Sobu's most popular clique coincidentally got Chiba's one vigilante to help them get home safely. To think I'd ever be a part of this kind of messed up equity. This went against everything I ever stood for as a loner. Absolute bullshit—

"You were doing good work, Hikio."

I heard a voice quietly address me amongst the chatter, turning to see that Miura had slipped back from the front. I expected a smile to go along with her words of praise but she had a neutral look on her face instead.

"Don't patronize me," I responded curtly.

Really, I didn't need her two cents after everyone had gone back to their own conversations. I hoped my words were enough to get the girl to understand this, but all they did was just make her frown at me.

"Hey, I wasn't doing that at all. Did you forget how I said someone like you was needed here?" She whispered sharply.

Her brows furrowed into a deep scowl, like I was stupid enough to forget. I responded with one of my own, but followed her discrete demeanor, lest the others chimed in again.

"Oh no, I haven't forgotten about being blackmailed into coming along. Not at all," I said sarcastically.

Believe me, I smelt the desperation behind your bravado the other day. Though again, with how oddly comfortable everyone is, maybe it was justified?

She rolled her eyes at me, scoffing, "Good, because I don't regret it one bit. Not when I finally feel safe—"

Miura cut herself off right after she had admitted, well, that.

Huh, to think someone like her could fudge an interaction with a renowned peon like me. Judging by the way Miura squirmed, I don't think even she knew what was going to come out before opening her big mouth. I didn't think much of it, but she obviously did and waited for me to respond somehow.

Hell, even when embarrassed, Miura looked pissed. Luckily for her, science class was interesting enough today for me to recall the lecture and put some rationality behind her words.

"Well, increasing numbers within a herd naturally provides that, uh, feeling. Especially during troubled times. Consider the... Sika deer, for instance," I reasoned, pointing up a finger at nothing in particular. If I were wearing glasses, I'd push it up alongside my nose right about now just to drive my point home even further.

"Y-Yeah. That makes sense, I think?" Miura half-heartedly agreed.

Hell if I know. Despite who I go by at night and besides that one croc in the sewer, I've never actively hunted wild animals in my entire life yet. Their behavior patterns are just as mysterious to me as those of women like you. For both our sakes, I hope you think your words through next time before spouting out stuff that can be misconstrued.

She recovered soon after, her green eyes squinting at the people in front of us.

"I'm gonna go back to, what's it called—being a point guard. I can't trust Tobe with that job at all," Miura said, pointing her thumb over at the fool.

"Yeah, you really can't," I agreed.

Tobe was more focused on trying to butt in on Ebina-san and Yuigahama's conversation than covering for Miura. Even from here it was obvious why.

"He's that kind of guy after all. Poor Hina," Miura muttered, shaking her head with an annoyed look. "But Hikio, don't slack off and just keep at it. I'm doing the same thing as you up front. Okay?"

"...Right," I lamely replied, remembering she was the one who assigned us all our positions.

Miura smiled to herself before leaving me behind so she could man (woman?) the front of our formation again. Tobe himself got an earful from the she-wolf, making him retreat back to the other guys and gave them all a good laugh.

Rear guard. Five people for me to watch over and the station was just a few blocks ahead… I suppose I could 'keep at it' for now. No harm in being one of the only two in 'BTS' to take our safety seriously.

Still a stupid name though.

---

As usual, we split at the station, reminding one another to notify the group chat the second we got home. Of course, Yuigahama always did that part for the both of us because I've had that chat muted since day one.

Yuigahama and I would be riding the same line as usual. The manslut and the virgin were tasked with getting Ebina-san home before themselves, since they went in the same direction. Usually Miura and Ebina-san would go together along with one of the guys, but things were different today.

Miura and Tobe will be going on a whole different line together.

At first, I thought Tobe would be that much of a scumbag to move on from the fujoshi to the Queen Bee in such a short time frame. It did surprise me that Miura was also that much of a shallow person to quickly move on from her blonde-boy crush to the orange-haired idiot.

However, Miura herself furiously cleared up that misunderstanding right away. I can't understate how harsh her words were when stupid Ooka actually asked if she and Tobe were going out. Even I felt the secondhand burn from his and Tobe's direction. About as nasty as that time in primary school when a classmate tried to dump my half-eaten slice of her birthday cake, after being teased that she even gave me a share of it at all…

…

In actuality, Miura and Tobe were both going to try to visit Hayama on the pretense of delivering his homework. A sleazy excuse, but those two were his closest friends before he decided to stay away from Sobu for almost two full weeks now. Hiratsuka-sensei apparently agreed that if anyone was going to willingly coax Hayama out of his hidey-hole, it would be them.

Everyone but myself had offered Miura and Tobe good luck and to give Hayama their regards. They went about it in such a cheesy manner that I felt like I was intruding. Ha, I suppose a level of care does exist amongst this group of riajuu.

The school population gave Miura's clique a pass, thinking that its members were probably mistreated by Hayama all this time. I wonder what'd happen if Sobu found out the group still actually had the biggest Hayama Hayato loyalists. Miura's where she's always been, whilst Tobe's just keeping Hayama's seat warm for his 'inevitable' return. The others vocally wished for a scenario where they'd all go out for some pastries again in the near future. Pretty much the opposite opinion of the masses, which is that Hayama is probably as evil as his father.

Honestly, the clique was being way too optimistic to think they can bear the upcoming shitstorm. Whatever though, Hayama's actually innocent and isn't a friend of mine, so it's not like I had a say in this.

"I hope Yumiko and Tobecchi get to see Hayato-kun today," Yuigahama giddily whispered next to me on the empty train car.

Ehh stop right there. I couldn't care less.

"Well… his grades will be in trouble if he doesn't accept the homework," I stated, staying purposely neutral.

Hmm, I do wonder if Hiratsuka-sensei also messaged Hayama to come back to school. Well, if she did, I'm pretty sure the contents of my mail were far more elaborate than his. I was exceptional, of course.

"Ah—that's not the real point of them visiting Hayato-kun, Hikki! We're really worried about him," Yuigahama yelped at me, jumping in her seat.

Great. So much for wishing you'd keep quiet, why can't you just leave me to my thoughts? Also, if you're going to bounce like a child, at least sit a seat or two away instead of smack dab next to me. Again, we're in an empty train car.

"You're really the kind of person with an annoying amount of sympathies to spare, huh? I'll remember to cease all communication with you, should I ever be placed in a less than desirable position," I said, making her frown.

"What do you mean by that? I just want my friends to be happy, isn't that a good thing?" Yuigahama asked rhetorically.

I did have an answer to that, however—the way you're all expressing this desire is through pity. Who does that truly help? It certainly makes you people feel better, but what of the pride of the receiving party? Without even noticing, your sympathies tear at their dignity and drive them to salvage whatever they can.

Again, not that I care about Hayama or his relationship with his group, but Tobe and Miura will probably drive a man of pride like him to draw boundaries. Boundaries that they hoped to cross through the power of friendship or whatever. Disappointment is sure to follow through and neither of them will expect that.

"From another perspective, it's selfish. The supposedly lesser than evil kind of selfish. But the negativity is still there," I said all that to Yuigahama without going in depth like I did in my thoughts. It wasn't in me to say anything else after she had gone silent with a worried look etched on her face. Silence is golden, after all. We should have kept it that way from the start.

Hmph, perhaps I scrambled her thoughts a bit too much with my negativity. I say this because we reached a familiar stop… the one that was ahead of Yuigahama's regular stop.

Yeah, she was that much of an idiot. Not a care in the world as she hung over my shoulder to get a good look through the window behind me.

"Oh no!"

Yuigahama stood up straight hesitating between either sitting back down and checking her phone. I acted—her hesitance pissed me off enough to make a decision for her. I sprinted over to the nearest train door and motioned for her to come along.

"Don't just stand there, get off!"

Yuigahama quickly followed me out of the train. The door closed behind us immediately after and left us stranded in a spot that we never frequented.

I glared at Yuigahama, but she didn't seem to notice as she was too busy literally beating herself over the head. I was glad we were on the same page for once, because I totally wanted a turn after she was done.

"I can't believe I missed my stop. Ah! I have to tell Yumiko right away!" she moaned out, frenziedly texting.

I sighed, "Yeah you do that."

Ah, another day, another detour. This was the last thing I needed. Seriously.

I tightened my bag around my shoulders and stepped in the direction of the station exit, glancing back at the airhead.

"You ready? Let's go."

"Huh? O-Oh," Yuigahama stuttered, quickly realizing my intentions. "Thanks Hikki, sorry for the trouble."

"Don't mention it," I said quietly.

Miura and Hiratsuka-sensei would have my head if I left you alone here and future me didn't need the headache. I could only pray we weren't that far off from her home. Yuigahama, I swear… tonight's a very important night and I have a package to pick up within the hour. If I miss my appointment by a large stretch, I'll never forgive you.

We walked in silence, past blocks filled with shops and just general strip malls. Yuigahama was surprisingly silent. She probably knows we were a ways away from her home and it'd take a while for me to escort her there. I suppose she was being considerate over my feelings and rewarded my noble deed with peace and quiet—

"Hey, Hikki."

Kami-sama, why? Why do we have to talk as we walk?

I turned to her, not even bothering to hide the exasperation in my voice as I wiped the sweat off my brow, "What is it?"

"I'm super embarrassed for asking you a huge favor when you're already doing this much for me, but…" she trailed off, clasping her hands together like a begging child.

Please just…

"Just say it," I grunted.

Yuigahama was startled for sure, but only for a moment. Actually it seems, right after her initial surprise, she found the resolve to spit it out like I demanded. She clenched her gloved palms into fists and raised them up to her chest level. The afternoon sunlight accentuated her peach-reddish eyes.

"Do you think you can join Yukinon and I on the Student Council?" Yuigahama finally asked me.

She was nervous while speaking, but it was her demeanor that told me she meant it. Too bad for her, I wasn't moved or interested. So I decided to answer the question with one of my own.

"Ah, you just said 'And I' huh? So you're taking the Vice President position after all?"

Yuigahama's eyes faltered. I heard guilt laced in her next words.

"I'm really sorry for not telling you earlier, I just wanted to help Yukinon anyway I could after yesterday," she explained, holding on to her backpack straps. "Going this way never crossed my mind until the results were announced. Even when we were both running, I only wanted to either win or lose—not take a, um, consolation prize."

That's hard to believe considering how attached to the hip you and Yukinoshita are with each other.

"You dropped out, so you didn't lose. Not that I take offense, but doesn't this mean you would have joined her anyway?" I asked, giving her a dry look.

I mean, even Yukinoshita admitted to me that she'd have been your number two in the event of her loss.

"No, that's not true! You should already know… where I wanted to be at the most," she quieted down after her sudden outburst.

The Service Club, I easily guessed. You do have a habit of repeating your love for it. I was right to think those words lost their significance after you kept repeating them over and over.

Yukinohita's your new love, I get it, but do you? I really don't want any part of your yuri nonsense, alright?

"But I couldn't leave Yukinon alone! Not after all those… jerks quit on her," Yuigahama continued with utter disdain.

Calling them jerks? Well… yeah, that was an apt description. I won't argue with that.

Yukinoshita's presidency was announced and the reaction was about as cruel as expected. Many students were openly disgusted at their school being represented by a Yukinoshita. A lot of her ex-fangirls from Class J and beyond were weeping over being 'tricked' into voting for her. Loads of guys consoled them, telling them they were blameless and it was 'obvious' someone ran interference in the election. A few even went so far as to claim they were strong-armed for their ballots and silenced up until now.

Just a bunch of annoying whining done left and right. Yuigahama had Miura quell the complaints in our class, but even the Queen Bee could only do so much to bend the school's consensus.

It didn't end there. That same day, the other three students elected into the positions of Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer came into the club room unannounced. One by one, they each gave Yukinoshita a joint letter of resignation in 'solidarity of justice', or some other pretentious nonsense, that they recited to us all. As if it meant anything other than 'We quit because we don't like you'.

Hiratsuka-sensei was furious with their conduct when she found out. Shiromeguri-senpai, the leaving president, tried her best to dissuade their decisions, but even she was met with unwavering stubbornness and failed. Yukinoshita accepted their resignations in stride, only showing her distress after they left the club room.

"...You didn't really answer my question, Hikki," Yuigahama said dryly, breaking me out of my thoughts.

No I haven't, but it's obvious what I'm going to say, right? I wish we could have just focused on getting you home. I still saw a few shops around here and there and not many residential areas. It almost feels like you were purposely leading us through the long way.

I cleared my throat, deciding to just kill her wish before she could garner any false hope.

"You might not know this but Yukinoshita asked me the same question a few weeks ago," I admitted.

"Yukinon did? So then—"

"My answer is still the same as it was then. No."

Disappointment clouded Yuigahama's eyes. Her lips trembled as she scrambled to make a rebuttal.

"Wh—How come? I think you'd do a great job. I know Yukinon would say yes and let you pick what you want to be!" Yuigahama waved her arms cheerfully.

You can't box me in to choose between what type of mundane work I'd do for the Student Council, Yuigahama. How is that even a good argument for joining you two? Also, quit tugging at my arm!

I broke off from Yuigahama's hold and rebuked her coldly, "She would only do that out of necessity and even if that wasn't true, I don't want to be in it anyway—"

"Maybe so, but Yukinon would still be grateful because of the help we'd both provide together!" she persisted.

Yuigahama tried to get us both to stop and talk things through in the middle of the sidewalk, but I wasn't having it. I just kept walking ahead and she eventually followed me, forgetting I had no clue where pinkie lived. She tilted her head at me from the side and I met her expectant gaze.

"Don't cut me off. You're also speaking for Yukinoshita again and I already gave her my answer," I asserted once again.

Yuigahama's drive seemed to be on the ropes after that. I didn't anticipate anymore passionate outbursts from her trying to recruit me into the council.

When she spoke again, she started off low and conciliatory, "Sorry but… things are different now, Hikki."

Ah, wasn't that the truth?

"You got me there, Yuigahama, but that's it," I said in a final tone.

I had no desire to argue about this and, from the corner of my eye, it seemed pinkie finally got the message through her head.

"Okay. I'm sorry for bothering you. I just… wanted to ask you this the whole day," she admitted, an apologetic smile on her face.

I see. So that explains why you meandered my way during homeroom and lunch period today. Trying to engage me with unnecessary bits of small talk that led nowhere, denying me my naps. Ha, your earlier efforts probably made me less inclined to accept any kind of request more than anything.

"Seems I still have much to learn on being more unapproachable," I sighed, scratching my neck.

She stifled a laugh, "I should have expected that kind of response. That's so like you, Hikki."

Is that so? Ah, where are you going?

Yuigahama suddenly skipped a few steps ahead of me, her small hands still clenched tightly around her backpack straps. The falling sun illuminated her figure from behind as she glanced back at me, beaming.

"But I still believe you'll surprise yourself the most, real soon!" Yuigahama cheerfully declared.

She stayed within that distance and I was too dumbfounded to even try to catch up.

Gods, what a resilient harbinger of optimism she was. I can't imagine ever adopting such a demeanor without cringing at myself everyday. Were it so easy for me to be like you in this life, I think I'd have died the first day I put on my mask.

Huh, I'm not sure why such a morbid thought entered my mind. It was arrogant of me to think I'm cut from a different cloth when I can barely get a handle on things as the Huntsman.

Last night's patrol alone was hard again on my body and… hey, this street was very familiar. Does Yuigahama walk around here everyday? I was definitely around here more than once on patrol. Last week, I took out more than a few vandals marking their gang territory borders with graffiti in an alleyway just around this corner we were on. A few of the symbols some of the gang factions used that I could recall at the top of my head were weird Kanji, stars, and even a cute fox.

What a joke.

Wait, what the hell was that?

All of a sudden, I felt a bit of dread creeping up on me. Someone was staring daggers our way, the little hairs on my neck shivered as if it was touched by cold steel.

I looked around as discreetly as possible, but nothing strange was apparent. Just a bunch of people paired in groups, making their way over to the residential areas. Everyone was close knit and no one was out of place.

Good, I guess that was just a random bout of paranoia on my part? I sighed a bit of relief, though the feeling still lingered and I finally moved up to match Yuigahama's pace, who was oblivious to my urgency. There was no use in riling her up, so I kept silent about the matter.

We continued walking until finally reaching a nice looking apartment complex. Yuigahama happily waved to a few of the other returning residents who seemed familiar with her. I ignored their gazes my way, looking up at the darkening sky until Yuigahama spoke up.

"Ah, we're here! Thanks for walking me all the way home, Hikki! Sorry again for the trouble," Yuigahama raved, 'gifting' me one of her silly grins.

I shrugged at her, surprised this wasn't as annoying as I thought it'd be. Walking the streets leading here a couple of hours from now though? That'd be a whole different story.

It was winter, so the sun behind us left students a very short window of time to arrive home before its protective light disappeared. Knowing that made this unexpected decision of mine much easier to swallow… Yeah, I can't let this go unchecked when the possibility of danger is very clear.

I heaved a huge breath, hoping this wasn't going to bite me in the ass later. Hoo boy.

"It's fine. If anything, maybe some things should change, given the surroundings of your neighborhood," I reluctantly offered, shrugging at her again.

Yuigahama tilted her head at a precise forty-five degree angle, perfectly indicating her confusion.

"Hm? What do you mean by that?" she asked.

Oh, really? Were you even paying attention? I was being totally clear with my proposition there, goddamn it.

I grunted, trying to figure out how to dumb down this offer of mine with as little awkwardness as possible.

"Nothing just, uh… if the other guys do the same for Miura and Ebina-san, what just transpired can be done again from now on. Up to you," I finished lamely.

You better get it now, Yuigahama. Also, please reject this idea since I've no clue anymore what machinations within my mind brought this on. It wasn't guilt, but an entirely different flavor altogether. One spurred by the thought of the rough streets Yuigahama had to walk home, all alone. And that unexplained chill from earlier…

"Ehh? Do the same as… Oh!" Yuigahama yelped in elation. "Yes! I mean, if it's okay with you then… I'd like that a lot!"

That was the most pep I've seen out of her all day, so much that her eyes were sparkling. How irrational, it's not like I presented you with a lavish gift. Plus, I'm actually not even done with what I wanted to say, if you can believe that.

"Ask Totsuka to come on the same route as us whenever he's not with his tennis club. We'll take turns when necessary. He probably won't mind either," I added.

Yuigahama settled down, clasping her cheeks together. Her smile deflated and the happy inflection in her voice stilted a little.

"O-Oh, Sai-chan would come too? Well, he does live close by and I guess we'll all be safer that way…"

"Something wrong with him?" I asked, a little confused.

I mean, I was under the impression she and Totsuka were good friends and would possibly become a stupid item in the future. Ha, it'd be news to me if she actually hated his guts.

Fortunately, all of the millions of devoted YuiSai shippers of the world were saved when Gahama-san shook her head no at me. Hell, she seemed determined to explain herself. We were still outside of her apartment complex, why the hell did I even start this? Damn conscience.

"No no! Um, actually, it'll be fun to have you both walk me home everyday. I feel a little selfish for saying that, but it's how I really feel."

Well, that's not the correct way to feel at all about this mess. My self-righteous decision here wasn't made lightly, not when I already have huge priorities on my plate.

"Fun? Selfish? You have things mixed up. I don't understand why you still have this easy-going mentality," I scolded her.

The result was Yuigahama deflating even further, but she needed to hear this and get in the mindset that only Miura and I demonstrated in possessing today.

Yuigahama became quiet and appeared submissive, getting ready to spill out words in a conciliatory tone that I did not want to hear.

"Sorry, I must have said something wrong," she said, as predicted.

It was honestly irritating that she didn't get my point. All she took from that was the feeling of hurt and the misplaced obligation to concede. Predictable response from a nice girl… but I suppose there was another way of getting through to her.

"I think you're apologizing for the wrong reasons. I'm just saying, Chiba's not safe now and this is something that can be done for your sake, so long as you understand your position. You're a… girl,after all," I explained, fumbling at that last bit.

I half expected to get punched for what I said at the end. To imply she was more at risk because of her sex might have been very infuriating for her to hear from the likes of me. However, it was an undeniable dark truth I've constantly come across from my time patrolling at night. Young women were prime victims for scum—it was just an unfortunate reality.

"Oh…." Yuigahama said after a moment. She was no longer meek and upset with my harshness. My words got through to her and then some.

Alright, I definitely could have worded things better. Yuigahama's face was now beet red. She looked at a loss for words, choosing to play with her hair and timidly tiptoeing in place with her foot. A major contrast with the girl that was angry at me just a couple of days ago. Now she was just reacting like any nice girl would when the center of attention was placed on her.

Honestly though, that blush certainly meant she'd have preferred it if it was another guy in my place. To hear this from someone like me out of the blue? What a goddamn embarrassment on my part. Better ease this new awkwardness I created before she did something stupid like tell me she already has a boyfriend. Not interested in the least.

"So Hikki does see me as a girl, hehe…" Yuigahama muttered in a teasing tone.

Stop.

"Should I not? My brat sister Komachi's a girl and if she didn't already have a group of her own, I'd walk her home too for that same reason," I said matter-of-factly.

I mean, I kept my word to kaa-san and walked Komachi to school every morning, even if the brat didn't seem grateful and stayed silent for the most part.

"W-What? Suddenly I went from 'a girl' to being compared to your sister? Gross! Don't say stuff like that, idiot!" she scolded me, disappointment written all over her face.

Anger? Well at least she wasn't blushing anymore. I glanced at my watch while she fumed. I'd love to stay and chat, but time was nearing six.

"Nevermind what I said, just get in already. I gotta go," I said, waving her off.

Yuigahama sighed in my direction like a tired old man, "Whatever, I get it now… thanks again."

She gave me a tiny wave. I nodded at her and left the vicinity of the complex, going in the direction of my house until I was a block away from Yuigahama's line of sight.

Some members of BTS had detours today, I just happened to be one of them and purposely neglected to share this detail with everyone. Instead of walking all the way home, I quickly jogged back over to the station and took a line leading deep within the city.

Today's first objective? I had to go pick something up sent to me by Wayne. The delicate package he mentioned a few days back and there was only one place to pick it up. Site B… the Chiba branch of Wayne Enterprises.

---

Due to the curfew, the city was much quieter than usual. Storefronts were beginning to close or already closed for the day. People rushed over to the station in groups to get home safely. All the festive, seasonal lights were either dimmed or just turned off, reflecting the mood of the entire city.

I was given more than a few looks of concern by passing strangers. They all probably wondered why a kid like me was still out so late, all alone. I even had to dodge a couple of officers on patrol, in case they stopped me and asked where I was going. Hindsight tells me I should pack a hoodie or a hat next time. Maybe a medical mask too.

Soon enough, however, I reached the front of the daunting, vantage-point covered skyscraper. I've been here twice before, once on a work trip with the Service Club and the second to retrieve the Hunter's Vision software update for my mask.

Now I'd be meeting one-on-one with some kind of official, via an appointment. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't nerve-wracking.

I made my way over to the lesser secured side of the building, discreetly fishing out for my BatWave Commlink.

Surprisingly enough, I had finally received a message from Captain Yin Etsudo on the device about a half hour ago. Skimmed through it to see it was a message of thanks for what I've done thus far on my own and to keep up with what I've been doing. Ah, she's even entrusting me with a few leads for tonight. That was a good sign, I'll definitely have to check through them later!

I scrolled past all that to find another encrypted message I had received this morning from Alfred. Looking at it a second time was still as cringe-inducing as it was the first time. Although the old butler can speak Japanese well enough, his writing still needed a lot of work.

Open Site B. Localize receptionist Akagi-san. Ask Appoint on 6. Kaji Ryoji.

No need to use the grappling hook today. Apparently, from what I can make out of this, I just had to enter the front doors at six, find Akagi-san, and declare my appointment with someone named Kaji Ryoji…

I don't know what name I was expected to use for myself, since Alfred didn't mention that. I meant to ask but couldn't find the time earlier. It can't be helped now that I'm already here. So I sucked in my gut and made my way inside.

Huh, fancy revolving doors and a bright red carpet laid out across the lobby. Ah, the interior was decorated with colorful ornaments, lights, and dark green holly on every wall. I almost tripped over the sight of the enormous Christmas tree adorned with red ribbons and glistening angels. A shining star on top and colorfully wrapped fake presents laid on the sparkling white tree skirt.

It was like a scene out of a children's special. This was… a place of good. A place of business foremost, of course, but still filled with jolly Christmas cheer. Infectious enough to affect someone like me, though it must have been because of the solemn mood that enveloped the rest of the city.

So this was like a breath of fresh—no, a reminder of halcyon days. Ah, what a reminder of the peace Christmastime entailed. Even as the warm central heating system of the building finally made me unwrap my scarf, I still couldn't tear my eyes away from the lovely sight.

"Aw, how cute!"

Oh? I finally turned towards my right and saw what appeared to be a couple of lady receptionists in their twenties staring at me. I realized then that they were watching me the entire time I was busy gazing in awe of the holly jolly-filled lobby.

…

Gah! Now I was just really embarrassed to have been distracted by everything like a small child, forgetting the real purpose of coming here. My cheeks warmed fast when one of them started giggling as she waved me over. I straightened my back and heeded her call, walking over to their desk at a reasonable pace.

"Hey there! It's been a while since a kid's come through those doors. Thanks for taking the time to admire the Christmas decorations we set up!" said the one with long violet hair, still giggling away.

She smiled at me and I sheepishly replied to the cheerful woman, "Yeah, um, nice tree too."

"Hehe, right? We had to borrow a huge ladder just for it!" she enthused.

Oh, really? Interesting.

"More importantly," the other receptionist interjected, this one with shorter, dyed blonde hair. "Welcome to Wayne Enterprises, is there something we can help you with? I apologize, but we'll have to ask you to leave if all you came here to do was admire the seasonal decor. Honestly, this happens the moment security leaves for the bathroom..."

This one possessed an air of authority that couldn't be argued with. It ticked me off.

"Rits! It's okay, you don't have to be super cold to him! Curfew is coming close—maybe this cutie isjust waiting for his parents," the kinderreceptionist argued, much to my chagrin. "Sorry about that, do you need help finding your mom or—"

"No, sorry. My parents don't work here. I'm actually here to see Akagi-san," I explained hurriedly, not because I was embarrassed by her calling me 'cute' or anything…

They both blinked at me in confusion, with the long-haired lady recovering first.

"Oh, well then—wait! Rits?! Y-You actually know this guy? I… I know you like the serious type, but he's still just a kid—"

The hell? Serious type? Me and the bottled blonde? How the hell can you say such embarrassing things with ease?! See, now you even got your bitchy friend, 'Rits', looking exhausted over your lack of filter.

"Please don't jump to conclusions, Katsuragi-san. Honestly, how foolish of you to think that I would—nevermind," Rits sighed, exasperated at the situation.

Their separate mannerisms and dynamic was oddly familiar—I seriously almost did a double take when Rits prodded her forehead with her fingers…

As quick as a knife through butter, the one named Rits gathered herself and directed a piercing look at me, cutting to the chase, "I am Akagi Ritsuko. What business do you have with me?"

Blunt woman. How freaky, but let's go! Your friend Katsuragi-san has been tiring.

"I'm here for a six o'clock appointment with Kaji Ryoji," I replied.

Again they were taken aback. Just when I thought we'd cut through all the bullshit…

"Kaji-kun? Him? At this time of day? May I know exactly who you are?" Akagi-san asked tersely.

Quit it with the third degree and no way in hell was I going to give you my name.

"I was just told to meet Kaji Ryoji at six. It's ten after already, I'm sure it's in the system or something," I calmly insisted.

Katsuragi-san easily followed through with my suggestion on her own terminal—what a nice lady! Akagi-san still appeared skeptical for a moment and just stared at me. I just checked my watch in front of her, as if to say 'you're making me even more late for this, bitch', until she finally complied and tried to look for the appointment. Her eyes strained carefully at something on the screen. She appeared to reread the details twice before nodding in resignation and clicking away at some keys.

"Very well, step into elevator three over there. Do not press any buttons, the assistant within has been informed of your appointment and will take you to the appropriate floor. Kaji Ryoji has been notified of your arrival as well," Akagi-san directed me in a professional tone.

That easy, all this time, huh? I can't believe I really didn't have to give her my name.

"A-Alright." I said hesitantly.

I nodded at Akagi-san and made my way over to the appropriate elevator, catching a bit of their conversation as I walked away and waited by the elevators.

"Rits, why is he meeting with Kaji? There's nothing saying that on my computer," Katsuragi-san asked in a concerned tone.

"No clue and do not think to ask him later," Akagi-san whispered sharply at her friend. "It only lists someone of student age. Matching his description. The appointment itself was set only an hour ago by someone well above our pay grade…"

I suppose it must have been Wayne himself. I forget the whole billionaire part of his life made things more convenient than they should be. A little freak if you ask me.

Ah, but look at these gold tinted elevators! How lush, too rich for my blood! I felt very much out of place stepping inside the carpeted elevator, being bowed to by a smiling staff man in uniform.

We went up to a high floor within the building, the accompanying elevator music being some soothing, smooth jazz. Though it didn't do much to calm my nerves when the operator kept eyeballing me and the selected floor. I guess I'd be the last guy he'd expect to be sent up there. Hey, I may not be in a fancy suit, but isn't this winter coat I'm wearing nice enough? How rude…

I thanked the operator and got off the elevator once we reached the floor. An empty, quiet floor with all of its cubicles locked down for the day. I made my way through before seeing a big office with an open door. There was an unshaven, ponytailed, but well-dressed man in his late twenties inside, sitting down and having a smoke. Upon seeing me, he gave me a smile and waved me over.

"Thought you'd be taller," the man commented, looking up and down at me.

I paused at this. Wondering what the hell he meant by that.

"Who were you expecting?" I asked, fully on guard.

"Someone foreign, I suppose? Not a fellow native, unless?" he left his question hanging, as if I would answer him right away.

I ignored his inquiry, not trusting him at all. I wanted to get to the point. Surely he'd get this sketchy meeting over with before we burned each other's faces into our heads?

"Obviously our… sponsor wanted us to meet for a reason, Kaji-san. It's best if we move along," I suggested.

He looked a bit sad at that. Was he being coy or did he really want this appointment to last any longer than it should?

"Hey, no rush. Er… well, you are a kid and that curfew's close. So maybe you have a point," He scratched his chin in thought.

So I'm just a student to you? That's a massive relief.

"Uh, right. I have to get home soon," I timidly agreed.

Guess he doesn't know exactly who I am. Good. I would have been livid if Wayne had disclosed my identity to this random guy.

He pulled a key out of his pocket and sauntered over to a safe in the corner of his office. Inside was a small black box, with some sort of scanner attached to it. I suppose it needed a fingerprint for it to open. But I didn't have much time to think about it since this guy just suddenly tossed it over to me.

Shit.

"What was that for?!" I yelled at him, just after catching it at the last second.

"My bad, I was just curious as to what it was," Kaji-san smirked.

Identity confirmed.

A computer voice spoke from the box! It shifted in my hand, I could hear gears whirring as the exterior faces of the cube unfolded. This was a pretty elaborate little thing, even programmed to my goddamn fingerprints. Man… could I reuse this neat little box?

Whatever, there was plenty of time to think about that later. Inside was the device I needed to practice getting used to for tonight's invasion of the Ace Chemicals warehouse. The device specifically designated by Batman for me to use for this mission and beyond!

A… a small, flimsy antenna?! That's it? I couldn't help but voice out my surprise, "This is what I was told to hold off things for?"

Kaji-san scoffed my way, "Hmph, that's not just anything, kid. In fact, now I see why I'm here, of all people."

I stayed silent, ready for Kaji-san's spiel. Gotta say, I really wasn't impressed, but if this thing actually gave me something like lightning fists or a freeze ray, then—

"Let me try to simplify it in a way your, um, generation would understand. You've ever heard of 'IRL streaming'?" Kaji-san asked me.

"...No," I replied.

I can't say that I did. Sounds like something only idiots would do or watch. No, don't look at me like I'm the crazy one, you outdated millennial hack.

"C'mon kid, video game live streaming at least? Just apply it to yourself as the subject. With a good camera, you'll be able to broadcast yourself"—he stretched his arms out—"live through the internet that the antenna will freely fetch,undetected, from any nearby sources to you. And yes, I mean any," Kaji-san emphasized at the end.

From any source you say? Free internet from nearby Wi-Fi signals and even encrypted networks?! What a steal! I'm sorry I ever doubted this little guy I had in the palm of my hands.

"...Is that so?" I played it off coolly.

Makes sense now as to how Wayne and Alfred will participate in the warehouse infiltration without physically being here. I'll be livestreaming it to them the entire time.

"Believe it or not, it's a powerful, invasive little device. Here, lemme check it out a bit," Kaji-san hurriedly snapped away.

I saw no harm in doing so, so I held it out for Kaji-san to examine. He did so for a moment before snapping his fingers once more.

"I see now! This is the latest version of the one I was given for my assignment," Kaji-san cryptically mentioned. "Seems like you'll have a couple more functions alongside its main purpose."

Oh? You're an experienced infiltrator of sorts?

"You have experience using its prototype?" I questioned him, not bothering to hide my curiosity.

He nodded, looking back at the device with gleaming eyes.

"You don't even know half of it kid, here you connect your camera with this port and press this button," he pointed at specific parts of the device. "It'll then be linked and operated via an app on your smartphone or PC. I'm sure you'll be sent a link to our proprietary streaming software after confirming you have this device in possession with your supervisor."

Hmph, I already know for sure I won't be connecting this to an app on my personal phone.

This port on the small device… I think there's an adapter in my base that I can use to attach to underneath my mask and cowl, which I already use to record my arrests with the built in camera. Then I'll operate via the BatWave Commlink's OS… which did receive an update today.

Wait, this guy said he was once entrusted with the prototype, for what purpose?

The only time Wayne has ever mentioned employing someone to be an inside contact was that time he tried purchasing Yukinoshita Constructions. He called his infiltrator 'Jin', though that was obviously just a fake name. Was it really just a coincidence that I was meeting with an experienced corporate spy? I mean, Kaji-san must have been a bigger piece on the board that is Wayne's corporate network. I eyed him immediately before deciding to confirm.

"Kaji-san… you wouldn't happen to be the same 'Jin' who acted as, uh, Wayne-dono's corporate spy against Yukinoshita Constructions?" I innocently asked him.

Heh. It was him. His initial hestiance and eye twitch spoke all.

"...Heh, seems like my reputation precedes me," Kaji-san muttered after recovering. "Actually, I don't know why I'm saying that when I was caught and booted at the end by that cunning bitch, Yukinoshita Haruno."

Cunning bitch is an understatement. Right, you were caught and then used to basically tell Wayne to back off from pursuing his purchase of her family's company. I couldn't imagine the shame he must have felt, but I had to ask about it anyhow.

"You didn't see it coming?"

He shook his head at me, red coloring his ears, a goofy grin reaching his eyes.

"No. The first time I met her, Haruno-san came by my office as this cute innocent girl with pretty, watery eyes, having 'lost' her way around the building. A week later, I was personally given an employee evaluation by her. She was wearing a blue miniskirt and I couldn't keep my eyes off her legs."

What the hell? What's with this guy's story and these descriptions?

"Third time? Ah, that sexy minx was wearing one of the tightest, low-cut blouses I've ever seen—that was the first thing I noticed upon entering my office, besides the burly security guards and all my personal belongings stuffed into a flimsy box…"

…Either I'm being punk'd or you're just totally pathetic. Professional corporate espionage thwarted by a bit of cleavage and silky, pale thighs stirring this man's loins? Seriously?! I can't help feeling shame on your behalf as a fellow male, Kaji-san.

"I know now she was fishing me with revealing questions the entire time. I might have extracted the information sought after, but I still slipped up, plain and simple. Kid, don't fall for the same tricks. I'm lucky and grateful to have been given this cushy position even after everything," Kaji-san finally finished, sitting down in his chair as he took a drag of his ciggie.

"Well, the Yukinoshitas are formidable. That's enough of an excuse for your failure," I politely offered him an out.

"Maybe. But I know I'm no longer considered reliable and can only look forward to a couple of raises at most. So really, learn to see past a woman's charms when it comes to business and I'm sure you'll do better wherever you go. I'm guessing you're in some sort of internship with a project and plan to work here huh?" Kaji-san asked coyly, one last time to see if I would give him a hint as to what I'm up to do on Wayne's behalf.

Nope.

"Yeah, something like that," I lied through my teeth.

I wanted to go. Really, I'm sorry I asked about your story. Don't fall for a woman's charms concerning work? Sounds like something I've already learned. Yukinoshita Haruno's one of the last women I'd ever lower my guard for, anyway. Cleavage be damned.

"Well, then good for you! I don't want to keep you here any longer since the night is here. Once you're downstairs, a cab will be outside to take you straight home. My treat. Put that device to good use and make its designer, Fox-dono, proud. I look forward to seeing you as a work colleague in a few years," Kaji-san cheerfully finished, bowing at me like a senpai would do to his kohai.

"Likewise," I lied again, bowing back before walking out. I'll probably never see you again, horny Spy-san.

Nice, informative guy I have to say, despite everything else. So the inventor was someone named Fox-dono, huh? Sounds like a codename, since the translation is kitsune. Wonder who in Wayne's life is deserving of that… ah, a question for another day. I carefully stuffed the device in my backpack and went back down through the same elevator.

The receptionists from before eyed me curiously, but I only gave them a slight bow of thanks and went through the doors. Like Kaji-san promised, there was a cab waiting for me. I thought of lying to the driver to take me to the residential area nearest the Hunter's Den, but I decided to just go home instead.

It wasn't that long of a drive and it was totally free as promised. I texted Yuigahama about my arrival at home, just as I passed by Komachi's still figure. She was sleeping at the family kotatsu as usual, even though Kaa-san keeps warning her not to. Thankfully, our parents wouldn't be home for another half hour, so there'd be no suspicion on anyone's part about where I was or where Komachi napped.

I went to the kitchen to scrounge up some leftovers to snack on. Surprisingly, I found a sticky note left on the microwave reading 'Nii-san'. Opening it revealed a shrimp tempura bowl, which allured my stomach something fierce. I looked back at my sleeping sister before taking the bowl out and devouring it in one sitting.

Despite the blatant, rather unnecessary addition of tomatoes, it was delicious.

---

But this... this was absolutely disgusting!

I'll probably never get used to the taste of my own blood, no matter how many times I take a hook to the face by these animals. I truly meant that primal insult, by the way. Take, for example, the ugly bastard I'm kneeling on top of—he was a goddamn snake.

"Get off of me you fucking freak!"

Shut up. You can't pretend to be a tough guy after throwing one of your own friends at me like some kind of meat shield. All just to land one cheap shot and no follow up … not the smartest of the bunch, are you?

Ugly Bastard-san swung multiple hits on my right leg, but my armor held on and I barely even staggered. Even so, it was enough provocation for me to grab one of his flailing arms and twist it counterclockwise. He screamed in pain, holding onto his shoulder as he rolled around, ending up stomach-first on the ground. The asshole still tried to lift himself up with his good arm. I took action immediately, stomping on his left shoulder, slamming his torso onto the concrete.

He finally quit moving after another cry of pain. His breathing slowed and he grew quiet, finally joining his other three buddies in dreamland. Another successful knockout—though, again, I just wish my mouth wasn't filled with a shot's worth of my own blood.

I paused my recording, spitting all the contents of my mouth away from the four would-be thieves. I took a moment to stretch my limbs and crack my stiff neck before tying everyone up together, right in front of the ramen shop they tried to break into. As always, the microSD card with the evidence of their break-in was left attached to one of the thugs.

I walked away from the scene, ready to remotely tip off the police. The cuts on my inner lips still stung like hell.

I scoffed to myself, "Thieves, real pieces of shit."

"I couldn't agree more," a female voice spoke.

I turned to my left, instantly recognizing the pony-tailed figure, clad in jeans and a dark overcoat, leaning against a lamppost just a few meters away from me. A black police cruiser was right beside her and I was impressed she still managed to sneak up on me.

I straightened my posture and addressed Captain Yin of the Chiba police force.

"Your leads were on point. I believe this is the last one for the night?" I asked rhetorically.

She shook her head at me and took a few steps closer, her voice quite stern, "Of course I have more than what I've given you, but the leads I selected to share were all a part of my test. Gotta say, I'm impressed you bagged twenty pieces of shit all alone, so far."

Testing my abilities with a few leads concerning convenience stores, family restaurants, and a ramen shop? Well, I sort of understand why you'd start off small when it came to sharing intel. I didn't appreciate being 'tested' but I couldn't refute the logic behind her initial mistrust. The feeling was mutual.

"Make that twenty-four total," I said, pointing a thumb back in the direction of the ramen shop. "Evidence is on the guy with the black hoodie and parka."

Captain Yin gave me a nod, switching on her work phone.

"I'll call it in myself, good work," she said nonchalantly.

I strode right passed her while she texted away to, I believe, her operator buddy. In ten minutes or so, a couple of squad cars will roll up and take them away, hopefully alerting the business owner of the broken window as well.

I couldn't stay long for that reason and because it was almost time for tonight's main event.

"Not even going to ask me if you passed?" Captain Yin prodded me right before I got my grappling hook out.

I glanced back at her, holding down a smirk, "I thought it'd be in bad taste if I did."

Plus it was obvious I nailed it. I, for one, actually enjoyed this first bit of collaboration between myself and a respectable officer of the law. Very impersonal, yet still efficient. If only most societal interactions worked that way.

"Right, well, next time don't hesitate to ask. Better to get the 'bad taste' out of your mouth every now and then, yeah? Though, I'd try not to aim for the clean sidewalk next time…" Captain Yin dryly mentioned, wiping sweat off her brow.

So she saw me spitting, huh? Meh, duly noted. I didn't offer a response to that other than a shrug, so she continued.

"You gonna be alright? If you're still up for it, I have a couple of more specific areas that might need patrolling tonight," Captain Yin offered, dangling her leads to me like candy.

Her offer was quite tempting, but better suited for the cops to take care of. I turned back around, giving Captain Yin my full attention.

"I'll be fine. You'll have to check those out on your own, I'll be occupied somewhere else for the rest of the night," I briskly explained.

Ah, it seems I aroused her suspicion. She armed herself with a deep scowl and spoke to me with a serious inflection in her voice, "I don't think you're the type to take a night off, got a lead of your own then?"

"Yeah, something like that," I said dismissively.

She stepped closer again, clearly not satisfied with my answer.

"Huntsman, where is this happening exactly? Keep in mind, this is a partnership you brought us into," she asserted, pointing at my chest. "Whatever involves Chiba concerns me as well and I don't want to be left unprepared if it escalates, especially when the one with all the details was right in front of me, just hours ago."

Ah, how troublesome. Once again, I've said much more than necessary to another person who I should've just let go for the night. Except this one spoke truly and didn't misplace her priorities—I definitely had no idea what trouble I'll encounter in the abandoned Chimera Chems warehouse tonight. It was a front for 'Ace Chemicals' which originated from Gotham City. Captain Yin is currently the most experienced out of us both with anything involving Gotham City and that particular company.

I scraped the concrete with my foot, feeling caught between a rock and a hard place. I was explicitly told to keep any details I uncovered between myself and Batman, this included the infiltration itself. However, with the way Wayne reacted, almost forbidding me to investigate this place in the first place, I wasn't sure it'd be smart to keep my police contact completely in the dark.

I looked into her eyes and saw unwavering confidence. Yeah… I'll give you the light details at least. I'll be bending over the promise I made, but this was my judgment call. I don't think I'll regret doing so at all.

"Mihama Ward, inside one of the many abandoned warehouses there… I won't say more than that right now, but keep that in mind if something comes up," I cautiously revealed.

"...A general idea wasn't exactly what I was asking for, y'know?" Captain Yin responded in an exasperated tone.

She seemed reluctant to accept this, but understood our boundary very quickly. Seeing this, I openly shrugged at her and took it a step further.

"Tough! I suppose you could take this compromise as my own test of trust, yeah?" I replied smugly.

Luckily, Captain Yin proved to have tougher skin than most and took my words in stride.

"Fair enough. I'll have some men skirt around the area, but not directly interfere. If even the thought of escalation occurs, I want to hear about it from you first before it actually happens," she reiterated at the end.

I acknowledged her reasonable request with a simple nod. I actually hoped it conveyed the respect I had for her stance at this moment.

"That's what the Commlink is there for," I reminded her, before I finally whipped out my grappling gun and traversed away from the police captain.

What a tough, no bullshit lady.

Yeah, my gut was right to choose Captain Yin as a contact and I definitely felt she'd be helpful later tonight, if it came to that. The nightlife sure isn't doing her or myself any favors, I noted. She looked mighty exhausted for a twenty something woman. When Isshiki's finally been captured, I'll try to ease Captain Yin's burdens by asking for more leads every night. Maybe see if I could eliminate open cases on the board.

After gliding across the city for the better part of a half hour, I was finally inside my headquarters by the abandoned sewers. The Hunter's Den. I quickly patched up my cuts and bruises, but the armor remained mostly intact as I expected to leave again within the hour.

At the Batcomputer, I maximized a window which featured an entirely new program that I was given access to yesterday evening, a few hours after meeting Kaji-san and retrieving the live-streaming device that I dubbed the 'LiveHunt'.

A bit lame, but it matched well with the small unimpressive looking device currently attached to the inside of my mask and cowl, just above my collar bone. I referred to it as the LiveHunt in a message I sent to Alfred at the beginning of tonight's patrol and he got a kick out of it…

"Six hours straight and only about a hundred gigs of the zettabyte server was used up. That's insane," I commented, my eyes bulging at the science fiction numbers come to life.

It appeared the LiveHunt device and its accompanying software had worked perfectly. Since nine in the evening yesterday to now, just before two in the morning, I had been livestreaming my entire patrol all the way back to my Batcomputer. No glitches or outages, just one long uninterrupted live stream saved as a recording.

The compression was phenomenal. The high quality retained was amazing. Beyond cutting edge. It could be said I was the world's most technologically advanced e-boy! Streaming and local recording allowed at 4K 60fps… Joking aside, this definitely changes things.

Now let's see how the LiveHunt will hold up through an overseas connection, since the output will be at the main Batcomputer all the way at Gotham. Whatever this 'bitrate' nonsense means, I hope it holds up well for the rest of the evening.

Now to message Alfred that I'm ready and willing to go.

'Waiting on you.'

Within a minute I received a confirmation and immediately accepted a secured video call, connecting me with the old, well dressed butler.

"Ah, Hikigaya-san—oh my word! You're not stepping one foot out of that room before patching up that grotesque cut on your lip!" he scolded me not even five seconds into our meeting.

"It's fine, I've cleaned it and have the bandaid right here. And yes, I've also used plenty of salve on my bruised chin," I said, trying to brush things off.

He shook his head at me. Sheesh, maybe I should have put my mask back on.

"I should hope so! Face injuries are much harder to explain and think of the infections you might incur from your bacteria-ridden compound! Plus, you'll need to keep a clear head for this infiltration and not be distracted by pesky stings," Alfred berated me, like a parent would to a kid who rolled around in the mud.

Eh, I've gotten away with just saying I fell from my bike before. People, family included, easily accept that I'm uncoordinated and clumsy. Irritating, but useful to exploit. The painful stings on my face will definitely suck though…

Nevermind that, we got business to attend to. I held up the detached LiveHunt device from my desk so that Alfred could get a good look.

"So, I've learnt how to use the device you and Wayne sent me. It's very impressive and accessible, even to a layman like myself," I stated, grinning at my own progress.

Alfred smirked slightly at me for a moment, before suspiciously adopting an apologetic tone, "LiveHunt, yes? I take it you've completed your first successful trial run then. Truth be told... Master Bruce had tested the broadcast function once, hours ago from our end while you were on the field."

What? This was news to me! There was no alert to me of that happening! I actually squirmed in my seat at the thought of being watched without my knowledge.

"So he saw me work the whole time…" I uttered in disbelief.

Good guy Alfred saw my discomfort and tried reassuring me.

"Ah, for the better part of an hour before having to answer a call. Master Bruce has been out of the city since late morning," Alfred slowly revealed.

I scowled at that, "Hours then?"

Well damn, my privacy was violated again and I can't even ask for Wayne's opinion about what he saw. That said, there was a more pressing matter at hand…

"Alfred, where is Wayne?" I asked, a bit impatiently. "I don't think he'd forget about this arrangement, wherein I was forbidden to even look in the direction of this 'Ace Chemicals' warehouse at first…"

Alfred sighed, his eyes giving me yet another look of sorry, one that I was frankly quite tired of seeing on the poor old man.

"I'm afraid Master Bruce won't be joining us today, Hikigaya-san. A peculiar associate of his called him for an emergency consultation. As sudden as it was, the matter simply couldn't be ignored," Alfred confessed.

So Batman's out on something they both deemed more important and Alfred won't reveal anything else, huh? Well, as much as I truly wanted to press the issue, this wasn't the time.

"I see, so I suppose we'll move on without his input and instruction, then," I stated, hoping that was the case.

"Truthfully, Master Bruce asked me to convince you to postpone this for another day—"

No. I cut off Alfred before he could even try speaking out any reasonable arguments that I'd surely give in to.

"That's not possible Alfred. I'm sorry, but I feel this should have been finished days ago. I see the significance of the LiveHunt, but it's felt as if I've been meandering around since I was asked to wait for it. This infiltration must commence tonight and I'm more than willing to move forward," I declared as concisely as I could.

Not once did I look away from the old man's eyes and it seemed to have an effect for once, earning me a mixed look of hesitance and approval from him.

"...Very well, I see your resolve is unwavering as I thought it would be. Worry not, Hikigaya-san. Although I would have preferred to side with Master Bruce on this, I too had a feeling your stubbornness would lead you to, say, enter Ace Chemicals all by yourself?" Alfred commented, shrugging smugly into the camera.

"Ah, that's spot on. I can't refute being an impatient lech when it comes to this," I admitted sheepishly to Alfred's amusement.

"Indeed, and you've already waited long enough. So I convinced Master Bruce of another brilliant compromise. You will be infiltrating with the LiveHunt device broadcasting everything back to the BatCave. Master Bruce won't be at the helm of operations as planned, but you will still have an operator watching you and your surroundings," Alfred explained the new terms clearly.

Well, this wasn't so bad. Not like I was expected to give up any more of my time.

"That's the compromise? Very well. I'll be in your care, Alfred," I accepted, giving him a polite bow.

He shook his head at me, "Now, I will be here of course, but that's not the complete story."—*Ring* *Ring*—"Ah, please excuse me."

Alfred stepped aside to answer a phone call, though not completely away from the microphone. Disappointingly enough, he had switched over to speaking in English and I could only discern a few words from his British accent-laden rambles.

"Ever the worrywart to everyone else but yourself, Master Bruce… Yes yes, I was in the middle of explaining just that… No, but they will very soon, after the younger boy has had his nutritious fill of greasy fried chicken…"

I overheard Wayne's name there and something about… karaage? Bah, as much as I enjoy Modern Japanese, every interaction with these two makes it apparent that I should place much more effort in my English class. Getting way too rusty from my lack of practice. They've been very accommodating by switching to Japanese for my sake and, besides trying to reciprocate this, I'm sure it'd also help me in the long run to speak fluent English. Not that I had any desire to sound exactly like a straight up yankee of course—

...Eh? What the hell... who's that?

While Alfred was still on the phone, now even farther away from the camera and microphone, I caught a glimpse of a male silhouette sluggishly walking towards his direction.

When he was finally caught under the light of the BatCave, I was surprised to see it wasn't Wayne but someone else entirely! He was young—a fellow teenager? American-born, fitted with messy, jet black hair, and a piercing blue gaze. Wearing simple black sweats and slippers.

The boy had walked up to an unaware Alfred, who was still talking to Wayne on the phone, towering over him from behind. I was about to alert Alfred as best as I could. That is, until seeing that the boy wasn't doing anything besides slouching in place, looking as if he was annoyed by the butler. He gave Alfred's back a dry look and shook his head, sauntering away from him over to the Batcomputer, towards me!

He was clearly exhausted, plopping down onto the desk chair and rubbing his eyes as if he had just woken up, except I knew it was currently the early afternoon over there in Gotham City. The boy even had bits of crumbs from his lunch still stuck to his face. There was no reason for this at all! Shouldn't this kid be in school?

Hold up, never mind his goddamn truancy! A million more important questions ran through my head. Who was this kid? How does he know Wayne, Alfred, and the BatCave?! Should I hide or say something? Crap—my mask! I had to put that on immediately! I looked over at the chagrin port it rested on and it never felt so far away until this moment. I had to get it. He was too tired to notice me, but that could change very soon and no way in hell did I want this stranger seeing my face—

Shit! Bullshit!

Of course, as soon as I tried moving away, the boy looked up and came face to face with my entire profile. The both of us froze in place as our eyes locked for the first time.

"What the fuck?!"

The boy yelled out an expletive in English. Still sitting in his chair, he jerked himself away from the screen, covering his eyes in frustration with one hand while the other fished for something in his pocket. Honestly, I felt the same rage as I retrieved my own mask and cowl, cursing to myself about this scenario.

Forget decorum. I demand an answer as to why this kid was privy to entering the BatCave and seeing my face so easily and without any prior warning.

*Wham*

Looking back at the screen, I saw the same boy had slammed the desk with his fists. He actually snarled at me, showing off his teeth like a beast. An obvious showcase of unrestrained teenage hormonal rage that even I couldn't avoid the bait and reacted head on.

I puffed up my own chest, glaring at the younger boy's face, which was now obscured by a peculiar black domino mask... with white lenses covering his eyes.

Where have I seen this face before? From... American articles featuring either Wayne or Batman—

Holy shit.

"Yo A.P.! Quit yapping with the big guy and tell me what the fuck's going on already!" The boy yelled in Alred's direction, who finally got off the phone and rushed over to us as quickly as he could.

He, too, continued to speak in English, "Master Jason!? When did you get down here?"

Alfred referred to him with that name, Jason. What was it, that trash site Buzzfeed from America once featured a scoop on an upscale party hosted by Wayne, wherein a boy going by that name caused a massive ruckus.

The boy growled, "What the hell did you use my name for?! I didn't snitch on you, did I?! Fucking hell—"

He grabbed his messy bedhead hair in anger, his… glare reminiscent of that one news article I saw on Batman, wherein another hero beside him, dressed in red and black and with that same domino mask, angrily pushed aside a news reporter trying to snag a photo.

"Please, control yourself!" Alfred tried to mediate as always, to no avail.

The boy's secret was out and they both knew it. I'd like to say this high level of stress was a moment where my IQ reached unfathomable levels but, really, it was just easy to put two and two together.

"Nah, don't give me that shit, Alfred! I wanna know, right now—"

This was Wayne's legal ward. Jason Todd.

Batman's sidekick. Robin.

"—who's the gook?!"

...

Silence reigned from both our ends. Alfred looked flabbergasted and I was dumbfounded.

Ah, this kid really went there, huh? I could barely understand most of his loud temper tantrum, but I definitely recognized that racial slur from all the web 'chans' I browse. Easy to see from his pointed finger that he referred to me with that word.

In that instant, what little admiration I had for Batman's chosen partner went down the trash.

*Bonk*

"Ah, shit, that hurt!" Jason cried out, holding his head.

Alfred had swatted Todd's head with a raised fist. Totally satisfying.

"Do you not have any shame?! I understand your anger, but I will not tolerate that kind of extreme language! We are his guests for the night and you will apologize, right this instant!" the butler bellowed at the young teen's face.

Alfred was livid, staring daggers into Todd's very soul. Todd himself was still recovering from his bop to the head, shrinking underneath the irate butler in his seat. I suppose incurring the old man's wrath was as uncommon as it was terrifying.

"B-But…"

"Now, Master Jason!" Alfred barked at the sputtering boy, like an old wolf correcting a mischievous pup. Absolutely unrelenting and baring his teeth for good measure.

Todd balked in his hot seat and nodded fervently in agreement, "Okay okay! W-What the hell does he even speak?"

I understood that part. It helped that this rude boy went back to pointing his finger at me. I scrounge up every small bit of knowledge I had of the English language to answer his question myself.

"I'm Japanese, you idiot punk."

Kami-sama, I know I pronounced that right... Ha, the look on Todd's face! He was like a deer in headlights right before a vein bulged on his forehead and his baby fat cheeks puffed up. Cooler heads should prevail, but I had no regrets. That felt great.

"Hah? What'd you say you ugly bas—"

Alfred swiped a hand in front of Todd, stopping him from going on another tirade.

"No more fighting. Apologize. Now," Alfred demanded.

Fortunately Todd capitulated, quietly muttering, "...Sorry, okay?"

It sounded like Todd half-assed his words, making Alfred tut-tut at him with a wagging finger.

"No, once more. Properly this time, so that he can fully understand you."

"Tch…"

Todd took a moment to realign himself, hesitantly opening his mouth a few times over as the gears turned in his head. Took him a good moment to finally gather enough confidence to speak again.

"Hey you. I'm sorry, alright? Man…"

Huh, for someone who comes off as a delinquent, his Japanese is surprisingly good. I can say that because his brash attitude was completely translated alongside his words.

"Honestly, you can't even manage that?" Alfred scolded the boy again before turning to me, needlessly bowing. "Huntsman, I too apologize for Master Jason's sudden entrance and his unruly behavior. I beg for your forgiveness—this is not the kind of introduction that Master Bruce and I had in mind."

To be honest, I didn't think I'd ever meet Robin and yeah, this was totally not the best way to do it. But Alfred seemed sincere and put out by what just transpired, so I decided to give him a break.

"Okay… I really hope this doesn't happen again. Although, I do share part of the blame for not speaking up earlier," I conceded at the end, feeling better once he rose from his bow.

"Ah, my dearest hope is that your maturity rubs off on Master Jason here."—he put a hand on the boy's shoulder—" Though, I fear that my next request might be too much to ask of you at this time, but for the task at hand? It's necessary."

My eyes twitched, wondering what Alfred meant by that. Todd perked up once he heard about our mission.

"Come on. No one's even telling me who this guy is…" he mentioned dejectedly.

Tough. Let's keep it that way—

"Huntsman, I ask that you introduce yourself to Master Jason here… the one who will perform as your main operator for this infiltration," Alfred finally revealed. "I understand if you don't wish to disclose everything about yourself, it's your decision."

This little thug will be my operator tonight?!

"Today's my operator test? With this guy? Are you shit-uh-kidding me?" Jason spoke in disbelief.

Alfred ignored the vulgar kid nudging at his sleeve, choosing to plead at me with apologetic eyes again. Effective as always—Alfred really knew how to pull off the 'helpless' old man bit.

A combination of that and simple reason won over me. Although Todd was clearly a piece of work, I did think it would be unfair for his identity to be revealed and for me to continue concealing my own at this point. Despite what I thought earlier… This is someone that Batman entrusted as a partner and that definitely holds some weight in my book.

I looked at the time and was irked to see it was already half past two in the morning, because now I was out of time and had no choice. For better or worse, Robin will be my operator for the night. To reject this compromise that Alfred sought for me would be 'understandable' yet still troublesome since he made the effort to broker such a thing for my benefit.

I don't want to be the one to cause any further friction. It's—wow—it's just as Hiratsuka-sensei taught us back in freaking summer camp. I don't have to be on the best terms with someone like Todd, but developing a good tolerance level is crucial to accomplish important work. Conceding my identity for his own is, unfortunately, a step towards that kind of development.

My decision was final. I straightened up and looked at the camera, speaking loud and clear, "Todd Jason? My name is... Hikigaya Hachiman. Seventeen years old, currently in my second year of high school. I'm from Chiba, Japan, the prefecture that I've dedicated myself to protect as the Huntsman."

"That's a stupid name," Todd responded without missing a beat.

Did you mean 'Huntsman' or my real name? Well, it didn't matter because, either way, now I wanted nothing more than for you to drop dead on the ground, you little shit—

"Todd Jason. Fifteen years old, tenth grade. Gotham City, born and raised," he smugly pumped his chest. "Batman's right-hand man. AKA Robin! Boy..."

…Yeah? Too embarrassed to finish that sentence, boy wonder?

"Lovely. I suppose that's the best I could have hoped for," Alfred intervened before my snicker turned into bait for another one of Todd's tirades. "Well then, Master Jason, I will let you take over from this point on. I will be observing your operations via the nearby terminal for your assessment."

"Yeah, well, I'm still in… whaddya say? Disbelief? This isn't at all what I expected when you woke me up, Alfred," Todd spoke hesitantly.

Alfred gave Todd a look of understanding, squeezing his shoulders in support. Todd didn't flinch at all, only letting himself be taken in by the old butler's following words.

"Yes, it is a strange set of circumstances, having to operate for someone you've only met today and in a different language entirely," Alfred spoke softly. "Nonetheless, Master Bruce and I expect you to do your best. All of your lessons have led up to this point, stay calm and you'll do fine, Master Jason. I have faith in you and don't underestimate your field agent either. You'll find Huntsman to be quite capable in his own right."

Ah, any longer and I would have felt awkward for being here while they had a moment of… familial trust. Todd seemed to accept Alfred's reassurance, breathing in and out in a practiced motion. Alfred gave me one final nod and, like he said, stepped away from my sight, leaving Todd and I alone, face to face. Clearly, both of us wanted nothing to do with one another, even after hearing one hell of a pep talk from the old man.

"...Yo, debrief me," Todd broke the ice after a moment.

"What?" I asked, to his annoyance.

"Got something in your ear? Give me the details of this mission, I got no clue what we're doing here. Can't operate shit without a clue," Todd said matter-of-factly, squinting his eyes at me after he took off his domino mask.

I could tell he had a physical file in front of him with all the details he needed, but what good will pointing that out do? There was nothing to it, anyway, so I began my own explanation.

"In the Mihama Ward of Chiba, there's an abandoned warehouse I have to infiltrate. It's my one lead to finding a drugged up psychopath named Lady Comedy, also known as Isshiki Iroha."

"..."

Nothing but the sounds of slow typing from Todd's end. I continued on.

"You'll be seeing through my mask's eyes live via a broadcasting device designated as the LiveHunt. This was given to me by Batman, designed by someone named Fox, uh…"

"..."

Cat got your tongue or something? Or am I being ignored?

I snapped my fingers at Todd, "Hey! Is there a problem? Are you—"

Jason cut me off with a swipe of his hand.

"Shaddup. My typing from Japanese to English on the fly isn't the best alright?" Todd admitted, a mixture of anger and embarrassment in his voice. "Just wait a second and I'll catch up to this fucking borefest. Seriously, can't even handle something like recon by yourself? Also, what's with all the 'Hunt' shit labeled on your stuff? What a baby thing to do."

This kid's got a lot of nerve to say that when he's got 'Bat' all over his gear. I'm seriously starting to get pissed off again.

"Mind you, it was your boss who wanted me to walk away from this mission for whatever reason, before accepting a compromise. A compromise that's long gone. He was supposed to be in that chair, not you, some trash kid," I snarled at him.

That bit from me got Todd so riled up, his voice actually cracked when he growled back. Ha, amusing to see that you're nothing but a squeaker.

"Let's get this straight, I'm not a kid! I'm the partner of Batman and I'm the second best guy you're ever gonna get in a short notice!" Todd declared indignantly, slamming a fist on his desk. "Not like I'm happy I'm about this, but hey, when fuckin' Supes' from Metropolis asks for help, you know shit's going down. So lay the fuck off of us—"

"Master Jason, mind your words now," Alfred suddenly spoke into both of our ears.

Nice, I didn't even mean to and I got info from this kid on where Batman ditched me for. Just gotta remember to search later for 'soups' and 'Metro… Metro… politics'?

Damn it. I gotta wipe the crap in my ear the next time I'm in the latrine.

"Shit... forget I said anything. In fact, how about you blow that dump I see you're in and get to this warehouse already," Todd demanded.

"You…" I trailed off, feeling insulted over my Hunter's Den being disparaged.

It's still not the best looking, I admit. Unopened boxes here and there, but it's still probably one of the most technologically advanced bases in all of Japan and I worked hard—

"Hey! Chop, chop, Huntsbitch!" Todd obnoxiously cried out, flippantly clapping his hands. "I wanna get done babysitting you way before dinner time. I was promised good ziti tonight!"

This motherfucker.

"No. You can look forward to Master Bruce's leftovers for the rest of the week, as punishment," Alfred interjected in our ears, to Todd's sputtering dismay.

"B-But Alfred… please?" I heard him beg as I turned away to get ready.

So that's all it took? Was I going to hear gramps and his spoiled grandkid argue in my ear the whole night? I can tell I was going to have at least two aneurysms by the end of the night… man do I regret everything leading up to this point.

Isshiki Iroha, you better be there.

---

After some double checks and special gear procurement, I left the compound and traversed towards the warehouses of the Mihama Ward. The night was still quaint and chilly, the buildings I glided over were illuminated by the streetlights, myself by the moonlight.

Honestly though, I could have done without the kid snickering in my ear at nearly every move I made. It's like he doesn't know by now that silence is golden, not only in our shared profession, but in all aspects of life. I mean, I'm trying to jump off rooftops and glide as safely as possible here, so the least you could is shut up, yeah?

Once I reached the intended area, I grappled to the rooftop of a tall warehouse, finally seeing the 'Chimera Chems' warehouse from afar. Off the bat, I saw that it was noticeably distant from the other nearby warehouses and its architecture was quite distinct from them as well, with the others built with concrete and sheet metal? Chimera Chems was built with red brick and structured so that its rooftops weren't leveled like the others. Many points of entry over there...

"Say Huntsbitch, what's this place called? Something's not right, it looks way too familiar…" I heard in my ear.

You tell me, asshole.

"It's Huntsman and I would have explained further if you hadn't rushed me before. Again, it's the abandoned Chimera Chems warehouse, which is what I assume to be a base of operations for manufacturing a drug going around Chiba as Venom, distributed mainly by Lady Comedy," I reminded him.

"Venom, huh? Hmm… nah, this can't be a part of Bane's shit. That fucker only speaks español other than English, far as we know," Todd muttered, not bothering to acknowledge my complaints.

I shook my head to myself, not knowing what he meant by what he said. This was going too slow for my liking, so I decided to reveal the reason why he was here in the first place.

"If it helps, Chimera Chems was once a subsidiary of a Gotham City-based company, known as Ace Chemicals," I revealed.

I heard his hands slam on his desk for the hundredth time. Seriously, quit being so dramatically violent. You're gonna break the poor thing.

"Ace Chemicals?! Quit pulling my leg, asshole," Todd snapped at me.

"I'm doing nothing of the sort. Get your head examined and actually check the file on your desk, moron," I replied in an annoyed tone.

He stayed silent, presumably following my advice, while I examined the warehouse's surroundings further. There appeared to be cameras around the facility, and I couldn't keep track of which were functional or not, even with Hunter's Vision. It appeared the best way to avoid them all was to glide to a section of the rooftop in one go.

"...Holy shit. That crazy fucker went international all the way to glorious Japan years ago?" Todd whispered sharply in my ear. "No fucking wonder you weren't trusted to go alone. Actually, it says a lot that I'm here to supervise, 'cause I got experience with this top level shit."

He spoke the truth in such a smug tone that it irritated me greatly. Even more so than I thought possible.

I started, "Who exactly—"

He cut me off with an obnoxious snigger, "Nah, nah. Don't even try to ask me. I ain't saying shit, other than this mission's become a whole lot more fun."

Alfred coughed an 'ahem'.

"Take this seriously, Master Jason. Do not—"

"Right, right. No worries, I got this," Todd proclaimed, to the reassurance of no one.

"I don't like being left out of the loop," I mustered out, hoping they'd throw me a bone as to who they were talking about.

Unfortunately, neither one spoke to my complaint. I sighed, just wondering what it was about this case that made it so special for them.

Whatever, it seems the Bat family will continue to follow their own agenda, so I should focus on completing my own with or without Todd's brilliant input—

"Huntsman. From this distance, about eighty meters, you can glide over to the rightmost section of the warehouse's rooftop," Todd interrupted my thoughts.

Eighty meters from here? Really… I followed his supposed line of sight and wondered if that was truly the best route, astonished he just suddenly tried giving me a helpful tip at all.

"If my assumptions are correct, your Hunter's Vision will show two sufficient points of entry upon landing there. Either from that rusted window or the door that's seen better days," Todd spoke again, as if reading my thoughts.

"If you say so," I said after a moment.

I followed his directions, taking a running start from the rooftop I was on and glided over to the specified area. At first it seemed like I was just going to miss Chimera Chems, but I held my wingspan open, dive bombing a few times, and was gladly proven wrong. I landed on the tar-covered rooftop with no problems, immediately identifying the point of entries Todd assumed would be here.

"Perfect, I recommend the window entry. The hall behind the door appears to have boxes obstructing further entry. Use a batarang," Todd recommended, still speaking evenly.

One step ahead of you, I thought to myself, having preemptively examined the area underneath the window to confirm there was no one around before bashing the battered glass with the weapon.

Alright, gas mask on. My Grapple was hooked to the side of the window and I lowered myself in, retracting the gun once I stepped on what felt like bits of glass on concrete. I braced my eyes and activated night vision.

"Night vision clear. No signs of alarms having been activated. Weak signals and signs of activity coming from many levels down. I take it you've attached the respirator to your mask?" Todd asked.

"Yes…" I confirmed, taking in the interior of the warehouse for the first and, hopefully by the end, last time. I walked calmly towards a stairwell after Todd assured me I was in the clear to do so.

"Good, there's hints of smoke and particulates in the air. Don't need you passing out on the job now," Todd joked.

I actually caught myself smirking at that, surprised that Todd had a switch to being, well, polite and useful. Like a 'canary in the coal mine'... except he's a Robin and we're going through a warehouse instead of a—eh, whatever. The main point is, if he kept this up, then surely the night will go on without any hiccups, yeah?

Of course, this was a two-way street. I took a deep breath, deciding to genuinely voice out my appreciation for the first time towards Todd, "Noted and, uh, may I just say…"

Damn, this was hard to say, since I know he's still a neanderthal underneath all that sudden professionalism.

"What?" Todd asked.

Um.

"I'm in your care... boy wonder," I whispered as I descended into a new floor filled with old, packed shelves. I smiled at the little jab I made. Ah, I couldn't help myself!

Todd scoffed into my ear, "Tch, that fake politeness ingrained in your culture always gives me the creeps. Just go down the hall to your right, Huntsbitch."

Ah, now that regression was strangely reassuring. I cracked my stiff neck and followed the boy's direction, my fists trembling in anticipation the second my Hunter's Vision indicated signs of life in the floor below me. Finally, I was here to do what I do best—show up uninvited, but ready to absolutely ruin their little social club and event, one way or another.

---

A/N: Huntsman and Robin. I have to say, I had an absolute delight in writing Jason Todd this way. He's become my favorite already, to be honest. Just how obnoxious and angsty could you make a kid vigilante his age? I don't think I've even scratched the surface. I'm sorry if some of you were are offended with the way he's being portrayed so far or over something he's said, but he will remain a rough, controversial street urchin at heart. It's not an exact replicate, but I took a lot of inspiration from Under The Red Hood. I suggest going on YouTube and searching clips of teenage Jason in that animated movie, specifically during the drug bust. That kind of brash arrogance he has is something else and Hachiman will correspond with him beyond just this mission.

Yuigahama's scene matters, I hope it was easy to catch that something's not right. I also added Evangelion characters to the mix, all employed by Wayne Enterprises in this universe, just for kicks. It won't go much further than just this cameo, though maybe I'll end up using Kaji again for another purpose.

Thanks a lot to everyone for reviewing since the last recent update, which was 2 days ago lol.

Satriander: I hope you got a kick out of the near end of this chapter. More action in chapter 9 to come.

Son of Dylan & Steuerkrung: Thanks! Though honestly I couldn't have done this without 502nickster still being involved. Everyone should check out his other fics and specifically pressure him to update the multiverse fic. HA, just kidding. I'd rather he write at his own pace. Also it's cool to write about vigilantes in masks, but maaan am I tired of wearing a mask for this pandemic. Freedom can't come soon enough.

AlimeLover123: Thanks a lot for the review! I'm happy you like things so far. I thought the Yumiko chapter would get less attention, which would have been a shame since I do like including the spotlight in some of these characters. Tobe, in my opinion, is a good boy. Yeah, Hachiman doesn't yet realize how far his feelings go-even after the way he's leapt after her. Will he ever? Even if he does, what can he do? What about the other girls? What if it's his destiny now to be like Bruce Wayne, in that he sleeps with every chick he comes across?! LOL. Take care.

Guest: Yeah Hachiman did deserve to be heard out by someone in chapter 6, thanks. Though he does realize it was wrong of him to do it to Yukino in her current state, but hey, it led to them reconciling in the end.

Steelrain66: Well, Yumiko just sees Hachiman as a reliable guy. He saved her as himself in 502nickster's story from crazy Iroha. I GUESS that could be a starting point for something more, but right now she's focusing on improving herself, having been inspired by her past run-ins with Huntsman. Funny, since they're the same person. Yumiko will propose something to Hachiman.

QuestingforBitches: The reason for Batman's absence and Jason's inclusion is something going on in Metropolis. Something Superman wanted Batman's opinion on. Yeah other DC characters exist here, for sure. Check out 502nickster's story "The Adventure Continues" to see Hachiman interact with more of them.\

Goderasu: Hunker down, because you'll probably have to wait a some time for chapter 9. Thanks for the enthusiasm!

Jasserru: I wonder if you counted on Jason Todd finding out about Huntsman/Hachiman in this chapter lol. Thanks!