The older girl sighed, shaking her head. Whether it was a fluke that you sneaked up on her or not, tomorrow (or more accurately, today), was going to be a hard day for everyone involved.

...

Netero chuckled to himself, bare feet crosslegged on his desk as he gazed out of the moving blimp. A finger and thumb playfully tugged at his facial hair as a hum vibrated against his throat. A knock at his door broke the silence.

"Chairman, may I come in?" The serine voice of Bean rang out, Netero's assistant. Before he bothered to reply, the small green creature has already opened the door and slipped inside.

"Ah Bean! What is it?" He replied playfully, placing a hand on his chin and tilted his head.

"I have that report for you, Sir. About the string of attacks?" At that, he extended his hand for the older man to take. And he did. His blue eyes examined the page briefly, before sighing.

There was a beat of silence.

"Oh my... how exciting"

"Exciting, sir?" An eyebrow was quirked.

"Hmm.." Netero flipped the page "..My hands are tied as of right now. I don't tend to enjoy meddling with Mafia business. Still, with children involved, this is... worth noting" another moment of thought as the green bean nodded.

"Send out a job request for observation only, I want to see how this unravels" as those words were spoken, his assistant nodded again, taking notes.

"Plus! I have more pressing matters Bean!" The old man bolstered as he leapt from the table and on his feet. "I have to proctor the sixth phase!"

"Wait, really? Is that necessary?" The little creature sweated. Why wasn't he surprised that he'd pull something like this?

Netero chuckled again "but of course! After the blunder that Menchi made, I want the last phase to be plain sailing. And I have the funniest idea..."

Bean could only sigh, a small frown on his face as he bid the chairman goodbye and tucked the papers under his small arm. He couldn't help but think about the report and .. those children. Developing Nen abilities. He wondered exactly what the Chairman has in mind when deciding to leave them be.

Maybe people should be taking this more seriously, he thought.

...

Cold sweat trickled down your back as you heard screams reverberate through the walls and floors. Bolting up from bed, you scurried to your feet, your bare feet flinching against the icy flooring.

After getting up at dawn, you ended up going back to sleep. It seems like you overslept but the looks of it. All other occupants had left their beds, most likely down stairs for breakfast. But that didn't explain the screams you could hear.

What the hell was going on? An attack? But I can't hear any fighting...

You knew someone like Amara would never allow for anyone to infiltrate so easily in the light of day.

The agonising sounds made your blood pump, and muscles constrict. You were still slightly disoriented from sleeping, but soon sobered up as you curbed round the door, eyes sharp.

Keeping your body pressed hard into the wall, you made swift progress from corridor to corridor. This shell of a building had only been your "home" for a week or so, so you were still shake-y on the layout. However if you were correct, then the noises were coming from... the common area?

Your teeth ground against each other in an attempt to restrain the growing anxiety quelling in your chest. Where was that chatty idiot Tatsuya when you really needed him?

Ah, speaking of him, no doubt he'll be where the action is.

Before long, you were right around the corner of the source. As you eyeballed the current situation from a distance, you noticed sporadically placed figures, each shuddering violently.

Pulling your head back, you pondered, eyes wondering. What should you do? Go marching in? No doubt this was the older kids doing. Probably Amara.

From the vibes they gave off yesterday, you knew they were up to something.

Your hands tightened against the wall you were leant against, and sighed before stepping out.

Keeping light on your feet, you checked the closest to you. They were young, maybe eight or nine, and moving in almost a convulsing manner. Skin hot to the touch, you recoiled. Something was off. Again. The prickling of the back of your neck and arms told you that it going any further was a bad idea.

So of course, you proceeded. Every one you checked as you passed had similar conditions, some worse than others. Just what on Earth was going on?

Biting your lower lip, you peaked through hinges, breathing steady. The same scene was shown inside, with bodies littered. Some were sat up and talking now, while others were incapacitated.

The lieutenant girl and a tall boy both had a child facing away from them, back exposed. You scrutinised what was before you, not sure. As time passed, they placed their hands on their back, and the children began to scream.

Eyes widened, a silent tsk was drowned out by the drill of noise. But as soon as it had started, there was silence. But not before hurried footsteps zoomed out of the door and past you. You grunted, as you saw a few children run out and down the stairs, clearly horrified with the circumstances.

It had occurred to you to run as well. The thick atmosphere did nothing for your nerves. But, where? There's no guarantee you'll survive anymore than you would here.

It was time to find out what was going on, and where the hell Tatsuya was.

...

(A/N) Hey all! I know this year has been tough on all of us, and with 2021 here, let's hope for brighter things soon!