A slightly longer chapter. Review, please! I like those!

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Little Wing It

Volume 2

Photon Art Online

Chapter 1

Crimson Hunter Red

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I

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The sound of a saber swinging erratically through the air filled my ears as I stood a few centimeters away.

The person swinging said saber raised it up again and swung down, tracing an uneven glowing line that vanished faster than the eye can follow.

It was the worst saber swing I had seen in my eighteen years of living.

"Bad. Again."

"What? Oh, come on! We've been at this for an hour now! Can't we take a break?"

"No."

"Ugh... slave driver..."

Ignoring my partner's complaints, I continued watching her carefully.

Of course, I kept my guard up.

We were currently back in Parum's Raffon Meadow.

Wide, open space, good environment, it was an ideal place for practicing using a saber.

That's right, I was currently teaching my partner, the exasperating Emilia Percival, how to use a saber.

Why? It's... a long story.

"Why do I have to learn this, anyway?"

"You were the one who asked me to train you!"

"Yeah, but... why a saber? I can fight just fine with my rod!"

True, she can.

But that fighting she's referring to is limited to firing off Techs and hoping for the best.

It worked so far, but in this line of work, you can never be certain.

"Honestly? If your Techs didn't work, what then?"

"Isn't that what you're here for?"

Ah, this girl.

I would very much like to smack her upside the head, just to shake her brain.

"And if I'm not available?"

"Oh... um, run away?"

There's a limit to how carefree one person can get, you know. Even if you're not a mercenary.

The thing is, she really does want to learn how to fight. I've seen it in her eyes. I felt it.

But her attitude and fighting in general are worlds apart from being compatible.

I release what might have been my two hundredth sigh ever since that day in the relic site.

"Look, the saber is the easiest melee weapon to use for a Vanguard. Do you wanna learn how to use daggers, instead? Or twin sabers?"

I could practically see her shiver.

"Okay, okay, I get it... But can't I rest a little? My hands are shaking..."

"Oh, for... Alright, fine."

"Finally!"

And then she threw the saber hilt away and plopped down towards the grass.

How ungraceful can you be?

Oh well... I might as well make the most of this free time.

I activated my palette and summoned two saber hilts, one for each hand. I activated them and two red beams of light extended from the base.

I swung with my right hand, feeling the weightless blade slice the air in front of me.

Wasting no time, I crossed the left blade with it and slashed in a cross fashion, bringing my right knee forward to balance myself.

I immediately brought it back and switched my left blade into a backhand grip as I spun clockwise, forming a thick circular slash around me with two sabers.

I stepped forward with my right foot again, finishing with a slanted and straight version of the cross-slash that left a thick diagonal line in the air.

I brought the twin sabers to rest on either side of me, evaluating my work.

I did all the steps right, but I felt like I was too slow. The point of using twin sabers is to overwhelm your opponent with a volley of quick strikes.

But I think I'm too accustomed in timely efficient strikes and playing defensively.

Nothing a little practice can't fix.

Just then, I heard some enthusiastic clapping from behind me.

"Hey, that was cool! So different from your usual style!"

"That's the point. I took my own advice. I can't just rely on one style."

"But don't you have a handgun?"

"That's mainly a distraction."

It's true, my handgun isn't powerful enough to serve as a primary means of attack.

"Wow, I guess I better brush up, huh? Can't fall behind my partner too much."

With that, she stood up and picked her saber from the ground.

Activating the blade, she entered her stance and looked forward with a focused expression.

"Let's see... steady your footing, tighten your grip, straighten your back and..."

And then she moved.

She raised her saber and quickly brought it down, leaning her body and right knee forward for extra range.

Immediately after that, she reversed her grip and swung upwards, bending backwards to accommodate the inertia.

And then she returned to her original grip and slashed forward yet again, this time with a more horizontal-oriented swing.

Right after that, she brought the saber to rest at her side and pointed her left hand's index and middle finger forward and the thumb upwards, twisting her body sideways, left foot forward.

And she jerked her hand upwards in a firing motion.

"Bang!"

What... what was that?

That was actually not bad.

While I was still in mild shock, she turned towards me with a smug look on her face.

"Heh, how's that?"

"That was... better. Though if you do that bang thing in a real fight, you'd be in trouble."

"Th-that's not...! I was copying your style!"

"I do not say 'bang!' when I fire my gun."

"I know, that was just...! Oh, forget it!"

She looked away with a pout, a faint tinge of red visible on her cheeks. I couldn't help chuckling a little.

Heh, it's surprisingly fun teasing this girl. For a smart person, she's relatively simple-minded.

Still, it was a little amazing she managed to copy the basics of my saber style on her first try.

I guess it's true, there really are prodigies out there.

Any further musings of mine, however, were cut short by a loud roar echoing throughout the open plains.

Perfect.

Training wasn't the only reason we traveled here.

We also took an open mission to hunt down a Gol Dolva. Large, ugly, quadruped creatures with tough hides that trample down anything that comes close.

"H-hey, what's that?"

"Our target."

And sure enough, the bushes along the horizon were flattened as the ugly bugger appeared.

I summoned my saber and handgun, activating my shield weave along the way.

I saw Emilia preparing to summon her rod, but I quickly put a stop.

"Hey, saber only! This is a good opportunity for training!"

"Wha? Oh, come on!"

She complained but she still followed my orders, albeit with a begrudging expression written on her face.

And with that, we got out of the way as the Gol Dolva charged.

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II

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"Watch out!"

I called out to Emilia, who was currently in front of the Gol Dolva's path.

She managed to avoid getting trampled by jumping away right on time, performing a ground roll to stabilize her momentum.

"Haa... Come, on! Won't this thing die already?"

She complained while she picked herself up and dusted her clothes.

I'd reprimand her if not for the fact that I share her sentiments word for word.

We've been fighting this giant monster for almost fifteen minutes.

And unlike the fight against the Bag Degga, there weren't any convenient cliffs nearby.

In paper, fifteen minutes is not that long. Of course, when it comes to combat, where the energy you spend with every movement is significantly higher, this amount of time is almost too long.

And when a fight drags on and it turns into a war of attrition, you tend to make mistakes. And mistakes when fighting a hostile wild creature can quite possibly be your last.

It also didn't help that we've been using only our sabers. The damn thing is barely reacting to our attacks at all.

Time to bring out the big guns.

Emilia must have noticed my expression, turning towards me and asking.

"Kara, got any ideas?"

"Yeah, stand back a little."

As Emilia did as I said, the Gol Dolva finished turning around from where it stopped its earlier charge.

I changed the settings on my saber, but instead of setting it to stun or kill, I set it into the third option.

Overdrive.

The saber started whirring after a while, and the energy blade intensified, almost blindingly.

I pointed it at the now charging Gol Dolva.

"Come at me, ugly bastard."

"Woohoo! So cool!"

Shut up, you noisy girl.

I prepared my stance as the big brute of a monster inched ever so slowly.

And when it was less than a meter away, I leapt into action.

"[Infinite Storm]!"

I swung my saber forward, a thick beam of light accentuating the slash's path.

The Gol Dolva roared in pain, as the strike's force stopped its charge completely.

But I wasn't finished.

I stepped forward with my left foot as I slashed again, and again, and again.

With each blow, the creature was pushed back, farther than the last every time as its hold on the ground was lost slowly but surely.

And as a final blow, I held my saber in a reverse forehand grip and swung upwards.

The blade struck the Gol Dolva's chin square on, with a blast of compressed air sending it flying a good distance away.

"W-woah...!"

Emilia sputtered out in shock, completely stunned by what had transpired.

To be honest, I was a little surprised too. I expected the strike to knock out the monster, not launch it into the air.

We couldn't start celebrating yet, however, as, to our complete bewilderment, the Gol Dolva stood up yet again.

"Wha? What is that thing made of?!"

"Lard and muscle. Alright... Huh?"

I raised my saber, preparing to engage once more, but I was cut short by one more surprise.

There was a distinct lack of a blade on my saber's handle.

"Uh... Kara?"

"What the fuck?! Goddamn it!"

"H-hey, language!"

Ignoring my partner who was startled by my outburst, I started fiddling around with my saber.

Nothing. It was busted. Overdrive must have fried its systems.

See, this is what I get for trying to save money on eqiupment.

"Oh, whatever!"

I threw it away and summoned my twin sabers. Problem is, these aren't high quality ones. I brought these for practice purposes.

It was at this moment that the Gol Dolva started charging at us once more, albeit slower than earlier.

Seeing that I was incapable of fighting at the moment, Emilia stepped forward and assumed a battle stance.

"What the hell're your doing?"

"Your weapon's busted! It's my time to shine!"

Seeing as she was right, I said nothing. Emilia raised her arms forward and activated her palette.

"Clarita Visas, come forth!"

A bright glow enveloped her hands for a moment, and when it dissipated...

Nothing.

"Huh?"

Her back was turned to me but I could just picture her looking blank.

"L-lets try that again..."

Another glow, and another glaring absence of a certain magical rod.

Meanwhile, the Gol Dolva was a handful of meters away.

After a while, Emilia suddenly perked up, and a bad feeling erupted from within my gut.

"Oh! I left it at my room!"

I could have sworn time stopped if it wasn't for the large creature stampeding towards us.

"You idiot!"

"I'm sorry! I forgot, really!"

Usually, you never have a need to leave your weapons somewhere.

The palette can provide godly convenience so long as you calibrate the weapons to it

But I guess with Emilia Percival, you just never know.

I prepared to grab her but she hurriedly stopped me in a desperate attempt to salvage her pride.

"N-no wait, I got this!"

She put her arms forward, pointing both of her plams towards the ever so close Gol Dolva.

Oh please don't tell me...

"[Razonde]!"

Oh, she did.

And it went as disastrously as you'd expect.

A loud explosion, punctuated by wild bolts of electricity resounded throughout the open meadow.

The good thing about it is that the Gol Dolva was blown away by the blast.

"*cough*cough*! Emilia! You alright?"

I called out towards the blast's epicenter, unable to see anything due to the cloud of smoke.

I'd be worried if I wasn't so filled with the familiar feeling of exasperation.

"I-I'm okay..."

Before I could feel some semblance of relief, the smoke cleared enough for me to see.

And then I saw...

"Pffffttt...!"

"W-why are you laughing?! What...?!"

Excuse me for being crude, Ms. Percival.

But, no, I'm not sorry.

She didn't have any major injuries, but she was absolutely covered in soot.

And her hair...

The best thing to describe it would be... electrifying.

As in, stiff and pointing in all directions.

Instead of answering her, I summoned my shield and showed her a reflective part.

There was eerie silence for a while.

"M-m-my hair...! Aaaaggghhh!!!"

"Snrk...!"

I'm trying to resist bursting out in laughter, I really am!

In response, she just gave me a dirty look.

Our small banter was interrupted, however, by a loud but weak roar.

As if to remind us of its presence, the Gol Dolva started running again.

"K-Kara, do something!"

"Oh, to hell with it...!"

Before we could re-engage though, the sound of a gust of wind echoed throughout the plains.

And a moment after it, a familiar voice.

"[Tornado Dance]!"

Before we could look, a bright orange horizontal tornado tore through the grasslands and violently collided against the Gol Dolva.

Blood exploded outwards and blown away by the resulting gusts.

As the Gol Dolva fell towards the ground, dead before it even landed, the tornado slowly dissipated to reveal a person spinning rapidly.

Said person quickly switched from a sideways spinning top twist to a forward ground roll, stopping their momentum gracefully.

On their hands was an orange intricate double saber.

And their hair was a familiar flame red.

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III

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The redhead mercenary smirked as she walked towards us, dismissing her double saber with a bright flash of light.

She instantly froze as soon she saw my partner's bedraggled state however...

"Pfft! Ahahahaha!"

"Don't you laugh! Stop it!"

Emilia stomped her foot as she tried to quell Red's laughter to no avail.

She eventually stopped though, wiping tears from the corner of her eyes.

The damage was already done, however.

"W-what happened to you...?"

"None of your business!"

Emilia rudely snapped. Red didn't seem to mind though, still sporting the same amused look on her face as earlier.

Instead, she continued her approach towards us, ignoring Emilia's hostile aura.

"So, what brings you here?"

I asked as soon as she was close enough to converse with properly and civilly.

She brought her arms up, elbows pointing to the ground and palms facing upwards.

"Eh, I was on a job of mine. Saw you guys in a pinch and since I like you two so much, I gave a hand."

I'm not sure but I swear there was a patronizing tone somewhere in her answer.

"A hand? We were doing just fine, thank you very much!"

My partner didn't seem to like her answer, however.

In fact, she looked quite offended.

"You don't look like it, though. Snrk...!"

Red covered her mouth with her hand in a half-hearted attempt to hide her budding laughter.

"Stop laughing, it was an accident!"

If you call trying to cast a Tech without a proper weapon then, sure, whatever floats your boat.

Red had an expression that looked far from buying it though.

"Whatever you say, bolthead."

"What did you say?!"

"Emilia, stop, c'mon."

"But...! Oh, fine..."

I felt it was time to intervene. As entertaining as it is, I better not let this escalate further.

Thankfully, she heeded my words. I was honestly surprised myself.

Grumbling to herself, Emilia picked a clean spot on the grass a short distance away to sit on before attempting to fix her hair.

"Hehe, you guys are such an entertaining bunch."

I turned to look at Red with an exasperated expression, to which she just shrugged.

"... You said you had a job? Still freelance?"

"Hm? Nah, I joined a mercenary company recently."

Well, that's a little surprising.

But I guess I can't blame her, though. It's really challenging being freelance for so long. Now, I'm curious which company took her in.

I didn't have to ask, though. Red put her hands on her hips, looking quite proud of herself.

"You're looking at the newest member of Little Wing! Crimson Hunter Red!"

Are you a child?

Wait, Little Wing?

I was so caught off guard by the over the top introduction that it almost didn't even register.

A certain someone didn't waste time, though.

"Huh?! Boss hired you?!"

"Yeah, got a problem with it, bolthead?"

"S-stop calling me that, you kill-stealer!"

Ignoring the two kids' banter, I turned back to Red and asked about another important detail I noticed.

"... Crimson Hunter Red? Where'd you get that name, from the Redundant Department of Redundancy?"

I can safely say that Red didn't expect that at all, judging by stunned look on her face.

Before long, her cheeks started heating up in what I assume to be embarrassment.

"S-shut up! It's not my fault my name and my title mean the same thing!"

"Title? It's not some kiddy made up name?"

"I'm SEVENTEEN! I told you before!"

"Ahahahahaha!"

Emilia burst out laughing shortly after.

I have no idea why Red insists on dishing out jabs and insults if she can't take it.

Then again, Emilia's verbal attacks don't seem to work against her. It's either my partner just sucks at name-calling or the midget reacts differently to my words.

I'm desperately hoping it's the latter. I already have a problem child in my custody. I'm not sure I can handle another one.

"W-whatever! I've got things to do so bye!"

And with that she started walking away.

"Oooh, the great Maroon Hunter walks away! How disgraceful."

Red stopped.

But before Emilia could form a triumphant expression, Red turned her head back and shrugged smugly.

"Smell ya later, bolthead! And thanks for the free kill!"

"So you admit it! Hey, come back here! Arrgghh!"

Please, please just let it go.

Thankfully, Red ignored my partner's taunts and fled the scene.

Said partner then plopped back down on the ground, thoroughly annoyed that Red got the last laugh.

Seeing as I can't exactly leave with my partner photosynthesizing on the ground, I sat down a small distance away.

I felt the soft grass cushion my bottom, providing decent comfortably as the wind gently blew across the meadow.

Ah, this is nice. If I wasn't so damn tired, I'd fall asleep easily.

"... well, things certainly got hectic."

I muttered out, mostly commenting to myself.

"Boy, you can say that again. That Gol Dolva was a pain to bring down! And that... kill-strealing jerk certainly didn't help!"

Oh no, I unknowingly instigated a rant.

At this point, I'm mostly just used to it. If I just let her talk, she'll eventually stop.

Since I don't really have anything else to do, I might as well just let her let off some steam.

See, I'm thoughtful that way.

"Ugh... Showing initiative is harder than I thought. I figured training and missions'll get my mind of things but... it really didn't."

"At least we managed to accomplish both. I'm gonna need to buy a new saber..."

"Hee-Hee... Yeah, that sucks, huh?"

It really does.

At the very least, I can take solace in the fact that her mood improved.

When she's in the complaining mood, things tend to not get done, or worse, blow up on our faces.

After a while, Emilia sat up from where she was lying, looking at nothing in particular.

"Mika, can we talk now?"

As if on Emilia's command, a bright golden light enveloped her body.

But instead of the gold runes appearing on her body whenever Mika takes over, an equally bright light appeared beside her.

And when the light faded, standing there was the Ancient herself, looking as serene as ever.

"Hello, Emilia. Have you thought things over?"

"Honestly, it's still a little confusing but if what you showed me is true... then I don't really have time to be confused, do I?"

Emilia said, the same determined look that she showed me before clearly visible.

Upon hearing her words, Mika started looking hopeful but still just a little bit apprehensive.

"Your answer then?"

Emilia stood up, looking straight into the eyes of the taller Mika.

"I believe you. Well, you do live inside me, after all. I don't really have much of a choice, right?"

I never saw someone, Ancient or not, look so overjoyed. Those simple words from Emilia managed to light up her face just like that.

Of course, those words might have meant the world to her.

"What do you think, Kara?"

Emilia asked me next, still looking laser focused.

I know it's a serious conversation and all but I'm just not used to seeing her like this.

Well, I suppose some mischief wouldn't hurt...

"I believe you."

I said, not to Mika, but to Emilia.

"What, me? Why me?"

She asked, looking completely lost. In response, I gave her a very meaningful shrug.

"So since you believe me, does that mean you believe Mika too? I guess... That's a little confusing. Maybe you should just believe Mika directly."

"I believe you, Mika."

"... You're making fun of me, aren't you?"

Our little banter caused Mika to chuckle gently, in a voice not unlike music gently singing to your ears.

"Thank you... Both of you."

Seeing the sincerely grateful smile is enough to bring out a smile of my own, and I'm sure Emilia feels the same.

There's just something about Mika that draws you to her. Something so honest and genuine that just makes you feel at home.

Of course, if we just stand here and smile at each other, we won't get anything done.

"So, what's the plan, then?"

"That remains to be seen. We must first see where our investigation leads us."

Mika said with a downtrodden but serious expression. This got Emilia back into a thinking position.

"So, still at square one. The only thing we know is that we can't let the subspace research continue... But how do we stop an interplanetary research project?"

What's subspace got to do with this?

I'm not sure if it was mentioned before and I just forgot, or it's something only Mika and Emilia currently knows because of the memory sharing thing.

I was tempted to ask but I voted against it. If it's important, I'm sure I'll find out sooner or later.

One thing I do know is that stopping the subspace program, as Emilia noted, is that we aren't doing it on our own.

"... maybe Kraz can help?"

I suggested, and Emilia looked at me like I'm an idiot.

I'd be offended but knowing Kraz...

"The boss? He'll never believe us. Laugh us outta the room's more like it."

"And who are we supposed to ask? The Guardians?"

"Hmph. As if they'll give us any time of day. But Kraz..."

Emilia spent a while pondering it, as me and Mika waited.

I'm equally hesitant in asking Kraz but if we can't get Little Wing on our side then we're truly on our own.

And I'm not sure if I can feel confident about our chances.

"... Emilia?"

"... Well, I guess it can't hurt to run it through him..."

After a while, Emilia threw her shoulders down and let out a resigned sigh.

I can't say I don't understand the feeling. Our hands are really tied this time.

"Don't worry, I'm with you on this one."

My words made Emilia look at me with a grateful smile on her face.

"Thanks, Kara."

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IV

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The plan was simple.

Return to Little Wing, talk to Kraz, get laughed at, and mope around in our ship.

But all that came crashing down when a certain redhead midget caught the eye of the ever focused Emilia Percival.

"Ahahahaha! This is such fun!"

I was now currently restraining my raging partner, while Red laughed her ass off in front of us.

I don't know why we keep running into this little troublemaker but I'm sure it can't be anything good.

No time to try and think about it now, though. I went ahead and decided to remind my partner.

"Don't we have to talk to the boss?"

After a while, Emilia did calm down, thankfully, so I let her go.

I feared she'd charge Red the moment I set her free but looks like she's planning on being sensible.

"Alright, fine... But this isn't over, you hear me?"

"Whatever you say..."

I saw her eye twitch for a moment but, thank heavens, she kept on walking.

And so did Red.

"... why are you following us?"

"You guys're gonna talk to the boss, right? Might be entertaining so I'll stick around."

"... why?"

She just shrugged and continued walking behind us.

This girl is seriously weird.

Choosing to ignore her for now, we stepped inside Little Wing's office, where we yet again ran into some familiar faces.

"Hey, if it isn't Kara and Emilia! How's it going?"

The dark-skinned beastling, Tonnio, greeted, catching us by surprise. By his side was his similarly-sized partner and wife, Liina.

Well, this is certainly a surprise and a half. We haven't seen these two since that mission in Crodog.

"Oh! Hey, Tonnio, Liina! What're you guys doing here?"

Emilia cheerfully asked from beside me. Seems like the Rhimas grew on her in the short time we spent together.

Can't say I don't feel the same. These two have proven to be trustworthy co-workers and friends.

"Oh, you know, signing away our lives..."

Tonnio jokingly shrugged.

But then that means...

"You joined Little Wing?"

"Glad to be part of the team!"

Liina answered in a cheerful voice, confirming my suspicions.

Of course, they weren't really trying to make a secret of it.

"We really lucked out, you know, with Kraz's have-skill-will-hang attitude towards recruits. Most companies won't even look twice at a former pirate like me."

"Huh? You used to be a pirate, Liina?"

"It's a long story. I'll tell you next time, okay?"

Liina gently answered my partner's curious question, which was no doubt going to lead to an interview.

To be fair, I was a bit curious too. But since she did say it was a long story, it's going to have to wait.

Let's ask a different question, then.

"So how'd you end up signing here?"

"Me and Liina ran into Kraz while we were going after the ones who hit the Kasch Village."

Tonnio helpfully supplied in place of Liina, who was now excitedly chatting with Emilia about a different topic.

I could see Emilia was paying attention to Tonnio's words, however, glancing at us during breaks in her conversation with the female beastling.

"There were plenty of places we found our hands were tied, you know, being freelance. We needed help, Kraz needed help, and it works out well for us all."

I see.

Of course, I understand it well enough. Despite the added hecticness since I joined Little Wing, life has gotten so much easier.

So I can't say I blame them for jumping on the chance to sign up.

Little Wing is probably the only company I know of that doesn't give a damn about who you are, as long as you have skills.

So it really does work out for us all.

"As long as you don't mind running personal errands and getting tossed into relic sites without so much as a map..."

Emilia complained, almost causing me to facepalm. The things this girl says...

"Why would there be a map? It's called unexplored for a reason, you know..."

I received a glare in return. I smirked back.

I thought she was gonna fire back but she just ignored me and returned her attention back to the Rhimas.

"Anyway, working for Kraz can be a real chore sometimes. I hope you can take it."

I don't know what came over her that she got it in her head that she's qualified to give advice but...

Nah, nevermind. Sometimes, it's funnier when she falls flat on her face.

As her partner, it's my responsibility to be the first to laugh at her. Oh, and help her up too, I guess.

Tonnio, at the very least, didn't seem worried at all.

"Guess we'll find out, won't we?"

Yeah, I guess we will.

Bidding farewell to us, the Rhimas walked out of the office, leaving me and Emilia by ourselves again.

Man, are those two ever apart?

Anyway, it's time to talk to Kraz. Emilia went on ahead, but before I could follow...

"Wow, I guess I'm not the newest recruit anymore, huh?"

"... you're still here?"

I'd completely forgotten Red was still with us, being silent the entire time.

I'm still not close to finding out what's the deal with this girl.

Ignoring her for now, I followed Emilia to Kraz's desk. And what I witnessed was...

"Oooh, my... yes... she's coming along nicely. Sometimes the flower that blooms late is worth waiting for! Look at... those petals! Oh, to be a gardener again..."

The legend, himself.

"If you need me, I'll... be over there..."

And Red awkwardly excused herself. I don't blame her. There aren't much who can stand in the presence of the legendary Kraz Muehler.

"Boss! What the heck are you reading?! Aren't you supposed to be on duty?!"

"Hunh...? Oh, Emilia, it's you. Sure ya should be up'n'screechin' like that so early?"

"I am NOT screeching!"

No, I'm pretty sure you are.

I'm gonna keep that comment to myself, though. I'm just gonna hang back and watch this unfold.

I know I said I'm with Emilia on this one but... let's watch this unfold first since she's so eager.

We're already off to a great start as Kraz stuck a finger in his ear.

"Hmph. Then do explain why my ears are ringin'. Naw, on second thought, don't bother. I got a job for ya..."

"Actually there's something I want to talk to you about..."

"I suppose you'll wanna know where yer goin'. A research lab belonging to the Inhelt Corporation."

Hey, I don't know about Emilia but this actually sounds like it might be a real job.

"Um, excuse me? I said there was something I wanted to-"

"You'll be removing some unwanted lifeforms that escaped from the facility's surface-level environmental bio labs. Specifically-"

"Look, I don't care about some stupid mop job! I need to talk to you about something."

Hoo, boy. She's gone and done it now. The look on Kraz's face tells me as much.

S-should I step in...? I'm really not sure...

"Something more important than a request from a very, very good client?"

"Yes! Yes, it is! It's something that affects the entire Gurhal System!"

"The entire... huh?"

"There's this ancient civilization, see? They want our system, and if we don't do something quick, they're going to take it!"

It's already crazy enough as is, but it sounds crazier when it's not me or Mika saying it.

Nah, scratch that. Everything sounds crazier when Emilia says it.

"You don't say."

"I do say! This is bad. Real bad! Why am I the only one freaking out here?!"

I know about it too but you don't see me freaking out about it.

Granted, me freaking out is next to impossible. It's not that I'm not worried about the situation but...

Kraz, on the other hand, is starting to look more and more annoyed with each passing word from Emilia.

"Hrm. Let's see now. Terrible threat to the system? Nah. Crusty invading civ? Nah. Ah! You freaking out? Yeah. I applaud your honesty."

"I'm being serious! We're all in terrible danger!"

"...of getting a headache. Oops. Too late. By the by, any idea which company's been taking the lead in subspace research?"

"...Inhelt Corporation?"

"The girl knows her stuff! Next question: which corporation wants us to help them out? Take your time."

"Inhelt Corporation... Wait, that's it! I have to get them to stop their subspace research immediately!"

I...

Okay, this is just too painful.

I don't know why she thought saying that out loud was a good idea. Really, it's always the extremes with this girl.

One second, she's the laziest person in the system. The next, she's plotting on conquering it.

In any case, Kraz looked just about done.

"Why do I always get the crazy ones? Why? You pull any of that nonsense with one of my clients and ancient invaders'll be the last of your problems."

"Why won't you believe me?! You're making a terrible mistake!"

"No, my terrible mistake was hiring you. This is just me reaping what I sowed. A word to the wise: knock off the crazy shtick. You want me to believe the sky is falling? Or some ancient civ getting all up in our subspace? Show me proof."

"...If I get proof, you promise to hear me out?"

For a second there, I thought she really did have genuine proof. That she took a picture of the guy in black or something.

But it all came crashing down shortly after as familiar dark feeling resurfaced in my gut.

"Then HERE'S YOUR PROOF! Come forth, Mika!"

With the same bright golden light, Mika appeared by Emilia's side, looking as graceful ever.

Her expression, on the other hand...

This is honestly too much to bear...

"Um..."

If I was Mika, I'd have said the exact same thing.

"Well, Boss? How's that for proof?! Not every day you see someone possessed by a spirit from an ancient race!"

"Emilia, I hate to intrude, but-"

"Go on Mika, tell him! Open up his beady little eyes and show him the truth!"

I don't know why Emilia thought this was a good idea. I thought that bit of important detail would be included in the memory-sharing thing.

Or at the very least, that Mika told her that normal people can't see her.

Well, she's certainly telling her now.

"I'm sorry, I should have told you this earlier. Normal people cannot see me."

"...huh?"

I had to look away at this point.

Really. I'm now regretting not stopping her earlier.

Never did I think that Emilia making a fool of herself would make me feel like a total piece of shit.

Kraz looked just abouy ready to lose it, though.

"This is really entertaining. Are ya done yet?"

"No, wait, she's here, really! She's beside… me."

"I asked if WE'RE DONE!"

"I… uh… Oh, blast it all."

At this point, Kraz ran out of shits to give.

He turned his attention to me.

"Feh. Maybe it was a mistake teaming Emilia up with you after all. I didn't think it was possible but she's gotten even worse!"

"I,uh... S-sorry, boss..."

"There are few things in this world that an apology can make better. Believe me, I've tried. Pay me back by workin'."

Well, at least, I'm not in too much trouble. Emilia, on the other hand...

Shit, I feel so goddamn terrible...

"I'd be angry if I wasn't so full of crushing despair. Just go do your job. You can get the scoop at the Mission Terminal."

"R-roger..."

"And forgive me if the thought of you two out there doesn't fill me with confidence. Take the new recruit with ya. What's her name? Scarlet, or somethin'?"

Oh, no.

Oh, no no no no no.

No.

This is nothing but a recipe for disaster. Emilia and Red on the same mission?

Yeah, we're truly and well screwed.

B-but, Boss-"

Emilia tried to complain, in what was one last ditch effort to salvage the situation.

Predictably, it failed.

"Shut mouth. 180-degree turn. Leave. Don't make my headache any worse than it is. You wouldn't like me when I'm grumpy."

Oh, blast it all.

ooo000ooo

V

ooo000ooo

"Ooohh, nice place. Guess it pays to have the best tech, huh?"

Red half wondered out loud, half asked me as she examined the interior of Inhelt's lab.

It's been a pretty uneventful journey from Clad 6.

Red had no complaints when we told her she's part of our team for the mission, not that she had any right to, since it was the boss's orders.

But still, knowing her, I thought she'd make it harder for us like she usually does.

Guess I was wrong.

In any case, we arrived at Inhelt, met with the client's representatives, and now we're off hunting unwanted escapee lifeforms.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner, Mika...?"

"Sorry..."

Of course, a major reason why there wasn't any trouble was because of Emilia's despondent mood.

Boy, that conversation with the boss really crushed all her good spirits.

"Beast guy, that weirdo's been talking to herself all the way here. Dont'cha think you should do something?"

Red asked as she approached me, looking absolutely weirded out.

Ah, that's right, only me and Emilia can see or hear Mika. Red can't acknowledge her presence at all.

But still, she does have a point. We're not gonna accomplish anything if Emilia just mopes around all day, so I approached her.

"Hey."

"Huh? Oh, it's you."

Wow, thanks for the enthusiasm. Really, I appreciate it. It's not like I'm trying to cheer you up or anything.

I decided against saying that out loud, of course. I'm already failing at lifting her spirits up, no need to make it worse.

"You okay?"

"Don't mind me. Whatever good cred I had with the boss is shot now, so whatever."

"Come on, don't give up already. We might still be able to convince him."

"Really? I can imagine how I must've looked from where he was standing. If that little display didn't convince you that there's no hope then I have no idea what will."

I'm trying to be positive for her sake but she's making me work for it.

And I don't like unnecessary work.

"Look, let's just finish the mission. Who knows, maybe he'll come around when we've done good work."

"... you really think so?"

"Hell if I know. But hey, you can never hope too much, can't you?"

I told her, my words genuinely being what I feel.

Maybe we're all screwed now, I have no idea. But no one really trusts a rookie right off the bat, which is what Emilia basically is.

Anyway, the general rule is that you make up for mistakes by working and not sweating the small stuff. It might not be the case for Kraz but it's all we can do for now.

Thankfully, my answer caused Emilia to perk up a little, standing up from the corner she was sulking in.

"Well, I suppose you still believe me. That's something, I guess..."

She smiled at me warmly as she said, a faint, almost invisible outline of red eminent on her cheeks.

Heh, I don't know how I did it but mission accomplished. She's up and running again and we may be able to complete this mission!

"That's the spirit."

"Hey, if you two are done making smoochy faces at each other, we have a job to do!"

Of course not. Why the heck did I even think otherwise?

Fortunately, Emilia looked more annoyed than embarassed, and that's good enough for me. I don't need any additional problematic parameters.

"Ugh, no! We've only known each other for less than a month!"

"... really?"

"Yes, really! I'm in a bad mood today, don't make it worse!"

"Okay, okay, sheesh, can't take a joke, can we?"

With a huff, Emilia turned her attention back to me, leaving the still smirking Red.

Is she ever not smirking?

"So, Kara, what's the mission?"

"Did you not read the- Oh, you know what? Forget it. Alright, listen up."

As the boss said, some of the creatures from the labs escaped, mainly the ones kept for testing purposes. Our job is to track them down and take them out.

Specifically, the Astarks. Large, yellow, insect-like bipedal monsters with long, sharp claws.

They're a new breed from the Seed attack the years ago. Seed mutations, if I remember correctly.

There've been all kinds of new species popping up lately, the Evil Sharks from the Relic Site, for example. This is just the latest.

"As for the other creatures that escaped, we're supposed to get rid of as many as we can."

I finished my mission briefing, looking at the attentive face of Emilia and the not-so-attentive but still listening Red.

"Right. No problem. Look out, I'm a girl with a mission now!"

Emilia lackadaisically cheered, though it's probably a concealed attempt to motivate herself.

"Heh. Try not to blow yourself up this time."

"Red, please."

I thought it would start another argument but, to my great surprise, Emilia just ignored the redhead's taunts. Instead, she kept on walking forward.

"Huh. Weird."

"Look, things are a bit rough for her for now. Can't you leave her alone for a while, at least?"

"... lover's quarrel?"

I gave her a completely unimpressed deadpan stare. She blinked blankly at me. Looks like she got the hint, mercifully.

"Alright, jeez, I get it. I was just tryna lighten the atmosphere, you know? How depressing..."

There's a limit to how tactless one can get, you know.

In any case, we might as well start hunting for Astarks, if only to finish the mission faster.

Thankfully, we didn't have to wait long, as a loud roar resonated along the corridor.

Right now, I have no idea what it is, but I'd be willing to bet good money it's one of our targets.

I exchanged quick glances with Emilia and Red, before we sprinted across the hallway.

Looks like we got our work cut out for us.