Well, here's Chapter 5. Leave a review, please!
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Little Wing It
Volume 2
Photon Art Online
Chapter 5
I'll Wrap It For You 2
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I
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In all actuality, this was a really bad idea.
In fact, if Lumia Waber wasn't here, no amount of anything would have convinced me to fight this thing unless it was a direct order. I'm not sure about Yut but I'm pretty sure Emilia would have ran away no matter what.
But it was this troublesome girl that didn't want to run away this time. I don't know if it's from her supposed rivalry with Lumia or whatever but...
It was very out of character.
Nonetheless, we're in this mess now. Leaving Lumia alone to fight this thing doesn't quite sit well with me.
"[Damdiga]!"
Even if she could obviously take care of herself just fine.
"[Zonde, [Zonde, [Zonde]!"
Emilia's electric barrage assaulted Alterazgohg's face while it was still staggered from Lumia's spell, releasing a pained but hale roar.
"Hragh!"
The other head reared up to avenge it but was violently interrupted by Yut's high speed spear charge.
While both heads were distracted, I took my chance.
Against such an opponent, my shield would just be extra weight. And I really needed to get a more powerful gun.
So the best approach would be maximum offensive and evasive capability.
I leapt towards the dragon's foreleg and unleashed a quick three slash combo with my twin sabers.
I landed behind the leg and immediately leapt away to avoid a hastily launched breath attack, enabling me to unleash another slash barrage on the same leg.
This seemed to be enough, as the dragon was forced to kneel and screech in pain, but was instantly bombarded by a combined Rafoie and Razonde from Lumia and Emilia.
It still seemed to hang tough but a powerful slam on the face from Yut brought it down harshly.
It was still alive but, that's a lotta damage!
I had my doubts but we were actually doing really well!
"Hey, hey, doesn't that seem too easy? For such a big dragon-"
"Stop it with the flags, you noisy girl!"
Of course, it was never that easy.
True enough, Alterazgohg got up again and promptly issued a challenging roar.
Before we could recover from the shockwave, numerous light and dark energy projectiles that took the form of ethereal birds came flying towards us fast.
I slashed away with my twin sabers and leapt away from those I couldn't destroy in time.
"[Damfoie]!"
"[Dus Robaddo]!"
A thin but powerful stream of fire poured out from Lumia's staff while Yut spun his spear around himself with a great deal of speed, making short work of the bird bullets.
Those two had no problems evading or destroying them but Emilia, on the other hand...
"[Zon- Eep! K-Kara, help, they're too fast!"
She was able to dodge it in time but seems like her casting speed isn't enough to destroy the projectiles in time.
"Then use your saber!"
"Eh? A-alright!"
She switched her staff for her saber, and hurriedly and awkwardly swung it at an approaching bird, quickly destroying it.
Those projectiles were fast but don't seem to have much in the way of durability.
Any notions of it being the only form of attack it'll do were dispelled, however, when the white dragon charged at us, creating strong tremors with every violent step.
"Hahaha! What a strong opponent! Gets the blood pumping!"
As we got out of the way, this troublesome jungle boy went the opposite direction and instead ran to meet the charging dragon head on.
"Hey, what is your teammate doing? That's completely reckless! [Rafoie]!"
Lumia seemed just a bit worried but even if you ask me that... I have no idea what the hell goes on through that kid's head.
Nonetheless, Yut's leaping charge struck one of the dragon's heads while Lumia's fireball blasted the other one, staggering it yet again.
It didn't seem to forget about attacking, though, twisting sideways to allow for a double tail whip attack.
Yut got out of the way quickly enough, and launched another assault at the dragon.
The rest of us didn't get a chance to rest, though, as the energy birds were still coming at full force.
"Gah! These things...! Huff! Wouldn't stop coming...!"
Emilia was doing alright, but since she hasn't used her saber all that much, extended use such as this was quickly draining her energy.
"Hey, Emilia, catch!"
"Huh? Hey, what...?"
I threw her my handgun, which she was able to catch and get a firm grip on after a little fumbling.
"Your gun? Whaddaya want me to do with this?"
"Use it, you idiot!"
"Hey, I can't read minds, you know?! And I don't know how to use a gun!"
It really should have been obvious what I wanted her to with it but really, I can't be surprised anymore.
In any case, the gun won't be of much use against Alterazgohg itself, but it should work fine on the fragile bird bullets.
"Just press the trigger, already!"
"You mean thi- Woah!"
"Hey, watch it!"
Ah, I'm already starting to regret this decision. I almost got shot.
Well, I'll let that slide for now. We need a plan to put this thing down for good. Yut's doing a good job of drawing aggro, but he's not doing big on dealing fatal hits.
Slowly whittling down its health was viable, but the more we let it rampage around, the higher the probability it breaks something important. Or worse, injure the trapped people.
"Hmm... Maybe we can lure it back to the room with the minigun..."
"Enough with that minigun! You went ballistic on that thing! It's not even a minigun, in the first place!"
I don't know what this girl's talking about.
A minigun is a minigun.
"Well, nevermind, we already have our heavy artillery here, anyway."
"Yeah, I'm the only big gun you need!"
"... I was talking about Lumia."
Sure enough, Lumia was practically dealing all the heavy damage, obliterating several bird bullets at once while continuously blasting the dragon with high powered Technics.
"Sure, side with the Guardian!"
"I'm not siding with her or anything, I'm just saying-!"
"Hmph!"
...What's her deal?
Whatever. I've got more pressing matters at hand.
We need something bigger to bring this big guy down.
"Hey, Yut, come over here for a sec!"
The battle hungry jungle boy immediately leapt over towards me, panting a little but still looking quite fresh.
That's some top grade stamina right there.
"What is it?"
"Think you can handle another mirage blast?"
"Hmm, probably! I'll go try it right now!"
Yut got into his stance as photon energy started accumulating around him.
Without the aggro-drawer, however, the dragon was freed up to attack us again.
Lumia was high intensity, but as a ranged attacker, she's not gonna be an effective decoy. Which means it's up to me to buy time for Yut.
"Emilia, protect Yut!"
"Roger!"
I leapt up to deal a slash at the left head, and using it as a launching pad, sprang towards the other head to unleash a quick one-two cross slash.
"[Grants]!"
I got out of the way in time to avoid a rain of light crashing down on both heads, blinding Alterazgohg momentarily.
Well, I guess I should just take it as a compliment that Lumia was confident that I'd get out of the way of her Tech.
Still a little unnerving, though.
"Take this! [Flaming Roar]!"
In any case, my short assault and Lumia's blinding attack allowed Yut enough time to finish his blast.
For the second time today, the fire beast, Nui, made his appearance.
Alterazgohg was enveloped in a brilliant blaze, before being smothered by a powerful explosion.
As soon as we could, we moved to regroup.
"Hey, is everyone alright?"
"I am unharmed."
"Huff...! Still fine!"
"D-did we do it? Is it dead?"
Before the smoke cleared, though, Alterazgohg was more than happy to answer Emilia's question itself, roaring in a very hostile way.
And in an instant, the smoke was blown away by the flapping of its giant wings.
It was in the air in short order.
"Looks like your comrade couldn't finish it off."
"Oh, come on!"
"Save it. Any ideas, Lumia?"
"Hmm, I-"
"Hey, why are you asking her?! I say we wing it, Little Wing style! Little Wing it!"
Before I, Lumia, or Yut could respond to such an awful pun, Alterazgohg was already blasting us with breath attacks of light and dark.
The bird bullets seemed to have stopped, however. Whether it's because it was already heavily damaged or it can't do it in the air, I'm not privy to.
Nonetheless, with it switching to long range bombing, we need to take it down before it gets much more dangerous.
Still, we've already tried just about everything we have.
...Little Wing it, huh?
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I take it back.
Abort Little Winging It.
"Aahhhh, Kara, save me!"
"I'll defeat y- Gyaahhh!"
"... Is it always like this with you people?"
Unfortunately.
Mistaking winging it for doing whatever they wanted, Emilia and Yut immediately started trying to assault the dragon without any semblance of coordination.
Emilia started haphazardly firing with the handgun I gave her, which did absolutely nothing, while Yut was, somehow, able to latch on to one of Alterazgohg's tails.
Their attempts only served to irritate the injured dragon.
And because Yut was still attached to it, Lumia couldn't fire off any techs in fear of hitting the kid.
So we're stuck with running around, evading the dragon's charges and breath attacks. And Yut, despite just having fired off a surely taxing mirage blast, was still hanging on.
I'm not sure if it's determination or stubbornness but it would be much more helpful if he just got the heck back down on the ground.
"Take this, dragon!
Yut, somehow managing to hold on with one arm, brought his spear down on the tail's base, prompting the dragon to trash around.
This seemed to be too much for him, though, as he was finally shaken off.
But I could've sworn he had a satisfied smile on before he crashed down into the ground.
"H-hey, Yut, you okay?! Here, [Resta]!"
As Emilia went on to heal the unconscious Yut, Lumia was already charging up an attack of her own.
"[Nosmegid]!"
A dark ball of photon energy emerged from her staff and flew straight towards the airborne dragon, hitting it with an explosive bang.
Not giving it any reprieve, Lumia fired off three more Nosmegid techs, each homing in on the target.
The first one hit it head-on, dealing quite a bit of damage, but the second one seemed to cause a weaker effect.
The third one didn't even make it flinch.
One look at Lumia though, tells me that this wasn't a surprise to her. In fact, she was already casting another tech.
"[Grants]!"
The light-based tech slammed down on Alterazgohg's winged back, bringing it back down to the earth with a heavy thud.
It's a little scary how many techs this girl knows.
"So I was right. The dragon does change elements."
"Is that why you casted Nosmegid?"
"Correct. Baiting it into changing to Dark element with Nosmegid before bringing it down with a light tech was my plan. Fortunately, my assumption was right, and it worked."
Well, color me impressed.
Alterazgohg was a test creature by the Communion so there's not much info about it anywhere.
Perhaps that's why it's only apparently able to switch into two elements so far. Good thing for us, it didn't turn extremely violent due to experimentations and such.
"Hey, Kara! Yut's all healed up and safe in a corner, but he's still out for the count. How's it going over there?"
Alterazgohg answered that question for us, though, by announcing it's presence with a pretty violent roar.
Judging from it's state, it's probably on its last legs by now. But if we're to end this, we have to do it decisively.
"I have something that can finish it off. If you can distract it for a moment, please do so."
"Who do you-"
"Enough about that, Emilia. Come on."
"Grrr, fine! But I won't be happy about it!"
Just can it already, you idiot girl!
That aside, what could possibly be Lumia's finishing move? A mirage blast?
I was answered in the affirmative by the Guardian entering a blast casting stance. Although unlike Yut's searing energy, this was more... earthy of some sort.
"Use your staff for this one, Emilia. I don't know what you were planning earlier by using the handgun."
"Hey, you gave that to me. It's only polite that I use it!"
Ah, whatever.
Despite the complaint, though, she re-summmoned he staff, Clarita Visas, and took position beside me.
Well, would you look at that. It's been a while but it's me and Emilia again. With Yut knocked out and Lumia charging, it's time to employ a formation we've kept in reserve.
Emilia opened up with a Razonde, the jagged bolts of electricity hitting the wary dragon with a powerful zap.
Taking the opportunity with it being staggered, I made my way towards it's unprotected side, dodging a lethargic claw swipe.
"[Rising Crush]!"
Fast bladework with emphasis on upwards motion assaulted Alterazgohg's wing, inflicting a good number of wounds that it very much didn't apprrciate.
"[Barta]!"
The focused blasts of ice hit the faces head on, disabling any attempts to punish me for getting in close.
On my way back to safe distance, I slid under it's scaly stomach, dealing even more damage with my sabers as I went.
I leapt up from where I emerged, leaping up to slash at the head that was attempting to fire at my partner.
"[Rafoie]!"
Before the explosion hit, I was already out of it's blast range.
Sure enough, the dragon was getting increasingly agitated, completely forgetting about Lumia.
This was the heavily practiced battle strategy that me and Emilia deviced. Well, mostly me.
Since I was the melee fighter, my role was to get in close and rain down light but fast attacks, to enable effective evasive maneuvers.
Emilia is to fire from a distance, to both cause damage and to prevent the opponent from countering my attacks, while in turn, I continuously draw aggro to keep my partner safe.
It's not fool-proof but it's working wonders right now.
Of course, if Yut's to be a usual fixture in our team then it's gonna need a few tweaks.
"I'm ready! Get out of the way!"
"Don't tell me what-"
"Move! Do it, Lumia!"
In a split second, the aura permeating from Lumia intensified several magnitudes, even causing a minor localized quake.
"[Clod Impact]!"
Lumia raised her staff high, glowing bright orange, and brought it down in a wide arc.
At first, nothing happened, but before Alterazgohg could capitalize, something absolutely massive brutally slammed down on its back, shaking the ground harshly and causing massive amounts of dust clouds to form.
We stumbled with our footing for a few seconds as the air cleared.
Sitting contentedly on the unmoving dragon's back was a giant orange mushroom, not at all affected by any recoil from the body slam it just performed.
This was the earth beast, Toitoi.
Toitoi disappeared with a puff of smoke soon after, revealing a crater vaguely shaped like a combination of the earth beast's bottom and the Alterazgohg it just flattened.
Sure enough, the twin headed dragon was laying inside the crater, thoroughly stiff and very much dead.
We won.
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"Whew! We... we actually did it!"
Emilia breathed out in relief, after we made absolutely sure that the dragon wasn't going to get up again.
It took everything we had along with the kitchen sink to bring this thing down. It'd be pretty ridiculous if it's still alive, especially after that devastating mirage blast from Lumia.
Still, if the Communion's going to keep something like that around, you'd think they'd keep a closer watch on it or something.
But no, leave it to my luck to run into such an opponent. I probably shouldn't say it in front of Emilia but it's a good thing Lumia was here.
Oh, and speaking of Lumia, she's just returning from checking on the people who we came to rescue.
"The people trapped inside are safe. We're lucky we made it in time. There was a handful of wounded, but I've already called for help.
Well, she certainly doesn't leave things half done.
And speaking of wounded, we better get Yut back to Little Wing. There's only so much a Resta can do.
"Well, that's a relief. Boss would be fuming if we failed this mission now..."
I imagine he'd be. What with this troublesome girl just casually changing the mission on a whim.
Though, surprisingly, Emilia didn't lash out or anything towards Lumia, though she still doesn't plan on being friendly with her.
At least she's being civil now, that's gotta count for something.
Though just as I thought we could finally talk like well-behaved people, a dawning realization came over me.
Of course not.
"Frankly, I could've gotten here sooner if you lot hadn't been involved."
Excuse me, what the heck?
"Seriously?! After all that, you're still going to act high and mighty?!"
For once, I agree with my partner!
I've been trying to get Emilia to lay off on he aggressiveness towards her the entire mission and this is the thanks I get?
Really, if I haven't met Guardians before, I'd take Emilia's word for what they're like just from that!
Well, if you wanna play that game, Little Miss Waber, then be my guest.
"You really think you could've taken that thing on your own?!"
"Hey, relax a little there, 'Lia."
"What? What do you mean, relax? You're just gonna let her look down on us like that?"
No, of course not.
I'm just going to turn her own words against her. I'm good at that, apparently.
"Hey, she said she could've gotten here faster, right? She didn't say anything about taking down that dragon."
"What are you... Oooh! I get it!"
Lumia, by now, was now scrunching up her face in confusion. While Emilia was slowly but surely forming a smug grin on her face.
"Ah, really. She acts so cool and collected but she's just too shy to say "thanks for the help"!"
"No, that's not what I..."
"Yeah. She's probably realized that she couldn't have defeated that dragon alone in time."
"I...! Hmph. Think what you will."
Emilia and I shared a small chuckle over Lumia's seemingly embarrassed expression before I caught myself.
Me, chuckling? With Emilia?
What is happening to me? I was supposed to be unapproachable! This girl has corrupted me!
Emilia, oblivious to my inner conflict, seemed to have realized she was the only one laughing now, looking awkwardly at the stoic Lumia.
"Well, I-I'll stop teasing you now. It's not like you were completely useless. For a Guardian, that is."
Lumia spent a long time giving us a hard look, along with a sparing glance towards where the sleeping Yut was. It'd be unnerving if we weren't just making fun of her.
"... what are your names?"
Uh-oh. Is she gonna report us to Guardians HQ? Over teasing her? Now that'd be telling.
Joking aside, maybe she'll credit us? Despite our jesting, she really would have had problems defeating a creature like Alterazgohg on her own.
Emilia didn't even hesitate.
"Emilia Percival. This is my partner, Kara Draken. And the sleeping kid over there is Yut Jun Yunkers."
"Percival, Draken, and... Yunkers?"
"He's Kasch. We work for Little Wing, a private security firm. If you wanna file a complaint, take it up with them!"
This kid. This is exactly the kind of attitude that lands her sorry behind in trouble so often!
Responsibility? Accountability? What are those? Could I eat them?
That's probably what goes on through her head!
Lumia, though, still with an unchanging expression, only nodded once.
"Little Wing. Right. Well, I should be going. There are reports to be written."
Emilia and I just watched her slowly retreating form.
And with that, Lumia Waber has left the party.
It's been an experience, to say the least. She's a very powerful Force, with a plethora of techs at her disposal.
But her rigidness, it's holding her back from her full potential. Stoicness isn't bad but too much of it isn't good, either.
And she's only mentioned the topic once but living in the shadow of her brother is probably part of the reason she's trying too hard.
Well, with a brother like Ethan Waber, and the attention that comes with it, it's understandable that she'd be like that but, hypocritical as it may be, she can afford to live life a little.
She's still young, after all. Definitely not younger than Emilia but she couldn't have been older than me.
"Huh. Cold right up to the end. That'll teach us to lend a hand!"
"... come again?"
"Were you even listening? I said... wait. You were staring at Lumia again, weren't you?"
Was I?
Well, I couldn't help pondering about that girl's circumstances. She's quite the dilemma all on her own.
"Ah, sorry. I'm just a bit curious about her attitude."
"Yeah, right! You also probably think she's cute, don't you? Don't you?!"
I haven't thought about it earlier but, yeah, you could say that Lumia was cute. And I'm sure there are people out there who'd think of her "I'm better than you" attitude as cute, too.
Not me, though.
"... Well, in general terms, yes..."
"...! H-how insensitive! Unacceptable! You can't just call other girls cute in front of me!"
"Huh? What? What are you going on about now?"
"Hmph! From now on, calling other girls cute is banned, you hear me?! Banned! Forbidden!"
Ah, what is this girl on to now?
Oh, nevermind. I'll just lose hair trying to get on the same wavelength as this girl.
"Whatever. Come on, let's go get Yut and return to Clad 6, already."
"... I'm his partner and he's calling other girls cute..."
"Hurry up or I'm leaving you behind!"
"Huh? Hey, you wouldn't actually do that, will you? Hey! Hey!"
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IV
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"Welcome back! So sorry to disturb you so soon but Monsieur Boss needs to see you!"
Chelsea said through the ship's comm link, immediately upon our return to Clad 6.
Yut's already been sent to the med facility. It's looking more and more like he'll regularly be in that place.
He raised a bit of a fuss upon waking up but that matter was quickly resolved by the bribery... err, promise of pudding.
Well, there it is, in any case. Considering Emilia's reckless action of switching missions, we're probably in trouble.
Granted, we did complete our mission without a hitch but that was still an irresponsible thing to do. We still compromised the safety of the lab tech.
Or it could also be that Lumia filed a complaint due to Emilia being such a problem.
Well, either way, we're going to get chewed out. Though it's hard to tell due to Chelsea's cheerful behavior.
"Oh, blegh. I don't suppose we get a pass on this one?"
"No, no. He wants to see you especially, mademoiselle Emilia. We'll be waiting!"
Wait, could it be? I'm not getting in trouble?
Well, I should probably feel sorry for my partner but...
"Ugh, being directly called it makes it harder to skip out. Hey, Kara, d'you have any earplugs?"
Really, let this be a lesson for her.
Although, I do suppose I'm not entirely blameless here. I am the party leader, after all.
And besides, we did save some people trapped inside the facility, and also helped take down a runaway test creature.
So, depending on Kraz's mood, we're probably not gonna get in as much trouble as Emilia's expecting.
We got out of the ship, and I immediately noticed everyone looking away as soon as we warped in.
Even Vasque and Kunoh excused themselves the moment I caught a glimpse of them.
Hey, hey, don't act like we did something horrible. You're making me a bit nervous here.
"Huh? What's wrong with everyone? Is there something on my face?"
Emilia remains clueless but that's to be expected.
Over at the corner, I could spot Tonnio and Liina. I managed to approach them before they could escape.
"What's going on? Why's everyone acting so shifty?"
"Shifty, huh? Well, if you look closely, I'm sure you can figure it out!"
"Yeah, don't waste time talking to us. Kraz and Chelsea have been waiting for you, you know?"
No, I can't.
Still, it's a little strange that Kraz and Chelsea would be specificaly waiting for us. And I haven't seen Ursula around, either.
These two're behaving suspiciously. Almost like we're being shooed away.
Strange. Too strange. There's something amiss here but the beastlings don't have any plans on enlightening me.
Well, they're not gonna be useful, it seems.
I took another look around and although everyone's stopped looking away, they're still doing their best to ignore the two of us.
Well, except for one person, that is.
"Heeey, you guys are back! Didja miss me?"
Well, to be honest...
"No, not really."
"That's cold, dude."
Red complained but she's obviously taking it in jest.
But if she's talking to us, well me, normally then maybe she has a clue as to what's going on.
So I asked her.
"Eh, boss said to keep it under wraps so that's what I'm doing."
"Since when were you the order-following type?"
Well, it looks like she's not gonna be of much use, either.
I glanced around for my partner, and I found her still trying to approach several people that were avoiding her.
Really, can't she take a hint?
"Hey, Emilia. Quit bothering them, will ya?"
"Bothering them? Their attitude is what's bothering! What's the deal with these jerks?"
Several people flinched upon hearing Emilia call them jerks but continued on with their day, albeit in a suspicious manner.
Nonetheless, she made her way over to us.
"Ugh. All that trouble with Lumia made me forget about Kraz's griping. And now all this shady business... He's not gonna be happy. Him and Ursula both, probably."
"Hey, if I recall correctly, you were the trouble."
She spent a moment looking affronted but just drooped her shoulders down with a sigh.
"I know... I didn't have authority to change the mission, and I was being a massive pain to Lumia. I hate the Guardians but I shouldn't have acted that way..."
"Well, as long as you understand."
It's caught me a bit off-guard that Emilia's freely admitting to her mistakes but I'm not above giving credit to someone who's trying to improve.
I only hope that this can lead to a more responsible Emilia in our future missions.
"Yeah but... Haa... Of all days, why'd today have to be so bad..."
For a moment there, I thought it was just her usual rambling but I sensed a hint of genuine sadness in her tone?
What was with that?
"Hey, what's up with today? Something important?"
"Huh? Oh it's... Nevermind. It's nothing important."
She waved off hastily but I feel like she's hiding something?
And here I thought she was all for sharing secrets. Partner-y stuff, she said. Yeah right.
Before I could interrogate her further, though...
"Lumia? Who's that?"
"A stuck-up Guardian we ran into... What the heck are you doing here?"
"Hey, no need to be rude, you know? Weren't we a team just recently?"
Emilia scoffed in response, but didn't say anything else.
Well, at least they're not fighting right off the bat this time.
In any case, we better start making our way towards the CEO office. We've already taken too much detours.
"Oh, you're gonna report to the boss? Mind if I come with?"
"Uh... Sure. Feel free to tag along."
I can't help but feel this kid's taken a liking to us.
I just can't quite put a finger on it but there's just something... off about Red. I don't know if she's doing it to mess with us or anything but all the times we kept running into her, even before we knew she joined Little Wing, can't be all coincidences.
And she acts all familiar with us but the moment I try to find out something about her, like when I asked about her real name, she turns to secrecy.
She's a puzzle that's not exactly trying to stay unsolved, but isn't giving any hints whatsoever.
But nevermind that. If she keeps hanging around with us, I'm sure she'll open up about her motives sooner or later.
That is, if she could just avoid provoking Emilia too much. And I still have no idea how she'll interact with the newest troublemaker dumped into my care, Yut.
That brings the total number of problem children I have to look out for to three.
Damn it, what kind of quartet is this?
Deciding to push away my frustrations for now, we went on towards our destination.
Soon enough, making our way through the main office that was strangely devoid of Kraz, Chelsea or Ursula, we reached the door to the CEO office in the far back.
Emilia stepped forward to beep the pad beside the door.
"Emilia and Kara, reporting for duty..."
"Come in, you two."
It was Ursula's cool voice that answered, giving me no clues as to what's awaiting us.
Emilia audibly gulped upon hearing the voice before turning back to face me.
"Ugh... Just the sound of her voice is enough to make my stomach do backflips..."
It's a good thing for her that I've already steeled myself to face this together.
I'm sure she'll appreciate me acting partner-y every once in a while, right?
"Hey, don't worry. I got your back. We're partners, aren't we?"
She looked surprised for a while, but in the end, she couldn't help herself and smiled a cheerful smile at me.
"Hehe. I feel a lot better already. Alright! Take a deep breath and here we go...!"
The instant the door opened, what greeted us was darkness.
Wh-what is this? Are we being ambushed?
Before we could do anything else, though, the lights quickly flashed on all at once, startling us both.
Immediately after that...
"Happy Birthday!"
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"Err... What?"
Unsurprisingly, Emilia was the one to break the silence following that little surprise.
Wait, hold up. Birthday?
It wasn't my birthday, so...
"Hey, careful, you two. It could be a trap...!"
"... You're right! They're just trying to lull me into a false sense of security! Well, you won't fool me!"
I grabbed the arm of the idiot who actually tried running away, while I forcefully pinched the cheek of the other idiot who was obviously trolling us again, ignoring her cries of pain.
"Yer already a fool. Don't ya know a birthday party when you see one?"
Kraz said as he walked towards us, in his hands was a small black box, obviously a present. And on his neck was a silver necklace I'd never seen him wear before.
And it wasn't just him who was present. Chelsea, expectedly, was also here, and she was the one who cheered the loudest.
Ursula had a more reserved greeting, but for a serious individual like her to partake in such an occasion... She really does have a fun side.
Yut was also here, albeit covered in numerous bandages. To be able to get here in time for the surprise despite being treated earlier... What a trooper.
Along with Red who came with us, Emilia's entire main circle of 'friends' from Little Wing was present.
So I was correct.
It was Emilia's birthday. That explains her dejectedness earlier.
That's also why everyone was acting suspicious. And I guess Red was in on the secret too.
I'm a little surprised I'm only finding about it now, though. With such a runny mouth, it's a wonder Emilia hasn't let it slip yet.
"Huh? Wait a minute. You aren't angry at me?"
"And why would I be?"
So we aren't in trouble?
It was then that I remembered what kind of company Little Wing was.
As long as you do what you're told, as long as you don't cause trouble, Little Wing wouldn't keep constant watch over everything you do.
It's one of the reasons I agreed to the deal, and why Tonnio, Liina, and Red decided to join.
Well, that was a bit embarrassing. I guess I must have gotten a bit too used to getting in trouble with Emilia in tow.
"You saved the day down there. We even got a thank you from the Guardians."
Ursula said, a hint of pride hidden somewhere in her cool, firm voice.
Huh? Then Lumia really did...
Heh. She acts all cool but she actually really did appreciate the help we gave her.
"The Guardians? Really? I thought Lumia had it in for me..."
Well, in all actuality, she probably did. If we hadn't helped with the dragon then we'd probably receive a complaint instead.
"Besides, it's not like you didn't follow orders. Ya took care of yer own business, then you helped the Guardians out. Now that's using yer noggin'."
Kraz came forward and spoke out. With every word, Emilia's expression just became dumber and dumber.
To be fair, she's still probably not used to being praised.
Kraz, though, in a voice that's barely audible, but I was able to hear due to my enhanced hearing, suddenly said-
"... the only one not usin' their noggin' is yours truly..."
"Come again, boss?"
"Forget it. Come here for a sec, wouldja?"
"... You're not luring me in close so you can sucker punch me, are you?"
Ah, this girl.
Nonetheless, her senseless response brought out a few chuckles from the others.
Except Kraz, though, who looked increasingly annoyed but somehow... embarrassed?
"Shut up and get over here already! I swear, talkin' to you is like pullin' teeth. Now c'mon an' take this already!"
He shoved the black box he was holding into Emilia's hands, who looked at it warily.
She examined it for a few seconds, even sniffing it a few times, much to Kraz's irritation.
By this point, I can't tell if she's just doing all this just to get back at him for that entire gift fiasco.
I mean, it was clearly working.
"What is this?"
"Well, if you'd stop yapping and open it, you'd damn see."
She duly opened it.
Inside was a fancy pair of shiny silver earrings with a wing motif.
"Earrings? What are they for?"
"What are they- They're your bleedin' birthday present!"
Things slowed down for a bit after that as Emilia finally, finally, caught on.
This time, she didn't even attempt to hide the overjoyed smile she was currently wearing.
"A birthday present?! For me?!"
"What else would I give you at your very own birthday party?"
Kraz huffed and sighed, looking like he'd lost a few years just trying to give Emilia the gift.
"Didn't have much time to spend shoppin' so I just grabbed the first thing I saw. If I'd known how much trouble it'd be just getting you to take the darn things then I wouldn't have bothered-"
"Hold on a second!"
Emilia suddenly interrupted, looking like she's just only realized something important.
"What is it now?"
"That necklace you're wearing! I thought you'd thrown it away?"
She pointed to the piece of jewelry that Kraz was wearing on his neck.
Thrown it away?
So that's what she was planning on giving him the other day. The one Yut dug out of the trash.
Huh. It took him a while but I guess he caught on, eventually.
I'll say it again. These two are more alike than they'd ever admit.
"I figured if no one else wanted it, why let it go to waste? Why? You got a problem with it?"
"Nope! No problem! It looks good on you!"
I never thought I'd see the day Kraz blush but...
Here we are.
"The earrings! I almost forgot! Can I put them on? Oh, who cares?! I'm putting them on!"
Well, looks like the cheerful Emilia's back.
She causes problems too but I like this Emilia better than sulky Emilia.
"Oooohh! They're beautiful! Look! Aren't they gorgeous? See how nice they are? Heehee!"
"Ya sure change yer tune fast."
Kraz didn't bother waiting for a reply, heading straight towards a couch and laying on it.
Ursula, who approached as soon as Kraz and Emilia were done with their little skit, gave off a 'tsk' at Kraz's overly lax behavior.
But she's still smiling.
"When you said you wanted to throw her a birthday party, I had my doubts. But I have to give you credit. You're smarter than you look."
Wait, it was Kraz who planned this?
I'd expect Chelsea but Kraz?
Well, now.
"Just followin' Chelsea's advice."
"Maybe so, but see how happy she is? That's all because of you."
"Well, it's good to see she knows how to smile."
I feel like I'm listening in on something I'm not supposed to.
I can't quite place the vibe I'm getting from these two.
Something like... I guess the word that would be closest is... family?
"Everyone likes getting presents. It makes them happy."
"Hmph. Ya ask me, she's feelin' a bit too happy."
"There's no such thing as being too happy. Wouldn't you say, recruit?"
Huh?
Hey, don't drag me into this.
Kraz must have figured out what I was thinking, though, giving off a shit-eating grin.
"Heh, maybe next time you ain't gonna snoop in people's conversations, eh?"
"Err, sorry."
"Eh, forget it. You did good on your mission. I'll let this slide. So, what's your take on this?"
Even if you ask me that...
I was just a young mercenary trying to get by. I was unfriendly and distant. I never voiced out my thoughts. I always got by alone.
I never felt that I belonged anywhere.
Stay out of my business, and I'll keep out of yours.
So if you ask me something concerning presents and happiness, I wouldn't know how to answer.
To be fair, I also never thought I'd be dragged into matters concerning Ancients, apocalypses, and problem children.
But still, looking at everyone gathered here...
Yut trying to eat all the pudding he can find...
Red just laughing everything up, trying to rile up my partner...
Chelsea just generally being cheerful...
Kraz and Ursula just watching from behind...
Mika, who I was sure was watching even if she couldn't directly celebrate with us...
And...
Emilia, gleefully showing off a present she got from someone she considers important...
"I think... that presents from people close to you are extra special."
Oh, god. That was horrible. I immediately felt my face heating up.
But still, that was what I felt from looking at my partner's smiling face.
"See? He gets it. I'm sure you understand that, Kraz."
"Can't say that I do."
"Hmph. Disagreeable as ever."
"And you can't come out and say what you mean, as ever."
Family.
Funny. I never planned on getting close to anyone.
But here we are.
Somehow, I found myself part of this crazy bunch. I found myself being a sort-of mentor. I found myself opening up, cracking jokes, helping people.
I found myself evidently not keeping out of people's business.
I found myself a part of Little Wing, a civilian security firm.
And it wasn't such a bad thing.