"Aniki, what do you think?"

My eyes cooly studied the three girls sparring in the courtyard, I clapped Yoru's shoulder in admiration, smiling in acknowledgement.

"You've been teaching them well, Yoru."

Their names were Luna, Air, and Fal. Because it'd been raining, they're all wearing matching raincoats and boots, good but cheap stuff I smuggled from some army surplus warehouses, with the aid of my contacts. By the way, Yoru wasn't wearing any, while I maintained a layer of magic energy so the rain bounced off an invisible sphere around me.

A blonde tomboy, Fal sported a shoulder-length hair and amber eyes. The mood-maker of the group, her fighting style clearly displayed her temperament. She specialized in kick-based techniques, closer to Yoru's own barehanded Snake style than her comrades. The most powerful of the three, sadly, it was balanced by her having the poorest senses during combat, often charging in like a blind bull to the detriment of anything else.

Luna was a shy and meek girl who liked the color blue, matching her dark navy neck-length hair and light blue eyes. Despite her introverted personality, her sense for tactics was the best among them, positioning herself enough to avoid Fal's strikes while preparing her weapon. She started practicing with the bow, but her technique left something to be desired. Unfortunately, I didn't know anyone who's proficient in using one, having never used one myself... Well, apart from Atalanta, but she's not here. In that case, Luna was mostly self-taught, and her lack of skill was evident in the way she couldn't shake off Fal completely, despite her range advantage.

Air, the pink-haired de facto leader, used twin daggers in close quarters combat. Her role was similar to Fal, but prioritizing speed and skill over strength, she possessed a steadier head in combat compared to her blonde teammate. More assertive than Luna, it's clear why she's the one leading the three of them. Even from here, I could already tell she's leading the other two by the nose, pulling back to allow them to learn, but pressing just enough to make it difficult. Fal was too hot-headed to notice, while Luna was using all her brain power to keep herself from being overwhelmed, so neither of them realized they were being played. A talented girl.

Two months ago, shortly after we 'repossessed' the Shingu, I sent Yoru to the Capital for his routine information gathering. Something was off, though, when he didn't return in his usual habit, which was exactly on the appointed clock. He prided himself in his work and saw being late as a disgrace to himself and to me, so it's quite a rare occasion. I almost went off myself to look for him, thinking he'd gotten himself into trouble with his impulsive behavior, only for Chelsea and Spear persuading me he'd be fine. A comment regarding the troublesomeness of the two females earned me two smacks in the back of the head, so I relented.

The past several weeks had seen the emotional distance between me and Chelsea to shorten considerably, mush to Spear's jealousy. As a matter of fact, the blonde girl's fiery flame was a scary thing indeed, so I was forced to placate her desires myself. That, in turn fanned Chelsea's annoyance, so I spent my time like an idiotic eroge protagonist who looke as if he was going for the 'harem route'.

However, even after all of that, would I say we're in a romantic relationship?

No.

Chelsea knew I was still silently grieving over my past lover, and it wouldn't be fair to either of us. I wasn't even sure if my feelings for Chelsea are anything romantic. I cared for her, and I was well aware of the fact that she did like me. Luckily, Chelsea was satisfied with that one kiss and said she could wait, knowing I already had plenty on my plate.

The last time I was able to act so naturally with someone was back during the Great Holy Grail War... with Semiramis. It was a surprisingly nice feeling.

Tragically, I was right in my assumptions.

By the time I felt his presence pass through the bounded field, I picked up three additional foreign signatures. I glanced at Spear. Knowing what I wanted, she left in Yoru's direction.

A few minutes later, the group returned.

Yoru was battered, with some small tears on his clothing and a few cuts on his skin, but nothing serious. His eyes were dark and gloomy, having seen far worse things that've impacted his body. The three girls following him, though, were in a much worse state. With two of the girls unconscious, Yoru carried one while the remaining girl carried her comrade, though the still-standing girl seemed to be ready to keel over at any moment.

Immediately, seeing it's an emergency situation, I ordered the girls to be carried to the treatment room, the place where I treated the girls (and Yoru) sometimes. I was upset at the apparent ease Yoru exposed our location to save a mere three girls, but knowing his kind spirit, I decided to hear him out first before couphing up any form of punishment.

The girls' story was sickening, if typical for the atrocities commited in the Capital.

As Yoru travelled around that wretched mockery of a capital city, he noticed the three girls walking by themselves, clearly newcomers judged from their awed stare at everything. Going to a supposed apprenticeship, he knew what harm could befall innocent people who came to the Capital for the first time, not to mention three young, cute girls.

Deciding to follow them, his instincts were proven right.

They were supposed to intern for a group called 'The Enthusiasts'. Real pieces of work, if my sources were correct, and even if they're wrong, I would've entered the Capital to end them myself. Fortunately, before anything permanent could be done to physically and mentally disfigure the three girls, Yoru stepped in and killed every single one of them. One of them got their legs broken, another was about to have her eyes gouged out their sockets, and another was at the mercy of a very horny, large, brutal dog.

Fal, the blonde girl with broken legs. Luna, the blue-haired girl, passed out in terror as a spiked spoon swung in onto her eyes. Air was the only one conscious, earning my admiration for staying composed even after almost being raped by a hound.

Even after treating their wounds and offering them a place to stay, they were still cautious of me, with Luna in particular always trembling in fear whenever I got close. It's a good attitude, and fully understandable, but I'd be lying if I felt disrespected for helping them and getting nothing back in return. However, it's clear that I wasn't the right person to help them, so I used someone they would listen to.

Grabbing their saviour by the scruff of his neck, I threw him in the lion's den to be devoured.

A few hours later, after several loud noises and a wimpy plea of help from a male, which I ignored, it was decided they'd reside in a large empty room in the mansion. After everything they've been through, wanting companionship was no strange thing, so I approved.

Talking with them later on ignited their desire to follow my cause, which was to topple the evil residing in the Capital. Whether it's for revenge, or a good-natured sense of justice to prevent another like them tasting the same, I didn't know, and frankly, I didn't care. Three more able bodies meant extra hands I could use, so I put Yoru in charge of them.

The three girls had actually received some form of combat training in the past, unlike Yoru when I picked him up. They worked together the best as a team, but their individual prowess was nothing to be proud of, so I told Yoru to focus on that aspect.

As evident from their spar, their roles in team combat has already been established. Fal was the powerful vanguard, Air as the middle guard to be in an optimal position to supervise everything, and Luna as the rear guard with her ranged weapon. Unfortunately, all Yoru can teach them was the combat sense and tactics he gained from his own experience, since all three of them used different tools and styles compared to him.

"I've seen enough, Yoru. You've done well with the short amount you've been training them. Nice work."

Yoru practically preened at my praise.

It's been several months, close to a year now since I've first taken control of this mansion and took Yoru and everyone else that choose to stay with me under my protective care, yet he still acts like this. Well, I guess it's only natural since he looks up to me so much.

As I watched his charges running towards him, I silently laughed at their attitude and how they lovingly swarmed him. If this was a some sort of game from my old world, Yoru would definitely qualify as the 'dense protagonist', as it'd be obvious the three of them held considerable affections for him that even Tatsumi would notice.

Ever the shy girl, Luna would always quietly blush as she constantly look up at him, the 'dandere' type. Fal was quite rough in her mannerism and the way she expressed her affection, not enough to call her abusive in the typical 'tsundere' manner, but still quite physical. At the very least, she didn't exhibit the usual tendencies to hit him for no reason whatsoever when embarrassed and verbally abuse him, ones I was quite tired of. Air, as the most normal girl of the three, was also very normal in her interactions with him, though still much more reserved than Chelsea or even Spear. I could tell by the sparkle in her eyes, absent during any other moment, whenever he paid attention to her.

Hmm... I might need to give Yoru lessons soon. A maiden's heart is not to be trifled with. I would know, because I used to hold the heart of the Queen of Assyria.

"Aniki!"

Hearing Yoru's voice, I was dragged out of my thoughts concerning him and the small harem he has started to unintentionally form.

"Sorry Yoru, I got distracted. What did you say?" I asked.

Yoru sighed, and his disappointment spread to the three girls. Luna simply looked at me shyly, though it's a much better improvement than our first meeting. Air just rolled her eyes playfully, while Fal grunted and turned her head away. A bit rude, but our relationship was the worst when compared to her comrades, so I didn't mind it too much. As long as she didn't betray me, I wouldn't have to hurt her.

"The girls were curious as to what your thoughts were from their little spar."

Oh. Now, should I be honest, or be patronizing?

Let's do both.

"A lot of improvement out there, especially given the short time you three had to learn. However, I'll be honest," I began, rising the expectations of my audience, "You three still have a long way to go. Now, shall I start with Luna?"

"Y-Yes!" The blue-haired girl squeaked, lightly jumping to the air.

"First of all, I'm not blaming you, so don't be so afraid," I said, patting her lightly on the head. She didn't seem to mind it much, but then, I was expecting her to eschew male-to-female contact for the rest of her life after what she's been through. "Your skills were... average, if I may be so bold. Sadly, I didn't know anyone who could teach you here, so I'm only speaking from experience. The main point which I could boost is your confidence."

At my words, she shifted her eyes to everywhere but my face.

"Your self esteem is low, making you constantly doubt yourself during combat. Trying to meticulously plan out every decision and weighing every risk is fine, but sometimes the speed given by your instincts can be the boundary between life or death. And not just for you, but your teammates as well. Remember this."

The shy young teen nodded at me meekly, but I was pleased to note she looked me in the eyes this time, at the very least.

Satisfied, I turned my attention to the rude tomboy.

"Fal, your problem is pretty much the exact opposite of Luna's. Your style is hyper-aggressive and focuses on rushing down your opponent before they have a chance to respond to your advances. That's perfectly fine, and it suits you. The issue is that you tend to not think enough. You zero in on your target like laser, but pay no attention to your surroundings once you do, leaving you susceptible to ambushes or any sort of tricks your opponents may have. While you were attacking Luna, Air was able to get the drop on you without you noticing. In a real combat situation, that can easily cause your demise."

A begrudging grunt was the girl's response, earning her a jab from both Yoru and Air. She's going to be a rough one, but she'd turn out okay.

Now, for the last girl.

"With Air... the only thing I could say is 'That's exactly what I'd done'. Good job."

"Hey! Why is your tone so different with her?!" Fal protested loudly.

"Because, unlike you and Luna, she actually planned to blow the both of you out of the water, instead of focusing on either one. Isn't that right, Air?"

The girl in question blushed at my inquiry, before happily nodding. She left out what was undoubtedly a mean comment for her teammates forming in her head, though I was the only one who noticed.

"At first glance, she was helping Luna because she felt bad how difficult Fal was pressuring her. However, if you actually went through and beat Luna, Fal, you'd be too preoccupied by winning that Air would be able to get the drop on you. Shame Yoru stopped the match when the three of you were in a stalemate; I would've like to see it to the end."

"Ah... you caught me. It wasn't actually that cold-hearted, Fal-chan, Luna-chan. Sorry," Air said, sticking her tongue out to pretend to be cute, but before she could lower her head, I poked her in the forehead to prevent it.

"Don't apologize," I sternly warned. "Your tactics and judgement were by far the best out there. I, as well as Yoru and everyone else here, will be counting on that in the future. Don't be ashamed of being pragmatic and ruthless."

"...yes, Shirou-san," she quietly agreed, though judging from the way her shoulders moved, there remained a slight cockiness in her ability.

"But, Air, what would you do if Luna decided to shoot you in the back?"

She perked up, opening her mouth to launch an immediate answer, but was left hanging by her brain's inability to cook up an excuse.

"I didn't think of that."

I nodded. "It's imperative for a leader to make backup plans for his or her backup plans. Don't put your eggs all in one basket. That's my advice for you."

"I understand," she replied politely, her air of haughtiness and playfulness gone.

Folding my arms, I declared, "You work together as a group, that much I can tell. However, there's only so much fighting you can do together. You must polish your individual skills even more, instead on relying too much on your comrades. So, some one-on-one training is next."

I clapped Yoru's back, nudging him towards Fal.

"Yoru, take Fal. Yes, the Snake style doesn't use a lot of kicks, but she needs a lot of hand-to-hand CQC techniques to develop on her own. Learn from each other, not just one-way, alright?"

He nodded neutrally, oblivious to the jealous stares from Luna and Air, and Fal's hidden triumphant smile.

"Luna."

"H-hai!" The meek girl replied in turn when I called out her name.

"Originally, to work with your attitude, I wanted to pair you with Chelsea, but she's... well, Chelsea."

"Hey!" From a distance, Chelsea yells. "I resent that!"

Ignoring her, I continued explaining to Luna, "As you can imagine, she'll push you a bit too far to the outgoing side, likely breaking your innocent mind."

Luna fearfully and quickly nodded, shifting her body to hide from the assassin's stare.

"Train under Spear. Her weapon will force you to increase your distance and work on your archery skills. Be careful, despite her more... polite personality, her skill is no less than Chelsea."

"Thank you for the guidance..." She meekly replied. Despite her weak answer, her eyes glinted with a fierce desire to improve, likely ignited by Fal's silent boast and my analysis of her weaknesses. As long as she kept this attitude, I believed Spear and her could get along well.

Chelsea's silent footsteps glided towards my location, attracted by the ruckus we're making. Just in time for my introduction to her new student.

"Air, you'll work with Chelsea. Her fighting style is slightly different from your own, but you can learn a lot from her battle experiences," I said, lightly pulling the pink-haired girl's arm closer to Chelsea. "Your weapon-"

"Well! Aren't you a cute one?" Chelsea cut in, interrupting my explanation. "I'm Chelsea, so officially we've met, now! I was a former assassin for the Revolutionary Army, and I've got a good grasp on what to work with you. For example..."

Edging closer, she whispered something to Air's ears, instantly making the younger girl's face blush intensely. It's something my Revelation skills told me not to eavesdrop on, though I already had a good grasp. Air stole several glances towards Yoru, blushing even redder, and clapped Chelsea's hands enthusiastically.

"Please teach me everything you know!"

The air emanating from the two accomplices sent chills down my spine. Maybe my talk with Yoru would need to happen sooner than later… For his sake.

I Clapped my hand to regain the three newcomer's attention. "Now, now, what I expect from the three of you is to be able to work as a cohesive unit under Yoru's instructions after all this training. Work hard."

"""Yes!"""

If there's one way to motivate teenage girls, it's young love.

Satisfied, I started walking back to the manor to catch a break, but a familiar presence triggered my Bounded Field.

'I wonder what he could want?'

I left everyone to mingle together and plan for their training menus, sans Spear who's busy inside the manor, I waited for my guest. Lubbock didn't take long to arrive, simply because I intentionally deactivated any security delays remotely from my location. That said, the speed he had to reach my location, given his desire to sneak around and surprise me, didn't shame his reputation as a Night Raid assassin.

"It seems sneaking around in women's bath did you good, Lubbock."

"I should have known you would be the one to greet me. How did you know I was- Hey! How did you know that?!" Lubbock asked, changing his question mid-sentence.

"You seems to be that sort of pervert," I bluntly answered.

"Tch..."

"To answer your first question, did you feel a clinging sensation on your entire body when you crossed this mansion's boundary?" I asked, putting my index finger in the air.

"Ah! A forcefield!"

Neglecting to explain to him the difference between this world's abilities and my world's Magecraft, I nodded. "Something like that. It works on the trespasser's intent. If you hold any malice, you'd get turned away in the first place."

"So... why did I still get uneasy when I came here? I'm not your enemy, Shirou."

"'Neutrals' will get that sensation, while people close to me won't feel a thing. Naturally, since we're not in that kind of relationship, you and Night Raid are categorized as 'neutrals'."

"Oh, that's actually amazing! Cross Tail can be used in a similar manner, but of course a piece of string can't differentiate intent inside people. Great!"

For a while, I expected him to be peeved for outperforming his Teigu in his area of expertise, but he kept nodding his head in admiration, eager to learn more to improve himself. For that, I'd raise his evaluations in my head.

"Is it an urgent matter? I don't think you'd come all this way to chat, given your dislike of me."

"Gu!" He coughed in embarrassment, before saying, "Well I won't say I feel more wary around you, but if we are fighting for the betterment of this country. I can at least try to be cordial. By the way, Boss wanted to talk to you personally, so she's inviting you to come over."

'Hmm, I can respect his desire for a working relationship.'

"New intel?"

"Quite important intel, yes. Can you come now?"

Seemed harmless enough. I have to be careful in their base, sure, because it's the concentration of their fighting force. If it came to a fight, they're going to have a home-field advantage, enough to perhaps force me outside their territory. The members I've met, sans Tatsumi, were powerful enough together to possibly do just that.

Ah, I was getting pessimistic again. Centuries of plotting and guarding against other people's plots tend to do that to a person. From my Bounded Field's reaction, Lubbock hadn't had the slightest intention to double-cross me, and I doubt Najenda would keep information away from this boy, they're close. There's nothing wrong in being careful, but being paranoid had more negatives than positives.

"Sure."

"Um, yeah... that's fine, but do you not want to bring anyone else with you?" I was asked in return.

I shook my head. "There's no need for that. Besides, I gave them other tasks to complete. They can handle themselves and I can handle myself. Now, if you would be kind enough to lead the way, we can get going."

"Excuse me? Where do you think you're going, Mr. Saint?"

And... of course there'd be some kind of delay, wouldn't there?

Turning around, I had to look down to stare at a petite alchemist's annoyed face.

Over the past couple of months, her temperament had settled a bit, getting into a rhythm as we worked together. Access to my Workshop had invigorated her, and her enthusiastic research meant I could take some time off and trust her to deliver results, especially with the inflow of Shingus we had. Fortunately, it was enough to suppress any discontent regarding our soul contract, which was binding her into her current position and a pseudo-slave, if I wanted to treat her as such. I wasn't that kind of man, though, so our partnership was going fine, if slightly slower than I wanted due to her having to get acclimatized to my methods and existing progress.

"Yes, Dorothea?"

The little Teigu-induced vampire marched up to me, pissed off for some reason.

"The exact moment I make a possible breakthrough, you're always leaving. Every. Single. Time! And now you're leaving with..." Dorothea took a brief moment, looking up and down Lubbock's existence, ranting on, "...Green-Hair-And-Scraggly to do who-knows-what! You're the one who scouted me and recruited me to do this, so you better come take a look, do you understand?!"

Jeez, given her size, she sure can shout...

Lubbock was miffed at her mild insult, though he didn't act on that, a man like him probably knows better than to be in the way of a scorned woman.

I moved to pacify things, grabbing the small vampire's shoulders gently. She trembled at the close contact, a reaction unexpected to me, given her actual age.

"Dorothea, listen... this is really important to me, alright? It'd mean a lot to me if you could wait until I come back."

Overall, it's a childish way to calm down an irate child. In hindsight, perhaps I should've used a more mature sentence, instead of this one, but it seemed to be effective.

Or not.

The constant tapping of her foot clued me in on the fact that she was annoyed.

"Fine," she answered, "but I expect you to take a look at my findings as soon as you return."

"I promise," I told her with a soft smile on my face.

Scoffing, Dorothea walked away in a 'tsun' manner. If only it reflected her true feelings, which meant she held some affection towards me. Sadly, our relationship right now was completely professional, no strings attached, apart from our general thirst for knowledge.

Gesturing to Lubbock, I said, "Let's hurry before she changes her mind."

"R-Right!"

Our trip to Night Raid's base was very dull. With nothing to talk about between us, the marathon was ran in relative silence. It was slightly concerning that I'd grown to miss Yoru, Chelsea, and Spear's loud banter whenever we travelled, instead of the silence I was used to, similar to my current situation.

'God help me... I can't believe I miss those headache-inducing conversations...!'

My prayer didn't work, as my heart was suitably pleased as we encountered another individual who greeted us with her normal gusto.

"Good to see you here back in one piece, Lubbock! Not shitting yourself? Sorry, I know how much you hate dealing with our esteemed guest..." Leone cheerfully slapped Lubbock's back hard, his face contorting not in pain, but in annoyance at the sarcasm.

She linked her arm with mine and dragged me back further into the compound, her sizeable and incredibly, incredibly soft breasts molding themselves around my arm. I didn't miss Lubbock's jealous stare, but I pretended not to notice.

"Come on in! You're just in time; Akame has finished cooking, so I hope you love your protein!"

"She's cooking?" I asked, surprised at her statement.

Snickering, she answered cheekily, "Mainly to sneak food when no one's looking, but it's surprisingly tasty... Or what's left of it, anyway."

I chuckled, imagining the stoic and slim assassin in an apron, before getting more serious. "What does Najenda have to say?"

"Ask her yourself."

The scene which greeted me was familiar in itself. Najenda was still sitting in her makeshift throne, although I began to think it's a bit gaudy for an assassin's' hideout. The remaining members of Night Raid surrounded her, though with a couple of new faces as well.

The first was a well-built adult male leaning on a wall to the side, distancing himself from the group while keeping them in his sight, like a bodyguard. He was garbed in a white robe, but his dark blue hair and pair of horns on his head loudly declared to me his inhumanity. From his energy, I assumed he was a similar being to the biological Teigu which killed Sheele some time ago, but far, far more powerful. It was dense and concentrated, even while noticeably holding back his strength. In terms of power level, he's easily second in the room after myself, even stronger than Bulat.

The other member was female, and not as impressive as the other females I've met in my life, not to say compared to the relative freaks in Night Raid. Her age seemed similar to Spear's, with light blue hair cropped short, reaching the nape of her neck, while the rest neatly framed her face. Her purple eyes danced around my figure, the same manner I was evaluating her right now, and her upper body was clad in a loose blue spaghetti-strap blouse that stopped at her midriff and ink-black form-fitting pants. Her gestures indicated a relative lack of experience, even less than Tatsumi. A new recruit, then.

Stiffly, Naenda spread her arms in an awkward attempt at a welcoming gesture.

"Welcome, Shirou. Glad to see you still in good health after these past months."

Well, if she made the effort to look amicable, I might as well indulge in her good will. It's not often someone of her stature reflected on their manners, so I was reasonably pleased.

"And I as well. The losses of your members were tough, both on you and me, so this new addition is a welcome bit of good news," I replied, far more smoothly in formalities than her. If this was a start of a patching-together, then I'd take it over squabbling over minor details like last time.

"Thank you for your concern," she said sincerely. "Bulat and Sheele's passing still hit us deep within our hearts, but I hope we can carry on their wishes to bring an era of peace. Now, let me introduce our newest members." She lifted a palm at the horned man's direction, saying, "This is Susanoo. A biological Teigu, he's coded to me and serves as my new bodyguard. A surprise, really, since I went back to HQ to get some new weapons and bodies, and I got both!"

He didn't seem to pleased with my inquisitive glance, shooting me a constant stern glare, so much so Leone went over to him and cuffed him lightly on the shoulder to reprimand him. I wasn't sure what I did to garner such hostilities, but he immediately realized his rudeness and went back to a more neutral behavior.

It seems Najenda noticed the tension between the two of us as well, because she stood up from her seated position and walked behind him, forcing his neck to bow in my direction. "Apologies for his rude behavior. Susanoo's usually a very mellow and kind individual."

Waving my hand, I quickly responded, "No need for such a forced apology, Najenda. I don't mind. He's just doing his job. Besides, I'm used to it."

"Thank you for your tolerance," she gruffly said, releasing her grip on Susanoo's head. He wasn't irked at all, or he hid his annoyance well.

"Then, this is Mizuko, our second new member," the white-haired woman introduced. "She's been excited to meet you."

"Hey, Just like the boss said, the name is Mizuko. Nice to meet you!"

Well, she's definitely cheerful. I wonder, though, what did she want with me? I knew I had quite a reputation, but certainly not enough that a new recruit would be so excited. If anything I expected caution.

"The pleasure is mine, Mizuko. You may know this already, but I'm Shirou Kotomine." I extended my hand for a handshake, which she latched onto like a snake, with a surprisingly firm grip. "But... 'water child', huh? It's a beautiful name."

She blushed at my praise, "Thank you! Most people don't know it... well, except from Tatsumi, because we're from the same area, but you sure know a lot!" he excitedly chattered

The boy in question scratched the back of his head, muttering, "Yeah... good for you... because my name is embarrassing..."

"Cheer up, 'Pure'!"

"Shut it!"

Her name suited her well, because Black Marlin nestled comfortably on her middle finger. Did it like users with water-themed names? How curious... I had to research the Teigus and Shingus tendencies even more, then.

"Why did you join Night Raid, Mizuko? Surely, a newcomer like you would be better suited for support tasks rather than the front line?"

My question was answered by hundreds and hundreds of needles of water surrounding me. Small and thin, only an inch long and a millimeter wide, but the speed of their construction and their numbers would turn many magi green with envy. Compared to Liver, who needed relatively large bodies of water to perform his tricks, she used only the moisture in the air. Impressive, she couldn't have had possession of the Teigu for very long and she already appears to have taken great strides with it.

Alright, alright, I was mistaken in my earlier evaluation: this girl was no greenhorn.

I let loose a small burst of magical energy, dissipating the needles back into vapor, surprising the girl.

Najenda almost had an aneurysm at the fact her new member just tried to assault me, but I held a palm to stop her yelling, cluing her that I let her do that as a mere game.

"Ahahaha! You're really Chelsea-senpai's type, no wonder she's enamored with you." Mizuko's eyes roamed over me once more, "Good looking too."

'Chelsea Senpai?'

I only gave her some mirth. "Did you two communicate often?"

"For those in our profession, relatively, yeah! I might steal you from her, though..." I couldn't tell if the look on her face was teasing or predatory. I could live without ever knowing I decided.

Well, now I had something to grill Chelsea over. Unauthorized communication, even for a dedicated professional as the lollipop-eating assassin, was a major security flaw. The two of them must have been relatively close for her to not say anything. She should know I would've let her do what she wanted as long as she was honest with me. Seriously, that girl...

Leone drilled her fist into the back of Mizuko's head, her eyes raging with fury.

"What the fuck was that, Mizuko?! He's a guest, so use some frickin common sense will you!" She kept her fist in contact with the water user's head, grinding her knuckles deeper and deeper despite Mizuko's pained protests. "I don't care that you're new; don't you ever do that, or I'll tear you a new one! Understand!"

"Y-Yes! Ow-ow-ow-ow! I understand! Tap out, tap out!"

Mizuko knelt on the ground, groaning with the crown of her head smoking comically, "I was just checking, Leo-nee. I won't let any weak, worthless man near Chelsea-senpai! Give me a break!"

Not giving into her whining, Leone cracked her knuckles. "Oh... I'll give you a 'break', Mizuko... keep talking!"

The blue-haired girl gulped in fear.

"That lollipop-sucking vixen can handle herself. Shirou shouldn't have to protect her, you idiot! She's the one who made the decision to be his tool, not the other way around."

"Uuu... You're only talking like this because you're jealous of Chelsea-senpai anyway, Leo-nee! Hypocrite! Hypocrite, I say!" She wailed on, shocking Leone.

"What the fuck did you just saaayyyy?!"

- BANG! BANG!

""Ow!""

"Enough, you two!" Najenda shouted, her metal arm smoking from the consecutive hits landed on the two bickering girls. "Behave yourself! Jeez, you're like two bitches in heat! Fall in line!"

Begrudgingly, the two calmed down. Mizuko muttered in a low voice, "I can definitely see why Chelsea-senpai would find him so interesting," while Leone was blushing, looking meekly embarrassed, mumbling, "I have no reason to be jealous..."

I pretended not to hear either of them.

Moving to a different room, one we all could actually sit down instead of stand around, trying to look cool, I slowly sipped the hot tea served by Akame. It's delicious, by the way, and she cutely smiled when I complimented her, so my perception of her was, again, revised. She looked great in an apron as well, but the image of her ravenously devouring the mountain of meat like no tomorrow as well as the fact I had no need for the attention of more women quelled any thoughts of interest.

I exhaled, trying to process the story I was just told.

"So... Esdeath is in love with Tatsumi. That Esdeath?"

"Uuu... don't talk about it anymore..." Tatsumi groaned, holding his head in his arms.

I coughed. "So, you're into the collar play, huh, Tatsumi? Never would've guessed, but it suits your personality. How's her training?"

"S-S-Shut up!"

Alright, maybe I teased him a bit too much. I couldn't blame him for his aversion for Esdeath's 'care', for I was sure I myself would've felt the same thing. What surprised me most of all was the revelation of the ice woman's capability to actually love someone. During my fight with her, I thought she was the typical bloodthirsty psychopath who revelled in war and murder... Well, she was that, but as I said, I had never thought of her as someone who could feel a romantic attraction to another individual.

Besides my shock, his abduction and escape had provided us with many crucial details, especially on Esdeath's new special ops unit, the Jaegers. Numbering nine people in total, their description was... interesting, to say the least. I was definitely interested with several of them.

The man Run sounded to be Esdeath's second-in-command for the Jaegers for virtue of his logical thinking and gentle nature. From what Tatsumi said, he didn't seem to be an inherently bad or misguided person, confusing us of his motive for joining the Jaegers, and the Empire. Wave was a young man and Tatsumi's counterpart in likeness; they even shared the same type of Teigu: Grand Chariot, Incursio's successor. The third important target was Kurome, Akame's younger sister. My gaze settled on to the red eyed assassin as we discussed about her sister. Why did Akame leave the Empire but Kurome stayed behind? Their had to be some reason or explanation.

"I just have one last thing I wish to ask. Are you positive you weren't followed?"

Leone blinked once, then twice, then started laughing. "Oh, Shirou, please! We might not be as individually powerful as you, but you don't have to look down on us that much. Most of us have been at this for a very long time."

I shook my head at Leone's carefree reply.

"One of those in my employment was familiar with one of the Jaegers you mentioned, going by the name of Dr. Stylish. I heard he was particularly adept with human experimentation, especially in the department of increase a human's raw ability. So, because you said he was suspicious of you, Tatsumi," I gaze straight at the boy, "did you make absolutely sure all your tracks were well-covered?"

"No."

All eyes turned to Akame.

"When I found Tatsumi, my main concern was getting him back home. I did not cover my tracks as well as I should have," Akame confessed, her head hung low in shame. "If what Shirou said is true, then Dr. Stylish may be able to find us."

Everyone in the room sat in silence for a couple of moments, pondering their own thoughts.

Tatsumi raised a lone hand up. "Okay... let's think about this for a second. Would it be best if-"

Lubbock and I both interjected.

"GET DOWN!"

Lubbock pushed Tatsumi's head down, before a dagger pierced the spot it previously occupied. I instantly materialized several Black Keys after my eyes detected a glimmer of light at the far-right corner of the room, deflecting the oncoming projectiles. I was about to counterattack, but it seemed it wasn't necessary.

Our entire right side was covered by a thin membrane of water, conjured by Mizuko from a cup of water in her hands, stopping further onslaught. As the daggers collapsed into the floor, the shield turned into a sharp water whip, lashing out at the assault's point of origin. A male's voice sadistically giggled as he dodged the attack, but his movements were cut short, quite literally, by Lubbock's Cross Tail, dismembering him into several pieces.

Looking out the window, my sight was greeted by a small army of strangely-shaped humanoids.

Chuckling, I couldn't help but get one last line in.

"I think it's safe to say you've been compromised, no?"

A/N: So um, it's been a long time *dodges thrown tomatoes* if I'm to be honest I was losing some of my drive for writing this so it was getting hard to write anything related to this. I know what I wanted to do but not exactly how to get there, so I took a break. Once I was able to be satisfied with my writing again organic chemistry decided it wanted to absorb all my free time, but we're here now. Mizuko is an OC as you can tell with Chelsea being swayed over onto Shirou's side I needed a way to keep Night Raid up to snuff on the power scale. Also some of you may have noticed when the chapter mentioned nine Jaegers. Well Esdeath's defeat at the hands of Shirou caused her to get some more subordinates than in canon. Anyways I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Let me know what you liked, or disliked in the review section or as PM's I'll try to answer any questions that you may have. And of course a thank you to my beta ekaterina016 for being so patient with me.