Miya's eyebrows were twitching rampantly.
"So these four appeared last night and you have no idea why?" she said.
Signum, Shamal and Zafira were all at attention, mostly because they were rightly terrified of Miya after even a light exposure to her dreaded Hannya technique.
Vita was with Hayate, as she had to get new clothes for the other three. Uzume, sensing the impending Hannya that she knew would come, had chickened out and offered to be escort.
With them gone and the only other person in the house being Matsu, that meant Miya could let her true nature slip, and not the rather stern old-fashioned landlady persona she had created.
This was number 01, the 'Goddess' of the current batch of Sekirei. These three might react better to that side of her than they would have to Miya, the scary landlady.
"So just to clarify, you three and that little girl are part of the 'Knight' program of the book Matsu fixed three months ago. The same book that a pair of cat-secretaries have been worried about, and have been overly concerned with instead of their so-called charge. And now that Hayate-chan is old enough, the book has activated awakening the 'programming' and letting you four out," said Miya.
"What do you mean 'fixed' the book?" said Signum. Why would the book need to be fixed?
Matsu spoke up.
"The 'book' Hayate had was massively corrupted, on top of having a bizarre mutated virus inside it. I found it by accident while tracking her benefactor, and once I realized what device was damaged I spent the better part of a day isolating and removing the corruption, and then repairing it. You didn't even realize that you never said the name of the book when you first came out, because the registration was lost when I fixed it."
"How can you fix a device?"
"I'm assuming you three aren't from this particular planet originally, correct?" said Matsu.
"No."
"Well neither are we. Uzume and I are what are called Sekirei. We are an alien race that crash landed a few decades ago, and are being released in small groups to find our 'destined' one which we call an Ashikabi. Hayate is the Ashikabi of Uzume and I, which is why we share the same room."
"So you're like us then?" asked Shamal.
"Pretty much. The only person who was actually born naturally on this planet that lives in this house is Hayate."
That seemed to relax the three, at least until Signum tentatively asked "Are you associated with the TSAB?"
"The what?" said Matsu baffled.
Taking that as a 'no', Signum continued.
"We've had a few bad run ins with the Time Space Administration Bureau before. They're not exactly very welcoming when it comes to us, despite the fact it wasn't entirely our fault. We were only following orders."
Miya's gaze softened. That sounded familiar.
"It would seem that the Wolkenritter hold more in common with the Sekirei than I had originally assumed. In any case we will have to figure out whether you will live in the Inn or whether Hayate and her flock move back into the house a little early."
If they agreed to live here, there were a few issues that needed to be sorted out.
Namely the fact that they would have to open up a few of the rooms and that Zafira, for all his politeness, would have to stay outside except during rain or snow. After an incident involving a pet cat, Miya had invoked a very strict 'no pets' policy.
As polite and well mannered as she was sure Zafira was, she didn't want to risk it. She had barely tolerated those...cats...in the dining room.
With the Wolkenritter freshly outfitted, and Matsu helping Hayate come up with all sorts of ideas for their Knight armor, a few things became evident.
One, Vita had a thing for bunnies, if the doll she was holding rather tightly was any indication. Two, Shamal and Signum were never allowed near the kitchens, ever, after Miya barely averted a near disaster involving a pot of boiling water. Three, Zafira had no issues with sleeping outside, as it satisfied the paranoia of the Knights about the security of the inn.
Especially after they heard the circumstances why Miya didn't allow pets. The only concessions she gave were for weather and meal times, and that was only if he assumed human form without the ears or tail. A difficult task, but not one that was unreasonable.
The last thing they learned was Matsu's strange ability to 'hack' devices, and that Sekirei counted when it came to filling the book with magical power. However it left Homura, Matsu and Uzume bedridden for a full three days. After that they agreed that the 'draining' should only be done on enemy Ashikabi-Sekirei pairs who were stupid enough to mistake Signum, Shamal and Vita as unwinged birds. Oh, and someone named Karasuba, who had apparently done something to royally piss off Miya at some point. She had helpfully provided a picture of number 04.
One of the perks of living at the inn was the daily show of Signum and Miya having a mock spar in the backyard.
Since they were both very experienced sword masters, and Hayate didn't mind it if they had a bit of fun, the two would go at it using wooden swords until breakfast. And since she could reasonably cook something simple, it meant that Miya had a minor break from the cooking duty.
It worked out for everyone. Especially Vita, who was slightly embarrassed to find that Hayate was more than happy to feed her love of rabbits and bunnies by giving her a table with a rabbit background.
The first time Homura saw Signum, he was too exhausted to register her presence. The second time, he was just passing her on the street.
It was on his night off that he finally realized the reason he had been overheated lately was because he was reacting to someone, and it took three long hours to realize it was the rose haired woman who could fight Miya on even terms through pure swordplay.
Which was somewhat odd, because according to the woman, none of the Wolkenritter were human anymore. They were programs.
Still, at the end of the day he was reacting to the Blazing General (even her device was fire-related, strangely enough) and it meant he wouldn't have to go around sleeping with random women anymore. He just hoped Signum wasn't offended or tried to keep him from his self-appointed duty to protect the unwinged Sekirei from unscrupulous Ashikabi. That was one thing he refused to compromise on.
"Ara...you're reacting to Signum-san?" said Miya in surprise.
"I'm fairly sure it's her. I was close by Shamal and Vita, and I didn't feel anything, but when I got close to Signum my powers started spiking like mad."
Matsu, who happened to be in the room at the moment when Homura came in to discuss this with Miya, tilted her head.
"I wonder if this makes you indirectly Hayate's third Sekirei. I mean Signum is technically bound to her after all, and if you're reacting to her then..."
That made everyone pause, and consider that for a moment. It did make a strange sort of sense, because Signum's "existence" was contingent on Hayate. So technically, that meant Homura was tied to her as well.
That actually comforted Homura, just a little. Hayate approved of his protecting the unwinged birds, even going so far as to let him borrow Matsu for a bit to keep track of them and alert him if certain people were too close to them.
Miya knew Homura had been desperately searching his Ashikabi. So the fact she had finally appeared, but was attached to another was just another oddity about the Guardian Sekirei.
Hayate called Signum into the room and explained the situation to her.
"Wait, I'm his 'destined one'?" said Signum in disbelief.
"I'm one of the longest-running unwinged Sekirei in the city at the moment. I've been looking for my Ashikabi ever since I was released, and when I couldn't find one in five years, I decided to protect the other unwinged birds instead. At this point I'm just glad my Ashikabi is a female," said Homura.
Signum looked to Hayate.
"I don't mind if you and Homura date. And if you want to help him protect the other unwinged Sekirei, I'm all for it!" said Hayate honestly.
Homura treated her like a little sister, which was really nice. So what if they had to borrow the house in order to have any 'adult' time away from Miya's gaze? It wasn't like Hayate was looking forward to the day she was old enough to have some 'fun' of her own with Uzume and Matsu. Nope, not one bit.
At least that was what she told Miya anyway.
"So what exactly do I have to do in order to become Homura's Ashikabi?"
"First we'll go outside because there's no way Miya would appreciate Homura accidentally setting the inn on fire. Then all you need to do is kiss him and you'll be bonded together," said Hayate.
Miya looked at the girl with approval. Such a thoughtful child.
Needless to say Shamal, Vita and Zafira were rather amused about the whole thing, even if it technically meant Homura was one of them now.
Seo's meeting with the Wolkenritter could have gone better...for him. They felt sorry for his twin Sekirei for having to put up with an unrepentant pervert.
Though Miya did lift the 'no violence or pets' in Izumo when Zafira damn near mauled him for commenting on Shamal and Signum's breasts.
She honestly felt he deserved worse than having a five-foot blue wolf biting him on the ass.
Hayate spotted Aria and Lotte in a discreet corner of the street, observing their group.
Unknown to the cats, she had Matsu with her under a disguise and already under the effects of her Norito.
And Matsu had learned to 'hack' the transmissions given off by devices thanks to help from Signum and the others. It was rather ironic that Matsu ended up supporting everyone in Hayate's "group" through some semi-legal methods that ended with her blackmailing one of the less scrupulous Ashikabi in the city. Even if it meant that they had to take him out because he kept targeting the unwinged birds (and as a consequence all those he had winged, forcibly or otherwise).
On the plus side, that meant Signum and the others could drain every Sekirei Higa had collected so they would at least be unconscious once he was taken out. And since on average a Sekirei netted at least ten pages, that meant they could get quite a few considering he was one of Homura's worst "offenders".
Matsu got even more incriminating evidence on the two and their father. If they tried anything she'd sing like a canary.
Matsu was surprisingly vindictively like that.
"Well?"
"They're definitely aware of the Wolkenritter being active, but they called it the Book of Darkness. I think you should rename it soon," said Matsu.
Hayate nodded. She didn't know what the deal over the book was, but she wasn't about to lose her new family because someone tried to use her.
Good thing she was still in her wheelchair, having not been fully cleared for walking without crutches just yet. It meant they had no idea the book had been fixed, meaning they could trap them.
"So when should we start picking off Higa's flock?" asked Hayate, almost like one would comment on the weather.
Hayate had no issue with removing a Sekirei's crest. From what she understood it was relatively painless and they were retrieved almost right away.
Besides, most of them were forced into that relationship, and according to Homura, Higa was very abusive. But Sekirei were so submissive to whomever winged them that they never had any thoughts of running. Better to end their misery now than let them put up with one more day of his abuse.
Shamal hated this, but after seeing evidence of Higa's abuse towards his flock, even she had to admit that at least Uzume's "win" against another Sekirei was quick and relatively painless. It meant they would have a second chance once this...Jinki...crystal was used and allowed to find their real Ashikabi.
The sooner they got rid of his defense, the sooner Hayate could get Matsu to blackmail and rip out his power base from underneath him.
She was still furious that Higa had a habit of blackmailing other Ashikabi in order to make their Sekirei work for him, usually by holding something over them.
While Hayate was still by far the kindest Master they had ever had (treating the Knights more like her family than tools or servants), the fact she had no issues with them completing the recently renamed book by having them target another alien species meant that she wasn't entirely innocent.
(Renaming the book took two very long, irritating hours before Hayate finally figured out how to access Administrator Rights long enough to re-register the book under a new name. Two hours which had the normally patient almost snapping in frustration.)
Though to be fair, it was less of them targeting them and more along the lines of being in a game that was created by an idiot.
(The last part being Homura's explanation after said 'idiot' who apparently owned damn near the entire city at this point showed up on the small TV to explain the game to Signum after she winged Homura.)
The entire thing stunk to the Wolkenritter, like this Hiroto Minaka had ulterior motives, but for the life of them they couldn't figure out what.
The most irritating thing was that Signum was now stuck in the city because she had winged Homura, a fact they hadn't been aware of previously, as Hayate had never been told this fact. Seeing as how she was a minor, and previously disabled, there was really little reason for her to leave the city before.
On the plus side, that meant at least one of the Knights would always be on hand and a short-distance teleport to their Master, preferably with back up. The fact it was their leader was just bonus.