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"Man, does it feel good to be heading back to the EAT class," Clay said to his partner. The two hadn't stepped foot on this side of campus in a few months. "It's been so annoying keeping up with the lecture content in our own time."
It had been two weeks since Shaula Gorgon had attacked. After the incident, things had calmed down and the two were busy making reports and cleaning up after the attack.
"At least we're done with the reports and we've closed the case. That's always the most boring part," Akane replied, "a lot must have happened while we've been cooped up in HQ typing out our reports."
"Yeah, Sid-sensei was revived by Professor Stein," Clay said, "thank god. The DWMA CIA would not be able to operate without him."
Akane nodded his head, "two new teams have also been formed. Word on the street is that Black Star, Maka and the Shinigami's son have formed a team. Kim Dielh and Jacqueline O'Lantern Dupre have also been promoted to the EAT class and joined Ox's group."
Clay shuddered at the thought, "huh… that's a scary thought. Surely the Academy has some sort of rule about even distribution of talent and power among the teams."
Akane shrugged, "the units are formed based on compatibility. If the souls of three compatible pairs happen to be among the most elite of the EAT class, then that is the order of the world. Not that it affects us that much anyway."
"Yeah…" Clay said, "don't you feel lonely though? CIA Agents always go undercover in pairs. It'd be nice to not have to share a room with just a stinky guy for once." Clay's smiled turned wicked, "Wouldn't you like to go on a mission with a girl like Tsugumi-san," he nudged.
Clay was disappointed at the lack of reaction from his partner. Akane was always so level-headed, it was hard to catch him off guard. Even so, Akane made note to make him pay for that comment later.
"They don't always go in pairs," Akane said, ignoring attempt to fluster him. "Natsume's last assignment was solo. She's back, by the way."
Clay's back suddenly straightened and his shoulders tensed up, "Natsume's back?"
Without giving him a moment to contemplate this new information, Akane opened the door to their classroom. The bright light from the back windows blinded the two for just a moment.
"Well, if it isn't Akane and Clay!" Black Star shouted from the back of the room. "Come back to challenge the almighty Black Star, have you? Alright, I accept. HAHAHHAA," he quickly jumped up out of his seat and ran down the stairs, with Tsubaki and the rest of the gang following behind him.
"Hey, how's everyone been?" Akane smiled as he fist-bumped Black Star and Soul. The two shorter boys held out their fists to welcome Clay, which went unreceived. He was preoccupied with nervously looking around the classroom.
"What's wrong with him?" Soul asked.
"It's been about ten seconds since he's found out that Natsume's back," Akane explain.
"Ha, that is so uncool."
"Natsume-chan," Maka called as she ran over to a girl walking towards them on crutches, "do you need any help?"
"I should be okay," the girl replied, "thanks, Maka-chan."
"Natsume?" Clay called to her as he subconsciously walked towards her. Akane followed closely behind.
"I heard from Sid-sensei that you two got into quite a bit of trouble on your assignment," Natsume smiled warmly and Clay felt his heart beat faster, "welcome back, boys."
The two boys looked down to her clutches, and then saw the bandages wrapped around her thigh. "What happened?" Akane asked.
"Oh this? I guess I wasn't used to going solo. My cover got blown and it was me against a few of them. I had to end the mission early but don't worry, I didn't leave without getting the information I needed." She said, smile never faltering. Clay knew this smile. This was her fake, undercover, don't let the mission be blown smile.
"We're more worried about your wellbeing than the mission," Akane said, "right, Clay?" The dark-haired boy purposely shoved his partner towards her.
"What?" he stuttered as he fell forwards slightly, "yeah. Umm, I mean, we were worried since you had to be off the grid and we didn't hear from you at all."
"Comes with the job, I guess," she shrugged. "Enough about my mission though, I want to hear all about yours. Soul and Maka told me you guys found it hard to pretend to be NOT students, show offs."
Akane placed his hand onto Clay's should and leaned into his ear to whisper, "You know that cheeky comment you made earlier? I'm making you pay for it right now." Before Clay could retaliate, Akane took and deep breath and announced, "Clay confessed to a girl on our mission."
"Oh?" Natsume was amused. She had known the two for long enough to know that Akane was intentionally making his partner flustered. "Did he now?"
"No, I didn't," Clay put his hands up in defence, "It's not what you think. I just had to think on the spot to distract her from catching onto us," he tried to explain as his hands shook in front of him.
"Hmpf," Natsume turned her head, "you don't need to explain anything to me. I hope you two are happy."
"He's a little womaniser in the making, he is."
Akane went and did it. He said Maka's trigger word.
"MAKA CHOP!" A textbook came smashing down on Clay's head. Black Star and Soul stood to the side, sniggering. It was kind of funny if you weren't on the receiving end "Womaniser," she huffed.
"OUCH! I wasn't womanising," Clay attempted to clear his name, a small bump started to grow on his head, "I'm totally being set up here."
"Alright, that's enough," Akane said as he swatted Maka's hand away from the poor boy. "I was just joking. That was payback for a little comment he made earlier. He was loyal to Natsume the whole time."
"Me?" Natume asked, "why would he be loyal to me? We're just friends." Halting herself back into her crutches, Natsume turned around and returned to her seat.
Clays face dropped. Everyone looked at him pitifully. What she said was true. The two of them had been tiptoeing around something for almost a year and a half, and everyone knew it. Anyone with a pair of eyes, saved for perhaps Black Star, noticed how Clay would constantly blush and stutter more than usual around her, or the way that Natsume looked only at Clay with a special softness.
And yet, after a year and a half, no progress was made. Clay was barely able to hold himself together when he was around her, asking her out was out of the question. Every time Akane had managed to convince Clay to go for it, something always seemed to get in the way.
On the other hand, a little bit of Natsume thought that perhaps Clay didn't feel the same way about her that she did for him. He was such a nice guy. He was the kindest soul, except for maybe Tsubaki. Paired with his tall physique and good looks, it was no wonder he was so popular with the girls. There was always that inkling seed of doubt that she wasn''t special, he was just that nice to everyone.
The door opened and Stein rolled in on his chair. "All right everyone, class is starting. In your seats, please."
Clay quickly walked over to offer Natsume some help.
"I'm fine," she refused.
The bell for lunch rang. Since getting back from her mission, Natsume found that waiting for everyone to leave the classroom first was the best course of action. It was easier to take her time than to feel like she was bothering every person in the hallway.
Akane, sensing that he would be intruding, excused himself to leave Clay and Natsume alone. "Kirik," he called out, "how about I join you guys for lunch? I heard you guy went on an interesting assignment last week."
"Of course," Kirik replied. He turned around to call his weapons, who were sleepily trudging behind him. The two of them were barely old enough to enter kindergarten, putting them in the EAT class and forcing them to sit through soul theory was a stretch of an expectation. It was only natural that they'd get bored and fall asleep. "Come on, Fire, Thunder. Akane is going to eat lunch with us."
Suddenly, their faces perked into smiled. "Yaaay!" They cried and ran towards him. With ease, Akane picked them up with one child in each arm and the group left the classroom.
Fire and Thunder were much too cute for their own good. "I want one," Natsume said, head leaning on her hand as her eyes followed the two shamans.
"You want one what?" Clay asked.
"Fire… or Thunder… or both," she replied nonchalantly.
"But you're a weapon. Why would you want to partner with other weapons?"
She turned her head to look him straight in the eye. This was the first time in a long time he got to see her face properly. Her dark hair had grown longer in the time she was away, and there was scar on her cheek that wasn't there the last time he saw her. "I don't want a partner," she shook her head, "I want a baby."
"Ba-…Wha- umm.. what? Baby?" The blonde boy stuttered. Despite exceptional analytical skills, Clay was not known for thinking on his feet or being able to handle being caught off guard. Suddenly talking to his crush about her wanting to have a baby was the definition of being caught off guard. "Aren't you a bit too young?" he finally managed to form a coherent sentence.
She laughed at him. He had missed this laugh. "I don't want my own baby just yet. I just want one to play with right now."
"Oh," he sighed.
"Although, the thought of having one right now doesn't seem too bad," she contemplated. "Ever since I got back, I've been thinking of dropping out. Maybe I'll marry a rich guy and be a stay-at-home mum."
"What do you mean?" Clay panicked. "You're one of the top students in the EAT class, and a central agent of the CIA. Why would you want to drop out?"
"No," she shook her head with a faint smile. "I'm useless. A weapon with no meister is useless. I proved that in my last mission." She gestured at her leg and her crutches, as if they were evidence of her shortcomings.
"That's not true. Justin Law made himself a Death Weapon without a meister."
"Justin Law is a stationary type weapon, he can set his own traps. Longswords are not made to lie on the floor, as you very well know," she said.
"We'll just find you a new partner!" He was running out of ideas.
"There's none left," she shook her head, "at least none in the EAT class. And unless you've miraculously found a longsword meister in your time in the NOT class, I think we're at a dead end."
Clay thought back to the group of students he called his classmates not long ago. He was a nice guy. He'd never badmouth anyone. In fact, he came to really like some of the people he met in the NOT class. But even he could admit that none of the came even close to being able to handle a weapon like Natsume.
"But don't worry," she said, "I'm not going anywhere just yet. Sid-Sensei told me to think about it. I'm on crutches for another week, so I have at least until then to make my decision."
"We could see if Akane wants to try wielding twin longswords?" Clay offered. Anything to keep Natsume at Shibusen with him. The two of the had been together for so long, he'd forgotten a time when she wasn't a huge part of his life. They had met on the first day of school - he hadn't even met Akane at that point yet - but amongst the crowd of excited and overwhelmed students, she caught his eye immediately. Before long, the two had entered the EAT class and the DWMA CIA and spent almost every moment of their daily lives together.
"Were not Liz and Patty," she said, "in weapon form, your blade is longer and way heavier than mine. My blade also produces long range wind attacks that isn't compatible with Akane."
"Sorry, I just-" he began, but froze when he felt her head lean on his shoulder.
"I know," she whispered, "you were just trying to make me feel better. You always make me feel better."
This was what Natsume liked so much about him. Even though Clay could be a bit too gullible for his own good, he was always earnest. She could sense that Clay's ideas weren't shallow words said to make her temporarily feel better. She knew that he was truly willing to give up exclusivity with Akane to help her. Maybe Clay always believed what others said without question was because he always meant every word that he said.
Clay leaned his head on hers, the light scent of her shampoo waffled over him. It suited her. Nothing to overpowering. Just enough.
"Don't worry about what I said about finding a rich husband and having a kid, I was just joking. I doubt anyone would want to take responsibility." She said to clarify.
Natsume's phone beeped and she opened it to find a text message. "Sid-sensei wants us at HQ in five minutes for a briefing." She put her hands on the table and holstered herself up onto one leg. Clay quickly followed, taking the crutched behind her chair and handing them to her.
"I would take responsibility," he almost whispered, as if he wasn't sure if he wanted her to hear it or not.
She began to make her way to the door of the classroom. "I couldn't do that to you."
"Thank you everyone for being here on such short notice, and taking time out of your lunch break," Sid said. The room was dimly lit, with the large screen at the front producing majority of the light. Inside the room sat three field agents, Clay, Akane and Natsume, as a few intel agents. "How is your leg?" Sid said, facing Natsume.
"Not bad," she shrugged, "the crutches are almost just for show now. A few more days and I won't need them anymore."
"That's good to hear," he said in relief. "Let me start with the brief first." Sid flipped the screen to a photo of a short, fat man with a cigar in his mouth. "This is Al Capone, one of the largest crime bosses in Chicago, which is why he was placed on Shinigami-sama's list. I'm sure you've all heard of him. A few weeks ago, Black Star and Tsubaki went on an assignment to eliminate him."
"Which I heard was a total bust," Natsume said with a smirk.
Akane joined in the teasing, "looks like Papa Sid needs to properly teach his son the Way of Assassin."
"I'll admit that Black Star could have done better, because that the kind of man I was," Sid sighed. "But back to the case. On the mission, Al Capone and his associates were seen eating human souls."
"Isn't that normal for a kishin egg?" Clay asked.
"Yes. But they had access to hundreds of human souls already prepared for them." Sid flipped to the next photo, showing the criminals with multiple souls on their individual plates, as well as hundreds of souls placed in the centre of the large dining table.
"Looks like some kind of underground human soul trafficking," Natsume speculated.
"I think so too. Our intel has led us to here," he flipped again to another slide.
"A casino?"
"Its cover is a casino. What we're after is the underground poker room," Sid explained, "which is one of the reasons why we can't send Clay in."
The two-dark haired students nodded viciously in agreement. "His cover would be blown the moment he set foot inside."
"Clay plus poker would equal guaranteed failed mission. Sometimes, I think he's a bit too honest for our line of work."
Clay wanted to retaliate. He wanted to put his hand up and tell them that they were all wrong. But even he knew that he wasn't cut out for missions like these. The higher the stakes and the pressure, the more likely he was going to have a nervous breakdown. He couldn't put Akane in danger like that.
"This poker room is also very exclusive. It is usually the richest of men, the 0.01%, who play on these tables. And the richest of men are usually accompanied by beautiful women."
"What? We can't have a gay billionaire?" Natsume asked, "I'm sure these two would be able to sell that story easily."
Akane and Clay were sure that their teacher and superior respected them enough to refute this. "I'm sure they would too. But it would draw too much attention, it's safer if we send Akane in with a girl." Sid said.
"Akane and Natsume will infiltrate the poker room. Our intel doesn't tell us exactly who we're after. All we know is that he meets new clients here. You need to find out who is making these deals to sell human souls and make them think you're an interested buyer. Once we find out the identity of the supplier, he goes on Shinigami's list."
"Yes, sir." The three students said.
"In this mission, Clay will act as the back-up and the go man. He will be the chauffeur and drive you two to the location and wait for you in the designated parking spaces around the corner. If it goes south, you join the party. Akane's fighting style is more physical, hence your soul resonance is stronger. We know that Akane's soul affinity is not compatible with wind type weapons like Natsume, which is why we need Clay to head in as back up if anything goes wrong."
"And what will I be doing if this happens? Sit still, look pretty?" Natsume said.
"Essentially, yes. You will shapeshift into your dagger form and hang out in Akane's hoister." Sid said, "the dagger might come in handy for close combat."
"Cool, so you're going to put me in this mission purely because I'm a girl. Then, if danger happens, you're going to hide me away like I'm some kind of damsel in distress so the boys can fight." She stated, her glare as sharp as her blade. If looks could kill, Sid would have died all over again, "one last humiliating mission."
"You know I wasn't that kind of man," Sid tried to defend himself, "it's just that you don't have a meister."
Natsume stood up and slapped her hands on the table in front of her, chair screeching against the floor before falling over. "I'm aware of the fact that I don't have a meister," she stated. The room was silent as she took her crutches and stormed out of the room, the door slamming behind her.
Her two friends watched her leave, neither going after her. They knew her well enough to know that she didn't need other's words in times like these. There was another they could say in this moment that wouldn't make her feel patronised.
"I've got to hand it to you, Sid-sensei, that was not well handled." Akane said, fixing his glasses.
"I only know how to deal with teenaged boys, that's the kind of man I am," Sid rubbed his temples. "Thank god Black Star was a boy."
"You would have had a much harder time raising a girl," Clay said.
Natsume made her way to the back of the school. Hidden behind the classrooms was a lone that she always liked to go to when she needed to think.
"Sit still, look pretty," she muttered bitterly to herself. After all that effort trying to establish herself as a capable weapon and an accomplished agent, she still found herself in her worst nightmare.
She heard footsteps walking towards her.
"Oh?" she turned to see the newest professor to join the teaching staff. "What are you doing back here, Natsume-san?" Stein asked, hands casually in his pockets. He was smiling like he always did in class. Considering that there were 100 students in the EAT class and she didn't particularly stand out during his lessons, Natsume wasn't expecting him to remember her name already.
"I come here to think sometimes," she wasn't sure if she was telling him this as a hint to go away or as an invitation for him to join her.
"Well, I come here to smoke," Stein admitted, taking a cigarette out of his pack and lighting it up, "so I hope we can share this bench."
"That explains all these cigarette butts that have suddenly started appearing." Natsume shuffled to one side of the bench to let her teacher sit. "I'm surprised you remember my name already."
"I've read everyone's student files already," the professor replied, "partly because getting background information will help me teach more effectively, but mainly because I wanted to dissect my students," he gave a smile that was menacingly feigned.
Natsume shuffled over to the very last centimetre of the bench. Sure, he was quite eccentric in class, but now she was getting a taste of his rumoured madness. Apparently, he was known for cutting up his classmates during his time at the Academy? Natsume mentally prepared for the worst, confident that she could fight blade with blade. "What does my file say?"
"Age: 15, Weapon, Type: Light Longsword, Soul Affinity: Wind, Academic Ranking: 5th, Team: CIA, Partner: N/A," Stein recited from memory.
"It's very creepy that you've memorised all this information about all of your students so accurately."
"I didn't go out of my way to remember everyone's, just the ones that stand out. Spirit-sempai's daughter, Sid's ward and five-year-old Earth Shamans, the interesting ones." He lied. He couldn't let her know that Shinigami-sama had specifically requested Stein to take note of the promising students in his class, which included the three units in Maka's Team and Ox's Team, as well as the three students in the CIA.
Natsume crossed her arms and looked at him inquisitively, "and how does my file stand out when it's among the Death Scythe's daughter and baby Shamans?"
"I've never met a wind-type before,' he replied. "But mainly, you have no meister."
She turned her head away in shame. "Yeah, a longsword with no wielder… that'll do it."
"What happened?"
"We ended our partnership and he got moved down to the NOT class," Natsume recounted, "in his face, I guess."
Stein fixed his glasses and dropped his cigarette, putting the remainder of the flame out with the sole of his shoe. "And why did you dissolve the partnership?"
"He wanted to swap me out for a heavier weapon. My blade is thin and light, and since his soul affinity was incompatible with wind, he couldn't really use my long-distance attacks. He was also just such an dick… excuse my language but more appropriate words escape me this very moment."
"How come he didn't stay in the EAT class?"
"He's useless without me," Natsume replied, "but I'm also useless with no meister, so the joke is on me."
Stein turned his head to look directly at his student. That was the first time Natsume had looked past the reflection in his glasses. "Do you want to be strong?" He asked.
Of course she wanted to be strong. She left her old life behind to come to Shibusen for the sole purpose of becoming strong. Despite being paired up with a good for nothing meister, Natsume worked her ass off to get into the EAT class, and managed to become a CIA agent. She wanted nothing more than to be strong.
And yet, in the face of this question she couldn't say anything. Becoming strong didn't even seem achievable anymore.
"Do you want to be strong?" He repeated, stern eyes looking into her soul.
"Yes."
"Then nothing else matters."
"A lot of other things matter," she muttered, feeling like a teenager bickering with her father.
Stein looked at her incredulously, almost offended at the nerve of this student to talk back. "Since you're in the EAT class, I'll assume you've mastered transforming part of your body into your weapon form."
"Of course," Natsume said as she transformed both her forearms into her blade.
"Can you produce your wind attacks without soul resonance?" Stein asked, taking a closer look at her blades.
She stood up and took a few steps away from him, limping slightly without her crutches. After taking a deep breath, she cut one of the blades through the air. Almost like an extension of her sword, a sharp slash of wind flew forward, cutting off the branch of a tree a few metres in front of them. "All the teachers here keep telling me that it'll be faster and sharper with a wind-type meister, but we have yet to test that theory."
Stein watched his student's attach carefully. "Interesting," he said as he turned the screw on top of his head. "That's the first time I've seen a wind attack before."
"That rare, huh?" Natsume said dejectedly, sitting back down next to her teacher.
"Do you know why wind type weapons and meisters are rare?" Stein asked. She shrugged, never really giving it much thought before. "Here's a little extra curriculum lesson. The reason why fire and thunder types are so common is because all you need is power to produce an attack. On the other hand, you need power and a large amount of control and accuracy to produce an effective wind attack, otherwise you'd just end up with a gush of wind."
"That's what my wind attacks were like at first," she recalled, "breezes."
"I see," Stein reached his hand up and started turning his screw again, "so you've been able to improve the precision of your wind cuts even without a wind type meister."
"I'm almost at my limit though. I keep practicing, but I don't know how to make them faster or sharper or more powerful."
Stein was excited. He had seen many things in his time. Not once had he encountered a wind-type soul. They had almost become a myth in literature. The last known wind type weapon was Excalibur.
Shit. He wanted to dissect her. Open her up and see the inner workings of her soul. This might be his last chance to dissect a soul of wind affinity.
But Shinigami-sama had clearly stated that Stein would be Shinigami-chopped if he dared dissected one of his students. Stein's pride wouldn't dare drop as low as receiving a Shinigami-chop. No, he was better than that. That was a punishment for people like Spirit.
"I told you before that nothing else matters," he said, "the school is here to help you become strong, whether you have a meister or not." He had recalled reading a note by Sid on her file. Despite being one of the most promising students in the EAT class, she was considering dropping out.
"Hypothetically, what would a program to help me become strong without a meister entail?"
"The first step in fitness. Shibusen trains both weapons and meisters to be extremely fit. However, athleticism is a key component to the skill of a meister. Getting your fitness level up to that of at least an elite athlete would be a main priority."
It didn't surprise Natsume at all. It was well established that the physical training that meisters were required to take was excruciatingly demanding. It was one of the main reasons why her former partner was dropped from the EAT class.
"So, I would need to be taking the meisters physical endurance programs as well?"
Stein nodded, "and the second step would be mastering your wind attacks. Unfortunately, none of the teachers at Shibusen are particularly well versed in this area. I can't promise that we'll make significant development at first, but I'm very interested in your abilities. Hopefully, I'll be able to work something out."
She was touched. She had felt let down by the teaching staff since she came to the Academy. Not by any teacher specifically, but by the general inability to help her with her wind attacks. This was the first time anyone had taken interest in her.
"I'll consider it," Natsume said.
"Are you ready?" Akane asked as he straightened his tie. He was wearing a handsome black suit and white shirt, kindly donated to Shibusen by one of their rich and powerful alumni.
Clay adjusted his earpiece in the hotel mirror, ensuring that it was out of sight under his chauffeur hat. "Just about," he replied.
"Do you want to go check if Natsume's ready? I'll be out in a minute, just need to fix up the hidden camera."
Clay followed orders and put on his blazer and grabbed the car keys. He walked over to the next room and knocked. "Hey Natsume, it's Clay. Are you almost ready yet?"
He heard rattling noise and foot steps towards the door. She opened it just enough to peak her head through the gap. "Clay, perfect timing," she greeted, "I just need some help zipping up the back of the dress." She opened the door to let him in. Without batting an eyelid, she turned around and walked a few steps back into the room.
"Uhh," he mumbled, already taken aback by her hair and makeup. He didn't think it was possible for Natsume to look even more beautiful than she already was. "Sorry now?"
"Come on," she hurried. She turned her back to him and held her hair out of the way.
Face burnt red, Clay slowly walked towards her and began to zip up the dress.
"I didn't mean it!" He said abruptly.
"Didn't mean what?" She turned around curiously.
"When Akane said that I confessed to a girl on our last mission, I didn't mean it. I was just trying to distract her because she was catching on to us."
"Okay," she said with a warm smile.
"I just wanted to tell you that."
They were interrupted by a knock on the door. "Time to go," Akane said.
Clay was driving while Akane and Natsume sat in the back, fiddling with their hidden earpieces and cameras.
"Ok, is everyone's earpiece working?" Sid said.
"Yes."
"And I'm just checking the live footage from Akane's pin and Natsume's necklace. Perfect. Remember the plan, kids. We get in, find out who the supplier is and get out."
"Rodger," the three said in unison.
"We're here," Clay announced. He opened his door to get out of the car and walked around to open Akane's door. It was a dingy building, with garbage littered all over the side walk. The lights that could be seen from the windows were flickering and uneven.
Clay gave the two one last look before the pair turned around and he drove the car away from the entrance and off to the side street parking. "Good luck," he whispered into their earpieces.
Akane held out his arm for Natsume to hold onto and the two walked towards the security.
"IDs," they demanded. "No weapons." Natsume didn't even know that the human body could grow so large, and yet each of the men seemed larger than the last. They obediently handed over their fake IDs and let the guards search them with metal detectors.
"I'm here for the poker room," Akane said when they finished searching.
The security guards chuckled. "There is no poker room."
Akane raised his arm forward to collect his fake ID, making sure to flash his kindly donated Rolex watch in front of the security guards at the same time. "I didn't come specifically to this side of town to play slot machines. Now are we going to have a problem? Because the lovely lady here doesn't like to be held up," Akane said as he slid his arm around her waist.
"Very well," the security let them in and another man was inside waiting for them. Instead of following the corridor into the dim lights and the sound of digital cash falling, he opened another door off to the side.
Natsume gave a smile laugh and turn her head to Akane's ear. "That hand goes any lower and you're dead meat," she whispered, both maintaining the façade and flipping her hair behind her shoulder. "Thank you," she said as she winked to the security guard as she passed him.
The pair head down the stairs and were taken aback by the establishment. This basement looked built for an emperor, with golden columns that held up the walls and a crystal chandelier lighting up the room.
"I suppose the 0.01% have to spend their money somewhere, don't they?" Akane muttered. The two walked down the stairs, observing the crowd and the poker tables.
"Disgusting."
Almost every person they saw was a public figure, ranging from movie stars to politicians to renown businessmen. All coming together to this underground poker room. But so far, no one who had the potential underground power to organise a human soul trafficking ring.
"2 o'clock," Akane said. Gesturing at a man with a cigar in his mouth.
"Bingo," she replied, spotting Lucky Luciano, a mob boss wanted for running a prostitution ring. "Shall we see if he's decided to diversify his business into human soul trafficking?
"Yes. I think it's time I give these people a run for their money," Akane smiled maliciously. He took a seat next on the table next to the mob boss and began to play, Natsume standing behind him.
After just three rounds, Akane had effectively finished off the rest of the table, as well as successfully caught the attention of Lucky.
"Looks like you're quite good at this game, young man," Lucky sat down as the dealer began dealing the cards.
"I dabble here and there," Akane replied as he checked his cards. "It's one of my less interesting hobbies, though. Call."
"Oh?" Lucky replied, also checking his hand. "Call. And what would one of your more interesting hobbies be?"
"My friends and I enjoy more specialty foods, which is why I'm glad I got to bump into you tonight."
Natsume began to panic on the inside. What was Akane doing, showing his hand like this? Now Lucky knew that Akane was looking for a supplier. What if Lucky wasn't the right guy?
Lucky seemed intrigued. "Really? And why is that?"
"We've been looking to try something new. Something almost as priceless as a human life. A soulful meal, if you will. And my connections tell me that you can help me with that."
Natsume almost had to physically stop herself from rolling her eyes. He could not be any more obvious. He might as well just show the guy his hidden earpiece and camera.
"Akane, what are you doing? You're supposed to let the supplier come out with the information first." Sid said into their earpieces.
"Sir," Clay said, watching the footage from his phone in the car. "I think we should trust Akane. He must have thought that the supplier wasn't going to reveal who he was unless the potential buyer had some sought of insider knowledge or connection."
"Then your connections have sent you to the right place." Lucky chuffed. "How about I show you how to extract one right now," he said as he pulls out a gun.
Immediately, Akane and Natsume were ready to fight. Body guards shifted closer to their table and the other guests began shuffling away in panic. Akane counted 14 goons.
But he wasn't pointing the gun at them.
"No weapons, huh?" Natsume said.
"None for the guests," Lucky laughed deviously, pointing the gun at the head of their dealer, "or infiltrators."
The dealer held her hands up and looked down at the poker cards on the table.
"Infiltrator?" Akane asked.
"This little girl has been tailing me for weeks. And she thought I wouldn't notice if she snuck her way into my poker room. I will gladly make you a demonstration for this potential client."
Just as Lucky's finger was about to pull the trigger, Natsume stepped forward and sliced the gun in half with her blade.
Within a split second, all the guards and their guns had surrounded the pair.
"Now you've gone and done it," Akane mumbled, raising his hands up next to his head.
"Well, I couldn't just let him blow her head off, could I?" she spat back.
"A weapon in the form of a human," Lucky looked the two up and down, "looks like the grim reaper has sent his minions to handle me. Take the weapon, she could be of value. Kill the other two." He said as he walked away.
Guns still pointed at them, two body guards forced Natsume to walk in the direction their boss was headed. The guards waited for Lucky to be far enough from the scene before they began inching closer. Just as they were about to eliminate Akane and the dealer, a huge crashing sound came from the upper floor. All eyes in the room were the doors on the second level.
The doors burst open and Clay jumped over the railing as he transformed into his sword form. His blade deflecting any of the bullets shot at him.
"Took your time, didn't you," Akane said as he caught his partner and began to fight.
"I didn't anticipate having to fight four Shreks to get in here."
Natsume also used this distraction to free herself from their hold and began to fight back.
Three fighters against fourteen of Lucky's goons. Akane and Clay took on half, while Natsume and the dealer took on the rest separately.
"Hey girl, can you shift into a sword like that other guy too," the dealer shouted at Natsume.
"Sure can," she shouted back as she kicked one of the goons in the stomach with her heel. "Ooft, that must have really hurt."
"I could really use a weapon right now," the dealer dodged an oncoming punch.
"It's really not that simple," Natsume replied.
"I think anything is worth a try right now!" the dealer screamed back, with a chokehold on one of the guards.
"Ok but don't say I didn't warn you if your hands burn off," Natsume said as she produced two wind cuts, sending the three men she was fighting flying. This gave her just enough time to leap over the poker tables and land in the dealer's hand in her sword form.
"Wow" they both said. Natsume felt her entire being fill with warm. It was as if she was a candle and someone have finally lit her wick. For the first time in her life, she understood what true soul compatibility felt like.
After a few more moments of fighting, the dealer said to Natsume, "fighting with a sword has levelled out the playing field, but it's never going to end with all these short-ranged attacks. We're still outnumbered."
"Uhhh, I have an idea." Natsume said, "We're going to do that wind attack I did earlier again, just follow my lead."
"Yes, ma'am," the dealer replied.
With one big swing, the two had unintentionally turned the poker room into a mess. A cyclone formed from Natsume's sword and completely destroyed the establishment, knock out a bunch of people and scattered cards and chips everywhere.
"Whoops," Natsume said as she transformed back into her human form, "never done that before."
"That is concerning," the dealer raised her eyebrow.
The girls quickly ran over to help up Akane and Clay, who were caught up in the natural disaster that their friend had just produced.
"What the hell was that?" Clay asked, still disoriented.
"Umm, not entirely sure," Natsume replied as her hand grabbed his jacket pockets to check the car keys hadn't flown out of his pocket. "We can work in out later, we got to go right now." She quickly slipped off her heels.
The goons started waking up. A few more seconds and they wouldn't have a chance to run.
"You need to come with us," Akane said to the dealer and they began running for the stairs.
"No complaints here," she replied.
The four of them rushed outside, Clay leading them to the car.
"We have company," Akane said as he looked behind. Clay saw a black car in the rear mirror, with men leaning out the window and shooting bullets. He turned the engine on as fast as he could and took off.
"Sid-sensei!" Natsume screamed into the microphone hidden in her ring.
"Already on it, Natsume. I'll meet you at the rendezvous point in 1 minute and 45 seconds. Can you make it?"
"We don't have a choice," Clay said, stomping harder on the accelerate pedal.
"Wow, this is some real spy shit," the dealer said in awe. The sudden pickup in speed of the car causing her back to hit the seat. Every one of her limbs grabbed onto whatever part of the car she could.
"When we get there, you need to get out of the car and get into the helicopter as fast as you can," Akane informed her.
"Get out of the spy car and get into the spy helicopter. You got it, spy dude." She nodded her head in anticipation.
As the car pulled up onto the dock, the Sid and the helicopter were already there waiting for them.
"Go, now!" they all ran out of the car and towards the helicopter, trying to avoid the bullets from behind while fighting against the wind of the helicopter.
"Oh my Shinigami-sama," Natsume huffed as the helicopter took flight. The four of them collapse on the floor while Sid flew them away from the gunfire.
"Natsume, your feet," Clay said between puffs, pointing at her cut up and bleeding feet.
"Show me a girl who can sprint in heels and she'll have my respect forever," Natsume replied, covering them from her teammate.
"Buckle up, kids. We're heading straight back to Death City." Sid announced from the pilot's seat.
"Is that a zombie?" The dealer asked, eye wide. "Is this helicopter being flown by a zombie?"
Akane turned to the dealer. "What's your name?"
"Ellie."
"Ellie. You're in Shibusen's witness protection now. A powerful crime lord knows your face. You're not safe anymore," Akane explained.
She shrugged, "living life pay check to pay check and trying to scrounge for work as a private investigator? There's not much for me to miss."
"Then take a seat. We'll be arriving at Death City in about two hours." Akane said and she obliged. He reached over her head and grabbed the first aid kit, "as for you," he said to Natsume, "it's going to be a long two hours."
"Wait, no," Natsume tried to resist but it was too late. Clay had already picked her up off the floor and put her on the seat behind her. He held her legs in place as Akane began spraying disinfectant on the cuts on her feet.
Natsume and Clay were on their way to the Death Room. "I reckon Shinigami-sama has finally decided what they're going to do with Ellie," Natsume said. Clay nodded in agreement.
"Clay-kun!" Tsugumi said as she faced them in the corridor.
"Tsugumi-chan!" Clay greeted. "How have you been?"
"I've been good," she replied in an energetic tone. "I haven't seen you and Akane-kun since you got transferred back to the EAT class," she began looking around eagerly.
"Sorry, I'm not with Akane right now. I'll be sure to let him know you say hi, though." Clay said. The two longswords couldn't help but notice Tsugumi's puppy ears drop.
"Oh!" she suddenly jumped in worry, "I didn't mean to make it awkward for you… since… you, umm…"
At first, Clay was confused to why she began stuttering. When he realised that his fake confession had never really been addressed after the Shoula Gorgon incident. Suddenly, he began stuttering too, "umm… uhhh… about that-"
He noticed Natsume looking at them. It was her I-am-judging-you face. "Should I leave you two alone?"
"No!" Clay replied in panic. He had definitely been too assertive with that answer.
"… okay." She replied calmly.
Clay took a deep breath. "Tsugumi-chan. I'm really sorry but when I told you I liked you it was because you were catching on to Akane's mission to watch Anna-san. I just needed to distract you."
"Oh," Tsugumi nodded her head slowly, trying to process what he was saying to her.
"I'm actually in love with someone else." He glanced at Natsume, "So please don't feel awkward around me. Sorry to make you feel so uncomfortable."
She gave a bright smile. "I'm so happy to hear that. Maybe we should organise a catch up with everyone soon at the café," Tsugumi also glanced at Natsume for a moment. "Maybe you can bring the girl too! I'm sure everyone would love to meet her."
"I think so too."
The bell rang and Tsugumi quickly head off to class.
"Me three," Natsume said with a cheeky smile plastered on her face. "I'd love to meet her too."
"You know it's you, right?" Clay said as they began to walk towards the Death Room again.
"Hmm?"
"The person I'm in love with is you. You know that?" He repeated.
"I wouldn't say I knew for sure. I had a feeling? But then you and Akane were so close I wasn't sure."
"You thought I was in love with Akane?" Clay gasped.
Natsume smirked, "only sometimes. Most of the time I indulged myself and let me think it was me."
"Indulged?" Clay said in confusion.
Without saying a word, Natsume reach over and interlocked her hand with Clays. His face turned bright red. "You're stupid," she smiled with glee.
"Okay! Looks like everyone is here!" Shinigami said in his usual jovial voice. "We have two things to address in today's meeting. First up, we have found a solution for our new friend here."
"Hello," Ellie smiled and waved at everyone.
"By pure chance, Ellie has discovered that she is in fact a death weapon meister and has decided to enrol at Shibusen," Stein said. "We have decided that she has shown potential and will be placed in the EAT class."
"Also, her background as a private investigator makes her a great candidate for CIA recruitment if she does well in the EAT class," Sid said.
"That's great!" Natsume exclaimed. Over the past two weeks that Ellie had settled down in Dead City, the two girls had spent a lot of time hanging out and getting to know each other. She had found out that Ellie was a year older than her and came from a troubled family situation. When she turned 16, she left home for good and earned money being a private investigate. Mainly her work was spying on husbands whose wives thought they were cheating or gambling snd vie versa. The more they got to know each other, the more Natsume felt as if she had finally found her soul sister.
"So, the last thing on the agenda is your enrolment, Natsume," Sid said. "You voiced that you were considering dropping out of Shibusen. Have you made your decision?"
"Dropping out?" Ellie repeated in shock. She was the only one in the room who didn't know about this information.
Natsume made eye contact with her new friend and smiled comfortingly. She felt Clay gently pat her back to reassure her.
"I've spent the last two years looking high and low for a meister who can use me to my fullest abilities, and to no avail. Before me, wind-type weapons were considered myth, let alone the existence of a wind type meister. Yet, one has miraculously appeared. Who in their right mind would walk away?" Natsume said as she walked towards Ellie. She held out her hand between them, "so how about it, partner?"
"I guess this saved me the trouble of having to find my own weapon," Ellie replied as she reached out her hand to she Natsume's.
As their hands shook, a gentle gust of wind was emitted from the two teenaged girls. That warm feeling they felt, the feeling of completeness the first time Ellie held Natsume's sword in the poker room, returned. Perhaps for the first time in history, a wind type meister and weapon had found each other.