Ren Yamashiro, commander of the Elite Troops, couldn't believe the actual state of the corporation. The 8 god's crusade on hiatus, secrets within the state bursting out new enemies filled with hatred, and the overall issue with that man...Yuki Wakamura, had kept her on tip toes for more than she wanted to admit. And still, the members had found time to create another diversion.

Another man. She couldn't begin to understand it. What good would it do? They can't do anything other than helping with house chores or cleaning, and even that can be handled by lower rankers within the exclusively female corporation.

The issue with 7th's unit was an exception! She thought. But the mass amount of requests showed her this couldn't be held as an exception anymore. She knew it had to do with hormones. Probably. The 5th's interest seamed to have peaked towards another playtoy after meeting Yuki. She could understand that. She wanted a playtoy herself. But to go as far as to let another male join the corporations was an insane request. This time, they couldn't even serve as an empowered slave. Just a janitor. Just a fucking house cleaner.

But here she was. Scrolling through billions of trillions of pictures and profiles of the men available to choose from. The requests were clear:

Young and healthy.

Cute!

No smoking!

Needs to handle a bit of punching- Who the hell posted this request?

Very kind.

Cute! Again.

With class.

Swift!

Strong.

Weak.

She sighed. No way any human available could fill this requests, let alone a man. All boys that cleared at least two of those requests were already off the charts, and it was illegal per governmental issuing to pull any man already in a relationship or with a solid position in the real world. Insane.

She could use her infinite vision and be done with this in an instant, but chances are she could go through the entire folder of people and not find a single one filling out this requests.

So instead she just took a deep breath, threw the folder up in the air, and let the last paper touching the floor be the grant winner.

"And with that being said, after a thorough search taking in all of your specifications, let me introduce you to our latest member in the corporation" The ungodly snake of a woman spoke as though a bullet could pierce her hand and it would bring her more joy than this celebration, and the sudden feeling of not wanting to be here at all surrounded Roku Denki, a mere twenty-two year old.

Old soul-ed since the death of his late father, tired of being tired all the time, the young guy internally sighed. He hadn't signed up of this. Government enforcing aside, if it weren't for his younger brother, he wouldn't have made an appearance here, consequences be damned. The fact that this corporation could forcibly pull him out of his life at a second notice proved how unbalanced the state of the world was. But alas, he was here. Surrounded by what appeared to be the most insane people the world could've ever birthed.

His dark eyes drifted around the rectangular table, quickly and carefully scanning his new home (prison). A yellow haired woman with kind eyes, a blue-haired teen probably younger than himself scurrying away from the commander's eyes and- is that a fucking yankee?, he could already feel himself drained away by the people around, more with that crop-topped, black purple haired woman eyeing him like a predator.

"Roku Denki" At the sound of his name, everyone clapped, some more excited than others, before he noticed a seat labeled 7th currently empty, probably a person who could actually give less fucks about this than the commander herself.

Oh! I knew you would choose a cute one.

I thought I asked for a strong guy...

Hmm...not very stylish.

I still need to try him out in a spar.

What the fuck was wrong with this people? Scary wasn't the word, but they were probably delusional. And this were the heroes that kept the world from falling apart?

"Your job here will consist of cleaning, maintenance and overall cooking. A lot of people come and go from the headquarters, but most of the people you see here tend to stay a day or two before returning to their units. You will make sure their stay is a pleasant one...not that it wasn't before you arrived, but whatever" The words of the commander flew past his ears. He had already read the stupid document. He knew what he was here. A mere prisoner. "You will be granted weekly leaves back to the normal world, and under no circumstances are you allowed to step outside of the HQ, unless granted permission from a unit's chief or myself. Am I making myself clear here?" A sod. A sadist sod, gods be damned.

"Yes, ma'am" Her nod was as immediate as it was dismissive. Clearly, she couldn't care less about him. To her, he was a powerless fly, and by good reason.

"This is for both your safety and our convenience. Any Shuuki would eliminate you on the spot, no questions asked" She added, adding a small chuckle at the end. "You are here per overwhelming request, not because we need your assistance, so make yourself useful" She nodded to herself, and he had to hold a humongous laugh from coming out. That didn't even make any sense. "Before I dismiss this meeting and go back to actual, important issues, does anyone wanna say anything?" Unlike what he had expected, no one raised a hand. It was clear the commander's sight was scary and serious, but he didn't expect the entire troop to feel threatened by it.

Still, it was a pleasant surprise.

"Very well. You are all dismissed, feel free to ask for anything to the janitor here, I will be in my office." She turned back to eye Roku Denki, "Ginna here will show you the ropes around the facility, follow her guide and don't you dare defy your superiors, or you will face punishment by my own hand. You should be grateful to be helping the fight against Mato itself...even if you aren't actually doing anything, at all" Another smug chuckle before she literally teleported away, her speed far superior to anything Roku had ever seen before.

The scary part though, was what followed.

Ginna stepping aside, Roku found himself immediately surrounded by a few of the head captains he had managed to analyze within the small meeting, all of them clearly wanting to ask questions the moment the snake-dictator took her leave.

Words flew towards him in various directions, not making much sense at all.

Are you familiar with martial arts?

Do you smoke?

Have you ever had a girlfriend?

Do you wanna see if you can be a participant within my harem? What the fuck-

"U-Uhm, I think it would be best for us to wait for our turn to greet the new member..." The blue haired shrimp of a girl voiced out a suggestion that alleviated his ears a lot, but there was no need. He got the gist of it.

"I used to do kendo with my father...but that was years ago, and I don't like fighting" At the sound of his voice the captains ears perked up and everyone finally shut up. He could see who was who now clearly. The yankee blonde girl, the blue haired captain, the swiftly looking predator, and a girl with a reversed pony-tail, "I've never had a girlfriend, just like ninety percent of the male population, and yes, I smoke occasionally" He answered as quickly as he could, not missing a beat and completely ignoring the last question.

A hand suddenly appeared, taking hold of his own.

"I'm Yakumo Ezo, the 5th's chief! Nice to meet 'cha!" The weird predator was the first to introduce herself. Surprising the poor guy. He had never seen speeds like this before, and the chief albeit pretty seemed to be extremely dangerous, "I'm a little touchy and hyperactive, but it was thanks to me and some others that we managed to get you here! I'm very interested in what you got to offer!" She was too forward. Somehow another hand had found itself on his lower back. Roku immediately placed a hand on her slim shoulder and lightly pushed her away.

She didn't even know how much of his life they had already thrown down the dirt by them, bringing him here.

"Roku Denki, it's an honour to service you, 5th's captain" His demeanor slightly disturbed her hyperness, but it was for the best. The document had stated to remain strictly formal and treat any and all superiors with the due respect. He knew deep down, each and every single on here could probably eradicate him on the spot, no questions asked.

Yakumo opened her mouth to say something, but a set of clapping steered away her train of thought.

"Never thought I'd see a newbie managing Yakumo's perversion" There she was, that blonde yankee. "It's nice to see a change of pace within this place" Roku's eyes lifted up slightly.

Finally, a normal greeting.

"We'll make sure to get you incorporated quickly. It's Kamiunten Mira, chief of the 2nd unit" Her hand was already extended towards him by the end of the sentence.

"Thank you, it's my pleasure. I hope we can get along in the future, Roku Denki" Her hand was firm and reassuring. So captains could also be like this, huh...

"Hey! Don't hog him away like that, Kami-chin!" The 5th's chief immediately jumped onto the yankee, not even making her flinch. The stable woman turned into a full on rage gorilla, quickly tarnishing the image Roku had of her.

Around the yapping of the both, another hand pulled his shirt for attention.

"Uhm...I'm the 3rd unit's captain, Bell Tsukiyono, it's nice to see someone normal around here" her hand was trembling, but he still held it firmly regardless, "I wish the commander would've been a little more lenient, but if-if you ever want to check out the surroundings, you can let me know!"

The others let him know he could ask them as well for a bit of a break.

"Thank you for the offer, ma'am" She blushed at the formality, "I'm Roku Denki, happy to be of service" By all means, her hands seemed gentle, but a small glint in her eyes told him she was as powerful as those around him as well.

"Don't get too comfy with your superiors, little shit" An eerie voice brought them out of the sudden bout, and Roku sighted internally for what seemed like the third time that evening.

Another antagonist.

"Fubuki-sama voted in favor of bringing another male to the corps after seeing the sudden spurt of development the 7th had within them, but you don't look strong..." Her eyes scanned his entire body, "Or even surprising in the sightliest" The punk of a woman had a small parch on her right eye, and by the way she spoke it seemed clear she was representing the vacant spot of her captain, "You're nothing like the 7th's member, so don't get your hopes all too high. It'll be soon before you go back to the normal world" Her eyes seemed sharp, and clearly something was nagging her that didn't have nothing to do with him, but funnily enough this was still what he hoped for, a chance to go back to the normal world and regain his life.

A small huff seemed to be mistaken for a laugh, and in an instant she was on top of him, the floor facing his back and an increasing amount of pain appeared on his lower back. This bitch had tackled him two meters into the ground in less than a second.

"Ugh-hmph!" He already couldn't speak thanks to the lack of air in his lungs, but her hand had also blocked his mouth.

"Are you making fun of me, you damn scoundrel!?" Her eyes seethed hatred and superiority, attempting to scare the living shit out of him.

Unfortunately for her, every other woman around the normal world would look at you in this way anyhow, so it didn't really faze him. What did faze him was the increasing pain on his back. Did she just snap my back on a tackle?

"Oi! You stupid half-baked ninja bitch!" Immediately the weight was taken off him by the blonde chief, two hands enough to restrain the feral woman on the spot. The power difference was clear., "The fuck is wrong with 'cha!?" She clashed her forehead with the slimmer girl and effectively knocked her out. Damn.

"Denki! Are you okay!?" Bell rushed to his side once the initial shock wore off her, hands reaching to help him reincorporate.

"Not really..." He couldn't really tell, but his back was nagging him annoyingly, and he opted to stay down on the floor, "I think she broke my back" The pain, every time he tried to move, was excruciating. One attempt to fix his posture, and he flinched quite audibly.

A pass of the wind, and that weird predatory girl was right behind him, as if she could actually teleport.

"No worries, Roku-chin" She placed her forearm on his lower back and held him tight on the shoulder with the other one, "I didn't hear no pop, so it's not broken" She grinned at him, "This will hurt a little"

A resounding crack and yelp later, and he was back on top, no pain residue.

"There you go!" She beamed at him, hand held high and even though she was still too close, he allowed it, answering back her high-five.

"Thanks" She nodded before looking around for a bit.

"Wasn't Konomi around here?" At the mention of that name, Bell lifted up here eyes from trying to scan injuries around the poor janitor.

"She left after Denki said he did smoke a bit" The blue haired girl replied without a clue, before dusting herself off and taking off, "I need to check on the commander before going back to my unit, but if you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask, Denki!" She bowed three times before running into the hallways.

"I should be the one...saying that." Too late for a reply, Roku merely shrugged and dusted his clothes off as well.

"Sorry for all the ruckus, this is an occasional thing but I didn't expect an Azuma ninja to lose her wits like this" The blonde yankee pulled his attention. He decided not to ask about Azuma...or ninjas for that matter, and just nodded in acknowledgement, "I'll take her to the infirmary and inform of the incident later today, for now I need to get going, see you around, buddy!" The gorilla of a captain signed him off and departed with that feral lady on her shoulder, carrying her like a bag of sand.

Effectively leaving him alone with that bird of prey eyeing his every move.

He gulped while turning around to face that 5th unit's captain, who was still as cheerful as before. Clearly she was expecting something. He had already heard about the other male member of the corps and the stories surrounding him. Being compatible and used as an enhanced slave thanks to the 7th's peach blessing. By far, breaking expectations and receiving praise from many captains around the organization. He couldn't live up to that by no means.

He inhaled and let out a cough.

"If you excuse me, I think I need to continue my tour with... Miss Ginna?" The woman in question had apparently long since disappeared from sight, "Or I guess not?" The hyper woman laughed heartily.

"That's just how she goes, can't stay at one place at time. You missed your chance there, but..." She placed a finger on his chest, "I can give you the tour instead!"

He was about to object but then remembered he actually couldn't even deny his superiors.

"Okay, but with a safe distance if that's allowed..." He again lightly pushed her a bit away from his personal space. She was by all means a beauty, but he felt ulterior motives that had nothing to do with just being touchy.

"You don't have to be soooo uptight around me! I'm not all bossy bossy like other chiefs here" She tried arguing, and that was honestly clear from the beginning, but it was still only half of the issue here.

"Well, if I may, Miss Yakumo..." She frowned at his stubbornness, "And you may call me paranoid, but I'm sure I've been feeling the commander's eyes on top of me even though she's no where to be seen, for a while now" She took a second to process the fact.

For all her years as a chief, she really hadn't noticed that at all. Could it be that at any given moment the sensation was always present in the HQ? Or was she just being extra cautious with the new guy? She couldn't even tell. But fact as it was, her universal gaze was in fact on top of them- or him, rather.

"Oh wow" She exclaimed, "I didn't even notice! That's some great instinct you got right there, newbie!" She laughed albeit a little more carefully. Finally she realized, his own stay was being tested right then and there. Standing up straight, she continued. "Okay! Then as your superior, your new orders are to follow me and learn this place and it's facilities like the back of your hand! Understood?"

She internally beamed. For the first time, she had managed to bring out a smile out of the guy.

"Understood, chief." He followed suit after she started comically marching like a soldier. Whether or not the commander kept observing more sneakily or just plain old ditched the effort, he could no longer feel her eyes on him.

A scary snake of a woman, for sure.

"And finally, this is the health center" The 5th captain had been better than he expected- and way tamer. Distance had finally located somewhere within her mind and she no longer invaded him at a seconds notice, using her extreme high speed.

Roku came to learn the chief was one with her peach's blessing, for real this time. She used it for anything she could. Skipping through, running, even walking to levitate and float around the place aimlessly. She was alive every second of her existence.

In contrast to her, Roku didn't try to move more than necessary, keeping his hands behind his back or in his pockets, saving as much energy as possible. By all means, he always tried to make himself small, more so when introduced by the bubbly captain to the different staff members of the facility. A mere salute or a hand was all he opted for, and the girls replied with the same effort. Not many really caring about his arrival or position, which was fine by him. The less someone bothered him, the better.

"That's the ninja woman" He pointed out and she smiled, finally some comments from his part. The girl in question was sleeping soundly in a medical bed, with a huge bump on her forehead, "I wonder what tickled her so bad?" Yakumo hummed in return.

"The Azuma clan just recently changed head masters, and with that a lot of rules have changed and favored some, and unsettled others" She danced around the infirmary, upsetting some of the nurses taking care of actually injured patients.

It moved something within him, there were at least two badly injured patients in there, clearly the state of Mato was being active and dangerous, even when in the normal world not much had really happened.

"She's always been a little greedy, I guess it'll take time for some to adjust to the changes" She finished and he hummed in return. It made a bit more sense, even if his back said otherwise.

"I get the gist of it, although I've never been with any clan or association of the sort. I don't have a clue about things like honor or shit like that-" He coughed and smacked his mouth quickly, "Sorry, I didn't mean to curse-" He was interrupted by playful laughter.

"No worries! I told you, it's fine~" She grinned at him. Long ago the commander had left them to their wits, so she was just wondering when would he relax a little. It was clear the commander had unsettled him a little, but by no means was this place a cursed prison.

At least for her it wasn't.

"I'm just a little wary...for some consequences, but it's whatever, I hope" He sighed, scratching his head. His briefing had been very different, stoic and scary. But that's usually how government men were to begin with.

"What consequences? Tell me about them! Are they threatening you?" He blinked twice and discovered she had somehow already appeared in front of his face.

"I've been told not to-" She opened her mouth but he moved his head in denial, "Look, I appreciate you caring, but really, it should be fine so long I don't overstep my boundaries" He was still wary the chief could have ears somewhere, and with the nurses carefully listening to everything they were saying, he didn't wanna risk it.

After a session of pouting, Yakumo finally agreed to let it go.

At least for the time being.

"Well, then this is the end of our small tour!" She went back to her usual self, stepping outside the health center and waiting for Roku to close the doors behind them, "Any questions, Roku-chin?" He was not used to people calling him his name, but he'd allow it.

"Well, this is off the main subject" He patted his left pocket, "But, uh, where could someone go out for a smoke?" His anxiety had been building up since the beginning of the meeting, and Yakumo raised her eyebrows for a second. She'd forgotten about that. Now the quiet tapping of his foot made a lot more sense.

"Oh we don't have an specific restriction on it, but I guess you wouldn't want to leave a place smelling when your duty is to leave it clean as heck" She chuckled and pondered for a second, "For the time being, with my permission, let's go out for a bit. It'll be our little secret!" She beamed once again and took his hand, pulling him with her as she strolled through the hallway.

He didn't expect her to reach the nearest window and blow it open with her powers.

Let alone throw the both of them out of it.

"What the hell!?" He cursed, looking straight at the floor as he fell headfirst. They were only on the second floor, but the fall would still hurt like a bitch, more so falling as fast as he did.

Until he realized he was no longer falling.

"Hahaha! Chill out, Roku-chin!" Incredibly enough, he found himself floating next to the 5th Chief. Looking around, all staff members seemed unfazed by the turn of events. Another casual thing around this insane people, apparently, "Now hold on tight!" She said, but there was nowhere to get a grip. Still, no matter how fast they went, the invisible force making him float never let him go.

Roku had to admit it, after the initial scare, flying was probably the most exciting thing he had done in his entire life.

"You like that!?" She inquired, flying a bit ahead of him. She was clearly in control with him merely following per her power instructions, but it still felt like flying. He could only nod in return, taking in the view.

It took little to no effort to realize that Mato was a horrible, dead-looking plain of rocks and vast nothingness. In fact, no monsters could be seen around. It still didn't take away the emotion of flying for the first time.

After a few seconds, they reached the top of a certain building around the facility.

"Here you go" She placed him on the roof and then jumped off herself, laying on her back, looking up to the sky right next to the dark haired boy.

Roku cleared his throat and tried to not look like an amazed child. Instead he thanked the chief.

"That was something" He chuckled and she nodded. Spinning her finger and creating a mini-tornado around it.

"Flying is something" She for once replied without her hyper, just letting the comment out to the air.

He nodded, and took out a cigarette without missing a bit, brandishing a zippo-style lighter with a red and yellow mark on it, blending with a flame sticker it had at the middle of it. Yakumo was interested, never having been one to smoke or even having tried it once or twice.

Most of her peers did smoke, so it didn't upset her though.

Taking two puffs, he finally let out what seemed to be the longest breath of relief she had ever witnessed.

"You...smoke a lot?" She inquired. He had said before that he didn't really do much of that, but looking at his relaxed face made her thing otherwise.

Roku turned to stare into her eyes, shocking her a little.

"Sorry to ask this out of a sudden, but it's just not usual for a girl-, let alone a chief of the Mato Corps, to start befriending someone like me" She seemed a little taken aback by his comment, "I just don't know, is there...something you want from me, 5th's captain? Don't mean to break the mood. I'm just wondering"

She stood up with a single jump, showing her agility, and started walking around him, thinking for a minute.

In reality, she didn't know what she was looking for. It was clear he wasn't a carefree guy like Yuki Wakamura, and no reward system forced her to be intimate or close with the guy. Her advances hadn't been outright denied but the more she thought about it the less it made sense to outright approach the guy like he would just let her taste him up.

But it was different. Maybe the fact that she wasn't forced to be there as a reward, or the fact that he was in fact just a normal guy they voted to get around here, but he was not as lame as other men she had met. She couldn't pin point it yet, but she was sure he was interesting. He could join her harem, no issue by her!

Although maybe telling him that wasn't a good idea for now.

"I'm not sure!" She finally replied, being honest, "I'm not the only one, for real. You're literally the only guy except for that one on the 7th, Yuki-chin" Her eyes glimmered a bit, "It's obvious members here will take an interest, well, I guess some will" She shrugged and he let out a short laugh.

"Not true. Guess you already knows this, but girls either look at us with pity or as vermin, I like neither of those" She frowned a bit at the comment, mostly because it resonated with how she actually saw most men in the real world, "That's why I asked you about this. I understand the peak curiosity regarding that guy on the 7th, a guy who has a chance to fight against Shuuki must be well liked" He took another puff of his cig, "But I don't have that chance, chief. I'm really just another guy from the normal world, pulled here by legal request" He scratched the back of his head, "Other than being myself, I don't have anything to offer; I'm not even the best cleaner there is, so I'm sorry if I don't meet your expectations" Yakumo could see Roku was starting to feel out of place, but truly, she had no words to reply.

After a minute, Roku killed his cigarette with the back of his shoe and placed the remains inside the package.

"Look, I didn't mean to break this dynamic we had. I just wanted to know if you wanted to be friends with me or if there was some ulterior motive behind all this" He stood up, "Now that the commander isn't looking, I can say I don't dislike you. You're a bit much at times, but you're a kind person, that much I can see" She stared at his extended hand, "If you'll have me, then once again, I'm glad to meet you, I'm Roku Denki, at your service" For the first time, Roku shared a toothy grin, leaving her stunned for a second.

Yup, interesting.

The chief didn't hesitate to shake his hand, slightly surprised at the interaction.

In the strangest way possible, Yakumo had made her first real male friend in her life, inside of Mato.

"And this is where you'll be...staying" Night had somehow caught up to them on the roof, and after a moment Roku had finally asked the chief to bring him back down, worried about skipping his duties. Truly, most of the place was impeccable most of the time, and seeing no need for him at the current moment, he had at the end asked to be shown where he'd be staying.

To say that Yakumo Ezo was a bit angered at the sight, would be an understatement.

This isn't even a freaking dorm! She thought. Only a futon and a night-table, a wooden chair (That looked uncomfy as all hells) and a small wardrobe. No TV. No chances for recreation, no light bulbs and no windows. She fumed hard, this wasn't a room, it was a-

"Prison cell..." He muttered under his breath, and her heart shrunk a little. Making no pouts however, he reached into the wardrobe and took out what seemed to be a huge military backpack, at least half her size "At least they brought my stuff like they said they would" He sighed and let the bag hit the floor with a bang, immediately lifting up huge amounts of dust from the wooden floor, forcing him to cough.

"I-uhm, I don't know what's going on here, Roku-chin" She was the one feeling out of place now, "Maybe they chose the wrong spot, I'll look into it! I promise!" She declared, but his eyes really told no lies.

"We know this is the room meant for me, chief. Thank you for worrying though" She made a face and groaned, stomping her foot on the ground. She was sure procedures didn't work like this, as her own room within this facility was always cleaned up, organized and taken care of by the staff in the HQ.

"Well I'll make sure we change that. Something will be done, don't worry about it" She declared once again, lifting her hands and creating a reverse tornado on the tip of her finger. Quickly all the dust gathered within the core of the tornado, and she just let it be there for the time being.

Looking around, she realized Roku didn't even have a bathroom for his own or a garbage bin. This was beyond cruel.

"I'll take this out and come back, don't move an inch!" Roku nodded, still in shock at the showcase of her abilities, quite clearly not used to the display just yet.

The wind-user quickly dissipated the dust outside a window and after finding no staff this death at night, she gave up on voicing her complains for the time being, making her way back to the dorm, fuming all the way.

How was that possible? Yuki had a whole room for himself, a bed, pillows. He had a window for god's sake, had access to electricity and overall, wasn't cut off from the other dorms in his unit's house. Now that she thought about it, not only was Roku's room horrid, it wasn't even close to the original dorms the other staff shared at the HQ. The only toilet room she could think of was at least five minutes away, and it didn't brandish even an sprinkler. How'd he take a shower? Relax for the day? Suddenly his demeanor made sense. Others would think he should be enthralled to be joining the elite corps, but it was clear now this was more like a prisoner. He was like the slave Yuki declared himself to be.

It was maddening and she would do something about it, but for the time being, she'd have to wait.

"Yo', I threw that stuff-" Yakumo was cut off at the sight inside his dorm.

Homare Azuma had Roku hanging by the wall, lifting him with only a hand on his neck.

"Who the fuck do you think you are!? You're a fucking nobody!" The woman's screech sent shivers down her spine and just by the fact that this was actually happening in such a place like the Head Quarters, Yakumo was temporarily stunned. Roku was in a terrible position and even then, he still was shooting daggers through his gaze towards her, zero flinching, infuriating her even more, "You were told not to deny or disrespect your superiors, yet you still laughed at me, and now won't follow a simple order I'm giving to you!"

"S-Sorry to bother you, but I-" The boy coughed, struggling with a both of his hands trying to fend off the clan member, to clearly no avail, "I won't be walkin' outside...this late at night with ya'" He coughed again and some spit dropped on the feral woman's face.

The blue haired attacker finally tried applying more force on her grip, and the yelp of pain Roku managed took the 5th's chief out of her utter shock.

In less than a millisecond, the ninja's right elbow bent in a way that couldn't possibly be healthy, punch-forced by the power of the wind and shocking both Roku and the Azuma member. It was so fast, that not even the one taking the attack was able to scream in pain, just stare in down-right confusion.

Roku fell on the floor, his bum hitting the wooden tiles and his coughs filling the now dead-silent room as he gasped for air.

This was perhaps the first time since joining the corps, that the captain of the 5th unit actually found extreme hatred inside her mind.

"You do not-!" Another punch of the wind, and the blue haired girl found herself stuck to the ceiling, a continuous current of wind keeping her in place, "Get to treat him like this!" She screeched, already forming what seemed like trillions of air-needles in her palm, so dense that they were actually visible to both Roku and the, now fearing for her life, ninja.

Roku was already up on one knee, and before even attempting to de-escalate the situation, a shock wave hit his eardrums, stunning him for a second. Opening his eyes again, he was left speechless.

If the situation was bad before, now it was dreadful.

Ren Yamashiro, the commander, was right in front of them, both of her eyes covered by letters he couldn't describe, but he could feel, as he couldn't even move an inch from where he was.

The air keeping the ninja in place stopped forcefully and the chant of needles dissipated from Yakumo's hand, but something was wrong. He couldn't fathom a member of the corps being this much of an antagonist, no matter how much superiority flooded within their mindset.

Another weird thing was that even though the air-force had dissipated, the ninja in question actually remained stuck to the ceiling, much to his surprise.

"I-! R-Ren- this!-" Yakumo tried, but the commander stopped her with only a hand movement.

"Don't speak another word, this vermin doesn't deserve it" For a second, the 5th chief feared the worse, and prepared herself to jump in front of the poor janitor if it were to save him from the commander's wrath, but Ren's eyes only seemed to stare at the ninja on the roof.

Or what used to be a ninja.

"W-What the fuck!?..." Roku muttered, traumatized by the sight.

On top of them, the ninja's skin quickly turned to a horrid dark color, as if ink started to drop down from the pores of her body. From her mouth, snakes dropped out like liquid, leaving such a disgusting smell that they all had to hide their noses and swallow hard, least they wanted their dinner down on the wooden floor.

The entity started falling on the ground, with the passed out Azuma member following suit, and Ren quickly teleported all three of them to the other side of the small room, glaring at the monster.

"You're not safe here, darling" The voice was one of a woman's, a cold tone filled with hatred, "I thought we made that clear...you aren't as strong as you think" These words were clearly directed to the commander, who seemed to pay them no mind.

"Say whatever you came here to say, before I eviscerate this piece of filth you created" Stunned by the interaction, Ruko was quickly pulled outside of the room by the wind-user, who kept him at half an arm's length at all times and used her wind to carry the convulsing body of the Azuma member even farther away, clearly in critical condition.

Unfortunately, the thing only started to pulse into a ball that kept getting bigger and bigger, expanding every time it retracted. Evil laughter kept filling the room, coming from nowhere in particular.

Tch, I can't neutralize her powers even now, the god-like commander thought, frowning. She for all her powers couldn't take this thing alive even if she tried to, and taking the chance of letting it explode could jeopardize the lives of everyone staying within the facility.

She wouldn't let that happen no matter what.

"Vairocana" One chant, and the whole floor turned into a dark portal, swallowing the entire ball of darkness before closing and disappearing from sight.

A second later, and a wave powerful enough to shake the ground reached them, confirming the commander's train of thought. That ball could have very well eradicated anyone there. The question remained, why didn't it do it before?

Voices of surprise and worry from everywhere around pulled her out of her mind.

Apparently she had lost herself within her mind-ponder, and both nurses and two other captains, Bell and Mira, were waiting for instructions, some already attending to the convulsing body of Homare Azuma. She flinched at the sight and berated herself, already knowing the head chief will most definitely chew her ear away after learning about this.

"Are you sure you're okay, Roku-chin?" Another voice made her turn around to face the protagonists of this whole ordeal.

Roku Denki and Yakumo Ezo, both being helped by Bell and the blonde yankee. She had seen their earlier interaction, and to his praise she was caught off guard. he kid could actually know when he was being watched, so much that she allowed them to continue without her. Such a blunder. His neck was red and bleeding from the ninja's nails, but nothing seemed to have caused big damage.

A fucking blunder indeed.

"Don't look at me like that, go ahead and rush that Azuma back to the health center...that's an order!" She yelled, realizing most nurses were too stunned to act on their own. Quickly they all yelped and nodded, rushing out a mattress to carry the still twitching woman. "If push comes to shove, you're allowed to summon Tobera Azuma" She'd take whatever berating she needed if it meant saving this ninja's life.

Was she targeting Ezo? She wondered, tracing back the magic residue left behind by the monster. This was obviously the 8 gods doing. Not clear. This was a new phenomenon, she had heard about the incident they had before. Was this substance affecting more of her staff members? Is this why the Azuma member snapped in such a way against their new janitor?

Too many questions, too little answers.

"You" She called out for the attention of Roku Denki. For all that had happened, he seemed to be on his toes and alert. Even Yakumo looked more frantic that him, holding the obviously uncomfortable boy in her arms as if to cover her from the attempts of the nurses to help him out, so she would start with the boy.

"Yes, ma'am?" Formalities even now, she internally smiled. A good dog, she could admit that. A bloody cough later made her reconsider the harshness she was about to throw his way. Mira was right by his side with a nurse in hand, and Bell just continued being Bell, worried about everyone involved.

Asking for information could wait.

"Go check yourself with the nurses, that's an order, no stubbornness allowed" The 5th captain playful mocked with her tongue out, telling him an I told you so, "After you're done, I need you in my office, no matter the time of the day" She finished and the dark haired guy simply nodded in return. Satisfied, she turned towards the wind-peach user.

"Thank you for saving us, Ren!" The dark-purple haired chick smiled as she let go of the janitor to speed onto the commander for a hug. Under normal circumstances, she'd have stopped her, but even Ren could allow it from time to time...

So long no groping was involved.

"I don't know what would've happened if I continued...I was just so blinded by rage" The 5th captain fake-cried, eyes still at times drifting towards the janitor, who was now trying to brief the two other chiefs on the situation.

Not even a day here and already communicating what needs to be communicated. Perhaps her judgemental skills were getting rusted.

"I saw what happened, no need to explain yourself" The commander allowed a pat or two before finally pushing the slim girl away, "I'm surprised the boy in question wasn't obliterated by that ninja, but I will need to look into this" She sighed, "Still, you did a good job protecting our staff member" The 5th chief beamed at her words.

She cleared up her throat and everyone still around the hallway turned around to look at her.

"I'll take responsibility for what happened today, I shouldn't let even the slightest of oddities escape my eyes with the 8 gods clearly still active around us" She let Yakumo go and the girl immediately returned to the Janitor and the other two chiefs, all of them paying attention, "As the situation clears out, you will be forced to inform me if any oddities happen, be it within you or around you." She laid out the first order, "Ginna, you will triple out the barrier force, even if you pass out on the process. This is required to ensure the safety of our staff members and visitors" With sudden tears in her eyes, the short haired girl merely nodded and took off, ready to work on the task at hand, "From this precise moment, anyone who enters or leaves the facility will be scanned by me personally. Of course this meaning I will remain in the headquarters for the time being, as well as visiting all other unit houses for a thorough inspection. There's no use in keeping this a secret, less so with now an Azuma member as a victim. You can expect the clan's wrath to visit us momentarily first thing in the morning, and with good reason" Everyone except Roku shivered but nodded nonetheless.

"It's a shame I didn't take my leave today..." Bell muttered to herself, trembling.

"Each and every single one of you will have to remain alert for the time being, no questions asked. No slacking off, no taking any risks. We will install a sleeping schedule for those I deem worthy of guarding the head quarters, and those that don't will still assist with whatever the team may need" Her eyes locked onto the 2nd unit's chief, "Mira, until I find the right candidates, we will need your power to keep watch of the place"

"Ou! You got it, commander" She replied, forming a few clones on the second, scaring Roku on the process. A yelp coming from such a serious face made those still around chuckle, immediately lightening the mood a little.

Ren let out a breath she didn't know was holding.

"I can see you're in good condition, Janitor" The dark haired guy nodded, not missing a beat. Someone had already applied a healing solution, and his neck, albeit still sore, wasn't bleeding anymore. "I will need all the information you can gather from what you experienced today, you can't skip a single detail" Another nod, and she smiled, "Good, this can wait until tomorrow, for now, I order you all to rest" Dismissed, the commander made to take her leave, but more commotion slightly stopped her in her tracks.

"Oh no! All your stuff is gone, Roku-chin!" The voice of her 5th unit chief perked up her ears. Had she made another mistake? Her portals could be designated to swallow only what she chose to. Did she-

"Not really, I stuffed it back into the wardrobe before any of this occurred" Satisfied once again, she made to finally leave, "But still, now it's even more of a shithole" He chuckled and Yakumo groaned in response, agreeing.

The commander turned on her heels once again. Marching straight towards them.

"I believe you could show a little more gratitude for what you're being offered, working here, you damn...janitor" But at the sight, it was true.

What the hell was this place? No lights? No bathroom? No windows? She didn't even know rooms as horrid as this existed within her headquarters.

This place was a disgrace. Had she disregarded his stay this much? Even choosing him had been at random. Now that she thought about it, she never even took into consideration how or where the guy would stay.

"I'm very sorry, I apologize for speaking so foully, commander" The guy vowed in return of her words, feeling threatened. His demeanor immediately changing, forcing Yakumo to frown. Bell would've said something, had she not ran away minutes ago when the commander averted her eyes, "I'm very happy with the room, I will make sure to correct my-"

"No need to" Her eyebrows burrowed deep. It was perhaps the first time since forever that she felt in the wrong side of things. "I...will look into this matter. And find out who's doing made you end up in this prison cell" Of course, she wouldn't take the blame for this as well. That would be too much for her ego to take.

"So, if I may, where would I be sleeping now, commander?" Even his formalities made her flinch a bit, as if it was making fun of her disaster. Was the substance affecting her as well? She was starting to feel paranoid. Her. The apex of life. Earth's saviour. Paranoid.

Looking at the only two people left in the hallway, she sighed. The 5th captain already brandishing a huge, mischievous smile.

"Ezo, would you-" A drop of sweat, from both the janitor and the commander herself

"Yes! Pay it no mind!"

The girl exclaimed with gusto. Arms up in the air.

"You will be sleeping with me tonight!"