Aqua would never forget the day he was recruited by Direct Attack.
It happened shortly after the death of Hoshino Ai, his beloved mother. Ruby was a complete wreck, but Aqua was plotting his revenge.
A slip of the tongue during an interview was all it took for his world to change forever.
"You said you believed someone helped Ai's murderer. Why do you believe this to be the case?"
"It was our dad who killed her. I'll find the bastard…and slit his fucking throat."
The woman sitting opposite of him was no longer composed and stoic. Her eyes widened in shock and horror.
By this point, Aqua realized what he had said, and a cold chill ran down his spine. Things didn't get much better when a different woman started interviewing him. She had short red hair and defined features.
"Greetings. I am Kusunoki Tazuko. And you must be Hoshino Aquamarine, correct?"
"Y-Yes, Madam," stuttered Aqua. He knew deep down that this woman was not his friend.
"You seem to believe that your father was responsible for the death of your mother. And you want him to pay."
In response, all the boy could do was nod. "But I don't even know who my father is. I am going to find him myself and tear the fucker limb from limb-"
"There will be no need for such action. It will only put yourself at risk," interrupted Kusunoki.
"Why do you even care?! You never knew Ai!" Aqua snapped.
"We can find your father and put him to justice. But you and your sister must serve us in return," Kusunoki replied, calm as ever.
"Don't drag Ruby into this bullshit!"
"I must say. For a toddler you have a very…extensive vocabulary."
"If you want me to serve you, fine! But leave Ruby out of this!" Aqua shouted.
Rubbing her temples, Kusunoki sighed. "If you insist."
And with that, Hoshino Aquamarine stepped into an unmarked black van, and signed his life away.
"So, you must be the new kid."
Aqua nodded, shifting in his seat. Sitting opposite of him was a boy with brown hair and green eyes.
"Yes. My name is Hoshino Aquamarine."
At the sound of his name, the other boy's mouth formed into a perfect circle. "You must be joking! Who names their kid Aquamarine?"
"Beats me. Anyway, if my full name is too long, just call me Aqua. What's your name?"
"Tanaka Seiya. I'm your partner."
"Pleasure to meet you, Seiya," Aqua said with a smile, shaking his new friend's hand. Well, at least I have a friend here.
It wasn't long before Aqua and Seiya were sitting in a lecture hall. Kusunoki was on the stage with a presentation playing on the screen.
"You will be known as Lilybells, a group dedicated to protecting Japan from international threats. Your female counterpart are known as Lycoris, who deal with internal threats. Should a mission prove too overwhelming for the Lycoris, you will step in and offer assistance."
When the presentation was over, Kusunoki said, "Any questions?"
Aqua raised his hand. "While we're training to be Lilybells, will we learn things that normal children do in school? For example, things like math and science…"
The boy stopped talking mid-sentence when he heard groans from the other Lilybells-in-training. Kusunoki replied to his question with, "Yes. You will be educated like regular children when you do not have missions."
Seiya was the second person to ask a question. "Will we be permitted to interact with the Lycoris outside of work?"
"I will consider it. But for now, it seems unlikely," Kusunoki sighed.
A boy with red hair and brown eyes asked, "When we aren't on missions, can we interact with civilians?"
"Yes. You are also permitted to assist them whenever possible. However, you may not reveal your line of work under any circumstances."
After Kusunoki finished answering all their questions, Aqua sat on the bottom bunk of the bed he shared with Seiya.
"How do you feel about all this, Aqua? I mean, you haven't been with DA your whole life."
"I…still don't know what I think."
Just then, a question crossed Aqua's mind. "If you've been with DA all your life…what was the point of you going to that presentation? I mean, I expected that you would already know everything there is to know about being a Lilybell…"
"They started off raising us like normal kids, with the promise that we can eventually prove ourselves useful to them. Besides, attendance to that presentation was mandatory."
"Anyway, I hope neither of us get hurt or killed. I'm starting to enjoy having you around, Aqua," Seiya said with a smile.
"Thanks for the kind words, Seiya."