First bout with Alibaba the Hermit
The First thing that came to her mind when she thought of one Akira Kurusu when she heard of him: Delinquent. That was confirmed in her mind when she heard from Sojiro's grumblings that the kid was late on his first day of school. She didn't really care what he did, so long as the guy didn't cause any trouble for Sojiro. If he did, it was game over for him. Futaba Sakura would make sure of that.
Then came the incident when all the bugs she had hidden in his room were found and subsequently destroyed. She had no idea how.
In looking through their chat logs for info, She hoped to find answers. Instead, she'd stumbled onto the fact that they were the Phantom thieves of hearts, which created more questions than solved. That's interesting, but not her objective. She couldn't find any reference to Akira removing the bugs, so it was probably just him.
Looking up data on Akira Kurusu was… too simple to be true. He lived in Fuyuki, had a small group of childhood friends, and worked with his parents. The couple owned a store and had dealings in other food brands, but nothing else. She got that from vague reports on the people around them, but never from the Kurusus themselves. Futaba thought back to the night the bugs went dead. Well, more of thinking aloud.
"Akira gets home. He talks to his cat - not like joke talking to it, or teasing it, like actually talking to it like a person would to another person - then gives him a massage. Cat falls asleep, he says something and all the devices I slipped into the room are K. … "
She had to order replacements, then replant them all in his room while he was in school. It was a high level difficult quest for her, but she powered through with the power of love and anime!
"Zealot Report… Zealot. Report…" Futaba started spinning in her seat. It did not help her come to a solid conclusion. "I Still got nothin. Maybe…" She stopped spinning and started typing at her computer again.
According to her spy program, Akira went out with friends for the day and is now heading home. It was a good chance to gain more intel. "And maybe crack the riddle on how you do IRL life hacks."
She listened in to Sojiro and Akira talking in Le'Blanc, the former agreeing to teach the latter how to make coffee. She'd approve if she wasn't worried about her father's safety. 'No idea what he's capable of, especially if he can alter people's cognition somehow. Can't take anymore risks.'
Eventually, Akira entered his room, and started talking to his cat. She assumes that's what's going on, but in reality - as far as she can tell - he's rambling to his cat.
"I think I'll focus on some studying for now, then wait for a call from a girl." The cat meowed. "No, not Ann. There's this other girl who wants to speak to me." it meowed again, gazing at him. "No, I haven't met her, but she's a vital part of my plans. "
"What plans, you may ask? Well my plans are a plan I've been planning for years - No Decades - really its centuries in the making! - on second thought-" The cat pounced on him knocking him back on the bed. Akira held him back as the cat, annoyed, tried to scratch at him. Morgana eventually calmed down after his pleading. "Honestly, It's a surprise for now, but I'll introduce her to you all later. Can't do it now. She's too shy around strangers. Hell, she'll have difficulty talking to me."
Futaba scratched her head. "Huh, another girl." She sees hacks into his phone for his contact info, along with all his calls. She finds the contacts for his friends from School, a contact labeled 'sword,' one labeled 'Blossom,' another 'Lily.' Other notable contacts - he had a few dozen for some reason - included 'Badger,' 'Fanny,' 'Tigerhawk,' 'Mothra,' and a contact for 'mom' with the word crossed out.
Akira mentioned something about letting the girl in question know, but Futaba wasn't sure what to make of it, especially when he claimed he never met or spoke with her. Was he joking?
Futaba's thoughts were interrupted when her door slammed open, which made her jump in fright. She jumped onto her bed and hid. The only person who could get in her room was Sojiro and he was at work.
On the door, she saw a posted note, one with a phone number. Akira's phone number. How did that happen?! She scrambled to her computer and checked the house cameras. The windows were closed so there shouldn't be a wind, much less one strong enough to open her door! It wasn't until she remembered the number posted on her door that she came to a startling conclusion.
"Wait a minute… the shy girl he's waiting for a call… h-he … he me-means… m-me?!" Futaba spent the next few minutes panicking, and otherwise venting her frustrations, screaming into a pillow. It only took a few minutes; her lungs weren't that strong. After shouting, she took a deep breath - several deep breaths actually - She got up from her bed and got to her computer. Enemy action was made. Time for a counter.
Her bout of panicking helped her realize that, despite how afraid she was, it wasn't as bad as she thought. Once she got most of the fear out of her system, her rational brain made some . Akira made it clear he wanted to talk, which means he wanted something from her, which made things clear. It set the rules of the game, and his most likely objective. "He wants a hacker. He wants to recruit me… to hell with that! Sojiro's right about him being trouble. I can't ignore him though, not when he can do who knows what else. Uhhh…" She still had plenty of fear in her head.
That left her with one option, no matter how much it scared her. She got back to her seat, and hacked into his phone. Then he opened up a Group chat between them, Alibaba and Akira, then waited. She saw from her hidden cameras that the boy looked at his phone and smirked. He then typed his response.
Akira: [ Hello. I'm Joker. What's your name?]
'First contact was established. Now what?' Futaba's hands were shaking, nerves on edge. She had zero experience with social interaction; She was a total noob at it! She knew she wouldn't be able to handle a conversation - the exception being Sojiro, but he was her guardian so he didn't count - and would freeze. Instead of thinking, she started typing. Alot.
Alibaba: [Do you have any idea how much of a stressful headache you are!? Seriously, I'm not leveled up nearly enough to be about to engage with whatever the hell you are! What cheat did you use on the door? How'd you sneak a note onto my door? What kind of life Hacks are you using?! ]
She was too busy typing to be scared. She focused her fear into her fingers, and kept typing.
Alibaba: [ Seriously, what do you want from ME!? I'm not a criminal you can blackmail into submission! I know you're a phantom thief and can and I Will reveal you if you try anything so what do you want?! ]
Akira: [ Well…I just wanted to say hi. ]
Alibaba: [ Really? Aren't you worried I'll expose your private life? Or your Identity as thieves? ]
Akira: [ I'm used to not having much of a private life. As for… the latter… Please don't. Please. It would only cause problems for both of us. People worse than me will take notice. ]
Akira: [ Also, could you change my name to Joker in the chat. Feels off to be the only one using their real name. ]
Futaba shrugged, but did as he asked, changing his name to appear as Joker instead of Akira. So far so good, he's taking the threats well. She could not relate. She can appreciate him going by a pseudonym when talking to strangers. She did the same.
Alibaba: [ Getting past that… What do you want from me? Why talk at all? ]
Joker: [ Technically, we're texting. Not talking. ]
Alibaba: [ :{ You know what I mean. ]
Joker: [ true, true. ]
Joker: [ My main objective was to make contact with the one spying on me with the bugs in my room. IE: you. And make sure you're not a threat to me. ]
'Wow, that was easy.' Futaba thought he was an endgame boss. He still could be, but he's being as friendly as a common mob character. She won't complain.
Alibaba: [ Congratulations, Mission accomplished. I promise not to tell ANYONE about you, and pretend you don't exist. Please forget I exist as well. Good bye. ]
Futaba then disabled the chat, preventing any further messages from being sent. Success! No more worrying about him. 'We just ignore each other, and everything's perfect!' or so she thought.
The door slammed open once again, scaring Futaba back under the covers of her bed. When she looked up she saw another note on her door. It read "We're not done Yet." in bold. "Typical. Should've known that was too easy." Futaba sighed, and grabbed the note and the previous notes from the door. She didn't want Sojiro to ever find them, so she promptly threw them out. She then got back to her seat and started typing. Again.
Alibaba: [ }:( HOW ARE YOU DOING THAT!? ]
Joker: [ Secret. ;) ]
Alibaba: [ O_Q* Oh Come ON! What more do you want from me! We just agreed to nonaggression! ]
Joker: [ But I don't wanna leave you alone. I want to be friends. ]
Alibaba: [ Why are you stubborn about this? ]
Joker: [ I'm a social butterfly. ]
Alibaba: [ I'm a caterpillar hiding in a cocoon. Go away. Forget I exist. ]
Joker: [ Never! You're too interesting to willingly forget. ]
Alibaba: [ How about a deal? I'll owe you a favor if you promise to leave me alone and never contact me again. Nice deal right? ]
Joker: [ seems like a contradiction; how can You do me a favor if I don't contact you? Offer rejected. ]
Alibaba: [ AAAGGGHHH ] Futaba slammed her head on the desk. 'Uhhhh… this guy's not gonna quit. I can't expose him without him doing something to counter, and I have no idea what HE can DO!'
Joker: [ Think of it this way: you get a person you can talk to, one who will keep your secrets as you keep mine. You can level up your persuasion and Social skills; you were complaining about being too under level right? ]
Alibaba: [ …you want my hacking skills don't you? ]
Joker: [ My objective is to make a friend. That friend is you. Hacking skills are a bonus objective unlocked later on. ]
Futaba ruffled her hair. This is ridiculous! She caught the attention of such a stubborn high level character IRL, and now wants to interact with her more. '
Alibaba: [ Again, I ask… Why? Are you? This? STUBBORN?! ]
Joker: [ I was raised alongside a talking sword that wants to be a hero of Justice. His stubbornness rubbed off on me. ]
Alibaba: [ …What? ]
Joker: [ It's completely true. Wanna hear a story about it? ]
The girl sighed. At this point she wasn't nearly as afraid as she was before. The young hacker was concerned less about him being a threat to her father and more concerned with whatever madness he's plotting now. She decided to humor his madness; he'd run out of energy eventually. She replied with a prompt 'yes.' Joker started typing.
His story was honestly pretty cool. He could definitely pass as a bard - Total charismaniac those lot were - with how interesting it was. It was mostly about him getting into trouble with his surrogate brother in arms. His tall tale featured him, his brother and two girls who were like sisters to him, all working on some prank. Apparently, when they were younger, Akira convinced his friends to help him set al. there was an important ceremony some of the clan were having; Akira and the others stole all the food from the banquet.
They were eventually caught when they tried to dispose of it in the back. His surrogate brother - they agreed to call him Mr. Sword for fun - tried to take the blame, but the adults knew better. Only the young Joker had both the intellect and motive to cause it. He was punished with extra training for two weeks. He claims he nearly died; he also claims that it was worth it.
'Heh, nine years old and already a thief, his parents must be proud.' She frowned as she thought back. 'Sojiro… would never be proud of me. Not after… I…' She clutched her head. In pain, the voices went off in her head. 'You let her die' they said. 'You're a selfish brat' they yelled. 'You don't deserve to live instead of her!' they screamed, again and again in her head.
"I did it. I killed her. Selfish. Hated. Undeserving. Unloved. I should just-'
Futaba thoughts were interrupted when she felt… something wrap her in an embrace. It was smooth like silk and oddly comforting. The voices died out as she focused on the feeling. Her breathing came back under control, and . She eventually looked behind her and thought she saw death; a figure in a dark cloak .
She thought for a minute death itself had come for her and closed her eyes. She held her breath for a minute, before letting go, and breathing out. Her breathing calmed down as she focused on the figure, instead of her own memories. Minutes later she collapsed onto her bed, calmer than she was before.
The specter of death had left, if it was even real. Maybe she was a figment of her mind, preparing her for her end. Either way, Futaba got up and looked at her screen… and Joker's response.
Joker: [ Are you okay? ]
Crawling back into her seat, she typed her response.
Alibaba: [ …would you… beleove mr ] She misspelled, twice and accidentally sent it. Her hands were still shaking, so she pressed them into the desk to stop it. Once her hands were steady, she continued.
Alibaba: [ Me if I said yes? ]
Joker: [ I… wouldn't. ]
Alibaba: [ Right. What did you do? That feeling was like an embrace. I felt… it was…nice ]
Joker: [ I… cast a spell. ]
Alibaba: [ Wizard. Right. ]
Joker: [ Basically, yeah. Would you… Like to hear more another day? ]
Alibaba: [ …Yes. Not tonight. Tired. ]
Joker: [ Okay. goodnight little Ali. ]
Alibaba: [ :) Goodnight Joker. ] Futaba closed her computer and crawled into her bed. She didn't feel like doing much else for the day. She closed her eyes and prayed her dreams wouldn't haunt her like her past did.
_Later_
The first thing that came to Zealot's mind was that she'd finally lost it. She shouldn't have to waste time dealing with some mundane that her current… contractor could silence easily. His guardian was barely an issue in her eyes; He could easily hypnotize both him and his daughter to keep quiet about or silence them should the need arise. Zealot would have approved just keeping the girl from bothering him or leaking their information.
She never thought she'd end up comforting the girl through her panic attack.
It was impulsive on her part, cuddling the child in her hair to keep her calm. Zealot had never needed to do so in the past. She was a killer, trained since birth to kill the corrupt. The only lives she saved were tangential to her targets; this was the first time she did so without violence of any kind.
'What are your plans for her?' She was astral form, but positioned on the building across from Le'Blanc. Easy vantage point to ward off threats. She watched her… contractor work on something in his room, the odd cat creature with him.
'You saw the chat she opened, that should be obvious.' She despised how smug her current master sounded. She drew mana from him to sustain herself and had him as her anchor to the world.
'If you weren't a magus, I'd accept that. However, you are, so it's not that simple; It's never that simple with your kind. So what are your intentions for the girl?' She wanted to sound threatening, but knew that, despite being superior to a magus in power, Akira doesn't fear her.
Akira sighed and laid down in his bed. Morgana, ignorant of their mental chat, nuzzled up to him. 'One of the simplest ways to neutralize an enemy is to make them your friend. I'm gonna roll with that plan till its fruition.'
'I see.' Zealot had to admit, his course of action had merit. However… 'You should be wary of how you handle her. She seems…' the spirit considered how to best explain her point. '...unstable at times.'
Akira kept petting Morgana, then hit her with a thought he had. 'Counter point: why do you care?'
Zealot just blinked and stared at him. Or the mental equivalent from her post outside. 'You are my charge. I'm supposed to care.'
'It's not that simple.' Akira laid the facts out as they were. 'Your job's to keep me in check and make sure I honor the terms of the deal I made with mother. If you followed her orders to the letter, you could just ignore everything else to focus on me. You didn't such as-'
'Such as when I followed your order to stop the filthy rapist from touching Panther's friend. I am aware.' Zealot cut him off.
'For which I am grateful for.' Akira added.
'I'd have been grateful if you let me kill him.' Allowing the filthy creature to live vexed her, especially since, in her human lifetime, she had killed men like him for far worse. 'I'd have preferred to gut the worm, from jaw to scrotum, letting him live only to suffer until his final breath.'
'And traumatize Shiho? I think not.' Akira got up from his bed and walked over to the wall, near the front of the store. Morgana just yawned but stayed in bed. The young magus couldn't see her through the wall, but knew she could see him clearly using one of her abilities. 'My point is, you chose to follow the spirit of your code over my mother's orders. You did it that night with Shiho, and you did it tonight with Futaba.'
'...' Zealot scowled at him through the door, annoyed at being called out. '...Will that be all for the night, master?'
'Continue monitoring Le'Blanc and the Sakura home. That's all.' Akira turned around and headed back to his bed. Zealot didn't notice as she turned around, pacing on the rooftop.
Zealot grit her fist and moved to strike the ground; she stopped herself just before she did. Doing so would cause too much trouble for herself and her master, regardless of how tempting it was. Her faith was strong, but serving the young master's family for over a hundred years was taking its toll on her.
She's had several contractors along the years since being summoned to the 3rd Grail war, and escaping with her at-the-time master to avoid the war entirely. Since then, she's served as the ultimate weapon of the clan, under direct command of the Clan head. She wanted to destroy the grail, but chose to go with him to the clan when he convinced her that serving him and his clan was the better option. The end result was… mixed.
Some of her contractors reminded her of fellow members of her own clan during her lifetime. She enjoyed these ones. Others resembled the filth that she would hunt down and destroy. Either way, she was bound to the clan head, no matter their… disposition.
She still managed to kill two of them that proved themselves no different from filth. Command Seal or not, she had her methods.
