"This went about as well as I thought it would," Phillip sighed exhaustedly as he strolled down the sidewalk, bobbing and weaving through the endless crowd.

He had begun the job hunt as soon as possible, cracking down heavily when the weekend came. Unfortunately, every single one he applied to and came in to interview alerted him rather quickly (sometimes rudely) that he didn't have the qualifications needed. This ranged from construction aid to simple crew work for fast-food restaurants. It almost seemed like he was destined to lack a stable job in his life.

"It might have something to do with the aura you're constantly leaking out."

That was something he was used to. After his first few adventures, many of his companions pointed out that Phillip often gave the impression that he was uninterested in them, thus preventing most from getting personal with him. The only people that got through were either completely oblivious and mistook it for loneliness or were too confident for their own good. Most of the time, it was both.

I don't have time to fix it. Besides, considering my life so far, it's probably better if I keep it.

"When trying to get a job, however, you need to, at least, seem like you can co-operate in a team."

Phillip grumbled at this. While he could work in a team for a set amount of time, he felt far more comfortable being solo as the person you had to rely on to cover your ass was yourself, instead of someone who could easily backstab you. For its cost, the caution kept him out of trouble far more often than get him into trouble in the other dimensions.

Though, this meant that him getting a job in the current marketplace was an uphill battle at best and impossible at worst.

Do you think they have mercenary jobs around here?

"I wouldn't bet on it just yet. Though, if you're giving up now, it might be best to head back and hit the books."

Phillip snorted at this. You know that's not gonna happen. The clones should already be close to finishing off history as it is.

"Then, stay focus," Gabriel stated firmly. "You have two other appointments and you'll need to put your best foot forward to get at least one of them."

Right. Phillip let out a breath to try and relieve his nerves and rounded to the corner to start down that street for his next destination.

Some time Later

God damn it! Phillip thought as he exited the last business and walked down the street a pace faster than before.

The city glowed orange in the light of the setting sun. Crowds that once filled the streets collected themselves at street corners and their favorite restaurants. The smaller buildings, shrouded by the elongated shadow of the taller ones, started up their lights.

It would have seemed like a serene image had Phillip's mood not been soured by his latest venture. Neither of the two job offers employed him, expressing similar reasoning as all the others.

"No, Lucifer does that," Gabriel said passively, using his demeanor to counter Phillip's exasperation. "Though, I doubt even he's responsible for the job problems you're facing."

Not helping.

"Neither is getting angry at the situation," Gabriel said with mild annoyance gracing his voice. "We've only done one day, but we still have tomorrow. It's not the end of the world if a single day goes awry, so keep your head up and keep chugging forward."

Phillip let out a sigh at this. Right. With the moment, he turned his head to the left, staring up at the height of the wall that surrounded the city. Despite Gabriel's reassurance, he still felt anger at the situation and felt the need to blow off some steam. Doing so in the city was non-negotiable, but outside it...

Hey, Gab?

"Hm?"

Would it be fine if-

"If you're going to ask if leaving would be okay, it will be fine. Just," Gabriel let out his own sigh before he continued, "try to be discrete about it all."

Phillip grinned lightly at this before ducking into an alley a few paces away. Once he was as close to the wall as the alley would allow, he weaved through hands signs, turning invisible once the sequence ended. He reached the top of the building with a single jump and cleared the top of the wall with one more. He landed on the green grass of the small clearing before the forest beside the city.

He set off into the forest, set to find a preferred area for training.

That Night

"Hyah!"

Phillip grunted this out, swinging the tanto blade in his right hand in an upward diagonal swing at the trunk of the cedar tree. A new gash was painted onto the already heavily scarred wood, ranging from shallow cuts to deep gashes, all of which belonging to Phillip's attacks. He looked at the scene with a dulled expression before turning away with a sigh.

He had grown bored with simply swinging at the wood for the last couple of hours. While he came out here to vent, he had expected that, at least, a few animals of the forest would have tried to investigate the sudden increase of noise to silence it. Unfortunately, they either were already sleeping for the night or attempted to evade him.

A shame, in his eyes, as Phillip desired some form of a fight, like a bear or something. He turned the blade downward and pierced the ground of the clearing before sitting down. He peered into the forest, trying to catch anything moving his way from inside the denser forest that surrounded him. No such luck so far.

"I see the muscle-brains were such a heavy influence to you."

You can't tell me it isn't a decent form of venting, Phillip replied smugly, continuing his scan of the place for any wandering souls. Something that the participants consent to while letting frustrations out.

"And here I thought the Jedi training would have calmed your nerves somewhat."

Can't fix what isn't broken. Phillip rotated his neck, earning a few pops for his efforts, before looking up at the waning moon, shining faintly through one of the few openings the canopy provided.

The forest had darkened with the loss of the sun, shrouding everything in the black of night, with the denser parts of the forest covered in a jet-black wall. The only things that allowed Phillip to see in this darkness were the glistening of the stars and the pale light of the moon.

For most, these small lights wouldn't give them enough to see a few inches in front of them. Phillip could still see several feet before him, thanks to his enhanced and trained senses. It was his senses that led him to this secluded area, that allowed him to avoid human detection from wayward travelers.

It was also these senses that alerted him he was no longer alone.

Standing and turning, Phillip pointed the blade in his left hand towards the place, his senses alarmed, and saw glowing, magenta eyes staring back at him a few feet away. Neither of them wavered until the unknown being stumbled out of the thick grove. What came out was not what Phillip expected.

It was a bear, or something that had the general descriptive look of a bear: bulky, towering beast strutting about of four legs, each lined with four razor-sharp claws and a mouth full of similar teeth. However, there were some big differences from most bears. The fangs and claws were far larger than normal and it had two additional bug legs near its front half by the standard legs: two coming out of its back and another two out of its forearms.

It gave out a roar that sounded more like a million sirens going off at once, shaking the ground and rattling the black hair of the beast. It stood to try and intimidate Phillip, showing off the V-shaped patch of white fur on its chest.

Phillip, however, smiled cockily at it. "Finally, something decides to show up."

"Wind it up quickly, curfew is about to kick in."

Phillip frowned at this but nodded absentmindedly before he rushed forward, faster than the beast had time to react, and stabbed at the beast's heart.

The blade shattered against its skin, forcing Phillip to lean his head to the side to avoid the fragmented piece. The piece dug itself into a tree on the opposite side of the clearing just as the bear realized what had happened. It gave out another wailing cry before bringing its right paw back to swing at Phillip. He jumped back, having the paw strike the ground to make a small crater, before glancing down at his busted blade.

Letting out a "tsk, ", Phillip brought his free hand to the blade, the hand coated in an ethereal white glow. He traced his hand to the original length of the weapon, a new, pearly white piece now connected to the broken silver. He pulled the hand back as if yanking it away from heat, and the light dissipated, showing the newly recreated silver blade.

"Alright then," Phillip stated, more to himself than anything else. "Now, how about this?" He stretched out his left hand, the tanto along with it. With a twist of his hand, a baby blue aura covered the blade, while white lightning danced from the point of the blade to the hilt and back again.

Once again, Phillip rushed forward, now aiming for the beast's neck that it was closer to the ground with a single downward slice. Unlike before, the blade cleaved through cleanly, severing the beast's head from the rest of its body. The head fell a few feet behind, landing on the ground with a heavy thud while the body slumped over with less noise.

Phillip let good of the tanto and it began deconstructing itself from the hilt up into small white squares that soon faded into nothingness. He squatted down and scanned over the beast, inspecting the oddities this species had against all others. After a while, he consulted Gabriel on the issue.

Hey, Gab?

"Is it about the bear?"

No, whatever gave you that idea? Phillip replied sarcastically, before straightening his tone. Is this a main foe in this world? Animals that are heavily mutated?

He sat in silence for a moment, awaiting the answer from the voice in his head. The two of them knew, with no doubt, that Phillip had a little problem with being stubborn for info. He had given many superiors of his headaches simply through stubborn willpower.

"No," was all the answer Phillip earned from the question.

Thus, he tried to dig for more.

Then maybe a form of corruption. An energy form that's been altering creatures to suit itself or something along those lines, perhaps?

"While I appreciate you trying to be proactive in the endeavor of aiding this dimension," Gabriel stated in a preventative tone, "let's focus on getting you a sustainable job and in school first. You know, baby steps for now."

I would like to run, actually.

"Haste makes waste, so let's not waste any more and get back home." Phillip felt the being leave his mind, causing him to slump slightly and sigh. He pulled himself to his feet and briskly paced over to the tree that his fragmented blade pierced. He grabbed the fragment and gave it a yank, pulling the piece out while stumbling back from the recoil.

It was at this point that he felt Gabriel return to his mind. He jumped at the chance to make a sarcastic remark but was prevented by Gabriel's quicker order.

"Pick up some lean meat or seafood along the way. I don't want you to get anemia from iron deficiency after fixing your weapon."

Once again, the being fled his mind, leaving Phillip to ponder on the situation. Most grocery stores would be closed at this point, leaving only back-alley dealers that Phillip would rather punch than make any kind of deal with.

Weighing his options, he placed his gaze on the body of the bear before shaking his head. The bear was mutated by something unknown, which would make it nasty to eat by some standards and a health risk to others. Thus, the only remaining solution was settled upon.

Stretching out his right hand in front of him, his tanto blade appeared once more within his grasp. Phillip gripped the hilt tight as he shifted towards the other side of the forest.

"Time to hunt."

At the Apartments

Phillip slipped through the window of his apartment, knowing full well that he had long since missed the curfew call. Luckily, the window was unlocked thanks to the clones he left behind. Once inside, safely and silently opening and slipping through the window, he walked over to the other side while making clear and concise steps, as if trying to avoid things. Once there, he flipped the light switch on and looked back to spot what he was trying to avoid.

The living area, from the couch to the refrigerator, was covered in books and identical clones of himself, which equated to 22 clones in total. Each clone had one of the plethora of books open, each of them being a different subject from the other.

From the initial reports of the subjects, this world wasn't all that different from his own except in two departments: history and technology. Math was just as formulaic and complex as his own, while the scientific aspect was equivalent to it, if not a bit more divisive about matters. However, on those two fronts, things seemed a bit more hectic, to say the least.

In the history department, most leading authority figures were the gender-bent versions of his worlds, while very few, like Cleopatra, stayed the same. Another massive change would be the timing of some of them, like the fact that Shakespeare happened back in the 15th century when, in his world, Shakespeare wasn't born until the 16th century, or that the nuclear bomb made its debut in this world February 2000 while his meet the destruction weapon almost 50 years prior. He could go on, but that was an extremely long list.

With tech, however, was something to truly behold. While the nuke debut would suggest a relatively low tech-jump, it was actually the opposite. This world was millennia ahead of his in this department. Working laser weapons, easy-to-use scanning devices that everyone had access to, and hyper-gen consoles and computers for gaming, though these paled compared to Gamindustri.

Right now, the clones should be covering the more advanced materials in preparation for the coming exam. He didn't know what would be on it exactly, so he decided to go in over-prepared. That way, nothing could catch him off guard.

"Alright, you guys," Phillip said, loud enough to be heard by all in the room but not enough to disturb the other, probably sleeping tenants. "Pack it up and poof in groups of 2, 3 minutes in-between."

They did so, stacking the books on the farther end of the couch into two stacks before dispersing. Soon, they were all gone and Phillip was sole being in the apartment, at least to his knowledge. He rubbed his forehead to calm the newly formed headache, courtesy of the information the clones passed on to him.

"Note to self: increase wait time to 4 minutes."

"It might help to decrease the number of clones as well."

Oh, good. You're back, Phillip replied to the being's return with a flat tone as he traversed to his bed, pulling off his jacket and shirt to prepare for sleep. Where have you been heading off to recently?

"Stem your curiosity. I've simply been collecting information for your journey through this dimension." Phillip hummed at the explanation, continuing his changing out of his outfit and bringing his left hand to his right shoulder. A puff of smoke occurred in the same spot, and he brought out some navy-blue pajama pants, which he laid onto the futon.

Once his original clothes were bundled up, he brought them to the opposite wall of the door, where a black sigil was painted on. He lifted the bundle to the sigil and, with another puff of smoke coating his hands, the bundle disappeared. A finger coated in blue energy pressed on the left side of the seal and Phillip strolled back to the futon to sleep.

"I see you've consumed enough to fix up your iron lose."

I'm honestly surprised I retained my Repair ability, Phillip replied, his monotone betraying his words. I thought I was only allowed chakra.

"Well, it is more innate in comparison to your other powers. It wouldn't do if you couldn't utilize the singular ability that could truly be called your own."

Well, it's nice to have, Phillip said, giving one final stretch as he sat down on his bed. But, now, I think I'm going to hit the hay.

"I won't prevent you. Just remember to eat breakfast when you wake this time."

Right, was Phillip's reply as he put on the pajama pants and put himself under the given white covering. Seconds after laying his head down on the pillow, his eyes closed, and he accepted the warm embrace of sleep.

The Next Day: Noon

Phillip continually rammed his head into the red bricks of a building, hidden in the depths of an alleyway to avoid any concerned or disturbed passersby.

The day had gone almost exactly like the one prior on the job front, with every job denying him. At this point, mercenary jobs were the only likely substitute that would accept him as an employee, but there was a good reason for he hadn't simply gone for it.

"A well-protected city like this would probably lack the reasoning to have a mercenary system in place," Gabriel reiterated from earlier that morning, before sighing. "I understand your reasoning for wanting those types of jobs, but it's not a good thing to look for them"

Phillip smashed his head into the wall one last time before he groaned. Why couldn't we have landed in Russia? At least there's a need for assassins there.

"Because, while your life thus far has been about fighting, there's always the chance it will stop suddenly and you need to know how to obtain a job before that occurs." Noting Phillip's continued mood, Gabriel let out another sigh. "Look, it's only been a couple of days."

A couple of days with no progress.

"Yes, but still only a couple of days. We still have time to figure this world out and get you to where you need to be. Be patient and things will come together."

…

"... Would you like to eat for tonight?"

A growl from Phillip's stomach answered the question.

At Sunset

Having ended the day on a similar note as its beginning, Phillip pushed through the quarter-cut noren of the restaurant with his left hand, ducking slightly to avoid the falling cloth. Once he was completely inside, he gave it a look around.

This back-alley ramen shop reminded him of Ichiraku's. From just the entrance, he was met with the practiced smile of the owner while the little room given to him pushed him to take a seat on one of several stools lining the bar. With a bulky man seated in the middle, Phillip went to the far right, given the two of them their own spaces.

Phillip looked up at the board hovering above the counter and gave the owner his order of two bowls of miso. The owner nodded and walked to the back to begin preparation. With nothing to pre-occupy his mind, Phillip sent a studious eye to the only other person there.

The man was finishing off his meal, which was comparable to Naruto's standard diet if the dishes were anything to go by. His white hair was tied into a small ponytail, though that did nothing to handle the two messy bangs, one that covered his most of the right side of his head with another thinner and just as long on his left wit, flopping up as he tilted the bowl to drain the broth into his gullet. Once done, he dropped his head with a satisfied sigh as his large blue coat that reached the floor from his resting position rustling from the movement, the black fur collar pressing against his neck, and the silver shoulder pads clattering. The only other part of the man's outfit Phillip caught a glimpse of was his jet-black boots and purplish-gray jeans.

Phillip turned his head back to stare at the empty space behind the counter, undecided about his next course of action. Just then, the man let out a bellow to the owner in the back with a massive grin as he put some money on the counter.

"Thanks for the grub!" With that, the man turned to leave and Phillip, out of the corner of his eye, noticed several other things. First, the inside of the coat was bright yellow, shown by the four tails, two at the sides and two in the back, flapping at the man's movement. Second, the shoulder pads were strapped down with two brown belts and a silver plate that held a sigil of a downward pointed sword with wings on either side.

However, the final and most important aspect was his left arm or, rather, the lack thereof. From halfway down the bicep, the rest of his arm was completely gone, allowing the sleeve to flutter as the man strode out of the restaurant. Phillip allowed himself to stare as the man left, turning back once the man could no longer be traced.

A moment later, the owner returned with his order, with Phillip thanking him properly as he placed the bowls down. It was when Phillip was getting ready to snap the chopsticks apart and the manager retreated to the kitchen that he noticed it.

He was being examined, studied, similar to the way Phillip himself was studying the man from before. At first, Phillip felt slightly annoyed, before becoming completely irritated as the stare continued for a moment longer than before, though his face lacked any expression.

Thus, he decided on a spectacle.

He pulled the chopsticks apart and put them into his right hand. Raising that hand into the air, he shouted "Itadakimasu!" at the top of his voice before chowing down on the ramen before him in a far more calm manner than his yell would suggest, the stare he felt disappearing.

Only the most perceptive eyes would have noticed that one of his chopsticks disappeared from his fingers at his shout before reappearing just before he began lowering his hand.

Later that Night

"I'm certain that wasn't the best move. You should have stayed passive."

Phillip sighed as he climbed up the cement stairs towards his room. I know. I was just tired from today.

"I understand, but that doesn't excuse losing your cool so quickly. You need to be stronger willed than that."

Refusing to answer immediately, he shuffled his feet over the blue carpet of the hallway, stopping halfway, and turned right. From all the copy-pasted white doors that stretch from both sides of the walls, the number pasted to this door told Phillip that this one was his. The only difference from when he left it was a small, folded paper on the golden knob.

Fishing the keycard from his pockets, he slid the card into the slot of a jet-black card reader just above the knob, watched the light shift from red to green, and opened his door, taking the paper with him.

"Isn't rent due two weeks from now?"

Might not even be the owner. We won't know until we read the damn thing. With that, Phillip opened the paper to its full length and began reading. He scanned it quickly, desiring to learn the important information as soon as possible.

Once he was finished reading, he summarized his thoughts. It's a trap. Knowing my room and my recent struggles, it is too obvious to be anything else.

"More than likely, but it also provides an opportunity. Whoever left this here won't act during the event but before or after. If before, we'll evade the problem. If after, however, we should be able to get what you need before escaping."

Phillip's face contorted into a cringe. You sure it won't simply blow up in our face?

"Do you wish to continually repeat today?"

Phillip slumped at this before scanning the title of the page. Gabriel made sense to him, but he still wasn't too sure about the matter. This better be worth the risk he was taking; else this was going to hurt them more than it hurts him.

"'ME Corp's Career Fair', huh?"

?

A man drummed his white-gloved fingers along the edge of his well-polished desk, awaiting something happenstance despite the moon's continual rising in the sky. With his free hand, he brushed a stray strand of purple hair back together to one of his two bangs hanging on either side of his head, evading the clump that crossed over diagonally over the bridge of his nose, an oddity to the short, well-kept hair on his head. His purple suit showed no wrinkles, despite his slumped position, while the black shoe of his left foot tapped the same rhythm as his fingers.

Suddenly, the phone on his desk rang, bringing the man to open his eyes, revealing light purple irises as he stared at the machine. The phone rang twice, thrice, four times before the man reached over to pick it up.

"Mister Ryoma, the... 'guest' is here to see you."

"Let him in and then leave."

Not waiting for a response, he put the phone back before pushing his black swivel chair away from the desk and open to his left. He stood up and moved to the front of the desk, hands busy messing with the purple tie around the collar of the yellow business shirt underneath his suit before they moved to the cuffs of the sleeves.

The night drew out far longer than he had hoped, preventing him from returning to his home to meet his daughter at home, though he joined her, undercover, during her kenjutsu practice. It was one of the few times when he could coddle her unabated, instead of being the stern father he behaved when in front of her.

She did well in her Hokushin-Itto-Ryu lessons, to where it was becoming increasingly difficult for him to challenge her to improve her capabilities. Soon, she should be his better in this regard and he couldn't help but be proud of the young lady she was growing to-

Ryoma pulled himself from his thoughts, replacing the fond smile that had written itself onto his face with a solemn look. He was here on business, not a reminiscence trip. To forget that while the person he demanded to meet him here was soon to enter his door was inexcusable from his position. The news of the assignment he had given this man was of extreme importance, and he must treat the situation as such.

As soon as this thought crossed his mind, the doors opened, revealing the man he sent to investigate the anomaly that occurred only a couple of days ago.

"Heya, Ryoma! How's it hanging!"

Ryoma felt irritation from the large, goofy grin of the man rather than comfort, while the man saluted him with his only hand.

"Siegfried Kaslana, I suggest you drop the pleasantries so we may address the situation with the seriousness it so requires."

"Lighten up," Siegfried stated, his grin unfaltering at the fierce glare his "boss" gave him. "It's been a while since we last spoke, so some catching up is in order!" He strutted forward, closing the distance quickly, stopping just before Ryoma with his hand on his hip. "So, what's been going on with your life? Your kid doing okay?"

Ryoma kept his silence, the glare intensifying for a straight minute before he walked back around his desk and seated himself in his chair. Pushing it to his desk, he began typing on the keyboard in the middle of his desk while staring at the monitor off to his left.

"Two days ago, a mysterious male child appeared at the western gate of Nagazora."

Siegfried sighed at this, dropping the friendly smile for a slight frown. "Alrighty then, straight to business." Grabbing the single chair used for guests and dragging it closer to Ryoma's desk, he sat down, leaning into the black plastic of the back. He would have tried to rest in some awesome-looking pose from some movie he watched recently if his handicap didn't make the pose look extremely awkward. "Yeah, met the kid recently. Almost looked completely normal before he did that thing."

Ryoma ceased typing and turned his attention to Siegfried. "Define it. What did he do?"

Siegfried grew a coy smile at this. "Oh, you want to know, do you? In that case, why don't you tell me why you want to know the kid?"

Ryoma stared at the man for a moment before responding. "I have paid you enough to get you here and feed you so long as you provided assistance in this investigation."

"I recall that you asked me to 'take a look at this anomaly and provide info,'" Siegfried explained, seemingly cocky about finding a loophole in the agreement. "I looked and told you what I saw. I'm done. Now you gotta sweeten the pot if you want more."

Ryoma's face furrowed in barely restrained fury before straightening out. "I'll send you some more money for-"

"Ah, ah, ah," Siegfried said in a sing-song voice, waging his index finger at each word. "I won't need it this time. The money you gave me the first time will be enough. No, this time, I want to trade favors."

"Favors?" Ryoma's interest was piqued, though he refused to show it.

"You know, a 'scratch my back, I'll scratch yours' type of deal."

"I know what a favor is, Siegfried." Ryoma stopped Siegfried, annoyance rising at the man before him. "I wish to know why?"

Siegfried leaned forward in his chair, his arm now resting on his knee, as his expression became completely serious. "I have something I need to do, and I believe you're the best bet I have in completing it."

A moment of silence passed between the two, created a tense atmosphere. For Ryoma's part, there were very few times where he has seen the jovial man become solemn, the first being a couple of weeks after the 2nd Honkai War. It must be an extreme problem if he's putting the cheerful face he always had to the side to speak like this.

Ryoma relented. "Very well, I'll-"

"Besides," Siegfried continued, interrupting Ryoma before he could really start, "I'm actually curious on why you'd want a kid to be watched over."

Ryoma sighed but resumed his original statement. "Very well. I'll provide the necessary resources for your problems, but let's start with my reasoning for this assignment." He typed something into his keyboard and rotated the monitor to face Siegfried. "This is my reasoning."

Siegfried looked at the screen, scanning the page before him. After the first read, he went over it again, squinting in search of anything he missing. When he finished with the second read, he turned back to Ryoma, confusion etched on his face.

"It looks like a regular dossier of someone. I'm not seeing the problem."

Ryoma sighed before turning the monitor back to himself. He should have guessed the situation wouldn't be explained thoroughly with the document, but it was paramount to the problem.

"This dossier appeared on our record approximately 11:00 AM two days ago, an hour prior to this child's appearance. Scanning through the world's records, he didn't exist until this exact time."

"Sounds like he was off the grid when he was younger and hacked himself in," Siegfried suggested, as he pulled a flask from his brown belt. He down the contents in a swift movement, filling the room with the scent of alcohol.

Ryoma flinched at the stench but continued regardless. "That would make sense in normal pretenses, but even the most professional hackers leave tracks in the less obvious places. With this, there wasn't a speck anywhere. This is beyond any current technology available, and I would know, considering I provide a tenth of it all."

"So, what, you wanna know how the kid got in or something?"

"Naturally," Ryoma said, eyes glued to the screen before him, "but I also desire to know who he truly is. If even Schicksal lacks records of him, which you know they shouldn't, then where does he come from and what does he seek here in Nagazora?"

"Alright, I think I got it," Siegfried said, rubbing his index finger and thumb across his jawline. "I'll tell you what happened and, then, I'll go see what else I can get."

Ryoma pulled himself from the monitor and leaned forward, nose pressed against his now-intertwined fingers. "I'm listening."

"So, the kid and I were eating at a ramen stand. I left first, paying as I left, and hid so I could spy on him for a bit. When his food came out, he raised his hand, shouted, and started eating. It was in between the shout and eating that it happened."

Ryoma didn't care about the suspense Siegfried was trying to create, but he knew he needed to play along to get the information. Thus, he egged Siegfried on with a wave of his hand.

Siegfried gave a smile at this and continued. "See, when he began his shout, he tossed one of the chopsticks back at me, hitting a brick next to my head. It bounced back to him just as he got going to eat. The brick was completely cracked while the chopstick looked completely fine."

Ryoma looked genuinely surprised at this. There was no human being capable of this sort of feat. At least, not unless they were-

His eyes narrowed at the thought. While it could be a possibility, the scan the boy entered determined he had no Honkai radiation, which was impossible for the creature that crossed his mind. No, the child must have done something else. That, however, didn't excuse the boy from examination.

"Well then," Ryoma started, still staring down Siegfried, "what 'favor' do you wish to ask of me?"

Siegfried reached into the pocket of his pants, pulling out a picture to show. On it, a girl with similar colored hair as his with one blue eye showing, the other covered with white bandages, smiled vibrantly at who was capturing her picture. Her clothes looked ragged, especially the red scarf and brown jacket, but the girl looked happy despite the fact.

"It's my girl, Kiana," Siegfried said, a sullen smile on his face as he looked at the photo. "She's going to need a place to stay and a school to go to." Siegfried turned his attention to Ryoma, now serious. "I want you to help her with that."

Ryoma sighed at this. "I'll see what I can do. Is there anything else?"

"Nope." Siegfried stuffed the picture back into his pocket with the massive smile he started with. "I'll be happy with that. Just make sure the place is cheap and the teachers are good."

"Very well," Ryoma stated flatly, placing his eyes on the monitor as he began to type once more. "Then, let's talk about the pay cut you'll be receiving for such a request."

"H-Hey! Let's not do anything hasty, alright?!"

With Su

Su sipped on the tea in his hand, flinching at the flavor of it.

It had been a short while since he had met the odd stranger that infiltrated his bubble universe. The being would come and go, leaving to attend to other matters before returning to pick up where their conversations left off. Each return, the being would bring something to give him. Last time, it was food; enough grains, fruits, and meat to last well over several weeks, while today was simply tea. Whoever this being was, he was oddly generous.

Now, if he could make some decent tea...

"Some sugar, Mister Su?" Gabriel offered, holding a small container with a white powder-like substance. A whiff of it would suggest that Gabriel's words rang true, thus Su handed his white teacup to take the suggestion. Two spoons later, Su took back the cup and took another sip, hoping the sweetness would help elevate the terrible taste.

He spat out the now salty drink the instant it touched his tongue.

"Now, Mister Su, you shouldn't be so rude," Gabriel chilled with mock anger, moving his hand to move the suspended liquid away from the table to drop it on the grass. "Spitting out a drink from your host, such terrible manners."

He wanted nothing more than to glare at the being seated across the white table for the sudden switch, but he had this gnawing feeling that it would be the last thing he would do and his task was not yet done.

Instead, he calmly returned the cup to its matching saucer and pushed it away from him. "If it is alright, I would like to ask for your reasons as to why you've been asking about this world."

"Now, now," Gabriel replied, with his own cup in hand, "my reasoning will come, but only after we finish our tea."

Su tilted his head down to notice the set was back in his hands; the saucer laid in the palm of his right hand while his left index finger hooked the cup by the ring. Once again, he would, if not should, have tossed the offending items away and demanded answers at this point, and, once again, that gnawing feeling came back. Thus, he sighed in acceptance and started drinking the tea, hoping his fast pace would eliminate the need of tasting the drink.

He was certainly surprised that it was better going down this time for whatever reason.

Once the tea was gone, Gabriel leaned forward and propped his elbows on the table, resting his chin in entwined fingers. "Now then, we'll can continue. I'm interested in the final opponent you and these 'MANTIS' people battled."

"Actually, I believe it is time for my question to be answered," Su stated, hoping to gain leverage in this one-side information grab. "Why is it that you desire to learn of the past? After all, some pieces of it deserve to stay buried."

Gabriel let out a low hum, eyes now closed to Su. After a moment of this continuing, Su believed the being would not be so willing to divulge his motivations, thus he aimed to get up and return to analyzing the leaves, seeing as several of them had drifted down without being delved into.

However, just as he began to pull himself up, Gabriel opened his eyelids, showing only jet black behind them. "My reason is simply: I need to know."

Su stopped his rise and gently seated himself once more on the white porcelain chair. "What do you need to know, exactly?"

"My companion and I travel a much wider, more impossible version of your 'Sea of Quanta'," Gabriel explained, shifting himself so that his left leg crossed over his right leg to form a "T" and both hands gripping his left knee. "We've scoured many different dimensions, some from your wildest dreams, up until we've arrived here."

Gabriel's eyes returned to normal, now conveying nothing more than annoyance. "We were meant to go to the central universe, learning the battle with the true cast. Instead," Gabriel shifted his eyes to a branch on the tree, more specifically one leaf, "we landed here, on this limb, this twig, this leaf." Gabriel turned his eyes back to Su, who tried his best to shrink himself from the enraged glare the being sent him.

"Our route was diverted, Mister Su, so I would like to know who, exactly, had the power to do so."

Hello again! It's been a bit.

I hope I managed to convey Sigfried, Ryoma, and Su decently. So little is really known about two of these characters, even with the mangas, and I still haven't unlocked Su in Elysian Realm, so I just have the manga.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy it and Constructive Criticism would be good.