The Nekoshou's Wolf - NEW

by Curiosity44

Reborn into DxD Pre-Canon, Hei, orphaned at birth, must rise with his own will to the top, overcoming Devils, Angels, Fallen, Gods, a loli dragon, and most of all, the felines in his life as he spreads the name of the Legacy of Lupa, a legacy of assassins. All while a mysterious past hovers over his future. Come Join Hei on his journey as Lupus, the Nekoshou's Wolf.

6. Lupus, The Guild, and a Cat

AN: Yo, sorry for the delay. Had stuff. 'Nough said. Pulled an all nighter to edit this.

Massive shoutouts to my first ever Pat supporters who voted for more Nekoshou chaps this month. RebelTreecko and ThatGuy_, you guys are awesome. The Minor story victors will be posted next weekend.

Also want to give a shoutout to Plum, my beta reader and friend. Writing wouldn't be nearly as fun without you bro.

That's all folks, enjoy the chap and share your thoughts.

P.S. – When you all last got an update chapter, it was for the pro/teaser I put at chapter 1.

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Disclaimer: I own no source material.

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Chapter 5: Lupus, The Guild, and a Cat.

The sun had just begun to set when a teleportation formation flashed back onto the porch, and Hei walked out with a bag on his back, stretching out with a groan.

'Nnnn~, home and re-supplied. I only checked out the Warehouse, Weapons Locker, and Farm, but it took half the day. Well, that and preparing my little presentation.' He shifted the bag on his back and looked around before heading to where he assumed the old man would be.

Mr. Lupa was a creature of habit, and at that time of the evening, Hei was sure he'd be in his rocking chair drinking tea.

And low and behold, there his teacher was. Hei walked in with a wave. "Hey, Old Man, you got a sec?"

"I have many, child. But I have something I must speak with you about."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Hei held up a hand to stall him. "You tell me every time I come back from checking on my inventory that it's not time yet, but just hear me out."

"Hei…"

"Please?"

At his student's plea, the old man could only sigh in fond amusement and wave a hand for him to go on.

Hei quickly pulled charts from his bag and set them on a stand. "I know you keep telling me to wait, but I've been paying attention to the international markets. On both the mundane and supernatural side." He pulled out a pointer stick and pointed at various bar and pie scales. "If you look at the percentage increase in demand in this area…."

Hei worked through his presentation for thirty minutes, alternating between pointing at charts and describing his views on the current markets while the Old Man silently listened and drank his tea.

He threw in some questions here and there to see if his student missed any areas but otherwise seemed to just humor him, which made Hei more desperate to sell his pitch.

"Using your black market contact, Tom, we could hit off at the height of demand and..-" Hei trailed off as his teacher raised a hand for him to pause.

"I think we have long since passed the point where I was satisfied with covering the bases of your research. However, there is only so much tea I am willing to drink before bed."

"Does that mean I can start selling?"

"No."

Hei almost face-planted at the immediate answer. "But you just said you were satisfied with my research."

"I did." Mr. Lupa nodded simply. "However, you are not ready."

"Really?" Hei waved his hands at his charts in aggravation. "What could I possibly not be ready for?"

"Child." A pressure descended on the room as the old man stood and silenced Hei's words. Compared to when he was four years old, Hei didn't feel like the world was pressing down on him, but rather, he had frozen at the sense of extreme danger.

His body acted before his mind did as he backflipped around the couch and jumped to cling to a corner of the ceiling with wide eyes as his adrenaline spiked to the roof.

Three seconds stretched beyond his perception and then snapped back into focus as the feeling of danger vanished.

Mr. Lupa nodded at Hei's reaction as if it was expected. "Come." He moved calmly passed the still-frozen Hei to the balcony.

"What…?" Sweat dripped from his brow as Hei tried to calm down his rapidly beating heart. He hesitated briefly to trail behind his teacher but pushed past it with the confidence that the old man wouldn't actually hurt him. 'What just happened?'

His mind tried to pierce together the scenario as he walked up beside the old man, looking outward into the night sky.

Mr. Lupa gave him a moment to get his breath under control before speaking. "Hei, you are not ready not because you have yet to do something yourself, but rather because I have yet to let you learn." The old man spoke with a heavy tone. "I have taught you much, and you have progressed at an astounding rate, but I fear I had my own hesitations with your growth."

"Hesitations?" Hei asked curiously.

His teacher hummed wordlessly for a moment before continuing. "I have always known you are more mature than a child your age should be. Your eyes shined with wisdom unbefitting your age from the moment we met, but those same eyes had no trace of experience with danger. Tell me, child, have you ever killed another human before?"

Hei shook his head in the negative. "No, Teacher." The most brutal fight he had experienced in his first life was a simple fistfight. He was no soldier or martial artist back then.

Mr. Lupa nodded at the confirmation. "I trained you well. You learned well. But some things must be experienced to be ingrained properly. I just hit you with killing intent. How did you react?"

The last moment flashed by as Hei carefully chose his words. "I…I didn't think. My body tried to escape while my mind shut down in a panic."

"That is perfectly normal." His teacher confirmed. "It is not the weak who freeze before the strong, but the inexperienced. Even while weak, one can overcome the strong if they have the experienced mental fortitude."

"My will isn't weak."

"It is not. But you do not know the weight of taking life. There is an edge there only those who perform it can understand. Call it a law of the world if you wish. A universal one all who walk the path of power learn to understand in time. Killing intent is the resolve to extinguish the life of another imposed on the world. Will taken form through energy. Will alone isn't enough to shield the mind from it, but life experience is required too. The more life one has taken directly, the more they have an understanding of what they are about to do. Do you understand?"

"Does that mean those who kill wantonly are the strongest?"

"No." The old man shook his head. "Those who drown in the slaughter are nothing but wild beasts. Their killing intent is wild, messy, and unfocused. But those who train and hone themselves through time become focused, sharp, and unbreakable. It is the latter that becomes the truly strong, but killing intent alone isn't all there is. Do you remember what I told you about the power rankings of the world?"

Hei thought back and reiterated his lesson. "Power, Understanding, Tools, Skills, and Other. Those five make up the individual standing of where one is on the pyramid of power."

His teacher hummed approvingly. "Precisely. Killing intent is simply an application of Understanding. It is one of the earliest forms of Understanding for anyone to learn. Wild and undisciplined, it's a brittle blade only useful on those far weaker than you. But focused and honed, it can become a sharp enough blade to turn the tables in a fight against those stronger than you." He took a breath and ran a wrinkled hand along his canes handle. "However, it is not something I can directly teach you, and it is something I hesitated to show you how to learn."

Hei looked up at the old wolf with dawning understanding. "Is that why you wouldn't let me start doing mercenary contracts all these years?"

"Mn. You must understand, I had already seen much death on the streets before my Sensei found me. And even then, she only let me begin at twelve. You could advance far faster than I did thanks to your situation, but I hesitated to expose you to the outside world so soon." The grip on his cane went slack as the older man sighed. "But I can't hold you back from it forever. This morning's test was the final benchmark to show me you were ready to begin working."

"Wait, did I….did I graduate?"

The old man's cane moved faster than Hei could perceive and smashed him in the back of the head hard enough to launch him forward off the porch and into the dirt. "Hell no, you brat. Did you think I have nothing left to teach you? You're years away from taking the title of Lupa from me."

Hei felt a vein throb on his forehead as he pushed himself up and narrowed his eyes at his teacher. "Take it? I'm going to rip it away from you, Old Man."

Mr. Lupa chuckled at the fire he saw in his student's eyes. "Perhaps. You still have some growing to do until then." His cane came down harshly as he spoke the following line. "Clean yourself up and get some rest. Tomorrow, you shall join the ranks of mercenaries and face your first test of taking a life."

The older man turned to head back inside, but Hei called from behind. "Wait! You never said when I could start selling merchandise."

His teacher paused and spoke over his shoulder. "You need a brand name, don't you? Tomorrow you shall earn your title as my official heir. You can begin after that."

Hei processed that quickly and felt his brow twitch violently. "Did I even have to prepare that half-hour-long presentation?"

"No. Your patience needs work." The old wolf's taunting voice drifted from inside, and the young wolf could only howl in annoyance into the night.

00000

The following day, Teacher and Student rode the bus into the city.

Hei had asked why they had to take a bus, and the old man helpfully replied that he desired to do so.

Forced to sit along for the ride, Hei could only look out the window and try to calm his mind by thinking about their destination.

'The Mercenary Guild. Built by freelancers and outlaws centuries ago. People who didn't want to be subjugated under any of the higher factions and rather chose independence. A neutral organization that won't take sides, bribes, or betray any member who follows the rules. Not even its leaders are immune to said rules, allowing anyone to challenge them if proven guilty of corruption.'

Hei's hands flexed at a bump, and he had to stop from reflexively reaching for the blades in his sleeves. The old man gave him an amused knowing look, but Hei ignored him to refocus.

'The guild operates worldwide, with hotels in every main city acting as middlemen and safe zones for work. They accept jobs from the mortal and supernatural sides for a fee, but they do not take on any responsibility for a contract, not raising a hand if either side should perish outside its walls. Their sole purpose is to keep the system running, offering work and benefits, and punishing offenders of the rules. Either directly or through bounties high enough to make every mercenary in the world want to play hide and seek with you.'

The bus came to a stop, and the old man stood. "Come, we need to make a stop."

"A stop?" Hei questioned but got no answer as he followed behind his teacher.

The two walked up to a small shop at the corner of a quieter street. Hei looked up at the sign with a raised brow. "Suit's Maketh Man?"

His teacher chuckled at Hei's tone and reached for the door. "A play on words. I had the same reaction fifty years ago."

The door opened with a soft chime, and rather than seeing rows of suits like he was expecting, Hei looked on in interest at the small interior.

A simple rectangle, barely five hundred square feet in all, with carpeted flooring and glass cases of suits on display to the sides. A large desk was placed at the back, behind which a staircase stretched beyond his sight.

An aged, well-dressed Spaniard man behind the desk looked up at their entrance as his eyes lit up. "Ah, Mr. Lupa! What a surprise."

Hei's teacher walked up with a small smile and shook the man's hand. "Recardo, you are looking well."

"As well as can be." Ricardo laughed. "I wasn't sure I would ever see you in our humble store again. How are things since…?"

"As well as can be." Mr. Lupa cut him off with a calm but forceful tone, much to Hei's curiosity. But before he could ask, his teacher waved a hand at him. "My heir here needs to get cleaned up. No better place to bring him than here."

Ricardo quickly read the mood and gave Hei a once over with a nod. "I see, I see. It is that time, isn't it? Welcome, young man; my name is Ricardo Carmine." He reached out a hand, and Hei firmly grasped it.

"Hei." He said simply, making Ricardo give his teacher an amused look.

"Found one just as talkative as you are, eh?"

Mr. Lupa just smirked and moved off to a side door Hei didn't see from the entrance. "I'll be taking out my suit for a run. Help my heir. Keep it simple for now; he can come back and buy his own custom designs on his own wallet."

Ricardo shook his head in distaste as Mr. Lupa vanished into the side room. "Keep it simple he says. A good suit should never be simple."

Hei recalled the name of the store. "Suit's Maketh Man?"

Ricardo blinked and then smiled down at him. "Ha! You got it, young man." He lifted a corner of the desk and waved Hei forward. "My family's motto. The Carmine family has been making suits for distinguished gentlemen for nearly two hundred years."

Hei followed the man up the stairs, leading to a row of doorways as he was ushered into a tailoring room full of rows of pre-made suits. "Do you make your own products?"

"Of course." Ricardo gestured him onto a stand and started measuring him with tape. "No two suits shall ever be exactly the same. It is the role of a tailor to fit the right cloth to the right body. And while buying premade brands is cost-effective, we here at Carmine's focus more on quality over quantity. All our products are made from materials homegrown in Spanish farms. We make wool, silk, and cotton suit mix from scratch, building up a suit to fit the tastes and shape of each customer."

Ricardo paused as he finished writing down Hei's measurements and gave him a knowing look. "And to our….unique clientele, we offer extra services as well." He moved over to the rows of premade suits for options. "For those with more messy environments, our products can feature resistance to heat, cold, liquids, and, as I'm assuming you shall prefer, penetration resistance."

Hei's eyes widened slightly at that. "You can make bulletproof suits?"

The tailor, a man of around sixty with graying hair, laughed proudly. "Of course. Many versions exist worldwide, but my family is particularly known for our unique model. Using Kevlar Aramid fibers woven in a pattern my great grandfather discovered, we can create suits with flexibility along with bullet and stabproof strength." The man held up a few suits to Hei's frame before snatching them away and returning with more. "I'm afraid that we never worked out the shock absorption factor. So while it may add defense, I do not recommend standing in the line of fire."

Hei's hands moved in a blink of an eye to lift his Glock from its holster. "Can I test that?"

Ricardo eyed the gun and quickly shook his head. "No, no! Not in here. We only use such materials in custom jobs, not standard suits. Please do not put holes in my wares."

"Oh." Hei awkwardly put his gun away. "Sorry about that."

"No need to apologize. My father had said Mr. Lupa had done the same on his first visit." The tailor seemed satisfied with a dark navy blue set and handed over the slacks. "Try these on."

Hei was unsettled by the gleam of an artist in the older man's eyes and accepted the clothes with slight hesitation.

Twenty minutes later, a mentally drained yet well-dressed Hei was back at the front desk with a similarly well-dressed Mr. Lupa smiling knowingly at him. "Had fun?"

"I hate you."

"Best to get it out of the way now, child. Carmine's are all fashion fanatics. They won't leave you alone until their satisfied. But now that he has your measurements, you only need to come in for adjustments while you grow. The rest can be ordered by word alone."

Ricardo laughed shamelessly from behind the desk. "Aye, suit's maketh man after all. Shall I charge the usual account?"

Mr. Lupa nodded. "Yes. Hei shall supply his own account on his next visit." The old man gave him a look. "If you want any fancy products, buy them on your own dime."

Hei had no issue with that and simply nodded back.

Soon they were back out the door, where the old man hailed a cab for them. Inside, he tossed Hei a porcelain mask. "Put that on."

Hei looked it over curiously, seeing it was a smooth white with a single red line going over one eye all the way to the bottom. "Why?"

"To hide your identity." His teacher said simply. "Being introduced as my heir will get you some attention. Not many will look fondly at the coming competition. And with your young age, adding more mystery to your profile will only do you good. Many half-human races work as mercenaries, so you won't stand out from your height alone."

The younger man could see the logic in that and didn't really mind it, so he put it on and adjusted the straps. 'Huh, it's kinda comfortable.' He blinked his eyes through the holes and was happy to notice his peripheral vision wasn't as blocked as he feared.

The car ride was short, and soon they came to the entrance to a large hotel in the center of Barcelona's oldest district.

Walking inside, Hei immediately noticed the architecture was a mix of ancient temples and modern materials, creating a contrast between the old and the new in a tasteful design, like walking into a chapel.

A long open hall with a sixty-foot high ceiling stretched from the glass entrance doors to a black marble desk at the end, with couches and seating for guests on either side of the hall.

Some of the said guests looked up as they walked by, each with sharp gazes studying the newcomers with eyes of predators, storing away information before returning to their own things.

Many of those gazes did not feel distinctly human to Hei's senses, but since his teacher did not acknowledge them, Hei silently followed his example.

"Welcome to hotel… ah, Mr. Lupa, it has been a long time, sir." A well-groomed tan-skinned man stood up from his desk in greeting. He glanced at Hei but focused on his teacher when he inclined his head.

"Samuel, always a pleasure."

"It is indeed, sir. You are here for the one o'clock with the manager, correct?"

"Yes. And one room." Mr. Lupa placed a gold coin on the counter and slid it over as Samuel readily accepted it.

"Very good, sir. Room 2913." Samuel slid over a key and waved a hand to the side. "The manager awaits you in the lounge."

"Thank you, Samuel."

"My pleasure, sir. And let me be the first to say, welcome back to the Continental."

Mr. Lupa didn't respond to that as he walked off with Hei trailing behind. The younger man barely caught a short mumble from his teacher. "As if I wanted to come back."

"Teacher?"

The old man shook his head. "It's fine, child. Come."

The two took a few turns before entering a sizeable high-class lounge with tables, booths, a stage, and a bar, all furnished with velvet cushions.

It was still early in the day, so very few customers were around, drinking calmly and working away on devices.

Soft jazz played from hidden speakers, creating a cozy drinking environment to focus on work or relax.

Mr. Lupa walked familiarly toward a corner of the room, where an older gentleman was reading a book with a glass of wine at a booth.

The man looked up as they approached with a smile growing on his face. "Mr. Lupa." He closed his book and stood in greeting with a hug that Hei was surprised to see his teacher return.

"Carlos, it has been a while."

"Too long old friend."

"Never long enough."

The Spanish man only chuckled at that. "I cannot blame you. How has retirement been? I was sorry to hear about Becky."

The old man's finger twitched on his cane but otherwise had no reaction Hei could see as he nodded amicably. "Well enough, I have been busy."

Carlos's eyes trailed to Hei. "I see. I heard of the reason for the visit, but I only truly believed it now. Is it really that time, old friend?"

"Mn. Our era has passed."

Carlos sighed and seemed to age before Hei's eyes for a moment before straightening his shoulders and reaching out a hand. "Hello, young man, my name is Carlos, and I am the manager of this branch of the Continental."

Hei met the handshake calmly. "Hei, the pleasure is mine."

Carlos smiled and gestured to the booth. "Come, I'm sure we have much to speak on. Old friend, I assume you'll have the usual?"

"Mn."

"Time doesn't seem to have loosened your tongue; always a man of few words." Carlos shook his head in amusement and turned to Hei. "Anything to drink for you, young man?"

Hei considered it, but his teacher waved it off. "Nothing for him. No distractions today."

Hei gave his teacher the stink eye and was promptly ignored. 'It's not like I'd even be affected by regular alcohol, you shitty old man. The poison you add to our daily meals would make a seasoned alcoholics liver shut down in less than twenty seconds.'

Carlos chuckled at the interaction he could see and called over the bar keep to order before Hei noticed a formation carved into the table light up slightly.

He tensed but Carlos was quick to reassure him. "Don't be hasty, young man. It's just a privacy ward. We can hear and see everything coming in, but sound and sight are blurred going out."

"Useful."

"It is."

Carlos chuckled and turned to the old man as the two made small talk while waiting for their drinks. Hei tuned them out for the most part and closed his eyes as he waited, but as soon as the bartender served the drinks, the attention of their words turned to him.

"So he is your official heir?"

"Mn. The Lupa name shall not die with me."

"Technically, it wouldn't die with you even if you died."

"Hmph, that fool is no Lupa."

Hei's fingers twitched at the subject. 'There's someone else?'

He didn't get a chance to ask before the two refocused on him. "And how long have you been training this one?"

"Age?"

"Ten."

"….is he ready?"

"He's ready."

Carlos seemed to sigh. "Very well. Far be it for me to question your judgment on talent. The Lupa line is known for being eccentric enough as it is. He seems patient, at least for that age."

Hei's eyes cracked open as he gave the man a dry look that only made him chuckle.

"Observant to. Where do you find them, old friend?"

Mr. Lupa simply hummed and Carlos didn't mind as he turned to address Hei. "So, young man, you wish to carry on the Lupa Legacy?"

Hei nodded calmly. "Yes."

"And you know what that means?"

"I wouldn't be here if I didn't."

The old manager seemed to weigh Hei's worth in that moment, staring into his eyes as Hei stared back. The man must have seen whatever he sought as he nodded approvingly. "Well said. I enjoy seeing the fire deep within the eyes of new members. The fire of ambition, seeking something of worth. As long as that flame remains, I know I can keep looking forward to their future."

Carlos lifted a large book from his side and gently placed it on the table as Hei narrowed his eyes. 'I could have sworn that wasn't there when we sat down.'

The man sent him a wink as he opened the book. "I know why you two are here today, and before I can admit you to the guild, I must clarify the basic rules."

Mr. Lupa grunted from the side. "I already told him, Carlos."

Carlos shrugged helplessly. "They are the rules, old friend. Not even I am above them."

The old wolf grumbled and waved him on to get it over with as Hei listened attentively for anything he might have missed.

"The rules are quite simple.

The guild is only responsible for connecting clients to mercenaries. We are middlemen alone, and any action taken by a guild member is their sole responsibility.

The guild will confirm the client is eligible for the reward they are offering.

The guild is not responsible for any action taken outside the guild's territory.

Any violent action performed on guild territory will result in fines at the lightest and extermination at the worst.

In the event of a possible breach or invasion from a foreign faction, present guild members are expected, not enforced, to defend the hotel branch they are present at.

Those are all the ones you have to concern yourself with. Any questions?"

"To what extent must we defend a hotel we are staying at?"

"Until the enemy forces are repelled."

"And if we flee?"

"There is no penalty for fleeing. But remaining earns merits for the members. Merits go toward the total guild ranking."

Hei nodded in agreement to those terms. "What is the guild ranking?"

Carlos waved a hand. "We'll get to that in a moment; I need to confirm your identity for the records to issue you membership." He removed a pen from his jacket and clicked it open. "Temporary file name: Hei. Designation?"

Hei looked at his teacher, and the old man gave him a nod of approval before he answered. "Lupus."

Carlos's pen paused. "You wouldn't happen to be connected to a certain phantom brand of liquor that only sold three crates, each with twenty-four bottles, before vanishing without a trace?"

Mr. Lupa's gaze was dry as the Sahara as Hei suddenly found the wall very interesting. He coughed into his fist and spoke quickly to avoid aggravating his teacher more than necessary. "Perhaps."

Carlos just raised a brow at him. "You need to work on your poker face, son."

"How?! I'm wearing a mask."

"Experience."

Hei groaned while the two older men shared an amused glance before Carlos slid over in his seat and whispered.

"Any chance you take commissions?"

Hei could still feel the eyes boring into him from his teacher and whispered back. "Write down what you want; you still have to pay the market price."

Carlos flashed him a thumbs-up while Hei got tired of his teacher's gaze. "Ammunition and firearms don't grow on trees, Old Man. How else was I supposed to pay for it?"

"You didn't say you used the brand name."

"It was just a teaser for the future. I didn't expect to have to wait this long to launch."

Teacher and student met in a stare-off, ready to lash at each other before the hotel manager coughed to get them back on track. "Right, next question."

A few questions and answers were exchanged before Carlos shut the book with satisfaction. "Wonderful. Your admission is complete, and you can pick up your identification card from the front desk upon checkout." The manager paused here and gave Hei an apologetic look. "Although, I must apologize. Even with Mr. Lupa as your referral, you must start from the lowest rank and work your way up like everyone else."

Hei shrugged at that. "It's fine. I prefer to make my own way."

"Good attitude. I hope to see you go far, young man." He reached into his jacket and removed a cell phone before sliding it over. "That's for you. Untraceable and damn near hard to break without intentionally doing it. I've seen them survive live ammo and close-range explosions, so take my word for it."

The features were cool, but Hei's mind went down a different alley seeing it. 'Is that a Blackberry? Are they really using the fabled drug dealer's phone?' He'd recognize it anywhere, seeing as it was so popular in his first life in the 90s and 2000s.

"Why am I receiving it?"

"All members get one. It's free data, text, and calling. But the main feature is that it is directly linked to the Mercenary Guild contract board. Contract listings are based on membership ranks but feel free to look through active contracts or bounties. We boast the highest listings of any mercenary organization on the planet." Carlos stated proudly. "You can also set up a savings account and connect it to any bank worldwide. Deposits can be made in increments or currencies to avoid gathering attention from governments or interested third parties. That phone is your holy grail, and its final feature is that it will fry its hardware depending on what security features you choose. Any questions?"

Hei turned over the phone with interest. 'Ok, a really badass version of a Blackberry then.' He put it down and raised two fingers. "First, is this thing being tracked. Second, what are the rankings, and how does one rank up?"

Carlos sipped his wine and answered the first question. "We do not track; feel free to check the hardware yourself."

Hei nodded as that was precisely what he planned to do later, and Carlos continued. "As for the ranking. It's quite simple. One ranks up by completing contracts. And I mean completing them, not failing them. Complete enough, and you rank up. Fail enough, and you rank down. A straightforward process. Clients you attempt to sign up with will see your record, and too many failures will affect your prospects. Fail enough, and you can even have your membership revoked. Understood?"

"Complete contracts, move up the ranks. Fail them, fall down.Don't fuck up, got it."

"Essentially." Carlos mused. "As for rankings, there are six. Bronze at the lowest, moving upward to Silver Gold Emerald Ruby Diamond. Each rank up gains access to higher paying contracts alongside greater danger."

Hei hummed in understanding. "Anything else to know?"

"For now? No. All that's left to say is: Welcome to the Mercenary Guild, young Hei. Or Lupus if you prefer."

Mr. Lupa stood up with a grunt and signaled Hei to follow. "He can call himself whatever he wants later. First, he earns the right to have a title."

Carlos wished Hei good luck and sent them off with a wave and a reminder to come through with the order for liquor.

Thanks to one of his Greed Island cards, he had unlimited access to liquor sources.

Designated Card #39: Liquor Spring Roulette – Every day, the springs water will become a random alcoholic drink of exquisite taste and extraordinary quality. Produces three gallons per day.

The liquid produced each day was always random, either one of the seven types of Spirits, one of the three types of wine, or even a style of beer. But no matter what came out, the flavor, age, and whether it was mana infused was utterly random. Everything about it was unexpected, meaning one day he could get beer just shy of piss water, and the next, a liquid so extraordinary a dragon would fight him for it.

And even if it only produced ten one-liter bottles a day, he had years of bottled stock in his warehouse safehouse ready to go. The best stuff was put aside for himself, while the rest was to be sold off.

Back when he was just starting out with guns, and his teacher told him to procure his tools on his own, he sold off a few crates of liquor to gather the cash he needed. And since then, the label on the bottles he sold of a howling wolf beneath the name 'Lupus' had become a phantom product for high-end buyers. The quality of liquor sold off back then, plus the high demand to the short supply, made each bottle worth its weight in gold.

Hei knew the price would drop when he introduced more supply, but he didn't care. It was all just sitting in storage, and he wanted it gone. And it wasn't just liquor he was going to put on sale this time.

Mr. Lupa guided Hei toward the elevators, stopping briefly to show him where certain features of the Continental were, including grabbing his new Identification card from the concierge. The hotel catered toward mercenaries and had all the bells and whistles of a five-star hotel, restaurants, stores, an armory, a gun range, and more.

They traveled to the 29th floor and found the room before the old man sat at a table and beckoned Hei into a chair opposite him. "I didn't say much during the meeting with Carlos because this is your stage now. I will shadow your first contract but will remain hands-off for the foreseeable future as you gain experience. Understood?"

Hei bowed his head in acceptance. "Yes, Teacher."

"Mn, good. You are currently a Bronze rank member in the guild. The contracts and privileges you have access to are limited, but with the ability of your Sacred Gear, the guild's privileges are mostly irrelevant to you. Never let them know that, and always remain alert. Just because the rules are strict does not mean they are not broken. If someone offers enough for your head, they can still aim to kill you within the Continental's walls."

"I had thought as much when Carlos stated the rule. Has anyone ever succeeded?"

"Succeeded, yes. Lived to enjoy their success? No. The guild takes its rules very seriously, and offenders soon find how it feels to be prey to thousands of greedy mercenaries."

"Understood. I doubt I would sleep in the hotels at all. I'm more comfortable in my safehouses."

Mr. Lupa nodded in understanding. "It is rare that those in our line of work can enjoy the luxury of a secured rest. You don't always have to come to the hotel, but many higher-end clients will insist on meeting within their walls. However, for now, do you have any questions?"

Hei thought it over before speaking. "What do each of the ranks signify? Strength wise?"

"Bronze is the bottom of the barrel. The new, the old, the ones who can barely aim straight, it's a mix of combatants. Alone they are not worth much, but en masse, well, enough ants can take down an elephant with time."

"Are there that many members in the guild?" Hei inquired.

"Not as much as one would think. It's a global organization, but it's still nowhere near the power of a true faction. It's a neutral group whose members are driven by individual pursuits with deadly competition. Not to mention the high fatality rate, especially when human members run into supernatural elements, and the numbers stay down even with a steady influx. New prospective members are also required to have a referral of at least a Silver rank member before they can join. Each rank up allows a member to refer a single extra person to the guild."

"So a Gold rank could refer two, and an Emerald could refer three?"

"Precisely. When you consider many factors, it's not all that surprising that the entire guild never exceeds ten thousand members around the globe. The majority of which remain Bronze for their short or long careers."

"So what are Silver members considered?"

"Veterans." His teacher stated simply. "Ranking up the first time requires a success rate higher than 80% on your record. Those who reach Silver and stay within that range are the veterans of the human side of the underworld. They are picky and cautious of their contracts, they will study their targets, and they minimize the chance of failure."

"And then Gold?"

"The top one percent of the human world's underbelly. The true predators who push at the limits of humanity with skill, intelligence, and/or talents."

"You keep saying human underworld. Does that mean the next ranks go into the supernatural side?"

"Yes and no. Emerald and up are the rankings where supernatural contracts are offered. However, Gold rank jobs can still often end up clashing with the weaker side of the supernatural. Bullets are still highly useful against things like Low-class devils, vampires, monsters, etc. They are not as fleshy or vulnerable as humans, but a skilled soldier could still take them down with time and ammunition."

Hei considered that and understood the logic behind the class system. "Where would you rank me?"

"In skill and talent, Gold without a doubt." Mr. Lupa's sharp gaze settled on him. "In experience, barely a Bronze. You need time and challenges to grow, child. Don't let my assessment of your ability go to your head. Arrogance is a blinding trait."

"I know. You have said it many times over the years."

"And I'll say it many more until it sticks."

Hei rolled his eyes beneath his mask. "Yeah, yeah. What rank are you?"

The old man hummed and rubbed a hand over his bad knee. "I had reached Ruby in my heyday but quickly fell back to Emerald as life got messy at that time."

Many emotions and memories were hidden in the older man's gaze, and Hei didn't want to see him like that. "So, I have to reach Ruby and stay there to surpass you then, Old Man?"

Mr. Lupa returned to the moment and scoffed. "If you don't reach Diamond, I wasted my time with you."

Hei chuckled and met his teacher's eyes with a smirk. "Diamond it is, then. Why aim high at all if you don't aim for the top, right?"

The old wolf stared at his student, momentarily seeing something beyond him as a dying ember relit in his eyes. He slapped a hand on the table with an uncharacteristic laugh. "Ha! What did I tell you about getting a big head, child? A tadpole wanting to be a dragon is all talk."

"I can do it, you old bastard!"

"Then prove it through action. Time waits for no man." He pointed his cane at Hei's pocket. "Accept a contract, my student. You have twenty minutes to decide; consider this your final test before I let you run free."

Hei's eyes lit up in excitement at that. 'It's about damn time I'm being let off my leash.' He knew the old man cared, and he wanted Hei to be as ready as he could be before going out alone, but he'd been biting at the cage to get out for too long now.

The Blackberry was quickly opened, and Hei found its sole application. A script gold labeled 'Continental' on a black background with a fancy design booted up and asked Hei for his identification number.

He took out the ID he received earlier, a simple bronze colored card with his picture wearing a mask, an identification number, and his designation as 'Lupus.' 'Although, it's kinda morbid that they ask if you want to be an organ donor before issuing it to you.'

Hei had politely declined that offer, not knowing what his organs would actually be worth, considering how they were heavily enhanced by his Sacred Gear.

The phone's screen lit up with a soft chime.

[Welcome, Lupus.

Rank: Bronze.

Please select a feature: {Contracts} {Bounties} ]

"Ignore the bounties for now. They do not contribute to your guild ranking, and you won't be paid until proof is shown to the issuer of the contract, although they often have a higher payout."

Hei nodded at his teacher's words and clicked on {Contracts}.

[Please select search area: {City} {Country} {International} ]

{City} was selected, and he typed in Barcelona when prompted.

A list of subcategories appeared on the screen. 'Termination, Information Gathering, Sabotage, they really have everything here….'

He clicked on the top of the list for {Termination}, and two dozen available contracts currently active appeared before his eyes.

Hei whistled at the sight. 'Now I see why the old man wanted me to join so much. There's so much work to choose from, and I don't have to worry about waiting for a phone call or something to get started.'

Mr. Lupa chuckled at his expression. "Impressive, no?"

"It is. This simplifies things."

"Mn. Our line of work would be much more complicated otherwise."

Hei couldn't deny that as he scrolled through the options before settling on one. 'Eliminate the manager of the OTSF accounting firm.' He read through the file supplied with a curious hum. 'The guy had been pressuring his employees for years, driving multiple of them to suicide or mental breakdowns all because he could. The client for the contract wants him gone and is offering ten thousand for his head.' He read further and clicked his tongue. 'It has to look like a natural death? Annoying but doable.'

A few additional notes were supplied by the client, and Hei caught onto one with a gleam. 'That should do it.'

He hit accept and was told to wait as the client had to accept his application. Thankfully, the guild required answers to be made within ten minutes or the client was liable for fines.

In the meantime, he showed the job to his teacher, who nodded. "Good choice. Although I remind you, I shall only shadow and grade you from a distance."

"Understood."

A response came back, and Hei's first application was accepted. The client didn't care who he was as long as the target died within twenty-four hours. He even sent a message saying the target was currently at the office on the file, so Hei decided to move out immediately.

'I need to pick up one thing first.' During his teacher's short tour, they passed by a shop in the hotel that had what he was looking for.

He removed his suit and changed into a tight black sleeveless shirt with form-fitting pants, light shoes, a cloak, and thin gloves.

With the addition of the mask his teacher gave him, Hei had a momentary flashback to a show he watched in his first life. 'Wasn't there a character named Hei in that one anime? Darker Than Black, I think it was called. How fitting.'

The mask's design was different, and he didn't use a knife on an extendable wire with electricity, but the rest was eerily similar.

Hei instead had his Sacred Gear and the tools it offered him.

Designated Card#10: Bob's Utility Belt – Every builder needs a belt that fits right with a pouch for every tool. It can be customized upon creation.

A belt that allowed Hei to customize its looks, size, number of pouches and different styles of straps. Once secured around his waist, it did not move, and the pouches wouldn't spill anything, no matter how roughly he moved his body. He filled half a dozen pouches with small things, from poison to smoke pellets and more, while his pistols had custom straps securing them to his lower back.

Designated Card #19: Travelers Secrecy Cloak – The traveler's best friend while alone in the world. Blurs the user's form while on the move. Hides the user from all forms of recording. Slightly muffles the user's movements. And keeps the traveler warm or cool depending on the preferred temperature.

His cloak had no defensive properties, but it was an assassin's best friend and was remarkably comfortable and adjustable in design when formed.

Designated Card #22: Paladin's Pendant – The ultimate defense against heathens. Anyone wearing this holy object will reflect magic cast upon them or undo spells by others by touching them. Warning: Defense max's out at the wearer's max energy output multiplied by two. 10 uses.

As was expected from the Christian God, the pendant came in the form of a dark silver cross. Although, Hei tended not to wear them and instead kept them stored away as he quickly found that its quota of ten uses activated whenever it automatically considered a magical attack dangerous. It might defend against the maximum amount of damage or the least amount of damage and still use a quota.

Designated Card #23: Sacrificial Armor – Takes on the appearance of any chosen armor piece. Renders ineffective any physical attack on the user's body. Beware, as it will randomly break sometime within the first 20 attacks. Warning: Defense max's out the wearer's max strength output multiplied by two.

Hei tended to form this piece as a bracer for his forearm, even if the effect spread to the rest of his body without concern. What was an issue was that, just like the pendant, its quota was automatically used when he took physical damage. And while useful, it heavily depended on luck as it might vanish in a single use or twenty.

Add in Designated card #25: Imp's Protection with its ominous earing for mental protection, and Greed Island offered him a great deal of aid in Designated Cards alone.

Hei had no need for most of it on the job ahead, but nerves got to him no matter how well-trained he was and made him want to feel secure having it. 'It's just a regular human. I know exactly where he is, and there is less than a single percent chance I'll run into anyone I have to fight. But just knowing it's there makes me feel better.'

His teacher said nothing to his preparations, just following behind silently and giving none of his thoughts away with body language in a way Hei was envious of. Even years later, his poker face was still shit.

Hei plotted his course and took the elevator to the basement levels beneath the lobby. His teacher had told him earlier that every Continental hotel had dozens of exits aside from the first door to allow members to come and go unmolested.

On the way down, the elevator stopped on a floor, and Hei blinked behind his mask as a bald-headed man in a form-fitting suit carrying a suitcase entered and inclined his head silently before going silent as they rode down.

The man had a barcode on the back of his head, making Hei keenly reminded of an old assassin movie he watched in his first life. He got off at the lobby and gave Hei an amused look, noticing him staring as he left before the doors closed and resumed going downward while Hei internally thought to himself. 'Bio-engineered assassins for hire. Because, of course, they would be around.' He shook his head with a hidden smile. 'I'm really starting to love this world.'

The elevator stopped at one of many basement levels, and Hei made his way through a marked tunnel toward an exit door. A flash of his ID on the scanner had it flash green and open with a hiss.

The exit led to a new tunnel connected to the city's sewer grid and Hei rushed off to avoid the smell.

His steps were silent as he double-checked the map on his Blackberry to correct his course until he was a few blocks away and popped back to the surface.

The sun had set, casting the city in shadows only pushed back by the light of civilization, creating endless zones for him to stick to the shadows as he moved quickly.

Once close enough, he kicked off the walls to rise high enough to reach the roof of the adjacent building from his target.

'That should be it. The information said 8th floor.' His eyes scanned the building ahead, counting the stories until he found the right floor. The ones above and below had already turned out for the evening, yet the accounting firm's office was still bright.

A fire escape going alongside the building caught his gaze. 'That'll work.'

He studied the layout before him, just as he had done hundreds of times in training exercises, before deciding on a path with the slightest chance of being seen. Sticking to the shadows, he raced the distance in a blink of an eye, gripped the side of the fire escape, and raced up eight stories as little more than a blur.

The fire escape door was locked from the outside, but he could pick his way in without trouble.

A sole rotating security camera was beyond the door, but he moved quickly through its blind spot and into the expansive office beyond.

The ample space only had a dozen or so employees working in cubicles with deep bags under their eyes.

Hei wasn't sure which one of them was the client, but he didn't care as he ignored them to find his target.

Mr. Gonzales.

The man fit the image in the picture and had his own private office with his nameplate on the door. Hei slipped in silently and unseen, coming up behind the man and idly noticing he was playing a video game at work while his employees worked themselves to death not fifty feet away.

'This isn't personal, but it's no wonder you're hated this much.'

The man's mouth was covered by a gloved hand. At the same time, a quick jab to the neck, a hit to the area called the Carotid Sinus that requires quite a bit more skill than fantasy had led Hei to initially believe and unusable in a real fight and the target was out cold without a single trace of trauma.

Hei reached into his belt and removed three vials, two of which he had purchased in one of the Continental's many specialized stores.

The client for the contract had included a small note that went a long way to making the process smooth. [He is highly allergic to bees.]

The first vial contained a small syringe with concentrated wasp venom. The second had the dead wasp it came from. And the third was a strong sedative that hit hard, lasted a brief ten minutes, and left no trace after an hour had passed.

Smooth and efficiently, Hei injected the sedative directly into the bloodstream, followed by the venom. Immediately the man's body began to react and go into shock, but the sedative kept him under long while his airways shrunk.

Hei clamped his gloved hand over the man's mouth to make things move faster and watched through the holes in his mask dispassionately as the man suffocated in his sleep.

Internally, complicated feelings went through him as he ended his first targets life so simply without any fanfare, talking, or drama, but more than that, he felt apathetic toward it. 'I need to think about this later. Now's not the time to contemplate life.'

He put the man face down on his desk in his chair and placed the wasp's stinger in the tiny hole left behind from the needle in his neck. To any future observer, it would simply look like a case of him being stung in his sleep. A freak accident.

It also helped that there was a half-empty six-pack of beer on the desk that Hei had nothing to do with.

Confirming the man's pulse, he snapped a shot of the scene for proof on his phone and was out the window into the night with none the wiser.

Minutes later, he returned to the roof of the adjacent building, where he spotted his teacher waiting at the ledge. "There you are. I couldn't sense you since leaving the hotel."

Mr. Lupa hummed while leaning forward on his cane. "If you could sense me, I wouldn't be a very good teacher now, would I?"

Hei chuckled and plopped down on the roof's ledge. "Fair enough. What did you think?"

His teacher gave him an evaluating look before walking away with a comment over his shoulder. "A job doesn't end until you are no longer in the immediate area. Signal the client and return to the hotel."

Even with Hei's eyes boring into his back, his teacher still managed to step into the shadows of the building and vanish without a trace.

'How does he do that so well?' Hei shook his head in slight envy and did as instructed. A quick text to the client saying the contract was complete, and he was off, racing back the way he came to reach the hotel and take the elevator back up to his room. En route, the contract was signed off by the client. He received his payment wired to an account connected to his ID number, which would be held until he added a bank account for the guild to wire it to.

It was pushing nine at night when Hei returned to his room and sat down to talk with his teacher.

The review was mostly positive, but the old man made sure to point out the obvious.

"This was the simplest of contracts offered. You were given a location, a time, and a clear weakness to take advantage of. It was all handed to you without effort. Do not let this example build your ego. There is no pride to be had in Bronze rank contracts. Treat them as a stepping stone, rise above them, and soon you will have the challenge you so crave."

Hei was tempted to make a sarcastic comment, but he could tell his teacher was being serious and reigned it in. "Understood, Teacher." He knew the old man was right, and the job that night was nothing but getting his feet wet, so to speak.

Mr. Lupa nodded in satisfaction at seeing his lesson sink in before the power in his shoulders sagged, and he turned away with a harsh cough.

"Old Man, why don't you sit dow-.." Hei tried to help and got swatted away.

"Bah, I'm fine, child. I told you, it's just allergies." His teacher regained his breath and quickly changed the subject to avoid his student's worried gaze.

"You did well tonight, Child." He patted Hei on the shoulder. "Even if the mission was simple, you still executed it flawlessly and did not hesitate to complete the contract." He gave Hei a knowing look, and Hei couldn't help but look away with a slight flinch.

"I…I didn't feel anything ending his life. Is that bad?" He asked hesitantly, and his teacher only squeezed his shoulder lightly in support.

"Feeling something, feeling nothing, why should it truly matter? Throw away the concepts of human morality and ask yourself a simple question. Do you hate yourself for it?"

Hei considered it seriously and shook his head. "No. The man was a piece of shit, and I can't say I really cared if he lived or died."

The old man nodded and released his shoulder gently. "Then there is nothing bad in your actions. The mercenary life is simply a job. And like all things in life, if you dislike it, then you can simply not do it. There is no blade hovering over your head, child. Follow the path ahead, and if you change your mind, you can walk away without concern."

Hei breathed in a deep breath at those words and felt a weight he hadn't even known existed vanish from his shoulders. "That's….reassuring, Old Man. Would you really not care if I turned away?"

Mr. Lupa chuckled and gave him a rare fond look. "Hei, your life is your own. I told you that from the moment I met you. The price for my training was to inherit the legacy and pass it on when it's your time. My personal wish is to see you surpass me at my prime. Just because you choose a different path won't mean you have to stop growing. I've seen it in your eyes since that day I stumbled on your tiny four-year-old self, that fire of ambition to grow stronger. You crave and love it, and that's why I believe you will surpass me."

"Because I want power?"

An aged palm raised to ruffle his hair. "Because you love working for power."

Hei's confused eyes latched onto his teacher. "What's the difference?"

A coughing laugh left his teacher's lips as the old man walked past him. "Why don't you find that answer for yourself." He grabbed his jacket from the rack and reached for the door while calling over his shoulder. "Stay here the night and think, Hei. Come to terms with your soul. With your path. No matter your choice, I'll wait at home for your answer."

And with that, the old man left, leaving Hei standing there confused and unsure. He wanted to reach out and shout that he was sure of himself, that this was what he wanted.

But a part of himself knew the old man had a point. He had just killed a man. He got a taste of what was to come. Now he needed to digest that and be sure of himself.

And that same part of himself was thankful the old man had just given him a guilt-free out if he wanted to take it. His teacher made it his choice; no matter what path he took from there, he knew it was HIS choice.

So as the night passed, Hei remained in the room. Sitting propped up against the headboard of the five-star hotel's mattress and looking out over the nighttime view of the city as he pondered his life.

He thought back to his first life. How mediocre and sad it was. Never having the courage to try, always running away and secluding himself.

He thought back to his first memory in his new life, being drowned in a sea of love through eyes that burned their way into his soul, only to have it snatched away, leaving him cold and alone.

He thought back to the first time he awakened his Sacred Gear and the joy of discovering his fabled power.

He thought back to his first meeting with the old man and the scarred palm that stretched before his eyes, giving him a choice to go forward.

He thought back to the years of brutal training. The blood, sweat, and tears. The shattered bones and torn skin. The hours upon hours of endless theoretical discussions to prepare him for a world that didn't care if he was ready or not.

He thought back to the moments in between, listening to the old man tell tales of his adventures and highlights. Of his joys and woes. His successes and failures.

And through it all, he concluded that the old wolf was right.

'I love the feeling of growing with my own two hands.'

He didn't want a handout. He didn't want unearned power. He wanted to know he was strong because he earned it. He wanted to be strong because he wanted to be free.

But freedom given was not true freedom.

'I want to live my life my way. This is my path, no one else's.'

His nails dug deep into the palms of his hands as he confirmed that to himself.

'So what if I have to take lives to get there. If I want to do something, I'll do it. If I don't want to do something, I won't do it. It's that simple.'

He stood up to face the rising sun with eyes full of conviction.

'I want to discover the mystery behind my mother. I want to know who my father was. I want to know why they couldn't be there for my childhood. I want to explore this world. I want to be able to stand strong and not be pushed around. And more than all that, I want to make the Old Wolf proud. I want him to see his wish come true. Before his time is up, he will see me surpass him. That's my choice, and I'll do it no matter the cost.'

A teleportation circle lit up around him and whisked him back home.

In this crazy world, in his crazy situation, the Old Wolf had taken him in and given him a home. And for that, he would always be grateful.

0000

Time passed in the blink of an eye.

With his conviction set and a path laid before him, Hei took to his new life like a fish to water. Or better yet, with all his preparation, it was more adequate to say a shark to a large lake.

Barcelona and the nearby cities of Spain were Hei's stomping ground. He didn't go far from home despite being fully capable of traveling to any continent to take contracts for the simple reason that his training was still underway.

The old wolf still had much to teach him, and in the year that followed his first contract, Hei had split his time between weekdays with the old man and weekends taking as many Bronze-rank contracts as he could.

Some contracts, like his first, were over in hours as locations or weaknesses, or sometimes both were supplied.

Others with less helpful information took longer, sometimes even days for a single one.

The jobs came in all forms, and Hei found the work interesting in how it challenged more than simply his battle prowess.

His technical prowess was honed as he undertook contracts that required gentle touches.

Information gathering.

Breaking into data centers.

Spying on corrupt officials or unfaithful spouses.

Tracking kidnapped children or teens.

Terminating said groups behind kidnapping children or teens. Although the termination part often wasn't included in the contract details, Hei had lines he didn't like crossed.

Some contracts challenged him in the way of tools. He had to adapt his methods by altering his ammunition, pistol choices and even occasionally using poisoned darts.

Some jobs wanted things done messy and public, and others wanted silence and without a trace.

Some wanted targets eliminated, and others wanted targets alive but indisposed for a period of time.

Hei was all over, finishing contracts like a wolf in a chicken pen.

And with his actions, the name 'Lupus' began to spread.

Draped in a black cloak with an iconic white porcelain mask with red lines over the left eye, his name, and reputation spread by word of mouth.

From the speed with which he took on contracts to the flawless execution of each one with a perfect track record, the requests for him to personally take on a job came one after another.

Some even took to calling him the Reaper with how proactive he was. He was taking dozens, whereas most mercenaries took only one or two contracts a month. And no matter how secure the Mercenary Guild's system was, there was no way such actions would go unnoticed.

He lit a fire under his competitor's asses, stirring up the stagnant system of lazy hunters and making the Continental far busier than it had been in years, much to Carlos and his fellow manager's joy.

In only six months, he officially reached Silver-rank. One hundred successful Bronze-rank contracts without more than ten failures were the requirement to rank up, and his record was flawless.

The rank-up gave him access to higher-paying jobs with more significant challenges, opening the world of underground mafias and gang wars to him. And from there, it only took him nine months to set down the law for what happened to those who tried to renegade on a deal or backstab him.

The criminal elements keeping an eye on rising stars to recruit or eliminate soon learned the wolf had fangs. That star wasn't burning out anytime soon.

And after a year had passed, and Hei had turned eleven, his reputation was solid and unquestioned. No one knew what he looked like beneath his mask. No one knew where he lived.

All anyone knew was that he worked in Spain, and if you didn't want to find yourself staring into the red eyes behind a white mask, it was best to move elsewhere.

But one cloudy day in February of 1999, the Old Man called him into the living room, interrupting his usual routine of daily exercise training.

'991…..992…..993…' Sweat dripped from his brow as Hei performed one-handed handstand pushups on an elevated log with his offhand tied to his back.

The sun beat down on his forging body, already looking so much like a fifteen-year-old Olympic gymnast than what his actual physical age would paint. Minor nicks and slashes appeared here and there over his skin, showing that despite his successes on missions, not every one was without slight issues. And his healing springs only healed so much before small marks remained behind permanently.

'994….995….996…'

He counted steadily as his sole arm performed the single action without a pause between reps.

"Hei, come here for a moment."

Just shy of a thousand, his arm froze as the rough voice of his teacher drifted to his ears from inside the house.

He clicked his tongue in annoyance before finishing off at a thousand and flipping himself off to the ground, landing lightly without an imprint in the dirt as he flexed his off arm, snapping the cord keeping it tied up like so much thin string.

Hei grabbed a towel from the rack as he made his way inside the house to the living room. "What's up, Old Man? You don't usually interrupt me during exercise hour."

"What have I said about getting used to schedules? Getting comfortable makes you easy pickings."

Hei rolled his eyes as he approached his teacher, sitting in his rocking chair, looking weaker than he had a year before. "Yeah, yeah, Old Man. Don't bust a hip on me, alright?" He pulled up the blanket on his teacher's lap and poured more tea into his cup while his teacher grumbled.

"Damn brat, I'm old, not a cripple. Don't make me get out the cane."

Hei scoffed in amusement and put the cup in Mr. Lupa's hand. "You'd have to catch me first, you Old Wolf."

"Bah! If you think you can move faster than I can swing, you really have grown arrogant."

"I might not be that fast in close range, but I can always run away. You're the one who taught me to flee before a superior opponent."

"Hmph, maybe you learned something after all."

Student and Teacher cracked a laugh as Hei plopped down into a chair across from the old wolf. "What did you need, Old Man?"

"Hmph, no respect, you damn brat." He mumbled before looking over at his student with a detailed look. "I need to tell you of a change happening soon."

"A change? Is this about my side business?"

Mr. Lupa waved a hand carelessly. "No, Child. I couldn't care less about you selling high-end goods to the fat and rich. You should focus more on growing stronger than that nonsense."

Hei rolled his eyes in exasperation. "I told you a thousand times, that nonsense pays for my gear and supplies."

"Bah, back in my day, we needed no fancy gear. Just a blade and your own two legs, and you could stand at the world's top."

"Yeah, well, now my prey has guns."

"Excuses."

"Can we get on with the point?" Hei commented dryly. He knew his teacher respected his choice of weapons, but as he got older, the old wolf seemed to enjoy nitpicking him more and more for amusement. 'Is this what getting old does to you? Makes you a batty wrinkled thing? I'd rather stay young forever.'

His teacher seemed to sense his inner thoughts, and Hei found a bottle cap jabbing him right between his brows hard enough to knock his head back. "Show some respect, brat."

"God damn it! How are you that fast?! I didn't even see you move. And you're still holding a cup of tea!"

"Even on my death bed, I'll still be showing you what's what, child."

Hei rubbed his brow in annoyance. "Get. To. The. Point."

"Hmph, your patience is lacking."

Hands twitched toward holstered pistols, and the old man decided he had pushed his student enough. He would never admit it, but even he had gotten wary at the pure speed, accuracy, and dexterity his student had acquired with those things.

"Like I said, a change in your schedule is going to happen."

"What change?"

"A more advanced form of training. The next stage for you, so to speak. There is little else basic training can do for you in the short term, so I deemed you ready to move on."

Hei's eyes gleamed at the thought of a new challenge. "Really? What's next?"

"Next, I introduce you to your new teacher." The old man said simply, making Hei's mind stop short.

"Wait, what? I thought you said I still had much to learn from you?"

Mr. Lupa chuckled and rubbed a hand through the short white beard he had grown on his chin. "You do. But unfortunately, my current state is unable to keep up with what comes next. Therefore, I called in a favor."

Hei eyed his teacher worriedly as he stood up. "Are you ok, Old Man? I can break out a card anytime, just say the word."

The old wolf gave him a fond look but waved a hand. "Bah, I told you this is just age, not an injury." Hei's brow twitched at that, wondering how the hell his Designated Card to extend the old man's lifespan was failing, but his teacher went on before he could argue his case. "Besides, I'm fully willing to admit there are others who specialize in areas I do not. I specialize in assassination and swordsmanship, and I've beaten the basics of every area possible into you over the last seven years. But for what comes next, my teaching would be inadequate."

Hei frowned heavily at that. "What can someone else teach me that you can't?"

"Energy sensing, for one~." A playful voice spoke from directly behind Hei, setting off his reflexes as his mind went into red alert.

His body reacted before his mind did, but after the past year, his mind wasn't far behind as he spun in a fraction of a second with a high kick as his hands shot to the pistols he had on hand, a pair of custom 1911's with lengthened barrels and unloaded in the direction of the voice.

A blurred figure of blond hair flipped out of the way casually with all the grace of a feline as her feminine voice sang out. "My~, My~, good instincts on this one, Lupa."

A cane came around and smacked Hei on the back lightly, yet hard enough to make him pause as his teacher's voice rang out. "That is enough to make your point, Leone, and Hei; stop putting holes in my house. Joy will have a fit."

Hei made no move to lower his weapons as his mind rapidly studied the woman across from him. His eyes raked over her curvaceous body. Short blond hair hung from her head with two long tufts for bangs, bringing attention to her bright blue, slit eyes.

She wore a revealing outfit with a black tube top, detachable sleeves, and loose sweatpants with a scarf wrapping around her neck.

But what really got his attention was the pair of prominent cat ears and the two tails idly swinging behind her lazily.

The woman's bright red lips curved upward in a mischievous smirk as a husky voice called out. "Oh~, like what you see, boyo~?"

Hei's brow twitched as he fingered the triggers of his weapons. "Old man, can I shoot?"

"No, I just said that. And Leone, save it for when you're not here to aggravate me."

Hei shot his teacher an annoyed look. 'So she can aggravate me when you're not there?'

The blond feline just laughed openly. "Nyaha, I was just having some fun, Lupa. You didn't say your heir was such a lecherous one~."

"I'm not lecherous!..." Hei responded instinctively before freezing at his reactionary response.

The woman only laughed harder while his teacher sighed and helpfully explained. "She has that effect on people, child."

"…."

"Nyahaha."

"Can I veto her as a teacher?"

"No."

"Oi. I came all the way here to the human world. Show some respect, brat."

Hei's blank look toward his teacher was only understood thanks to years of familiarity, as only the old man could catch the hint of desperation in his gaze. But as any good teacher, he squashed that hope with a shake of his head. "Despite her personality, she's trustworthy."

"I resent that." Leone cut in and was promptly ignored.

"Remember how I told you that every Lupa has a backup third party in case they die before finding an heir?"

Hei's eyes opened wide as he incredulously pointed a finger at the provocatively dressed woman. "Her?!"

"Her."

"We're you drunk?"

Hei's instincts kicked in again as a fist came swinging in his direction so fast, he could barely raise his pistols up in a guard to take the brunt of it as the force launched him out through the open wall into the courtyard beyond.

"Oh, it's on ya brat!" Leone called out aggressively while Mr. Lupa seemed to sigh at the inevitable outcome.

"Bring him back in one piece, Leone."

"No promises~. I told you I'd only accept if he could satisfy me." Leone responded and dashed out after Hei while the old man simply hummed.

Meanwhile, out in the yard, Hei had a few seconds to better prepare himself for a fight as he only had his pistols on him during training out of habit.

However, he only had time to grab and fasten his belt and some magazines before Leone was on him with a large smirk. "Say 'ello to my little friend, ya brat!" Her fist came down and snapped a tree thicker than Hei was tall in two, just narrowly missing Hei as he flashed to the side and unloaded a clip aimed at her center mass.

"Are you trying to kill me?!"

Leone smirked and brushed aside his 9mm shots casually. "Says the one shooting live ammunition at such a sexy woman. Don't you feel any shame~?"

Hei growled in annoyance as he restrained himself from verbally retorting to act. A year ago, he might have fallen into her word games, but by now, he knew how to calm his mind in combat and focus.

The two played a game of cat and mouse, with the cat in this situation destroying everything her fist landed on and the mouse fleeing for his life and unloading shots aimed for the eyes, mouth, or limbs to throw her off balance since 9mm's seemed to bounce off her skin. 'Bullshit.'

Leone kept throwing out taunts the whole time before pouting at being unable to get a rise out of him. "What happened to all that bark, eh? You won't tell me you're the stoic type, right?"

Hei twisted over a thrown log and responded with a shot that nailed the woman between the brows yet only knocked her head back a few inches. "Talk is wasted energy."

Leone's head tilted back down with an annoyed vein. "Ain't you curious?"

A mag of .45 rounds were loaded in as Hei stopped playing around. "Curiosity killed the cat." A warning shot blew a hole through a tree to her side as Leone's eyes narrowed.

"Fine, let's see what you can do." She reached into her bra and pulled out a coin before flipping it into the air. Hei didn't need an explanation to understand her intent as he fingered the triggers while locking onto her.

The coin reached its apex, reflecting the light of the sun above as it fell from the heavens to the earth below.

Hei's hands were steady as Leone casually stood there with a smirk.

The distinct sound of the coin hitting a rock rang out, followed not even half a second later by gunfire as Hei's shots ripped apart the tree branch Leone had been standing on.

But the woman had vanished faster than Hei could follow as thin knives cut through the air toward him. He dodged backward, keeping his back toward a tree trunk at all times as he dodged incoming projectiles and shot back at whatever direction they originated from.

Leone clicked her tongue in annoyance as a shot hit wood near her head, shooting fragments that brushed annoyingly against her eyes. 'Oh, it's on.'

Without a care for the forest around them, entire trees were uprooted and used as javelins while Hei did his best to put a hole in her body.

Soon their feet took them into the obstacle courses Hei used for training, and all kinds of traps, from tripwires, falling logs, poison darts, crossbow bolts, pitfalls, and everything in between, were added to their dance.

Leone's brow twitched as she ripped out a retractable scythe that tried to bite into her Achilles tendon. "What the fuck kind of training were you going through here?"

Hei dropped his clip and reloaded while casually ducking under a flying buzzsaw. "This is the reflex course. If you can dodge everything here, you can dodge a bullet."

"What kind of logic is that?" Leone smacked aside a swinging mace. "Are these blades poisoned?!"

"Welcome to Tuesdays." Hei commented and returned fire.

'Chloe's gonna have kittens with this one.' Leone thought to herself while keeping the kid on his toes. But eventually, Leone snapped and had enough. "Ok, fuck this!" She spun through the air to gain momentum and slammed a fist into the earth, shaking the whole damn section of the forest and knocking dozens of set traps off their courses.

Hei clicked his tongue as he clung to a tree as his world shook like a category 8 earthquake. 'The old man's gonna make me clean this shit up.'

The forest calmed after a minute as Hei hid in the shadows, watching Leone stand and brush some dust off her shoulder with a smirk. "I admit this little game of tag has been fun, kid. Lupa really forged some steel with you." Her eyes narrowed predatorily toward Hei's position unerringly as her voice dropped an octave. "But you have much to learn if you want to fight on the bigger stage."

Hei's instincts screamed at him to dodge, but he could barely get up a block in time as Leone flashed into existence at his side with a straight jab that snapped his forearm like a twig and sent him flying through trees like a wrecking ball, implanting him halfway into a tree hundreds of feet from his previous location.

The impacts alone cracked his ribs in numerous places and inflamed his broken arm terribly as he vomited blood in a fountain.

Years of pain resistance training allowed him to keep his faculties as he bit down on the pain and summoned his Sacred Gear without hesitation. The time for withholding trump cards had passed, and he was ready to break out the big guns.

But before he could, a pair of gleaming blue slit eyes appeared inches from his face as a sing-song voice rang out. "Still alive brat~?"

Hei's undamaged hand tried to flick its fingers toward the floating grimoire, but an iron grip slammed his arm against the tree with little effort. "Got some fight in you still, eh? I like that." She snapped his wrist with a bare effort while staring into his unblinking eyes playfully. "Not even a flinch. Nyahaha, I think I really do like you."

"I'll add pedophile to your profile." Hei grit out and made the woman's brow twitch violently.

"Excuse me? You're what, sixteen? That makes you a man in like forty different cultures."

Hei deadpanned at her. "I'm eleven."

This time it was Leone's turn to look taken aback. "Say what now?"

0000

"You called me to train an eleven-year-old?!" Leone's voice bellowed in the old wolf's living room as she dropped a half-dead bloody Hei on the floor.

"Ow."

Leone twitched toward the sound and waved a hand in apology. "My bad."

Hei rolled his eyes and just lay there in silent pain for a moment while Mr. Lupa chuckled. "I told you to bring him back in one piece, Leone."

The blond feline narrowed her eyes back on the amused-looking old man. "Have you finally gone senile, you old bastard? You want to put an eleven-year-old through my training?"

"You would have seen his age if you read the report I sent."

"What report? Your note said, 'Come and pay back your debt by training my heir,' along with an address. You didn't say shit about his age."

Mr. Lupa raised an unimpressed brow. "Are you telling me that you, of all people, went into a set meeting with no prior information?"

Leone winced under those judgmental eyes and looked away. "I was busy."

The old man clicked his tongue in disgust. "Sloppy. Maybe I should ask one of the others if you've lost your touch."

Leone's tails flicked in annoyance. "Stop trying to change the subject. What in the world would make me accept this?"

"You want a reason?" Mr. Lupa flicked his cane to lightly tap Hei's shoulder. "Child, stop playing dead and heal yourself."

"Sure, just push around the half-dead guy." Hei grumbled but did as told as he summoned his Sacred Gear.

Leone silently watched as he waved a broken hand over some random card and mumbled something her ears barely caught. "Gain, Spell Card #11: Water of Life."

Her brows climbed into her hairline as water appeared from thin air without a trace of a magic circle to fall over the kid's body and cover him in a film of liquid, undulating with a pinkish color from the blood clinging to his frame. Seconds passed as his wounds seemed to nit back together without a trace before the dirtied water evaporated into steam, and the kid kicked up onto his feet. "I don't like wasting those cards, Teacher."

"You have dozens, don't sit there in pain like a moron."

"I could have just used the hot springs."

"I'm trying to make a point."

"Do it without wasting my stuff."

Leone watched them go back and forth for a moment before cutting in. "Did you just fucking heal yourself?"

Hei turned to her and nodded plainly. "Yeah." Before going back to bickering with the old man as Leone twitched at being ignored.

She grabbed the kid by his shirt and hauled him up. "Why did you heal yourself earlier? I felt like shit for doing that to you."

Hei just hung there without fighting back and shrugged. "I felt like shit too. Sharing is caring."

Leone's gaze turned to the old man. "What the hell did you create with this one?"

"An heir who could surpass me." The old man casually responded, making Leone sigh and put the kid down as she turned back to him.

"And you, was that your sacred gear? Healing is the one branch of magic everyone struggles with." Hei nodded but otherwise said nothing, and Leone groaned. "Gonna be like pulling teeth with you, I can already tell."

She plopped down on a couch and crossed her legs. "Lupa, I admit the fact that he can heal himself makes me much less hesitant to deal with him, but he's still eleven."

"And yet he entertained you for a half hour."

The feline's ears flickered at that. "Well, he wasn't half bad."

"And he made you get serious."

"You call that serious? I just went a bit above human limits."

"Yet you only did that because he matched you in technical skill."

"….what are you feeding this kid?"

Hei ignored the two talking about him and removed his pistols. Leone was nice enough to pick them up on the way back so he could take them apart and clean them.

"Mostly poison and tea, but he provides the food himself."

"Excuse me?"

"Hei, why don't you tell her what our main meal is?" Mr. Lupa said meaningfully.

Hei didn't bother looking up from where he was cleaning the barrel with a brush. "Bluefin tuna."

Leone's form froze as her tail shot up straight. "A-are we talking about a steak here?"

"Hm? Steaks, soup, stew, sushi. Whatever we feel like that day."

"…..day?"

"Yeah, it's good stuff."

Leone's mind drifted off with a trail of drool gathering at the corner of his mouth while Hei shot his teacher a questioning look. 'Why are we playing her up?'

His teacher just smirked back and made a gesture to wait. "I'm sure Hei wouldn't mind sharing."

"Speak for yourself." Hei snorted. "I make a hundred grand minimum for just one of them."

Leone snapped back at that and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand as she sobered. "B-be that as it may. I'm still not comfortable with this."

Mr. Lupa sighed and snapped his cane down on the table. "Leone. I'll remind you that you owe me a life debt. I could ask anything of you."

The feline's eyes hardened slightly. "You could. But I thought better of you than to put a child through what you're asking."

The old wolf scoffed and pointed his cane at Hei. "My heir is no child, woman. He's a professional mercenary."

Leone's eyes widened in outrage. "You didn't?!"

"What part of being my heir didn't you understand?"

"He's eleven!"

"And he has been a mercenary for over a year and my student for seven. He's Silver-rank, for that matter."

Leone's fingers twitched with a restrained need to punch the old man before her. "I thought better of you than to-."

"He's no drone, Leone." Mr. Lupa cut her off with a sharp look. "I did nothing to repress his emotions or ego. He is his own person and can speak for himself." He pointed to Hei, who took his cue to speak up.

"Teacher is correct, Miss Leone. I accepted this life when I accepted to be his heir. He told me everything upfront and never lied to me. I chose this, and I enjoy it. I'd appreciate it if you didn't look down on my efforts by considering me a regular child."

Leone's jaw worked as she tried to find the words to respond. "Kid, you could literally do anything else."

"And yet I'm doing this. That won't change just because you say no. My choices are my own."

Something about how he spoke seemed to click to the woman as she narrowed her eyes. "Wait a second, you don't sound eleven. You haven't sounded eleven this entire time. Did you lie about your age? No, your poker face is shit; you couldn't lie to me."

It was Hei's turn to twitch there as he growled in annoyance, and Mr. Lupa smiled at the look Leone was giving him. "I told you. He's the perfect heir for me."

The feline turned back to Hei with an analyzing gaze. "How old are you, brat?"

"Physically? Eleven."

"I can see that."

"Can you? Cuz your ovaries flipped when I said it after you shattered a quarter of the bones in my body."

Leone flexed her hands with a great deal of restraint. "You really want to taste my training, don't you?"

Hei turned to his teacher. "Do I?"

"Yes."

He turned back to her. "I do."

Leone's hands shot up to grip her head in a fit. "Gah! I haven't felt fucked with this hard in years!"

"That seems like a you problem." Hei idly commented while blowing some dirt off the spring loader and promptly received a fist to the side of his head, launching him back out of the open door and into the soil, where he scorpioned across the courtyard. 'I probably deserved that one.'

Back in the living room, Leone huffed and looked at the amused old man with a put-upon look. "How old is he really?"

Mr. Lupa rubbed his short beard in thought. "I'm unsure. He's an old soul, for sure, but reincarnation always messes with thought processes. Best guess? Thirty at the most, eleven at the least. The two blend together. He is mature, independent, and highly determined to seek strength with his own hands. He hates pity, hands-outs, and being looked down on. He achieved Silver-rank in six months. Just let that sink in."

Leone shivered at the mental image of someone that seemingly young achieving such an achievement. "You really raised a monster this time, better than that last wimp."

The old wolf hummed uncaringly at the mention of his past and focused on his student. "You like him."

The woman sighed and admitted it. "He's got what it takes to succeed. I snapped his wrist, and the kid didn't even flinch or look the slightest bit worried about his chances. He was ready to fight to the end for nothing but a spar. Yeah, I like him."

"Then take him. I can't teach him what you can."

Leone's gaze traveled over the old wolf's frail form. "You got old, Lupa."

Mr. Lupa chuckled in response. "I'm only human, Leone. You don't look a day older than you did thirty years ago when I found you bleeding out in an alleyway." A look of pity entered the woman's eyes that was quickly wiped away when the seemingly frail-looking elder gave her a fierce look that set her hackles rising. "My students not the only one who dislikes pity."

Leone threw her hands up in exasperation. "Yeah, yeah. Two peas in a pod with you two. If I do this, we're square, right?"

"Of course. Train him to use Touki and hone his energy sensing, and you will have fulfilled your debt to me."

The woman grunted in reply as the two turned to see Hei walk back in, rubbing his face with a wet towel. He looked right into the blond feline eyes and said one word. "Rude." And then he went back to cleaning his guns like nothing happened.

"Excuse me?!" Leone's brow twitched all over again as she grabbed Hei by the collar and lifted him up so they were at eye level. "Listen here, brat. I'm gonna be stuck with you for a few years, so you better learn some damn respect."

Hei didn't quail beneath sharp eyes as he shot back. "Respect is earned, woman."

Rather than be offended, Leone only smirked at that. "Well said." She put him down gently for her standards and poked him with a finger. "You're my responsibility for the coming future, so for now, I need you to listen to what I say, when I say it."

"As long as I see no issue with it, I won't complain."

"You gonna negotiate everything?"

"No. If you are teaching something, I will listen and learn with the proper respect. I'll walk away if you tell me to do something I don't want to do. It's that simple."

Leone mulled over that for a moment before nodding. "Fair enough. Far be it for a cat to tell someone to fall in line and expect it to happen." She chuckled at her own joke before focusing back on him with a severe expression. "I'm not a gentle teacher, kid. What I did to you out there is pretty staple for what's to come. You sure you want to handle that?"

Hei did take a second to ponder it before agreeing. "As long as it's toward a purpose, I can deal. What are you offering to teach me?"

Leone's gaze moved to the old man, who simply waved a hand, telling her to go for it, so she raised a hand and started listing off her fingers.

"Your foundation is solid. Strength, speed, stamina, durability, reflexes, hand-eye coordination, weapon proficiency, highly tuned intuition, stealth, pain tolerance, mental fortitude, and an adorably carved derriere." She winked at the last one and smiled as Hei twitched. "You took them all to the human limit and even surpassed it in some areas, which is frankly astonishing for someone your age constrained to a fully human bloodline." Hei internally wondered about the truth of that last statement, but Leone didn't notice it as she went on. "Your balance could use some work, your in-combat stealth could be better, and you tend to overcompensate on your left side when you get pressured, but all that can be improved in time. Frankly, you did the best you could on the human side of things; now it's time to take things up a notch."

"How so?"

Leone's hand clutched into a fist as a slightly glowing metallic sheen seemed to cover her skin. "Touki. It's one of the specialties of Yokai. Using your life force to enhance your all-around physical attributes by multiplication ranks. It's not easy to learn, or even activate, and even harder to master as it puts tremendous pressure on the body, but it's a surefire way to make you a definite threat to the next level of threats."

The pressure around her fist vanished as she released it. "I'll also be showing you how to sense and suppress energy. I was able to stand right behind you, with you having zero clue while only half-assingly suppressing my energy. You don't know the first thing about sensing, do you?"

Hei shook his head in the negative without shame. "My training with Teacher focused on real-world combat, not the supernatural aspect."

Leone raised a brow at the old wolf, who shrugged. "I didn't have enough time. Besides, I made him strong enough to handle low-class enemies, with the only issue being actually penetrating their skin. Give him holy rounds from the church, and even mid-class devils would have to be wary of him."

"Is that so?" She studied Hei for a moment and recalled the earlier spar. "Those were some terrifyingly accurate shots, so I can see what you mean." Her eyes dropped to the pistols Hei had already managed to take apart, clean, and put back together in the time she was distracted. "Maybe with some better weapons, you could do some serious damage."

Hei shrugged at that point. "I do my best to custom make my work, but there's only so much I can do."

"Hm, well, I'm sure you'll figure something out if you got this far without any additional help. I'm afraid that projectiles aren't my forte, so I can't help much."

"Why does everyone keep saying that? Aren't there more gun users in the big leagues?"

Leone and Mr. Lupa shared a look and shook their heads as one. "No/Nope."

Hei sighed in defeat and got back to the point. "Whatever. So you'll teach me Touki and energy sensing slash suppression. Cool. Where do we start?"

A certain malicious gleam entered Leone's gaze as she eyed him with an evil chuckle. "We start with breaking you."

Hei took an unconscious step back at her expression. "Wait, what?"

Leone only smiled wider. "Whether it's sensing outward or inward, and to use Touki, you need to be able to sense inward; we first have to break you, pull on your lifeforce, and stimulate it to make it bubble to the surface. Once you learn how to do it independently without getting injured, we can move on to the next step."

"…..I have conflicting emotions."

"Good. That means you have a brain." Leone chuckled and let up on trying to spook her new student. "Touki isn't often seen around the world for a damn good reason. The only way to activate it is through pain and suffering, and those with the will to push through are few. Especially when those who could be capable of it have other alternative paths."

Hei could understand the logic there. "I would probably do the same if there was a better choice."

"Ha! What happened to that do-or-die attitude, brat?"

"No one likes pain, do they?"

Leone slung an arm around Hei's shoulder with a laugh. "I think I'm starting to get a hang on you, brat."

Just then, Joy came by with a fresh pot of tea and caught sight of the wall full of bullet holes.

Hei paled and frantically tried to remove Leone's arm from his shoulder while Mr. Lupa wisely pushed his chair out of the line of fire, and Leone stared blankly at the towering form of wrathful fluff coming closer to her.

"Um….I'm sorry…what?"

Hei realized there was no escape and silently accepted his fate with dead eyes. "Leone, meet Joy. Joy, Leone, my new teacher."

"Um….nice to meet you?" Leone said with a strange expression as she tried to make sense of the creature before her.

Joy nodded back politely before pointing a paw at the wall with a hard look at Hei.

And in that one look from the fluffy panda maid, Hei, the fabled Reaper who terrorized the underworld of an entire country, codenamed Lupus, did what any man had to do in his scenario.

"She did it." He blamed Leone and dislocated his shoulder to slip out of her grasp in a single move as he fled with his arm flapping in the wind.

Joy watched him go before rounding on the still-standing confused Leone, who had no idea what was coming her way.

And soon, another name was added to the list of people who learned to fear angering Joy, the mighty panda maid.

Chapter End.

AN: Thoughts?

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Dis link (for a server of insanity, reading addicts and cat lovers) - discord (.gg) / KynJXJHsZ4

Pat link (for voters and unfinished rough drafts) - Pat reon (.com) / user?u=4865707

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Response to reviews:

/: Druidic – Thanks for the support.

/: Noahbadoah – Yeah, a lot of people seemed to be confused by that lol. I got some questions from people on why the story was named 'The Nekoshou's Wolf' when no neko's had appeared yet, so I had to write the teaser to make it clear.

/: Dragon Master 888 – I'm glad you enjoyed it. I had fun writing it but I was trying to keep it simple.

/: runelt99 – yeah, I moved it. I was TRYING to leave it alone so people who were following the story wouldn't get confused by me putting the chapter at the start right away, I wanted to wait a day.

/: The One Dutchman – I'm glad you enjoyed! Soon we shall conquer your personal rankings lol.

/: HughJasz – It doesn't appear in ALL my stories. I find it normal for people to flirt and be interested. In any fantasy world, power and success attracts sexual interest from the interested sex, but just because it appears doesn't mean you have to accept it. Glad you enjoyed the chap.

/: nathnathn – Hope you keep sticking around. And whatever you're down with, I hope you kick its ass and get better.

/: danielsnow – To the best of my knowledge, they are not the same age. Kuroka is a couple years older. With that said, I'm not a DxD canon guy so I can't 100% confirm that. I'm surprised you enjoyed the flashback chap, a lot of people shit on me for that one. I'll try to incorporate it well this time around. Thanks for the support bro!

/: Dragon Master 888 – the Continental has come. I had no plans to include John but I can try to think of where he would fit.

/: loki98065 – Glad you're having fun.

/: Trueopulence – I have legit no idea what anything from DxD canon is after season 1. I'll end up making a dif background for Lilith.

/: Lunar of Shadows – Thanks :). Your idea's are pretty cool. I'll be making things progressive and thinking of ways to make them 'rough' at first before he is able to 'refine' them later.

/: calderoneric758 – Akeno does have a cousin in that clan.

/: icream3435 – Save her? Maybe. But no sister or daughter figure.

/: Noahbadoah – I know right? Time just flies by like crazy. Shadow Monarch was fun cuz I didn't care about grammar, trying to make things exact, doing research, or anything. I just wrote and wrote without stopping and it was great. But it was so rough that looking back on it now hurts my eyes lol. But the memories of it always remind me of how much fun writing started out for me. Along with the friends who helped beta read and brainstorm along the way.

I still shall neither confirm nor deny family matters, but I'm enjoying hearing your guesses. Stay tuned my friend and I hope you keep having as much fun as I do when I write these stories.