Here is the twenty-fourth chapter in this story released when I wanted it to be released based of my release process for this series. Alas the time has come where I don't think I can maintain a weekly upload for this series as the real world is starting to kick up for me and my 5th story in a series I began in 2020 is about to start in 11 days' time which will add to my workload so from now on uploads will be a little more infrequent. I will still aim for two per month unless I am away, which will happen over the summer, but from now on I will only be uploading once this story and my two other active stories that involve Black Clover as part of the crossover are ready to be uploaded together as a trio. That is all I have for the administrative stuff I have for y'all and there are no guest reviews that need a response, though I thank you for your support of my work, or questions to answer so I will end this here and so it is onto the Black Bull mixer and how Akame and Tatsumi perceive it, with an added bonus thrown in. Do keep them coming as your support is the best motivation for me to keep producing chapters at this kind of rate. That is it for this pre-chapter note so it is time to sit back and enjoy the twenty-fourth chapter in Akame ga Clover.
Disclaimer: I own nothing related to these two great animes.
Chapter 24: Mixer
"So, where is this mixer you've planned taking place?" Tatsumi asked as he leapt off a shield he was using to fly, it just felt better to use something he could create with his magic than a broom, something that Akame had introduced him to as she preferred to fly on a created blade, and landed on the roof of the hideout as the sun began to set. "Come on Finral, spill."
Finral, who'd been on a flat part of the roof ever since inviting Asta to the mixer a little while back, had been deep in thought as to who he was going to get for the third person when Tatsumi showed up without warning and made him jump and almost fall off the roof as he turned to face his squadmate. Thankfully he didn't mainly because Tatsumi grabbed him by the center of his shirt and pulled him back to the roof as he backup so that both could stand face to face before letting go as Finral calmed down from the sudden arrival and disruption of his thoughts.
In all honesty if either Tatsumi wasn't dating Akame or if he could only get two girls to come, and mixer etiquette dictated it be a three on three event, then Finral would have wanted Tatsumi there as the third one. Asta was a firecracker so he was a must have at a mixer, he balanced out Finral's own personality and flirting well with his dense, rural country boy rugged bluntness but the issue was the third man for the mixer.
Tatsumi was perfect for it because he was a somewhat more sensible, less dense, and significantly more brutal version of Asta with a similar level of charisma and leadership that was innate to him which Finral had come to recognize over the last year that Tatsumi had been a Black Bull. The pair of them were perfect wingmen for Finral so in his mind he'd get a girlfriend for sure if he had them with him.
Of course that wasn't going to be the case, Tatsumi's super cute and equally super deadly girlfriend had made it very clear to him that he was not to use Tatsumi for this mixer. As such Finral had retreated from her blades, and Captain Yami's ire at him avoiding his actual work as Yami's personal spatial portal service to go to a mixer, to the roof to contemplate who would be perfect for the third member and that was where he'd hit a snag.
Literally every other male Black Bull, Finral included Grey in that as he was pretty sure that Grey was a dude even if it was hard to tell with the big guy but it was certainly clear to Finral that Grey wasn't a super cute girl at least, were useless for this. They were either too punk-like, violent, creepy, weird, silent, Yami, or a mix thereof to use.
Theoretically Finral could ask one of the girls as the third person as there was nothing against it in the mixer etiquette though it was usually equal based on sex so it would be odd for the third to be a girl. However, Finral still considered it but alas they were just as bad the boys were seeing as Akame wouldn't do for the same reason Tatsumi wouldn't, Noelle was too arrogant and would likely cause issues because of it, Charmy would just eat the tavern out of food and Finral out of his money, and Vanessa would do the same as Charmy only with wine and not food.
As such Finral was contemplating who was best amongst they guys because if none were good then he may as well select the least worst male Black Bull and hope for the best but he had no clue who that might be besides Tatsumi who he couldn't use. Ultimately he decided that he was going to have to go to each of the other men and chat with them for a bit in order and determine who was the least likely to destroy the tavern or cause a scene that would put off the ladies.
It was going to be a hard task but he was up to it as he had no other choice in the matter. As such, he was just about to go and sort that out starting with Magna as he and Luck were equally the most promising candidates when Tatsumi had arrived.
"Why do you want to know?" Finral asked as he recovered and looked at Tatsumi. "You can't help because I've got three girls and I'd rather keep my manhood than try to upset your girlfriend."
"Some way of thanking me for saving you from falling off the roof." Tatsumi said with a grin. "And it's just your testicles that you'd lose, you'd retain your manhood, I think."
"You caused me to almost fall and I'm a Spatial Mage I would have been fine." Finral pointed out though he honestly wasn't sure if he would have created a portal in time given that he would have been shocked off the roof so his reaction time would have been slower than normal. "Now answer my question, why do you want to know?"
"Because I figured it would be a fun date night for me and Akame to go to the same place as the mixer and watch the ensuing catastrophe unfold in real time." Tatsumi said his grin getting bigger though he didn't point out that this was Akame's idea not his but it was one that he wholeheartedly agreed with it. "Let's be honest, three Black Bulls at a mixer with only you as the one who understands the purpose of it or how to actually talk to women in that kind of way, there's no way that at least three tables and a wall don't get destroyed. You need someone to watch out and clean up your mess when you make it so let us do that in exchange for the show that you will no doubt provide us."
"I want to argue and deny that but, well, you do make a valid point this might go badly given our own track record." Finral said with a sigh. "So I guess it's prudent to have some support. I take it that there are also blades involved if I don't give up the location."
"Perhaps, perhaps not, but do you want to take that risk?" Tatsumi asked to which Finral shook his head no, he did not want to take that risk. "So, where is it?"
"The Dreavy Hinker." Finral said. "It's a tavern out in the town of Nean in the Common Realm that's not too far by broom from here. You know it?"
"Nean, sure been there once or twice with Akame for some business over the last year but I don't know the town that well." Tatsumi said and Finral decided that it was best not to ask about the nature of said business as with Tatsumi and Akame that usually meant blood and death. "But not that tavern so it must be one of the nicer establishments there. Regardless, it shouldn't be hard to find. Don't worry, we'll be there before you and you won't notice us, we won't wear our robes and have our hoods up."
"You're too kind." Finral said though he had a feeling that that meant the jackets that the couple wore on their special missions which wasn't too reassuring even if Finral knew he was fine and well protected with them around. "Now if you're done I need to find my final person for this from the slim pickings I have."
"Good luck with that." Tatsumi said with a chuckle as he walked past Finral. "This will be entertaining, for us at least."
Finral just sighed as Tatsumi laughed and leapt off the roof to fall a few feet before a shield appeared beneath him that he landed on and used to take him to the ground before it vanished and he entered the hideout. Tatsumi wasn't wrong of course, he would find it entertaining but for Finral he wanted to woe a lady so he needed to get back to work to figure out who was best to join him and Asta and which of the two girls to pair with them with. This was going to be tough but Finral was undaunted as he too leapt off the roof and through a portal to go and find that third person for the mixer that he'd set up.
"So, who do you think will be the third?" Akame asked as a waitress in a long, striped, bar maid dress with white frills on the hem and a white apron over it with a matching bonnet style headpiece placed a pair of tankards before them with water for Akame and beer for Tatsumi, before heading off as Akame tried to avoid looking at the succulent meat that was roasting on a nearby spit though her growling stomach showed that she was looking forward to it. "Without you, Finral really has to scrape the bottom of the barrel for a decent third, none of the other guys are really suited for this stuff and it would be strange to bring one of the girls."
"Magna might be decent but his appearance and brash attitude can be a bit off putting I feel, especially alongside Asta's loudness, it's just not the right balance." Tatsumi said as he took a pull of his beer. "So my money is on Luck. He's the only one that makes sense. The Captain is, well, a little too rough around the edges and uncouth for this, Gauche has that sister complex thing going on and this is where Marie lives if I recall so he'd just go spy on her and ditch the mixer, Gordon is probably good but he's too quiet so would come off creepy even if he wasn't trying to be as I still don't get him, and Grey is, well, Grey so that leaves Luck. So long as Luck doesn't start a fight or talk about fighting he should be fine, I think."
"True he is the best of the remaining guys." Akame said thinking on the sparce candidates that Finral had to choose from. "Whatever the case, this is going to be interesting for sure seeing as they should be here any moment now."
Akame wasn't wrong, the time that a mixer usually started was almost upon them and she and Tatsumi were already at one of the long tables in the Dreavy Hinker having arrived a half an hour prior to set up here and wait. It was better to be early after all, that and Akame was starting to get hungry so they decided to arrive and order food before the mixer started so that it wasn't impacted by said mixer.
Once they got to the tavern they looked around to see where the mixer would be held. It wasn't hard to deduce which table was reserved for Finral's group, there were only two 6 person tables that were reserved and one was already occupied by two teen boys clearly waiting for their third, who arrived 20 minutes after Akame and Tatsumi did, and three girls in a mixer set up as well so it had to be the other one. As such the couple made sure to get seats that would look over the table in question but be unnoticed by those there so that they could enjoy the ensuing show in peace.
To add to it they were both wearing their long coats with the hoods up that covered their hair and hid their faces in shadow while forgoing their Magic Knight robes. That way they wouldn't stick out, hooded attire was pretty standard in the Dreavy Hinker and besides the drunken rivalries of the locals and the music being played covered them nicely. They just came off as two travelers in for a meal or maybe a couple who couldn't be seen dating trying to have one incognito so most paid them no heed as they sat down, ordered drinks and a full course meal, and settled in for a good date night.
They may have had a date night the night before in the Capital after the attack but that had been due to their work for the Wizard King and besides, they were a couple so they could enjoy another one right away as well and would as they held hands and chatted while waiting for their drinks and then food after their drinks arrived. Now that the drinks had been served it was only a matter of time before the Black Bull trio showed up and so they were focused on that as they waited.
They didn't have to wait long after they got their drinks for Finral, Asta, and as Tatsumi had surmised, Luck to arrive and be taken to the table in question by the owner of the tavern. The mixer was officially beginning, all that was left was for the girls to show up as well and then the real entertainment could begin.
Tatsumi and Akame watched as Finral exchanged some words with the proprietor of the establishment and was then led to the right table by one of the waitresses who Finral tried, and failed, to chat up likely as some warmup for his pending failure with the girls. Not dejected, likely because of the impending mixer, Finral just organized the table so that Asta was at one end, the one by the path in the middle of the tavern, and himself at the other with Luck in-between them.
As all this was happening the first course of Tatsumi and Akame's dinner, a meat and seafood heavy appetizer selection that Akame had selected, arrived and they turned to it to enjoy with some light conversation. The girls hadn't arrived so they didn't need to focus on the Black Bulls as Finral ordered the food and drinks for the mixer with a new waitress who'd come to his table and Asta and Luck continued to chat though Akame and Tatsumi couldn't hear what was being said from where they were.
It was because of all of this distraction and the usual dive into food that Akame made that none of them noticed someone dash into the tavern shortly after the Black Bull trio and head to the back to discuss something with the manager. In time at least one of the two groups of Black Bulls would notice her but for now Noelle had managed to make it in and beg for a job without Asta or the others in the mixer noticing.
That was to come, though, for now Tatsumi and Akame enjoyed their food and waited for the girls to arrive to assess them both in terms of how interested they looked and what their ki was saying about how they actually felt. They did arrive about 10 minutes later and right after the food had arrived for the mixer so they were arriving at a good time and the couple took a moment, while Akame finished Tatsumi's food for him as he left it unguarded, to look over the girls for the mixer.
Clearly the one opposite Finral, a pretty girl with chin length dark brown hair and wearing a lilac dress with a white shall over her shoulders, was the one he knew and who had helped set it up as she greeted Finral and organized her friends into places before they sat down. It was the perfect moment to assess the other two girls as well and so Tatsumi and Akame did just that.
Those two girls were a curvaceous looking redhead with piercing blue eyes in a dark pink dress with a lighter pink shall, and a petite blonde girl with her hair in a white cap thing at the back of her head in a dark blue dress with a white frilly stripe thing down the middle and a light blue shall over her shoulders. To accessorize they both wore chokers with pendants that matched their dresses, as did the girl opposite Finral, with a few other bits of jewelry on them to complement their outfits.
It was an interesting trio of girls with the redhead now opposite Asta and the blonde opposite Luck though clearly the redhead at least didn't want to be there, that was evident on her face and her ki more than backed it up. Still, it was just the start so things could always change though Tatsumi at least doubt it knowing their Squad's reputation.
"So, how do you think this will go down?" Tatsumi asked in a low voice as the food was cleared from their table and he took another drink of his beer as Finral noted that everyone had their drinks so it was time for the mixer to begin. "How long until disaster?"
"Well it's not going to start off well." Akame said as Finral stood up for introductions loud enough for most of the tavern to hear and creating a portal next to him that he pulled a bouquet of rare, exotic, flowers out of before properly introducing himself and apparently going for the flirt with all 3 girls approach, a bold strategy indeed. "This is Finral we're talking about, he may think he's a ladies man but, well, he's not, or at least he's not a successful one."
The move did get some reaction from the blonde and the brunette as he finished his introduction and proceeded to hand out the flowers to each of the girls, announcing that the flowers were freshly picked moon blossoms. Tatsumi had to give it to Finral, it was a very smooth move on his front as the flowers were apparently really hard to get due to only blooming at night on a specific mountain so it was well done one his part and impressed blonde and brunette but the redhead wasn't though that was to be expected given her expression. To Akame they were just flowers and a waste of his Spatial Magic potential.
After that it was time for Luck and Asta to introduce themselves. Normally this would be the wingman backup, what Tatsumi planned on one day doing with Su and Lub back in their past life though he'd already started falling for Akame back then and he wasn't yet aware of Lub's love for Najenda. Of course this was also the Black Bulls as wingmen so almost instantly it went downhill and fast.
It started with Luck who seemed normal enough until he loudly announced so that they could hear that his favorite thing to do was life or death battles, the bloodier the better, and that his motto was 'do or die.' Not bad and fitting for Luck as it was who he was but it was also out of line for a mixer and the added lightning magic at the end only resulted in some strained smiles from the blonde and brunette and the continued disinterest of the redhead.
This was followed up by the resident meathead of the Black Bulls in Asta. Tatsumi already sensed in his ki that Asta was going to go all out which wasn't necessarily a good thing knowing him and that was shown as he stood up, rolled up his sleeve to flex his bicep, which actually wasn't a bad move to show his muscles if the girls were into that thing, and loudly announced that he was going to be the Wizard King one day.
That was enough to really bring things down as the strained smiles on the blonde and brunette seemed to deepen as their ki began to show that they were not impressed at all. All of this was confounded by Asta having Nero on his head for some reason which really didn't add to it.
"Well that was a failure." Akame commented idly as their main course, basically half the tavern's meat stocks as that was the most she was allowed to order, was served and she dug into it. "The ki on the two opposite Luck and Finral doesn't match their faces. They're clearly upset and annoyed at this and it's gotten worse ever since Luck started talking despite starting off on a hopeful note. The redhead hasn't changed though."
"She doesn't want to be here at all and is completely indifferent so her ki matches her expression, her attitude isn't our Squad's fault." Tatsumi said as he got some meat before Akame ate it all. "Likely brought along to make up numbers. Seems like she's got other responsibilities she'd rather do which is fair, a mixer is fun but if you've got other shit to deal with that you deem as more important than that should come first. As for the two who clearly want this, they don't want our Squad."
"Figures, we are the worse of the worst and, other than Finral they don't bring much to the table for women seeking a man." Akame said. "Right? I, um, don't really understand this stuff and obviously don't need to."
"I barely do either but yes I think so." Tatsumi said with a smile at her words because he was just as lucky as she was in his mind to have ended up with the girl he loved. "These things are about dating and then marriage so for the men it's going to be about looks, household skills if possible given the types of men and women involved in something like a mixer as the men often are looking for a homemaker, and procreation potential. For the women it's provider status so height, magical strength, overall power, wealth, and social standing."
"And they have none of that." Akame said seeing the major disadvantage their squadmates had. "I think Finral has noble blood but he doesn't talk about it and his power isn't high enough to impress, plus he's in the Black Bulls which is all they need to know. The other two, well they're commoners with no money like us so yeah not great potential beyond the strength part and that's not as important in this world as wealth or social status I'd say."
"Yup which is why they're disinterested." Tatsumi said as the ki of the girls was now telling Tatsumi loud and clear that all 3 weren't interested as Finral tried to get them to introduce themselves but that backfired as well as they were all pretty monotone about it and it was clear he was getting desperate. "Damn, this is just sad. Watching Finral flirt is amusing and depressing at the same time. It's almost as bad as Lub trying to sneak a peek where he was attempting to be subtle and painfully not."
"Yeah never understood that though he'd lose a certain part of his anatomy if he tried to sneak a peak of me bathing." Akame said not hearing a gasp from the table next to them while Tatsumi just winced at the reminder of Chelsea's threat as she noticed Finral's next attempt to interest the girls. "Oh he's going for the Magic Knight approach, would that work?"
"It's gotten them interested at least as Magic Knight work is intriguing and can show how good they are in a fight which I think might be appealing to some women who are looking for a boyfriend." Tatsumi said as he ate some meat and watched as Finral tried to show off his Spatial Magic and what it could do for him as a Magic Knight. "But all Finral does is send Yami to where he needs be it the shitter, the bath, the bar, or bed so he's not really that much of a Magic Knight."
"Yeah I think he's failed so he's trying to use Luck to back him up with a good example of what we do." Akame said as she watched Finral pass it off to Luck. "And he's talking about that bandit raid he stopped the other day. Not a bad example, that was some fine Magic Knight work even if he was a little too merciful in my book, I'd have killed them outright."
"Same but there is something to be said for mercy as it ensures that they can answer for their crimes though I don't think Luck was being merciful when he let them go with only a few broken bones." Tatsumi said as Finral interrupted Luck to shut him up as it was clear he was once again undoing all the hard work Finral had put into trying to impress the girls. "Though he wasn't letting them go in the way that Esdeath did back when she kept fomenting rebellions to keep fighting them, Luck's just a battle mad kid."
"True, he's got an odd personality when it comes to combat but not bad and does help out as there are plenty of criminals who won't go down without a fight so having him around is very useful." Akame said as Asta took over and it was clear that Finral was trying to use the Capital attack to his advantage as the blonde and brunette once again perked up at that as it was a major event that Asta was a key player in though tracking their ki in this mixer was a real rollercoaster thanks to Finral. "Now it's Asta's turn and it looks like he's doing well, the two who care about this are back into the mixer because of the Capital attack."
"Yeah but this is Asta so just wait for it…" Tatsumi began as the girls except the redhead really began to show interest in him right up until the moment Asta pulled his shirt up to show the wound on his side that he'd taken from Rades which Luck then began to poke for some reason. "…and there it is. Honestly, war wounds and battle scars like that would work with some people but that's not something you whip out at the dinner table."
"I lack even more manners and proper upbringing than Asta seeing as I never had one either time I grew up." Akame said as she tore through more meat. "And even I know that's bad form. Finral really needed you it seems Tatsumi, they're absolutely useless."
"Yeah they really are, next time we can tag along as a date accessory to help him out so long as he pays for it all, he is our squadmate so we should support him." Tatsumi said as he took another drink and stopped focusing so much on the mixer table as it was clearly not going well and as he did he noticed something in the ambient ki he was sensing in the room, a ki signature that he could recognize right away and the only ones with ki he knew instantly were Black Bulls, the Wizard King, Mushroom Head, Mine and Chelsea. "Hey, Akame, take a moment and sense the ki around the tavern a little more intently. I need to confirm something."
"Huh, sure, they've blown it by this point so no point in…" Akame began as she did as Tatsumi asked and tailed off when she sensed it as well. "Huh, you're right that shouldn't be here at all. What is Noelle doing here?"
"My guess given how much she's like Mine right down to her ki is that it's got to do with Asta." Tatsumi said as he looked to where he sensed Noelle's ki and saw her standing behind a pillar watching the mixer herself though why she was in a waitress's outfit was beyond him. "I'll give her props for the stalking and spying, not a bad effort or attempt but next time she should either wear a wig or dye her hair as well as change out her earrings. Those things give her away to easily as traits of her family."
"True and don't forget that she is a royal with no understanding of commoners trying to be a waitress." Akame said as she watched Noelle leave her spying position to get a tray of food and some drinks to serve people but paused to watch the Black Bull mixer for another moment as Asta and Luck continued to dig Finral into a hole he was less and less likely to escape from and then icily rejected a happily inebriated man's request for more beer once she put down the food. "Though that kind of attitude would make her a highly sought after server in some of the less than traditional places in the Black Market, you know the ones Mine occasionally works at because her attitude really brings in a certain kind of guy that pays a lot of money for that kind of waitress to serve them."
"Yeah I know them, I think that's more her working off other issues that she's still working through though." Tatsumi said as the loud voice of a man at another table set up for a mixer got Tatsumi's attention and he looked over to see a blond Green Praying Mantis guy who had to be around Asta's age so a year or two younger than Tatsumi with two non-magic Knight friends talking loudly and generally making a fool of himself to the point that the ki the girls on that table were giving off was even more disinterested than the Black Bulls' table and that was saying something. "Though looks like we're not the worst. That Green Praying Mantis guy is terrible. Check out the ki of the girls there."
"What? Oh that yeah I felt that a while back, it wasn't relevant at all but now that I focus it's really bad." Akame said, the issue was behind her so not in her caring. "Good to know we aren't the worst at this kind of thing but don't they not have any women in their Squad? It would make sense that they suck at mixers if that's the case though it is only one of them so I can't say for sure."
"I heard that they recruited a girl this time around, some powerful applicant with a strange magical attribute who turned down the Blue Rose Knights and Coral Peacocks for them." Tatsumi said as the man thrust out his hand to point to Noelle and demand a drink to which she blasted him with a ball of water from her wand having already served a table, a rarity for her in her undercover role, that knocked down the Green Praying Mantis guy and his two friends. "But Noelle took care of it, he deserved that."
"Good for her." Akame said as she ate more and the three mixer girls gave Noelle a thumbs up and a smile of thanks behind her. "She may be a waitress but she shouldn't put up with shit like that."
"Damn it Sekke, you are so bad with women." Lubbock growled under his hood as he took a drink of his beer and glared at his squadmate who was currently ruining the mixer he'd told Lubbock and Najenda that he would be at today. "You're night off and you somehow manage to arrange a mixer but now that you're at it, it's drier than a desert there. I thought I taught you how to be a womanizer better."
"First off your problem is that you taught him." Najenda said as she took a bite of food that the surprisingly regal looking silver hair waitress had just dumped on their table without a word showing some rather poor service not that Najenda minded as she wasn't here for the service. "And you're not a womanizer, remember. Perverted peeper sure but you never wanted other women because you love me and are loyal to that love, it's one of the things I really like about you that ensured that the feelings you have are mutual."
Lubbock and Najenda had come to the Dreavy Hinker because the moment that Jack told the Squad that they had the day off in the wake of the attack on the Capital, which he was annoyed that he missed as there was so much slicing to do during it according to him, Sekke had decided to organize a mixer with his boys Aphro and Phati. Those two weren't Magic Knights and neither Lubbock nor Najenda knew who they were but as this was a mixer where Sekke would wear his Magic Knight robe they had to spy on it, it wasn't hard as Sekke was very vocal about where it was, to make sure he didn't embarrass the Squad.
Unfortunately, that was to be the case as he swiftly fell into a routine of lying, embarrassing his friends to make himself look better, and basically treating the communal food as if it his own without a care for what anyone else on the table would want. It was not reflecting well on their Squad and Lubbock in particular because he'd ended up as the de facto superior and mentor to the two new members because of how good he was with Najenda, who herself was doing really well as a member of the Squad, so Jack had decided to make him personally in charge of them, when he wasn't tormenting Sekke that was.
To make matters worse, there were three Black Bulls on another table that was across the central aisle of the tavern from them on a mixer of their own who were being typical Black Bulls and messing it up. Well, two of them were, the oldest who had two years on Lubbock if the age he said he was was accurate was a smooth player with some skills that Lubbock could respect but he lacked the backup from the other two. However, despite the mess that was the Black Bulls' mixer was becoming, Sekke was single handedly worse.
Of course with the Black Bulls present Lubbock and Najenda had been extra careful and both were glad that they'd not bothered with their Magic Knight robes tonight. Instead they had gone with long green coats with deep hoods similar to the one Lubbock wore in their past life that were up and covered their hair and faces in the shadows of their cowls.
They'd done this to avoid being noticed by Sekke, not that he would the kid had terrible observational skills that he really needed to work on, but it was turning out to be really beneficial for them. That was because of the Black Bulls who were one of the two Squads they didn't want to interact with if they could avoid it.
It wasn't that they disliked them or anything, though their respective Captains had a big rivalry with each other that did bleed a little into the Green Praying Mantis Squad at least, but they were one of the two Squads with two reborn in it so there was a chance that the members knew of the situation. While Najenda's death was after Akame, Tatsumi, and Leone's so they may not know that she was one of the reborn souls, Lubbock's wasn't so they had to be careful as they were still trying to plan how best to get to the ones who still had blocks and didn't want to reveal themselves until they were ready.
Thankfully, the Black Bulls had been distracted so they hadn't noticed them which was good for them. However, all it took was a comment about Lub's old peeping habits and a threat to remove a certain part of his anatomy that told him there were other Black Bulls present as well.
Najenda saw and heard it as well so glanced past to see the person behind him wearing a hooded black coat that hid her face, her build was clearly female, but didn't hid the immoral amount of meat before her or the man across from here who wore a hooded white jacket that hid his face but it was turned from her so he wasn't paying attention to their table. Regardless, it was clear to Najenda who he was as she knew him well so she could recognize him in an instant even with a hood up and with a Black Bull mixer going on it was obvious why he and the girl, who she could easily guess the identity of were here.
That had put them on edge but thankfully the couple were distracted by the mixer going on and then seemed to be even more distracted as they focused on one of the waitresses, the silver haired one, for some reason. That confused them but they left it at that and decided to play it cool as they continued to spy on Sekke.
"I've gotten better." Lubbock pointed out in response to Najenda's comment though he smiled at what she'd said to him about reciprocating his feelings. "And in the Squad it's kinda hard to do that given that you're the only girl and I'd never do that to you, or let anyone even get close enough to try for that matter."
"I know." Najenda said with a smile as Sekke suddenly thrust out his finger at the silver haired waitress and demanded another drink in a really rude manner that did not reflect well on their Squad. "It does help keep you in line and I get to bathe in peace so…wait did that waitress just attack Sekke?"
"Honestly, he had it coming, that's not how you treat a waitress no matter your station in life." Lubbock said with a sigh having seen the water attack and the reason for it. "So no point getting involved. Best to leave it at that, he's failed so when this is over we'll grab him and take him back to the hideout and discuss his failures today. Hopefully, he learns from them but somehow I doubt it."
"Agreed." Najenda said as she tucked into her food. "Until then let's enjoy this trial date for when you can take me on a proper one in a few years' time while the Black Bulls drive any idea from the people's minds that we're the worse at mixers than they are."
Lubbock just nodded at that as he began to enjoy his food as well and he and Najenda relaxed. Things were going about as well as could be expected minus Sekke getting hit by a surprisingly powerful ball of water but that was his own fault and hadn't affected the women with him so no big deal there. Hell, even things on the Black Bull table was starting to look up so things shouldn't get much worse, could they?
"Did, did Luck just make that girl blush?" Tatsumi asked as they watched the mixer take a sudden upswing for their blond squadmate as he complemented the blonde girl on her magic his ki genuine and hers was responding well to what he said to her. "What the hell did he do?"
"Likely he was just bluntly honest, he's not exactly they lying type, and it probably worked." Akame said as Luck and the girl suddenly excused themselves to head outside showing immense progress for one of the three mixer couples. "That or she has a serious thing for bloodthirsty berserkers with dangerous magic."
"I hear that the bad boy look does work well on some, if it's backed up of course as Magna has the look but not the backing up while Luck is the reverse I feel." Tatsumi said. "Never really tried it myself."
"That's because you just had to be yourself to win my heart." Akame said with a smile that made Tatsumi blush and splutter on his beer as he drank it. "Course annoyingly it worked on a few other women but Mine knows her place and Esdeath is long gone so all is good on that front."
"True and I only ever had eyes for you my love." Tatsumi said causing Akame to blush and smile more as the ki in the brunette picked up enough to show that she was going to give Finral a chance despite him being a shade too flashy. "Oh and Finral is doing well too, that just leaves Asta to improve."
"That might be tough." Akame said looking over as Asta ate opposite the uninterested redhead who'd only spoken to introduce herself and nothing else that night. "Of the three he's the densest in ways that boggle the mind at times while she has absolutely no interest in being there so it's going to be a struggle. Still Asta has a natural charisma to him not unlike you when we first met. You made Night Raid better Tatsumi, improved us all and changed the Empire more than anyone else even though it cost you your life and it seems like Asta's got a similar mentality here."
"That is true and if he can find common ground with this girl then his unique bluntness and natural charm that he clearly isn't aware of could work." Tatsumi said as Finral invited the girl he was paired with outside and got up to leave leaving just Asta and the redhead and Asta's ki became supremely awkward as a result though hers remained indifferent. "And now he's alone. This is not going well for Asta. Noelle will be pleased but give it time, this could turn out to be the best of the three knowing Asta's ability to stumble into success when he didn't mean to."
"Well he's trying but…no it's just not there." Akame said as Asta tried to make conversation but was shut down gently as the red head seemed to give up any pretense of wanting to remain and took something out of her hair to show that she was done with the mixer now that her friends were gone. "She's not annoyed or upset at him, just really doesn't want to be at the mixer. She's worried about…wait, her ki just picked up? Something's changed, Asta's managed to get through to her I think but how?"
"No doubt Asta's found something similar to connect with her on, wonder what as we can't hear but if I had to guess she said something that made him reminisce and happy as he can relate to it and commented on it in a way that's gotten her attention." Tatsumi said as he felt the redhead's ki change and get better while a brewing angry ki started to form nearby that was hard to miss even if you didn't read ki. "My bet is that as commoners there is something they have in common, likely something Noelle can't match, and are bonding over it."
"Yeah she's laughing and relaxing, a good sign." Akame said as the sound of a breaking plate reached them and the clear anger and jealousy that was in Noelle's ki washed over them followed but a little of her usual arrogance returning as she told the owner off for scolding her in a way only Noelle could manage and get away with. "Noelle is clearly not taking it well. If I had any doubts before as I'm not familiar with reading romance in others I don't know. She's fallen for Asta, right?"
"No question and I think she's like Mine only more extreme, she's in denial to herself and nothing but her own acceptance of the truth will get her out of it." Tatsumi said as a large drunken man wandered over to Asta and the redhead his intentions clearly not good. "Wait, this doesn't bode well. A drunk asshole who's clearly jealous is approaching them, he's going to make a scene."
"Yeah and this isn't sanctioned so I can't produce a blade." Akame said. "But I shouldn't anyway, that would be dishonorable to Asta."
"Correct, this is Asta's fight to handle so let him deal with it." Tatsumi said seriously as the drunk turned to the girl and got a lot worse with a confrontation now imminent. "It's about to go down so things are going to get a bit chaotic. Thankfully I've got an plan for such an eventuality."
"What is it?" Akame asked seriously, she sensed the drunk asshole's ki as well and knew something was about to happen. "I'll follow your lead on this one."
"Thanks." Tatsumi said. "The plan is that the moment something happens keep an eye on Asta and Noelle. If Asta leaves, which he might because of the girl he's with will likely want to leave to protect him, Noelle will follow so go after them and watch to find out what happens and make sure everything is ok. After that, and if Noelle does as we expect she will do and try to avoid being found out spying on the mixer, confront her and then get her to the place we landed on the outskirts of Nean. We'll take her back and keep her secret for her, both the spying and the whole falling for Asta though I'm sure the others will notice the latter in time."
"Agreed, plus I can have a womanly chat with her I feel, not that I'd be of much help but she's my friend and I want her to be happy and not almost miss out like I did before fate gave me a second chance." Akame said as the drunk put his hand on the girl's shoulder causing Asta to stand up and grab him. "And the time has come. What will you do?"
"Clean up and try to avoid too much destruction though I can't promise that." Tatsumi said as Asta got into it with the man and defended the girl's honor in a way that really affected her and in a good way before he picked the man up in one hand and threw him away showing his impressive physical strength. "And now it's going down. Get ready."
Akame nodded as the man flew through the air and then landed hard on the table across the tavern's central aisle from Asta's which just so happened to be the one with the Green Praying Mantis braggart on it and crushed it, along with the man and his two friends, under the drunk asshole and broken table. That was enough for the girls at the table to get up and leave, which they clearly wanted to do anyway, while the owner got angry so the girl grabbed Asta's hand and pulled him out of the bar.
As that was happening Noelle quit her brief waitressing career by ripping her apron off and tossing it at the owner before heading out to follow them. Everything was going as predicted, it wasn't hard to do so, and so now it was time for Tatsumi and Akame to put their own plan into action.
As soon as Noelle left the tavern and the commotion began, Akame used that confusion to get up and hurry out of the establishment as well. Noelle needed to be followed to make sure she was ok and it was clear that Asta had made a seriously good impression on the redhead so things were about to get even more interesting as there was no way that Noelle wasn't trying to spy on where Asta and the redhead went.
As for Tatsumi he remained and finished his beer in the confusion noting a pair of green robed individuals at the next table that he'd not seen due to Akame being between them, though he'd noted that two people were on the table due to sensing their ki earlier, had suddenly stiffened. Their reaction got him to focus on them some more and he noted that while their ki wasn't hostile per se, in fact it felt oddly familiar and comforting despite Tatsumi knowing he'd never felt it before, it was different from the other ki signatures in the bard because it made one thing clear, both were seasoned and skilled fighters.
He'd have to keep an eye on them but at the moment Tatsumi was focused on the anger and hostility he felt in the Green Praying Mantis guy that Asta had accidentally flattened. He knew something was going to go down any second now so he stood up and moved into the aisle of the bar to walk towards him to make sure that the Magic Knight didn't do something stupid like try to go after Asta.
Unfortunately, the Green Praying Mantis being crushed was not known for his intelligence or common sense so he was about to act. Tatsumi sighed as his grimoire floated up to flip to the right page as he got ready for a fight that would be brief and brutal though he'd only leave the man unconscious so it wasn't going to be too bad.
"Get off me you fat tub of drunken lard." Sekke said as he gasped for air where he was thanks to yet another action from that brat Asta who somehow seemed to be destined to ruin any fun that Sekke wanted to have. "Bronze Creation Magic: Sekke Magnum Cannonball."
Tatsumi watched as a large ball of oddly blue and transparent sphere of bronze formed around the man. It was clearly some strong magic as it lifted up the now unconscious drunk and rolled him over and off the broken table as the Magic Knight used it to get up and stay in the ball which formed several peaks appeared at random positions on it and the man laugher from within in not caring that it was on his friends as well.
"Ha-ha, my magnum cannonball protects me from attacks while also firing magic bullets, it's the perfect sword and shield." Sekke said with a laugh though Tatsumi didn't care, the man clearly wasn't strong enough to pose any real threat but he would need something strong to get through the bronze ball. "Now where is that brat, it's high time he paid for all the indignation he's caused me."
"Long gone so you can't reach him, not that you would stand a chance against him in a fight, but if you're looking for one right now then let me give it to you." Tatsumi said. "He's a friend of mine so I won't let harm come to him, or in your case a hollow threat of harm."
"Then you're in my way." Sekke said as he blasted out a magic bullet at Tatsumi. "Begone."
"Damn it Sekke!" Lubbock yelled getting up as Tatsumi created a shield that intercepted the magic bullet with a gong sound that barely dented it before he activated Incursio and the armor covered him causing the remaining patrons and waitresses to scream and run for the exits or back as the owner backed up to a corner at the fight that was about to go down. "You're making us look bad and now I have to rescue your ass. Hey, armored bastard, stand down, that's a Magic Knight."
"So am I and I'm preventing a Magic Knight from acting against his duty so this is official business." Tatsumi said not really caring about the person who suddenly leapt at his back with hostile intent as he didn't perceive the man to be a threat to him. "And regardless I don't care, stick out of this fight if you know what's good for you."
The man clearly didn't as he leapt onto Tatsumi's back but in Incursio it wasn't nearly enough to budge him. Tatsumi had no idea what magic the man used but given the position it was probably some kind of close contact magic.
Regardless, Tatsumi didn't want to find out so he just reached up and grabbed the man by the back of his jacket and pulled him off his back before spinning and throwing the man away with enough control to not kill him. Despite that the throw had more than enough power to put the foolish man through the bar at the far end of the tavern and into the wall behind it hard enough to shake the shelves and send a few bottles to the ground around him as he slumped to a sitting position on the floor.
Najenda just put her hand over her face before she leapt onto the table and then the next one to make sure that Lubbock was ok, which he was thanks to wrapping himself in wires under his clothes for added protection, as Tatsumi turned back to a still defiant Sekke and held out his hand for the spear that came with Incursio as it would serve his purposes as he approached the man. Najenda knew why Lubbock didn't use his Wire Magic to attack, it was an extremely distinctive attribute and he was the only known Wire Mage, but still what he'd done was stupid and Sekke did deserve to be punched out for making a scene.
"Ha-ha, only Anti-Magic can…" Sekke began as Tatsumi reached him and swiped the spear several times neatly cutting away the bronze and sending it clattering to the ground in several pieces as Sekke was speaking. "…through my spell."
"Clearly not, my magic is just fine for the job and I bet there are other magics out there than can as well." Tatsumi said as he dispelled his spear, clenched his fist, and punched Sekke in the face hard enough to knock him and a few of his teeth out and blast him into a wall hard enough to crack it but that was it. "Now stay asleep for a while.
As this was going on Najenda was nearing Lubbock but she didn't reach him in time as he pulled himself out of the broken bar, dismissed the wires around his body, and rushed Tatsumi again to try and stop him from punching Sekke. He was far too late for that but Tatsumi still sensed the approach from the impressively still standing Sekke defender and didn't dispel Incursio, he just picked up the broken table and turned on his heel to slam it into the hooded man running at him.
There was a boom and he was tossed to the side instantly were he slammed into and then through the wall of the tavern that faced the street and fell down the story or so that the tavern was above the level of the street to crash into it. Instantly Najenda turned and rushed out the door to follow Lubbock to make sure that he was ok but Tatsumi missed that as well as he finished his turn and tossed the wood to the side before dispelling Incursio.
"What the hell are you doing to my bar!" The owner yelled at Tatsumi his eyes wide at what had just happened. "You've destroyed it."
"Sorry, here, for the food that hasn't been paid for and any damages." Tatsumi said as he pulled out a bag of coins he had on him to cover dinner and then some and tossed it at the shocked owner. "The rest blame it on that drunken asshole and the Green Praying Mantis kid, charge them for it as they caused the situation."
With that Tatsumi turned and casually walked to the back of the bar and left that way just to be safe as the man he'd tossed outside had been with a woman who'd not fought so best to avoid her and headed to the rendezvous point leaving a stunned owner in his wake. Hopefully, everything else was going ok and whoever that man was that attacked him wasn't too badly hurt as Tatsumi took his leave of what in his books was a surprisingly successful Black Bull mixer.
"What!" Noelle exclaimed as she looked back down the alleyway that Asta and the girl from the mixer who clearly was falling for him, not that Noelle cared about that of course she didn't care one bit who fell for Asta or who he fell for in return, as her worries, and deep down hopes, that the special person to Asta was her as he'd said 'from my' in response to the question the redhead had asked him were driven from her mind at Asta's latest statement. "How does he still not know what the purpose of a mixer is? Well, I guess that's good in a sense as I'm not going to lose him to some mixer floozy tonight. Wait, no I don't care if he falls for her, not one bit."
"Course you don't Noelle but are you really surprised that Asta has no idea what is going on? This is Asta after all."
Noelle yelped at the familiar female voice that called out to her from behind her and she leapt and turned away from the alleyway, not that Asta would notice as he was still wondering what the purpose of a mixer was, putting her back to the building as she searched for the voice. As she did there was a crashing sound from the tavern a few streets away but she ignored it as she looked in confusion at the empty space behind her before looking up to see the speaker.
"Akame!" Noelle yelped as she saw her squadmate there. "What on earth are you doing here? You seemed to be against the whole mixer thing."
This whole evening had been a series of shocks and surprises that had played with Noelle's poor heart for various reasons but this one really took the cake as it was beyond anything she'd expected. Even after she'd followed the boys to this mixer to totally not spy on Asta's social life she'd not expected to see Akame of all people here. Why she was here was beyond Noelle but that was driven from her mind as she blinked and stared at what Akame was doing.
Her friend and superior was in midair a few feet behind her and above her head as she crouched on a long blade that was hovering in the air the way some crouched on brooms with her arms resting on her thighs. Really the startling thing was that Akame was using a clearly sharp, double ended, blade rather than a broom but Noelle did remember Akame saying she preferred to use her magic than a broom but it was still a startling thing to see.
To add to it all Akame was wearing the same hooded black coat she'd worn on the mission Noelle had gone on with her with the hood raised to partially hide her face though Noelle could see the small smile on Akame's lips. Overall it was a rather unnerving thing to see and as Noelle knew what Akame was capable of it made it more even if Noelle knew that Akame was looking out for her and had her back.
"Tatsumi and I decided to come for the show that we knew the guys would put on." Akame said as Asta left from the other end of the alleyway. "I just didn't want him to be part of it without me given the nature of a mixer."
"Oh um I see." Noelle said trying to understand Akame's reasoning but failing. "So you came to watch our male squadmates fail then?"
"Well seems like Asta's gotten that girl he was paired with to fall for him, her ki's similar to yours and that Golden Dawn girl's around him now." Akame said causing Noelle to stammer and blush. "But yes we came for the show and they didn't disappoint though almost all the destruction will be caused by Tatsumi cleaning up the mess rather than the others but I personally blame that drunk asshole for it."
"I don't like Asta that way." Noelle said defensively as she found her voice again. "But I agree that that drunk man is to blame for all this. Well him and the ha-ha guy."
"Sure, and you're dressed as a tavern wench because?" Akame asked causing Noelle to splutter and not bothering to ask who the ha-ha guy was. "Never mind, you're really like Mine only for Asta and not Tatsumi and this isn't my business though I am here if you wish to discuss it, I may not be great at this kinda stuff but I do have a boyfriend so I do know love. That said, I didn't expect you to show as well, you just added to it and confirmed what I suspected about your feelings."
"Er, ok, moving on." Noelle said deciding that it was best to move things along as she was nowhere near ready to discuss that kinda stuff with Akame, mainly because as far as Noelle was concerned it wasn't true and she'd keep telling herself that no matter what. "Why'd you follow me and Asta out?"
"For the fun of the rest of the show, clearly you were here to watch Asta so following you made sense while Tatsumi sorted things out in the tavern." Akame said which didn't help Noelle move this along. "And it didn't disappoint seeing as Asta's managed to set you off and annoy both you and that girl with his stupidity. It really is rather impressive how dense he is."
"Yeah I should have expected him to never understand the mixer's real purpose, his density can be useful at times even if he doesn't notice me like…wait no, I didn't mean that, not in that way of course." Noelle said as she realized what she was saying and began to stumble over her words before she took a deep breath and calmed herself. "Anyway, shouldn't Tatsumi be here by now? If he was cleaning up the mess it should be done by now."
"I have a feeling that he had to flee in a different direction." Akame said looking over to the bar which seemed to have calmed down but a there was someone looking after whoever Tatsumi had put through a wall and blasted out into the square thing in front of the bar. "I think there was some hot head who Asta threw the drunk into that caused a brawl which Tatsumi no doubt ended though he has broken a wall. Looks like it's done but we should head back. You don't want to have to explain why you're away now do you?"
"Huh, oh, yeah good point." Noelle said looking at her outfit. "But, um, I should change first. Can you help there and then get me back without anyone else noticing? I'd, um, rather not have to explain this to anyone, especially not Asta."
"Yeah Tatsumi will create a shield for you to ride on once you're changed." Akame said. "He'll use his magic to make it fly with him. My blade is a little too sharp for you to join me on it and even if I blunted it, it would still be uncomfortable to sit on."
"Er ok." Noelle said deciding that it was for the best to just go with this as it was the fastest way to get back without Asta, Finral, or Luck finding out that she was here. "Let's get moving, my clothes are in the back of the tavern so we need to get them back from there."
Akame just nodded as she dismissed her blade and fell down to land on the ground with ease. Her stealth skills would be perfect for it as she let Noelle lead her to the back of the tavern while avoiding the front of it to get her clothes and then head to meet up with Tatsumi at the predetermined rendezvous point. As they left to finish this evening up without Noelle getting noticed for her sneaking out and spying they missed what was going on in the square outside the tavern.
"So? Do you feel stupid for trying to intervein when he had Incursio on or not?" Najenda asked as she crouched over a moaning Lubbock who was on his back, a hole in his shape in the wall above them from where Tatsumi had batted him through it during the brawl, and unable to get up for the moment though thanks to his wires he was at least still conscious despite all he'd been through. "You were never a front line fighter like Tatsumi could be to begin with. Why did you try to intervein?"
"Sekke is in our Squad and my direct responsibility." Lubbock moaned as he moved his head a little to look up and into Najenda's beautiful eyes. "So I had to make sure he was ok and stop Tatsumi from punching him out as that might kill him and would look really bad though I should have expected he'd know how to hold back from that. Regardless, I wasn't expecting him to keep it on after he got rid of Sekke's bronze cannonball. Plus I couldn't use my magic on him to kept our cover."
"We were there to make sure Sekke didn't embarrass the Squad, which admittedly we failed at but it was Sekke so hard not to fail there, not to spy on Akame and Tatsumi." Najenda reminded him. "The Black Bulls having a mixer and them spying on their own Squad as well was not part of the plan. You almost revealed yourself before we've managed to assess the others and decide when is best to restore their memories, the ones who are still blocked at least. Thankfully, fate was on our side this time as we were in disguise and Tatsumi was focused on Sekke so just tossed you away, twice."
"True and we really failed because Sekke did make a fool of himself with all those lies." Lubbock said. "And then getting hit by water, a drunk fat man, and Tatsumi punching him in the face to knock him out after destroying his cannonball thing with Incursio's spear really doesn't look good."
"Plus Tatsumi wasn't wearing his Black Bull robe." Najenda pointed out. "And the other Black Bulls fled. The only Magic Knight up there right now is Sekke so we're going to be in trouble with Captain Jack. Tatsumi did say he was one but with no robe and insignia they won't know the Squad so we're the ones stuck with the fall out."
"Great he'll slice us for sure." Lubbock said with a sigh. "Well, call En will you and tell him that me and Sekke need a healer to come out here and sort us out and that there's been a slight incident. May as well get this over with and as the Black Bulls caused it Jack will at least use it to fuel his rivalry with Yami."
"Don't you want to use my lap as a pillow." Najenda asked with a tease in her voice as she patted her thighs. "It's a good time."
"I'd love to but you're the only one of us who can move right now so you need to coordinate this first." Lubbock said. "You were the boss back in the day so show it and then I can use your lap as a pillow."
"And now I'm the youngest, an innocent 15 year old recruit who has to follow her superior as he shows her the ropes, or in his case wires, and teaches me how to be a Magic Knight." Najenda said with a smile. "So I'm not the boss anymore."
"You're annoying when you're going through your teen years, you know that right?" Lubbock asked.
"You still love me." Najenda said which Lubbock just grumbled at and she gave him a warm smile, the feelings were mutual but she was still too young in this world's standards so they had to wait before they could try anything. "Alright, I'll get to it. Who in the Squad has healing magic again?"
Lubbock groaned as he thought about that while Najenda got out her communicator and called En back at the hideout about what had happened. The day had devolved spectacularly due to the Black Bulls but it had been interesting despite how it ended. Little did anyone present know what the results of this mixer would yield and the events that were soon to befall the village of Nean.
Ah the mixer episode, one of my personal favorites (as is the non-canon one during the filler stuff and that one starts with Rebecca already crushing on Asta so it's better in my book and won't be forgotten in this story) and a good, fun episode to have a good fun chapter based off it before the next bit of action. Everything is now set up nicely for that arc and I for one can't wait for it as it's going to be interesting for sure with the changes this crossover has in store for it. Also, as y'all saw, Lubbock and Najenda were present because of Sekke and I'm thinking of making this a running gag until the grand reunion, whenever that might be, as constantly being around to deal with Sekke's shenanigans while trying to avoid being seen to give them some more page time and added comedy value. Also, in a slightly irrelevant but amusing note for y'all as I rewatched both mixer episodes both to prepare this chapter and because I just enjoy the second one a lot, I noticed that in the second one, two of the girls with Sekke and his boys are Erika and Helene from the canon mixer episode, just thought it was amusing to mention. Anyway, that is all that I have for y'all so I will leave this chapter off here. If you like my story then please follow, favorite, review, PM, etc. it is all appreciated and helps me get better and stay motivated to keep producing more content and any questions asked I will do my best to answer both privately and at the start of the next chapter. Until next time.
Stringdog