Shogunate Pride

by Bluestar076

In the region of Caelum, miles away from the guild of Fairy Tail, there's a special guild made of samurais that is always ready to dive into new adventures to save their region from supernatural threats by clashing their weapons. This is their story, as a girl that controls both light and darkness joins them (SYOC Closed.)

19. Waltz of the Moon

Shogunate Pride Chapter 17: Waltz of the Moon

By Bluestar076

Hello everyone! Bluestar here with a new chapter! And after the small interlude as a break, we can finally start the new arc! It's still incredible for me that we were able to finish one that had a certain length and now we can start a new phase! And naturally, with this one, the arcs will start to get complex. There will still be individual battles naturally, but I'll start to add elements to the plot that can give the vibes for an authentic adventure. The Chimera Tribe Arc was more of a Street Fighter-like arc mostly made to show off the magic of all the members. With this one, the story will become more structured with more elements. To the point that I've started to write down how the arc will proceed and the villains in a notebook! But with this said, we can start the chapter! I hope you enjoy it as we head on to a new adventure and a new battle!

Note: I do not own Fairy Tail. All rights and characters belong to Hiro Mashima, A-1 Pictures, and CloverWorks.

---

Chapter 17: Waltz of the Moon

Caelum – Unknown Location

It was a deep night, in a tall palace isolated in the mountains, where no one could ever find it. All the windows were shut, and most of the lights inside of it were turned off. Some regular people would have found it strange and a bit scary but to the inhabitants of that palace…it was the most normal thing of all.

They were people who used to live and become one of the dark. Just like the animal they represent. One of them knew it well in particular.

On the tallest of the floors and the farthest of the rooms…a man whose body was completely covered in a black coat and a black hat was adding strange liquids and unique and rare spices to a cauldron, which had a liquid that started to assume a redder color as the ingredients were added. Adding to that, the figure was using his magic to influence the inside of the cauldron. As he raised his arms…he looked up, almost lost in his thoughts.

"Death…the third and final part of the circle of life. The last stage that every single living being must pass through to cross to the other side. Everyone…with no exception…pass through it. And no one has ever come back to tell what's inside of it. Do Heaven and Hell exist? Do we find ourselves in an endless limbo? Or do we end up diving in the Sanzu River? What about the Suarga and the Naraka? Maybe we reach enlightenment and end up in Nirvana…or perhaps we end up reincarnating in another being and start all over again. Whatever there is beyond that door…the only way to find out…is beyond death. And everyone, with no exception… seems to accept it. Sure… some are terrified and do anything to hold on to their lives. But everyone knows that in one way or another…death knocks at everyone's door." He started to speak with an old and croaking voice, as he continued with his recipe.

As he did so…a strange smoke started to come out from the cauldron and went right inside his veins. A few moments later…his old, rotten, and almost decrepit hands started to feel the flow of life again, giving the figure…a younger age again. He took a deep breath and then felt better. For many years…this had become his medicine. His way of breathing.

"But…is it so?" He then wondered to himself, now with a younger and soothing voice. "Do we have to abandon ourselves to this law of accepting our end? Is it really that unchangeable? I find it a shame. There are so many talented living beings in this world…and the sole idea that one day they'll have to disappear due to 'old age'… saddens me. Especially when it's regarding someone like myself. Something like that…is not something I can accept that easily. I've tried to express myself…but they said I was a fool. Well…not for long."

After saying that, he moved to look at an old painting depicting…what seemed to be a creature that was similar to a giant scolopendrid centipede. "In ancient times…there was a being that could overwhelm this law of death…and it left us its bequest. It won't be too long. I'll soon achieve this secret…and I won't be forced to use these old spells anymore. I'll finally have what humanity has longed for ever since its creation…and then…" He turned around and looked at a map of all of Earth Land. He then took out a sword and put the tip on an ember to make it hot. He then touched the map with the tip…to make the map burn—a metaphor…of what he wanted.

"Nothing will be able to stop us. Earth Land will be mine. The wings…are already flapping." As soon as he finished saying that.

VROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW!

Flashes of Lightning were roaring out, and crows were already signing out loud, leaving nothing but black feathers behind.

The birds…were going to start their banquet.

---

The next day…

Caelum – City of Elba – Guild of Shogunate Pride

Despite the dark clouds and the thunders of the previous night, the sun was shining brightly in the first hours of the morning. To the point that Tsukuyomi could wake up properly. As soon as she stood up, she stretched herself and looked out the window, noticing the sun among the mountains.

"Oh! There's the sun today! After what happened yesterday, I feared I would have seen a storm…oh well! Time for another day of work!" She commented. With that in mind, she left her bed and her room and went for a quick shower.

After preparing herself with the kimono and her sword, she went down to the ground floor to take her breakfast and wait for the others. But just as she was about to reach the bar, she noticed a particular scene. "Uh?"

Yukari and her three daughters seemed to talk with a girl Tsukuyomi had never seen before. She had long ping hair collected in two medium twin tails and yellow eyes. She had a mole on her right cheek and she was wearing what seemed to be green samurai armor. "That armor…is she another samurai? But…she doesn't seem someone of the guild and…" She then looked up at Yukari, who seemed to have a sad expression on her face.

"I'm so sad to hear that. I don't know what to say…" Yukari spoke.

This made Tsukuyomi widen her eyes. "Wait…is that person threatening Yukari!? If that's so, there's only one thing to do!" She thought. Needless to say, without thinking twice, she ran towards the girl and threw herself at her. "HAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

"What the-?" Makoto heard someone shouting and when she turned around, she could see someone going against her for some reason. "EH!?"

"TSUKUYOMI WAIT!" Yukari tried to warn her, but it was already too late. The girl jumped on the other samurai, making her fall.

"AGH! H-Hey, what's wrong with you!? Ngh!" Makoto tried to protest, but Tsukuyomi was already holding her tightly.

"Don't think you can act all ignorant! I know what you were trying to do! It won't happe-" Tsukuyomi was about to protest…but right at that moment…she gave a more careful look at the other girl. "U-Uh?"

Right at that moment both Fern and Rere came out and went to the ground floor. "Man! What's with all this noise?" The girl asked.

"Don't you know what time is it-?" Fern added. But they soon stopped themselves as soon as they saw Tsukuyomi over Makoto, recognizing the latter. At first, there were only a few moments of silence, but then…

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Both Devil Slayers shouted out loud at that sight.

"TSUKUYOMI WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? WHY ARE YOU OVER HER!?" Fern shouted.

"AND I DIDN'T KNOW YOU HAD SUCH TASTES!" Rere added.

"NO WAIT-! THAT'S NOT WHAT IT SEEMS-" Tsukuyomi tried to explain herself, but right at that moment, Makoto was able to grab her neck with her legs. "Eh-?"

In a second, the situation was reversed, with Makoto holding Tsukuyomi tightly from the arm. "What were you trying to do, assaulting a member of the Shinsengumi? You know you can be severely punished for this, right?" She asked.

"A-AGH! W-What do you mean-!?" Tsukuyomi asked as she tried to struggle.

Yukari started to panic. "M-Miss Makoto please wait!" Even Fern and Rere were of the same reaction.

Soon enough, the other members started to arrive, after all the shouts, and they were soon surprised to see the scene.

"What the-!?" Hoshiko exclaimed.

"One of the Shinsengumi?" Iori added.

"Does this mean that Tsukuyomi is in trouble!?" Tammy exclaimed.

Needless to say, seeing the situation, Dohko jumped right down in front of Makoto and kneeled to her.

"What? The Master kneeled?" Tsukuyomi thought, confused.

"Dohko, you know who this girl is?" Makoto asked her.

"I apologize for her, Makoto. This girl here is Tsukuyomi, the newest addition to the guild, and I'm sure she didn't intend any mean purpose." Dohko explained.

"S-She was threatening Makoto! I saw her with a sad face!" Tsukuyomi answered.

A few seconds of silence followed as the others observed.

Makoto looked at the girl with a confused expression. "…Threatening?"

"What-?" Tsukuyomi asked.

Understanding what she was thinking, Yukari made a breath of relief and even a small laugh. "Oh, dear! D-Don't worry, Tsuki! Makoto here was just telling me what recently happening in the region! I was feeling sad about the tragic death of a kid! I can assure you she means no harm!"

"…Really?" Tsukuyomi looked at the girl with extreme embarrassment and then put her head on the ground. "OH GOD! I'M TERRIBLY SORRY! I-I misunderstood the situation! I'm sorry if I ended up offending you!"

Makoto's stare didn't change, but she could understand the situation and let her go. "You're forgiven. But try to think twice next time." She spoke.

Tsukuyomi held her arm a bit due to the pain and then returned to the others. "Man…her grip was strong…"

"It seems that you ended up in a classic misunderstanding scene!" Nobuhito told her. "But I didn't expect you would have it with one of the Shinsengumi!"

"Yeah…you really don't want to mess up with them that much," Cal added.

"What…is this 'Shinsengumi', anyway?" Tsukuyomi then asked.

After hearing that question, Hoshiko turned around. "Oh, right! You're not from Caelum, so you really don't know much about this place yet! You see…" She turned around at Makoto to explain to the girl. "The Shinsengumi is a restricted organization made out of seven powerful mages. They are the elite warriors of the shogunate at the service of the empire. The one we are looking at right now is Makoto Heisei, the vice-captain."

"Vice-captain?" Tsukuyomi asked.

"Yup! The captain is none other than the shogun himself! Even among the generals of the army, they're the closest people to the shogun and they receive orders directly from him!" Hoshiko continued. "We had the chance to make some mission together, as our guild is an independent organization at the service of the empire…and I gotta say…these are some of the flashiest mages I had ever seen."

Tsukuyomi was surprised to hear that, as she looked at Makoto. Indeed, it was surprising to see someone important like her for the first time. But…it wasn't that knowledge that made the girl stumble upon Makoto for a few seconds. She started to stare at her deeply.

"And if she's here, this means that there must be some big news…get ready, Tsukuyomi," Rere warned her…before noticing that her friend seemed lost. "Uhm…Tsukuyomi?"

The black-haired girl in the kimono couldn't afford it but kept on looking for the lady from the Shinsengumi. It wasn't pressure or a surprise. Rather…something that came at first sight…when she grabbed her. The same thing that made her stop.

(Can you feel the love tonight? The peace the evening brings…the world for once, in perfect harmony…with all its living beings…)

Tsukuyomi started to blush as she continued to look at her. "Why am I feeling…this way…?" She thought. But she couldn't help it. She could imagine glitters and roses around Makoto…and then…Rere patted her on the back. "AH!"

"Are you all right? You looked off for a moment." Rere asked her.

Even Tsukuyomi looked confused for a moment but composed herself quickly. "Uhm…yes. Don't worry!"

After seeing that the situation calmed down, Dohko turned around at the vice-captain of the Shinsengumi. "Speaking of which…what brings you here, Makoto? I'm sure Akechi didn't make you walk that staircase that easily." He asked.

Makoto looked at him a bit skeptical. "I-It's surprising how you talk about the shogun that easily…" She commented before clearing her throat. "But, yes. There is. Something that could need your assistance."

Naturally, in an instant, she had all the attention gathered around her.

"My, my…it seems that we're touching a delicate topic here," Ren commented.

"In case, I'm ready," Cal added.

"Patience, Cal. Let's hear what it is, first." Yori told him.

"Indeed. But how about we lower the tension and discuss it over a nice meal? We still need to make breakfast, after all." The Guild Master then proposed.

That sentence made Makoto blush a bit. "W-What? Oh, if that's the case, I apologize for having disturbed you, I'll wait outside so that you can-" She was about to give her apologies, but Iku grabbed her from behind while holding a bottle of sake already. "AH!"

"Come oooon! You can join us! One drink and a good meal won't hurt ya!" Iku insisted.

"I-I forget that Shogunate Pride is a lively place…" Makoto commented before noticing something. "WAIT A SECOND, ARE YOU DRINKING ALREADY!? IT'S 8:00 A.M!"

"Not only she's collected and strong…she also seems composed…" Tsukuyomi thought, feeling strangely happy. "Wait, what am I thinking-?"

With that said, it took a couple of minutes for all of them to sit at one of the tables with tons of dishes served by Yukari. The woman could also take a breath and eat alongside the others.

"Thanks for the meal." Everyone said in unison before starting to eat out.

"Aaah…as always, this is the best!" Henry commented out. "Thanks, Yukari! You do know how to make the best crab!"

"After knowing you for all these years, it only comes naturally," Yukari replied with a wink.

"You can even say months…this omelet is delicious…" Tsukuyomi added. "Let's try not to take Iku's glass this time…" She thought, on the other hand.

"What about you, Makoto? Do you find this food of yours appealing?" Yukari then asked the soldier, who was a bit embarrassed, but still, ate with pleasure.

"This food is perfectly cooked…I thank you, Yukari-san. I didn't expect this kindness…" Makoto commented.

"Oh, no need to be that formal. Just Yukari will be fine." The older woman insisted.

"Mom's cooking is the best! We tell her to participate in cooking contests!" Madoka pointed out.

"I agree with that! You should try it, Yukari! Especially considering that the highest prize is usually- AGH!" Ren was about to say his opinion but Yori put him down with a karate chop.

"Compose yourself." He simply spoke.

"Man, you do this even with Yukari!?" Rere added.

In all of this, Makoto looked a bit confused but accepted what was going on anyway. Well…for the most part.

It was then that Rokumon took the chance to talk it out with the girl from the Shinsengumi. "Well…I guess this is the perfect opportunity to tell us what's this about." He asked.

Soon, all eyes were on the girl, filled with curiosity.

"Yeah, I'm curious as well! Considering it's coming from someone like you, it must be something quite big." Nobuhito said.

"I hope you're not feeling under pressure, darling," Dohko added.

"No, do not worry, Dohko. It's not the first time I've talked to a large public or this guild. Very well…" Makoto replied before explaining this situation.

"It seems that someone else is attempting to take down the empire bit by bit. Some of the mayors and ministers related to the empire who were scattered in various towns were found dead."

Soon, the mood of the guild changed. From carefree and chill, they all turned out serious and a bit shocked.

"What-?" Tammy asked. "Are they dumb?"

"Wait," Revany told her before turning on Makoto. "What do you mean by that?" She then asked.

"We all know how the empire is defended beyond regular between us and the shogunate in general," Cal added. "Are we perhaps talking about another region or some sort of army who are trying to cause this?"

Makoto shook her head. "No. If that was the case, we would have received an open declaration of war by now. I think we are talking about…something smaller. Yet efficient, since they were able to take down some people related to us."

"How about you talk about these… 'episodes'?" Yori asked.

"Sure. We were actually able to find out about it just yesterday when we received an alert notification that Mr. Takiji Furoido was found dead in his residence. After a closer observation, we could tell that he was murdered." Makoto explained. With that, the pressure could only rise.

"Takiji Furoido?" Tsukuyomi asked.

"Yes. I've met him once. It was a tax minister residing in the city of Toketsu. A picky person, but a resolved one that knew how to do his job…" Henry replied for her. "But…I'm sure he must have had someone to defend him! He couldn't have just been murdered like that!" He spoke.

"Yet…this is how it happened. The guards who stood at his residence told us that they didn't know what happened. They could notice only when one of them was about to tell him about dinner. And then…when he opened the door…" Makoto answered.

"They…found him dead." Rere completed the phrase, making Tsukuyomi gulp.

After hearing that, Hoshiko started to think a bit. "No one could notice…and it was probably immediate…could it be…?"

"Speaking of which…how did the minister die? Do we have some sort of sign that could leave us some sort of clue on this enemy?" Fern asked.

"His back had a long cut that suggests the use of some weapon like a knife or a sword. If it was a sword, we think it wasn't something like a katana." Makoto replied.

"And I suppose we are going to look over other ministers or people related to the empire to save them from these assaulters, right? It…will probably take a while though." Dohko then said.

"Indeed. But we don't want to jump straight to preventative actions. We first need to take a first look at these enemies. And we'll need your cooperation to do that." Makoto then spoke.

All the members of the guild looked around and nodded.

"Well, you know we don't have many other answers. Just tell us what to do." Dohko told them.

"Still, how are we going to help out so many people? We all know how big the empire is with all its subordinates." Iku then asked.

Makoto made a small bow. "I thank you for your cooperation once again. And we already thought of it. While we did discover late that other people were killed outside of Kuroido, we also found out that they weren't all killed simultaneously. It seems that they want to go piece after piece."

"How so? Considering that they are efficient, they should be able to take down more of them at the same time." Tsukuyomi asked.

"They surely don't want to be seen. They seem like some sort of hitmen. And it's probably someone that doesn't want to get exposed too much." Hoshiko answered, giving a plausible answer. And her thoughts didn't get away. "Still…this sounds way too familiar…"

"And how are you planning to find out more about them?" Ren asked.

"Here in this town, there is an imperial judge whom we advised about the situation. This enemy is probably targeting him as well. And luckily enough, he was about to throw a party for his birthday this evening. Considering his relations with the empire, there's no doubt that they're looking at him as well. And to prevent it, we made sure to make the news of the birthday public, so that we could increase the possibilities that they could show up." Makoto explained.

"And he was fine with that...?" Nobuhito thought.

"So…you're saying that we should also get inside the party and see if those mercenaries show up?" Tsukuyomi then asked.

Makoto was genuinely surprised by this answer. "Yes! How did you figure it out?" She then asked.

"Well…I ended up in a similar situation a while ago…" The other girl replied, remembering her small adventure about Kabuto.

"I see. But yes, the idea was this. We'll also send some reinforcements to help you out. But you could get in there to help the judge. I'm sure that they would have more trouble if some mages came out. Or at least…this is what the shogun suggested." Makoto continued.

Hearing that made Dohko grow a little grin. "I see that Akechi doesn't miss a thing! Immediate as usual. No wonder he was chosen. Well, Makoto, consider us cooperating as usual!" He said.

As a sign of gratitude, the girl from the Shinsengumi made a small bow. "I thank you all."

"No need to worry! It's our duty after all!" Nobuhito told her.

"And an intruder in a ball…what a classic! And considering that there's a lot of people in there…I could find someone to play poker with- GAH!" Ren then commented before getting chopped down by Yori again.

"…I think that he shouldn't participate." The older samurai commented.

"Maybe it's better if we don't go all in there. Who knows what could happen…" Fern added.

"Hmm…true enough. We may not need it for now. I'll see who's better to do it then…" Dohko answered. And as always, one was already jumping high.

"Uh! Me! Me! Me! Pick me! Pick me!" Tammy proposed herself, as she jumped up.

"…Maybe we should get someone else. She's too noisy." Revany commented. But Dohko didn't seem of the same opinion.

"You know, Revany…she could actually serve."

"That's true. If they really behave like hitmen, they'll probably hide somewhere to kill the judge, and Tammy can use her magic to have a complete view of the zone. Plus, she could take them easily with the bow." Iori pointed out.

Revany wasn't really someone who found Tammy appealing, but at that moment, she could see that they were right. "True enough…"

"Speaking of sneaky, I want to come as well! As a ninja, I could outsmart them easily and in a flashy way! Also because I want to be certain of a thing…" Hoshiko then said, proposing herself as well.

"Hmm…both of you could be an interesting combination…" Dohko commented before looking at everyone and closing his eyes, starting to think.

All the other members looked at him carefully, while Makoto was mostly confused. "…Uhm…what is he doing exactly?" She asked.

"He's deciding. He does this every time." Homura assured her.

"Oh…"

Dohko remained in that position for a couple of minutes, to the point that it was hard to consider the situation either full of tension or…awkward. Maybe a hay bale would have jumped in.

And in the end, Dohko opened his eyes. "Ok! I've decided!" He exclaimed with a happy face as if nothing happened.

"Uh…" Makoto was still a bit confused about it.

"I still have so many questions about Master Dohko…" Tsukuyomi thought.

"For this mission, we'll use six mages in total. They can be enough to deal with them, adding up to the reinforcements by the shogunate." Dohko then declared. "Just like they proposed to, we'll send Hoshiko and Tammy due to their skills and magics."

Both girls nodded.

"Then, Henry will go. It could help with catching them thanks to his skills." The Master continued.

"Oh, what a surprise! Well, as always, I'll do my best to catch them immediately! Hoping to not trip on the lasso myself…" Henry commented.

"Tsukuyomi will also go. Considering that she already had an experience with a party, she could help!" Dohko continued.

"Eh eh, well, it's not assured that it will be the same thing again, but I'll do my best as well!" Tsukuyomi replied.

Dohko then looked at Cal. "You'll assist them as well, Cal. Your sword technique could help prevent them from escaping."

Cal nodded. "I'll do my best."

"And then…" Dohko looked at the group as a whole to say the last one.

"Gotta say, the Master took up a solid team! I don't see what could go wro-" Rere thought positively but then…

"Rere! You'll go as well! Speed is always a good factor." The Master told her.

The girl didn't say anything at first but then… "WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!? MASTER, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A SERIOUS TOPIC INVOLVING THE SHOGUNATE! YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS! PICK UP REN! HE'S THE FAST ONE!" She then shouted.

Ren looked at her a bit skeptical. "Don't know you guys, but I feel targeted now."

"Why wouldn't it be a bad idea? We saw your recent results!" Dohko said back.

"THAT'S NOT-" Rere was about to protest, but after a second thought, she remembered that ever since that mission on Michaerya, she had become more willing to do her job properly and her mission rate increased. Unfortunately, she couldn't really confirm that. "Dammit…"

As always, Tsukuyomi and Cal came closer to her with the former giving her a pat on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Rere! It's all the same stuff! And we're together once again! It's starting to become quite common, eh?"

"I never expected to say this, considering that these are my first times with a group but…we work pretty good," Cal added.

"I don't know, while it is true that I've improved, there's still a part that's not convinced," Rere commented.

"Then, I'll make sure to erase that last track of doubt! After all, we're not even alone this time!" The black-haired girl pointed out.

"Oh, that's for sure! We're pretty much on the same boat this time!" Henry commented.

"And here I thought I was too out of place for balls. But I guess I can show off my…flashiness, this time." Hoshiko said, making a grin with shining stars around her while striking a pose.

"Hey, count me in as well! I can be flashy as well!" Tammy added.

"…Thanks guys…" Rere couldn't help but tear up a bit after hearing that. In a way, she thought that she still didn't deserve it, and as usual, Tsukuyomi started to pat her out of comfort.

"Well, it seems that you have everything organized already. If there's one thing that isn't missing in this guild is surely cooperation. Then I suppose I'll warn the shogun and the judge about it." Makoto said, satisfied with what she saw. She was about to leave, but Tsukuyomi stopped her for a moment.

"Wait…what will you do about it Makoto? Will you join us in the scene?" She asked.

Makoto turned around and properly answered. "If the shogun agrees on that, then probably yes. After all, we were the ones who first found out about all of this and as such, we need to carry on the quest. It's our duty as the Shinsengumi. So you could say you can count on our assistance…uhm…" She stumbled a bit. "What was your name again?"

Tsukuyomi blushed a little. "Oh! Uhm, Tsukuyomi. Tsukuyomi Drangeel. As Dohko said, I'm the latest addition to the guild. And…" She then made a little bow. "I would like to apologize again for what I've done earlier…"

Makoto came closer and assured her with a small smile. "No need to worry, as long as you don't do it again with someone like us. And I gotta say…I loved your reflexes as soon as you saw me. Plus, your tightness was strong enough to stun me for a few moments. I can see how you were able to get in here."

Naturally, Tsukuyomi's embarrassment couldn't help but increase, even if positively. "Now, now, I'm not really that special…well, kinda! But still! You were pretty tough too! For a moment, I thought you were gonna break my arm…"

"Is that so? And to think that I used as little strength as possible…It was like holding a bottle for me…" Makoto commented.

Naturally, that phrase stunned the other girl a bit. "I-Is she that strong!?"

"But, leaving this aside, I give my trust to you mages once again. And If I end up in that house tonight…I'm looking forward to seeing what you're made of. Not gonna lie…I'm quite curious." Makoto then said with still her smile. She then looked at the rest of the guild and made a small bow. "I take my leave now. 'Till next time." And with those words, she left.

Tsukuyomi could see as she moved away…with a strange smile. "Makoto Heisei, uh? I never expected the shogunate to have…people as interesting as her…" She thought, before shaking her head. "Wait, what am I thinking!?" She could then notice that Cal and Rere were looking at her quite suspiciously. "H-Hey! What's with the stares!? I'm normal, I can assure you that!"

Even Hoshiko and Henry were looking at the scene, with a bit of amusement. "Eh eh. That girl has the best reactions." The ninja girl commented.

"Indeed! I can see how she quickly became friends with them." Henry added before turning at her. "Speaking of which, I couldn't help but notice that you seem a bit…thoughtful. Is there something wrong?" He then asked.

"No, don't worry! Thanks for asking. It's just that…after hearing what Makoto had said…I couldn't help but find something familiar about that. But I think we'll find out when we'll get in there. I still need to see it with my own eyes." The girl answered.

"I see…so you think it may be someone as sneaky as you? Well, in this case, we are assured of how to proceed, considering we have someone like you!" The other mage told her.

Hoshiko didn't expect the compliment and looked elsewhere with a dizzy smile. "O-Oh, don't even mention it! It's not my fault if I'm that flashy!" She commented. Right at that point, Tammy jumped in between the two of them, scaring them.

"AH!"

"Hey! Don't forget that you also have me! I finally have my chance to shine!" Tammy commented.

"…Didn't you prove yourself other times?" Henry fairly asked.

"Every time is a good moment to shine, don't forget that!" The girl answered.

"That's also true, I approve of it! OK, it's best if we prepare for the rest of the day! We need to make this night as clean as possible!" Hoshiko then said.

"Got it!" Everyone else involved in the mission answered. With that, they started to scatter to different rooms, but all of them with the intent to be as ready as possible for that mission. Even if it would have ended up being only one enemy, considering that they were aiming at someone with a certain charge, this could have meant only a more serious business.

The first six members of the guild were looking as the group scattered.

"Hmmm…considering the members the Master picked up, we have a high chance that everything goes fine. But I think it's also going to get chaotic…" Fern commented while Iku finished her glass.

Somehow, even If she was drunk, she was able to assume a serious expression. "I'm more concerned about them than how this will wrap up."

"What do you mean?" Fern asked.

The older mage's eyes tapered. "I don't know. It's just a feeling…but I may agree with what Hoshiko is saying…"

Dohko couldn't help but look at them as well with a bit of worry. Even Yukari looked at them. "It seems that I wasn't the only one who had this thought…AH DAMMIT! THIS MAKES ME WANT TO GO AS WELL! But I've already made the team…BUT I WANT TO GO!" He then started to complain weirdly.

Hearing him like that, the other older members looked at him with a skeptical face. Even his wife had the same reaction.

"Does he know that he can change ideas?" Fern pointed out.

"Dad is strange sometimes…" Homura commented, with the other two nodding.

In the meantime, Hoshiko was already preparing everything she needed between small weapons and other stuff, with her four cats helping her.

"Is it true what you said back to Henry, my lady? You may have an idea of who it may be?" Yukiko asked while lending her some weapons.

"Who is it? Tell me and I'll smack their face! I can't wait to go right in action!" Akane exclaimed.

"NO! LET ME DO IT! HOW DARE THEY TO TAKE ON THE EMPIRE!?" Sakura insisted.

"Jee, calm down both of you-" Aki told both of them.

"Nothing is confirmed yet! For now, they're speculations. But when that moment comes, I want all four of you to be ready. Can I count on you?" Hoshiko asked.

"YES, MY LADY!" All four of them answered in unison, making their owner make a large smirk.

"That's what I wanted to hear! Let's make this night a flashy one!" She replied. Even though…a bit of concern was still in her mind.

"…Could it really be that these guys are…?"

---

A few hours later…

City of Elba – Residence of Sen Hachiman

As the sun started to go down, the six mages chosen to defend the judge reached out to its residence in the city, guided by Makoto.

When Tsukuyomi raised her head, she could see the magnificence of the palace. "Woaaah…"

It was a castle with a gothic appearance with the walls colored in a dark grey color and a dark green roof. The windows were slim and almost looked like stained glasses and several pointed towers gave the overall residence the familiar look of a castle. Even though it was quite different from the rest of the city's structures and probably the whole region, the girl thought that the residence was still gorgeous, and it reminded her of the Bluegrad one.

"Now I can see how he's going to handle a ball…this thing is huge!" Tsukuyomi commented.

"It was built around two hundred years ago. Back then, it was the residence of a noble family coming from Seven during the holidays. After the name of the family faded out, this residence became uninhabited and unused for a very long time. Then, around thirty years ago, Judge Sen Hachiman decided to use it as his inhabitation." Makoto then explained.

Rere stared at the palace for a bit before turning around while trembling. "H-How did it cost?" She asked.

Makoto looked at her with a bit of a confused expression. "How can I know? Probably near the millions…"

As an answer, Rere almost fainted out, with Cal taking her at the right time. "N-Now, Rere, it wasn't you who bought it…"

Henry, on the other hand, looked at the palace. "Considering that it's near to the town's palace of justice, this judge surely must hold his job dearly." He commented.

"You have no idea," Makoto told him. "But let's go inside. I'll present you to him." With those words, the vice-captain of the Shinsengumi started to move towards the entrance. The six members of Shogunate Pride followed her without problems.

As they kept on walking, Tammy looked at the palace with frowning eyes. Something that Tsukuyomi could notice. "Uhm…you…don't like this place?"

"What? Oh, no! I'm using my eye magic to see every single spot in the palace so that I can predict the place where the assaulters could appear!" Tammy explained. "I forgot that you still didn't have the chance to see my magic properly, but don't worry! You'll see what I'm capable of and make you, my kohai, proud!" She added as she put on a pose with a proud and smug expression on her face.

The other mage looked at her with a smile and a drop of sweat on her head. "Y-Yeah…I'm counting on it." She was happy to know that she could have relied on her but, as always Tammy seemed a bit…invasive.

"It's still a nice observation, though," Hoshiko commented. "With a place like this, there are thousands of parts where you could hide."

"Though considering that they'll probably try to attack during the party, the choices are halved. Everything will focus on the main hall and the least they could do before getting in could be to get rid of the guards…even though they didn't do it with the minister of Kotetsu." Cal added.

"Oh well! Nothing that can't be fixed properly! For now, the most troublesome thing would be that the assaulters could be mages like us, but for the rest, we still can do something!" Henry said. "Right guys?"

"Right…" Hoshiko nodded. While she smiled while doing so, she seemed a bit distracted as she kept on looking at the palace. The doubt still didn't want to leave.

After a few minutes of walking, the small group reached the entrance. Two imperial guards looked at them with their impassible expressions, but as soon as they saw Makoto, they started to pale a bit.

"Ah! V-Vice captain! W-What a surprise to see you!" One of them exclaimed.

"I've brought the mages from Shogunate Pride. We'd like to see the judge." Makoto told them.

The guard didn't need to hear her twice that they already let them pass.

"Man…they do seem to fear her…" Tsukuyomi commented.

"Oh, you have no idea what Makoto is capable of. I saw her in battle briefly and…she's quite smooth and lethal." Rere told her.

"Is that so? Well…no wonder how she's the vice-captain…I'm a bit afraid to know about the shogun, then…" The other girl said.

And with that, the two large doors of the palace opened, revealing a large salon with a large circular red carpet with white ornaments, a light brown floor, two stairs that led to a small terrace that connected the hall to the other rooms, and a large golden candelabrum with crystals as lights. In front of them, the group of samurais could see several domestics that were putting some white tables with already some dishes on them.

"Woaaah…" Tsukuyomi was in awe as she was witnessing this. The look of the mansion reminded her of the hall in the Bluegrad one, but it had a more gothic appearance, much like the external. The columns were more grey, grotesque, and rigid, with some statues representing saints on them.

Naturally enough, Rere was astonished by this. "Even in my most remote dreams, I could wish for something like this…" She commented. "And here I thought that the guild was already something!"

Hoshiko looked at the dishes in the meantime. "And I see that he's not limiting himself with the food either…" She commented before feeling the keys trembling. "Hey calm down! We can't eat this! Or at least…not yet…" she commented.

"I don't envy the cats, though! This looks pretty good! We're talking about a judge, after all…" Henry added.

It was at that moment that the small group could hear a few footsteps coming closer. "When you have a certain title, you can permit yourself these benefits. But you need to compensate it with a large effort…" A solemn voice spoke.

When they turned around, they could see a tall old man around his sixties with long white hair (even though the front was exposed) and almond-shaped black eyes. He was wearing black onmyouji garbs with large purple shrugs and two green pointed shoes.

"Considering that you're accompanied by Miss Makoto here, you must be the ones coming from Shogunate Pride." The man said.

As an answer, the six mages made a small bow.

"Yes, we are. And…you must be the judge owner of this residence?" Henry asked.

"Correct. It is I, Sen Hachiman, head judge of this town and a court judge for the empire when they need it. And as you heard, there's a miscreant who's aiming at my head." The judge presented himself formally, adding the last piece with a bit of a scowl.

Naturally, Tammy took the occasion to step forward and show herself. "No need to worry! I already had a clear mind on the place! I'll spot those miscreants in the blink of an eye!" She proclaimed. The other mages looked at her with a drop of sweat on their heads.

But unlike what they expected, the judge seemed pleased with that answer, as she looked at Tammy with a grin. "A young and committed woman…I like your tone, adding to that good body of yours." He said.

Naturally, all mages, including Tammy, felt extremely disgusted by that. "EW!" They all shouted in unison.

"…What?" The judge asked, confused.

Cal looked at Makoto for certainty. "What's with this guy!?" He asked with a low voice. Makoto couldn't help but facepalm for that.

"Forgive him. He has a…bit of a passion for women." The girl from the Shinsengumi said. Cal could only feel a bit disgusted by that.

Seeing how the scene was starting to get awkward, Hoshiko decided to pass on the next question, so that she could break the deadlock. "By the way…could you have any idea who are the guys that are targeting you?" She then asked.

"Considering that you're a judge, you surely must have angered a lot of people…maybe someone who didn't enjoy their sentence?" Henry tried to guess.

"Oh, stay assured that those who ended up in my hall didn't and still don't want to mess with me. I'm a judge of all respect. I'm afraid this is a situation…of an upper level. Someone who wants to aim high, especially if they were able to kill other people of a certain charge." Sen replied. "But I'm sure that you'll be able to find out what's this all about. I have many things I intend to make during these days."

"Leave it to us, your honor! We won't let them disturb you again with your trials!" Tsukuyomi replied.

"Who talked about trials? I'm talking about my time in my giant skating rink! I have a right to get some free time!" The judge specified.

Once again, the six mages were silent and confused. Judging by his look, this man was already in his sixties. So hearing him talk about something like skateboarding was a bit…bizarre.

"Get used to it. He's quite…extravagant." Makoto told them. "He sometimes ends up in his misadventures…"

Much like her colleague did first, Tsukuyomi wanted to ignore that and looked back at the judge. "So, how are we going to help, exactly? Do we have already a plan?" She asked.

"Why yes, young one. I'm sure you have been warned that I intend to have a party as soon as the sun goes down. The idea is plain and simple, you'll need to stay around while the party goes on." Sen started.

"Well, so far it's what we expected," Tammy commented.

"Not quite. If they notice you around, they might escape or hide. They need to feel like no one could ruin their moment to take my poor head. Therefore…you'll need to…act undercover." Sen told them.

"Undercover…?" Tsukuyomi asked.

"Yes. I'll give you some formal clothes and you'll hang around with the party while searching for the culprits. You'll pretend...to enjoy the ball. The imperial guards will do the same." The judge continued.

Upon hearing that, Makoto blushed a bit. "W-What? Me, too? With all due respect, your honor, I don't think it's necessary…"

"Every precaution is accepted, Makoto. Plus…I'd get the opportunity to see how these wonderful girls shine in such dresses…" Sen replied. And once again, the answer for that was…

"EW!"

"…What?"

Even Rere was a bit stunned upon hearing that. "Still…the idea that I'll put on a fancy dress makes me feel like…a ruffian…" She commented.

"Nah, it won't be that bad!" Tsukuyomi assured her. "I think you would look even cuter!"

Rere rolled her eyes at her. "You…think I'm cute?"

"Well, I don't think one of us has ever called you ugly." The black-haired girl replied with still a smile on her face, making the other girl blush a bit.

"W-Well…If you say so, I could try it…"

"Modestly, I think we would all look glamorous enough! Don't you agree Hoshiko?" Henry asked the other mage, before noticing something in her… "Uhm…Hoshiko?"

The ninja girl was turned around, giggling with a pleased tone. "Me, wearing a formal dress? With the others? Oh, this is the cutest thing that could ever happen!" She commented with red cheeks.

"Hoshiko?" Henry asked again.

"AH!" Hoshiko turned around, trying to assume her usual expression. "Y-Yes, I'm fine with that! I was just thinking of…how to use my tricks better, that's all!" She spoke.

It wasn't the first time that Hoshiko had those strange mood swings, but every time, Henry didn't know what to say about it, even though it was fine as long as there was nothing strange about that. "Oh, well! I you say so!"

Even Tammy had a similar reaction to Hoshiko. "Man…I wonder how many people I could attract…" She commented.

"So, I guess that we'll have to wait until the party starts up, right?" Cal asked.

"Yes. In the meantime, feel free to look at the mansion." Sen replied. "And…make sure to not break anything. I already do that…" With those words, the judge left, turning back on organizing everything necessary.

Once again, the six samurais and the vice-captain of the Shinsengumi looked at him with a skeptical face.

"…What a weird guy…" Tsukuyomi commented in a low voice.

"Agreed…" Makoto added before clearing her throat. "But you listened to him. It seems that we'll have to work together." She spoke.

"Feeling a bit nervous about it?" Tsukuyomi asked.

"Well, no…it's not the first time I do a mission with your guild. It's more like…" Makoto was a bit ashamed to say it. "I don't know how to feel in the presence of so many people, that's all. If anything it's a bit…embarrassing…"

"Keeping all cool but zero social skills? Yeah, I know how you feel. I have the same problem…" Cal told her.

"Make that three!" Rere added.

At that point, even Tsukuyomi joined in. "What do you say? Care for a socially awkward quartet?" She asked.

Makoto looked at them confused for a couple of seconds but then made a small fun. The thing that surprised Tsukuyomi the most was that it seemed genuine.

"You…really are funny people to hang out with, I can give you that. Well…not that I didn't know that already." Makoto commented.

"What can I say? I'm just being me. But, make sure that I'll try to give the same help as the others you know." Tsukuyomi then said.

"You can say the same," Makoto replied, making a small bow.

Tammy looked at the scene with shiny eyes. "My kohai making social steps…I'm so proud…"

Even Hoshiko looked at the scene a bit pleased before starting to move away from the group.

"Hm? Where are you going?" Henry asked.

"Oh, don't worry about me! I'm just going to get some fresh air, that's all." Hoshiko told them.

"Hmm…ok, then! Just let us know!" Tsukuyomi told her. The ninja girl nodded and went outside.

As the others continued talking and looking around, Hoshiko ended up on top of one of the towers, standing perfectly at the tip with both her hands and her feet while the wind was gently moving her hair. Her expression was serious and almost immovable as she looked at the red sun going down. The answer to her thoughts would have arrived soon at that point. A thing that she didn't say to the others yet…was that the reason why she had doubt was because…the things she heard…were similar to hers.

"…Maybe they are people like me…and if they are…could they be…?" She softly spoke. "But I need more proof. And probably…I'll have them in a few moments…"

If her guess was correct, then she needed to answer with their same secrets.

---

After a while, the sun went down, and the stars started to shine on the small city of Elba, which could have meant…that the fated party would have started soon.

And with that, Tsukuyomi was already prepared for it, as she looked at her reflection in a mirror while wearing the formal dress procured by Sen. Her one was an elegant black one with a wrist that tightened the dress that had golden lineament and even a small blue gem on her neck. She also had two emerald green shoes.

"Putting this on wasn't easy at all…well, also because before today, I never wore something like this. Though I have to say…IT'S WONDERFUL!" She commented before making some poses. "I really should make a picture before the night ends. This is something I must send to Mom!" She then looked at the mirror again to fix some things. "For some reason…this dress makes me feel…nostalgic." She added. For a moment, even if she couldn't tell why, she imagined herself as a shorter girl with long blonde hair wearing a similar elegant dress but colored in black and white.

At that moment, even Tammy arrived, looking at the other girl with a smug smile. "It seems that you're enjoying it! This is naturally the gift that dresses like these can give! How about you take a look at this?" She said before showing her one with pride. Her dress was colored blue with golden filaments and even a small red tiara with a blue rose on it. She, as well, had a blue gem on her neck. She also had two high-heeled red shoes.

"Yours is beautiful too!" Tsukuyomi commented.

"I got to say that, for someone who wore many of these throughout times, Sen has good tastes! Back in the days of my clan, I used to wear many like this one!" Tammy continued.

"What clan?" Tsukuyomi asked. To that question, the other girl made a small laugh.

"Eh eh…it's a long story! I'll surely tell you on another occasion!" She replied.

At that moment, even Cal came in, showing his one. He had a full-black formal dress with even a pair of gloves, two elegant shoes, and golden buttons.

"Man…I feel a bit out of place with this one…" He commented. But he could see that the two girls didn't agree, as they were both looking at him with starry eyes.

"Cal, I never thought you could be so cool! You look like…a spy!" Tsukuyomi commented.

"If you say so…we kinda are spies on this occasion." The boy answered before fixing his gloves. "Still…don't know how to act with something like this…"

"Tsukuyomi was explanatory enough with this! You can act cool!" Tammy advised.

Hearing her, Cal made the usual expression he made during a battle. "You mean…something like this?"

"N-Now it's a bit too cool…" The girl replied.

"Well…try to act natural, that's all," Tsukuyomi added.

"Indeed! Although, it's a bit hard to act natural in a context like this…I mean…look!" At that moment, even Henry showed up, revealing a more classic tuxedo dress with a protruding tissue, and two black elegant shoes while he was still wearing his hat.

"Oooooh!" Tammy and Tsukuyomi looked interested enough.

"He looks a bit like Fern with that on…" The blonde girl added.

"Wait a second…why do you still have your hat on?" Cal asked.

"Me and this hat are as one. It's hard to get me rid of this!" The other male mage promptly answered, leaving Cal looking at him with a skeptical face and a drop of sweat on his head.

"Indeed! It makes you flashy! Just like I am right now!" Hoshiko replied before getting out and showing her formal outfit: a silk black dress with golden ornaments and black high-heeled shoes.

"Wow, talk about alternative!" Tammy commented.

"Yeah, knowing you, I thought you would have gone for something more colorful…" Cal added.

"Nah, black can also be a flashy color if made properly, just like this dress shows!" Hoshiko replied.

"I couldn't have said it better!" Tsukuyomi agreed before looking around. "And I think we're full now?"

"Well…I don't see Rere around…" Henry added. As they started to move their head around, Rere called them from behind a door.

"I'm here actually…and I…just finished wearing this thing…man if it's embarrassing…" She spoke.

"Come out! We won't judge!" Henry spurred.

"…Fine." Rere accepted after a few seconds in silence, and as such…she opened the door, revealing herself in the dress. It was a yellow dress with white shrugs, a belt on her chest, a white tiara with a yellow ribbon, and a golden gem on her neck. The girl had her head down in embarrassment while the others looked at her.

In particular, Tsukuyomi made a sweet gasp as she came closer to her. "Rere! You're beautiful!" She said while moving around to give a closer look at the dress. "How come that you're feeling embarrassed? This is perfect for you!" She commented.

"Y-You think so?" Rere asked with still her face red.

"Indeed! That cream yellow fits you quite well! It gives you that flashy vibe!" Hoshiko told her.

"Can we trade dresses?" Tammy added.

"Well…thanks guys. Although I don't know what to say with…this…" Rere then said.

"Me neither, so no problem on that," Cal assured her.

"Make that three! Ah ah! We make a good trio, don't we?" Tsukuyomi added. Rere found the strength to make a smile after that.

"Y-Yes! You could say that! Man, I wonder how much this cost…well, I could say that I'm, at least honored." The girl commented.

And in the end, even Makoto arrived. "I see that you're more than ready." She spoke. The six mages could see that even she was wearing a formal dress as well. Her one was made of silk, like Hoshiko's, and it had several folds, making it look like a flower, with the shoulders exposed, long blue gloves, and a pair of blue high-heeled shoes. She even had two blue flowers around the ribbons of the twin tails.

"It seems that Sen didn't go easily on you as well!" Henry commented.

Similar to Rere, the vice-captain of the Shinsengumi blushed a little. "Y-Yeah…I'm not very used to these clothes…still, as long as I can fight, I can get used to that." She then commented, showing off that she still had the sword. "And I hope that you have done the sa-" Before she could finish the phrase, everyone took out their weapons. "…W-Well? That was…unexpected…" She said, feeling a bit thrown off.

"We're still samurais, after all!" Tammy commented.

And then, Hoshiko turned around. "Welp! I guess it's time to get down there!"

Makoto nodded. "Yes. As the judge said earlier, we must pretend to be regular guests. But in the meantime, we'll have to observe the party and see if there's someone suspicious. And as soon as we have found them and have the certainty that they are our target…we'll leave the signal to the others."

Tammy raised a hand and hopped on her spot. "Oh! I can do that! With my magic, I can give information to others!"

"Then it's a deal. A soldier I brought up with me is already in the midst of the party. All we need to do now is join in." Makoto concluded.

"Then let's do our best!" Hoshiko added to the others, who nodded.

With that said, the small group got out of the changing rooms and went to the main hall, to see that there were already a lot of people inside. The food was served and the musicians were already playing. While most of the people turned out to be older, they were surprised to see some guys around their age as well.

As they looked at this, Henry made a small whistle. "Talk about a well-organized party!" He commented.

"It seems that Sen likes to expose himself…" Tsukuyomi added.

"Why, of course. I'm sure you would want the same for your birthday." A familiar voice answered, and when the small group turned around, they could see Sen approaching them with the same outfit. "When I have the chance to throw parties like this, I always give the priority to make them as memorable as possible." He said before a small laugh. "And you still haven't seen the cake yet." He then looked at the guests. "The invited ones are close friends of mine and members of noble families that were able to come. Apart from you, the probable assaulters are the only strangers in here. All that you need to do is spot them."

"Leave it to us!" Tsukuyomi spoke.

"This almost looks like an espionage story…" Tammy commented.

"I'm counting on you. And I have to say it…you look gorgeous in those dresses…" Sen added.

"EW!" Once again, the answer was the same, and Sen remained oblivious of why.

"…What?"

After that, the group did as it was told and started to spilt up. Even if it wasn't the intention, they could still have the chance to enjoy the party, but they couldn't forget to hold their weapons at the ready. Tammy already started to change frequently between the Birds Eye View spell to have a general look at the hall and the Eye Link spell to see from her friends' perspective.

"The Master assigned me this job and I'll make sure to do it properly! Now, let's see…people in here are acting all normal…" She said as she kept using the spell while standing higher compared to other guests. The situation remained the same, even the other mages and the soldiers from the empire did the same. Her idea was to stay there until she saw something suspicious. But eventually…she didn't like the idea anymore.

"…Man…compared to what these people are doing…this is boring…" She commented before looking down at the food and drinks. "…I guess that just a bite won't hurt too much…"

With that in mind, she went down and joined the crew to look at the food, noticing how it was all attractive, especially something she couldn't help but love, and ending up gasping as soon as she saw it. "Fried chicken!" She then looked around and gave a careful look at both the other guests and the rest of the food. "…I guess no one will complain if I take a good portion of these…" She spoke. She then took five wings of fried chicken and put them in her mouth. Once again, the crunchiness and the salty taste conquered her. "Aaaah…and this could only be joined by a good old-" She then wanted to take a drink, but she found out that most of them were alcoholic. She tried desperately to search for a regular one, but all she could see were vines, champagnes, and liquors.

"Are you kidding me!? How come there's only alcohol!? I'm sixteen! God, now I'm wishing I was Iku!" She complained, gathering the attention of some of the guests before making a sigh of resignation and taking a glass of water. "At this point…I can rely only upon good old water…"

Then, as she took a sip, she looked around and coincidentally, she spotted something off. "Hm?"

A few meters away from her, there was someone else who looked like a maid who took a strange vial with a red powder in it, and put what was inside on the glasses of wine that were there.

Tammy widened her eyes and spit out the water. "WHAT IS THAT!?" She exclaimed. As she did so, the maid took away the glasses with her. But Tammy wasn't about to let that just happen. "Oh no, don't think you can run away already! Get back here!" With those words, she started off the chase…not realizing that she ended up spitting the water at another guest who looked at her furious.

"ANF! ANF! ANF!" Tammy tried to make herself a road out of all the guests to not lose sight of the maid, but it was a hard task even for someone as small as her, and the mysterious woman disappeared in a few minutes. "DAMMIT! Ok, don't give up yet! Birds Eye View!" She used the spell again to have complete sight of the hall and was able to spot her again, noticing how she already served the glasses and went with the others.

"Oh, this is just GREAT!" Tammy shouted. Chasing her repeatedly while she was doing her 'job' would have been useless at that point, so she proceeded to use her magic to warn the others. "Guys! Listen! I may-" She was about to tell them about the mysterious maid, but right at that point, a young noble approached her.

"My my! What a beautiful sight am I seeing here!"

"AH! What the-!?" Tammy got scared.

"I apologize for my sudden appearance, but I can't help but feel grateful to see such a beautiful damsel such as you. I'm Violet of Faegworth. And would you like to give me the pleasure to join me in this pa- AAAAGH!" The man tried to flirt with her, but all he got was a slap and a fall to the stairs.

"HANDS OFF, I LIKE WOMEN!" Tammy shouted before realizing that she gathered some attention in doing that. Some other women even winked at her for that comment. "AH DAMMIT!" With that, Tammy quickly ran away hid herself behind a column, and used her magic to warn the others.

"Guys! There's a suspicious made that is putting something in the glasses! Make sure to stay close to the tables!" She warned.

Everyone in the small group received the message, including Rere. "Really? Man, I can't even enjoy a good drink!" She commented before a small sigh. "Well…you heard them, Cal. We need to-" She then turned around to talk with her friend but noticed that he was gone. He could imagine his missing outline. "…Cal? THIS AGAIN!?"

Cal, in the meantime, was already giving a careful look at everyone, hoping to spot the maid he heard of. "She's probably moving quickly and often…therefore I need to have a sharp sight as well…" He said before noticing that something…seemed off.

"…Wait a second…how did I end up in the bathroom?" He wondered. He could even see a young boy and a young girl who were kissing each other look at him confused. He made a small bow as an apology and exited. "…How does this happen every time?"

"Cal! Thank God, I found you! How come that you do this all the time?" She asked.

"I'm sorry, I try my best, but it always ends up like this!" Cal apologized.

"Ah, never mind. Let's go and check out the tables…" Much like Rere said, they went to check out the glasses and see if they had something weird on them and hoped that they were able to spot the one tampering with them.

"So…how are we gonna find out if a glass is tampered with or not?" Cal asked.

"I'll see it easily. My master told me that if a liquid is being tampered with, there's still some sort of powder at the bottom of it, especially if some sort of chemical was used." Rere explained.

It was then that Cal looked at her. "You had a…master?" Cal asked. That question made Rere flinch.

"Oh, crap! What do I say now?" She thought.

"You…never pointed out this ever since you joined the guild." Cal made her notice.

Rere looked down at the glasses for a couple of moments in silence, not knowing what to say.

"…Rere? Are you ok? You look like…you're sweating?" The boy noticed.

The girl could see that she was giving too much attention, so she started to breathe out again. "Y-Yeah, sorry. It's just that…it's a delicate topic…"

"Feel like…want to talk about it?" Cal then asked.

"I-It's nothing! Just a clumsy story of the past! Nothing important! Plus, we need to do our job, right?" Rere insisted with a smile, trying to change the subject. But Cal could see that she meant something else.

He could have recognized a face like that anywhere. In a way…he used it as well. "…If you don't want to talk about it…then there's no problem." He spoke.

Rere didn't try to apologize for that. In a way…she was grateful that he understood. "I'm sorry…"

"Hey, no hard feelings, I swear! Yori-shishou told me that when someone feels uncomfortable about something, then it's better to leave them be if they don't want to. And…in a way…we both have that need." Cal assured.

This time, it was Rere who was curious. "What do you mean?"

"Well…I do have things I want to keep as secrets as well. So, I can get you. Everyone deserves to have skeletons in their closet, right?" Cal replied.

Somehow…that question was enough to make Rere feel better. "Eh eh…indeed. You know…it's funny that after Dohko picked us for Tsukuyomi's first mission…we ended up like this more often. Because honestly…spending time with you two it's a lot of fun."

"You think? Well…thanks. Even if I'm not that much of a company. But I can say the same about you." Cal replied. It was at that moment that he spotted a glass with something on it. "Ah! Rere, I see…a strange little dust at the bottom. Is this what were you talking about?"

Rere looked at it and nodded. "Yes! That's it! Toss it!" She exclaimed. Cal did as she said, and the two continued like this, even though the girl felt odd. "Man…is it normal for me to be that open with someone? These two are doing quite the job to me…even though I had found something in common with them…"

Even Tsukuyomi and Makoto were doing the same, with the latter ordering the soldiers to check the table.

"I should have assumed that they would have resorted to such ways. These guys are disgusting…" Makoto commented while Tsukuyomi looked at the maids who were serving the guests.

"And guessing who's doing this among them could take a lot of time…Tammy wasn't specific about the look," Tsukuyomi spoke before noticing that the other girl was getting upset. "Hey, are you ok?"

"What? What do you mean?" Makoto asked.

"You seemed a bit frustrated…" The black-haired girl pointed out. This made the pink-haired one make a deep sigh.

"…Sorry. It's just that I don't want to fail miserably. I…still need to keep up with the charge I have."

"Hey, it's ok! We're here for this, after all! In our guild, calm is important. We even made it our third trait to have!" Tsukuyomi said, trying to calm her down.

"Is that so? I…I missed that part." Makoto spoke.

As a reply, Tsukuyomi raised her sword and pointed at the writing on the blade. "We even have it here!" She said before sheathing it back. "You put a lot of attention on what others say about you?" She then asked.

"Well…even if I'm ashamed to admit it, yes. I mean…it's only natural, after all, right? The captain always puts his trust in me, so I want to make sure that trust is well put in." Makoto said.

"With captain you mean the shogun?" Tsukuyomi then asked.

"Yes. Everyone, including me, sees him as someone you can rely on. Someone that, at first sight, you can tell that everything is going to be ok when he's around. The idea that he named me as his vice-captain is still something new to me. This…is enough for me to try and do my best…as I always did. I don't want to disappoint him..." Makoto explained.

"So you're some sort of…perfectionist, right?" Tsukuyomi guessed. "But, I can understand how you feel." She said as she came closer. "You know…I joined this guild to find out the strength I searched, but after seeing the others in action I could see how strong they were! And…I wish I could be just like them. So, in a way…I can understand what you mean by that. Keeping the expectations high is hard, especially when we have charges such as these." She explained. "Well…even though being number XVII of Shogunate Pride is less important than being the vice-captain of the Shinsengumi, eh eh…"

It was incredible for Makoto how this girl tried to share her temporary fear, even if they knew each other for just a day. That made her smile. "True…but it's still important. Especially for the fact that you're doing your best, just like me. You're interesting for being a newcomer…" She spoke.

Once again, Tsukuyomi couldn't say why she felt that way…but she started to turn red and tried to look elsewhere.

"Are you all right?" Makoto asked.

"Y-Yeah! D-Don't worry! It's just…a bit hot with this dress!" Tsukuyomi exclaimed before noticing something on a table. "Uh?"

It was just a coincidence…but she could see it properly now…the maid tampering with the drink before she left. She had long white hair and candid skin.

"Makoto! There she is!" Tsukuyomi exclaimed before pointing to her.

"Is that so? But we can't make a mess up right now with all these people…warn the others to look at her! Let's try and chase her down!" Makoto suggested.

"Right…" With those words, Tsukuyomi tried to contact Tammy through the girl's magic. "Tammy, do you hear me? The girl has white hair and candid skin! Warn the others!"

"Got it! Listen, everyone! The woman has white hair and candid skin!" Tammy said as she was told and as such, everyone tried to move around, hoping to surround her.

This included Hoshiko and Henry, who were looking at all the guests from above the stairs. "We have our target set then! I expected it a bit, but, strangely, only one came, don't you think?" The boy asked.

"Which means that she must be sneaky! Too bad that we have a ninja among our ranks, which is me!" Hoshiko replied before blinking her eyes. As she did that, her pupils started to shine, and her point of view started to differentiate. Everything became transparent, except for the targeted maid, who became a yellow silhouette that was moving around.

"The eyes of the stars never lie…follow me, Henry!" After she could see her clearly, Hoshiko started to run around followed by the cowboy mage. "Man…to think that I can't enjoy this place and this clothes normally…it's a bit of a shame…" She then commented.

"Well, you could say that chasing down a criminal is part of the fun!" Henry told him.

"Ah ah! Only you could have said something like this right now!" Hoshiko said with a smile. "Making missions with you is never a boredom!"

"I could say that I'm honored to hear that! And I'm pretty sure that with our skills, that chick won't get that far!" Henry replied.

"Yes, let's get her!" Hoshiko agreed, even though her mind was of another idea. "But…was this really easy?" She thought.

In the meantime, the maid ended up isolating herself from the others and giving a careful look at the tables where she put out the powder. "At this point, a good portion of the men here should have drunk my special recipe…" She then looked up. "And as soon as they fall under my spell, He'll be left up exposed…and another pawn of the empire shall fall." She quietly spoke with a grin. She then looked up at the table again and noticed something strange. Some of the glasses that she filled were empty.

"…What the?" But she couldn't find out more about it when she noticed that there were some of the guests that were moving around. "Wait, what are they doing? Oh no, you won't tell me…!?" The doubt that they could have been after her started to rise. And she had all the right to do so.

Even though they were moving from different parts, thanks to Tammy and Tsukuyomi's indications, everyone would have surrounded her one way or another.

But before they could get closer, Sen Hachiman clapped his hands, getting everyone's attention.

"Dammit! Right now!?" Hoshiko thought.

"May I have your attention, please?" Sen asked, with everyone's eyes on him. "I want to thank you for coming up this evening. The work of a judge is hard and sometimes even dangerous. But! If someone is encouraged enough by people like you, I could do this job for another thousand years! It's thanks to everyone's effort and the help of the empire that we reached the point where we are now. Our land had been through rough times ever since the foundation of the empire but with mutual help, everything can be made. Let us not forget that…" He then put out a speech which was gratefully appreciated by the guests.

It was then that the maid understood it. This was her chance, as she made a devious grin. She raised her hand to get attention and then spoke out. "I could only agree, your honor! In fact, how about we make a toast to seal your words? There are glasses of wine near everyone!" She spoke out.

The guests looked out and took the glasses, especially the men. This naturally put the small group in an alert state, as they tried to warn everyone.

"NO WAIT! DON'T DRINK!" Makoto yelled out. But everyone had already their glasses high, and worst of all…even the judge."

"To justice!" The maid spurred.

"DON'T DO IT!" Hoshiko shouted. It seemed like a bad situation, but right at that moment…

"Phoebus Barrage!" Tammy promptly used her spell to shoot several arrows that all went for each glass, breaking it perfectly.

"Wha-!? HEY!" Sen exclaimed after seeing his glass turn into pieces.

"What?! Mages!?" The maid said after seeing Tammy.

"Samurai! What's the big deal? You could have hurt me!" Sen protested. With that, Tammy jumped down.

"Don't worry, I can command my arrows, they wouldn't have reached you. And there's a reason why I did that! Those glasses were tampered with!" The girl said.

A buzz started to come out from the guests.

"What?" Sen asked. Normally, he wouldn't have believed that, but since it was coming from the ones that were protecting him, he found himself bewildered.

"It's true, your honor!" Rere added before pointing at that maid. "That girl was trying to make you drink some sort of poisoned recipe!"

Naturally, all eyes were down on the girl in question, who started to get nervous.

"…You know…now that I think of it…I've never seen you before in my residence. What is this story?" Sen asked.

"What? N-No, let me explain your honor! It was just sugar to make the wine sweeter!" The maid tried to explain herself, but at that point, it was mostly pointless to try.

"There's nothing else to listen. You are the one who killed the other members of the empire! Seize her!" Makoto promptly ordered the others, including her soldier, to catch her.

The maid was about to get surrounded by many soldiers and some expert mages. But even with that…she was able to remain composed and even put out a smirk.

"Alright…have it your way…" She said before starting to move her hands weirdly. For some reason, Hoshiko could recognize the way she was moving her arms.

"Wait a second, that movement! Could it be…!?" She thought.

"I've tried to do it the light way, but if you want to end this night that badly, then I'll satisfy you!" After saying this, the maid finished the movement, right when Henry and Cal were able to reach them.

"We'll see about that!" Cal was ready to strike her down, but the others could see that something was wrong.

"NO, WAIT!" Tsukuyomi tried to warn them out, but it was already too late.

"TAKE THIS!" As she was over, The maid released a purple smoke that got inside all of her assaulters' bodies, making them recoil and start to cough.

"AGH! COUGH COUGH!"

"W-What is happening!?" Tsukuyomi exclaimed as she came closer.

"Henry, Cal! Answer!" Hoshiko added.

"Witchcraft…!" Sen commented.

Naturally, the only one who was happy was the maid, who looked at them with a winning expression. "Now…let's see how you act all mighty against your friends, mages." She spoke, as Henry, Cal, and the soldiers turned to the others with red glowing eyes.

"What…? What did you do!?" Rere exclaimed.

"G-Guys…stay away from us!" Cal warned as he started to completely lose control.

"Get them! And once you're done with them, go to the judge!" The maid ordered. And just as she said, everyone who got possessed threw themselves to attack.

"No, guys, wait!" Tsukuyomi tried to talk, but Makoto instead immediately threw herself to attack her soldiers. "Makoto!?"

"NGHH!" Makoto started to push away the soldiers with ease and started to fight back with the sword. "They won't listen to us in this state! We need to get them out of that spell! Tammy! Put the judge to safety! The rest of us will try and resist!" She warned.

Tsukuyomi and Rere looked up as Cal and Henry were starting to get closer menacingly. "Can we really do that…?" The latter asked before Hoshiko jumped down while sweating.

"We can only do this for now! Don't hesitate!" Hoshiko told them before summoning her four cats with the keys. "Open, Gate of the seasons: Yukiko, Sakura, Akane, Aki!"

The four cats appeared as they landed on their feet.

"Good lord, what's happening in here!?" Sakura exclaimed.

"This is going to be a mess! Help us out with all these soldiers!" Hoshiko ordered. Naturally, the four celestial spirits didn't have a problem with that.

"As you wish, my lady. Come on, let's go!" Yukiko replied before the four scattered around.

While watching as the scene was about to get violent, the maid looked at Hoshiko with interested eyes. "A Celestial Spirits mage?" She then took a glass of wine. "Oh, well. No matter…as long as they all fall." She added before looking at Sen.

The judge could only look as his guests started to run away towards the exit and his guards started to fight against each other with a resigned face. "Well, it's official…I'll never have a birthday without something catastrophic happening…" He commented just before Tammy ran fast towards him.

"Follow me! I'll bring you somewhere safe!" Tammy told him. The judge didn't have anything to object so he started to follow her.

"Oh, don't think you'll escape that easily!" The maid exclaimed before starting to follow her. She started to move her hands in a similar way to Hoshiko and summoned six kunai made out of purple energy.

"What!? Kunais!?" Tammy exclaimed. The enemy didn't hesitate and threw them, forcing Tammy to use her bow. "Eye Magic Tracker + The Sniper!" She used two spells to throw six arrows made out of energy that followed the kunai without missing and destroyed them.

"An archer, eh? Then the story is different!" The maid commented before jumping and dashing against Tammy at high speed, managing to make her slam against a wall.

"GAH!" Tammy didn't expect it and could only feel as her back crashed and then fell to the ground.

"Girl!" Sen exclaimed before realizing that the maid already turned to him.

"And now it's your- Ngh!" She was about to chase him down, but her hair was pulled back by Tammy, who glared at her.

"Don't think I'm already down!" Tammy exclaimed with furious eyes.

The maid was able to make her lose the grip with one hand movement and then pulled out two medium-length ninjato blades. "Alright, if that's what you want, this is what you'll get brat!" After saying that, The maid started to assault Tammy with fast blows with her two blades.

The younger girl tried her best to defend herself with the arrow, but with such a short distance, she couldn't have found a way to counterattack. "Dammit! I need to find a way to get out and shoot arrows!" She said while keeping on defending herself. But then… "BLARGH!" The maid was able to find a break in her defense and stabbed her right in the spleen, making it bleed. "GRRR!"

"Just as I thought. Close combats aren't your specialty, eh? Then it's already a win for-" The maid was already going to go for the coup the grace, but her blade was suddenly blocked by a Ninjato sword. "What!?"

Hoshiko was able to reach them in time and pushed the maid away. "Are you ok?" She then asked Tammy, who tried her best to stand up.

"Y-Yeah…somehow…can I leave this to you?" She said as she held her wound.

"Are you sure you can move?" Hoshiko asked again.

"We don't have time for this! I'll take care of the judge! Don't think that Tammy Oaks will fall for such a stupid thing!" Tammy insisted.

Hoshiko was a bit surprised by her reaction but nodded the same. She knew how proud the girl was. "Alright…we're counting on you."

Tammy nodded and reconciled with the judge, taking him away.

"HEY!" The maid tried to chase them but Hoshiko stood in her way.

"Oh no, don't think you can leave that easily!" The samurai mage told her.

The maid gritted her teeth but still grinned as she prepared herself. "All right…one target or another doesn't matter at this point…get ready!" She exclaimed. With that, the two started to clash.

In the meantime, Makoto was joined by Aki in taking care of the possessed guards. While they were pushed back, they seemed like they had infinite energy. "HAAA!" Makoto made a horizontal swipe to push some of them away. But she was starting to get tired. "They were indeed trained to be resistant, but I never saw them act like this!" She commented.

Aki pushed another group away. "It must be the smoke that gives them energy. As long as they're in her possession, she'll probably fill them with energy again!" He commented.

"And how do we erase the effects of the poison?" The girl then asked.

"Hmmm…the smoke probably corrupted them through the nervous system. Which means that a good hit on the nape should do the thing!" The Celestial spirit said before preparing himself.

Even though she knew what he meant, Makoto found herself a bit hesitant to do so. "Still…with all this energy they're showing, I could be resorted to go serious…" She commented before noticing that a soldier was already charging at her. "Uh!?"

"M-MY LADY!" The soldier shouted before attacking her violently.

"NGH!" Makoto didn't expect it and was throwing away to the ground, losing even the shoes and ending up barefoot."

"Miss Makoto! Are you ok!?" Aki asked, worried.

"Anf…right…just like Tsukuyomi said…" Makoto said before standing up. "No hesitation…do your best to look at the top!" She exclaimed before putting her sword at the ready. She then closed her eyes and imagined the fall of several water drops. "Swift and fast…like a water drop…"

At that moment, her blade started to get surrounded by a clear blue energy. "Please forgive me for what I'm going to do…" She spoke before unleashing her blow. "Water Blade - Rainfall!" She then charged with a singular swipe that released several water drops that started to explode as soon as she was on the other side, attacking most of the soldiers in a non-lethal way.

"GAAAAH!"

Makoto didn't waste time and started to hit all of them with a karate chop at the nape, hoping that this would have freed them.

"Man! So this is the power of one of the Shinsengumi!" Aki commented before looking at his enemies. "All right, my turn! This will hurt a bit!" With those words, he violently slammed his gauntlet to the ground, releasing a heavy and powerful shockwave that electrified all the possessed soldiers. Taking advantage of their temporary paralysis, he then started to run towards them and hit them on the nape. "This should do it…"

But Tsukuyomi and Rere weren't having an easier time in doing so, as they ended up respectively against Henry and Cal.

"NGH!" The black-haired girl tried her best to resist with the sword at her friend's attack. She could see that Henry was breathing heavily due to the smoke, but even with that, he had the strength to attack with violence. "Man…I don't have much of a choice then…forgive me, Henry!" She said before charging her magic. "Dance of the Eclipse!" She charged forward against the other samurai with a fast sequence of sword attacks infused with eclipse energy, but to her horror, Henry was able to block most of them and even absorb some of the energy. "W-What!?"

Henry didn't say anything and answered with a strong parry counterattack that violently pushed Tsukuyomi against a column.

"GAH! W-What just happened!?" Tsukuyomi said as she tried to stand up.

"Tsukuyomi! It's the Jabberwock's effect! It can devour the enemy's magic!" Rere warned while she tried her best to block Cal's blade.

"What!?" The other girl exclaimed.

"Yes! Even if Revany is said to be the next one to reach the S-Class, Henry should be just a few levels under the founding members!" Rere continued.

"HOW COME THAT I NEVER HEARD THAT!?" Tsukuyomi shouted before turning around and noticing that Henry was already charging at him with the Makashi style of the Jabberwock.

"GAAAH!" Once again, Tsukuyomi was pushed back, with Henry trying to chase her down. At the last moment, the girl was able to answer with the same speed, but with someone as skilled with the sword as Henry, it would have been a hard task.

"G-Gh! No, don't give up! Remember what you did with Iori!" She told to herself. The two blades continued to clash and emit small sparkles. Tsukuyomi used all the energy she could, but it would have been hard against a blade like that. "If the Jabberwock can absorb magic, I need to find the perfect chance to attack him and knock him out!" As she thought this, she could see the enemy's blade almost reach his eye. "Oh no!"

"T-Tsukuyomi! RUN!" Henry warned him, with a bit of consciousness remaining. But luckily, before the tip of the blade could reach her, Yukiko arrived and deflected the sword elsewhere with his lance.

"Yukiko!" The girl exclaimed.

"GRRR!" The Celestial Spirit did her best to charge forward to push Henry away. "Tsukuyomi! I'll open the road! Try to knock him out!" She warned before charging against the other samurai, who answered in the same way. Even though, it turned out to be hard even for someone as agile as her.

"Oh, this is just the worst! Is this the reason Lady Hoshiko likes you so much!?" The cat exclaimed before getting pushed back. "AGH!"

"Yukiko, watch out!" Tsukuyomi warned her, as the cat tried to get prepared for Henry's next attack.

But just as he was about to strike her…

"AAAAAAAH!" Henry ended up slipping on some of the wine that was spilled on the ground, leaving the two girls confused.

"T-The wine…?" The black-haired girl asked.

"G-Gotta say…his bad luck can be useful sometimes…like NOW!" Not wanting to waste the opportunity, Yukiko ran towards Henry and blocked his legs with the ice.

Tsukuyomi ran as soon as she saw this happening and gave Henry a hard chop at Henry's nape.

"AGH!" Henry's head went down and closed his eyes. The two girls looked at him with a worried face, worrying that it may have not worked. But then…

Henry opened his eyes, and his pupils seemed normal, as he held his neck for the pain. "Man…you both went hard for it…for once, I should thank my bad luck…and well, you girls. Thanks." He said with a smile.

Tsukuyomi could take a breath of relief. She then raised her head and noticed how Rere was still struggling against Cal. "Uh!?"

"AGH!" The other girl fell and tried to dodge the boy's blade before noticing that it was close to her neck.

"RERE!" Both Tsukuyomi and Henry cried out, but naturally, Sakura pushed Cal away before he could cut it off.

"Man! I forgot how tough Cal could be! THIS MAKES ME NERVOUS DAMMIT!" The Celestial Spirit exclaimed before trying to attack the boy with a whirlwind generated by her Naginata.

"AAAH! DIDN'T YOU GO A BIT HARD ON THAT!?" Rere asked the girl after seeing that the boy seemed swallowed in the whirlwind. But shortly after, he reappeared, seemingly having absorbed the tornado with the Murakata.

"…Oooor maybe not-" Rere said shortly after before Cal released the tornado back to them, sending both her and Sakura to crash against a wall. "GAAAAAH!"

Cal then was ready to attack them again, but right at that moment, Tsukuyomi, Henry, Yukiko, and Makoto all tried to attack him at the same time.

"Now!" Makoto ordered them before they tried to make the coordinated blow. But to their surprise, Cal quickly equipped both fire and darkness in his blade and was able to block all of them at the same time with a single movement that pushed them away.

"Agh! What the!?" Yukiko exclaimed.

"Man, I forgot that his blade is as fearsome as mine!" Henry commented. "But if I got out of that, it doesn't mean that he can do it as well!" He then dashed forward, ready to approach the other boy more directly with Cal doing the same. "Jabberwock – Second Style – Makashi!" Like a flash, he made the blade fall on the body, who answered with the same violence, and the two of them started to clash with strength and speed, Cal didn't seem to falter and stared at him with an impassible expression. "He's as tremendous as ever…but luckily I'm not alone on this part!" He exclaimed. Right at that moment, Tsukuyomi and Makoto jumped around Cal to attack him from both sides.

"HAAAAH!"

The attack was successful, but Cal didn't seem to falter, as he planted his sword to the ground and caused a small crack to push everyone away.

"GAAAH!"

"Dammit! This guy is tough!" Makoto exclaimed as she stood up.

Cal was already approaching them, but right at that moment, a tornado surrounded him.

"Sakura?" Yukiko asked, and just as she thought, the other Celestial Spirit appeared from behind a table, generating the attack with the Naginata.

"Thanks for buying us time!" Sakura exclaimed.

Cal stood motionless inside the whirlwind, as he prepared himself to nullify it again. But he didn't expect Rere to jump up inside the storm and wrap up Cal with his wires.

"Cal! I know you're still in there! Try to fight it!" Rere exclaimed.

"GRRRRRR!" Cal was struggling to get free from that unexpected grasp but at the same time…it was almost like he was fighting to let himself stay at that state.

"Cal…?" Rere asked.

"D-Do it now, Rere!" The boy exclaimed, as his pupils changed between red and normal.

Rere was surprised by the fact that he was able to hear her. "I…I hope that it won't hurt you that much…but thanks for the trust! GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Not wanting to disappoint him further, Rere used the wires to release the electricity through them and attack Cal (without using the Devil Slayer's magic).

Cal roared out of pain as he let himself get attacked. Somehow, the electricity was able to reach out his nervous system and free him from the smoke. When the tornado faded out, Cal was still standing, even if his body was smoking.

Everyone looked with concern...but they were relieved to see Cal open up his eyes, which seemed normal, as he looked around.

"I'm…sorry…did I make a mess?"

Rere was still a bit under pressure, but as soon as he saw the normality in his eyes, she made a large smile with shiny eyes. "O-OH YES YOU CAN BET!" She exclaimed before sniffing. "But you're ok, now…"

Cal smiled back. "Sorry…"

"YES! YES! WE DID IT!" Sakura exclaimed, jumping up.

"And it seems that my thought worked up…" Aki added.

Makoto looked around noticing how the hall seemed calmer, now that the possessed ones turned back to normal and the guests and Sen were able to get away from there. "Somehow we made it…now only, one thing is left."

"That's right! Time to take out the uninvited one…" Tsukuyomi added, with everyone turning at Hoshiko, who was still focused on her battle.

The ninja girl was moving as fast as she could to overwhelm the enemy, who turned out to be skilled with both movements and her weapons as well. The two ended up clashing their swords, making a loud noise that echoed throughout the hall.

"I have to admit it…you move well for a villain…" Hoshiko commented.

"Ah ah! Did you think that only because of your ninja skills you could have been better? Don't think you are the only one who can do such things, young one!" The maid answered before pushing back the ninja with a kick.

"Ngh! Uh!?" When Hoshiko raised her head, she could see that the maid already summoned six ninja stars made out of purple magic to throw at her. "Ninja stars!? Grr!" Hoshiko didn't lose time as the stars in her pupils started to rotate.

It was at that moment that the maid could see them…those strange pupils in her enemy's eyes. It wasn't the first time that she saw something like that. In fact…it reminded something…or rather…someone.

"Wait…those eyes…no way…" She commented before noticing that the spin in the stars made Hoshiko generate a bigger ninja star of her own made out of magic.

"GRRRRAH!" Hoshiko didn't hesitate in throwing her attack which destroyed the opponent's one. Then, she ran at full speed against the maid and started to attack her with fury by using the sword. The maid went back to a serious mood and answered her attack, managing to make a parry and attack her back, making an X-shaped wound on her belly. "GAAAH!" Once again, the mage of Shogunate Pride was thrown back as she looked that her enemy looked more ecstatic than before. "Fuck…how can she be so agile? She didn't even use that much magic, yet?"

"Is that the question? Maybe you should ask yourself how come even after all this time, you members of the Star Clan are so WEAK!" The maid exclaimed.

After hearing that…Hoshiko startled. How come that she knew that she was coming from the Star Clan? Could it be…that her thought was reality?

"…W-What do you mean?" She asked. "How do you know that!?" She added furiously.

That answer could only make the maid grin. "Oh, it isn't hard to tell with those eyes of yours. And let's just say that…you ended up being a part of my clan a long time ago. We heard that it may have been possible…but I never expected to see the last survivor! I can say that I'm honored." She spoke.

Hoshiko started to feel both anger and pressure. Why did she know that? It couldn't have been…one of them. She couldn't hold herself much longer if that was the answer. She needed to know. She needed her to talk.

"…Are you a ninja? WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!?" After saying that, Hoshiko started to attack the maid with more speed and violence, making the other girl start to get some trouble.

"Hey, slow down!" She exclaimed.

"GRAAAAAH!" Hoshiko threw a direct swipe with her Ninjato sword, forcing the maid to jump back…but she still managed to attack her by the arm and tear the sleeve of the maid's uniform apart.

Hoshiko widened her eyes as soon as she saw her exposed arm. "N-No way…" Her worst fear…had become truth.

On her arm…the maid had a mark. A mark resembling four green big wings, two upwards and two downwards. A mark…that Hoshiko knew well.

"Anf…anf…anf…well, it seems that I can't play dumb anymore…" The maid said.

"Y-You!" Hoshiko exclaimed.

"I'm sure you figured out now. So let me explain it to you. Your thought is 100% right!" The maid exclaimed before taking off the maid uniform and revealing her true outfit, a black ninja uniform with a scarf around her neck, armored shrugs, black fingerless gauntlets, and black sandals with black tabi socks. The girl stroked a pose as she revealed her true identity. "I'm the venomous snake at the service of the one and only Crow Clan, Tekina Mikawu!"

Tekina Mikawu – Assassin of the Crow Clan

Hoshiko's body started to tremble, as the scar of her heart started to open up. "You…YOU'RE FROM THE CROW CLAN!?"

"Eh eh…you seem surprised when I'm supposed to be the one. Don't think that after our master made that surprise at your clan, we disappeared like shadows. We've always been there, spying on every single part of this region until our moment would have come. And that moment had finally come…" Tekina explained before resuming her battle pose. "So I hope you won't mind if I cut off that head of yours right now."

Hoshiko couldn't handle it. The more this girl was talking, the more she wanted to crush her down. Hearing that hateful name released a sparkle of hate in her. Ninjas were supposed to be swift, immediate…and silent. But right at that moment…she couldn't hold up to them.

"Cutting my head off? Ah ah ah ah…IT WILL BE ME WHO SHALL CUT YOUR HEAD!" Hoshiko shouted before dashing at high speed, while her sword was starting to get surrounded by shadow magic. Tekina prepared herself.

"SHADOW STAR FORM: MASAMUNE INITIATION TECHNIQUE!" The marks of the black sword started to surround her face as she threw herself with violence at the enemy.

"Hm! She started to become serious…" Tekina commented as she defended herself.

"YOU HAVE NO IDEA FOR HOW MUCH I'VE BEEN SEARCHING FOR YOU BLOODY KILLERS! NOW THAT I HAVE ONE OF YOU RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME, I WON'T LOSE THE CHANCE TO TEAR YOU APART!" Hoshiko shouted with all the wrath she had in her heart, managing to slice Tekina's body and force her to jump back.

"NGH! Ah ah! What's this? Still angry for that innocent fire? Can't you let that slip?" She sarcastically asked before starting to move her hands to a ninja pose and unleash a technique. "Doku ninpō: Ibuki Dōji no noroi!" She summoned several portals that released snakes made out of venom that headed directly against Hoshiko.

The ninja girl didn't hesitate and ran against them, starting to cut them down with the sword. One of them was able to bite her in the arm, but she didn't care. All that she wanted was to cut down the enemy's head. "NGH!" She quickly got rid of the snake and jumped to try a dive attack at the other ninja, who still maintained her pose.

"SHADOW STAR-"

"Doku ninpō: uzu doku!" With a smirk on her face, Tekina released another technique that enveloped both of them in a poison vortex that started to make Hoshiko suffer.

"GAAAAAAH!" The mage from Shogunate Pride started to feel all the poison going inside her organism.

"Let's see how much you can resist inside this bubble!" Tekina said with a mocking tone.

Hoshiko was starting to get blurry, but before she could faint, several elemental attacks destroyed the vortex she was trapped in. When she raised her stare, she could see her four Celestial Spirits in front of her.

"Are you ok, my lady?" Yukiko asked.

"You…made it?" Hoshiko asked.

"Chill out! We'll take care of this now!" Akane assured with a smirk. Even Tsukuyomi and the others joined out.

"And they're not the only ones!" Tsukuyomi exclaimed before pointing her sword at the bewildered enemy.

"What!? You were able to get rid of the poison!?" Tekina exclaimed.

"It wasn't an easy task, but don't think that we're that easy to break us apart! And I'm pretty sure that someone here wants a throwback!" Henry answered.

"You bet I want," Cal added, assuming his usual apathetic expression.

"So is your Crow Clan that started to kill members of the empire. In that case, as soon as we're done with you, the rest of your friends are going to be next." Makoto said.

Tekina started to sweat after seeing all those enemies and her all by herself. But she didn't want to falter, not even at that point. "Heh…if you say that you're not that easy to take down, then expect the same from us." She said before making more ninpo movements. "I still have a lot of tricks to show off that could make you regret trying to fight me."

"Oh yeah? How about you show us? So, you can be disappointed for good!?" Tsukuyomi retorted before trying to attack her from the right, while Makoto tried to attack her from the left. Both of their blades were infused with their elements, but before they could reach her, Tekina already prepared the next technique.

"Doku ninpō: kaika!" Tekina released a burst of poisonous liquid that wiped the two girls away. But this did not prevent Cal from answering.

"Applied Magic: Wind!" He released a burst of wind that dispatched the poison and left her open, just for Henry to jump and attack her.

"TAKE THIS!" Henry dived against her with incredible speed, to the point that Tekina had to make one extra effort to keep up with his pace.

"Ngh, dammit! I wish I could have held you! Oh well!" Tekina commented before jumping out from his attacks.

"Man, she's fast!" Henry commented.

Rere was having a small panic attack since she didn't know what to do. But then she remembered the idea she used against Cal just a few minutes earlier. "Wait…"

"Fast isn't enough to describe me! You'll soon find out the rest! Doku Ni-" She was about to unleash another technique but right at that moment, she found herself wrapped up in wires. "HEY WHAT THE!?"

"GOTCHA!" Rere didn't lose any time and unleashed the electricity through the wires, electrifying the enemy.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Tekina couldn't do much but fall, making herself vulnerable to Henry and Cal's combined attack that pushed her away.

"How about that!?" Cal exclaimed.

Tekina ended up recoiling for the first time as her body kept on smoking. "Anf…anf…dammit…I didn't expect a time reaction such as this…" She commented.

"JUST WAIT TO SEE THE REST!" All four Celestial Spirits exclaimed, appearing around her.

"What!?" Tekina soon found herself forced to move fast to block the attacks of four opponents that were overwhelming her.

"THIS IS WHAT YOU GET FOR HURTING OUR LADY!" Yukiko shouted.

"Yeah! You have NO Idea how much she had waited for a moment like this!" Akane added.

"And who are we to disappoint her!? ME OF ALL PEOPLE!" Sakura exclaimed.

"LET'S TAKE HER!" Aki added.

"GRRRR!" Tekina was about to reach the point of frustration, but she was able to block all of them and push them away with a shockwave of her ninpo. "GET OUT! UH!?" But when she opened herself a road, she could see Tsukuyomi in front of her, ready to attack her with her magic.

"Double Cross Eclipse Attack!" She made two cuts with her katana in the shape of an X that wounded Tekina before throwing her at Makoto. "NOW!"

Makoto was already charging her sword with water magic until it was fully charged. "Water Blade – Divine Torrent!" She released a powerful water beam from the blade that fully hit Takina and made her crash against a wall.

"GAAAH!"

"Anf…anf…thanks guys…but please…let me finish this…" Hoshiko said as she stood up.

"Hoshiko! You can move again?" Henry asked.

"Yes, don't worry! I used the magic of my clan to heal my body from the poison!" The ninja girl replied with a smile.

"Just as expected from My Lady! The stage is all yours!" Yukiko said.

Hoshiko turned around and with a serious stare, she dashed at the weakened enemy. "TAKE THIS!"

"O-Oh no!" Tekina exclaimed as she witnessed her enemy coming closer.

Hoshiko would have finished her in a matter of seconds and then…

SPLAT!

The sound of a weapon on a human meat and the spilled blood could be heard…but Hoshiko looked down with wide eyes…as blood was coming down from her body.

Even the others had the same expression, especially considering that they could see the scene better.

"W-What…?" Rere asked.

"Who…is that?" Tsukuyomi asked.

Hoshiko witnessed…as her spleen was pierced by an iron trident owned by another sudden enemy. In front of her, another boy was defending Tekina.

"Y-You!?" Tekina exclaimed as she witnessed her savior: a boy around her age with the same outfit but with black short hair and bichromatic eyes: one red and one blue.

"I expected more from one of our most skilled assassins, Tekina. Don't worry…luckily for you, I was passing nearby to see how the operation went." The boy said as he looked at Hoshiko while standing up. "And gotta say…I never expected to see a survivor of the Star Clan…"

Mitsubo Seto – Assassin of the Crow Clan

"W-Who are you!?" Hoshiko exclaimed.

"Well…no one to be afraid of," Mitsubo replied with a small grin before throwing Hoshiko away violently with a kick.

"GAH!"

"HOSHIKO!" Everyone else shouted.

"So…" Mitsubo continued before swinging his trident. "Is anyone else next? Or can we get out of your way?"

Tsukuyomi, Rere, Cal, and Makoto glared at him terribly. There was something in him that was just repulsive…even if menacing.

That was enough for them to throw at the attack.

"YOU BASTARD!" The four of them didn't hesitate and threw violently their weapons against him, who seemed as calm as a leaf on water.

SWING SWING SWING SWING!

With just swift movements of his trident, he was able to block all four attacks with ease.

"W-What!?" They all exclaimed with horror.

"Hmm! Gotta say that you have perfect movements…but now I think it's my turn." Mitsubo declared. And in just a swift movement of his trident…everyone already had a bleeding sign of the weapon on their bodies.

"GAAAH!"

"GRRR! DON'T THINK IT'S OVER!" Tsukuyomi though, stood up the most and infused her blade with eclipse magic and tried to overwhelm him with her blows, but Mitsubo seemed how to answer to such attacks.

The two started to clash around the hall with speed and power, even though Mitsubo didn't seem to use that much of an effort.

"I see! So you control both light and darkness, an interesting combination! But to be fair…it's better when you put just one to the maximum." He spoke.

"SHUT UP! DANCE OF THE ECLIPSE!" Tsukuyomi tried to strike him down, but Mitsubo jumped away in time and only a flock of hair was cut. He then started to move around like lightning around the small girl, covering her with cuts all over her body.

"GH! GHH! GAAAAAH!" The girl tried to stand up, but the pain was starting to become unbearable at that point. And then…Mitsubo was right above her in mid-air.

"How about I give you a proof of that?" He asked, before starting to move his hands in a ninja pose.

"I-It's the same pose of that other girl!" Rere exclaimed.

"Oh no…TSUKUYOMI!" Henry didn't waste any time and started to run towards the girl in danger, who could only witness the inevitable blow.

"Kage no ninpō: anshokyōfushō" In an instant…a horde of hands made out of darkness went all over Tsukuyomi, hitting her with the power of a truck that led to a large impact against the door of the hall, panicking everyone else outside the mansion.

"TSUKUYOMI!" Everyone else shouted in horror.

When the pile of dust faded out…they could see that Henry was holding the girl, who was still alive.

"Anf…anf…anf…"

"Hm?" Mitsubo landed down with an interested expression on his face. "That attack should have killed her…how did you prevent it?" He asked.

"Anf…I've combined two techniques of my Jabberwock, Makashi, and Soresu…so that I could see how you were able to use that attack. If…If you want to kill this girl, you'll first have to kill me!" Henry replied with a furious stare.

Mitsubo smiled on the other hand. "I see. Mages get more interesting as time passes by. But honestly…I don't have that interest for now." He said before going to grab Tekina.

"G-Gh…" Tekina felt a bit ashamed as she was helped.

"Our main task had failed, and I have a wounded companion here. So, we'll call it a day…for now." Mitsubo continued before looking at everyone with a creepy stare. "I'm sure that you won't stop here chasing us. And the Crow Clan always welcomes people who want to get crushed with wide arms. Especially people who want to settle a score." He said the last part referring to Hoshiko, who looked at him with furious eyes.

"With this said…I wish you a good night…but we'll be back." With those last words, Mitsubo and Tekina were surrounded by a globe of darkness that teleported them away.

"WAIT!" Makoto tried to chase them down, but they were already disappeared.

"D…DAMMIT!" Hoshiko tried to stand up and go where they faded away, starting to attack thin air. "COME BACK YOU COWARDS! DON'T THINK IT WILL END HERE! NOW THAT YOU SHOWED UP I'LL CHASE YOU DOWN TO THE END OF THE WORLD!" She shouted out with all the voice she could. All of her frustration and pain echoed throughout the hall as the others looked at her with saddened eyes.

Naturally, they still didn't know why she felt like that, as it was something unusual coming from her…but…they could see that it was something horrible.

Even when Tammy got back in…she could see all the mess that was caused by that single attack…and the only thing the group could do…was to recover.

---

A few moments later, all the guests and the group sent for the mission were in the square outside the hall, with the six mages who were given their personal space to recover.

The mission was successful, but all that was left was only a bitter taste in everyone's mouth. Not only did they find out that the assaulter was someone very strong, but they also had some personal bonds with one of them.

Hoshiko was still angry about what just happened. She never thought that she would have found the ones that caused her so much pain on that occasion. She knew that the day would have come sooner or later but…it was all…too sudden. But for now…she didn't want to talk about it that much. All that she cared about now was that she could have helped her friends.

Right at that moment, she was using the magic of her clan to heal Tsukuyomi. Luckily, the spell was successful…and Tsukuyomi slowly opened her eyes.

"U-Uh…"

"Are you alright, Tsukuyomi?" Hoshiko asked.

"Y-Yes…I think I can…move now…" Tsukuyomi replied before standing up very slowly. "Anf…" She then looked up at Hoshiko with a saddened smile. "I'm…I'm sorry. I don't know what type of story you have with those ninjas but…I wish I could have helped…at least with taking out…some sort of first victory. I…I should have done better…" She said with a lot of regret in her words. Maybe she could have even teared up for the regret and maybe even for the fear…

Hoshiko looked at her with the same sadness before trying to cheer her up in the best way she could. "You did your best Tsukuyomi…I think we all did. If anything…the one mostly to blame is me…I should have expected that this was their work…" She explained.

The others came closer, sharing a bit of their pain.

"Are those the guys you spoke us about, My Lady?" Yukiko asked, making her master nod.

"…I…I don't wanna talk about it…not now…" Hoshiko continued.

"Girls…" Rere spoke. Henry looked at them saddened as well…but he came closer and placed his hands on their shoulders.

"I know it may sound bad…but this is no reason to look down right now. As that guy said…this won't be the last time we'll see them…so…try to take this as a reason to go on, ok?" He said, trying to comfort them.

Both Hoshiko and Tsukuyomi looked at them with small smiles.

"T-Thanks Henry…I tried…" The latter said with shiny eyes. Rere and Cal got closer to hug her a little and make her feel a bit better.

"Your friend is correct. Now that we know who is targeting these figures…we can surely think of a way to face them." Makoto said.

"Yeah! Plus, we did save the judge, didn't we?" Tammy added, pointing at the judge, who came closer to them.

"I can understand that you feel like you failed. But even if the enemy escaped in the end, there's no reason to do so. Even if we were all caught by surprise despite our best organizations…you were able to get us all out of that. And there wasn't even a single victim among us." Sen spoke. "If anything…you once again showed the greatness of your guild…and of the shogunate of course. So, really…I thank you." He then made a small bow.

The small group could look and see how the other guests were doing the bow as well.

"…You know…you were right about one thing, Tsukuyomi…" Rere then said.

"About what…?" The other girl asked.

"It's…it's good to feel appreciated." Rere continued. Seeing how she reminded this, Cal found the strength to smile as well.

"You know…they're not that wrong if you think of it. We were still able to complete the mission." Cal commented.

"See? I told you!" Tammy told them.

"Indeed. And even if it ended up being a mess as always…there's no reason why we shouldn't interrupt this party." Sen added.

"The party? But your hall is a mess." Tsukuyomi fairly pointed out. But to that, the Sen made a grin.

"Oh dear, you don't think that someone like me could stop for something like a messed-up hall. It's not even the first time my hall gets wrecked like that!" He answered. "This square is big enough to hold an outdoor party with food. Even the musicians were able to get out! So how about we resume what we started and get rid of those gloomy faces? It's my birthday after all…"

"You…want us to stay?" Rere asked.

"You saved my life. This is the least I can do to repay. And…due to your extra efforts…you can hold the dresses I gave you. Well…after bringing them to a good tailor, that is." Sen replied.

It was a hard night…but at least…they could have ended on a sweeter note. That was enough to make them all feel grateful and repay the small bow from earlier.

"Thank you!"

"Aaaaah! I can't believe I can keep this! Man...this is so surreal! Am I dreaming!?" Rere added, referring to the dress.

"Who cares? Let's enjoy it! I'll look so cool on parties with this!" Tammy said.

"Yees…thank me, precious girls…" Sen seemed pleased by that, and naturally…

"EW!"

"…What?"

And with that, the party was miraculously able to start over. Music and food were served, and everyone was somehow able to enjoy what was left of that night.

Tsukuyomi sat down on a table and drank a small glass of white wine, and this time they had the certainty that it wasn't poisoned. Next to her, sat Makoto, something that left her unprepared.

"Hey…I was wondering…how you were." The vice-captain asked.

"I'm better, thanks…Hoshiko knows how to surprise me." Tsukuyomi replied before taking another sip.

"That's perfect! You know…for a moment, I feared that you could have gotten killed." Makoto then said, surprising the other girl.

"Wait…really?" She asked.

"…After all the discussion we had about doing our best…it would have made me feel like shit to see you die right after…I would have still disappointed you." Makoto confessed.

Tsukuyomi didn't know what to say…but she was glad to hear that. "Eh eh…you know…for someone without that much self-esteem…is a lot to hear."

"Is that so? Because…I think you should have it. I can see how you were able to join Shogunate Pride, Tsukuyomi." Makoto told her. "And considering that you are kinda part of the imperial army…I look forward to doing more missions together." She added with a grateful smile.

That last part was enough to make Tsukuyomi blush a lot. "A-Ah…"

"…Are you ok?" The other girl asked.

"Y-YES!"

In a similar way to her, Hoshiko sat down at a table and looked at Tammy was eating a lot of chicken wings while trying to not be seen. At that moment, her attention was caught by someone getting closer.

It was Henry, who sat near her. A few meters away from them, Yukiko started to hiss while the other Celestial Spirits were trying to hold her.

"Hey! Feeling any better?" Henry asked.

"Y-Yes…" Hoshiko said.

"Good! I was worried a bit…" Henry simply replied. The two then simply stood there looking at the party going on in silence for a few minutes…until it got awkward.

"…Uhm…by the way…" Hoshiko then spoke, wanting to break the ice.

"Yeah?" Henry asked.

"I'm…sorry if you saw me that way before. Maybe I looked too much violent in your opinion…it's a side I'd rather not show that often…" The ninja girl continued.

Henry looked at her in silence for a couple of seconds and then took a small breath. "Even if you may have sounded too violent…I can see why, considering what you said with that other girl." He spoke.

"You think so…?" Hoshiko asked.

"I mean…it's not the first time we end up being aggressive against an enemy…and both you and I aren't strangers to…you know…body counts. Maybe this sounds a bit too much but! What I'm trying to say is…that whatever thing they may have done to you…I can see why you acted that way." Henry continued, making Hoshiko feel even more embarrassed.

"T-Thanks…sometimes I wonder how you can be so comprehensive…" Hoshiko continued.

"Honestly…I don't know! I just like hearing others and finding a way to make them feel better, that's all! After all…considering that I don't have anything that can compensate for your story…comforting you with that is the least I can do." Henry added.

"Oh, you mean…the whole story about being found on that beach," Hoshiko spoke. "Well…even if you don't have a story…I think it's already enough that you are helping me a lot. Kinda like…everyone else, eh eh!" She added, blushing a little.

"True indeed! We do make a great guild, don't you think?" The cowboy mage then asked.

"The flashiest…" Hoshiko concluded. Even if it ended up all such a mess…she was grateful that she could have still had that moment…not knowing that Yukiko wanted so much to jump at Henry at that moment.

Even Cal and Rere looked at them with a few meters of distance.

"You know…it's already been a while since Henry and Hoshiko started to talk out like that…do you think that they…?" The girl asked Cal.

"…They what?" The boy asked back confused.

"…Never mind," Rere concluded.

Cal simply shrugged and put a shrimp in his mouth. "You know…even if I was corrupted by that purple smoke back then…I could faintly hear you." He spoke.

"Really? W-Well, yeah, I could have noticed since you didn't free yourself from the wires, eh eh…" Rere said.

"And you know what? I think that you were pretty tough at that moment. I mean…ever so far…this was one of the bravest things you had done." Cal added.

This time Rere really didn't know what to say, as she stood still, as if she was paralyzed while holding her glass.

"…Are you ok?" Cal asked.

"Y-Yes!" Rere replied before making one of her nervous yet grateful smiles. "S-Someone said I was cool…T-Thanks, Cal…it's a lot coming from one of you."

In all of this, Sen could see that the party was going well and took advantage of it by coming closer to the musicians. "It seems that everything is going smoothly. How about we start off the big shot before the cake?" He asked with a grin. The musicians nodded and started to play well-known music that most of the guests recognized.

One of them was Hoshiko. "Oh! Henry, do you know what this is?" She asked all hyped up.

"Should I?" Henry asked.

"It's the waltz of the moon! A true classic!" Hoshiko explained before noticing that most of the guests were starting to pair up to perform the ball. "Man…they're even performing the ballet…"

Henry looked as Hoshiko seemed a bit displeased. "…Well, considering how this all went…how about I offer you this dance to cheer you up?" He asked before lending a hand.

Hoshiko's starry eyes glowed as she didn't expect it. It felt a bit embarrassing, but there was no reason to refuse it. She quickly grabbed his hand and joined the rest. "YES! COME ON LET'S GO!"

"Woah!"

"W-Wait, we need to dance!? No one warned me about it! What do I do!?" Rere asked, panicking a bit.

"…Well…if you feel uncomfortable, you could still join me," Cal told her.

Rere looked back at him. "…Are you…sure?" She asked.

"I'm not good at dancing though, I'm warning you." The boy continued. Rere felt a bit embarrassed to dance with a fellow guildmate. But…it would have been better than to feel a thousand-volt pressure by dancing with a complete stranger. So, he grabbed his hand.

"…I'm not good at dancing either so it's ok."

While the four Celestial Spirits decided to dance with each other, while Tammy searched for a partner to do the ball, Tsukuyomi and Makoto looked as if everyone was getting ready.

"The…waltz of the moon?" Tsukuyomi asked a bit confused.

"It's a classic ballet made by Albert J. Elezckovij in the X500s. It was composed on the occasion of the Pergrande's princess's wedding, so as time went on, it became a pair ballet as a tradition." Makoto explained.

"Oh! Never heard of that…it does sound a good melody though…" Tsukuyomi pointed out before looking at the vice-captain of the Shinsengumi. "…Do you…plan to do it with someone?" She then asked.

"Uh? Oh, not really. I think I'll limit myself to just watching. I'm sure that there's someone among the soldiers who will try but…no thanks." Makoto replied.

Somehow…that gave Tsukuyomi an idea. It was a bit embarrassing…but something told her to do so.

"…If that's the case…could I be the lucky one?" She then proposed, trying to make it sound like a joke.

Makoto was genuinely surprised by that, as she didn't know what to say. But the most surprising fact was that…she accepted, as she took her hand. "Well…I don't think they'll make a fuss if they see two girls dancing."

Tsukuyomi became red on her face…but she was glad that she accepted. "Then I won't disappoint you, vice-captain!"

And with that…all the guests started to dance, as Sen looked at the performance with pleasure.

The ballet was particular. While it looked like a regular dance, it did have some complex dance movements as the music went on between pirouettes, hand-holding parts, and elegant movements. But even so, Tsukuyomi, Rere, Cal, Hoshiko, Henry, and Tammy were doing their best to keep up just to…enjoy what was left of the party, and forget about the battle. And so, they did. As they danced…they all had smiles on their faces, even if they were a bit embarrassed to do so. Cal and Rere even accidentally bumped into another couple as they tried to dance correctly.

After that, the party went on, with the cake that was somehow safe despite all the magic used inside the hall, so that everyone could see how big it was, just to show off how Sen had that much of a reputation himself. Everyone then went with it and started to eat it.

The small group ended up sitting at the same table while they were enjoying the cake, trying to talk about various stuff. But then, they could notice how Hoshiko stood up and moved away a bit.

Amid the crowd, the ninja girl could notice a feather.

The feather of a crow.

That made her sigh. After that scene…she knew what would have awaited her…especially after they knew…that she was alive.

"…Things are going to get a lot complicated from now on, right?" Tammy asked while she and the others looked worried for Hoshiko.

"…We'll find a way to face this…I…I want to face it." Tsukuyomi replied, thinking about what happened with Mitsubo.

"Hoshiko…" Henry quietly spoke.

Hoshiko could only watch the full moon shining on the sky, and the stars surrounding it.

"…I hope those stars don't get blackened by all these feathers…"

---

And that's finally it! I didn't expect this chapter to be that long! But we were able to get it through, even if it took a bit longer to do it. To be honest…the reason this chapter took a bit longer was mostly because I've ended up getting distracted. As someone with a concentration deficit, it is a bit hard to keep up with chapters like this, and while the intention was present, I ended up taking more time for myself. I'll assure you that I'll be more careful from now on. I took care of the main things that distracted me, so I should be able to get back on my usual concentration. I hope to have a lot of that since I was planning to get back on the other stories as well! As for the chapter itself, you could already see how it was already complex compared to Chimera Tribe Arc's first one. I wanted to put out a lot of elements that could have made the characters shine and introduce the new villains at the same time. The long party scene also turned out to be a bit different from how I planned it at first, but overall, I'm satisfied with the final result, in my opinion, it also was better than how I thought of it the first time. I also wanted to say that the scenario for this chapter was suggested to me by ToBlazePurple, the user who made Henry! He gave me the idea and I've decided to make it in my style, so I hope we can all thank him for the support! Thanks, Blaze! I think it was an excellent idea to start a chapter like this! I also hope that I was able to give enough time to Hoshiko for this chapter, since, as you may think, she'll turn out to be important for this specific part of this story.

But as always, I leave the last opinion to you! Did you like this chapter? What do you think of the new threat, The Crow Clan? What will happen to Hoshiko from now on? And most importantly, what the hell of a judge is Sen? As always, let me know in your reviews! Your opinion is important!

It's incredible how we're already at the start of February, but I think the fact that we're already at two chapters for 2024 so early is a win for me! I hope we can continue this productive journey together! As for me, I may work on Fate/Twin Roses next time, but stay assured that you'll see how this will continue very soon!

As always, I thank you for reading this chapter, and I'll see you in the next chapter or the next chapter of another story of mine!

From Bluestar here, Arrivederci!