(10 years ago)
???: So, his name is Y/n?
Man: Yes.
???: Well, he's got quite the talent for a 6-year old Lilybell.
Man: But unfortunately, he's got a lung problem. He has trouble breathing and is unable to exert too much energy or else he'll collapse and pass out. He's got weak lungs, he can't go into missions if we don't do something about it.
???: Hmm... I think I have way to help him. It'd be a shame if all that talent that he's got would go to waste.
Man: Help him how exactly?
???: We can give him artificial lungs.
Man: (Chuckles) Like we can give him that. There's no such thing!
???: You'd be surprised what we can do at the Alan Institute.
Man: Are you serious?
???: Trust me, I can help him. Just make sure he becomes the best spy you can make him to be.
(Your POV - Present Day)
Today is when I'll meet DA's best Lycoris, Chisato Nishikigi, and I'll be working beside her for a few months, maybe even longer. She's a 1st Ranked Lycoris and I'm a 2nd Ranked Lilybell, so I'll be working under her command. I'm walking to LycoReco, a cafe she works at. I have my Lilybell outfit on; a high school uniform that's supposed to be my disguise as an undercover hitman because one of the last things you'd expect an assassin/spy to be is a high schooler, pretty smart I would say. I was told Lycoris also wear school uniforms too, so we'll act like schoolmates for most of the time when we're out.
I arrived at LycoReco and before I went inside, I read the sign that was posted by the front entrance.
"Cafe LycoReco. Exquisite Coffee. Served by Warm-Hearted Girls."
I get the feeling that once I step in here a bunch of Lycoris are going to be here. It's going to be weird, I know it. I just sigh, open the Cafe door and peak inside. I see the Cafe is empty, which is relieving to me. I scan my eyes to the first floor and look up to the second floor, nobody is here at all. Plus, the only thing I hear is a TV that's playing the News. I'm hearing about a charm and I see on the TV that it's a necklace of an owl.
TV: They come from all acts of life; Athletes, researchers, artists, talented minds-
I peak my head a bit more and see that someone is actually here and is watching the News at the Cafe's bar. She's wearing a green Kimono. She suddenly slams her hand on a book in front of her that's on the desk.
???: Ugh! And someone with the talent of being a good mother is being thwarted by an obstacle called marriage!
I go ahead and walk inside as she raises her head and yells at the ceiling.
???: It's not enough at all! I'm sick of just waiting around, where's my Mr. Right?!
TV: simple jealousy from simple folks.
???: What'd you just say?
You: Excuse me.
???: Huh?!
She then turns to me, startled. It seems that I spooked her, but she settled down quickly and just gave me a strange look.
???: Who are you?
You: My name is Y/n L/n, I'm the Lilybell sent here.
The TV then suddenly turns off and a man behind the bar walks up towards me. He's wearing a purple Kimono.
???: Y/n, you're here.
???: Hmm? Oh, you're the Guinea Pig Lilybell.
You: Yeah, I suppose you could say that. But, that also makes you a Guinea Pig too, Ms. Chisato. As we both are now supposed to work alongside each other to see if a Lilybell and a Lycoris can work together with no problems.
The man behind the counter and the girl in front of me, who I think is Chisato, both stare at each other, confused.
You: I look forward to working with you, Ms. Chisato.
???: That one's far from Chisato.
???: I have a name!
You: Oh? I'm sorry.
Mika: First off, let me introduce myself. I'm your supervisor, Mika.
You: It's a pleasure to meet you.
Mika offers a handshake and I accept it. He then points to the woman sitting down that is now drinking alcohol.
Mika: This is Mizuki, she used to work for DA, Intelligence Division.
You: Really? Why'd you leave?
Mizuki: I got sick of it. I mean a creepy syndicate gathering orphans and making them Lycoris Hitmen? Yeah, no thanks, ugh.
You: It's the same for Lilybell too.
Suddenly, we hear outside of the Cafe, a loud voice speaking to someone. Mizuki stopped and looked at the door.
Mizuki: Oh. There you go, the walking headache is back.
The cafe door opened and came inside is a Short haired girl with the same Kimono as Mika and Mizuki but in red. She walked in with a smiling face, as well as some bags in her hands.
???: Hey Teach, guess what? Everyone on Tabe-Mog is commenting that there's this super cute server in our shop! They're talking about me, right?
Mizuki: They're talking about me!
???: Funny. Guess your face isn't the only joke you've got.
You: (Damn. Burn.)
???: Hmm?
After she set the bags down, she looked behind her and stared at me.
???: That outfit, you're a Lilybell? Strange, no Lilybell should be this far, your HQ is on the other side of Japan. What brings you here?
Mika: He's the Lilybell I mentioned. We've been over this, Chisato.
You: Eh?
Chisato: Eh?!
I turned back at Mika, surprised that she's the Lycoris I'm supposed to be working with.
Mika: You'll be partners starting today, so play nice.
You: So she is Ms. Chisato?
I turn to her and her face is bright and happy. She's smiling from ear to ear.
Chisato: You mean he's the Lilybell?!
She looks at me, runs up to me and hugs me.
You: Woah!
Chisato: (Giggles) It's nice to meet you, Partner! I'm Chisato Nishikigi!
You: I'm Y/n L/n. It's nice to-
Chisato: Y/n!
She then let's go of me, stares in my eyes with excitement and immediately grabs my hands and holds them together as she leans in towards me.
Chisato: You're so cute!
You: Gah! That's a little-
Chisato: How old are you?!
You: I'm uh, 16.
Chisato: Hihi! I'm 1 year older than you, but you can skip the formalities, just call me Chi-Sa-To! Okay?!
You: Uh, sure.
Chisato: (Giggles) This is going to be so fun! I can't wait to go out with you!
You: G-go out?!
Chisato: Haha, yup! But before we do, I have to change into my Lycoris outfit, you go ahead and sit down at the bar. Teach will make you a cup of coffee! Right, Teach?
Mika: Of course!
Mika went into the kitchen. and started making coffee. Chisato basically grabs me and set me down at the bar. And in no time, Mika finished making my coffee and puts it down in front of me.
Mika: Here you go.
You: (So fast.)
Chisato: Well, I'm going to get changed! You enjoy Teach's coffee and once we're ready, we'll head out!
You: Okay.
Chisato: Oh! And Y/n,
Chisato then all of a sudden kisses my cheek and I blush madly.
You: GAH!
Chisato: (Giggles) Welcome to LycoReco!
She goes ahead and rushes to the back and gets changed. My face heats up from that sudden kiss and my heart's racing a million times a minute. Mika and Mizuki start laughing at my reaction. I just relax myself and drink Mika's coffee. I look up and see them smiling at me.
Mika: Oh yeah, you two will get along well.
Mizuki: Really well~
I'm left speechless. Still being flustered with what happen, I let them be and just continue to sip on the coffee.
(Timeskip)
Chisato: (Humming)
You: Hmm...
Chisato and I are walking somewhere and she's holding my hand while humming to herself. It's way too sudden how she's acting towards me. First the hug, next calling me cute, then a kiss on the cheek and now holding hands, it's like this is normal for her. Maybe this is how she usually is around other Lycoris, or maybe all Lycoris are like this. I'm not sure, I haven't worked with a female undercover hitman before but like Boss said, this is a test to see if a Lycoris and a Lilybell can work together. So, I'll probably adapt to her ways in a couple weeks.
Chisato: La la la~
You: Hey, Chisato?
Chisato: Yeah, what's up?
You: Is that Cafe a secret location for Lycoris?
Chisato: Huh? Oh no, I'm the only Lycoris that works there. Mika is our Boss and Mizuki also works with us.
You: Is there a reason why you're not at DA?
Chisato: Haha, uh well... It's because I'm their problem child.
You: Hmm? But I was told that you're their Top-Tier Lycoris.
Chisato: (Gasp) Did Ms. Kusunoki tell you that?!
You: Well, she told my Commander, and he told me.
Chisato: (Giggles)
You: Also,
I look up and point at the Radio Tower that was destroyed but built to look pretty.
You I was told that was you're doing.
Chisato: Oh~
We both look up together and then Chisato suddenly yelled.
Chisato: Wait! I wasn't the one who broke it!
You: No, but you're the Lycoris who single handedly protected the old Radio Tower. Lilybell didn't know who but they heard what happened.
Chisato: Oh, that so? The terrorists were stopped but it still broke in the end.
You: Still, you are a Top-Tier Lycoris.
Chisato: There's a few Top-Tier Lycoris at DA. What about you? Are you a Top-Tier Lilybell?
You: Yes. I'm told that I have the skills to become a 1st Ranked Lilybell.
Chisato: Really?! Why aren't you one?!
You: (Sigh) Too much responsibilities and too much of a bother to be a field commander.
Chisato: Geez, it ain't that bad. I mean, yet again, I haven't worked with anyone in a few years. But don't worry, I know what I'm doing. That's why I'm really happy I get to work with you, Y/n!
She says as she holds my hand tighter and smiles at me brightly. That made my heart skip a beat and I could feel myself blushing a bit.
You: Likewise.
Chisato: Oh! While we're walking to our destination, I'm supposed to tell you about this Arms Deal that went down. It's a big investigation at DA at the moment.
You: Arms Deal?
(Timeskip)
Chisato told me about this Arms Deal that went down yesterday. She didn't know what really happened inside the building of the deal, but she does know that the Lycoris were supposed to capture the Dealer alive but instead one of the Lycoris opened fire on everyone when she wasn't supposed to, going against direct orders. And now, because the Dealer is dead, DA doesn't know where 1000 guns are located and are searching for any clues they can find.
You: Damn, that Lycoris is bad. And she almost killed her ally, you say? She should get deranked or retrained.
Chisato: Hey! Don't say that! You never know, maybe that Arms Deal never happened at all.
You: You think that's possible?
As we're walking passed a preschool, a few kids run up to us behind a fence.
Kid 1: Chisato!
Kid 2: You're here!
Kid 3: Big Sis Chisato!
I suppose this is our destination. We approached the preschool gate's entrance and was greeted by a nice lady. The kids went around and ran up to Chisato.
Chisato: I have a new friend for you all! Meet Big Bro Y/n!
Children: Big Bro Y/n!
Kid 1: Woah! You two are holding hands!
Kid 2: Are you two dating?!
You: Actually, we're partners.
Kid 1: Partners?
Chisato: (Giggles) Sorry, he's a shy one. It's another way of saying "Boyfriend and Girlfriend"!
You: Eh?!
Children: Ooo~!
The kids start poking fun at us. I turn to Chisato and she gives me a wink. My heart skips a beat again, she really makes me flustered. Why is she doing this to me? Does she enjoy teasing me?
You: (Sigh) Whatever...
(Cut to inside of a Language school)
Teacher: Exercise One! You are perplexed!
Students: I am perplexed!
Still holding hands, Chisato is talking with another teacher. As she talks with him, I'm observing the classroom we're next to.
Chisato: We're from the same school, so he can speak any language I can speak! Watch!
She then tugs on my hand a bit and I look back at her.
Chisato: How's your Russian?
You: Hola.
(Cut to a place outside called "KODAGUMI")
Guy 1: What the hell? Brats like you don't belong here, get lost! Boss has got his hands full now, scram before you get hurt!
We tried entering inside the building but some body guard is in our way and won't let us in. From behind him, we see someone approaching us. He grabs the body guards shirt and lifts him up. By the worried expression on that body guard, that must be his boss.
Guy 1: Ah!
Boss: Let them in.
Guy 1: Yes boss.
We enter inside and both sit down on a couch. Their boss sits on the opposite couch and we start talking.
Boss: He's a rookie, sorry about that. Go easy on him Chisato.
Finally, after an hour, she lets go of my hand and takes out something out of her backpack. When she pulls it out, it's a paper bag that looks kinda sus.
Chisato: Got your order right here.
She hands him the bag and the boss grabs it.
Boss: Ooo~ Alright, we hit the jackpot this week!
Chisato: That'll last you a while. Oh! And it's the good stuff too!
The good stuff too? Hella sus. I turn to Chisato and she's just smiling.
Boss: Mmm yeah~ (Sniff) You got that right.
He's really liking what's in that bag. Mega sus. I think and deduce; alright, time for them to die. I press the Gun button on my backpack and was about to reach for my Pistol. But Chisato quickly pushed the Gun back inside my backpack.
You: Huh?
I turn to her, she's still looking at the boss man.
Chisato: He said they're freshly ground for you.
I now turn back to the Boss and see that he opened the bag and has some of the product between his fingers. He then drizzles the product back into the bag and I notice that it's just coffee grounds.
Boss: I see, give my thanks to the master! And who's this?
He turns to me as he smiles. His friendly vibe starts to calm me down.
Chisato: Oh, this is Y/n! He's my boyfriend and this is his very first day working with me! Pretty cool, huh?
You: Gah! Wait a minute-
Everyone: Nice to meet you Y/n!
(Outside)
We leave the building and I feel dumb. Chisato could tell that I feel dumb when she looks at me.
Chisato: Don't tell me you thought that was a drug deal.
You: ...
Chisato: Wait, did you?!
You: Yes.
Chisato: Haha! Gotcha!
She starts cheering that she fooled me.
You: I was this close to killing them all.
I hold my index finger and thumb super close to each other but not touching, as I show her the gap between them is a representation of how close I was to shooting them. She looks at me with worrisome but then drills her finger into my cheek and starts pinching it, pulling it as well, which makes me lean towards her.
You: Nng!
Chisato: Lighten up, it was just a joke. They're harmless, regular customers from our cafe! But enough messing around, let's head to the police station! Wait...
She checks her watch and looks at the time.
Chisato: If we leave now, we'll be too early.
You: Um, before we go,
Chisato: Hmm?
You: What exactly does this division do?
Chisato: .... huh?
(Timeskip)
Chisato and I are sitting at a park bench. She got a strawberry drink from a vending machine and she's sipping on it as we discuss about my question.
Chisato: Sorry. I could've sworn Teach had already filled you in. (sip) What exactly do we do here? You know, now that I'm really thinking about it...
You: Hmm... There's a Preschool, a Language School and a Yakuza Office. I don't see what they have in common.
Chisato: Oh, I know! Our job here... Is to help people in trouble!
She looks at me and gives me a warm smile. Confused on that this Division has their own way of doing things.
You: Lycoris for Individuals, huh.
Chisato: (sip) Exactly. Think about it. Delivering coffee, teaching languages and helping preschools all make people happy, you know?
You: Happy? Lycoris and Lilybell are official secret syndicate agents that protect our country.
Chisato: Ooooo~ When you put it like that we sound like action hero's or something.
Chisato stretches and leans her head on my shoulder. I get caught off guard from it but let it slide, she's done more couple things to me today that has caught me off guard more than just this.
Chisato: But... On the flip side, they also call us Hitmen who execute dangerous criminals. Right?
You: These are trying times when things like that happen. They need us.
Chisato: Yeah maybe. You could have a point there.
I look up at the Radio Tower again. It looks beautiful but at the same time, it's damaged. I can't tell whether I like it or not.
You: Question. The new Radio Tower is almost done with construction. So why is that old one still there?
Chisato: Maybe being broken is a metaphor or something.
You: You think that's even possible?
Chisato: Sure. Honestly, who knows. But I'm kind of obsessed with it being total nonsense like that.
You: That must be why your actions are total nonsense.
Chisato: (Laughs)
She hugs my arm as she laughs.
You: Gah!
Chisato: I'll let that one slide. But in the end of the day, there are tons of people out there that need help. Even if DA isn't interested in them. And they're asking for help!
Chisato then stands up and looks down at me. She offers me her hand.
Chisato: So Y/n, will you help with us?
It's not like I have a choice, I have to be here. I go ahead and reach for her hand but she was quick and grabbed it mid reach. She then pulls me up and smiles widely at me.
Chisato: Anymore questions?
You: Too many to count.
Chisato: Well then, to the police station we go!
I let go of her hand but then she immediately grabbed my other hand.
You: Huh?
Chisato: (Giggles) You still gotta hold my hand~
You: Oh, right...
And once again we're hand in hand and on our way to the police station.