Alright, maybe wishing for nothing bad to happen on the team that had Licht and Hyde of all people together was a bit too hard and much to ask for.
Just maybe.
Mahiru stared at the scenario happening before him while pinching the brink of his nose, feeling a very massive headache coming soon. Which, to be honest, was something he got every time Tsurugi messed up in the kitchen again, so maybe he shouldn't be too unsuspecting to it anymore.
Though, seeing Licht and Hyde glare down some tough and beefy guys that looked like they belonged in some gang instead of an arcade of all places, he jested that he could probably excuse himself this one time.
How did this happen again?
~{&}~
It was fifteen minutes before the fiasco happened. They managed to get to the arcade without much guidance and destruction and Mahiru thought that it was going well. Too well, actually, since this was the Greed pair he was talking about but he didn't complain about it. The less accidents the smoother his job after all.
Licht had immediately requested that they try the claw machines the moment he caught sight of them and aimed for a cute cat plushie, completely ignoring the hedgehog plushie right beside it regardless of Hyde's requests. Mahiru had sighed at their child-like enthusiasm but didn't find himself exactly hating it— it was rejuvenating to see some aspects of their old selves.
While they were playing, he did catch sight of Sleepy Ash gliding away from the rowdy crowd to a more secluded part of the arcade.
Not wanting to let him leave out of his sight in case of an emergency, Mahiru had pressed on and tailed after him while still making sure he could see the Greed pair arguing over which toy was better from the corner of his eye.
Unsurprisingly, Sleepy Ash had went ahead to play one of the smaller shooting games that barely anyone paid attention to but was still fun to play. It was kind of unique how he had managed to notice such a small booth but hey, he didn't know how the eyes of a vampire's worked— especially ones of a Servamp's.
Mahiru watched him slide a coin down the compartment of the booth as he leaned on one of the separate machines. Sensing that no immediate danger was nearby, he finally allowed himself to relax on the cool surface of the machine and gave a huge sigh.
Man, Misono's group was harder to control than he thought it would be. He thought that since Lily was there, maybe the Servamp could convince the boy to not spend recklessly but it seemed that the Servamp was all too happy to indulge in the spendings as well.
How envious he was of them for their lack of regard for their budget. Rich people always get the best stuff in the end.
Mahiru took this rare moment of solace to think over the activities for the week and the people who were involved in it. A week of bodyguard-training, huh?
What kind of activities were they going to do for this past week even? He wouldn't be informed of it either so he just had to brace himself for whatever troubles came hurdling his way.
Speaking of troubles... there was still that one main problem in the whole group who couldn't be restrained at all— Mikuni. He was the most dangerous and troublesome of threats in this mission at the moment, even if he was actually one of the people he had to protect (the irony, isn't he right?).
Seriously though, did that guy even need protection? He was probably the one who was the most likely to massacre everyone in the whole building right now, not the actual terrorists. Maybe if he spoke to Shuhei then...
No, he can't. Although Shuhei hated that guy with a burning passion, he won't allow his emotions to get the better of him at work (most of the time) so he would tell him to suck it up and just bear with it. He would probably throw in a few words of hatred towards the blond in the midst of it too before storming off.
Moreover, Touma had been the one to issue him this job personally. He handpicked him and had expectations for him. Therefore, he should meet those targets with his head held up high with no remorse or regret (at least that's what he should do anyways.)
Though, why exactly did he suddenly have a change in heart and claimed to want to help him to improve?
Mahiru scratched his cheek as he pondered about Touma's true intentions. He knew that although it may not seem so, Touma was decisive in his choices. He would consider all the pros and cons of a situation first before proceeding and once he makes a decision, he makes sure to get it done. He doesn't do a half-assed job at about anything. He prioritises quality over quantity and would do whatever it took to get it— that's what made him so revered in the C3 after all.
So that meant that he had put a huge amount of thought into assigning him for this important assignment, an assignment that would determine the image the public had on the C3. Of course, while the C3 does not particularly care about it's own image (or it's lack thereof), the assignment would still be able to be another source of revenue for the organisation and that was important too.
To outsiders, they may consider Touma's decision just and righteous. After all, who wouldn't like to help someone else improve? Why be selfish and watch them from the sidelines?
But Mahiru knew better. The whole C3 knew better than to sum it up to his 'morally righteous conscience'.
That was because everybody who worked under Touma knew how selfish he was. Everyone knew how much he'd steal, take and hurt someone else just for his own benefit. Morally righteous his ass, that guy could point a gun at another person's head just because he threw a cigarette butt too close to his shoes and fire off without warning.
So there must be another reason why. He had to consult with Tsurugi on this later. Maybe the guy knew something, seeing as how he was basically his servant. There must be an underlying reason to it. Because surely, Touma's decision couldn't just be because he was worried for him...
...Like a parent, right?
All of this ruckus in his brain forced him to breathe out a sigh— whether it was relief or not, he couldn't tell. He wasn't one for deep thoughts, he was rather one for actions. Simple thinking and simple actions did the work better, as he might say so himself.
Taking a deep breath one second earlier actually helped him prepare mentally as he saw from the corner of his eye, Sleepy Ash approaching him with tickets from the arcade booth in his hands. The sight of him already made shivers crawl up his spine and increased his urge to flee, but the visual image of him approaching him?
Mahiru swallowed a large gulp as formidable shadows formed and pooled beneath the vampire's feet; monsters of his own imagination that was. Fuck, he wanted to run. His nerves screamed danger from this man, a feeling that if you ever told his younger self that he would feel to this person, would absolutely scrutinise you right in the face and talk about how 'he isn't a monster!' stuff.
But alas, that was the past. Although he so desperately wanted to flee he couldn't. He couldn't act inconspicuous here, not when so many people were watching.
With arduous effort, he forced himself to call his nerves down as suppress the urge to flinch away as the vampire stood there, before him, ever in his dark and mystical glory (he could hear himself puking from the distance). His hands itched to grab something to stabilise himself on to keep his jelly legs from betraying him but he stopped them because that would look too... well, cowardly, perhaps?
Compared to that small convenience store incident, he actually had to give himself some credit for not immediately rushing to get away from him. Maybe the mask of anonymity has helped him gain confidence?
Or rather... did the anonymity ensure his safety and separate the identities of Shirota Mahiru and Shiro in his physical and mental being?
Was that why he was doing better now? Because it isn't Shirota Mahiru who is facing Sleepy Ash at the moment, but Shiro? The ever cool and calm-headed asset of the C3?
Right. Just an asset of the C3. That should be all there is— no emotions in play whatsoever, especially of the identity of Shirota Mahiru. Nothing more.
The vampire looked and scanned him up to down with a casual look in his eyes. Mahiru so desperately wanted to not give him a second thought but that proved almost impossible as the vampire merely stood there, as if choosing his words wisely.
Cutting to the chase, he asked,"Is there a problem?"
Sleepy Ash pondered about it for a few more seconds (God, he really was acting up to his name of sloth with how slow he was) before shaking his head. "Not really. I was just wondering why you were merely standing here and zoning out."
So he had been watching him. Huh. Interesting.
"I was not inconveniencing anyone so I don't see why it should spark your interest," Mahiru snarked back at him, eager to end the conversation there and then. The faster he got rid of him the better because maybe then, the painful ache in his chest and the feeling of having his heart stop at any given moment may finally cease to exist.
Sleepy Ash begged to differ though,"Are all of the C3 members as cold as you? How troublesome. Why do most of you all immediately think of the negative sides of a situation?"
"Possibly because we want to be prepared for the worst scenario if it ever happens. And also because there's a certain guy in the organisation that is called 'Shuhei', and he insists that plan A all the way to plan Z be planned for in every situation imaginable."
"Ah," Sleepy Ash curtly replied with a brush to his nape at that while averting his eyes. Seems as though he doesn't know how to reply to such a remark.
No, rather, he doesn't know how to socially interact well with someone else without anybody's help. And that was quite pathetic when you thought about it— hundreds of centuries of living and you're still unequivocally equipped with the basic laws of mundane social interaction.
Mahiru sighed and shook his head as he realized how he was being led astray. If the guy made an effort to actually talk to him, then something must have been on his mind and it would be rude to not address it. He couldn't have come here to get spat on and Mahiru, ever the mindful person, tried to avoid that.
"Never-mind. What did you come to talk to me for anyways?" Mahiru decided to change the topic.
As if seemingly grateful for the diversion in subject, Sleepy Ash picked up on the pace, although hesitantly,"I, uh, I was just wondering if... if..."
Mahiru stared straight at him as he watched him stumble over his words and scratch his nape even more.
Seriously, how slow was this guy? Even though he knew that his sin 'sloth' did not define his character as a whole, he really was living up to it (and he tried to ignore that feeling that maybe, just maybe, the reason why he acted slow and indecisive may have been due to some... unfavourable memories).
Mahiru impatiently tapped his shoe and stared him down,"If?"
What did he want? Did he want solace? Did he want a bit more money? Did he want him to leave the place? If so, he could happily oblige—
"...If you could accompany me to play some games too?" Sleepy Ash sucked in a breath as he said those words with a gleaming look in his eyes.
Mahiru blinked.
Whatever assumption that he may have had before, it was surely knocked out of his head with a large hammer now. "I— what?"
"I-I mean, you were just standing there in this sea of games and spacing out. You must've been bored, right? After all, there's not much danger that could happen to us vampires. So I was just thinking... that you could join in too?" Sleepy Ash proposed as he brought up examples to back his reason up.
Mahiru blinked once again. He thought he was spacing out because he was bored? And he wanted him to play with him to get rid of that boredom?
That was... oddly considerate of him.
And it was also weird to experience an altered (new? He didn't know. But altered? Possibly. Maybe he was living in a 2-D space right now controlled by some random user that he didn't know who spectated him from afar) side to the vampire who had shoved him off so brutally at that time.
Mahiru could not stop that light-hearted sigh that came out of him (whether that came from the surprise of his answer or from the relief of it being so shallow, he didn't know),"I appreciate your gesture, Sleepy Ash. However, I am on a mission and it would be unsightly if I was found out by others slacking on the job instead of focusing."
He could almost see Sleepy Ash's eyes sadden just by a little bit and he wondered if that was just the light playing tricks on him.
Though, this oddly considerate side of him... where did it come from? Didn't he state before that he cared naught for the emotions of others?
Especially his?
Sleepy Ash seemed as though he wasn't going down without a fight,"But—"
"Don't touch me, you demon!"
At the sound of that voice, both males snapped out of their trance and turned to look at the source of that cry.
Mahiru's shoulders tensed as his fingers flexed by instinct, ready for a fight. He spared a glance to the vampire before him and he seemed to be getting the same feeling as him as his eyebrows narrowed to the slightest degree and his back was finally straight. Sleepy Ash noticed his stare and before Mahiru could react he nodded at him, before using his vampiric speed to rush to get to where the owner of that voice came from.
Mahiru blinked once again. Sleepy Ash showed initiative for once before he even had the moment to do anything, and that was a very very rare moment to behold.
'No, snap out of it. Get to where Licht is first!' He berated himself as he shook his head and dashed forward, closing up the distance between him and the group of people that started to crowd around what he could assume was the commotion caused by the Greed pair.
Apologising to the public who were in his way and moving them aside, he quickly got to the front where he could finally clearly see what exactly was going on.
And the sight was something Mahiru was unsure of whether to be unsurprised or disappointed in.
It was Licht, trying to provoke three other masculine men who had visible tattoos on their shoulders and wrists with an authoritative shadow looming over them and poor Hyde, who was trying to diffuse the situation by calming Licht down to the best of his abilities but ultimately failing to do so.
"L-Licht-Tan, calm down!"
"HAH?! They were the ones who threatened us first!"
"But still—!"
"Shut up and get out of the way!"
'Y'know, most people would be running away from the men right now,' Mahiru quietly commented in his mind as he watched in dismay of their behavior and the attention it was receiving from the passerby. Ah but, he should remember that the Greed pair were not included in the term of 'most people' after all, so maybe it did count...?
Feeling a familiar presence approach his side, Mahiru turned to his right to see Sleepy Ash making his way towards him once again. He instinctively drew away by a foot once Sleepy Ash reached him, laying a boundary between them that the vampire did not seem to care much for.
Sleepy Ash glanced at the Greed pair before turning to him and seeing that distance he put between them. He pondered about it for a few seconds before shrugging, possibly putting it off to some deprecating joke inside once again then turning back to the situation before their eyes.
"Causing a ruckus in the middle of public... how troublesome they are. Though, I did somewhat expect this to happen in a way," Sleepy Ash sighed as he ran a hand through his hair.
Surprisingly, Mahiru replied,"I see that we're on the same page here since I did also expect them to do this. They've always been like that, after all."
Sleepy Ash hummed after hearing his reply but stopped prematurely when he digested those words in.
'They've always been like that, after all.'
Huh? What did he mean by that?
Why did he speak so fondly of them as if he was actually with them the whole time?
Sleepy Ash turned to Mahiru, who in his point of view was Shiro, and examined him. He's only been with them officially for an hour and so but he's talking as if he's known them from the start, like a parent overlooking his kids in the daycare.
It puzzled him and it left him wanting to know more, by just a little bit: even if the information was little, it was still information nonetheless.
Opening his mouth to speak his thoughts, his tongue was abruptly tied as his subconscious and rational mind pulled him back. What if it's just because of the C3's vast information? They must have a lot of information on them since their organisation's motives are to look after them after all. Don't say anything stupid in front of him, it spoke out and forced him to close his mouth back.
Right. That was correct. It was the C3 after all, with their annoyingly vast and big storage of data. Who knows what kind of information they kept there? Probably all kinds, especially their most annoying traits.
It would help them be more aware of their opponents, he poised.
With an assumption to his question made up all by himself with no basis of evidence, he turned back to the troublemakers and took his attention off the younger male. "Stop jumping into conclusions, damn it," he chided himself as he scowled lightly.
Mahiru turned to him for a brief second, curious as to what the murmur he heard was about but shook his head and turned back.
Right. The annoying Greed duo. That was the main focus right now. Not this annoying Sleepy Ash.
"C'mon, pay up and no one will have to get hurt!" A man who really looked like he was a thug who belonged to the James Bond movies instead of an arcade taunted the duo (a bad mistake to do, Mahiru might add) as a curvaceous smirk appeared on his face. All of the mens' eyes looked ready to prowl and advance if given the opportunity to.
"Like hell we will! We did nothing!" Licht argued back while baring his teeth at them. A dog that felt threatened would do the same, Mahiru mused, but he was much more clever than to compare Licht to a mere dog.
Maybe... a devil, perhaps, would be the fairer comparison? It did suit him a little. But shh, it wasn't as if the self-proclaimed angel had to know that anyways. He would kick him to oblivion if he knew what he compared him to.
Hyde was doing his fair share in trying to restrain Licht, "Licht-Tan, calm down! We can just leave—"
"Oh? 'Licht', was it? That's a pretty name for a pretty boy like you. Hey, if you don't have the money to pay up, why not join us for the night then? That would be a better way to repay us back," One of the other men spoke with a laugh and almost immediately, all of them did too.
Although it may have been a laughing matter for the three, for the protective Servamp of Greed, it definitely was not.
"Spend... the night?"
The men turned to the now silent Servamp of Greed and all Mahiru could do was gulp as he could almost imagine what was going to come afterward while he peered into the expression on the blonde's face— who had already stopped restraining Licht and was instead looking at them.
It was shadowed, full of malicious intent and most importantly, anger.
Unluckily for the men though, they didn't appear to notice the change, "Yeah, spend the night! It's exactly as what it means, brat. Alcohol, drugs and sex for the whole night! Don't worry, after the night is over then your little 'angel' right here can go off. A fair deal, right? Be grateful since we don't mind the fact that he's a male too!"
Silence ensued and by now, Mahiru's nerves were getting the better of him. He wanted to curse the mens' mouths. "Stop talking already!" He thought to himself, biting his lip quickly as he readied his stance— a stance to fight the men or to stop the Servamp of Greed from rampaging from anger, he didn't know, but he at least knew that he had to stop something!
The men did not continue to stop,"Hey, pal, just give him to us for the night. With a pretty face like that, he can definitely get us off twice the amount of times we can do by ourselves. We'd even say he looks better than the girls in the magazines!"
"I know, right?! I can imagine his face red and drooling while screaming into the pillow already, pumped full of our cum and it's getting me excited! Let's hurry up and get him to the hotel room already!"
"Why you!" Licht glared as his pride as an angel and more importantly, as a decent human being was being stepped on by the lust of these three men and he was ready to go until he saw the state that Hyde was in.
He stopped abruptly as his eyes went wide.
Hyde was staring straight at the ground, fists clenched so tight until he swore that he could see some blood bleeding out from them. His wrath was basically seeping out from him as little droplets, ready to gush out and envelop the whole arcade in a bloody river as he watched the men's' lives get drained from their eyes.
"A fair...deal..." The Servamp of Greed murmured as he clenched his fists even further, irritation and anger swallowing him up whole from the even thought of them laying a hand to his angel.
Drooling on the pillow, screaming for help while being forced into something out of his own will, getting inseminated and filled up to the brim with other men's' cum?
Hyde's vision turned complete red.
How dare they even think of that.
May God have mercy on these rapists because he sure as well will not.
Gritting his teeth, he roared out as he launched himself with a fist that was enshrined with hatred for the men ever present, "AS IF I'D EVEN LET THAT HAPPEN!"
Now!
Within the speed of a chimera, or a person who was trained beyond his very limits, Mahiru launched himself as well and gritted his teeth as he caught Hyde's fist in the air before it made contact with the men. He hissed at the impact it gave as he used his force and strength to try to either stop it but a Servamp's strength was not something to be trampled over with, forcing him to only be able to divert the punch away.
The scene was too quick for anyone to even comprehend as the world turned into a stalemate, and for a second, everybody stopped breathing.
Hyde blinked twice as he saw the bodyguard of the C3 grabbing his wrist and hand and panting, starstruck at what had just happened. He looked at the men then at Mahiru, digesting and processing what on Earth happened a fraction of a second ago before turning to look at his wrist again.
"This boy... stopped me? Even though I put so much strength in that...?" His mind sounded out for him in the midst of his amazement of the little male's dignity and motivation to even try to stop a Servamp out of all people.
But then, when reality clicked in him that the man did stop him from possibly and satisfyingly killing the men who had the audacity to promis to rape his angel right in front of his face, his anger flared even more and it was directed to Mahiru.
Snatching his wrist away, he glared at him while his uneven breaths continued getting more erratic as the seconds went by from his rage, "How could you stop me?! You heard what they said! They threatened to rape Licht! Move aside, I'm going to kill them. You can't stop me, I'm in the right here!
"E-Even if you... w-were, immediate violence should not be the answer, Hyde-san," Mahiru panted as he slowly got up and flexed his wrist and palm to wear off the slight stretch that was inflicted on it from the force earlier.
Hyde's eyes diluted from that shitty kind of an answer and marched up to him, fully intent on smashing his head to pieces in front of their audience, "Now listen here you bastard—"
"DOWN!"
Within the timeframe of a second, Hyde's head was suddenly forced down by the very man he promised to smash to pieces. What came after that was a forceful shove back and when he was about to protest, a cry was head from one of the men, forcing him to open his eyes fully to see a birdeye's view of the scenario happening.
The bodyguard was standing still and high in front of the men... with one of them thrown on the floor and covering his eye?
Huh? What just happened?
Mahiru stretched his neck and shoulder blades at the same time and gave a sigh,"I should've stretched more before this... I can already tell my muscles will be sore tomorrow. But at least being light and a bit short has it's own advantages."
"Y-You...!" The man who was on the ground cried out with anger flaring in his eyes.
Mahiru paid no heed to the man and instead to the people behind him. He spared a glance to Sleepy Ash, the man stiffening up the moment he felt his stare before relaxing when Mahiru turned his attention elsewhere.
To the Greed pair.
With a confident air in his surroundings, he gave a haughty chuckle,"Cool your head down first, Servamp of Greed. Spare me the trouble of having to fill up paperwork for the damages caused in the vicinity and for the result in casualties, please, and let me handle this. I don't want to get an earful from that Vice-President again."
Hyde paused but quickly became animatic again,"But they're my prey—!"
Luckily for Mahiru, Licht decided that today was the day he should choose to think rationally for once and slapped the back of his head. Hyde yelped with a cry and was ready to protest until Licht glared at him, a warning per se,"Stop it already, you demon. Just cooperate."
"But Licht-Tan, they were the one who threatened you!"
"Are you being serious? No one can threaten an angel like me. You were just being sensitive," Licht retorted as he gave a wave of his hand at him, dismissing the whole argument much to Hyde's frustration.
"Licht-Tan—!"
"Shut up, demon."
Ignoring Hyde's rambles, Licht turned to Mahiru and gave a nod, signaling that Mahiru could continue.
"I'm so lucky Hyde has Licht by his side, even though he's impossible to deal with sometimes," Mahiru heaved a huge sigh of relief as he bowed slightly in gratefulness before turning his back towards them.
Now, onto his real targets.
With Mahiru's attention being on somebody else's, Licht decided that now was a good time to say something to Hyde.
He whispered something into Hyde's ear, forcing the vampire to shut up and listen. Hyde stared at him incredulously afterwards but was stopped by Licht's glare. Hyde sighed in defeat before nodding and close his mouth and his arguments and instead focused on Mahiru's form now.
Cracking his knuckles, Mahiru grinned underneath that mask of his.
Finally, it was his time to do something that he was actually good at.
Fighting.
~{&}~
A blond man sipped on his tea, taking the time to cherish the sublime aroma is emitted. It filled his nostrils and engulfed him like how a wave of the ocean would to one's feet. Soft, relaxing and pleasuring. The smell reminded him of the freshly plucked roses the mansion he once resided in had and he could almost imagine the morning dew that appeared on the roses' leaves.
Ah, how beautiful the imagery was. How beautiful the roses looked like in his head. Maybe he should get one again soon as a gift for his little brother.
"Ah but," he realised soon after he thought that and saw a particular young male in an arcade, several shops away from their particular store at the moment, fending off some masculine men to protect as to what could be seen as the Greed pair's safety,"given the situation, maybe he already has a rose by his side after all."
"Mikuni?"
A voice called out to him, calling for his name. He paused as he sneaked a side glance as to who the newcomer was before noticing who it was and turned his attention fully to the person.
It was the Servamp of Envy in all of his glory.
"Ah, Jeje! You've finally found the place I told you to come meet me at. I was worried you'd get lost on the way. Come, sit and enjoy some tea," The now named male, Mikuni, laughed as he gestured towards the empty seat in front of him. Jeje sighed as he nodded and made his way towards the seat, plopping himself down immediately.
The Servamp decided not to question his master's weird choice of venue and silently obeyed the blond's command, reaching forward to grab the cup of hot Rose Petal tea prepared for him. With a silent gaze, he brought it up to his lips, blowing lightly on it for safety measures of not burning himself before sipping on it.
Mikuni grinned at the Servamp's antics and his silent poise and went ahead to sip on his own tea. For a while, the two remained like that, ever formal with each other.
Only after the Servamp has finished his tea, did he set down the cup and spoke,"So, what was the purpose of coming all the way here? What's the matter that you would like to discuss about? Surely, it couldn't just be to enjoy some cup of fine tea?"
"Oh come on, don't be so prudent, Jeje. Why couldn't I have come here to enjoy a cup of tea?" Mikuni joked as he set down his finished cup as well. Ever courteous to his master, Jeje took it upon himself to begin refilling both of their cups of tea from the teapot laid on the small rounded and silk-covered table, the designs on it ever elegant and appealing to the eye.
"Because I don't think you'd be the type to do something just because you 'felt like it'. Tell me, what is the message you want to convey or talk about?" Jeje retorted as he finished filling the cups of tea.
Mikuni chuckled at that, reaching forward again to grab his cup,"How sharp you are, Jeje. You know me so well. Well, alright. I'll tell you. Let's just say it was for a little act of..."
His eyes turned back to the male in the arcade, the end of his lips curving up by just a little,"...Appreciation for the transient beauty of flowers.''
Confused, Jeje looked around the venue's display. Except for one little sunflower on the counter's desk, there were no signs of flowers, only teapots and fine selections of wine or tea everywhere. What did Mikuni mean by coming to this place for some flower viewing? He could've gone to a florist if he wanted that.
Coughing into his long sleeve, he asked,"I apologise but I can't find out the meaning behind that. What do you mean? Why here?"
Mikuni grinned as he saw how confused his Servamp was. "Look, over there. Tell me who that is. The man in the middle of the arcade," He hinted as he pointed outside of the store's windows.
Jeje turned around as his eyesight jumped from places to places before finally landing on the male that Mikuni was pointing at. It was the C3's sent bodyguard, and he appeared to be readying himself from fighting some men.
"It's the C3's bodyguard, Shiro. Why?" Jeje asked as he turned around.
Mikuni dropped a few sugar cubes into his tea as he replied,"Tell me, on your personal opinion— what do you think he's hiding?"
"Hiding?" Jeje questioned, receiving a nod from his Eve. He sighed as he sat back and leaned on his chair, pondering about the question Mikuni gave. What did he mean by that? What did he mean by the C3's bodyguard hiding something?
Did the man appear to be hiding some secret to himself? Well, of course he was. Everyone had secrets, especially those in the C3 and especially Mikuni. But what was the secret that the male was hiding, so much so that it had garnered the interest of the Eve himself?
Just thinking about it made his head hurt and by the looks of Mikuni enjoying himself, he knew that the blond knew that too.
"Haven't a clue? Don't worry, me neither," Mikuni laughed, receiving a glare from Jeje almost immediately. He quickly added on to the last of the sentence,"Though, that's what makes this so interesting."
"What makes you think that he's hiding something?"
"Well, apart from the fact that he's from the C3 which already holds a deep value to it, there are many reasons," Mikuni replied, earning the interest of his Servamp.
The blond held out a finger as he listed the reasons down,"First, records stated that he's a newcomer to the C3 who joined two years ago and immediately joined the battle faction. I read his file last night and it seemed credible. That's feat's impressive by itself but what's intriguing is that he was taken under the wing by Yumikage's group almost immediately. The elite of the battle faction, taking in a newcomer immediately into their squad? How suspicious. It usually takes years before that."
Jeje paused as he continued to listen attentively to Mikuni's words,"Second, after joining the C3, he immediately made a name for himself in two years and has received special treatment from the Vice President himself, promoting him through the ranks as quickly as the opportunities came. From the records, it appeared that he had a regular physique, comparable to that of a normal civilians. However, he has managed to cut down on so many subclasses in such a short timeframe.''
"It's almost impossible to be able to train so quickly. So unless the C3 has finally created some super soldier serum, it's physically impossible to be able to be that strong in such a short time. Unless, there's something going on under the surface," The blond commented.
Jeje sighed as he noted all of that down. True, it was kind of suspicious. No wonder Mikuni's got his eye on him.
And finally, Mikuni listed his last point,"The last point is this. Even though he has slain through so may subclasses, reports say that he has never, and I mean never, killed a single subclass of Melancholy's before. There are even rumours surrounding this and some say that the male, codenamed Shiro, has even signed a truce with the Servamp himself. Now doesn't that catch your attention?''
Jeje's eyes widened a little bit underneath that bag of his that he had. He swallowed slightly as he nodded again,"...You do have a point. Those factors make him stick out like a sore thumb as compared to the other members of the C3. Then, have you gathered any intel on him?''
Mikuni shook his head and stared at him expectingly. At that point, Jeje finally figured out the meaning of his words earlier and heaved another sigh,"So that's what you really wanted to do. Fine, I get it now. I'll help you keep an eye on him. You could've just said so."
Mikuni beamed up almost immediately at that,"As expected of my Servamp! You really are quick to note down things!"
"If I wasn't, then I wouldn't have noticed you trying to slip some sugar cubes into my tea as well," Jeje hissed as he slapped the hand that was ready to mix some concoctions into his own drink. He preferred them plain and not too sweet, but the blond was about to slip so many sugar cubes in that if he was a human, he would've immediately contracted diabetes.
After that discussion was done, both of them resumed drinking their tea, cherishing every drop of them.
After all, you wouldn't know how long this facade of a pleasurable reality would last until the day it comes crumbling down from the pressure by the real and cruel reality the world had to offer.
Drinking his last sip, Jeje placed his cup back down on the table. He relaxed a bit, leaning back into the chair as he patiently watched his Eve finish his last sip with grace that could compare to an angel's.
Or, just a cunning devil in disguise. You never knew which was which.
Once the male finished, Jeje finally took it upon himself to ask,"Then? After you find out his secret, what would you do?"
"Well, that depends on the type of secret he has. If it's boring, maybe I'll just ignore it. If it's interesting, then maybe I'll pay attention to it," Mikuni replied nonchalantly but that tone of nonchalance quickly grew into something more sinister,"but if it turns out to be something much more unexpected, I'll see for myself whether to crush him or to lend a helping hand."
"Knowing you though, it would probably be the 'latter'," Jeje snarked sarcastically heave a sigh of annoyance, earning him the lighthearted chuckles from his Eve.
The duo quickly fell into a comfortable silence again with the taste of Rose Petal tea lingering on their lips, tingling their tastebuds with a smooth, soft and sweet taste.
Mikuni peered at the group in the arcade through his translucent cup of rose tea, the ends of his lips turning up into a slight smirk as he swigged the contents of the cup slightly. His sharp eyes held attentiveness, attentiveness for only one man— a man who was cladded in an outfit with too many layers on and a mask that helped shield him from reality.
Maybe it was all for the sake of fashion, he didn't judge. But something told him that it was something more, like a purpose as to why the man had so many layers on. Like it was acting as a knight to the royal palace, guarding the dear Prince or Princess from whatever dragon or monster that laid outside the walls.
One movement too close to the palace from the monsters' end would send the knights into a defensive mode.
Mikuni laughed, the situation that they were in becoming too interesting for him to handle,"Haha, how curious things have become. The C3 has sent a bodyguard to us to protect us, and they claim that he is one of the best and fairest of their men. And yet, the bodyguard seems to be the one protecting himself from us, ready to retaliate if someone ever steps too far out of line. He truly is such a rose, isn't he?"
"A rose? Why a rose?" Jeje questioned quietly to the male, intrigued at such a comparison.
Mikuni hummed, all too eager to answer his question as he took glance at the passerby's nearby,"Just like a rose, it is a beautiful masterpiece and flower to behold. But everyone has to be careful when touching it too roughly or getting too close without preparation though."
Jeje merely watched him with pitiful eyes for the man's who's crave for knowledge and power, all to protect a younger sibling, knows no bounds. The Servamp remained quiet until the male spoke again.
Lifting his blond lashes from the people, Mikuni slowly looked up until the target of his eyes reached that male again. An even wider smirk appeared on his lips once his vision sharpened and his stare penetrated through the windows of the place and he, once again, found himself amused at such a situation they had all landed themselves in.
It was rare of him to ever find a situation as interesting and curious as this— he was going to cherish the experience of finding out the ending of this play once it was all over. It would become a dear memory of his to safe-keep at the end of the day, given that the day does not become too overrun by bloodshed after the truth comes unveiled.
And finally, with a light chuckle, he finished his last words.
"Because, just like a rose, it has thorns as well."