Hollow World ~ Owari no Kakera [IC]

[Airen]

Sachiko Kuronaga
Hangar Bay

"Haha, it's not like I have any particular theories of my own, that's why I'm asking~"

A mischievous reflection of your own statement right back at you. It's both a truth and a lie; while you're sure the captain has her reasons for asking what she asks, that doesn't necessarily mean that the reason is what one would call 'serious,' she has been known to do things for odd or even trivial reasons, but she certainly is the type of person that tries to (and probably does) 'understand' the people beneath her command rather well...

Therefore, the statement is more her wanting to hear what you think of yourself, rather than the other way around...?

Tch...

Honestly, sometimes she makes things way too complex-!

Still...

While the rest of your explanation is honest, it's the sort of honesty that could almost be called a bit too honest. Yes, while you had certainly managed to recover after your slip up about partners near the beginning, the captain's ears had almost seemed to twitch when she had heard that sort of admittance, and the sounds of her installing something bizarre (large, like a person-sized box) cease to sound as she waits with what you know is a somewhat twisted eagerness, yes...

"I see, I see, so that's how it all is huh~"

There's no avoiding it now...

"Well, I wasn't too worried to begin with; you do seem to be how I thought you were," speaking ambiguously now, you can almost feel the grin that's hidden from you by sheet after sheet of enchanted metal, "But this is good. I can work with this sort of topic."

Ah no...

"Jealous of partners eh? Yeah, I guess you are at that age, I shouldn't be so surprised."

Wheeling herself out from beneath the jet (wiping a bit of oil from her face with a glove) the smile of a somewhat tame demon reaches across the room with the aura of one that will not let their prey escape.

"I mean yeah, Hiro's cute. Kyoko snagged a good one, but the other options aren't bad! Eishun is a good cook, that's a pretty good husband quality you know? And Faust, older guys can be cool too~"

Ah no, no, no...!

A captain shouldn't be like this-!

"Of course we're in a pretty progressive age, so the boundaries of gender basically don't mean anything either-! Might have to fight Kaori for Haru, but all the girls have their winning points as well! Come on, talk to me~ Any long-standing crushes? I can keep secrets, I swear~"

A teasing grin, then-

"Heck, I'd even accept it if it's me. You're pretty cute, and I like to think I'm a winner, and totally free, isn't it a shame?"

-The least serious part of her personality emerges with what can only be called an "extreme vengeance."

[palad1n]

Tennouji Kyoko
Apartment Complex Lobby - Izanagi

As Hiro went on to tell her all the details of his clairvoyance, Kyoko did nothing more than listening attentively. She hoped that Haru and Kaori would return on time, and mentally prepared herself to lecture the blue-haired girl if she were to return late; delaying a deployment is a no-no, and she doesn't want the shy Kaori to be dragged into trouble alongside the blue-haired girl. She suppose sensei recruiting Kirika for an idol concert is a good thing, as is Eishun being dense around Dirac; spending time with either of those two drained her energy too much, so it's good to know that they're being properly looked after.

As for the captain having a girl talk with Sachiko... it's not really her place to put her nose where it doesn't belong, so she'd leave it at that, though strangely she felt the urge to sneeze.

But of course, the most important thing to be taken from that is about the mysterious new member, one that from Hiro's description seems to be a robot girl. Her not being a human isn't a problem at all - they do have a vampire and a certain poltergeist in the squad after all - but those two are more traditionally supernatural in this world of supernatural business, while said girl is way more sci-fi...

If she think about it, that is actually not that far-fetched - the COMP that they used is practically a sci-fi technology - but as a certain man in a certain video game once said, a robot girl is 'just like one of my Japanese animes...'

Needless to say, she's actually somewhat excited to meet said robot girl in person.

"I mean, guns are superior in basically every way, right?"

And there is also this visit from a certain Takamiya Shinobu; an exorcist that she met a few times in the past, and Hiro's personal sensei. He is the only one who can make Hiro shows a rather childish side like this after all, which is honestly pretty cute coming from him.

"... I suppose." She said after a few seconds. "I don't know much about bows or guns, but logically speaking a gun has a superior firepower and range compared to a bow, especially a sniper rifle like yours, so what you said is true..."

However, this is the supernatural world, and Takamiya Shinobu might have ways to even the playing field, but she doesn't know the man well enough to comment on anything of that sort. So she would talk purely from a logical standpoint and merely imply the factor of skill and the supernatural.

"However, I suppose a bow is more simple, and thus less prone to technical errors; a bow won't jam like a gun sometimes do, right? That might make all the difference in the battlefield." She said while drumming her fingers on the arcade controller. "And while less mobile and handy than a handgun, its still easier to move around than a sniper rifle, and a bow does have a pretty good range for what it does..."

"Ah, that doesn't mean I disagree with your statement." She quickly added, giving him an apologetic smile so he won't misunderstood her intention. "Just that you shouldn't immediately dismiss bows and how it might have certain advantages over guns."

And with that, she returned her attention back to the screen before her, both hands ready at the controller and buttons.

The wheel of fate is about to turn after all.

[Airen]

Shirogane Kirika
Akito's Office - Izanagi

"I believe the general theme of the event is "Bonds between People." As for what is expected, it is a sort of collaborative effort from idol groups all around the world, so our duty would be one or two songs. On our end it is technically an assignment, large gatherings are always at some risk for youkai activity, but as far as I'm concerned it's little more than an entertaining diversion, a chance to be in the spotlight those in our line of work don't normally acquire."

A chuckle, as the two halves of the COMP return to their original placements, then:

"As for other performers... I believe Tomomin and the Blue Butterflyz will be present. Not too much of a surprise there, right?"

Tomomin...

Leader of Japan's #1 Idol Group the "Blue Butterflyz." Known for their intentionally over-the-top "hyperactive j-pop numbers." They were the sort of group whose performances were heavily choreographed and acrobatic, to the point of coming across as borderline superhuman while up the concert stage, with the leader Tomomin known for "flying around" during performances through the use of some sort of stage trick. Genre-wise they were hard to pin-down, having gone from pop to heavy metal and everywhere in between at some point in their careers...

Yeah...

If she's there, then the big-guns are coming out.

---In some ways, it might be more intimidating than battling with demons.

"I haven't been given a complete list, but it's supposedly going to be quite the event. The sort of thing that eats up an entire day."

He adjusts his glasses, as he finally comes around to responding to your last question.

"As for my ability to dance... On a technical level, I should be quite capable of doing so, I've studied under people in that industry before... However..."

A pause, and an awkward smile:

"To do so in front of masses of people? I'm afraid I'm not quite so used to bearing that sort of public attention... Shyness is rather sad for someone like myself I know, but still, it is a flaw I am being forced to confront."

He laughs.

"Do you ever have trouble with that sort of thing?"

[Airen]

Magatsu Kaori
Mainland ~ Shopping Mall "LOVELESS"

"Fortune telling? It's kinda like what Hiro does, using special powers to predict information about a person's life. Although unlike Hiro it's not just a couple of seconds, they claim to be able to see a bit further into the future, or into the world of the dead, or being able to tell how your relationships with other people are going, that sort of thing-!"

Because it was such a wide-reaching topic she found it was kind of hard to explain, but even caught slightly off-guard as she was, the azure-haired girl does her best to give a concise explanation of the topic-!

"Whether or not they can really see into the future or they're just putting on a convincing act is another thing entirely; Hiro can, but it's supposed to be a very rare ability. So most of the time, they're kinda like street-magicians, people that put on a show for the viewers benefit... But they can be fun to see anyways, they have a way of convincing you they're real even when you know they're probably lying."

Looking around for an example to show you -now that you're shown even the slightest bit of curiosity- the young woman 'ahas' lightly to herself before pointing off to the side of the mall, where a dark-haired woman was sitting within a velvet-blue tent, a crystal ball and a pack of tarot cards sitting motionlessly on the table in front of her.

"There's one now. There's always a few of em hanging around in these malls nowadays."

"..."

While her tent is right out in the open, she doesn't seem to be attracting many customers to herself. Even so, when she spots not just Haru looking at her, but you glancing her way as well, the mysterious girl waves at you in a friendly -if somewhat tired- sort of way, as if encouraging you to come closer.

"She doesn't look busy, so we could swing by that one. Some of them do love advice too, you know? Could be fun~ It's the sort of thing the Captain would force her way into, now that I think about it... Although running through the stuffed animals shop while it's early could be a good plan too, as long as we leave ourselves two hours, picking out clothes shouldn't be too stressful~"

[hero]

Faust
Apartment Complex - Izanagi


The more time passed, the more Faust felt like a pawn in one of Yuzuriha's master plans. Still, he could see why he had been assigned said role. He didn't know whether Evette was a cyborg or an android, but he could tell that she wasn't lying about how absolute her loyalty was towards those higher in the chain of command. Her desire, if it could be called such, to carry out her duties without fail came with a undeniable 'naivety' that others could take advantage of. Even if Faust had not been as obedient in his youth, he was reminded, for a brief moment, of how innocent he had once been.

The most notable difference between the two was that Evette was equipped to be a one-woman-army. Faust, who had experience in SDCD working, was aware that as a prototype, it was unlikely that her comp could work as an all-rounder without some kind of disadvantage, flaw or restriction, but still... Michael-class swords were no joke...

"How's Evette? Are you comfortable with that?"

To be honest, he didn't feel like playing God there. In hindsight, hardly anyone chose their names. It was the parents who did it for us most of the time. Still, it felt wrong to just impart a name on someone just because he could. Asking those sort of questions to a being that was at least part-machine was a losing battle, that he knew, but if not for Evette, then he had to ask for himself. Hopefully she wouldn't mind her current designation, so Faust wouldn't have to think of a new one.

"If you are, then I see no need for another name."

Well, he had one on the top of his head, which was fairly simple and obvious...

Nanako. Because she was #7 and looked like a genuine girl.

"We have some time before we leave for next mission. Everyone is taking a little bit of a break. We should have a few hours at best, a few minutes at worst."

A small, yet rather awkward silence, broke between the two of them Faust answered the question. He was the 'strict father' figure of the team. He didn't really talk more than necessary and a stern look on his face was present most of the time. So when he remained silent, his pupils would simply leave him alone. Evette, on the contrary, would simply remain fixed on her position until new orders were given. He didn't know for sure, but he could bet that she may have the patience and endurance to stay that way for quite a long time.

In other words, it was a contest from which he could not emerge victorious.

"Squad Zero is a big family. Some may not admit to it, but more than one sees it that way. I like to see it that way, too." He began. "Now that you've become a member, you'll be seen as part of the family, as well. If possible, I'd like you to get along with as many members as you can. We... Already have our routines and teamwork moves. I'd like you to observe, learn, and find the hole in our formation where you can fit in."

[Airen]

Faust
Apartment Complex - Izanagi

"Understood. I will observe squadron behavior in order to determine the maximum efficiency of my own activities."

Strangely enough, the thing Evette responds to first is not the question about whether or not she found her own name to be suitable, but rather the vague order that follows a brief period of silence. In spite of the newness of her existence to you, it is a silence that comes across as instinctively strange for someone who seemingly didn't hesitate when it came to responding to and following Administrator orders, but...

It's not the silence of defiance, rather the silence of simply having to process that request.

It was clear the girl desired orders of some form, a directive with which to follow; having asked her opinion on something is an occurrence that just might be more difficult to process than a simple command she must follow, and again, while it does seem like some emotional weight exists within her voice (the feeling of a heavy soul is present as well, so she seems to be 'alive' in a sense as well) it seems that weight is in some sort of conflict with the robotic nature of her existence.

"...In response to your initial inquiry, this Unit believes the name is sequential and somewhat impersonal; secondary User Yuzuriha stated she knew this, but that she was not good at assigning names. Regardless, I do not see a need to complain about my designation. This unit is a form of spiritual armament, a weapon, so long as I can fulfill my function my designation does not matter."

A pause, then as if that thought had sparked another one, her head tilts slightly to the side as her eyes stay unflinchingly on your own:

"This unit has an inquiry. You spoke of family, but this unit is not a human being; if necessary, this unit is programmed to allow it's own destruction if it would preserve the lives of the Users. Is there a need to purposefully create human emotional dependence on this unit? Observation of physical and spiritual abilities should be sufficient to maximize efficiency alongside Users."

A somewhat alarming -if not entirely unexpected- declaration, one that goes against the brief flickers of 'life' she has shown so far.

[Draconic]

Sachiko Kuronaga
Hangar Bay

"Jealous of partners eh? Yeah, I guess you are at that age, I shouldn't be so surprised."

"What do you mean, 'that age?'" Sachiko shot a wry grin at Yuzuriha. "You aren't that much older than me."

This was a side of the captain she just hadn't been prepared for. With all her practice with Dirac and his extremes, she really should have been more aware of what she was saying. She could—and should have—done better. However, if nothing else, she knew her captain well enough to know when she was about to pounce, so it was time for a preemptive—

"I mean yeah, Hiro's cute. Kyoko snagged a good one, but the other options aren't bad! Eishun is a good cook, that's a pretty good husband quality you know? And Faust, older guys can be cool too~"

Dammit! Too slow.

How do I turn this around how do I turn this around how do I turn this around? What's the answer I need?

"Of course we're in a pretty progressive age, so the boundaries of gender basically don't mean anything either-! Might have to fight Kaori for Haru, but all the girls have their winning points as well! Come on, talk to me~ Any long-standing crushes? I can keep secrets, I swear~"

"Heck, I'd even accept it if it's me. You're pretty cute, and I like to think I'm a winner, and totally free, isn't it a shame?"

So… apparently the answer was to get into bed with the captain after five dinner dates and a trashy romantic movie. Holy smokes! This was not what she had in mind when she got up this morning. But she could work with this.

"Uhh… first things first; your stipulation that you can keep secrets makes me immediately suspicious." Eishun is one thing, but Faust? I mean, he's a dad at best, and a criminal mastermind with a goatee at worst. I mean, sure, back in the eighties they made you look diabolical, but now they just make you look like a disaffected member of Generation X… Or so says the internet. Also, stop trying to intimidate me with words like husband, and crushes, and cute! …I am so not ready for marriage yet."

Waitwaitwait… She was getting an idea!

Or was she? No. No, it was gon— Wait… yes!

"But on to the important question: Are you coming on to me?"

She fixed Yuzuriha with a catlike smirk. Probably a bad idea. Never let your opponent know you think you've got the advantage. In this game of verbal jousting, that'd get you knocked off of your metaphorical horse.

"I'll admit, you're a ten, and the fact that you're single is all kinds of weirdness, but… well, all my fantasies involve sensitive boys with red hair and glasses, so even if we tried something out, it probably wouldn't last. Also, I'd get lynched by your hordes of admirers. Even with my skills, I'm sure they'd catch me eventually.

"As for crushes… well… none that I can think of, to be honest. I did have a classmate back in high school that I thought was totally the one, but he had a girlfriend already. I kept hoping they'd break up, but it never happened. They're still together last I heard," she giggled, then added, "Also, he was a pacifist and I'm a professional assassin now."

She sighed.

"Speaking of high school actually, you wouldn't happen to know what's going on with Squad 3? I haven't heard from Ren in a few days now. You probably remember that the two of us stay in pretty close contact. You know, since we've kind of known each other since middle school and were kind of drafted into the SCDC together after that incident with those Bicorns."

[Verg Avesta]

Dirac
Izanagi - Airstrip

"Ho~oh? You're gonna challenge me?"

A furious light flamed up within Dirac's eye.

"You're on, dweeb!" He roared as mightily as 9-year old boy could. "Say goodbye to every single piece of candy you have, even your hidden reserves! I'm gonna rob you blind!"

Devouring the rest of the donuts with frightening speed, Dirac licked his fingers clean and cracked them as if preparing for a baseball pitch. Then, like a predator that had been awakened he jolted up from his spot on the pier. Spreading his arms like he was going to engulf the whole harbor, Dirac glared a hole through the water that spread before him.

Something rumbled, the air creaked a bit and the COMP that had been stacked on the back of the youth sprung to life. A magenta light radiated like a nuclear reactor going haywire from within him, and the air buzzed with electricity. A sadistic grin rose to Dirac's face, revealing his sharp teeth that were like those of a shark.

In just ten measly seconds, the young boy had transformed into a mighty hunter of the seas.

------- All for a bet about candy.

It was just as cringy as it sounded - the reason why Dirac had been time and time again called the "#1 Mister 'Can't Read the Mood'" of Zeroeth Squad.

He took everything, always, too seriously.

Combined with his resting sulk face that was his default expression, it made Dirac resemble one thing above all.

A cat. A cat with a very bad attitude.

Activate: Imaginary Waveform

"PISS OFF!"

A cat with a very bad attitude and who hated to lose at anything.

... And who was currently lifting a huge bowl-shaped platform of spirit-energy from the bottom of the harbor, intending to scoop up all the fish.

[Airen]

Sachiko Kuronaga
Hangar Bay

"Not that much older you say? How old do you think I am~"

It's a question with no clear answer. While the Captain appears to be physically youthful, somewhere in her early twenties at the absolute earliest, she is also someone that has a set of talents that couldn't be feasibly acquired within that sort of small span of time. She was good at everything, not just casually good, but the sort of good that comes with being professionally trained in things, the sort of talent that is not natural but instead honed by the efforts of other people.

All things considered, her skill-set made it seems like she was at least twice as old as she appeared to be on the surface, but her casual personality and manner of speech said the direct opposite, labeling her as a contradictory young adult, and not only that-

How old was she?!

That was a trick question even in the best of times-!

"As for if I'm coming on to you, it's a joke~ Although I don't think I'd hate it, so it's a half serious joke~"

The dangerous woman that drags her fellow female squad-mates into hot springs, sometimes for genuine girl talk, other times because she was a bit too into the concept of skinship-!

Yeah...

That was the kind of person the captain was-!

"But sensitive and cute red-haired boys... I see, I see... So you have those tastes."

If she had glasses, she'd be adjusting them in tandem with the light right now, or perhaps making some sort of note in a logbook.

Of course the teasing has to end eventually, and the laughter that follows along with her mental logging of your preferences is one that accompanies a slightly more serious answer.

"Squad 3 should have been dispatched to Okushiri Island last night, they're in pursuit of an artifact smuggling ring, or at least that's what was in the files."

Ultimately, it's not her jurisdiction; Squad Zero's problems were quite separated from the problems of the rest of the Agency, but she did seem...

To pay attention to what was going on with outsiders regardless.

[Draconic]

Sachiko Kuronaga
Hangar Bay

Artifact smugglers? Well, that shouldn't be too difficult.

"Oh. Good. Doesn't sound too dangerous."

It did beg the question though…

"I do have to wonder… if they only shipped out last night, why hasn't Ren answered any of my calls for three whole days already?"

Her eyes darkened in thought.

"W-Would—"

She caught herself before she went any further.

-----'Would it be okay if I met up with them as backup for this task?'

She did have a skill set that was perfect for infiltration and precision. She could help them get that job done in a fraction of the time…

But that wasn't her call to make. Moreover, what was she doing worrying like this? Three days of no contact wasn't exactly a long time. Did she just not trust one of her oldest friends? Or did she just not have any confidence in his abilities?

Ren was many things, but incompetent wasn't one of them. Not remotely. She'd be doing him a disservice with excessive worry.

Still… that's what friends did.

For a moment, her grip slackened… And then she remembered what she was doing and snatched the toolbox's handle before it slipped out of her hands.

[Katie]

Shirogane Kirika
Akito's Office - Izanagi

Tomomin…

That was a caliber she could honestly admit she had yet to reach. Not that she wouldn’t kill to be on the same stage as one of her idols—there was no way she’d refuse this opportunity now—but her resume, as loathe as she was to admit it, was far less impressive. But she had that potential, to be at the very top. She believed in that completely and utterly.

Still, rookie talent like her could stand out, even adrift a sea of stars. She merely needed to push herself to the limit. It would no doubt be a bit rougher than the others, but she would absolutely hold the hearts of some people there.

Kirika did a hype-driven fist pump, before shifting her attention to the man working on her COMP. It seemed that skill wasn’t a problem, but rather, confidence…

Well, it wasn’t as if she didn’t understand that. There wasn’t a performer in the world who was immune to nerves.

“Sometimes,” she answers, as her mind dwells on that time she botched an exam, or when she’d been dared to entered that haunted school bathroom during cleaning duty, or when she had her first serious performance… Kirika could feel the heat entering her cheeks way too easily.

“Everyone struggles with nerves at times… But it’s better to try than not to. You learn if you succeed, and you learn if you fail. Isn’t that what life’s about?”

[Airen]

Sachiko Kuronaga
Hangar Bay

"Well they were on investigative duty long before officially deploying, so it's a possibility he was simply in a position where he couldn't answer your calls."

Ultimately, while you do your best to catch yourself at the start of your excessive worrying, the Captain picks up on both verbal and subconscious cues alike in her response to your inquiry.

"The artifacts they're pursuing aren't of the normal -slightly possessed- variety. While it doesn't involve Demons or their ilk, the artifacts they are after are of considerable importance. I am not authorized to give details, but suffice to say, they're the sort of cursed items that could require a temporary cull in communications; depending on the situation, even the formation of a geas for all those involved with handling them may become necessary... It's that sort of thing. Classified, just like our group."

---In some ways that sounds bad, but...

"If you wanted to go help I'd normally allow it, but even my authority doesn't stretch that far... Still, there's no need to worry. People go dark at times in this line of work, but give it a few more days and I'm sure he'll show."

It's her sincere opinion, one forged by an -indeterminate years of- experience.

"...Of course. You also can't say I told you about any of that either, wouldn't work out well for either of us."

[RacingeR]

Magatsu Kaori
Mainland ~ Shopping Mall "LOVELESS"

“Ah, is that so?” Kaori tilted her head upon hearing Haru’s explanation. If she knew about this before losing her memories, she gave no sign of it.

“So like Hiro but stronger… but they could also be faking it…” She mumbled to herself, and then looked towards the tent Haru was pointing out at. “Seems like something you go to, to enjoy the ambience…”

She looked at the tent somewhat shyly, and couldn’t help but to shrink and cling to Haru’s back when she saw they had been noticed by the fortune teller. Then she peeked her head from behind Haru and peered at her from under her sunglasses.

“Well, uhm…” Kaori hesitated. Buying stuffed animals sounded good too, and it was the activity she’d normally do while being here, but on the other hand, since they were here and it was the first chance in a long while she had to be on the outside with Haru… she felt like she wanted to try something new. Captain had encouraged her to come out of her shell a bit, try something new…

Plus, the stuff about love advice sounded interesting.

She examined the fortune teller. She looked a bit scary, with the serious face and the yellow eyes, but she was no one to speak about odd eye colors, what with her own being of a threatening blood-red. Other than that, she looked friendly enough.

“L-let’s go there first, Haru-nee… we can buy plushies and clothes afterwards.” She suggested. It was rare for her to take the initiative to interact with someone outside of her team (and she was quite scared of some of them still. It was bad idea to leave her alone with Dirac, for example). But hey, she was trying something new for once. And as long as she was with Haru and Mirai, she’d have fun anyway.

[Draconic]

Sachiko Kuronaga
Hangar Bay

"I wouldn't rat you out. Besides, even if they somehow learned I knew these details, it's not like they can prove I wasn't lurking somewhere nearby when those details were explained to someone, you or otherwise. Especially with my ability. I can be nearly undetectable after all. Of course, I'm not telling anyone what sorts of secrets I've gathered since coming here. Most are innocent, mind you, but I've heard a few worrying stories."

As for going dark for a covert job, it would explain Ren's lack of communication, but still…

"Is it weird of me to kind of miss him even though it's only been three days?"

Maybe she was overthinking it? Yeah, definitely. Probably.

"Maybe I should apply for a provis—"

—tingtingtingtingtingtingting—

She looked down at the toolbox, wondering why it's contents were rattling around, before noticing that she was actually losing her balance all of a sudden. Then she noticed the faint rumbling. She was feeling a tremor. Like an earthquake. Or…

"And how much do you want to bet that Dirac just lost a bet by completely missing the point?" she said with a wry grin.

(“_________”)

"I should probably jump over to Dirac's room and hide one of his snack jars. He needs to learn to take some responsibility for his actions, and Eishun doesn't always follow through with his winning conditions when Dirac loses. Assuming that using his powers was a condition resulting in him defaulting.

"I mean, I'll admit me calling someone else too nice is just the pot talking to the kettle, but he responds better to my Strict Older Sister act than he did to me actually being nice.

"I mean you remember how that ended right? It was… disturbing…"

It really was.

"Captain, I… I really—

Should she ask? It seemed like the responsible thing to do, but she really couldn't forget that as casual as she was, Yuzuriha was still her C.O., and had already answered a bunch of impertinent questions in the last five minutes. Asking about Dirac on top of all of that would be overstepping. If he tried to kill her—or any of the others, really—then she could start by snooping around for details on her own. If nothing turned up, then she'd ask.

As for her assumption, if she was wrong, she could always put it back. It's not like the kid had any right to complain.

"Captain, since we're not on the job, I'm just going to ask normally. Can I go grab his snack jar and put it in the usual spot? Actually, I'm not asking that so much as I'm asking if I can put the toolbox down… can I put down the toolbox for a few minutes? Shouldn't take long."

[Airen]

Dirac
Izanagi - Airstrip

"Oh no."

To be frank, it was probably an under-reaction to the blatant fish-genocide in progress.

While he had intended for this to become something more of a casual bonding activity through use of fishing poles, grit, and determination; the boy seems to have not picked up on those context cues, and instead...

This has become a 'battle' of magic-!

"..."

There are many ways for him to respond. In the first place, using magic to commit a fishy-genocide was something of a problem; COMPs were essentially modern day mythological weapons, pieces of blatantly overpowered magi-tech that -in the wrong hands- could become just as much of a threat to the planet as rampaging demons or youkai...

Even so...

While it is an overreaction, for the sake of his own candy stash, he cannot just quietly allow this one to roll over him.

"Tomorrow night, the Captain has plans to bake her Chocolate Wave."

It's a strange statement, at least at first glance.

It's simply repeating a fact, that the Captain was planning on making her famous Chocolate Wave cake at some point in the immediate future. In many ways it was an overindulgence in chocolate, chocolate cake with fudge frosting in the interior, a layer of chocolate chips and cream frosting on top, vanilla ice-cream on the side and chocolate sauce drizzled over the lot of it.

She takes it to the point of it almost being fetishistic, you know this, as does everyone else in the squad, so why is he talking about it now...?

The answer is simple.

---He won't just roll over here, now that the opportunity appears, he wants your slice too.

A scythe spins out into his hands as his COMP goes from a state of 'inactivity' to full power in less than a second, and with that statement that carries all of his will still ringing in your ears, the man dives off the side of the harbor and into the water, or more specifically, he dives straight into the depths of the 'bowl' you were creating, and the moment he touches that water...

"---tenebris."

A spell dyes the ocean completely black.

It's much like food dye, a spell of darkness that makes it impossible to see or sense those life-forms that exist within it.

---And makes it impossible to tell what exactly he plans to do inside of there, whether it be stop you by 'cutting' open the bowl from the bottom, simply stealing all the fish inside for himself or...

Something else.

...It's a somewhat infuriating response.

[Verg Avesta]

Dirac
Izanagi - Airstrip

"Hey, get out of my bowl you moron! Idiot, braindead monkey, you stuuuuupid blockhead!"

Dirac practically blew up when he saw Eishun dive straight into the bowl he had created. It wasn't just because he was no treading the sanctity of his power, the one thing this young prodigy had pride in over everything else. No, this was because of the new danger that had just became apparent. Chocolate Wave. Just about the only reason Dirac had any sort of respect towards the Captain. Well, it couldn't be exactly called 'respect', just a general lack of chewing-her-face-off-attitude. After all, if he didn't stay somewhere close to her good side, Dirac had no access to this chocolate paradise.

And now his paradise was threatened.

"That's it! [That's it! I'll fuck you up, Eishun!]" Dirac screamed, pointing his index finger at the darkness. "YOU'RE NOT GETTING MY CAKE!"

Something took to the air around Dirac. Flashes of purple, like small pulsating stars in shape of diamonds started circling the young boy in a protective pattern, shining their light around him. It was like an ever-evolving Morse code, one that spelled doom for the one who had hit the youngster to where it hurt the most: his sugar intake. The pieces of crystallized power, his COMP humming with a sound of danger, arranged into an offensive pattern around the boy.

At the same time he weaved another spell through that device. It was the same one as before, but this time, the creation itself was a different sort of beast.

It was a circular block of purple, transparent energy.

It was just the shape to fit into the bowl.

Like a pestle and a mortar.

Indeed... something with which to squash the man who had brazenly hopped into Dirac's fish trap.

"Screw youuuu!"

At this point Dirac must've forgotten the whole point of the competition. After all, if he squashed Eishun he would also squash the fishes he had trapped into the bowl. But no, the idea hadn't even popped into the boy's head. Instead, the only thing he could think of was ensuring that the older boy would not take his slice of Chocolate Wave.

Truly a fearsome motivator, if any.

[hero]

Faust
Apartment Complex - Izanagi


"..."

Faust closed his eyes and allowed a rather long sigh to escape his mouth. More often than not, this gesture would come accompanied with a fair share of cigarette smoke, but this time he had none around. Moreover, he had promised to kill the habit, so it would prove him to be weak-minded if he gave in to it this soon. In any case, this expression was supposed to reflect a certain degree of annoyance particularly directed at those younger than him for not understanding the meaning of his words on the get go. In hindsight, even in a scenario which involved two normal human beings, such thing was a lot to ask, but...

---That was just the sort of person he was.

The expectations he had for those that worked with him were as high as they could go.

"... We are not as different as you believe we are. Humans... And robots." Thinking on it, Faust drew an apologetic smile. "I am not even sure if I can be called a human being, anymore, ha ha..."

There were obvious biological differences between Evette and him, that could not be denied. But, if they could talk and reflect like this, what did it matter if one was human or esper or demon or a robot? It was not that Faust was young an innocent. A kid might ask themselves the same question. He was old and wise and possibly tired, and thus saw things for what they were instead of for what they looked like.

"Humans are programmed, too. At first, we didn't know of the existence of said programming, but as science moved forward, we found out that was the case. And it wasn't just us: All species had their unique 'code' which defined their behavior. Now, we even know we can tinker with it, too..."

Faust was obviously speaking about D.N.A.

But that was not all the comparisons that came to mind.

"Are we different because I have this organ called 'brain' and this organ called 'heart'? Because I make my 'own decisions' and feel 'emotions' and you 'do not'? I wonder about that... What's there to say a 'higher power' isn't relaying those decisions and emotions to me, in the same way a main computer dictates the response a simple piece of machinery is meant to give to a certain stimulus?"

Indeed, there were countless of theories out there that humanity could not prove wrong. Deep down, most of them know they are just a way to make us reflect on their lives and how those lives are lived, but hidden on one corner of their mind, they are meant to wonder, even if it is just for a moment: 'What if it's true...'

"In the same way, what is to say- ...My apologies. I didn't mean to overwhelm you with a philosophy lesson. The point is, the emotional dependence you speak of is as vital to me as it is to you. It's what will give us strength and what will give meaning to our actions."

Faust let out another sigh.

"Although it cannot be forced, so go at your own pace. If you feel more comfortable observing, you may do just that for the time being. Just don't forget what I've said. We're looking for a irreplaceable partner, not for a disposable tool."

[Airen]

Shirogane Kirika
Akito's Office - Izanagi

"Of course, of course. But the life of an exorcist is normally spent in the shadows, so the sudden exposure to light is often intimidating-!"

He laughs.

Of course, it's true.

Those who battled the supernatural, and even those that simply possessed supernatural abilities, were all obligated by the current state of the world to uphold the masquerade. The idea was that public knowledge of the supernatural would lead to mass panic and hysteria, of course, there is no way to know for sure if this would be the case, but the higher ups were never the sort that would change their mind on that sort of thing...

It went back hundreds of years, and as modern as the SDCD could be in some way, the people in charge were all decisively old-fashioned, really...

Yuzuriha was probably the most 'modern' of the lot, and you were pretty sure she was actually secretly hundreds of years old, even if she tried to play around the idea that she was in her mid-twenties.

Call it a hunch, or simply a fellow woman's intuition perhaps, but there was no way-!

"Still, that fist-pump earlier was quite telling; are you willing to accept? Ultimately, I will conquer my nerves as well in spite of my internal screaming, so there is no need to worry about me embarrassing you. I assure you, it will sound like I am bragging, but I spent my younger years in any and every class that would accept me, so I have a somewhat excessive number of credits in the various arts."