|Don't make me beg

“You’re finally up.”

“Finally?” his pupils shrunk in response to the ceiling lights. His first reaction was to turn sideways but even that was a tall task. Even when stuck in place, his body ached ceaselessly. This sharp pain resonated from below his chest.

“What are you doing? Stop.”

“Where am I?”

“Where does this look like?”

His eyes danced around this enclosed space. His nose picked up the scent of medicinal spirits while the air was stale and gave off the smell of death.

“Hospital?”

“Close. We’re at the first response infirmary at HQ. With all the stress we’ve been through, maybe we should have dumped you at a random hospital. Anyway, you’ve been out for nearly a week.”

“Wow.”

“Don’t ‘wow’ me. With your injuries, I wouldn’t be surprised if you slept for a good two weeks straight.”

It was only a moment ago that he had awakened, yet he was already sick of this pink haired beauty.

“Might as well be dead.”

“Don’t worry, though. You didn’t miss much.”

“What do you mean by that??”

He glanced right back at his right hand that was also wrapped in bandages.

“It will take about a month for it to fully heal.”

“Does she think I’m useless now?”

“Relax, let me finish.” she put an arm above his chest, stopping him from laying up.

“I just want to know whether I should be here or not. I could go back home and get some rest. Will even forget this ever happened.”

“What’s with you? Did you hit your head or something?”

“You really…. want an answer to that?” he sighed in defeat.

“Anyway, you won’t need to. I was too stubborn to admit it before. I know you are needed here. Your strength speaks for itself. Just make sure you talk to her.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, although, you just woke up so before you start getting anxious thinking about all that, why don’t we catch up instead?”

She gave a cheeky titter and reached for a mirror. Her hand still connected to his. A gesture that only rubbed him the wrong way.

“What are you doing?”

“Hmm?”

“Look, I’m not a child.”

“Really? Nearly got me there.”

“I’ve got to say. You’ve been throwing a bunch of weird stuff my way lately.” he swung her hand around in order to bring attention to it. However, she didn’t budge.

“Pfft.”

“I’m going to take that as your admission.”

“I’m not sure you notice but….sometimes, it sounds like we’ve known each other for a while.”

“You’re right. We barely do. It’s pretty odd actually.”

“Mm-hmm. By the way, I gave you the mirror for a reason.”

He slipped his hands from her soft grip and picked it up with hints of hesitation. What manner of atrocity had she unleashed on his innocent face?

“You’re actually gonna do this to a sleeping opponent.”

“Firstly, you’re not my opponent. Secondly, use the damn thing already.”

He stared at his reflection, ready for the worst.Much to his surprise, his cheeks radiated, his eyes sparkled, his lashes stood out, with a purple line fading from his lids.

“Huh..”

“Thoughts?”

“I have quite a few.” he gave his temple a quick massage with his fingers.

“You had nothing better to do with your free time?”

“I mean, it took a solid ten minutes or so. You’re exaggerating a bit.”

“You could do anything in ten minutes. Win a game of chess. Finish your dailies. Hell, you could even gain enlightenment.”

“I did gain something. The feeling of satisfaction, knowing I can perfectly sort out my own make-up without any assistance.”

*sigh*

“You’re lucky I’m fine with this.”

“I mean, with your smooth, pale skin. It wasn’t my best work but definitely one of the easiest.”

“Blame my parents for my pale skin. As for the smoothness, you have me to thank for that.” his gaze rested on her but she could tell it was actually beyond. His reminiscent smile made her nervous.

“Why the hell are you even here to begin with? Don’t tell me you’re slacking.”

“You don’t have to say it like that.”

“Hey hey… I didn’t know my partner was such a slacker.”

He drew his face closer as he grinned while she pouted in disapproval. Her eyes were glued to the window and she crossed her arms.

“Don’t pull that trick on me, you slacker.”

“I’m not!!”

“Sure, sure….Slacker-chan.”

“Quit it already. I said it’s not like that.”

“Explain the situation, then.”

“No.”

“Come on, spill the beans.”

“I refuse.”

“You know…” as he uttered his next words, the smile on his face faded. It was neither pity nor disgust. It was genuine concern he had. “you really don’t have to do this.”

“I know.”

“As long as you aren’t forced to do anything then I believe you can call quits anytime you want. Besides, I’m pretty sure your contract wouldn’t force you to work for any long duration of time.”

“.………”

“Forgive me, I’m just making a dumb assumption. I haven’t even seen the damn contract yet.”

“You’re right. It has an escape clause.”

“I see. If that’s the case, I’m sure no one will blame you if you do quit. Not your colleagues, not Atsuko. Not a single soul in Japan.”

“It’s not like that.”

“You’re not only cute, you’re a pretty likeable person. Someone like you was born for the spotlight.”

“You’re pissing me off.”

“It’s a pretty surreal experience, me being here that is. But every moment, my life is at risk. I’m prepared for that. Are you??”

“Of course I am. I know fully well the risks of the job.” she gripped her palms, maintaining her tone in the process. Her unwavering gaze was locked on the young man.

“Hmmm???”

“I know. I know all about the risks of this job. I am still an adult, all things considered. It’s precisely because I know that I can’t dive in without thinking. Believe it or not, I don’t want to die!!!”

He twisted his head in intrigue as she aggressively blurted out those words.

“I already asked Atsuko sensei for some more time in selecting a team. But before that, I really wanted to wait for you to heal up.”

“She didn’t stop you?”

“Hehe, I’m useless, after all.”

“Stop saying that. We know why she didn’t.”

“If you do, then don’t make me beg.”

“I take it back. Maybe you aren’t a slacker after all.”

“Still--”

“You just reminded me of why you’re a virgin.”

“Huh????”

Her hands rose in alert. Visibly shaken too. He wondered if she would have actually jumped off her seat if he pressed further.

“That innocent look, your reactions. Even the word ‘virgin’ makes you so flustered. You’re just deepening the stereotype even more.”

“Explain yourself!!!”

“.…”

“Well??”

“ Relax.”

“Why does my partner have to be such an insensitive jerk?”

They both smirked at each other, with each person confirming their respective stances on the fresh partnership that spawned in the FISF.

“No idea… But he’s pretty lazy though, so please treat him with care so he doesn’t leave out of sheer frustration, okay?”

“Shut up, you virgin!! So you’re also a slacker?? ”

“First of all, if both of us are slackers, who would be the one doing all the hard work?? and secondly, who said I’m a virgin???”

“---eep”

After gently adjusting her body on the chair, she sprung up while he chuckled as quietly as he possibly could.

“Did you have to poke me?”

“Definitely. Why have these powers if I can’t use them.”

He stared at the window, desperate to absorb the scenery but unfortunately, it was the same boring scenery he was used to when his powers were in full effect. That confirmed that he was indeed at HQ.

“Not a single person came to see me.”

“At least I’m here.”

“I meant some of my colleagues.”

“Well, they aren’t obligated to in the first place.”

“Fair.”

“Also, they don’t know you.”

“Also fair..”

“You brushed that off quickly.”

“I thought by coming to see me, it would create an opportunity to get to know the new guy a little better. Well, the job doesn’t require me to socialize with anyone so I’ll say I’m not disappointed with how things are.”

“Oh, I forgot to tell you.”

“Tell me what?”

“It’s about Kotowari.”

“What about her?”

“Wait. Before I go to that, I want to apologize.” she promptly bowed her head

“I can’t help but feel like part of the reason you’re here is because of me. I didn’t inform you I was going to teleport the both of you. Truth is, I wasn’t thinking. Looking back, I could have teleported you somewhere far away and just you alone. After that blunder, I was too scared to teleport because my life would have been at risk.”

“Taka--”

“I had to run there. I’m such a coward.”

“Hey, chill. Since when did you tell me when you were going to randomly move me? It was definitely a tough call, even I didn’t anticipate that so I can’t fault you. Besides,, it was the probably the right call to make.

“You think so? Jeez, you’re making me go off topic. What was I going to say? I think one reason you probably didn’t get any visitors was because of her. To be fair, she told us a few things beforehand.”

“Chizuru’s usually not a loose-mouthed person..”

“Well, she didn’t reveal anything personal. She doesn’t do that. The only thing we know is..”

“You are someone that needs to die. For the sake of her family. It’s part of her main objective. Her whole reason for being here if I’m being honest.”

The voice that sprung from nowhere was that of the bespectacled young man in front of them. He wore a dark blazer with navy blue markings that extended to the end of each side they were on.

This was highlighted as they swayed around in the air. He took a brief pause, observing the young man on the medical bed. He nearly let out a smile but restrained himself as he spoke his next words.

“Someone came after all.”

“Don’t be mistaken. I only came here because Sensei asked me to help you with your powers. If left to my own devices, then you probably wouldn’t see me here having a conversation with scum like you.”

“Who’s this condescending bastard?”

“A rather vulgar one at that.”

“He’s Kosuke. Ino Kosuke.”

“I never gave out my name so I wondered what led you to the conclusion that you could, Takano?”

“Oops.”

He let out a troubled sigh and took off his glasses with its thin, transparent temples. He then cleaned the lens slowly and cautiously. It seemed like he had accidentally broken it from doing something like this in the past with the way he executed this harmless task cautiously.

“I didn’t want company in the first place and now this guy is here looking for a fight.”

“If my words gave you the conception that I want to participate in a violent exchange then perhaps the fault lies with you, scum.” he pushed his glasses up with his middle finger.

“It’s such a shame too. You don’t even know what you’re made of.”

“Meaning?”

“What other meaning can you pull out of that? I’m curious.”

“I already hate your company. Get out.”

“Let’s hear what he has to say first. He came here under Sensei’s orders.”

“I don’t care. I have nothing to say to this guy.”

“If you would be that stubborn, I might as well take my leave. Although your protection would be a by product of me being here, I believe half assed people like you don’t need help when learning. Your partially functional brain is all the help you need. Best of luck.”

“What??”

He shut the door with caution and exited the infirmary.

“Talk about a first impression.”

“First impression? Kosuke genuienly doesn’t care about that. To him, whether you’re a newbie or a veteran, it’s all the same.”

“Hmm.”

“I believe he doesn’t like creating a false image of himself due to first impressions. He hates misunderstandings so he doesn’t give anything he says or does the chance to be misunderstood.” she shrugged her shoulders to receive Aoi’s slight confusion.

‘First impressions are everything, right?’, he thought to himself as he tried to break down the kind of person he was dealing with before ultimately giving up.

“So, in essence, he doesn’t want people to think of him changing in anyway due to first impressions. That means he already considers himself somewhat annoying, I guess.”

“You know the saying never judge a book by its cover?”

“Yeah?”

“Basically he stuffs all the important contents in the book on the cover. Like an isekai author with his titles.”

“That makes sense.Well, that doesn’t change the fact that he’s one annoying bastard but then, I can’t mock that way of thinking.”

“You think?”

“Yeah, he doesn’t need it.”

“Perhaps you’re right.”

“Anyway, wanna join my party?”

“I mean, I’m already in your party when you think about it.”

“We haven’t played for long but on the last raid, it hit me, you’re probably one of the best support focused players I’ve ever played with.”

“It’s because I poured all my resources into Hina. She might not deal significant damage herself but it’s enough for me to handle regular bosses.”

“I can’t believe I was going to dish out the healer role but now I know better. Level up and get yourself a shield, okay? With you, I can shoot up to SS tier levels of damage. I just know it. ”

“...Really?”

The sun’s departure made time seem pacey and all of a sudden, the night sky was painted dark. In all the time that was spent, these two were still together….

A week had passed since that incident, and although he insisted he was fine, the head nurse remained cautious and kept him for a few more days. His injuries were no joke. Under normal circumstances, he should have been out for at least a month but the CT scans told a different story.

His recovery rate was abnormal. At least he believed so. However, according to his insufferable partner, it was scientifically proven that trigger users had impressive regenerative feats as a result of their power.

“I finally escaped that depressing room. In record time, too. If the head nurse finds out, I bet she won’t even be bothered.” he cracked his neck with his only functional hand while examining the hallway. A quick glance at his bandaged right arm left a smile.

“Where is that midget?? She didn’t even come see me today.”

His confusion turned into annoyance. “Where the hell am I supposed to go???” he said as he turned to both sides.

Indeed, his official tour had been postponed so his cluelessness could not be considered out of place. Add that to the fact that all newcomers had teammates who knew their way around (and other work related info).

He was left wishing he wasn’t the one to experience the slightly unprofessional side of this organization.

“I wish someone could come and show me the way.I need a prince, er--- no, princess to assist me!!!!”

“Quit yer yappin’.”

“Huh??”

The pesky, high pitched tone rang like a bell. From behind him, the screechy voice was bound to trouble anyone with fully functional ears. What she wore seemed like street clothes but it also resembled the clothes Aiko wore. Thick, black shorts with fishnet tights on full display on one leg. Her fashion sense certainly spoke for itself, hell, it felt like anything she put on would have shone.

Her beauty was nothing extraordinary. It was her charm coupled with that beauty that was the main essence. Her hair was a mixture of red and black in what made the basic makings of a classic rock and roller and ironically, she had an electric guitar on her back that was almost her size.

His eyes shot up and glittered upon the sight in front of him. She was a midget, indeed, a true midget. But also….

“You’re a rockstar!!!”

“Huh?”

“You are the one!!”

“Ya know me??”

“That classic condescending demeanor.”

He pounced on her shamelessly and observed her body even closer. Dragged her cheeks to feel the rubbery texture, swung her around to feel just how light she truly was and even licked her fingers because she was cute. Of course, this set her guard through the roof, understandably. She even hit him on impulse but luckily, it was a weak hit.

“Y-Y-Yer creeping me out. Just how perverted are you?”

“Your accent has changed, interesting.After seeing you, I really think Aiko deserves an apology.”

“Who do you think you are calling her by her first name? Don’t make that mistake again.”

She dragged her guitar from behind and drew his face closer. He didn’t fight back, grinning every step of the way.

“That was refreshing. Has anyone told you how cute you are??”

“The audacity..”

She gritted her teeth and had the pick of her guitar on standby. It seemed like another battle was inevitably taking place.

“Forget it. You can’t intimidate me when you’re so close to the ground. Let’s be friends. Or at least be on good terms. Pick one.”

“Who would want to be on good terms with you after all that, you ass??”

Her eyes were the highlight of her face. With the two contrasting colours, he could immediately guess what he was dealing with.

In her right eye, there was a fiery, passionate jewel, round and bright. Much like the sun, they were simultaneously alluring and frightening.

In her left laid a cold sphere, empty and desolate, but deep within it’s core was a gem like substance, left untouched but were capable of freezing anything in its path.

He genuinely thought the petite lady had a beautiful pair of eyes.

“Stop it already, you idiot.”

In the midst of the heated confrontation, Aiko appeared like a superhero with impeccable timing. Though, it’s not clear who was saved from this altercation.

“Haa. Don’t tell me you’re starting a fight with Kamiya senpai?? You’re such a magnet for trouble.” her tone exuded no surprise as with him, she prepared herself for the worst.

“This midget??”

“Hey, watch it.”

“Aiko-chan. Why is this brat acting so familiar with you?”

“Well…”

“Hold it, you pipsqueak. My business is with you.” he pointed down with his only functional hand.

“My name is Matsumoto Kamiya, you bastard. Remember it well.”

“Hmm. I’m pretty sure I didn’t ask though.”

“You little…Ever heard of manners?”

“No, actually you’re the little one.”

She squealed in frustration, those words made more of an impact than he expected. She usually never fought this hard against inflicting harm on another person but Aiko was here.

“Aoi, stop bullying her. She’s our senior.”

“I’m not. Also, she’s older than me?”

“It’s not my fault you look like a half dead corpse.”

“A corpse is fully dead. Are you referring to a zombie or something?”

“.…”

“Don’t worry, I’ll give you a minute.”

“I’VE HAD IT!!!”

Like the intro to a bubbling concert, she grabbed her pick and plucked the strings emphatically. Suddenly, her eyes lit up. Unfortunately, he couldn’t fully confirm his guess at the end. With quick thinking, she put it away and grabbed her guitar by the headstock, just like a sword. Aiko stood in front of him, gesturing her to stop.

“Please??”

“.….”

“.……”

“...”

*tch*

With such a cute face it was difficult to say no. With such an unlikable face behind her, it was so difficult to resist.

“Hmmph.. You’re quite lucky Aiko chan saved you.”

“Yes, yes. Run along now, Kamiya-chan.”

“That’s Matsumoto senpai to ya. Aiko, if you’ve had enough of this jerk, you can come to me anytime.”

“I appreciate the offer.”

She stared up at the white haired man and smirked forcefully, before waving to her beloved Aiko.

“It seems like I may have made a mistake, calling you a midget and all.”

“That’s the first thing you have to say to me?”

“I missed you.”

“I didn’t ask for that!!!!”

“Anyway, seems like Atsuko gathered quite the group of weirdos.”

“Yeah, that’s why she had to bring you in too.” with a victory smirk,she tapped his shoulder.

“Now I know why the shortie likes you.”

“To be fair, I already knew why she hated you.”

“My guts?”

“Your guts.”

“Oh well.”

“To make Kamiya talk about manners of all things. Just forget about being on good terms with her.”

“Speaking of Atsuko. Where is she?”

“Fujisaki-sensei is here. Hey, treat her with more respect, will you?”

“Hmm?? Where?? Take me there.”

“Did you just ignore me?”

“Come on. Don’t waste any more time. I’m still not an official member yet. I really want to resolve this as soon as I can so I need your help.”

“Didn’t expect you to still be so gung-ho about this considering you nearly died on your first day here. Oh yeah. You haven’t spoken to her since your first day, right? Follow me.”

He just couldn’t find his way around this massive maze of a hallway. It definitely needed some getting used to.

“Here we are.Want me to wait outside??”

“Nope. I know deep down you hate the idea of being separated from me.”

“Ugh..”

“What now?”

“My skin is crawling and my insides feel weird.”

“I didn’t hear any of that.”

He swiftly opened the door, with neither thought nor consideration. Unknown to the both of them, there was already an altercation taking place.

“Why did you lie to me???????” she held her chest tightly, her voice trembling.

“I told you, didn’t I? Your brother was missing and from what I found over the past two years, I got the wrong guy. That’s all.”

“All this time.. You..” she clenched her fists “You knew why I came to you.”

“Hmm. Why was that?”

“Don’t play dumb!!!”

She threw all the objects clean off the wooden table in a fit of rage. In front of the two of them were three people. Kotowari Chizuru, Fujisaki Atsuko and Nakamura Mako. Chizuru was fighting back tears while in the midst of all this, Atsuko was clearly unamused.

“What do you mean I can’t kill him?? That was the deal. I pledged my loyalty to you for that one favour.You know I couldn’t do it by myself, didn’t you? Wasn’t that why you struck such a deal with a kid?”

“Kotowari. I never once agreed to helping you kill your brother. I said I will find him but whatever happened after that was never specified nor agreed upon. If you believe otherwise, please remind me at any point in time said agreements were made.”

“So what are you trying to say? Look me in the eyes, you liar.”

“Listen, I might be many things but a liar is definitely not one of them. I will overlook this blunder on the account of your convoluted emotions.While you’re at it you could glance through a dictionary and clarify the meaning of the words you use.”

“You knew of my intentions from the start. So why? Do you feel any shame? Even just a little?”

“Of course I do. For example, I’m ashamed to be having a conversation with a teenager where I repeatedly have to clarify basic words. On the topic of why, why what?? Why I don’t want to kill one of the strongest members this organization has seen? Well, that sure is a mystery, isn’t it?” the look she received from beside her was more like a plea. She was calm but perhaps not calm enough. She sighed and continued.

“That’s besides the point. I might not be your legal guardian but I feel a certain amount of responsibility in this so I’ll lay it bare for you. The path you are seeking, I’m not going to help you get there.Perhaps I found your brother.Perhaps your brother found you. All I know is that dialogue is the only thing I am willing to tolerate.”

“You’re so slimy, the absolute worst. I’m done listening to you. I will simply kill him myself. You thought you could stop me by putting my teammates on standby. They were all in front of his hospital door, hah.” she snapped her fingers. “You’re really good at playing with people. That’s why you’re so cold. You enjoy that feeling, right? Well I’m not one of your toys.”

“What really happened to you? The hatred you have deep down. Even I can’t completely understand it.”

“Since we’re asking silly questions, why don’t you answer this. What happened to you while growing up? Mommy and Daddy didn’t buy any dolls so you decided you will just use people as substitutes, huh? You’ve always been good at improv.”

“I thought your burning desire for vengeance had been quenched but you’re still as blood thirsty as the first day I met you. I take full responsibility for that.”

“What is this? Now of all days you want to act like a guardian?”

“Do not misunderstand me. I hate kids, especially stubborn, short tempered ones but here we are. What can I do?”

“That’s enough. I’ve had enough of you and this whole organization. You’re the same as any force you criticize, with a small asterisk. I’ll kill him, even if that’s all I end up doing. Anyone who interferes will regret it.”

She heaved a burdensome sigh.

“Once again,I won’t allow that. Defying the law has its own sets of consequences. Same thing goes with me.”

“Is that a threat?”

“Is it?” she sneered as her locked in fingers highlighted her deadly gaze.

“Consequences? Screw that!!”

“...This is not a game.”

“As long as Deba is not here, none of you can stop me. Oh,that’s right. You can have this back.”

She tore her jacket in two then threw it at the purple haired woman. The woman beside her, who has been quiet for pretty much the entire exchange drew his attention. She had a suit on, in the same fashion as Atsuko but she wore a skirt instead. She had brown hair and flashy earrings. Her makeup was spot on, too. From his calculations, she was just a few years shy from being in her forties but she undoubtedly aged gracefully.

She had been quiet the whole time but this escalated exchange got her off her feet. However, the hatred in the girl’s eyes were left untouched.

“I wasn’t planning on saying much but this is pathetic and unbecoming, even for you, Chizuru.”

“You won’t get it. Nobody ever does. Even if I pour out my heart to you, you will never get it. And that demon seated in front of me doesn’t have a heart. Hah, that must be it. From the very start, she never tried to.”

“.…”

“Maybe I am pathetic. How on earth was I so naive. I was so focused on my goal that I never saw how blinded I was with you. I had my own plans but perhaps you actively ruined them. I was saved by my enemy.”

“Correction. Based on your most recent chunk of spiel, you’re still blinded. That’s where the main problem stems from.”

“Your words hold no weight now. You must be hiding him somewhere close. All I need to do is find him.”

“Yo, Sis. Those are some words I never expected to hear from you. You really haven’t grown up.”

“You….”