Meeting up with the shibuya division: A hot welcome

I cleared my throat and straightened my jacket. "Alright, time to meet the team. Here goes nothing."

I gently pushed open the door to the station, the anticipation of meeting my squad mates causing my heart to race a little.

Will they like me? Will they respect me?

I wasn't the elegant and sophisticated Kaori Katsuragi, whose effortless charm and beauty demanded adoration, even before you got to know the brains behind her pretty face. Ultimately, I just hope I make a good impression. This first encounter could mean everything.

I fully pushed the door open, and...

"Fire blast!"

".!"

I nearly jumped back in shock. I was instantly frozen to the spot, unable to move. A huge fireball, bigger and hotter than that of the thief from the alleyway, suddenly flew across the room, crashing into the other side of the wall.

"Aki! Got'em yet?"

"Nein, friend Miko. It has hidden under zee coffee maker."

"What! Bro is still alive? Alright, gun's ready, let me take a crack at it. Survive this, bitch."

A series of what I could only describe as magical machine gun fire suddenly began bursting from the opposite side of the room where the fireball had emerged from. "Die, bitch, die!"

It was chaos. I was witnessing absolute madness. What the hell was going on? Did I accidentally make a wrong turn somewhere and arrive at the wrong station? A demolition site, maybe?

"Hiyaaa!"

The screaming figure gradually waddled to the center of the room, legs apart, as she steadily continued to fire off rounds from the machine gun she was carrying at waist level. She had on a pair of blue police shorts, a baggy shirt with the words "Bazooka Babe" written on the back of it, and shoulder-length brown hair. She didn't seem to be taller than the average middle schooler, yet she was handling a weapon nearly twice her size.

"Die! Die! Die-eeeeee!"

She was still busy aggressively shooting her gun at the unknown target in the corner; she didn't even realize I was standing right behind her. Her weapon suddenly ran out of power.

"Geez, already?"

She flipped the gun over and popped open the bottom compartment. A smooth, round orb fell into her palm. I instantly recognized the object as a mana crystal, a device utilized to store magical energy like a battery pack, although this one wasn't glowing anymore.

"Rats, out of juice," the girl with the brown hair said, still looking at the orb in her hand.

"Hey, vhat happened? Have you killed it yet? Or do you require me to come take over?" came the voice of the person I hadn't seen yet.

"Don't worry, Aki. Just chuck me another one of them spare mana crystals from my workshop table over there. We'll have bro in a body bag in no time flat, before the captain even gets... here. Eek!"

The girl suddenly trailed off when she finally turned and saw me standing by the doorway. Her eyes grew wide, and her mouth slowly hung open in shock.

".!"

".!"

The silence was becoming a little awkward. She just kept staring at me as if she couldn't believe what she was looking at, her eyes occasionally darting left and right in search of some kind of excuse to explain everything that was happening.

"Friend Miko? Please report your status. Is ze threat neutralized, or do you require assistance?"

"Ummm..."

She was still struggling to speak.

That's it, this was getting ridiculous. Play time was over. I needed to introduce myself and take charge of the situation. And I needed to do that now.

"You guys are the rest of Shibuya division, right?" I said as I reached for my badge and showed it to her, attempting to step into the building. "My name is Captain Daisuke Tanaka, and I'm here to..."

"Bang!"

…Have the door slammed in my face, apparently. Did she really just lock me outside of my own station?

"Verdammt, friend Miko! Why did you do zat?" came the muffled voice of the other person. "Is there something dangerous out zere? What did you see?"

"The-the-the captain. He's outside."

"Vhat?!" exclaimed the second girl. "So, you have locked out our new captain? Zis is not an optimal welcome protocol, friend Miko. Shame on you. Shame."

"I-I don't know, dude, I panicked. Just quickly get dressed and help me clean up."

"Quickly get dressed? But I am already dressed. Vhat's wrong with vhat I'm currently vearing?"

"You kidding me, dude? A tank top is not appropriate clothing when you have a chest as ridiculously huge as yours. Find something and cover up those things. You might distract the captain. Put on your jacket."

"Ach, Unsinn. My limited clothing is functional. But if it isn't ze regulations, I vill put on ze jacket."

I honestly didn't even know how to react to the current situation that was unfolding in front of me. I don't think there was even a listed protocol in the M-SERT officer's handbook to guide me through such a chaotic encounter. Was this really my team? Was this really my station? Who the hell were these people? And what the hell were they shooting at within the building?

Since it appeared as if they weren't expecting me that very moment, I decided to give them some time to prepare. I stood outside while they continued to run around the interior of the station, having more muffled arguments as they rushed to clean the place up. They were not even trying to be discreet. I could basically hear everything that was going on inside.

To pass time while I waited, I stared at my wrist that was absent of a wristwatch. Hmmm, maybe I should really consider getting myself a wristwatch. It could tie the rest of my outfit together, and possibly even score me extra masculinity points in the eyes of a certain redheaded someone if our paths were to cross again soon. Yup, I was definitely getting one now.

After what felt like a full five minutes, the door was opened, and I was finally allowed to step in.

My station. My office. My home, oh my precious. What have they done to you?

The place was in utter disarray. An absolute mess. Despite the girls rushing to clean up, there were things that were damaged beyond repair.

The walls and floors were blackened with scorch marks. There were holes in the ceiling. The coffee maker in the corner of the room was bombed to Valhalla, leaking fresh joe all over the ground. The interior smelled like burnt coffee, hot metal, and smoke.

It was a good thing I still had on my sunglasses. This way, the people responsible for this, the two women standing at attention in front of me, couldn't see the tears threatening to leak out of my eyes. My station. My office. Ruined. I... I couldn't even begin to process this pain. This grief.

"Zooo, you sink he's mad?" the blonde girl asked.

"Don't know, man, can't tell through those bad boys he's wearing on his face. But maybe he's slightly annoyed. Or maybe he's just born that way. You know, with major symptoms of RBF," Bazooka Babe replied.

Both of them were whispering loudly. I was right in front of them; did they think I couldn't hear what they were saying??

"Vhat is RBF, friend Miko?" The blonde girl turned and whispered another question.

"Resting bitch face," Bazooka Babe replied, standing straight.

I sank to my knees in the middle of the room.

".!"

"Hey, boss, you okay?"

"Yes, captain, are you alright?"

I didn't immediately respond to them. I wanted to say a small prayer first. I wasn't quite sure what I might have done to offend God that made him pair me up with these two women, who seem to be missing a few important screws in the old IQ box. Regardless, whatever I might have done, please God, have mercy on my soul and reward me with an early transfer from this place. From these people.

After I was done, I cleared my throat and got to my feet, straightening my jacket in the process and dusting myself off. "Alright," I said. "First things first. Before I ask about the reason for all of this," I gestured throughout the ruined building, "we need to get introductions out of the way."

I walked over to a corner of the station that was thankfully in one piece, then grabbed myself a tablet from the table. I pulled up Shibuya Division's squad information on the device as I returned.

"Aki Sakai-Schmidt. That's you, right?" I pointed at the taller girl.

"Yah, zat is me. It is a pleasure to meet you, Captain," she replied with a smile.

Holy hell, she was so cute. She looked just like her profile. Long blonde ponytail, large violet eyes. She was also wearing a halfway-zipped-down bomber jacket that revealed two things about her that very moment. One, that she had the body of a supermodel, a great figure, a pretty face, long legs, and two... what the hell were those things? Were they even real? She was way bigger than Kaori Katsuragi; nobody should be bigger than my queen.

With how cute she was, I wonder why other captains didn't scramble to pick her first. I certainly would have. I tried looking away, but my eyes kept drifting back towards her zipped-down bomber jacket. Okay, now I was just staring like a creep. I could see Bazooka Babe shooting me a look. "Perv," she whispered, and I quickly averted my gaze and cleared my throat before continuing to speak.

"So, you're half Japanese," I said. "Says here you're also from Europe, Germany."

"Affirmative, captain," Aki responded, nodding and smiling. "My faza is Japanese, and my moza is German. I spent most of my life in Germany zo, but when I decided to join the force, I came back here."

"Coming back to serve in your hometown, I see. Well, that's very noble of you, Aki."

"Danke, captain." She smiled again, a very cute and radiant smile, and I found my heart nearly skipping a beat. Why was she having this effect on me?

I was the captain; even though it wasn't technically prohibited, I wasn't supposed to develop any sort of feelings towards my agents. I wanted to keep things one hundred percent professional, plus I doubted Kaori was the type to welcome a harem when we eventually get married.

I took one more glance down at her profile, and... Holy crap. Was I seeing things?

She was a level 6 fire mage. Nobody I knew was a level 6 fire mage. Even the instructors and sergeants back at the academy, only a few of them were above level five. If this were true, then she was packing some serious heat. Literally.

"You are a level six fire elemental?" I looked up and asked her in disbelief.

"Genau," she exclaimed, smiling. "I hope my skills will be an asset to zee team."

Oh my god, she was so humble too.

I didn't bother to read the rest of her profile; I definitely needed someone like her in my squad. "Welcome to Shibuya division, field agent Aki. I hope you'll put your skills to good use."

The blonde girl instantly struck a salute. "Sir, yes sir!"

I walked over to the next girl standing beside her.

"Miko Tsukishima. Is that correct?"

"Sir, yes, boss!"

Miko was almost the direct opposite of Aki, at least in terms of physicality. She was a lot shorter, standing at 5'4". Her uniform, with the police shorts, button-up shirt, and the cap, almost gave her the look of a middle schooler playing dress-up rather than the sixteen-year-old academy-experienced officer she was. I looked down to continue reading the rest of her profile out loud.

"Extremely skilled with magitech weapons."

"I could name every magitech weapon by heart, sir. Weight, feel, model, just by looking at them."

"Is that so?"

"Hm," she nodded.

"Alright," I said as I continued reading. "Despite being born with no magic, says here you came out on top of your class in the following areas: ingenuity, creativity, a proficiency to constantly think outside the box, and unpredictability. Seems to me like you were the underdog type. Well done."

"That's a hundred percent true, cap," Miko replied. "Because I wasn't born with mana like the other candidates at the academy, I had to rely a lot on my Miko-dome," she said, tapping the side of her head with her finger. "And these babies," she added, pulling out two more magitech assault rifles from God knows where.

"But thank you, sir," she said, lowering her weapons as her expression suddenly turned serious. "Nobody back home thought I would ever make it as an M-SERT officer, let alone a field agent, since I had no magic unlike 99.9 percent of the world. Unlike the rest of you."

I noticed how the tops of her shoulders began shaking a little. This was probably a sensitive thing for her to discuss, and I should treat it that way.

"But I'm here now," she continued, sniffling and wiping off tiny streaks of tears that had started to roll down her face. She had done so with one of her hands that was still holding a magitech machine gun. I secretly prayed she constantly kept the safety engaged on those things.

"And hearing you acknowledge my efforts, captain," the girl added, staring up at me, "really means a lot."

".!"

I was momentarily taken aback and at a loss for words. I don't think I had ever seen anyone put so much trust and respect in me before. This was real, wasn't it? The whole idea of being a leader.

I was a captain. I now had people looking up to me. People whose job it was to listen to everything I say. People who, whenever they were lost or confused, would come to me seeking guidance.

This girl, Miko Tsukishima, born without the ability to learn, use, or control magic, had clearly gone through a lot in her journey to be where she was right now. Standing beside her magically abled friend, both as fully-fledged officers of the core. She was clearly tough as nails, as badass as they come.

"At ease, soldier," I said, relieving her of her stance.

"Sir! Yes! Sir!"

***

After returning the tablet to the table, it was finally my turn to introduce myself.

"My name is Daisuke Tanaka. I will be your captain for the foreseeable future, and I am honored to be working with both of you."

"Hm."

The two girls nodded confidently as I spoke.

"I believe together, we will make one heck of a team, able to handle any and all situations thrown our way."

"Mhm."

The two girls nodded once again in confidence.

"So, with that out of the way." I took off my glasses to show them how serious I was. "What the hell happened here?" I gestured to the ruined building.

".!"

".!"

They both suddenly went silent. Miko stared at Aki, and the blonde girl stared right back.

"Ahem. I'm waiting," I said, crossing my arms.

Finally, Miko resigned herself and spoke up.

"We saw a spider, boss. We were trying to squash it. Sorry for the mess."

"Ja, sorry captain, v overdid it a bit vith ze fire power."

Both girls had their heads slumped over and were staring at the floor as if they were just caught stealing candy. Meanwhile, I couldn't believe what my ears just heard.

"You guys nearly burnt down the entire station because you saw a spider?"

They nodded.

I was speechless. The situation was just so ridiculous, I didn't even know how to react.

"Well, was it a particularly big or poisonous spider? I can understand your use of over-the-top firepower if that was the case," I asked flatly.

I honestly don't even know why I was trying to reason with them. What they did was stupid. I should be reporting this, not trying to help justify their actions.

The two girls looked at each other again, nodded, then Miko bent down to pick up a piece of debris from the floor. "It was as big as this, boss," she said, showing me her palm. "And it wasn't poisonous."

I looked down at it. I could barely see anything. It was not even up to the size of a tiny rock. Unbelievable.

I sighed as I stood up straight. "Call a cleaning crew to come help fix up the place," I said to Miko. "Meanwhile, we should take stock of our inventory, at least the ones you guys haven't destroyed yet. And..."

".!"

I was suddenly cut off from speaking by my phone ringing in my pocket. I reached in and answered it.

"Yes? We are. Aha. Aha. Yup. Okay, we're on it."

The call ended, and I placed the phone back in my pocket. The two girls were staring at me with silent anticipation.

I took in a deep breath.

"That was HQ. We have a code 2 public nuisance on our hands. A beloved bakery, Sakura-Sweets, has suddenly gone berserk and is spewing giant sentient animated snacks onto the streets. There is pandemonium. People are running for their lives."

As soon as I finished relaying the information, the girls nodded in unison, understanding what came next. Everybody rushed to grab what they needed. Their badges. Tools. Weapons. And for Miko, extra mana crystals.

A minute later, we were out of the station and getting into the police cruiser. Aki was behind the wheel, and I tossed her the keys. Miko was going to be riding along beside us on her bike. This was going to be our first mission as a team.

"Everybody set?" I asked.

"Right!" the girls responded in unison.

"Alright Aki," I said, adjusting my sunglasses.

"Punch it."