Snowballs And Comforts With The Shibuya Division

December always came with a certain festive atmosphere, no matter what part of the world you lived in. The winds got chillier, roadside vendors began selling hotter foods, and, depending on where you resided, you might or might not get the season's most defining feature.

Snow.

I rushed into the station and quickly shut the doors behind me. My teeth were chattering from how cold it was outside. It almost never snows in Tokyo, but every year the government approves mages flying up to the sky and conjuring artificial weather—a process that drastically decreases the temperature and allows for snow which lasts the entire month.

The people of Shibuya and the surrounding regions really wanted it to feel like Christmas. The government wanted it too. And since modifying the weather was very much possible with magic, lawmakers were like... why not.

"Hey, boss. Good morning."

As usual, Miko was always the first person I ran into in the station. She was busy tinkering away at her workshop, but the moment she saw me, she briefly stopped to go grab me a cup of coffee.

"Hey, Miko," I said, returning the greeting. I took off the large winter jacket I had over my regular work jacket, hanging it on a nearby wall. Aki must not have been back yet from dropping my little sister at school. I really hoped she wasn't teaching that girl any new magic tricks. A fistful of fire was Sashi's new threat to me on a daily basis whenever she wanted to blackmail me into doing anything that favored her.

"Here you go, boss. One steaming cup of joe, two cubes of sugar, no honey, always as you like it." She smiled as she held up the cup to me, but my eyes quickly drifted over to what she had in her other hand.

"What is that?"

"Oh... this? It's hot cocoa."

I involuntarily licked my lips without even knowing it. The idea of hot cocoa right now sounded perfect.

"Can I have that instead?" I pointed at the steaming mug of creamy, chocolatey goodness like an ungrateful child. Since we'd started working together four weeks ago, she had made it her number one priority to voluntarily bring me a cup of coffee every morning. Now asking for a cocoa instead, I felt like a complete douche, trampling all over her heartfelt effort.

"Sure thing, boss," Miko responded without a hint of irritability in her tone or on her face. "I initially made this one for Aki, but you can have it if you want."

I selfishly snatched the mug from her without a second thought. The cup was so warm in my gloved hands. But wait, did that mean the coffee was going to go to waste? I could see Miko already had a cocoa waiting for her on her table, and I'd never really known Aki to drink coffee. However, before I could ask the shorter girl if she had enough ingredients to make another one, the blonde girl walked in.

"Guten Morgen, friend Miko. Oh! Guten Morgen, Captain."

Aki performed a similar action as I had from earlier, quickly closing the door behind her to stop the cold from getting in. But this was contradictory to the outfit she was wearing: a semi-thick, long-sleeved shirt with red and white stripes. She was certainly dressed for the festive season. But wasn't she practically freezing in that?

"Hey, Aki," I said in greeting, lifting the mug to my face as she walked towards us. I couldn’t help but focus on her appearance as I sipped away at my hot chocolate. Her long ponytail, her deep violet eyes. Her new shirt only accentuated her beauty, even if the color loudly clashed with her blue police jeans.

"Haaa! Is zat hot cocoa?" Aki's face instantly lit up with joy at the sight of our beverages. "Can I have some?"

"Nope," Miko promptly replied, thrusting the cup of coffee towards her instead. "You snooze, you lose," she said to the blonde girl. "The boss also wanted hot chocolate, and I only made enough for two. I am not going to let this go to waste."

"Ach," Aki whispered in disgust, reluctantly collecting the cup of coffee from Miko. She hesitantly took a sip.

The moment her lips came in contact with the dark liquid, she threw her head back in absolute revulsion. "Bleh! Es schmeckt wie Eseldung!" she shouted in German. The coffee must have tasted so bad to her that she reverted to her default language to curse.

"I don't care if it tastes like donkey crap, boobarella," Miko shouted over her as if scolding a little child. "I brewed that cup with a lot of love, and you are going to drink every last drop!"

"Hmmm."

Aki looked on the verge of tears as she forced herself to keep drinking while she made her way to her table. I should have felt bad, especially knowing I had no issue with either beverage. But oh my god, the hot chocolate tasted out of this world. I wasn't ready to give that up.

For all her insubordination during missions, Miko did make one hell of a barista.

***

Our first assignment for the day was community service. Miko, Aki, and I were busy picking up litter near a public park by the roadside. I stabbed a piece of paper with my long metal stabby thing, then stuffed it in the trash bag I was carrying. Aki did the same to a soda can, and Miko covered her nose as she picked up what looked like a used diaper in her gloved hands.

"I can't believe this is the thanks we get for saving those office workers," Miko grunted, disposing the diaper into a nearby trash can.

"Well, we did also blow out the entirety of the second and last floor of the building," I said, stabbing a banana peel and stuffing it into my bag. "And since HQ is now paying Shinomia for the damages, this is our punishment. It's humiliating, but fair."

"Hrm," Miko grunted. "Did they at least find out who planted the dungeon core? I oughta visit that chump in jail and give him a piece of my mind for getting us stuck with trash week."

"Not yet," I responded, taking a break from picking up trash to stand up straight.

Damn, it was cold out here. Despite the layers of jacket, I was starting to wonder if hypothermia was something I should be worried about. Every chill carried by the wind caused me to shiver in response. The snow was coming down hard, on rooftops, on the roads, and even in my hair.

I was taken aback when Aki trudged through the snow to come stand in front of me. I looked up in surprise. Unlike me and Miko, who were practically dressed in heavy winter gear, Aki was still wearing her festive long-sleeved shirt with the stripes. The only difference from before was the scarf she had added to her neck. I stopped being baffled by her lack of layers. Maybe level six fire mages were just resistant to extreme temperatures.

"What is it, Aki?" I asked softly. She looked bothered by something.

"Captain, you zon't have to do zis. Ze destruction vos caused by me and friend Miko, and as our superior, you zon't have to join us like zis."

"Yeah, boss, take a break. Let us handle it," Miko said. "I caused most of the collateral anyway. I should do double the work."

I sighed before giving them a reply.

"You guys seem to have forgotten I gave the command to be yourselves. Wasn't that the whole idea behind our six-month agreement?"

The girls simultaneously held their breaths in shock, not expecting my reply. I resumed picking up more trash from the snow as I spoke.

"The situation reached the point where only your unique skills were suitable to complete the mission while bringing us home alive. So, rather than suppressing your strengths, I made use of them. It was the only logical move."

The girls still seemed to be frozen in astonishment as they gazed at me in surprise, so I just kept talking. I wasn't done anyway.

"Also, the three of us are a team. What affects one of us, affects all of us. So I'm not about to go sit down in the corner while you guys carry on with our group punishment."

A puff of vapor escaped Aki's lips as she surrendered to my resolve. "Stubborn like ze mule, zis captain," she whispered.

"Hey! Who are you calling a mule, Blondie?" I shouted, and Aki spun around and covered her mouth while smiling.

"Not going to apologize, huh?" I said, looking around me for something I could throw, before ultimately deciding on digging my hands into the snow. "Well, take this!" I chucked the newly formed snowball at Aki, hitting the blonde girl smack dab on the back of her head.

"Aw!"

The ball exploded on impact, causing her to trip and fall flat on her face.

"Who's laughing now?" I taunted, smirking and enjoying my small moment of victory before...

"Oof."

Another snowball flew out of nowhere and smacked me across the face. I stumbled on my feet, almost tripping over myself, but remained standing.

What the...? Where did that come from?

I turned and found Miko standing off to the side.

"Sorry, boss. But we gals need to stick together."

She had another snowball already formed in her hand. She was throwing it up and catching it. Aki pulled herself from the ground and joined her. She was also packing fresh snowballs. The blonde girl in particular had an annoyed expression on her face. Uh oh. Did I go too far?

Despite the chain of command, my subordinates soon began chasing me across the field, pelting me with ice. I would have activated my bubble shield, but...

"Bubble shi... oof."

"That's right, get'im, Aki. Don't let him activate his protection magic."

"Yes, friend Miko... on it!"

These girls weren't giving me much choice to do anything but run.

Our little game lasted a little into the morning, turning into a full-blown two-versus-one snowball fight. I got a few good hits of my own, pelting Miko in the face repeatedly when she wasn't expecting it.

"Rats. Kum gaga yamaaa...! Oof."

The girl always yelled out her nonsensical battle cry before throwing, which basically made her a sitting duck. Aki was a little harder. She was nimble and more skilled at dodging, making her a much more difficult target to nail. I would often get smacked in the face multiple times before I eventually managed to land a hit. However, it was always in her bust area, never her face. And although I didn't mind the jiggle physics that followed each impact, as they were a treat to the eyes, I swear those were never my targets.

We had abandoned our community service at this point, carried away as the three of us played like children. We laughed constantly. And in that moment, I realized something.

These girls were a far cry from the M-SERT squad I'd always dreamed of—a by-the-books, efficient, and well-rounded team that took things seriously and was perfect in every way. Instead, they were almost the direct opposite. Chaotic, unpredictable, loyal. Everything I didn't know I needed.

And despite all their flaws—and oh, help me God, there were so many—I was truly grateful to have them as my team. I wouldn’t change a single thing.

***

After completing the first day of our one-week sentence, I invited the girls over to my mom's workplace for dinner.

"Welcome, young master Daisuke. How may we serve you today?"

The two young girls spoke in practiced synchrony as they greeted us at the entrance. One of them was a cyclopian, having a single large iris on her forehead. The other was an elf, possessing pointy ears, green eyes, and long green hair. They were both wearing maid uniforms as they were employees of my mother's restaurant.

"Haaa!"

Aki's eyes instantly lit up with glee at the sight of their outfits.

"Welcome, Master's friends. How may we be of service to you?"

"Haaa! So cute. I love your dresses."

"Yeah, boss," Miko jumped in. "These look way better than the one you got for me. Mine didn't have artificial padding like these ones do. Whoa, and so hyper-realistic too."

The two girls suddenly looked uncomfortable as Miko was inappropriately fondling their uniforms.

"Idiot, that's because those aren't artificial."

I reached out to grab Miko, pulling her back by her jacket collar.

"Hey... What gives...?"

"Shut up," I scolded her. "Sorry Ivy, Elfie... I apologize on behalf of this little troublemaker."

"I'm not little. I'm just short," Miko huffed.

"Oh, it's no bother, master," Ivy the cyclops said in a soft tone, smiling.

"Yeah, not at all," Elfie chimed in. "Madam is not in right now if you came to see her, young master Daisuke. But can we get you guys a table?"

"Yes, please."

We were led deeper into the restaurant and eventually given a booth to sit at. Ivy took our orders, while Elfie went to serve other customers. Five minutes later, the food finally arrived. Everything on the table looked steamy and delicious. I wasn't surprised in the slightest. It was my mother's recipe after all.

"Ha! It all looks so good," Aki exclaimed happily.

"I agree," Miko responded.

"Then what are you waiting for?" I asked both of them. "Dig in. Dinner's on me."

Both of my agents instantly rushed the food, stuffing their faces and chewing like animals. I guess I didn’t blame them—we hadn’t eaten all day.

I reached for my chopsticks and joined them.

"Mmm, it even tastes better than it looks," Aki said, her cheeks full.

"Mhm," Miko nodded.

We remained seated at the table even after we had finished eating. At 8:30 p.m., we were officially off the clock, and by this point, I was just waiting on my mother so I could help her close up shop before going home together.

Aki and Miko were sharing an apartment not far from our station in the Shibuya district. It was an hour-plus drive from here, and despite it already being pretty late, they were knee-deep in conversation with my mother's employees, not bothered by time at all.

"So, where are you from, Ivy?" Miko asked the cyclopian girl sitting beside me.

"A village," she replied in that soft tone of hers. "In the Southern region of Velgrath called Pepplebrook."

"Velgrath?" Miko asked, confused about the location.

"Yes," Ivy responded. "It’s a kingdom currently under siege by the demon king," she added. "I’m an immigrant, you see. When my family and I learned about the Japanese world exchange program, we applied and sought asylum from the war. We were eventually transported to this world, and I soon left my family on their farm so I could move to the city to work for Madam."

"Oooh," Miko responded.

I was busy playing games on my phone while the girls chatted. But when I overheard Ivy mentioning her family, I remembered something.

"Oh yeah, how are they doing?" I asked while still focused on my phone. "Your family, I mean. Your little brother and your parents. I hope you manage to keep in touch with them."

Ivy turned toward me with her one eye in surprise.

"Y-yes, young master," she said, nodding. "They always send their regards to you and Madam."

"That's good," I replied, still aggressively mashing buttons on my phone. "Next time you call them, do me a favor and tell them I say hello, alright?"

"O-okay, sir," Ivy responded, pushing a lock of her dark hair behind her ear while her soft gaze lingered on my side profile. She blinked a few times as if pondering something before returning her gaze to staring at her hands on the table.

"And vhat about you, friend Elfie?" Aki asked the elf girl who had just returned from serving a customer. "Is your home also being invaded by ze demon king? Is zhat vie you came to Japan, or vere you born here?"

"Nah, I just got bored of castle life and wanted to live among humans, so I ran away from home," the green-haired girl declared confidently, dropping her hands on her waist and pushing her chest out. Miko and Aki had their mouths hung open in shock at the news. It wasn't really news to me, though; I already knew her entire ridiculous backstory.

"Yup," she continued with pride. "As the heir and princess to the kingdom of Olivia, I was set to get married on my 17th birthday to some random king in the West I didn't even really know or like."

"Vie?" Aki asked. "Vos it to improve relations between your two kingdoms?"

"The heck if I know," Elfie exclaimed, twirling her hair back and crossing her arms. "All I know is that I didn't want to get married; I wanted to explore. So I snuck out of my chambers in the middle of the night, paid for a private coach, traveled to the World Exchange Embassy and told them I was an immigrant from the war."

"And they just let you pass?" Miko asked, suspicious of the green-haired girl.

"Of course not," Elfie replied, lifting one of her arms and tapping a finger against her chin as a sly, self-satisfied smile played on her lips. "I had to employ an elaborate scheme to get through. I walked off to use the ladies' room, and when I got back, I came screaming about a busty elven woman being strangled by a tentacled monster in the bathroom, hehh hehh hehh. That type of thing happened often enough in our world, and men are always drawn to the spectacle for some reason."

"And zhat worked?" Aki asked, her eyes gleaming with curiosity and astonishment.

"I'm standing in front of you, aren't I?" Elfie threw her arms up in gesture.

"After they left the stupid men, I just pushed the little red button on their machine that read 'Transport Portal' and voila. I appeared in this world, and the rest is history."

"But wait... wouldn't your parents be worried sick?" Miko asked.

"Probably, if they didn't see the note I left on my bed letting them know I was coming to this world. Oh, excuse me, ladies. Looks like we have more customers."

Our little runaway princess pranced off as she went to greet the group of people that had entered the restaurant. Ivy got up from beside me and went to go join her.

As Aki and Miko resumed chatting among themselves, mostly about the bold decision taken by our nonchalant elven royalty, I returned my attention to the game I had been playing on my phone. That's when it hit me. Literally, a crumpled-up paper ball came flying across the room, striking me on the forehead and dropping to the floor.

What the...?

I reached down and picked up the piece of paper. The girls hadn't noticed me do this. They were still busy talking.

I looked around the restaurant and immediately caught sight of a woman moving outside. She had long dark hair and was wearing a trench coat. Was she the one who threw this at me?

Curious, I uncrumpled the piece of paper and looked down. It was a note.

{Come outside, and come alone.}

That was it. That was all it said.

I gave it some thought as I recrumpled the paper back into a ball. Who was this person? What did they want?

If I did exactly what they had asked, I'd be heading out into the cold snow with no backup. This person could easily be hostile. A criminal of some kind.

"Hey, guys. I'm gonna step outside to make a phone call real quick."

"You got it, boss."

"Short thing, captain."

Somehow, I had the feeling this person didn't intend to do any harm. But, just in case, I was going to keep my guard up.

I stepped out of the cozy interior of the restaurant into the harsh cold. Damn, this artificial weather was no joke.

I found the figure standing some distance away from the restaurant. Long dark hair, gray colored trench coat. She definitely was the person who must have thrown the piece of paper at me. If she wasn't, then this was going to be a very awkward conversation.

I quietly approached her from the side, my boots announcing my arrival in the snow. I stopped when there was just four feet of space between us, then I reached into my pocket for the note and showed it to her.

"I got your little message. Who are you, and what do you want?"

The figure was silent at first. She just stood there, the cold wind brushing up against her long, dark hair. I noticed she had her hands in her pockets. Like me, she was probably protecting them from the chilly winter air.

But then, as she turned to face me, she brought something out of her trench coat. It looked like a badge. It was a badge.

"Special Agent Horimi Sakurazawa," she said as she held up her ID to me. She looked young, probably in her mid-twenties, but despite allegedly working for M-SERT, I didn't recognize her. I had never seen her before.

"I am a handler assigned to the Shibuya division," she continued. "My job has been to evaluate your performance as a team, and deem whether or not you all are cleared for continuous operation in the field."

Wait, what was she talking about? Handlers? Evaluators? What was going on here?

"To make it simple for you to understand, captain, I am here to decide whether you and your team get to continue keeping your jobs. And as the results of your previous missions have shown, that decision is simple. No."