Chapter Twenty-One - Sunday III - A Night To Remember

As the last remnants of blue lingered on the distant horizon as evidence of the departed sun, a white Evo VII RS casually made its way up a gravel drive with large gardens either side of it.

This place is huge; driving from the front gate to the mansion alone could almost pass as a hillclimb run, if I were actually going at it, that is. That’d be a fun test, but I guess keeping a low profile is the order of business for tonight. ‘So, uh, are we all ready for our first gig as personal security staff?’ Hikari asked.

‘Always!’

‘Yes.’

‘I guess.’

‘Cheer up, Miss Midori; you might run into more developer-types or development models on display in there, or something,’ Hikari teased, with a playful smile. And that’s why I make sure I can at least partly see you in the rear-view mirror; watching you flip from an irritated frown to being all bright-eyed and then relaxed again within the space of a few seconds will probably never get old for me.

As the car reached the top of the meandering roadway, the black and purple-haired driver dared to shift her eyes from the path ahead. Uwah; it’s like five or six times the size of my family’s home and it’s on two floors as well. The grand archway above the entrance seems a bit overkill if you ask me though… It looks ammazing but also presents us a bigger problem if the site gets infiltrated.

As the car slowed further, Hikari’s eyes returned to the pathway briefly before scanning the large gravel area which surrounded the massive building. Nice; they have a couple of Ghosts, a few Mulsannes, a few Century limos, lots of 2010s LS 600hs as well. Heh; and then there’s a little Z432 in the corner, sticking out like the sorest of sore thumbs. I guess I know where I’m parking then…

‘It’s a good thing she purrs so loudly; I could hear you coming from inside. That’s just as well, because, no offence, but you’re not coming through the front entrance looking like that. Don’t get me wrong; I love all of your outfits, but you’ll definitely draw the wrong kind of attention to yourselves.’

‘Good evening to you too, Haruka,’ Hikari snapped in return, with a playfully hurt glare.

‘As promised, your outfits are already here. Please follow me and we can get you all changed and ready to visit the main reception area,’ the younger woman invited, with a friendly smile.

‘Right, right,’ Hikari accepted, prompting Haruka to lead the quartet along the gravel path lining the nearest side of the large mansion, eventually bringing them inside, via the large, glass double-door rear entrance.

❀

‘Uwah; you look stunning, Tsubaki. I mean, you normally look great, but looking at you right now with that elegant and fluttery, yet understated emerald-green dress is breath-taking. The change in flower hair accessory is nice too, if a bit more eye-catching than I’d expect from you though, heh. Also, I can confirm that you look pretty hot with glasses.’ Hikari remarked with an awe-tinged voice, as the doctor emerged from the bathroom. Her voice turning more playful, she added, ‘How does it feel to be back at the same height as me?’ with a teasing smile.

‘Why was I not allowed to wear heels tonight?’ Tsubaki questioned, with an irritated tone as she swiftly advanced toward the mirror.

‘Becaaauuse, Miss Satou didn’t want any of us especially standing out, which you would do if you’re like six or seven centimetres taller than me.’ That and thanks to your inconsistent behaviour yesterday, I have a mission for this evening which is best served by us being the same height…

‘Not standing out says the woman wearing a violet halter neck slit dress, with a large cleavage area and fairly loud black floral patterns across her arms. Why couldn’t you have ditched the flats just for one evening?’

‘Excuse me? Have you forgotten that we’re working tonight? Heels are nice and all, but they’re not exactly the most functional shoes unless they’re like your wedge boots, but those are a no-go for a formal occasion.’ More gently, she added, ‘Besides, the ballerina shoes suit you perfectly; they’re cute but not massively attention-seeking.’

Oh no; just what are you going to try now? Even if I’m only looking at you through the mirror, this is still kind of— no; very unsettling. You’re close enough to disturb the air around my back and neck. It’s a struggle to stay calm when you stare like that as well, not least because your beauty’s radiance is essentially maximised by the dress. I detest the fact that you could probably kiss me right now and I wouldn’t resist, despite all the problems it would probably cause. My thoughts are definitely getting messier; please stop staring and say something to snap me out of this doomed train of thought!

‘You really do look lovely. Shall we head down and dazzle them?’ Hikari softly invited, with a warm smile.

Why am I so weak against you at times like this? I can’t muster any words to reply with, so paralysed and lost in your charm I am.

❀

Oh, Aphrodite, Venus? Sappho? Whoever… Please grant me strength to control the rapturous flames of desire that threaten to run wild within me! Whoever had the idea to put us in suits for this evening is a legend. Not that the sight of you in your regular outfit or the archery getup don’t cause my emotions to whip up into a whirlwind, but right now that whirlwind has pretty much all of the fury tha-

‘Is there something wrong with my clothes?’

‘Huh?’

‘You’ve been intensely staring at me for the past few minutes; I can see you in the mirror,’ Kasumi advised, while returning her stud earrings to their usual resting place on her earlobes.

‘Ah! No!’ Renka haphazardly blurted.

‘Is something else wrong then?’ Kasumi calmly asked, turning to face the captain, who sat bolt upright on the bed.

With her voice continuing to grow weaker and slower, ‘Aside from the fact that seeing your handsomeness do wondrous things with that suit makes me want to jump on you, or better still, makes me wish for you to jump on me? No…’ Renka confessed. Ugh; Kitten was right. I really have turned into a hopeless and desperate sub. Staring straight into those chilly eyes while you have the height advantage drains me completely of any will to do anything besides submit to you... What the fuck is wrong with me!?

‘Maybe we’ll have time for that later,’ Kasumi coolly teased, with a little smile. ‘For the time being please calm down, so that we can get through our main duty cleanly,’ she advised, while offering an outstretched hand.

‘Uwah!’ Why would you pull me with so much force? And why would you pull me so that your chest is brushing against mine!?!? Are you trying to kill me, woman?? If it beats any more intensely, my heart will make like a grenade and explode!

‘Your tie is slightly off,’ Kasumi remarked, before pulling back slightly, and adjusting the tie’s fitment under the captain’s shirt collar. ‘You wear these well; maybe the private security sector might work out for you, after all. Now, let’s go.’ It’s very difficult to give you a compliment that won’t set you off completely, so that will have to do.

❀

‘Ehhh?’ Renka remarked, as the other pair of women appeared at the top of the opposing staircase which led to the main reception area.

The four women convened in the central converging landing and only casually glanced sideways at the main reception area.

‘So, Team Useless are dressed as the princesses and we’re dressed as the princes? Nice to see you both looking so graceful and refined though, I’ll admit.’

‘Um, thanks? I guess the same could be said for you two as well, seeing as we’re not really used to seeing you look so sharp. Feels kinda weird, doesn’t it?’

After the instant where Kasumi and Renka lightly chuckled in response, a shorter, black-haired woman, with a hydrangea in her hair arrived.

‘Why am I not at all surprised? Black knee-length halter-neck dress, black tights and boots not too different to your normal ones is exactly what I’d imagined you’d wear. The gold cuffs and diamond-shaped hoop earrings with sapphires(?) in the corner are a surprise though. That outfit is very you. That’s to say; way more stylish than I’ll ever be probably.’ Hikari admitted, concluding with an approving frown and nod.

‘Thanks, hehe,’ Haruka replied with a friendly smile, briefly flashing a heart gesture by pressing her index fingers and thumbs together. ‘Down to business; if Miss Terashi’s abilities are anything to go by, I presume I won’t need to advise you on how to do your jobs, so, you’re free to roam the floor and do as you please, as long as it doesn’t harm your primary objective. Now, is there anything that you ladies need from me before we go?’

‘Yes, Captain Hibara?’

‘Callsigns; rather than calling by name, we normally use nicknames. If you don’t mind, we’d like you to either assign yourself one or allow us to assign you one, if that’s okay with you.’

‘No need to be so stiff and nervous, Captain; I’m harmless. Fill me in; who’s named what?’

‘Ah, right. Well... I’m Captain or any other close variation. Miss Sawa is Songstress(?)’ Just go with it. ‘Miss Midori is Sensei and Miss Terashi is Kitten.’

‘Ehhh?’ Haruka remarked, fixing Hikari with an intense glare and offering a mischievous smile. ‘Sooo, who am I?’

‘If you don’t mind, I’d like to propose The Queen,’ Renka unsteadily offered. ‘Sort of like a chess board arrangement, where the queen is the most valuable piece and has her loyal knights and rooks serving her.’

‘Please, Captain; you’re definitely treating me too dearly.’

‘Ah, sorry, Miss Satou!’

‘Relax; it’s fine. I get where you were coming from. I’m fine to be called by that sign, but be sure not to use it in anything other than an emergency; I’m not particularly fond of special treatment.’

‘Understood!’

So much for advising you to relax, Miss Hibara. ‘Okay, shall we head down then?’ Haruka invited, with a friendly smile.

Shortly after reaching the bottom of the stairs, Renka internally remarked, So much for keeping a low profile; Miss Satou arriving with four glamorous women quite obviously in a bodyguard formation would undoubtedly turn heads and draw gazes our way within moments of arriving in the reception hall.

Meanwhile, the doctor also made her initial assessment. It’s about as grand as I imagined it would be. Multi-layered chandeliers, extensive use of dark hardwood for the floor and furnishings, very lavish gold frames for artwork from this island’s bygone periods and there’s loads of space as well; this reception hall alone is probably bigger than my family’s home. I suppose Kasumi will appreciate the background music provided by the piano, violin, flute(?) and harp. There are displays of components and devices peppered between the tables with food and drink as well, which I’d like to get a closer look at…

The pairs diverged and left Haruka to weave her way through the numerous groups of men and women who filled the space with a lively drone of chatter.

‘I see your team has finally arrived. I presume all is in order?’ Mr Satou calmly asked, as his daughter drew within arm’s length.

‘Yes, father. Have things been fine here as well?’

‘Indeed, they have been. All of the display models, decorum, catering and other hospitality arrangements were set without issue. All of the guests which were invited are in attendance as well, which is great to see. It’s a shame that we only found about Miss Midori’s device yesterday; I believe it would have made for a very interesting display piece here tonight.’

‘Agreed,’ Haruka cheerfully remarked, turning and scanning the crowds for the doctor.

‘Good evening, are you enjoying your first taste of life in private security, Ittō rikui?’

Renka jolted and froze briefly. Shit; that deep, thoroughly unsettling voice. How can somebody who claims not to be our enemy be so terrifying?? She awkwardly turned to face the voice. ‘Good evening, Nitō rikusa,’ Renka sheepishly offered.

‘No need for the title, Captain; I am no longer an SDF officer, despite still enjoying the benefits of their supply and intelligence networks.’

‘Right. I take it your partner—’

‘Correct; we’ve known each other for almost exactly ten years now and been together for five; go on…’

‘Your partner also served in the SDF?’

‘Yep!’ the peach-eyed woman chirped, with a friendly smile. ‘Before departing, I rose to Santō rikusa rank. I guess you won’t be surprised to hear who my commanding officer was, in more ways than one,’ she added, concluding with diverting her eyes to her grey-eyed partner and beaming a mischievous smile, prompting Renka to do the same, before both women were forced to return to straight expressions.

‘That’s enough of that, thank you,’ the raven-haired woman quietly stated, issuing her partner a warning glare.

So, professions aside, they’re just like us then? Well aside from the terrifying nature of the black-haired one. ‘So, um… What loadout did you bring for this evening?’

‘We both brought MSBS 7.62N rifles. She has a DMR-spec version as her primary weapon and I have a modified folding-stock variant; it’s not normally my primary, but it is tonight. The 406mm barrel isn’t bad, but the 508mm suited my needs better.’

Behind the lenses of her glasses, Renka’s eyes widened. ‘Uwah; the Masada lives on. How’d you manage to pick up those?’

‘In latter 2022, I was summoned over to Poland to lead a joint NATO training exercise. I crossed paths with somebody connected to the manufacturer and they were willing to supply me an example for testing purposes. I asked them if I could get the other spec as well and thus, here we are. Momo doesn’t have to lug her old anti-materiel beast around anymore.’

‘Nice. I’ve never actually seen one of them in action or in person before, so it’s pretty cool that you managed to get hold of them. They make our 2019 stuff look old, heh. I take it you also have personal carry weapons as well?’

Slightly pulling her jacket away from her chest, the black-haired woman revealed, ‘Naturally, Mk III Five-seveN handguns. The suppressor and spare mags are across from it. What say you, Captain?’

‘No intermediate cartridges and half the mag size for me, unfortunately; HK45T, a suppressor and some spare mags.’

‘From what I’ve seen, you don’t particularly need a firepower advantage though, Captain. And I don’t say that because of your sharpshooting abilities.’

‘Huh?’ Renka abruptly questioned, tilting her head and displaying a confused frown.

‘You’re an intelligent woman; I’m sure you’ll figure it out on your own, Captain. Now, if you’ll excuse us…’

As the pair of older women departed, Renka turned to Kasumi, ‘Do you have any idea what she meant by that?’

‘That you’ll work it out if you spend probably not even a minute thinking about it.’

‘Not that. Ugh, I kind of miss the days where you didn’t talk so much.’

‘Is that so?’ Kasumi coldly questioned, while the pair had firmly established eye contact.

‘N-no… Sorry.’

It is quite obvious, Renka. They know pretty much everything about us, including what we’ve been up to these past few weeks...

In a different area of the reception hall, Tsubaki continued to admire the various illuminated display stands.

Gently, the black and purple-haired woman essentially brushing up against one of her arms quietly questioned, ‘I know they’re probably not as exciting or interesting as the devices and systems that a mastermind such as yourself can come up with, but is there anything that’s caught your eye so far?’

‘Do you have to stand so close to me to ask that?’

‘Do you have to be so uptight? Look around you; it’s a busy place. Besides; we both know that I’m capable of much more intimate things.’ After a gentle blow on the doctor’s ear, she resumed, ‘Would you like to answer my question now; has anything interesting caught your eye?’

After a brief yelp and quick shaking of her head a few times, as if to compose herself, Tsubaki responded, with a positive tone, ‘There are some interesting prototypes for energy conversion/ recovery devices, both from motion into electrical and from light into electrical. They’ve also got a couple of AI demonstrators on display as well, though it’s hard to get a full read on their capabilities from just a static demonstration.

‘It looks like YHI have also been working on submersible drones, which is cool. Looking at their stand did make me wonder how one of them would function if we were able to put the same AI that Subaru and Sayaka were born from onto it... I am also intrigued to know if/ how it would communicate with the outside world, but I don’t think there’s anybody at hand to give me an explanation. Maybe we can co-’

The doctor abruptly paused. Great; two quick rumbling sensations generated by the bangle.

The hurried summoning of her phone sharply drew Hikari’s gaze. ‘Do we have a problem?’

‘Sayaka’s picked up multiple heat signatures advancing through the woods, apparently they’re armed.’

‘Here we go. Let’s inform the others, quickly.’

Slicing through the crowds, the pair quickly passed by their suit-clad comrades, with Hikari pointing with a head movement to discreetly indicate their destination.

Noticing the sudden movement of the quartet, Satsuki and her partner quickly covered the short distance and joined the group convened in front of Mr. Satou and his daughter as the former waved away the other members of his mingling group.

‘Sorry to interrupt, sir,’ Tsubaki nervously began, ‘but my drone has picked up a large number of armed forces advancing through the woods, seemingly towards here. At the moment, they’re about… nine hundred metres away, but they are approaching swiftly.

‘Miss Midori, please take this radio and give me the general bearings when I request them. I’ll be heading to the roof, to handle long–range engagements.’

‘As per usual, I’ll be remaining with you and engaging any close-range threats, sir,’ the peach-eyed woman firmly advised, while her partner disappeared up the stairs.

‘I’ll also be engaging close range threats, so I’ll be staying here with the queen,’ Renka confidently stated. ‘Songstress and Kitten, you’ll be handling close external perimeter duty; lethal engagement is fine. Sensei, you’re remaining here with myself and the queen. Are we all clear?’

‘Yes!’ the three women synchronously replied.

‘Uwah, Captain Hibara; you’ve drilled them well, I see.’

‘Pfft, please; that’s the first time they’ve been remotely in-sync. I guess that’s the effect of a queen for you,’ Renka joked, as she reached into her jacket with a playful smile. ‘You know, like the queen bee and worker bees.’

‘Yes, Captain, I know what you mean,’ Haruka remarked, with a dismissive tone and smile.

As the women with pink and purple hair accents scrambled to the Lancer Evo parked outside, Hikari offered, ‘So, I guess we’re teaming up again then, huh?’

‘It appears so.’

‘I’ll be keeping the bangles in view, but aside from that, everything, excluding whichever weapons you bring with you will also be invisible. You’re a skilled huntress, so I totally foresee you getting the lion’s share of the kills tonight, heh. I’m already prepped, so I’m ready when you are.’

While Kasumi collected her longbow, arrow pouch, arrows and antiarin container, Satsuki set her 508mm barrelled–7.62N down on the roof, using the lower rail–mounted bipod as the primary stabiliser. In short order, she laid prone next to the rifle, swiftly switched the side-mounted MAWL laser on and put a hand to the pistol grip. ‘Miss Midori, what do you have for me?’

‘Bearing 070 has the highest concentration of moving hotspots from what I can see.’

‘Understood,’ Satsuki firmly replied, flicking down the NVG-50 white phosphor dual-tube night vision goggle unit attached to her helmet.

She rested her cheek against the pad of the rifle’s folding stock and slowly rotated the weapon on its bipod as she made subtle adjustments to her right-eye’s alignment with the 4–28x56 M7Xi scope, through tiny wriggles against the cheek pad.

Within a few seconds, the rifle’s barrel stilled and an index finger with a matte grey–painted nail at its tip rested on the trigger, before delicately edging it rearwards.

A sharp pop, a jolt from the weapon and small trails of smoke rising from the suppressor and ejection port sent the first 7.62 NATO round hurtling into the dark tree-filled expanse.

And so, it begins. A head movement that violent, followed by an almost instant fall can only mean one thing… ‘First kill confirmed. Expect incoming forces to be highly aggressive,’ Satsuki calmly advised, as she rotated the DMR and sent another round tearing into the woods.

‘Understood,’ Tsubaki nervously replied, over the radio.

In the reception area, while the gathered members continued to converse, eat, drink and inspect the various displays, Mr Satou asked, ‘Is there anything that we need to do?’

Momo calmly replied, ‘Nothing besides keeping the guests calm and inside, sir. So long as they’re contained, our job in protecting them is relatively straightforward.’

‘So, I take it we’re supposed to act natural until there’s a breach?’ Haruka asked.

‘Sounds irresponsible, but yes, Dear Miss Satou,’ Momo quickly replied, with a friendly smile.

At the front of the mansion, at the edge of the gravel car parking area, with her bow and an arrow in hand, Kasumi glanced at Hikari and silently nodded.

Aside from their respective-coloured bangles, a set of arrows and a large longbow, the pair vanished from view. The pink bangle remained near the cars, while the purple bangle ventured off into the forest, as sonic cracks continued to regularly fly out from the rooftop.

By my count, there are at least eight of them coming in from the south-west and a similar number hurrying in from the south, Kasumi assessed. Judging from that fairly brutal strike at the neck, I guess she’s already reached her targets in the south east. At least she’s halted their advance; that’s one less group of enemies for me to deal with… Almost immediately after her eyes returned to face directly ahead of her, Kasumi sent her first arrow whizzing into the woodland.

After a few minutes of almost continuous but gradually dwindling suppressed gunfire pops and cracks in the forest, the disturbance in the woods fell silent, prompting Hikari to return to the car park area.

Breathing heavily, she asked, ‘How have things been here?’

‘Busy but not too bad; you drawing their attention made my task much easier. I think the score ended up as 18-10 in my favour.’

‘Well, it’s just as I thou— Shit.’

Panicked screams filled the main area within the mansion and interrupted the discussion.

‘Stay down, everybody, please!’ Momo sternly advised, while flicking up the switch which sat just above her handgun’s trigger area.

Masked enemies with armour vests and kneepads who’ve burst in through the rear doors of the mansion by sending forth a storm of 5.56 NATO rounds towards the gathered crowds from the suppressed muzzles of SCAR-SC subcompact rifles. ‘Here we go…’ Renka murmured as she and Momo took aim.

Green lighting? Nice cover, Kitten. I guess that means we won’t have to worry about spooking the guests and Sensei getting nervous, Renka internally remarked, as she sent the first 45 ACP round ripping through the air, on its way to an intruder’s forehead.

With cold expressions, the pair of suit-clad women cut down and silenced the wave of incoming armoured attackers. A flurry of pops, repeated cycling of their handgun slides and the odd dumping of a spent magazine and replacing it with a fresh one filled the thirty second period, which ultimately culminated in the reception area falling almost silent, with only two women left standing and thin wisps of white smoke rising from their weapons’ suppressors and ejection ports.

‘How many rounds do you have left, Hibara?’

‘Ha ha; hilarious,’ Renka remarked, with a thoroughly unamused glare.

‘By my count, you have four, presuming the second mag was full and you started off with one in the chamber. Meanwhile, I still have three and didn’t reload once…’

‘Yeah, yeah; I get it. 5.7 supremacy and whatever,’ Renka conceded, as she rolled her eyes at the smugly smiling Momo, who tucked her pistol away from its teasing presentation display.

‘What’s the status outside, Sensei?’ Renka called across the hall.

‘No abnormal heat signatures remaining within a one-kilometre radius, Sayaka’s double-checking now though…’

‘You can all rise now!’ Momo announced, as Satsuki, Hikari and Kasumi returned.

‘The children aren’t too bad, are they?’ Satsuki coolly asked her.

‘Not bad at all, heh.’

Children?? Renka internally protested.

‘I did inspect the bodies of the armed operators on my way here and their shirts have the same company logo as our primary threat, sir. We would like to relocate you to a fortified location immediately,’ Satsuki calmly requested.

‘Very well,’ Mr Satou agreed.

Shifting her gaze back to her partner, ‘I’ll be bringing the President’s car to the entrance, could you please gather the weapons and bring the president,’ Satsuki advised.

‘Understood.’

‘Will you be joining the president in being relocated, or will you be remaining under the protection of your own team, Dear Miss Satou?’

‘As much as I’d love to join you and father, I do want to stick around and get the clean-up arrangements in place. I might as well make myself useful before I have to head back to the capital, right?’

Following a nod from Mr Satou, ‘As you wish, Dear Miss Satou,’ Satsuki calmly confirmed, bowing before reconvening with her original party.

As the lighting returned to its original warm orange colour, the reception area increasingly filled with the murmurs of guests. Mr Satou issued an apology and notified everybody of an early conclusion to the event as well as once again sincerely thanking them for their attendance.

Within the space of ten minutes, the mansion had fallen borderline-silent, leaving only five women standing in the reception area, with a floor partly covered in spent 5.56 NATO, 5.7x28, .45 ACP cases and the corpses of the attackers littered about near the rear entrance, along with their unhanded weapons.

It’s a shame they weren’t packing the 7.62x35s; Aki could probably have done with a few more mags’ worth of that stuff.

‘Well, ladies. Your job isn’t quite done yet, as you will have to return me to the headquarters tomorrow following this incident. Hooowever, for the time being, you’re free to enjoy the mansion and its amenities,’ Haruka invited with a warm smile. Turning more mischievous in vocal tone and her expression, she fixed Hikari with a glare and added, ‘Please, by all means, take full advantage of all that this place has to offer.’

Turning to the black and pink-haired woman beside her, Renka suggested, ‘I guess that means the piano and violin are all yours then,’ with an excited tone and playful smile.

‘And I guess that means the dancefloor is all yours, Hikari,’ Haruka suggested, still beaming a teasing smile. ‘See? Your friends have even been kind enough to provide you a musical accompaniment.’

Thanks, Songstress. Hikari clasped the doctor’s hands, causing her to flinch and release a small yelp. ‘You and I are going to have a little practise of ballroom dance, Miss Midori,’ Hikari softly informed, with a friendly smile, as she raised her left hand and rested her right on the doctor’s back. ‘Please for the love of all things good in this world, relax. The stiffer you are, the more difficult this’ll be for both of us.’

Well, it looks like my work here is done. It’s all up to you now, girl. Bring it home. ‘Well, I’ll be heading up, so you ladies have fun and don’t worry about disturbing me; all of the rooms have thorough soundproofing,’ Haruka concluded, triggering acknowledging nods and warm smiles from the remaining quartet. In reply, she issued a static wave before gracefully vanishing up the stairs.

‘When did you learn ballroom dance?’

‘You remember how I told you that I was a competitive gymnast once upon a time?’

‘Yes,’ Tsubaki slowly replied.

‘Yeah, well, during that time, I also did some practise with ballroom dance. It was essentially another form of training controlled movement and posture, albeit at a slower pace.’

‘I see…’ It still baffles me how you can have such a graceful side, yet still be the polar opposite at times. I dread to imagine what you got up to outside this evening...

As the pair made their way through jive, Viennese waltz and foxtrot sequences, Kasumi elegantly played across a variety of pieces on both the violin and the piano. The pair continued for almost fifteen minutes, with the occasional stunt in their movement, where the doctor accidentally stepped on Hikari’s toes.

‘Eek!’

The doctor squealed loudly, as the music abruptly halted.

Hikari dove and reached into her dress.

Almost instantly after hitting the floor, she sent a shuriken ripping through the air, toward the cloaked man who had burst in through the rear door.

The impact sliced and drew a trail of blood from his lower right leg, momentarily staggering him.

In the brief delay, another shuriken hurtled directly toward the man’s head, firmly burying itself between the eyes.

The front door opened at almost the same time of the impact.

Hikari spun 180° and mercilessly fired another shuriken, which buried itself cleanly in the forehead of the second cloak-clad infiltrator before the first man’s body had tumbled to the floor.

The dull thud of the second body falling to the floor could be heard by all as the only thing disturbing the silence in the mansion.

Hikari hurried back to Tsubaki, who still sat on the floor, staring at the front entrance. ‘Are you okay?’ she calmly asked.

‘Okay?? You idiot! What was that for?’ Tsubaki barked, forcefully brushing away the hand that Hikari held outstretched to her. After rising to her feet unaided, she continued, with a similarly sharp edge to her voice, ‘I swear; every other thing that you do is either poorly-timed, poorly-thought through or just intended to be irritating. It’s as if you can only go a few hours without doing something stupid because you’re physically or mentally incapable of going any further. I don’t even know why I’m surprised at this point, I should have known that you wouldn’t let this evening pass without more of your stupid ant—’

Shortly after the doctor abruptly cut off her tirade, with a cold glare and tone of voice that lingered around absolute zero, Hikari replied. ‘Now that I have your attention, I’d like you to listen very carefully, because I will only say this once. Look around you; this isn’t the capital and you’re not still in that clinic. This isn’t the world of three weeks ago. I don’t mind being called out for being excessively tactile. I don’t mind being called out for killing people, but I absolutely won’t stand for you calling my decisions stupid. Not anymore. I’ve had enough. Even after I told you what happened to me all those years ago, you’ve somehow still failed to understand why I make the decisions that I do. There are a lot of things that I admire about you Tsubaki, but I honestly can’t do this anymore. If Naoka were here watching, she’d definite—’

❀

‘Well, um, I didn’t see that coming at all, did you?’

‘Not at all; what an absolute mess.’

‘Think this might’ve been our most dramatic evening since we all came together as a group?’

‘It’s definitely up there; normally we’re busy fighting other people rather than each other. As much as the purple one and I rub each other up the wrong way, it looks like the tension between us was inconsequential and insubstantial in comparison to whatever laid between her and Tsubaki-sensei.’

‘Where do we go from here, I wonder...’

Kasumi turned back, to face the captain, who sat at the piano. She leaned forward and rested against the side of its large black main body. ‘Upstairs? We’re not going to let them beat us to it, are we?’

‘Ha! Kasumi, dear; we both know that those two are almost certainly busy having a long argument. They won’t be beating us to anything of that sort. That said; there’s no rush for us to go there, so are you sure that’s a journey you want to go on?’ Renka softly asked, with a warm smile.

‘With you? I’m sure.’

‘Urgh. So much for not wanting to rush. I’m already near my melting point, but there’s still something I’d like to know before we head off on that expedition. When we first met, you seemed pretty indifferent, I actually couldn’t tell if you were into women as well, so what changed your mind?’

Briefly flashing a little smile, Kasumi replied. ‘You did, I guess. I’ll admit; for almost the entire first two weeks, I had very little idea what you were aiming for. I thought you only needed an assistant initially, then after a few days, it seemed more like you wanted an assistant and friend and then somewhere along the line we kind of drifted to where we are now. I don’t really know what close relationships are like, but I didn’t dislike how you approached or behaved around me, despite your behaviour coming as a surprise a few times. With that in mind, soon I wasn’t and am still not particularly concerned whether you were aiming for us to be friends, lovers or whatever else; the comforting warmth that comes from being with you is what mattered and matters most. What shape or form that comes in and external challenges that presents for us is irrelevant.’

‘You’re so unfair, you know. You spend all of this time keeping your cards pressed firmly against your chest and then you suddenly play them, leaving me practically powerless to even think of a worthy reply,’ Renka gently remarked. ‘I highly doubt that there’s anybody out there that could say and do things that affect me all the way to my core like you do,’ she added with a warm smile, before her voice took on a more determined tone. ‘That said, there’s no time like the present, so if I’m your firework, then I think it’s your duty to light my fuse and send me soaring across the sky, destined for a spectacular and joyful explosion at the end, hehe. Consider me your easel or canvas, upon which you can try out whatever you wish and have the freedom to explore every part of, in whichever way you please. All that matters to me at this point is that we combine in a way far more intimate than anything we have thus far and that no matter how long it takes and how much strength and energy it takes out of me, I want you to emerge from this quest of pleasure a happy woman.’

‘Well then, that would make two of us.’ Extending a hand as she straightened up, Kasumi invited, with a little friendly smile, ‘Shall we?’

❀

She’d thrown me to the floor and in the ensuing commotion, almost every issue that I had with her welled up and came out in ways that they probably shouldn’t have. After mercilessly killing two more guys with her throwing stars, she used what I would later come to know as a front walkover, to skilfully lift herself off the ground and dash over to me.

I was so irritated at her abrupt decision to shove me that the fire which had been lit within me still strongly raged by the time that I’d hauled myself back to my feet, without restraint, I directed those flames straight at her.

‘I swear; every other thing that you do is either poorly-timed, poorly-thought through or just intended to be irritating. It’s as if you can only go a few hours without doing something stupid because you’re physically or mentally incapable of going any further. I don’t even know why I’m surprised at this point, I should have known that you wouldn’t let this evening pass without more of your stupid ant—’

Despite her standing mere centimetres in front of me. From the corner of my eyes I glimpsed the movement of her left hand.

Steadily, down to her left thigh; where her main blade normally rested.

Naturally, I instantly froze.

My mind went blank, aside from one thought.

I’d made a fatal error and my death at her hands was imminent.

The glare that she gave me was one of the coldest things I’ve ever witnessed; definitely on par with Mr Satou’s black-haired bodyguard. Absolute terror washed over me and I started to get light headed as she began speaking. Her voice held not even the smallest trace of warmth in it whatsoever.

‘Now that I have your attention, I’d like you to listen very carefully, because I will only say this once. Look around you; this is not the capital and you’re not still in that clinic…’ she harshly informed me, but all I could think was that this is probably the last look and voice that countless people saw and heard before their lives were quickly ended.

Her mouth continued to move, but my senses had turned all fuzzy and increasingly unreceptive by that point. Despite this, I was almost certain that her voice was beginning to crack. I could also see her eyes welling up, but those two signs were fairly minor.

In a faint gap between the locks of her hair, I spied blood dripping from around her left ear.

I thought I heard something swish past, but I never saw what it was. It missed the hoop earring but carved a clearly-visible horizontal line along the upper region of and also behind her ear, yet still she spoke as if no pain existed. I wasn’t sure if it was the endorphins or some other hormonal imbalance that spurred her on, but I knew for certain that whatever pain came from that slice probably paled into insignificance compared to the effect that I had on her and the damage that I’d done in the weeks leading up to and including that moment.

I panicked.

I leaned toward her and put my hands behind her head and pulled her in.

Our lips quickly collided, though not particularly painfully.

I knew that I would probably regret engaging in such a thoughtless action, but by the time the thought crossed my mind, it was far too late.

Instantly, her warmth rushed throughout my body and I wanted more. Not the heat from her skin, but the delight I felt came rather from a familiar sentiment which infiltrated the entirety of my being, communicated through the firm contact shared between her lips and mine.

It took mere seconds for my tongue to spring out. It definitely caught her by surprise, because it took her more than a second to remove the blockade that her lips formed.

Her mouth gifted me a hot and sweet sensation, leaving me craving more still. I don’t know how long we stayed there, intensely exploring the inside of each other’s mouths, but I’d been rapidly intoxicated and grew desperately impatient very quickly.

The warmth of comfort and satisfaction that had permeated my being turned to heat in an immeasurably short instant, my thoughts had been consumed and became driven purely by the flames of desire; completely incinerating any apprehension that I previously held. I wanted it all; the most intimate physical connection that she could give me. I pulled back and forcefully grabbed her hand.

When her eyes opened, I had never before seen them appear so startled. Her expression remained blank, so before she could say anything, I pulled her along by the hand and led her up the stairs. Thankfully, she didn’t resist and followed me willingly, still remaining silent though.

After dashing back to our bedroom, bursting through the door and dimly lighting the room however, a sharp jolt sent through my wrist abruptly halted our progress.

I hurriedly turned to face her and after what felt like an eternity of her not saying anything, she finally spoke. Her expression remained severe, but her voice at least thawed a bit, though not by much; still somewhere between 0°K and 0°C – I know it’s a wide range, but you get the picture; cold.

‘Just where do you think you’re going?’ she interrogated. I planned to answer, but she quickly stamped her authority on the direction of the conversation. ‘If you think I’m following you to that bed, you’re sorely mistaken. I’m not gonna give you more, only for you to go back to ignoring reality and treating me like shit tomorrow. Explain yourself.’

I’d been cornered; my only option was to face the problems that I’d been neglecting for the past few weeks, so despite my shivering, heart racing and my breath failing me severely, I awkwardly forced a confession. ‘I need you. Maybe it’s true and I am still stuck in the past and trying to live a normal life, but it’s obvious that you’ll protect me and in your own strange way, have my best interests close to your heart. I guess it’s also true that I need you to help me overcome my issues with close relationships and learn what they are.’

She remained quiet, her glare and blank expression still sending chills down my spine and the paralysing grip of fear leaving me with little power to squirm at the discomfort.

‘Needs are all good and well, but right now, they’re worthless without desire. Tell me, Tsubaki; what is that you want?’

I should have known that she’d wring me dry. As drops of sweat rolled down my back, my insides essentially had practically melted and lingered in real danger of evaporating into thin air altogether as a result of the sustained tension. My breathing by this point became even more ragged and the words rushed out like a torrent breaching a dam. ‘I want you. I want to be with you; friends, partners, lovers, whatever else lies beyond that. Your incredible beauty, your heart-melting and all-encompassing warmth, your awe-inspiring abilities, though we may need to talk more about the killing. I appreciate how far you’re willing to go for me and after the past couple of days, I genuinely wish that I could be of as much use to you as well and that I could give you the same wonderful feelings that you can fill me with. Yes, we have a bunch of issues to work through, but there’s also potential for us to be a pretty powerful couple or something beautiful and symbiotic; like you being the bee to my flower. That said, I want to go to sleep and wake up beside you or in your tender embrace tomorrow, next week and however many years we last before nature pulls us apart.

‘So please, let’s begin that new relationship by you being the first and hopefully only ever woman with the freedom to use all five of her senses to discover the deepest, most intimate and sensitive areas of me! I can’t promise that I’d be able to return the favour, but I want to try my best to bring you the same pleasure as well.’ The words wildly blustered from me without restraint and any care for whether or not I’d look back and be crushingly embarrassed by them. I didn’t even realise until I’d finished speaking, but somewhere along the line, tears streamed down my cheeks as I set the bottled-up thoughts free like a carbonated drink from a bottle which had been vigorously shaken before the pressure violently thrust the cap off.

Hikari remained silent and her deep purple eyes gave no indication of a change in her mood or opinion. I don’t think my heart could possibly beat any faster that it did in the deafening silence that followed. It might have been only seconds, but the agonising wait for her response stretched them into eons.

She gently lifted a hand, pressed a few of her purple-tipped fingers into my chest and slowly pushed.

I instinctively backpedalled, still unsure what thoughts ran through her mind.

Within a few seconds, my legs bumped against the edge of the queen-sized bed and buckled, causing me to topple and end up sprawled on my back, atop the soft and comfortable mattress.

I had little time to enjoy the luxurious fabric and composition of the bed however. Hikari had crawled on top of me, essentially pinning me down, despite only our legs brushing against each other.

I stared up at her and straight into her eyes, a mixture of terror and excitement wildly swirling within me, like an intense tropical storm.

Her expression finally softened and she revealed to me a warm smile; probably the warmest smile that I’d seen her display since we met.

Smoothly slipping her fingers between my own and clasping my hands, gently she admitted, ‘Good; now I can give you everything.’