Allies? Or...

Hiro froze in place. A single move could mean death. He dared not open his mouth or even so much as breathe.

“Who are you?” The man behind him brought the knife closer. “Did you follow those two inside?”

“N-No!” Hiro intentionally raised his volume. “I didn’t follow anyone!”

Maki spun around to them. “What?! Shinji! What’re you doin’?! Don’t be rude! That’s our guest!”

Hiro felt a rush of relief as the arm slowly lowered itself. A firm tap on his shoulder startled him.

“Ohhh! He’s your friend?” The man walked forward. He wore dark metal armor from head to toe and a hood over his head. An indigo oni mask covered his face. Two longer blades rested on his back. He stored his knife inside a pouch on his belt.

“Well, I wouldn’t say ‘friend’ yet.” Maki made air quotes with her fingers. “Buuut he does wanna join the crew! I think he’s gonna be pretty useful.”

“That so?” He faced Hiro, who stepped back in intimidation. “Sorry about that, buddy. Better safe than sorry, you know?”

Hiro rubbed his neck. “It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

“Sorry,” Haruka said. “I couldn’t stop Maki.”

“I don’t blame you. Nobody can stop her.” The man offered a fist bump to Hiro. “Name’s Shinji. Proud member of Lionheart. You?”

He hesitantly returned the gesture. “My name is Hiro.”

“Pleasure to meet you, bud! And I’m assuming you heard all about us from Maki?”

“Y-Yeah.” Inch by inch, he distanced himself from Shinji.

“Nyahaha! Cautious, are we? I mean totally fair, dude. I was way up in your personal space.”

“That’s not exactly what worried me,” Hiro muttered.

“Hm? You said something?”

“Uh, n-no! I mean… yes. This is supposed to be a criminal organization, right? Does this mean you’re one too? A criminal?”

“Eh? Of course! Everyone here is!” Shinji turned to Maki. “Did you tell him everything he needed to know before you brought him here? You better not have brought someone in who doesn’t know what they’re getting into.”

“Are you kiddin’?!” She threw her hands up in disbelief. “You think this is all just a game to me?”

“Everybody thinks that,” Haruka chimed in.

Maki held her hand proudly to her chest. “Well, I definitely told him everythin’! Maybe he’s just an idiot!”

Hiro raised his hand. “Um, I’ll be honest. Other than the whole criminal part, I don’t exactly know what I’ll be doing.”

Shinji shook his head. “Tsk, tsk, tsk. You’re lucky you ran into me and not the boss then. I’ll ask you a couple questions just to make sure we’re on the same page. Are you or are you not a criminal?”

He looked away. “Uh…”

“Hell yeah, he is! Even made a big kaboom in front of a bunch of police!” Maki mimicked the sound of an explosion.

Hiro vehemently shook his head. “Wha— No, wait—”

“Oho! Bit of an exhibitionist, huh? I like that.” Shinji gave him a thumbs up.

“I’m not!”

“Ah, don’t sweat it!” Shinji tapped his shoulder. “There’s all sorts of criminals! I, for example, am quite your opposite. Forced to stay in the shadows all the time.”

“What do you do?”

Shinji pointed at himself with his thumb. “I’m the resident assassin! Want someone dead? I’ll make it clean and quick.”

Maki burst out laughing. “Too bad it always makes him go solo for missions. Guy’s a loner, HA!”

“Wait, what? What do you mean, ‘loner’?” Shinji asked.

“Huh? You’re always wishin’ for a girlfriend!”

He grew flustered. “Wh— N-no, I’m not…”

“Pfft, sure.”

Haruka rubbed her forehead and dragged her feet to the long hallway with many rooms. “You’re too loud. I’m going to sleep.”

“Aww, already?” Maki asked.

Shinji slid in front of Haruka and blocked her way. He lowered his head and extended his arm to the side in a sweeping motion, executing a graceful bow. “My lady, you must be so fatigued. Perhaps you’d like some refreshments? Might I offer a pint of my blood?”

Haruka walked around him. Shinji silently watched on as she went to her room. Maki leaped up to deliver a sharp blow to the back of his head.

“Ow!” Shinji winced. “What was that for?”

“Bein’ a creep.” Maki shook the pain off her hand. “Don’t end up like him, Hiro. That’s the kind of criminal you don’t wanna be.”

“It’s called being a gentleman.” Shinji crossed his arms. “I’m just here to prove that chivalry isn’t dead.”

“A true gentleman treats everyone with respect. You’re only like this to girls.”

“Not all girls! I’d never treat you like that!”

“It’s ‘cause you’ve actually learned to respect me and not the others!”

“No! Because you look like a kid!”

“Ha! Case in point!” She pointed at his face. “You’re only interested in getting a girlfriend! Typical shut-in loner behavior.”

“I’m not!”

Hiro fixated his gaze on Shinji. It was a sudden change of behavior—one in sharp contrast to his intimidating mask and getup. Appearance aside, anyone would doubt this man killed by trade. Yet the evidence was clear; Hiro didn’t notice a thing until Shinji got incredibly close. If he wanted, he could’ve easily killed him.

Shinji cleared his throat. “Anyways, back to the original topic… How’d you end up meeting Maki?”

Hiro panicked when they locked eyes and hurriedly looked at one of the dining table’s chairs instead. “Well, where do I begin? I guess I kinda just bumped into her, and she took me for a hell of a wild ride.”

“Nyahaha! So just like the rest of her recruits. Haruka said something similar when she joined us last year.”

“She recruited Haruka too? How often does she do this?”

“You’re the third one so far. Thankfully, she rarely goes out on missions. She’s too busy tinkering in her little workshop. But when she does, there’s a pretty good chance she’ll bring a newcomer along. Still, there had to be some reason why she chose you.”

“I’ll let you know later after he meets everyone else,” Maki said.

“Now, now.” Shinji waved his finger. “I’d love to just help you show him around and introduce him to everyone, but there’s one person’s approval you gotta get first. And as much as I hate to pressure you, Hiro, I have to warn you. You know where our base is. If he rejects you, we’ll have to… Kshh.” He traced his finger across his neck.

Hiro gulped nervously. “And this person is?”

“The boss.”

There was a brief moment of silence.

Shinji clapped his hands together. “Alrighty then! Let’s not get you too familiar with this place before meeting the big guy. Off we go!”

He led them back to the elevator and up to the command center on the fifth floor. Black glass walls polished to a high sheen gave off a very clear reflection as they gathered inside. A large window took up the entire right wall. It offered a stunning panorama of the forest they had come from earlier, though partially obstructed by clouds. On the opposite wall hung several large screens. Plush red cushioned seats surrounded the circular table at the center.

Maki marched ahead. “Boooooss! Boss, you here?”

Shinji held his phone up to his ear. “I’m trying to call him. He’s not responding.”

“Probably left his phone in the kitchen again. Silly goofball.”

“Did you tell him you were bringing in a recruit?”

“Of course… Not!” Her eyes slowly drifted away from him. “Are you kiddin’ me? That’d ruin the surprise! Hehe.”

He sighed. “The boss is gonna kill you, you know.”

“Nah, he loves me!”

“The boss will be here eventually,” Shinji told Hiro. “In the meantime, feel free to make yourself comfortable.”

Hiro took the liberty to stroll around the command center. As he looked around, he noticed a few displaced chairs. Faint, rumbling noises came from underneath the table. Upon closer inspection, he saw a black-haired man in a red tank top and black shorts lying on the floor. Hiro could barely hear his low snores. The man was sound asleep, using his arms as a headrest.

Hiro turned around and faced the others. “Um… Is this your bo—”

At that moment, the elevator opened. A tall, bearded man with brown, curly hair stepped out. He held a mug of coffee designed to look like a cat. Dark circles were clearly visible beneath his eyes. He wore yellow flannel pajamas and furry slippers; his rolled-up sleeves revealed hairy arms.

“Boss! You’re here!” Maki waved excitedly at him. “Long time no see!”

The curly-haired man took a sip from his mug. “Ah, Maki, welcome back. And… I suppose that gentleman over there is the new ‘recruit’ I’ve been hearing about?”

“What?!” Maki threw her arms up. “Who ruined my surprise?!”

The man’s eyes slowly furled. “Maki.”

“Yeees?”

“I told you this before. Inviting strangers into our home is not a surprise I want to have. You should tell me before you recruit someone. Thank goodness Haruka notified me about everything.”

“Grr! I knew I couldn’t trust her! Anyways, anyways! Boss, this is Hiro! Boy, oh boy, you’re gonna love him!”

“H-Huh?” Hiro’s eyes went back and forth between the curly-haired man and the man sleeping on the floor. “Wait, so the guy with the mug is the boss?”

“Yes! Oh my gosh! Have some respect! You’re embarrassin’ me here!” Maki yelled.

He jerked his head back. “B-But then, who’s…”

Hiro glanced back down. With eyes now wide open, the man on the floor stared intently at him. Suddenly he sprang up and threw his fist upward. Hiro deflected it with his arms. The attacker followed up with another swift punch. With shining green eyes, Hiro leaped back to evade, but lost his footing and fell flat on his back.

“Who the hell are you?! Why are… you… here…?” The man in red’s voice trailed off as he turned to the rest of the people in the room. “What the hell is going on here?”

“Whoa there, hot shot.” Shinji gestured for him to calm down. “Don’t scare our guest.”

“What?! If anything, he was the one sneaking up on me.”

“So now you’re entitled to just go and beat his ass?”

“Yeah.”

“Quiet down, the two of you.” The boss walked to Hiro, whose heart raced as he towered over him.

The man in red leaned on the table. “Gee, my bad. It wasn’t like I was just rudely woken up by some random punk.”

“Why were you sleeping on the floor in the first place?” the boss asked.

“You said you were getting coffee. Figured I could squeeze a snooze in.”

“I was gone for ten minutes.”

“Which was really fast of you, not gonna lie.”

“Yuu! Yuu!” Maki bounced up and down. “Meet Hiro! My newest recruit!”

The man in red bent down and squinted at Hiro. “Do you just bring anyone you find? This guy looks homeless.”

“Yes! He does! I’ve been callin’ him a hobo ever since we met! Still, don’t let his ugly looks fool you! There’s more to him than meets the… eye. Hehe.”

“Right… And what if he’s a rat? You can’t just bring whoever you want before telling us.”

“You gotta trust me here! I’ve never been wrong before.” Maki proudly placed her hands on her waist.

“You definitely have, pipsqueak.”

“Hey! Watch your mouth!”

“I fully agree with Yuu,” the boss said. “Maki, the next time you’re bringing someone in unannounced, we’re killing them on the spot. Who knows what kind of weapons this man could be hiding? He could’ve hurt anyone in our family.”

“I got you covered, boss,” Shinji said. “Already checked him for weapons. He’s clean.”

“Wait, you did?” Hiro searched his pockets and jacket.

“No weapons, huh?” the man in red asked. “What do you do then? Fight with your hands?”

“Actually, yeah,” Hiro said.

“Oh? You must be really strong then. Let me test that.” The man extended his hand to him. “Go on. Don’t be shy.”

Reluctantly, Hiro shook his hand. His grip was like a vise; he wouldn’t let him go. After watching him struggle some more, the man released him and let out a haughty chuckle.

“Weak,” he scoffed. “Looks like height’s all you got on me. We shouldn’t let wimps like you join our gang. It’ll ruin our name.”

“Hey!” Maki yelled. “He’s worth it, I promise! He’ll be such a useful—”

“I don’t care. Doesn’t matter how useful he is if he can’t hold his own out on the battlefield. I’m not here to carry dead weight, you know.”

She stomped her foot. “I never said he was! Don’t just go assumin’ stuff on your own!”

“Is that so?” He got close to Hiro’s face. “I’d rather hear it from the source himself. What do you have to say?”

Hiro glared at him. “I got nothing to say to you. You’re not even the boss. Why are you acting so high and mighty?”

Maki whistled in surprise.

“Ohoho. Looks like you’re finally showing some spunk.”

Hiro immediately regretted his words. “N-No, I’m… sorry. I guess the trip here made me a bit angsty.”

“No, no. Don’t give me excuses now. That got me pretty pumped up. What’s your name?”

“Hiro.”

“I’m Yuusuke. Yuusuke Wazashi. Remember the name.”

“Or Yuu for short!” Maki added.

“Hell no! Only you guys can call me that. And as for you…” Yuusuke jabbed his finger into Hiro’s chest. “I’ve made my decision. Fight me. Show me what you got.”

“Oh, no no no no.” Hiro laughed nervously. “That’s not necessary. You’re clearly much stronger than me.”

“Wooow, so humble.” Yuusuke rolled his eyes. “Listen, I don’t give a damn. I don’t wanna be told I’m stronger. I want everyone to know I’m stronger.”

“I don’t—”

“Enough with the stalling! I’ve been having crappy luck with my missions. I haven’t had a good fight in a while.” Yuusuke turned to the boss. “We can make this happen, right? Like an initiation of sorts? I’ve been itching to fight so much.”

The boss crossed his arms and mumbled to himself.

“No way!” Maki shouted. “You just want an excuse to beat someone up!”

“I’m surprised, Maki,” Shinji said. “I thought you’d be excited to see this fight.”

“Yeah, but this is unfair! There’s no way Hiro’s gonna win! We ain’t gonna let Yuu absolutely demolish our newest recruit! Ain’t that right, boss?”

Everyone silently waited for his answer. The boss savored a long sip of coffee before opening his mouth. “You know what? I want to see it. We’ll set up the training grounds right this instant.”

“WHAT?!” Maki shouted.

Yuusuke raised his fist into the air. “Woohoo!”

Hiro blinked rapidly, as if to shake off what he just heard. “E-Excuse me? I don’t get what’s going on.”

Yuusuke slapped his shoulder. “Oh, you’re gonna understand soon, alright! Hahaha!”

The boss set his mug on the table and clapped thrice. “Okay, everyone, calm down. Hiro, my name is Leo, founder and head of Lionheart. I’ve heard a lot about you from Haruka’s reports. I understand that your entry to our base was sudden and, unfortunately, confusing for all of us. Still, I’ve made my decision. If you want any chance of joining us—and coincidentally, sparing us the trouble of silencing you—you and Yuu are going to have an impromptu duel. So best be ready. We’ll be starting soon.”

Hiro’s eyes widened in disbelief. “H… HUH?!”