Three hours have already passed since the chaos of destruction in the battle arena of the capital Almone, where the annual heroes' tournament was held today.
Shortly after the horn for the End of the tournament sounded, a figure suddenly appeared that most of the people present recognized only by his dark aura, including the legendary heroes as well as the inhabitants of Almone, and of course Kaito, a half-wolf with silver-white hair and a black cloak that he loved to wear.
The young half-wolf who had won the tournament froze as he looked at the evil and dangerous aura. He quickly realized that the person under the cloak, was his father, who had attacked the marketplace of the same town before.
His father, who was also known by the code name Number Three, didn't hesitate for a second and attacked Kaito. Despite his exhaustion from the tournament, Kaito did not give in, he faced his challenge and went into battle.
But after a while, something strange happened to him. He began to growl, and his outward appearance began to change as Number Three spoke to him like he turned a switch.
Now it was a matter of life or death, they fought with all their strength, destroying almost the entire fighting area as well, everything was in their way.
The spectators were afraid of this event and escaped for safety. Some of the present mages used their powers and helped the unconscious participants who were lying on the field out, using a magic called Silent Arm.
Silent Arm is a transparent hand that allows the user to grab people or other objects from afar.
Thanks to these magicians, no one was harmed. However, they were unfortunately unable to stop the chaos due to their own fear.
But then...
... a bright flash of lightning struck both the silver-haired boy and the greatswordsman, causing both to lose consciousness.
Some of the few people still present wondered where this lightning might have come from on a bright and sunny day.
"Please forgive me... Kaito." The golden lioness in her magnificent robe sobbed in the shadows of the VIP stand, unable to hold back her tears.
Elaine's quick action prevented further damage, but deep in her chest she felt her heart crack like a windowpane.
A short moment later, Kaito and Number Three were arrested by the royal guard and taken to the palace prison.
The palace prison is a place where the worst criminals who have caused serious damage to the kingdom of Veilchenblüte are imprisoned.
Unlike in conventional city prisons, the criminals are held with special treatment. A magic item, also known as an anti-magic chain, is tied to them, which sucks out their magical power, in other words their mana, and leaks it into the surrounding area. In addition, they have to wear a collar, which also weakens their physical strength so they cannot break out of their cell.
This treatment therefore also affects the greatsword user who took part in the destruction of the arena.
However, this treatment does not affect Kaito, which is thanks to his friends. Alicia and Dorilla personally asked the leader of the royal guard to not arrest Kaito, but the leader initially denied this. But as he listened to Alicia and Dorilla, he suggested that Kaito should not be chained up, but that he still be put into a cell until everything was settled.
Kaito's friends certainly understood this, since he was involved in the chaos too, but before they could do anything else, Kaito and his father had to regain consciousness first.
"... mh..." moaned Kaito softly as he tried to open his heavy eyelids. His vision blurred shortly after, as if his eyes wouldn't allow him to show the place where he was at the moment.
"... Where... Am I?" After awakening, Kaito didn't realize where he was, or what was even happening. Struggling to straighten up, he placed a hand on his head, his face pale, like a lifeless vessel.
A dull ache throbbed in his head, his thoughts a jumbled mess.
And then...
"Papa!"
Two small beings burst into the cell as the metal door opened and threw themselves at him. He flinched, his instinct warning him, but something inside him stopped him from fighting back. The two girls hugging him were crying. They held him tightly, as if they were afraid, he would disappear.
More footsteps echoed through the prison. A group of people entered the cell. A young man with dark brown hair and an angular face, a female knight in silver armor, a salamander woman with narrow fiery eyes and a girl with golden hair and a white cap with a blue ribbon.
"You are well, my hero. I'm glad." said the salamander woman, her voice warm but filled with concern.
The knight, Elaine then took a few steps forward and bowed, her hands trembling. "Please forgive me... I cast the lightning at you. It was my fault."
"You did nothing wrong." said Dorilla. "That's right. Who knows what else he might have destroyed if you weren't there." Alicia tried to cheer Elaine up.
Kaito looked at her in silence. He looked at all these people who were looking at him with so much concern and sadness. He felt their compassion, their fear, their grief.
But he... he felt nothing.
"Who... are you?"
After they finally heard a sound coming from Kaito's mouth, they were deeply shocked by what they had just heard. They didn't understand why he of all people would ask such a question.
"What... did you just say?" Alicia was the first to ask. Her face went pale, her voice broke. "You don't... know who we are?" Dorilla's voice was barely more than a whisper.
Kaito frowned. He didn't know. He searched through his mind, but it was blank. Nothing. Not a single image, not a single feeling, not a single memory.
He held his head, like the mere pressure could force the answer out. "I'm sorry... I can't... I don't remember anything." His voice shook.
A sharp gasp sounded. Elaine's eyes snapped open, her lips quivering. Then she turned and ran away. Without another word. Without a single glance behind.
"Elaine!" Alicia called out. But she didn't hear. Her footsteps were muted in the corridors of the prison. "Anna, take the children and run after her!" Dorilla ordered, and immediately Anna, her hair red, reached for the twins, who were clinging to Kaito and still crying.
When the cell emptied, only Kaito, Alicia and Dorilla remained in the room, which initially led to another silence. A cold, oppressive silence.
The cold, damp stone floor felt uncomfortable under Kaito's feet as he sat upright on the edge of the bed.
The walls of the cell seemed to lean over him, as if they wanted to crush him. The air smelled musty and like damp stone, and water dripped from the ceiling somewhere. The atmosphere was oppressive, but the uncertainty in his head weighed heavier than the coldness of his surroundings.
Dorilla and Alicia, standing in front of him, their expressions full of worry.
The story about his previous experiences, which they had once heard from Kaito, Monika and Anna before, was now being told to him, but it felt like a fable to Kaito. Like a tale from a life that wasn't his.
"Yuuji... Takahashi? Reincarnated...? Organization...?" he repeated slowly, as if weighing each term. Then he shook his head. "I'm sorry, I don't remember."
Dorilla's usually determined expression showed a hint of disappointment. Alicia lowered her eyes, her hands clenched into fists.
She had hoped that their words would reach him, that a memory, no matter how small, would rise to the surface, but it was in vain.
"As expected." Alicia finally muttered and turned to Dorilla. "What now?"
Dorilla was silent for a moment, his thick eyebrows drawn together thoughtfully. Then he sighed softly. "I think I know where we're going next. Follow me, please."
Without another word, he left the cell. Alicia glanced at Kaito before following him.
Kaito himself felt like a puppet being guided by invisible strings. He didn't know why he was following them, but his body moved nonetheless. Perhaps it was curiosity, perhaps the hope that somewhere, somehow, he would find an answer to the questions in his head.
As they walked through the dark, winding corridors of the prison, the echo of their footsteps boomed through it. The silence was almost like the entire palace was holding its breath while they made their way.
Meanwhile, in another part of the palace, sobbing footsteps ran through the cold halls.
Elaine, overcome with emotion, fled from a reality she could not bear. Tears streamed unstoppably down her cheeks, her chest rising and falling in desperate breaths.
Finally, she stopped on a narrow bridge that connected two of the palace's imposing towers. The wind tugged at her long light brown hair, making it dance wildly around.
Then she sank to her knees, her fingers clutching at her chest as if she wanted to hold the fragile heart in her breast to prevent it from breaking into a thousand pieces.
But the tears would never stop flowing.
"Elaine, wait!" Another voice sounded. Anna and the children who had followed her stepped onto the bridge, panting.
Elaine slowly raised her head, looking at Anna with her teary, shimmering yellow eyes. But before Anna could say another word, Elaine reached for her, her fingers trembling.
Anna's eyes widened in surprise, but she didn't pull away.
"What should I do?" Elaine's voice was little more than a whisper, a helpless tremor. Her fingers clutched Anna even tighter. "It's my fault that Kaito... If I hadn't attacked him, he would have been-" "A monster." Anna interrupted her gently.
Elaine froze, her sobs stopped abruptly. But the tears continued to stream down her pale cheeks. Her lips quivered, but she didn't know what to say.
Anna slowly knelt down to her and searched her gaze. "If you weren't there, my hero would still be running amok, destroying the town and killing people. So you are in no way to blame. You only did the right thing!"
Elaine closed her eyes, biting her lip to stifle another sob. But Anna's words dug deep into her heart.
"Anna..." she whispered, "Tell me... please tell me what to do."
Anna didn't answer immediately. Instead, she gently pulled Elaine into a hug. Her arms wrapped tightly around her, like they were trying to pull all the grief and all the despair out of her.
"Isn't that obvious?" she whispered in a fragile voice. Tears were now streaming down her own flushed cheeks. "We will do everything we can to bring back the memories of my... of our hero."
For the first time, she didn't refer to Kaito as her hero. He wasn't just her hero. He was the hero of many people, a beacon of hope for countless hearts.
And now that he couldn't even remember himself, it was their job to remind him of who he was. She remembered the day she had met him for the first time. The moment when she had felt and recognized his power, his strength.
Back then, she had hoped that he would eventually fall in love with her. That's why she wanted to do everything for him and preferably not leave his side.
But over time, she had realized that Kaito's heart already belonged to someone else. Someone he looked at with admiration and affection and never took his eyes off.
Monika.
And yet Anna was not bitter. No, she had found her place at his side. Perhaps not as his lover, but as a friend, as a member of the group!
She couldn't make him fall in love with her, but she could help him. She could be strong for him, just as he was once strong for her.
And now, in this moment, she could be strong for Elaine too.
She would not suppress her feelings, because they were a part of her. But she would no longer use them to win Kaito over.
Instead, she would use them to help others. And now it was Elaine's turn. Elaine, who was trapped in her despair, who had to find her courage and bravery within herself. Not as the heroine in this world, but as herself.
Elaine felt Anna's warmth, her sincere support.
And as she continued to cry, she also felt something begin to burn inside her... a spark of hope that slowly turned into a fire.
The torches on the cold stone walls flickered restlessly, casting distorted shadows on the floor and bathing the corridor in a ghostly light.
Dorilla led the way. His face looked tense, his brow furrowed.
Alicia followed him closely, her arms crossed, and then there was Kaito. He moved unsteadily, his gaze wandering restlessly from one barred cell to another.
He didn't know why exactly they were here, but something deep inside him seemed to have a hunch, a vague feeling of trepidation that choked his throat.
"Where... are we going?" Kaito asked uncertainly.
"Here we are." Dorilla said curtly and stopped abruptly in front of a thick iron door. Alicia frowned as her eyes fell on the heavy metal door that Dorilla had just opened. "Isn't that the cell of..."
Her words were interrupted by a deep, throaty laugh coming from the darkness of the cell. A laugh that carried both mockery and cold amusement.
The three of them entered the room, which was additionally separated by massive bars that increased the level of protection.
"Hey, what's goin' on now? I've got nothin' to say, got ya? So, leave me alone... Mh?" A sharp intake of breath followed. "Well, well, if this isn't our little monster. Kukuh."
An icy shiver ran down Kaito's spine when he heard his voice. Something about it sounded familiar, and yet he didn't recognize it. Involuntarily, he took a step back, while Dorilla and Alicia stayed firm.
Behind the bars, a man was sitting on the cold floor of the cell.
His legs and left arm were shackled with specially made chains. His face was shrouded in semi-darkness, only the white flash of his teeth revealing his diabolical grin. His hair was disheveled, his body, despite his captivity, had a physical presence that seemed menacing.
"Monster...? Who the hell are you?" Kaito asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.
The man in the cell froze for a moment. A shadow slid across his face. Then he blinked several times, as if he had misheard. "Who?" His voice was suddenly deeper. "Are you joking?"
Dorilla stepped closer to the cell, his eyes narrowing. "Ka- No. Yuuji has lost his memories. We believe you may have something to do with it."
Silence spread. A soft crackling could be heard as one of the torches on the wall lost a little flame.
Then, suddenly, Number Three's laughter erupted again, this time louder, more uncontrolled, more maniacal.
"Kukahahaah... And I thought I would be bored to death here! But no! This just gets better and better! Hahahh!!!"
Kaito involuntarily took another step back.
He couldn't tell whether it was fear that drove him to do so or the nagging feeling that he owed this man something. His gaze flickered uncertainly to Dorilla.
"Is he... Out of his mind?" muttered Kaito.
"Now spit it out already! Do you know anything about his memory loss?" Dorilla's voice was full of anger as he slammed his right fist against the stone wall beside him so hard that a dull echo reverberated through the corridor.
His hand shook slightly from the force of the impact. So far, since his and Kaito's first encounter, he had never reacted like this and had never lost his cool.
But this was different. Kaito was his friend. And he would not allow him to continue to wander through this world without memories.
"How should I know?" The voice of the prisoner, Number Three was now feigned indifference. "Even if I knew, I wouldn't tell ya anyway. Why don't ya ask the girl who fired the lightning bolt at us, Kukuhuh..."
A jerky flash in Alicia's eyes betrayed her burgeoning anger. She raised a hand, meanwhile it crackled softly around her fingers as arrows of fire slowly formed, ready to strike their target. "You damn-"
"Calm down, Alicia!" Dorilla held her back.
"But...!"
"If he's hiding something from us, we'll knock it out of him. Anyway, we're not progressing here at the moment, so let's try something else for now."
Without another word, Dorilla turned and left the prison. Alicia hesitated, gave Number Three one last angry glare and then followed Dorilla.
Kaito stayed a moment longer. Something inside him wanted to know more, like why he was being called a monster, or what the bond between him and the prisoner was. But in the end, he simply followed the other two.
Behind them, only the man's excessive laughter echoed.
The path to the villa was quieter than Alicia would have liked. Kaito walked beside her, his hands buried deep in the pockets of his black coat, his gaze fixed ahead.
Dorilla led the way, but he too seemed lost in thought.
No one spoke a word as they approached the mansion.
When they finally arrived in front of the legendary heroes' villa, Kaito stopped abruptly.
His gaze slid over the villa, the high windows and its massive walls. The villa seemed sublime to him, almost majestic, but at the same time it radiated uncertainty.
Something about this place seemed to touch him deeply. His eyes narrowed slightly, as if he was trying to remember something, but he couldn't.
Alicia watched him intently. "Is something wrong, Kaito?"
Kaito blinked, like he'd awoken from a dream, and shook his head slightly. "Eh. No. I'm fine." he said monotonously, but there was a fleeting shadow in his eyes that Alicia couldn't miss.
Dorilla turned to them. "Come on. We don't have all day."
They slowly entered the villa, whereupon they were greeted by a group of maids and butlers. "Welcome back, Miss Alicia, Sir Dorilla and Sir Kaito."
"We're back." said Alicia, but Dorilla ignored her and kept walking. "Sorry guys, we have some serious business to attend to right now. Please head back to your work." Alicia apologized with a wry smile, grabbing Kaito's arm and pulling him along.
Kaito looked around as they walked through the corridors. Everything seemed familiar, and yet he still couldn't remember.
It seemed like he had been here before, but the memories slipped away as soon as he tried to reach for them. His heart beat faster the further they walked down this corridor.
Finally, they stopped in front of a door. Dorilla knocked on it, then placed his right hand on the doorknob and hesitated for a moment before turning it.
"Where are we?" Kaito asked quietly.
Dorilla gave him a serious look. "You'll see in a moment."
Slowly, he opened the door. A dark room was before them. The heavy curtains were drawn, and only the soft, flickering light of a candle on a small table illuminated the room.
It was unnaturally quiet.
A body was lying in a large bed, barely visible in the darkness. As Kaito stepped closer, he recognized a girl with pitch-black hair. Her face was pale, her breathing calm.
She was sleeping, deeply, almost trance-like.
Something about her triggered an inexplicable reaction in him. His heart beat faster, his cheeks reddened. But he didn't know why.
"Who is this girl?" he asked whispering.
Alicia stepped up next to him. "Her name is Monika. You told us that she was the first person you befriended with in this world."
Kaito stared at the sleeping girl. His head felt heavy, as if there were memories there that wanted to burst out, but an invisible veil held them back.
He tried. He concentrated. But there was nothing but emptiness in his head.
"Do you remember her?" Alicia asked gently.
A silence spread. Kaito lowered his head. It was frustrating. He wanted to remember.
But it was like his memories were shrouded in a thick fog, and the harder he tried, the further away they became. "I'm sorry," he said quietly.
Alicia sighed. "Another miss."
Dorilla put a hand on Kaito's shoulder. "You don't need to apologize. It's not your fault. We'll think of a way to get your memory back."
Alicia turned to Dorilla discreetly and whispered. "You have another plan, don't you?"
Dorilla nodded barely perceptibly. "I'd say we'd better wait until Elaine and the others are back. We'll think about another plan then. Maybe someone else might have an idea how we can find the key to his memories, or what caused him to lose his memory in the first place.
The two of them left the room quietly and inattentively, leaving Kaito alone. He stood there, staring at the girl with black hair, sleeping so peacefully, like she was from another world.
Slowly, he stepped closer. Something inside him drew him towards her. But why? Why did he feel this inexplicable feeling, this tugging in his chest?
His hand rose almost on its own, slowly, trembling.
But just before his fingers touched her cheek, he stopped. A sudden unease came over him, a fear that he couldn't put into words. His hand trembled for a moment, then he pulled it back.
What was he trying to do? Was he trying to wake her? Was he trying to remember something? Or... Was he afraid of what would happen if he did?
He took a deep breath, stepped back and let his gaze glide over her face again. The fine facial lines, the softly closed eyelids, the almost fragile-looking lips... It seemed familiar to him. And yet... there was only an empty darkness in his mind.
"Monika..." he whispered, not knowing why he was saying her name.
Kaito shook his head as he turned to the door with one last look at the sleeping girl and left the room.
The door closed quietly behind him.
After a while, Elaine, Anna, Eiko and Reiko returned.
The sun was beginning to set, coloring the sky over the city in a reddish orange.
It was clearly visible how much Elaine had cried. Her eyes were red and swollen, her cheeks still slightly damp from the tears she had shed.
Her usually determined look was dull, like a heavy storm had swept away her inner strength.
But as soon as Alicia caught sight of her, she rushed to her and hugged her tightly. "Everything will be fine." she whispered in her ear as she gently stroked Elaine's back.
Elaine hugged Alicia just as tightly. She needed the closeness, the intimacy of her friends.
After a few seconds, she slowly let go of Alicia, wiped the remaining tears from her eyes with the back of her hand and took a deep breath.
Then she bowed deeply to everyone. "I'm sorry." she said quietly. "I shouldn't have just run away. It was rude and immature of me." Her words sounded sincere, heartfelt.
Kaito in particular looked at her, her eyes full of regret. "I'm sorry, Kaito. My behavior was disrespectful."
Kaito, who had been noticeably quiet during her absence, nodded slightly.
But before he could say anything, Dorilla suddenly interfered. "It's all right." he said simply. "Everyone has their moments. All that matters is that you're home now."
The group decided to go into the living room to continue thinking about a solution. The atmosphere in the room was heavy, like an invisible weight had fallen over everyone present.
But while most of them were deep in serious thought, Eiko and Reiko had completely different plans.
The two girls exchanged conspiratorial glances, then grinned at each other. Almost in sync, they each grabbed one of Kaito's arms and began to pull him with all their might. "Papa! Come outside with us! We want to play!" Eiko shouted, while Reiko nodded in agreement.
Kaito, who was completely surprised by their sudden attack, blinked in confusion. "Huh, now? But..."
"Pleeeaseee!" interrupted Eiko as she used her great secret weapon... the infamous puppy-eyes.
Her eyes grew wide, shiny, innocent, and her lower lip quivered slightly, like she was about to cry. Reiko followed her lead and together they looked at him with the most innocent look imaginable.
Kaito sighed theatrically, but couldn't stop an amused smile from flitting across his lips. "All right, all right. You guys win. Come on, let's go outside."
A triumphant whoop echoed as the twins pulled him outside. They ran ahead into the cool sunset as Kaito followed them with leisurely steps.
A gentle breeze blew through the garden, rustling the leaves of the trees softly. The girls laughed loudly, jumping around the grass and challenging their father to a tag game.
For a moment, the heavy weight hanging in the air seemed to disappear.
Meanwhile, the others sat on the large sofa in the living room.
The silence was almost palpable, broken only by the quiet ticking of an old clock. Then Anna spoke first. "Does anyone have any ideas what we could do?" she asked calmly, but her forehead was furrowed with worry.
Dorilla, who until now had been looking thoughtfully at the pattern on the carpet, raised his head. "While you were gone, we took Kaito to Number Three. We thought he might have something to do with the memory loss. But he claimed to know nothing."
"Nothing at all?" Anna asked incredulously.
Dorilla shook her head. "Kaito couldn't even remember his own father. That's why we came home and let him see Monika as well, but..."
"But it was no good." Alicia completed with a serious expression.
Anna grimaced. "Even after seeing Monika, nothing happened? Oh no..." The worry in her eyes deepened. She turned slightly to the side, as if she could suppress her fear.
Alicia thought aloud. "The more important question is, how was it even possible? I highly doubt that Elaine's attack alone could be responsible."
Elaine froze. The thought of her own actions made her throat choke again.
Had she done something to Kaito that could not be undone?
Dorilla noticed her unease, but didn't want to dwell on it. Instead, he asked. "Did you notice anything unusual about Kaito? Anything... Odd?"
Those present fell into deep thought again. The seconds dragged on until suddenly Anna jumped up.
"During the fight!" she exclaimed, her eyes widening. "During the fight against that Number Three, he suddenly started acting strangely! Do you remember?"
Alicia raised her eyebrows. "Now that you mention it..."
Dorilla nodded slowly. "Right. It was like... Someone or something was controlling him. His movements... They weren't his own." He swallowed. "And then there was this aura around him..."
"A dark, black aura." whispered Elaine.
"Black... Aura..." Anna repeated, as if she was afraid to say the words.
Alicia clenched her fists. "If he really was possessed by something... or even still is... then we need to find out who or what is behind this soon!"
Elaine straightened her shoulders as if she had shaken off her doubts. "It has to be the Organization. Who else?"
"Number Three didn't say anything," Alicia reminded her.
"Like hell he'd tell us anything that easily." Dorilla interjected.
Elaine took a deep breath. "Then we'll figure it out on our own. Even if we have to search across the entire world, we'll bring Kaito's memories back!"
"That's right!" Dorilla confirmed.
"Mhm." Alicia nodded resolutely.
Anna was standing at the window, watching Kaito and the twins playing while it got darker and darker outside.
The evening breeze brushed gently through her hair as she opened the window and looked at the smiling Kaito.
It was a beautiful image in her eyes. But she knew that this peace would not last long.
The study had tall bookshelves lining the walls, filled with volumes carefully organized by genre and title.
A green plant grew lonely in the corner and the wooden floor, covered with a large, blood-red carpet, creaked softly under every step.
Sunlight streamed through the large window behind the desk, bathing the room in warm gold and reflecting off the polished wooden surfaces.
A man sat behind the massive desk. His hair was dark gray, slightly disheveled, his glasses had a darkened right lens that hid part of his face.
A trimmed beard framed his chin, and his fingers rested on the pages of an open book on his lap.
He appeared calm.
Then, a knock on the door disturbed the silence in this office.
"Come in."
The door opened and a person entered. It was a young man, carefully dressed in an elegant black suit, whose posture radiated discipline and respect.
His movements were almost military. He took two steps into the room and bowed like a king was in front of him.
"You summoned me?" he asked.
The man at the desk didn't look up immediately. Instead, he let his gaze wander over the forest that stretched beyond the window. His silence weighed heavily on the air before he finally spoke. "It looks like Number Three has done something idiotic again. Didn't I tell you to keep an eye on him?"
Number Two didn't make a face. His jaw muscles twitched for a brief moment, but he immediately regained his composure.
"I deeply apologize. I will take the responsibility and any punishment on myself."
The boss fell silent again, then let the book fall shut in his hands, the muffled sound echoing.
"According to our informants, Number Three is currently in the palace prison of the Kingdom of Veilchenblüte in the capital Almone. I want you to get him out of there."
Number Two straightened up.
"I understood. I will leave immediately."
"Wait."
The boss's voice was calm, but sharp as a blade.
Number Two paused, his body tightening unconsciously.
"Yes, sir! What else can I help you with?"
"Apparently the rookie is also in Almone."
A hint of surprise twitched across the young man's face, but he skillfully hid it behind an emotionless expression.
"You're talking about Number Seven, am I right?"
"You will bring Number Seven here as well."
Number Two nodded curtly. "I understand!"
Suddenly, another knock sounded at the door.
When the door opened, a woman entered the room. She was wearing a tight-fitting black jacket that emphasized her slim, athletic figure.
Her fiery red hair fell in soft waves over her shoulders, and her two differently colored eyes, one emerald green, the other a bright yellow, like an amber, sparkled in the sunlight.
"I apologize for my sudden appearance."
Number Two screwed up his face as if he had just tasted something bitter.
"You...?!"
His tone showed his distaste for her, but she only gave him a confident smile.
The boss wasn't fazed by the underlying animosity between them.
"What is your matter, Number Five?"
The woman stepped forward, her movements smooth, almost feline.
"If I may, I would like to accompany the Vice-Commander on his mission."
Number Two looked anything but enthusiastic. Before he could express his displeasure, the boss asked. "May I know the reason for this request?"
Number Five raised her chin challengingly. "I would like to take care of the greenhorn by myself, I meant Number Seven, of course."
"What nonsense!" hissed Number Two. "Boss, I'm against the fact that she-"
"Very well."
The two words fell like a hammer. Number Two froze in mid-sentence, his eyes wandering back and forth between his superior and Number Five in disbelief.
"But boss..."
"I won't disappoint you!" said Number Five confidently, bowing slightly.
"Now go!"
His order was final. Number Two bit his tongue, suppressed his anger and finally turned away.
"Yessir!"
Together with Number Five, he left the room, and the door quietly fell into its lock.
As soon as it was quiet again, the boss spoke into the empty room.
"What did you hope to achieve by eavesdropping?..."
Suddenly, the air in one spot in the room flickered, then a silhouette became visible.
A young man with blond hair and a mocking grin was leaning against one of the bookshelves. His clothes were plain, but he wore gloves with fine silver threads running through them.
He had concealed himself perfectly in the surroundings, using his camouflage skill to remain invisible.
"...Number Four."
The boss spoke his name without surprise.
"Oh, nothing at all." Number Four grinned unconcernedly. "I just thought we could talk... about you know..."
The boss put his book on the table, leaned back in his chair and calmly lit a cigarette.
The smoke curled slowly towards the ceiling while his eyes remained fixed on the unsuspected visitor.
"I'm listening."