Part 1
"State your name and confess to your crimes, you criminal!"
What the.....!? Where am I, and why the hell am I tied to a chair?
There in front of me was a girl wearing a school uniform that consisted of a blazer, blouse, and a skirt that did not expose too much, and with light brown hair that reached up to her waist.
She was grasping a katana as if she were readying for a fight or as a way to threaten someone.
"I said state your name and confess to your crime now!"
The woman yelled out, annoyed.
"Ma'am, what crime am I being accused of?"
"Tch! Do not play innocent on me.....hiyah!"
She began to approach me, raising the katana over her head, ready to slash me.
I struggle hard to break free of the bonds.
"You are crazy! Help me! Someone!"
"No one can hear you here."
I yelled out a frustrated and gut-wrenching screech when.....
'Whoosh'
"Phew! I-I almost died..."
"Grrrrrr!"
"Do not dodge this next one."
"The hell are you saying to me!"
I managed to tip the chair over at the same time her blade was brought to the ground.
Good thing I managed to dodge in time....the chair legs were the ones she slashed and cut instead of me.
"Why are you targeting me!"
I yelled out as she fixed the chair so that I would be sitting, then she calmly answered.
"In accordance with the organization I swear an oath to finish the job for this well-renowned client."
"What?! You have gotta be kidding me! You are talking about that organization from the rumors!"
The supposed organisation she is talking about is a group of assassins whose goal is to bring peace and order through silent eliminations.
"Ragh! You are so loud!"
She stared daggers at me as she covered her ears with an annoyed expression on her face.
She composed herself, then aimed her sword at me.
"You must confess to the crime you committed."
"Hold on, what crime now?"
"Do not lie....you are the man responsible for the bankruptcy of three subsidiaries under the Osaki group, kidnapping the employees, and lastly, the most heinous crime you committed, which is..."
She took a breath and was about to speak again.
I gulped now....of course, those were some big accusations, but how could I have done all of....
".....stealing the CEO's most prized thing.....her precious cat....grrrrr....for the sake of that cat I will....."
"Why do you care about the cat more than the others?"
I angrily and disappointedly retorted
"Shut up now! That cat is more than some employees or humans for that..... it is probably shivering alone waiting for its owner to find her."
"What about those unemployed employees or those who were kidnapped..."
"I do not care about them...."
She cut me off there.
Is she serious now
"Look miss assassin I am not the one who did all of this!"
"Liar!"
"No, miss, allow me to show you my ID."
"Grrr !....no excuses I shall...wait, is this a....."
I showed her my idea, which read.
Fujisaki, Satou
Hanekawa High School
3rd Year
"The school ID of Hanekawa High School!...wait, you are a high school student.....you look taller."
Yes, that is my name, Fujisaki Satou, who was just going home from school when, suddenly, out of nowhere, she knocked me out, and she brought me to this warehouse.
"Then why were you wearing a business suit?!"
Oh yeah I was still wearing....
"We were doing this men's cosplay cafe where the men students wore fancy suits and served customers...."
"So like a host club?"
"No!"
We continued to bicker on until she yelled out.
"Gragh! Listen here, I do not care about how you got the idea of the host club from your childhood friend and mother.....for wasting my time, you shall help me find this guy."
"What? me?! I did not do anything; if anything, you wasted all my time and efforts."
Suddenly, now she emitted this dangerous aura as she glared at me.
"If you do not help me, then I shall kill you."
I shuddered at that moment...oh yeah, I nearly forgot she was a skilled assassin from all that unnecessary argument we had.
"So, will you help me or not?"
"Fine, damn it. I will! I will! So stop slowly coming at me with your sword and knives now."
I made a loud sigh. In the end, she let me go, but not forgetting to exchange contact info with me.
"Why did you do this, Miss Assassin?"
"This is so I could get in contact with you, and do not call me Miss Assassin....call me Eri...."
"Eri huh okay."
"What!? You think my name is bad."
"What no!....and wait, hold on! Is that actually your real name? Why are you suddenly revealing that to me?.... Do you trust me so much now just because we met only once?"
"Shut up, you....you....you!....."
That happened this afternoon, and now I am at home studying for my midterms.
Over the course of a month, we began to search for clues together while keeping the fact that her cover was blown because, as she said, the day after that supposed kidnapping, she was never meant to make any errors in these types of missions.
Part 2
Eventually, after one month of us walking around and searching for clues, we stumble upon someone.
There was nothing worth mentioning during the past month of my looking around with this assassin girl, but I will spare the details and summarize it all.
I would go to school in the morning, then head to a spot she picked out which was a cafe.
I made some comments about the choice of place, only to be met with threats by the assassin girl, who is wearing casual clothing and seemed to have dyed her hair to blend in with the crowd.
We usually would talk to each other about nothing special or anything that changed our dynamic, although I will admit we have gotten more friendly with each other.
Eri was the type to have a serious facade, but was into things that are unbecoming of an assassin, such as drinking coffee in a soothing and calming atmosphere like a cafe.
Guess she is not that into blood and violence compared to my usual assumptions of her.
Well, after we relaxed in a cafe, we then looked around together, posing as students walking together.
Eri is not one to care if people mistake us for being a couple, because to her, it is a good cover to use, so we would not be suspicious.
She refused to talk about the organization though. How did I know about this, you ask? Well, she was very convincing with her hand reaching for the knife while we were at a cafe.
Well anyways I spend my nights with her until about ten pm.
Eri was kind enough to excuse me whenever I needed to do homework.....guess she is understanding.
Well, one month has past and we were walking around wearing casual clothing when....
Eri, having spotted something, pointed at someone and said to me with an expression as if she had found something she had lost.
"Hey, look at that girl over there."
The woman she pointed at was wearing office lady clothing with a ponytail and glasses, walking with her bag, all nervous looking.
Eri then pulled something out of her bag that she was carrying as we were walking around.
"Says here that she is Shiori Mai, the secretary of the Osaki corporation, she likes to go to cat cafes in her off time, is known to be hardworking, and very introverted."
"What is that her file?"
"Yep!"
She seems to have been fully prepared with all the information about each employee of the Osaki group.
For the past month of us looking around for clues and finding a lead to this case, I noticed that she is very hardworking and good at her job and yet...she made that one slip-up when we first met.
Eri then went up to her, and both of them happily talked for a few minutes. As they talked, I noticed some guys, or rather, they were women.
They looked like guys.....I would have kept on mistaking it if not for their posture.....what type of guy crosses their legs so casually, and closes their legs together too much as one sits or stands.
Now this may seem like bias, or perhaps I am wrong, but to me it feels uncomfortable for me to do that as a guy, because, well, it felt weird to me.
Eri and this Mai girl kept talking, and the women dressed up as men were talking on their phones, blending in.
I am technically not sure if they are suspicious because they could be just normal girls who anyone can mistake for guys, and who says girls are not allowed to wear that type of clothing?
My main reason for suspecting them was not just their clothing but the obvious hints they are showing.
I wonder if they are trained professionals.....well I can not let my guard down.
The group of women then went off somewhere else....that was very intriguing and interesting to say the least.
"Hey, what are you looking at?"
"Huh? Ohhhh! Eri... so how did it...."
"Shhhhhhh!"
She put her hand on my hand in an instant as she then pulled some type of phantom thief mask from her bag and instantly put it on my face.
"What the heck is this for?!"
"Shut up and just call yourself The Phantom Thief!"
"Wow, next you are going to tell me to pull out a persona..."
"Shut it! and... wait! what is a persona?"
The secretary named Shiori then approached us.
"So, number 26, who is this kid now?"
"He is my partner.....the.....Glamorous Phantom Thief"
"Ohhhh, okay then, I guess so, how do you know this guy?"
I watched them interact, trying to keep a straight face because it is an interesting thing to have a girl call you a glamorous phantom thief, and well, it is funny to watch this interaction without laughing at her....I was afraid that if I mess up, our cover would be blown, and I would be killed by Eri.
"Excuse me for a moment ms. Mai."
Eri then went up to my ear and whispered.
"Fujisaki~....you better play along or else....."
I could spot a hidden knife on her cloak. Actually, I did not notice her change to a uniform belonging to that organisation with a long skirt, black blouse with red outlines, and a cloak to hide their hair, as well as a mask to hide her eyes, but not her mouth, just like my mask.
"Okay, calm down now, 26."
"Okay, glad to be on the same page as you mr. phantom thief."
I could not see her expression because her hood was covering it, but I could tell she was glaring at me with a scary and menacing expression.....so yeah, she was smiling at me.....wow.
Part 3
Later, after number 26 said her goodbyes and reassured Ms Mai, we headed to somewhere private and safe where we could talk.
"So tell me now, Eri...I mean, number 26, why are we in an internet cafe all of a sudden?"
"Shut it, and you can call me Eri. Here, we can not be heard. Okay."
"Yeah, okay then...Eri, but why have you suddenly....Taken me here now."
"Because, well, I need to gather more clues, okay."
Eri then reached into her bag and pulled out a tablet that looked to be one of those newer models....or rather, it was a new model until last month.
She then opened it and placed it on the table where the screen is visible to us.
On the tablet that was on was a girl looking to having a mix of dark purple hair and light pink on the tips of her bangs. She looked to be sitting on what looks to be a desk and is moving now. She looked stunning and well. Satou would agree that she was cute and beautiful for an artificial intelligence.
"I suppose that I do not have to explain what she is to you Huh!?"
"No, because of course it is obvious that she is one."
"Hello there again.....agent 26! Who is this masked man.....you there, what are you planning to do to my precious sister?"
The artificial intelligence began to angrily yell out and defend Eri despite her being stuck and limited to a single tablet.
"Misaki, no, it is not what it looks like, okay, this here is my partner.....the ummmm uhhhhh...."
"The phantom thief....yes I am the glamorous phantom thief doing here with my precious Eri..."
Eri looked on, about to burst out in anger, as the artificial intelligence had revealed her true identity.
Despite the phantom thief....no...Satou knowing the identity of Eri and agreeing to help her.....Eri had not yet clarified or explained who he is, so if he were not an ally to them, then it looks as if this AI girl by the name of Misaki has revealed her name to me...in the AI girl's eyes....an enemy or a supposed stranger.
"Misaki!"
"Eh! umnmmm I am very sorry onee-sama."
"Hey, do not call me that now."
"So, ummm, Eri, do you have this interest in being a rich noble lady or something or have a protective sister treat you so special, huh, hmmmm."
Satou teased her, to which Eri nearly pulled out a knife if not for Satou catching her intentions and grasping her wrist of the hand reaching for her knife.
"Hey, now you idiot, it was just a joke, don't you go pulling a knife over this now!"
"Onee-sama! Who is this guy! Did you find a cosplayer at an anime convention?"
"The heck kind of insult and accusation is that!"
"Ugh! Both of you are so annoying! Grah!!!!!"
Eri yelled out, and they were kicked out by the building staff for being very noisy and disturbing other customers.
Satou ended up having to bring Eri and Misaki to my room....good thing his mom and dad are working late for the night.
So yeah apprently he just brought a girl and an actual artificial intelligence into his room.
"Do not have any weird ideas, Satou...."
"Oh shut up you!"
Both of them bickered even more.
Misaki found their dynamic amusing and suddenly became an active observer of this weird sight.... She grew to enjoy this and began to like this boy's sharp tongue and clever choice of words, but he is still not fit to be with her onee-sama.
"Well, there has been something bothering me lately."
"Huh, what is it, Satou?"
"Hmmm?"
Eri and Misaki looked at me cautiously but curiously.
"So is that your codename number 26 sounds kind of...."
"Sounds kind of what exactly?"
"Lazy, or rather not as creative as I expect you know, Eri."
"What do you have complaints about? Well, shut it anyway, yes, that is our codenames after all..."
"Wait, so you were not the one who picked it out?"
Eri then stopped to glare at me, but I did not notice Misaki; however got a digital chair to watch all this.
"I mean, so it is your organisation who did it and not you, wow, I actually underestimated you, you know, I mean, I figured you were the type to be all serious, but I never thought....."
"Never thought what exactly....Sa....tou.....kun....!?"
I then noticed Eri looking at me, smiling, but she is not happy.
She looks just like those women who close their eyes and smile but instead of a sweet sight, it was a sight that causes one to tremble.
I mean to be fair, I did insult her, yeah, I just blurted out lazy and not so creative.
She exuded a dark aura.
"Hey, Misaki, do something now, I need some..."
"Yeah, get him onee-sama show that idiot what he gets for insulting your greatness."
"Ohhhhh, I will show you....you call me lazy and uncreative, huh....I need to remind you who I am, don't I? Maybe I was being too lenient or rather too kind to you!"
Well, from the words she chose, I guess she only saw this interaction and bond as a necessity and nothing more.
Well, I was not seeing her as anything but a friend....I was careless.....oh no, she is coming closer, ready to slap me....I was indeed hurt by her, not a slap, but a pinch.
The punishment she gave me was that I had to pay for the hours they spent in the internet cafe for the past few days, which sounds kind of small punishment, but she has told me we were going to use this internet cafe for more than a week, and of course, I have a limited budget in my allowance.
Part 4
Despite the days going by with nothing interesting happening, I had some doubts in my mind about whether we would actually find the culprit of this.
Eri and Misaki, however, refuse to give up.
Looking at them interact with each other more often, it feels like they are sisters....looks like they were, however, their actions make it feel like a master and servant relationship, yet separated by a screen.
I have spent so many times with them and in this mystery that I may have been neglecting my studies however I was able to push back up after Eri and Misaki tutoring me, not out of goodness but of necessity as they can not have me fail my studies or get extra classes that might result in Eri being vulnerable to many dangers as ordered by Misaki.
Eri interjected, but Misaki brought up some incidents that involved something to do with her having to battle a group of rival assassins despite having a knife protruding in her back until she got back to her base.
To be fair, there was nothing to note as of today because of how Misaki ordered us to stay indoors.
"Why do you want us to do this?"
"That is because onee-sama, you need to remain safe!"
"We will be fine, come on, Satou, back me up."
"Do not involve that outsider in our operation!"
"He is a good ally, okay, and I trust him with my life."
"Seriously?"
"You can not make us stay indoors!"
"I will tell your superiors of your mistake....you would not want those punishments they give to naughty girls who fail easy missions, do you?!"
"Okay....."
What type of punishments are they talking about.....
The more I listen to them converse and bicker, the more irritated I become. That is because....
"In the first place, why are you both in my house?"
"Technically, one is in your house....onee-sama, while I am merely an AI assistant that is tagging along for the ride."
"Shut up, tell me now."
"That is because you moronic inferior plebian....my onee-sama is someone that needs protection."
Eri then left to go to the bathroom with an annoyed look on her face, but neither Misaki nor I noticed.
"What the hell now? Moronic.....Inferior.....Plebian? Huh?!"
"What? You going to yell at me or cry your pathetic tears? Or perhaps complain that I was correct, or you getting affected by a girl whose intelligence is artificial compared to your homo sapien big brain of yours?"
"No, just that moronic, inferior, and plebian are not what I expect your name-calling insults were....so cliché of a robot diving into Darwinism terms now."
I responded calmly because, as she said, who am I to be affected by a girl that is trapped in a screen and made by those same inferior people she call monkies.
I am just irritated by how slow we are in our progress to find the culprit of this.
"Hey, ummmm, Misaki, do you have a vendetta against the human race or just me, to be exact?"
"Huh?"
"What, not expecting the question....sigh...I expect you to know what I am thinking based on those results and data you acquire on the psychology of the human mind."
"Yes! Your pitiful and expected response is something that is a possible answer you can get from my choice of words, so let me make this short.....Perhaps I do after all those creators of mine just want to use me."
"That is so cliché."
"So what, it still hurts to have my purpose limited to be another tool that your humans can exploit for your own gains."
"It is true since the purpose of Misaki is to provide and gather available intel, scan evidences gain from pictures, and to calculate the number of enemies coming at you."
Eri, having returned from the bathroom, responded to that.