I sat alone at a table on the far side of the small cafeteria at my workplace. An empty bento box rested in front of me, a can of soda still in my hand. As I lifted it to my lips, my gaze drifted to my wrist.
"We've got another one to add to our already long list of concerns," I said in my head, speaking to Isadora while absentmindedly returning the greetings of coworkers who passed by.
[You got that right] Isadora said with a relaxed tone [That humanoid Shuuki is another piece we need to keep an eye on. I doubt she's the only one of her kind,] she replied. [Judging from that first encounter alone, she's far from weak. You saw her one-shot that Giant Shuuki like it was nothing just from a single blast.]
"So you think the same as me, huh?"
With the way my body kept screaming at me to stay on guard, that woman was bound to be strong.
[Even so, she's still weaker than that Black Bitch in terms of overall threat,] Isadora said with a shrug.
"How can you say that?" I asked, recalling how she had only talked about stopping her before. Not even engaging in a full-on fight.
[Just my gut instinct.] She sounded smug. [Don't underestimate my ability to measure someone, Hideo.]
[Besides, I've seen Shikoku unleash a fraction of her power on me. There's nothing remotely normal about it. Just what you'd expect from a nasty retarded piece of horse turd like her. I swear, I hope her fellow Thunder Gods find a way to remove that extra chromosome from her body.]
I could only give a wry smile at that.
"You really don't like her, huh?"
[Hate is too weak a word for what I feel toward her. Let's just say I knew from the moment we met that we'd never get along. That feeling is mutual too. I'm certain she wants to kill me just as much.]
I sighed and shook my head.
Then something from last night surfaced in my mind, pulling my thoughts in a different direction.
"Oh, right. She said I wasn't human. You know anything about that?" I asked.
[What did she say?]
"She said I don't smell or feel like one."
[That's it? Don't worry. It's probably because of your suit using the power of the Core Medals. And because your body's been enhanced by a Greeed like me.]
"Just as I thought." Relief slipped out with my breath. It wasn't anything bad after all.
With the amount of trust Isadora had given me, I had no reason not to return it and believe her. Nothing about me felt strange anyway—aside from the fact that I was far stronger than any non–peach eater should be.
Just as Isadora finished speaking, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned toward the culprit and found a familiar face.
"Yo, yo, my dear junior," he said with a smirk, a glint flashing across his teeth. "Your senpai has arrived and is ready to mingle."
I looked at him in amusement and let out a small chuckle.
"Have you eaten lunch already, Takeru-senpai?" I asked, smiling in a relaxed way.
He nodded quickly, pulled his hand away, then spun like a ballerina around the small two-person table before dropping into the seat across from me.
"Mmmhmmm." He rested a hand on his chin.
His gaze moved over my face and body, sharp and intrusive, as if he could see straight through me.
"Is it just me, or have you gotten more handsome these past few months, my dear junior?"
I might have appreciated the compliment if it had come from literally anyone else.
"Sorry, Takeru-senpai, but I don't swing that way." I gave a polite bow, rejecting the advance.
"Huh? What are you talking about?" He tilted his head.
Then realization hit.
"Oh you mean that? Don't worry, I don't like men too," he said defensively, waving a hand. "But seriously, the atmosphere around you has changed. Ever since the end of last month, Hideo"
"Really? I don't see it." I glanced at my hand, then over the rest of my body before looking back at Senpai. "Maybe it's the new perfume?"
"Don't joke around, my guy." He crossed his arms and smiled, his teeth glinting again. "I've been with you since you first started working at this company. I'd know if something about you changed."
Not related, but how does someone nearing his thirties maintain teeth that perfect? They were so clean and symmetrical.
"When you call me handsome, I already know you're kidding, like usual." I laughed.
"Nah, I'm serious," Senpai said, his tone firm for once. "You had the looks even before. You just never realized it, Hideo."
I scratched the back of my head at that.
"Thanks for the compliment… I guess?"
[Why are you gay?]
I blinked. "And who, exactly, said that, my dear partner?"
[You are gay.]
"Listen here, you little—"
I cut myself off with a sharp exhale, calming my self as the voice echoed smugly in my head.
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Finishing my work, I took the train straight home and prepared for my usual routine, the one I followed every single night after dinner.
An enthusiastic walk through the woods.
A very enthusiastic one.
While roaming not far from our usual entrance spot, I made sure not to disturb Isadora while she was doing her thing. Everything seemed quiet, almost too quiet, and for a moment it felt like the night would pass smoothly.
Then Isadora clicked her tongue.
Her rainbow-hued eyes remained as vivid as ever, yet her expression twisted for the worse.
"Is there something wrong?" I asked, unable to hide the worry in my voice.
"Wrong doesn't even begin to describe it," she scowled, her gaze sharpening. "Some Defense Force soldiers are about to get screwed. Big time."
She was vague, but her tone told me everything. This wasn't just bad news.
"Why?"
"That Black Bitch Shikoku is making an absolute mess in the East Region."
That was not something I wanted to hear. The moment her name left Isadora's mouth, the situation went from bad to catastrophic.
"Isn't that where the Third Unit is assigned?" I asked.
Isadora nodded.
"Yeah. That's why we'd better move, or we're going to be meeting corpses."
Without another word, she opened a portal and urgently gestured for me to go first. I did not argue. I sprinted straight into it.
Damn it.
This day really could not have given me a worse surprise.
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Shikoku POV
I stood far from the chaos unfolding before my very eyes, beside Jouryuu, watching with quiet delight as the humans desperately defended themselves against the Shuuki I had summoned with my Shuuki Deck. They were nothing special, just ordinary ones, but I made up for their lack of quality with sheer quantity.
Even so, I found myself disappointed.
These soldiers were clearly weaker than the ones I had observed before. They lacked presence, lacked power. To make matters worse, their so-called Chief was not even here, which meant I could not properly gauge her strength or compare her to these pitiful worms.
"You could've just sent Rairen, you know. He's already itching to do something," Jouryuu said, her eyes fixed on the struggling soldiers.
I laughed softly and gently stroked the snake coiled near my hand.
"He'll get his chance after me. For now, let me have my fill."
"Mhm."
She answered stoically and did not press further about my plans. It was time to make some noise, and these humans were fortunate enough to become the first real victims.
The first time I used the Shuuki Deck did not count. That was merely a test.
The real course begins now.
Licking my lips, I pulled three Shuuki Cards from within my kimono and raised them into the air.
Jouryuu's gaze shifted to the cards, recognition flickering in her eyes.
"Aren't those the ones Naruhime took under her wing?"
I nodded.
"Yeah. I had her hand them over to me as a lovely little present. She has no use for them anymore cause hey bore her now," I said, flipping the three cards between my fingers. "Even among the Unique ones, these three are strong so this should be entertaining."
I released them from my grasp.
The cards fluttered to the ground, and light burst forth the moment they touched it. Three figures materialized before us, each as tall as Jouryuu. They immediately knelt in respect.
For someone battle-crazed like Naruhime to have a trio of Shuuki this disciplined and well-mannered was genuinely remarkable.
"Arges, Steropes, Brontes."
I elegantly covered my mouth as I called their names. "I have only one order for you three. Clean those humans up without mercy."
They raised their heads and looked at me, nodding in perfect sync before vanishing from sight.
"It's going to be overkill sending them," Jouryuu remarked.
"I don't care in the slightest," I replied with a faint smile. "That just makes it more delicious to watch."
"Fair point. I mean, I don't care about them either, but this practically guarantees they won't make it out alive."
I chuckled softly.
Even I knew this was excessive. Considering how ruthless those three were, there would not be anything left of those poor, pitiful humans. No bodies. No traces. Nothing.
They were fortunate that I was now in a good mood, even though that woman dared to insult both me and Mother herself. Otherwise, I would have descended personally and wiped them out with my own hands.