3 Chapter 3: Kuroiwa Yumeko

"I'm still waiting for an answer here, Tatsurou!"

Yumeko said with a very, no, an extremely angry tone, as she kept walking towards a very scared and nervous Tatsurou and a confused Shirayuki, while she cracked her knuckles again, as her black aura of impending doom became bigger with every step she took and for everyone wondering this woman, Kuroiwa Yumeko is Tatsurou's homeroom and history teacher in the high school he attends.

But more important than that, Yumeko, is an old acquaintance of Hime and by consequence she has known Tatsurou ever since he was a child, so we could say that they were also old acquaintances, no, perhaps old friend is a better term, since Yumeko used to play and look after Tatsurou, whenever Hime was busy.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no! Just what is Yumeko doing here?!" Tatsurou thought both scared and nervous, as he placed himself in front of Shirayuki before he looked at Yumeko getting closer and closer to them.

"H-Hi Yumeko! What are you doing here…!?" Tatsurou asked with a nervous and scared tone, as he waved his right hand a bit, while he let out a nervous laugh, that was cut short by Yumeko, that stopped in front of him.

"Explain what you are doing here...now!!!" Yumeko said with an angry and firm tone, as she crossed her arms a bit before she gave Tatsurou her well-known death stare that could make any man run away in absolute fear.

"W-Wait...wait, Yumeko! Please stay calm, I can explain everything! So...so you see, I was helping this girl here and…!" Tatsurou said with a very nervous tone, as he flailed his hands around a bit, while Shirayuki briefly poked her head from behind him to have a better look at Yumeko that suddenly interrupted Tatsurou's explanation, by grabbing both of his cheeks.

"Do you seriously think that I will listen to your sorry excuses for cutting classes, especially when it's my class that you are cutting, that also happens to be the one you are failing, huh? Do you think that there's any excuse that forgives that dumb delinquent-like behavior?!" Yumeko asked with an angry tone, as she proceeded to pull on Tatsurou's cheeks with force and what followed was Tatsurou letting out pained groans, before he slowly placed his hands on Yumeko's hands, so that she wouldn't pull with such force.

"Ow! Just what is it with you and Hime, always pinching my cheeks, when I didn't do anything wrong or letting me explain what's going on?!" Tatsurou said with an angry and pained tone, as he looked at Yumeko, that became even angrier and by consequence, she began to pull Tatsurou's cheeks even harder.

"Are you deaf or something?! You're here cutting classes and you have the guts to tell me that "I'm not doing anything wrong?" Don't give me that kind of crap, Tatsurou!" Yumeko said again with an angry tone, as she once again, pinched Tatsurou's cheeks even harder, and that was the moment that Tatsurou began to contort himself, as he once again tried to make Yumeko stop her cheek pulling.

"Goddammit! Why doesn't Yumeko listen to me?! No, what I need right now is someone to save me..!" Tatsurou thought both angry and pained, as he now began to gently tap Yumeko's hand as if he was a pro wrestler tapping out of a match, but out of nowhere, Tatsurou's prayer was heard, as Yumeko was given a small push, that made her move away from Tatsurou, and the author of that push was none other than Shirayuki, that put herself in front of Tatsurou with her arms open wide, as her ahoge pointed upwards.

"Please, stop hurting Tatsurou-san already and listen to him! He wasn't cutting classes, he was here protecting me from this moving armor thingy just now and if it wasn't for him, only all the Kami's of the world would know what would have happened here!" Shirayuki said with a polite, yet nervous tone, as she trembled a bit before she looked at very surprised Yumeko.

"Thank god...you're a lifesaver, Shirayuki-san!" Tatsurou said with a happy and pained tone, as he stood behind Shirayuki, while he rubbed his cheeks a bit, to ease the pain and upon hearing him Shirayuki began to blush.

"N-no...no need to thank me…" Shirayuki muttered with a happy and embarrassed tone, as she slowly regained her posture, while her ahoge now wiggled a bit and upon seeing and hearing all of this, Yumeko began to scratch her head, before a guilty expression began to cover her face.

"Well...if that was the case, you should have said so sooner, Tatsurou.." Yumeko said with a guilty and somewhat relieved tone, as she let out a small sigh before she crossed her arms, but upon hearing this, Tatsurou suddenly stepped out from behind Shirayuki and got very close to Yumeko.

"Don't give that "Why didn't you say so sooner..." after punishing me, before even asking what was wrong in the first place! You owe me an apology now!" Tatsurou said with an angry and annoyed tone, as he pointed at Yumeko, that began to blush, as she pressed both her index fingers against each other.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Tatsurou...it won't happen again, I swear! But then again, you can't blame me here! Instead of coming to school, you're here in a public park with a girl! How am I not supposed to think that you're not cutting classes and having fun instead?" Yumeko asked with a very faintly embarrassed tone, as she began to look away from Tatsurou, while she kept pressing her index finger against each other, and upon hearing her Tatsurou began to blush a bit.

"T-That might be true...but you know that I only ever skip school when I'm sick or when something urgent happened, right?" Tatsurou asked with a faintly embarrassed tone, that quickly turned into a calm one, as he looked at Yumeko before he placed his hands on his hips.

"I know...but instead of being in school...you're here with a girl...of all things…" Yumeko muttered with an embarrassed and very, very faint jealous tone, as she briefly pouted before she began to look away from Tatsurou, that got a bit surprised with Yumeko's muttering.

"What did you say, Yumeko?" Tatsurou asked with a curious tone, as he tilted his head a bit, but that when Yumeko jolted a bit before she briefly blushed.

"N-Nothing! I...I didn't say anything, I mean...I just said that I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions earlier...yes! That's what I said!" Yumeko said with a nervous tone, that quickly turned into a firm one, as she pointed her finger at Tatsurou, something that surprised him a bit but not for too long as he let out a small giggle.

"I see…" Tatsurou said with a mischievous tone, as he kept on giggling and of course, Yumeko began to get suspicious of Tatsurou's giggles.

"What? What is it?" Yumeko asked both curious and embarrassed, as she frowned a bit.

"Oh, don't worry Yumeko...it's just that I'm really happy to finally get an apology from you after all these years of having you punishing me without trying to ask what happened first!" Tatsurou said with a smug and mischievous tone, as he kept on giggling, but that was when a small anger vein appeared on Yumeko's forehead.

"Well, I finally got an apology from you! To be honest, I always wanted to hear one of those from you! Took a while but, looks like my dream finally came through...!" Tatsurou said again with a smug and mischievous tone, as he shrugged a bit and that was when Yumeko began to tremble as the anger vein on her forehead became bigger and bigger until it popped after Tatsurou let out a triumphant laugh.

"Just because I was wrong once, it doesn't mean that you're always right, Tatsurou you moron!" Yumeko shouted with a very angry tone, as she looked at Tatsurou that hid behind Shirayuki in a blink of an eye before she tried to pull on his cheeks once again.

"Are they really student and teacher?" Shirayuki thought curious, as she looked at Tatsurou squatting behind her with his hands on top of his head, before she looked at Yumeko that was huffing a bit after shouting

"Hmph! You're such an idiot sometimes!" Yumeko said with an angry tone, as she placed her hands on her waist, while she let out a sigh before she turned her attention to the knight's motionless body.

"For now let's take a look at that armor there…" Yumeko said with a faint determined tone, as she began to walk towards the knight and once she was getting close, Tatsurou got out from behind Shirayuki, while he let out a sigh.

"God I'm saved…what's wrong, Shirayuki-san?" Tatsurou asked with a relieved tone, which quickly turned into a curious tone, as he looked at Shirayuki.

"Eh? Nothing's wrong Tatsurou-san...well...I mean...this woman here, is she really your teacher?" Shirayuki asked with an embarrassed and curious tone, as she fidgeted around a bit before she glanced at Yumeko that was looking at the knight with her hands placed on her waist.

"Yes, Yumeko over there is my teacher...but why are you asking, Shirayuki-san?" Tatsurou asked with a curious tone, as he scratched the back of his head a bit, while he looked at Shirayuki.

"W-Well...you two didn't act like a student and a teacher should and...Kuroiwa-san doesn't look like a teacher either, she looks more like one of those police investigators you see on TV…if you ask me that is.." Shirayuki said with an embarrassed tone, as she looked at Yumeko that was now walking around, while she wrote something down with a pencil, on a small notebook she was holding.

"Oh, that! Well, you see, Shirayuki-san...Yumeko and I have known each other for quite some time...but that's mostly because she's an old acquaintance of my mother and she would usually take care of me whenever my mother was busy with work...as for her "investigator" look, that's because of her other work on the AMDF's Soteria Unit…" Tatsurou said with a happy tone, as he placed his hands on his hips, while he smiled before he looked at Shirayuki, that was giving him a rather confused look.

"She is a teacher...but she also works for the AMDF's...Soteria unit...? I'm so sorry, Tatsurou-san...but it's my first time here...so I don't know what those names mean..." Shirayuki said with a curious and very embarrassed tone, as she looked a bit away from Tatsurou before she began to blush, and at first, Tatsurou was a bit surprised with her question until it hit him.

"Oh, right! I should have guessed that it was your first time here, so of course that you wouldn't know about these things…sorry Shirayuki-san…" Tatsurou said with an apologetic tone, as he looked at Shirayuki, that blushed a bit when she heard Tatsurou apologizing.

"You don't need to apologize, Tatsurou-san it's alright...so with that said...could you tell me about this AMDF and Soteria unit?" Shirayuki asked with a curious and embarrassed tone, as she tilted her head a bit before she looked at Tatsurou.

"But of course I can! So let's see...here in Takamagahara we have the normal police, that takes care of normal infractions and crimes, then we have the AMDF that stands for Anti-Magic Defence Force and they are the police that takes care of all infractions and crimes that involve magic, and the Soteria Unit is the name given to the department of the AMDF that investigates and deals with those crimes involving magic, you could say that they are a bit like those special units you usually see on TV...and I think that pretty much covers it!"

Tatsurou said with a happy and informative tone, as he raised his index finger a bit, while he looked at Shirayuki, that was giving all of her attention to Tatsurou, as her ahoge wiggled around.

"So, did you get all of it, Shirayuki-san?" Tatsurou asked with a curious tone, as he placed his right hand on his hip, while he tilted his head before he looked at Shirayuki that placed her hand in front of her mouth before she put on a thinking face.

"Hmm...so the AMDF and the Soteria Unit are the police...but for things with magic...did I get that right, Tatsurou-san?" Shirayuki asked with a curious and somewhat nervous tone, as moved her hand away from her mouth before her ahoge wiggled around once again.

"Yes! You pretty much got it right, Shirayuki-san! But if you have more questions, I believe that Yumeko can answer them better than me…" Tatsurou said with a happy tone, as he gave Shirayuki a thumbs up, followed by a smile, but that was also when he looked at Yumeko that was now squatting beside the knight, something that made Tatsurou's curiosity grow a bit.

"But speaking of the devil, how about we go and see what Yumeko is up to, with that knight...Shirayuki-san?" Tatsurou asked with a curious tone as he looked at Shirayuki, that at first upon hearing Tatsurou's question, began to look a bit away from Tatsurou, as she pondered about getting close to the knight or not, but that's when Tatsurou let out a faint sigh, that caught Shirayuki's attention.

"You don't have to worry about that knight anymore, Shirayuki-san! Yumeko knocked him out flat and even if he gets back up, Yumeko and I will protect you and knock him out again, I promise!" Tatsurou said with a reassuring and determined tone, as he gave Shirayuki a confident smile that made her blush a bit and then, after some more pondering…

"A-Alright then...let's go…" Shirayuki said with a faint nervous tone, as she and Tatsurou began making their way towards Yumeko and the knight, with Tatsurou leading the way, while Shirayuki followed him from behind.

"Tatsurou said that he would protect me...and he already did when the knight appeared...mother...what should I do? I don't want Tatsurou to get hurt because of me…!" Shirayuki thought as she briefly looked at Tatsurou before she looked at the ground, but as she did that, Tatsurou interrupted her thoughts.

"Say, Shirayuki-san...this knight here...did you see him before or is it your first time seeing him?" Tatsurou asked with a curious tone, as he looked at Shirayuki from over his shoulder and for a while, Shirayuki kept silent until…

"Y-Yes...I have seen him before...Tatsurou-san…" Shirayuki said with a nervous and worried tone, as she looked a bit down, something that Tatsurou didn't let her do for too long.

"I see...but you don't have to worry anymore, Shirayuki-san...it's just like I said...he's knocked out now, so he won't try to hurt you anymore, and if someone is ordering him around...Yumeko will find them and put them in jail!" Tatsurou said with a very reassuring tone, as he gave Shirayuki a big and recomforting smile that made her blush once again, but this time Shirayuki began to smile.

"T-Thank you...Tatsurou-san…" Shirayuki said with a happy tone, as she smiled once again before she and Tatsurou finally got close to the knight and Yumeko that was still squatting beside the knight, as she wrote down some notes on her small notebook.

"So this the hunk of metal, that everyone is looking for, huh? I thought he was a little bit tougher, after all those code-black alarms... " Yumeko said with a curious tone, as she wrote down a few things on her small notebook, before she placed the said notebook, inside her blazer and as she did that, Tatsurou and Shirayuki briefly observed the knight, that was now covered in bumps throughout his whole body, after Yumeko's punching onslaught.

"Hmm? What do you mean, everyone is looking for this armor, Yumeko? Or even better, how did you know he was here?" Tatsurou asked with a curious tone, as he turned his gaze towards Yumeko before he crossed his arms.

"Well, I mean that everyone, and I mean everyone, in the Soteria Unit is looking for this armor here...I don't know about all the details, they just sent us several code-black alarms to go and retrieve it unscathed…and as usual, I had to dismiss everyone in the class to come after it, but you would know that if you came to school in the first place..." Yumeko said with an informative tone, that suddenly turned into a faint angry one, as she slowly got up and of course upon hearing her, Tatsurou jolted a bit, before he began to look away from Yumeko.

"As for how I founded it, that's pretty simple! It was thanks to social media, there were a lot of people posting pictures and videos of this armor walking around before it came to this park here, which made my job much easier!" Yumeko said with an informative tone, as she turned towards Tatsurou before she began to approach him, while she cracked her knuckles.

"Oh, now that explains it...eh?!" As Tatsurou said this with a rather nervous tone, Yumeko suddenly interrupted him, by grabbing his right hear, with her left hand.

"And one more thing! It's Kuroiwa-sensei when I'm at work or school, not Yumeko, right Tatsurou?" Yumeko said with an angry tone, as began to pull on Tatsurou's ear.

"Ow, ow! I know I know, I'm sorry Kuroiwa-sensei! Now, please stop pulling on my ear already!" Tatsurou said with a faintly pained tone, as he grabbed Yumeko's hand so that she didn't pull so hard.

"I could stop...but you still need some more punishment for skipping classes and whatnot!" Yumeko said with a stoic angry tone, as she pulled on Tatsurou's ear a bit harder, as she briefly glanced at Shirayuki, that grew a rather puzzled expression on her face, as she looked at Yumeko before she tilted her head.

"Dammit! How do I make her stop?!" Tatsurou thought as he began to brainstorm ways to make Yumeko stop and after a few short seconds, it finally hit him.

"Wait, a minute, Yumeko! You just said that you had to retrieve the knight unscathed, right?" Tatsurou asked with a curious tone, as he looked at Yumeko that gave him a confused expression, while she tilted her head.

"Huh? Yes, that's right, I have to retrieve this knight unscathed.. why are you asking?" Yumeko asked with a rather puzzled tone, as she kept tilting her head.

"I mean...if you were supposed to do that, how are you gonna explain the fact that he looks like scrap metal now?"

Tatsurou asked with a stoic curious tone, as he looked at Yumeko, that slowly let go of Tatsurou before she began to rub her chin a bit, while a confused expression, began to grow on her face, but that expression soon turned into sudden realization, as she opened her eyes wide and in the end, it turned into a panicked and scared expression, as her face began to get pale.

"Goddammit, your right Tatsurou!! I was supposed to retrieve him unscathed, not beat him beyond recognition!" Yumeko said with a very panicked and worried tone, as she placed her hands on top of her head.

"W-What should I do now, Tatsurou?" Yumeko asked still with her panicked and worried tone as she now placed her hands on Tatsurou's shoulders.

"Well, don't ask me, I have no idea..." Tatsurou said with a stoic honest tone to Yumeko, that fell on all fours to the ground before she began to tear up a bit.

"This is bad, this is bad! I can't believe I was able to mess up an order, the only way a newbie could! What is going to happen to me now? I could end up having to pay up for one of these new armors or even worse I could get fired from the Soteria!" Yumeko said with a very worried tone, as she went on and on about how bad things turned for her, while Tatsurou and Shirayuki tried to console her.

"Come on, Yumeko this isn't the end of the world!"

"Y-Yes, Tatsurou-san is right! You just have to tell what happened and no one will punish you!"

Both Tatsurou and Shirayuki said with very reassuring tones, with Tatsurou scratched the back of his head and Shirayuki clenching her hands before they looked at Yumeko that opened her eyes wide as she heard Shirayuki.

"I just have to tell what really happened…" Yumeko muttered with an ominous tone, as she slowly got back on her feet, as her worried and gloomy expression turned into a mischievous one before she looked at Tatsurou and Shirayuki, that jolted a bit upon witnessing Yumeko's reaction.

"Y-Yumeko...what do you mean with that…!" As Tatsurou said this, he slowly raised his right hand, while he and Shirayuki took a step back, but as they did that, Yumeko suddenly interrupted him, by letting out a small giggle.

"She's right! I can just use the two of you, to get out of this mess!" Yumeko said with a happy and mischievous tone, as she pointed at Tatsurou and Shirayuki before she pointed at the knight.

"What the?! You're ready to pin something that was clearly your fault on two innocent people?! How can you even call yourself an adult, Yumeko?" Tatsurou said with an angry and worried tone, as he pointed at Yumeko and while Tatsurou did that, Shirayuki hid behind him.

"T-Tatsurou's teacher is scary…" Shirayuki thought both scared and worried, as she trembled a bit, before she briefly poked her head out from behind Tatsurou, while she tried to imagine, just what Yumeko would do to get rid of her problem.

"You don't even know what I'm going to do, Tatsurou! So stay quiet for now and let me just give me a call to the cleanup team, to take care of this mess...and after that, I'll call a taxi and you two are coming with me...right?!" Yumeko said with a stoic angry tone, that soon turned into a firm and somewhat intimidating one, as she looked at Tatsurou and Shirayuki, with killer intent, before she took out her phone.

"Y-Yes, ma'am!" Tatsurou and Shirayuki said with very scared and worried tones, as they looked at Yumeko tapping away on her phone.

"Goddammit, Yumeko! You should control yourself, especially in front of people you just met…" Tatsurou thought with worry written all over his face, as he looked at Shirayuki that was still hiding behind him, while she trembled a bit...

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Then a few hours later, after the cleanup crew showed up to the park, to pick up the knight and clean the mess he made, it was now 12:39 pm and we had to go to another place that was a bit away from the public park and that place was a family restaurant close to the downtown.

This restaurant had a modern design on its exterior, but a more classical design on its interior, with the white and orange walls, the leather booth seats mixed with regular seats, that had a table separating them and we could not forget the normal tables and the black and white tiled floor and inside this restaurant was Tatsurou, Shirayuki, and Yumeko, that was sitting at a regular table close to the window, with Tatsurou sitting next to Shirayuki, with Tatsurou's slightly damaged school bag separating them and Yumeko sitting on the other side of the table, but something that caught the attention of everyone present, was the silence that ruled on that table, a silence that was finally broken by Tatsurou…

"Say, Yumeko what are we…!" As Tatsurou was about to ask Yumeko what they were doing inside this restaurant, he was suddenly interrupted by a young girl with dark blue hair, that was wearing an orange waitress uniform with a white apron over it, while she held a small notebook in her left hand and a pen in her right hand.

"So, what will you be ordering?" The young girl asked with a very polite and curious tone, as she looked at Tatsurou, Shirayuki, and Yumeko before she tilted her head.

"Well, to start things off...you can bring us some drinks, I will have a shandy beer and for these two you can bring them a cola with a slice of lemon... as for our food I don't want anything to fancy, so bring me something light and for these two bring them the best hamburger you have! Oh and put some special sauce on it, please!" Yumeko said with a happy tone, as she gave the waitress a quick wink before she smiled.

"Alright then! I shall bring your order right away!" The waitress said also with a happy tone, while she turned away from the table before she made her way to the counter of the restaurant and once the waitress was gone, Tatsurou began to look at Yumeko, with his arms crossed, while a stoic and disapproving expression covered his face.

"What's the matter Tatsurou-chan!" Yumeko said with the cutest tone imaginable, as she placed her hands together before she looked at Tatsurou, that let out a sigh.

"I'm impressed at how low you can step, Yumeko..." Tatsurou said with a robotic tone, as he looked a bit away from Yumeko, that once again tilted her head a bit.

"What do you mean with that?" Yumeko asked with a curious tone as if she had no clue of what was going on before she began to scratch her right cheek a bit, and once again, Tatsurou let out another sigh.

"Do you honestly think that you can bribe us with food, so that we take the blame for something you did, Yumeko?" Tatsurou said with a tone, similar to the one parents use when they are disappointed in their child, as he briefly looked at Yumeko before he turned his gaze towards Shirayuki, that nodded in agreement.

"I-I also think that...that it's wrong to do something like that...we should always admit our mistakes instead of choosing the easy way out!" Shirayuki said with a nervous tone, that soon turned into a faint firm one, as she looked at Yumeko then away.

"See? Even Shirayuki-san agrees…!" As Tatsurou said this, Yumeko briefly got up from her chair and gave Tatsurou a head flick, while she grew an angry expression on her face.

"Don't go ahead and plant the wrong idea on people like that!" Yumeko said with a faint angry tone, as she took her seat again before she crossed her arms

"And also...don't go making wild assumptions like that, Tatsurou! I'm not some kind of villain that would blame others for the things I was clearly responsible for!" Yumeko said again with a faint angry tone, as she looked at Tatsurou rubbing his forehead a bit and Shirayuki letting out a relieved sigh before she drew a magic circle with a drawing of a chest on top of the table with her index finger.

"Thanks to all the Kamis that Yumeko-san didn't plan on using us, to take the blame..." Shirayuki thought both relieved and happy, as she clasped her hands before she let out another sigh.

"You don't need to get all violent here, Yumeko! I know that you would never do that, but then again there's always a first time for everything…" Tatsurou said with a reassuring tone, that briefly turned into a mischievous one as he smiled, while he rubbed his forehead a bit.

"Zip it! Now, where did I put my...ah! There it is!" Yumeko said as she finished drawing the magic circle that began to glow in a vermillion red color, before she placed her hand inside it and after a few seconds, Yumeko took a small laptop, from inside the said magic circle.

"Say...what are you going to do with that laptop, Yumeko?" Tatsurou asked with a curious tone, as he looked at the magic circle disappearing from the table before he looked at Yumeko opening the laptop that made a faint startup sound.

"Well, you see Tatsurou...there is a way for me to get free of any trouble, for having trashed that knight, beyond recognition! All I'll need to do is write a small report, but I'll need both your help and...I'm sorry sweetie, but I didn't catch your name yet..." Yumeko said with an informative tone, that turned into a curious one, as she turned her gaze towards Shirayuki.

"Oh! That's right I haven't told you my name yet! Well then, my name is Izanami Shirayuki and it's a pleasure to make you acquaintance, Kuroiwa Yumeko-san...and thank you very much for helping us back at the park...!" Shirayuki said with a very polite and happy tone, as she made a small bow towards Yumeko, but as Shirayuki did that she became very silent before her eyes opened wide, something that surprised Tatsurou a bit, as he looked at Shirayuki.

"Oh no! I just presented myself to Yumeko-san with my full name! What should I...do...?!" Shirayuki thought with a worried and scared tone, as she placed her hand in front of her mouth before she looked at Yumeko, that was already giving her full attention to her laptop's screen,instead of Shirayuki.

"I see, I see, so your Shirayuki-chan? It's a pleasure to meet you too and no need to thank me, it's my job...oh, and you can call me Yumeko, no problem..." Yumeko said with a faint robotic tone, as she tapped away in her laptop, while she paid no mind to Shirayuki's presentation whatsoever.

"Oh...she didn't hear me...that's a relief...but I also feel a bit bad..." Shirayuki thought both relieved and faintly disappointed, as she let out a sigh and upon seeing what Yumeko did, Tatsurou began to frown a bit.

"Oi, Yumeko! At least look at Shirayuki-san when she's presenting herself...!" Tatsurou said with a faint angry tone, while he crossed his arms, but as Tatsurou did that, Shirayuki suddenly pulled on his sleeve.

"Please there's no need to get angry Tatsurou-san, it's okay! Yumeko-san is busy trying to do that report and besides, she got my given name and that's more than enough...since...you know..." Shirayuki said with a reassuring tone, as she gave Tatsurou an equally reassuring and happy glance, that made him blush a bit.

"Right...Shirayuki did mention, back at the park, that whenever she tells people her full name, they tend to treat her badly...that's not the case with Yumeko here, but then again, Shirayuki doesn't know her too well, so I can't blame her for the way she reacted..." Tatsurou thought as he scratched the back of his head a bit, while he blushed.

"Yeah...I know about it...sorry for getting angry like this Shirayuki-san...!" Tatsurou said with a faintly embarrassed tone as he looked a bit away from Shirayuki, but as he looked away, Tatsurou jolted a bit, as the waitress that took their order, suddenly appeared beside their table, holding a large and round metal tray, that had three plates and three glasses.

"Sorry for the wait! Here's your order, two colas, and one shandy beer!" The waitress said with a happy tone, as she began to put everything that was on the tray on the table, first she placed two cups with cola and a slice of lemon in front of Tatsurou and Shirayuki, then she placed a cup with shandy beer in front of Yumeko.

"And here's the two hamburgers with special sauce and a pasta salad!" The waitress said again with a happy tone, as she now placed in front of Tatsurou and Shirayuki two plates with a bit of rice, a small salad consisting of tomatoes, lettuce, mushrooms and of course we could not forget the hamburger that had a red sauce poured over it and after that, she placed a plate with a pasta salad consisting of pasta, cherry tomatoes, red onions, mushrooms, and mozzarella.

"Thanks!" Yumeko said with a happy tone, as she briefly glanced at the waitress, that gave her a slight bow before she took, her leave and once she was gone, Yumeko wrote some more on her laptop, until...

"Very well then...dig in, you two!" Yumeko said with a happy tone, as she stopped writing on her laptop for a bit, before she looked at Tatsurou that was simply looking at his plate, as he wasn't that hungry, but Shirayuki on the other hand looked at her plate with shining star-shaped eyes, as she placed her hand's together, before her ahoge wiggled around quite a lot.

"Tatsurou-san, Tatsurou-san...can I really, eat this hamburger here?" Shirayuki asked with an embarrassed, yet faintly excited tone, as she looked at Tatsuro before she gently pulled his sleeve again, and upon seeing this Tatsurou couldn't stop smiling.

"But of course you can, Shirayuki-san! Yumeko ordered this for us...so don't be shy and dig right in!" Tatsurou said with a reassuring tone, as he gave Shirayuki a big smile.

"Then...thanks for the food!" Shirayuki said with a very happy tone, as she placed her hands together before she grabbed the fork and knife that were inside her plate, and soon enough Shirayuki began eating.

"T-This so good! The hamburger is so tasty and soft, it practically melts inside my mouth!" Shirayuki said with a very pleased tone after she took a small bite of her hamburger and upon seeing this, Tatsurou began to smile once again.

"I have never seen someone eating a hamburger with such a big smile in my life…" Tatsurou thought happily, as he looked at Shirayuki eating her hamburger, with a big smile while her ahoge wiggled around, but he was suddenly brought back from his thoughts by Yumeko, that was giving him a rather angry look.

"Come on, don't be like that Yumeko...we're not at school, so it's okay to drop the formalities, no?" Tatsurou asked with a curious tone, as he looked at Yumeko grabbing her cup with shandy beer before she took a sip from it.

"Well, that's not really it...but your kind of right, so I will let you off the hook...for now that is…" Yumeko said with a stoic tone, as she finished taking a sip from her cup.

"What do you mean with that?" Tatsurou asked with a curious tone, as he tilted his head a bit, and upon hearing him, Yumeko let out a brief sigh.

"It's nothing...well then, Tatsurou...why don't we start with this report of mine? I think that what I got until now is good enough, but a few more details and whatnot wouldn't hurt..." Yumeko said with a calm stoic tone, as she turned her laptop to Tatsurou, that gave the report a quick read, as soon as he laid eyes on its screen.

"I see, I see...so you're gonna go with the classical "the suspect attacked two innocent passersby and refused to cooperate so you had to use destructive force" type of report here..." Tatsurou said with a stoic tone, as he looked at Yumeko with a worried expression on his face, for not having chosen a better excuse.

"Don't give that look, this one always works! And besides, if you weren't in that park I wouldn't have attacked the knight like that!" Yumeko said with a firm and angry tone, as she crossed her arms, while she pouted a bit.

"You wouldn't have attacked him like that...if I wasn't at the park?" Tatsurou asked with a curious tone, as he pointed at himself, before he tilted his head a bit.

"B-But of course! When I got there and saw him attacking you...and Shirayuki-chan here...I got a bit angry and well...you know the rest already…" Yumeko said with a faint angry and embarrassed tone, as she looked at Tatsurou, that blushed a bit, as he heard Yumeko.

"I see...now that explains everything…" Tatsurou said with a stoic happy tone, as he rested his head on the palm of his left hand before he looked at Yumeko scratching her head a bit, while she blushed.

"A-Anyways...that's not important right now! What is important, is...what happened before I got to the park?" Yumeko asked with a curious tone, as she moved her laptop away before she looked at Tatsurou, which gave her a quick retelling of what happened before she arrived.

"I see, so the knight appeared out of nowhere...to be more precise he suddenly fell from the sky and began attacking you two...I know that this question may sound weird but do you have any idea why did that, Tatsurou?" Yumeko asked with a curious tone, as she clasped her hands before she placed them on the table.

"I have no idea why he attacked us, he didn't talk a single time during the whole fight..." Tatsurou said with an informative tone, as he moved his right hand a bit.

"I see...so that explains the reason as to why the armor was empty..." Yumeko said as she placed her hand on her chin and upon hearing her, Tatsurou became a bit confused.

"The armor...was empty?" Tatsurou asked with a surprised and curious tone, as he looked at Yumeko, that nodded.

"Yes, it was empty...and from my quick analysis, I could tell it was a magic armor that moved thanks to Soul Link...but it was hard to tell, to be honest..." Yumeko said with an informative tone, as she rubbed her chin a bit before she raised her index finger.

"So you mean it's one of those new armors...that use Soul Link that people have been talking about on the news, Yumeko?" Tatsurou asked, a bit curious, as he tilted his head a bit.

"Yes, but it is one of those new models of the "no pilot" Soul Link armors called, Autonomous Soul Knight armors or ASK armors...they are said to be perfect for war, as it can reduce casualties since they don't need a pilot...but on the other hand they cause more destruction and casualties on the side that doesn't have them, all in all, it's just another problem they brought to the world...the only good thing here is that they are mostly used for bodyguards or to serve the military as last resort...as of now that is..."

Yumeko said this with an unimpressed and faintly worried tone, as she let out a sigh, that didn't last long, as Tatsurou decided to ask Yumeko that had been bugging him since his fight with the knight happened.

"I see, let's hope it stays that way! But say, Yumeko...can I ask you something?" Tatsurou asked with a curious tone, as he crossed his arms a bit.

"Agreed and sure! What is it?" Yumeko asked with a curious and surprised tone, as she scratched her cheek a bit before she tilted her head.

"You see, before you trashed the knight, he had a symbol in his chest that was from the British Magic Organization...I believe that the symbol belonged to the Lion Emperor to be precise..." Tatsurou said with an informative tone, as he moved his right hand a bit.

"Wait! He had a symbol from the Lion Emperor in his chest?" Yumeko asked more surprised than curious

"Yes, he had...what's wrong, Yumeko?" Tatsurou asked more worried than curious, as he looked at Yumeko, that quickly took her phone out, from the inside of her blazer

"I knew that armor design looked familiar…" Yumeko muttered as she began to fumble around her phone, while she placed her left hand in front of her mouth.

"Uh...Yumeko? Oi, Yumeko? What's wrong?" Tatsurou asked question after question with a worried tone, as he looked at Yumeko that kept tapping away on her phone.

"Hmm? I'm sorry Tatsurou, but it's just that when I first read the code black alarm we got today...I thought it was one of those test armors that the researchers on the island usually use to make tests, that got out of a research center and began causing trouble...but now that you said that this armor had a symbol of the Lion Emperor, this changes a lot of things! Look, was this the symbol you saw on his chest? Yumeko asked with a curious tone, as she showed Tatsurou her phone, which had a picture with the symbol of the Lion Emperor Organization on its screen.

"Yes, that's the symbol...but what do you mean with this changes a lot of things?" Tatsurou asked, more worried than curious, as he looked at the phone then at Yumeko.

"You see, Tatsurou...the other day we got information on the AMDF and Soteria, from the Lion Emperor themselves, that there was someone that stole an armor from them and now that I checked the code-black from earlier a bit better...it's written here, that the Lion Emperor wants the one that stole the armor unscathed, as for the armor it alright if it gets damaged, since it is expected that the culprit will use it to fight back..." Yumeko said with an informative tone, as she looked at her phone for a moment before she placed it on top of the table.

"God, that's such a relief! Now I only have to worry about finding the person who stole the armor and there won't be any cuts in my salary!" Yumeko said with a very relieved one, as she let out a big sigh before she began to sink a bit on her chair, but as Tatsurou heard Yumeko, he suddenly grew a curious expression on his face.

"Wait...so the armor was stolen, Yumeko?" Tatsurou asked with a very curious tone, as he looked at Yumeko regaining her posture.

"Yes, it was stolen, and like I said we still haven't found the culprit yet...but we'll find him..." As Yumeko said this, she began to move her right hand a bit, as she talked, but Tatsurou wasn't listening to her any longer, because he was already in the process of thinking about who could be the one that stole the knight and ordered the attack on Shirayuki.

"I see...so if the armor was stolen from the Lion Emperor, then that can only mean that they are not the ones after Shirayuki, like I thought...but now this begs the question of "who stole the armor?" Well, I don't like to point fingers at anyone...but that woman from this morning that was after Shirayuki is the only suspect I can think of now...and besides, she did shout to someone to not let Shirayuki escape...I bet that she was talking to that knight when I heard that...so she has to be the culprit, but then again…!"

As Tatsurou thought all of this, he began to rub his chin a bit, while he looked at the ceiling for a brief moment, before he looked at Yumeko, that was giving him another death stare as she tapped her fingers on the table.

"Y-Yumeko...what's wrong?" Tatsurou asked with a worried and scared tone, as he raised his arms to defend himself instinctively.

"Hmm? Nothing's wrong Tatsurou! I just want you to tell me...if Hime never taught you not to ignore people when they are talking to you?" Yumeko asked with a curious and angry tone, as an aura of doom hovered over her, once again.

"Wait, wait, Yumeko! I wasn't ignoring you, I was just lost in thought, that's all!" Tatsurou said with a nervous tone, as he kept his arms raised, but now he looked as if he was surrendering.

"That's the same as ignoring someone, you idiot!" Yumeko said with an angry tone, as she got up from her chair before she prepared to hit Tatsurou with a chop,

"Crap she's kind of right...!" Tatsurou thought as he prepared himself to get punished, but both he and Yumeko were suddenly interrupted by the sound of Shirayuki placing her hands together.

"Thank you for the food!" Shirayuki said with a pleased and happy tone, as she finished eating her hamburger, something that surprised both Tatsurou and Yumeko.

"Is...something wrong?" Shirayuki asked with a curious yet worried tone, as she looked at Tatsurou who was preparing to protect himself, and Yumeko that was preparing herself to hit Tatsurou with a chop.

"She was so engrossed in her food that she didn't listen to a single thing…" Tatsurou and Yumeko thought as they let out a sigh.

"Nothing 's wrong…" Tatsurou and Yumeko said at the same time as they quickly regained their posture and what followed was a small silence that was broken by Yumeko.

"Ahem! Well then, we haven't even touched our food yet, so how about we finally dig in, instead of letting it go to waste?" Yumeko asked as she grabbed the fork inside her plate before she looked at Tatsurou.

"Yes...let's dig in!" Tatsurou said with a happy tone, as he prepared himself to eat her hamburger but as he did that, Yumeko interrupted him.

"Wait, the two of us eating, while Shirayuki-chan over here already finished up, feels a bit wrong...so how about I ask for another hamburger, just for you, Shirayuki-chan?" Yumeko asked with a curious tone, as she looked at Shirayuki that blushed a bit when she heard Yumeko.

"Well...I...I would love to get another one...but I already ate this here and besides I don't want you to waste money...and…!" Shirayuki said with a very embarrassed tone, as she fidgeted around a bit, but that was when a big growl was heard that made Shirayuki's ahoge point upwards, while she blushed from ear to ear.

"I-It...wasn't me!" Shirayuki said with a very embarrassed tone, as she placed her arms around her stomach, while she looked away from a very surprised Tatsurou and Yumeko, that gave each other surprised glances, before they let out a small giggle.

"Come on now...don't worry about the money, Shirayuki-chan! I'm a regular here, so I have a few coupons, for buy tow get one free! So accept it!" Yumeko said with a reassuring tone before she began to look around for the waitress.

"Hey, can you bring me another hamburger?" Yumeko asked with a curious tone, as she looked at the waitress that was cleaning a table, gave her thumbs up before she made her way to the kitchen.

"W-Wait, Yumeko-san I…!" As Shirayuki tried to say something to Yumeko that would dissuade her from getting another hamburger, Tatsurou interrupted her.

"It's no use, Shirayuki-san... once Yumeko tells you to accept something, you have to accept it! There's no other way around it…" Tatsurou said with a stoic tone, as he looked at Shirayuki that began to blush again.

"But…!" As Shirayuki said this, she was once again, interrupted by Tatsurou, that placed his fork on the plate.

"You're still hungry, right? So for now, eat until you're full and once that's done all you need to do is to compensate Yumeko one of these days for the food she gave you! Let's see, I think that if you cook Yumeko something or take her out to eat, I believe you'll be even...right?" Tatsurou asked with a curious tone, as he looked at Yumeko that smiled before she crossed her arms.

"Works for me! And if you don't give me anything that's fine too, since knowing that you enjoyed your meal, is more than enough thanks or payment!" Yumeko said with a happy and reassuring tone, as she gave Shirayuki a thumbs up and after a few seconds of pondering, Shirayuki let out a sigh.

"If that's the case then I accept...but I will compensate you for this regardless, Yumeko-san!" Shirayuki said with a happy and determined tone, as she clenched her hands a bit, while she looked at Yumeko, grabbing her glass.

"If that's what you want to do, then sure! I can't wait to try out some of your cooking or being taken out to eat!" Yumeko said with a happy tone, as she gave Shirayuki a thumbs up before she took a big sip from her glass, but as Yumeko did that, the sound of several notifications, suddenly came from her laptop.

"Hmm? Messages at this hour?" Yumeko said with a curious tone, as she placed her cup down, before she moved her laptop close, to see who sent her a message.

"Why do all the Soteria agents have to send me reports, during lunchtime? I'm sorry you two but eat up and in the meantime, I have to review these reports in the blink of an eye, then we all can have a nice chat, alright?" Yumeko asked with a curious tone, as she let out a sigh, while she looked at Tasturou and Shirayuki, that nodded a bit upon hearing her and as Yumeko saw that, she began to read and tapping away on her laptop.

But contrary to Yumeko's words her reviewing of the reports took longer than expected and so she spent the next hour and a half both reading and correcting said reports, while she ate her salad, and in the end, she didn't have her nice chat with Tatsurou and Shirayuki.

So after the said hour and a half passed, Tatsurou, Shirayuki, and Yumeko finished eating up their food, so Yumeko got up from the table and made her way to the counter to pay up and while she did that, Tatsurou and Shirayuki also got up from the table and made their way outside, where they waited for Yumeko, while they stood close to a lamppost, that was close to the restaurant's entrance and as they waited, Tatsurou and Shirayuki chatted a bit...

"That hamburger was so good, Tatsurou-san! The sauce was really good without needing to be too spicy and it's simply impressive how soft the hamburger is and how it literally melts away in your mouth once you take a bite! Now I need to learn how to make them like that!" Shirayuki said with a very happy and pleased tone, as she placed her hands together, while her ahoge wiggled around a bit before she looked at Tatsurou that smiled upon hearing Shirayuki.

"I'm happy to hear that you liked it, Shirayuki-san! But I don't think that the owner or in this case chef of this restaurant would tell you how to make a hamburger like the one we just got...after all, secrecy is the art of the trade, right?" Tatsurou, that had his school bag resting on his shoulder, asked with a happy tone, that turned into a faintly joking and curious one, as he rubbed his chin a bit before he looked at Shirayuki.

"Well, that is true...but I'll still be able to make an hamburger as tasty as this one! Then, I will make one to thank Yumeko-san for today...oh! And I'll make an hamburger for you too, Tatsurou-san, as a thank you for the cake from this morning!" Shirayuki said with a happy and determined tone, as she clenched her hands a bit before her ahoge wiggled around again and upon hearing this, Tatsurou giggled a bit.

"I see...well, it makes me happy to hear that you want to thank both me and Yumeko, by cooking up an hamburger...but you don't really have to do that...!" As Tatsurou said this he began to scratch his cheek a bit, before he was interrupted by Yumeko that was fumbling around with her phone, as she stepped out of the restaurant's front door, while she let out a depressed sigh.

"I just can't believe this! First of all, I was bombarded with all those reports and now I have to attend another urgent meeting?! I swear that they do this on purpose sometimes!" Yumeko said with a faint angry tone, as she kept tapping away on her phone, while she gave it quite the angry frown and upon seeing this, both Tatsurou and Shirayuki quickly made their way towards Yumeko.

"Hey, what's wrong Yumeko?"

"Is something the matter, Yumeko-san?"

Both Tatsurou and Shirayuki asked with very curious and worried tones, as they got close to Yumeko, that got a bit surprised with their sudden and worrying questioning.

"Hmm? Oh, don't worry you two! It's just that I got a message from the Soteria telling me that I need to go to the Soteria HQ on the main island for an urgent meeting..." Yumeko said with a faintly depressed and angry tone, as she let out another sigh, while she scratched her head a bit.

"Really?" Tatsurou asked with a curious and surprised tone, as he placed his right hand on his hip before he looked at Yumeko, that nodded a bit, as her expression turned into a depressed one, that got Shirayuki a bit curious.

"Yumeko-san...is that meeting bad or something?" Shirayuki asked with a worried and innocent tone, that had a hint of curiosity behind it, while she tilted her head a bit.

"Well, Shirayuki-chan...I wouldn't say that this meeting is something bad...but you see, they usually last for hours, which means that it will take away all of the time I have available to finish all the paperwork I have accumulated on my desk or to take care of all the pictures of the knight armor that are appearing left and right on social media...god...I already can see myself working overtime in my office tonight..." Yumeko said with a depressed tone, as she let out another sigh, while she placed her phone inside her blazer.

"By all the Kami! That's really, really bad, Yumeko-san! Isn't there anything you can do to avoid it?" Shirayuki asked with a very worried and curious tone, as she clasped her hands, after her ahoge pointed upwards, something that made Yumeko look at Shirayuki in silence for a brief moment before she giggled a bit.

"Unfortunately, there's nothing I can do to avoid this, Shirayuki-chan...but well, this is my obligation and duty, as a high-ranking member of the Soteria unit! And besides, I'm so used to this sort of thing...that they are quite literally cakewalks for me at this point!" Yumeko said with a happy and reassuring, as she placed her hands on her hips, while she smiled before she looked at Shirayuki, clasping her hands with an impressed expression covering her face.

"By all Kami...I take back what I thought back at the park about Yumeko-san being scary! She's so nice...and cool!" Shirayuki thought both happy and impressed, as she smiled.

"Now with that said, I'm off to this meeting! But before I go, I still have to thank you two once again for helping me with that small report regarding the knight! Oh and sorry for not having talked with either of you during lunch..." Yumeko said with a happy tone, as she gave Tatsurou and Shirayuki a thumbs up, which made them smile.

"You're welcome, Yumeko, and don't worry about it, you were busy with work after all! And also thanks for the food!" Tatsurou said with a happy tone, as he made a small bow towards Yumeko.

"Thank you for all the food, Yumeko-san, and please, do not worry about not having talked with us during our lunch! I know that we will have more chances for that! Oh and good luck on both that meeting and everything else!" Shirayuki said with a happy and embarrassed tone, as she was pulled out from her thoughts before she also did a small bow towards Yumeko, that giggled a bit when she heard Shirayuki.

"Don't mention it and thanks for your encouraging words! Now, if you'll excuse me…!" Yumeko said with a happy and reassuring tone, as she turned around to take her, leave, but as she began to walk away, Yumeko was interrupted by Tatsurou.

"Hold on a second, Yumeko..." Tatsurou said with a calm tone, as he got close to Yumeko that gave him a rather curious look, as she turned around.

"Listen Yumeko...I didn't say anything back there in the restaurant since you were busy and all...but I think that the person that stole the armor is a woman around her 30, red hair and she is wearing priest's robes...I'm sorry for not telling you earlier..." Tatsurou whispered with an informative tone, as he looked at Yumeko, that began to scratch her head a bit.

"You sure about that? No, wait...how do you even know that?" Yumeko asked with a suspicious tone and expression, as she also whispered.

"Well…" As Tatsurou said this, he briefly glanced at Shirayuki that looked at him and Yumeko with a worried and confused expression.

"I see...so this has something to do with Shirayuki-chan?" Yumeko asked with a curious tone, to which Tatsurou answered with a simple nod.

"I should've known that Shirayuki-chan had something to do with all of this...but as much as I want to help and take care of it, I have to go to this meeting and then take care of everything else..." Yumeko said with a conflicted and worried tone, as she rubbed her chin a bit, until...

"Hmm, let's see...I'll tell both my partner in the Soteria to investigate and have a look around for that woman...so in the meantime, you stay out of trouble and keep Shirayuki-chan safe, then I'll call you back if I find something, is that alright Tatsurou?" Yumeko said with a bit of worry, as she looked at Tatsurou, that gave her a thumbs up.

"Sounds like a plan, Yumeko...just try and find her quick, ok?" Tatsurou said with a determined, and faintly worried tone, as he stopped giving her a thumbs up.

"I'll try...but you have to promise me that this doesn't turn into another Michiko case like three years ago, got it?" Yumeko said again with a worried tone, as she put her phone inside her blazer before she began to slowly turn around to take, her leave.

"Don't worry Yumeko, it won't happen…" Tatsurou said with a reassuring tone, as he began to wave goodbye to Yumeko that responded with the same gesture, before she finally took, her leave and once she was gone, Shirayuki slowly and shyly approached Tatsurou.

"Tatsurou-san...if you don't mind me asking, what were you talking about with Yumeko-san?" Shirayuki asked with a curious and embarrassed tone, as she stopped close to Tatsurou.

"Hmm? Oh, don't worry Shirayuki-san...I...I just remembered that I had to tell Yumeko something before she left, that's all…" Tatsurou said with a reassuring tone, as he gave Shirayuki a quick thumbs-up before he smiled.

"I-I see…" Shirayuki said with a faintly embarrassed tone, as she deep down knew what Tatsurou told Yumeko and even though she didn't want to bother anyone with her problems, Shirayuki was happy with the fact that someone decided to help her regardless.

"Tatsurou-san has been so nice and helpful...and I believe that he even asked Yumeko-san to look for that woman...so...now that the authorities are taking care of this perhaps...perhaps I…" As Shirayuki thought this, she slowly began to move her hand towards Tatsurou's sleeve and once she got close, she hesitated for a moment, until...

"T-Tatsurou-san...can...can I ask you a favor?" Shirayuki asked with a very nervous and worried tone, as she pulled on Tatsurou's sleeve before she began to blush from ear to ear, something that made Tatsurou a bit curious.

"Sure you can, what is it?" Tatsurou asked with a curious tone, as looked at Shirayuki, that after a while of looking a bit down, then to all sides while she fidgeted a bit around, she finally mustered the courage to ask Tatsurou that favor.

"W-Well then, Tatsurou-san...would...would you let me stay with you?" Shirayuki asked both with a very embarrassed tone and with all of her courage and Tatsurou just stood there without reaction or words to say, other than the biggest "huh" ever heard...