Employment

I frown. "Augusta, is it?"

Sae nods. "She was there. She worked with Hanezu, I think." She closes her eyes. "She wants to kidnap Tobio-kun. I…don't know why."

"Ikuse Tobio?" Akeno hums. "He's your friend, right?"

It's early in the afternoon right now. School had just ended, and Akeno and I were walking home when I noticed that the 'Alarms' I scattered around Kuoh activated for a moment. I'd used my eyes to find out who it was, only to blink when I saw a familiar face.

It was Toujou Sae, the first student I'd saved from Hanezu's hold. Last I remember, she'd been back in her hometown, finally having returned to her dear friend.

Months ago, I'd returned her and her fellow survivors back to their homes. The news had immediately picked up, and questions poured in. Where were they? How did they come back? Just what happened to them?

Most of them couldn't answer. They didn't remember; Yasaka and her servants had deleted the memories of those unwilling to be involved further in the supernatural world. But there are a few who did refuse getting their memories wiped, and it was them that told the story. Sae happened to be one of the most vocal.

The story goes like this: Sae and her friends had gone on the ferry, only to be kidnapped by a scientist of sorts. Himejima Hanezu is his name, and he performed all sorts of psychological tortures to see what lengths the human mind can take. Many broke and simply forgot who they were. She didn't.

But after months of planning, she and some of her friends had finally lit the place on fire, and they saved those that'd broken as they fled in the chaos.

The story went viral immediately. Himejima Hanezu's name, though already dead, was smeared even deeper into the mud. And those that went to where the Utsusemi Agency had once stood, they'd find a charred ruin, filled with 'conveniently' untouched data logs that held some inconsequential detail about the survivors.

It's only partially true, of course. The Utsusemi Agency didn't burn down because Sae lit it on fire, nor did Hanezu's corpse get burnt inside. But Akeno and I had carefully lit the emptied place on fire, and we made sure important pieces of evidence remained for the masses to see. Though we made sure nothing about the supernatural world remained.

And that should've been it. Sae and her friends survived, and have returned home. They would never be the same, but at least they're alive.

Yet, here she is, sitting opposite of Akeno and I, idly sipping on her cup of soda.

She nods. "He didn't get caught up like me." She begins. "He's just a normal person, and yet…" Her fingers clenched around her cup. "Augusta wants his Sacred Gear for some reason. And I want to stop her. But-" She grits her teeth. "I can't do anything."

I close my eyes.

Ikuse Tobio. A normal boy by all means. He's slightly older than I am, though it won't look that way if we stand next to one another. He's perfectly normal, a little shy perhaps, if not for the fact that he hosts inside his soul one of the famed Longinus—Sacred Gears holding the capability to eventually slay gods.

Canis Lykaon is its name, and I can see why it's a Longinus. A summon-type Sacred Gear, allowing the user to summon a dog-like summon. But once grown, it'll eventually allow them to summon blades capable of cutting through Concepts. And that?

That's terrifying.

"So why come now?" I ask, already knowing the answer. "If Augusta was such a danger, why had you kept quiet?"

She looks down for a moment, both afraid and ashamed. "I…wanted to forget." She admits in a low voice. "I thought everything was over." She shuts her eyes. "I thought I could go home." She laughs. It isn't a pretty sound. "But it doesn't ever end, does it?

Akeno and I glance at one another. She seems worried. So am I.

"What's the problem, then?"

Sae looks back up to me. "A Fallen tried to kidnap Tobio-"

My eyes go wide.

Shit.

My arm blurs, and I quickly slap an 'Illusion' Ofuda onto the table we're sitting by. The Ofuda lights up, and the area around us is shrouded in a thin film of light.

And just moments later, the sky turns white as lightning crashes onto the ground. It's a massive pillar of light, and it melts through the concrete and several inches of dirt beneath it. Sae yelps as she leans into her seat, shaking slightly as she cautiously stares at Akeno.

By my side, Akeno looks murderous. Jagged electricity courses around her, swirling as a dangerous vortex of blues and yellows. The air is filled with the smell of ozone, and ordinary humans would've started getting dizzy if they were here. Her eyes, normally bright violet, are now an uncanny yellow.

"Continue." She says politely, her voice eerily light.

Sae continues to shake, but she manages a nod. "T-They tried to k-kidnap Tobio-kun. And, um, I took him down before T-Tobio-kun got h-hurt, but-, um,"

"He now knows about the supernatural, I'm assuming." I finish for her. She shakily nods, and I hum. "Do you need my help erasing his memory?"

She quickly shakes her head. "He doesn't want to." For a moment, a sweet smile comes onto her lips. "H-He wants to help me. He wants to f-fight alongside me."

I nod. An understandable notion. The poor sod just saw his long-time friend take down a Fallen Angel, and then learnt that she did that to protect him from getting kidnapped. And considering that she just returned from getting kidnapped herself?

It's a perfect storm to pull the usually shy boy out of his shell.

"So," My voice dips, and I adorn the neutral mask I've cultivated for the past two years. "What is it that you need from me? This Augusta might have worked with Hanezu, but she has done me no harm. There is little reason for me to involve myself in this." My eyes begin to glow. "What can you pay in return?"

She goes quiet at that. She can't say anything. She doesn't have anything she can pay me with. She knows this, and she can only look down and keep herself from crying.

It feels a little mean, but I have to remain impartial. Toujou Sae has little relation to me; she's just someone I saved in the past. The Longinus her friend has is interesting, sure, but so what? By all accounts, I have no direct reason to involve myself.

I glance to my side. Akeno's staring at me. Glaring, almost.

I know what she's thinking. She's angry right now. In her mind, Augustus is now connected with the Fallen, and in her eyes, an enemy. But she knows better than to mindlessly pursue. So she remains silent, stewing in her anger as she waits for my decision.

A minute goes by. Sae doesn't say anything.

I close my eyes. "You have your answer, then?"

She nods, disheartened. Still, she tries to smile at me. It doesn't quite work. "I do." She says softly, before she bows. "I'm sorry for wasting your time, Hyoudou-sama."

I hum. "There is no waste. I'm at least glad to see you well." I say. "Although…"

Sae looks at me, confused, and I smile. "You are still more than allowed to come here." I start. "As you said yourself, you are too weak to take the flame witch. Much less the rest of her company."

She nods sadly. "I-I know, but-"

"But," I cut her off, my smile growing. "That does not mean you must face them now." She blinks, confused. "The fact that she hadn't moved herself means that she considers you and your friend too low of a priority." I grin. "It gives you much needed time, does it not?"

She slowly nods. "I…guess so."

She then yelps when I suddenly clap my hands. "So! Does it not mean you have time to prepare and arm yourself? After all, preparations are half of a battle, aren't they?"

Her eyes go wide. "You mean…?"

"That's right." I say, and Akeno finally smiles as she pulls out a small coin from her purse. She hands it over, and Sae stares at it in confusion. "I wish to employ you."

"E-Employ!?" She says, and then squeaks when she nearly drops her coin in surprise. "But what am I doing anyway? A-And what's this coin for?"

"As you might know, I am the one in charge of this town." I begin. "But, to put it lightly, I am swamped with work, both inside and outside." I sigh. "There are tasks that have gone undone for quite some time." I then smile. "I'd like to contract you to finish these jobs. If you do, I will pay you in return."

And I do mean 'jobs'. From helping fix up old buildings to taking care of the growing population of Stray Devils just outside of Kuoh. I have a mish-mash of tasks I haven't gotten to finishing, mostly because all my time has been sucked up by my other projects.

"Ooh." Sae stares down at the coin in her hands. "And this coin?"

"At the edge of town, you will find a ruined church." I say, pointing in the rough direction of the one decrepit church we have in Kuoh. "Beneath it is a basement, furnished with all amenities. You will also find a board filled with reports on the unfinished tasks." I point at the coin. "If you accept, then you can bypass the barrier locking the basement using that coin as a key."

Of course, I hadn't planned for Sae to be my first 'Agent'. I first wanted to hire someone from Kyoto to help keep Kuoh's peace, but this works as well. And more than that, if all works well, she might also bring others here.

All that's left is for her to accept.

"You can also spend your earnings to buy tools and weapons to aid you. But, that is your choice." I smile. "Now, do you accept?"

She stares blankly at her coin for a few moments, clearly debating with herself whether or not to do this. Before, inevitably, she turns up and gives us a determined smile. "I do!"

I smile, and from then, our contract is made.

…

Some time later, as Akeno and I are walking, she nudges her shoulder into mine and giggles. "You totally started acting there." She starts, grinning all the while. "Did you borrow those words from that manga you read?"

I snort. "You caught me." I give her a smirk. "I mean, I just couldn't help myself. Being a guildmaster sounds fun."

She giggles.