Chapter 08

We were in the main hall, everyone was at the table with the exception of Mice-san, who was at the computer, and Tiger-nee-san who was standing, facing Dragon-Sensei.

(Dragon): "You can start..."

(Tiger): "Yes sir. Mice, please."

I saw Mice-san fiddling with the computer and in the middle of the table some images appeared, I was there for six months and I had seen it a few times, but I never failed to impress me, as it looked like it came out of one of my favorite movies . The picture of a fat man was highlighted in the middle of all those images.

(Tiger): This is a target that was requested... Yun Shaoran. "

(Monkey): "Is this a paid service?"

(Tiger): "Yes, several men have requested this."

(Ox): "So it was a group?"

(Tiger): "A community."

(Snake): "And what did he do so wrong, Tiger-chan?"

(Tiger): "According to the people who hired us, Yun Shaoran is in human trafficking."

(Rabbit): "WHAT!?"

(Dragon): "How are they sure of that?"

(Tiger): "Their women were kidnapped, and their daughters also for those who had one of the men who hired us, was on the lookout and saw men in military clothes leaving the village while carrying something, he followed them and saw that what they were carrying was a woman and that they took her to one of Yun Shaoran's many residences."

At that time the image of a mansion appeared, where four men entered the door with one of them holding a person on the shoulders.

(Goat): "Thing that could be reported... does Yun Shaoran have a lot of influence?"

(Tiger): "To say that he has influence is kind of wrong... we can say that he has good contacts, and those contacts have influence... he is running for Prime Minister of China, but his popularity is very low, and he's not exactly loved in the government... which contradicts the fact that he is in the first place. "

(Horse): "So there are people from the Chinese government in the middle?"

(Tiger): "No... it seems, he has the support of some criminal organizations... including the [Phantom Task]."

(Ichika): "[Phantom Task]? Isn't this organization that has been stealing ISs around the world?"

(Tiger): "Yes, that same Ichika-kun. Apparently, they stopped doing that because they are waiting for the second generation."

(Rooster): "So they won't be bothering for a while, after all there are still four years until the second generation starts to be made en masse... unless they have the support of Shinonono Tabane, then they will just have to wait two."

I didn't like that possibility at all, because the only way they could have Tabane-san's support would be for her to support them willingly.

(Dragon): "Did he commit any more heinous acts?"

(Tiger): "Just a few rumors that we can confirm at the mansion... apparently he keeps some sex slaves, and for those he gets tired of, he either kills or he sells to a brothel..."

(Pig): "And what are these brothels?"

(Tiger): "I'm not sure... but what I managed to get, with Mice's help of course, all his 'partners', with the exception of organizations, will be in the same mansion in the photo in two weeks."

(Dog): "Is someone famous in the underworld helping him as a bodyguard or something?"

(Tiger): "Actually there is."

Another image appeared, a man with long black hair, wearing a purple yukata and with a katana tied around his waist.

(Ox): "Is 'Sparrow' with them?"

(Tiger): "Yes..."

(Rabbit): "I knew I should have pulled the trigger that time!" - She said hitting the table, making the images drizzle.

(Mice): "Watch out." - she in an irritated tone.

Mice-san hated it when someone did that, as it somehow affected the computer too.

(Dragon): "There is no use complaining about past mistakes..."

(Tigre): "What's the verdict, sir?"

(Dragon): "These men will pay in blood for their actions..."

(Tiger): "Understood, sir. I'm going to China immediately."

(Rabbit): "Dragon-sama, please allow me to go too."

It seemed that she wanted to correct what she did, or in this case what she failed to do, before.

(Dragon): "No... who will accompany Tiger will be Ichika."

I was surprised without being sure I heard it right, and it seemed like I wasn't the only one, but Rabbit-san's words showed that I hadn't heard it wrong.

(Rabbit): "Ichika!? He hasn't done any work yet, he hasn't even killed a person."

That was true, after all I was doing the research that was responsible for the request, and the Dragon-Sensei that defined the team, and in this six months I was left out, I didn't even take a life until now, something I didn't complain about , but I knew I was going to have to face it sooner or later.

(Dragon): "What makes this the perfect opportunity... besides, didn't you say it yourself that it would take you a month to fix your weapon and recover completely?"

(Rabbit): "Ugh!!!"

In fact, Rabbit-san's weapon, as well as the same, came back very well from the last mission.

(Pig): "But you can still send another member, why Ichika-kun?"

(Dragon): "As I said, it is the perfect opportunity. But if you are worried... Ichika... do you want to do this job with Tiger?" - he said while looking at me.

I looked into Dragon-Sensei's eyes and saw that he really trusted me for the job, I looked at the rest of the group, Ox, Monkey, Goat-san and Rooster-san looked at me the same way as always. Snake-san, Rabbit-san, Pig-san, Horse-san, Dog-san were looking at me with concern. Mice-san was just a little surprised by this, and Tiger-nee-san was looking at me in the same way as Dragon-Sensei.

I was part of the group... I had to do my job.

(Ichika): "I do."

The girls with the exception of Tiger-nee-san and Mice-san looked defeated, the men were smiling, as were Tiger-nee-san and Mice-san.

(Dragon): "Very well..."

(Tiger): "Ichika-kun, we will be leaving for China in an hour, I will teach you the ways of the service."

(Ichika): "Right."

(Dragon): "The meeting is over... Ichika, come with me... I want to give you something..." - he said getting up.

I got up and went after him, he took me to the room with the dragon's head, and he went in and I followed him, it was the first time that I entered the room of another member of the group. Dragon-Sensei's room looked like a dojo shaped like a room.

There were three katanas hanging on the wall of different sizes, he took the smallest one and handed it to me.

(Dragon): "You will need a real sword..."

I took the katana and removed it from the sheath, the blade was completely black, but I could see that it had a beautiful thread, it fit perfectly in my hand, and the blade was 40 cm long.

(Dragon): "I think I chose well... be careful, Ichika, don't take too much risk."

At that time I realized that even though I chose to do the job, Dragon-Sensei was worried about what might happen to me, and I didn't blame him. After all, everything could go wrong.

(Ichika): "I will, Dragon-Sensei."

He just nodded, I bowed and left the room. I went to my room, and I changed my clothes because I had just put on my training clothes when they called the meeting. I put on a white jacket over a slim purple hoodie and a black base layer shirt with black jeans, and boots of the same color, I got some things since we were staying in China for two weeks ... I wondered if Tiger- nee-san would let me see if Ling was fine after the service, just thinking about her made my face a little hot. But then I remembered that I had no idea where she could be.

I met Tiger-nee-san in the main hall, everyone was there on time.

(Tiger): "I see that you're ready."

(Ichika): "Yes."

We said goodbye to the other members, with each of the women giving me a hug, while they looked at me with the same worried look as before, even Mice-san, while the men continued as usual. Tiger-nee-san took me to where the cars and motorbikes were, we got in her car, and left the premises.

She drove for a while and at that time a question arose in my head.

(Ichika): "Tiger-nee-san..."

(Tiger): "What is it, Ichika-kun?"

(Ichika): "How do we go to the mission places? We can't just take a plane, can we?"

(Tiger): "Actually we can... the owner of an airline is the brother of a former member of [Zodiac Beasts], so she lends us one or two planes, with a driver of course, and we go to the places. "

(Ichika): "But what if something happens to her? Wouldn't we lose an ally and our means of transportation?"

(Tiger): "Her children are in the company, and they liked their uncle very much, even if something happens to her, they will clearly help us."

That made me a little more relaxed, although I still feel uncomfortable. We arrived at the airport, we entered through another gate, where there were two medium-sized planes, clearly they were private planes.

We got on one of the planes, and Tiger-nee-san said our destination, a Yun Shaoran mansion near Shanghai, it took us almost 3 hours to get there, Tiger-nee-san gave me a device that looked like a pair of headphones, she told me to translate any language to Japanese. After someone arrived at the airport, there was a car with a key at the door, clearly waiting for us.

We got into the car, where a Tiger-nee-san started to drive. It took us another hour to get to the village that hired someone. The village leader received us, she gave the same device that she gave to the leader.

(Leader): "Miss, did you come to take care of the problem?"

(Tiger): "Yes, but let's wait a while, after all all the fish will be able to get together in two weeks, at that moment people do the cleaning."

(Leader): "I just hope they don't come during that time... and who is a child?"

(Tiger): "He is my partner on this mission."

The leader's eyes went wide with that statement.

(Tiger): "If you are thinking, and can guarantee that it is ready for service."

It seemed to calm them down a little.

(Leader): "If you guarantee, then we believe ... we just ask you to finish or suffer whoever is passing by."

(Tiger): "You can be sure, when we finish, you will be free of these guys."