0.24: The Resentful and vexed ronins

Gaiyato was returning to HQ to get Miku with the occasion in mind. "What the hell was that all about? I know I can't sense danger, yet I saw that girl from afar. Today is just a bad day for my tolerance."

Miku ran back to him as she spotted him. "Gaiyato!"

"Miku, hey, what's…" Suddenly, he noticed her in the Rebirth outfit. "OH HELL NO!!"

She shrieked and stepped back. "WAIT! Before you say anything, trust me when I told you I wanted this out of my will."

"No, you didn't! All you want is to be close to that F*CKER AZAHII!"

"What? No, he told himself he wasn't interested in me…all because of YOU!!"

"OH, SO THAT IS-…wait, he said he wasn't interested?" Gaiyato dropped the anger.

"YES!! SOME STUFF ABOUT 'I was just testing him.', AND NOW I'M IN JUST AS A MEDIC!!"

Hit!!

She hit him multiple times on his chest, but Gaiyato just watched her cheerfully. "See, I told you he wasn't worth it."

She sighed and halted. "So, are you joining as well?"

"And see his face every single day of working hours?!"

"Come on! You can't let your wife be the breadwinner in the family!"

"CORRECTION, girlfriend…"

HIT!!

She struck him again. "HNG, AT LEAST PRETEND AS IF YOU FEEL THEM!!"

"That would be lying… that's against my existence."

"So obscene language is okay but not fibbing?" She asked.

He picked her up and opened a portal. "That's a conversation for another day. Let's head back home, I'm tired."

"…You can't be helped…"

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All the members of the Black Bullets celebrated the success of the mission.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! WE ARE THE FIRST GUILD TO MAKE IT TO THE CENTRAL!"

"YEAH, WE ARE THE BEST GUILD THERE IS!!"

"Didn't that girl do it for us?"

"SHUT UP, IT WAS A TEAM EFFORT!"

Haruro was helping hand out the drinks to everyone while Ariel was drinking at the counter. "These people have no shame. They let Noriko do all the heavy lifting, making it sound like a team effort. What a bunch of bastards."

"Well, it's better than coming in grief. I'm not saying that I agree with the celebration, but it has been a while since we saw the guild smile after a mission." Haruro said while refilling her glass.

"Thanks, and you do have a point. Even though I'm not too fond of it… nobody has ever beamed on our way back from Legon city."

She turned to the table where guild members surrounded Seto and Noriko.

"YOU'RE SO COOL! HOW DID YOU PREDICT THE FUTURE?!"

"NORIKO, THOSE MONSTERS…YOU BEAT THEM ALL?!"

"AND THOSE GOGGLES ARE GAIYATO'S; YOU CAN SEE HIS CUSTOMS ON THEM!!"

"I'm so jealous of how strong you guys are."

"Haha, thanks, guys. That is my prowess, PAINT PROWESS! With it, I can draw what I want and, depending on my request, will decide whether it'll happen or not."

"That's pretty cool, so can you draw yourself with a stack of MONEY?!" Abel asked.

"No, I don't know what it looks like…"

"Wait, so let me clarify. You drew a HUMAN, dead monsters, a flare, and EXPLOSIONS…BUT YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT MONEY LOOKS LIKE?!"

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!

Everyone was dying of laughter.

"YEAH, I don't. As far as I've tried, I can't draw tangible things…only events that could happen to someone. Here's an example."

He carved Ariel being strumbled by a bottle as she walked towards them.

"Dude, YES!"

They all turned to her, and everything went quiet.

"…what? Seto, what did you tell them?"

"*Giggles* I don't know, could you come to see what I drew?"

She stared straight at his face, then slowly whispered to Haruro. "He drew something bad happening to me, did he?"

Haruro shrugged, pointed to the floor, saw the bottle, and smiled. "Wow, is that your smart trick?" She laughed, then walked over to it. "I asked what you were telling THE_!!!"

CRASH!!

She tumbled to the ground after slipping off a bottle.

"What…?"

HAHAHA!!

"IT ACTUALLY HAPPENED!! HE CAN MAKE A FUTURE!!"

"WHOA!! THAT'S SO COOL!!"

"Wait! I'm sure I walked over it!" Ariel assured herself.

"I had a feeling you would; that's why I drew a SECOND bottle stuck on your heel."

Ariel stood up and looked at it. She saw one bottle on the floor and another on her heel. "Wow, aren't you a sneaky one? COME HERE!!"

They all laughed and smiled as she tried getting to Seto.

***

Meanwhile, Skiros was in his office with Eunice. They were still in shock at Seto's capability. "Sir, do you know what this means?" He said. "This gives us a great chance to end the entire Apprehension and retain Legon City!"

SLAM!

Skiros furiously hit his desk. "THAT is EXACTLY what we don't want! Are you insane, Eunice?!"

"…Sir?"

"Don't you know the whole apprehension is an excuse! IT'S ALL A LIE! We aren't on the losing side; we're on the side with the numbers to our advantage. We have more than 10 different guilds filled with experienced members. Hell, we even have the F5 for crying out loud!"

Skiros threw the contract he made with the Williams and the one for the F5 and Rebirth members to him. "Read it, and read it carefully."

Eunice picked it up and began reading.

"To all the members of Rebirth, as you pledge, you abide to renounce your sense of fighting in the apprehension. Rather, instruct fellow ronins in every nine guilds to forestall their life on the battlefield. If you are to break this contract, you shall be revoked of your position and any owned land or possessions within your Rebirth salary."

"You see what I mean? This is why no matter how good people in Rebirth are, they're forced to leave all the hard work to the Guilds. That being said, only I have the original contract for F5. The captains don't have one since they expect us to die in action."

Eunice picked the second one up. "To all the F5 Stars, you are forbidden to aid with any circumstances within Legon City. Please note that your clan leader position shall be revoked if you act otherwise."

"This…can't be…" Eunice was stupefied. "B-but Sir, if this is all true…then that means the Williams is working with the enemies?!"

"Keep your voice down; the last thing I want is for anyone else to hear you."

"But this is great! With this evidence, we can call onto all the captains to rebuke this…and then we can end this-"

"EUNICE!" Skiros shut him up. "You will not tell anyone this; your life depends on it."

As obedient as he was, this was a truth he would not let sink. "I'm sorry, Sir, but my pride as a ronin depends on this. I cannot stay and watch all my comrades die every single year if it can end with this!"

"Then...you shall join them."

"…what?"

Skiros pushed him out of his way. Everyone fell silent as he opened his door. "Alright, everyone! Enough celebrating. This was just the beginning of our mission. Go get some rest; we'll have a busy schedule tomorrow…for the meantime,"

He walked to Noriko's table and served her a bowl of treats and pudding. "A man of his word should never back down from a promise; you deserved it, young Noriko."

She smiled, darted at her food, and then he turned to Sayori. "My deepest apologies for today, Miss. Let me assure you my intentions were not as they seemed. I hated your family…but your children's talent made me eat my words rightfully. I am truly sorry…"

"… It's okay, Sir; no harm was done to them, so I'm glad. At least please understand that as a mother, this was a first for me."

"Understandable indeed. I will reduce vital missions for them as they grow up.

Seto stood up and walked to his voice. "You won't have to worry about me, captain; I'm always at your service!"

YEAH!!

They all praised his courage and clapped their hands. "Those words are music to my ears, young Seto. If you keep up the good work, you might make it to the Vice-Captain one day. That position could open up before you even know it."

He stared at Eunice while saying that.

"That's it from me; everyone calls it a day. Regroup at the entrance at eight sharp. Goodnight!"

YES SIR!!