'Steady your breathing and ready yourself,' Megumi concentrated on his air intake, flowing into his nose and departing through his mouth. Sorcerers needed to stay calm if they wished to analyze a situation and come out on top of it.
Situations such as battles and ignorance of another person's abilities were all common for people in that occupation. To peer into how an enemy Sorcerer's ability works, and then deconstruct it in a way you understand, fully requires a thoughtful and clear mind.
Megumi was one to keep his cool, even in difficult situations. However, if a situation such as a Special Grade Cursed Spirit appears, his mental fortitude is tested, like a fortress being bombarded by artillery fire.
To keep this fortress up, his mind was the king, commanding his soldiers, the body; to heed his will and fight back against the threat. By dealing with the 'threat,' he can fix his mental state and fully focus on what mattered the most.
In his current situation, Fushiguro Megumi did not have to worry about anything at all. From behind Ch'en, he methodically traced his gaze across all corners of the room,not even leaving the transparent stains on the wall unturned.
The people sending conspicuous gazes towards them were the most obvious Megumi had seen, lacking the practicality that he was familiar with in his previous world. Examples included the kidnapper and even assassin Sorcerers sent his way after going under Gojo Satoru's care.
It was not only that which provoked the onslaught of attempted kidnappings, but the discovery of his Ten Shadows inheritance.. It was as obvious as the overbearing sun who was the main force behind it.
So in general, comparing these criminal thugs, at best, to those Sorcerers Gojo had taught him how to deal with, he felt as if he was using too much brain power for them.
The Ten Shadows user wasn't somebody who would overanalyze what he said in everyday life, but he was certainly not in everyday life the moment he walked into this restaurant with the LGD Superintendent.
...Pondering upon it a little more vividly, like glancing through a sparkling mirror, Megumi realized that he was never in everyday life after his entrance into this world. Or, to be precise, he only had one or two moments in which he truly enjoyed the monotony of just living in society.
Under the idea that the Slums were part of society.
But in the end, the current danger wasn't too much for him to stress about. Speaking of stress, it wasn't a good thing either, considering how much of it had been crushing his body recently.
Literally, and metaphorically.
"Head Superintendent of the LGD," a voice called out to the blue haired Lung when they had arrived at the receptionist desk once more. The wooden pedestal which held reservations for special guests rested on top of it. What was most noteworthy, was how all of the details plastered on it were handwritten.
"Yes," Ch'en curtly replied to the receptionist, making Megumi stop his survey of the room to focus on the current events.
Megumi could feel the rest of the piercing gazes of the Lupos in this confined space pressing onto his body. From what he understood, there was a good portion keeping a nasty eye out on those... three women sitting at a corner of the restaurant.
Speaking of those three women, they also seemed to shoot a discreet gaze towards his and Ch'en's direction.
Megumi didn't feel like reciprocating it in any way, especially with how uncomfortable he felt under them. It was like they knew something about him, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
'Do they know me from the Tiger Funeral video? Yeah, that's probably it,' there was no need to delve too much on the thought, he needed it elsewhere anyways.
He already formulated a plan in the worst case scenario.
"Were the seating arrangements unsatisfactory? I apologize, but you need a special reservation before choosing which room..." The Lupo receptionist started to blabber on assumptions, most likely in an attempt to deflect whatever questions Ch'en had.
"That's not the problem," Ch'en wasn't amused in the slightest, showing it off by crossing her arms.
"Then... are you here because you have already made up your order? You see, a waiter or waitress is supposed to..." The receptionist continued on, a reasoning tone traced along with every utterance.
Megumi had to give him some props, seeing how committed he was to the act. If they were going to act as a fake restaurant for whatever ploy these gang members have, they could have at least made it much less obvious.
Now that he thought about it, these Blood Hounds don't know anything about blending in, do they? The last two times he remembered encountering them, they were also wearing trench coats and fedoras.
At the very least, Megumi could see that some of them were better blended in, wearing clothes that fit Lungmen; instead of what was practically a gigantic sign that said they belong to the Blood Hounds.
While the receptionist closed his eyes and continued blabbering on, Ch'en's expression continued to become more sour.
"Enough of that," the Lung called out to him, raising her voice for everybody in the restaurant to hear. "Under the order of the LGD, I need you to hand over the reservation list," the woman pulled out and flashed her badge for good measure.
Megumi continued to watch on in silence, the palpable tension in the air having reached a boiling point.
"A-ahem," the receptionist sweat dropped while coughing into their fist, "do you have a warrant to proceed with such actions?" It looked like a last ditch attempt at any salvation.
"Of course," Ch'en replied, not a hint of deceit in her voice, "it was issued about 20 minutes ago."
From the sidelines, hands started stealthily moving towards concealed parts of the resident's clothing.
Although the sounds of shifting weren't heard, and they weren't attempting to make it look obvious, Megumi snapped his head to the side. After that, he slowly ran his gaze across all of them like a hawk, spiking his Cursed Energy to a small extent.
It worked like a charm in keeping them frozen for a little bit, letting the black haired man give some stalling time for Ch'en, 'she's probably already prepared.'
"Understood," surprisingly, the receptionist closed his eyes and nodded, speaking a single word of agreement to the LGD officer. His hands started to reach over the reservations list-
-Before he slammed his fist on the pedestal desk, the sounds of slinking blades and locked crossbows were heard.
Ch'en's concentration already prevented this occurrence from hampering her in the slightest. Something like this was already within her expectations, and she was disappointed.
The dragon lady sent a casual glance behind to Megumi, "leave some alive," her cold words held no fear in this situation.
Megumi reached his hand upwards, grabbing a crossbow bolt that was about to impale his head mid flight, "okay."
Megumi's arm moved faster than the wind, breaking apart the air particles within the path of its throwing motion.
SHING
He kept completely still, feeling the object's weight completely leave his hand and soar across the room back towards the enemy who had fired it off.
SPLAT
The LGD Superintendent had only seen the projectile literally vaporize the Lupo gang member's head into a blood splatter for a split second, but knew what it was;
"No rubber, huh?" Ch'en slammed her hand on the pedestal, grabbing the reservations list before the Lupo at the front could, "steel crossbow bolts are illegal in Lungmen." With those words, she side vaulted over it, and sent a bone breaking fist against the receptionist's face.
"Agh!" They let out a pathetic sound, something akin to a dog groveling after choking on food.
Megumi moved towards the pedestal while turning around, his back facing Ch'en who had landed after dealing the crippling blow to the enemy. While making his way, he could feel multiple projectiles whistle in the wind like a distorted song, moving his body calculatingly to avoid them.
Once he reached his destination, he gathered his hands together for-
"Hey~, need some help, monster inspector?!" A voice rang out across the room, catching his attention and the gang member's.
The Lupo still had their weapons trained on Ch'en and Megumi, the latter two standing on both sides of the pedestals also being distracted by the voice.
A woman was standing on one of the tables, a wide grin across her face while holding a KRISS Vector.
Megumi kept note on how that was the first ever gun he had seen in this world, but couldn't tell what kind of model it was.
"I'm not paying you if you do help!" Ch'en yelled out, holding the black sheathed blade in a reverse-grip and drawing it.
The Blood Hounds holding their weapons started to change the direction in which they were facing, but due to no communication, more than 80 percent of them were turned to Exusiai.
That left Megumi and Ch'en bearing only 20 percent of the rest of them, giving them a lot of room to breathe.
In Exusiai's case, she pointed her gun, going into a hip firing stance before letting out a raging storm of bullets.
The enemies attempted to fire off their crossbow bolts at her, but immediately found themselves being ripped apart by bullets before they could do so. The smart ones ducked behind objects such as the tables and seats to avoid the brunt of gunfire.
Chaos ensued, objects being kicked and knocked off to provide cover, while a clash of bullets and crossbow bolts started to fill the air.
Any bolt that almost made its way to Exusiai was immediately stopped by Texas, who had drawn her the handles attached to her waist and ignited them with Arts.
Shadow Extension: Max Elephant
CLAP
Megumi's hands clapped together, while lowering his stance to avoid a crossbow bolt hellbent on severing his mortal coil. 'So we have support, that's good,' a jet of water ripped out of his enclosed hands at supersonic speeds, creating a concentrated stream of death.
SPLASH
He moved it across the room, slicing through chairs and tables like butter, leaving the people hiding behind them split in half and bleeding all over the place. Megumi made sure to stop right as he was about to complete a 180 motion to not accidently hit Ch'en.
The woman had already leapt forward though, moving past the arc of Max Elephant's water and dropping down a ducking Blood Hound member.
BAM
The man who had his head ducked down and avoided certain death was met instead with a crushing force that rattled his skull.
After that, Ch'en back flipped while still holding her blade in a reverse grip, and then turned it into a standard grip and leaping towards the other Blood Hounds.
Shouts were heard, the enemies putting away their crossbows in favor of using melee weapons now that the LGD officer had approached the range where ranged weapons became inefficient.
Twisting her body to the side, Ch'en dodged the last crossbow bolt she would face today, before completing a spinning motion and slashing at the enemy in front of her.
A large gash appeared on their chest, a streaking red line staining their shirt and trench coat while they fell back.
From behind Ch'en, two people had rushed her with knives raised, prompting her to lower into a crouch and do a full leg sweep.
It sent the enemies off balance, like towers being tipped over with how easily they fell from her blitzing force.
Right after, Megumi had rushed to her aid with the Inverted Spear of Heaven in hand, opting for a weapon that wouldn't blow their limbs off or cleave them into chopped steak.
Instead of stabbing them with his dagger though, he dropped his left hand on the ground and sent a flying kick that blasted the two across the room and to where the kitchen door was.
BANG
The door flew off its hinges while they were sent through it, before Megumi slid on the ground with his legs, moving a short distance and stopping. Reaching into his shadow, he held the ISoH in reverse-grip and pulled out his own firearm.
Ch'en regarded the scene with slight surprise, but immediately recovered and parried a blow that came from her left side, leaving the attacker stumbling over from the force.
The dragon lady then turned the butt end of her sword's handle to smash them in the face, breaking their teeth and sending blood splattering into the air.
Twisting her body once again and reaching her left hand to her exposed back, the Head Superintendent caught a wrist that had thrusted a dagger at her abdomen.
CRACK
Her leg cracked forward and blurred, a swiftness sending the Blood Hound's neck bending backwards in an excruciating angle.
Three more appeared from behind him, two of them one handing their crossbows and firing off at Ch'en.
Planning to intercept their trajectory with a great swing of her weapon, she twirled it in her hand-
"-Woof!" A white furred dog flew through the air and caught the first projectile in their mouth, but still kept it still open while it intercepted the second one.
The three Blood Hounds halted their steps at the scene, their instincts screaming at them from how fast it moved across the scene.
Ch'en felt an almost amused smirk forming on her lips, but took the opportunity to swing in a wide arc that left a black streak of afterimages at the Blood Hounds.
The force sent them barreling back, rib cages having been cleaved through and leaving them immobile from the pain.
On some other side of the room, Exusiai leapt across tables while the enemies tried to pursue her, strafing around her in multiple directions to throw off her aim.
The Sankta grinned in response, "Texas!"
A gang member reloading their crossbow bolt from behind a bloodied cover saw a shadow being cast over their body. Looking upwards, they saw...
...A black blur falling from the ceiling, stomping down on his face and producing the sound of his neck breaking from the impact. Soon, their body broke into the floor and created a crater where their body fell through.
Texas felt multiple gazes frantically turning to her, stilettos gliding through the air with the sounds of footsteps approaching her.
Moving one of their legs to apply more pressure to her downed opponent, she spun around and unleashed a whirlwind of slash barrages around her, immediately making the opponents back off.
Small cuts appeared on their body, while they raised their arms to shield their face and neck. Some of them were barely deflecting the slashes with their own weapon, but it proved fruitless.
The cacophony of gunfire reached a crescendo, the room being illuminated with a light before gunfire started to cascade and bombard the Blood Hounds.
Multiple people, barring Exusiai's allies, found their bodies being ripped apart by the hail of bullets encompassing nearly everything.
Megumi made his way across the large restaurant's interior, weaving through the gunfire that wasn't intended for him. Two Divine Dogs were trailing behind him, while he was shooting his pistol towards any Blood Hounds who had found cover.
BANG
BANG
The sounds of Megumi's gun mixed in with the rapid firing submachine gun.
Two shots landed on their mark on their heads, making them reel back statically from the Cursed Energy infused shots. The sounds mixed in with the rapid firing submachine gun.
While that happened, Divine Dogs had already dispersed and moved ahead of Megumi, lashing out at two gang members who had snuck out of their hiding spots to jump the gun man.
They raised their arms in a defensive manner, but found the maw of the wolves tearing at their arms with ungodly ease.
"Agh!"
"Fuck!"
Shouts of agony were heard when they started mauling at them, making the Blood Hound members fall to the ground and wail about, legs and arms kicking into the air.
Megumi ignored it, before blasting off in a blur and leaping across all objects which would obstruct his view and making his way to somebody who was sneaking up from behind Exusiai. He remembered that Ch'en told him to not kill too many of them, but the annoying feeling of having crossbow bolts pass by his head irritated him to no end. It wouldn't matter much if a few died.
The sound of crashing objects could be heard, Megumi finding his feet planted at the side of the sneak attacker's head and sending them blasting into the wall and caving it in.
"Wow, nice job!" Exusiai turned her head and gave him a happy smile, all the while she emptied the magazine and loaded a new one, "you got a firearm too? Where'd you get it?" Her voice was as enthusiastic as her fighting style.
"Not the time," Megumi stoically replied, firing off two shots at the enemies who had decided to take advantage of her reloading period. 'Is she a gun enthusiast?' He himself didn't know much about guns, so the Ten Shadows user wouldn't know.
"Eh~? I'm just curious!" She leapt into the air and aimed down sights, feeling a haphazardly shot bolt passing right past her thigh. The Sankta began firing off once more, sending a rain of death towards the Blood Hounds.
Those who attempted to run away from it were either too slow to dodge the bullets or found themselves attacked by Ch'en, Divine Dogs, or Texas, all of whom were dashing across the battlefield with great speed.
Megumi wondered if he should use the Chain of a Thousand Miles, but disregarded it. If he did, then it would kick up debris everywhere and disrupt his allies, the weapon also taking up too much space to support them.
Instead of providing any support with gunfire, Megumi just straightened his posture and dropped it into his spatial inventory, analyzing the scene starting to slow down as the Blood Hounds found themselves dwindling in numbers.
"Umm..."
Megumi could hear a voice behind him, before frantically turning back to look at who they were...
"...What?" Megumi was instead greeted with the sight of a blonde haired woman with cat... or wolf ears under the table that was behind him, acting as some sort of barrier for her.
It was a bizarre sight for him.
"Uh, hi!" The woman looked a bit dazed for a second, but immediately smiled and waved at him, "name's Sora!"
He wondered if the woman was taking the situation seriously, before turning around. "Are you with the angel?" Megumi scanned the battlefield.
"Ah, yes!" The woman perked up at that, her head sticking out, "idol Sora, ready to perform for her fans!" She struck some sort of pose while under the table, Megumi seeing it with a side-eye.
The Ten Shadows user didn't give her a response, keeping his attention still fixated for any dangers. Thankfully, with how the sounds of fighting had completely stopped, it signified the end of the battle.
"...Mister?" Sora wondered if she had done something wrong, still in her static position.
"Not now," Megumi assessed how everybody's state, the black haired woman named Texas still in a ready stance, and Ch'en surveying the scene for herself.
"Ah... okay," Sora muttered while lowering herself back under the table. She berated herself for making an awkward first impression while they were in a battle. 'I wanted to provide support, but Texas just dragged me under the table and left!'
Even though Sora knew Texas wanted to keep her safe and at top condition for her performance, the woman didn't like being put in a position like this.
"Hey, can't you be a little more thoughtful?" Exusiai called out to Megumi from the table, her finger off the trigger of her gun while it pointed upwards. Her free left hand rested on her hips.
"Thoughtful? For what?" Megumi was genuinely confused at her statement, opting to turn to her after sensing no more imminent danger.
"This guy..." Exusiai exasperatedly sighed while lowering her firearm to her side, 'isn't he also the summoner for that Chimera Bird?' Her sights turned to the two wolves that had been ravaging the Blood Hounds, the twin beasts dispelling into the shadows. 'Okay, yup! That confirms it!'
Megumi didn't like the cheeky smile the Sankta was giving him.
Ch'en watched the two, specifically glancing at Megumi while he wrapped the dagger he was holding and dropped it into his shadows. 'That dagger...' She remembered it vividly, how it had completely canceled out Chi Xiao's draw.
Shaking her head, she pulled out a communicator and radioed for LGD reinforcements to clear up the scene and investigate it. Any Blood Hounds who were still alive after the massacre would be taken in for questioning.
Texas stood not too far away from Ch'en, picking out a pocky stick and biting down on it. She was fixated on Fushiguro Megumi, wolf ears twitching while watching him stare blankly at Exusiai.
"Your aid was helpful," Ch'en called out to the black haired Lupo, "but the matter is on the LGD now."
"I know," Texas replied, "we'll get out of your hair after." Penguin Logistics had come here to pay the Blood Hounds back, but never did they expect to find the Chimera Bird summoner and the Head of the LGD herself.
'...How can she eat something with this horrid smell?' Ch'en watched the Lupo casually bite into the little snack despite the gore spilt across the sceney.
Sighing, she moved her jacket to the side and pulled out the reservation list. Looking at it with a critical eye, the woman hoped that it would have any names that could connect them to the Blood Hounds.
Speaking of massacre, the amount of blood and guts spilt across the floor made the Superintendent wonder if any of them were still alive, 'if only somebody could've told their pets to deal with it more cleanly...'
Megumi felt a glare making itself known, mixing in with Exusiai's cheerful gaze. 'I haven't even eaten anything yet...' It was then he realized that they probably won't be served any food in here after practically disabling everybody in it.
***
"You did quite well fighting, but your overall work was incredibly sloppy," Ch'en watched the LGD officers equipped with their protective gear moving about.
They had secured the perimeter of the crime front acting as a restaurant, and arrived with multiple cleaners. Within no time, it should be clear for a full and unhindered investigation for more leads to who leads the Blood Hounds.
"...Thank you," Megumi replied to her words with a half-hearted thanks, while also watching the officers run amok. It was a bit weird to see them send glances his way, some remembering the black haired man as the wanted man from the poster.
However, all of those posters had been removed, misconceptions being cleared up along with it. Still, it didn't help with the attention Megumi received at all.
"That wasn't a compliment," Ch'en narrowed her eyes towards him, impatiently tapping her fingers, "take my orders more seriously next time."
"Understood," Megumi continued on with the same tone.
"...Are you taking my words seriously?" Ch'en held a feisty look, thinking he was half listening to her, especially with how he didn't face her.
The Ten Shadows user turned to look at her this time, wishing that he hadn't with the glare that was tearing into him, "...I apologize?" He tried his luck once more, trying to defuse her anger.
It didn't work.
***
"Aha, wow," Exusiai watched the two from a short distance away, nudging towards Texas, "he's kinda like you, huh?"
"Maybe," Texas also watched on with some level of interest, but her face definitely did not show it.
"I think Exia is right," Sora chirped in, "his inexpressive look, his indifference... it's like looking at a..."
"Pfft... Genderbent Texas?" Exusiai jokingly called out, finishing the sentence for Sora.
Texas didn't look amused at all.
Right now, the group were being held back for their involvement with helping Ch'en clear out the building. Although they didn't cause many troubles, they couldn't just straight up leave after pulling up with their act.
Exusiai looked around a few more times before placing a hand over Sora's and Texas' shoulder, pulling them closer to her.
"Ah?!" Sora let out a cute sound due to suddeness of the action.
Texas was as she would always act, pulling out a pocky stick without much worry.
"Hey, you guys know who he is, right?" Exusiai whispered towards their ears, not wanting anybody else to hear it.
"...The Chimera Bird summoner?" Sora answered, having vividly remembered the man from yesterday. "Yeah... It's definitely him!" Her voice became more concerned, remembering him as the one who had caused that orbital strike and flame eruption.
"Mhm," Texas turned her gaze to stare at him being lectured by an irritated Ch'en, "his actions are all over the news."
"Aren't those researchers from Rhine Labs just about rushing there?" Exusiai looked upwards while remembering the details. "Apparently they want to see if the Originium concentration in the atmosphere there is reduced."
"Of course," Texas nodded at her words. It would only be natural for Originium researchers, or scientific researchers in general to be enticed by such a scene.
"They said something about further Originium research, or something that is not Arts in nature," Sora placed a finger on her lower lip while recalling. "Perhaps even a different source of energy produced from those birds."
"They already know it was from a summoner, right?" Exusiai stopped grabbing their shoulders to shrug, "I feel bad for that guy, if news gets out..."
"He works for the LGD, doesn't he?" Sora turned to Megumi for a second, "do you think he's some sort of secret weapon?"
"Secret weapon?" Texas almost felt like scoffing.
"I mean, it's plausible?" Exusiai decided to humor Sora, "but we don't know why he shot that blast outside Lungmen, it caused more problems for the LGD than help."
"He's most likely a secret agent, or an elite," Texas finished biting off the last piece of her pocky stick.
"Yeah, makes sense, maybe they were tryna save him after a secret mission was compromised?" Exusiai let out a small huff, not wanting to ponder on it anymore. "But damn, the LGD is pretty cracked if they have somebody like him, huh?"
"Yeah, they really do..." Sora nodded, still somewhat perturbed by how cold he was before, 'almost like when I first met Texas!'
"Aside from that, what really bugs me is that that wide arsenal of abilities he has," Exusiai kicked her feet a little while her hands interlocked their fingers behind her back. "He shoots out purple flames, can summon birds that shoot lightning, and now he has a water jet?"
"It's not Arts," Texas concluded for her, "it's something else entirely."
It was both obvious by the fact it destroyed Originium particles and the fact that Texas was well aware of what they felt like.
"Arts are specific, right?" Sora tilted her head while recalling what she knew of it, "having various abilities like summoning, fire, and water would be very, very rare amongst Arts users, huh?" Although, she wasn't too much of a professional in that regard, considering she focused more on her idol career than studying.
The conclusion Sora was drawing was that his abilities were soundly not Arts.
"As if he doesn't have enough reason for countries to fiend after him," Exusiai crossed her arms and held a thoughtful look. 'Oh, right! He also has that gun with him!' She wanted to get a better view of it, but reigned it inside her.
If the Sankta met the man once more, she would definitely ask to see it, since it just felt... So different from other firearms. She couldn't quite put it into words.
Right now, Penguin Logistics was busy with many other things, and the man was still being lectured by the 'monster inspector.'
"He's with the LGD, they'll probably keep him safe," Sora responded to Exusiai, letting her thoughts stray elsewhere. "Ah, aside from that, I really need to prepare for my performance, it's really getting me excited just thinking about it."
With how many distractions that have been plaguing them, from the Blood Hounds to chasing the Chimera Bird, they needed to fully focus on what was most important.
Besides, they got their get back against those gang members, so Penguin Logistics had nothing much to worry about.
"True, true..." Exusiai decided to let her thoughts focus on something more concerning for her now, "but we can't really go anywhere, ya' know-"
The sound of shoes making contact with the ground cut her off.
Speaking of the Devil, the Penguin Logistics group turned to the sound of footsteps approaching them. The person who was keeping them from going anywhere else was dragging her partner by the arm.
"You're all free to go," Ch'en's tone had an edge to it, "I hope we can continue doing business that doesn't involve violence." However, her voice towards them was still polite in a way.
"That's good to hear!" Exusiai gave one last glance to a tired Megumi before turning back to Ch'en, "if you got anything you wanted delivered again, Penguin Logistics will bring it anywhere!"
"I'll keep that in mind," Ch'en breathed out an exasperated breath for turning to Megumi, "...do you still want to go somewhere to eat?"
"...Sure," Megumi looked away with a barely strained expression, having to deal with her chiding him earlier. "But could you let go of my arm?" He pointed to the area where Ch'en was grabbing on to.
Ch'en in response started gripping it harder.
'Is she still angry?' Megumi winced.
He had an earful from Ch'en about not causing a blood mess and killing way too many people earlier, but Megumi assumed it had already blown over.
'Guess not.' A mirthless thought came to him
Penguin Logistics were about to leave, but stopped their steps and turned around to watch what was happening.
Texas, specifically, stared silently at Megumi, thinking back to the wolves he had summoned. For some reason, the white one reminded her of a certain...
'No, forget it,' especially with how she was roaming around Lungmen, Texas had been keeping her guard up far more religiously than before.
Sora and Exusiai didn't notice Texas' internal plight, too focused watching the awkward scene of Ch'en holding a vice grip of the deadpanning black haired man.
The two would eventually get into a car and drive back to the LGD Headquarters in silence.
***
'She's almost as crazy as Kugisaki-chan,' Megumi stretched his wrist, staring at the microwaved food in front of him. 'Does she get irritated this easily?' Although he didn't mind eating this, he could tell the woman held some sort of small vendetta against him.
Maybe he should stop killing people so casually. Ever since the Culling Games, and his arrival in this world, Megumi didn't feel anything when committing to such acts.
'Forget about it,' Megumi dug his plastic spoon into the meal, a rice meal with beef curry poured over it. While he took a bite from the mediocre food, he glanced around the lunch area of the LGD Headquarters.
With the orders issued by Ch'en for the officers to go to where the massacre of the Blood Hounds had happened, the area had been vacated by everybody.
The fact that it most likely wasn't their lunch schedule right now probably was an added factor.
Tap
Tap
Tap
Megumi cautiously and wordlessly gazed at the woman sitting in front of him, her arms crossed and tapping her foot on the ground.
They were at a white table, surrounded by white chairs at the center of the large lunch area.
'With how she is, I'm not surprised,' the Ten Shadows user knew the woman wasn't the type of person to not be doing anything. A workaholic to the core.
However, with how he hadn't eaten anything all day, Ch'en was supposed to keep watch of him. Too bad it backfired on her at this specific moment, as food wasn't allowed in the other parts of the building.
"...Can you eat any faster?" Ch'en broke the silence.
"I'm trying," Megumi responded, but really, he wasn't.
Another moment of silence followed, the low sound of Megumi chewing his food was heard. It didn't help how all the tables around them were completely empty too.
"...What were your missions like?" Ch'en made up her mind, and decided she wanted to know more about his background. If she wasn't going to be on duty, outside or inside the building, the most the dragon lady could do was learn about Megumi more.
"We dealt with public disruptions," Megumi once again, decided to keep the description vague.
"Don't be vague with me," Ch'en warned him, "be more specific."
Megumi took another bite, mulling over his words, "we killed a lot of things." It was an apt description, considering Cursed Spirits could be considered 'things.'
Ch'en kept silent at his words, mistaking what he was attempting to imply, 'so... that kind of work, huh?' With how he was a Sorcerer at such a young age, she wouldn't be surprised if there were many others like him in his home.
Shaking her head, Ch'en voice became lower, "you're still being vague."
"It doesn't exist anymore, it's not important," Megumi replied.
"It is important, and I'm sure you know why," Ch'en placed her elbows on the table while leaning in further. "Are you going to speak about it in detail, or are you going to keep your mouth shut?" The dragon lady was far more standoffish than before.
Megumi wordlessly continued to stare into her eyes, "I'll keep my mouth shut," before replying. It didn't matter much to him right now, Cursed Spirits were something he didn't want to go through the insane hassle of explaining.
"Tch."
Luckily for him, Ch'en relented and leaned backwards on her chair, clicking her tongue and closing her eyes.
It was like this for the majority of the day, even when they returned out on the field.
***
"Ah, I'm so not ready," Sora was in a room with a microphone close to her mouth, cold sweat forming on her forehead.
"Huh? Why not?" Exusiai tilted her head while watching from the audience seats. "Was it 'cause we fought the Blood Hounds earlier?"
"No, no, that's not it," Sora shook her head, "I'm not tired or anything, I think it's because I haven't had much practice before."
"Maybe you need one extra day?" Texas gave her advice.
Sora turned to her, "but... I can't disappoint my fans, you know?" The woman fiddled with her microphone, "especially since it's scheduled for today!"
"They'll understand," Exusiai waved off her worries with a casual expression, "after all, they've been worrying about your health on the intranet forms, want me to show you it?"
"Huh? Worried about my health? Why?" Sora blinked owlishly, feeling shocked at the revelation.
"Ha~, they're not stupid you know, they've been seeing you doing performances a lot in the past month," Exusiai waved her hand in the air while explaining. "Look, we don't even have the stage fully set up, so just put outta message that says it's delayed to tomorrow; it's just one day later."
"Exusiai is right," Texas pulled out a pocky stick, "focus on your health."
"Ah, really..." Sora blushed while looking away, "thank you."
"Hey~! It's no problem!" Exusiai waved her off while twisted her body to rest her legs on her seat's armrest, "we'll compensate for your fans by giving them the best performance, surpassing your other ones, yeah?"
"Of course!" Sora was feeling even more energetic than before, "then I'll get to practicing one more time, then!"
"Oh yeah, and Croissant is returning tomorrow too, doesn't it perfectly work out?" A realization hit Exusiai while she snapped her fingers.
"Really?" Sora paused her actions, "you're right!" She smiled when she counted the days since her departure in her head.
"Heh~, aren't you excited too, Texas?" Exusiai poked the stoic woman by the arm.
"Mhm," the woman nodded.
***
Megumi stared at the ceiling of the apartment, the lights having been turned off. The day after the restaurant incident hadn't been too eventful, most likely because of his refusal to answer Ch'en's question during his meal.
Small responses and commands were given out to him on the field afterwards, most of the time they were visiting spots of ongoing investigations.
Cases ranging from petty crime to unknown murders were what he remembered. Megumi wasn't too interested, his mind mainly focused on how he could train his Cursed Technique if he kept being dragged into these situations.
'I need a way... but not like this,' Megumi bitterly reminded himself that his situation may be better than before, it wasn't how he wanted it to be.
Turning to his side for a more comforting position, he felt the blankets shift along with his movements. His head moved up slightly before changing locations, to the colder section of the pillow.
Finding comfort in his own thoughts once more, his consciousness started to fade, '...I'll figure it out... tomorrow.'
Especially since he was going to be visiting whatever university Lin Yuhsia was a guest lecturer at. The woman was also somebody who committed to watching over him.
***
"Huh?" Lappland looked around the venue from the rooftops of the building surrounding it, "isn't this where it's supposed to be?" She started scratching her head, pulling out the small flier from her pocket.
It was creased, having multiple lines of it being folded over and over again in positions it shouldn't have.
"Did I mess up the date? No way," Lappland stared at the date labeled on it before checking the date of today. "No? It's the right day! Am I missing something?"
The white haired Lupo turned to where the performance was supposed to happen once, not seeing a single person in sight. Not from the audience, or the performers.
'Was this fake? What the hell?!'
It was unfortunate she didn't have a computer to access Lungmen's intranet.