Inside the bar, Hyoubu and Magi sat next to each other, both enjoying their drinks.
"Major, I've tracked down Andy Hinomiya's identity," he said, taking a sip.
"It's mostly exactly as he claimed, but there are a few suspicious areas."
After he said that, he patiently waited for Hyoubu's reply, but only silence followed. After a couple minutes Magi couldn't take it anymore, and he turned toward Hyoubu.
"Major?"
"You know, Magi, there's nothing like milk to end the day."
"..."
Magi was used to Hyoubu's shenanigans, but this time he felt like he should at least have taken it a little seriously. Even though Andy's powers aren't that strong, the issue is that they can never read his mind nor know what he is thinking.
And with the couple discrepancies in his background, these could become massive issues.
The bartender, a woman with shoulder-length hair wearing a professional suit, just looked at Hyoubu with a slight blush on her face.
"I cannot trust that man. If we cannot use our powers on him, we cannot reveal his identity with telepathy or psychometry." Magi said, grasping his glass tightly.
"If you really doubt him that much, come along on the next mission; we'll be taking both newbies to test them after all. So you and the others can see for yourselves."
"Alright, but if I see anything suspicious, I will kill him or at the very least severely injure him. Is that okay?" Magi inquired, looking straight at Hyoubu for his reaction.
With a shrug, Hyoubu just smiled. "Sure, that's fine. But remember, don't overstep your bounds."
After he said that, his laid-back attitude was gone, and he gulped down his milk and waved Magi and the bartender goodbye.
"See you tomorrow when we depart." With that, he vanished.
Magi and the bartender froze, cold sweat trickling down their backs. This was the man they had chosen to follow; they had forgotten because he always acted so casual, but he was most definitely one of the strongest espers in the world.
And they had felt the pressure he emitted just now.
"Phew, it seems I went a little too far. After all, the major himself brought him in." Magi muttered, also quickly gulping down his glass.
"Thanks for the drinks, and have a good night." He politely said to the bartender as he also left the bar to prepare for tomorrow.
***
The next morning Hyoubu had called for many members to join him on this mission. Momiji was driving the speedboat while Andy sat all alone at the front, with a serious look on his face.
All kinds of scenarios were running wild in his mind. Why would he need to join this mission right after joining? Especially when it was clear that the others didn't trust him yet, unlike the other newcomer.
Senzo, on the other hand, sat next to Yugiri, who sat with a big smile between Senzo and Hyoubu, holding hands with both of them.
"Hehe."
Magi and Yo stood leaning against the railing of the boat. Yo was enjoying the view while Magi kept an eye on Andy.
After a long boat drive, they finally arrived at their destination, Venice. Hyoubu needed to take care of some business here and meet with an old friend.
"I hope he's doing okay." Hyoubu muttered, a smile plastered on his face as he took in the beautiful scenery of Venice.
Momiji skillfully drove the boat through the narrow canals, and after arriving at a rather obscure place, she pressed a button on a remote.
Suddenly a large black gate slowly opened up.
Andy immediately started paying attention. There's a hidden warehouse there! he thought, glancing at the still smiling Hyoubu.
After they entered through the gate, it automatically closed, and then they made their way toward the dock.
After everyone got off the boat, Hyoubu and his crew started inspecting the wooden crates stacked atop one another, with Andy trying to act casual but secretly observing everything that was in the crates.
And what he saw made him frown: smuggled goods, stolen art, and even illegal weapons. Even though they didn't act like it on the main ship, they were definitely members of one of the top criminal organizations!
"Momiji. Call ahead for us; we make the deal tonight."
"Understood, captain." She said, taking her phone from her pocket and stepping away for a moment.
"Wait, what deal? This isn't a deal with the mafia, is it?" Andy suddenly asked, looking straight at Hyoubu for answers.
Senzo couldn't help but roll his eyes. Why would you ask something like that? He couldn't understand it; he was supposed to be a trained spy, but he acted like a total amateur.
Yugiri just stared at Hyoubu while holding Senzo's hand.
"Heh, you scared?"
"Don't be ridiculous. That's not it."
Then Hyoubu put a hand over Andy's mouth, and with a serious look, he stared him dead in the eye.
"Listen carefully, I have a job for you and Senzo tonight."
Then with a smirk he continued. "Make sure you show me what you're worth. Both of you. Got it?"
"Got it," Senzo immediately replied.
Andy, on the other hand, started coughing wildly after Hyoubu removed his hand from his mouth.
"If you guys do a good job, you'll both be rewarded. So do your best."
Giving both a thumbs up, he strolled back to the boat; they were done with what they came for. Now the real fun was about to begin.
Andy followed Hyoubu back to the boat from a safe distance, questions running rampant inside his mind.
What are you planning to have us do, Hyoubu? While contemplating, he also glanced at Senzo, who seemed completely unbothered about it all.
He was strolling while holding Yugiri's hand, that same relaxed smile on his face, as if the mission wasn't anything important.
After everyone got back on the boat, Momiji restarted the engine and opened the gate once more; with that, she drove the boat through the canals once more onto their next destination.
While everyone was relaxing in the boat, Hyoubu suddenly spotted something that made him smile.
"Magi."
Is all he had to say, and suddenly two massive black wings opened up behind him.
"Yes, sir."
Then he jumped off the boat and flew straight toward where Hyoubu had seen the suspicious person.
Andy stared at the black wings in amazement, wondering what they were, when he suddenly heard Momotarou's voice echo through his head.
"Heh heh, Magi is a synthetic power esper! He can control the carbon in his body at a molecular level!"
Andy looked at the hamster in amazement and then at the fading figure of Magi and his black wings.
"See ya, Magi, good luck on the job!" Momiji shouted from behind the steering wheel, with a casual wave.