— — — — — —
In front of a warehouse on the outskirts of town, Kayano and her loli team had already gathered. The client's people were there too, waiting for them.
"We've surrounded the area," one of the men said. "We got reports that Gastrea Beasts broke in here. No one's gone in or out for days, so they should still be inside."
He glanced at the group of young girls in front of him—the Cursed Children—and frowned slightly. Still, he explained the situation with professional calm.
"Got it," Kayano nodded. So the enemy was confirmed to be inside. Her first real mission. She couldn't help feeling a bit nervous.
"Want us to back you up from the outside?" the man asked, frowning deeper when he noticed her unease. "These kids look like total rookies. Did someone seriously send them to handle Gastrea Beasts?"
"No need. We've got this," Kayano said, taking a deep breath. "Everyone, get ready. Do what Guild Master Onii-Chan taught us."
Kayano led the group toward the warehouse entrance as she closed her eyes for a moment, sensing what was inside. Within seconds, she locked onto the enemy's position.
"Over there! Attack!"
Kayano gave the signal, and the girls instantly pulled out dozens of grenades, lobbing them through the broken windows.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
As soon as the explosions faded, they whipped out submachine guns and unleashed a storm of bullets into the smoke.
"There's still noise in there. Hit it again!"
Kayano listened carefully, caught a faint sound, then ordered another round. More grenades flew. More gunfire filled the air.
They repeated the process a third time, just to be sure.
"Alright," Kayano said finally. "That should do it. Let's go confirm, and then have the client verify the kill."
She nodded, satisfied. The enemies had to be dead by now.
"Phew… what a tough battle," Enju said, wiping imaginary sweat from her forehead. She took a dramatic breath. "Real combat really is different from training."
"Tough battle? What the hell is she talking about?!"
The client's men stood there in disbelief.
"You girls never even went inside!"
"You just flattened the whole place from the outside!"
"Seriously—how many grenades did you throw?! Over a hundred? Where were you even keeping all those?!"
They had imagined a brutal, close-range fight—hand-to-hand, life-or-death. But what they got was a total firepower massacre.
Remote engagement. No risks taken. Enemy obliterated.
Was that… allowed?
Kayano didn't seem to care. "Onii-Chan said, when you encounter enemies, first do a full-range bombardment."
"Then, once you go inside, even if the enemy looks dead, always double-tap," Mika said timidly, following her sisters into the warehouse. Her soft, cute voice contrasted sharply with the way she raised her gun and pumped more bullets into the corpses.
The Gastrea Beasts—already dead—were shredded all over again.
The girls' weapons weren't normal either. Kazuma had personally enchanted them; they didn't just destroy flesh, they tore at the enemy's very soul.
You could heal your body—but could you heal your soul?
After a barrage like that, even an immortal would've been reduced to dust.
"Who the hell trained these kids?!" one of the client's men muttered. "They look all cute and harmless, but they're absolute monsters when they start fighting!"
"Not just grenades and machine guns—they even finish off corpses just to be sure! Terrifying…"
No one dared underestimate them anymore. At first, he'd thought they were innocent little rookies. Turns out, they were pint-sized demons who didn't even blink while killing. His back was drenched in sweat.
"Hey, old man," Enju said sharply, glaring at him. "Check the mission status already. If it's done, give us our reward."
She was clearly annoyed that he'd just been standing there gawking instead of working.
"Y-yes, right away!"
He scrambled to call the client and confirm completion, trying not to tremble. One wrong word and these girls might just "verify" him next.
After the call, he hung up with a sigh.
"Okay, so the mission's complete, right? Then where's our reward?" Enju asked, puffing out her chest proudly like a victorious little rooster.
"Uh, the payment… well…"
"What, you're not planning to pay us?!"
Her eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Onii-Chan said," she continued, "if anyone refuses to pay—shoot them."
In an instant, several cold gun barrels were aimed straight at the man's head. One twitch, and he was done for.
"W-wait! The reward isn't with me!" he squeaked. "You have to go see the boss to get paid! I'm just the inspector!"
He was on the verge of tears. "Why are these kids so violent?! I should've called in sick today!"
"So we need to find the boss?"
"Think he's lying?"
"Probably not. I heard humans always get their pay from their bosses," one of them reasoned.
After a brief huddle, they decided to spare the poor man—for now.
"Fine. We'll believe you. But if we go to the client and don't get paid…" Enju's cute little face hardened into a mock glare. "…we'll come back and shoot all of you."
Despite the threat, her expression was too adorable to be truly intimidating.
Then, with that final warning, the girls left to find the client.
"Thank God… I'm alive…" The man collapsed to the ground. "That's it. I'm quitting. This job is way too dangerous."
....
The same tall skyscraper. The same elevator. The same bald bodyguard standing by the door.
"Hi-ya!"
Before he could react, Enju's flying kick sent him crashing to the floor again.
"Enju! Why'd you knock him out again?" Kayano asked helplessly.
"I dunno," Enju shrugged. "He just looks like a bad guy, so I figured I'd hit first."
"Hmm, fair point," another girl nodded seriously. "He really does look shady."
"Didn't we have this conversation before?"
"Forget it," Kayano said. "Let's get our reward."
The girls cheerfully marched up to the office door, knocked politely—then immediately kicked it open.
"Bodyguard! Where the hell did you disappear to again?!" the client shouted from inside. "I pay you a fortune and you're never at your post!"
Then he turned toward the girls. "And you! Can't you just walk in like normal people? Why do you always kick my door open?!"
It was hard to say whether they were rude or too polite—they did knock, but never waited for permission.
"Doors are made to be kicked open," Enju said matter-of-factly. "Anyway, we finished the job. Time to pay up."
Standing on a chair to meet the client's eyes, Enju crossed her arms and spoke with all the authority her tiny frame could muster.
The man chuckled, slowly lighting a cigar. A curl of purplish smoke rose as he leaned back in his chair. "I got the report. You kids work fast, I'll give you that." He paused, eyes narrowing. "But there's something that doesn't add up. You're Cursed Children, aren't you?"
"Yes. But that has nothing to do with our payment," Kayano replied evenly.
"Actually, it has everything to do with it." The client smiled thinly. "You're Cursed Children, but I don't see a Promoter with you. And as far as I know, each Promoter only gets one Initiator. So that means… you're not from a registered agency."
He flicked ash from his cigar. "If you're not from an official company, that makes you wild Cursed Children. Freelancers. Which means I'm under no obligation to pay you a single coin."
He took a slow drag, his tone turning slick. "But I'll make you an offer. Join my company. Work for me. I'll make sure you never go hungry again."
He'd done his homework already. No records, no paperwork, no government sponsor. That told him all he needed to know. These girls were unregistered weapons—nobodies. No one would complain if they disappeared.
Enju's eyes glowed red. "So you don't plan to pay us?"
This was their first real mission. She'd wanted to do everything perfectly so Kazuma would praise her when she got back. And this bastard wanted to stiff them?
"Onii-Chan said, when you do a job, you get paid—money or blood, your choice!"
The rest of the girls' eyes lit up red too, their tiny hands already twitching toward their weapons.
The client laughed coldly. "Savages. You only know violence. But this time, it's useless. You think I'm going to sit here and let you threaten me again?"
He snapped his fingers. "Come out."
From behind curtains, corners, and doors, armed men stepped into view. A dozen at least—all of them armed to the teeth.
"Now," the client said smugly, "I'll give you a choice. Do as I say, or die. I'll count to three."
"Three—"
BANG!
The sound of a gunshot split the air. But it wasn't the girls who fired.
The client's body slumped forward, a smoking hole in his forehead.
From the shadows, Kazuma stepped into the light. "I haven't even taught these kids how to count yet," he said dryly. "You think yelling numbers means anything to them?"
He looked at Kayano and the others. "Next time someone starts monologuing, don't listen. Just shoot him." He gestured at the room. "And take out the rest."
The girls perked up the instant they saw him. "Yes, Guild Master!"
They blurred into motion—grenades, blades, bullets, all in perfect sync. Within seconds, the room was silent again, bodies scattered everywhere.
Enju stood there staring at her hands. "Killing people… feels really weird."
She'd prepared herself for it, but it was nothing like killing monsters. Humans bled differently.
Kayano came up behind her and hugged her gently. "It's okay. They wanted to hurt us. We just defended ourselves."
She knew what her sister felt. The first time killing someone who looked like you always left something heavy behind. So she hugged her, and then hugged every other girl in turn, whispering the same quiet reassurance.
Until only she was left standing.
Kazuma walked up, rubbing her head affectionately. "Kayano, you don't need to dress it up as self-defense. Killing is just killing. No excuses, no guilt."
"There's no right or wrong in it. It's just survival—same as eating or breathing."
He looked around at the girls. "Now, everyone—group hug."
"Mm."
"I'm coming."
"Me too."
They all clung to each other tightly.
Warmth spread through Kayano's chest. Killing was still killing, but it didn't feel so heavy anymore.
This was what family was for—standing beside you when you didn't know what to do. Maybe this was what Kazuma meant when he said the guild gave them purpose.
"Still," Enju muttered, puffing her cheeks, "we didn't get paid. So this mission's a failure."
All that fighting, and the guy just had to be stingy.
"Who said there's no reward?" Kazuma smirked. "This office is full of stuff. Check the cabinets and the safe. If you find money, take it. If not, grab whatever's valuable. We're not leaving empty-handed."
The girls lit up and started ransacking the place. Kazuma even helped, eventually finding a stash of cash.
"Take this," he said, handing the money over. "Go wait outside. I'll take you all shopping later—food, new clothes, whatever you want."
The girls cheered, and shadowy soldiers emerged from the walls to escort them out safely.
"What about you, President?" Kayano asked as she was led away.
"I'll look around for anything else worth taking. I'll catch up soon."
He waved them off, then sank into the client's plush chair.
He picked up one of the cigars the man had left behind, lit it, took a drag, and grimaced. "Ugh. I don't get why old man Makarov loves these things. No flavor at all."
He turned toward the doorway, smirking. "You guys want a puff?"
A crowd had gathered outside—police, local enforcers, and a few Promoters with their Cursed Children.
"You're surrounded! Drop your weapon and surrender!"
"Stop talking and just grab him! He is a criminal."
They all charged bravely.
And then—screams.
Before they could even reach him, their bodies fell apart, sliced to ribbons by invisible force.
"Humans always think they're the strongest," Kazuma murmured. "Funny, so do I."
"Peace won't get you what you want. If you want to change the world, you do it with force."
He stepped forward. "This is my first act in this world—to show them the throne has a new master."
"This world will work with my rules now."
He walked straight out of the office. Every person who tried to stop him fell, one by one. He didn't even raise his hand. Just walking past them was enough.
By the time he reached the lobby, everyone was down except for a few terrified Cursed Children.
"Remember my name, little ones," Kazuma said softly. "I'm Kazuma, the Guild Master of Fairy Tail."
"My guild takes all requests—no matter who the target is. Human, Beasts, doesn't matter."
He smiled faintly. "And if you ever want to join, you don't need a Promoter. You don't need permission. Just be yourselves."
Then he stepped into the elevator, leaving behind only silence, blood, and the faint smell of gunpowder.
Sometimes, a little blood was necessary to establish authority.
After he was gone, the surviving Cursed Children stood frozen among the corpses of their Promoters.
Without orders, they didn't know what to do.
One of them finally spoke, voice trembling. "My Promoter used to say there are Cursed Children out there without handlers… that they take jobs on their own."
"She said they were wild, illegal."
The girl looked down, hesitating. "But… maybe that's not so bad."
More of them started to nod.
Their Promoters had never treated them like people—just tools for fighting and dying.
If being "wild" meant being free to choose their own path… maybe that was better after all.
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The update schedule has returned to 2 chapters daily... I hope you like the story.