Round Deer, a Shikigami of the Ten Shadows Zen'in Clan Cursed Technique that passively outputted Reverse Cursed Technique from its body.
What did that mean? That it could consistently heal from injuries that are inflicted from it, with casual ease to boot.
'It's practically on the level of Hakari's jackpot,' Megumi remembered Agito having its chest blown open by a Blue-infused Black Flash from Gojo Satoru, and recovering from it nearly instantly.
However, that was an Agito controlled by Ryomen Sukuna, the King of Curses. So when he stared down the Round Deer in front of him...
'I'm confident...' Megumi spoke in his mind, even if the worst case scenario comes into play, he could always bail himself out with The Inverted Spear of Heaven. 'Especially because...'
"Nue!"
The now elephant sized bird bursted from the shadows, shooting forward in great electrical arcs that cascaded across the abandoned warehouse they were in.
Charging against the Round Deer, which was standing in a stationary way, the thunderous sparks of electricity charging towards it-
But it proved fruitless, seeing how the immense RCT of the deer negated the lightning and prevented itself from reaching its body.
Nue was smart enough to follow Megumi's commands and bail, seeing the deer charging at its form.
Although Round Deer was pitiful in terms of offense, it could still win against a superpowered Nue in a contest of strength.
Megumi was the one who decided to meet it instead, as he pulled out a certain tool from his shadows.
Playful Cloud
A weapon Megumi didn't like using, but was given to him after it was repaired. Because of that, he was going to use it to its fullest.
It was originally supposed to be held by him and given to support Maki in battle, since the woman didn't have a spatial inventory like him; but he never had the chance to do so.
He slammed it against the ground, holding the first section as the other two dragged along with his movement.
Infusing the Cursed Tool with as much Cursed Energy as he could, he met the charging deer and slammed the three-sectioned staff upwards, sending a great force coursing through the Shikigami.
Blood splattered from its large form, as it was redirected upwards, letting Nue charge towards it and slamming itself into Round Deer, the electricity finally being able to reach it as the bird made physical contact.
The Shikigami was now completely off balance, giving Megumi a chance to play his next move:
"Divine Dogs!"
Megumi dropped the Playful Cloud into his shadow as he made hand signs for the dogs, feeling his brain starting to itch from the exertion of his Cursed Techniques. His Cursed Energy reservoir was still fine, though.
The black and white wolves shot forward, biting on the legs of the deer, causing it to lose its balance and fall to the ground. The damage caused by Nue and Megumi's Playful Cloud were already healed, but he wasn't going to let it respite.
Charging forward, he pulled out the Cursed Tool again, watching as the deer struggled to get the wolves off from biting it.
Megumi grabbed the middle section of the staff, spinning it as he approached the deer, eyes filled with intensity as a whirlwind of destruction appeared in front of him.
With a leap, he spun sideways in the air as he built up momentum for the Cursed Energy infused staff, bashing it against Round Deer's head the moment it shook the Divine Dogs off.
A crater was made on the ground, as the warehouse shook. Rocks flew up as the force of Playful Cloud was not to be taken lightly.
Nue was flying in the air of the warehouse, awaiting its master's command, although it couldn't fly as freely due to the enclosed space and its large size, it took the opportunity to fly forward as Megumi stepped back.
Nue's claws dug into the exposed Round Deer's neck, spurting blood across the ground-
But the enemy Shikigami healed from it after, causing Megumi to click his tongue and slam Playful Cloud once more on its downed form.
BAM!
BAM!
BAM!
The warehouse had a significantly larger crater in its epicenter now, it was a miracle how the structure was still standing.
While Megumi was slamming the Round Deer, the Divine Dogs made their way to bite at the downed deer, like a predator eating its hunted prey.
Megumi was starting to feel exhausted, having to keep all these Shikigami up while infusing Playful Cloud with Cursed Energy... 'But this damned deer won't die!'
It was honestly a pitiful sight, watching a large deer being assaulted by a three-sectioned staff while two wolves were mauling it, and an elephant sized bird flying through the air looking down at the scene
Nue couldn't find any openings due to its large size, so it didn't even try to attack without Megumi's commands.
Its healing was far too fast, and everytime Megumi lifted his staff for another blow, the Shikigami had already healed from the previous one... He heard from Gojo Satoru a good way to kill off RCT users was by attacking their brain, so Megumi needed to improve his plans.
Right now, the method he was using won't be able to reach or penetrate its brain, seeing how any damage he did to its head would just be healed, before he could deal any significant damage to its brain... And besides, even if he damaged its brain, the already godly RCT of the beast would just heal it over and over again... If the damage didn't destroy the entire brain, that is.
'Alright, change of plans!'
With one more slam onto Round Deer's head, which was promptly regenerated, Megumi leapt back and forced the Divine Dogs to follow with him.
Combining his hands to create an elephant figure, the deer was downed and disorientated enough for his next plan.
"Max Elephant!"
From the shadows of the warehouse's rooftops, Max Elephant came dropping down, slamming its gigantic foot on Round Deer's head, leaving a splatter of blood onto the crater that it laid in.
"Haah... haah..." Megumi let out tired breaths as he could feel blood start running from his nose and mouth, 'damn, it...Finally...'
Having been dipped in Sukuna's CE had made his Shikigamis much more powerful, but that also meant that Round Deer would be harder to tame as a result.
Thankfully, the untamed Shikigami's powers increased less than his already tamed ones when his Cursed Energy reserves and efficiency increased.
With that thought, Megumi collapsed on the ground, as he dispelled all of the Shikigamis. 'M-my brain..' He felt light headed, feeling that something was scraping the inside of his head.
Having his brain fried by Unlimited Void was showing its after-effects, considering the part of his brain that controls his Cursed Technique had suffered damage, 'come on... Make this work!'
His hands shakily moved, creating a deer as he called out to the Shikigami he needed the most.
"Round Deer!"
A majestic deer, with four eyes appeared before his downed form. It turned down to look at Megumi, the latter not being able to move a muscle. The last summon he could do had left his mind blank.
Silently, the deer lowered its head, and pressed its nose against Megumi's head, outputting RCT into his brain.
Megumi felt his consciousness coming back, a great sense of relief overtaking his body as he took in the healing, 'Ha~, this feels amazing,' a small sigh left his mouth as he laid next to a 5 meter crater. Hopefully his sounds of fighting didn't alert anybody.
Normally, Round Deer would be a difficult Shikigami to tame because it would run away and have high amounts of Positive Cursed Energy to boot, negating any Cursed Energy based attacks that came towards it and healing from any damage.
However, what Megumi had noted when he first tried to tame it, and when Sukuna had tamed it, was that it initiated combat the first moment it was summoned. Only after the brief scuffle at the beginning, would it run away with great speeds; not letting Megumi catch up to it.
That was how he failed to tame it for the first time.
His plan was that he already knew Nue's lightning would not work against it, so he let the bird unleash it against the deer to give the enemy Shikigami a feeling of 'confidence' in facing Megumi.
With that, he was able to stun it with a powerful Cursed Tool, and lay down an assault on Round Deer that would keep it perpetually stunned, which was especially effective because of the blunt force he used.
Megumi thought he could kill it that way eventually, but its regeneration proved too fast, and so he resorted to summong Max Elephant; a risky move because of how his brain currently was.
But right now, it was being repaired by the Round Deer's RCT, so there was no need to worry about it anymore.
Megumi recalled the moment in which Sukuna had used RCT to heal himself, trying to get a feel of how it actually worked.
'When Gojo first explained it, it was complicated as hell...' A sense of tranquility overtook Megumi as he closed his eyes and focused on the feeling, 'but... After witnessing it from Sukuna, and Round Deer's right now...' He felt like he could learn it eventually.
A small smile made its way on his lips, taming the Round Deer was the next big step, and now he had a reliable way of experiencing RCT and attempting to learn it that way.
'But still, it might take a bit of time... Unless...' Unless he put himself in grave amounts of danger, the most effective way for Sorcerers to develop themselves. 'No, right now, I need to reach my upper limit before I decide on that...'
By reaching his upper limit, he was going to experiment with Playful Cloud and The Inverted Spear of Heaven tomorrow morning. The man needed to get used to the overly complicated use of those Cursed Tools after all.
'Besides... If I accidentally touch any of my Shikigamis with that dagger while in combat, it would just dispel them... If I don't give them a physical form that is. But that takes way too much Cursed Energy, so it'd be better to learn how to use the dagger efficiently.'
Megumi sat up, the deer moving its head to make space while its nose still touched his head. 'Healing the part of the brain that controls my Cursed Technique? Along with the other damaged parts? Really... This deer is amazing...'
Was this how Gojo was able to keep his technique up 24/7? Megumi felt as if his Cursed Energy reserves were greater, and the refinement from having his body used Sukuna had been increased dramatically. Round Deer would've taxed his reserves by a great margin, but to a much lesser extent now because of that.
The only problem was that he didn't know any other methods to refine or increase his reserves after that, but he could use RCT to keep his techniques as efficient as possible, 'yeah, that should be the next step, getting a feel and learning how to use it myself while I train with the Cursed Tools...'
He also had to learn how to apply RCT to his brain to refresh it, but that was for future problems, right now he needed to learn how to use it in the first place. Although he wouldn't be able to run the technique 24/7 in his brain without Six Eyes, he could do it like Sukuna and apply it when it truly mattered. Like during a fight.
Megumi stood up, feeling far more rejuvenated than before, and tiptoed to pat the large Round Deer on the head.
It seemed to like it.
***
Honestly, Megumi was confused on how nobody heard the sounds of fighting from inside the warehouse, was this district that empty?
While lurking in the shadows, he kept his senses keen and in focus for anybody nearby, but he only saw one homeless person wandering around looking for anything they could scrounge up.
Right now, he was hungry, and wanted to eat something. But with him most likely being a wanted man because he ran away from arrest, he needed a way to disguise himself.
The problem was that Megumi didn't have any good ways to disguise himself, so his best option was to search for food restaurants in the slums. The only ones that he could find that had edible food were at the edge of the slums, the places closest to Lungmen itself.
It was risky, but if he played it safe enough, then it won't be too much of a problem.
He didn't want to purchase food at the Mercenary's Tavern, even if they provided them along with drinks; because the price would most likely be absurd. Megumi needed to conserve his money after all.
Although the food was most likely to taste terrible, it didn't matter to Megumi whose taste buds were still fried. 'I need to apply RCT more efficiently, Round Deer was able to recover most parts of my brain, but not the one that controls taste...' Megumi didn't know what the specific name of the part was, since he wasn't proficient in neuroscience. 'Thankfully it recovered the part that controls my Cursed Technique.'
One thing Megumi had always felt his gaze locked onto were the two moons hanging over this world. Whether it was walking in the streets or simply looking up to gather his thoughts, it was always a reminder of where he was; 'in a crappy situation'
He doubted he was in a different planet, it was more likely a different universe, because of the cultural similarities it bore back to his world. 'It's too much of a coincidence...'
His sights turned to the district of the slums that had more commerce, neon lights blaring at every nearly inch of the place. Although it didn't look like the greatest presentation of cleanliness and quality, it was still something.
Walking to a stand that served street food, he sat at the counter while watching other people pass him by.
Well, that was before the cook asked him what he wanted to order, "hey kid, what'd you like to order?"
Megumi just pointed to whatever dish could fill his stomach the most, taste didn't matter, "those noodles with beef," he wasn't that knowledgeable about Chinese food.
"Alright," the man finished the food he was making and then handed it to another customer who was sitting on the opposite side of Megumi. After that, the cook then began working on Megumi's order.
The black haired man simply watched him do his magic in silence.
"You know, you give off quite a weird feeling, no offense," the other man spoke. He was old and had white hair, the wrinkles on his face showing the clear age gap between him and Megumi.
Megumi raised an eyebrow, "none taken, I'm aware," especially with what happened in the Mercenary's Tavern.
"Hey, be careful around these streets, 'cause there's a lot of crime happening lately," the cook poured some sauce on the noodles held in a mesh spider, a tool made to flip noodles with. "With that feeling you're giving off, it might attract some unsavory folks."
"...Duly noted," Megumi held some guilt, he most likely motivated the people to commit more crime after he had successfully killed Hanshi. Even if he were a scum.
With swift and skillful movements, the chef launched the noodles in the air, way too dramatic in Megumi's opinion; and landed them perfectly on a plate. He then scooped up some cube cuts of beef and placed it on top of the noodles.
"Here ya' go," the man's calloused hands gave him the plate, Megumi lowering his head as he received it.
"Thank you."
"Hey, it's no problem kid, the price is 40 LMD by the way."
Megumi nodded, silently lowering his hand under the stall where the man couldn't see his hand movements, and accessed his brief case for the cash. 'Pretty cheap,' with a silent click on the briefcase, he grabbed the money he needed swiftly and raised it above the counter, handing it to the old chef.
The two of them gave each other a nod, while Megumi received chopsticks to eat his meal. It was a decently large bowl for a rather cheap price, so he'd enjoy it... If he could taste it in the first place.
'Eating just to sustain without any enjoyment is miserable...' Megumi could feel his expression slightly twitch, it was basically a chore now to eat.
"You don't seem to be enjoying it?" The chef spoke while cooking up another meal.
"Sorry, don't really have any taste buds," Megumi decided it wasn't that bad to reveal such a thing, he lost nothing from it. Besides, he didn't want to make the old man feel bad.
"Ah, happening to you too, huh?" Surprisingly, the old man had an understanding tone.
"Huh?" Megumi looked at him with a perplexed look.
"Yeah, perhaps it's my old age, but I can't really taste food anymore," the man lightly laughed as he continued his process. "But it must be tough for ya', having lost it at such a young age, or were you born in that condition?"
"It just happened, too complicated for any doctors to know why," Megumi told a half-truth, as he resumed eating.
"Ah, a pity," the wrinkled man finished another plate, leaving to the side for any other customers that would want to order it.
Megumi continued to eat in silence as the man continued his work, a serene atmosphere of footsteps and the radiance of street lights made the black haired man feel a bit tired. 'It's past midnight now, isn't it?'
The sound of footsteps came closer to the stall, Megumi only regarded it with a slight glance, 'well-dressed wolf eared people?' It was confusing to see what looked like Italian suits in the streets of Lungmen, a city based off of China.
Megumi noted how the old chef paused his activities, heaving a sigh as he bore a resigned look.
"Whatcha lookin' at rich kid?" One of the men tipped their fedoras upwards as they glanced at him. He had brown hair
"...Nothing," Megumi casually spoke, going back to eating his meal, 'isn't this just something, huh..?' He already knew what they were here for.
"Scurry on then, kid," another one of them, with graying hair shooed Megumi off, the black haired man complying without so much as a complaint.
Megumi had already finished his meal anyways, and so he walked off to turn into an alley close by the food stall... Hiding in the shadows so he could listen to their conversation.
"Ey, old man, you got the protection money?" The brown haired Lupo lightly pressed on the desk of the stall as they called out to him.
"Yes, I do," the old chef sighed as he reached under something, Megumi didn't know what, but he reached out for a hefty stack of LMD.
Megumi raised an eyebrow, 'the mafia? Did China ever have the Italian mafia doing business in their country?' He wasn't that invested in history, but he was nothing like this ever happened?
"Alright, that's the good stuff," the brown Lupo snatched it, going through each bill to count them. "Wow, you really got payment on time today, huh?"
"Come on, let's go, we don't have much time to spend here," the gray haired Lupo tapped their money hungry friend on the shoulder.
"We'll be back next week old man, don't forget that!" The both of them walked away as the stall owner was left there pinching the bridge of his nose.
Megumi was curious now, wondering if those two men had any commissions on them from the Mercenary's Tavern... And even if they didn't, 'they're much worse than those delinquents I'd beat up back in high school,' a low glint resided in his eyes; his passive Cursed Energy suppression almost being canceled.
***
"Easy pickins', I tell ya', like takin' candy from a baby," the Lupo that took the money ran his finger across the stack of cash, fluttering it as the paper snapped back into place.
"Obviously," the gray haired one rolled his eyes, "we have three more shops to go to, make this quick."
"Alright man, alright."
The two of them turned a corner, taking a shortcut through an alleyway. They continued to walk through, the same old routine they would do everyday.
But the shadows would not let them go by so easily.
Something grasped onto their legs, causing their danger senses to go on alert as they both fell over and slammed into the ground.
"Shit!"
"The hell?!"
Their heads and eyes shot at every corner of the alleyway they were in. They reached into their trench coats and pulled out a stiletto, standing back up as they turned around to each other's backs, searching for their enemy.
"The fuck? Arts user?" The brown one yelled out.
"Calm down, we'll deal with 'em like how we did that one LGD officer," the gray one steeled his eyes, bearing a calmer presence than the other one.
However, they all would completely lose composure once three simple words were spoken out.
"Divine Dog: Totality."
It, whatever the hell it was, seeped out of the shadows of the alleyway, a puddle of black liquid spreading off from the streets as it made way for its entrance.
A divine towering beast with a gaping maw, two piercing yellow eyes that seemed to burn a ferocious and animalistic desire to consume all.
It stood up, its hunched over figure doing no help to decrease its hulking figure that towered over the two men, as a low growl escaped its mouth.
It bore black fur, as dark as the abyss; only the monotony being broken off from the white fur that encompassed its chest, claws, and legs.
A strange six pronged marking was on its forehead, but the two Lupos didn't care about that.
A great primal fear encompassed their being as it stared at them, seeing them as nothing but small puppies beneath its form.
It was then they realized that An Apex Predator stood over them under the glistening light of Terra's two moons.
The two were cursed to die that night.
***
Megumi walked through the streets of the inner sections of the slums. Honestly, he didn't care much if they had a commission to cashout on or not, they irritated the hell out of him.
'Before I killed them, they had some useful information...' Megumi noted.
For some reason, his totality had struck enough fear into them that they willingly answered all questions that he had. But Megumi wasn't going to complain about that.
'So... They're from a decently sized 'gang' called the Blood Hounds, and decided to set their sights on Lungmen's slums?' Megumi didn't worry too much about it, dealing with a mafia family would be light work for a Sorcerer that was Grade 2 or higher. 'But the problem comes in if they have any... Magic users in there.'
Megumi still didn't know what this world called them, keeping in mind to sneak into a library in the main city of Lungmen if he wished to know more. 'As long as there isn't a fighter who can collapse a building with a singular punch, then dealing with this gang shouldn't be much of a problem, right?' And even if they possessed the barrier magic thing Megumi saw the dead bodyguards of Hanshi use, he could always rely on the Inverted Spear of Heaven.
Besides, it would practically be impossible to trace the two's murder back to him.
Megumi left his thoughts as that when he found himself at the same abandoned building he had first found when he arrived in this world. 'There doesn't seem to be any changes, so I'll do a bit of training before I sleep.'
Entering the building, Megumi reached down as he pulled out The Inverted Spear of Heaven form his shadows and unwrapped the black wrappings.
Letting the wraps fall back into his shadow, he grabbed the back end of the chain to cover it and extend the weapon. 'Be careful Megumi, don't accidentally destroy this structure...' At one misstep of his training, he could cause too great of a damage to the building, forcing him to relocate.
At first, he began spinning it, infusing his body with Cursed Energy as its speed began building up. Taking a deep breath, he swiftly spun in a 360 motion, letting the chain and blade follow along with his movements.
It flowed like a river, following upon its path as it swept across the room, before Megumi shifted his form after doing the full motion, and swept his arm downwards and pulled it back.
After the weapon's momentum stopped and retracted back to him, he swept it upwards, the blade shooting behind him before following on with the change in movement, scraping off the ground as it came in an upwards arc.
After that, he swung left, right, and spun around in much faster speeds, Megumi trying his best to keep the balance of the weapon.
He soon sped into a blur of motions, the chain and dagger blurring into motes of light as a circle of multiple slashes started to appear around him.
'Oh damn, am I actually talented at this-?' due to lapse in focus because of his celebration, he saw the bladed portion starting to shoot back at his face.
Megumi promptly moved his head to the side as the dagger impacted the ground behind him.
Getting caught up in his movements, the extend chains around his body wrapped together after The Inverted Spear of Heaven had landed, wrapping Megumi in it and making him fall to the ground
"Agh!" The man felt the impact, letting out a grunt more so out of habit than pain. Letting out a sigh, he undid the chains as he de-extended them. 'I'll train with it more tomorrow...' Once it was back to its original length, he flourished the ISoH a few more times around his fingers before pulling out the black strand to wrap the blade.
'This weapon is useful for my fighting style too, because with Playful Cloud I have to drop the entire weapon to do hand signs for my Shikigamis,' but with the ISoH, because it was a relatively short dagger he could hold the weapon while doing hand signs; and it wouldn't restrict his hand movements at all.
Dropping it into his shadow once it was covered up, Megumi felt satisfied.
With a nod, he decided to flop over onto the ground and fall asleep, using his haori as a makeshift blanket.
At the very least, he could be happy that he tamed the Round Deer today, despite his gripes of the world he was stuck in.
***
Lin Yuhsia walked to a door hidden within the depths of the slums, lightly knocking on it. After she finished her motion, she crossed her arms and closed her eyes, awaiting for the response.
"What's your need?" With a turn of the rectangular opening, a voice spoke out.
"The city lights are quite bright today, no?" Lin spoke out.
Immediately, the locks of the doors were opened with swift precision, the door being opened gently for the woman.
"It's a pleasure to have you on this fine night, Madam Lin," a well dressed Lupo man spoke out to her, moving out the way for the woman to enter.
"The same can be said to you, Anzio," Lin spoke with the same practiced politeness that she exuded, walking through the door.
The Mercenary's Tavern was created by her father to get rid of any competitors that would establish their own mercenary accommodation area; causing problems for Lungmen and the slums.
So his great idea was to monopolize it, and use it to their advantage in order to have targets that were a threat to Lungmen be placed under the commissions tab. That, or activities, delivery, or protection as miscellaneous additions were placed, if only to make the targets section not look suspiciously planned.
Mercenaries themselves could also place down their own commission, but it would need to go under a review process before it was accepted.
She rarely ever visited this place herself, but now was as good as a time ever to do so.
Heads immediately turned towards her, a respect within those experienced in accepting commissions immediately came to them as they lowered their heads to not meet her sight.
Lin found it somewhat ridiculous, but knew it was necessary to keep up her image of power. After all, the underworld was a place where one had to harden themselves to prepare for any attacks.
The baristas immediately made themselves as presentable as possible, opening the entrance door to their place.
"We're pleased to have you, Madam Lin," all of the baristas spoke as they bowed, making way for her to enter.
The unexperienced mercenaries who sat at the tables looked at the scene confused, attributing it to the woman being some big shot.
"Please, lead me to the backroom," Lin spoke out neutrally, giving them a nod of recognition.
"This way madam," one of the baristas guided her to the backdoor, opening it as the both of them entered.
"Hmm..." Lin analyzed it looking at every nook and cranny she could form her position, "it looks well maintained."
"It's an honor to hear," the barista kept her right hand placed over her left, and rested in front of their body as they spoke.
"I'm sure you're aware of the Hanshi commission," Lin noted out, crossing her arms and cupping her chin, "and how the one who accepted the commission didn't have their name listed."
"A-apologies madam, but he just left after taking the money," the barista lowered her head in an apology, "and his p-presence... It was like-"
"That's enough," Lin lightly said, "just alert me when he comes back here, I'd like to have a personal conversation with him," the Mousse handed the barista a piece of paper that had a number they could contact.
"Y-yes, madam," the barista gratefully took it, keeping in mind to alert the other baristas to this fact.
"Thank you for your hard work, then," Lin gave a thin smile as she turned around.
A brief sense of satisfaction filled her, having already set her plan into motion.
***
"Don," a Lupo man spoke up to the well dressed and muscular man within the confines of an expensive high rise building.
The structure they resided in would make all of Hanshi's combined assets together look like a complete joke.
"Don't call me that, we're not powerful enough to be a Famiglia, Frank," the man grabbed a cigar and lit it up, setting down a picture he had been analyzing, "just call me Boss." His eyes crinkled as he let out a huff of air.
"Understood, Boss, I'm sure you already know Hanshi has been..." Frank spoke out, hands behind his back.
"Yes, yes, he's been taken out, by a mysterious stranger too," the 'Boss' finished for him, "but we have greater threats like the LGD and the Rat King to worry about."
"...Then what shall we do with him?" Frank stared downwards while keeping his head straight, onto the picture that was placed on the Boss' desk.
"Don't worry, I've already had it settled out," the Boss closed his eyes, taking another whiff of his cigar, "ah, it was such a shame, all the cigars I gave Hanshi had been confiscated too."
"The fool couldn't even keep his head on his shoulders, it seems we expected too much from him." Frank noted.
"Indeed, it was a waste of time to invest into a one trick pony like Hanshi," the Boss leaned back on his sofa as he awaited for a certain person's arrival-
Click
"Oh, speak of the Devil? There she is," the Boss smiled as the door opened slightly... "The one who'll deal with our mysterious stranger."
Before bursting open, nearly breaking it off its hinges.
Frank's hands twitched, raising an eyebrow as he stared at the entrance... Before his eyes widened in who exactly had come in.
"Seriously~? Ah, this place was a pain to get through," a white haired Lupo woman stepped into the room, as if it belonged to her. "Eh, fancy room you got here," she gave the Boss an unnerving smile.
"Ah, yes, pleased to make your acquaintance, Lappland," the Boss spoke out, placing his cigar between his fingers and taking it out of his mouth.
"So, whaddya wanna hire me for?" Lappland hopped over and plopped herself over onto the sofa opposite of the Boss. Her legs crossed over each other as they rested on the table separating the two.
Frank held a stoic expression, but deep down, he worried for the Boss' life at this very moment.
"It's quite simple, really," the Boss pressed his finger on the picture, and slid it to the woman. "Find this man, kill him with proof, and we'll give you information on Penguin Logistics."
Lappland took the image, analyzing it. It showed the image of a black haired man, looking bored out of his mind as he stood over a roof top. What was most notable about him was the regal appearance his haori robes seemed to give off.
"Information on Penguin Logistics, hmm~?" Lappland leaned back as she thought about it, remembering that a certain black haired Lupo was a part of it now. What she had difficulty though, was finding where exactly they were in Lungmen... "Aha~, you've got yourself a deal, big guy," Lappland smiled as he sprung upwards.
"Pleasure to do business with you," the Boss smoked his cigar once more as Lappland stepped out.
However, before she fully exited, she turned around to look at the two, "oh, and if you don't keep your end of the deal, you know what happens," Lappland had a far more ferocious smile gracing her face.
With a deft movement, her exit was with the doors slamming and creating a great sound. One that would be silenced from the deafness of the room soon after.
"...Boss?" Frank spoke up nervously.
"It's fine, as long as we keep our end of the deal," the Boss fixed his tie as he stood up, "besides, we have other matters to deal with." He stood up, turning to walk behind his couch and to the window that overlooked Lungmen.
The Boss' eyes narrowed as they made sight with the LGD headquarters. "Other, more pressing matters..."
***
Ch'en walked out of the interrogation room with Hoshiguma, heaving a sigh as she caressed her forehead, "what a pain in the ass, the interrogation went terribly."
"Well, we should've expected that, but we at least got something out of it," Hoshiguma turned to the woman as they continued onwards. Although they weren't clear answers, it at least implied something the LGD could use.
"Still, we have the Blood Hounds to worry about, and that black haired bastard," Ch'en sighed.
"Oh, that," Hoshiguma remembered the man who had Ch'en stumped. " Yeah, and who could've thought the person you encountered a few days ago was the one to kill Hanshi, huh?" Hoshiguma placed a hand under her chin.
"Yeah, but he'd be difficult to find since he's hidden in the slums, too..." Ch'en paused her steps, freezing in place as she did so. A thought came to her, "He's in the slums..."
"Something come to mind?" Hoshiguma stopped along with her, giving a questioning look. Before she realized what Ch'en was contemplating about, "oh... You're not talking about-?"
"Think that dirty rat knows something about him?" Ch'en crossed her arms. A certain pink haired woman came to her mind.
"Well... It's most likely that she does," Hoshiguma shrugged her right shoulder, the one that wasn't holding her shield.
"...Swire has her phone number, right?" Ch'en said, her eyes narrowed.
"I don't think it's a good idea..." Hoshiguma looked the dragon lady in the eyes, before realizing she most likely won't relent. "Hah~, I'll contact Swire then," Hoshiguma reached into her pockets as Ch'en perked up.
"Ah, thanks, Hoshi," the blue haired woman flashed a small grin at the green haired woman.
"It's no problem, we just gotta hope that this doesn't blow up in our face," Hoshiguma spoke with a tone of worry.
***
A/N: Having to write Megumi tame Round Deer was... Something, because it's pretty weak physically, and I wonder how Megmi didn't tame it when he had DIVINE DOG TOTALITY which can DAMAGE SPECIAL GRADE CURSED SPIRITS.